Michael Jackson was saved from foreclosure, but probably not for long. One celebrity lists her home, another takes a gander at it. The city council tries to prevent mansionization. These stories and more in this week’s real estate roundup.

Celebrity Real Estate

Christina Aguilera has placed her 5-bedroom Hollywood Hills home on the market. Aguilera bought another house in Beverly Hills from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne last year, the same house in which the show The Osbournes was filmed.  The Hollywood Hills home is listed for $7.995 million, nearly $3 million more than Aguilera paid for it back in 2003. Adding more celebrity intrigue, actor Jason Statham of Transporter fame has apparently taken a look at the house with the possibility of buying.

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Time to let your minds go people and wandering into the stars people! Live for one night only, experts will be revealing some of the “biggest secretest” behind some of Hollywood’s biggest Blockbusters. Experts will be holding a conference at the Beverly Garland for one night only discussing the truth behind UFO’s, Magic and Mysticism in Hollywood films this Saturday May 17th.

There will be rare appearances from some of the great alternative authors, scholars of our time: National radio host GEORGE NOORY (Coast To Coast AM), JORDAN MAXWELL (Zeitgeist Movie), WHITLEY STRIEBER (The Greys, Communion ), DR. ROGER LEIR (Alien and Scalpel ), JAY WEIDNER (Alchemical Kubrick ), just added Mike Bara (NASA Dark Mission), Yvonne Smith (Chosen), and Dr. Louis Turi (Celebrity Astrologer)

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Where does one go to see Dueling Pianos, enjoy speciality drinks, get rewarded for acting out, and have a great time in general. Well if you are hip to such things, Hollywood is the place. However, to be more specific you might want to look smack dab in the middle of Universal Studios. For it is there that you will find Howl At The Moon.

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Thai town was the place to be Yesterday. A sea of people turned out for this year’s Songran festival, and rightfully so. There were just about a bajillion booths covering everything from the DWP to traditional Thai parasol painting. Three stages, two dozen food stands and a parade were only some of the highlights of this year’s festivities.

The big draw for me was the Curry King contest. As you can imagine, I was more than eager to
see a heated competition for this title, and my mind raced at the glorious possibilities of such an event… The reality, however, was nowhere near as exciting as my imagination had lead me to believe. About 6 restaurants had set up booths for the competition, including an Indian and Japanese curry places, and two booths were actually put on by the event itself! Beyond that, it was very hard to actually find out how the hell to participate in it.

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Well, no one who is high profile in Hollywood died this week. So maybe these headlines won’t spark the same vitriol they did last week. Only one way to find out:

• Uwe Boll - director behind such famously bad movies as Alone in the Dark and BloodRayne (really, what did anyone expect from a movie with this title) as well as the only director (that I’m aware of) to challenge his critics to a boxing match - is at it again. It seems there is an online petition calling for him to stop making movies that’s up to 180,000 signatures so Mr. Boll started his own petition and deemed it Long Live Uwe Boll, confidently speculating that it will get a million signatures. Both of these petitions are patently absurd for a number of reasons, one being that ONLINE PETITIONS DON’T DO ANYTHING. But here’s my question: why aren’t these anti-Bollers lobbying the studios. I mean, it’s not like he’s some independent producer…he keeps getting hired. Or, you could just not see his movies and spend your time on something more important, like feeding dogs and rescuing the homeless. Or something.
• Teen horror flick Prom Night was number one at the box office this weekend. I love a good slasher movie as much as the next girl, but I kind of miss the Scream franchise. Where are you, Kevin Williamson? Stop messing around in Palm Springs and make me some more cheeky horror movies!

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What are you doing in front of your computer on such a lovely day? Listen to your mother: you need to go outside and get some fresh air.

And what better reason to go out than to visit the Thai New Years Celebration, at the intersection of Hollywood and Western! You may have already missed the Buddhist Ceremony, but if you hurry there you can still see the Parade at noon, the Opening Ceremony at 1 PM and the Curry demo by star chef Jet Tila at 3 PM!

So run, don’t walk! It’s the largest US celebration of Thai New Years!

• Jessica Alba had a Baby Shower on Sunday in Studio City. In attendance were Jaime King, Rashida Jones and Kim Kardashian. I’m sure she got lots of presents and fun was probably had by all and blah blah blah. Rashida Jones told E! News that there were “great cupcakes.” I’m so glad I know that.
• Beyonce and Jay-Z finally got hitched in New York City this past Friday. The couple dated for 6 years but never went the whole ‘mug down for the cameras’ route which is pretty cool. And, now they’re married. Hooray for them. I wonder if she will now be Beyonce-Z. That sounds funny. I hope she’s Mrs. Z. *Fingers crossed.*
• This just in. Mariah Carey is a diva. The Daily Mail ran a story this week exposing some of Mariah’s past diva demands. Highlights included flying her Jack Russell Terrier, Jack (um, good name) by private jet, employing a ’straw holder’ to hold the straw she demands be in her sodas, and insisting on wearing high heels at all times, even while working out because she “can’t wear flat shoes” as her “feet repel them.” Poor Mimi.

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An abbreviated obituary for Charlton Heston while I start a preliminary one for UTA…

• Of course, the biggest industry news this week was the death of Charlton Heston who took his arsenal to heaven Saturday night. I guess his next chariot race will be with Helios.
• April 5th, 2008 would have been Bette Davis’ 100th birthday. Today’s starlets could take a lesson from Ms. Davis’ legacy.No shrinking violet, she may have been written off as heartless, difficult and even bitchy but there was no denying that there was unparalleled talent behind those trademark eyes. Whatever happened to class?
• According to the LA Times, Thandie Newton is set to play Condoleeza Rice in Oliver Stone’s ‘W.’ Oliver Stone has *seen* Condoleeza Rice, right?
• In agency news Nick Stevens, co-owner of UTA and Shar….Shr…oh, sorry I almost fell asleep there since I couldn’t really care any less about agency news. But since you might, Stevens along with UTA partners Sharon Sheinwold and Lisa Hallerman are leaving the agency for Endeavor. This put big name clients - mostly from UTA’s quickly dwindling comedy roster - more or less up for grabs, including Judd Apatow, Judd Apatow, Jonah Hill, Amy Poehler, Jasons Bateman and Lee, Paul Rudd and Andy Samberg. My oh my, whatever will these millionaires do?

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Starbucks is feeling the pressure: hyper-saturation just about everywhere, competition between stores, and now even McDonald’s is getting into the upscale coffee game. So after a big brouhaha two months ago to properly train retrain their barristas comes the cryptic email they’ve been sending people about a big event going down at Hollywood and Highland on tomorrow from 11 AM to 2:30 PM.

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Rejoice, Curry-aholics! Songkran is coming! What is Songkran, you ask? Why, Thai New Years. And it just so happens that our fair metropolis has the largest Songkran festival in the United States.

Sweet!

And if you’re not sold on it yet, you will be when you find out it’s completely free!

Double sweet!

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For years, the east end of Los Feliz Blvd was known as home to hipster havens The Roost and the Bigfoot Lodge. Today, The Griffin is hoping to draw a better-washed crowd to the wasteland that lies east of the 5. From the glittering, serifed signage to the dim, plush-yet-medieval interior, The Griffin is certainly a step up style-wise from the low ceilings and blaring indie rock of its Atwater Village brethren, even if the scene is a little more turned up: a typical weekend attracts cougars-in-training, guys with their collars open one button too far and hipsters who stop in to try it out before retreating to their safe places down the street.

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Hollywood might be slowly succumbing to gentrification, it will always be Hollywood. So it’s no surprise that the international Supperclub chain is opening it’s latest venture in our fair little tinsel town.

One part cabaret, one part restaurant and one part club, Supperclub will be taking over the historic Vogue Theater on Hollywood blvd (home to Fritz the ghost).

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