April 15-21, 2004

naked city

Icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

Fake Camerons, like the one who amazed Urban Outfitters gawkers with underwear-buying largess? Rumored Britneys, like the one y’all thought was stopping by 32º for a post-show pop? Check the purse. When Cameron Diaz ate at Buddakan, Rouge, Alma de Cuba and Le Castagne, waiters saw her platinum card. (And remember, the real Cameron has bad skin and is rumored to not smell so good). Want Britney Spears to grace your club? Pay $2,000. That’s what she asked Miami’s Mynt club for. Whattacheeseball. I charge more than that. Don’t be bamboozled, Philly. Ö Philly Film Fest started at Top of the Tower when Shade star Stu Townshend joined producer Joe Nicolo. Also, there was Nicolo bro Phil (working on new Staind stuff), Joe’s son Tyler (who produced Philly’s Roc-A-Fella act, Crime Partners’ Freeway and Peedi Crakk) and pal Lou Rawls. Ö Other Festers making the most were phantasmagorical director Tobe Hooper, en route to the Mütter Museum for a fact-finding mission ("There are babies in jars?" he asked.) and Hal Sparks, the Lightning Bug co-star who hit Tragos with tall drink of red water Laura Prepon, mere weeks after his hang in Philly to promote his Queer as Folk DVD. "I’m getting used to the cobblestones and the cab drivers who love them," said Sparks, running to a Lowe’s luncheon in his name. Ö More Philly film newsiness: While Toni Collette lensed Jennifer Weiner’s In Her Shoes’ scenes at Di Bruno’s on Ninth Shtreet and the Art Museum’s steps (yo, Rocky!), Weiner was rumored to have signed a deal for her next, unfinished book with Miramax. Scott Martin "Gellin" "Whazzup" Brooks ("I don’t know how I get hired to do ads that become mantras," he says) is just back from filming pickup scenes for Philly pal/director Charles Stone III’s Mr. 3000, due out in September. In the documentary stakes: MTV filmmaker Joe Frantz shot bits of his Bad Luck 13 documentary at Bar Noir. Carolyn Chernoff is looking for crowds to interact with while filming Ted Passon’s documentary on her loud, performance-self at Bar Noir’s Monday Night Club April 19. Ö WHOWHATWHERE: Reports have Ted Kennedy and the K-clan rummaging through several Philly parks last week. How does a float that big move through the city unnoticed? Security! The Capitol Years helped the Pixies open their long-awaited reunion tour in Minneapolis. Brian Setzer visited pal Tommy Maguire at Blue Comet in Glenside, even sitting in with Tommy Conwell’s band. "Then Brian and I did the "old man’s bar tour’ of Roslyn," joked Maguire. Fantomas’ Mike Patton stopped at the Union Dead show at Club 218 after his TLA set. That is Jerry Blavat in a commercial for the Sammy’s Bar B Que (ex-Maui), wearing a woolly cap and pulling Carolina pulled pork. Jill Scott launched her Blues Babe Foundation at the Rit Row shop of sponsor Kiehl’s, then supped at the Marriott. Yes, she still makes records; her new one will be out by September. Phantom Planet hit Bar Noir’s Wednesday "Bill’onaire Lounge" after playing TLA. Brought by Sony’s Nithya Rajendran, PP stayed a while with bassist Sam Farrar spinning an impromptu set. ABC’s The Bachelor held a casting session at Boscov’s in the Plymouth Meeting Mall. Is that the demographic they’re looking for in suave suitors, the Boscov’s guy? ... Singer/songwriter John Torres not only placed tunes on the David Ivory-produced About Time from Philly’s elegiac Carla Gio. Torres -- who’ll play Tokio, April 17 with Gio -- finished his dark debut, Songs From the Curbside of a Small Town with Chuck Treece and Greg Davis. Also debuting CD-wise is Young Werewolves who introduce their eponymous psychobilly CD (produced by Andy Kravitz) to The Fire April 17. Ö The Dirty Kitten DJs and Latin dance instructor Julie open the April 17 girL party at Mercury Lounge on Sixth and Bainbridge. Speaking of Kittens, that’s what Paperstreet and former City Paper promotrix Rachel Furman call their decade parties. Their first -- April 20’s bash at Delilah’s -- promises ’80s Brat Pack-ness in abundance. Ö I know Germantown Friends grads and Sex and the City writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky will host an April 21 lunch at Gershman Y. But -- this is a warning -- there are still clubs out there doing Sex nights with viewings of the show. Get. Over. It. It’s done. Those lifestyle cues: over. Who hangs onto old TV like that? Ö Oh. Daily News scribe Dan Gross is hosting Seinfeld trivia night at Khyber, April 19, Well, there you go. Ö Last week’s deadline didn’t permit me to send condolences to Harry Jay Katz on the passing of his wife, Weight Watchers exec Tracey Birnhak Katz. She was a joy and will be missed by all.

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