Maybe Katherine Heigl just didn't have room in her closet for those 27 bridesmaid dresses.

The star of Grey's Anatomy and 27 Dresses has listed the house she owned before she became famous -- a Hollywood starter house. It's in L.A.'s Los Feliz neighbourhood, and the asking price is $1.75 million US.

The 2,400-square-foot redone contemporary has an open floor plan with glass walls that provide views from downtown to the ocean.

It has three bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and was built in 1935. There are hardwood floors throughout, and the two-storey house has a bells-and-whistles kitchen with granite countertops. The master bedroom has French doors opening to a city-view balcony. The master bathroom has an oversized stone steam shower. The living room is replete with a fireplace.

If life were simpler, we would keep only those people who get Monty Python humour and vote the rest off the island. If actor extraordinaire John Cleese didn't split your sides in that troupe, surely you got some belly laughs from A Fish Called Wanda.

We hope Cleese is laughing all the way to the bank. After being listed for about a year, his 14.6-acre equestrian ranch in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, finally has sold. Originally, it was listed at $28 million, and though the sale isn't recorded in public records, area real estate sources said it was in the vicinity of $16.5 million.

The buyer was cellphone pioneer Craig McCaw, the ex-husband of Wendy McCaw, owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press. Their divorce settlement was reportedly the largest in Washington state history and one of the largest ever in the United States.

Cleese, too, has entered the realm of marital morass. He has parted from his third wife, psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger -- which may be the reason for the sale.

The property has professional equine facilities, including a 16,000-square-foot barn. There is a completely padded central corridor area suitable for all-weather workouts. There are two indoor-outdoor accessible exercise rooms. Trails lead to the ocean or nearby scenic Romero Canyon.

And that's just for the horses. Things are pretty nice for the humans as well, with a Mediterranean-style home with garden and mountain views. There are three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a cobalt blue swimming pool. The square footage of the main house was unavailable from public records. Think big.

Cleese announced recently that he is writing a stage musical of his 1988 hit movie, A Fish Called Wanda.

Los Angeles Times