Gas

0

LAStories/14nches/dp1st/mark2nd

Unstuck in Time

It seemed like L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan was coming down with a nasty Y2K bug last week when he had trouble keeping the centuries straight during his State of the City address.

While making his case for education reform, Riordan slipped up and said: “Los Angeles will thrive or decline based on the investments we make in our young people in the remaining months of the 19th century.”

Then, toward the end of the speech, the mayor mistakenly referred to the “sunset of the 19th century.” This time he laughed at his mistake. “I got it right now,” he said, correcting the reference.

Type Casting

Ever wonder how comedian and former talk show host Arsenio Hall got a co-starring role in the “Martial Law” action series on CBS?

CBS Entertainment boss Les Moonves said the producers needed a big mouth to go with the muscle. When Hall showed up on the set for the first time, series star Sammo Hung, a portly martial arts expert from Hong Kong, asked if Hall was nervous about doing the stunts required by the role.

You bet, Hall replied.

“Why?” Hung asked. “We are doing it in English.”

All Fired Up

Jeff Edelstein has been promoting disaster preparedness for 10 years. But it wasn’t until fire struck his business, SOS Survival Products in Van Nuys, that he got a chance to practice what he preaches.

Fire crews were able to put out the blaze but not before the shop was damaged by smoke and water. When Edelstein arrived, he found he was without electricity.

“We broke out a generator and had the phones and computers running,” said Edelstein. “We used bottles of Arrowhead water to flush the toilet and we had lanterns all over the place.”

Actually, Edelstein didn’t take heed of some of the advice he routinely gives his customers: He failed to have backup copies of his insurance information and phone files at a separate location.

Edelstein believes the fire actually helped sales. “I think we sold quite a few more light sticks and lanterns,” he said.

Treats with a Bite

Some customers at the new Three Dog Bakery in West Hollywood were surprised to learn the goodies in the glass cases weren’t for human consumption.

As its name suggests, the brownies, “pupcakes” and other treats sold at the bakery are strictly for canines. “Most people think it’s a bakery for people,” said owner Rhonda Koch. “The treats look very edible.”

Humans probably wouldn’t care for the treats anyway because they don’t contain any sugar or salt. Instead, they are chock full of healthy stuff like whole wheat-based flour, applesauce, honey and yogurt icing.

No posts to display