Natalie Imbruglia on the Sunset Strip

SELLER: Natalie Imbruglia
LOCATION: St. Ives Drive, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $4,500,000
SIZE: 5,434 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Pvt, gated Mediterranean villa nestled in the hills above Sunset Strip. Grmt kit adjoins a gorgeous, sky-lit casual dining area that spills out onto one of many ent patios w/ city lights views. The lv rm is perfect for entertaining - its scale and openness are elegant yet comfortable. The main fl consists of a screening rm, 2 gst rms and a truly extraordinary Zen-like mst bd and spa quality bath. 2 add’tl gst suites w/pvt entrances -one on the lwr level and one on the third flr. 3 garages.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: We ran across this property a couple of weeks ago but the the property records are a wee bit confusing and although we were able to figure out that the property was purchased in April 2002 for $2,140,000 and then transferred several times through a trust with the name of a music manager as the trustee, Your Mama was unable to suss out the actual owner.

Then, out of the blue, like manna from heaven, Your Mama received an email from someone who would absolutely and without doubt know who owns this property. Children we have it on very good authority this house belongs to songstress Natalie Imbruglia.

The petite singer with the signature short choppy hair-do got her start acting on a soap opera program in her native Australia before moving to swinging London to pursue a music career. Since 1998 she has had a whole bunch of hit songs and records, none of which does Your Mama have any recollection of hearing. Now, we're sure we prolly have heard some of her music, we just wouldn't be able to pick it from a crowd, you know?

It's unclear whether Miz Imbruglia actually lives in this house, but what is crystal clear is that a team of over-zealous stagers has been up in there lighting fires in the fireplace, putting fresh cut flowers around, and for some unknown and disturbing reason popping popcorn to set out on a tray in the media room.

Excessive staging aside, Your Mama has mostly positive feelings about this Mediterranean villa. The stellar Sunset Strip location just North of Sunset and East of North Doheny Drive means not having to navigate the death trap twists and turns of the Hollywood Hills after a long night boozing and hanging with your celebrity peeps at Les Deux.

The large and lounge-like living room works for us. Matching sofas almost always make Your Mama feel warm inside, and this pair in chocolate brown velvet is dee-vine. Also of note in this room is the fantastic fireplace surround. We appreciate that it was kept simple but still manages to have a strong and dignified presence. Although we love the rug and feel it was an excellent choice to use with the sofas, Your Mama has a couple of little bitches who track in dirt and shed like mohair sweaters. So we have to wonder what sort of vacuum does one buy so that the maid can get that thing clean? Or is that the sort of rug that gets tossed out when it gets soiled and full of dog hair?

The kitchen appears to have been recently updated and we notice and appreciate the dark cabinets, the double dishwashers, and the delicious limestone counters (is that limestone?). We've never been fond of the greenhouse window, so we'd recommend getting rid of that middle brow folly. Too often a window like that gets filled up with Hummel figurines and frog collections, so why tempt and invite bad taste like that?

Also, we're a little concerned about that lonely wok hanging on the pot rack. Perhaps the stagers could come back and either add a few more cooking vessels? Or better yet, just remove the pot rack altogether? Can anyone explain the pot rack phenomena? We don't get it. The Dr. Cooter and Your Mama may have obscenely expensive cookery, but we much prefer to hide our pots and pans from the casual kitchen visitor.

All the children surely know we are very appreciative of the numerous dark doors that open just about every room of the house to the city view terraces on the Western side of the house. And despite the wicker furniture, the covered outdoor space is a most beauteous spot to down a bottle of fine wine while the sun sets. Also note how even the master bathroom has doors that open it to the terraces...that is a serious and desirable luxury in Your Mama's book.

While Your Mama is mostly appreciative of this house, there is one feature, or actually the lack of one feature, that cause us to stop dead in our tracks. Children there is no swimming pool on this property. That might be attractive to those who don't know how to swim or don't like pool boys, but Your Mama is not sure we could pay more than $4,000,000 for a house without a swimming pool.

Perhaps Miz Imbruglia, a water baby and one time surfer gurl, is moving back to Australia, back to London, or just to another house in LA that has a swimming pool.

Sources: Windermere Properties, Internet Movie Data Base

UPDATE: Tom Crooz Sniffing Around Bel Air?

Yesterday afternoon Your Mama heard from Gina Lollobrigida, an often reliable source for all things Hollywood. In the past Gina has been a vast well of information and gossip about Tommy Crooz and has many times regaled us with twisted and funny tales about shoe lifts, reluctant golf partners, and suspicious doings with ex-wives.

Miz Lollobrigida was getting in touch with Your Mama to let us know what she's recently heard regarding TomKat's house hunt. We confess. While Your Mama finds Mister Crooz to be puzzling and not so pleasantly enigmatic, we also find him and his crazy ways endlessly fascinating.

Now children, this is all rumor, conjecture, and speculation, so don't be going and telling everybody you read the gospel truth here. We're passing along third hand information from a consistently reliable source. Our pal Fiona Trambeau thinks third hand information isn't worth shit, but she's drunk and screwing strangers most of the time so we're going to go ahead and tell the children what we heard.

The first thing Gina tells us is that she hears the Crooz couple has been sniffing around a ridiculously opulent $30,000,000 listing on super swanky St. Pierre Road in Bel Air (pics above). Now this is interesting because earlier this week we heard TomKat had purchased a $30,000,000 house. Hmm. This house is almost incomprehensibly lavish (check the bowling alley and the indoor pool), and it would not be anyplace Your Mama would think the Crooz's would consider. But then again, nothing the man does surprises us anymore.

The next thing Gina tells us is that some of Crooz's peeps recently had a look-see at a very impressive 12.4 acre vacant lot on Stone Canyon that sits directly across from the Hotel Bel-Air. The land was assembled over a period of 8 or 9 years by Liz Hurly baby daddy and billionaire Steve Bing. The rumor mill goes that Bing bought up all the houses, some of which had previously been owned by folks like Kim Novak and Barry Manilow, and bull dozed them with the intention of building his own private paradise.

But we all know these billionaire baby daddies can be so capricious and fickle (remember how Flavio Briatore dumped the preggers Heidi Klum?), so Bing reportedly sold off the parcels for $48,000,000 to an entity called ECG Acquisitions. It's unclear who this ECG Acquisitions actually is and it's possible Mister Bing is in fact involved in that group although we have no proof or indication of that. However, what is not up for debate is that ECG has been tirelessly trying to flip the land at a huge profit. In the Fall of 2006 they put the property up for sale with no price attached in a private auction sort of thing. Reports say they are looking to fetch around $75,000,000.

The vacant estate, dubbed The Park at Stone Canyon, is fully landscaped with acres of lawn, gorgeous gardens climbing stacked stone walls, and spectacular views of Los Angeles. It must be costing these ECG people a fortune to keep the lawns mowed and weeds pulled. In their marketing materials the sellers have even included a plan for a lavish and sprawling "Grand Estate." Good stuff.

If Crooz and Katie were to buy this property, or some part of it, they'd have to build from the ground up. Which might not be a bad thing for a couple that require a virtual fortress for a home. Just imagine the sorts of new-fangled Mission Impossible style security systems Crooz would have installed.

Certainly the one time king of Hollywood would be living among the richest of the rich with neighbors like billionaire Jerrold Perrenchio who lives close by in a tremendous and meticulously landscaped estate. Both Mel and Bren Simon's palatial house, which they have on the market for $17,500,000, and billionaire philanthropist Robert Day's Mediterranean manse overlook the The Park at Stone Canyon. So at least Crooz could be assured the neighbors would not be standing on jalopy strewn front lawns drinking Budwiser, picking their teeth, and adjusting their crotches while their lady friends paint the the dog's toe nails and color their own hair inside.

Who knows where TomKat will end up? Have they already purchased? Are they considering leaving Los Angeles? This saga of the TomKat house hunt continues and we shamelessly admit, we're addicted like a cheap crack whore. We can't help it, we just find Crooz to be like a car wreck on the highway, you just can't help but to slow down and look for the carnage.

UPDATE: Jane Wyatt Estate

Remember a few weeks ago Your Mama discussed the Jane Wyatt estate up on Siena Way in Bel Air? Not long after we posted the property we heard there was a TON of activity on the property and it was expected to sell very quickly. The price was universally considered shockingly low. The listing was recently removed from the m.l.s. and today we hear from Bette Davis, one of our favorite up and coming tipsters, who tells us the estate is being purchased by Miss Sandy Gallin.

Do y'all know who Sandy Gallin is? The man has been a manager for superstars like Muh-riah Carey, Cher, and that white lady Michael Jackson. But his most well known client relationship has been with mammoth mammaried Dolly Parton. He was her manager, best friend, and at one time Your Mama remembers hearing they bunked together in a New York pied a terre. In return she acted as his beard back in the day when such things were required of music and entertainment moguls. Remember when David Geffen dated Joni Mitchell?

Anyhoo, Dolly and Miss Gallin still do bizness together through their Sandollar Productions Company. Additionally the man has been known as a powerhouse film and television producer with credits like 110 episodes of Angel and 145 episodes of cult favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Although more recently, Miss Gallin has retired from the entertainment bizness and has been flipping houses and selling off his huge portfolio of impressive properties. Back in the Spring of 2005 he sold his Malee-boo estate on Paradise Point to reality show honcho Mark Burnett for a reported $26 or $27,000,000. Previous to that he sold off his 14 acre Hamptons spread which carried a $21,000,000 price tag. So ya'll know Miss Gallin is a rich old queen with money to burn on new flips.

If Bette Davis is right, Your Mama suspects Miss Gallin did not purchase the Jane Wyatt estate for his own personal use. Given that he's a house flipper we expect Miss Gallin is already burning up the phone lines calling up all the gay decorators he knows to haul their waxed and muscled bodies on up to Bel Air in order whip this place into shape and pose by the pool.

We'll keep an eyes peeled and our ear to the ground for any additional information about this house. And, of course, if any of the children have any additional 411, be sure to get in touch with Your Mama.

Sources: Bette Davis, Art and Understanding, Forbes, Internet Movie Data Base