Giving the shirts off their backs: Three...

Giving the shirts off their backs: Three Southland businesses raised more than $5,000 in separate benefits for fire victims the other day, but it wasn’t easy finding someone to take the money, possibly because the three are strip-tease joints.

The Oddball Cabaret of Van Nuys, the Jet Strip near LAX and the Fun House in Stanton first offered to gyrate on behalf of the American Red Cross but were turned down, Oddball general manager Bruce Pond said.

A Red Cross spokesman disagreed, saying “there was a misunderstanding. They wanted to say it was a Red Cross fund-raiser, which would imply that we were endorsing the event and we didn’t want to do that. But we’re more than happy to accept any of the money.”

The proceeds, however, have since been promised to the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund.

“We had a better turnout than normal,” Pond said of the Oddball’s event. “It wasn’t as large as the one we held for Rebuild L.A. But we didn’t advertise as much this time because we wanted to do something quick.”

While the Oddball staged a Miss Rebuild L.A. contest during a fund-raiser for riot victims last year, no such competition was held this time. “It was just our regular Fantasy Night,” Pond said.

He noted, by the way, that Rebuild L.A. had no qualms about its association with a strip joint. “We have a plaque from Rebuild L.A. on our wall,” he said. “It’s signed by--what’s his name?--Peter Ueberroth.”

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Well, now we know the subject of the next Oliver Stone movie: The November Harper’s Index includes this comparison:

* Number of camera crews at the National Archives’ unveiling of new documents about the Kennedy assassination in August: 14.

* Number of camera crews at the LAPD’s first news conference about allegations made against Michael Jackson in August: 30.

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At least, he had a lot of dog days: Brad Kay of Venice wrote to give us the sad news that “my beloved dog, ‘Hey You,’ that most human of canines,” died after a brief illness--but not before H.Y. had “attained the immense age of 16 years, 4 months (114 dog years).” Hey You was laid to rest after a bit of initial confusion (see announcement).

Kay wanted us to know because we’re the closest thing the hound had to a biographer. Earlier this year, Hey You was one of 10 L.A. dogs honored in an Only in L.A. “List of the Day” because of their unusual names.

Well, so long Hey You, and when we say you won’t be forgotten soon, we know we’re also speaking for Smut, Apricot Mousse, Cocaine, Quake, Trust No Friend, On-Ramp, L.A. Puke, Rolex and Did She Bite You.

miscelLAny:

The City Attorneys Assn. of Los Angeles County sent out a notice to members that the group had scheduled a lunch in the Brand Library’s art gallery in Glendale, followed by a tour of the grounds. The notice concluded: “Because this a public art gallery and library, we must be out by 1 p.m.” (Hey, Only in L.A. has mingled with lawyers on behalf of the public on a couple of occasions and lived to tell of it.)