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Model of Persistence
Shelly
Straussberg Shelly
Straussberg’s modeling career has been on hold for most of her life. As
a small child, she loved getting in front of the camera. But
it wasn’t easy for Straussberg’s mom, an Israeli of Moroccan descent who
wasn’t able to put in the long hours it would have taken to keep her
daughter’s career going. Now,
Straussberg –
17 and preparing to get her GED – is looking for a re-birth in her
modeling career. “I
would love to be a Victoria’s Secret model,” says the aspiring siren. That’s
because Straussberg thinks she might be too short to strut down the runway.
But she doesn’t mind. She says you don’t have to be as tall to pose in
music videos and magazines. And
you never know. You might see Straussberg singing in a music video some day.
She says her voice sounds a little like Aaliyah’s. She has also taken
music lessons in attempts to couple looks with talent to create something
bigger. But
that’s nothing new in the Straussberg family. Straussberg’s sister was
also a model and is now getting her degree in film from NYU. And her older
brother is a rap artist looking to sign his first big contract. Before
she hits the big time, Straussberg stays around the house between shifts at
a local pizzeria and helps her mom. Straussberg
admits she’s not sure which road will take her back to the modeling world,
but she’s doing her best to get her name out there and hoping for a lucky
break. “I’m
getting older and this is what I really want to do,” she says. Quotes
From The Grave?
When
it comes to quoting the Weprins, the New York dailies seem to have an
unwritten rule – like father, like son.
At
least once every few months, one of the Weprin brothers – either
Councilman David or Assemblyman Mark – is accidentally
quoted under the name “Saul Weprin,” referring to their dad, who was
speaker of the State Assembly when he died in 1994. One
recent example of this error occurred in the May 8 edition of Newsday,
when “City Councilman Saul Weprin” was quoted as saying, “I can
envision a crisis in certain areas of Queens if we go from two to one,” on
the topic of garbage pick-ups. Pretty
amazing quote, since Saul is no longer alive and was never a councilman. In
fact, considering his death, it’s odd that Saul gets covered in the
dailies so much, but he does. David – the man who really gave the quote on
garbage pick-ups – told QConf, “It happens more often than
you would think,” but added, “It’s an easy mistake to make. It’s
hard to break a habit once you form it, and these guys wrote about my dad
for a lot of years.” That’s
pretty understanding of Saul, oops, we mean Mark, oops, we mean David. Ah, what’s the difference, right? Sorry
George
Last
week, QConfidential
reported on a couple of web sites using the name "WhiteHouse."
It seems that in one of the captions we identified the satire site with the
porn site Web address. Sorry. Taxing
Vote
There
was a moment of levity during the intense City Council voting on tax
increases and the punch line was pure Queens. As
the roster of the Council was called and the members stood to vote, Public
Advocate Betsy Gotbaum heard over and over again: “madam chair, may
I be excused to explain my vote?” Then followed a
conscience clearing by members who really didn’t want to be doing
the nasty tax deed. But,
insiders tell QConf, no explanation ran longer than the one
from southeast Queens Councilman Allan Jennings. In fact, we hear ,
that at one point in Jennings’ explanation, he even confused himself and
seemed uncertain whether he was a “yes” or “no” vote. By
the time the roster got down to northwest Queens Councilman Peter Vallone,
Jr., the room had its
fill of sorry explanations and just wanted it all to end. The
serious young Vallone offered his vote, and then rose and announced to the
weary chamber, its members and the Public Advocate: “Madam chair, may I be
excused to explain Allan Jennings’ vote?” The
silent room went into an uproar and we hear there were several who feared
they simply would not stop laughing. However,
there was no report on whether or not Jennings – known to QConf
as a public figure who doesn’t know the joy of being able to laugh at
himself – thought it was funny. We
did. A
Queens Kid's Ultimate Fantasy Is
Adrien Brody shy or what? Adrien
Brody won a lot more than an Academy Award on Oscar night. As QConf
previously reported, Brody took home the cell phone number of fellow Oscar
winner Nicole Kidman after accepting the honors for
the “The Pianist.” Recently,
Brody – a native of Queens – has been popping up in lots of paparazzi
photos with the leggy Australian starlet on his arm, leading to speculation
that Brody finally got around to asking Kidman out. It
turns out, however, that Brody was a bit too shy to call Kidman himself.
Asked when Brody finally got around to calling her, Kidman reportedly said
with a grin, “No, I called him.” Even with an Oscar for Best Actor, who can blame Brody for being bashful about making a move on the former Mrs. Tom Cruise? Losers
and Finks
If
you live in Ridgewood and feel like a loser, you’re not alone. Herbert,
Linda and at least four other Ridgewood residents listed in the phone book
have the last name Loser. In
fact, there was a high concentration of Finks found in the same
neighborhood. Seven to be exact, residing along Myrtle, Gates and Onderdonk
Avenues. And
if you think only a Putz would live in such a neighborhood, you’re right.
Frank Putz lives on Wiloughby Avenue. Now,
don’t get the wrong idea. If you think the people who live in Ridgewood
are Funny, you’d be wrong. Shawndell Funny lives on 196th Street in St.
Albans, near Jackie Money on 111th Road. Edited
by: Michael Schenkler & Tamara Hartman. Contributors: Reed
Albergotti, Steve Azzara, Ira Cohen, Marcia Moxam Comrie,
Steve McGuire, Angela Montefinise,
Mike Nussbaum, Azi Paybarah, Aaron Rutkoff,
Shams Tarek.
E-MAIL your items to: conf@queenstribune.com
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