Inside Barbra Streisand’s multi-million-dollar dream home

By
Monica Pop
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Barbra Streisand is among the few names in the history of entertainment who has been awarded Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony awards.

The truth is that no one has ever conquered every area of the entertainment world quite like Streisand has.

She worked as a nightclub singer back in the day until she made her Broadway debut in 1962’s I Can Get It for You Wholesale. Well, as they say, the rest is history.

Her stage performances were so powerful and so well-perceived by wide audiences that Streisand soon turn to music and released chart-topping hits such as “The Way We Were,” “Evergreen” and “Woman in Love.” During the course of her successful career as an entertainer in a number of fields, Streisand’s music records sales exceed 150 million worldwide, making her one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.

She was the youngest artist to ever receive the honor of Grammy for Album of the Year with her first album remaining on the charts for 18 months, and becoming a Top 10-gold record.

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Around six years after her Broadway debut, this versatile woman had her film debut starring as Fanny Brice, which turned out to be one of the greatest film debuts in history, with the actress winning an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Streisand actually shared the honor with  Katherine Hepburn for her performance in The Lion in Winter.

“First I was in shock because I think it was her name first, so I thought ‘Okay that’s good, she was wonderful in that movie, Katharine Hepburn’ and then they said my name and I was tongue-tied,” Streisand shared with Variety.

“So I had to take out my gum and put it on the bottom of the chair and think about what the h*ll I was going to say and rushing to the stage, tripping on my long pants, pants that were too long and a top you could see through when the lights are on it, so I was kind of a mess, but it was lovely to receive an Academy Award, I must say.”

Kino. A Star Is Born, Star Is Born, A, A Star Is Born, Star Is Born, A, Barbra Streisand Esther Hoffman (Barbra Streisand) und die Oreos (Vanetta Fields, Clydie King)., 1976. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)

Thanks to her fantastic success in the various fields she has built herself a career in, Streisand is said to have made a net worth of around $400 million.

However, she shares lots of it to support different causes she keeps close to her heart.

Streisand has been married twice. Her first husband was actor Elliott Gould, whom she married on September 13, 1963, but divorced in 1971. They had one child, Jason Gould, who appeared as her on-screen son in The Prince of Tides.

Today, the singer is married to actor James Brolin. They have been together for over 30 years and their relationship withstood the test of time, something unlikely for celeb marriages. The couple doesn’t have children together, but they are grandparents to Josh’s kids, Brolin’s son from a previous marriage.

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Speaking of her current husband, Streisand recalled meeting him for the first time back in the day.

“I met him at a dinner and expected a bearded mountain-man type, and he had cut off all his hair and was clean-shaven,” she shared with W Magazine.

“I asked him, ‘Who screwed up your hair?’ He later told me that’s when he fell in love with me. My fella likes to hear the truth, which is unusual.

“He’s the yin to my yang. I wanted a companion in my life. My husband and I still have to work at our marriage every day. Relationships are about kindness. You have to constantly watch what you say and how you say it.”

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Streisand and her husband live in an out-of-this-world mansion located in Malibu. The garden, the ponds, and generally the surrounding is truly a piece of art.

The singer-actress personal heaven has 10,485-square-foot and includes eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, multiple guest houses, and an incredible ocean view. It consists of a main house, a mill house, a barn – and another building called “Grandma’s.”

Speaking to Architectural Design, Streisand revealed more about her estate and explained how she couldn’t choose between gray and burgundy for the exterior so she had two walls painted in each color. When it comes to the interior, there are two color ranges, black to gray and burgundy to pale rose.

Instagram/Barbrastreisand

She pays much attention to combination of colors. As reported by the magazine, even the wrappers of Streisand’s candy dishes are color coordinated. “I don’t put a black vase in the gray-and-burgundy room,” she revealed.

One of her guest houses is “decorated in comfy New England style and filled with the figurines and family photos that grandmothers favor.” 

However, it’s not that she is the only one making decisions about the look of the estate. Her husband has his own rooms which he decorates according to his wishes. “He has his own rooms that he’s in charge of: his office, his bath, his workshop,” she said.

Instagram/Barbrastreisand

The lower level of the house is turned into a mall where all of Streisand’s memorabilia is placed.

“Instead of just storing my things in the basement, I can make a street of shops and display them,” the legendary singer told Harper’s Bazaar.

Instagram/Barbrastreisand

Barbra Streisand has had quite a career.

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One person’s most painful experience

By
Monica Pop
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Many times in life we take things for granted. We are simply unaware of how lucky we are until something happens and we realize that we are more fortunate than we even know.

There are people out there who struggle to make ends meets and their every day effort to provide food for their families is a constant struggle.

When we step in for these people, we help make this world a better place.

The following story is heartbreaking and touching at the same time.

Read it below.

I had one of the most agonizing experiences of my life last night. In the grocery where I was, the cheese counter was right next to the candy counter. I was staring at some cheese. I heard this conversation:

“- Please, mama, I will be kind and good. Please!

– That’s it, we don’t have any money! We won’t have enough money for bread if I buy these candies for you.

Instinctively I turned my head.

A basic mom, messy but clean, with a blonde girl with large blue eyes.

“- Please, you said Santa will visit us this year and bring us, sweets.”

I held the cheese in my hand while remaining motionless.

The young child was holding a bag of sweets. I couldn’t believe the things I had heard were real as I was staring at her.

The child left the bag of candies on the shelf and was dragged away by her mother.

I dashed back to the candy stand. The candy bag in the toddler was holding cost $2. I stuffed goodies into the basket and, unavoidably, passed the meat stand on my way to the checkout register. The mom and her child were staring through the goods display window.

“- Eight salami slices!” “Cut them thin, please,” she continued.

My heart stopped beating.

I requested a salami stick and a pig pastrami stick from the other salesperson.

I got to the checkout before they did.

My eyes were welling up with tears.

I waited outside in front of the market for them.

I handed the candy bag to the small girl:

“- Because you were in the store, Santa came over here and handed me this bag.”

The girl looked her mother in the eyes with her large blue eyes. And the woman nodded in agreement.

“- See, mommy, Santa Claus really exists!” she exclaimed.

I couldn’t say anything since it hurt and made me joyful all at the same time.

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A politician who is both real and genuine

By
Monica Pop
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Ylva Julia Margareta Johansson is not your ordinary politician. This inspiring woman has had quite a career. Born in Sweden, on February 13, 1964, she held various positions in the Swedish government over the years.

From 1994 to 1998, Johansson served as a Minister of Schools. Then, from 2004 until 2006, she held the position of Minister for Welfare and Elderly Healthcare, and from 2014 to 2019 she was Minister for Employment.

Following her successful career in her homeland, Johansson was appointed European commissioner for home affairs.

In early March 2020, President Ursula von der Leyen appointed Johansson to serve on a special task force to coordinate the European Union’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite her success and position, Johansson never fails to stun the Swedes as well as people from all over the world with her humbleness.

A photo of her emerged on the social media recently and it shows her waiting for a train after long hours on the job. While waiting, Johansson could be seen eating fast food, just like any ordinary person like you and I.

Speaking of her role in Swedish and European politics, as well as her achievements in the field, Johansson says, “I’m just a worker.”

The photo went viral and people from all over the world praised the commissioner for being down to earth.

“She doesn’t need armored vehicles or a cordon of special forces to guard her. Because she does her job for the benefit of the people,” one person wrote.

Johansson is a mother of three. She has two children with her former husband Bo Hammar, and a son with Erik Åsbrink.

Don’t you think every politician should demonstrate such honest and genuine behavior?

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What made Alan Jackson furious?

By
Monica Pop
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Having sold 150 million records globally, Alan Jackson is without a doubt one of the most prominent country musicians there are. Known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds, Jackson’s list of awards is so long we stopped counting. Among the rest, he is a recipient of two Grammy Awards, 16 CMA Awards, 17 ACM Awards and nominee of multiple other awards.

In 2001, Jackson was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, while in 2017 and 2018, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame respectively.

Jackson is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

10th of November was the date the 56th annual CMA took place during which Jackson was presented with the association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

The country legend took the stage and had the crowd rise to their feet. Following the performance he said, “Country music’s been really good to me. I fell in love with it when I was a young man.”

However, as everything went exceptionally well, the event planners were a bit concerned if things would go as planned as Jackson left the ceremony in the middle of Beyonce’s performance in the past claiming she wasn’t an appropriate performer for the occasion.

At the time, he spoke of his expectations about the 50th annual gala night and said he hoped country music would be played.

“However, I am aware that the television network is attempting to boost its ratings with whatever they believe will do it, such as a major concert featuring an artist.”

Following Beyonce’s performance, Jackson expressed his hope for “a fantastic country music show for a change.”

Jackson started his career back in the day when he started performing at night clubs and local bars while he worked as a mechanic. Then, he signed with Arista Records in Nashville and released his first record, Here in the Real World, in 1985. Well, the rest is history.

The Georgia native has been married to wife Denise since 1979 and they have three children together.

Recently, Jackson revealed he had been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a group of disorders that cause nerve damage, which has affected his ability to move and keep balance on stage.

Besides being one of the greatest names in the world of country music, Jackson is also a writer and a businessman who runs many enterprises.

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Ashton Kutcher experienced a pretty huge scare 

By
Monica Pop
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Different people face different struggles when it comes to their health, and sometimes, speaking openly of the issues they experience is hard but when celebrities do it they help raise awareness and encourage others to seek help as they remind them they are not alone.

In an episode of National Geographic’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge, actor Ashton Kutcher opened up about a condition that left him unable to see, hear, or walk. He described it as a “weird, super-rare form of vasculitis” he experienced around two years ago.

“You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone, until you go, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to see again; I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to hear again; I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to walk again,’” the actor said.

First published by Access Hollywood, a clip of the episode shows Kutcher saying “Lucky to be alive,” as he goes on to explain that his recovery lasted around a year.

Mayo Clinic describes vasculitis as inflammation of the blood vessels that can cause the walls of the blood vessels to thicken, which reduces the width of the passageway through the vessel. If blood flow is restricted, it can result in organ and tissue damage.

The types are many and most of them are rare. The treatment depends on the type, but large number of them require medications to control the inflammation and prevent flare-ups. This condition, which may affect a single organ or more, can be either short term or long lasting.

In most cases, the reasons that cause this condition are unknown but they are certainly related to the immune system that sees body’s parts as foreign and attacks them.

Possible triggers for this immune system reaction include infections, such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C, blood cancers, reaction to certain drugs, and conditions related to the immune system such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma.

Kutcher didn’t go into details about which type exactly he was diagnosed with nor what treatment he received. He, however, said that the disease gave him some perspective on life.

“The minute you start seeing your obstacles as things that are made for you to give you what you need, then life starts to get fun,” Kutcher says in the clip. “You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”

We are glad this great actor and awesome human being was able to overcome his health issues.

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Mom of baby with Down Syndrome mails letter to doctor who suggested abortion

By
Monica Pop
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From the moment they learn they are expecting, mothers pray for their pregnancy to go according to plan. They all wish their babies to be born healthy, but sometimes, things don’t turn out as expected.

When Courtney Williams Baker learned she was pregnant, she and her husband were over the moon. She went through every ultrasound and never missed an appointment. In fact, she was looking forward every doctor’s visit because she knew she would hear her baby’s heartbeat.

Sadly, one particular visit crushed Courtney’s world, and it wasn’t because she learned her baby would be born with Down Syndrome, something she embraced with arms wide open, but because of her doctor’s reaction who advised them to terminate the pregnancy.

Of course, neither Courtney nor her husband ever considered anything like that. Their answer to the doctor’s suggestion was a resound no.

Some two years after baby girl Emersyn was born, Courtney still couldn’t get over the fact that the doctor believed she should have kill her baby only because she had Down Syndrome so she decided to send him a letter, expressing her feelings.

“A friend recently told me of when her prenatal specialist would see her child during her sonograms, he would comment, ‘He’s perfect’,” this mom wrote. “Once her son was born with Down syndrome, she visited that same doctor. He looked at her little boy and said, ‘I told you. He’s perfect’. Her story tore me apart. While I was so grateful for my friend’s experience, it filled me with such sorrow because of what I should have had.”

She further wrote how she wished she was treated the way her friend was.

“I wish you would have been that doctor. I came to you during the most difficult time in my life, I was terrified, anxious and in complete despair. I didn’t know the truth yet about my baby, and that’s what I desperately needed from you. But instead of support and encouragement, you suggested we terminate our child. I told you her name, and you asked us again if we understood how low our quality of life would be with a child with Down syndrome. You suggested we reconsider our decision to continue the pregnancy.

“From that first visit, we dreaded our appointments,” Courtney continued. “The most difficult time in my life was made nearly unbearable because you never told me the truth. My child was perfect.”

Courtney said that having Emersyn gave new meaning to her life.

“You see, Emersyn has not only added to our quality of life, but she’s also touched the hearts of thousands. She’s given us a purpose and a joy that is impossible to express, and she’s given us bigger smiles, more laughter and sweeter kisses than we’ve ever known. She’s opened our eyes to true beauty and pure love,” she concluded.

We are so happy Courtney didn’t follow her doctor’s advice and did the right thing.

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Larry Bird’s been happily married for more than 30 years – his wife cried when he decided to retire

By
Monica Pop
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The arrival of legendary Larry Bird to the Boston Celtics in the fall of 1979 marked a new ear in the world of basketball.

Known as ‘the Hick from French Lick,’ Bird grew up in Indiana. When he was a youngster, he never really thought he would make a living out of basketball as he wasn’t that interested in that sport in particular, but as time passed by, he became aware of his talent.

As he and his siblings didn’t have a lot to do in their spare time, they would play street basketball, which later became their central source of entertainment.

Focus on Sport via Getty Images

In an interview with Landscape, Bird recalled, “Back then I would just try to develop my skills as a young player, and I got in games around there. But these guys were older. When you’re 9, 10, 11, you see somebody 20, you think they’re old. But it was a number of guys who would show up every day. In between games they’d smoke their Kool cigarettes and drink their beer, but great guys.”

He then added, “What was really great for me and made me happy is 30 years ago I ran into Slim, who was down in Atlanta out there cooking at one of the hotels we stayed in. And he’d come up and say, ‘Remember me?’ And I knew I’d seen that face before, but I didn’t know where. He was a little bit older. But he said he was so proud of how I turned out.”

Bird’s beginnings in the sport, at least his official career, were in a small Indiana town, where he led Springs Valley High School to the state sectional championship.

His excellent performance earned him scholarship to Indiana University, where he played for the Indiana Hoosiers. However, just a month later, he went back to French Lick where he found a job as a sanitation worker. During that time, Bird experienced heartbreak when his father tragically ended his own life.

“When I was at [Indiana] State, finishing to get my degree, they had me teaching special needs kids in a high school. That was tough. It gave me a lot of respect for people who do that,” Bird told Boston Globe.

“I thought I’d wind up being a construction worker, pouring concrete. I wasn’t very good at shop in school, but I’d been around construction. As far as basketball goes, I just wanted to be the best player on my high school team.”

Bird then led Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA national championship game, a turning point in basketball history.

Youtube/NBAHistory

“Larry Legend,” as many called him, was every coach’s dream.

In the 1978 NBA draft, Larry was selected 6th overall by the Boston Celtics. Both he and Magic Johnson helped propel basketball to new heights.

Over the course of his successful career, Bird won three NBA Titles, was voted league MVP twice, and averaged over 24 points per game. And that’s not it as the list of achievements in the world of basketball he has under his belt is a lot longer.

Shutterstock/levradin

Despite being under the spotlight his entire life, Bird has always kept his private life a secret. He even forbade reporters from asking him any personal questions, saying, “My private life is nobody’s business. Besides, it ain’t interesting.”

He was married to wife Janet Condra for a year. The couple later reconciled and welcomed a son together, Corrie Bird.

Bird wed his second wife in a very private and intimate ceremony. Reports were that the only people in attendance were Bird, wife Dinah Mattingly, Max Gibson, Max’s wife Jackie, and the Superior Court judge who performed the ceremony.

Bird and his second wife adopted two children together.

Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

It was reported that when she heard her husband retired from playing, Mattingly was at a hair salon having her hair done. She then broke down in tears.

According to reports, Bird earned $24 million during his career and has a net worth of $75 million. Knowing this one would assume that he leads a lavish lifestyle, which is in fact, far from reality.

“When I’m home in Boston, I want to go out and eat, pay my bill, and get the hell out. Back in French Lick, I don’t have those problems, and that’s why I go back there. It’s the same with nice cars, Mercedes and all that,” Bird told Boston Globe.

“I can’t see putting $50,000 or $60,000 into a car when our house growing up was worth $10,000, I just can’t buy that. And clothes never did catch my eye, I never really enjoyed ’em. I always wore what I felt comfortable in. I’ll wear pretty much anything if I get it for free.” 

Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Turner Sports

Larry Bird, 65, remains one of the greatest basketball players ever to play.

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Meghan turned down Kate’s ‘special gesture’ to take first pictures of newborn Archie, royal expert claims

By
Monica Pop
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These past couple of years have been quite turbulent for the British royal family.

It seems that the problems arose when the Sussexes decided they had it enough with their life as working royals so they made a shocking decision to step down from their duties, something none of the family was happy about.

Reports were that Queen Elizabeth wasn’t glad with Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave the country, but she wished them well, which can’t be said for Charles and William, who were disappointed in their son and brother.

Things turned for the worse following Harry and Meghan’s all-tell interview with Oprah Winfrey during which they made several accusations. Among the rest, they claimed that a member of the family questioned then unborn Archie’s skin color.

“They were concerned that if he were too brown, that that would be a problem?” Oprah asked Meghan.

“I wasn’t able to follow up with why,” Meghan replied. “But that — if that’s the assumption you’re making, I think that feels like a pretty safe one.”

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Even today, Meghan’s relationship with certain members of the Firm remains strained.

It isn’t a secret that she and Kate Middleton didn’t get along, at least according to the media and various reports.

“Meghan would agree with the assessment that the duchesses were not the best of friends,” authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim in their book Finding Freedom. “Their relationship hadn’t progressed much since [Markle] was Harry’s girlfriend.”

According to them, Kate wasn’t welcoming and didn’t take Meghan under her wing as most people expected. Out of everyone in the family, she knew best what it was like to be getting inside the Firm as a ‘newcomer.’

“Meghan was disappointed that she and Kate hadn’t bonded over the position they shared, but she wasn’t losing sleep over it,” Durand and Scobie wrote, adding that “Meghan would far rather have had Kate check in on her during the most difficult times with the press.”

Karwai Tang/WireImage

At the time Archie was welcomed into the family, everyone was over the moon. According to royal authors, it was then that Kate wanted to show her appreciation by asking about a very special assignment.

Royal expert Neil Sean reported that Kate offered to take the first photos of baby Archie but Meghan allegedly turned the offer down and decided to hire a professional photographer instead.

“This was a very special gesture from the now-Princess of Wales to Meghan Markle when she had her first child, Archie,” Sean said in a Youtube video, as reported by Express. He added that Kate offered to “take the personal picture of baby Archie” after other professional photographers had “commended” her portfolio.

“According to that good source, apparently, Meghan turned that opportunity down flat,” Sean continued. “And as ever, we have to say allegedly [but] we’re not quite sure why [Meghan turned Kate’s offer down].

“You didn’t need to hire a photographer, as Harry and Meghan did.”

Shutterstock/levradin

Kate and William are planning to take a trip to the States in December, and that includes New York and Boston, where they will attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, an independent charity founded by William.

Reports are that Kate will reach out to Meghan, although they will be staying at the east coast, while Harry and Meghan live on the west coast.

“Harry and Meghan are knee-deep with their hectic schedules, but Meghan is willing to put in the effort as long as dates don’t clash,” the source said.

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We truly hope Kate and Meghan would be able to finally repair what has already been broken regarding their relationship.

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