LOTT O’ TALK: Have any complaints about...

LOTT O’ TALK: Have any complaints about the California lottery--besides the fact it has yet to make you a millionaire? The state Lottery Commission will meet in Orange County for the first time, Friday at the Irvine City Hall. . . . Says district lottery manager Herman Dustman: “The commission has decided to take its show on the road, to give consumers a chance to see what it does.” If you want to speak your piece, you can--but only if you call ahead to the commission to reserve a time.

SECOND MOUSE: Here’s a sampling of just how the Disney name has permeated American life: A new survey by Total Research Corp. of Princeton, N.J., shows that Disneyland ranks fourth in the country as the highest quality brand or trade name--just behind Mercedes-Benz, and just ahead of Hallmark Greeting Cards. Disney World in Florida ranked even higher--at second. . . . First-place honors: Eastman Kodak.

HAVE A BALL: Just because your county is bankrupt doesn’t mean you can’t be friends with the rest of the world. Saturday, the county “extends its hand of friendship,” as local protocol officials put it, at the 11th annual International Protocol Ball. Consuls General from more than 50 countries plan to attend the formal affair, at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel in Costa Mesa. . . . Guest of honor: Les McCraw, chairman of Fluor Corp., the Irvine engineering and construction company. Fluor has its own international credentials: offices in 50 countries.

ANY DANCE CAN: Choreographer Lar Lubovitch, whose modern dance troupe performs Friday and Saturday nights at Orange Coast College (F3) in Costa Mesa, often stages his contemporary works for the American Ballet Theatre. Does the vast difference between modern and ballet pose a problem? . . . . Says Lubovitch: “If the choreography is substantial enough, it works, just as a language can be spoken with a variety of accents and still be considered correct or beautiful.”

TONIGHT: Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts play at 8, the Swallow’s Inn, 31786 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. (714) 493-3188.

WEATHER: Mostly clear and mild. Highs near 80; lows near 50.