BEEN THERE/DONE THAT: April 19

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BEEN THERE/DONE THAT: April 19

POSTED: Monday, April 19, 2010, 5:27 PM

Filed Under: Been There, Done That

When we're not editing and writing and proofing and stressing, we A&E editors keep busy getting our culture on. Since we (that'd be Patrick Rapa, music editor; Carolyn Huckabay, arts editor; Molly Eichel, movies/agenda editor; and occasionally Holly Otterbein, staff writer/arts patron) know Philly's teeming with artsy happenings, we'll give you a weekly roundup of where we've been and what we've seen. But we can't see it all. We're taking a cue from Team Meal Ticket — who diligently report on how they've spent their foodie weekends — and opening the floor to you: Leave a comment and let us know what you've been up to since Friday at 5.

CH: Carolyn Huckabay PR: Patrick Rapa HO: Holly Otterbein ME: Molly Eichel

Where We Went:

—Caught BalletX's spring show Friday night at the Wilma; was particularly enamored by Myra Bazell and Monica Favand's reprise of Carry Me, a duet about parents and children and how their roles reverse over time. Also loved UArts grad Lauren Putty's piece, and had to admit being pleased that vests are unflattering on everyone, even tiny dancers. —CH

—Went on a weekend trip to NYC, and stopped into the New Museum. The main exhibit was "Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection," a hodgepodge of different artists' works on ... well ... the apocalypse and war and dead presidents and sexuality and road trips and women and masturbation and etc. And dicks. There were lots of dicks. I highly recommend going to the show. —HO

—Headed to Oaks, Pa., for Philly's Go Green Expo (an eco-conscious trade show you have to drive to ... OK) and checked out the Good Housekeeping Research Institute bubble, er, tent, where, among other strange "tests," if you pressed a button, you immediately started catching whiffs of chocolate chip cookies baking. This kept me occupied for a good five minutes. —CH

—Saturday was Record Store Day, so while hanging out in Jerz for my Aunt Maryann's birthday, I dropped by part music store/part coffee shop Groove Grounds in Collingswood. Canadian Invasion was outside rocking out. Inside, I picked up that split seven inch by Stephin Merritt and Peter Gabriel. Each covers the other (Merritt: "Not One of Us." Gabriel: "Book of Love"). I'll either listen to it or lord it over my music nerd pals. —PR

—Saturdays at Westy's Tavern (1440 Callowhill St.) is my favorite karaoke spot. Pretension doesn't exist here, nor do bullshit ironic versions of songs people are too embarrassed to admit to legitimately loving. Also: more country. Ran into a drunk copy editors convention. Who new the grammar set liked to party so hard? —ME

What We Watched:

—I peeped ODDSAC at the International House on Friday, at the 7:00 p.m. grandma showing. Animal Collective's music was really great, and the video was at times visually stunning, a lame Urban Outfitters ad come to life, sickening in the way that only psychedelia can be and maniacally hilarious. It was so full of unhinged energy that it seemed really unfair that we had to sit in our seats the whole time. —HO

—Loved on Peter Krause all weekend: Watched the first few episodes of both Six Feet Under and Sports Night. The former holds a special place in my heart (that last-episode montage! sob!), but I'm already starting to develop a small crush on Josh Malina. —CH

— Caught Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, which only led me to only think in Bill and Ted-isms for the next couple hours, i.e.: "Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K." This viewing sparked a debate between which was better: Excellent Adventure or Bogus Journey. I prefer Adventure. What about you? —ME

What We Read:

—I read about how cell phones may be killing all of us (or not). (I knew it!) The science is really inconclusive right now, but it makes you wonder if cell phones will eventually become like cigarettes, and our ancestors will look back on us like we were idiots for not knowing they were unhealthy.—HO

— Read most of Living Dead in Dallas, the second in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels because it was in front of me. This one isn't as well written as the first one, which is saying something, considering the first novel — Dead Until Dark — is not exactly prized prose. I gotta give it to Harris, though. She knows how to write a compelling — albeit totally cheesy — narrative with a strong female lead. —ME

—Read the entirety of poet Paul Guest's new memoir One More Theory About Happiness. Granted it was under 200 pages, but still, I consider this a feat for someone who starts plenty but rarely finishes books. Guest, who was made quadriplegic following a bike accident when he was 12, broke my heart and then filled it up again with his determination to get past being dealt such a shitty hand. —CH

—I didn't like Jennifer Egan's short story "Ask Me If I Care" because it felt like scene tourism. But started digging it more once I got the groove of the voice of the narrator — San Fran teen/punk Rhea. The use of subculture is more a superficial setting; this is a deftly executed story about being a teenager, nothing more, nothing less. —ME

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-04-19 13:55:30

American Teen is an awesome movie.

Lindsey

Posted 2010-04-19 15:20:47

After recently showing the 9-year old I babysit both Bill and Ted's in one epic weekend, I have to say I may like the second one more. The first one is classic (I can't tell you how many times I watched that one my freshman year of college, but it was enough to make Idol Hand's TB tell people that if I wasn't around, I was probably watching Bill and Ted), but I can never get enough of the Reaper (and all the great "don't fear the reaper" jokes that come with it). Plus, I love when they see the devil for the first time and they make whatever "Shout at the Devil" crack it is that they make.

This weekend I watched "Better off Ted" for the first time. Awesome show. Portia de Rossi is so fantastically evil and I love it.

dmac

Posted 2010-04-19 16:34:27

I agree Lindsay, the second Bill & Ted is a better movie. I got it free with a pizza (from Pizza Hut, maybe?) like six years ago and enjoyed it way more than I expected. It's also funny how dated it is, with the main characters (or maybe just evil robot B&T?) calling each other "fag" throughout the movie. That might not fly now in a light comedy.

I was at the Phanatic's birthday (oh, and the Phillies game) yesterday at Citizens Bank Park. I was covering, but I got to see the glorious Zooperstars, who were there to celebrate the Phanatic's big day. It was kind of a sporty weekend, as I also watched a lot of NHL and NBA playoffs. I'm not one to usually enjoy music in commercials, but this NBA autotuned press conference commercial is awesome. There's a series of them, too!

Marie DiFeliciantonio

Posted 2010-04-19 16:48:54

I watched "Can't Buy Me Love" with a not-so-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey. Love how Cindy Mancini gets boozy yet still manages to knock the needle off the record with her beverage...and how everyone is wearing fringe. 
Speaking of 80's wonders...no cell phone seems more dangerous than the weighty cell phones of the 80's.

Read an excerpt from "Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink" about dated New York steak dinners, aka "beefsteaks." Sounds like a mess hall/brazilian steak house and I wish I was there. Although women weren't invited until the 20's and then were accused of corruption via the addition of cocktails and salads. How uncivilized.

Emily G

Posted 2010-04-20 02:15:50

Friday: copy editor convention 9-5. Work shift until midnight. Wii rock band until far too late. 
Saturday: copy editor convention until 4. Nap from 4 to 6. Birthday party at Cantina. Somehow engineer that copy editing afterparty and birthday party both end up going to the same karaoke dive two blocks from my house and staying, again, way too late. I can't believe the balloon animal guy was there again!
Sunday: Church service. Brigid's brunch. Free Library festival. Work shift. Wish for death.

Caitlin

Posted 2010-04-20 16:03:05

Saturday I ate too many pork tacos and ultimately found myself "singing" The Shangri-La's "Leader of the Pack," which admittedly might have had more to do with margaritas than tacos.

Sunday morning I sat through an awful lot of "American Loggers" as they dramatized a truck driver's off-road diabetic shock with stock footage of ambulances and indecipherable (Maine?) accents.

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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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