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It seems as though all anyone wants to do these days is ‘be famous’. Everyone thinks they can sing, kids want to be the next Jordan or Beckham and celebrities are our new religious icons. I couldn’t believe it when I was in Sainsburys recently and picked up a bag of spinach that said ‘as seen on TV’, even fresh vegetables are trying to get in on the act. But did you know that your home could be the next big screen starlet?

Whenever you watch a programme or movie, you’re likely to see many interior shots inside houses. Depending on what you’re watching it might be a regular house in a regular street or it could be a grand old mansion for a period drama. Believe it or not, those homes aren’t built by producers just for a 30 minute episode, most of the year they’re inhabited by regular folk like you and me. So where do they find these houses? Simple, people register their homes with specialist agencies who then act as a middleman between you and the production companies.

You can read up all about it at ThisIsMoney and if your house is chosen you could make a tidy sum just as everyone else in whining about how much money their property is losing.

The great thing is that you really don’t need to live in a palace, they have to shoot crack den scenes somewhere don’t they?

Whilst first time buyers are struggling to get the funds to even put down a deposit, insanely rich (and quite good looking IMHO) Roman Abramovich has gone and bought his latest piece of real estate. One of those expensive Hyde Park properties that fetch a few million? Err no. Try a £250,000,000 property across the channel in France.

‘La Leopolda’ is the name of the ten acre estate and previous owners include billionaire banker Edmond Safra and that chap from Microsoft, Bill Gates. Apparently the place is extremely high maintenance, but you’d kind of expect that wouldn’t you? It’s hardly going to be decked out in Ikea furniture. I haven’t found any internal pics, but there’s an aerial one here.

I have to stress that Abramovich’s people haven’t confirmed the sale yet, but let’s face it if the man wants this place he can afford it. When you’re worth an estimated £11.7billion, you can pretty much do what you like.

• Kevin Spacey slashes $300,000 off the asking price of his NY pad. He’s been waiting for a buyer since October. Read more at The Times.
• Sharon Stone’s not having much luck either. She’s just had to slash the price of her rather lovely Beverly Hills home again. See the listing at Trulia.
• First-time buyers’ average deposit at highest for 3.5 years. New buyers put down an average of 13% during April, up from 11% in March. Evidently not just celebs who are feeling the pinch. Read more at The Guardian

If you’ve always fancied a fairground in your back garden then you’re in for a treat, if you don’t mind a property that comes with baggage that is. Most people would like the idea of living in the former home of an international celebrity, but when said celebrity is creepy no nose Michael Jackson you may not be quite so enthusiastic. That said, if you need a home with space for elephants to roam then you probably won’t find a better pad than MJ’s ‘Neverland’. And who can resist year round Californian sunshine?

The childhood star is having his 2,900 acre former home auctioned off on the 19th of March outside the Santa Barabara County Courthouse, assuming he doesn’t pay off his debts of $25 million in the meantime. So if you’re in the area, why not pop along and place a bid! Goodness knows how much it will go for, estimates for how much it was bought for in ‘87 range from $15 million to $30 million. Oh, and the upkeep at it’s peak was a princely $4 million per year!

The property/amusement park was once Michael’s pride and joy, but as he’s so keen to turn down work (he turned his ‘nose’ up at a $30 million dollar string of London concerts) he obviously isn’t too sad to see it go.

It’s actually my birthday on the day of the auction, but I don’t think Neverland is quite on my wishlist.

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