L.A. SPEAK : Publicist Patois

Atari star: n . a star whose rapid rise goeth before a meteoric fall. “She’s a just an Atari star . Next month she’ll be doing Lifetime cable gigs.”

frame-grabber: n . a person whose celebrity--or notoriety--is so great that photographers ignore everyone else at an event. “Michael Jackson is such a frame-grabber that no one got a shot of our client at that fund-raiser.”

jaboney: n . an accessible, quotable expert who makes frequent television appearances. “ ‘Nightline’ is desperate for a jaboney tonight. They tried for Kissinger, but he’s booked for Letterman.” Originated on “Nightline” but derivation is unclear.

loose cannon: n . a client with a big, loose mouth whom publicists try to keep from the press.

phoner: n . a telephone interview. “You’re on for a phoner with Hilary tomorrow at noon.”

stink bomb: n . a high-profile failure. “ ‘The Chevy Chase Show’ was really a stink bomb .”

vanilla extract: n . a bland but highly popular celebrity, often a big moneymaker, such as Whitney Houston or Kenny Rogers.