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Models Of Queens
Katrina Reed
Rosedale hottie Katrina Reed has gone from waiting tables in Rego Park to turning heads nationwide in Spike Lee’s upcoming movie, at the MTV Video Music Awards, and at a music industry party with legendary Cool DJ Red Alert. Katrina, 21, said when she was first approached by a modeling scout, "I didn’t take it seriously. I was with my friends so I tried to shrug it off." She was waiting tables at Rego Park’s Red Lobster, but quickly found herself in fashion shows and promotional events throughout the city. Soon, moviegoers nationwide will get a chance to see a glimpse of Rosedale’s most attractive export. She’ll play a protester in Spike Lee’s soon to be released movie "She Hates Me" which she says, "is about a man who donates sperm to lesbians so they can have kids." After playing a businesswoman in a commercial promoting the "MTV Video Music Awards" this year, we can see how she caught Spike’s eye. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to see Reed get in front of the camera. Although she’s still modeling and popping up at celebrity events, the knock-out said she’s looking to make a name for herself in another arena: broadcast journalism. "At first, I just wanted to be a writer and do journalism for a magazine or newspaper," she told QConf. But after high-profiled events, like promoting Eminem’s fashion line at Red Alert’s birthday party, "I felt more comfortable in front of the camera and fell in love with that." A self-described "shopaholic" who "can’t get passed a good deal," Katrina still finds time to head to her favorite shopping destination: Queens Center Mall — look for her at Bang Bang. There, she tries finding trendy clothes that fit her 5’7, 108 pound frame. "I’m out of the baggy clothes era…all of my clothes are form fitted, even the sporty stuff," she told us. "I always wear heels, I’m really girly."
King of Queens Hits DVD As if reruns weren’t enough to satisfy all the nostalgia-starved couch potatoes out there, one after another, TV favorites are going to the DVD factory and coming out as pre-packaged, ready-to-consume digital leftovers.
Video stores gobbled up "Friends," "The Sopranos" and "Sex in the City" – even Beavis & Butthead. So why not the "King of Queens"? The three-DVD set containing all 25 first-season episodes of the runaway hit sitcom recently went on sale. For those who don’t want to pay $30-$40 to purchase reruns, it’s also available at Blockbuster. Starring Kevin James, Leah Remini and Jerry Stiller, each episode follows this make-believe blue-collar Queens family through the wacky idiosyncrasies of everyday life. James and Remini play Doug and Carrie Hefferman, while Stiller rounds out the cast as Carrie’s cantankerous live-in father. Not exactly a new formula, but hey, it’s a Queens comedy and it’s enough to garner five-star reviews from Amazon.com customers. One Amazon.com reviewer called the show an "underestimated hit." He went on to say that "unlike most other sitcoms, ‘The King of Queens’ mirrors our lives; the ups, the downs, the trials and the tribulations. And all with a hilarious ending." In Bad Taste Queens native and celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito hit the small screen this year with the reality television show "The Restaurant," and although he gained plenty of fans and fame, he didn’t gain any respect from one television authority. In its annual end of year best and worst awards, TV Guide magazine awarded Rocco and his show an ominous title – worst food fight of the year. Pointing to the constant bickering that took place in the dining room and kitchen of Rocco’s on 22nd Street – the establishment that was featured on the show – the mag said, "If we wanted to see bickering in a bistro, we’d invite our parents out to dinner." Sorry, Rocco. On the upside, the show is back for a second season. Filming started on Nov. 17, and there has already been some controversy. Rocco was set to join four other famous chefs at the Four Seasons restaurant in November to cook a special meal for two Spanish superstar chefs. When the film crew for "The Restaurant" showed up, Four Seasons co-owner Julian Niccolini turned them away. He said in one published report, "I’m running a real restaurant here and we’re going to focus on serving great food to nice people, not on a TV show." After protesting, Rocco stormed out with his girlfriend Yvonne Scio. It’s going to be a good year. Stand Up Guy
Tony Avella may hold a seat as Bayside’s Councilman, but nobody saved him a seat when Mayor Bloomberg came to Queens last week to deliver his annual State of the City address.
Our QConf sources spotted Avella standing among the City Hall pencil pushers in the back of Silvercup Studios East, where Bloomberg spoke. How come the Mayor or Speaker of the City Council didn’t save a seat for their colleague? Are people at City Hall still fuming because Avella went on NY 1 criticizing the Mayor’s smoking ban after voting for it? Or is Speaker Gifford Miller still upset that Avella didn’t join other Dems in the Council in voting for an unpopular but necessary 18.5 property tax increase? People who somehow beat out Avella for seating at the high-profiled event included members of local community boards and students from Elmhurst’s Louis Armstrong Middle School and Long Island City’s Academy of American Studies. Tony, now you can really say you’re a "stand-up" guy. Practice What You Preach Mayor Mike Bloomberg traveled out to Bayside recently to unveil a new pilot program to let New Yorkers ride the commuter rail lines on the weekends for a low, flat rate. CityTickets, as the program is called, will give outer-borough residents a fast and cheap way to get into Manhattan on the weekends, Bloomberg said. The press conference, attended by the traveling media horde that follows the Mayor from City Hall, was held at the Bayside Long Island Rail Road station. As Bloomberg spoke, and MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow looked on anxiously, the automated voice that informs waiting commuters of incoming trains interrupted occasionally. With each passing train that was announced "on time," both men seemed to exhale in relief. Bloomberg promoted the speed with which commuter trains reach Penn Station and compared the travel time unfavorably to other methods. "You can get from Bayside to Manhattan in 25 minutes," he said. "I challenge you to do that in a car." None of the visiting reporters took him up on the challenge, preferring to ride the rails back into Manhattan, but Bloomberg and his official entourage of transportation officials and bodyguards had a different plan. The whole group, including Kalikow and other top MTA officials, hopped into black Suburbans and cruised back over the river – behind a police escort, which probably makes it easier to get there in about 25 minutes.
You can reach us by e-mail at conf@queenstribune.com E-MAIL your items to: conf@queenstribune.com
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