A Kodak Moment or a Senior One?
It was the wrong kind of Kodak moment. Arthur Omansky was driving on the Westside when he spotted a humorous billboard that showed a 70-ish man seated in a car next to a beautiful blond. The ad’s caption says, “She’s in love. He’s broke.”
Omansky proudly pointed it out to his wife, Adrienne, because she teaches a city-sponsored class in commercial acting for seniors. The 70-ish man in the ad, Earl Schuman, is one of her stars.
Alas, Omansky apparently ran a red light at that moment (he believes it was yellow). Whatever, a sensor-equipped camera snapped a picture of him and he received a $275 citation in the mail, along with the photo.
“It shows him pointing to the billboard,” said his wife.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Today’s Dangerous Dining Guide (see accompanying) offers an eye-catching butcher’s sign from England (submitted by Mike Hatchimonji of La Palma), a scary-sounding sauteed plate (Suzanne Loh of Redlands) and a bit of cheesy spelling (Robert Sharp of South Pasadena).
EVEN OPERATORS HAVE LIFE LINES: Elizabeth Stein of Pacific Palisades phoned directory assistance to get the phone number of America Online.
The operator checked and told her, “I can’t find it listed in the directory but the last time I saw the commercial, the number was 1-800-4-ONLINE.”
WOULD YOU BUY A USED CAR FROM THIS MAN.COM? Did you hear that General Motors Corp. plans to become the first auto maker to give customers the opportunity to watch over the Internet as it builds their cars to order?
Yup, the assembly line will be wired with cameras and the company will e-mail customers when their cars are moving through the plant.
I think this is wonderful, but I hope it’s only the start. I’d like General Motors dealers, and those of other cars, to also allow customers to view, via the Internet, the process of pricing their products.
For instance, when a customer suggests a price for a car on a lot and the dealer says he’ll have to take it back to his boss to discuss it, what really happens behind those closed doors?
Wouldn’t that be interesting to watch?
MYSTERY SOLVED? Regarding the IR4USC license plate, and allegations from UCLA fans that it exhibits poor grammar, Michael Navarrete of USC writes:
“It’s obvious that the rivals from across town don’t have an International Relations Department or else they would have known that IR4USC stands for International Relations for USC.
“I have seen that car around campus. If I remember correctly, an IR student or professor drives that car.”
SPEAK UP! Writer Angela Fox Dunn bought a bottled mixture of fruit juice and herbal tea and was intrigued to read on the label that the ingredients included “the mumbled chantings of a certified tea shaman.”
Said Dunne: “I’m not sure I felt any better after I drank it, because I couldn’t understand his mumbling.”
miscelLAny:
Starting this week, a six-week class of dog training for Jewish singles will be held in West L.A.
“Going out and meeting people takes so much effort, but here dog owners and Jewish singles already have a few things in common,” says a press release. Information: (310) 889-1102. Name of the enterprise: Central Bark.
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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles CA 90053 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.
