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After the Pothole Gave Him a Jolt, Things Got Downright Nasty

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Curt Smith had forgotten that the city of L.A. now has a 311 hotline for reporting potholes. After bouncing into the same crevice three days in a row in West L.A., he got out an old 10-digit pothole hotline number and phoned it. But he reached some folks who provide a different kind of service: phone sex. (And, no, they don’t work at City Hall.)

Here’s the most amazing part of the story: Before he got around to trying the 311 number, the pothole had been filled.

Switching to near-greats: The invites for the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce’s 116th annual Inaugural Dinner carry its new motto: “Los Angeles -- International City on the Edge of Greatness.” Not only does the clunky language sound as though it came from an Austin Powers movie, but one word in particular is questionable. Given L.A.’s propensity for earthquakes, I don’t like to be reminded I’m on the “edge” of anything around here.

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2008 announcement? Joe Mathews’ piece on efforts to amend the Constitution so foreign-born citizens can run for president appeared in Wednesday’s Times, just after I received an intriguing snapshot taken in Santa Monica by Greg Glover.

No, I don’t know if the car was driven by a muscular guy who calls this state Caly Fornia (see photo).

Anti-Washington sentiment: While we’re on the subject of the presidency, Polly Fleming of L.A., George Bentley of La Puente and Mike Callaway of Rancho Cucamonga each noticed an oddly worded ad placed by a company seemingly trying to separate itself from the White House (see accompanying).

Thanks for the warning: Voters are all too used to evasive politicians.

But Diane Nielen of Fullerton spotted a surgeon, of all people, admitting to that tendency (see accompanying).

Blame it on the 405? Rudy Tomjanovich, who resigned as Lakers coach Wednesday because he was stressed out, twice arrived late to work from his home in Pacific Palisades because of traffic congestion.

Body of work: Jeff Bliss noticed that swimsuit model Shaune Bagwell has the following offer on eBay: She’ll place an ad, slogan or logo of the high bidder “across her cleavage and wear strapless dresses, tops and bikinis for 30 days.”

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So far, the high bid is $10,100. None from the L.A. Chamber of Commerce, though.

I guess “Los Angeles -- International City on the Edge of Greatness” would be difficult to fit into the space.

miscelLAny: Did you see where 30-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio was given a lifetime achievement award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival?

Edged out Macaulay Culkin, I hear.

Steve Harvey can be reached by fax at (213) 237-4712, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes .com.

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