Valley Talk

Super Bowl Pep Talk Mayoral hopeful Antonio Villaraigosa was no doubt hoping for a three-peat when he arrived at Dr. Gary Gitnick’s annual Super Bowl party in Encino. True, neither St. Louis nor Tennessee had ever played in the big game. But the state Assembly speaker had something else in mind. He was slated to give the annual halftime speech to the 160 or so power brokers assembled in Gitnick’s expansive living room, and on balconies overhead. Only two campaigning politicians had given the speech during the 10 years that Gitnick has held his annual pigskin-fest: Richard Riordan prior to his first election as mayor and Gray Davis prior to his being elected governor. Villaraigosa certainly had an influential audience. Among those on hand were former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, District Attorney Gil Garcetti, Creative Artists Agency CFO Bob Goldman and actor Brendan Frazer. (“He’s the guy who played ‘Encino Man,'” Gitnick points out.) Gitnick, who is chief of digestive diseases at the UCLA Medical Center, only requires his halftime speech-givers to abide by two rules. First, they must speak primarily about educational issues. Second, they must not make any pitches for contributions. “We don’t do that nobody does,” Gitnick stresses. “This is not a fund-raiser.” Too bad. Villaraigosa has only raised $340,000 so far, according to last week’s campaign filings, roughly $1 million less than contender Steve Soboroff. Dream Lover When Susan Stofsky’s boyfriend left town, she didn’t just sit around pining. Stofsky built herself a new one. The result is Huggable Hunks, a life-sized, buffed-out pillow of a guy that Stofsky is now selling over her Internet site, www.huggablehunks.com. The Van Nuys entrepreneur points out that her hunk is not anatomically correct, but he does have a sensitive side. Each doll is outfitted with a long-stemmed rose, and customers who buy the hunk receive a card on their birthday and Valentine’s Day. Best of all, he’s always there. The 5-foot-8-inch dolls weigh only 13 pounds and can be folded to fit in a suitcase for those who don’t want to leave home without one. Though the idea was hatched because Stofsky wanted something to cuddle during her beau’s absence, she now plans to expand the line so that customers can order the hunk with their choice of hair, eye and complexion colors. The doll costs $175 but the temporary pinch on your pocketbook may be cheaper than the emotional punch some other guys pack. Music to Their Ears Studio City shoppers are known for their distinctive tastes. So it may not be surprising that the new Ralphs that recently opened on Ventura and Lankershim boulevards isn’t just offering piped-in music for the enjoyment of shoppers. It hired a live band. Rick Rossi and Taurus were booked for the store’s grand opening last month, but the jazz band made such a hit the store decided to keep them playing on weekends throughout January. Dot-Com Caveman When Thousand Oaks-based Homestore.com held a cubicle-decorating contest for employees, graphic designer Paul Gofberg got into the spirit with a very retro idea. He built himself a cave, complete with stalactites and a bearskin rug. By coincidence, Homestore also debuted a TV ad around that time in which a prehistoric family upgrades to a larger, nicer cave. The company even hired a set designer to build a cave in the lobby to complement the marketing campaign. Gofberg was so impressed that he moved his desk there and worked while clad in a caveman costume. But after a few days of constant distractions, he returned to his own cubicle and lost the prehistoric garb, which he said was “a little drafty.” “I can see why cotton fabrics were invented,” he said. Romance on the Road This month’s Los Angeles magazine features “A Guide to Love in Los Angeles” with 10 hot date suggestions for Valentine’s Day. Topping the list is dinner at the Hotel Bel-Air and a night in a suite with a jacuzzi, fireplace and four-poster bed. Also included is a trip up Mulholland Drive for a little necking. But why is suggestion No. 5 a trip to San Francisco? And does a $2,500-a-night stay at Tippi Hedren’s Shambala animal preserve in the Mojave Desert really merit spot No. 4? It helps to remember that the magazine’s editorial staff is now dominated by ex-New Yorkers. They didn’t return calls last week maybe because Walt Disney Co. had just sold the magazine to Emmis Communications in Indianapolis.