Photos By Steve Azzara - steveazzara.com

Luara Castellane
Home: Astoria
Age: 21
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 95 lbs
Stats: 32-24-33
UModels.com
# 14500

Luara Castellane claims that she doesn’t speak very good English but, that doesn’t matter – she is beautiful. 

Born and raised in Minas Terais, Brazil, Luara moved to New York when she was 18, and now at 21, couldn’t be happier with the city’s nightlife. 

Luara currently lives in Astoria, and works nights, bartending at an Italian restaurant just west of Times Square. 

On weekends, she enjoys dancing in Manhattan at Soundfactory, or anywhere she can see Danny Tenaglia on the 1 and 2’s. 

Aside from clubbing, Luara likes to watch movies and relax with her boyfriend - sorry guys – she’s taken.

Taxi Driver

    State Assembly candidate Barry Grodenchik has the support of many true blue Democrats in his race to lead District 22. His “old and dear friend” Assemblywoman Nettie Mayerson is one of them. But her support comes at a price.

    At a recent fundraiser for Grodenchik, Mayershon stood up and declared that “Barry has to win,” because he is going to drive her and several other members up to Albany. This clearly sarcastic comment, which Grodenchik said later, “Was just Nettie having a good time with me,” prompted laughter and an embarrassed smile from the front-running candidate.

    Several days later, a less red-faced Grodenchik told QConf that he hadn’t given much thought to the comment, and said, “I’m just focusing on winning this race. I’m working very hard.” He added with a laugh, “Don’t worry, I’ll get up to Albany somehow,” and said he would “be glad to drive Nettie and whoever else wants to go up there. As long as I’m going, too, I have no problem.”

   Despite his generous offer, he did mention that the Saturn he plans on driving to Albany if he wins on Nov. 5 is just, “big enough for me.”

Big Screen Ray

After winning an Emmy for Best Actor recently, doors are opening for Queens native and actor Ray Romano from the hit CBS show “Everybody Loves Raymond.”  Romano is weighing his options and currently in talks to make a film, according to published reports.  

Romano may star opposite Dustin Hoffman in a film about a small town storeowner who generates a lot of popularity and dominates a mayoral race, in which a baffled U.S. President (Hoffman) is running. 

“Mooseport,” is based on a script by Tom Schulman, who wrote the script for “Dead Poet’s Society.”

Forty-five year old Ray Romano grew up in Forest Hills and attended Hillcrest High School.

Building A Future?

    York College Interim President Dr. Russel K. Hotzler, the longtime CUNY administrator the University hired to man the fort while York’s board of trustees looks for a permanent leader, has a history of bringing stability to institutions in times of change.

    But who’s going to bring stability to the school-hopping Hotzler?

    The 57-year-old veteran-turned-temp, who by CUNY rules can’t be considered for an upgrade to permanent status, doesn’t want to break those rules, either.  Fresh off a two-year stint as interim president of Queens College, for which he is credited with having brought increased enrollments and funds, Hotzler told a QConfidential scribe recently that what he’d like most is a permanent position somewhere.

    “Well, it would be nice to have my own school,” Hotzler said with raised eyebrows, a smile and a pleading tone that suggested that this idea is something that’s very unofficial and beyond his control.

    Hotzler wouldn’t say if he’s floated the idea with anyone yet, but he did say that he’s interested in running a college, nothing less.

    Hotzler, who has a degree in metallurgical engineering from what is now Polytechnic University, was called “CUNY’s Mr. Fixit” in a very flattering article about him that appeared in one of our city’s daily newspapers last August.  He dismissed that name when we asked him about it the other day.

    “No, I’m not a Mr. Fixit,” he said.  “I’m a builder.”

We’re told by reliable sources that CUNY Chancellor Matt Goldstein agrees with Hotzler and has his eye on the Queens’ Mr’ Fixit for the soon to be launched new super campus on Governor’s Island.

Sympathy For Rich White Kids

Poor rich, white kids. They have it so tough.

At least that’s what writer Michael Ryan believes. In an article entitled, “Whoops! How the Media Got the Story Wrong: In Defense of Rich, White Kids,” Ryan uses 18-year-old Douglas Manor resident Robert Arnold as a symbol of the injustices that the media does to rich, white kids.

Published on the public interest website ThomasPaine.com,  the article claims Arnold’s reputation was destroyed by the unfair and terrible media, which accused the Cardozo grad of boating while intoxicated, even though his blood alcohol tests came back way under the legal limit.

Ryan cites the New York Times, which described Arnold as, “one who sped across the bay in his father’s boat while under the influence of alcohol, turning fast circles in the water for kicks with a group of friends”  and a Post headline: “Death Spin On Boozer’s Bay: ‘DWI’ Boat Did 360s Before Its Fatal Crash.”

Ryan alleges, “The media all but declared the teenager to have been drunk, and probably on drugs, when the accident occurred . . . The tabloids practically demanded that a lynch mob string up the rich kid.”

In all fairness, the Queens DA did charge Arnold with two counts of Boating While Intoxicating (which were dropped) and Arnold did admit to doing 360s in the pitch-black Bay.

QConf couldn’t discuss these things with Ryan, who was unavailable for comment.

Nick Sticks To The Courtroom

If U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ever gets tired of the courtroom, he might want to consider a career inside the squared circle—as a professional wrestling referee.

Nick Garaufis

While the Queens native already has plenty of experience making sure lawyers don’t try any dirty stuff during court proceedings, he recently got a taste of what it would be like keeping raucous wrestlers at bay.

Garaufis presided over the highly publicized sexual harassment suit that bodybuilder Nicole Bass filed against World Wrestling Entertainment—a case that saw some of the most popular faces in professional wrestling called to the stand.

The 6’2, 220-pound Bass alleged she was subjected to numerous sexual indignities while working as a female wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment in 1999, then called the World Wrestling Federation.

However, a Brooklyn jury body-slammed the lawsuit on Oct. 8, thanks partly to the testimonies of Lisa Moretti and Paul Levesque, better known among wrestling fans as Ivory and Triple H.

“I want to thank you for a most entertaining experience,” Garaufis was quoted as saying after the decision was handed down. “Let’s hope it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the court.”

Sounds like Nick plans to stick to the courtroom.