"I sometimes think we'd all just be better off dressing down, and stop trying so hard to be hip. Having fun should be way more fun than this."

"I like the potential for what happens when I go to any concert ... I'm dancing my ass off, I'm totally in it and for some reason it just makes me think."

Dave Eggers | Trudy Rubin | Julie Buxbaum | Scott Heim | Chinua Achebe | Arlen Specter | Chris Coste | Richard Price | Samantha Power | Theodore Harris | Brian Hall | Michael Eric Dyson | Tobias Wolff | Paul Martin | Jhumpa Lahiri

by Brian Howard

The dollar tumbles along with our reputation.

by David Faris

"Once every available cent goes to food, drugs and energy, it will be too late."

by Bruce Schimmel

What You Say

A Darfurian refugee raises awareness and expectations for the people left behind.

by Garelnabi Abusikin with Deborah Yarchun

If any of y'all have friends in the music industry who went to SouthXSouthWest, they know nothin' about what's going on in Philly. Fuck with their heads.

Philly Madness Update

Bad dreams | Philadelphia Swing Dance Society | Mascot baseball | Taming wild hair | Anonymous donations

This team has brought Bryn Athyn publicity like it's never before experienced: Suddenly, people who have never heard of Emanuel Swedenborg are fawning over Larry Loughery.

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Fumo's three challengers all began their campaign against him with a message of reform. But with Fumo out, these would-be reformers now have to turn their messages on one another.

As of 2002, the number of work visas given per year in the U.S. was reduced from 107,500 to just 65,000. Since then, employers have raced to turn in visa petitions for their skilled employees, knowing that demand far exceeded supply.

by Mary F. Patel

Professor Street is on Spring Break.

The Piano Lesson portrays African-American life with bravado and honesty.

by Mark Cofta

Socially conscious production sends message, sans preaching

by Mark Cofta

This isn't your granddaddy's preening, posing, parroted Shakespeare.

by Mark Cofta

Brothers-in-Law is as frustrating as the real thing.

by Mark Cofta

Chinua Achebe's masterpiece is still the centerpiece of contemporary African literature.

by Joel Tannenbaum

Thu., March 20, 7:30 p.m., Fri., March 21, 8 p.m., Sat., March 22, 2 and 8 p.m., Mon.-Wed., March 24-26, 7:30 p.m., through March 29, $20, Tomlinson Theater, Temple University, 1301 W. Norris St., 800-298-4200, temple.edu/sct/theater/currentseason.

by Mark Cofta

Wed.-Sat., March 26-29, 8 p.m., Sun., March 30, 2 p.m., $25, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824, wilmatheater.org.

by Deni Kasrel

Clouds: An Exhibit in Many Media | Scion Installation Art Show Tour | Trudy Kraft: Terma Zones

Amanda Means: Glass + Light

by Danielle Zimmerman

Marathon Reading of Lolita

by Joe Pelone

Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted with Reception 13 NORTH ART GALLERY

Museums and exhibits have varying schedules;please call for exact days, hours and prices. ABINGTON ART CENTER , 515 Meetinghouse Rd., Jenkintown, 215-887-4882. JACQUES WILMORE, Features

Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information. dance CARMEN The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre performs this

ARLEN SPECTER The U.S. senator reads from his new book, "Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate," which tells of his battle with Hodgkin's

Alex is a typical high school outsider, in the grand sense that every teenager feels like an outsider. But the usual angst, with girlfriends and teachers, plays out as he grapples with a weightier dilemma.

Women have always had to find their place on the big screen. The male mind-set has ruled the film industry from the very beginning, right up to, well, Showgirls.

The I-House gives a well-deserved nod to Thai lens legend Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.

No matter if they're being coy and clever or hard and hellish, their current lyrical obsession, above all else, is about being heard and singing as opposed to screaming like a cyborg in heat.

We've been brainstorming about what to do with the coveted time slot. I mean, it's not only Web radio, it's radio radio, too. We gotta make it count. Here's what we've come up with so far:

The Presidents of the United States of America

by M.J. Fine

Brother Ali | The Philadelphia Orchestra | Fonda/Stevens Group | James Fei Alto Quartet | Amp Fiddler

Wed., March 26, 8 p.m., $10-$12, all ages, with Xiu Xiu and Br'er, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by M.J. Fine

Thu., March 20, 9 p.m., $10, with eMC, 84, Fel Sweetenberg, Charlie K, DJ Obi-Won and DJ Ultraviolet, Philly Room, Ninth and Willow streets, 610-457-3493.

by Deesha Dyer

Fri., March 21, 7:30 p.m., $30-$40, with Alina Simone, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by Shaun Brady

The menu could benefit from a tighter focus, but the cooking shows talent worthy of attracting a loyal customer base.

Café Grindstone | Cornerstone Market & Produce | InFusion Coffee and Tea

The Café oozes historic charm and, with its ample parking, provides a needed stop-off in the midst of Fairmount Park.

Cuckoo For Coconut, Egg Heads?

by Monica Weymouth

Get Out!

by Dena Merlino

Easter with the Philly Zombie Crawl

by Monica Weymouth

Gocco-A-Go-Go | Fourth Friday at Bus Stop Boutique | Lucky Girl Trunk Show | Art Star Craft Bazaar Application

The Democrats Can't Save Us

by Will Dean

Doodlespark Note Cards

by Char Vandermeer

Your Zombie Costume is at the Dry Cleaners

by Nadia Stadnycki