Another Television Shopping Show Is Coming Off the Shelf

So you thought shopping was a production before. Look at what the soon-to-be announced Shopping Television Network has lined up to make spending money fun, fun. The on-camera shopping show (one of the several proliferating that allow viewers to see and order merchandise) has signed up the Emmy-winning Gary Smith to be the exec producer. Also a member of STN’s board of directors, Smith and his partner Dwight Hemion did the opening ceremonies of Liberty Weekend and the recent Barbra Streisand at-the-ranch concert. Also in the wings--some major entertainers who will be the non-commercial breaks away from the dishware and pots and pans.

WOMEN’S POLITIX--Like everything political, it does come down to money. Or money raising. And as the members of the L.A. Women’s Campaign Fund know, it’s not easy raising money for women candidates--especially since women supporters aren’t used to writing checks. The LAWCF encourages women to be involved for the first time in women’s politics--by contributing cash. So when the bipartisan group brought Oregon Republican gubernatorial candidate Norma Paulus into Bev Hills Monday night, it significantly raised more than $6,000 at the home of board member Ann Nicholl.

Paulus said she was eight points ahead in the polls, but was being outspent 3 to 1. Even in Oregon, the only state to ratify the ERA twice, Paulus noted, and even with polls showing that 85% of the electorate would vote for a woman, being a woman candidate has built-in problems, sometimes from other women, “like Phyllis Schlafly. She’s liberated herself, but she doesn’t want anyone else to be.”

Paulus related that recently she was asked if a woman governor could deal with foreign businessmen who might not be totally liberated. Oregon lost its last major Japanese contract to Kentucky, Paulus said, and “I told them to ask the governor of Kentucky and she’ll be glad to tell you how they did it.” Listening were a bipartisan group including Lily Balian of civic action for Northrop, Joanne Kozberg, Hope Boonshaft-Lewis, Ann Petroni (who was busy talking Planned Parenhood business with Gail Slocum) and City Hall’s Donna Borjarsky. The group makes most of its contributions to candidates in state races, but this year also gave money to Democratic senatorial hopefuls Rep. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Harriet Woods of Missouri.

ROOM SERVICE--That was Father Andrew Greeley wandering through the lobby of her hotel Monday afternoon. So the Beverly Wilshire’s veteran exec, Helen Chaplin, stopped him and asked how he was enjoying his stay. He said he was in a room on the eighth floor, mentioned the number, and the irrepressible Chaplin said, “Oh that was Warren Beatty’s old room. You know, the one where he waited for Leslie Caron.” Greeley, who writes those hot novels, looked a little nonplussed. Guess even a best-selling priest-author isn’t quite ready for life in Bev Hills.

THE BOYS POLITIX--Soon-to-be Speaker of the House James Wright of Texas made a stop in Bev Hills Monday for a lunch at the Bistro Garden hosted by, among others, former Democratic National Chairman Chuck Manatt. Lots of Republicans--like national committeeman Dick Herman--joined them at table in what Manatt said would obviously be “the first annual trip” Wright would make to the Gold-crusted Coast. Manatt said this trip raised $35,000, “a nice tribute to the leader and speaker-to-be.” AFL-CIO Chairman Bill Robertson said the lunch was a “command performance” after what Wright had done to help MetroRail.

BLOCK PARTY--It was the Hollywood Hills, but it did have a flavor of New York. Like Mary Poppins smoking a cigarette and shushi getting served along with chili. Maybe that’s because veteran New York reporter Theo Wilson and her neighbors shut down their street Saturday night for their annual block costume party. Showing up, Estelle Getty and City Councilman Mike Woo (who at various times in the past redistricting weeks has been the street’s councilman) and Hollywood Police Capt. Robert Taylor. Hey, that’s what cops are named in Hollywood.

TAXING FOR CHARITY--When investment counselors Jay Goldinger and Marilyn Cohen did their annual tax and investment seminar last week at the Beverly Wilshire, they did something for their clients that folks in their position don’t usually do. They charged them $100 to attend. But the admissions, along with a matching amount from Goldinger and Cohen, was totaled into a $69,000 check and passed along to the Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times. Kudos.

CURBING HIS APPEARANCES--Former Lt. Gov. Mike Curb is campaigning, but we’re told that he won’t campaign in front of the prestigious Friday Group. That’s the informal gathering of political reporters here--and usually candidates love to make that meeting. But Friday Group head Dan Blackburn of NBC News says that Curb is “virtually the only statewide candidate for office this year not appearing.” Curb has been invited to appear as a solo act, Blackburn said, as well as with Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy this week. But it was nix to both.