Pitcher's Awkward Pitch Despite going down with an elbow injury to prematurely end his season, Mets pitcher Matt Harvey has been in the news recently. Harvey did a series of radio interviews promoting a Qualcomm pro duc t, including an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show that turned into a painfully awkward discussion. When Patrick asked Harvey to talk about his plans for his injured arm, the Mets pitcher declined to speak about it, saying he was only there to make the pitch for Qualcomm. “We can set up another call, if you’d like to, about that subject, today we’re honoring and supporting Qualcomm,” Harvey said. Patrick let him get his pitch
in and the interview promptly ended. Harvey later apologized for the awkward interview and returned to Patrick’s show to chat about his arm later that week. “I’ve had a few rough outings on the mound, that was a rough outing on the radio this morning...” the pitcher tweeted. “Been an exhausting couple of days. Apologies to @dpshow and @Qualcomm.” We’re not sure why Harvey got criticized for the interview, surely there are millions of people dyng to hear about a product from a company almost no one has ever heard of. We at QConf were at the edge of our seats waiting to hear about Qualcomm.
Green Pol Saves Her Green Lynne Serpe is all about the Green Party! Maybe it’s because she’s saved a lot of “green.” Although Serpe’s campaign voices a commitment to Astoria’s cleanliness, affordable housing, sustainable development, expanded library service and good jobs in a green economy, she is paying her taxes to New Orleans instead of New York. Her taxes currently go to "The Big Easy" because that's where she has claimed her residence. Since she must live in City
What's In A Name? Recently called-up Mets outfielder Matt DenDekker's name may be unusual to some, but it's a familiar one to many in Queens, as it belongs to a Queens elected official. In recognition of their shared surnames, Assemblyman Michael DenDekker presented the outfielder with a certificate of merit and a State Assembly baseball jersey with DenDekker embroidered across the back. Are the two related? The Assemblyman said he wasn't sure, but he planned to research the geneology.
Council District 22 by Election Day, Serpe says she plans to update her information. The Green Party candidate is vying for term-limited Peter Vallone Jr.’s seat along with Democrat Costa Constantinides, who won the Democratic nomination earlier this month, Republican Daniel Peterson and Independent Danielle De Stefano. If Serpe wins in November, we can only hope she doesn't try to pass any legislation focused on New Orleans...
Q
CONFIDENTIAL
Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
COMEDIANS OF QUEENS
Moody McCarthy
A Reason To Paws
Last week, SquareWine and Spirits, a wine store in Long Island City, threw their second annual “Puppy Party,” where residents were encouraged to bring their pups out for an evening of drinks, treats and socializing. The humans were served a variety of wines and whiskeys as well as hors d’oeuvres, but, like at any good party, there was something served for all guests. The pooches were served special dog-themed cupcakes from local bakers, The Written Cupcake. The event also featured a “doggy treat buffet,” fully-equipped with doggie snacks. The free celebration was to raise money for charity, with all proceeds going to the Humane Society and the animal nonprofit, Positive Tails. We’re sure that everyone in attendance was happy to bring home their doggie bags after the event.
Moody McCarthy has always loved listening to jokes. When he was younger, he would watch “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” waiting for a comic to take to the stage. “I grew up watching Johnny Carson and was most excited when a comedian came out,” he said. “But I didn't get the nerve to try telling [jokes] myself until my mid-20s, after my side-gig playing guitar in a cover band dried up.” Once he started performing, McCarthy did not want to stop. He plays a couple of shows per week and feels like the more he is onstage, the more relaxed he is the next time around. “If I go too long (like half a week) without performing, it gets scary again,” McCarthy said. “But if you're onstage constantly, it becomes less uncomfortable.” Although he started his career in his home town of Syracuse, he moved to Astoria 15 years ago. According to his bio, he lives in the neighborhood with his wife and his “step-dog.” Living in such a wellknown region has helped him out with comedy bits, as there is less he has to explain to the knowledgeable audience. “I'm always surprised at how many people both in and out of NYC are familiar with it. That helps comedywise because I don't have to
explain the place,” he said. “I do a joke about how safe it is ("If there's any yelling at night that means Greece scored") that is based on a true story - the only time I've heard a lot of commotion is during the World Cup.” Having worked as a comedian for 21 years, McCarthy feels his style has changed to become more conversational. “I've become more biographical and less concerned with racing to the punch line. And my forehead is bigger,” he said. “The best feeling is when a new joke works. It's always fun to tell the first handful of times because it's like I'm hearing it, too.” One of the highlights of McCarthy’s career was when he performed on “The Late Show With David Letterman” in July 2012. Letterman is one of the comic’s inspirations. “My favorite moment (don't tell my wife) of my life was being on Letterman last year,” he said. “That was an unspoken goal since I started in 1992. He (along with Bill Murray) is the entertainer that's defined what's funny to me.” To find out if McCarthy is performing near you, visit www.moodymccarthy.com. In the meantime though, here is one of his favorite jokes. “Me and my wife met online, but we didn't know how our parents would react to that, so we told them we met at the University of Phoenix.”
Who's Got Talent Got Talent? Talented individuals of all kinds should email editor@queenstribune.com. QConf is edited by: Steven J. Ferrari Contributors: Luis Gronda, Natalia Kozikowska, Joe Marvilli, Marcia Moxom Comrie, Michael Nussbaum, Trisha Sakhuja, Michael Schenkler.