Perky Program

Not Another Coffeehouse Item! Pleeeeeease: But now there is no way to escape the burgeoning L.A. coffeehouse scene, even if you never plan to set foot in a place that serves a double decaf cappuccino.

That’s because coffeehouses are coming to you, via television. “Electric Coffee” is the brainchild of Philippe Hartley and Steve Silas, who thought it was time for the city’s java junkies to have their 15 minutes.

The show--actually 30 minutes, Saturday nights at 12:30 a.m. on KMET--is shot on location and in studio, with interviews and performances. The pair has taped segments at Highland Grounds and the In Between Cafe in L.A., and the Iguana Cafe in North Hollywood.

“The set looks like your typically dimly lit coffeehouse with mismatched couches, a kind of funky bar and a state-of-the-art cappuccino machine,” says Hartley, 38, the show’s host. (Silas, 41, produces.)

“There’s an enormous amount of talent and ideas emerging in this city that are shaping it,” Hartley says. “One of the places where those things are happening are coffeehouses.

“Our objective is to keep it (the show) kind of a fertile ground for people who really deserve a lot of attention, but who aren’t big enough stars to be on ‘The Tonight Show.’ ”

We asked Hartley, who hails from France, how the scene here compares with the coffeehouses of Paris.

“It’s amazing, while there’s an exploding scene in L.A., there is a crisis in France. In Europe they’re Americanizing, and in L.A. we’re Europeanizing.”

“It sounds cool,” says Highland Grounds’ Rich Brenner of the show. “Ever since we opened people have been telling me they’re going to write a script about coffeehouses, or do a show like ‘Cheers.’ Original thinkers. Those kinds of things have been floating around. So it’s good to see somebody doing it.”

Luring Love by Name

Love has inspired millions of metaphors; the lovelorn have spawned almost as many. A look through the personal ads in a recent edition of the L.A. Weekly revealed that the city’s singles are a diverse bunch, from “Jane Eyre” and “Mary Poppins” to “Brainy Bardot” and “Ex-Branch Davidian.”

Men seem more likely to describe themselves metaphorically, so if you’re a woman looking for a “Jean-Claude Van Damme look-alike,” “John Stamos type,” or “Ricky Ricardo type,” you’re in luck. Some intriguing questions: Would the woman looking for “Jeff Goldblum” settle for “Brando soul mate”? Or the woman seeking “the Vampire Lestat” be content with “Bowie looks”?

Our favorites? Honorable mention goes to the man who described himself as “Albert Brooks’ personality in Bob Hoskins’ body.” But the metaphor champ had to be the woman who described herself as “Mrs. Robinson, Elvira, Sophia Loren, Goldie Hawn, Anna Magnani, and Melina Mercouri rolled into one.”