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The Politics of Modeling
Inna
Raziyeva Russian
beauty Inna Raziyeva was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, but was soon moved
by her family from the Russian territories to the resort town of Pyatigorsk,
which is nestled between the Baltic and the Caspian Sea. That was a big
change for a young girl, but it was nothing like moving to Queens. Before
Inna could even think about modeling, she had to concentrate on passing
classes in a school where the teachers spoke a very funny language –
American English. Inna had studied a little British English behind the iron
curtain, but not enough to smoothly transition into the world of Queens
slang. Inna
had two choices: she could travel in Russian circles, speaking only Russian
and reading Russian newspapers, or she could force herself to speak English.
She
chose the latter and today, only four years later, laughs about her
linguistic inadequacies. She’s
now studying political science and journalism at Queens College, and plans
on getting a law degree from NYU. She’s
also picking up a third language: modeling. Inna recently strutted down the
runway at the Faberge Expo in Forest Hills
– a show designed to promote the hair salon of the same name. She
also posed on stage in matrimonial garb to promote a Queens bridal shop. Modeling
is more of a hobby for Inna, who sees herself debating national politics
some day. And though she plans on looking good doing it, she doesn’t see
modeling as a long term career plan. “I
enjoy [modeling]. I like it but, as you know, modeling careers are not so
stable, as they say. People get older, and if I dedicated all those young
years to modeling, by the time I turn 35, I’ll have nothing to do,
really.” While
she continues to work her way to a diploma at Queens College, Inna likes to
spent her leisure time going out with friends — who are mostly Russian —
and dancing. She
speaks a mixture of Russian and English with her friends, about a 75/25 mix
in favor of English. She
says when her friends heard of her plans to attend law school, they compared
Inna to Reese Witherspoon in the movie “Legally Blonde.”
It’s
during well-organized publicity events that elected officials can usually
hit a few easy homeruns and gain some positive press coverage. Well,
chalk up three strikes for freshman Assemblyman Jose Peralta, who got
it all wrong at two recent publicity events. Strikes
one and two came when Peralta tried promoting the upcoming Pan-American
Games by announcing that the event’s torch was being paraded down
Roosevelt Avenue.
Peralta
missed what should have been an easy base hit:
In a statement released by his own office, Peralta is quoted as
saying, “It is an honor for me to receive the Olympic Torch on behalf of
Queens…” Olympic?
Sorry Jose, no such luck — the Pan American Games Torch. Strike
two: A follow-up phone call to his office revealed that his own staff
didn’t even know when or where the Pan-American Games were being held. The
whole idea of having the torch pass through Queens was to raise awareness
for those Games. For
the record, they begin August 1 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Then
Peralta swung and missed with the bases loaded! He
had Miss Universe, the comely, Amelia Vega, and invited her to speak
at the AIDS ward at Elmhurst Hospital.
The
Peralta press release indicated the wrong month (June not July) and Elmhurst
Hospital wasn’t informed Miss Universe was even coming. Finally,
if the novice legislator would have placed even a single phone call before
arranging the event, he would have learned that Elmhurst doesn’t even have
an AIDS ward. Oooops! In
an attempt to clarify several convoluted releases, we emailed the Peralta
office numerous times over the past month plus. After this was written, the
Assemblyman finally returned our call and scheduled a meeting. Jose,
welcome to the Major Leagues. Shoe
Time It’s
shoe time for Curtis Jackson, the insanely popular South Jamaica
rapper who’s known around the world as 50 Cent.
Reebok
announced recently that it’s starting a “long-term partnership” with
50 that includes “a signature collection of athletic footwear called the
‘G-Unit Collection by Rbk.’”
G-Unit
is 50’s “crew,” a circle of close friends and associates who share his
rap and other chill-out-and-make-money endeavors.
Reebok
said that the collection “will feature clean, court-inspired designs that
reflect 50 Cent’s style and flavor.”
50,
in a corporate kiss back, said “Reebok’s Rbk Collection is the real
thing when it comes to connecting with street and hip-hop culture.”
He introduced his new gear when he performed in the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, and will continue to promote the collection on stage during his “Rock The Mic” music tour, which brought him to Jones Beach this week.
‘Fair’
Gwyneth
Word
has it that actress Gwyneth Paltrow has signed on for a role playing
a reporter working on a local story in the upcoming film “World Of
Tomorrow” – which borrows its title from the theme of the 1939 World’s
Fair held in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The
film is a “1930s-set
pulp fiction action adventure involving an accomplished female airplane
pilot, a swashbuckling adventurer, and a reporter,” according to the
website starseeker.com. The
film is described by the producer as being “retro sci-fi” in the vein
of, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and is scheduled for release sometime in
2004. Non-Vicious
Cycle
During the coldest days of the U.S.-French diplomatic deep-freeze, one bicycle shop managed to avoid politics, leaving its giant “Arc De Triomphe” awning proudly displayed on Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill.
Arc
De Triomphe bike shop owner Russell Alonzo said, even during the
heated diplomatic escalation regarding the Iraqi war, none of Arc De
Triomphe’s customers ever made a nasty comment about the shop’s
politically un-popular name. “I
don’t think you’re ever going to be able to remove the French influence
from cycling. And whatever the political flavor of the day might be,
that’s something that’s set in stone and isn’t going to change.” It
is true, the Arc De Triomphe in France serves as the finish line for the
greatest bike race ever, the Tour De France, but the store’s name has even
more significance: the store’s founder is French. But
this time of year, Arc De Triomphe is all stars and stripes. “We’re
always rooting for Lance – he’s our boy,” said Alonzo, son of the
original owner, referring to Lance Armstrong, probably the greatest
American cyclist ever who this year will once again attempt to make the
French Alps look like rolling hills and win his fifth Tour De France in a
row. Oh,
by the way, the only other cyclist to win five Tours in a row was Bernard
Hinault, a Frenchman.
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