A Car for Every Natural Disaster
Seeking sustenance on Monday, we were eating lunch with a group of friends at Jose Bernstein’s Mex-deli stand in Westwood when the discussion turned, in typical L.A. fashion, to cars.
Just when our lawyer friend was justifying his impending purchase of a new BMW 540i (because of the status it would impress upon his clients, he explained), the stupendously successful novelist Michael Crichton pulled up to a parking meter in front of our very sidewalk table in his white Ford Explorer.
“Get an Explorer,” someone suggested. “It’s prestigious enough for Michael Crichton, and he can certainly afford any car he wants.”
“I bet he does own every car he wants,” said another. “This is probably just his four-wheel-drive, let’s-go-out-in-the-earthquake-type car.”
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It Was 30 Years Ago Today: Our desk is already piling up with news of cultural happenings to mark the 30th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in America. In March, there’s the opening of the movie “Backbeat,” about the Beatles’ formation, pre-Ringo, and on Feb. 1, photog Harry Benson will be signing his book, “The Beatles: In the Beginning” between 6 and 8 p.m. at Rizzoli in Beverly Hills.
We hear there’s a chance, just a chance, that one of the Beatles may show up. Oh, we can see an onslaught of mop tops now.
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No Toms, Dicks or Harrys: What’s the best way to track the current crop of trendy kids’ names? Stand in the middle of a Disney store and listen in as parents scold their children? (“No, Schuyler, don’t eat the Jasmine doll!”).
There’s an easier way. Check out one of those shops that carries merchandise with pre-printed names. We recently stopped in the B.A. Stamper store in Santa Monica Place mall, which carries a large selection of stamps and stickers.
On one wall we found a number of ready-made name stamps and noted what’s currently in: Anastasia, Cody, Whitney, Taylor, Sasha, Travis, Amber, Quentin, Cory, Lindsay and Lindsey, Caitlin, Brittany, Trevor, Karyn, Zack, Joshua and Drew. Mary and John seem practically exotic.
