Stewart Penn - Los Angeles Condo Specialist

MAGIC MOUSE - The advanced new mouse from Apple

As expected, Apple's newest product is impressive. I'm referring to the MAGIC MOUSE, the first mult-touch mouse that has no buttons .... the mouse itself is the button. Magic Mouse replaces Apple's previous wireless mouse.

The Magic Mouse is sleek and ergonomically comfortable and connects wirelessly to a Mac. The mouse is easy to use as the functions are intuitive .... be it clicking, scrolling, or zooming.

With innovative products like this, it's no wonder that Apple's share price is at an all time record high.

West Hollywood's Annual Halloween Carnaval - October 31, 2009

Santa Monica Boulevard will once again pulse with excitement when as many as 500,000 visitors are expected to flock to the famous boulevard for the notorious 2009 West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval on Saturday, October 31, 2009 from 6-11pm.

The City offers several events during the week leading up to the big parade including a pumpkin carving party, a youth carnaval and even a pet costume party (check out the detailed calendar).

The Halloween Carnaval is a great opportunity for kids of all ages to dress up and have fun. It's all in good spirit and well organized.

Parking is scarce as the event involves several street closures so I'd encourage visitors to take advantage of the shuttle service operated from the eastern boundary of the City.

LA's Most Expensive Condo Listing - 2055 Avenue of the Stars #PH37B, Century City - $16,500,000

In case you're curious I thought I'd share the details from The MLS about the most expensive condo currently listed in Los Angeles.

The 6700 sq ft 3-Bed 4.5-Bath Penthouse is located in The Century (in Century City) in the same development in which Candy Spelling purchased a record-breaking $47 Million 16.500 sq ft Condo in 2008.

According to The MLS this condo is the "Master of the Universe PH in the hottest new development".

I'm not sure when The Century will be completed, but it will be interesting to see if the new owners purchased with all-cash or used mortgage finance .... stay tuned!

"It has been determined that this is a hoax, that it was a publicity stunt and we believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt in hopes to better market themselves for a reality show," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told reporters at a press conference.

So the Balloon Boy incident was just a big hoax .....

It boggles the mind that Richard and Mayumi Heene could conceive such an outrageous plan.

They manipulated their children, endangered the lives of the rescue workers, wasted tens of thousands of dollars in rescue resources and even destroyed a wheat field when rescuers trampled through it to reach the helium balloon.

Based on the media reports this morning it sounds like the penalties for orchestrating such a hoax will be minimal. Is this right?

Who will pay for the wasted expenses of the search? Who will pay for the counseling that the Heene kids will inevitably need? Do the parents even deserve to keep their children?

Philippe - A New Restaurant in West Hollywood - 8284 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Prominent chef Philippe Chow (of Mr. Chow fame) has opened a new restaurant on trendy Melrose Ave in the space previously occupied by Aston Kutcher's Dolce Restaurant. The newly decorated space is stark black & white accented with red booths and bar stools. The menu is Chinese cuisine, similar to the Phillipe restaurants in Manhattan and Miami.

So after reading the great reviews for Philippe's newest restaurant we were expecting an extra special dinner .... Instead we had a very ordinary meal and an extraordinarily large bill.

We started with Shrimp Toast which was totally bland, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps which were uninspired and tasteless. We tried the Crispy Beef which apart from a tangy sauce, could have been anything in fried batter. The Green Shrimp was equally unexciting. The Dessert Tray was unimpressive and appeared tired.

For a fraction of the bill, takeouts from PF Chang's would have been far more satisfying!

In my opinion this place won't survive unless the quality of food improves substantially to justify the high priced menu.