Ice Cubes

ICE CUBES: J-Woww, Obama, Roc and a Burning Bride

POSTED: Thursday, November 4, 2010, 4:10 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

photo | Scott Weiner

President Obama emerges from AF1 at 10:58 a.m. at PHL's Atlantic Aviation landing runway and greets a line of people including, at the front, US Sen Arlen Specter, Mayor Michael Nutter, US Sen Robert Casey, PA State Reps Dwight Evans and Josh Shapiro on Oct. 30. © Scott Weiner

Signs, signs, everywhere is signs: Everyone from Plan Philly (months back) to PhillyChitChat to Brownstoner (where I got it) points out that the haggard Valu-Plus on Chestnut and Juniper posted a "store closing" sign overnight (thanks blog-guys for sticking outside in the cold) with a notion to finally turn the old Keystone Bank Building into a swanky hotel and restaubar courtesy the Klein Company and architectural firm JKR Partners (of Victory Building renown). Good, that. Then, there's the for sale sign at the old Broad Street Diner. Stephen Starr had signed a bill of sale for it awhile back, but let it go as the place is not necessarily in the best shape. This latter bit got me thinking though: If Starr let go of the Ansill space on Bainbridge and then the Broad Street Diner presumably to focus on his due-by-December gastropub and his Locust and 12th Street Il Pittore by February, 2011, what was up with the 10,000-square foot beer thing at 1210 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, near Johnny Brenda's that Starr's in talks for? And what was this rumor that had Brenda's Paul Kimport and William Reed buying the Greek pizzeria that sidles Starr's biergarten? For now, the latter part is just that — a rumor. "I heard it myself the other day but no we haven't bought the Greek place," says Kimport. "William and I look at other spots in the neighborhood on occasion. We like this neighborhood. But we're up to our elbows with this place and Standard Tap." Just checking. Meanwhile Starr's Granite Hill Restaurant at the Art Museum plays VIP host on Nov. 4 at the Van Pelt Auditorium for an after-screening event for The Olmsted Legacy; $100 gets you into the flick and the meal. Call Michelle Nicoletto at 215-988-8762 for tix. You say you haven't heard from Burning Brides' Dimitri Coats since 1997 and that's OK. Too bad. Philly's dark-eyed rawk-stah is in a hardcore-punk super group, Off!, with guys from Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Redd Kross (Keith Morris, Steven McDonald, Mario Rubalcaba) who drop a Vice label four-EP box set Thanksgiving week. Turkeys come early, yo. Howler Morris has also just been made into a punk bobblehead — the eighth in a series — by Phoenixville's Clint Weiler's company Aggronautix. Speaking of the '90s and Burning Brides, remember when the Khyber Pass was the Khyber Pass and not an izakya or a biergarten or something ELSE? After having a Halloween-ie party over the weekend with Swellco + Swellco where a Glenn Beck pinata got face-fucked by Needles Jones, Stephen Simons is re-opening the Second Street space as Khyber Pass Pub next week with Southern fried goodness from Cantina kitchen wizard Mark McKinney. What's happening with the chef Simon got for the izakaya, Todd Dae Kulper? Word has it Dave Frank and Simons have been sniffing around Genji at 17th and Sansom. Director/actor/large man Charles S. Dutton will shoot a pilot for Must Be the Music with actress Nia Long starting in December. They'll need lots of dancers. So will area native Christina "Jarhead of Hearts" Perri who, with Atlantic Records and DiscountDanceSupply.com, an internet shop for dancewear, support her debut EP, The Ocean Way Sessions (out Nov. 9) with a challenge to choreographers: Use one of the EP's tracks at ChristinaPerri.com, film a vid, send it Nov. 8-30, and win a chance to perform the routine live with Perri on Jan. 16 at the CDR Convention in Dallas, TX. THAT'S THE PRIZE?! On Nov. 4, Phily's best lady chefs vie for Philly's best purple plate for Women Against Abuse's fundraising cooking competition, Dish It Up. That means Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran (Lolita/Bindi/Barbuzzo), Moon Krapugthong of Mango Moon, and Delilah Winder of Delilah's Southern Cusine throw violet into their mix for 2009 champ/now judge 10 Arts' Jennifer Carroll and the watchful eyes of Kirsten Henri (Philly mag) and Phyllis Stein-Novack (South Philly Review). WHOWHATWHERE: Aw, it seems like only two days ago we had such hope: President Obama hit PHL airport running, greeting Arlen Specter and Michael Nutter and Rep Dwight Evans with a plan to put Sestak and Onorato on top. Then Adsum owner/right wing monster Jon Runyan and zombie Pat Toomey won, our dreams got dashed And now we are doomed. Wait, doom. The very picture of Evelyn Waugh's end-of-society come courtesy Jersey Shore's J-Woww Farley and designer Richie Rich who drank Jaeger shots at Dusk at Caesars Atlantic City's Halloween event while True Blood's hunk Joe Manganiello hung at the Borgata with DJs Samantha Ronson and Rev. Run before heading over to Bobby Flay's steakhouse. Meanwhile in Philly, while his stuntman nearly got bloodied on JFK Blvd., Safe's Jason Statham (last seen gazing into our lens here) and producer Lawrence Bender steak-ed it up at Smith & Wollensky before hitting G-Lounge and Whisper. Could there be an East Passyunk-like night market in Chinatown? Yes. And sooner than spring 2011 if the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corpoation has any say. Brooklyn friend of the column/fellow accordionist Nick Loss Eaton's band Leland Sundries plays Triumph Brewery on Fri., Nov. 5 with Conor Oberst's cohort Taylor Hollingsworth. Eaton's Sundries released its debut EP The Apothecary in October and the whole schmegie has that latter-day Waits/early morning Leonard Cohen vibe about it. Be there.

photo | Scott Weiner

J Woww and Richie Rich pictured at Dusk Nightclub at Caesars Casino in Atlantic City, NJ on Oct. 30. © Scott Weiner 2010

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 4:10 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Ice Cubes: Statham sighting

POSTED: Friday, October 29, 2010, 8:46 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Scott Weiner

The Statham stare

Who feels like running to 16th and Walnut or into a Starbucks when a screen star like Jason Statham is beneath you? No, literally beneath you. Yesterday I stared into the gaze of the hot set that was Cebu below City Paper's own offices (yes, it pays to head home on occasion, if for no other reason than to get those Bridgette Meyers invitations) and saw a rushing thrush of cameramen and extras (one of which was Lilliie Ruth Bussy) for the filming of Safe. No I couldn't see Statham but I alerted my trusty bud and eagle-eyed photog Scott Weiner who was busy, you know, with groceries. But today I alerted Weiner again and VOLIA! not only did he make it down, he got there just in time to catch Statham on a water drinking break on Chestnut Street. Better than bothering him drinking coffee near his hotel, eh what?

Starbucks drinker

Posted 2010-11-02 08:25:13

Finally something original.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 8:46 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBES: Taylor, Luda and LeBron

POSTED: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 4:08 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Photo | Scott Weiner

Taylor Swift signs autographs outside The Today Show Oct. 26.

Ice Cubes are all the juicy details A.D. Amorosi couldn't cram into Icepack and Icepack Illustrated. Read on to get yer gossip on. So many more Ice Cubes to swizzle with before the weekend hits. Some involve statues being removed from the Spectrum grounds to make way for the wrecking ball (George Young and Co. is taking out the Kate Smith and Dr. J totems). Some involve barely moving statues, like the wooden Bradley Cooper who started a few days of pickup shoots for The Dark Fields yesterday in and around Rittenhouse Square. And that's to say nothing of the concrete acting skills of statuesque Jason Statham, who's here to lens Safe. But there are some flesh-n-blood types out there, too. While Wyomissing, Pa.'s mistress of the kiss-and-tell, Taylor Swift, was shot penning autographs in the crowd after a performance on The Today Show (Back to the Future's Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd were close by), Southern gentleman Ludacris was in the 'burbs. Like his pal Snoop Dogg before him, Luda made a stop in PA to hawk his Conjure Cognac at the PA Wine & Spirits Store in Bala Cynwyd. Then he hit the Wells Fargo Center (so did Phillie Jimmy Rollins) to watch LeBron James and the Miami Heat beat the 76ers during our home opener. Dag, LeBron, there's no reason to embarrass us in front of the Luda.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 4:08 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBES: Strongbox gets served, Bryn Mawr gets Trannies, Jenny Lewis gets duds

POSTED: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 6:40 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Photo | Scott Weiner

Pete Rose attends Prince Music Theater Oct. 24 to promote the Philadelphia Film Festival's 4192: The Crowning Of The Hit King.

Ice started here. But it ends here. Y'hear? Ladies and gentlemen, the Rolling Stone ... mag ... dot.com ... senior editor! Applaud for ex-Philadelphia Weekly and New York Observer writer Doree Shafrir, who just got the senior editor gig at rollingstone.com. My corner Pan-Asian eatery Le Viet (1019 S. 11th) does Halloween all spiced up with a demonically hot three-night run of Hell Night, Oct. 29 to 31 (more info at Meal Ticket). After months of dusty windows and cracked glass, the once-swank Strongbox got served. Not with bottle service, but with big close-down signage from its landlord. Ex-TLA dude Richard Wolff's Breaking Glass Pictures isn't just releasing new cult phenoms such as Ticked Off Trannies with Knives (showings throughout the U.S. with several midnight Philly screenings to come). He's dropping a slew of DVD rarities, too — both domestic (the animated Rock & Rule's 25th anniversary edition, starring Iggy Pop) and foreign (Taxi Zum Klo). The Bryn Mawr Film Institute will hold a midnight screening of TOTWK — Tribeca 2010's most controversial film — on Nov. 5; Breaking Glass will screen TOTWK along with other Big Picture pictures at a mini-Wolff-fest at National Mechanics Nov. 15 with cats like Jeremy Dyen (dropping his Battery CD soon) providing the music. Poker table games're gonna hit Parx Casino. Yay. This means I don't have to wait until Harrah's and Foxwood get their shit together in my li'l ol' South Philly neighborhood: On Oct. 29, Parx executives, dealers and team members will hold mock poker tournaments in the 24 table poker space. Are you all in? Philly's musty grooving Experience Kef (yell at sometime CP scribe Ptahhh Gabrie) and the loved-locally Matt Duke perform Peter Gabriel's "So" in its entirety on Halloween at World CafÃ© Live. What a lovely, bizarre idea. Speaking of WCL, one of its food friends, Amy Selevan, is taking over off-East-Passyunk's Lucky 13 chef duties. I'm hungry just thinking about it. Last week, we had Wes Pentz doing Blackberry TV ads in a suit, talking about Rusko and contributing to Die Antwoord's $O$ album. Now, Philly's Diplo is dropping a dubstep compilation from his mausoleum-home-bound label, Mad Decent, called Blow Your Head Volume 1: Diplo Presents Dubstep, and it first single with Lil Jon, "U Don't Like Me." And what's a crunk-meets-dubstep single without a vintage video-game-y clip where Dip looks like Kraftwerk's Ralf Hutter, right? Heavy metal thunder, or at least a very sexy karaoke version of hair metal, happens every Thursday night at the Wonder Years in KensoFishington. It's called "Shout at the Devil" and it's hosted by Madam Striga — Jodi to her pals — and the ever-Winger-like John Cecil Price.

Photo | Scott Weiner

Tony Danza meets Mayor Michael Nutter Oct. 25 before the Teach event at the Baptist Temple.

WHOWHATWHERE: Hooters Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman stopped by the Gypsy Saloon in Conshohocken for drummer David Uosikkinen's launch event for In the Pocket: Essential Songs of Philadelphia to benefit Settlement Music School. >> Richard Bush from The A's and Beru Revue's Greg Davis hit it and quit, too. >> Before her show with Phoenix and Waaves at the Tower Theater, Jenny Lewis was looking fab-not-folksy while shopping along at the 69th-and-Market shops. You go, gurl. Meanwhile Phoenix supped at the White Dog CafÃ© in University City before playing the Tower. >> When brown-eye-shadow enthusiast Tony Danza met Mayor Michael Nutter before the A&E Teach event at the Baptist Temple at Temple U , no one booed. >> The Brent Celek celeb server event at Morton's the Steakhouse (for the Take Flight Foundation) netted Merrill Reese, the Eagles play-by-play announcer, as emcee and servers such as Tony Luke Jr. and Celek's fellow Eagles past and present Harold Carmichael, Todd Herremans and DeSean Jackson. >> Another less-loved Eagle, Michael Vick, ate at Darling's Diner in the Piazza last weekend. This is what he does when he's not killing dogs or helping Chris Rock to kill his own acting career. Fuck Chris Rock forever. >> Michael Vick can go on unscathed and celebrated while Phillies legend Pete Rose — subject of the Philadelphia Film Fest's 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King — goes unwanted by the ballers, for what? Gambling. Rose was at the Prince Music Theater to watch the film. It was a nice day. >> And somewhere not so far away that very day, another losing Phillie, Chase Utley was at brunch at Jones. Sob. Fishtown's GERM man David E. Williams gets out of the beghborhoood when he opens for Legendary Pink Dots on Nov. 1 at the M-Room, which happens to be across the street from where he first opened GERM. Williams will soon have a new 7-inch four-song vinyl EP to sell. Stay tuned.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 6:40 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBES: Happy Eddie Lang Day

POSTED: Monday, October 25, 2010, 4:46 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

On the night of its 20th anniversary celebration, Chris' Jazz CafÃ© owners Glenn Gerber and Mark DeNinno were lighting the new blue sign in front of their music saloon and laughing about what would come next. That's when they mentioned that they, along with Mayor Michael Nutter, were declaring Oct. 25 "Eddie Lang Day." Not just as a music fan and writer whose love of Salvatore Massaro (died in 1933 after a tonsillectomy suggested by his pal Bing Crosby) went beyond reviewing his box set in 2002 with fellow Philadelphian Joe Venuti. Lang was part of my family's heritage — he palled around with my grandfather Louis Amorosi (a violinist who ran orchestras throughout Philly and Atlantic City) and my great uncle (for whom I'm named after), bassist Angelo Gaudiosi who played with Lang and Venuti under the name "Angelo Carmen." Lang was a weird kind-of fixture in my life. I knew he was a quiet Catholic guy who held his pick tight and flat picked his guitar, that he probably invented single string playing, that he wasn't flashy like his buddy Venuti and that he lived near 7th & Clymer where a plaque calling him "the Father of Jazz Guitar" was erected 15 years ago. To my recollection, and that of my sax blowing dad, Alfonso's, Lang was Django Reinhardt before Django was hot jazz. Plus my dad blames Crosby for killing Lang still. My dad doesn't like Bing. He thinks Crosby blackballed crooner Russ Colombo, too. But enough about me — music is filled with forgotten legends. It's our job to pull them from history's wreckage. That's what this day's about at Chris' Jazz CafÃ©. Jef Lee Johnson and Jonathan Dichter will perform the famed Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang duets. The Blackbird Society Orchestra hosts and swings with Beau Django along for the ride. It'll be a sweet night. Be there. Just don't bring up Bing Crosby.

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ICE CUBES: Muscling In

POSTED: Friday, October 22, 2010, 8:53 PM

Filed Under: Critical Mass | Ice Cubes | Movies Film Fest

Darren Finizio

You saw it here first, now here's the rest: In his time behind the mic, Darren Finizio has been a Marc Bolan-like starchild folksinger, a weight lifting Muscle Factory man, a host of his own YouTube show (Darren's Basement), and the Hoppy from Hoppy The Frog. He's been at the center of the porn-metal Ass Bandits/Sperminator axis, a Paraplegic, the Well-Hung Man, and the subject of Marc Brodzik's first documentary, My Name Is Darren. To this date, he has yet to have become a part of the Pepsi generation that fills the Piazza at Schmidts â until now, until 3 p.m. this Sat., Oct. 23. "I'm still singing folk songs and need to play for people flesh to flesh like the old days," says the ultimate outside artist before sending me his newest "perverse" YouTube enterprises. Along with talking about his eternally burning desire to become a rock star ("where's all the good stuff that Satan promised me?"), Finizio lays out Muscle Factory's plans for shock and awe at the Piazza — kinda. "Muscle Factory will only perform new material and there will be no musical content in the newer material. People may hate me for it. So be it. You have to evolve or you become another relic." No fly will ever land on Finizio, that's for sure. Darren — one of them — has upcoming November shows at the Troc's Balcony following this Piazza gig. But make sure you catch Muscle Factory outdoors to see and hear what the future of Finizio might be. WHOWHATWHENWHERE: Never before did Philadelphia natives/celebutantes Jamie Kennedy and M. Night Shyamalan figure they'd be sharing a stage. But there they were, one right after the other at the Prince Music Theater when the 19th Philadelphia Film Festival debuted the locally shot CafÃ© with a Q&A starring its producer J. Andrew Greenblatt (the PFF's boss too), director/writer Marc Earlbaum and star Kennedy — followed by the 10th anniversary celebration and screening of Unbreakable with M. Night. "No one ever thought to cast me as a drug dealer, so that was a first," says Kennedy of his diabolical role in the tragicomic CafÃ©. "Plus this was my first kosher movie." Lacheim. For Shyamalan's part, he hold me that he missed the innocence of his pre-Sixth Sense days. "I had been around for two films that nobody saw by the time of Sixth Sense so I definitely lost a lot of my initial innocence. That's something I'd actually love to get back, that feeling of filmmaking and writing when it wasn't so much of a job, without so many expectations."

Scott Weiner 2010

Andrew Greenblatt, M. Night Shyamalan, Bhavna Vaswani & Sharon Pinkenson

Scott Weiner 2010

Marc Earlbaum and Jamie Kennedy

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 8:53 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBES: Danza, Cash, Charo, The Rat and I'm a PC

POSTED: Thursday, October 21, 2010, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Since 2008, Icepack has been touting chef Shane Cash — griller extraordinare, nephew of the Man in Black — for his skills. He opened Butcher & Singer and SquareBurger and is the exec chef at SRO's events. Now he's the big cheese at Hamilton N.J.'s Rat's Restaurant. Top Chef D.C. winner Kevin Sbraga held the spot before Cash but we know Shane'll make it his own. Looking forward to reporting as much about Cash's Rat cooking soon. If you thought it was hot that Stephen Bluhm — now relocated to the banks of the Hudson — came back to Philly last weekend to sing his original music for CafÃ©, home-town director Marc Erlbaum's minor key tragicomic relationship film shot in West Philly and Bala Cynwyd, then you'll be psyched to see who Erlbaum has next: Upper Darby's Jamie Kennedy. The comic, who shot the moody flick in 2009 with his now-ex-girlfriend Jennifer Love Hewitt, comes home to join Erlbaum and the film's producer J. Andrew Greenblatt during one of Greenblatt's Philadelphia Film Festival screenings Oct 21 at the Prince Music Theater. Right after Kennedy and Erlbaum leave, M. Night Shyamalan comes in to chat about the 10th-anniversary of Unbreakable, screen it, then talk more. He loves to talk. Buy in at filmadelphia.org. Know who else loves to talk? Charo. The Latin bombshell just got signed to join the cast of Girl Talk: The Musical after her Off-Broadway run with it. Figure Nov. 16 -21 at the Kimmel's Innovation Studio for the cuchi-cuchi. Damon Feldman doesn't care if you're a man, a woman or a transvestite: If you don't sell tickets, prepare to get swatted. Apparently that's what happened at South Philly Bar & Grille between the Celebrity Boxing promoter and Trans-Diva Michaela Vasilakos. YouTube it for details if you dare/care/whatever. Not only does the Philly-filmed A&E show Teach get a new song this week (Danni Rosner's "In The City" debuts Oct. 22) , it's star, Tony Danza, Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter, and Comcast's Brian Roberts, appear at the Baptist Temple on TU campus Oct 25 for a chat about the Education Department's TEACH campaign. Sounds dull, doesn't it? I mean, how far is Dannza going to take this ed-u-tain-ment schtick? WHOWHATWHERE: Didn't need spies for this: Late night chat show host/comedian Craig Ferguson outed his own hangs-out in Philly on Twitter: cheesesteaks at Pat's, lunch at Marathon, a stop at the Liberty Bell with photos included. Thanks for doing the legwork, Mr. Ferguson. See you in Reading. Now, this was funny. I wound up not being able to hit the Josh Shelov's Philly-filmed The Best and Brightest at the Ritz Five (another PFF screening) due to a sudden work commitment last Saturday. Shelov and TBAB stars Bonnie Somerville, Jenna Stern, Peter Serafinowicz and John Hodgman were there. They hit Tweed and Red Sky from some accounts. So I was sad I missed them, Hodgman especially, the wry author and Daily Show commentator. Well, I didn't miss him after all. No sooner than I was popping into Bobbi Booker's wild memorial event at Bob & Barbara's for the late Freddie Sutton, in walks Hodgman and Serafinowicz. The TBAB stars only stayed for a drink but they inadvertently mingled with over 80 memorializers packed into B&B's like Sen. Vincent Hughes, Big Pictures Rich Wolff, manager/producer Lawrence Bracey and the elusive venue owner, Jack. "A couple dozen of us then went over to Pen & Pencil where Fred's portraits are on still on display," says Booker. Even from the great beyond Sutton throws a mean party. Hodgman was heard to have hit the Mutter the next day. The Union League is having some fun this week. After it got a visit from near-scapegoat Colin Powell for a private function, the UL will host a Studio Incamminati gala on Friday where a nude painting of Marisa Tomei (by Nelson Shanks) will hang at a benefit for the art salon. The ball also highlights Shanks' new works that'll hang at St. Petersburg's Russian Museum and Moscow's Russian Academy of Arts. (Info and tix 215-592-7910). Apparently Philly's dead like craft beer too. Laurel Hill Cemetery hosts a homebrew competition on Oct. 23 for your best pre-Prohibition style beer. The entries will be served during a tour of the graves of the great brewing families buried there with beer historian Richard Wagner as your guide. Speaking of the deceased, the late great Philadelphia soul song legend Solomon Burke (see my 2002 interview with him here) will have a funeral service in Gardena, CA. that will be streamed on the internet at thekingsolomonburke.com and simulcast at 1 p.m. on Oct 22 at Sharon Baptist Church in Wynnefield, PA. Amen to that.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBE: Freddie Sutton tribute at Bob & Barb's

POSTED: Friday, October 15, 2010, 10:00 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Photo | Bobbi Booker

Entertainment specialist Fred Sutton (1953-2010) holding the prestigious Black Music Association "Philadelphia Music Maker" Award

There's no better time to celebrate the dead than two weekends from now on Halloween. But this weekend comes awfully close. This evening, head to Blockley Pourhouse (38th and Chestnut) for a reunion of Philly's first all-black punk band, Pure Hell. Chip, Stinker and Lenny will roar, smoke and fume (respectively) with ex-She-Males drummer Mike Mosley subbing for the late great Spyder on the skins. Mikey Wild and Scareho, Decontrol and Loafass will be in on the fun, too. And tomorrow, there's a party for the recently deceased Freddie Sutton at Bob & Barbara's (15th and South). This gig is more relaxed than the former. No one is sure who'll perform. No one is certain what the final guest list will read like. But knowing that eternally fez-wearing, shades-donning Sutton — a record label mini-mogul, photographer, music manager and consultant — dealt with everyone from Motown, Ruffhouse and beyond means there's no saying the mess that'll be made in his good name.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 10:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBES: Boyle, Hooters and Jackasses

POSTED: Thursday, October 14, 2010, 5:43 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Scott Weiner 2010

Danny Boyle and Sharon Pinkenson

Ice started here. But it ends here. Before her Halloween weekend, the one where she'll release her debut full length CD, open mic mistress Dani Mari hosts a "Philly Covers Philly" jawn with Kenn Kweder and John Train taking on their fave local oldies. That'll be at Triumph on Oct 14. In other Philly-covers-Philly news, The Hooters' David Uosikkinen's new revolving-member project ITP (In The Pocket) is recording his fave Philly tunes with proceeds of their download charges (songsinthepocket.org) going to SettlementMusicSchool. The first tune? "All My Mondays" from the late great Joey Wilson's '80s band Youth Camp with John Kuzma and Uosikkinen. The new version features Hooters Uosikkinen, Rob Hyman, Eric Bazilian with Richard Bush (The A's/The Peace Creeps) on vocals and Greg Davis (Beru Revue) on guitar. Icepack gave you the preview fam-and-friends-dinner dates (but no wives, no girlfriends) on JG Domestic long ago and before anyone. We'll be pleased-as-punch-to see it officially open Oct. 15 barring any unforeseeable probs. Hip house hooray: After Lee Jones' Sundae seventh anniversary last Sunday, the early part-o-the-usually-outdoors-party moves indoors at Silk City with a post-time-after-soiree headed to Voyeur. Frank Sherlock and CA Conrad will be reading with Chumbawumba punk Danbert Nobacon at Giovanni's Room Oct. 18. I don't even care what they read from — CA and Frank will be tubthumping. Thumping rum: The Rum Bar has a new exec chef — Luis Lara — whose biggest cred was his own Caribbean bistro in Haddonfield, Ramona's. Try the Mofongo. Thoughtful wordy MC Kuf Knotz does his pre-release party for his Mad Dragon debut CD BoomBox Logic on Oct. 16 at World CafÃ© Live. After hearing him doing his thing for Subtle Ground, Burndown Allstars and The Hustle, it'll be nice to hear where he's going on his own. When Brian Anthony Wilson (The Wire on HBO fame) isn't busy filming Safe next week (the Jason Statham actioner), he'll be serving drinks with Annie A-Bomb at Chris' Jazz CafÃ©. No, acting times aren't that tough. On Oct. 22, the pair will be helping out newly-minted Barrymore winners B. Someday Productions/Walking Fish Theatre raise cash for their company during Friday's 5-7 p.m. happy hour. WHOWHATWHERE: Eagles' should-be-second-string QB Michael Vick ate at Ruth's Chris Steak House the other night. The meat was already killed and cooked before he got there. Melody Pinkerton of VH1's Frank the Entertainer In a Basement Affair got catty with her opponent Lachia Damis at a Big Bang pre-fight-affair in Woodlyn, PA.'s Bootleggers. Who are those people? OK, here's someone fabulously white trashy I know and love and who held a screening for their new movie at Momaon tuesday: Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn who did press for their new Jackass 3D flick (opening Oct. 15) at McGillin's Olde Ale House. Getting ready for his Philadelphia Film Festival finale appearance with the premiere of his one-man-action flick 127 Hours, Oscar winning director Danny Boyle hit University City's The Rave (where he hung with PFO's Sharon Pinkenson), KYW studios (where he rapped with Ukee Washington) and boarded at the Four Seasons. Boyle was his usual electric self during our chat. "That's why my films are so hyperactive," says Boyle. "They're only as energetic as I am."

Scott Weiner 2010

Ryan Dunn and Bam Margera, jackasses.

Scott Weiner 2010

Melody Pinkerton and Lachia Damis of VH-1's stars

Posted 2011-01-31 08:53:26

I am Manpreet do yoÃ¼ live me

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 5:43 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBE: Jersey Boys pony up for PIFA

POSTED: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 7:00 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Photos | Kimmel Center

Philly's own Jersey Boys cast members buy PIFA's first tickets

On the very morn that the Hollywood Reporter announced Jersey Boys â the theatrical musical life and mobbed-up times of the Four Seasons â will become a film (with Frankie Valli and keyboardist/songwriter Bob Gaudio as its executive producers), Philly's own Forrest Theater-ensconced Jersey Boys are doing their bit for local art. With just six months until the debut of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, the Kimmel Center put its tickets on sale this morning and got the cast of Jersey Boys to pony up for the first tix, which they then generously turned around and donated to the AIDS Fund.

Free croissants!

Then there's the PIFA Neighborhood-to-Neighborhood truck tour with Parisian-dressed representatives of each of the PIFA's event categories. That means if you see guys with pencil mustaches and chef caps, Follies girls or mimes at South Philly's Pat's and Geno's axis, North Philly's Taller Puertorriqueno or, later this afternoon, West Philly's Institute of Contemporary Art, don't hurt them. They're just trying to sell some tickets. And hand out free croissants. (Follow twitter.com/visitphilly to find out where the PIFA truck'll be all afternoon.)

Jersey Boys Tickets

Posted 2010-11-03 13:18:55

What a great show, I attended two times, once with my family and another time with a group of friends. I liked the show very much!

Tickets For Sale

Posted 2010-11-23 10:55:04

My wife and I both saw the Jersey Boys last week on Broadway..WOW, WOW, WOW!!
It was the greatest experience we ever had in a theater.

street fair

Posted 2010-12-22 17:00:56

The Kimmel Center â Philadelphia's largest performing arts venue â is planning an outdoor street fair on the city's biggest avenue on April 30, 2011 and we want you to join us. This street fair will be the culminating moment of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), a city wide celebration of Philly's entire cultural community.

The last weekend in April is a busy time for Philadelphia. Hotel occupancy regularly exceeds 95%. The Penn Relays are in full force bringing in college students from across the nation. And baseball season is in high gear. All of this presents a golden opportunity for your business or organization. 

By participating in the PIFA Street Fair you'll be able to reach new customers, sell product, tell your story, and make an impression.

The application deadline is January 15, 2011. Any company or individual may apply to be a part of this spectacular event.

Please send all questions to Streetfair@pifa.org. To find out more about PIFA please visit www.pifa.org and download the application at http://www.pifa.org/vendors.

Please note that the Street Fair does not yet appear on PIFA's website - we plan to announce the Street Fair to the public with a major television and media event in February.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Join the moment.

 = The PIFA Team

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Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
What we're trying to do this weekend
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
ICE CUBE: In Memoriam: Joe Tartaglia
Coming soon to Philly: Two cockamamie movie promotion schemes
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
NOW SEE THIS: Transit cop arrests marijuana activist for alleged disorderly conduct.
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.
NOW SEE THIS: Tim and Eric direct Terry Crews for Old Spice

About this blog

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.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

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