The Way of the Scalper
Risk and reward inside South Philly's stealth economy.
by E. James Beale
Scalpers don't specialize. There aren't sports scalpers and music scalpers. In Philly, nearly all events — be it your Flyers game, your Jonas Brothers concert or your Disney on Ice — are worked by the same group of guys. If there is a crowd, they will be there. »»

A Fan's Guide to Buying from a Scalper
by E. James Beale
Nine quick tips to getting the best ticket for the best price outside of the system.
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Say It Ain't So
Palin tries to out-cutesy a traumatized nation.
by David Faris
So while her debate performance against Biden may not have been the total catastrophe we'd all been hoping for, it reinforced the catastrophic choice by the McCain campaign to have Palin play hide-and-go-f&*k-yourself with the media for the past month. »»

Wildcards
It's all up to Brett Myers. (And Joe Biden.)
by Brian Howard
"She can turn a 60-second response to a query about her specific solutions to healthcare challenges into a folksy story about how she's met people on the campaign trail who face healthcare challenges." »»

The Ringleader
When Damon Feldman pits C-listers against each other, everybody wins.
by A.D. Amorosi
Maybe they boxed. Maybe they wrestled. Maybe there were suds and wet T-shirt contests on the side. Who cares? Feldman seems to revel in blurring the line between entertainment and sport. »»

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
I look down at my Blackberry and there're texts reading "Sarah Palin hit Tony Luke's and Irish Pub and I'm scared" and "Alycia Lane's suing everybody." Ach du lieber! »»

Get Out the (Out) Vote
Obama's chance to make sure he leaves no LGBTQ vote behind.
by Timothy J. McLaughlin
The votes of Philly's LGBTQ community will help decide where Pennsylvania falls in the presidential race. So come Oct. 12, Obama supporters will be hitting OutFest's glitter-covered streets. »»

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes. »»

First Friday Focus
Lori Hill's First Friday Hit List
by Lori Hill
National Constitution Center | Proximity Gallery | Fabric Workshop and Museum | Pentimenti Gallery | Area 919
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The Hit List
Under the Covers with Justin Bauer
by Justin Bauer
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith | Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh | A Most Wanted Man by John le Carré | The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti »»

Last Chance
Catch it or Regret It
by Molly Eichel
Ernestine Ruben Retrospective | Eon | Another Day in the Beautiful World »»

Just Do It
Philly Zine Fest
by Kathryn Lipman
The pre-Livejournal network of writers mailing well-concealed dollar bills in exchange for zines will gather at the Rotunda to sell publications and handmade crafts. »»

Out of Sight
When inhabitants of a city mysteriously go blind, they give in to primal chaos.
by Sam Adams
Like pirates on an unmapped sea, they plunder heedlessly, demanding payment in money, goods and eventually flesh for a share of the remaining food. The Stygian orgy that results is the movie's moral low point, a hellish vision of primal appetites untempered by reason or belief. »»

Simon Says
An interview with Simon Pegg
by Shaun Brady
"To be a grown man acting not just with Leonard Nimoy, but with that character who I've known since I was a child, is just mind-blowing." »»

Great Unknowns
The mystery of The Residents isn't who they are — it's why.
by Shaun Brady
Even those who've never heard a single note of Residents music are aware of the iconic top-hatted eyeball heads and the fact that no one knows who's been making that twisted noise for more than 35 years. »»

Comedy CD Reviews
Mitch Hedberg & George Carlin
Hedberg knew the comedic value of profanity for his adult audiences, but a lot of the time his act had a charming, kid-like quality that was completely endearing: "It'd be cool if you lived with a monster. You'd never get the hiccups." »»

Meet Dave
David Katz doesn't care what you think about him. You'll love his food regardless.
by A.D. Amorosi
"Simple food cooked well is by far better than doing too much and leaving all that room for error. And for what? Who really gives a shit about what food looks like? I make a dish look presentable, for sure, but I don't need to use ingredients that don't belong on the plate just for decoration." »»

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Crispy Sweetie | Mix | Café Clave | Mémé | Capriccio Café & Espresso Bar at Café Cret »»

Beauty Quips
Margaret Cho's as saucy as ever.
by Natalie Hope McDonald
"I didn't know China had any little girls left; I thought the gays adopted them all." »»

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Monica Weymouth
Grasshopper Autumn Sale | Arcadia Makeover | Chairlift at Reward | Philadelphia Independent Craft Market »»

This Week in Armageddon: Fall '08 Edition
by Marc Steel
53 minutes ago
In the first TWiA, we discussed all matters of contagious animal disease research, along with the Large Hadron Collider. I'll be honest: I haven't »»

The Jody Mac Interview
by James Beale
59 minutes ago
Yesterday morning, in a quick post welcoming Jody McDonald back to 950 ESPN radio (he was recovering my heart surgery) I realized that while I have listened »»

Morning Rounds, October 7th
by James Beale
1 hour ago
Every year there are only two scheduled days where none of the four major sports are played - the day before and after the MLB All Star game.  For a »»

Let's Get Scared Together
by Patrick Rapa
2 hours ago
Some sort of robot Cassandra program thinks today will be the first of a bunch of particularly bad days. Not sure why they went with the xylophone soundtrack. »»

Toubab Krewe, Oct. 4, North Star Bar
by Jimmy Viola
16 hours ago
Music often ferries us off to faraway places or shines a new light on old memories, but there are few artists like Toubab Krewe, whose music — especially »»

Afternoon Rounds
by James Beale
18 hours ago
Gearing up for the Playoffs and catching up on who is saying what.  All Phillies today BS&S draws a comparison from last night's heroesTim Malcolm »»

If You Stay Ready You Ain't Gotta Get Ready
by James Beale
19 hours ago
"You trying to tell me right now you want me to call you superman?" How about All Day I, coming with a commerical that rivals Nike? I'm getting ready. »»