Hollywood

Charter Steven Spielberg's New Superyacht for $1.3 Million a Week: The World's Most Expensive

Luxist recently reported about Steven Spielberg's amazing new $200 million megayacht the Seven Seas (pictured above). Now it seems as though the famed director wants to recoup some of his impressive investment – he's offering the ultra-luxurious yacht for charter at $1.3 million per week. That makes it the world's most expensive yacht charter, leaving the likes of P. Diddy and Simon Cowell's crafts in the dust.

Tags: celebrity yacht, Hollywood, megayacht, Oceanco, Seven Seas, Steven Spielberg, Steven Spielberg yacht, superyacht, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive yachts, yacht, yacht charter

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Steve McQueen's Husqvarna Motorcycle Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, The Classicist

The Husqvarna 400CR motorcycle pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August 1971 ridden by Steve McQueen, aka The King of Cool, will be auctioned off on May 14 at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California during Bonhams' sale of Exceptional Motorcycles & Related Memorabilia. McQueen's favorite motorcycle for a number of years, which he rode at the Elsinore Grand Prix among other events, it's sure to fetch a significant amount. The bike is featured prominently in the cool new edition of McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon from Motorbooks.

The Husqvarna was originally purchased from the Steve McQueen Estate Sale in 1984 at Harrah's Auto Collection in Las Vegas. In addition to being impeccably restored and fully documented it comes with a wooden trunk marked "Husky" full of accessories. More McQueen ephemera will be offered at the sale including numerous racing trophies won by the legend of the silver screen and die-hard motorbike enthusiast. As we reported on March 10, McQueen's 1970 Porsche 911 is also headed for auction this summer.

Gallery: Steve McQueen's Husqvarna Motorbike

Tags: 1970s, actor, Bonhams, California, celebrity cars, Hollywood, Husqvarna, motorbike, motorcycle, Porsche, Steve McQueen

Steven Spielberg Sets Sail on His New $200 Million Megayacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Celebrity Shopping, Wealth

Famed director Steven Spielberg was recently spotted in St. Barth's and St. Maarten on his new $200 million megayacht, the Seven Seas (pictured above), a stylish 282-footer fitted with every imaginable luxury.

Built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco to the Hollywood mogul's specifications, it has a sophisticated interior design scheme with acres of walnut, teak and rosewood. Its most impressive feature is an infinity pool with a 15-ft. glass wall that doubles as a cinema screen so Spielberg and his guests can view movies while swimming or lounging poolside.

Tags: celebrity, celebrity yacht, director, Hollywood, megayacht, movie mogul, movies, Oceanco, spielberg+yacht, spielbergs+yacht, spielbergsyacht, spielbergyacht, Steven Spielberg, Steven Spielberg yacht, steven+spielbergs+new+yacht, steven+spielbergs+yacht, stevenspielbergsnewyacht, stevenspielbergsyacht, superyacht, wealth, yacht, yacht design

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The Life & Work of the Late Herb Ritts

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

Madonna, Julia Roberts, Michele Pfeiffer, Kim Basinger, Richard Gere, Cindy Crawford – all of them owe their fame in some measure to the late Herb Ritts, the renowned photographer whose portraits for the likes of Vanity Fair, Vogue and various fashion houses in the '80s and '90s helped turn many of his subjects into icons. A new book by Charles Churchward, Herb Ritts: The Golden Hour, is a lavish scrapbook / oral history looking at both Ritts' life, legacy and work. Along with some of the well known celebrity and supermodel poses the book's 200 images include intimate portraits, images of extravagant Hollywood parties, travels to exotic locales, and other unforgettable moments from an extraordinary career, many from Ritts' personal archive and previously unpublished. Richard Gere provides an introduction and there are scores of interviews from Ritts' friends including Annie Leibovitz, Elton John, kd lang, Helena Christensen, L'Wren Scott and more.

Tags: books, celebrity, Cindy Crawford, coffee table books, Elton John, fashion, Helena Christensen, Herb Ritts, Hollywood, Julia Roberts, Madonna, photographer, photography, Richard Gere, supermodels, Vanity Fair

Treasures from the Archives of Alfred Hitchcock

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

The archives of the late, great director Alfred Hitchcock were made completely available for the first time for the publication of a remarkable new book on his life and work. Hitchcock, Piece by Piece by Laurent Bouzereau from Abrams is of course packed with photographs, letters, memos, sketches and other ephemera, many never before published, with the innovative enhancement that facsimiles of several items can be removed from special folders and examined close up. Bouzereau, an accomplished Hollywood producer and director in his own right, provides a personal guided tour of Hitchcock's private life, oeuvre of fifty films, and creative process throughout his sixty year career working with stars like Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Ingrid Bergman. Hundreds of photographs reveal the many facets of the master filmmaker, famed for classics like North By Northwest (one of our all-time favorites) and Vertigo, dating from the days of his youth, along with a a comprehensive filmography and bibliography. As Hitchcock's daughter Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell notes in her foreword, the book is a veritable Hitchcock museum and a must-have for any film buff.

Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, books, Cary Grant, celebrity, cinema, coffee table books, director, Hollywood, movie stars, movies, North By Northwest, photography

Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Comes to Los Angeles

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports

Famed French champagne house Veuve Clicquot will re-introduce professional polo to Los Angeles when it hosts the inaugural Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Los Angeles on October 10 at the Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. Nacho Figueras, captain of the Black Watch team and Ralph Lauren model, will go head-to-head against some of the world's best polo players for the inaugural event. In homage to the golden era of polo in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, guests are being encouraged to wear fashions inspired by that era, with help from Cameron Silver, super-stylish owner of Los Angeles and London-based vintage couture boutiques decadestwo and DECADES. Silver will offer on-site styling advice and sessions with guests and is consulting on the overall design of the event and its vintage inspiration.

In addition to the exclusive VIP Marquee, one side of the field will be free and open to the public. Angelenos will be able to watch the match from bleachers overlooking the legendary polo grounds – the last of Los Angeles' original 22 polo fields – where Hollywood celebrity and polo connoisseur Will Rogers used to play the sport himself along with fellow polo enthusiasts including Clark Gable, Walt Disney, and Spencer Tracy. The site is located just outside Rogers' former estate, which still stands today. Spectators can also expect plenty of Veuve Clicquot champagne bars and premium snacks, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation and California State Parks.

Tags: California, champagne, Clark Gable, Decades, equestrian, events, Hollywood, horses, Los Angeles, Nacho Figueras, Pacific Palisades, polo, Ralph Lauren, sports, Veuve Clicquot, vintage, Will Rogers

Premiere: A New Place To Play In Hollywood

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

There's nothing Hollywood loves more than a good premiere. Actor turned club impresario Vinny Laresca takes that to the next level with his new club, Premiere, a 5,000 square-foot nightclub in the heart of Hollywood. For its opening, Premiere is set as a mid-century Spanish theater inspired by the works of Gaudi and Dali, but the venue plans a series of revivals and re-openings as the seasons come and go (think of these as costume changes).

Laresca says, "I wanted to create a venue where I could bring my two passions, theater and nightlife, together in the same space." The club at Las Palmas and Hollywood Boulevard opens into a large room with arches, raised seating, and a 30-foot bar. Opposing staircases lead upstairs to a second level, which overlooks the dance-floor and DJ booth. The upper level boasts an additional, full-service bar and balcony seating.

For its fall debut, the club is dressed up in crimson velvet, exposed brick, dark-stained pine and Spanish tiles to suggest the Catalonian region of Spain. The club will serve personal pizzas and gourmet paninis along with other light bar fare. A unique selection of custom-made shots will be available by the bottle or half bottle at the VIP tables. The club is opening this month and operates from 9pm-2am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Contact info is available on the Premiere website.

Tags: hollywood, hollywood nightlife, nightclub, NightClubs, premiere

The Classicist: Movie Star Style at the Beverly Wilshire's New $25,000-Per-Night Penthouse

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

Following a recently completed $40 million facelift, Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel has just unveiled its newly renovated Penthouse and Presidential Suite for the ultimate in movie star style. The Penthouse, beginning at $25,000 per night, is the largest hotel suite in Los Angeles and now one of the world's most expensive as well. L.A.-based architectural firm Barry Design Associates transformed the historic suites into modern, sophisticated spaces. They even throw in a Porsche. The Beverly Wilshire is a true piece of Hollywood history; the Italian Renaissance-style stone and marble building was completed in 1928 when the city had fewer than 18,000 residents, and its grand suites have played host to many of movieland's most famous faces over the decades.

The three-bedroom Penthouse offers guests 5,000 square feet of space. Positioned on the private top floor of the hotel's Beverly Wing it features floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings and a wrap around balcony with sweeping views of downtown L.A. and the Hollywood Hills. An entry way welcomes guests with marble mosaic flooring and Swarovski crystal chandeliers, while a dining room offers seating for 12 people adjacent to a state-of-the-art designer kitchen with Michelangelo marble countertops and Miele appliances. The elegant master bedroom is highlighted by an antique mirror and silver leaf detailed bed frame along with huge walk-in closet finished in stained oak. The master bath is fitted with glass tiles, exotic stones, a marble soaking tub, dual steam and rain shower contains a light and music system. There's also a media room for private screenings of your latest blockbuster.

Gallery: Beverly Wilshire Reborn

The two-bedroom Presidential Suite offers 4,000 square feet of space, entered through a spectacular grand foyer (above) with Corinthian columns and intricate crown molding designed when the Hotel first opened over 80 years ago. Located on the eighth floor of the hotel's original Wilshire Wing, it features sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills and has been graced by numerous celebrities, legends and dignitaries over the years. The suite comes complete with its own living room and library as well, while the master bath is fitted with a soaking tub, steam shower for two and integrated televisions in the mirrors above the black lacquer vanity counters. [continued]

Tags: Beverly Wilshire, California, celebrity, Four Seasons, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, hotel suites, hotels, library, Los Angeles, luxury hotel, marble, movie stars, penthouse, Porsche, Porsche Panamera, presidential suite, Swarovski, worlds most expensive

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Targa Trophy Supercar Rally Kicks Off This Summer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

The Targa Trophy triple-crown series of open road rallies featuring some of the most exotic cars in the world will kick off later this month with high-octane events slated for Southern California, Northern California and Arizona. The series pits drivers against the clock in an effort to drive pre-selected routes through some of the most technical driving roads and scenic byways in the western United States. The first leg – the So Cal Challenge - runs from Hollywood to San Diego, the second event – the Bay Area Rally Fest - takes participants through Silicon Valley and West San Francisco, and the Desert Finale runs through the Arizona desert to Scottsdale. Each two-day event will start with an exclusive private party at the host city's W Hotel.

As the participants make their way to the finish there will be a series of checkpoints and movie screenings culminating in the finale dinner and awards ceremony. HRE Performance Wheels, which designs, engineers and manufactures forged alloy wheels for the world's finest cars in their San Diego facility, has signed on "Official Wheel" of this year's competition. HRE will craft a unique forged aluminum trophy for the rally winner and provide prizes to other top placing drivers as well. The grand prize for the "Triple Crown" winner will be a custom-made set of forged HRE wheels made for the winning vehicle. The So Cal Challenge kicks of on June 25; the deadline to sign up is June 22.

Tags: Arizona, California, Hollywood, rally, San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Southern California, supercars, Targa Trophy, W Hotel

Vintage Hollywood Menu at New York's Algonquin Hotel

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Charity, Books

Calling all fans of vintage Hollywood, classic Broadway and early 20th century literature: New York's Algonquin Hotel is in the midst of a special vintage menu that's actually well worth the price.

The Algonquin Hotel is best known for its place in 1920s literature -- it's where the "vicious circle", which included Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley used to meet to trade barbs and match wits. It's a terrific, if pricey, place for drinks in midtown when you want a literary vibe. The hotel has teamed up with publisher HarperCollins, which has just released a vintage cookbook called Specialties de la Maison, which gathered together recipes from celebs ranging from Tallulah Bankhead, Noel Coward, Christian Dior, Eleanor Roosevelt and others. The cookbook was a fundraiser for the now defunct group American Friends of France, an organization started by Anne Morgan (daughter of J.P.), a francophile who was horrified by the toll of war on France after World War I, and who used her extensive social connections to gather the recipes. The book jacket was designed by Clement Hurd, who illustrated the children's classic Goodnight Moon.

Tags: AlgonquinHotel, dorothy parker, fine dining, Hollywood, new york city, old hollywood, vicious circle

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Checking Out The W Hollywood Residences

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

There's no denying that the eastern swath of Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California has seen better days which means it's primed for a renaissance. The new $350 million W Hollywood Hotel & Residences project seems to be leading the way. The W Hollywood is plopped right onto a W Metro station giving a very New York urban feel to a project that is pure Southern California glitz on on the inside. We had the opportunity to check out the residences last week and snapped plenty of pictures of a glimpse at the new Hollywood.

Gallery: W Hollywood Residences

Tags: condominiums, condos, hollywood, hollywood blvd, luxury condos, w hollywood

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Drai's Hollywood Offers Poolside Partying At Hollywood and Vine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Drai's Hollywood at the New W Hollywood Hotel just might be the new summer hang out. The hotel is situated on the famous corner at Hollywood and Vine. The club includes a large lounge lined with banquettes backed with rich red velvet tiles which are separated by mirrored, ceiling-high columns. Opposite the banquettes, one full wall of the space looks out onto Hollywood through floor-to-ceiling windows offering glittering city views. The room also opens up into a dance space with a DJ booth framed by a massive, carved wooden picture frame looking out onto the floor.

The restaurant area seats approximately 120 guests and offers treats from Chef Claude Segal. The restaurant is between the indoor lounge area and the open air rooftop pool/patio area offering a choice of inside or outside dining. The pool patio is the most prized location. It resembles a penthouse roof garden and both sides have custom cabanas. One side of the pool has flat-topped cabanas with low couches and white privacy curtains. On the other side, raised up a few steps from the pool level, is a row of covered daybed with Moroccan-style inlaid wooden tables and cabinets, stained wicker seats, red-cushioned couches, large mirrors and flat screen TVs all surrounded by heavier white drapes. At the far end of the pool, up a flight of stairs above an outdoor poolside bar, is a set of four larger, very VIP cabanas that overlook the entire rooftop area.

Tags: drais hollwood, hollywood, nightclub, victor drai, w hotel, waits twins

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Brian Austin Green In The Hollywood Hills, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

We first mentioned actor Brian Austin Green's house being up for sale when the listing went live last July. But six months later, no sale and the Real Estalker's news that his on-again, off-again girlfriend Megan Fox has picked up a new large home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, and we are giving this home a second look. It's not clear if Green will be moving on with Fox or if he has another home to go to. Green's home for sale is a four-bedroom English Tudor style home nicely situated on a private knoll in the hills above Sunset Blvd. The four-bedroom home has oak floors, beamed ceilings and a kitchen with a curved bench. The decor is restrained although there are little touches of geek including a Darth Vader mask on a table in the media room. Outside the stepped yard has several patios, a child's playhouse and a pool. It remains listed at $2.395 million.

Gallery: Brian Austin Green In The Hollywood Hills

Tags: brian austin green, BrianAustinGreen, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, hollywood, los feliz, LosFeliz, megan fox, MeganFox

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The Over-the-Top World of Tony Duquette

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Jewelry, Books

The over-the-top world of the late L.A.-based artist and designer Tony Duquette, creative Svengali to some of the most renowned Hollywood celebrities and tastemakers of the 20th century, is beautifully presented in a new book aptly titled More Is More by his longtime associate Hutton Wilkinson. With a foreword by another master of stylish excess, Dior designer John Galliano, the book explores Duquette's personal philosophy and the artistic credo that inspired him to create his fantastic artwork, sculptures, jewelry, gardens, and luxurious, theatrical interiors. Wilkinson provides a privileged glimpse into Duquette's fascinating private life, showing him at work in the studio, at the lavish celebrity-packed parties he and his wife held at Dawnridge, their eye-popping Beverly Hills estate, and on his whirlwind international tours.

Tags: Hollywood, interior design, InteriorDesign, John Galliano, JohnGalliano, Tony Duquette, TonyDuquette

Forbes Ranks Hollywood's Top 10 Overpaid Actors

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Forbes loves lists, and this is a great one if you love to resent actors' huge paychecks -- the Top 10 Overpaid Actors, that is, actors who cost more than their box office worth. According to MSN, in order to qualify for the list, each actor had to have appeared in three films in the last five years that opened in at least 500 theaters. No. 1 on the list is Will Ferrell. For every $1 Ferrell earns, his movies only earn $3.29. The No. 2 spot is filled by Ewan McGregor. His ratio is $1 to $3.75. Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are Billy Bob Thornton, Eddie Murphy, and Ice Cube. Coming in at No. 6 is Tom Cruise; No. 7 is the only woman on the list, Drew Barrymore; and Nos. 8, 9, and 10 are Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jim Carrey. Forbes explains it all here. View the official list, with photos, here.

Tags: actors, films, Forbes, Hollywood, movies, paycheck, salaries, salary

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