A candidate seeking Clinton’s endorsement?Sure the President’s...

A candidate seeking Clinton’s endorsement?Sure the President’s ratings have fallen in recent months. So what if Clinton backed Mike Woo, the losing candidate in the mayoral race? Chris Kerrigan, campaigning for office in Pacific Palisades, proudly linked himself with the President anyway.

The gamble paid off. Kerrigan, 9, was elected secretary of the Student Council at Palisades Elementary School.

“I guess the President does have coattails in smaller precincts,” said his father, Tom.

The youngster isn’t actually an FOB. He just altered some newspaper clippings to make it appear that he had made several appearances with the President. “In Chris’ speeches he referred to Hillary and Bill and Al,” said his father. “He has a sister named Hillary and uncles named Bill and Al.”

Lest Chris be accused of any campaign violations, he printed a disclaimer on his materials: “Celebrity endorsement just pretend.”

And where’s Chris? In the tradition of victorious candidates, he has gone on vacation.

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OK, the city was never down and out: Publicist Goldy Norton disputes our assertion that it was “The Beverly Hillbillies” TV show “that put Beverly Hills on the map.” Actually, we were being facetious--we know that the city was making a name for itself as far back as the 1920s when Will Rogers was honorary mayor and Doug Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were taking canoe rides in their 200-foot-long swimming pool at Pickfair.

Norton recalled that Beverly Hills’ wealth was a constant source of humor on the old Jack Benny radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s. “He used to say that the Police Department was so exclusive it had an unlisted phone number,” Norton said.

Our favorite quip about Beverly Hills came from comic Pat McCormick, who said: “In Beverly Hills, the derelicts reside on Skid Drive.”

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Speaking of Will: Keith Carradine, the star of “The Will Rogers Follies,” dropped in at a City Council meeting Friday and assumed the character of the old cowboy. Commending the council’s vote to outlaw smoking in city restaurants, Carradine quipped: “Must be the first time I ever saw the government drop a smoke screen.”

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Speaking of the ‘billies: Personal trainer-to-the-stars Todd Person was hired to get actor Diedrich Bader into shape to portray Jethro Clampett in the coming movie version of the old TV series. “Being the new Jethro,” Person explained, “takes courage and self-confidence.”

Comparable to succeeding Olivier as Hamlet.

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Hamming it up in Venice: At first the two L.A. police officers thought they saw “a giant possum” scurrying across Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the early hours Friday, Sgt. Bill Frio said. This being West L.A., they should have known it would be a more fashionable pet. It was a potbellied pig.

The nimble gendarmes corralled the critter but it squealed so loud that they alerted dispatchers that residents might complain of hearing screams. Once in custody, the animal behaved itself before being shipped to an animal shelter.

“I understand it ate a whole bag of popcorn,” Frio said.

miscelLAny:

While new monuments to former Mayor Tom Bradley have been popping up around the city, one has disappeared. United Airlines has finally taken down the portrait of Bradley that hung at LAX next to the ancient sign welcoming passengers to the 1984 Olympics.