Minnesota Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher, a DFLer, recently engaged in change that at least one Republican could believe in.

Kelliher and her daughter were coming out of the Lunds in Uptown when they noticed an older gentleman starting to change his tire. "He was really struggling getting the tire off, " Kelliher told me Friday, apologizing for not getting the man's name. He didn't want any help. But as she watched him "having a hard time of it," Kelliher said she insisted. "By using a little muscle we got [the flat] off, then we put the next one on and I got it tightened up to his sufficient liking."

While changing the tire, the gentleman, an octogenarian, talked about his wife, who was probably wondering what was taking him so long at the grocery store, and his kids. "He was very proud of his kids and how well they've done. He loved that I was telling him about growing up on the farm and how I learned to do everything. You had to, and so I learned to drive a tractor when I was 5 and change a tire. Then he asked, So what do you do? I told him," Kelliher said, "and he said, Ohhhh, I'm pretty sure I haven't voted for you. I said, 'That's just fine. I wanted to help you.'"

This incident has the makings of a great campaign slogan for Kelliher if she decides to run for governor. Margaret Anderson Kelliher: Willing to get her hands dirty for all Minnesotans.

LaToya tried to lie low LaToya Jackson created quite the spectacle dining next to Hubbard Broadcasting exec Harold Crump at Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills. It was the day after Michael Jackson's memorial service.

"She was wearing a big hat she was trying to hide behind at the beginning. People would talk and go back and forth and several people tried to take pictures of her," Crump told me. "Each time they did, we noticed she would hold a napkin up in front of her face." The tables were so close, "we could overhear the conversation."

Jackson said something odd when she and her male companion -- Crump didn't know if this was the handsome hunk who drove her to Forest Lawn for her brother's private funeral service -- got up to leave. "She said, I'm just so glad to have this other over with so I can go out and be myself again. That wasn't the exact quote, 'cause I just don't remember exact quotes," he said. '"I had never seen her before. They had to tell me who she was."

Crump was dining with fellow members of the Muscular Dystrophy Association board.

The Groban has landed Keep your eyes peeled for Josh Groban.

"Just landed in Minneapolis for another few days of writing with the wonderful Dan Wilson. I really love this city," Groban tweeted Sunday via Twitter.

Ann E. Moe loves you back, Groban. Moe sent me an e-mail about Groban's tweet regarding his arrival here to work with Wilson, of Semisonic and "formerly of Trip Shakespeare, writing songs probably for Josh's next CD!!!!" Moe's a little excited, but she claims not to be like "those other fans. I have been a fan of Josh's for several years. He inspires me. He's just a wonderful human being, besides his voice and being darned good-looking. I mean he was just in New York singing for Nelson Mandela Day. That was inspiring."

I'd give Groban Ann's Twitter identity, but her Boadicia is not coming up when I search. Moe is going to look me up on Twitter at "Dish Central by C.J." when she gets home from her insurance company job, so we can coordinate our Groban coverage.

Sukhum's got the stuff Minneapolis painter Pamela Sukhum should be a shoo-in for Bravo's artsy new show.

The as-yet-untitled show produced by actor Sarah Jessica Parker "will try to do for the contemporary art world what the cable channel has done for the worlds of fine cuisine ('Top Chef') and fashion ('Project Runway')," according to Monday's NYT story by Randy Kennedy. Kennedy wrote a story about the NYC casting for the show, which also sought talent in Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago.

Haven't heard from Sukhum, who left Minneapolis last week for Chicago with my edited version of her 14-minute, 7-second video of the June performance she did at her Infinite Vision Art Studio, part of a Minneapolis Institute of Arts event. Sukhum's performance (see it again at startribune.com/video) rivaled watching Jackson Pollock or Peter Max at work, from where I paint. What Sukhum produced in less than 15 minutes was glorious enough for a wall at SJP's home, even though this was just the first phase of the process.

With Parker's name attached to this project, I don't imagine the artists will be subjected to some of the usual reality show ridiculousness.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.