Mid-December signifies the early Oscar buzz, and film critic awards. This year in particular,
New York is being invaded by a younger generation of foreign actors and actresses who
at best will receive critical acclaim, and a few trophies to take home with them. At worst they will catch the attention of those that see their
new films.

A trio of breakthrough performers came
to town last week to make the rounds promoting their respective films. You’ll be hearing a lot from them at home and abroad.

The Italian model turned actress Monica Bellucci (picture above) turns heads and
restores dignity to the name of Monica as she plays the title character and object of desire of the Sicilian townsmen and testosterone-filled teens in Giuseppe ("Cinema Paradiso") Tornatore’s latest, "Malena." Bellucci said "it’s women like Sophia Loren and Gina Lolabrigida that I grew up admiring and wanting to emulate." One glimpse of Bellucci, and beguiled audiences will have difficulty remembering those legendary icons of the Italian cinema past. Soon she’ll be co-starring in a French film with Gerard Depardieau.

Keep an eye out also for the dynamic and beautiful young princess of the martial arts and Chinese film Zhang Zi Yi starring in Ang Lee’s "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Get riveted by young Spaniard Javier Bardem, who gives an unforgettable mesmerizing performance of the Cuban poet/martyr Rienaldo Arenas in Julian Schnabel’s visceral and visual masterpiece, "Before Night Falls."

Oscar shouldn’t forget them, and neither will you.

Republican Party advocate Mary Matalin, and her Clinton sycophant hubby James Carville have been publicly duking it out during the Clinton Era – the political version of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.

With Bill Clinton’s days in the Oval Office coming to a close, his most fervent critic, Matalin, is conceding that with the Bush-Gore mess Clinton has gotten a reprieve. Matalin says glumly, " He’s sitting pretty. He got his legitimacy restored, his wife in the senate, and can laugh at Gore with the rest of us."

What more can a President ask for but the job of Mayor of New York.

It appears that the Southeast Queens Press’ very own "Faith Page" has sparked the interest of one of the City’s dailies.

Apparently, Newsday has decided to unveil a new section of its Saturday Edition called (what else) "Faith." According to their announcement, this new section will explore how religion is practiced in the community, post a weekly calendar of events and services, and profile a local person of the cloth.

Hey, that’s what the PRESS "Faith" page has done since its launch by the Queens Tribune in mid-May of this year!

Let's set the record straight that we show no ill will towards Newsday, but we want the local community to know that there was a time when the weekly papers were desperately trying to catch up with the dailies, now it's . . .

Hmmm!

Rego Park resident, Dominic Nunziato is a sports cartoonist. He began by publishing on the web and is currently selling a book of sports cartoons. Dom hopes to self syndicate his Spoil Sports strip. He sent this one in to us in after our recent cover story on Death on Queens Blvd. Check Dom's work out at: www.spoil-sports.com.

Queens’ own Fran Capo has proven that her legs are just as fast and durable as her world famous mouth.

Capo, a 37-year-old Howard Beach resident noted for being the Guinness Book of World Records Fastest Talking Female, completed the New York City Marathon last month in six hours, two minutes and 52 seconds — and she did it with an injured knee and only two months of training under her belt.

"I knew what it took to get my mouth moving fast, so I was curious if I could train myself to run long distance," said the fast-talking Capo. "I figured if each week I could build up running an extra lap, I could make it in the marathon…then I injured my knee."

The determined Capo competed despite her hurt limb — which worsened in the first two miles of the race — and finished the 26-mile marathon.

A writer and stand-up comic, Capo’s renowned motor mouth has been featured on several commercials, cartoons and even on a novelty rap album entitled "Rappin Mae," which she promoted on tour with fellow Queensite LL Cool J and the Fat Boys.

Initially breaking the world record on the "Larry King Live Show" in 1986 reciting an excerpt from the Bible in roughly 585 words per minute (wpm), she re-broke her own mark four years later, rattling off 603.32 wpm at the Guinness Museum in Las Vegas.

Capo was featured on TBS’ "Ripley’s Believe it or Not" in August and again in November.

Let’s hope the City Council gets the location of the Creedmore Psychiatric Hospital straight before they vote on whether three new schools should be built there.

While sharp disagreements have been manifested on both sides of this hotly debated issue, the biggest discord seems to be going on inside the Council’s press office over the simple issue of where Creedmore is.

An initial advisory released to the media listed Creedmore in Ridgewood—virtually a whole borough away from its actual location in eastern Queens.

The second release claimed Creedmore’s home to be in Glen Oaks—closer, but still no cigar.

Psst, hey guys…it’s in Bellerose.