natasha bedingfield

The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection 2011 Fashion Show kicked off Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in New York last evening. The celebrity-studded affair celebrated the national awareness campaign for women about heart disease. Celebrity models included Ann Curry, Audrina Patridge, Camila Alves, Denise Richards, Dita Von Teese, Eve, Gayle King, Giuliana Rancic, Julianne Hough, Laila Ali, Linda Gray, Natasha Bedingfield, Patti LaBelle (see photo above and video below), Suzanne Somers (see photo below) and several others (featured in slideshow below). Watch the full video of the show on MyDaily.

There were plenty of celebrities in the audience to watch the presentation, including actor Matthew McConaughey and Apprentice-winning Bill Rancic, who were both there to cheer on their significant others (Camila Alves and Giuliana Rancic, respectively).

Many of the participants have a personal connection to heart disease, which motivated them to become involved in the show. "It turned out to be a lot of fun---now that it is over," The Today Show's Ann Curry, who was stunning in Carmen Marc Valvo (see slideshow below), told Luxist. "It wasn't so much fun leading up to it because I was kind of nervous. I have never done anything like this before."

It seems like every time I turn on the television a commercial with a Natasha Bedingfield song is on. Now the singer/songwriter is working with Hotel Indigo on the new "Locals Know Best" Contest which launched earlier this month. The contest is centered around the idea of uncovering the best of America's neighborhoods. Visit the website at www.LocalsKnowBestContest.com and share your neighborhood knowledge on everything from the best restaurant to the perfect route for a morning run with a photo and 75 words or less (it's a bit like Yelp but with a prize as the incentive). Judging is based on quality of photo, expression of local knowledge, creativity/originality and appropriateness to contest theme. Four Grand Prize winners will win a VIP trip to New York City for two to meet Natasha Bedingfield and take in a special performance at Hotel Indigo's "Locals Know Best" event. The winners will also be featured in a Hotel Indigo advertisement in People magazine. Three of the Grand Prize winners will be chosen by entering online and one Grand Prize winner will be chosen from the live auditions. Bedingfield will also serve as a judge. The first audition was today, July 15, in Atlanta and will followed by events at Hotel Indigo properties across the country, including Nashville Downtown on July 22 and San Diego on July 27. "I love finding out what's unique and special about each city I travel to. Whether it's a great boutique shop or a cool place to hear live music, being exposed to new and different experiences that reflect the local community really brings a destination to life," said Bedingfield in a press release. "I am excited to partner with Hotel Indigo to find out some of the best neighborhood spots around the country and meet the locals that know best."

The neighborhood knowledge gathered as part of the contest will be shared with Hotel Indigo guests as local recommendations direct from the local community to help enhance their stay experience.

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.