Bozell Worldwide

Tennis star Gabriela Sabatini looked smashing in her Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses, while crooner Willie Nelson struck a brawny pose in his Aviators, the shades Tom Cruise made famous in "Top Gun." That was the late '80s, when the world's leading premium sunglass maker chased sales by linking its most popular shades to a slew of famous faces.

John B. Rush is the new executive vice president of marketing and sales for Micro Therapeutics Inc. in Irvine. He was formerly general manager at Boston Scientific, Asia Pacific. * Sharon Osberg has joined the advisory board of National InterBank in Irvine. She is the former head of Wells Fargo Online and currently serves as consultant to the chief executive of 724 Solutions Inc., based in Toronto.

Powerbroker and Republican strategist James H. Lake pleaded guilty to wire fraud and election law violations Wednesday and pledged to "fully cooperate" with the independent counsel who is investigating former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy's relationships with large agricultural businesses and their lobbyists.

Advertiser: Lycos Inc. Agency: Bozell Worldwide, New York Challenge: Create an identity for Lycos, an Internet search site. The Ads: TV spots feature a smart, obedient black Labrador retriever named Lycos, who speedily fetches random items at his master's command. In one commercial, Lycos retrieves a pair of flippers and a hot rod after reading signs that say "island vacations" and "autos." When shown a sexy photo of supermodel Claudia Schiffer, Lycos dashes off.

The parent of advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding on Thursday agreed to buy rival Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt for $440 million in stock. The deal, reached after a three-year courtship, would double the size of Foote Cone's Chicago-based parent, True North Communications, creating the world's sixth-largest advertising company. The merger ends True North's search for a second global agency to complement Foote Cone, known for its Levi Strauss ads.

Chrysler Corp. and two advertising agencies settled charges they misrepresented auto leasing terms in television commercials, burying the facts in tiny graphics that were almost impossible to read, the government said Thursday. Chrysler and the ad agencies began the campaign even though the Federal Trade Commission had already brought suit against seven other car makers for similar charges of misleading customers, the FTC said in announcing the settlement.

The new management of Taco Bell Corp. on Friday awarded the regional advertising portion of its $200-million account to Foote, Cone & Belding of Chicago. Foote Cone beat out sister agency Bozell Worldwide, which has handled the business since 1994. The agencies are units of Chicago-based True North Communications Inc. Foote Cone "has committed to making a significant investment in quickly building an experienced field team," Taco Bell Marketing Director Vada Hill said in a statement.

An Irvine agency's television commercial featuring a stranded motorist and his cell phone and a Newport Beach firm's print campaign targeting the medical industry snagged top honors at the AdClub of Orange County's 1998 Advertising Awards on Saturday. The awards were presented at Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach. Winners were selected from about 550 entries submitted by Orange County-based advertising agencies, clients, vendors and freelancers.

Walter M. Reeves has been named senior vice president and director of national accounts for First American Title Insurance Co. in Santa Ana. He had been vice president and director of national accounts since 1998. * Deborah Ranier has joined Edison Capital in Irvine, the investment and financial service subsidiary of Edison International, as vice president of administration. Most recently, Ranier was senior vice president human resources for ConAgra Grocery Products.

* Albert Wong has joined the board of directors of Printrak International Inc., an Anaheim supplier of automated fingerprint identification systems. Wong co-founded AST Research Inc. in Irvine in 1980. He directed worldwide engineering and manufacturing operations until leaving the company in late 1988. In 1989, Wong founded AMKLY Systems, a provider of personal computer and networking products. He currently serves as a director of NetSoft in Irvine. * Russell E.