Christina Aguilera's Beverly Hills Home

This month's issue of one of favorite magazines, In Style, features singer Christina Aguilera's Mediterranean style mansion.  This home formerly belonged to the Ozzy Osbourne family, of music and reality TV fame.  The house was completely redesigned for Christina's family by one of our fabulous @CelebrityDigsHQ Twitter friends, interior designer Jaime Rummerfield (@JRummerfield).  Fortunately, one of our favorite bloggers, Julia at Hooked on Houses, posted lots of photos showing Christina's newly-designed home, including several "before" shots from when it belonged to the Osbournes.  Go check out Julia's post!

Neighbors at Legal War Over Rihanna's Big Move

Here's another recent story from TMZ on singing superstar Rihanna. Rihanna previously rented a house in the Hollywood Hills that she allegedly considered buying.  She eventually moved out after an angry neighbor sued her for trampling his property.  Now her former landlord is reportedly suing the angry neighbor for killing the sale.

More details here: Neighbors at Legal War Over Rihanna's Big Move

Mystery Monday: Which Rock Star Calls This L.A. Pad Home?

We bet you're wondering who lives in this well-curated apartment with fabulous views of the City of Angels.  We'll give you a hint:  It's a famous musician known for his flamboyance.  Okay, maybe that doesn't narrow things down much! 

MAKE THE JUMP BELOW TO FIND OUT WHO AND SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS HOME
This British-born rock star has been in the game for 40 years!

Yes, it's Sir Elton John!  That's him above, standing near the entrance of his Los Angeles apartment he shares with his partner, filmmaker David Furnish (seated).  They are pictured in front of an artwork by renowned British artist Damien Hirst.

It is clear that art is the focus in this home.  Each piece carries some provenance or another, from the furniture to the bric-a-brac--which includes Dale Chiluly and vintage Murano glass scuptures. 

While we love a lot of what we see, we are reminded of Kanye West's home.  Kanye's home was similarly curated with some of the finest modern works of art and furniture we've ever seen, but seemed cold and empty.

Granted, we like Elton's place a little better because it offers spectacular views and glimpses of Elton's personality.  There are over-the-top design elements--like the Tracey Emin neon sign and the stamped python leather bed--that harken back to the time when his wardrobe included ostrich feathers and light-studded glasses.  Yet, it is surprisingly (Dare we say it?) tasteful.

All photos by Tim Street-Porter for Architectural Digest.  To see a slideshow with more photos, go here.

A Miami Condo for Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony

People magazine is reporting that Jennifer Lopez's husband Marc Anthony --who just became a part-owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins--has bought a waterfront condo in the Icon Brickell building in Miami.

Marc promises it'll be the "sexiest place in town" and we believe him!

The Icon Brickell's main entrance (above) and the pool (below) should give you some idea of what the building has to offer.

We've always liked this stylish couple.  We have no doubt their place will be smokin' hot--and family friendly at the same time!  Can't forget about their twins!

VH1 Divas Edition, Part 6 - Where in the World is Jennifer Hudson?

You knew we'd save the best one for last.  In our view, Jennifer Hudson is the only true diva of the bunch from this year's VH1 Divas Live show.  At a mere 28 years old, she's managed to do and survive through things that have earned her our respect.

We got our first glimpse of J-Hud when she was a finalist on the third season of American Idol.  Though she didn't win, she ultimately became a bigger star than any other Idol before or since.  After earning an Oscar and a Golden Globe award for her work in Dreamgirls, she later won a Grammy award for her self-titled album, containing her debut single "Spotlight."  She also suffered a horrific family tragedy and emerged as graceful as ever.  Finally, as she demonstrated on Divas Live, the girl sure can blow!

So, you ask, where does she live? 

All we can say is:  Carmen Sandiago and Matt Lauer don't have ANYthing on J-Hud.

First, we know that our girl Jennifer hails from Chicago.

We also know that nearly a year ago, Jennifer went through one of the most horrific tragedies imaginable.  On October 24, 2008, her mother and brother were found slain in the home they shared (below) with Jennifer's sister.  Three days later, Jennifer's 7-year-old nephew was found slain in an SUV.  Her sister's former boyfriend is charged with the triple murders and awaiting trial.

At the time, we believe Jennifer lived separately in a luxury condo in downtown Chicago.  But soon thereafter, for safety's sake, Donald Trump graciously put her up in his Trump Tower (below), also in downtown Chicago.

Then we heard Jennifer was moving to L.A. and we temporarily lost track of her.

By the time we caught up with her again, Jennifer was engaged to David Otunga, a Harvard Law School graduate best known as "Punk" from VH1's I Love New York reality series.  Not surprisingly, we pretty easily tracked Otunga from Cambridge to New York and Chicago.

Next thing we know, Jennifer's pregnant.  And then she was spotted out and about in TAMPA of all places!  And we heard that she was shopping for a bed! 

Turns out that Otunga just got a new gig as a professional wrestler for the Florida Championship Wrestling division of the WWE.  His division is based in Tampa.  You can go ahead and laugh now.

The last piece of info we have is that Jennifer had her baby (a boy named after his dad) in an L.A. hospital.  Congrats to her!

So we're guessing she's bi-coastal--with homes in both L.A. and Tampa. 

We also think she's leasing because we can't find any property records in either of those areas.  Smart girl.  The housing economy has yet to fully recover.

VH1 Divas Edition, Part 5 - Adele Chooses Notting Hill for Home

This year's VH1 Divas Live show included two british singing sensations, Leona Lewis and Adele.  While we thought Leona's voice was okay, we must admit we found Adele's to be quite soulful and beautiful.  So we at least understand why she was included on the diva list.

At 21 years old, Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is yet another youngster.  Until last year, she lived with her mum. But, unlike the slightly younger Jordin Sparks and much younger Miley Cyrus, Adele was ready to fly the coop. 

In July 2008, Adele bought herself a one-bedroom flat in London's posh Notting Hill.   She finally moved into it in November 2008. 

Adele describes her new home as looking like "it's straight out of the film [Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant], in a row of white houses."

We haven't seen any photos of her apartment yet, so we'll have to placate you with this exterior shot (above) of a row of white houses on a Notting Hill street.

Cheers to Adele!

VH1 Divas Edition, Part 4 - Jordin Sparks' House

Nope. Beyonce hasn't been eating too many biscuits. If you saw the VH1 Divas 2009 show last week, then you know that it was Jordin Sparks who strutted on stage looking like an oversized version of your girl Bey. With all the sexy gyrations a normally modest, slightly heavy, wholesome teenager can muster up.

It just so happens that Jordin also belted out the national anthem at last night Dallas Cowboys-NY Giants game.

The Cowboys may have lost, but we actually thought it was Jordin who was off her game when it came to singing the anthem.

She can't blame it on the acoustics either. That new Cowboys Stadium cost a whopping $1.2 BILLION dollars--so you know they've got a kick-ass sound system!

Our discerning ears tell us that this sugary sweet 19-year-old singer still hasn't come into her own yet. It might take moving out of her parents' home.
Yes, the daughter of former NFL player Phillipi Sparks reportedly still lives in the same home (above) in Glendale, Arizona, purchased by her folks back in 2003 for around $900K. Here's a larger (albeit hazy) view:

At more than 4,000 sq. ft., there's plenty of room for Jordin along with her mom, dad, and brother.

What there isn't room for is growth and maturity--the kind that gives a singer that soulfulness of experience in her voice. This used to be what was required for diva status. Maybe VH1 sees or hears something we don't.

All we can say is: Call us when you get your own crib, kid.

VH1 Divas Edition, Part 3 - Kelly Clarkson's Home

How can we not love Kelly Clarkson? She was our very first American Idol, beating out Justin "I can't sing, but I'm cute" Guarini for the title. She also tore it up in her duet with Melissa Ethridge at last week's VH1 awards.

Last year, Kelly reportedly bought this 5,470 sq. ft. home in Nashville for nearly $1.5 million: At first blush, the house seems pretty unremarkable--just like Kelly's forest green dress at the VH1 show. But upon closer inspection, we find it to be quite tasteful, understated, and elegant--just like her dress!

This is a classic stone cottage that's large enough to feel comfortable. Yet it's cozy enough to feel like you have a REAL home. What's not to like?

Okay, so we don't like the kitchen:

And, yes, the house has a couple of generic rooms like these:

But, please remember, these photos are from the realtor's listing and she's not responsible for the bland traditional decor of the previous owners. Perhaps she's punched it up a bit since she bought it.

Whenever she's bored with the inside, all she has to do is step out to this fabulous screened-in porch with a stone fireplace and vaulted ceiling:

We love it!

VH1 Divas Edition, Part 2 - Leona Lewis' House

British singing sensation, and newly-crowned diva, Leona Lewis definitely did her thing on stage last night at the VH1 Divas Live show.

Leona is one of four of the new crop of VH1 Divas who owe their fame to Simon Cowell. You probably already know that the other three -- Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Jordin Sparks -- all got their big break as contestants on FOX's American Idol. Kelly and Jordin actually won during their respective seasons.

Anyhoo, turns out that Leona Lewis got her big break on X Factor, the English version of American Idol, on which Simon Cowell is also a judge. Like Kelly and Jordin, she ultimately won the competition.

In addition to obtaining a record contract, Leona also got Simon as a mentor. She became a huge British/international star. He eventually brought her to the States to make her an American star (a status that is strangely always above the realm of "international star").

We know, we know, get to the point! Where does she live?!!!

Where else? Los Angeles of course! According to the L.A. Times, she lives in a 2BR/2BA contemporary home (below) in the Hollywood Hills that reportedly costs nearly $9,000/month.

Rumor has it that Simon bought this place for her and that she leases it from him. Hmmm, wonder what his girlfriend (who looks a little like Leona) thinks of that?

Up next: Kelly Clarkson's home.

VH1 Divas Edition, Part 1 - Miley Cyrus at Home

If you missed last night's VH1 Divas Live, which felt more like a teen edition, you didn't miss much. Except an apparently drugged out host Paula Abdul nearly falling on her ass during one of her lousy opening song and dance numbers. She redeemed herself, though, with a pretty good imitation of Ellen DeGeneres dancing through the audience aisles.

Anyway, this year's crop of divas -- Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Adele, and Miley Cyrus, ranging in age from 16 to 29 years old (Isn't there a minimum age for divas?) -- belted out their hit songs pretty decently. They also sang duets with big music stars like Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, India Arie, Martina McBride, Melissa Ethridge, and Sheryl Crow, ranging in quality from outstanding (Wonder/Hudson) to piss-poor (Lauper/Lewis).

So all we really wanna know is, how do these divas live?

Up first is the home of, ahem, diva Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana. She lives in this 5BR/6BA mediterranean style home in North Hollywood:

At 16, she's the youngest of the diva bunch, so naturally she lives with her parents. Her dad is one-hit-wonder country singer Billy Ray "Joe Jackson is my Idol" Cyrus, who co-stars with her in Disney's Hannah Montana show. Here's the whole family in their kitchen below:
Miley's bedroom is allegedly inspired by the Hotel Viceroy. While we're sick of hotel-inspired houses, we do like the capiz shell chandelier:

And what teenage girl wouldn't want a dressing room like this of her own:

Up next in Part 2: Leona Lewis' home.

Kanye West: Is This the Home of a Jerk?

Well, oops, Kanye West did it again! He has clowned at the MTV VMA's so many times now. Is anyone surprised about what happened last night?

By now everyone knows that he interrupted Taylor Swift as she was accepting her Moon Man award for best female video. Kanye insisted that Beyonce deserved to win it based on her video for "Single Ladies." Even if we agree with him (and we do!), what a freakin' jerk!

Of course, it made us think, where does he live anyway?!!!

Turns out that Interior Design magazine featured the interior of his Hollywood Hills home a while back.

We were surprised to find that we liked a lot of things we saw, including the entry shown above.

Kanye has amassed an extensive furniture and pop art collection, like Burton Morris' Jetsons pieces above and the blue Eero Koivisto chair. And we especially dig Andy Warhol's classic Campbell's Soup cans over a vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunk in his kitchen below:

But, as much as we like Ernie Barnes, the famed artist who did the murals seen on the classic TV show Good Times, we do NOT dig the mural he painted on Kanye's dining room ceiling:

Not only is it unattractive and goofy (Kanye is depicted as an angel a la Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel), but it speaks to Kanye's messiah complex.

For more photos of his home go here.

All in all, we found Kanye's home to be a bit sterile, as if it were a museum. Look but don't touch! Composed but artificial. That, along with the bizarre mural, serves as solid proof that he is a soul-less ego-maniacal JERK!

All interior photos by Art Gray.

Will Whitney Houston's New Album Sales Keep the Mortgage Paid?

Unless you've been under a rock, you know by now that Whitney Houston's new album, I Look to You, dropped this week. So far, it's been met with lukewarm reviews.

We listened to a little of the footage of her concert in Central Park yesterday, which aired this morning on ABC's Good Morning America. Whitney was still not quite at the top of her game to us.

No matter though. Judging by all the fans who showed up, her album sales will be through the roof!

Good thing. Because Whitney could apparently use the money. Living with a drug addiction and that co-dependent husband Bobby Brown is what put her on the road to nearly losing both of her homes to foreclosure.

Back in 2006, her $1.39M mansion (above) in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia -- where Whitney and Bobby filmed their TV reality show Being Bobby Brown -- was in foreclosure. Luckily she was able to sell it for $1.19M before the bank got around to it.

But who can forget this photo below from the National Enquirer of that bathroom in her house during the drug days?

Then, there were the reports that her $6M estate (below) in Mendham, New Jersey, was also in foreclosure for a period in 2006 because she owed more than $1M in back taxes.

Now that she's ditched her two DH's -- her Drug Habit and her Deadbeat Husband -- it looks like she's on the road to an amazing comeback. Let's hope that voice comes back too!

Good luck Whitney!

Lenny Kravitz's Digs Up for Sale AGAIN!

Well folks, Lenny Kravitz has been trying to unload his SoHo penthouse for a long, long time. According to the Curbed blogger, Kravitz first tried to sell it in 2002 for $17M. Apparently, back then, his pad reflected a little more of his personality -- dark, wild, and sexy!


Since then, it has undergone extensive renovations and been placed back on the market. Now it's light, tame, and devoid of any personality! The only cool feature left is that groovy glass and shag carpeted stairway.

This time he's asking . . . just under $15M.

Yes, we're scratching our heads too! This is probably the first time we've heard of anyone performing major renovations, only to ask for less money than before. Geesh, tough market in NYC!


His place was obviously sterilized for resale. But the kitchen above is nice enough (though we liked Whoopi's SoHo kitchen better).

The "bones" are clearly still there. For example, we really like this atrium dining area, even if the table and chairs are truly yawn-worthy:


And one of the perks of having a penthouse is a rooftop patio (below). But would it kill him to add a pillow to that generic catalog faux-wicker patio furniture?!!!


Sigh. At least there's a hint of Kravitz's wild-streak in those leopard print chairs (or are they snakeskin?!) in the living room:



Note to Kenya Davis and Alan Jackson, this is how you do animal prints with flair!

Follow me on Twitter

John Legend to Buy Manhattan Condo Listed for $2.3M

Photo: Nico Arellano

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that sultry soul singer John Legend just signed a contract to buy this gorgeous condo in New York's East Village.

This unit has one bedroom, two baths, 14ft ceilings, and "views in every direction." This place is a Manhattan dream! We're ready to go right now . . . .

For more photos of this beautiful property, you MUST see the slide show. You won't be disappointed. Plus, you get the added bonus of a few shots of director Spike Lee's former Brooklyn brownstone immediately thereafter.

Follow me on Twitter

A Look Inside John Mayer's SoHo Loft

In its September 2009 issue, Elle Decor magazine visits John Mayer's SoHo loft, freshly designed by none other than famous clothing designer Georgio Armani.

We finally fell in love with Mayer after his beautiful instrumental rendition of Human Nature at the Michael Jackson memorial in July. And although we've long admired Armani's "chic and understated" approach to designing clothes, we couldn't help but wonder how it would translate to interior design.


After viewing the photos, we'd have to say . . . eh. But for the awkwardly placed guitar above and the photos of Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk below, we'd question whether this is even a musician's place, much less Mayer's place.


The loft is definitely "chic and understated" . . . just like Armani. Hard to see much of Mayer's personality here at all. Or does he not have much of a personality?


Our conclusion: If Alan Jackson is aiming for the ginormous luxury hotel look, then Mayer and Armani are most certainly aiming for the small New York boutique hotel look.

Dare we say it? Maybe Armani should stick to his day job!

Thus far, Ralph Lauren is still the only clothing designer who really could have been an interior designer. Maybe we'll take a look at some of his interior design work soon.