The Lady "Rocks"

Did you feel the ground move and think it was just another earthquake hitting the Southland? Actually, the temblor was Cher finally listing her house along Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway for $45 million.

As far as Malibu goes, Cher may be the biggest name with the smallest local presence. While the occasional and uninformed paparazzo might loiter camera-ready across the street when her prison fortress-like gates open each day at 4:30 p.m. to discharge the housekeepers, the Queen Diva is rarely around. No Starbucks sightings, she isn't a regular at Planet Blue, and nobody has ever spotted Cher squeezing tomatoes at the local Ralphs. As best as locals can determine, Cher comes into town often enough to redecorate but otherwise doesn't spend a whole lot of time here. Two years ago she auctioned off all her furniture because the mood struck.


But changing homes isn't quite the same as changing wigs, and rumors have been circulating for years that she wanted to unload the Palm Tree Palace. Then, there it was in the Multiple Listing Service Aug. 1, big as life. She is reportedly still doing some work on the interior.

The house, which Cher built to look like an Italian Renaissance-style mansion, sits on 1.7 acres on a bluff high above the Pacific. Palm trees line the driveway and dot the property, making it distinguishable from the other bluff mansions. The 14,000-square-foot villa has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a theater, gym and verandas from just about every possible window and door. There's a tennis court, pool, spa and a detached guesthouse.