People and Events

Soon after she gets to work, Maxine Weinman’s fax machine begins spitting out incoming papers.

Legal documents? Press releases? Campaign memos?

No, lunch orders.

“Orders over the phone take up a lot of time,” explained Weinman, operator of Maxine’s Seafood Cafe, a Hollywood restaurant with a large takeout business. “It (the fax) not only saves time but avoids mistakes because you have the order written down.”

Weinman said she receives 15 to 20 fax-food messages a day. Some of her clients in the entertainment world send creative requests.

“We got one that had the word ‘red’ and a drawing of some teeth chattering,” Weinman said. “That was red snapper. Another had a house and the word ‘dressing.’ Another had sweating clams--steamed clams. The real puzzler was one with a big apple, a piece of cheese and a birthday cake. We finally figured out it was New York cheesecake. The Big Apple, get it?”

The process still lacks one critical element as far as Weinman’s concerned.

“It’s too bad we can’t fax the food back,” she said.

New Gang in Town:

Members of the national press traveling with Democratic presidential nominee Michael S. Dukakis were given red and blue bandanas early Friday in Texas. But when the campaign came to Southern California later in the day, some reporters were surprised when Secret Service agents asked them to take the scarfs off.

The colors, the agents informed them, were the same worn by members of the Bloods and Crips gangs to identify themselves.

On the Republican side, the crowd at the Pasadena Hilton cheered Contra-scandal figure Ollie North, who appeared at a fund-raiser for Assembly Minority Leader Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) Thursday.

Nolan, who is one of five legislators targeted in the FBI’s state Capitol sting, rebuked the government in Washington for prosecuting North, “a great American hero” who “has made the world safer.”

The reception wasn’t so positive outside, where one demonstrator’s placard read:

Tonight Only

Ollie North/Pat Nolan:

2 Crooks on a Double Bill

Sorry, but the fashion show this morning featuring clothing made from wallcoverings at the Airport Marriott is open only to delegates to the Wallcovering Distributors Assn. trade show.

You know you’re hot when . . . you win two gold medals in the Seoul Olympics and you’re performing at the Improvisation Cafe in Los Angeles a couple of days later.

However, laughter was scarce for Greg Louganis as he did bits on the media and his experiences in Seoul. Part of his act was shown live on NBC Thursday night.

Asked to rate Louganis’ comic talents, Eric Feigin, the Improv’s assistant talent coordinator, cautiously pointed out that he’s a “personality not associated with humor” and is actually interested in becoming an actor, not a stand-up comic.

Besides, as any performer will tell you, it isn’t easy diving into comedy.

The Huntington Hotel is searching for a couple willing to be married on the hotel’s float during the Tournament of Roses Parade.

It’s a wedding that’ll be attended by a million people, with another 300 million or so watching on television. But spectators shouldn’t feel obligated to bring gifts, says hotel spokesman Nat Reed.

The lucky couple will receive about $50,000 in trinkets, including a honeymoon in Paris.

In order to win, the two lovebirds must supply the best one-page essay on why they’re “the most romantic couple in Southern California.” Applications are available at Bullock’s stores.

It’s the chance of a lifetime, maybe. But will a million people be quiet when the person officiating the rites asks, “If anyone out there knows why this couple should not be married, let him speak now.”?