Celeb R.E.: My Name is Earl and Mom Star, Jaime Pressly Lists Sherman Oaks Mansion

Celeb R.E.: My Name is Earl and Mom Star, Jaime Pressly Lists Sherman Oaks Mansion

Monday, June 22, 2015 / No Comments

Above images courtesy John Hart Real Estate

Back on March 20, 2015, the fine folks at Zillow Blog revealed that actress Jaime Pressly of the hit TV shows, My Name is Earl and Mom,  listed her Sherman Oak home for $2.199 million on March 19, 2015 which was later increased to $2.399 million on May 12, 2015 and currently remains unsold. I wonder if the increase in price as anything to do with the home sitting in an active state. 

The house measures 5 Beds/5 Baths on 5,438 sqft on a total lot size of 10,797 sqft built in 2007. The listing description states: 

Hidden behind the manicured landscape and gated driveway is THE pinnacle property in Sherman Oaks. The home is the perfect combination of modern technology, timeless style, and classic comfort. Everything from the perfectly manicured grounds to the exquisitely detailed work within the house exemplifies craftsmanship and artistry. The custom iron railed grand staircase, Venetian plaster covered archways, Vaulted ceilings, open floor plan formal living room, which features an oversized fireplace, built in bookcase, and floor to ceiling bay windows. The professionally appointed kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances, custom cabinetry, an oversized island, and a beautiful view into the backyard. The expansive master bedroom features a veranda overlooking the backyard, a fireplace, two walk in closets, and a master bath the size of another bedroom! The beautifully landscaped backyard houses a covered patio, sundeck and BBQ area, gated swimming pool and hot tub which cascades into the pool, and plenty of open room for playing on the lawn! This yard is truly an entertainer?s dream! No detail was overlooked, nor expense spared, in the creation of this masterpiece!

Pressly originally paid $2.250 million on March 16, 2008 which if sold at today's asking price would translate into a gain of $149K which would be slightly enough to cover real estate commissions so I am wondering if that is the reason for the increase in listing price although the increase was almost 2 months later. So go figure. 

I am not sure where Pressly is going to next but she has an affinity for South of the Blvd SFV homes which I will explain that might help suggest her next location. 

Images courtesy Coldwell Banker

Previous to the Sherman Oaks home, Pressly was living in a Tarzana home (shown above) that measured 3 Beds/3.5 Baths on 2,955 sqft on a total lot size of 0.39 acres built in 1970. The property was purchased on August 10, 2004 for $949K and first listed for sale in February 6, 2006 with an unknown listing price, then listed for $1,599,000 on June 12, 2007, and finally sold for $1,270,000 on May 8, 2008. Recently, this house sold again for $1,150,000 on October 15, 2014. Also, this home was discussed at Variety Realestalker. Also, I believe this home was featured in MTV Cribs. 

Image courtesy Google Maps

Previous to the Tarzana home, Pressly briefly lived in an Encino home (shown above) that measured 3 Beds/2 Baths on 1,874 sqft on a total lot size of 0.65 acres built in 1959. Pressly purchased on April 1, 2004 for $1,150,000 and quickly flipped 5 months later on August 2, 2004 for $1,290,000. Not sure what happened here, either this home was a business flip or she discovered something she didnt like after living in it. 

Note: images are recent and not from Pressly occupying residence. Images courtesy Ewing Sotheby's I.R. 

Prior to the Tarzana home, Pressly was living in a Studio City home (shown above) that was once owned by George Clooney and Justin Berfield. The home measures 5 Beds/3.75 Baths on 3,282 sqft on a total lot size of 7,040 sqft built in 1937. Pressly purchased on July 5, 2002 for $920K and sold to Malcolm In The Middle star, Justin Berfield, on March 25, 2004 for $1,215,000. This home was previously discussed on this blog regarding Clooney's Studio City homes. This home most recently sold as a short sale for $1 million on February 17, 2011. 

Note: images are recent and not from Pressly occupying residence. Images courtesy Rodeo Realty

Lastly, prior to the Studio City home, Pressly purchased another Sherman Oaks home (shown above) that measured 3 Beds/1.75 Baths on 1,918 sqft on a total lot size of 6,801 sqft built in 1946. Pressly paid $565K on April 2, 2001 and sold for $590K on June 28, 2002. This home recently sold for $1,092,500 on March 11, 2013. 

Image courtesy Google Maps

And as a bonus that is unconfirmed so take this with a heavy grain of salt, Pressly's early roots in the SFV may have been in this 4 unit Sherman Oaks (shown above) located at 4477 Hazeltine Ave. But since this would be a rental, its difficult to confirm the location. 

So since Pressly has so far lived in Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, and Tarzana, why not choose Woodland Hills or Calabasas to complete the South of the Blvd living experience. 

You can view more SFV Celeb R.E. here.

Filming Locations: Argo (2012)

Filming Locations: Argo (2012)

Saturday, March 30, 2013 / No Comments

The following movie posters are from the original "fake" movie in 1980:

Argo is a 2012 historical drama thriller film directed by Ben Affleck. This dramatization is adapted from the book The Master of Disguise by CIA operative Tony Mendez, and Joshuah Berman's 2007 Wired article "The Great Escape" about the "Canadian Caper", in which Mendez led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

The film stars Affleck as Mendez with Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman (previous Encino resident now owned by David Hasselhoff) in supporting roles, and was released in North America to critical and commercial success on October 12, 2012. The film was produced by Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney (Studio City resident). The story of this rescue was also told in the 1981 television movie Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper, directed by Lamont Johnson.

Upon release, Argo received widespread acclaim and also received seven nominations for the 85th Academy Awards and won three, for Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. The film also earned five Golden Globe nominations, winning Best Picture – Drama and Best Director, while being nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Arkin. It won the award for the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards with Alan Arkin being nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. It also won Best Film, Best Editing, and Best Director at the 66th British Academy Film Awards (Wikipedia).

On a side note, Argo, is "based on a true story and is not a true story" according to Ben Affleck. What this means is that drama and Hollywood flair was added to make this story more interesting and worth 2 hours of your time watching. There are many fictionalized events shown in this movie that if you wanted to experience the true story, you are better off reading the book. Wikipedia does a good job of listing the historical inaccuracies if you are interested in knowing the truth. 

One last thing, this film is a good example of US Military and War propaganda glorifying and validating the efforts to fight various wars, occupy other countries, etc. The fact that this film won an Oscar Best Picture and was also presented by First Lady Michelle Obama to Ben Affleck at the awards ceremony seems highly suspect. At any rate, the movie is obviously well directed and still worth watching. I just wanted to share some personal opinions. And now for the filming locations.

Argo was mostly filmed in LA and not in Iran. To discover the other locations, I recommend visiting the following sites:

1. LA Times
2. Discover Los Angeles
3. IAMNOTASTALKER
4. The Location Guide
5. LA Curbed
6. Central Intelligence Agency (allow for viewing the actual documents from 1980 available on their site)

The American Embassy in Tehran, Iran actually used the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center 16111 Plummer St., North Hills, CA 91343. The VA hospital is rather large with 18 similar looking buildings. This facility bore resemblance to the American Embassy in Tehran with the red brick institutional look which is why it was chosen.  The producers of the film made did an excellent job of blending in "70's Iran" with the VA hospital using exterior shots from buildings in Turkey as you cant even tell that this was actually filmed in North Hills. According to IAMNOTASTALKER (also check out the link for other shows and movies filmed there), Building 4 was used for this film including some of the interior shots.  

Tony Mendez and John Chambers discuss their plans for producing a fake movie to rescue the hostages at the Smokehouse Restaurant 4420 W. Lakeside Dr., Burbank, CA 91505 which is actually located across from the Warner Bros Studios which was also used in the film (see below). Its not known if in the true story, these guys met at the Smokehouse but its highly plausible considering many movie stars and Warner Brothers personnel eat lunch at the Smokehouse.

The Warner Bros. Studios 3400 W Riverside Dr., Burbank, CA 91522 was used as the backdrop for where the fake movie company, Studio Six Productions was created. Additionally, the studio was called "The Burbank Studios" at that time during the 70's and 80's when it was shared with Columbia Pictures before it was later changed to the infamous WB logo for Warner Brothers as it shows today. 

You can view more SFV Filming Locations here.

Get A Tour of George Clooney's Home in Studio City

Get A Tour of George Clooney's Home in Studio City

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 / No Comments

Check out George Clooney's home in the Fryman Canyon area of Studio City which he has owned since 1995.  Although the above picture doesnt really capture the size of the home since it is surrounded by trees, it is rather large at 6 Beds/6 Baths on 7,354sqft on a total lot size of 3.1 acres which was built in 1984. It was previously owned by Stevie Nicks although I cannot confirm. His backyard backs up to a hiking trail  within the Coldwater Canyon Park. And his home is over the hill from the former Joseph Barbera estate which is currently for sale. You can get better pics here and the video below shows the interior and various exterior shots.

Prior to the above home, George Clooney lived in another Studio City home that was 5 Bed/3.75 Baths on 3,282 sqft on a total lot size of 7,040sqft which was built in 1937. This home was recently sold as a short sale on February 17, 2011 for an even steven $1 million. This home has also been home to other celebrities discussed in the list below: 

1. George Clooney purchased on December 6, 1989 for $485,000. Clooney's former wife Talia Balsam also lived here during this time. After they divorced, actor Matt Adler lived there for a short period.
2. George Clooney sells to a non-celebrity on June 12, 1997 for $240,000 taking a substantial $245,000 loss. 
3. The non celebrity sells to Jaime Pressly from the My Name is Earl show on July 05, 2002 for $920,000 giving the previous owner a massive gain of $680,000.
4. Jamie Pressly sells to Justin Berfield from the Malcolm In The Middle show on March 25, 2004 for $1,215,000 giving Pressly a decent profit of $295,000.
5. Justin Berfield sells to a non-celebrity for $1,424,000 on November 30, 2006.
6. The non-celebrity sells as a short sale on Februray 17, 2011 for $1 million representing a $424,000 loss to the bank(s). 

Images courtesy Ewing Sotheby's I.R. 

You can view more Celebrity Real Estate here.