Doesn't life seem better now that the sun is beaming and your skin is flushed? That your buddies are back from South by Southwest and that they got all those awful new songs out of their systems? That the green hangover from the double dose of St. Patty's Day weekends has subsided and that Rita's Water Ice ads are finally running? Welcome to Philly's early spring, the very best spring there is.
Last week, Icepack dropped the first word that the Farmers' Cabinet (well, its owners) takeover of the former Transit spot at Sixth and Spring Garden is dead. This weekend, I hear that the Cabinet's CEOs are taking over the just-closed Blue Bear Tavern on S. 11th Street for something down-homey, in terms of cuisine. What, no tiki?
On March 25, Lady and its force-of-nature frontgal Kate Foust start a monthly residency at MilkBoy Philly dedicated to ... ladies. The band and other locals will perform tributes to Nina Simone, Björk and a mixed bag of other great babes. "To me, these artists represent the best of what women bring to music: creativity, sexuality, vulnerability and undeniable power," says Foust. "I asked Ron [Gallo, of Toy Soldiers] to be a part of it because I know he loves the voices of powerful women — you don't have to be a lady to appreciate ladies." Amen, sister.
Philly's biggest names don't always get what they want: Southwest-Philly-born director Lee Daniels (Precious) may not get to reboot Valley of the Dolls as a miniseries after all. Tiger LLC, which represents the estate of Valley scribe Jacqueline Susann, filed a lawsuit last week against 20th Century Fox stating that Fox and NBC, the network set to run the miniseries, waived its rights to adapt the kitschy novel for the small screen back in the '90s.
Stephen Starr's NYC operations suffered a small blow when Residents for Responsible Restaurants in the West Village rejected his plan to turn the tiny, one-time Paris Commune space into a bigger restaurant with liquor. Sounds too clubby for the haters, apparently.
Theater gossip: InterAct PR guy David Golston is leaving his post to move home to Kansas City with his partner, Daniel; managing director Anneliese Van Arsdale will hold down the promo fort. Theatre Exile snagged a new GM in Danielle Rose just in time to keep squeamish audiences calm during April's upcoming production of A Behanding in Spokane. Philadelphia Theater Company announced the first $10,000 winner of their Terrence McNally New Play Award: Bill Cain, whose Unvarnished is about Thomas Eakins. And Bruce Graham's The Outgoing Tide premieres through PTC at the Suzanne Roberts Theater this weekend.
More ice at Critical Mass, precious.
