halle berry

Day Four: Skipped my first event. Oscar week in Hollywood is an endurance contest. For every party RSVIP attends, there are five more equally deserving ones. And of all the very special invites RSVIP receives, some go well beyond an ordinary envelope and printed card, especially during Tinseltown's busiest week.

RSVIP received the most extraordinary invitation from Trident Vitality as a part of Vanity Fair magazine's Campaign Hollywood. It was sent by express mail to my office in a mirrored box that will end up on a shelf at my house.

Thanks to the impressive physical invite, RSVIP had meant to stop by the West Hollywood event, ending at 6:00 p.m., but got caught up with work. The party launched the new Trident Vitality flavors. And the box also held a supply of Trident Vitality gum, which does have delicious flavor. But, sadly, a turn in the weather and traffic made the timing impractical.

On Friday afternoon, with only two days before the Academy Awards, the sunny weather we had been enjoying took a turn for the worse. With chilly temperatures and driving rain, Soho House, with its underground garage and sparkling penthouse views on Sunset Boulevard, called.

The Fourth Annual Women in Film pre-Oscar cocktail party began at 5:00 p.m. on February 25. As RSVIP arrived, we spotted Amy Sacco, a tall, blond diva of New York night life, leaving the underground parking structure at 9200 Sunset Boulevard. She was likely beginning her day.

When yet another special Amy, Amy Adams from "The Fighter," above, climbed out of her black town car, she was fighting with her clingy black dress.

The fabric had gathered static and had ridden up in the car. And she repeatedly pulled it down and flattened out wrinkles before facing the phalanx of photographers.

Oscar Week, day one: Deja vu. It had only been a matter of weeks since RSVIP, based in Manhattan, traveled to Los Angeles for the SAG Awards. And while snow had canceled my initial flight to the SAG Awards, yet again, at 4:00 a.m on February 21, the streets of Manhattan were freshly blanketed with the slippery white stuff.

Nonetheless, a brave cab driver agreed to head for JFK, and American Airlines was still flying. In fact, the flight landed at LAX in plenty of time for RSVIP to drive a rented Chevy HHR directly to the airport in Santa Monica to catch the Cartoon Network's Hall of Game Awards, taking place that afternoon at Barker Hanger.

Bleachers facing the Astroturf arrivals carpet were filled with shrieking tweens, and on the tail end of the NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, the Hall of Game Awards, hosted by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, included numerous famous athletes and child stars.

A low-key Drew Brees, left above, wearing dark blue jeans, mentioned to Luxist that he has two sons at home, "a 2-year-old and a 4-month-old." Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers wore a black ring, edged with diamonds, with Roman numerals on it. We asked if it was his prize from the Super Bowl. "This is my wedding ring," answered Jennings. "I don't even know if that ring is designed yet."

Actress Halle Berry is another of Hollywood's busy real estate buyers. She has bought and sold a variety of homes in Los Angeles and the Real Estalker reports that she owns a home in Malibu, Frankie Muniz's former Beverly Hills home, a getaway in Canada and this place in Beverly Hills which is now on the market. It's yet another Southern California Mediterranean but this one has a more rustic and distinctive look than most due mainly to its rough stone walls. The two-bedroom home is on 1.3 acres in the hills.

The home was built in 1948 but has been heavily modernized but has details like wide plank wood floors, wood-beamed vaulted ceilings, antique wooden doors and wrought iron banisters. The chandeliers and wood cabinets give the home a vaguely Medieval look. The master bedroom has a fireplace and glass doors out onto a terrace. The master bathroom includes a large stone bathtub and crystal chandelier. Outside the grounds include gardens, a dining and seating area, fire pit and a stone spa set up against the hillside. This home is listed at $5 million.

What are OTKs, you ask? Over-the-knee boots. And if you follow fashion even a little, you know that OTKs, or thigh high boots, are having a moment.

This is no small trend. Shop for OTKs online and not just designer shoe companies pop up (Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Sigerson Morrison, Stuart Weitzman and Sergio Rossi have some of the best versions). More than 300 brands have gotten in on the action, including denim labels like 7 For All Mankind and Lucky Brand Jeans.

Clearly, designers are ready to cash on what they're betting will be a big, big trend this fall. But this week, I talked wto noted trend expert Tom Julian who's currently flying around the country promoting his book Nordstrom Guide to Men's Style. He's been speaking to random shoppers-both men and women-and all say they will buy items that have a longer lifespan than just one season. Whether or not OTKs fit the bill remains to be seen.

OTKs present another problem, too. Because of their close association with the world's oldest profession, pulling the look off can be downright, ahem, tricky.

Here's how the designers think you should do it: Miuccia Prada paired high-high leather waders with tweed short shorts and heavy sweaters. Hussein Chalayan added garters (pictured above) to his high-heeled versions, then presented them with short dresses and tailored boyfriend jackets. Louis Vuitton balanced his tough-girl versions with nothing but flounce-ruffles, balloon dresses and draped skirts.

At New York fashion week, several trendsetters took their shiny new OTKs out for a spin. Most, like Halle Berry on Jay Leno a few nights ago, chose to pair the boots with a super short dress. It was sexy, but was it chic? What do you think?

Here's my take: As long as you meet head-on the sexiness of an OTK with something NOT sexy, you'll wipe out even the tiniest whiff of stripper. For example, the sexier the dress, the flatter the boot should be. Got a killer pair of OTKs with a stilleto heel? Rock the look with a boxy boyfriend blazer or slouchy sweater. Julian says that when it comes to knitwear, the cardigan is the new layering sweater and works best in luxe fabrics like merino wool and fine gauge cashmere. Works for me.

Halle Berry was recently spotted at Sabrina Sky in Scottsdale, Arizona, shopping for her baby Nahla.

Sabrina Sky is an edgy children's clothing and accessories store with lines such as Juicy Couture Baby, Ed Hardy, True Religion, Joes Jeans and Harajuku Lovers. The store is truly one-of-a kind - there's a life-sized dollhouse in there!

So what did Halle Berry buy, you ask? A Stripe Plum Tunic by SpenldidLeather, a Diaper Bag by Christine Price, and a onezie by Childish Pegasus

The store was created by Angela Clervoix (wife of record producer Sha Money XL), and named for her daughter, whom she sadly lost to SIDS in 2005.

For more information, or to shop, visit the Sabrina Sky website!

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Since August, billionaire art collector Eli Broad has been trying to sell a six-room, two-bedroom tower apartment at the Sherry-Netherland, the Fifth Avenue hotel, shown above. The place is listed with Stribling for $15 million.
Mariska Hargitay sold her eight-room duplex in the 1887 O'Neill Building for $8.15 million. She paid $7 million for the penthouse last year.
--Rumor has it that Hugh Jackman has picked up Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy's triplex at 176 Perry Street for somewhere above $25 million. It was listed at $40 million when it was our estate of the day last November.
Is the four-bedroom Park Avenue apartment belonging to the late William F. Buckley overpriced? His son says so. It was our estate of the day on Friday.
--A defense of the Plaza, when a 16th-floor one-bedroom Plaza suite goes to contract, the building's 181 private apartments will be sold out. The Observer checked out some of the apartments and was only disappointed by the Plaza's hotel-condo units.
---- Courtney Sale Ross' duplex at 740 Park Avenue is being quietly shopped around for a price said to be over $60 million.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Another property on the market for $75 million in New York. We'll be checking this one out tomorrow morning.
--Jessica Alba is leasing a two-bedroom apartment at 20 Exchange Place while shooting the film "An Invisible Sign of My Own."
--The longtime penthouse residence of Kitty Carlisle Hart is officially in contract after a relatively short time on the market. The 10-room duplex co-op at 1185 Park Ave hit the market last month with an asking price of $20 million.
--If you buy one of the last unsold residences at South of Fifth in South Beach the developers will throw in a new Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, valued at $260,000. The units are $6 million to $8 million and range from 2,500 to 6,200 square feet.
--One Plaza buyer is now ready to take a loss on his investment. Oscar Schafer, the managing partner of OSS Capital Management, has lowered the price of his 17th-floor, three-bedroom condo from its $18 million June price to $14.5 million.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Actress Melissa Joan Hart (best known as Sabrina the Teenage Witch) has listed her Sherman Oaks home for sale at $3.25 million. The listing is here.
-- Jewel and her cowboy husband, Ty Murray have put their Hollywood Hills home on the market fort $1.75 million. The listing is here.
Joe Maloof, president of Maloof Cos., has listed his Brentwood home at $4.995 million. The Maloof family owns the NBA's Sacramento Kings, the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and a huge liquor distributorship in New Mexico. The listing for the home is here.
Actor David Lander, known best as Laverne and Shirley's pal Squiggy has listed his Woodland Hills home at $999,900. The listing is here.
--Producer-director known as McG has picked up a three-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills for $5.75 million.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--A large, four-bedroom contemporary house in Beverly Hills that was owned for many years by actor Matthew Perry has been listed for $12,500,000. The listing is here.
--Actor J.K. Simmons has placed his five-bedroom house in the Hollywood Hills on the market for $1.995 million. The listing is here.
-- via TMZ, Adult film actress Jenna Jameson and mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz reportedly have purchased a newly built, 3,889-square-foot house in his native Huntington Beach, Calif. that had been on the market for $3,399,000. Her home, which was our estate of the day in August, is still on the market for $2.7 million.
--A Hollywood Hills home once owned by Halle Berry is on the market for $4.995 million. The listing is here.
--Another round of 'Which celebrity's house is this? this time with a 4,877-square-foot house in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, which just came on the market for $4.75 million. The listing is here.
--Actress Jane Sibbett sold her 16.96-acre ranch in Los Angeles' Topanga area for $3.95 million not for the $4.25 million that has been reported. It was listed at $5.2 million when it was our estate of the day in April.

From the Real Estalker:
--Nicolas Cage has listed the Gray Craig estate in Rhode Island. It is our estate of the day later today.
--Halle Berry and her Canadian-born model boyfriend Gabriel Aubry are buying a home in St. Hippolyte, around one hour north of Montreal. The modern home on 68 acres was was listed at $1,850,000 and comes with a private lake.
--Bianca Jagger has been evicted from her rent stabilized apartment in New York City on Park Avenue. She stopped paying rent claiming that the 18th floor unit had an asbestos and fungus contamination. She appealed an earlier decision that required her to pay back rent but her tourist visa requires her to maintain her main home outside of the United States and NYC rent regulation laws require that a rent stabilized unit be a "primary residence."
--The NY Post's Page Six has reported that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have five units in their NYC East Village building, one for the gym, one for a playroom for their daughter, two for staff and one for the couple.
--Trouble in the Hills? Seems the prospect of filming the MTV reality TV show at Audrina Patridge's new home on Bryn Mawr Drive.
--Rumor has it that the The Jonas Brothers are moving into a new house in the East Gate section of Bel Air. The property includes a four bedroom main house, a three bedroom guest house, a large office suite and a swimming pool but it is not clear whether or not the singing brothers bought or are leasing.

From Newsday's Real LI:
--Rosehearty, Rupert Murdoch's Colonial mansion on Centre Island has been pulled off the Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty website, as well as the MLSLI Web site. The listing agent Barbara Candee of Daniel Gale says Murdoch and wife, Wendi, are currently deciding what they want to do with the property for the short term. It was our estate of the day in July 2007.
--A charming Art & Crafts home on Sag Harbor's historic Main Street has been listed for $3.995 million. The five-bedroom home was built circa 1920, and has been featured in Hamptons Cottages & Gardens magazine. The listing is here.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Steve Martin is asking up to $28,100 a week to rent out his villa on the Caribbean island of St. Barthelemy. He bought the house last spring. The listing is here.
--Hilary Swank is in contract to pay $3.5 million for a two-bedroom apartment at the Superior Ink condominium building.

Lovely and pregnant Halle Berry has no plans to marry but that doesn't mean she doesn't get diamonds. Her boyfriend, Versace model and restaurateur Gabriel Aubry has reportedly given her $10,000 Cartier eternity ring to symbolize their commitment. The ring is composed of pavé-set diamonds in platinum. Berry and Aubry are also a bit non-traditional in that they share a bi-coastal relationship, he's based in New York and she is based in Los Angeles. Berry is due to give birth in the spring.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Marilyn Manson has put his five-bedroom Mediterranean-style home in Chatsworth on the market at $1.1 million. A bedroom is shown above. The home is relatively bland on the outside but inside it looks like an antique store met a flophouse. The listing includes pics of the recording studio with a bright purple rug.
--L.A. Clippers star Cuttino Mobley has pulled his home off the market. It was our estate of the day last month.
--Actor/director/real estate investor Vincent Gallo has purchased two units at the Biscuit Company Lofts in downtown L.A He bought the lofts for nearly $2.2 million and plans to use one as an office and another as living quarters.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez has reportedly been in talks with the owner of a seven-bedroom townhouse on the block between Madison and Fifth avenues. The home has no official sales listing but an insider says the price is between $39 million and $41 million. It all depends on whether or not A-Rod stays a Yankee.
--Kelsey Grammer is already looking for a buyer for his Hamptons home. It is our estate of the day later today.
--The co-op apartment that served as the office of late historian and author Arthur Schlesinger has just gone on the market for $1.5 million. The two-bedroom unit is located across a courtyard from Schlesinger's main residence, where his wife, Alexandra, still lives. The listing is here.
--Both Tyra Banks and Halle Berry have been spotted looking at a $8.5 million apartment in the 40 Mercer condo building in SoHo.

From Berg Properties Celebrity Big Time Listings:
--Johnny Damon has signed an $8 million contract to sell his three-bedroom apartment on the 39th floor of One Beacon Court. It was an estate of the day this summer.
--A 10,276-square-foot mansion in Bel-Air enclave that was owned until 2005 by St. Louis Rams co-owner Georgia Frontiere has been completely rebuilt and has just come on the market for $29,975,000. The listing is here, no interior pics unfortunately.
--Clay Aiken has sold his condominium unit in Charlotte, N.C. for just $71,000.
--Public records reveal that manager and producer Sandy Galin sold his Beverly Hills home to movie producer Roger Birnbaum for $16,500,000.
--Public records reveal that Tommy Lee paid $5,850,000 for a house in Calabasas.
--Public records reveal that Matt LeBlanc sold his house in Hidden Hills, California for $9,139,000.
--Chicago sports broadcaster and former NFL player Mark Malone has paid $700,000 for a Chicago loft unit that is in the same building as David Schwimmer.
--Chicago chef Charlie Trotter has paid $2.425 million for a Chicago condo.
--A Studio City home that once belonged to "Frasier" actress Jane Leeves is on the market for $2,995,000. The property website is here.
--a Hollywood Hills home that once was owned by Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli and that later was owned by Sammy Davis Jr. has sold for $2,793,500.
-The official sale price on Melanie 'Scary Spice' Brown's home in Los Feliz is $1,810,000.
--The exact price for basketball star Chris Webber's three-bedroom home in Malibu was $3,750,000.
–Public records confirm that 'Grey's Anatomy' actress Kate Walsh paid $4,750,000 for her new Los Feliz home.
--The sale price for Natalie Portman's house in Sea Cliff, NY was $1,750,000.
--Leeza Gibbons may have finally sold her home which was on the market for for $7,995,000.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder has sold one of his many Hamptons holdings: three acres in Sagaponack, N.Y., for about $3.74 million.
--Jane Magazine founder Jane Pratt has sold her Manhattan townhouse for more than its $3.65 million asking price
--The owner of Buffalo Bill's 492-acre onetime hunting camp in Cody, Wyo., has cut its price to $9.75 million after it failed to sell for about two years at $12 million. The listing is here.
--California Rep. Ellen Tauscher has put her Bay Area home on the market for $1.6 million, a $50,000 reduction from the last time she listed it. The listing is here.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Francois Pinault, who owns Christie's plus Gucci and is the future father-in-law of Salma Hayek, has just paid $16.9 million for the top penthouse at Barbizon/63 on East 63rd Street, the 80-year-old neo-Gothic women's hotel that has just been turned into superluxury condos. The home will be an over 5,000 square foot one bedroom sprawl.
--Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill has bought a two-bedroom apartment near Columbus Circle through the Lucille Ball Morton Trust for $1.15 million. The apartment is an investment and she is renovating it herself.
--Iinvestor Lily Lee Lee Wong paid $12.1 million for a 15-room, 115-year-old townhouse at 21 East 84th Street in June, and by the end of July she had listed the place for $24.5 million, more than twice what she paid. The house spent four years on the market before this summer's sale but was designed by Grant's Tomb architect John Duncan, and has original stained lead glass windows, six wood-burning fireplaces, and more than a half-dozen crystal chandeliers.

From The Real Estalker:
--Nicole Richie has put her West Hollywood condo on the market for $2.3 million. You can check out pics here.
--Kanye West was recently spotted checking out Tyler Perry's nearly undeveloped 22-acre property in the super luxe guard gatef Beverly Ridge Estates that is on the market for $15,000,000.
--It turns out that Britney Spears has not purchased a new house in Malibu but is renting for $35,000 a month with an option to purchase.
--"Lost" actress Cynthia Watros Gilliland and her restauranteur husband have put their Hancock Park home on the market for $3,799,000. The listing is here and on the realtor's main website it says it has already been reduced to $3,650,000.
--Producer Dawn Parouse and Jonathan Feldman are also selling in Hancock Park. Their lovely home is listed at $3,395,000 and you can check out the listing, with many pics here.
--Melissa McCarthy who played Sookie on the Gilmore Girls has listed her West Hollywood home For $1,515,000. The listing is here.

Lindsay Lohan may not be the latest Louis Vuitton girl but could she be the next face of Versace? Fashion Week Daily reports that Lohan has said that she is in talks to be the face of Versace for the fall season. According to Versace, nothing has been made official yet. It would be a sharp turn for Versace, their recent ad campaigns have featured the older and fabulous including Madonna, Demi Moore and Halle Berry and Lohan's fans wouldn't seem to be the standard Versace demographic.