People and Events

It may startle residents hereabouts, but an Estonian architect thinks Los Angeles is looking less decadent than it did during his last visit 10 years ago. “I think Los Angeles has changed, in some cases in a positive direction,” Vilen Kunnapu said.

He is here with two other Estonians as semifinalists in the contest to design a welcoming symbol for L.A. The three-member team submitted a proposal for a giant bird. They beat out such suggestions as a huge baseball glove and a four-block-long dollar bill.

Kunnapu, 40, recalled that during his previous visit, as part of an architectural tour, he saw “decadence on every corner.” The streets of Hollywood, he noted, were filled with “strange people, strange actions, strange fashions.”

Not so much this tour, Kunnapu said. “I am more talking about sexual things . . . sex shops. . . . We haven’t seen this time so much these things. But that may be my only personal viewpoint.”

Kunnapu and his colleagues, Ain Parik and Andres Siim, both 26, have been around for a week, being entertained by Estonian friends, taking in museums, sightseeing--and going to the beach because of the heat.

Winner of the West Coast Gateway Committee’s competition for design of a $40-million monument, to be built over the freeway in airspace donated by the California Department of Transportation, will be announced Nov. 6.

There was a little action in the popular Hard Rock Cafe at Beverly Center, but it wasn’t the kind that patrons dream about.

A hunk of wall paneling above the bar suddenly gave way and fell Wednesday, leaving exposed some ceiling 2-by-4s and, perhaps, spoiling a drink or two.

The roof did not cave in, so the rear end of the Cadillac--which decorates the Beverly Boulevard frontage of the place--was undisturbed. But it would be difficult to see how the same could be said for Chuck Berry’s old guitar and some of the other rock ‘n’ roll instruments normally mounted on the paneling.

Nevertheless, owner Peter Morton insisted that the “little piece” of paneling “didn’t come down on any memorabilia. . . . It was no big deal.”

“If any of the guitars were destroyed, I’m going to be really lost,” said one exiting customer, Gene Moffett, 32.

Andre Previn probably doesn’t fear for his job as director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but those in attendance said a 33-year-old real estate salesman did a creditable job leading the orchestra in “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Hollywood Bowl.

William Rockwood won his guest appearance by conducting an imaginary orchestra through part of the the “1812 Overture” in a contest sponsored by radio station KFAC.

His Tuesday evening performance in the Bowl was “a great success,” said Vanessa Butler of the Philharmonic staff. “The orchestra loved him. It was a great ‘Star-Spangled Banner.’ ”

That was not surprising. Things had gone well enough at rehearsal, where Rockwood admitted being “a little intimidated” when Previn handed him the baton. But the orchestra members gave him a rousing cheer when the run-through was over.

Unlike a previous guest conductor for the national anthem, Rockwood reads music. He studied it in college.

“At least people are now standing up when I take their pictures,” says photographer Max Gould, who recently transferred to the Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks Department.

Gould, 66, spent 21 years photographing crime scenes for the Los Angeles Police Department. He took a lot of pictures of murder victims but finally tired of it.

“When you shoot for LAPD,” he points out, “you’re documenting for evidence. You can’t think too much about lighting, filters and special effects. You can’t change anything.”

Not so exciting now, he admits. He does a lot of shooting for publications and yearbooks. Plenty of photographs of people standing around giving each other plaques or shaking hands and looking important.

They rarely lie down.