ICE ILLUSTRATED: ?uesto's gone but the Geater's stickin' around

?uestlove tells the AP that he has moved his permanent digs to New York City (closer to his Fallon gig) rather than stay in Philly because he had no social life. I can buy that. Then again, every night he has off from the The Roots or Fallon, he crams a DJ gig into his schedule. Less spinning, more fucking Q.

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ICE ILLUSTRATED: ?uesto's gone but the Geater's stickin' around

POSTED: Thursday, March 15, 2012, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: Icepack Illustrated

Big congrats to Sharon Pinkenson for not only reaching 20 years at the forefront of Philly cinema-dom as head/creator of the Greater Philly Film Office but for allowing M. Night Shyamalan and his wife Bhava to host an anniversary celebration at their Chester County estate. Who wants to have to pick up all those glasses and napkins at the end of a party? Do No Harm star Phylicia Rashad (shooting between Rittenhouse Square and Philly’s School District HQ), Army Wife Kim Delaney, Rebecca Creskoff from HBO’s sadly cancelled Hung and Smiths, Jaden and Will, were on hand to fete the doyenne of Philadelphia film.

Turning Violet Violet, Philly’s bugged out femme-folksy answer to The Roches (starring Sarahs Gulish and Pisano) head up WXPN’s Key party at MilkBoy Philly March 15. They’ve been holed up in North Philly with producer Brian McTear and are ready to roar. Edgier locals The Fleeting Ends and rugged righteous rapper Chill Moody are also on the bill.

?uestlove tells the AP that he has moved his permanent digs to New York City (closer to his Fallon gig) rather than stay in Philly because he had no social life. I can buy that. Then again, every night he has off from the The Roots or Fallon, he crams a DJ gig into his schedule. Less spinning, more fucking Q.

The 12th annual 102.9 WMGK classic rock art show-n-sale hits the Montgomery Mall starting March 23. Lots of Stones and Springsteen memorabilia, which is fine, but, didn’t this used to be at Liberty Place where people from Philly could see all the Jagger lip insignias and, in particular, the work of legendary photographer Baron Wollman whose new book, The Rolling Stones Years, is already a coffee table classic.

Naked Philadelphian blogger Laura Goldman has become the bane of Ed Rendell’s existence. First she bumps into him on the street, asks him if he’s still buying the Inquirer and he says “Nah.” Then, after the besieged Rendell claimed that the State Department asked for his help in pushing Mujahadin-e Khalq members from their camp in Ashraf near the Iraq-Iran border to Camp Liberty, Goldman finds herself in contact with the State Department to check Ed’s story. “Nah” is their response. The State Department did not ask Rendell for MEK Help. “The last thing that the State Department needs is a volunteer or rogue intermediaries,” claims her source in her blog story on the matter. Check it.

My neighborhood is all-a-twitter that the James spot off Eigth and Christian, finally got new owners in chef Mike Santoro (ex-Talula’s Garden) and Michael Dorris (self-employed caterer). We’re hearing that the brownstone spot with its floral front looking a wee bit shabby will get happily spruced up for a late spring/early summer pop.

Right after he celebrated his first anniversary at Sugar House, Jerry Blavat announced that his next really-big-shoe would be on April 7, a doo wop reunion for the Kimmel Center’s season-long tenth anniversary celebration of The Geator’s reign at the Broad Street hall. The Duprees, The Chiffons, The Dubs, The Passions, The Chimes, The Demensions and The Capris are on board for the Boss with the Hot Sauce.

Old City’s Ristorante Panorama is known for Luca Sena’s famed Friday Night Wine Flights. So why not have a portion of its proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter?

Just out: Scripps College professor Matthew Delmont wrote a book about the originated-in-Philly American Bandstand kids dance television show. In The Nicest Kids in Town, Delmont claims that Dick Clark — the whitest human being after Whitey Ford and Whitey Herzog — worked to keep African-American teens off the show. Get out?! Not keeping anyone out of yon-teen dance-television in Philly is Mike Nise whose Dancin’ on Air reboot taped its first show last weekend. “Everything went great,” says Nise. Nize.

Those of us who miss seeing Mr. Monsu, Peter McAndrews, in the Italian Market neighborhood must head north to Fairmount and Fifth for Popolino, his much discussed white-linen Roman joint that opened yesterday. The black label prosciutto and the “tavole calde” area of the ristorante sound divine and worth South Philly-ians trip to NoLibs.

When you see Philly Arden Theater dudes Michael Hollinger, Aaron Posner, and Thom Weaver during this week’s opening of Cyrano, congratulate them for getting nominated for Washington D.C.’s prestigious Helen Hayes Awards. Posner and Hollinger are nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical, Posner’s nominated for Outstanding Director and Weaver’s up for Outstanding Lighting Design. Hollinger is also busy with his new Hope and Gravity being part of the PTC@Play at the Philadelphia Theatre Company fest.

Chris’ Jazz Café booking manager Al McMahon has more to deal with than guys with horns. His kid Des McMahon is an ace DJ and electro-music producer making his debut in Philly on Fri., March 16, at Rumor alongside fellow Philly native Tom Colontonio and Michael Myers. We hate the grubby Rumor and see no reason at all to go there other than this one time to catch McMahon live and less than a block from where his father works. Des’ tracks get spun worldwide by all manner of DJ (Armin van Buuren and Paul Oakenfold are fans), he hosts Glow Radio on SiriusXM’s Electric Area channel and is the resident spinner at Glow Washington DC where he’ll open for our own Diplo the next night, March 17.

In between doing beer-n-pork demonstrations at Brewer’s Plate with his daughter Olivia in tow and preparing for March 25’s first ever one-night all-you-can-eat, hand-carved suckling pig-out at Amada in Old City (call 215-625-2450 for cochinillo asado at 4 p.m.), Jose Garces began taste-testing the potential product of his Gayborhood wursthaus, Abe Frohman’s. Word has it that Garces’ chef staff prepared a variety of flavors and textures for the due-by-April Abe’s. No chef de cuisine has been named for Frohman’s Wursthaus as yet.

Wanamaker’s, I mean, Macy’s Crystal Tea Room, is the place for the AIDS Fund’s black-tie Gay Bingo on March 17 where Philly radio PR maven Loraine Ballard Morrill will be receiving the Favorite Straight Person of the Year award. Get yer tickets here: aidsfundphilly.org).

Optimal Sport 1315 opened just the other day and already they’re doing for their immediate community. Starting this week, a portion of every new membership purchased goes to the member’s choice of charity — City Of Hope or William Way Community Center — with trial memberships going for $19 throughout March. What is Optimal Sport 1315? It’s the old Broad Street Fitness at 1315 Walnut Street-gone-mega with state of the art equipment and design elements. Along with fitness programs in yoga, tai chi and high energy zumba, it’s got Karl Michelfelder (aka DJ Carl Michaels, Optimal 1315’s music expert). He even has a music tip for your workout. “Ditch your overplayed club techno workout compilations and try some even-tempered summer house music. Hed Kandi offers a vast selection of compilations specifically engineered for the warm weather vibe. It will remind you how good you feel when you are at the beach, and how much better you will feel this summer when you have that beach body.” Buff with a big B.

WHOWHATWHERE: I ran into John Frankowski, co-owner/operator of the late great Swanky Bubbles (amongst other projects) at the meaty-beaty-big-n-bouncy Philly Style April issue pre-party at Smith & Wollensky. Frankowski told me he has something bigger, bubblier and swankier in the works set to pop really soon. Joey, the lead star of Broadway’s War Horse, stopped by the Kimmel to hang with the Center’s CEO Anne Ewers and announce the start of the Kimmel’s 2012/13 Broadway Season (Catch Me if You Can, Addams Family, War Horse, Million Dollar Quartet, etc.). No word on where Joey ate. Wicked/Glee-full actress and singer Idina Menzel stopped by WHYY-TV’s studios to hawk her Live: Barefoot at the Symphony video concert as well as her upcoming Mann Center show on June 30 where she’ll presumably again be sans shoes. The other night, Hooter David Uosikkinen welcomed first time players Ben Arnold, Soul Survivors Charlie and Richie Ingui as well as Graham Alexander (plays “Paul McCartney” in the Broadway production of Rain) into his In the Pocket fold at World Café Live. I also caught up to cosmopolitan blues chanteuse Ruthie Foster at World Café Live after her recent appearance and she was nothing but smiles for all those who hung around for autographs after the sold out show. The usually blank-faced indie act Bombay Bicycle Club stopped by Radio 104.5’s iHeart Radio Performance Theater in Bala Cynwyd and managed to crack a few grins. Big rock rubes MuteMath also hit 104.5’s studios. Meanwhile, rap rager Young Jeezy hung tough at Power 99’s studios. Every celeb that hit the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show (save for Mrs. Governor, Susan Corbett and her daughter Kate) brought a bottle of booze with them. Melissa Gorga, of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey signed her Voli Lyte vodka and brought her hubbie, Joe Gorga, along for the ride. Bethenny Ever After star Bethenny Frankel debuted her new line of Skinnygirl Cocktails to Pennsylvania fans at the Flower-fest, then grabbed her snuggly husband Jason Hoppy for a coy dinner at Route 6. No word if she brought her own booze with her but we did hear that her security was over-freak-a-deak-y paranoid during the bottle signing. That ain’t flowery. Lastly, be on the lookout for American Idol departee Jermaine Jones. The good singer with the bad past and the lying eyes reportedly (according to TMZ) left Los Angeles and is area-bound. Aren’t we the luckiest.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net) (@ADAmorosi)

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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