Actor-Lawyer-Economist -- and Keynote Speaker -- Ben Stein

Rent-a-Joke: [Fill in Name of Chief Rival Here]

One gets the feeling that Ben Stein, who gave the keynote address at Edina Realty's annual meeting today, is an old hand at "riding" the corporate meeting circuit.

The clues?

--The crowd-pleasing shots he took at Edina Realty's senior "pooh-bah's" and their corporate jet (do they have one??)

--His repertoire of amusing jokes and anecdotes, including this one (loosely paraphrased):

To celebrate the 12th birthday of Hassan, his most beloved son (of dozens), the Saudi King chartered a Boeing jet to take Hassan and dozens of his friends abroad.

While in flight, the King asks Hassan if he likes the jet.

"Of course," Hassan answers. "It's amazing."

"Done!" the King announces. "It's yours."

When the jet lands at LAX, a fleet of limousines meets the birthday party, who set out for The Beverly Hills Hotel.

Once they've settled into their rooms, the King asks Hassan what he thinks of the hotel.

"Unbelievable," Hassan answers, genuinely dazzled.

"It's yours, I'm buying it for you!" The King declares.

The next day, the fleet of limousines takes the group to Disneyland, which has been emptied for the enjoyment of the private guests.

In the middle of a ride, the King asks Hassan, "So, what do you think of Disneyland?"

"Oh, Father," Hassan answers. "You've already bought me enough for my birthday. Please don't buy me Disneyland. All I really want is a Mickey Mouse outfit."

So the King bought Hassan . . . . Coldwell Banker Burnet.