Festival’s Filmmakers Are Known for Cannibalizing of Each Others’ Work

Smogdance 2002, Pomona’s most prominent film festival, is just two months away, and the deadline for applications is Oct. 1.

The prizes for first place, $25, aren’t enough to finance the next Julia Roberts movie, but at least there is no entry fee.

And popcorn also is free for the auteurs.

Still, the event seems to attract a lot of starving artists, judging from the subjects of the competition. The Best Film award last year went to L.A. director Douglas Bennett for a short about four filmmakers who become stranded in the snow en route to the Sundance Film Festival and “take a culinary interest in one another.”

While we’re on the subject: A recipe of Creamy Spam Broccoli Pastry Shells by Cheryl Ankeney of Anaheim was awarded first place in the Spam cooking competition at the L.A. County Fair. Ankeney wins a Spam apron and $150, but no free popcorn.

She is a two-time winner in this competition, incidentally, having won in 1993 for her entry of, of--it’s difficult for me to write the words--Spam cheesecake.

Could be the subject of a horror movie at Smogdance.

The war on potheads continues: After reading a description of a power outage notification, Bob Moss of Saugus asked: “What type of business is Southern California Edison in, anyway?” (see accompanying)

Now spell it 100 times on the blackboard ... Tony Plaia of Westlake Village notes that no matter how many times the name of one school was written on the side of the cup, the last word came out wrong (see photo).

No time to be Sleepy: Larry Herbst of Pasadena took this shot from the Disney Studios in Burbank of a nearby brush fire and thought of the lyric: “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s up in flames we go.” (see photo)

Identity crises: “The pressure of reading the news well is so great you can forget who you are,” observes newsman Ron Fineman. His media Web site reports that KABC-TV anchor Phillip Palmer, doing some substitute work, recently opened a newscast this way: “I’m Gene Glee

The ronfineman.com Web site previously caught Michele Ruiz experiencing the same problem at KNBC-TV. Ruiz started to introduce herself as Colleen Williams while subbing for Williams.

Even the late Chick Hearn, the longtime Lakers broadcaster, was subject to this sort of slip. He once signed off a game, “For Chick Hearn, I’m Stu Lantz,” paused, then said, “No, I’m not!”

Proof that every L.A. story has a traffic angle: During the Dodgers’ post-game radio show on KXTA-AM (1150) the other night, caller after caller celebrated a dramatic win over the Giants. All but one, who phoned to say that the Harbor Freeway was jammed with cars.

Remembering Aggie: My mention here of Aggie Underwood, the late L.A. Herald-Examiner editor, brought a note from another Herald alumna, Gloria Walls Seelye. Underwood, I had written, liked to keep her staff awake by occasionally firing a starter’s pistol in the city room. But retirement called for an even grander gesture, obviously. On Underwood’s last day, Seelye recalled, “she lit a string of firecrackers in the executive dining room under the chair of Publisher George Hearst Jr.

“What a gal!”

miscelLAny: Travel writer Norm Sklarewitz says, “It’s bad enough that filmmakers go off to Canada to make movies supposedly taking place in L.A.” But now he’s received a press release announcing that an Australian vintner and a wine magazine have organized a “California Wine Experience”--in Las Vegas.

G’day!

*

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.