Only in LA: Valentine's daze

During breaks in the action, Staples Center's scoreboard shows couples in the stands smooching on what is known as the Kiss Cam. But when one woman saw herself in the spotlight at a recent Clippers game, she didn't join in the fun. And her male companion looked away. The camera lingered on them while the crowd hooted and hollered for the two to overcome their shyness. Finally, she mouthed the words: "It's my brother."

The crowd gave the couple a pass. 

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On to more romantic matters

Not that Only in LA wants to get into match-making but, with Valentine's Day in mind, I dug up some photos that might offer tips for finding that special someone. Here's one possible destination to try:

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Unreal estate

Then there was this offer to furnish a house with a companion. Further proof, perhaps, that the real estate market hasn't fully recovered. 

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The hard-sell approach

A street-corner denizen made it clear he wouldn't give his heart away to just anyone (snapped by Heikki Ketola a few years ago, as you can tell from the gas prices.)

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The garage-sale approach

Alas, if your current relationship didn't work out, here was one gent's not entirely graceful way of announcing that he was available (photo by Sara Ormenyi). 

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Facial exploration

sh-beauty-calibrator.jpgOne of my most treasured relics is a PR shot of Max Factor's Beauty Calibrator, which the makeup king invented in 1932.

So I was interested to read in the Long Beach Press-Telegram about a recent discovery of Factor items in a storage shed, including a piece of a calibrator.

The gizmo, according to one website, was based on the theory that the human face "has flaws which can be detected by the wire cage wrapped around the head and can then be 'corrected' with pancake makeup."

The Hollywood Museum, incidentally, houses a calibrator. You can't try it on.


Sign-maker with limited budget?

sh-no-train-hopn.jpgWhile visiting Fort Lauderdale, actor Phil Proctor of Beverly Hills noticed a "no hopping" warning that ran out of room for letters.


Unclear on the concept:

Proctor also hopped through Colorado, chancing upon a diner  where, he concluded, "the doors are open even when they're closed."

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Which reminded me of a couple of local businesses that also weren't quite what they advertised. One company, for example, was a 24-hour operation in name only.

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And another business didn't seem sure what it was doing on Sundays (photo by Jerry Mets.)

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Talk about a faithful supporter...

Patrick Mauer spotted a bumper sticker that dated back to the presidential campaign of antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy. That was in 1968, about four wars ago.

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Can we get a second opinion?

Not sure the ducks would agree with this headline.

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Steve Harvey may be reached at steveharvey9@gmail.com. His Twitter handle is @sharvey9.


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