Future Star
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| Tina
Home: Jamaica Age: 9 Height: 4’7” |
Tina is not your average third grader. Growing up in Jamaica she may have the same love for rainbows and ponies as any other 9-year-old, but what sets her apart is that she has embarked on a career as a model.
About a month ago, her mother and photographer Thomas Churchwell snapped some pictures and realized that perhaps Tina’s face could adorn some catalogs or get into print in some other way.
This star student, whose mother said she is at the top of her class, is eager to see her name in lights, hoping to emulate the careers of her favorite stars – Beyonce and Hannah Montana.
Citing “Diva” and “Party In The USA” as her respective favorites of theirs, Tina said she is also a huge fan of Jennifer Hudson. “Dreamgirls is my favorite movie,” she said.
Tina likes hanging out with her friends and is enjoying being in front of the camera.
“I like being able to pretend,” she said. “I love changing clothes and the cool outfits. I really like to play dress-up.”
When with her friends, Tina and her buddies pop in “Dreamgirls” and sing along with all the songs.
Not afraid of a challenge, Tina enjoys swimming, but mostly because “I’m afraid of the water,” she said.
“I like to get fries and cheeseburgers,” she said. “I love ketchup on the fries and the burger.”
And if the modeling and acting career don’t work out, Tina will still excel in school.
“I get good grades,” she said. “My favorite subject is reading.”
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Julia Stiles and Mets backup catcher Henry Blanco
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Love Her Stiles
On April 10, Julia Stiles, perhaps best known for her work in Matt Damon’s “Bourne” movies, took the mound at Citi Field to throw out the first pitch. The native New Yorker and lifelong Mets fan threw a high strike to back-up catcher Henry Blanco.
With screwball-throwing relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi landing on the DL with a hurt hamstring , we think maybe it might be time to let the ladies get a chance at the Major League. It sure wouldn’t hurt attendance or team morale.
Good Advice
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| Eddie Gazzillo of Whitestone |
Gazzillo is featured in a national Weight Watchers commercial were he talks about his five-year battle against the bulge.
“I take my shirt off to take out the garbage and all the old ladies on my block are like, ‘Oh, Eddie! How’s it going’?” he says during the ad, which airs during programs like the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Maybe Oprah should pay more attention during the commercial breaks.
Walken Around Astoria
We’re always happy to use the term “Queens native” every time we mention Christopher Walken, so you can imagine our glee when The New Yorker tagged along with the iconic actor to his old Astoria stomping grounds. |
| Astoria native Christopher Walken |
“When I was little, I used to have my diaper changed on the kitchen table here,” he reportedly told the apartment’s current tenant.
“This sounds silly, but the first thing that I can remember I was on my back, on that kitchen table […] And I turned my head and right next to me was a white plate with scrambled eggs on it. I can still see it.”
We at QConf tend to end with some sort of witticism, contrarian comment or sarcasm. But at this point, we’re just at a total loss.
Economic Side Effect
Is the recession is over?
The new Rego Park Mall has brought central Queens new jobs and new shopping choices: Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and a Century 21. It’s also brought more people and with them, more cars, and with them, more traffic.
The new mall sits a stone’s throw away from the L.I.E., across the street from another shopping center that includes a Sears, Marshalls, Bed Bath and Beyond and Old Navy. On the other side of the expressway stands the Queens Center Mall and just beyond that, the old Macy’s shopping center that now holds Target & Best Buy.
Residents living around the malls have been complaining of more traffic and longer bottlenecks later into the night than usual.
Local officials said they are looking into changing the traffic patterns to facilitate better traffic flow, but some told irate residents to look on the bright side.
“We are keeping jobs here and keeping the money here, and that’s good for the community,” said Councilman Danny Dromm.
Traffic means customers, customers mean money, money means jobs…so sit back and smile…gridlock on Junction Boulevard is good for the economy.
B-Ball Babe
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Is UConn's Tina Charles Queens' premier hoopster? |
This month, her fame has only grown after winning the John R. Wooden Award as women’s basketball’s national player of the year and being chosen as first pick in the WNBA draft.
In addition to these stellar distinctions, Charles was Big East Conference Player of the Year, Associated Press National Player of the Year, U.S. Basketball Writers’ Association Player of the Year and the Naismith Award winner. Additionally, this year she led UConn to yet another National Champion title.
The 6-foot-4 senior center will graduate as UConn’s all-time leading scorer with 2,346 points and leading rebounder with 1,367 rebounds.
We suggest either Artest and Odom step up their game or sacrifice the title of best baller in the borough…to a girl. (That really stings doesn’t it, boys?)
To The Rescue
Though the economic recovery of lower Manhattan has been progressing, it was moving at a pace too slow for the owners of one particular favorite hangout: The Blarney Stone. Though there are many bars that share the name, this one at Trinity Place is owned by Queens resident Joe Keane and his brother. The lower Manhattan pub that fed the rescuers at Ground Zero couldn’t afford a decent exterminator.
Infested with termites, leaky sinks and stools held together by duct tape, the bar received a complete overhaul thanks to the Discovery Channel’s new reality show, “Construction Intervention.”
“The rent and expenses were going up and up, and we didn’t have the money to fix things,” said Keane, in a Daily News article. “These guys kept us open.”
