How Phil Became a Famous Guy

“Who is Phil?” Dr. Jorge Mancillas was asked by his 10-year-old son David.

“Phil?” he responded.

“Yes, Phil,” David said. “He is a very famous guy. There is this picture of him all over the city. Like this.”

David stretched his arms into the air.

Later, as they were driving down Wilshire Boulevard, David triumphantly pointed to a banner that was hanging from several light poles. It showed a man whose arms were indeed outstretched.

“There,” the boy said. “You see?” The ad pictured Esa-Pekka Salonen, the L.A. Philharmonic music director. Sure enough, it read, “L.A. Phil.”

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GOT SUSHI? I recently mentioned a restaurant in Chatsworth called Sushi 911--just the thing for a hunger emergency. Now, John Marin has found an eatery on Wilshire Boulevard that seems to claim sushi is the key to a long life (see photo).

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FALLEN ANGELS? Is there something about California Angels baseball that is a bit off-color? If not, Jay Berman of Manhattan Beach wonders why an odd disclaimer is aired before every Angel game on Disney radio station KTZN-AM (710), which also broadcasts children’s shows. The disclaimer follows another announcement in this manner:

A kid’s voice: “It’s time for Angel baseball!”

An adult’s voice: “During the game some programming may not be suitable for kids.”

Berman theorizes that, perhaps, the heartbreak of the Angels’ continuing failure to make it into the World Series has been deemed too much for kids to bear.

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FLY THE X-RATED SKIES: Joe Eisaman of Beverly Hills was snapping pictures as his wife boarded a flight at Los Angeles International Airport and couldn’t help but notice some adult reading material in the pilots’ cabin (see photo). Who knows? Maybe the magazine keeps the pilots wide-eyed. Anyway, Eisaman says that the publication was quickly removed after his camera was spotted.

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GREAT L.A. STREAKS: The wet stuff that fell from the sky this week ended a streak of 219 rain-less days in L.A. But there’s no reason to lament, you statistical freaks. Many other records remain intact.

The number of days since:

* There was measurable snow in Los Angeles: 17,791.

* The Dodgers captured a World Series: 3,264.

* L.A. had an NFL football team: 1,008.

* DreamWorks announced plans for a still-unbuilt studio in Playa Vista: 654.

* The MTA had a permanent chief: 297.

* A Los Angeles City Council member was arrested: 37.

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BY THE LETTERS: As you drive east on 4th Street through L.A.’s downtown toy district, it’s possible to notice a pattern to the company names. You encounter, in order, L.V.T. Toys, T.P.N. Toys, N.B.C. Toys, I.M.C. Toys, T.Y. Toys, I.T.V. Toys, A.B.C. Toys, T.R.T. Toys, T.C. Toys, O.K. Toys, L.A. Toys and T.T. Toys. This is on the Q.T., you understand.

miscelLAny:

Jeff Bliss of Newbury Park, traveling south on the Santa Ana Freeway, noticed a truck that carried this bit of graffiti on the back: “The 5 Fwy. Sucks.” I guess vandals get frustrated by the traffic, too.