Monthly Archives: September 2015
Celebrity Homes: Casino King’s Las Vegas Mansion Going To Auction
“Las Vegas Primm Ranch”…….Michael Jackson called it “Wonderland” and his daughter said it was “Candyland.” The 10-acre compound in a Las Vegas neighborhood of casino owners, entertainers and royalty (Wayne Newton lives nearby and the Sultan of Brunei was a neighbor) was designed to be a secure and safe haven for a family, a memorable experience for their guests and a place to safely enjoy their expensive hobbies. This was its appeal to Michael Jackson, who had sights on a Las Vegas residency show and, according to Las Vegas media, had toured the home several times. Jackson was planning on making an offer on the home when he returned from his “This Is It” London residency show scheduled to run through early 2010. However, Michael died just three weeks before the start of the tour.
Completed in 1994 for Nevada casino and resort developer Gary Primm, the compound was designed for luxury, but security was Primm’s biggest concern. Primm is a big-game hunter and car collector including the “Bonnie and Clyde Death Car” that he has displayed at several of his casinos. The home was completed soon after Las Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn’s daughter was kidnapped from the kitchen of their Las Vegas home. Primm was worried about the safety of his own two children and designed the home with a 10-foot wall surrounding the property and three gates that can be controlled by the owner, eliminating the need for round-the-clock guards who might be bought off by a rival. Throughout are security tunnels, bulletproof doors, secret rooms with entries disguised as walls or cabinets and a panic room with an oxygen supply and separate underground phone lines.
The Primm Ranch includes a main estate house with 15,000 square feet, a guest villa, grotto villa, staff quarters, horse trainer quarters, equestrian barn, arena, pens and pastures, a dog villa, grotto pool with spa, waterfall and slide, all surrounded by lush lawns and palms. There is also a garage/car showroom that will house 20 cars with its own gas station for diesel and unleaded fuels, a car wash with deionized water and mechanic’s lift. With a total living area of over 21,000 square feet, there are 10 bedrooms and 19 baths. Highlights include a beauty salon, trophy room with recorded animal sounds, driving range, 5,000-bottle wine cellar, theater, casino room, gym and sauna. The grounds include a greenhouse, outdoor kitchen adjacent to the pool with a bar and guest suite accessed under the waterfall, and a tennis court. Equestrian facilities include stalls for ten horses with training and riding areas. According to the estate’s listing agent, Jackson planned on converting the home’s underground shooting range into a recording studio.
Currently listed at $14.5 million USD, Primm Ranch will go up for auction on October 10th with no reserve. The auction company handling the sale is Concierge Auctions of New York City.
Real estate is never boring at TopTenRealEstateDeals. Check out today’s most entertaining, important and unusual real estate news stories of the week. News such as “Florida Foreclosure King Losing Home,” “Burt Reynolds Finally Sells Florida Home,” and “Exotic Islands For Sale.”
Rock Hall Of Fame Drummer Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine’s NPR interview~
From http://www.thelooploft.com/blogs/ryans-corner/41775169-the-most-recorded-drum-set-in-history-hal-blaines-monster-kit : “Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame drummer Hal Blaine played on more Top 10 hits than any other musician. In fact, he played on 40 #1 singles, 150 Top Ten singles and 8 Grammy Records of the Year. If you don’t know his name, you certainly know his drumming. As a pivotal member of the loose group of crack session musicians known as “The Wrecking Crew”, Hal played the iconic beats on such diverse hits as “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes, “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys, “Strangers In The Night” by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley’s “Return To Sender”, and literally thousands of other songs from the 60’s and 70’s. The Monster Kit was developed by Hal along with his drum tech Rick Faucher and builder Howie Oliver can be seen [along with a video] at the link above.”
Chef Endorsed “Doggie Recipes” Include St. Puppy’s Day Hash
Dinner For Two – You And Your Dog
Homemade Meals Provide A Special Treat For Pets,
Says Host Of Doggy Cooking Network
Dinnertime for many dogs involves the owner ripping open a bag, pouring kibbles into a bowl and walking away.
Not the stuff of a meaningful relationship.
Kris Rotonda likes to take an occasional break from that routine and give his four dogs – Rocky, Coco, Kobe and Jordan – a special treat.
Rotonda and his fiancée, Denise Fernandez, prepare the canine quartet cooked meals using recipes they share on their Doggy Cooking Network on Youtube.
Rotonda sees it as a way to occasionally give his pets what he refers to as the “Royal ‘Treat’-Ment.”
“I started cooking for my dogs because it’s a healthier way to go for meals,” Rotonda says. “Plus, it’s just fun and my dogs are an important part of my life.”
His doggie devotion now has inspired him to develop a creation he calls the PupPot (www.puppot.com), a cooking, serving and storage system for preparing those homemade meals for dogs.
The PupPot consists of a 3.8-quart stainless steel cooking pot, a paw-shaped serving base and two serving and storage bowls. Rotonda and Fernandez also put together an e-book with recipes.
For Rotonda, the PupPot just seemed like the “logical next step.”
“I figured that if Denise and I were teaching people to cook for their dogs, it just made sense to provide them with the right tool,” he says.
Dr. Jena Questen, a holistic veterinarian, says taking that extra time for preparing those meals can be worthwhile. The benefits of feeding a dog homemade dog food include reducing the risk of skin allergies, boosting their immune system, improving their digestive system, as well as giving them renewed energy.
“It’s no different from humans,” Questen says. “We couldn’t eat the same processed food every day and maintain optimum health, and neither can our pets.”
Rotonda shares a few recipes for giving your canine pals the “Royal ‘Treat’-Ment” as well:
Bacon Rice Cakes
Ingredients
1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 slices lean bacon, cooked, finely chopped (Retain bacon fat)
1 large egg
½ cup dried bread crumbs
Directions
1. Mix chopped bacon and rice.
2. Add egg and breadcrumbs to rice and bacon mixture. Combine thoroughly. Wet hands to prevent sticking, and then form the egg-rice mixture into 4 thin patties.
3. Reheat the bacon fat in a skillet over medium heat. Add the rice cakes and cook, turning once until golden brown. About 4 minutes on each side.
St. Puppy’s Day Hash
Ingredients
2 baking potatoes (1-1 ½ lbs.), peeled and shredded
Sea salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup shredded carrots
¾ cup chopped corned beef
½ cup of half-and-half
¼ cup grated cheese
Ground pepper
4 large eggs, scrambled
Directions
1. Place the potatoes in a colander, lightly salt and set aside.
2. Melt butter in the PupPot over medium heat. Mix in the potatoes, carrots, and corned beef. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cover pot. Stir every 5 minutes. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in half-and-half and turn off hear. Season with pepper and cheese.
4. Top hash with the cooked eggs.
Chicken Cakes
Ingredients
½ cup cooked brown rice
¼ cup of peas, thawed
1/3 cup of rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1 egg
2 Tbsp. plain breadcrumbs
½ tsp of dried parsley
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the rice, peas, chicken, egg, breadcrumbs and parsley. Form into 4 equally sized patties.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken patties and cook, turning once, until golden-brown for approximately 7-8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let cool slightly.
About Kris Rotonda
Kris Rotonda, an entrepreneur and creator of the PupPot (www.puppot.com), owns four dogs. He and his fiancée, Denise Fernandez, host the Puppy Cooking Network on Youtube. Rotonda also created YouMustLoveDogsDating.com, a niche dating website that matches dog owners with other dog owners.
