Melt 'em down

The Movieland Wax Museum opened in Buena Park 43 years ago. Can't say I've ever been there, and now I never will. One of the more obscure Southern California cultural landmarks is closing Oct. 31. The Times story says the nearby Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, which shares the same owner, will also close. More than 300 wax figures are to be shipped to the museum's San Francisco location or auctioned. How sad is this: "Rodney Fong, whose family bought the museum in the 1980s, said it had slowly become a third day attraction with tourists." Until it closes, admission is five bucks and merchandise is half off. I never saw the point of paying anything to look at barely recognizable likenesses of stars. The pic from the museum's website is either a decent Julia Roberts or a really horrible Howard Stern.