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The Racing Life of Paul Newman

Filed under: Wheels, Books

racing life of paul newmanA new book on the late Paul Newman tells the story of how one of the world's greatest actors escaped the pressures of Hollywood by sitting behind the wheel of a race car.

As with most things he attempted in life Newman excelled at it. Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman is an illustrated history of Newman's racing career both as a driver and team owner. His interest in racing began while preparing for his role in the movie, Winning, in 1968 and blossomed into several championships competing in the Sports Car Club of America.

The actor also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing second in 1979, and in 1995 at the age of 70 he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, winning in his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona, capping his long association with the Rolex model of that name.

The book features a foreword by Mario Andretti and many first person remembrances from those who raced against him and admired him, along with many previously unpublished photographs documenting his career at the track. Newman's personal car collection including Porsches and Ferraris is also featured.

Whitney Houston In New Jersey, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

whitney houstonWhitney Houston is in the midst of a comeback (complete with a new album and an appropriately contrite appearance on Oprah) and she's shedding the trappings of her old life including some real estate. The Real Estalker reveals that Houston has listed her home in Mendham Township, New Jersey. The five-bedroom contemporary home sits on a five acre lot with a pool, pool house and tennis court. The Real Estalker Mama says that Houston bought the home in 1987 and it appears very 1980s in its style with a circular theme that includes a domed sky light, semicircular walls of windows and a curved wall of art glass. The home is over 12,500 square feet of curving windows draped in lackluster swags, floors in neutral carpeting and pale terracotta tile and anonymous decor. In the master bedroom the bed is mounted on a dais facing a television and topped with more circles in the lighting fixture. It was probably the height of fashion at one point but now it seems a bit dated. It is listed at an even $2.5 million but Property Shark shows an assessed value of $5,640,700 and a tax bill of $87,609.

Varvatos, Hilfiger & More at Oceana New York Launch

Filed under: Events, Charity, Green, Big Givers


Oceana, an international nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. dedicated to protecting and restoring the world's oceans, celebrated the launch of Oceana New York on Monday night with a star-studded bash at the stunning penthouse of socialite philanthropists Alexander and Brenda Schweickhardt (above, far right). A tableaux vivant of mermaids entertained guests at the event, which was sponsored by Tiffany & Co., including Sam Waterston and Sue Cohn Rockefeller (above, far left), John Varvatos and wife Joyce (above, center) Jeff Goldblum, Gina Gershon, Tommy Hilfiger and wife Dee, New York Jets tackle Damien Woody, New York Gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, and socialtes Denise Rich, Bettina Zilkha and Jean Shafiroff. Since its founding in 2001, Oceana has achieved several major victories including protecting more than 640 million acres of ocean habitat.

Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko Stars in 2010 Campari Calendar

Filed under: Spirits


Ukranian model / actress Olga Kurylenko, who played a Bond Girl opposite Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace, has just been unveiled as the star of the 2010 Campari Calendar. Following in the footsteps of former calendar stars Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes and Jessica Alba, Kurylenko appears in a series of vignettes in different locations around Milan indulging in the classic Italian aperitif. Italian photographer Simone Nervi shot the photos, including the image above for December of a Gucci-clad Kurylenko surrounded by Ducati Monster-riding admirers at Milan's Piazza Duca D'Aosta. The twelve images will be featured in the limited edition calendar, with only 9,999 copies being printed to be distributed worldwide.

The Man Who Makes Supermodels Look Good

Filed under: Art, Books


What's the sexiest photo ever to appear on Luxist? There are a few contenders for that title, but Michel Comte's nearly-nude shot of Gisele Bundchen featured in a Christie's auction last year is hard to top. That image is just one among many eye-poppers in the Swiss photographer's massive new monograph from teNeues, Thirty Years and Five Minutes. A trained art restorer and self-taught photographer, Comte came to prominence in 1979 with his first advertising commission for Karl Lagerfeld's fashion label Chloé. One of the top names in fashion and magazine photography, his work fetches tens of thousands of dollars at auction and has appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue and many others. Included in the book are portraits of Sharon Stone, Jeremy Irons, Mike Tyson, Cindy Crawford (above) and a number of nudes including one of Carla Bruni. The volume spans Comte's entire three-decade career and includes his most iconic images.

Low-Key Celebs Go Country with Catskill Farms

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping, Real Estate Developments


Not every celebrity needs a mega-mansion to salve their ego. Several of the hipper set have recently purchased traditional, stylish, low-key cottages in bucolic Sullivan County, New York, from designer and builder Charles Petersheim's Catskill Farms. Buyers like Albert Hammond Jr., guitarist of The Strokes, actor and comedian David Cross, Vice magazine founder Gavin McInnes, fashion designers and other artistic types get the best of both worlds - early American architectural features including wide plank floors, fireplaces, painted salvaged wood ceilings and wrap-around porches, along with whole-house audio, security systems, and modern kitchens.

While capturing the charm, beauty and character of the early 1900s in a private setting, Catskill Farms aims to eliminate all of the hassle and maintenance issues related to old houses, which is especially important for those with busy schedules who need to relax when they're finally able to get away from it all. Over the past few years, Catskill Farms has designed, built and sold over 40 new / old homes in Sullivan County, becoming the leading designer and builder of Upstate New York getaways. Another of their goals is affordability, hence their brand new mini-cottages series. Priced from $225,000 to $400,000, the picturesque dwellings (above) feature open floor plans and spacious interiors.

Nude Supermodels and More in Sotheby's Sale

Filed under: Auctions, Art


On October 9th in New York, Sotheby's will stage a stunning sale of photographs including several nude portraits of supermodels, with work from the likes of Chuck Close, Peter Beard, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton and more. One of the top lots is a series of six full frontal nudes of Kate Moss by Chuck Close taken in 2003, estimated at $100,000 - $150,000. Another high-priced draw is a portfolio of 12 semi-nude images of Marilyn Monroe taken in 1962 by Lawrence Schiller, estimated at $50,000 - $70,000. Two Peter Lindbergh portraits of Mick Jagger taken in 1995 are estimated at $30,000 - $50,000. And a nude of Stephanie Seymour by Richard Avedon taken in 1992 is estimated at $20,000 - $30,000, while this relatively tame image of Nadja Auermann by Irving Penn from 1994 is also a relative bargain at $6,000 - $9,000.

The Custom $175K Shotgun Coveted by Pop Stars & Royalty

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Sports


Recession or no, certain truly unique and exclusive handcrafted luxury items remain in very high demand. The Fall issue of WSJ., The Wall Street Journal's glossy magazine, reports that there's currently a five-year waiting list for the custom $175,000 shotguns made by Italian master Tullio Fabbri. Fabbri marries high-tech fabrication - the guns' locking mechanisms are coated in diamond dust to increase durability - with classic Brescian engraving on the metalwork that looks like embroidered lace. He has made guns for celebs like Steven Spielberg, Eric Clapton and King Juan Carlos of Spain, as well as Mexican-born pop singer Thalia, pictured above with her Fabbri 20-gauge. Fabbri's father began the business in 1965 in a small shop in the Valle Trompia, a legendary valley in northern Italy that has been home to gunmakers since the 16th century. Fabbri only makes 30 guns per year, hence the waiting list. Italian artisans spend 400 - 600 hours etching the metalwork on each gun, which can add $50,000 or more to the price. Thalia's husband, music mogul Tommy Mottola, tells the magazine that "Tullio's work is as good as a Picasso."

Meet Anderson Cooper's Secret Weapon

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Sports

tj johnsonCNN 360° host Anderson Cooper has been getting a lot of attention lately for his buff physique (check out this video on TMZ.com). While it may seem like a sudden transformation, in fact Cooper's muscles are the result of two years of workouts with a personal trainer, Thelonious "T.J." Johnson (right).

In addition to getting Cooper and other high-profile clients in shape, Johnson is also an actor and model, with appearances in Vogue Italia, Details, and the cover of Maximum Fitness. His acting credits include roles on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and All My Children.

Johnson, a New York native whose jazz musician father named him after the great Thelonious Monk, was also picked as one of 2008's Most Eligible Bachelors by Extra. He customizes his training sessions to fit the needs and goals of each individual client.

An extreme sports enthusiast, he also specializes in extreme outdoor training, providing fitness sessions that feature mountain-biking, hiking, "tough man" workouts and boot camps. Citing confidentiality he declines to say exactly how he got Cooper so cut, but the results speak for themselves.

Mick Jagger's Daughter Stars in Sexy New Ad Campaign

Filed under: Apparel


Last summer we reported that Mick Jagger's beautiful daughter Georgia May Jagger was embarking on a modeling career, following in the fashionable footsteps of the rocker's other daughters, Jade and Elizabeth. Now the 17-year-old Georgia May, whose mother is Texan stunner Jerry Hall, has landed a sexy ad campaign for Hudson Jeans (above) evoking Brigitte Bardot. Georgia May, who has one year of school left and lives with her mother in London, tells the October issue of Vanity Fair that modeling is just a temporary gig for her while she tries to break into art, design and photography. With her genes that shouldn't be too hard. As for her sexy poses, she tells the mag that daddy Mick "doesn't hate it at all."

Christie's to Auction Ismail Merchant Collection

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Art


On October 7th Christie's in London will auction the collections of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ismail Merchant (above) of Merchant Ivory fame, the production company noted for evocative all-star adaptations of the works of Henry James, E. M. Forster and others. Works of art, furnishings and textiles from Merchant's stylish residences in London, Paris and the Hudson River Valley, as well as a small selection from his New York apartment, will be on offer. The Indian-born producer passed away in 2005. Estimates range from £500 to £70,000 (about $115,000) for the pieces which reflect Merchant's "fascination with the encounter between Eastern and Western cultures." In addition, the auction will feature a small group of film memorabilia including some props from various Merchant Ivory films such as a bookcase from Howard's End and a replica of Pablo Picasso's L'Homme a la Guitare from Surviving Picasso.

[via JustLuxe]

Lindsay Lohan Robbed In Hollywood

Filed under: Crimes and Misdemeanors

lindsay lohanIt seems sometimes that trouble follows wherever Lindsay Lohan goes. The latest is that her Hollywood Hills home has been burglarized. Lohan's mother Dina says that a safe was ripped off the wall and that bags, shoes and jewelry were also missing. Lohan was already planning a move from the home. TMZ says that Lindsay Lohan's father Michael reported the break-in. He told TMZ that he believes the break-in was an inside job because people that were working for Lindsay did not turn on the alarm. In May, police were called over another attempted break-in. Lohan's home is equipped with security cameras.

Young Hollywood can be an easy target. Paris Hilton has had her home broken into more than once. Orlando Bloom saw his Hollywood Hills home burglarized last month. Some stars choose to live in gated communities for the added protection or hire security personnel to protect themselves and their homes.

Megan Fox Says No to Being a Bond Girl


Stunning actress Megan Fox has reportedly turned down the chance to star alongside Daniel Craig as the next Bond girl. The Transformers starlet was apparently offered the role in the upcoming "Bond 23" but didn't think it measured up to her talents. A source tells the U.K. Daily Star that Fox would "rather be a more central part of the movie." Perhaps she's holding out for the part of the villain? While many actresses who've been part of James Bond's coterie of lovely ladies have gone on to greater fame, many equally well-known women have turned down the chance to be his bed mate. Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron all turned down the role of Vesper Lynd in 2006's Casino Royale that eventually went to Eva Green. Check out video footage from Fox's sizzling photo shoot for GQ (above) after the jump.

First Jackson Auction Drop in the Bucket, But Higher Than Expected

Filed under: Auctions, Celebrity Shopping

In what is likely to be the first of several auctions, Michael Jackson's estimated $500 million debt was chipped away by $205,000. This is far ahead of the initial estimates of $10,000 to $12,000, showing signs of life in at least one corner of the auction market today.

The auction was not a knee-jerk reaction to the entertainer's death, as it had been scheduled prior to his demise. Items brought under the gavel include a sheer, long-sleeve shirt from the 1984 "Victory" tour. Clearly, the unexpected death pushed prices higher. The shirt went for $52,500, much more than the $1,000 to $1,500 anticipated, and a handwritten letter was purchased for $12,500 – up substantially from the $200 to $300 estimate.

Also on the block were a painting of Mickey Mouse conducting with Pluto singing (acrylic on cardboard) – signed ... twice ... by Michael Jackson. The first painting was in black paint, and the second was in white paint, over the original signature. It sold for $25,000, well above the $1,000 to $1,500 target.

[Photo via Julien's Auctions]

Sienna Miller's London House for Sale at $1.6 Million

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Design


Beautiful blonde Brit actress Sienna Miller has put her posh London townhouse (above) up for sale at £995,000, or about $1.6 million. The starlet, as well known for her roles in films like Alfie as for a heated romance with Jude Law, apparently favors a "Manhattan meets Morocco" vibe judging by the décor at the residence situated somewhere between Marylebone and St. John's Wood not far from her pal Kate Moss' pad, though there seems to be some debate about how posh the location really is.

The house, which boasts both a fireplace and a terrace, features a striking ground floor studio-style reception room with a galleried study area as well as a louche lower ground floor entertaining area complete with a Turkish bath and sauna. The Real Estalker notes that Miller purchased the house 2007 for £1.2 million, or about $1.9 million (at the current deflated rate of exchange) which means that even if she gets her full asking price, she stands to lose at least $325,000 on the deal.



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