Kids Say the Darndest If you’ve ever wondered what your kids think you do at the office, check out a series of hand-painted murals recently installed in downtown Burbank. The artwork, called “Goofing Off at Work,” was created by students at Monterey High School and commissioned by Bill Tucker, a founding member of the Burbank Stakeholders Association, to decorate the side of a building at 150 N. San Fernando Blvd. It consists of three murals. In one a worker is snoozing; in another employees are getting in a little practice on their golf swing, only to break a window. In a third, a worker is flying a paper airplane while another plays solitaire at his computer. Each mural is made to look as if the scene is being viewed through a window in the building. The students chose the theme from several selections offered. No one’s saying where they got their ideas from. Lambchop and Me Staffers at DIC Entertainment Inc. had a surprise recently when Mallory Lewis, daughter of the late ventriloquist and actress Shari Lewis, did an impromptu performance with Lambchop, the sock puppet her mother made famous on television. “It was really quite a treat to see Lambchop and Mallory performing,” said Kathi Sharpe-Ross, a publicist for the Burbank-based animation firm. “She really went into character and everyone was having a really good time.” Lewis had come to the office to pitch a program featuring herself and Lambchop. But before she met with company bosses, Lewis couldn’t resist her mother’s trademark routine with the diminutive Lambchop before an appreciative office crowd. “It really brought back a lot of memories,” Sharpe-Ross said. Hit Me With Your Best Shot KVEA-TV Channel 52 reporter Rolando Nichols got a chance to live out a boyhood dream recently when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Dodgers game. “I always wanted to play in Dodger Stadium, so this is the next best,” said Nichols, who threw the pitch on a night the team honored the Glendale-based television station on its electronic scoreboard. Nichols, who threw what he felt was a hard pitch to Dodger catcher Paul Loduca, said he practiced to get it just right. But it didn’t help much: The Expos clobbered the Dodgers 13-1. Give Me a Hand When MastersFX Inc. president Todd Masters received a call from film director John Singleton earlier this year thanking him for his special effects work on the film “Baby Boy,” Masters was surprised to hear from the Los Angeles-based director. “He’s a busy guy, so it was great to hear from him,” said Masters, “but we wanted to return the favor.” So Masters got his staff to make Singleton a “thank you” gift that he wouldn’t soon forget a realistic-looking severed hand made of rubber and silicon inside a specially carved wooden box. “We thought he’d get a kick out of it,” said Masters, who runs the Arleta-based special effects house. The box’s inscription read, “If you need a hand with anything in the future, give us a ring.”
