For 20 years, Times columnist Steve Harvey has chronicled the lighter side of Los Angeles with his Only in L.A. column. He has been assisted by hundreds of Times readers, who sent him amusing photos, newspaper clips and tips that appeared not only in the paper but in the 1996 book "The Best of Only in L.A.: A Chronicle of the Amazing, Amusing and Absurd."
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A last look back at some greatest hits
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"Only in L.A." has ended its run in the print editions of the Los Angeles Times. But Harvey will continue to contribute occasional articles to the California section, and he will file "Only in L.A." items to the L.A. Now blog on latimes.com. Go to latimes.com/onlytribute to see dozens of classic photos and an appreciation of Harvey. Here is a selection of some of the best of "Only in L.A":
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Arizonans hope for the Big One (1988)
Phoenix disc jockeys Glenn Beck and Tim Hattrick are mindful of the George Strait song lyric about a Los Angeles earthquake creating "oceanfront property in Arizona." And they're trying to do their part to increase land values in the Grand Canyon State.
Beck and Hattrick held a contest that will culminate today when the four winners -- all Arizonans weighing in excess of 250 pounds -- will perform jumping jacks on Venice Beach (where else?) to rile up those ol' tectonic forces. The earth-shaking attempt, which will be made between 6 and 10 a.m., will be broadcast back to Phoenix by the two visiting disc jockeys, whose show is known as the Y Morning Zoo.
Today is, of course, the day that 16th century French wiseguy Nostradamus allegedly predicted that the Big One could befall Los Angeles, according to some sources.
Tom Morgan, a Mesa, Ariz., security guard who is one of the Big Four, said he doesn't have a grudge against Los Angeles. But, he explained from his Marina del Rey hotel room, "I'd just like to get some of this ocean breeze back in Arizona."
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Not quite L.A.'s song (1993)
L.A.'s identity problem: When singer Frank Black rocketed to No. 11 on France's Top 50 singles chart with "Los Angeles" recently, we dared hope that the City of Angels had finally found a winner in its long search for an official city song.
No more jokes about having to settle for such previous submissions as "I Lost My Liver in the L.A. River."
Alas, "Los Angeles" is not a paean to Los Angeles. Or, at least, our Los Angeles.
Black sings:
I wanna live in Los Angeles
Not the one in Los Angeles
