Kinka Usher buys new home in Pacific Palisades
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His popular commercials include the Taco Bell chihuahua.
The one-man antidote to TiVo -- that nifty device that allows, among other things, you to whiz past commercials that interrupt your favorite TV shows -- may be Kinka Usher. Usher's House of Usher production company makes those commercials that people talk about at the water cooler, the ones that are often more entertaining than the shows they are interrupting -- remember the talking chihuahua who says, "Yo quiero Taco Bell"?Usher is moving to the Pacific Palisades, where he just bought a newly constructed home for $3,525,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service. The home, listed originally at $4,775,000 and then lowered in price to $3,950,000, had been on the market for about nine months.
The house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,200 square feet. The East Coast-traditional-style home has a formal dining room, gourmet kitchen with stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, a family room with wood sliding doors, a pool, a spa and a barbecue area. A wide staircase leads to the master bedroom suite, which has high ceilings, a sitting area with a fireplace and a large walk-in closet. There is a maid's room on the first floor.
In addition to the talking chihuahua, Usher's work includes Polaroid's "Dog and Cat," Bridgestone Tire's "Lucky Dog" and Visa's "Transactional Fluidity" commercials. Samples of his commercials are at www.usherfilms.com. In addition, he also directed the movie comedy "Mystery Men" in 1999, which starred William H. Macy, Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria.
Billy Rose of Prudential California Realty, Beverly Hills, represented the buyer. Christopher Fell and Lynda Taylor of Prudential California Realty, Pacific Palisades, listed the property.
ann.brenoff@latimes.com
