Not just another night at Bayside's Pizzeria Uno: American Idols Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarino stopped by for a bite and took a quick pic with Queens fans Mara, waitress Tina and Kelly.

photos: Steve Azzara - steveazzara.com

Evelyn Perez
Home: Corona
Age: 16
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 118 lbs  

Move over Rosie, there’s a new queen in Corona.

Evelyn got interested in modeling at a young age when her mom suggested that she try it.

Since then, her face has been featured on a billboard for a local charity and she is looking forward to landing some more modeling gigs.

Her inspiration and favorite model is Penelope Cruz, she told us.

Evelyn, a student at Flushing High School, described herself as a typical teenager, who when we spoke with her was spending some of her free time shopping at Queens Center Mall.

“My favorite stores are the GAP and Forever 21,” she explained.

And when the baseball season starts, you might also spot her at Shea Stadium taking in some of the action at a Mets game.

But “I’m a fan of both teams,” she explained referring to the Mets crosstown-rivals the Yankees.

An avid music fan, Evelyn loves to dance and enjoys hip-hop music and the Latin influenced sounds of artists Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

But don’t think that the aspiring young model from Corona doesn’t have a back-up plan if  a career in modeling doesn’t work out.

“I plan to go to college,” she said explaining that she would be interested in studying law or psychology.

'American Idols' In Bayside

    "American Idol" sensations Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini may be rich and famous but when it comes to grabbing a quick bite to eat, the two appreciate chain restaurant charm just as much as the average Joe.

    The two superstars were recently spotted having dinner at Pizzeria Uno on Bell Boulevard in Bayside, where employees said the two crooners were “really nice,” and “just regular people.”

Clarkson and Guarini “just walked in,” shocking the employees and patrons in the popular establishment, one employee said.  The two Idols explained to restaurant employees that they had just finished filming a segment of MTV’s “Beach House” in the Hamptons, and decided to stop in Bayside on their way back to Manhattan.

    Their pit stop created quite a stir amongst Pizzeria Uno patrons, who surrounded the table asking for pictures and autographs. One Uno employee said, “People here were really excited. So were we. We called everyone we know to tell them these two people were here.”

    According to Uno waitress Liz, who served the American Idols, Clarkson ordered chicken and steak fajitas because “she couldn’t decide which she wanted,” and Guarini ordered an eight ounce steak and skinless baked potato. “He didn’t eat the skinless baked,” Liz said, adding, “Why do I remember this?”

    Liz also said that the two Idols ordered mozzarella sticks and boneless buffalo wings as appetizers, and said, “Kelly Clarkson was like, ‘Get the cheese sticks out of here before I eat them all.’”

    It wasn’t clear to Uno employees exactly why the two stars had chosen Bayside or Pizzeria Uno for their meal. It also wasn’t clear why the two showed up in a Kelly’s Cab. Liz said, “They were coming from the Hamptons and they were in a Kelly’s Cab. That’s all I know.”

KISS

Queens-bred rock legends, the band KISS, are expected to release their official biography this fall, according to the website launch.com.

With the working title of “Behind The Mask” the book is expected to feature several unpublished, never seen before photos from the band’s archives, according to published reports.

The local foursome that took the world by storm in the 1970s played their first gig at the Queens Boulevard’s Coventry Club in 1973.

KISS’ Lead singer/guitarist Paul Stanley (born Paul Eisen) grew up in Flushing and Bass player Gene Simmons (born Chiam Whitz) practiced his licks in Jackson Heights.

Legend has it that the band, originally called “Wicked Lester,” came up with the name Kiss while riding in a car on Queens Boulevard.

Some say that the band named themselves Kiss – a shortened version of Kissena Boulevard— after a favorite hang out spot on the Flushing Street.

We All Scream For Ice Cream

You couldn’t have written it better for a sitcom – there was everything but canned laughter.

At the last meeting of Community Board 10 in Howard Beach, a few of the board members were whining about the local ice cream truck playing its music while parked in the neighborhood at night.

Just when angry neighbors would call the police to complain, the board members said, the ice cream truck would zip away, and there went the proof.

The board members continued their angry rampage against the ice cream man for a few minutes, and just as the bash session ended, there was a transition and a slight pause in the discussion.

Suddenly, ripping through the temporary silence came the sound of an ice cream truck as it made a pass outside. Some of the community board members chuckled at the irony, others rolled their eyes.

The ice cream truck made a couple more passes during the meeting, but nobody called the cops.

Ultimate Revenge

When Houston Astros relief pitcher Pete Munro was growing up in Little Neck, he said he was always teased for being a Mets fan.

In a recent interview with QConf, he said, “Most of my friends rooted for the Yankees, and they let me have it because the Mets weren’t doing well.”

Munro went to  Cardozo High School in Bayside, where he pitched for the varsity baseball team. He said with a laugh, “I was one of the only Mets fans on the team. It wasn’t easy sometimes.”

Well, Munro got some payback against the Yankees and their legion of fans on June 11, when he combined with five other pitchers to no-hit the Bombers at the Stadium for the first time since 1958.

Munro pitched longer than any other Astros pitcher in the effort, hurling two and two-thirds innings. His performance included two strikeouts, three walks, and, of course, no hits, giving the kid from Bayside some old fashioned payback.

 The Yanks’ embarrassing performance put them in the history books – the Astros’ six pitchers were the most ever used by a team in a no-hitter.

Incidentally, the last time the Astros threw a no-hitter was on Sept. 8, 1993, when starter Daryl Kile threw nine no-hit innings against – you guessed it – Queens’ own New York Mets.

French R' Toast

Though the war in Iraq is basically over, and French opposition to it has proven inconsequential, the land that brought us champagne and croissants seems to have permanently lost popularity in Queens.

Community Board 9 passed around a “boycott France” flyer at one of its meetings.

And when Air France discontinued its flights out of JFK Airport, Community Board 14 District Manager Jonathan Gaska was quoted in the NY Times as saying “We won’t have the noise aggravation . . . plus, the French are losing money.”

Gaska told QConf that after the article came out, he got calls from local politicians saying they wished they had thought of saying that.