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ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: What's more important in my world: Jen Carroll leaving or the Troc going bankrupt? Plus Fresh Prince and Schoolly D up in here?
So I'm running through Manhattan on a gorgeous Tuesday. The weather from day into night was perfect - a lovely breeze, a nice drive, a great sojourn through the city to get to Hammerstein Ballroom for The Big Lebowski Fest anniversary that finds John Turturro, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, John Goodman, T. Bone Burnett and Steve Buscemi reunited for the first time to discuss the film with rabid fans. Yet as I run, I keep getting a weird mix of texts: the Trocadero just went into Chapter 11, Jen Carroll's leaving her chef post at the Ritz-Carlton's 10 Arts.
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: What’s more important in my world: Jen Carroll leaving or the Troc going bankrupt? Plus Fresh Prince and Schoolly D up in here?
So I’m running through Manhattan on a gorgeous Tuesday. The weather from day into night was perfect — a lovely breeze, a nice drive, a great sojourn through the city to get to Hammerstein Ballroom for The Big Lebowski Fest anniversary that finds John Turturro, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, John Goodman, T. Bone Burnett and Steve Buscemi reunited for the first time to discuss the film with rabid fans. Yet as I run, I keep getting a weird mix of texts: the Trocadero just went into Chapter 11, Jen Carroll’s leaving her chef post at the Ritz-Carlton’s 10 Arts. Back and forth, back and forth. Texts came so fast I couldn’t respond and I’m pretty fleet with the thumbing. Why I’m saying this has something to do with my split loyalties between music and food, gossipy stuff about chefs versus news about artists. What text to answer first? Neither. I just watched Bridges be The Duderino and had fun. That said: Jen Carroll is a queen and she hinted during that recent Kiehls motorcycle charity jawn a few weeks back that upwards-and-upwards movement was in her immediate future. So no surprise but still something to consider when making reservations for the next dozen+ Fridays until she leaves 10 Arts in October. The Troc? Look, people are allowed to be spiritually bankrupt and morally bankrupt and nobody bats an eye. But use the “b” word in regard to money and polite company gets frowny-faced and everybody goes anarchically wacked out. Joanna Pang’s move is a restructuring one and she hates Ticketmaster. Yeaaaaah. Take it to the streets, JP. Ladies, ladies, not to get all Barry White here but I love you and everything’s going to be alllllright.
Hey, in Icepack in print we talked about the closing of the last TLA Video store on 15th Street and how mournful I am. How does corporate handle their grief? With TLA Ready Disc, an operation where you the would-be/wanna-be porn star or director can get yer flaccid pricks and faux-tits produced, packaged and sold by the biggest name in red-light releasing, TLARAW.com. “This program connects adult performers and producers’ content to a paying audience, enabling them to make money on its DVD sale,” goes the press release. Do it do it do it.
There’s some old school hip-hop in the house this coming week. Rap radio mistress Lady B celebrates her 30th anniversary in the biz this Sun., Aug. 21, at the Dell with Big Daddy Kane and Public. Yet the biggest story is the rumor that not only will M. Night Shyamalan’s best bud, Will Smith, show up like he did at Nas last week (see Icepack Illo, Aug. 11) but that Philly’s Fresh Prince may reunite with his DJ partner Jazzy Jeff for some “Summer-Summer-Summertime.” This time around, parents will indeed understand. Then on Aug. 25 at the Troc (see, everything’s hunky dory) Verses in the Blink of an Eye’s competition for freestyle rap battling youth gets judged by Bun B, Redman and Philly’s own Schoolly D who’ll do double duty as judges and performers. If Schoolly’s reeeeeeaaally good, can he take home the gold?
Months ago in Icepack then a subsequent Meal Ticket, I spoke with Le Bec Fin’s Georges Perrier about his reconstruction of its downstairs into something sexy that would open by summer’s end. GP wasn’t lying. Tryst is the name and it'll pop its top this week coming. Perrier and Chef Nicholas Elmi are doing a mix of Le Bec classics, new small plates (like foie gras arancini) with lots of caviar selection. There’s a new menu of cool cocktails like Le Peach Smash (Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Fresh Muddled Peaches). And of course the kids at DAS Architects made Tryst dark and lovely. Plus we're hearing something about one of Perrier's peeps looking at the ye old Strongbox space at 20th & Walnut for something regarding his breads and baked goods in the daytime with something grander for the evening. Tres formidable!....
The Davis Concert Staging/Becca Lane Media-sponsored Brendan Borek Memorial Surf Competition and Live Music Festival is this weekend Aug. 20 with Reckless Dodgers, Echo Movement, Kings & Comrades, Don McCloskey, R3 and Stolen Rhodes. This is the 21st year that the fest has gone on in dedication to the surfer/musician whose life was cut tragically short due to cancer. And you guys need some sun and surf so head to the 30th Street Beach in Avalon, New Jersey. Get down to those neck of the woods early — Aug. 18 — and go check out Nigel Richards’ 611 Lifestyle Pop Up Shop at The Chelsea this Thursday, 8-10 p.m., on the fifth floor. If you can’t get there early go to Boneyard Bar & Grill to see Nigel spin.
Before he hits the Academy of Music in November, Amos Lee has another gift for Philly — an eight-song iTunes collection, Live From SoHo, that came out yesterday. It was taped at an Apple Store Soho on Feb. 22 with Lee and his band (including our own Mutlu) with songs from several of his albums and fresh covers like: Ween’s “Buenos Tardes Amigo” and Neil Young’s “Are You Ready For The Country.”
Get out of my neighborhood, Rachel Ray. Pat’s Steaks is being used as a location shoot for “The Great Philly Grill Off” That she and her show will host and film in South Philly on Aug 30. Arg.
WHOWHATWHERE: Brandy’s brother and the guy who once pee-peed on Kim Kardashian, Ray J, has some new music, an upcoming VH-1 show and stopped at Live Nation offices in Bala Cynwyd the other day. Yay. Even if you win an Oscar you can’t avoid having to do stupid hype-y things. Like Marcia Gay Harden who stopped by the Community Education Center to congratulate the CEC in person for having won $50,000 from the Maxwell House Community Project’s Drops of Good contest for renovations. Harrumph. The now-done classic cast of Jersey Shore returned to the Seaside Heights scene-of-the-crime one last time to do some last-minute promo shoots for MTV last week. Rather than stay at the house at 1209 Ocean Terrace, each stayed in separate hotels. And remember you can rent that joint for between 3500 dollars and $6,000 a night (08751 zip code, single night rentals only). All this happened around the same time that the chief of police in Belmar, NJ started an investigation into a situation between The Situation and the NJ cops after TMZ obtained footage which seemingly showed celeb-gazing cops turning a blind eye to the fact that the Jersey Shore star had two girls crammed into his Ferrari’s single passenger seat, neither one wearing a seat belt — a violation of NJ law. Howzat? When the J. Geils Band made a pit stop at the Borgata last week, they got a visit from radio jock/Mummer Jacky Bam Bam and his family. Other radio doings, comings and going found Locksley and Jack’s Mannequin performing at Radio 104.5 FM studios and Patrick Stump and Breathe Carolina (the latter who got to hang with my goddaughter and b-day girl Mariel Weiner) at the Saturday Night Online performance theater last week.
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