Parting Shot

L. William Seidman, the outspoken Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairman whose term expires this month, could not resist taking a final poke at one of his most vocal congressional critics.

Speaking at the American Bankers Assn. annual convention in San Francisco last week, Seidman told a story of getting a dog after arriving in Washington in 1985.

Seidman said he named it “Proxmire,” after former Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.). After Proxmire wrote a favorable piece on him, Seidman joked, the dog was renamed “Annunzio” after one of his biggest critics, Sen. Frank Annunzio (D-Ill.).

“The other night I stuck my head out of the back door and I shouted, “Annunzio, Annunzio!” Seidman told the crowd. “All the lights in the neighborhood went out. You could hear the doors being slammed. And my poor dog just rolled over and played dead.”

Read My Future

The reach of Averi Torres, known as “Malibu’s Resident Psychic,” apparently extends well beyond Southern California’s famed beach colony.

In recent ads, she advises prospective customers to “join with two recent presidents” who have been enriched by her psychic insights. Torres doesn’t name names, and she couldn’t be reached for comment.

Three years ago, Torres’ name surfaced in rumors that she was advising former First Lady Nancy Reagan, although at the time the White House said Mrs. Reagan did not know the name. Late last year, Torres told The Times that she could see an unsuccessful attempt coming on President Bush’s life.

Aged Dispute Over

Los Angeles/San Francisco lounge singer Joey Cheezhee is announcing that he has finally settled all of his potential legal disputes with Kraft General Foods over the former name of his band, the Velveeta Underground.

According to Cheezhee, who no longer uses the band name, Kraft had contended that the name might “weaken the strength” of the cheese product Velveeta, one of its most valuable trademarks.

Cheezhee, whose real name is Joe Sehee, performs on roller blades and founded the “Society to Honor Lounge Cabaret.”

In a statement, Cheezhee said: “I just want to get on with my life and get this Velveeta monkey off my back once and for all. I have the highest regard for Kraft and hope that my shelf life as a lounge singer is anywhere near that of Velveeta.”

Briefly . . .

Bad omen? The Franklin group of investment funds is running an ad featuring San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, who underwent elbow surgery last week, that reads: “Even Joe Montana needs a game plan for his retirement.” . . . A recent issue of Aviation Daily reported that one law firm working on the Eastern Airlines bankruptcy hired temporary workers to do nothing but photocopy, charging Eastern and parent Texas Air $65 an hour. . . . A Carpinteria man who advertises himself as a “jury-seasoned” expert on agriculture and horticulture matters calls himself “Dr. Dirt.”