Richard Montoya of Culture Clash (left, as Sen. Gilbert Garcia in "Water and Power" at the Taper) recently joined the Villaraigosa Administration as a commissioner on the Cultural Affairs board. So his zinger as emcee at last night's party at Cicada for estranged mayoral pal State Sen. Gilbert Cedillo set tongues to wagging. I'm told he acknowledged ex-mayor Jim Hahn in the audience then quipped, "a man whose record as mayor is looking better and better every day!" Montoya spent the rest of the night assuring people it was a joke. Just like in "Water and Power" (which Montoya wrote too ) when a character quips of Villaraigosa, "Beneath the fancy suits beats the heart of a cholo that was kicked out of Cathedral High." I was right — the mayor didn't attend. (Earlier: Montoya chats with Jenny Burman at Chicken Corner.)

Original good reads from LA Observed contributors:

→ Erika Schickel gives her savvy shopper's guide for surviving the Divine Design sale, held this year in the abandoned Robinson's-May store in Beverly Hills:

Come dressed for public undressing. Wear leggings, a skirt and a sport top of some kind....Why waste precious time going in and out of a dressing room when you can just rip off your clothes in front of everyone and shimmy into your frock?...I came with two gal pals and we hit the ground running, fanning out across the floor. A good friend worth her salt will know what you like and nab stuff for you in her travels. Also, if you like her taste you can try on her cast-offs.

→ Each December there is one question David Rensin dreads hearing or asking: "Honey, what do you want for Christmas?"

→ While Jessica Simpson got to redo her Washington performance for the TV cameras, Victor Merina's cameo as a disheveled-looking, wind-blown reporter seen in the background on the Supreme Court steps remains archived on CSPAN.

→ Bill Boyarsky found the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for the Times a little odd and rookie publisher David Hiller too star-struck:

[He] was too awed, too loving of Hollywood, too much the visitor to town trying hard to impress, a presidential candidate on an early trip to Iowa. He didn't know LA. He didn't seem to understand that while a star on Hollywood Boulevard is OK, it's not an Oscar or a place in the baseball Hall of Fame. He's the big guy in the group of new Times guys in town and he and the others are feeling and fumbling their way around in a strange place.

→ When you get up too early in Malibu, what is there to do but hit the bluff? Veronique de Turenne checks out the dawn.