Schwarzenegger flattered by local musician's birthday tribute

Arnold Schwarzenegger says that he's "been roasted by the Friars Club . . . sculpted in salt-water taffy... had my painting done in jelly beans," but that the birthday song he received from East Falls' Harry Jay Katz "is one of the most creative birthday tributes I have ever received."

Katz asked musician Skip Denenberg to write and record a birthday song for Schwarzenegger, who turned 62 on July 30. In a recent letter to Katz, the California guv said that he had just gotten around to listening to the song but was "very, very grateful." He sent his best to Katz' girlfriend, Debra Renee Cruz, and said that he hopes to see Katz sometime "before we get too old to recognize each other."

Denenberg told us yesterday that he's glad that Schwarzenegger enjoyed the song, and said that he's been an Ah-nuld fan since the early '80s, when he encountered the aspiring actor at Joe Allen's in Los Angeles. "Schwarzenegger lit up the stinkiest cigar you could ever imagine," says Denenberg, who was trying to eat and sarcastically thanked the Austrian for smoking. Denenberg has never forgotten that Schwarzenegger misunderstood him and reached into his pocket to "graciously" offer the stranger one of his cigars.