Soap Star

Soap star Peter Reckell and his wife, singer Kelly Moneymaker, have sold their custom-built, eco-friendly home in Brentwood for $3.35 million. Before building the 3,345-square-foot house, the couple had their previous home on the site torn down, crated and shipped to Mexico for reuse by Habitat for Humanity. Then they designed and built a three-bedroom, four-bathroom contemporary that uses solar power. Green elements include a photovoltaic system with battery backup, Solatube skylights, recycled glass terrazzo floors with radiant heating, recycled denim and organic cotton insulation, bamboo cabinets and doors, a roof garden and a water reclamation system.

Soap star Drake Hogestyn is ready to sell the Malibu retreat where he has no doubt spent many days of his life. It is up for sale at $4.995 million. The Tuscan-style two-story, built in 2002, features wood-beam ceilings, French doors, hardwood floors, decks and balconies. There are fireplaces in the living room, family room and master suite of the 6,616-square-foot house, which has a total of five bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms. The grounds of about an acre include a circular driveway, a swimming pool, sycamore trees, fruit trees and an herb garden.

Soap star Peter Reckell and his wife, singer Kelly Moneymaker, have listed their custom-built eco-friendly home in Brentwood for $6,499,000. The couple had their original home on the site torn down, crated and shipped to Mexico for reuse by Habitat for Humanity. Then they designed and built a three-bedroom, four-bathroom contemporary that maximizes solar power and cross-ventilation. Along with an indoor/outdoor koi pond, a meditation fountain and a solar infinity pool, outdoor amenities include a 16th century East Indian temple that was turned into a portico and frames views of the Santa Monica Conservancy.

Soap star Peter Reckell and his wife, singer Kelly Moneymaker, have sold their custom-built, eco-friendly home in Brentwood for $3.35 million. Before building the 3,345-square-foot house, the couple had their previous home on the site torn down, crated and shipped to Mexico for reuse by Habitat for Humanity. Then they designed and built a three-bedroom, four-bathroom contemporary that uses solar power. Green elements include a photovoltaic system with battery backup, Solatube skylights, recycled glass terrazzo floors with radiant heating, recycled denim and organic cotton insulation, bamboo cabinets and doors, a roof garden and a water reclamation system.

Jennifer Aniston and her actor boyfriend Justin Theroux may have just gotten engaged, but the wedding bells we really want to know about are the ones for billionaire financier George Soros. The scene: The Hamptons. The ring: A diamond in a rose-gold setting. The fiance: 82 years old. Soros popped the question to his lady love of about four years, businesswoman Tamiko Bolton. The MBA-degreed Bolton operates a website about yoga, according to Reuters. And she's 40 years old. In 1992, when she was of college age, Soros made his name by earning $1 billion from his investments off of the British pound.

Soap star Maurice Benard and his wife, Paula , have listed a Hollywood Hills-area house for $1.55 million. The pair bought the place in 2007 to live in while remodeling their larger primary residence and, in the meantime, worked on customizing the smaller house too. "We dove into fixing this one up," Paula Benard said, "to the point that we almost rebuilt the house. " The contemporary Mediterranean has a great room with pitched ceilings, a stacked stone fireplace and slate floors.

LONDON - Colombia is a decided underdog against the U.S. in its second-round group-play match in women's soccer Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland. But forward Orianica Velasquez believes the team has a Cinderella performance in it and, given the path she's taken to the Olympic Games, she knows a thing or two about Cinderella stories. Velasquez, who will begin her senior season at Indiana University in the fall, was identified as a real soccer player while playing Betty, a ficitional one, on Colombian TV. A high school classmate at Bogota's Colegio Americano, who was an actress, asked Velasquez to audition for a walk-on role in a soccer-themed teen soap opera called "Juego Limpio" (or "Fair Play")

Soap star Cameron Mathison and his wife, Vanessa, have bought a house near the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains for $1.672 million. The Spanish Colonial Revival home, built in 1928, features a curving, decorative-tiled staircase, a step-down living room with trussed wood-beam ceiling and vintage tile, ironwork, wood and arches. The formal dining room is large enough to fit a 12-person table. There are four bedrooms, five bathrooms and nearly 3,700 square feet of living space.

A sudden frenzy erupted among fans of South Korean soap opera star Bae Yong-joon as he left his Tokyo hotel in a car Friday, leaving nine Japanese women hurt and prompting an apology from Bae. The women taken to a hospital had bruises and other minor injuries, said Tokyo Fire Department spokeswoman Yuko Masuda. Another official said the injured women were all between the ages of 40 and 60.

Elizabeth Sung isn't going to march in a protest or gather in a vigil, nor will she be passing out flyers or standing on a soapbox. But "The Young and the Restless" soap star says she is an AIDS activist, though she prefers "a quiet activism." "I'm showing my activism by telling my story," says the actress who plays Luan Volien on the CBS soap. Sung's brother, fashion designer Philip Sung, died of AIDS in 1985.

Maybe she'll get a Pitbull glow stick as consolation. Alas, someone had to have the distinct displeasure of being the first to be kicked out of the glitterverse in this “Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars” season. And while she was a fan favorite, the first couple to unceremoniously get the boot at the end of a very long, two-hour results show were Pamela Anderson and Tristan MacManus. And while I'll be sad to see our bonny Irish lad go, I don't think anyone could say they were much surprised at the outcome - even the “Baywatch” star herself.

Jennifer Aniston and her actor boyfriend Justin Theroux may have just gotten engaged, but the wedding bells we really want to know about are the ones for billionaire financier George Soros. The scene: The Hamptons. The ring: A diamond in a rose-gold setting. The fiance: 82 years old. Soros popped the question to his lady love of about four years, businesswoman Tamiko Bolton. The MBA-degreed Bolton operates a website about yoga, according to Reuters. And she's 40 years old. In 1992, when she was of college age, Soros made his name by earning $1 billion from his investments off of the British pound.

LONDON - Colombia is a decided underdog against the U.S. in its second-round group-play match in women's soccer Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland. But forward Orianica Velasquez believes the team has a Cinderella performance in it and, given the path she's taken to the Olympic Games, she knows a thing or two about Cinderella stories. Velasquez, who will begin her senior season at Indiana University in the fall, was identified as a real soccer player while playing Betty, a ficitional one, on Colombian TV. A high school classmate at Bogota's Colegio Americano, who was an actress, asked Velasquez to audition for a walk-on role in a soccer-themed teen soap opera called "Juego Limpio" (or "Fair Play")

When it comes to star power, junior quarterback Alexander Diamont of Venice can more than hold his own. Whether directing the Gondoliers' offense or posing on a beach for a modeling assignment, Diamont knows how to stay cool, calm and focused. As a sophomore last season, he finished with 2,213 yards passing and 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions. The potential he displayed has Coach Angelo Gasca excited about what he might accomplish this fall. "He's tough and he's serious and has a good feel for the game and really loves it," Gasca said.

Night after night, in households from Puebla to Pico Rivera, tens of millions of loyal viewers tune in to their Spanish-language telenovelas , gasping at the seductions and betrayals on tear-jerkers like "Abismo de Pasión" ("Abyss Of Passion"). Now network executives, desperate to capitalize on the addictive powers of the prime-time soap operas, are copying the formula with English-language versions, starring marquee names. In some cases, they're even borrowing the five-nights-a-week format.

Singer-dancer Paula Abdul , who until recently was a judge on"The X Factor," has put her house in Sherman Oaks on the market at $1.899 million. The contemporary Mediterranean, built in 2000, features a grand entry with a double staircase, French doors opening to patio and pool areas, five bedrooms and 41/2 bathrooms. The master suite of the 4,679-square-foot house includes a fireplace and a balcony with canyon and city views. Abdul, 48, got her start as a Laker Girl.

A restored Bel-Air estate, built in 1932 and designed by architect Gerard Colcord, is on the market at $12.95 million. The gated traditional home, which today has eight bedrooms and 10 1/2 bathrooms in about 10,000 square feet, was one of Colcord's last French farmhouses. Known as the Horton House for its original owners, it has been home to such Hollywood personalities as former Univision Chairman and Chief Executive Jerry Perenchio, actor Bob Newhart and soap star Deidre Hall , according to "Colcord Home" by Bret Parsons.

Soap star Katherine Kelly Lang and her husband, Alex D'Andrea, an entertainment industry veteran, have listed their Sherman Oaks home at $1,449,000. The traditional house, built in 1951, has a high ceiling in the first-floor family room, a 7-foot built-in wine rack, five bedrooms and three bathrooms. There is 3,410 square feet of living space. Designed for an active family, the backyard includes a spot to shoot baskets and a putting green. Lang started playing trouble-plagued heroine Brooke Logan Forrester on CBS's "The Bold and the Beautiful" in 1987.

Soap star Cameron Mathison and his wife, Vanessa, have bought a house near the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains for $1.672 million. The Spanish Colonial Revival home, built in 1928, features a curving, decorative-tiled staircase, a step-down living room with trussed wood-beam ceiling and vintage tile, ironwork, wood and arches. The formal dining room is large enough to fit a 12-person table. There are four bedrooms, five bathrooms and nearly 3,700 square feet of living space.

Soap star Ingo Rademacher has sold a Malibu home for $2,088,200. The remodeled 1973 Mediterranean was designed for indoor-outdoor entertaining. Walls of glass and doors open onto covered and open patio space with a spa, built-in barbecue and a dining area. The 2,700-square-foot house has four bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms. Rademacher, 40, has played Jasper "Jax" Jacks on "General Hospital" since 1996. He bought the property in 2008 for $2,365,000, according to public records.