A Toast to a Glamorous Icon

Pink and black ostrich-feather boas draped a large glass case of sequined gowns that once adorned the curvaceous figure of Mae West. Every corner of the room glittered with rhinestones and the oft-quoted dame looked out from several moody portraits as her fans perused her extravagant personal effects: real hair eyelashes, a stuffed bird of paradise, feathered headdresses, a jeweled crown and matching scepter. “This is real Tinseltown titillation,” shouted Johnny Grant, honorary Hollywood mayor and former neighbor to West. “I’m probably the only man in the room who Mae West told to ‘Come up and see me sometime.’ ”

As Grant spoke, the room echoed with the pop of a champagne bottle. It was Friday morning and a small crowd had gathered at the Hollywood History Museum in the Max Factor building to celebrate what would have been West’s 109th birthday by viewing an extensive collection of her things. The installation of eight gowns and scores of small items represents three decades of collecting by West’s former personal assistant, Tim Malachosky, who worked with her until her death at age 87 in 1980. “This is just a touch of what I have,” he said.

For some, the glamorous display brought to mind another strong-willed blond entertainer. “There would have been no Madonna without this woman,” actress Doris Roberts said. For others, like former bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, the event was nostalgic. Hargitay was just 28 when West summoned him to her Ravenswood penthouse in the summer of 1954. She was planning a Las Vegas comeback and wanted Hargitay and eight other “musclemen” to back her on stage. It was a heady experience for the young Hargitay. “She always knew who she was,” he recalled. “The center of the world was always her.”

Fresh New Children’s Author

“I’m the new hip-hop Dr. Seuss,” said Doug E. Fresh. “I’m bringing it to a new level as far as flavor goes.”

The hip-hop artist had called to talk about the expansion of his resume--he’s become a children’s book author. Next month, Scholastic will publish “Think Again,” an illustrated volume that includes a “rap-along CD,” the entire package written by Fresh.

And Scholastic’s got another rapper on its children’s roster: LL Cool J, whose “And the Winner Is ... “--also a book and CD combination--comes out Sept. 1.

Unlike Fresh, LL Cool J wasn’t in a green eggs and ham state of mind.

“It’s an LL Cool J book,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking of Seuss.” Rather, the rapper wanted to use his celebrity “in a positive way,” he said. The story, which is illustrated and stars LL Cool J as himself, “teaches kids to overcome adversity.”

“The photos, the cute little bodies, the stick figures, I thought it was cool,” he said.

The two books are the first in the “Hip Kid Hop” series, designed to help children learn how to read. Planned are books by hip-hop artists including Shaggy, Kevie Kev and Common, and possibly one by Missy Elliot, said Karyn Rachtman, who came up with the idea for combining children’s books with the rap-along CDs.

“In the 1970s, Carole King had a kids’ record,” said Rachtman. “There’s never been hip-hop music for [young] children.”

“You have adult lyrics and you have children’s’ lyrics,” agreed Fresh. “Children don’t have no place to hear children’s lyrics. It’s like going to the amusement park. There’s ‘The Cyclone’ but there’s no Ferris wheel. You’re forcing the children to go on ‘The Cyclone.’ ”

In a more prosaic vein, Fresh continued: “Hip-hop can be a tool to learn. What they can get from these stories is that they’re real. You hear slang words, and to hear that makes it so real for the kids.”

And it’s good, clean fun. “It’s positive. Not negative expletives.” And not cliched or silly, Fresh said. “I tried to make a book that’s not corny but hot.”

His book describes the friendship between two children, one black, one white.

“The story’s just sly, you know.”

A Shady Past

A contestant on the new “Survivor” show has more of a past than the network originally let on. A CBS bio described 34-year-old Brian Heidik as a “top used car salesman” who also had “varying acting credits,” including appearances on “Days of Our Lives.”

What CBS failed to mention were his credits (under his stage name, Dave Roth) for such soft-core movies as “Virgins of Sherwood Forest,” “Passions Obsession,” “Sinful Obsession,” and “The Pleasure Zone,” according to the Web site The Smoking Gun (www.thesmokinggun.com).

A CBS spokeswoman said the network was aware of Heidik’s film history but said that the network hadn’t listed every credit in his biography.

Quote/Unquote

“The great thing about L.A. is that it’s so boring. There’s nothing going on here, so you can actually focus; you can get stuff done.” Musician and heiress Francesca Gregorini in the new issue of W magazine.

City of Angles runs Tuesday and Friday. E-mail: [email protected].