Maybe they should open the competition to...

Maybe they should open the competition to Lakewood and Downey: The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce has extended the deadline for entering the Long Beach Business Beautiful awards contest until Oct. 25. The reason? Too few nominations.

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SigAlert of the Century?Historians no doubt will long debate the significance of the traffic accident that shut down two lanes on the Central Avenue off-ramp of the 105 Freeway on Monday around 8 a.m.

KNX reporter Jill Angel termed it a “mini-SigAlert”--the first in the freeway’s five-day history.

But another reporter, Dona Dower of Metro Traffic Control, wasn’t so sure. “Technically it wasn’t a SigAlert because the CHP never called it that. But I’m sure Jill called it that to bring more attention to it for motorists.”

Bill Keene may have to come out of retirement to rule on this one.

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Putting L.A. on the couch: In a press release titled, “Denny trial: psychologist available for interviews on L.A. anxiety,” Business Wire instructed the media Monday on how to contact Dr. Robert Butterworth, a local clinical psychologist.

The press release also explained how to “electronically receive a photo” of Dr. Butterworth, adding: “There is no charge to the media for this service.”

We feel our anxiety dissipating already.

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Putting in more than his 2 cents: Jack Flower of West L.A. came across a 56-year-old receipt from his old employer, the W.T. Grant Co., indicating that workers had to worry about paycheck deductions even then.

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Kicked by Route 66: Now you, too, can own a Limited Edition Route 66 Commemorative Watch--and for just $195. Designed by Gene Cherniak of the Rich Co., it was unveiled at the Route 66 eatery in Pasadena the other day. Imagine--a chance to gaze at such names as Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino, and don’t forget Winona, every day. All these burgs, of course, were saluted in Bobby Troup’s song of the same name.

Fine.

But what we’ve never been able to understand is why Troup left out La Verne, Azusa, Irwindale, Glendora and the other local cities penetrated by 66. Long Beach isn’t one of them, by the way.

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Harrumph for Hollywood: Cinderella Crady of L.A. and some other readers objected to our reprise of an insult once directed at Tinseltown by comic Fred Allen: “You could take all of the sincerity in Hollywood, put it in a flea’s nose and you’d still have room for four caraway seeds and an agent’s heart.”

Actually, Crady pointed out, the correct line is a flea’s bellybutton.

miscelLAny:

Erik Menendez was voted as having the “best legs” by his fellow members of Beverly Hills High School’s Class of 1989.

The good ol’ days: 5-cent payroll deduction in 1937.