Saturday 31 August 2013

Automotive Filming Needs Fulfilled in the San Fernando Valley

Image courtesy Bornrich.com
One of the best things about the SFV is watching television shows and movies that specifically feature or use the SFV as a filming location(s). I am such a big fan of it that I have a page dedicated for Filming Locations used in popular movies and TV shows which is a constantly growing list. 

So every movie or TV show obviously needs a filming location or studio to complete its story. But what about automotive needs? Almost every TV show or film uses a vehicle whether its completely customized like the Batmobile from the 1960's Batman TV show series to a modern day police squad car used in CSI. 

So guess what? Most of those cars whether customized or standard vehicles are sourced right in the SFV. So not only is the SFV a major source for filming location needs (in addition to the many Studios) but the SFV is also a major source for all those vehicle you see on the big screen. 

The list below shows where many of the vehicles you have seen on TV or film are housed including the customization shops. Its possible I may have missed one, so please let me know and I will update. 

1. Barris Kustom Industries 10811 Riverside Drive North Hollywood California 91602. Lets start with the one and only George Barris who I believe invented car customizing and is a legend, if not a god when it comes this category. Consider that he customized the Batmobile, The Munster Koach, The Beverly Hillbillies "1928 Porter", an updated version of KITT for Knight Rider, Black Beauty from Green Hornet, and The General Lee from Dukes of Hazard to name a few. Another car Barris customized that I talked about on this site is "Navin Johnson's" Pontiac Firebird from The Jerk here.  Barris has also customized cars for celebrities including Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Elton John, John Wayne, Sonny and Cher, and Elvis Presley. The shop is still open and George Barris is still doing his thing after more than 50 years. Simply amazing!
Image courtesy sixpacktech.com
Image courtesy Knightrideronline.com
Image courtesy OC Register
Image courtesy Deviant Art
Image courtesy CGLFC
2. Cinema Vehicle Services 12580 Saticoy St # A North Hollywood CA 91605. CVS was first started in October 1975 by Ray Claridge in a 2500 sqft Van Nuys shop and eventually moved to a 7.5 acre lot in NoHo with approximately 1000 vehicles available to rent. CVS also provides a state of the art facility for studio prep work. They claim to be the "oldest and only picture car company in the industry." Some of their well known vehicles they developed include Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds, Torino from Starsky and Hutch, Ecto1 from Ghostbuster, and the Charger from The Fast and The Furious. They also have an interactive website that lets you view their inventory so I definitely recommend viewing their website if you have time to look at 1000 vehicles. On a related note, CVS was recently featured in LA Times for the renewal of their lease which allowed them to continue call North Hollywood home. 

Image courtesy Ganzomag.com
Image courtesy Cinema Vehicle Services
Image courtesy Cinema Vehicle Services
Image courtesy therpf.com 
Image courtesy autoholics.com 
Image courtesy Cinema Vehicle Services
Image courtesy Cinema Vehicle Services
Image courtesy Google Maps
3. Unknown. Approximately 14589 Titus Street Panorama City 91402. This next location I am not sure who operates it and the address but it definitely appears to be a movie car rental business. Its possible that this is an overflow parking lot for Cinema Vehicle Services. I am listing it separately just in case it is not operated by CVS. On a separate note, this is also the old parking lot for the now abandoned The Valley Federal Savings Building (see postcard here). If anyone has any information on this location, please do share. 


Above images courtesy Google Maps
4. Picture Car Warehouse 8400 Reseda Blvd Northridge CA 91324 (former Rydell and Neill Lehr Cadillac). Picture Car Warehouse was started by Ted Moser who has been a transportation and picture car coordinator since 1990. He has worked on numerous films including 2 fast 2 furious, Rush Hour 2 and 3, and The Great Debaters to name a few. PCW is similar to CVS mentioned above in that they provide a wide array of vehicles for rent as well as provide customization work. This location was also used for the 2011 movie, Drive, which was discussed on this site. They also have an interactive website that lets you view their inventory so I definitely recommend viewing their website if you have time to look at 100's of vehicles.


Above images courtesy PCW
5. Galpin Studio Rentals Hollywood 8353 Sepulveda Blvd North Hills CA 91343 (locations also in Hollywood, La Cienga, and Santa Clarita). From the man who made the Galpin Ford Dealership a huge success, Bert Boeckmann started Galpin Ford Rentals in May 1974 and later expanded to the Studio Rental business in November 1981. The rest they say is history as this department exploded for Galpin providing an inventory of vehicles greater than 600 that were used in movies like E.T., Back To The Future, and Nightmare on Elm Street. This company is a large provider of Ford vehicles, so if you are ever watching a TV show or movie and see a bunch of Fords, it most likely came from Galpin. Galpin also operates Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) which customizes cars and provide aftermarket products that was featured in MTV's Pimp My Ride hosted by Xzibit (Woodland Hills resident). 

Image courtesy Galpin Studio Rentals
Image courtesy About.com
6. Studio Picture Vehicles 7502 Wheatland Avenue Sun Valley CA 91352. Ken Fritz started Fritz Custom Cars forty-two years ago. He then started H.K. Custom Cars. Owning the two businesses and building cars for the Motion Picture Industry, he decided to start Studio Picture Vehicles, which the City of Los Angeles awards for being "The oldest Picture Car Supplier in the Movie Industry".

Image courtesy Google Maps
Image courtesy Google Maps
Image courtesy Studio Picture Vehicles
You can view more SFV Filming Locations here

You can view more SFV history here

Weekend Shopping - Zara Home & the Cobalt Blue Trend

There you go. I knew it! Cobalt blue will be a trend this winter. It's all over ZaraHome and fashion too.

These are some of Zarahome look book images and I really like the cobalt paired with white and natural wood.

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Ora cá está a minha suspeita confirma-se... O azul cobalto é tendência neste Inverno! Está por todo lado na ZaraHome e na moda também. 

Estas são algumas imagens do novo 'look book' e adoro a mistura do azul com o branco e a madeira natural.








Some of my favorites...

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Alguns dos meus favoritos...





 


Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes
(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)


Friday 30 August 2013

Anthony Kiedis Buys Petite Sunset Strip Villa

BUYER: Anthony Kiedis
SELLER: Waldo Fernandez
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $3,650,000
SIZE: 2,679 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: A little birdie we know on the down low that's often in the know about celebrity real estate doings recently chirped in Your Mama's ear that the new owner of A-list decorator Waldo Fernandez's latest property flip above the Sunset Strip is none other than Red Hot Chili Pepper lead singer/lyricist Anthony Kiedis who just shelled out $3.65 million for the petite and pedigreed villa. The walled and gated residence, built in 1940 and nestled into a steep down slope on a curvaceous and narrow street just above the Sunset Strip, was originally designed by architect F. Pierpont Davis and re-worked by Hollywood Regency honcho John Elgin Woolf. The house has popped up in the glossy pages of Architectural Digest "at least thrice" according to the kids at Curbed.

In late June, 2012, after a couple of years on and off the market with a cornucopia of price tags as high as $3.695 million, the property was purchased for $2.4 million by the renown and regularly published Waldo Fernandez, a Cuban-born decorating dervish who's worked over rooms and homes for a panoply of celebrities like Brad Pitt, Darren Starr, and Tobey Maguire.

Mister Kiedis—now fifty, fit, and still sexy in that dangerous, middle aged rock star sort of way—spent his early years in Grand Rapid, Mi with is mother and teen years in Los Angeles with his bit-part actor father, Blackie Dammett. Poppa Kiedis, whose autobiography, Lords of the Sunset Strip, was recently released as an e-book, moonlighted as a drug dealer for rock stars (and others). He famously palled around with high profile peeps like Cher and Sonny Bono, the latter of whom, may he rest in peace, was named young Anthony's godfather. How's that for a whackadoodle Hollywood pedigree?

As Mister Kiedis grew up fast and loose on the gritty streets of Los Angeles he eventually hooked up with his future Red Hot Chili Peppers band mates. In classic rock star fashion, Mister Kiedis dabbled in drugs—okay he more than dabbled he developed a raging addiction, and, along with his band mates, earned a special kind of notoriety in the early 1980s for performing in nothing but a jock strap and boots or, even more suggestively, wearing nothing but boots and a tube sock tied around his junk. Naturally he bedded and dated and hooked up with a beautiful battalion of lithe and lusty young models, musicians, actresses, and other female hangers-on. There was Nina Hagan, Ione Skye, Sinéad O'Connor, supermodels Heidi Klum and Jessica Stam, actress Laura Prepon, and, most recently, a stunning and very young looking brunette usually identified in the tabs and gossip glossies as model Helena Vestergaard. Along the way Mister Kiedis, sober for more than a dozen years, and his Chili Pepper pals won three AMAs, eight VMAs, one BMA and seven Grammys. Last year (2012) the band and all is members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The most recent digital listing details for the Sunset Strip property recently acquired by Mister Kiedis don't indicate the square footage. The L.A. County Tax Man puts it at 2,679 but that may or may not be accurate. Listing do, however, show the sophisticatedly staged, two-story Euro-style villa has three bedrooms, four bathrooms, three fireplaces, and garage parking for two cars.

High walls, locked gates, and a closed circuit t.v.-equipped security system that will record your ass if you so much as slow down in front of the house enhance the privacy and security of the residence that sits below street level down a serpentine, wrought iron-railed brick stairway.

A compact foyer leads into the main living room that isn't particularly large but is undeniably grand and voluminous with a 14-foot hard-carved ceiling imported from a cathedral in Europe, a 10-foot tall solid limestone fireplace that was probably snatched from some old building in Europe, too, and an arched window that extends to the floor and almost reaches the ceiling is flanked by normal-height glass doors that lead out to an awning-shaded and wrought iron-railed dining balcony with a perfectly lovely but hardly overwhelming over-the-tree-top city view.

A archway—it looks to be the exact same height as the arched window in the living room—leads into the groin-vaulted dining room where Mister Fernandez replaced a ticky-tacky wall of mirrors with an aged-looking mural that depicts what appears to Your Mama to be—but is surely not—a Victorian-era Florentine street scene.

The adjoining kitchen is oddly shaped and quite tight given the property's $3.65 million sale price, but it is well-equipped with high-quality stainless steel appliances, rough-edged stone counter tops, and cabinets that appear to be—but may not be—constructed of—or maybe faced with—some sort of rustic, reclaimed barn wood.

At the bottom of a stair well that looks dark and narrow in listing photos, there's a library/den/possible bedroom outfitted with a quaint corner fireplace and a spine-tingling, sky-lit 16-foot ceiling. Elsewhere there's a small guest bedroom and a second, much larger bedroom with a private sitting area, an awning-shaded Juliet balcony, and a full wall of windows—floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall—that overlook the swimming pool. The third bedroom suite is smaller and cozier with a fireplace, private terrace accessible through two sets of French doors, and an en suite abutting facility.

The lower level of the house opens at the tree- and shrubbery-ringed backyard where a series of wrought iron-railed red brick terraces step down the hillside. A corkscrew spiral stair links the dining balcony off the upper level living and dining rooms to the plunge-sized dark-bottomed swimming pool and spa.

As one might expect, often mustachioed and sometimes soul-patched Mister Kiedis maintains a rock-star size property portfolio that in addition to his latest acquisition above the Sunset Strip also includes: a gated mini-estate with a blade-shaped swimming pool in the Point Dume area of Malibu purchased in October 2005 for $4,825,000; An ocean front house near Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kaua'i picked up in April 2005 for $2.6 million; A two bedroom and 2.5 bathroom townhouse type residence in a affluent guard-gated development in Las Vegas that he snatched up in December 2005 for $570,000; And a lake-front residence on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, MI bought way back in 1996 for $220,000.

listing photos: Everett Fenton Gidley for Westside Estate Agency

Thursday 29 August 2013

José Reyes Keeps a Real Estate Toe in New York

BUYER: José Reyes
LOCATION: Old Brookville, NY
PRICE: $4,578,000 (list)
SIZE: 7,669 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6 full and 2 half bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Just because Dominican Republic-born professional baseballer José Reyes now plays for the Toronto Blue Jays* doesn't mean the former New York Met doesn't plan to keep a significant real estate toe hold in the New York area.

In 2007 Mister Reyes and his wife, Katherine, shelled out $3.25 million for an approximately 5,000 square foot house in a gated enclave in the affluent Long Island community of Manhasset and now, thanks to a real estate canary we'll call Harry Hasthedish, we've learned that the deadlocked four-time All Star shortstop is about to buy a bigger house in the wealthier (and more waspy) Long Island village of Old Brookville where the (2010) median household income surged above $245,000 per year. As of this morning property records don't yet reflect a transfer of ownership so we can't say how much Mister Reyes agreed to pay for the place but our brief research shows the the estate-sized spread was originally listed in mid-2011 at $4,999,000 and last listed with an asking price of $4,578,000.

Of course, Your Mama don't know a thing about professional baseball so we had to consult the internets and our boozy, ball crazy b.f.f. Fiona Trambeau for a little background on Mister Reyes who, turns out, really knows how to hit the damn ball and steal bases. He hit more triples than anyone else in the major leagues in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2011 and he stole more bases than any of the other professional baseball jocks in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In late 2011, after eight seasons with the New York Mets, Mister Reyes signed on for a six year stint with the Miami Marlins in a package deal worth $106 million. Just a year later, in an effort to decrease their overall payroll, the Marlins traded Mister Reyes to the Toronto Blue Jays who assumed the same pay package as he had in Miami.

Listing details for Mister Reyes' new residence in Old Brookville that Your Mama teased out of the interweb clearly show the red brick and cedar shingled quasi-colonial was built in 2006 on just over 3.5 acres but it does not indicate the square footage, which the Nassau County Tax Man puts it at 7,669 square feet. Listing details do show, however, that the two (or more) story house has six bedrooms and six full and two half bathrooms as well as 10-foot ceilings, extensive mill work, custom wood floors throughout, and a fully finished basement.

Formal living and dining rooms open directly off the double-height foyer and adjoining stair hall, the former with a fireplace and French doors and the latter with flesh-toned walls above a waist-high chair rail and a glimmery, palace-worthy crystal chandelier. Also in the general vicinity of the front door are a den with fireplace surmounted by a flat screen t.v. and a dark paneled library with another fireplace surmounted by a flat screen television.

The nearby kitchen is certainly large and well equipped with a Subaru-sized center island, granite counter tops, two-tone distressed raised panel cabinetry, and top-quality appliances but—frankly—it looks like the high-end kitchen of about 400 million other high-end kitchens in upscale suburban mansions and macmansions across the country. An adjoining breakfast room is wrapped on three sides by large windows and looks out over the flat (and featureless) football field-sized backyard.

The master suite has a private sitting room with fireplace, roomy bedroom and a very beige bathroom with twin pedestal sinks, a glassed in steam shower and a free-standing soaking tub set below a strange and unnecessary raised fireplace. Think about that fireplace, children, who wants to flip that thing on and sit in the tub where you can't even see it? Pleeze.

A finished basement, which probably adds a couple thousand more square feet to the total size of the house, includes a wine cellar, a small (carpeted) room the sellers used as a fitness suite, and a gigantic (barely furnished) game room with a carved wood bar that looks like an expensive (but boring) replica of a bar in an Old Timey saloon.

listing photos: Shawn Elliott Luxury Homes and Estates

Things I love In My Summer House * Favoritos da Casa de Férias

While I desperatly attempt to change from vacation to work mode, a task not easy at all specially the fact that will not have my son all over me and kissing me for 12 hours a day, I leave you with some of my favorite instagram pics from my beach house.
 
I must confess I've been addicted to instagram, and this idea that our life can be told in moments and images

I've had it for a while but never had time and take a moment to post pictures of my day, or things that inspire me, or that make me happy.

I decided that I have to find the time and do it more often because life is beautiful and worth capturing every moment. Just click on 'instagram' down and do follow anaantuneshomestyling.

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Enquanto tento trocar o chip das férias pelo do trabalho, tarefa que não está nada fácil. 

Ainda estou a tentar processar esta coisa de já não vou ter o meu filho literalmente em cima de mim e a dar-me beijos, 12 horas por dia, deixo-vos algumas fotos do instagram na versão 'favoritos da minha casa de férias'.

Entretanto tenho de vos confessar que ando viciada no instagram, e nesta ideia de que a nossa vida pode ser contada em instantes de imagens. Já tinha a página há muito tempo, mas nunca conseguia tirar uns momentos para postar fotos do meu dia a dia, ou das coisas que me inspiram, que me rodeiam e me fazem feliz. 

Decidi durante estas férias que vou passar a fazê-lo com muito mais frequência porque a vida é linda, e vale a pena captar cada instante. Basta clicarem no 'instagram' em baixo e fazerem follow na pagina anaantuneshomestyling.



Até Amanhã

Ana Antunes
(Thank you for sharing my passion for beautiful homes)

Celeb R.E.: That 70's Show Creator, Mark Brazill, Flips Burbank Spanish Home


Images courtesy Teles Properties 
Back on August 7, 2013, the fine folks at Zillow Blog revealed That 70's Show creator, Mark Brazill, listed his Burbank Spanish equestrian estate on August 2, 2013 for $1,249,000 which was quickly sold on August 23, 2013 for $1,200,000. Brazill originally purchased this property on June 27, 2011 for $860,000 translating into a profit of $389,000 before expenses which may have been easily evaporated considering that the listing states that over $300,000 was spent in renovations. On a side note, Brazill has become infamous for a heated email between Judd Apatow that was published in the March 2002 edition of Harper's magazine that is hilarious. 

The home measures 3 Beds/1.75 Baths on 2,628 sqft on a total lot size of 0.29 acres built in 1937. The listing description states:
Paradise found in this emotional majestic Spanish estate. Perched up on a knoll, this extremely private home welcomes you to step back in time while enjoying all the modern amenities expected in a luxury home. Stunning living room with exposed beam cathedral ceiling, grand fireplace & narrow plank oak floors. Romantic master bedroom suite features 2 walk in closets, fireplace & French doors opening to backyard. Designer kitchen with Athens Grey marble counters, high end Miele appliances and custom cabinets all opening to dining area ? ideal for entertaining. French doors lead to brick patio underneath the canopy of a massive stately oak tree. Steps beyond is the deep pool and jacuzzi. Lushly landscaped expansive back yard. Detached art studio (inc. in sq footage) connected by a breezeway to the main house. 3 stalls plus a turnout for your horses. 2 car attached garage. Two years & over $300,000 spent on restoring this grand dame to glory. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is evident in every room and throughout the property. Tucked into the highly desirable Rancho Equestrian District, located ? block to the trails to Griffith Park and the Equestrian Center yet minutes to the studios, blue ribbon Burbank schools & LILA private school.
Brazill is something of a serial real estate buyers has he has owned other homes in the SFV and beyond listed below (its also possible I missed some properties).
Image courtesy Google Maps
A 3 Bed/1 Bath on 1,710 sqft home on a total lot size of 9,215 sqft built in 1930 at 4340 Ponca Avenue Toluca Lake (shown above). If I am reading the property history correctly, it appears that Brazill purchased on July 3, 2001 for $1,169,000 and sold for $1,649,000 on April 1, 2005. So this is where it gets weird as it also appears that Brazill re-purchased this property for $1,851,000 on March 29, 2006 but sold 2 months later for $1,875,000 on June 22, 2006 which doesnt make sense but you never know, could have actually happened this way. 

Image courtesy Soethby's International Realty
A 4 Bed/6 Bath on 5,292 sqft on a total lot size of 0.40 acres built in 1971 at 4250 Navajo Avenue Toluca Lake (shown above). This home was purchased for $2,910,000 on June 27, 2006 and sold at a $60,000 loss on February 12, 2008 for $2,850,000. 

Image courtesy Soethby's International Realty
A 4 Bed/4 Bath on 4,926 sqft on a total lot size of 0.55 acres built in 1928 at 2566 Aberdeen Avenue Los Feliz (shown above). This home was purchased for $4,795,000 on April 26, 2007 and sold a year later for $3,995,000 on October 15, 2008 representing an $800,000 loss. Yes, $800k!

Image courtesy Google Maps
A 4 Bed/4 Bath on 2,938 sqft on a total lot size of 5,852 sqft built in 1928 at 3245 Primera Avenue Hollywood Hills (shown above). The property records for this home are a bit conflicting but it appears that Brazill purchased sometime in the late 90's for an unknown amount and later sold on June 27, 2001 for $725,000. Dont quote me on this one because there are so many conflicting information. 

So where is Mark Brazill heading to next?

You can view more SFV Celebrity Real Estate here