Homes Of The World's Most Powerful Celebrities

Forbes just released its annual list of the Celebrity 100, a ranking of the most powerful stars including film and television actors, TV personalities, models, athletes, authors, musicians and comedians, based on both fame and annual pre-tax earnings (from May 2011 to May 2012). Here's a round-up of where these moneyed stars spend their nights catching beauty sleep and dodging paparazzi. Realtor.com, Trulia.com and others helped us unearth properties bought and sold in the past year as well as a few long-term abodes A-listers have clung to. There are even a few rentals, like this Calabasas estate called Chateau Suenos where pop star Britney Spears rented until last year following her infamous "meltdown."

Homes Of The World's Most Powerful Celebrities -- Forbes

There’s a certain kind of luxury real estate in Los Angeles that passes from celebrity to celebrity. Take the Beverly Hills estate that Ryan Seacrest is in escrow to buy for $37 million from Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. The gated compound in Coldwater Canyon includes a 9,200-square-foot main house, plus three guest houses, a swimming pool and koi ponds.

Perhaps its most valuable amenity: privacy. L.A. has ordinances that prevent new construction of high walls and hedges, which means there’s a limited inventory of homes that can keep prying eyes at a distance. The glitterati tend to trade them among one another.

Read more ....

Editor: The Forbes Gallery: Homes Of The Celebrity 100 link is here.