Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie sell house to Ellen De Generes

LOS ANGELES -- In one of the more talked-about transactions in town, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The 4,088-square-foot house, built in 1962, features walls of glass, dark bamboo flooring, three fireplaces, four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with a tennis court, a lap pool and beach access.

Pitt, 48, starred last year in the Oscar-nominated "Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life."

Jolie, 36, won an Oscar for her supporting role in "Girl, Interrupted" (1999), and was nominated as best actress for "Changeling," (2008). She is the writer and director of the Bosnian war film "In the Land of Blood and Honey" (2011).

DeGeneres, 53, has hosted the talk show bearing her first name since 2003. She listed her Beverly Hills compound for sale last year at $49 million and recently reduced the asking price on her 26-acre equestrian property in Thousand Oaks to $14.9 million. Exec's home on market

Entertainment industry executive Roger Birnbaum and his wife, Pamela, have put their Beverly Hills home up for sale at $15.75 million.

Completed five years ago, the nearly 7,200-square-foot contemporary farmhouse was a project of former talent manager and high-end remodeler Sandy Gallin. The Birnbaums bought the house from him in 2007 for $16.5 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house sits behind gates on close to a half acre with a swimming pool and gardens. The two-story living room has sliding-glass doors that open to a veranda. The master bedroom features a sitting room, gym and terrace with city views.

Birnbaum and Gary Barber co-founded the film production company Spyglass Entertainment in 1998 and are co-chief executives. They became chief executives of MGM more than a year ago.

Ford home on market

The desert retreat of former President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford has come on the market i! n Rancho Mirage at $1.699 million.

Set in the Thunderbird Country Club, the 6,316-square-foot mid-century home was built in 1979 and designed by architect Welton Becket. Among his works are L.A.'s Capitol Records Building, Pomona City Hall and Glendale City Hall.

The main residence includes a staff waiting room, five bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms. The Fords' furnishings, excluding family portraits, are also available for purchase.

The house sits on 1.37 acres with a swimming pool; a guesthouse described as a "Secret Service guard shack" is being sold separately for $509,000.

President Ford died in 2006 at 93. Betty Ford died last year, also at 93.

Hills mansion listed

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has listed a mansion in Beverly Hills at $9.4 million.

The contemporary Mediterranean, built in 1985, occupies a half-acre lot with a guesthouse, a swimming pool and a cabana.