Don’t you dare call them victims of...
Don’t you dare call them victims of Reaganomics: After perusing county records, editor John Karevoll of the Real Estate Observer newsletter reports that Ronald and Nancy Reagan have had their Bel-Air mansion reappraised at a paltry $2.2 million--down more than half a million from its purchase price.
This, incidentally, is the residence whose numerals were changed to 668, reportedly because Nancy Reagan didn’t like the fact that the original numbers--666--represent Satan in the Bible.
But her precaution obviously couldn’t protect the Reagans from what has turned out to be a devil of a recession.
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Reading al fresco: Sure, they’ve gussied up Pershing Square with plenty of eye-catching sculptures, including that ornamental earthquake fault.
But 60 years ago the park boasted one feature that’s missing today (see photo).
Then again, we suppose the library would be reluctant to trust books to some of the denizens of the area. You know, all those stockbrokers and lawyers. . . .
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All together now--follow the bouncing city: Still no word from Randy Newman on whether he’ll take our advice and rewrite his tribute to this city as “Still Love L.A.” (We’re sure we could work out an amicable arrangement over the sharing of the profits, etc.)
Anyway, in the meantime, Mike Delamater has reworked an old ditty by the Mamas and Papas and come up with “California Reelin”:
All the hills are brown
The fires burned them away
We went seven years
Without a drop of rain
Then we had the riots. . . .
California reelin’--it’s just another day
Tried to find a job
But no one’s hiring today
Then my apartment got demolished
By the Northridge quake
You know I’m unemployed and homeless
But so is most of L.A. . . .
On a scale of 1 to 10, we’d give it a 6.8.
Wait till Don King finds out: The Pasadena Athletic Club is offering “Cardio Boxing” workouts in which daring yuppies can “train like a boxer without climbing into a ring. . . . Learn all the basics of boxing, such as punching, footwork, offensive and defensive drills.”
The club says that “boxing gloves (are) provided for the class,” but mouthpieces aren’t needed. One other element of the boxing experience is also excluded--the art of speaking to reporters. And that’s a shame.
We’ve idolized onetime heavyweight champ Primo Carnera ever since we read the reply he gave when asked what he thought of Los Angeles.
“I knock him out in three rounds,” Carnera growled.
miscelLAny:
The noble aim of its bra museum, says Frederick’s of Hollywood, is to salute “the stars of stage, screen and television who glamorized lingerie.” Those so honored include Cher, Mae West, Lana Turner, Milton Berle and Tony Curtis.
