What do a Shakespeare festival and the...

What do a Shakespeare festival and the sculpture of a naked woman on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have in common?

Both stirred worries about environmental impacts.

The festival was canceled at the South Coast Botanic Garden to save water that would have been needed to revitalize the grassy meadow where the stage and crowds sit. The county also worried about all the water that would be used in the garden’s restrooms.

The play that was scheduled was “Comedy of Errors.”

Meanwhile, a 39-foot-high mound of dirt in the shape of a naked woman’s backside became an issue in Rancho Palos Verdes (see photo) because she was created without a permit. The city says it’s concerned about the stability of the lady, who is sunning herself on a steep slope along Hawthorne Boulevard.

Owner Ted Gardner says he commissioned the sculpture, which also consists of chicken wire and lumber, for the amusement of passing motorists.

Nevertheless, the City Council may go to court to have the sculpture removed.

As the Bard might say, much ado about a lady wearing nothing.

Frankest Ad of the Week:

“Of course, we’ve had a face lift,” says the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. “This is Beverly Hills.”

So what was Cardinal-elect Roger M. Mahony doing last Sunday at 8 in the morning?

He was making a wager--via his fax machine. Not that this was a cardinal-elect sin or anything.

Mahony good-naturedly contacted Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin, his Chicago counterpart, and said:

“With the greatest confidence in the ability of the Lakers to win the National Championship over the Bulls, I would like to pose a friendly ‘wager’ on the outcome . . . “ Mahony offered to put up 25 boxes of California fruit that would be distributed to charity, should the Lakers lose.

Two days later--even though the Lakers had won the opener--Bernardin accepted the wager and put up 50 pounds of “Chicago-style hot dogs.”

You might surmise from the prelates’ respective bets that Chicago isn’t as preoccupied with health and fitness as L.A.

As if any further proof were needed, Sylvia Krieger of Sunland saw an ad that said:

“Nice dining table. Seats up to 4 people in good condition.”

miscelLAny:

A schooner captain named Thomas Robbins acquired Catalina Island from Pio Pico in 1846, reportedly in exchange for a silver saddle and a fresh horse.