It Might Be Tough Getting These Jurors on the Same Page

Fans of novelist Sidney Sheldon will be thrilled to see dozens of his page-turners in the 11th-floor jury assembly room of the L.A. Criminal Courts Building. Thrilled, that is, unless they can read only English. The spanking new editions are in foreign languages, mostly German. One more reason to look forward to jury duty. Ach!

Everyone’s so suspicious these days: In Claremont, a resident called police to report a man “dancing beside his parked car,” the Courier newspaper said.

Arriving officers noticed atop the hoofer’s auto a bottle of vodka that was three quarters empty (or one quarter full, depending on your philosophy of life). “I like to have a drink while I exercise,” he explained, taking a break from his exertions. When he became rowdy with the officers, he was arrested -- I think for DUI (dancing under the influence).

More suspicious minds? Gary Fisher of Lake Forest found some binoculars that, he figures, must be “for jealous husbands spying on their wives” (see accompanying).

It all adds up: But to just what isn’t quite clear, says Will Rogers of Burbank of a sign he saw in Sequoia National Forest (see photo).

Speaking of crazy numbers: Forget about those doomsayers. The housing boom is far from over, judging from the price of the modest domicile noticed by Nina Warner of Santa Barbara (see accompanying).

“Eat my exhaust!” The old hot-rodder’s phrase would seem to apply to the letterhead used by one automotive garage (see accompanying).

You know you’re in Beverly Hills when ... : The discarded alcoholic beverage container in front of a condo “is of the champagne variety,” says Michael Selsman, spotter of same. “OK, it was domestic, but still ... “

Location bloopers: In “Hollywood Escapes,” the new guide to Southern California movie sights, author Harry Medved points out that in the 1957 melodrama “Sayonara,” the U.S. officers’ club “supposedly affords a great view of Japan.” But he says, “sharp-eyed viewers will notice the iconic spire of the Capitol Records building in the background.” The officers’ club was portrayed by the nearly-century-old Yamashiro Restaurant in Hollywood.

When you think about it, the Capitol Records building is sort of out of place in this era, inasmuch as it’s shaped like a stack of 45-rpm records topped by a stylus.

miscelLAny: James Hilton, who wrote the 1937 novel “Lost Horizon,” about a paradise called “Shangri-La,” chose to live his final years not in the Himalayas but in Long Beach. And that was even before the Queen Mary arrived.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.