Sophia
Home: Rosedale
Age: 21
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 103 lbs
Camera Two Studios

She’s fairly new to the U.S. but Sophia already has her sights set on making it here as an actress. Sophia, who hails from the island of Jamaica and came to the US in '97, now calls Rosedale home.

“At first I wanted to go back home,” she said.

But it’s things like the change of seasons that she has grown to enjoy.

“I like the cold,” the Caribbean beauty said.

 Sophia first entered the spotlight accepting some modeling gigs upon her arrival in Queens.

“I did some fashion shows,” she said.

But she was searching for something more. Sophia then   enrolled at Camera Two Studios – a Forest Hills modeling and acting studio that still represents her.

“I really want to act,” she added.

It doesn’t matter whether it's theater or film — “I would love to do both,” Sophia explained.

Sophia’s favorite actors, as of this week, are Halle Berry and Adam Sandler.

She lived in St. Albans and attended August Martin High School before relocating to Rosedale only a few months ago.

“It's good,” she said of her newly- adopted neighborhood.

Sophia said she enjoys shopping at Green Acres Mall, the nightlife in Manhattan and browsing at the shops that line Jamaica Avenue.

“There are so many different stores on the Ave.,” Sophia explained.

But sometimes she misses the places she used to go in her native Jamaica.

The beach is one such place, she told us.

And she misses the food — ackee and saltfish to be specific.

“They just don’t make it the same here,” she said.

The rock music world suffered a tough blow last week as the news that John Entwistle, bass player of the legendary band, The Who, had died of a heart attack in Las Vegas. He was 57.

Entwistle and fellow Who members were set to go on tour this summer. The tour – which will go on according to Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend – was scheduled to start only a few months after The Who rocked the stage at the memorable MSG “Concert For Freedom” which benefited victims of Sept. 11.

But there is a lesser-known gig which Entwistle took part in that fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bassist would like to forget.

On July 29, 1999, The John Entwistle Band came to Queens to play at a now-shuttered club, The Voodoo Lounge, in Bayside.

The following excerpt is how AJ Abrams, a concert reviewer for the website jambands.com, described the night:

“The John Entwistle Band show was at one of the worst rock clubs I  have ever seen. The Voodoo Lounge was a seedy, scummy, sh---y heavy

metal hellhole in Queens...The worn out carpet contained the remains of years worth of puke and stale beer from thousands of customers. There was no air conditioning, so the place was really hot as hell. It was ironic the place was such a dump, because it was located in the wealthy suburb of Bayside, Queens. Just across the street there were convertible BMWs and Mercedes parked in front of a trendy bar/cafe.”

Abrams’ review, which is still posted at jambands.com, went on to explain that although Entwistle’s playing was “impressive,” the “horrendous conditions of the club ruined most of my night.”

Well AJ, it looks like the “heavy metal hellhole” won’t be ruining any more nights any time soon, according to the posting on the Voodoo Lounge website.

The web post reads – “Due to circumstances beyond our control the Voodoo Lounge will be temporarily closed. However our shows will be moved to different locations. We will keep you posted….”

Donald Who?

A Queens community activist and expert on the borough’s zoning recently told QConf that he was shocked and appalled with a particular question asked of him during an interview with a rookie reporter at Newsday.

During the interview, the activist was talking about zoning problems in Queens, and said, “Well, it all started with Donald Manes.”

Donald Manes – the former Queens Borough President who got involved in a financial scandal before killing himself and making way for well-known recent Beep Claire Shulman. Donald Manes – a pretty well known guy in Queens, and a fairly relevant politician to know about, especially to a reporter covering the borough. His name and reputation have affected Queens in more ways than can probably be counted.

But, to some, he’s not all that interesting or important.

When the activist made the comment about Manes, the Newsday writer calmly responded, “Who?”

The times, they are a-changin’!

Former Douglaston resident Michael Marcus always believed he would make it as an actor, and he’s hit the big time in the recently released controversial film, “The Believer.”

The Sundance Film Festival winner is a fact-based film about a rebellious young Jewish man who hides his identity and joins a Nazi activist group in Manhattan. At one point his anti-Semitic activities are brought before a judge who sends him for sensitivity training with a group of holocaust survivors.

As each survivor told of the terror they experienced at the hands of the Nazi Gestapo during World War II, the QConfer recognized Marcus as her former neighbor from Douglaston Parkway.

Although well-spoken and American born, Marcus portrayed the part of a Polish man who spoke with an east European accent.

The hopeful actor moved to the apartment house after his retirement from civil service in the mid ‘70s.  Although he studied acting as a hobby, it was his dream to make it a full-fledged career. 

The soft-spoken, amiable, and gentlemanly-type man in his senior years ran after his dream, first clutching small parts that came along at local theater groups, then a lead role at the Coconut Grove Theater in Florida, and on to television commercials.

The rising star moved to Manhattan in the late ‘90s to stay in touch with the artsy scene.

So, kudos to Marcus... a testimonial to dreamers and seniors.

When Governor George Pataki visited Flushing Mall recently to open the new Empire State Development Community Network Office, he was joined by proud Queens politicians from all levels of government, and of all shapes and sizes.

To Pataki, however, only one size mattered.

Pataki brought his own podium to the event, which is designed for a man of the governor’s size – six foot four inches.

State Senator Toby Stavisky flashed an embarrassed smile as she stood on a small box to speak, just like Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. Congressman Gary Ackerman and Councilman John Liu both had to lower the microphone to speak, while Pataki easily gave his speech, no box or adjustments needed.

For six-foot-plus State Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, however, the podium posed no problem. Just for kicks, he still decided to take a slight jab at the governor’s decision to use an impractical podium. Pataki laughed as McLaughlin said, “I love the way this podium is perfectly designed for someone who’s six foot four. Convenient, isn’t it?”

Confidentially New York . . .

E-MAIL your items to: conf@queenspress.com