Vietnam Vets Annual Dinner at the Vietnam Veterans NYC Memorial Plaza Arcade.
photos: Steve Azzara - steveazzara.com

Shelly Straussberg
Home: Fresh Meadows
Age: 17
Height: 5’6'’
Weight: 110 lbs.
Stats: 36C-26-s32

Shelly Straussberg’s modeling career has been on hold for most of her life.

As a small child, she loved getting in front of the camera.

But it wasn’t easy for Straussberg’s mom, an Israeli of Moroccan descent who wasn’t able to put in the long hours it would have taken to keep her daughter’s career going.

Now, Straussberg  – 17 and preparing to get her GED – is looking for a re-birth in her modeling career.

“I would love to be a Victoria’s Secret model,” says the aspiring siren.

That’s because Straussberg thinks she might be too short to strut down the runway. But she doesn’t mind. She says you don’t have to be as tall to pose in music videos and magazines.

And you never know. You might see Straussberg singing in a music video some day. She says her voice sounds a little like Aaliyah’s. She has also taken music lessons in attempts to couple looks with talent to create something bigger.

But that’s nothing new in the Straussberg family. Straussberg’s sister was also a model and is now getting her degree in film from NYU. And her older brother is a rap artist looking to sign his first big contract.

Before she hits the big time, Straussberg stays around the house between shifts at a local pizzeria and helps her mom.

Straussberg admits she’s not sure which road will take her back to the modeling world, but she’s doing her best to get her name out there and hoping for a lucky break.

“I’m getting older and this is what I really want to do,” she says.

Quotes From The Grave?

When it comes to quoting the Weprins, the New York dailies seem to have an unwritten rule – like father, like son.     

At least once every few months, one of the Weprin brothers – either Councilman David or Assemblyman Mark – is accidentally quoted under the name “Saul Weprin,” referring to their dad, who was speaker of the State Assembly when he died in 1994.

One recent example of this error occurred in the May 8 edition of Newsday, when “City Councilman Saul Weprin” was quoted as saying, “I can envision a crisis in certain areas of Queens if we go from two to one,” on the topic of garbage pick-ups.

Pretty amazing quote, since Saul is no longer alive and was never a councilman.

In fact, considering his death, it’s odd that Saul gets covered in the dailies so much, but he does. David – the man who really gave the quote on garbage pick-ups – told QConf, “It happens more often than you would think,” but added, “It’s an easy mistake to make. It’s hard to break a habit once you form it, and these guys wrote about my dad for a lot of years.”

That’s pretty understanding of Saul, oops, we mean Mark, oops, we mean David.

Ah, what’s the difference, right?

Sorry George

Here's the shortest way to the White House of your choice: Satire www.whitehouse.org Porn www.whitehouse.com Gov't www.whitehose.gov

Last week, QConfidential  reported on a couple of web sites using the name "WhiteHouse." It seems that in one of the captions we identified the satire site with the porn site Web address.

Sorry.

Taxing Vote

There was a moment of levity during the intense City Council voting on tax  increases and the punch line was pure Queens.

As the roster of the Council was called and the members stood to vote, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum heard over and over again: “madam chair, may I be excused to explain my vote?” Then followed a  conscience clearing by members who really didn’t want to be doing the nasty tax deed.

But, insiders tell QConf, no explanation ran longer than the one from southeast Queens Councilman Allan Jennings. In fact, we hear , that at one point in Jennings’ explanation, he even confused himself and seemed uncertain whether he was a “yes” or “no” vote.

By the time the roster got down to northwest Queens Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr., the room had its  fill of sorry explanations and just wanted it all to end.

The serious young Vallone offered his vote, and then rose and announced to the weary chamber, its members and the Public Advocate: “Madam chair, may I be excused to explain Allan Jennings’ vote?”

The silent room went into an uproar and we hear there were several who feared they simply would not stop laughing.

However, there was no report on whether or not Jennings – known to QConf as a public figure who doesn’t know the joy of being able to laugh at himself – thought it was funny.

We did.

A Queens Kid's Ultimate Fantasy

Is Adrien Brody shy or what?

Adrien Brody won a lot more than an Academy Award on Oscar night. As QConf previously reported, Brody took home the cell phone number of fellow Oscar winner Nicole Kidman after accepting the honors for  the “The Pianist.”

Recently, Brody – a native of Queens – has been popping up in lots of paparazzi photos with the leggy Australian starlet on his arm, leading to speculation that Brody finally got around to asking Kidman out.

It turns out, however, that Brody was a bit too shy to call Kidman himself. Asked when Brody finally got around to calling her, Kidman reportedly said with a grin, “No, I called him.”

Even with an Oscar for Best Actor, who can blame Brody for being bashful about making a move on the former Mrs. Tom Cruise?

Losers and Finks

If you live in Ridgewood and feel like a loser, you’re not alone.

Herbert, Linda and at least four other Ridgewood residents listed in the phone book have the last name Loser.

In fact, there was a high concentration of Finks found in the same neighborhood. Seven to be exact, residing along Myrtle, Gates and Onderdonk Avenues.

And if you think only a Putz would live in such a neighborhood, you’re right. Frank Putz lives on Wiloughby Avenue.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea. If you think the people who live in Ridgewood are Funny, you’d be wrong. Shawndell Funny lives on 196th Street in St. Albans, near Jackie Money on 111th Road.

Edited by: Michael Schenkler & Tamara Hartman. Contributors: Reed Albergotti, Steve Azzara, Ira Cohen, Marcia Moxam Comrie,  Steve McGuire, Angela Montefinise,  Mike Nussbaum, Azi Paybarah, Aaron Rutkoff,  Shams Tarek.