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Archive: January, 2012
Each week, Michael Gold breezes past those big-name theater companies to turn a spotlight on Philly's indie stages.
With based-on-a-book Big Miracle and The Woman in Black hitting silver screen this weekend — and 
board-game blockbuster Battleship lurking ominously on the horizon — it seems clear Hollywood has run out of fresh ideas. Odds are you find that disconcerting, so here’s a comforting thought from the folks at the International House: Hollywood never had any originality to begin with. In a discussion titled “Pleasures and Pitfalls of Film Adaptation,” Penn and NYU professors will gather to explore cinema’s illustrious history of profiting off the creativity of others. At a time when adapted screenplays abound, these scholars hope to show that transferring material between media can be more of an art form than a simple copy-paste job. And if you can’t make it, rest assured; a movie version will likely be in theaters this December.
Wed., Feb. 1, 5 p.m., free, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, ihousephilly.org.
I spent Saturday night on Broad Street, bouncing between the 155th anniversary of the Academy Ball and Concert at the Academy of Music and Jerry Blavat’s tenth anniversary of performing at the Kimmel Center.
It was, as always, fascinating to see the transformation of the Academy from hallowed hall to party ball. This year, rather than make partygoers leave after the concert, the Ball was extended until 1 a.m. They lowered the grand old chandelier in the main room, turned the orchestra’s rehearsal hall at the Academy House into a dark makeshift disco and let her rip. Yo-Yo Ma, Diana Krall, David Morse, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin were there, but the performers almost seemed secondary to the party itself. Before the Ball, there were smaller fêtes, like the one at R2L for the Young Friends of the Academy Ball, as well as the Pre-Party Reception for the Academy Ball, hosted at Tiffany & Co. and held by The Central Committee for The Philadelphia Orchestra. The latter event is the one where guests were invited to purchase one or more Tiffany Crystal Atlas Bowls for $200 each, with one winning Bowl holding a Tiffany diamond pendant (Dr. Janice Gordon won that joint)
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Reporter Meg Augustin takes you inside some of Philly's most fab dwellings to showcase our city's unique grasp on design and architecture.
Liz and Steve moved into their Fairmount home a year ago. After a lot of looking, the rehabbed space, 
which offered adequate square footage, outside space and off-street parking, presented an intriguing, modern escape with amenities out the door, but the three-story beauty was, for all intents and purposes, a bachelor pad. The couple, who had recently adopted a baby girl, loved the home but saw its flaws when it came to family-living. The second-floor stairs were open and the top level was nothing but a floating master suite and catwalk — not exactly ideal for a soon-to-be-crawling child.
Soon after buying their urban dream home, the couple enlisted the help of Estate Contractor’s John Leonetti, who filled in stairs and transformed the third floor into a master suite and second bedroom. When it came time to add the decorative touches that would make their new space a home, Liz turned to her mother for help. An interior designer for Chicago’s famous Skidmore, Owings and Merrill design firm, she came with a wealth of interior know-how. She aided in the addition of a few ornamental elements, like the green-and-white print (pictured right) in the kitchen (a score from Liz’s aunt). Liz also got lucky at a Connecticut estate sale, where she found her unique parsons dining table and the office desk. Both items were from the family estate of celebrity chef Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa). Saturated paint hues, select Madeline Weinrib fabrics and pops of color give life and layer to the modern, post-bachelor space.
This was my first weekend without football in a long time, so I spent my time taking in a few new experiences. I took notes:
— I started playing Words With Friends, the iPhone app which got 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin kicked 
off an American Airlines Flight at LAX. I'm generally not that good at Scrabble, but I try to participate in mass hysteria whenever possible.
— I downloaded the Netflix app for iPhone and watched Norm McDonald's special Me Doing Standup. This app is the only reason I ever make it to the gym.
— I checked out a freaky documentary about DMT starring Fear Factor's Joe Rogan. Now there's some stuff I'll be staying away from. A good strong India pale ale is all I need, but God bless these folks who signed up for a clinical study on this psychedelic drug known as the Spirit Molecule. While the doc did a good job generating a serious conversation about the issue, it was always silly when the DMT-advocating Rogan showed his face on screen. What, Snoop Dogg wasn't available?
— I listened to the forthcoming album by Ben Kweller, which is full of catchy, toe-tappin' power-pop. Kweller's coming to Union Transfer on March 21. If you want to wait to see whether or not you're going to like the new album, it's clutch, get a ticket.
I went to karaoke at West Tavern (1440 Callowhill St.) this Saturday and was knocked out by this lady's version of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." Do it, sister!
With the help of City Paper film critics, Josh Middleton counts down this weekend's eight new-movie releases, from least- to most-worthy of your precious time and hard-earned dollar bills.
Art-geek extraordinaire Courtney Sexton presents a selection of Philly's must-see gallery exhibits. This week, she explores the area's vibrant art-café culture.
Every Friday, Ryan Carey covers the people and events that are giving Philly the giggles.
Tonight, Philly improv troupe Iron Lung celebrates its one-year birthday show at the Arts Parlor. Says 
founding member Maureen Costello, "It's hard to believe that one year ago we were standing in a back alley behind Tabu warming up for our inaugural show. We had this certain air of naiveté to performing where there were no bad shows, no critics, and no doubt about what we were doing. Nothing deterred us that night, not even the passerby who gawked at us playing an imaginary knife game ... in an alley ... in the Gayborhood. We were Philadelphia's own West Side Story!"
In a short amount of time, the members of Iron Lung seem to have coalesced a legendary rapport. Corin Wells claims, "I feel like I've known these crazy kids since the womb ... a very large, multi-ethnic womb." Kevin Pettit boasts, "We are friends first and improv teammates second."
In the style of long-form improv, known as Evente, they take a suggestion from the audience (start thinking, folks!) and act out a scene on the spot. The group chooses one character to be fleshed-out with a series of three mini-scenes, and the whole process is repeated twice. Once the three main characters have been developed, we see a large scene three times from each character's point-of-view — we learn how the event affects their future. (Yes, there's quite a bit of time travel involved!)
The troupe is currently under the direction of Amie Roe (of the Amie and Kristen Show, who will also be performing tonight.) "They asked me if I wanted to work with the group, because Evente is a signature piece of the Magnet Theater in New York where … I perform regularly," says Amie. "Iron lung are a bunch of smarties — they have good improv instincts, which is something that's hard to teach. Evente` shows off their ability to create and develop very engaging characters."
Fri., Jan. 27, 8 p.m., $5, Arts Parlor, 1170 S. Broad St., ironlungimprov.com.
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and if you’re still struggling to come up with the perfect gift for your honey — or if you’re single and need some retail therapy — consider heading down to Busybee Homestore and Design Center on Saturday. The South Street haven for the design-conscious will be holding a charity event to support the DKMS Bone Marrow Center. The largest marrow donor center in the world, DKMS works to find life-saving bone marrow donors for the nearly 300,000 Americans affected by leukemia each year. So before you start browsing the store’s eclectic selection of home décor, stop by and get your cheek swabbed to see if you could be a match. And while you’re trying to decide which locavore-oriented tote bag is more your style, know that 25 percent of your purchase will go to DKMS. In other words, buy both.
Sat., Jan 28., 12-6 p.m., Busybee Homestore and Design Center, 734 South St., 215-592-9600, busybeephilly.com.
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