HOLLYWOOD—Imagine selling a draft of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” one of the most popular songs of all time. The draft was sold in New York by Sotheby’s for a whopping $2 million. Sotheby’s said the seller was a fan from California who had bought the draft directly from Dylan.
The auction house didn’t identify the bidder who snapped up the manuscript for $2.045 million, including a buyer’s premium, according to published reports. Dylan, now, 73, was 24-years-old when he recorded the rock anthem- that debuted in 1965. The draft is written in pencil in Dylan’s own handwriting, on four sheets of letterhead stationery from a Washington DChotel. The draft contains revisions, additions, notes, doodles of a hat, and a bird. The sale price tops the previous pop manuscript-in 2010, John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for “A Day in the Life,” the final track on the classic 1967 album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which sold for $1.2 million.
While one fan sells, the other fan buys. Matthew Krauthamer, an emergency room physician and investor bought Whitney Houston’s 5-bed, 6-bath, 13,607 square-foot home, which was built in 1987, but has been vacant since 2009, for a cool $1.5 million. According to Zillow, Krauthmaer was only in the second grade when the house was built. He told the real estate blog, that he plans on living there, and not turning it into a museum.
The house is stunning, with wooded acres, gated property, a two-floor pool house, two Jacuzzis in its original 80s glory. The mansion had been on and off the market since 2009 and since her death in 2012, the price has been cut. According to reports, it was previously listed at $1.75 million. It was recently announced that a TV movie, titled “Whitney Houston,” is heading to Lifetime in 2015.
The film will chronicle the late singer’s relationship with her ex-hubby Bobby Brown, from their first meeting to their tumultuous divorce. It will mark the directing debut of actress Angela Bassett, who co-starred with Whitney in the 1995 film, “Waiting to Exhale.” According to the new buyer, he has already had offers from filmmakers and fans who want to take a tour of the home, but he has sworn to Houston’s family that as a longtime fan he does not want to exploit the late singer’s fame.
Frank Sinatra’s first New Jersey driver’s license is part of an auction ofHollywood memorabilia by the Boston-based RR Auction. The license which is yellowed, text-only 1934, including typo and all was issued to Francis Sinatra, 841 Garden St, Hoboken, N.J, and was signed by the 19-year-old. The license was issued a year before Sinatra’s big break in the music industry. The minimum bid which includes a letter to the State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles has a price of $500; bidding as of press time was up to $2,541. Let’s see if a fan buys Ol’ Blues Eyes first NJ driver’s license.
Rose’s Scoop: Is it a conflict of interest? Apparently not, Ryan Seacrest now signed a deal with CBS, he now works for all four networks. He hosts “American Idol,” on Fox, “New Year’s Rockin Eve,” on ABC and now “Fashion Rocks,” on CBS. His new show airs as a two-hour prime-time special during New York Fashion Week in September. He sure is busy!