Wait, Who's That Interchange Named After? 'Ida Know.'

Like me, you may have been stuck inching along the 110, approaching the Four-Level Interchange with the 101 when you see this sign: Bill Keene Memorial Interchange.

What? Why would Caltrans name a freeway interchange after the creator of one of the least funny comic strips in history, "Family Circus"?

What again? Oh. Apparently the creator of "Family Cirus" is actually a guy named Bil Keane.

The Bill Keene Memorial Interchange was actually named after a former KNXT-TV and KNX radio reporter, who applied several nicknames to it over the years. Kind of an unusual choice to name an interchange, complete with sign (above) -- after someone in the media.

Last Week's Weird Comic Strip Crossover

This is strange... after years of knocking the treacle that is "Family Circus" (and enjoying the parodies, such as the The Nietzsche Family Circus, I've got some newfound respect for the comic.

In particular, it looks like cartoonist Jeff Keane, who's now handling the strip for father Bil, has a sense of humor about it all. That's because he recently played along with "Pearls without Swine" cartoonist Stephan Pastis, who has made a habit of breaking the fourth wall in his strip. Pastis regularly coordinates non-sequitur gags with other comics to run the same day -- making for a unique gag in papers where both strips run.

But "Family Circus" would seem to be an unlikely partner in crime for Pastis, whose strip is everything "Family Circus" isn't: Edgy, rude... and, well, funny.

Above, here's how the two strips looked last week -- at least L.A. Times comics readers saw both, even if they were left scratching their heads.