We bet he’s worth every penny:Whizzing through...

We bet he’s worth every penny:

Whizzing through the parking structure of the Long Beach courthouse was a car with “$100 Lawyer” scrawled on its paint job, along with the words: “Beat DMV, traffic tickets and license loss. . . .” And, of course, a phone number.

Just to complete the picture, the license plate said, “TKT ATTY.”

And what kind of car was Mr. $100 Lawyer driving? A late-model Mercedes-Benz 300 SD Turbo Diesel.

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IS THERE A SCREENWRITERS ANONYMOUS GROUP? On Wednesday we published a flier titled “Writing Partner Wanted” posted at a gym by a screenwriter looking “for potential long-term partnership” with someone who has a “strong sense of structure and a good ear for dialogue . . . nonsmoker . . . prefer Westsider.”

You don’t fit the bill? Hey, don’t be depressed. Just read the words of wisdom on a license plate frame shot years ago by actor/singer/phantom photographer Phil Proctor (see photo). Not everyone in L.A. is a screenwriter, even if your mailman and your manicurist are.

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PAGING . . . CREATIVE DESIGNERS: Southern California has a reputation for innovation so we weren’t surprised that it produced the No. 1 and No. 3 finishers in Motorola’s nationwide design competition, “Pagers for Children.”

The winner was Chih-Hong Hsieh, a student at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design, whose pager features a kangaroo-like pouch. And the third-place finisher was Steve Sigler, a Cal State Long Beach student whose pager can be programmed to give off musical alerts and has holders with kid-friendly designs, including a ladybug (see photo) and a billiards eight ball (for would-be screenwriters to stand behind).

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PERENNIAL SUMMERTIME BLUES: Perusing “Rock of Ages: the Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll,” we came upon an account of the death of Eddie Cochran, who was killed at the age of 21 in 1960 when his speeding limo crashed on the way to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Cochran, a Bell Gardens High alumnus whose hits included “Summertime Blues,” was booked on a flight to L.A. The book’s authors said: “Even today it is said Eddie Cochran fans occasionally get together to hunt down the hapless driver, who was fined and lost his license for 15 years, and beat the crap out of him.”

The book was published in 1986. We hope Cochran’s fans have forgiven the driver by now.

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DAN QUAYLE COULDN’T BE THERE: In a drive to encourage people to vote on Election Day, nearly 100 L.A.-area schoolkids gathered at City Hall Wednesday, along with representatives of the League of Women Voters, and two toys came to life: Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. The students took the “Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Pledge.” We suspect the first commandment for vice presidents is “potato” has no “e” in it.

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SEGUE OF THE DAY: After a report on the protest over David Duke’s appearance at Cal State Northridge on Wednesday, a news anchor on KNBC remarked, “If you’re going to be a protester, this is certainly good weather for it”--and then introduced the station’s weatherman.

miscelLAny:

Sotheby’s of Beverly Hills is auctioning some of George Burns’ estate on Oct. 10. Available items include “his own smoking jacket and slippers (estimated value: $500 to $700)” . . . a “selection of tobacco and cigars ($800 to $1,200)” . . . a humidor with a plaque that reads “Presented to George Burns Cigar Smoker of the Year 1952 by the Cigar Institute of America” ($7,000 to $9,000), not to mention a . . . Oh, say good night, Sotheby’s.