Treasures of the Valley:When we heard that...

Treasures of the Valley:

When we heard that a couple of Sun Valley’s cultural icons might be in danger, we had to phone their home--the U-Pick Parts junkyard--to check.

Turns out we needn’t have worried. True, Aadlen Bros. Auto Wrecking has decided to leave that property, which has been leased to a group of investors in the entertainment industry.

But spokesman Jerry Martinez assured us that U-Pick will set up shop elsewhere and continue to display its two big attractions:

* The arches of a defunct Studio City carwash.

* The 10 Worst Autos Exhibit.

Aadlen Bros. “is one for displays,” Martinez said. “And people identify those with us.”

FALLEN ARCHES: The 1950s carwash, you may recall, was leveled by a developer several years ago despite a campaign by locals to have it declared a cultural landmark. (Even in L.A., that campaign was a first.)

Luckily, Aadlen Bros. saved the building’s three 55-foot-tall, boomerang-shaped arches and proudly stood them up at U-Pick. After all, these were no ordinary arches. In their prime, they were known as “The Gateway to Studio City.”

COLLECTOR OF LEMONS: The 10 Worst Autos Exhibit was inspired by a Wall Street Journal survey that had been compiled on the basis of recalls, complaints from watchdog groups and/or plain ugliness.

The Aadlen Bros. showroom of lemons includes these losers:

* 1969 Subaru 360

* 1970 American Motors Gremlin

* 1977 Plymouth Volare

* 1975 Citicar (electric)

* 1960 Chevrolet Corvair

* 1978 Jaguar XJ6

* 1980 Renault LeCar

* 1984 Pontiac Fiero

* 1971 Plymouth Cricket

* 1973 Fiat 124 Coupe

CAFFEINE ALERT: The Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop is on a mission to stamp out sleepy drivers. The eatery, located near an onramp of the Hollywood Freeway, has put its slogan on postcards (see photo) and T-shirts.

TWEEDLE DUM AND TWEEDLE DEE: Clay Heery of Rancho Palos Verdes noticed a puzzling announcement about name changes at Continental Cablevision, where some bureaucrats must have nothing to do (see excerpt).

Reminds us of the time that the L.A. Visitors and Convention Bureau decided to radically change its name . . . to the L.A. Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A GOOD DAY TO BE NAMED JAMES BROWN: Singer James Brown will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this morning. Some hours later, actor and former football star James Brown (you know him as Jim) will receive a career achievement award at the Spirit Awards dinner at the Biltmore Hotel. For all we know, Fox-TV broadcaster James Brown may also be the subject of a tribute somewhere as well.

In the case of the soul-singing James Brown, by the way, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman who made the announcement has a very appropriate last name. She’s Ana Martinez-Holler.

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Have you noticed that on its bills, Blockbuster Video refers to charges for tardily returned tapes as “extended viewing fees?” No matter what euphemism they use, when we get one of those charges, we always feel like a blockhead.