All Theirs Now--Just for the Asking

The Black Dahlia a southern belle? Famed L.A. noir novelist James Ellroy announced Wednesday he will donate his personal archives to USC. No, not that USC . . . the University of South Carolina.

Since the name of this column is an homage to Ellroy’s most famous title, we must admit, we take this personally.

How could it be that Ellroy’s troubled characters--the crooked gumshoes, seedy whores and two-bit swindlers who could only belong to our dark city--are going to be laid to rest in the genteel Palmetto state?

And why does Ellroy, an L.A. native who lives in Kansas City, want his papers to be housed at the Southern university? “They were the first and only ones to ask,” Ellroy told us Wednesday at the Pacific Dining Car, before a luncheon where his gift was announced. “You’d think that USC or UCLA would have gotten to me sooner.”

Drafts of “L.A. Confidential,” “My Dark Places,” “The Black Dahlia” and “American Tabloid” are among the papers Ellroy is donating to the college’s Thomas Cooper Library in Columbia, S.C. Also included are two early unpublished novels, outlines, notes and letters.

“I feel like it was the time to do it,” Ellroy said. “There was a substantial amount to donate, because I write by hand, I never type.”

At least we can take solace that Ellroy’s archives will be in good company: The library holds similar collections from writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Heller and James Dickey.

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Forget the 12 days of Christmas. How about “The Twelve Dogs of Christmas?” When 7-year-old Emma Kragen composed a takeoff on the popular ditty--”9 Chihuahuas chomping”--her parents had no idea it would sell 100,000 copies. Then again, they shouldn’t have been surprised. Her father is Ken Kragen, a personal manager for recording artists and the man who has orchestrated charity events such as LiveAid and Hands Across America.

Emma’s CD was released last year, along with a picture book. Produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, etc.), the CD features the voices of Emma and 24 of her classmates, who recorded the track in the same A&M; studio where Daddy helped make “We Are the World.”

How’s that for a field trip?

Emma, now 9, will be at Waldenbooks at the Westside Pavilion on Sunday, and at Brentano’s in Century City on Dec. 11.

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Yes, yes, we know, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. But when it comes to politics, apparently, the home planets are hopelessly misaligned.

Qtopics, a new national online polling service, surveyed 486 Americans about the questions they would ask presidential candidates. The No. 1 question among women was: “How are you going to keep the economy growing?” while the No. 1 question from men was: “Are you faithful?”

“Women were concerned about the economy, and how they are going to support their families, while men were concerned about fidelity,” said Qtopics CEO Jim Grosvenor. “It was the opposite of what I expected.”

As for individual candidates, 38% of people who chose to query Steve Forbes would ask the billionaire how much money he carries in his wallet. Of those who chose Warren Beatty (who, by the way, has all but ruled out a candidacy), women were five times more likely than men to ask if the sexy actor would consider a female running mate. And poor Al Gore. Not a single person surveyed chose to direct a question at him.

Qtopics will allow computer users to pose their own survey questions on the Internet and review results instantly.

“We call it ‘one-to-many communications,’ ” Grosvenor said. “We expect it to be very addictive.”

Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.