Justine

In which we share a little sophisticated cheesecake

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This is Justine. She works behind the bar at Maeve's Residuals, my local hang-out until I move next week. It's called Residuals because, this being Studio City, if you bring in a "residuals" check for less than $1, they comp you a drink. (A residuals check is a check that an actor or actress receives from a program or commercial in which they have appeared that is in syndication.)

It's the sort of place frequented by struggling actors and actresses, post-production folks, and crew members, like key grips, best boys, and so forth. It is entirely without pretension.

I photographed Justine as part of an effort to better record my experiences in this remarkable and suprising place -- and because she's pretty easy on the eyes. Like many people in Studio City, Justine is also an actress. Besides being that and a rare beauty, she is also the daughter of the redoubtable character actress, Marriette Hartley, who older readers may remember from "Star Trek," and other shows and younger ones from the recent series, "Dirt."

Hartley, now in her 70s (though she looks 20 years younger at least), recently underwent intestinal surgery. Justine tells me that she should make a full recovery. Nevertheless our thoughts go out to her for her for a swift and painless recuperation.

God, I am really going to miss my little town in the Big City.