Skip to Content

bruce willis

Bruce Willis's Latest Mission: Save The Vodka?

Filed under: Spirits

bruce wilisMovie star Bruce Willis has been appearing in ads for Sobieski vodka for the last few month but now he's ready to take a more active role. He will be joining the board of directors of the French drinks group Belvedere, the owner of the Polish-made Sobieski vodka brand. A statement from the company said that Willis "expressed his wish to become a shareholder of reference alongside its management and to be fully associated with the group's marketing strategy." If approved, je will officially become part of the board at the next general meeting of shareholders. The company isn't doing that well. It currently has debts of around $800 million and was placed under bankruptcy protection by a French court. Shares of Belvedere rose to their highest rate in months after the news was announced.

Welcome Bruce Willis to the Neighborhood

Filed under: Estates, Real Estate Developments

Send over those moving boxes to Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis, who, with wife Emma Heming, is headed for the exclusive crescent-shaped building in Westwood known as The Carlyle Residences, Luxist.com has learned. Willis has purchased one of the building's 78 units -- all with private elevators -- in the newly constructed high-rise, also known as The Carlyle on Wilshire. The star of the "Die Hard" franchise bought one of the upper units in the exclusive building, where the penthouse was listed at $5.4 million.

Willis' residency no doubt will ratchet up the building's already soaring cache. The three-bedroom, three-bath unit that Willis bought is about 5,000 square feet and has city views. The centerpiece of the building is the grand lobby, lavishly appointed in exotic woods and stone and with a $1 million Dale Chihuly chandelier as a focal point. There is also a 24-hour concierge, dining room, wine cellar, pool and gym-spa. The units are equipped with Poggenpohl kitchens and baths, soaring ceilings and walls of glass. The project was developed by ELAD Properties, which also developed New York's Plaza Hotel. Luxury real estate broker Valerie Fitzgerald is the head of sales for the project, according to the MLS and other sources. A spokesman for The Carlyle could not be reached for comment.

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up, 08/02/09

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson has put his New York city condo on the market for $4.4 million. He bought the loft in 2007 for $3.98 million. The listing is here.
--Bruce Livingstone, who founded online stock-photography provider iStockphoto has paid $2.5 million for a landmark midcentury Los Angeles home. Livingstone bought the house in an all-cash deal that included much of the artwork and furnishings.
--Prison-industry veteran Tom Beasley has put his Tennessee ranch, shown above, on the market for $10 million. The listing is here.

From Cityfile's Buyers and Sellers:
--Philanthropists Amnon and Caren Heller Barness have cut the price of their four-bedroom penthouse at Trump Park Avenue. It was listed last year for $15 million and is now $12.5 million. The listing is here.
--via the Real Deal, author Gary Shteyngart's one-bedroom apartment at 575 Grand Street, which he put on the market for $450,000 and was most recently listed at $425,000 has gone to contract.
--Developer Charles Yassky has put his townhouse back on the market. He bought 122 East 78th Street in mid-2008 for $13.2 million, put it back on the market with Paula Del Nunzio just two weeks later for $18.9 million, before dropping the price to $16.9 million in November but now it is back for $18.9 million. The listing is here.
--via the Real Deal, Roberta Campbell, the wife of former Intuit CEO William Campbell, has paid $17.5 million for an 11th-floor condo at 15 Central Park West.
--via the NY Times, Peter Rockefeller, a Rockefeller heir and managing director at Berkshire Capital, and his wife Allison have picked up a duplex apartment at 130 East 67th Street for $3.5 million, 56 percent less than what the 10-room co-op was first listed for in June 2008.


From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Celebrity divorce attorney Robert Cohen and his wife, Stephanie Stiefel have paid $4.4 million for a two-bedroom apartment at One Beekman Place.
--Arlene Farkas, the ex-wife of real estate heir Bruce Farkas, has dropped the price of her 14-room duplex at the River House from $15 million to $13.5 million. The listing is here.
--The New York City apartment where Josh Hartnett was recently living is now for sale for $2.1 million. The listing is here.
--Miami trial lawyer James Ferraro has paid $8.175 million for Related chairman David Wine's 2,600-square-foot penthouse apartment at the Park Imperial on West 56th Street.
--Jeff Urwin, the former co-head of investment banking at Bear Stearns, has taken $6.75 million off the price of his townhouse at 15 East 80th Street. The 21-foot-wide house is now listed for $26 million. The listing is here.
--Brokers from top Manhattan brokerages were recently brought to Bernie Madoff's NYC penthouse to audition for the right to the listing. It should be up for sale soon.

From Newsday's Real LI:
--Swan Cove, the East Hamptons estate that belonged to late actress Mary Howard de Liagre has gone to contract. The six-bedroom house had been listed for $22.5 million. The listing is here.
--The 2009 Hampton Designer Showhouse in Water Mill, New York has gone into contract for close to its $8.495 million asking price.
--A nearly 25-acre compound in Shelter Island owned by the Passionist order of priests has gone on sale for $19.9 million. The Passionists decided to leave the property because they no longer have the personnel to operate the center and need to sell the land to help pay for health care for their aging members.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Bruce Willis and his wife lingerie-model wife Emma Heming have been spotted apartment hunting around Columbus Circle.
--The first lot of Sagaponack Greens -- a 40-acre subdivision in the Hamptons-- is finally in contract. Sagaponack Greens consists of eight lots, ranging from 1.4 to 2.3 acres, plus a 25-acre agricultural reserve. The largest of the lots went for around $5 million last week.
--Goldman Sachs executive Gerald Messier just rented the penthouse at 20 Pine St. in the Financial District at $10,500 a month for a year. The owner of the condo is radio psychologist Dr. Joy Browne.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--British pop singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield has purchased a home in the Los Feliz area for $2.3 million.
--Actress Melissa Joan Hart has sold her Sherman Oaks home for close to $2.5 million.
--Dreamwork producer David Lipman is selling his Hollywood Hills residence that he calls "the house Shrek built." It is listed at $2.195 million.

From the Real Estalker:
--: Alexander McQueen has listed his home in East London for : £1,700,000.

Bruce Willis & New Supermodel Wife Bare (Almost) All for W

Filed under: Celebrity Design


W magazine / Steven Klein

It looks like aging action hero Bruce Willis, 54, and his new supermodel wife Emma Heming, 32, are trying out to be the next Brad and Angelina. The pair just shot a sizzling cover feature for the new W magazine with a decidedly kinky S&M theme. (Click here for all the pix which fyi include a couple of rather risqué shots.) The couple, who got married married in the Turks and Caicos in March, are in amazing shape, which makes sense considering Heming is a lingerie model and they met at the Los Angeles gym of their trainer, Gunnar Peterson, in 2005. Photographed by Steven Klein, the saucy shoot is of course peppered with luxury clothing and accessories, including above a Dior leather jacket, Eres lingerie and half of a Giorgio Armani tuxedo. You can read the accompanying cover story here and learn about what went on behind the scenes at the shoot here.

Bruce Willis To Be Paid Millions For Vodka Endorsement

Filed under: Spirits, Celebrity Shopping

bruce willisLike his celebrity friend, Sylvester Stallone, actor Bruce Willis has a lucrative deal promoting vodka. Willis has signed with Belvedere brands to back Polish Sobieski vodka. Polish sources say that Willis has signed a four-year contract worth a cool $16 million. The ad campaign should start this month and will appear in Spain, France, the Baltic States, Ukraine and China but not the U.S. Sobieski isn't well known here but according to one ranking it is currently the seventh most popular vodka brand in the world. And Belvedere hopes that Willis will push it up a few notches.Ads won't appear on TV or on billboards due to legal restrictions but Willis will appear in a print campaign and attend key vodka events in these countries.

Bruce Willis To Sell Classic Cars At Auction

Filed under: Wheels, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping


Bruce Willis is auctioning off some classic cars at the Bonhams auction being held at the The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on October 25. The sale, which also includes Steve McQueen memorabilia and a diamond-covered matchbox car, will auction off five "muscle" cars from the collection of Bruce Willis. The most expensive is a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 convertible which has been carefully restored and is estimated to sell for $150,000 - 175,000.

Bruce Willis To Open A Wine Bar

Filed under: Dining, Celebrity Shopping

The latest celebrity to open a restaurant is Bruce Willis. Willis, who was a bartender before he rose to fame, was also part of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain. His new project is a partnership in Bowery Wine Co., a wine bar opening in the East Village area of New York City. The NY Post quotes owner Chris Sileo as saying that the new venue is upscale and loungy and will serve paninis, salads and desserts.

Many celebrities have gone into the restaurant business, some with limited success (remember Britney Spears's brief turn as restaurateur?). Many more however have added to their wealth by being a partner in a restaurant group or one restaurant. Check out the gallery below for a list of some of the successful celebs in the restaurant business.

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping


From Bill Gaynor of Legacy Properties:
--Rock and roll impresarios Janet and Jack Boyle recently purchased a 5500 sq ft ocean front home in Kennebunkport for $3.55 million.
Dr. Neil Warren of E-harmony.com fame recently moved into another Kennebunkport estate. Neil and Marilyn Warren completed the construction of his 12,000 sq ft home that they paid $3,000,000 for in and is said to have invested another $3 million in the finish work.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Rumor has it that Britney Spears has been looking for a West Village loft in the $9 million price range.
Jessica Simpson has also been spotted touring New York listings including one on West 17th Street with a $3.99 million price tag.
--The co-op apartment that served as the office of late historian Arthur Schlesinger has already gone to contract after only two weeks on the market. The two-bedroom apartment had a $1.5 million asking price.
--After selling the townhouse on East 62nd Street that he owned for 20 years, director Martin Scorcese has bought another vintage home just two blocks away. He paid $12.5 million for a six-bedroom townhouse.

From US Weekly:
--Parents-to-be Nicole Richie and Joel Madden recently made an offer on a home in a gated Southern California community only to be denied by their potential neighbors over fears of the swarm of paparazzi that follow the couple.

From Berg Properties Celebrity Big Time Listings:
--Singer Michelle Branch has sold her five-bedroom, 5,296-square-foot house in Calabasas, Calif. for $2,940,000.
--Is Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls, the owner of the house that Daisy Fuentes sold last year in the Hollywood Hills?

From The Insider:
Earlier this week I mentioned that Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch had entered the early stages of foreclosure but his representative says that he is just in the middle of refinancing.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Bruce Willis has bought the three-bedroom apartment of Donald Trump enemy Eugenia Kaye at Trump Place's 220 Riverside Boulevard for $4.26 million. Willis was reportedly renting a condo at Trump International on Central Park West for around $50,000 a month.
--Even though Mark Rachesky, the chairman of Leap Wireless, paid $20 million last year for an 18-room apartment at 998 Fifth Avenue, he and his wife, Jill, have now paid $33,444,500 for a duplex at 834 Fifth Avenue, where Rupert Murdoch owns a triplex penthouse. The couple haven't listed their 988 Fifth Avenue co-op yet. Billionaire Len Blavatnik, who we mentioned earlier this week for his possible $125 million apartment purchase, also bought an apartment there last year for $27.5 million.
Acotr/writer Peter Masterson and his wife Carlin Glynn have sold their penthouse duplex at 1165 Fifth Avenue for $10.875 million to hedge-fund star Brenda Earl.
--Mariska Hargatay spent $7 million last month for a a penthouse at the block-long O'Neill Building in the Flatiron District. Rock manager Cliff Burnstein and Sabra Turnbull also recently bought in the building, taking the second top-floor penthouse, for $7,215,000.

From the Real Estalker:
--The Real Estalker Mama does some digging and unearths the fact that Will Ferrell is the owner of one of the homes formerly owned by serial real estate lover and leaver Ellen DeGeneres. His home in the Hollywood Hills was listed at $9,900,000.
--Cinematographer Lance Accord has listed his gorgeously secluded home in the Beachwood Canyon area for $2.325 million (that's the pool, shown above). This one is amazing, check out the property website here.
-- Hillary Swank is looking for a place in New York and may have picked up a two bedroom unit in "Superior Ink" building in the far West Village (via NY Mag).
--Kanye West has relisted his home in Beverly Hills. He bought in February for $7,150,000 and has now relisted at $8,699,000. The property is in tear-down condition but does include plans for a two-story contemporary home. As the Real Estalker aptly notes, that's a whole lotta money for some plans.
--Star stylist Rachel Zoe has put her home on the market, it's our estate of the day later today.
--Robert C. Wright, the chairman and CEO of NBC Universal has put his penthouse at The Heritage at Trump Place" on the market for $14.75 million. Wright and his wife bought the nine-room residence in March 2007 for $10,695,000.
--Mariel Hemingway and Stephen Crisman have put their six-bedroom home in Westlake Village on the market for $3.199 million. The listing is here.
--Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have purchased a 150-year-old mansion in Somerset, England.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Beck and his wife Marissa Ribisi have bought a home on the Estside for $7 million.
--Former hockey star Luc Robitaille and his family have bought a home in Santa Monica which was priced at slightly more than $4.6 million. Their house in Holmby Hills is still on the market for $3.849 million. The property webiste is here.
--Actor Malcolm Gets has listed his home in Los Feliz for $1.099 million. The listing is here.
--Michael Schur, Emmy-winning co-executive producer and writer on NBC's "The Office," and his wife, J.J. Philbin, co-executive producer and writer on NBC's "Heroes," have put their Miracle Mile home on the market at $1.649 million. The property website is here.

Planet Hollywood Comes To Las Vegas

Filed under: Dining, Journeys, Events

It's official, the former Aladdin resort in Las Vegas is now the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Bruce Willis, Carmen Electra, Pete Sampras and Roger Clemens were among those who turned out on Tuesday for the official announcement that the hotel will celebrate its grand opening as the rebranded Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on Sept. 28 and 29. Willis promised that the resort will throw the biggest party Las Vegas has ever seen. The resort has been undergoing a $1 billion makeover, turning the Arabian-themed resort into a resort with a movie theme. The resort, like the Flamingo which we mentioned recently, is going for a bit of retro chic.

In total the resort will have 2,600 movie-themed guest rooms and suites and two 50-story towers with 1,200 time-share residences that will open in 2009. The resort will include the New York steak house Strip House and a Vegas version of the popular restaurant Koi. as well as a sports lounge that serves the famous Pink's hot dogs from Los Angeles. The show called "Stomp Out Loud," has opened at the property in a new $28 million theater and there is also a show by magician Hans Klok with Carmen Electra as an assistant for three months. The former Desert Passage shopping mall is now the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood and will include the first Las Vegas H&M. Rooms start at around $200 per night.

[via AP]

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up

Filed under: Estates

From the LA Times Hot Property:
• Seal and Heidi Klum have put their one-story Bel-Air estate on the market at $5.5 million. They purchased the nearly 2-acre property for about $4.3 million last year. You can find the listing for the beautiful contemporary home (shown) here.
• James Lesure, who stars on "Las Vegas" has bought and remodeled a $1.2 million home in Glendale.
• Sandy Gallin, the producer of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Father of the Bride," and the former manager of Dolly Parton and other stars, has bought his 34th house to remodel. The latest project, in Beverly Hills cost him just under $7 million.
• Tawney Kitaen has bought two units next to each other in the Sierra Towers in West Hollywood for $4.2 million. Oddly enough, Kitaen previously owned the units but sold them a year ago for a total of $3.2 million to buy a house in the area. She then decided that she missed them so much she bought them back.
• Former Real World participant Tami Roman has listed her Chatsworth home at $1.75 million. The six-bedroom home has four fireplaces, a pool and spa. The listing is here.

From the NY Post Gimme Shelter:

• Qatar's Prince Abdul Aziz al-Thani who paid $6.2 million for a three bedroom condo at the Trump Park Avenue now owes  $16,271.14 in maintenance fees to The Donald's company.
• Developer Morris Moinian paid $12.5 million for s six-story townhouse of 10,000 square feet.
• Bruce Willis is paying $60,000 a month for a four-bedroom condo on a high floor at Trump International Hotel & Tower.
• You can purchase a slice of Newport, Rhode Island luxe, Bois Dure, a Frenchified 1928 manse for $5.9 million. You can find the listing, with pictures of the beautiful ballroom and dining room here.

From Forbes Movers and Shakers:

• The spectacular Champ d'Or is back on the market for $35 million, a $10 million discount from the $45 million it was listed at back in 2004.
• A Manhattan townhouse owned by  Arthur L. Carter, publisher of The New York Observer, has gone to contract. It was on the market for $34 million.





Join Luxist on Facebook!

Featured Galleries

Langham Yangtze Shanghai
Robb Report Limited Edition Series
Circle S Farm
M Sturman Jewelry
2010 Audi S4 sedan
Chota Falls
Hunter's Oak
The Blackout Collection
Sculptz Legwear & Shapewear Makes NYC Debut