Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

Hey, is it time for me to throw my endorsement for president? Though I'm happy as ham that Barry Obama's campaign HQ landed on floor four at 1500 Sansom, after seeing Fred Armisen "do" Barack on SNL, all hope was lost. I didn't take Barack seriously to begin with. That made him sillier still. So I'm throwed in with NutterButter and DevilRendell on Hillary Clinton, pray she brings Bill along for the laughs and hope all 187 Pa.-delegates still like the Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop" campaign track.

► Ex-WYSP mouth Couzin Ed says "fuck karaoke." Specifically in regard to his hosting Rock N' Shots Sundays at Jagers on Third Street. There he's fronting competitive Rock Band on PS3 nights where you — yes, you — play drums, bass and/or sing (a la Guitar Hero) and winners get "liquid prizes." I'm guessing he means booze.

► Incoming: While Donal McCoy (Tin Angel) and Neill Laughlin (Eulogy) — and not Glam brothers Andy and Dom Cosenza (as rumored) take control of Old City's Sassafras by March's end, there's always the outgoing. That'd be the rumored closing of Gioia Mia Ristorante, Fabrizio Pace's "joy" at 20th and Sansom, which we hear is due to close at March's end.

► How do you get drunk March 17 listening to hard acoustic music without getting all Irish? Dig Syd Barrett-ish singer/guitarist Mike Pomranz and violinist Jon Dunn's aggro-acoustic World Blanket and the experimental prog-pop of The March Hare (vocalists Zack Guy, Jon Hafer 'n' Charlie Heim with violinist Alicia Ritter) at The Balcony on St. Patty's Day.

► Could JC Dobbs' original CEO/owner Kathy James be booking the due-by-September Pontiac spot on South Street? The old Dobbs locale was purchased by Heshi/Hank da Drag Queen.

► Before he left the house to get his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award, Kenny Gamble (of Gamble & Huff fame) told me how grateful he 'n' Huff were to get the honor ("I'm waiting for the day we get an Oscar") and mentioned that the two had done something they hadn't done in years. "We wrote new songs together," he says, a lovely ballad called "You Never Really Loved Me" along with two still-unfinished tracks. "It was nice to crack the ice." If you can't wait to hear those songs, buy The Sound of Philadelphia: Gamble & Huff's Greatest Hits and Conquer the World: The Lost Soul of Philadelphia International Records this week.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Before TLA honchos (Ray Murray, Thom Cardwell, Rich Wolff), Arlen Specter, Sharon Pinkenson and 17th Senatorial District Republican Lisa "the pretty candidate" Paolino came to fete him during the Bryn Mawr Film Institute gala at Bryn Mawr College, Sir Ben Kingsley and I hung out damn-near-alone in the basement library where the "Casino Royale" pre-bash was held. "History has it, I was here when they started this program," said Kingsley with a smirk in regard to BMFI's ribbon-cutting in '05 and how he came to get 2008's "Inspiration" award. Along with touting The Wackness and discussing too briefly what he's lensing now, Scorsese's Shutter Island ("Marty's absolutely amazing"), Ben said he thinks the world of this city — even if he couldn't mention specifics. "Your city's got a good sense of self. Like what? I dunno. The Liberty Bell. That's something, right?" It is. And thanks. Another Brit, Lightspeed Champion, not only packed World Café Live's Upstairs. He went to the Franklin Institute's Star Wars exhibit and splattered its stickers on his guitars. Is Star Wars love or an obsession I asked backstage. "Obsession" he laughed. "It'll kill me someday."

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► Before fight promoter Damon Feldman held a press conference for his Phil Margera/Danny Bonaduce act (March 15, Marple Sports Arena, Broomall) I asked, "Why won't you bring celeb bitch-slapping to Philly closer than Sproul fucking Road?" His answer: "This is my last local event for a while as I'm going to England for the next year doing Celebrity Boxing." Dag D.

► Reverse the Charges isn't phone-speak. It's the name of Triple A schtar/Like Moving Insects' Joshua Marcus' disturbed folksy solo CD that he'll debut pre-High Two Records' release at Rotunda March 15. Plenty of cranky banjo and creaky voices throughout. Request "To Keep."

► Before Doug Sakmann and Nick Esposito open 941 Theater in Fishtown they've got a rock 'n' rolling li'l Backseat Film Fest to get through — all 40-plus hours, March 12-16. See everything but focus on the Mexican wrestler-on-coke sensation The Dead Sleep Easy (backseatfilmfestival.com).

► The "Forever Young" 1980s Prom Party on March 13 benefits research at Uof P's Abramson Center. What's up? Philly's fab-fundraisers Club Fashion Foundations (CFF) is up doing their dressy-best for Philly charities. "It's always about the cause," says CFF CEO Ilene Fink. "We're just facilitators." Fink ("Yes, I'm wearing my original prom dress with dyed-to-match shoes. My hairstylist is already dreaming up a great 'do") will hang with her pal, the Troc's Jen Corsilli (who's bringing her actual prom date from high school) at 21st and Fairmount's Urban Saloon and get pictures taken in cheesy cardboard frames. Wanna see what they'll wear? clubfashionfoundations.com.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)