That’s entertainment?Attempting to cash in on the...

That’s entertainment?

Attempting to cash in on the controversy surrounding the L.A. Police Department, the Ron Smith Look-Alikes agency announced that it’s seeking people who resemble Chief Daryl F. Gates and Mayor Tom Bradley for “TV spots and promotions.”

The agency said that contestants will compete Thursday at a Hollywood nightclub along with look-alikes of other well-known people.

Spokesman Robert Hughes seemed puzzled when asked about the propriety of marketing Gates and Bradley characters in the wake of the uproar over the Rodney G. King beating.

Hughes pointed out: “We have a Saddam Hussein look-alike, too.”

Speaking of widely broadcast tapes of police incidents:

You may recall that policeman-turned-activist Don Jackson arranged to have an NBC-TV crew follow him and tape his 1989 encounter with Long Beach police. Now, NBC is covering the Long Beach trial of the two officers charged with assaulting Jackson. The other day, thieves in the court building stole about $39,000 worth of camera equipment, all belonging to NBC. Unfortunately, no one taped this incident.

Tom Brill of South Pasadena spotted this sign (see photo) in the L.A. County Courthouse, spotlighting still another problem for the judicial system: Indoor plants.

List of the Day:

Billboards popping up in the Southland lately don’t exactly paint a picture of a carefree lifestyle here in the land of freeways. Consider the implications of these ads:

1. “The 405 Should Be This Smooth” (for a whiskey).

2. “Leave Jungle for Island” (for Las Vegas).

3. “L.A. Needs a Break” (for a cruise line).

4. “Money In the Bank. It’s Like Therapy, Only Cheaper” (for a bank).

5. “Just What L.A. Needs. More Heels” (for shoes).

We obviously weren’t thinking the other day when we joked that the new Academy of TV Arts and Sciences complex in North Hollywood would be followed by a Lankershim Walk of Fame. After all, there are sidewalks honoring movie stars, disc jockeys, celebrity animals, rock singers, sports heroes, politicians and astronauts all over the Southland. It was inevitable that some of the glory would have already spilled on to Lankershim.

And, in fact, that street boasts the world’s shortest walk of fame: a one-star display honoring singer Eddie Rabbitt outside the Palomino night club. The Country Music Walk of Fame, as it was billed a decade ago, came to an abrupt halt soon afterward because of a dispute between the club and the city over the permits necessary for the project.

So there it sits, one Rabbitt that didn’t multiply.

Dumb Criminal Tricks:

A thief whose alleged modus operandi was driving away in other people’s vehicles after they had been serviced in car washes made a bad selection recently, Torrance police said. He was apprehended after entering a sparkling-clean truck that belonged to the uncle of one of the attendants.

miscelLAny:

The rector of the Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel is Denis O’Pray.