Queens Celebrities

Adrien Brody

Woodhaven
April 14, 1973
In 2002, the then-no name actor won an Oscar for The Pianist. At the ceremony, he smooched Halle Berry before giving a shout out to a Woodhaven childhood friend serving in Iraq.

Christopher Walken

Astoria
March 31, 1943
From Deer Hunter, Wayne’s World 2, to a music video for Fat Boy Slim, Walken has shocked, tickled and danced his way into cinematic history.

50 Cent

Jamaica
July 6, 1976
50 Cent smashed album sales records with his biographical debut album about getting shot, selling drugs and partying in clubs. 50, a.k.a. Curtis Jackson, survived a murder attempt and frequently sports a bulletproof vest.

LL Cool J

Hollis
January 14, 1968
Grandfather of rap, “Ladies Love Cool James” Todd Smith, a.k.a. LL Cool J, released 10 albums and parlayed his body builder’s physique and dimples into numerous leading roles in Hollywood.

Ron Jeremy

Flushing
March 12, 1953
The Cardozo High School and Queens College graduate made a name for himself on the other big screen, as the Don Juan of the adult movies. His flabby physique gives Jeremy, nicknamed the hedgehog, an everyman quality in a genre few will experience personally.

Paul Simon

Forest Hills
Oct. 13, 1941
The folksy guitar strummer from Forest Hills coupled nicely with neighborhood buddy Art Garfunkel. As a pair, the two scored numerous songs on The Graduate and are used in countless films. As a soloist, Simon tag teamed with Chevy Chase for one video. Ironically, a song from this Queens native helped rename the Queensboro Bridge the 59th Street Bridge.

Mario Cuomo

Hollis
June 15, 1942
From 1983 to 1994, New York State’s governor was an Italian kid who grew up near his parent’s food store in Hollis. An icon of the American Left, many hoped to see Cuomo in the White House, or on the Supreme Court. Despite his high popularity, Cuomo squashed both plans, and comments on today’s affairs as a lawyer in private practice.

Jerry Seinfeld

Queens College
April 29, 1954
The man behind the most successful sitcom in television history walked off the Queens College campus with a diploma in hand, hopped a train, and performed his first stand up bit shortly thereafter. He even came back to the borough to give a speech at the Frank Sinatra High School graduation in 2004.

Donald Trump

Jamaica Estates
June 14, 1946
The billionaire real estate developer who put his name on more buildings than a graffiti vandal now stars in a reality show where the young, and upwardly mobile vie to be his apprentice. Along with his aversion to shaking hands, the world was introduced to his other trademark: “You’re fired!”

Lucy Liu

Jackson Heights
December 2, 1968
One of Liu’s earliest appearances is as Tom Cruise’s ex-girlfriend in Jerry Maguire. From there, Liu’s beauty and penchant for deadpan humor captured audiences, and propelled her into the role as Alex Munday in Charlie’s Angels.

George Tenet

Bayside
January 5, 1953
The former director of the Central Intelligence Agency was one of the few Clinton holdovers in George W. Bush’s administration. Post Sept. 11 scrutiny of information gathering, combined with the lack of weapons of mass destruction he and other’s believed were in Iraq, brought calls for change to a fever pitch. Tenet resigned on May 26, 2004, reportedly, to spend more time with his family.

Top Ten Watched TV Shows

At least every household in America has a television, and according to the Nielsen poll, every household has a favorite television show. Because television shows come and go, the Nielsen ratings are released every week to determine what shows make it to the top spot.

1. C-S-I: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
2. Survivor: Vanuatu (CBS)
3. NFL Monday Night Football: Green Bay at Carolina (ABC)
4. Will & Grace (NBC)
5. Without a Trace (CBS) *
5. 60 Minutes (CBS)*
7. The Apprentice 2 (NBC)
8. Joey (NBC) *
8. NFL Monday Showcase (ABC)*
10. Siegfried and Roy: Miracle

* Duplicate numbers represent a tie in the ratings

Source: Nielsen Ratings (Sept. 23, 2004)

Funniest Queensites

When it comes to comedy, Queens is known for producing some of the funniest people in the industry. Whether it’s a sitcom or standup, these people can make you laugh at the drop of a hat. Although audiences may disagree on who is the funniest of the bunch, each comedian brings his or her own spin to comedy. In no particular order, the following are the funniest of Queens.

1. John Leguizamo
2. Jerry Seinfeld
3. Ray Romano
4. David Schwimmer
5. Debra Wilson
6. Rodney Dangerfield
7. Don Rickles
8. Matthew Lawrence
9. Fran Drescher
10. Gary Ackerman

Source: Compiled by the Queens Tribune

Top 10 Places To See a Movie

Formally known as “The Eagle”, The Eagle Theatre 73-07 37th Road, Jackson Heights, today is known for its selection of “Bollywood” films.

Most people think Manhattan is the place to go for great movies. But there is a selection of creative Queens theaters that run films that can’t be found in Manhattan or anywhere in New York City for that matter.

1. Kew Gardens Cinemas, Kew Gardens
Built in the 1930s, this one-time XXX hotspot has had several incarnations over the years. Now it boasts stadium-style seating and remains one of the better indie-theaters in the area.
2. The Eagle Theatre, Jackson Heights
Another former porn house, The Eagle Theatre was closed and re-opened as a popular Bollywood film house that draws viewers from all over the city.
3. American Museum of the Moving Image (AMMI), Astoria
AMMI has the nation’s largest collection of movie artifacts and offers screenings of everything ranging from the well-known to the obscure.
4. The Drake Theatre, Rego Park
5. Boulevard Theatre, Jackson Heights
6. Palace Theatre, Corona
7. Jackson Triplex, Jackson Heights
8. Cinemart Cinemas, Forest Hills
9. The Broadway Theatre, Astoria
10. Center Cinemas, Sunnyside

Source: cinematreasure.org

Top Ten Most Popular Ringtones

The debate continues on cell phone use in public spaces, and many opt out for the vibrate function, although not always out of respect for fellow man. But some melodies are so catchy that even otherwise humble people replace their standard phone rings to share their quirks with everyone around. Here’s what Queens is hearing anywhere there is a signal.

Cell phone etiquette is debatable, but Queensites definitely like to express their individuality with their ring tones.

1) Alabama 3
“Woke up this morning”
The theme from Sopranos, popular among Gotti’s friends.
2) Queen
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
Works surprisingly well as an alarm too.
3) Bill Conti
“Gonna Fly Now”
The theme from Rocky, popular with skinny tough guys.
4) The Theme Song from the movie Halloween
This one is so irritating that few people have the courage to keep it for more than
a few days, but oh so tempting!
5) Ludwig van Beethoven, “Moonlight Sonata”
Some users even upgrade to the crowd-pleasing techno version.
6) The theme from Nintendo’s Mario Brothers
For those video game players that still get out of the house; real aficionados go for something more exclusive, like the theme from Contra or Zelda.
7) Dave Chapelle
“I’m Rich, B*#!@”
8) Any 50 Cent Song
but particularly “In da Club”
9) Jingle Bells
Somehow many find it appropriate even in July.
10) Outkast,
“Spread”
Works best during really sweet romantic dates.

Swankiest Spots

They are the places where people go to be seen and talked about. Trend spotters and gossip traders gather there to take note of who arrives. The intangible quality of coolness is seemingly personified inside the walls of a select few swanky hot spots.

Café Bar in Astoria is considered a hot spot for the trendy.

1 Café Bar
32-90 36th St., Astoria
Behind the Kaufman Astoria Studios is a café serving Mediterranean treats, ordained with stain glass windows and a Buddha statue cuddling a scantly clad Barbie doll. The retro furniture compliments the hipster, thrift-store fashion donned by Café Bar’s up-and-coming celebrity clientele.

2 Tupelos
34-18 34th Ave., Astoria
A patchwork of dark colored windowpanes juts out from the corner of a short, one-story brick building. “The grips and stage-hands come to this bar,” said a Tupelos bartender. “We don’t’ get any of the actors around here.”
Ripped jeans and a worn-out Harley Davidson leather jacket would blend in well.

3 Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse
39-40 Bell Blvd., Bayside
Smoke jackets and little black dresses are the norm at the exclusive restaurant that counts Mayor Michael Bloomberg among its regular customers. For the generation X crowd longing for the cigar chomping days of yesteryear, fine cigars and humidors are on Jack’s menu.

4 Ten63
10-63 Jackson Ave., LIC
The former perfume storage space is now a chic java joint with a rotating art exhibit on the wall and breathtakingly tall ceilings, and is one of the few places to pick up a copy of Neighborhood Boy, produced weekly by nearby elementary school students.

5 Waterfront Crab House
2-03 Borden Avenue, LIC
As Queens West changes the borough’s landscape, the epicenter of hipness remains steeped in places like this. Peanut shells line the floor, baseball caps top the ceiling, and boxing memorabilia is everywhere. Mingling here are the chic residents of the CityLights and Avalon buildings, and manufacturers who spend their days hauling trucks and forklifts. Here, they rub elbows.

6 Salerno
117-11 Hillside Avenue,
Richmond Hill
Tables topped with white linen, waiters in red tuxedo jackets – Salerno’s is something right out of The Godfather, Scarface or Carlito’s Way. That’s why this Richmond Hill restaurant was featured in each of those films. The 1947 paisley wallpaper also adds to that otherworldly affect. Sinking into Salerno’s plush, dark red leather seats, it’s hard not to indulge.

7 Cavalier Restaurant
85-9 37th Avenue,
Jackson Heights
Dining here is dining from a different era, before toys and coloring books lured rambunctious children to the table. The dim interior, cozy tables, and lush seating formed a cocoon of Cavalier’s ambience, protecting against the always-on-the-move atmosphere of Jackson Heights. The food here is fuel for a slow journey back somewhere fond, happy, and familiar.

8 Brooks 1890
24-28 Jackson Ave., LIC
It’s the feeding trough of the borough’s first sky scraper: the Citicorp building at One Court Square. In the heart of the borough’s industrial and commercial heart, Brooks offers an authentic turn-of-the-century saloon feeling.

9 Antun’s Restaurant
96-43 Springfield Blvd,
It’s the unofficial feeding ground for the borough’s Democratic Party. Antun’s played host to presidents, numerous mayoral engagements and countless political functions. The pride of Queens Village is also in the hearts of countless brides, who picked Antun’s for that one special day.

Top 10 Famous Authors

Some of them never left (Clement Clark Moore) and some were barely here (Walt Whitman), but all of these well-known authors spent at least part of their lives right here in Queens.

1. Walt Whitman
Wrote “Leaves of Grass” and is from Jamaica
2. Jack Kerouac
Wrote “On The Road” and is from Ozone Park
3. Mitch Albom
Wrote “Tuesdays With Morrie” and is from Forest Hills
4. Herman Wouk
Wrote “Winds of War” and is from Kew Gardens
5. Clement Clark Moore
Wrote “The Night Before Christmas” and is from Elmhurst
6. Jimmy Breslin
Wrote “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” and is from Forest Hills
7. Dr. Joyce Brothers
Wrote “What Every Woman Should Know About Love and Marriage” and is from the Rockaways)
8. Art Buchwald
Wrote “I’ll Always Have Paris” and is from Forest Hills
9. Bernard and Melvin Kalb
Wrote “Kissinger” and is from Kew Gardens
10. M.E. Rabb
Wrote “Missing Persons” and is from Sunnyside

Source: Compiled by the Queens Tribune