Laguna Beach Resident Finds an Easter Surprise: Rodent on a Half-Shell

Something you probably wouldn’t want in your Easter basket: The police log of the Coastline Pilot said that a “rat with an Easter egg stuck on its head was reported in a resident’s backyard” in Laguna Beach. The rat, apparently conducting its own laboratory experiment, had poked its noggin into an empty plastic egg and got it stuck there. The egg was removed by animal control so the critter could rejoin the rat race.

And just when City Hall has been rehabbed! Did you read that Tom Cruise is going to produce a remake of the sci-fi yarn “The War of the Worlds”?

In the 1953 movie version, Southern California is the first target of the Martian invaders, prompting these snippets of dramatic dialogue:

* “We’ve got them between here and Fresno.”

* “Call Victorville and tell them we want the fastest planes they’ve got.”

* “The target for the A-bomb is this nest of Martian machines in the Puente Hills.”

* And, after the A-bomb fails: “They’ll be moving on Los Angeles now.”

City Hall is one of the casualties. No mention of the San Fernando Valley is made in the movie.

Traveler’s note: Licia Coceani of Marina del Rey noticed a sign at a Flagstaff, Ariz., airport that seemed to indicate that arriving passengers must parachute to earth (see photo).

But can you wash him out of your hair? When she picked up a prescription, Liz Noriega of Mission Viejo noticed that the last portion of the “possible side effects” language had been omitted, lending new meaning to the warning (see accompanying).

“I am wondering if I should take this pill at all,” Noriega quipped. “Or, on the right terms, I might want to double it.”

Inspiration for generations to come: During his commencement speech at USC, author David Halberstam recalled how Henry Ford II was thrown out of Yale because he had someone else write one of his papers. Ford, the grandson of the car company’s founder, was invited back to Yale to be awarded an honorary degree years later, Halberstam said. Whereupon Ford held up his speech and chortled, “I didn’t write this either.”

Star Glamour 101: Some famous donors from the entertainment world who became part of the academic world at USC:

* George Burns Distinguished Visiting Professor in Performance.

* Barbra Streisand Professorship in Intimacy and Sexuality.

* Steven Spielberg Music Scoring Stage.

* George Lucas Instructional Building.

* Johnny Carson Television Center.

* And, finally, no kidding, the Hugh M. Hefner Chair for the Study of American Film.

If the name fits: Ken Sunshine is a Hollywood publicist.

Memo to Paul Harvey: I guess I should be flattered that your writers are constantly lifting items from this column for your syndicated broadcast, even though they never credit the source. But you should remind them to at least copy correctly. The other day, Jerry Feldner and other readers heard you mention the Beverly Hills High student whose purple hair dye leaked onto his date’s white dress at a prom. Not quite! The student, quoted here, was merely fantasizing his biggest prom fear. The dance hasn’t been held yet. I’ll keep you posted.

miscelLAny: Star News, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department publication, carried the report of a deputy who responded to a dog-barking complaint. “Drove by and yelled at dog to shut up,” he said. “Dog got mad and did what it was supposed to do, barked at me.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.