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Write On, Brionna!
Brionna
Cosky Laurelton’s
Brionna Cosky is not just a model. A
fourth grader, she left the gifted and talented program at P.S. 38 to
concentrate on her writing skills at P.S. 176 in Cambria Heights, a
“school without boundaries.” At
three, Brionna was reciting Maya Angelou poems. Now, at the age of nine, she
is a published poet herself – one of the
pieces she wrote for school ended up in an anthology of poetry for
children. She dances, acts, and does
gymnastics, and her mother Bridgette said she even wants to be president
some day. But she’ll try modeling first. Brionna
recently entered a city-wide contest at Kids ‘R Us and mom is
presently negotiating with the
retailer about a modeling contract. Brionna takes acting and modeling classes at Camera 2 Studios in Forest Hills, but her guiding force is PS 176's Ms. Katan, who pushes Cosky to broaden her literary horizons, and gives her more advanced poetry to read – sometimes a little too advanced. The womanly words of Maya Angelou can sound strange coming from the mouth of a fourth grader. But Cosky’s mother says, somehow, the young performer makes it work. Hollywood
In Astoria
There
were no fans or recognizable stars visible on the corner of 30th Avenue in
Astoria where NYU filmmaking students Paul Jarrett and Nick Huston
were shooting their movie based on Anthony Baez, the man who in 1994 died of
injuries sustained during his arrest by officers from 46th Precinct in the
Bronx. There
were plenty of cameras and lights, including one that blew over in the wind
and broke, interestingly enough. The
film, which will be a short, portrays the evening when officers allegedly
grabbed Baez, put him in a choke hold, then placed him face down on the
ground while other officers knelt on his back. An hour later, Baez died at a
nearby hospital. It
should be interesting. Viagra
Comfort
The
City is trying to ease the pain some smokers are feeling due to the new ban
on smoking in bars and restaurants. In
addition to the free nicotine patches, the City could consider providing
some Viagra. Endorphins
are the body’s own chemical answer to overworked muscles and well-worn
nerves. Physical activity, such
as running, often produces high levels of endorphins, resulting in a
‘runners high.’ But for
smoking bar hoppers stamping out the butt for good, the most likely natural
activity to increase endorphins is sex.
The
goal for many beer guzzlers and martini sippers is to increase their
bodies’ endorphin levels through physical activities with multiple
partners. With the smoke ban firmly in place citywide, providing
Viagra to the nicotine- patched bar crowds could ease the physical pains of
the cigarette withdrawal. Would
increased Viagra distribution lead to increases in after-sex smoking?
Sorry, at presstime, spokesmen for the City's Department of Health
were “at a meeting and out of town," for comment. Ground
Zero Confidential
Rescue
and recovery workers at the World Trade Center site found a true menagerie
of items within the rubble – some “ordinary” items, some unusual, and
some downright bizarre. But
what amazed workers was the absence of
the large, bulk items one would have expected to survive the collapse
of the Twin Towers. There
were memos dated Sept. 11 from Aon Insurance, blackened melted eyeglasses,
photos in frames, pens, pencils, undamaged coffee mugs – even reusable
paper clips, sources said. Etched
in blue ink on a beam recovered at the site was a bit of history. It read,
“Monday, June 23, 1969. Earl Warren resigned. Judy Garland died." Strangely,
the crews did not recover one telephone, computer, fax, copy machine – or
other electronic equipment. Sources said the crews found wiring, and tiny
bits of plastic that "could have been some sort of office machine –
but not one [even damaged] office machine." The
intense heat, they said, melted
phones and phone lines – and much of the equipment. What didn’t melt was
turned to dust. There
were no doors, doorknobs or light fixtures lifted from the rubble, no large
wall fixtures or art. But
dozens of stuffed animals survived the collapse, along with lottery tickets,
a window “squeegee,” $15,000 in cash and coins, one lone orange, toilet
tissue and dozens of muffins, bagels and sandwiches – wrapped in plastic. Among
the bizarre was a 1999 Acura, found four stories below street level with its
lights on, keys in the ignition and running – with its radio on and tuned
to “News 88,” the sources said. Ironically,
when crews reached the auto, a news anchor was reporting on progress of the
recovery effort at Ground Zero. LL
Cool James
He’s known around the world for his cryptic but cool nickname, but now he wants to go back to the one he was born with in St. Albans.
LL
Cool J, whose trademark name stands for “Ladies Love Cool James,” was
born James Todd Smith. He’s
credited as “James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J” in his movie "Deliver
Us From Eva," which recently opened to lukewarm reviews. He’s
been saying in recent appearances that he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed
into being seen as just a rapper, so he would like to start using his real
name. One
incident he noted in particular was a picture of him in the New York
Post’s “Page Six,” in which he flashed a peace sign but was
captioned as making an unidentified hip-hop hand signal. So
is LL dead? No,
the famous rapper-turned-actor said. He’ll
always use his nickname for his music ventures. “Oh,
I’ll be LL Cool J forever,” J (or is it L) said in a recent interview.
Using James Todd Smith helps someone who might have a prejudice about rap
and might think the movie was skewed in that direction.” For
more about the man, try his official website:
www.llcoolj.com. A
tip for LL: Go and register www.jamestoddsmith.com
in case you ever decide to go all-original with your name, because
that address is still available.
E-MAIL your items to: conf@queenstribune.com
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