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Photos by Steve Azzara |
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• Sound Bites • |
• WE HEAR THAT: The
four defendants in the Amadou Diallo trial had made a point about not appearing in public
together since the shooting but on the trial’s eve, they privately assembled in one
room. Why? Not to plot strategy with their attorneys. But, to watch the Super Bowl. |
• TRUMPED: Add
Donald Trump to the list of people who believe New York’s complicated ballot
qualifications need to be reformed. In a victory for Pat Buchanan, a State Judge
ruled last week that Trump’s name should be removed from the New York State
presidential primary ballot on the Reform line.
State Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNamara ruled that Trump’s supporters
did not comply with the law that requires 5,000 signatures from enrolled party members to
get a candidate on the ballot. |
• NAME GAME: TV
talk show host Rosie O’Donnell must think that a favorite species of flower
was named after her. The Oprah Winfrey wannabe is suing a radio station in Oregon
that is using her famous — and apparently trademarked — first name in its
promotional efforts. KRSK-FM in Portland is calling itself "Rosie 105" because
the city’s nickname is "Rose City."
But Warner Brothers and Telepictures, producer and distributor of
O’Donnell’s morning chatfest, have filed suit in Federal Court, alleging that
the West Coast radio station is capitalizing on Rosie’s fame. |
| • CONGRATS: Former whiz kid NYConfidential
reporter and Manhattan Spirit editor James Rutenberg has jumped ship
from The New York Observer after being wooed by The New York Times to cover
the television industry for the Gray Lady of West 42nd Street. Rutenberg cut his teeth a
few years back covering politics and media for this page. |
• BEEP BEEP: First
spotted at the Four Seasons with the Rudins, then lunching with Ed Koch at
Remi, former Bd. of Ed. Prez Carol Gresser apparently took some time off from
Queens power breakfasts and dialing for dollars to bring her Queens Beep campaign to the
City fathers. The Beep frontrunner has confided to friends that she loves fundraising.
Now, that’s a candidate! |
Holy Smokes
City cops are flammable. Yes – you
read it right. City cops are flammable, when they’re wearing their uniforms.
Independent tests conducted on the mostly
polyester and "some" cotton-blend duds sent sparks flying, sources said.
Insiders told NYConfidential that
the incendiary quality of the NYPD uniforms is no secret among the ranks of NY’s
Finest. Not that anyone cares, sources said.
A spokesperson for the PBA (the police
union)
said that PBA officials are seeking to force a change in the "texture" of police
garb, but that no immediate action was anticipated.
The specter of the dangers involved with
wearing the uniforms was intensified recently when a team of cops from Astoria climbed
fire escape ladders and broke down doors to an Astoria residence where they rescued 10
people – including two infants —from a smoky blaze.
The cops, dressed in the flammable uniforms
could have ignited, sources said.
Hot stuff.
Home Cooking
Who would’ve thought current U.S.
Senator Charles Schumer and the man he defeated (or some would say dragon he slew) Al
D’Amato, have more than being politicians in common?
It seems they both have cookbook
connections. D'Amato got a lot of mileage out of trotting "Mama" D’Amato
out on the campaign trail to dazzle all with her Italian delicacies. Now word comes that
"Mama" Schumer will be adding a recipe or two for a soon-to-be published
collection of recipes from residents of North Shore Towers, a co-op complex on the
Nassau/Queens border.
Maybe the two mothers should get together and pitch a show
to one of the food networks.
Bill's Film
Career
Since being a film critic has worked out so
well for former Mayor Ed Koch, maybe Bill Clinton wants to follow in his
footsteps and pursue a career in the film industry after he leaves office.
That’s the advice being offered by
none other than Roger Ebert, one half of the former thumbs up-thumbs down team that
revolutionized film criticism in the ‘90s.
During "Roger Ebert & The
Movies" on Fox recently, the round-faced reviewer asked the wannabe future First
Husband of New York State about rumors that he’s been mentioned as president of the
Motion Picture Association of America.
"I think he would make a great head of
the MPAA because American movies are one of our biggest exports — it’s a
combination of trade arrangements, treaties, diplomacy and glamour," Ebert told The
Post recently.
"My impression is that he’s a guy
who, if he didn’t have the White House screening room, would be
at the multiplex," Ebert said. The Prez said that "High Noon" is his
all-time favorite movie and also cited George Clooney’s "Three
Kings" as his Oscar pick for this year.
"He could talk about movies for a living. In the
course of my long and checkered career I’ve talked to a lot of people about movies
and [the President’s] got a razor-sharp memory. He had seen Meryl Streep’s
‘Music of the Heart’ — and even remembered her character’s name."
| Confidentially
New York . . . |
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E-MAIL your items to:
NYConf@NewsCommunications.com
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NYConfidential by Michael Schenkler
with: Tom Allon,
Steve Azzara, Peter Catapano, Ira Cohen, Richard Fasanella, Tamara Hartman, Barbara
Jarvie, Evan Kapitansky, Stephen McGuire, Mike Nussbaum, Mary Reinholtz, and Dee Richard. |
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