Glad to be of service

This week’s surprise for readers: It takes more than a little

camouflage and misdirection to confuse members of the Daily Pilot

staff.

When the TV show “The West Wing” set a storyline in Orange County,

for instance, we were quickly wise to the references to the Pilot.

The fact that a character mentioned “The Daily Pilot” was only one of

our clues.

Now, the TV show “The OC” is playing it perhaps more coolly, but

we’ve got the writers figured out. They’re among our faithful

readers.

How else to explain one of the current storylines, in which the

two main adult male characters are buying “The Lighthouse,” an “Old

Newport” style bar and restaurant that otherwise is going the way of

John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart, the types who used to frequent it.

Sound familiar? Remember the news that the Arches restaurant will

be packing up and moving from its Old Newport Boulevard site?

Remember that it appeared just weeks ahead of this latest storyline?

Yeah, we know what’s up. And we’re OK with being a tip sheet. All

we need for confirmation is a character to get a little littering

ticket while horseback riding (and maybe a royalty check).