SOCIAL CLIMES : Recycling the Her-Ex

Somewhere between Washington and Moscow, the L.A. Herald Examiner lives on. Or at least its editor and writers do.

This month, the Hearst Corp. launched We, a newspaper that will publish in the respective languages of, and be distributed in, the former Soviet Union and the United States.

To put it out, Hearst is relying heavily on former Her-Exers, including the paper’s former editor, Max McCrohon, who is co-editor of We; the Herald’s former fashion editor, Francine Parnes; entertainment reporter Mark Schwed; and lifestyle editor Ellis Conklin.

Interestingly--or ironically--the name at the top of the masthead as co-managing director is Lee Guittar, one of the two Hearst execs who came to the Herald to personally deliver the news that the newspaper was closing.

Scratching an Itch

Your Buzz staff has noticed a new cartoon consciousness on the scene, inspired by two cats, one mouse and a Chihuahua.

Simpsons’ couture may be passe but Itchy and Scratchy, the cartoon-within-a-cartoon characters on “The Simpsons,” are turning up on T-shirts around town.

They’re best described as Tom and Jerry gone berserk: Itchy is prone to running over Scratchy with a harvester or hurling acid in his face. Their theme song (as reprinted on the shirts) says it all: “They fight, they fight, they fight and fight and fight. . . . “

“Happy Happy Joy Joy” is the theme for “Ren and Stimpy,” which began as a feature on Nickelodeon and now gets weekly play on MTV as well.

Ren, the grumpy Chihuahua, and Stimpy, his moronic kitty pal, are beloved for their bold graphics, sick humor and surrealistic plots. The only glitch in all the “Happy Happy Joy Joy” is the lack of fresh programming.

There are only six episodes of the show, which have been shown over and over since last fall.

Wedding Raves

The Hollywood Palladium teemed with hip, oddly dressed teen-agers and twentysomethings known as ravers when music-artist Blue started into a vaguely familiar tune.

It was not their favorite thumping, electronically produced techno sound played at warp speed. There was something in the melody . . . it was . . . Wagner? . . . Wagner’s “Wedding March?” Yup.

The self-proclaimed “King of the Underground,” Daven the Mad Hatter, a prominent promoter of rave warehouse parties, emerged donning a tux and Dr. Suess hat to hitch up with longtime girlfriend Tanya Louise in an event for 4,000 that publicists hailed as the world’s first rave wedding.

The first rave wedding was kind of, well, more like a nightclub. Guests had to call an info line to get directions to the “secret location,” and those who came off the street for the March 14 event had to pay to get in.

It did turn out to be a first-class rave that included L.A.’s top deejays, laser illumination and performance art.

Cost: estimated between $25,000 and $30,000, reportedly all fronted by the king himself.