Ellen Degeneres

Cyberspace was a-twitter this week with the news that Ryan Seacrest is buying Ellen DeGeneres' Beverly Hills compound for $37 million, and that she and spouse Portia de Rossi are moving no farther than a Hal Levitt-designed midcentury — also in Beverly Hills. DeGeneres' new 8,500-square-foot house, built in 1958, features walls of glass, soaring ceilings, multiple fireplaces, a library, a black-and-stainless-steel kitchen, a sunken living room, four bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Top agents at International Creative Management on Wednesday completed the buyout of the agency from longtime Chairman and Chief Executive Jeff Berg and private equity firm Rizvi Traverse Management - ending a long-running management drama at one of Hollywood's leading agencies. Staff members of the 400-person firm celebrated with a champagne breakfast. Twenty-nine agents are now partners who will own and control the Century City-based firm, which has been renamed ICM Partners.

It doesn't take much scratching beneath the surface to find a celebrity name in a home's title history or the public record in L.A. County. Among recent listings with celebrity pedigrees are: -- An Italian-style villa in La Canada Flintridge built in 1989 by actor Kevin Costner with his then-wife, Cindy. The walled compound has 6,754 square feet of living space in the main house, 2,400 square feet of loggias and a detached 840-square-foot structure with a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, tasting room, office and bathroom.

It's one thing to land a celebrity as a commencement speaker upon graduation. When you're Justin Bieber, however, celebs stage the entire ceremony. This was the case on Wednesday as Ellen DeGeneres welcomed the pop star to perform his hit "Boyfriend," and threw in a last-minute surprise: a cap-and-gown rite of passage to celebrate Bieber's completion of his GED requirements. "I know you graduated two weeks ago and you really didn't have a traditional graduation ceremony.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has listed her Beverly Hills estate for sale. The asking price is "available upon request" on the Westside Estate Agency website, but local real estate industry sources place it at $49 million. The four-structure compound was formed starting in 2007 through three property purchases on the same street. Among the sellers was Max Mutchnick, co-creator of the TV series "Will & Grace" (1998-2006), who sold his house for $29 million. The 15,000 square feet of interior space in the compound include a 9,200-square-foot main house, two guesthouses and an additional three-bedroom house that can be used as office space or staff quarters.

After days of furious rumors, Fox just made it official: Ellen DeGeneres' much-criticized tenure as the fourth judge on "American Idol" has sputtered to an end after just one season, with the show in the midst of a massive overhaul. In a news release, DeGeneres said she told the producers a couple of months ago that the show "didn't feel like the right fit for me," partly because of increased work commitments elsewhere, including her popular daytime talk show. But "I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings," she added.

The two columnists writing about Ellen DeGeneres' coming out certainly don't give her many options (Commentary, April 18). Robert Dawidoff wants Ellen to embrace the lesbian lifestyle. He even hopes Ellen experiences "an intense, and even hostile lesbian separatist phase." Cal Thomas is even more absurd. It's bad enough he'd stuff Ellen back in the closet, but he also wants her to "go to church with her husband and children, vote Republican," ad nauseam. My guess is that DeGeneres wishes to be free of others' expectations of who she is and who she should be. My hat's off to Ellen for being her own person and rejecting such extreme options.

After days of furious rumors, Ellen DeGeneres' much-criticized tenure as the fourth judge on "American Idol" officially sputtered to an end Thursday after just one season, as TV's top-rated show undergoes a massive overhaul. Deadline.com reported that Jennifer Lopez had signed to be a judge on the show; spokespeople for the producers and network had not confirmed the news as of Thursday evening. Beyond the show's pervasive cultural influence — including grooming top singers such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood — the next moves for "Idol" are of great importance to the TV industry.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has revealed the price of her Beverly Hills estate in the Multiple Listing Service as $49 million. The property had been marketed since June on the Westside Estate Agency website as price "available upon request. " The four-structure compound was formed starting in 2007 through three property purchases on the same street. Among the sellers was Max Mutchnick, co-creator of the TV series "Will & Grace" (1998-2006), who sold his house for $29 million.

Ellen DeGeneres is sponsoring a contest in which the prize is a visit from her syndicated TV talk show. The Emmy-winning host and AOL announced Wednesday the launch of "Wish You Were Here," a competition that will culminate with DeGeneres & Co. visiting the winner's hometown. Over the next 10 weeks, fans of the comic who want her to visit can upload stories, photos and videos about the people and places that make their hometown special at ellen.aol.com.

Joining the ranks of teenage homeowners is "Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson, who has bought a place in the Hollywood Hills West area for $2.5 million. Called the Tree House, the 2,000-square-foot-plus house has been home at different times to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and the late actor Heath Ledger. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom house, built in 1951, sits behind gates on nearly a half-acre filled with sycamores. Features include glass walls, polished concrete floors, an office, beamed ceilings and video security.

Cyberspace was a-twitter this week with the news that Ryan Seacrest is buying Ellen DeGeneres' Beverly Hills compound for $37 million, and that she and spouse Portia de Rossi are moving no farther than a Hal Levitt-designed midcentury — also in Beverly Hills. DeGeneres' new 8,500-square-foot house, built in 1958, features walls of glass, soaring ceilings, multiple fireplaces, a library, a black-and-stainless-steel kitchen, a sunken living room, four bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Cyberspace is a-twitter with the news that Ryan Seacrest is expected to close escrow this week on Ellen Degeneres' Beverly Hills compound, but there's been nary a peep about where she and spouse Portia de Rossi have decamped. Look no further than the Hal Levitt-designed midcentury in Beverly Hills that changed hands in April, according to area real estate agents familiar with that deal. The 8,500-square-foot house, built in 1958, features walls of glass, soaring ceilings, multiple fireplaces, a library, a black-and-stainless-steel kitchen, a sunken living room, four bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Admit it, at 45 years old, the Advocate looks good. Over those years, the LGBT magazine has seen the same challenges as any other print publication but has forged ahead with its watchdog duties in human rights as well as being a pop culture compass. The glossy will celebrate the big 4-5 at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, welcoming a host of celebs and activists, as well as fashion and social types. Not to mention inductees to the Heroes Hall of Fame, a list of notables that includes Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon and Jake Gyllenhaal.

It doesn't take much scratching beneath the surface to find a celebrity name in a home's title history or the public record in L.A. County. Among recent listings with celebrity pedigrees are: -- An Italian-style villa in La Canada Flintridge built in 1989 by actor Kevin Costner with his then-wife, Cindy. The walled compound has 6,754 square feet of living space in the main house, 2,400 square feet of loggias and a detached 840-square-foot structure with a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, tasting room, office and bathroom.

It's a howling shame. An Ohio woman who had hoped to get her dog on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" has been ordered to remove a Cahuenga Pass billboard that pictures her pooch in a blond wig with the message, "Ellen, Denali the Dog Wants to Meet You. " Madalyn Ruggiero, a freelance photographer who dresses her golden retriever in funny costumes and sells the images as greeting cards, had rented the billboard for six weeks. But instead of getting a phone call to appear on DeGeneres' show, Ruggiero got word from the billboard company that her ad had to come down after only five days.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has revealed the price of her Beverly Hills estate in the Multiple Listing Service as $49 million. The property had been marketed since June on the Westside Estate Agency website as price "available upon request. " The four-structure compound was formed starting in 2007 through three property purchases on the same street. Among the sellers was Max Mutchnick, co-creator of the TV series "Will & Grace" (1998-2006), who sold his house for $29 million.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has listed her Beverly Hills estate for sale. The asking price is "available upon request" on the Westside Estate Agency website, but local real estate industry sources place it at $49 million. The four-structure compound was formed starting in 2007 through three property purchases on the same street. Among the sellers was Max Mutchnick, co-creator of the TV series "Will & Grace" (1998-2006), who sold his house for $29 million. The 15,000 square feet of interior space in the compound include a 9,200-square-foot main house, two guesthouses and an additional three-bedroom house that can be used as office space or staff quarters.