Celebrity-friendly restaurant Orso Los Angeles becomes the latest restaurant to close. Orso opened in 1989 and its location near Robertson Blvd. and the tree-shrouded smoking-friendly patio have made it a popular film industry haunt. But the NY Times reports that the Italian trattoria serving fare priced at around $25 per entree will close by November 21. Orso restaurants in New York and London will remain open. The NY Times article says that Orso Los Angeles began to falter when the Creative Artists Agency and International Creative Management moved into Century City office towers and when the nearby New Line Cinema once a huge client, began deep job cuts. There's no shortage of other restaurants in the area but its always sad to see a restaurant that has survived 20 years in the fickle world of Los Angeles restaurants close down.

The list of the most expensive cities in the United States is now out, and unsurprisingly, New York has taken the top spot, with a cost of living that's double its closest follower. Of course, the financial crisis has put a bit of pressure on real estate prices and the cost of goods all over the country, but there are still some places that just cost a fortune.

New York: a two-bedroom luxury apartment (unfurnished) now costs a mere $4,300, off $200 from last year. And, there are other signs that the most expensive city is becoming less expensive, including the shuttering of Café des Artistes and the opening of our first J.C. Penney (ugh).

Los Angeles: this is where you go if you can afford only half the cost of living in New York. Unlike the most expensive city in the country, it makes sense to have a car out there, but get a nice one: you'll be spending a lot of time in it. LA has some of the longest commutes in the country.

Washington, D.C.: in this part of the country, take advantage of a 3.8 percent unemployment rate for the metro area. That's a hell of a lot better than the nationwide 9.8 percent (expected to break 10 percent early next year).

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For Nicolas Cage the internet seems to full of some good news and some bad news today. First the bad, TMZ has documents that show that Nicolas Cage's current total owed to the IRS is now a steep $6,257,005. But here's the good, he may have finally unloaded his Bel-Air Tudor home. The home which once belonged to singer Tom Jones and to Dean Martin was for sale for as high as $35 million back in 2006. A sealed bid auction was scheduled for September 24 with the minimum opening offer set at $9.95 million. The MLS now has the home as "looking for backup" which means an offer has been made, and hopefully will stick. Cage paid around $6.5 million for the home in 1998. Cage also recently sold his New York City apartment which had been listed at $9.75 million.



He still has four homes on the market in the U.S.:
His Las Vegas home is listed at $9.49 million.


His Rhode Island home sits at $12 million.


One of his New Orleans homes is listed for $3.45 million.


The other, the haunted LaLaurie mansion is still listed for $3.55 million.

The Real Estalker's commenters were a bit harsh on it but I don't think the Los Angeles condo reality star Kim Kardashian has put on the market is all that bad. The curvy brunette has a three-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood which has been decorated with an eye toward movie-star glamour. Whether or not it achieves that goal is in the eye of the beholder. The decorator didn't have a lot to work with, the nondescript beige apartment is 1,750 square feet and in a small faux Tuscan building near Robertson Blvd. It's been enlivened with decor that includes a giant gilded wood panel and zebra-print pillows in the living room. The bedrooms feature crystal chandeliers, mirrored furniture and tufted headboards. There are several glamour shots of Kardashian around the apartment including a Marilyn-Monroe-like shot poised above the toilet in the black-and-white wallpapered guest bathroom. This apartment is listed at $1.099 million.

The main Jenner-Kardashian home in Hidden Hills, California is still listed for sale at $3.195 million.

It didn't end up as part of a Chapter 11 filing like so many hotels, but the circular Hotel Angeleno in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles has been sold in what appears to be a deal in the nick of time. The LA Times is reporting that the hotel has been sold for $35 million. The sellers were investors led by Namco Capital Group Inc. which is headed by Ezri Namvar. Both Namco and Namvar had filed for Chapter 11 in recent months. The 16-story tower near the 405 freeway was a Holiday Inn for 35 years before it got a new name and a posh renovation in 2006. It remains open and is managed by Joie de Vivre which manages a string of boutique hotels in California and other places. Rates at the Angeleno start at $179.

Actress Meg Ryan is testing the real estate waters once again, putting her Bel-Air home back on the market. Ryan had first put her Spanish-style home on the market a year ago for $19.5 million. Finding no takers she withdrew it from the market in February. But as the LA Times Hot Property column reports it's back again and with a lower price. The six-bedroom home was purchased for $8.995 million in 2000 and is now listed at $14.2 million.

Listing information says that the home, which was built in 1931 has had a "museum-quality" restoration that includes wood floors and ceilings, elegant tilework and graceful curved arches. Covered outdoor seating offers views of Los Angeles in the distance. It's been moderately well-staged but there are a few off notes including the placement of large photos on the kitchen counter. The property includes a pool and guest house.

Sharing the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles with a grocery store (Gelson's) doesn't seem to bother Tiffany & Co. but the jeweler draws the line at H&M getting too close. The LA Times reveals that Tiffany has sued its landlord at the Westfield Century City shopping center saying that a planned H&M would violate the terms of its contract. Tiffany's contract with Westfield forbids retailers that are not considered to be "luxury, upscale or better by conventional retail industry standards." to use or lease certain spaces within, fronting or adjacent to the Tiffany store. The lawsuit alleges that the location of the H&M store so close to Tiffany will cause "irreparable injury to Tiffany's business reputation as a luxury retailer."

The LA Times keenly points out that in Pasadena along Colorado Boulevard, the H&M store and Tiffany are very close to each other. Also, while H&M is a low-priced retailer, the store's focus on trendy style isn't offensively downmarket. Tiffany's lawsuit seems to imply that the H&M shopper and the Tiffany shopper are such separate people that they don't mingle or that somehow a person who buys a $19 sweater instantly becomes a Tiffany undesirable. It seems an odd distinction for a brand that had spent the last couple years reaching out to the aspirational consumer and bumping up its line of silver jewelry in order to attract new customers. Certainly there is a gap between a silver necklace and a $19 sweater but these days plenty of malls and shopping centers feature both expensive stores and lower market ones reflecting today's affluent shopper who often purchases at both ends of the spectrum.

Today's home is a mini oasis in the Studio City area of Los Angeles. The property is actually two homes separated by an expansive outdoor recreation area that features a zero edge pool, waterfall jacuzzi, fireplace and pizza oven. The feel of it was designed to give the owners the luxury of having a resort-like retreat at their own home.

The main house which is approximately 2460 square feet has three bedrooms including a large master suite with a bathroom that has a jet tub and large steam shower. The second house is a two-bedroom two-story guest house which is currently in use as a photo studio, gym and offices in the loft. The owners, a fashion photographer and a stylist and fashion editor described the home to me as "pure paradise." This home is listed at $2.295 million.

Is Ben Stiller planning a move to New York City? We've been hearing rumors to that effect for a while and now the Real Estalker reports that Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor have put their home in the Outpost Estates area of Los Angeles on the market for $12.5 million. Stiller's estate is actually two separate homes connected by a pool area and lavish landscaping. There is also a separate one bedroom guest house. The Spanish style homes have ten bedrooms total, plenty of space for even the most extended of families. Curbed LA unearthed the property website which gives us beautiful shots of the exteriors but not a peep inside.

A behind-the-scenes Hollywood couple is moving up in the hills. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that Noreen Halpern, executive producer of HBO's "Hung," and her husband, Kevin Murphy, the Emmy-winning writer and producer of "Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical," recently purchased bestselling biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli'sSpanish-style compound in the Hollywood Hills for $3.1 million. That means they have to sell their own Hollywood Hills hideaway which is located nearby. Their home is an English country-style charmer built in 1927.

As Murphy tells the LA Times, the home looks like a simple cottage from the street but is actually a multi-level home with a canyon view. The home has a living room with coved ceilings, fireplace with brick accents, hardwood floors and a private reading cove. The dining room faces an outdoor patio and the kitchen has updated stainless steel appliances. The master bedroom is located on the top level of the home for the best views. The grounds include a hot tub but no pool which is one of the reasons the couple is moving on. Property records sourced on Property Shark show that the pair paid $1.125 million in 2004. They have listed the home for $1.195 million. The property website is here.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Another hotel developer has filed for Chapter 11. River Road Hotel Partners LLC, the developer of the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare is one of six development entities led by Harp Group Inc. involved in the filing.The 556-room hotel opened last fall. According to Crain's, River Road Hotel Partners LLC, has a $128.6-million construction loan from New York-based Amalgamated Bank that matures in February 2010 and another loan with San Diego National Bank. The developers have been trying to renegotiate the terms of the loans but the project has also been hit with liens from contractors.

This Chicago hotel may not be alone, the Crain's report says that the nearby Westin O'Hare may default on a $101-million loan. Another hotel related to these developers, the Radisson Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport is also part of another Chapter 11 filing in which two Harp-related entities listed assets of $50 million to $100 million against liabilities of $100 million to $500 million. Both hotels remain open and are doing business as usual.

I've always found Debi Mazar to be a rather stylish type so it's no surprise that the actress famous for making the most of character parts has a small but colorful and distinctive home in Los Angeles. The home located near the Los Angeles Farmers' Market is a three bedroom which is fronted by a private loggia with a fountain. Inside there is a large living room with a fireplace, tangerine-colored breakfast room, country kitchen with turquoise tile countertops and a formal dining room. The master bedroom has doors leading to the garden and there is a dressing room which features an enviable armoire packed with shoes sorted by color. In the back there is a separate studio space (formerly the garage) used by Mazar's husband, musician Gabriele Corcos. The backyard includes a children's playset but no pool.

The attractive pair collaborate on a food video blog and food business. Some of the videos were filmed in this home's kitchen but the pair also own a villa in Tuscany, hence the name of their website, Under the Tuscan Gun. This home is listed at $1.399 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

[via The Real Estalker]

The Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles doesn't exactly inspire thoughts of blissed-out spa moments but ascend from the parking lot and up to Level 5 of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and the world falls away a bit. Spa Luce is a beautiful and tranquil place to grab a little peace in the middle of a bustling area. The decor is modern and spare and the treatments are designed to be holistic and recharge body and mind.

Spa Luce features skincare and body care products and treatments by Red Flower, Sonya Dakar and Somme Institute as well as a signature scent created for Spa Luce by Dr. Sharon, an aromatherapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor and masseuse. One of the most extensive experiences offered by the spa is the hammam ritual. The multi-step massage ritual includes a cleansing with Moroccan mint tea and silt, a vigorous scrub with coffee, olive stones and fresh lemons, and a wrap in rhassoul clay. Finally after all that preparation you surrender to a Turkish massage with essences of cardamom, jasmine, bergamot, amber and clove. The 80-minute experience costs $180.

You can extend your Spa Luce experience by taking ample time to enjoy the facilities. Treatments include access to the eucalyptus-infused steam rooms and rooftop pool. Spa lunches can also be ordered up and eaten in the relaxation area or next to the pool. And you can also buy products to take home. Dr. Sharon's Am I Dreaming aromatherapy kit, shown above, includes an aromatherapy oil, an aromatherapy candle, the Aromatin fragrance dispenser, and an instruction booklet. It sells for $48.

Modern Spirits, makers of the TRU Organic line of spirits we wrote about last fall, has introduced Fruit Lab, a collection of artisanal, 100% organic liqueurs designed to facilitate making all-organic cocktails at home and in bars. The collection - which includes Citry (orange), Crism (hibiscus) and Theia (jasmine) - complements the growing number of organic vodkas, rums, gins and tequilas on the market.

"With Fruit Lab, we set out to bring the garden to the glass with whole, organic ingredients and complete hand processing for uncompromising quality," says Melkon Khosrovian, co-founder of Modern Spirits. Named after the company's Los Angeles production facility, "The Fruit Lab," where all TRU organic spirits are crafted, Fruit Lab Liqueurs are now available for $29 per 750ml bottle.

Citry combines the familiar aromas and flavors of fresh Valencia and naval oranges with the scent of Bergamot and sour orange. Crism is a powerful balance of the sweet-sour nature of hibiscus flowers with floral aromas and tangy berry flavors. Theia is described as "like a night garden infused with flowering jasmine" and makes a great champagne cocktail.

Similar to how TRU Organic Spirits plants a tree for every bottle sold, Fruit Lab will donate a percentage of proceeds to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit dedicated to planting edible, fruitful trees and plants to benefit needy populations and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water.

Action star Jason Statham may live in a home in mid-Century home in the Hollywood Hills but he also owns a spare and bare apartment in the Broadway Building on Vine in Hollywood. Statham's unit at the Broadway is on the eight floor and takes up 2,140 square feet with two bedrooms. The Real Estalker Mama reports that he picked up this home for $1,543,515. If this was an investment property it may not have been such a great investment. He has listed the home at $1.395 million.

The corner apartment has views over Hollywood Blvd. including a nice view of the Capital Records building.The living room tries for the sexy lair look with a huge white sofa, low slung coffee table and white shag rug. There's a clean and cool kitchen and a pair of rather clinical bathrooms. Not a lot of warmth in this place.

The Boradway does have a few celebrity owners including Danny Masterson, WIlmer Valderama, Jack Osbourne, Emma Henning and Charlize Theron. It offers Kelly Wearstler designed common areas, valet parking, a fitness center and the main draw a swimming pool, spa, sun deck, outdoor fireplace and lounging cabanas up on the roof over looking the lights of Hollywood.