Local jottings for 'The Princess Diaries'

By MARY EVERTZ

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 10, 2001

The Princess Diaries, the Disney film that opened across the country this past week, has some strong Tampa Bay connections.

The screenplay was written by Gina Wendkos. Wendkos' mother, Caryl Wendkos-LaTorre, and brother Brad Wendkos have homes in St. Petersburg. Gina's sister Angela Wendkos Jackson, a former Sarasota TV personality, lives in Clearwater.

Gina has had some great experiences the past two years, earning a writing credit on the film Coyote Ugly, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. But she didn't start out as a writer.

She graduated from college with a master of arts in painting but quickly became known in the performance art world for her large-scale theatrical pieces (some using more than 200 actors), which were often commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts.

She tried play-writing first, with her work being presented off Broadway. Then she took a turn at directing, which led her to the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles, a venue known for alternative theater.

Wendkos also did a stint as art director at the famed New York Club Studio 54. "They would have theme parties for Andy Warhol or any of the major people who were in New York at the time. I would help design them to celebrate Warhol's birthday or Halloween. It was fabulous because it was like theater, but Studio 54 had a humongous budget," she says.

After these experiences, Wendkos began writing for television and film, beginning with episodes of television's Wiseguy series, which starred Ken Wahl.

Wendkos, who is single, lives in Los Angeles.

A star for the ages

Actor Julie Andrews, in the Tampa Bay area last month as a participant in Ann Reinking's successful Broadway Theater Project, is one of the stars of The Princess Diaries.

Andrews says she felt right at home making the comedy, because it was filmed in the same studio space in which she made Mary Poppins. "I used to hear, "My daughter just loves you,' " says Andrews. "Now it's the young women who come up and say, "My mother just adores you.' When I hear, "My great grandmother loves you,' then I'll be in real trouble."

On the ball

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner may be thinking about buying his favorite New York pub, P.J. Clarke's, but when daughter Jenny Swindal and husband Steve (who is a Yankees general partner) were in New York, he took them to one of the city's most popular places: Elaine's. Elaine Kaufman's place has become so popular that it is a regular clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Celebrity patrons

Mary Fabiano, a server at a popular Tampa restaurant, the Colonnade on Bayshore, for 14 years, has had some interesting folks at her table through the years, but none like the one she had last week.

Sitting at one of her tables was Academy Award-winning actor Jack Nicholson. The man with him, who said he was his agent, gave his name as "Brown."

The two dined on crab cakes. Brown left a generous $10 tip on a $30 bill, says Fabiano.

There's a possibility that Nicholson, a big sports fan, was in the area checking out the Bucs.

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