Shelby About Town
The $20 million Houston mansion hits the auction block, Law & Order takes over local couple's swanky apartment & tennis rocks
The arrest being made at Lucinda and Javier Loya's New York City aerie this week has nothing to do with the Houston-based duo that is currently nowhere near Manhattan. Lucinda emailed on Monday that Universal Network Television is filming scenes for an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in that swank apartment.
Lucinda wrote, "The story is based on a certain pop star hanging out in a NYC Boutique Hotel - Penthouse (my apt.) when police come to arrest her boyfriend!" Look for the Loya apartment, featuring her interior design talent, on Feb. 27.
To make the whole thing even more exciting, one of the producers is booking an appointment with Lucinda. Stay tuned.
And the starting bid is . . .
The Houston Mansion, as this 25,000 square foot Memorial area abode is affectionately called, isn't going to be hanging around on MLS for long. Or that's the hope of owner Melanie Johnson, who has placed the house that once was listed (if ambitiously) for $20 million on the auction block with Premiere Estates Auction Co. Starting bid — $5.9 million. The same as the asking price when she had it on the market locally.
You have only 14 days to get your bid in.
Painting the town
Artist John Ross Palmerhas made his second splash in LA at the 18th annual Los Angeles Art Show, where his gallery featured the works of three graduates of his Escapist Mentoring program.
Through John Palmer Fine Art, each of the grads — Edgar Medina, Nubia Gala-Seibert and Tra Slaughter — were able to sell their work.
Palmer's mentorship program, founded in 2009, teaches artists how to sell on their own, self-promote and to work around the traditional art gallery system. The program is free for the young participating artists. Palmer takes on one each year.
A grand slam
The Houston Tennis Association was a winner with its second annual "Game, Set, Match" fundraiser headlining retired tennis champ Todd Martin. More than 375 supporters of the National Junior Tennis and Learning program filled the ballroom of the Westin Oaks Hotel for the dinner evening.
Honorary chairs DeeDee and Wallis Marsh and chair Lara Lehmann led the fundraising charge while Bev Taylor serving as HTA and NJTL chair.
Among tennis fans were Doug Pritchett, Harold Graham, Beverly and Dr. William Harmon, Brad Blume, Daryl and David Hall, Manfred Jachmich, Gwen and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Shelley and Tracy Ludwick and Toni Lawrence.