In Orange, Some Rejected Official City Slogans Have a Charm All Their Own
After more than 800 suggestions by residents, the city of Orange selected “A Slice of Old Towne Charm” as its official motto.
Some of the losers were a lot more colorful, however, if not as stately. Rejected slogans included “Nicer Than Stanton” and “Our Navel Is Better Than Christina Aguilera’s.”
Such a deal: Today’s questionable offers (see accompanying) involve:
* A camera that doesn’t come cheap (Roland Gregg, West Hills);
* A carpet that’s nearly two centuries old (Gordon and Patricia Bennett of Long Beach).
A new type of security? George Rodriguez of Pico Rivera snapped a shot of a store window that seemed to inform visitors that they were under surveillance (see photo).
Even paradise can be dangerous: Proof is furnished by Kathryn Blackmun of Highland Park, who noticed a fruit advisory in Hilo, Hawaii (see photo).
Something blue, something weird: US Weekly magazine took note of this romantic month with a cover piece on Hollywood weddings, including the “wackiest, way-out-there” ceremonies.
My favorite was the union of New York club singer Susanne Bartsch with gym owner David Barton. She wore a flesh-toned leather cat suit, he nothing but a G-string. At his wedding, Bat-muncher Ozzie Osbourne sang “Fangs for the Memories” to his bride. And, of course, there was a nice shot of Dennis Rodman in bridal drag.
The magazine didn’t mention some of the unique methods that stars have used to avoid publicity, however. When Madonna and Sean Penn got hitched in Malibu in 1985, for instance, an obscene message was drawn in 6-foot-high letters on the nearby beach to make overhead camera coverage unusable.
Looking four-ward: My search for a phrase to replace “threepeat” when the Lakers win their fourth straight title next year brought several suggestions. Jim Dickey of Pomona thinks the feat would be a “double double.” Rod Kavanagh of Sherman Oaks rejects “fourpeat” as “clunky and derivative,” but says one popular choice among sign-waving fans was the bilingual “quat-row.” Rudi Nelson of Torrance opted for “four-score” or “four on the floor.”
And David Daniel of Encino says if the team once again “silences the cowbell-clangers of Sacramento” and everyone else, the Lakers “will truly be ‘a team four the ages.’ ”
miscelLAny: Columnist Diane Bell of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that when Chargers linebacker Junior Seau was asked if he had ever tried reading the lips of opposing players, he responded: “Everybody should know that I can’t read because, remember, I went to USC.” (He was kidding, UCLA fans!)
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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.