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The Villainess
Alexa Servodidio She looks like a nice girl, but if prompted, she can pivot and deliver a vicious roundhouse kick. Alexa, a trained kick boxer, plays the arch villainess in the martial arts film, "Beautiful," which just finished shooting in Queens. Her role is a far cry from Alexa’s modeling gigs as a wedding bride or a sweet little girl in Christmas commercials. "I’m always the quiet girl next door. It’s always nice to show different sides," said Alexa. Though she is from West-chester, her business and personal life frequently bring her to Queens. In November she was part of a pilot game show called "You Might Make It," which was shot in Bar 9 in College Point. She described the show as the The Weakest Link meets Survivor. Actors and performers show off their talent for two minutes and they eventually start eliminating themselves until the last contestant is left standing. The show is as cutthroat as the acting business, according to Alexa. Close friends of Alexa in Maspeth always drag her out to Queens where she dances at the Crazy Moose on Bell Boulevard or drinks a good cappuccino at the Fame Diner. About Queens she says, "it’s really close to her" and "the Christmas trees are cheaper." It was eight years ago that Alexa started modeling professionally and two years later she started acting. The fruits of labor put her on the cover of Nancy Drew books. Alexa’s screen debut was when she was just a child and her father worked in the broadcasting department of Ch. 9. She joined family members to wish viewers a merry Christmas. Glamour magazine recently chose her as one of the City’s top ten physical trainers. After three years of training in martial arts and learning some deadly moves from an-Israeli commando, Alexa started to train others. "It’s fun, but not great on the nails," she said. Modeling and acting have only begun to pay her bills. Alexa plans on working in a foster care center or a domestic violence center to help people as a social worker. She just received her master’s in Social Work at Fordham University. And yes guys, she’s single! The Congressman & The KingCongressman Gary Ackerman, the ranking Dem on the House International Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, attempted to help jump-start the Mid-East peace process by traveling to the area and meeting with the region’s key leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Jordan’s King Abdullah, among others.
While meeting with the King in Amman, Ackerman thanked him for his support of the peace process and of America’s war on terrorism. The discussion went so well that the Congressman took off his New York Big Apple pin and pinned it on the King. Ackerman said the King stood at attention like a soldier as if he was receiving a medal. Clearly, it was quite an occasion for the King. The two also talked about that cargo ship with 50 tons of weapons that Israel had just captured in the Red Sea. Israeli intelligence said the weapons came from Iran and were to have been delivered to the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip. After Ackerman asked his thoughts on the seizure, the King replied that he knew the Israeli’s were tracking the ship for quite a while. He said they could have intercepted the ship at any time but timing is everything and they probably waited until U.S. Mid-East mediator General Anthony Zini arrived to maximize its effect. The King added that "one of his neighbors from next door [Israel]" gave him a call before the ship was grabbed and said your majesty, if you’re on the beach, send for your binoculars because were about to put on a show for you. Ackerman refused to meet with Arafat this trip since Israel provided irrefutable evidence that he was behind the attempt to smuggle in the ship of weapons. Mets Fan Oasis Mets fans looking for a place to grab a bite and catch a glimpse of memorabilia belonging to their Flushing favorites now have a place in Queens to call their own – Bobby V’s Sports Bar and Restaurant. The restaurant is named after and owned by Mets manager Bobby Valentine and is located just across the Grand Central Parkway from Shea Stadium inside the Ramada Plaza Hotel. The Queens Bobby V’s opened late last year with little fanfare but a lot to offer for Mets fans. Dishes like "Piazza Pasta," "Seaver’s Sizzling Strip Steak" and "Keith ‘Mex’ Hernandez Nachos" are on the menu and baseball memorabilia belonging to Mets legends and baseball greats including Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider and Hank Aaron adorn the walls and tables. The Queens Bobby V’s is the Mets skipper’s third restaurant location but first in NY. Oh, Archie!"Those were the days…," Archie Bunker and his wife sang in the opening tune for "All In The Family," the controversial television program of the 1970’s which challenged political correctness and race relations in America.
It seems as though times have changed in the area the tv-show portrayed which is now City Councilman Eric Gioia’s district. Behind the scenes of the Hip Hop Youth Summit at York College in Jamaica, 26th Council District’s Gioia talked with the organizer of Louis Farrakahn’s Million Man March, Minister Benjamin Muhammad. We couldn’t overhear the conversation, but wonder if ol’ Archie is turning over in his grave. Just FolkNewly minted deputy mayor, Dennis Walcott recently attended Leroy Comrie’s Council swearing ceremony at the Episcopal Church of St. Alban the Martyr where both pols have been members since childhood. Walcott was seated on the dais (the altar) along with other dignitaries including US Senator Chuck Schumer, Speaker Giff Miller, Beep Helen Marshall and Councilman Eric Gioia. After paying tribute to Comrie, Walcott noticed that there were too many people standing and proceeded to schlep folding chairs from the church’s office for guests. Senator Malcolm Smith and a member of his staff also pitched in to form an impromptu assembly line of chair distribution. Dignitaries one minute, helping hands the next . . . these guys prove you’re never too big to get your hands dirty. The Difference?The WB 11 Morning News played mix and match with Belle Harbor activists during a rare Queens mention on Jan. 21. During a story about a Jan. 20 meeting in the Rockaways regarding flight paths from JFK Airport, the station showed footage of activist Lew Simon - a man who ran for City Council in District 32 - angrily discussing how the Flight 587 tragedy could have been prevented if planes were forced to fly over water. The WB 11 identified Simon as Peter Larkin, a different activist. Ah, all activists are the same anyway, right?
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