So I’m sitting here watching HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with Larry David, one of my many guilty pleasures, and Larry is in one of his typical fixes. He’s offered to let the residents of a battered women’s shelter use his washer and dryer when theirs has gone on the fritz. Of course, if you know…
In 1948, President Harry Truman wanted to add a balcony on the side of the White House and his detractors were up in arms. “Women especially seem to resent the fact that Mr. Truman is altering the White House a few months before the people are choosing a president,” David Lawrence reported in the Spokane…
As you well know, the rich are getting richer and the rest of us are going the other way. The whole economy is rigged that way and you wonder how long it will go on. As our new two-class economy unfolds, it seems disgusting for rich people to flaunt their riches, doesn’t it? So why…
As you may know, Brad Pitt helped create the Make It Right Foundation, which has the goal of building 150 new homes in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. The area was decimated when the defective walls of the Industrial Canal gave way after Hurricane Katrina blew past, making the destruction part of the…
In 1990, he created a sensation with his hip-hop single, Ice Ice Baby. Two decades, several public controversies, and many life lessons later, Rob Van Winkle emerges from the shadow of his alter-ego, Vanilla Ice, to debut a mellow, more mature attitude and a new show, The Vanilla Ice Project, on the DIY Network. We spoke exclusively with…
The first thing I do when an episode of Designed to Sell comes on HGTV is check to see if Lisa LaPorta is the designer host. No offense to other worthy designers on the show, but Lisa is my favorite. She’s real. She’s talented. She’s calm. She’s classy. I just prefer to spend by Designed to…
You remember Vanilla Ice? The white rapper famous for the 1990s hit “Ice Ice Baby”? Well, who knew the rest of the story? Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, has become a very savvy home builder and investor during the past decade in South Florida, where he lives with his wife and…
This is brilliant benevolence. The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans has teamed up with Catholic Charities to raffle off boots decorated by celebrities, chefs, sports figures, politicians and others to benefit victims of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The raffle happens Sept. 17 to 19 at the inaugural launch…
Think you’ve got massive remodeling challenges? Consider the issues that must be inside the $40 million Italian villa that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt just bought. After all, it’s from the 1700s and is 18,000 square feet. I suspect the local building community is beyond thrilled at this upcoming boost to the economy. See the…