Courting the Collectors

Noted courtroom artist David Rose of Hollywood has reached a verdict: that his drawings might be worth something to collectors.

The 84-year-old Rose, still active in drawing courtroom scenes for news organizations when cameras are banned, is marketing his original drawings via catalogue through Great Neck, N.Y.-based MLG Distributing.

The price range is from $900 to $5,000, with the most expensive being an autographed drawing of former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos during the New York trial in which she was acquitted of criminal fraud charges. (Rose includes a lapel pin Marcos gave him of the Philippines flag.)

Although some of his more famous drawings of international trials are being sold, the drawings largely depict Southern California cases he covered, including Rodney King testifying in the federal trial of Los Angeles police officers, John DeLorean’s trial in which he was acquitted of dealing cocaine and the palimony case involving the late actor Lee Marvin.

He’s even offering for $2,000 each a couple of drawings that he made recently while he happened to be sitting in on a hearing in the murder case involving former football star O.J. Simpson.

Can Minute Maid Still Use It?

Last week came word that lawyers for O.J. Simpson are seeking to register as a trademark the name “O.J.” to stop unauthorized exploitation of the former football star’s name in the wake of his highly publicized trial on murder charges.

One problem: there are a fair number of Southland businesses that have been using the initials “O.J.” in their names for years, as a brief scan of local phone books shows.

In Los Angeles, there is O.J. Fashions, O.J.’s Treasures and the O&J; Coffee Shop. Arcadia boasts O.J.’s Deli. In Baldwin Park, there is O.J. Insulation. Covina has a fast-food place simply called O.J.’s.

Orange County has O.J. Propane and O.J. Construction. Then there is O&J; Appliance Repair Installation & Service in Reseda.

This Movie Pitch Is a Strike

In a case of being ahead of the curve ball, a movie about a baseball strike was already in the works when the real one started last month, albeit with a different plot.

Producers Mace Neufeld and Robert Rehme, who have made such films for Paramount Pictures as “Clear and Present Danger,” are working with actor James Woods developing the movie “Twilight” involving a strike by prima donna Chicago Cubs players on the eve of the World Series.

The walkout results in the club deciding to bring back former Cubs who never had an opportunity to play in the October Classic.

As with the real-life baseball strike, the ending remains a mystery for now.

Picassos of Publicity

In announcing that they are breaking up their firm, Hollywood publicists Michael Levine and Mitchell Schneider, whose celebrity clients have included Michael Jackson, issued a statement saying, “we decided that we wanted new canvases upon which to draw and create.”