50 cent

Rapper/actor 50 Cent (a.k.a. Curtis Jackson) is one of our all time celebrity real estate slow sellers. He's been trying to unload the pile of property in Farmington, Connecticut which he bought from Mike Tyson's ex-wife for several years. He bought the home for just $4.1 million but reportedly spent $6 million renovating it. He has been trying to sell the home since 2007 when he wanted $18.5 million for the property.

In 2009 he settled a lawsuit against an engineering firm that he hired to inspect the 52-room home before he bought it. He claimed they underestimated the value of the repairs needed. The mansion was listed at $14.5 million at that point but then was pulled off the market. It went back up with a new listing agent and a new price of $10.9 million.

Now here we are in 2011 and he has again switched agents. New agent William Raveis announced the listing on StamfordPlus. The home has 52 rooms on 17 private acres and includes a personal helicopter pad.

The new listing comes with new pictures that show the home in a better light than we have seen before. The home still seems more like a hotel than a residence but the new pictures showcase the marble foyer, the dining room, living room, kitchen and home office. The pictures also show the grand home theater, billiards room and nightclub with a lighted dance floor, bar and DJ area. The nightclub also has a private room for after-hours entertainment. For other activities there is also a racquet ball court, indoor pool, large gym, fitness facilities and an outdoor basketball court. Check out the listing for a virtual tour on this property which has finally dipped below the $10 million mark. It now sits at $9,999,999.

Famed photographer Albert Watson, whose celebrity portraits and nudes of Kate Moss fetch astonishing prices at auction, has come out with a stunning new 40-year retrospective of his work. Titled UFO, which stands for "Unified Fashion Objectives", the massive monograph includes iconic shots of famous faces from 50 Cent, Christy Turlington, Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, Uma Thurman, Beyonce and Jack Nicholson are interspersed with still lifes, fashion images and more, personally selected by Watson from his vast archive. The Scottish-born photographer's first celebrity photograph was a portrait of Alfred Hitchcock for the cover of Harper's Bazaar in 1973.

Since then he has amassed more than 200 Vogue covers and 40 Rolling Stone covers to his credit and has shot countless ad campaigns, TV commercials and movie posters. Many of the images in the book have never been published before and are presented here for the very first time. The slipcased volume is also available as a limited edition book for $500 including an archival pigment print of 500 copies only, housed in a black acrylic case. Individually signed and numbered, the limited edition is available exclusively through galleries representing Albert Watson and selected retailers.

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Whose house is the fairest of them all?

Which celebrities have the most expensive properties on the market right now? Let's apologize up front for not including any pocket listings that we don't know about. (In fact, if you'd be so kind as to let us know about them, we'd be most grateful.)

And sorry, but we aren't counting Candy Spelling's Bel-Air listing at an unrealistic $150 million here -- not because it isn't a super property (if overpriced) but because despite her befriending us on Facebook, we still don't quite consider her a celebrity. We're also not including Dennis Hopper's estate, no disrespect intended toward the recently departed but if we opened the cemetery floodgates, there wouldn't be enough room in cyberspace to list them all. And lastly, we're so sick of athletes who misbehave that we'll pass on considering them celebrities for the moment. Overgrown kids maybe, but not celebrities.

So with those caveats, here's the unofficial Luxist list of 10 of our favorite and most expensive celebrity homes on the market.

1) Billy Joel's Sagaponack Village house for $19.9 million. We love love love this beachfront house in Sagaponack Village South that sits on 145 feet of oceanfront. We even loved it when it was first listed at $22.5 million. Classy, elegant, blends with the surroundings. You half expect a seagull to land on you while you stare at the photos. High beamed ceilings, white-washed, New Englandy without the pretensions. It was renovated in 2009 and clearly is a place where great music could be made -- although apparently not between Billy Joel and his soon-to-be-ex wife Katie Lee Joel. Nothing like a divorce to force the issue of liquidating the real estate. And nothing like a recession to keep things from moving. The piano man and his fourth wife also listed the property next door to this one for $12 million. There are some reports it sold in the $10 million vicinity.

From Newsday's Real LI:
--Bollywood film producer Aron Govil has listed his 15-room Colonial in Old Brookville, New York for $6.9 million.
--Rapper 50 Cent is selling a one-acre property in Dix Hills for $499,999.
--Kimora Lee Simmons has sold her East Hampton house for $650,000. It had been listed at $800,000.


From the NY Post:
-- Alec Baldwin continues to apartment hunt in New York City. He was seen checking out a $14.95 million triplex penthouse at 54 Bond St., in NoHo's old Bouwerie Lane Theatre. He was also spotted at the New Museum Building at 158 Mercer St. in SoHo looking at two apartments in the $7 million range.
-- Dylan McDermott has been seen looking for apartments in the West Village.
--Agnes Nolan, a legend in the field of luxury real estate, wants to sell her own trophy apartment, a penthouse duplex at 271 Central Park West. The co-op, where she has lived since 1964, is on the market for $13.9 million.
--Yankees star Alex Rodriguez maybe close to signing a $12 million contract for a house on North Bay Road in Miami.

From the Real Estalker:
--Hollywood talent agent and power player Mike Ovitz has listed a Brentwood, California home for $8.5 million.

In a recent article in the Telegraph rap star 50 Cent spoke out about the recession. To 50 Cent economy apparently means selling his "old diamonds" before buying something new. Not to criticize his strategy, clearly 50 Cent has more money than I do, but it seems that selling off old diamonds to buy new pieces is one of the most financially foolhardy ideas around. Resale on diamonds (large rare high carat stones excepted) is notoriously low. Even if he is essentially trading in his pieces with the same jeweler it is likely a losing game. He may be able to resell some pieces at a decent price because of his name but quickly turning over jewelry and constantly getting new pieces is not a way to accrue wealth.

He went on to say that anyone who didn't lose money in this recession "didn't have enough to start off with." He shrugged off his losses and believes he is still a savvy businessman who could even advise President Obama should he need it. Big words from a man who is still in the process of trying to sell one of the great white elephant pieces of Connecticut real estate, Mike Tyson's former mansion in Farmington, Connecticut. Tyson's mansion has been nothing but a headache for Fiddy. He bought the home for $4.1 million (Tyson's ex originally wanted $25 million) and spent $6 million renovating it. He has been trying to sell the home since 2007 when he wanted $18.5 million for the property and it is now listed at $10.9 million.

Love your reality/modeling/singing/(fill in your fave genre here) stars? Want to small as good as you imagine they do? Then get ready to head to the stores sometime soon for the newest celebrity fragrance, Bikini Babe, by Keeping Up with the Kardashians' resident celebutante, Kim Kardashian. Few details were available at press time, except for this and this.

Also, this just in: Although not a new designer in the scent world, Anna Sui will launch her newest fragrance, "Rock Me!" this fall. Read more here. The ads are photographed by Stephen Meisel.

NASCAR is getting an injection of style this season courtesy of luxury menswear line CAVI. The brand, known for its distinctive designs as worn by the likes of Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and 50 Cent, has partnered with up-and-coming NASCAR star Chase Austin, outfitting Austin and his pit crew with stylish custom uniforms and adorning his Xxxtreme Motorsport No. 7 racecar with the fashion line's logo (above). Austin and the car debuted the new look the other day at Macy's in Indianapolis. From its signature crest to bold colors and prints, tailored fit and innovative design, CAVI has "re-conceptualized the standard for contemporary sportswear, developing a lifestyle fashion brand that embraces both luxury lifestyle and reflects class."

It's been a big weekend for some of real estate's slow sellers. On Saturday we saw Nic Cage put his Bel-Air mansion on the market at a new lower price and now rapper 50 Cent is trying yet again to unload the pile of property in Farmington, Connecticut which he bought from Mike Tyson's ex-wife. Tyson's mansion has been nothing but a headache for Fiddy. He bought the home for $4.1 million (Tyson's ex originally wanted $25 million) and spent $6 million renovating it. He has been trying to sell the home since 2007 when he wanted $18.5 million for the property.

Earlier this year he settled a lawsuit against an engineering firm that he hired to inspect the 52-room home before he bought it. claiming they underestimated the value of the repairs needed. At that point the mansion, which was then listed at $14.5 million, was pulled off the market. But it's back up with a new listing agent and a new price of $10.9 million. The listing pics are similar to the ones we saw when we first had it as an estate of the day in 2007. Even with the new price he's going to have trouble getting rid of this home if only because not many buyers in the area will be looking for a home with a grotto and a nightclub.

[via NY Post]

Rapper 50 Cent is figuring out that Mike Tyson's Farmington, Connecticut mansion wasn't such a great purchase after all. The performer, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, recently testified in Hartford Superior Court as part of his lawsuit against BVH Integrated Services, an engineering firm that he hired to inspect the 52-room home before he bought it. The company was supposed to find out how much it would cost to repair the home.

Tyson's ex wife originally wanted $25 million but 50 Cent bought it for $4.1 million. The company's estimated that 50 Cent would have to spend around $500,000 in repairs but he ended up spending $6 million on repairs and renovations about half of which went to things which 50 Cent's lawyers say should have been included in the original estimate. BVH attorney Michael Byrne said that 50 Cent's lavish upgrades made the difference and that the estimators are not responsible for the difference.

The house may be huge but it isn't high quality according to witness testimony. A contractor hired by BVH to conduct the 2003 inspection testified that it was not a "mansion-quality" house. 50 Cent put the mansion up for sale in 2007 for $18.5 million and dropped the price down to $14.5 million but he said this week that the house is no longer for sale.

UPDATE: 50 Cent has settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.

Formerly high-flying music producer Scott Storch (above with his Bugatti Veyron) has been charged with grand theft auto after failing to return his leased Bentley GT. Storch, who produced hits for the likes of 50 Cent and Beyoncé and partied with close pal Paris Hilton, has fallen on hard times recently and has seen his $10 million Miami mansion foreclosed on.

According to a copy of the a the police report obtained by MTV News, Storch began leasing a 2004 Bentley GT in February 2006 which was due to be returned last month. However, instead of handing over the pricey wheels Storch gave the Bentley to L'il Kim, TMZ reports. A repo company finally tracked the car down at Kim's place in New Jersey. Storch was released on bail after posting an undisclosed amount; according to some reports he is currently in rehab.

You've probably heard of Curtis & Co. watches. They've been seen on everyone from 50 Cent to Paris Hilton, to Stuart Scott on ESPN. They list famous wearers here, on their "Awristocrats" page.

Their collections all start with the words "Big Time," and include Air (in blue with black casing at right), Ice, Hers, and Limited Edition pieces like a gorgeous rectangular watch celebrating the new golden age of Dubai.

Are these watches "Big Time?" Yes. Each watch has a beautifully crafted face, multiple first-rate functions, and there is an extensive selection of straps in different colors and textures. Curtis & Co. makes exquisite and stylish watches for gifts or to be seen wearing.

Click here for retailers.

Forbes has just released its annual list of the world's highest-paid rappers, and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has catapulted to the #1 spot with $150 million in earnings over the past 12 months - more than double that of rival Jay-Z at No. 2.

When Forbes inaugurated the Hip-Hop's Cash Kings list last year, Jay-Z was firmly at the top. But 50 raked in over $100 million after taxes on a single deal earlier this year, the mag notes, when his stake in Glacéau (parent co. of VitaminWater) was bought by Coca-Cola as part of a $4.1 billion takeover.

This isn't to say that Jay-Z's doing badly; he recently signed a 10-year deal with concert promoter Live Nation worth $150 million. Meanwhile, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kanye West clocked in at Nos. 3 and 4 with $35 million and $30 million respectively.

The Farmington, Connecticut home that 50 Cent bought from Mike Tyson has been on the market a while now. We covered it in May of this year but now 50 Cent is showing the property on a special edition of MTV's "Cribs" tonight. The AP reports that this is so "fans can take a peek before he moves out" I say that 50 is trying to drum up some interest in this clunker of a home which has sat on the market for $18.5 million.. Remember that Tyson had originally wanted $25 million for it but 50 Cent bought it from Tyson's ex-wife Monica for just $4.1 million. Yes, at around 48,000 square feet it is huge and it does have all sorts of fun details like a nightclub and a studio but who really needs a home like this? Perhaps someone who watches MTV?

We've seen in the past that 50 Cent has lavish tastes, whether it is his Connecticut mansion, his Manhattan office or his chromed-out Lamborghini. Now the rapper is set to spend a whole lot of money in one night just to honor his commitment to appear at two award shows on the same night. It has been reported that he will spend $2 million on a six-mile journey through London to perform at both the Vodafone Live Music Awards in West London and the MOBO Awards at the O2 Arena in Greenwich. For the events is said to have booked three helicopters, a fleet of SUVs and a team of ex-special forces so that he can get to the MOBO awards in time and have a little room to spare for relaxation.

UPDATE: Looks like 50 Cent has pulled out of the MOBO awards and is canceling a bunch of tour dates in Europe. Is he following through on his promise to retire if Kanye West bested him in the charts or just looking to s save some cash?

[Thanks, Zachary!]

I really don't understand the appeal of selling big name items online -- isn't eBay largely for bargain hunters? But obviously there are plenty of people who don't share my views, as demonstrated by how well this 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago, rumored to be owned by rapper 50 cent, is doing. The auction ends soon and as of writing this post there are 15 bidders and it's currently at $310,000. 50 isn't actually mentioned in the auction, but based on this YouTube video it sure looks like he's the mysterious "celebrity owner."


Via AutoBlog