I Sort of Love L.A.

It’s a muted version of “I Love New York.”

First Federal Bank of California, trying to boost the Southland’s sagging morale, has launched an “OK LA” ad campaign that lists “One Hundred Great Things About Living in L.A.”

The list includes our beaches, the J. Paul Getty Museum, UCLA, USC and the recent Little League title won by a Long Beach team because its opponent from the Philippines cheated.

Also listed are some quasi-L.A. great things, such as Disneyland, the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the John Wayne Airport.

Needless to say, the list has become controversial.

William S. Mortensen, chairman of the Santa Monica-based thrift, said some callers have complained that First Federal left off such jewels as Occidental College, Chinatown, the Westside Pavilion and South Coast Plaza.

No calls yet complaining about some of the “great things” that made the list. Arguably the most controversial one: Tommy Lasorda’s last-place Dodgers.

Call Forwarding

The announcement last week that Sherry Lansing will take over as Paramount Pictures studio chief made us wonder if someone moving into such a time-consuming job can still return all of her telephone calls in the same day.

Lansing in 1988 starred in a Pacific Bell ad in which she vowed that “no matter how many calls I get, or how long my day runs, I always return every call the same day.”

Our test call to her office Friday to leave a message was referred to her publicist, Nancy Seltzer, who suggested that Lansing’s call-back policy has been amended due to recent events. She said Lansing has every phone call returned the same day, although she may not return each personally.

When reminded that isn’t exactly what Lansing’s Pacific Bell ad said, Seltzer noted that the Paramount appointment has for now put things in a state of flux.

“You are talking about a unique situation at the moment. The announcement has just been made,” Seltzer said.

Tycoon R Us

One of Ross Perot’s final broadsides before last week’s presidential election was to note that toy store giant Toys R Us has a bigger budget than the entire state of Arkansas under President-elect Bill Clinton.

That’s not all that is bigger than the $2 billion Arkansas spends each year. Perot’s net worth, estimated at $2.4 billion by Forbes magazine recently, could keep Arkansas afloat for more than 14 months.

Briefly . . .

Is this something to brag about? The AMC Entertainment chain of movie theaters notes that its stock price, $5 a share, is about the same as the average cost of a movie in the United States . . . Who’s counting? The October newsletter for Operation Hope, an organization trying to arrange financing for businesses rebuilding after the April riots in Los Angeles, begins: “It is only four months since the worst urban riots in the history of the United States” . . . No joke: A “Bozo” brand peanut butter is scheduled to debut Dec. 1.