LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $12,500 per month
SIZE: 3,216 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Almost two weeks ago now it was revealed by the long-legged blond at Trulia Luxe Living that Texas-born former child star turned—ahem—actress Jennifer Love Hewitt put one of two multi-million dollar domiciles she owns in L.A.'s star-studded Toluca Lake community on the market with an asking price of $2,895,000.
According to property records the six bedroom and six bathroom traditional was purchased by Miss Love Hewitt in May 1998 for $1,695,000 and, according to our pal and occasional informant Babbling Babette, occupied the last number of years by Miss Love Hewitt's recently deceased mother Pat, may she rest in peace.
A Tinseltown toiler since the late 1980s, Miss Love Hewitt first popped up on the boob-toob on Kids Incorporated with future Party of Five co-star Scott Wolf. The early 1990s brought a slew of roles on a whole bunch of not particularly successful tee-vee programs and movies like Shaky Ground, Little Miss Millions and The Byrds of Paradise. Her big Showbiz break came in 1995 when she was cast on the once wildly popular but cancelled in 1999 orphan-family boob-toob drama Party of Five and appeared on the big screen in the I Know What Your Did Last Summer horror film franchise.
The early Aughts brought a working dry spell during which Miss Love Hewitt worked frequently but didn't appear, as far as we could tell from a quick perusal of her resume on the Internet Movie Data Base, in anything notable, interesting or remotely successful. In 2005, bless her emoting heart, she landed the lead on Ghost Whisperer, a lucrative role that lasted five seasons and reportedly paid the prolific dater but as yet unluckly in love Miss Love Hewitt as much as $150,000 per episode. Ghost Whisperer went belly up in 2010 but, lucky for Miss Love Hewitt, she quickly secured the starring role in the somewhat controversial and pretty well panned The Client List, a Lifetime channel tee-vee movie turned series about a busty, financially desperate former Texas beauty queen turned single mother of three who secretly becomes a well-compensated sex worker in a high-end massage parlor that specializes in happy endings.
Despite the topsy-turvy, roller coaster nature of her career in January 2006 the gossip glossy regular possessed the dough-re-mi to drop $5,500,000 on a second luxury residence in Toluca Lake almost directly across the street from the recently listed one and, as it turns out, put up as a furnished lease two weeks ago at $12,500 per month.
Current listing information reveals the walled and gated three-story Spanish-style casa was originally built in 1926, weighs in at a spacious but hardly huge 3,216 square feet and includes a total of four bedrooms, four bathrooms and two full kitchens, one on the main level with large center island, butcher block counter tops and commercial-style appliances and another, woefully dated one on the lower level where its convenient to the swimming pool and backyard entertainment areas.
In addition to the two kitchens and formal living and dining rooms, listing information states the (arguably) "tastefully decorated" residence also includes a home office with separate entrance, music room, workout room, and a master suite with deep and inviting, lake-view window seat; double master bath (whatever that is); an extensive, custom-fitted closet and dressing room area; and an boat load of white, (possibly) faux-distressed, and decidedly Shabby Sheek-ish furniture.
The lower two levels of the house open wide to a to a brick courtyard with (ugly) fountain at the front and multiple brick and tile terraces at the back. The lowest level includes an indoor/outdoor poolside lounge/loggia that spills out to the plunge-sized swimming pool and spa. A wide brick stair descend to a private dock. As an enticement, listing information states Miss Love Hewitt has generously included the use of her kayaks and motor boat in the price of her rental.
Because of its close proximity to number of major studios and lots, Toluca Lake has long been a favorite enclave of Hollywood's rich and famous. Bob Hope lived in Tolcua Lake, so did Bing Crosby, Amelia Earhart, Gene Autry, Jim Nabors, and Jonathan Winters. Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli lived in a Toluca Lake mansion until they split up last year—they still own the house but we're not sure who occupies it—and former Disney cash cow Miley Cyrus lived in Toluca Lake with her family until she moved to her own multi-million dollar abode in nearby Studio City last year. The Jonas Brothers used to lease a house in Toluca Lake and semi-retired singer/actress Hilary Duff finally sold her 8,827 square foot Toluca Lake manse last month for $4,651,500, far less than the seven million she originally wanted. Current residents of the lakeside enclave include Steve Carell, Swoosie Kurtz, Eric McCormack, Ashley Tisdale, and Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry.
listing photos: Gibson International
