Also in the Neighborhood

Former Montecito resident Michael Douglas has moved into truly majestic accommodations in London.

The Oscar winner, 78, and his Welsh actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, 53, have rented an apartment in historic St. James’s Palace, just a tiara’s toss from Clarence House, the home of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.

The monarch’s sister, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew’s daughter, Princess Beatrice, and cousin Princess Alexandra are also close neighbors.

Built by King Henry VIII in the 16th century, the palace, just a short drive down the Mall from Buckingham Palace, is a sprawling and imposing property. As well as housing State Apartments, it plays a largely ceremonial role in the royal calendar, including receptions and christenings in the Chapel Royal.

I used to go there to attend Christmas parties thrown by a friend who held the title of Assistant Lord Chamberlain. On one occasion I answered a knock at his door, and it was the Duke of Kent, grandson of King George V, asking if one of the guests could move their car so he could get his Jaguar XJ6 out of the garage!

The Baby Name Prophecy

If her real estate investments should ever fail, former TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres could always become a clairvoyant.

A resurfaced interview in which Ellen, 65, seemingly predicted Paris Hilton’s baby name one year before he was born, has set her extensive fan base in a spin.

Paris, 42, and her husband, Carter Reum, who is also 42, welcomed their first child together in January via surrogate – a baby boy they named Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum.

But Ellen actually predicted the name on a show she did with Paris in January 2022.

Next time I see Ellen at Pierre Lafond, I will ask her advice on the winning Mega Millions lottery numbers!

Peeps Pumps

Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry is sole searching!

The former Dos Pueblos High student, 38, is working with the famous candy company Peeps on creative ideas for her new shoe line for Easter.

“I love bright colors, playfulness, and iconic shapes and motifs, so, of course, when the opportunity to have our first brand collaboration be with Peeps, I had to hop to it,” she says.

Katy Perry Collections, of which Katy is founder and CEO, launched last week with her deal with Peeps described as a “dynamic collaboration.”

The footwear retails for $59 a pair, selling at Macy’s, Nordstrom, Zappos, and Amazon.

How sweet it is……

A Hefty Hampton Sum

The Hamptons, just 100 miles from Manhattan on Long Island, has always boasted hefty real estate prices, much like our rarefied enclave.

But an off-market listing for an 800-square-foot, two-bedroom oceanfront trailer in Montauk now contracted to sell for $3.75 million – which equates to $5,000 per square foot – has certainly set a new record.

Located in Montauk Shores, the price paid far exceeds the previous record of $1.85 million for a trailer that sold
last year.

Richard Belzer Remembered

On a personal note, I remember actor Richard Belzer, famed as an acerbic detective on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, who died at the age of 78 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, his home near Nice and the postage-sized principality of Monaco.

I well remember doing a TV talk-show pilot at the Metropolis Studios on 106th St. in East Harlem in the 1980s with his resident band, The Moody Jews, with me as the show’s gossip reporter.

But the show never took off and I eventually became a regular, under contract, on the syndicated Joan Rivers Show, taping at the CBS Studios on W. 57th St.

Belzer played his detective role for 22 consecutive series, exceeding the previous primetime record of 20 consecutive series held by James Arness who played Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975.

He retired as an actor in 2016.

Sightings

Oscar winner Jon Voight at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara… Ellen DeGeneres and actress wife Portia de Rossi noshing at Tre Lune… Actor Christopher Lloyd picking up his New York Times at Pierre Lafond.

Pip! Pip!