NYC estate sale for soprano Beverly Sills brings in more than $500K; includes jewelry, art

October 10th, 2009 Hollywood icon BARBRA STREISAND is clearing out her closet and selling off hundreds of collectibles from her longrunning career for charity. The singer/actress is downsizing her estate by giving fans the chance to get their hands on 400 personal items, including stage costumes from films like Funny Girl and Meet the Fockers, designer dresses, a baby grand piano, and an old phonograph she purchased when she was just 18.

October 9th, 2009 LONDON - Hundreds of Barbra Streisand's personal belongings, including paintings and teddy bears, are all set to go under the hammer at a Beverly Hills auction this month. Around 400 trinkets ranging from fine art to furniture, clothes and costumes, will be showcased during a two-day auction from Oct 17 as the Oscar-winning actress-singer downsizes her estate.

October 7th, 2009 The bosses of an auction house forced to pull a MICHAEL JACKSON property and memorabilia sale two months before the King of Pop's death have been hit with a lawsuit from a bitter bidder who feels 170 of the items belong to him. Julien's Auctions owners agreed to scrap the April (09) sale over a dispute about the ownership of the 1,390 items taken from Jackson's Neverland Ranch home.

October 7th, 2009 Soprano Beverly Sills' art, jewelry for sale in NYNEW YORK — An auction of the late soprano Beverly Sills' estate fetched more than a half-million dollars Wednesday — far more than expected for the costume designs, art and other personal items. Sills, known for her dazzling voice and bubbly personality, died in July 2007 after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.

October 1st, 2009 Estate of famed soprano Beverly Sills up for saleNEW YORK — The estate of famed soprano Beverly Sills is headed to the auction block in New York City. Costume designs, artwork, furniture and jewelry are among the items up for sale next Wednesday at Doyle New York auction house.

September 27th, 2009 TERI HATCHER put a Hollywood spin on the humble garage sale - raising $20,000 (£13,300) by auctioning off a range of top prizes at her home. The Desperate Housewives star held the sale in the garden of her property in Studio City, California to raise cash for children's charities in Los Angeles.

September 10th, 2009 Grieving LA TOYA JACKSON is heading for more woes - she is reportedly on the brink of losing her home in Las Vegas. The singer owes $745,670 (£497,113) in unpaid mortgage instalments on the plush condo at the LV International Country Club, according to TMZ.com.

September 8th, 2009 Annie Leibovitz deadline to repay $24M loan passesNEW YORK — The deadline for celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz to repay a $24 million loan passed Tuesday night without word from either involved party. Leibovitz risked losing the lucrative copyright to her images if she didn't pay back the loan.

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - English composer of musical theatre Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber says that he is so smitten by Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins that he would consider penning a West End show or ditty just for her. Sir Andrew says that so far conflicting schedules have prevented them from working together but her versions of his work have convinced him that they would make a great team.

August 12th, 2009 Gheorghiu withdraws from start of new Met 'Carmen'NEW YORK — Soprano Angela Gheorghiu has pulled out of the first six performances of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Bizet's "Carmen," which opens New Year's Eve. The Richard Eyre staging was designed around Gheorghiu, making an unusual foray into a role written for mezzo-sopranos, and her husband, tenor Roberto Alagna.

June 21st, 2009 US soprano, Ukrainian pianist win $50KLOS ANGELES — An American soprano singer and a Ukrainian pianist have won top honors at a competition that combines elements of "American Idol" and classical music. Leah Crocetto, a 29-year-old first-year fellow with the San Francisco opera, won the $50,000 first prize in the vocal portion of the third annual Jose Iturbi International Music Competition at the University of California, Los Angeles.

June 17th, 2009 No police contact with Lohan over missing jewelryLOS ANGELES — A spokeswoman for Lindsay Lohan says the actress has not been questioned by London police investigating jewelry that went missing after a fashion shoot there. Lohan spokeswoman Leslie Sloane-Zelnik said Tuesday that Lohan has not been contacted by authorities but would comply in an investigation if necessary.

May 14th, 2009 Hockney painting sells for record $7.9 millionNEW YORK — David Hockney's painting "Beverly Hills Housewife" sold for a record $7.9 million after fierce bidding Wednesday, a sign that collectors are eager to buy rare and high-quality works despite the recession, the Christie's auction house said. A Claes Oldenburg sculpture "Typewriter Eraser," from 1976, also set a record, selling for $2.2 million at the auction of post-war and contemporary art.

May 13th, 2009 Italian mezzo-soprano Bartoli wins Sonning prizeCOPENHAGEN — Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli has won Denmark's Sonning Music Prize. The award committee says Bartoli's "sound is unique, her technique has not been surpassed and her radiation on stage is like (opera legend Maria) Callas." The Leonie Sonning Music Foundation says Bartoli is "our days' great diva." The committee says in a statement released Wednesday that Bartoli will receive the 600,000 kroner ($110,000) award during a concert in Copenhagen on June 16, 2010.

May 11th, 2009 Lincoln Center celebrates its 50th anniversaryNEW YORK — The New York Philharmonic will play Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" for Lincoln Center's 50th anniversary on Monday, recreating the piece that Leonard Bernstein conducted at the arts complex's 1959 groundbreaking. The celebration begins in the gleaming new 1,100-seat Alice Tully Hall, which reopened in February after a $159 million, 22-month renovation that has been praised for its superb acoustics and design.