Trying to combat a recent outbreak of...

Trying to combat a recent outbreak of vandalism, 20th Century Fox Studios in West L.A. has enlisted a teen idol to make a heartfelt plea on a billboard off Pico Boulevard.

The sign shows a cartoon scene in which the message, “I will not enter the lot without a pass,” has been written several times on a bulletin board in a classroom.

Alongside stands the author, Mr. Goody-Goody Two-Shoes, himself: Bart Simpson.

When the latest AM/PM mini-mart TV commercial debuted a while back, it seemed mildly humorous. Now, there’s something mildly ominous about seeing the sheik-like figure on a camel riding through the desert as the narrator warns that it’s going to be a “long hot summer.”

Attention, motorists:

“The courts have decided that if an owner asks another party to crank his car, and a broken arm results, the owner is liable for damages.”

So reported the Auto Club’s Touring Topics magazine 76 years ago.

It’s a shame to see yet another landmark falling into disrepair in L.A.

We’re referring to historic Route 901 on Fraternity Row at USC. It’s the four-block-long, blue and white stripe that runs on the 28th Street sidewalk between Hoover Boulevard and Figueroa Street. The path ends at the entrance to the 901 Club, an off-campus bar.

Alas, time has taken its toll on the two-decade-old trail, which has served as an eastward guide for the less intellectually gifted frat men and a westward guide for the less sober ones.

The paint has grown faint at some points. Construction of a mini-mall obliterated one stretch. So did the resurfacing of Figueroa. At least, someone could erect a plaque.

How about a “bad” rating in social responsibility for L.A. Gear?

Amid reports of youngsters being slain for wearing a prized brand of tennis shoes, the company has introduced a line of sneakers titled, “Bad/Smooth Criminal.” Well, it’s certainly topical.

The Lost Colony of Freeway Chickens?

Terry Smith of North Hollywood may have discovered descendants of the hardy survivors of a 1969 poultry spill on the Hollywood Freeway.

She realized it after reading the mention here of those critters (in the context of the recent sighting of the Freeway Tomatoes on the Harbor Freeway).

The 50-odd birds, who roosted in the bushes alongside the Vineland off-ramp, were fed for years by the late Minnie Blumfield, a nearby resident who was known, naturally enough, as the Chicken Lady. After she died, the city Department of Animal Regulation held a roundup and the critters were resettled on a farm.

But could a few mavericks have eluded the poultry wranglers?

Smith says she sees a handful of roosters and chickens about one morning a week on the Burbank on-ramp to the southbound Hollywood Freeway, a couple of exits north of the 1969 spill.

“They’re very funny,” she said. “They walk along on the shoulder, paying no attention to the cars whizzing by. It makes you think you’re in the country--for a few moments, anyway.”

miscelLAny There are 51 streets in Beverly Hills that feature one type of tree-a different variety for each street.