Casino Wars are just blowing up this week. Mayor Nutter weighs in with a letter to Vince Fumo and Dwight Evans (and cc’d to about 8 billion other people) that, in his typically modest and polite way, informs them that if the casino sites don’t move, perhaps L&I will (sort of) redeem its nightmarish bureaucracy by putting it to good use:
Foxwoods, as appropriate sequentially, must submit plans for and obtain zoning, foundation and building permits from the Department of Licenses and Inspections before it can proceed with construction.
Boring, right? It’s like, “Golly, we hope you’ll give another thought to moving your business, or you might have to follow all the rules. But in case you didn’t get the subtext, L&I will never, ever say your building plans are safe. Ever.” There’s more in the letter about how casino construction must abide by state regs too, but for argument’s sake (since we don’t want to slander anybody) let’s hypothesize that those wheels, just maybe, have already been greased. The big question is: Will free pulls at the slot get L&I to 1) ignore its boss and 2) get work done? Casino folks might find it surprisingly tough going on that second one. Mayor to Casinos: Drop Dead [PDF via Philla.com]
Surely by now, you’ve seen Wawa’s Hoagiefest promotion in pretty much everywhere advertising can be consumed. The campaign is eye-grabbing in large part because of the Yellow Submarine-esque artwork, but delve into the Hoagiefest website, and you’ll find a whole bunch of stuff you never thought you wanted. Next thing you know, you’re downloading Hoagiefest wallpaper and listening to the Hoagiefest jams at right, which, very strangely, are not that bad. Especially for Hoagiefest jams. They’re by Parry Gripp of Nerf Herder, and, well, anybody else kind of getting a BC Camplight vibe here? Maybe some early Brendan Benson? Weird. When Wawa initially went to the ad firm responsible for the Hoagiefest campaign, Austin, TX’s The Richards Group, a lot of local firms were all kinds of dickhurt. But you have to wonder if a local firm mired in Phillies promos and direct-to-old-folks marketing would have come up with jingles this sublime — which, not for nothing, are jingle-riffic in a time when the jingle seems almost dead. So rock on, Hoagiefest, rock on. But just remember what the man said: Nobody eat the brown Shorti.
Hey, remember these people? And then, when they snowballed all the way into becoming these people? Well, there may be enough of them to make it a total pain in the ass to get a table at Johnny Brenda’s on a Friday night, but apparently, not enough of ‘em to stop the population slide Philly’s been on since the 1950s. The U.S. Census Bureau says that between ‘00 and ‘07, Philly lost about 68,000 people, more than any other city besides New Orleans. And we’re gonna be honest with you: We think we might be OK with that. Look at it this way: Every report like this that you ever look at says we’ve hemorhagged so many people over the years because of jobs, stupid. (You know, except for the years that all the white people/Inquirer readers left because they were afraid of some kinda Hairspray scene going down with their daughters.) Who’s gonna make those jobs? The creative class, the people who are annoying the shit out of you at the next table with their weird frontside baby knapsack. (They’re not as bad as the baby-on-a-leash people, but still.) Anyway, here’s what’s going to happen: A lot of these people are going to continue their arc from Brooklyn to Philadelphia to Austin then Portland. There’s bound to be some attrition. More will move here. Things will somewhat settle. And then, eventually, these people will get tired of working at Capogiro Gelato or Comcast and they will start businesses. It’s already happening. And it will happen more.
That still doesn’t stop the 2.7 New Yorkers a day from being a giant pain in the ass, though. I mean, come on. Inky: Dust In The Wind, All We Are Is Dust In The Wind
>>> Something hateful’s in the air: According to some New Jersey Republicans, “Obama Loves America Like O.J. Loved Nicole”. One word for that - KKKlassy! [Inquirer]
>>> Two more words: Tony Homo. [PhiladelphiaWillDo]
>>> And now we’re gonna have to pay to take out the trash, too. Sigh. [Inquirer]
The 14th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival kicks off its twelve-day run tomorrow night at the Prince Music Theater. And with a melange of feature films, short films, concerts, pre-parties and afterparties, there’s a lot to sift through. Here’s our picks for what you should make sure to check out:
· Chi Chi LaRue’s Pure Smut: The one and only Chi Chi LaRue will take over and play sleazy dance tracks while being accompained by video superstars Blake Riley and Johnny Hazzard. Friday, July 11. PURE Nightclub. 1221 Saint James Street. 10pm-3am.
· Party Like A Queer Punk Star!!!: First the screening of Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band. Then Pansy Division takes the stage and rocks out, followed by the new wave dance party Sex Dwarf! with DJ Robert Drake. Friday, July 18. Trocadero Theater. 1003 Arch Street. 9pm.
· Zombies and Jarheads and Bears, Oh My!: Filmgoers that watch BearCity, Dog Tags (NOT PORN FILMS! WE SWEAR!) and Otto: Or, Up With Dead People are invited to The Bike Stop for boys night out. Don’t miss out on the souvenir dog tags. Saturday, July 19. The Bike Stop. 206 South Quince Street. 10pm-2am.
After the jump, check out all of the Phileb movie picks. (more…)
With the city’s ongoing Casino Wars being, well, ongoing, Casino-Free Philadelphia just dropped an open letter (PDF here) on the “resiting committee” –- an ad hoc group consisting of Mayor Nutter, Governor Rendell, State Rep. Dwight Evans, and the trying-to-go-out-like-a-hero State Sen. Vince Fumo. Hoping against hope that this legalized gambling process (and its gubernatorial support) will accept some kind of “standards and values,” Casino-Free Philly lays out a few for consideration. Value #4 is our favorite: If They’re Gonna Take All Our Money, They Can Pay to Move Their Own Ass Across Town.
>4) Casino companies are not to receive bailouts. They did not merely participate in a system riddled with mistakes but actively tried to undermine the system.
When the casinos were proposed, neighbors quickly expressed their opposition. Over 98% of those commenting to the PGCB expressed hostility to the sites or casinos in general.7 Neither the PGCB nor the casinos listened. Indeed, over two years ago Casino-Free Philadelphia began to galvanize a movement to keep Philadelphia casino-free. We talked about the costs and dangers of casinos, including at the currently proposed locations. The casino investors did not listen; they do not deserve a bailout.
As much as we despise all of the useless lists lazy editors nationwide rely on to fill the pages, some lists are worthwhile, especially those lists pointing out the beautiful people among us. 50 best asses, sure! Most nerdy hotties, why not?! Yesterday, we stumbled upon an even more fluff-filled waste-of-internet-time list: Bloggers We Want To See In Bikinis! And while some here on the Philebrity staff are just a slight bit peeved that they didn’t get the nod, we discovered one of our own right there at number 18. Anna Goldfarb, regular Philebs contributor and editor at Shmitten Kitten, is a hottie for sure. So, thank you irrelevant list that was really just a ploy to up the page views, thank you. Anna, need a ride to the beach any time soon? Urlesque: Hotties! Nerds! Computers!
PHILLY STYLE SPAM: All the biggest names in Philly will be mingling and enjoying award-winning cuisine at the fourth annual Best of Style Party this Thursday.
PHILEBRITY: Oh, fuck. It’s you again.
PHILLY STYLE SPAM: Not on the guest list?
PHILEBRITY: Bitch, I’m on every guest list. Problem is, it’s always at some ridiculous Dina Lohan-type shit where I have to hang out with you and your big leathery CoachBags.
PHILLY STYLE SPAM: Don’t worry, because now you, too, can snag an invite to the VIP-packed event.
PHILEBRITY: Thanks, it was really keeping me up at night. But riddle me this: Honestly, is there a social circle remaining in metropolitan Philadelphia — not the Northeast, and not South Jersey, mind you — where Philly Style is not a complete fucking joke? I mean, other than the shitbots who hang at G Lounge, who can you convince to come to your little shitbot parties? And where on Earth will you have them?
PHILLY STYLE SPAM:Zee Bar, the official after-party spot, is offering a package that includes two complimentary tickets to the Best of Syle party, a bottle of P.I.N.K vodka, and reserved seating in the private social club.
PHILEBRITY: Shocking.
PHILLY STYLE SPAM: The package is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is extremely limited. Payment in full is required to secure your spot at the event. The cost is $275 plus gratuity and is good for up to four guests.
PHILEBRITY: Seriously, who would do this. What kind of person. I have to know. I must know.
PHILLY STYLE SPAM: Already invited to the Best of Style Party? Lucky you! You’ll get in the door to the after party for free.
· “Don’t Worry, Honey, There Will Always Be Ham”: The Food Of Mad Men
· UrbanSpoon’s bafflingly awesome new iPhone restaurant-finder thingy
· The Readers Speak: Phoodie.info’s Top 10 Recent Comments
· And quite possibly the best Phoodie post yet, Collin Flatt’s Food Adventures In Belize All this and more — plus the Phoodie Restaurant Guide and Phoodie Event Calendar on Phoodie.info, the new food and drink blog from Philebrity.
Hey Philebrity Gays: You know, it’s been a while since we simultaneously did something nice for Our Gays and subverted the dominant paradigm. I mean, what was it, the Palaré party? (BTW, Wigs, Factorial, and Creed: This party totally needs to come back. Consider this your Big Gay Batman Signal in the sky.) Well, no time like the present: Come August, Philly will decide who its new Mr. Gay is. Now, a quick perusal of the Mr. Gay particulars reveal that Mr. Gay is, in all likelihood, one of these events that sets The Gays back like 20 years every time it happens: It’s totally geared toward the Aberzombie archetype, a drag queen (Britanny Lynn) is the host, and the judges are (I bet you can guess before I even say it) Mark Segal, Michael Musto and the HIV+ guy from Project Runway. (What, no Jay McCarroll?) None of these people have ever even heard of Franz Ferdinand. So in an effort to fight everything that is Lame and Obvious, Philebrity would like to “sponsor” a Mr. Gay contestant this year, which basically means we will do everything in our power to try and rig this thing so that Our Boy moves on to the national finals with a (no) chance (whatsoever) to become Mr. Gay America. AND IT COULD BE YOU! That’s the good news. But here’s the bad news: There are requirements. We go over them after the jump. (more…)
Alyssa Milano will be appearing at the Phillies game tomorrow to promote her clothing line TOUCH. Her clothing is meant for female sports fans who want something that is tight and shows their mid-drift “accidently”. Just like many of the actress turned designer lines, it sucks. Her line resembles preteen clothing that just never seems to look or fit right, and every other shirt is low cut. Rumor has it she even helped with the drawings. Enough said. Milano will spend an hour signing autographs for fans who purchase any item from her line, but signing has to end at 1pm, because she has a Phillies game to watch. Besides being a huge fan of baseball, Alyssa is even a bigger fan of bedding baseball players. She has taken a break from dating for a while, but she will surely be scoping out all the players for dating the same way people go to pick out a puppy. How many of the Phillies players are single right now?
We heard from a lot of, er, Journalism Professionals after Sweeney blew a gasket yesterday while contemplating the Job-like task that covering Philadelphia Media Holdings and its various properties has become. Some of you were like, “tee-hee!,” others were scared dude was going postal, and still others were like, “Dude, it’s even worse than you think.” In that third category, by far the most interesting tidbit we found was this:
For what it’s worth, and surely this will be a moot point soon if it isn’t already, but there is not a single woman on the Inquirer’s masthead right now.
Now ain’t that a bitch. To clarify, “masthead” in this sense refers to the listing of editors/managers in the paper, and not female rank-and-file writers. Nevertheless, it’s telling. But lest we get too upset about any of this, let’s take the glass-half-full approach: No female careers are currently being harmed in the production of the Overwhelming Piece Of Suck that is today’s Inquirer.
We have to be honest about this: Ever since the PA Primary came and went, it’s been kind of easy to forget there’s been a presidential election going on at all. For one, Philly has resumed its we-seceded-from-the-Union-decades-ago vibe that we love so much, and for another, John McCain has been running such a shit-tastic campaign that it’s been hard to take the old coot (or any white people, really) seriously. But to put it in Bush-ian terms, we stand on a precipice of further danger-osity, folks: Letting our eyes wander from the prize right now could result in utter disaster. Like, even more than what we’ve got now. So when The Bush Legacy Tour rolls up in front of The National Constitution Center tomorrow morning at 10am (and stays there all day), think of it as a cold shower you can walk into and wake yourself up with. The video at right explains it in further detail, but basically the BLT is a traveling museum dedicated to the Bush Era of Fuckery. The Philthy Limo this is not, but in some ways, hey, it kind of is. TheBushLegacyTour: I’d So Much Rather Be On The Willie Nelson Bus
We sent wine psycho Collin Flatt to Belize in search of the elusive and illegal Viper Rum. That horrifying face tells us he found it, along with a host of other local eats and drinks. Phoodie.info: On Location, Belize, Central America
>>> Mpozi Tolbert was one of the good ones, and by “one of the good ones,” we mean that he was one of those people who seemed to contain all of Philadelphia within himself, and spread it wherever he went. Mpozi’s been gone a little while now, but tonight at Silk City, there’s a tribute to his life and work with Sadiki, Dozia, King Britt, Chuck Treece, Cosmo Baker, ?uestlove, Schoolly D, Jafar Barron, Brendan Bring’em and more. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, view this slideshow at OkayPlayer. It’s gonna be a great night for a great guy.
>>> And, Snacks is back at Woody’s with Dave P and Adam Sparkles.
When we last checked in on Philly expat/Jezebel editrix/tight bro from way back when Moe Tkacik, she had finally gotten the tampon out, but was also the first to admit that coke would never feel the same again. These have been heady times for Moe — even if we weren’t buds, we’d still say she’s got some of the most electric nastyprose going on the Web right now — but into each life, a little rain must fall. And so it came to pass that Moe, along with another Jezebel colleague (we think her name is Slut Blanket or something) fell into the trap that has killed lesser bloggers: The public speaking engagement. Appearing on Lizz Winstead’s Internet TV talk show, “Thinking & Drinking,” the ladies seemed to do a lot of the latter but not the former. Now, yes, Moe & Slut Party completely fumbled through this thing: They upspoke like a bunch of 12 year olds, they missed punchline after punchline, and generally just came off like morons. But can you blame them? After all, the whole thing was a trap: In the clips (at right and on the link), Winstead is clearly revelling in how clueless she thinks these (younger) women are, when in fact, they clearly just don’t give a shit. Look at the body language of Moe and Slut Junction: They look like they’re being scolded, and well, they kind of are. But this is not some academic bastion of feminist study, it’s a washed-up comedy writer’s Internet television show. Furthermore, Winstead’s rage — and the accompanying pussyfooting shame-game that it elicited from another Jezebel poster — seems to turn on her idea that the posters on Jezebel are “role models for young women.” Are you fucking kidding me? The whole thing reminded us of nothing so much as the famous Bill Grundy/Sex Pistols interview: The goading, the seething, the air thick with some admixture of jealousy, dismissal and worlds colliding. Sure it was the wrong venue, the wrong booking, the wrong scene, but something in us kept hoping that Moe would’ve called Lizz what she really was here: A dirty old bastard.
Philebrity is a cityblog covering the arts, gossip and media in Philadelphia. We've been here since October 2004, and we'll be here long after you move back to New York. Got a tip? Send it to tips[at]philebrity.com.
NOTICE:Interns wanted.
Casino Wars are just blowing up this week. Mayor Nutter weighs in with a letter to Vince Fumo and Dwight Evans (and cc’d to about 8 billion other people) that, in his typically modest and polite way, informs them that if the casino sites don’t move, perhaps L&I will (sort of) redeem its nightmarish bureaucracy by putting it to good use:
Hey, remember 
>>> Something hateful’s in the air: According to some New Jersey Republicans, 
With the city’s ongoing Casino Wars being, well, ongoing, Casino-Free Philadelphia just dropped an open letter (PDF 
As much as we despise all of the useless lists lazy editors nationwide rely on to fill the pages, some lists are worthwhile, especially those lists pointing out the beautiful people among us. 50 best asses, sure! Most nerdy hotties, why not?! Yesterday, we stumbled upon an even more fluff-filled waste-of-internet-time list: 
PHILLY STYLE SPAM: All the biggest names in Philly will be mingling and enjoying award-winning cuisine at the fourth annual Best of Style Party this Thursday. 
Hey Philebrity Gays: You know, it’s been a while since we simultaneously did something nice for Our Gays and subverted the dominant paradigm. I mean, what was it, the Palaré party? (BTW, Wigs, Factorial, and Creed: This party totally needs to come back. Consider this your Big Gay Batman Signal in the sky.) Well, no time like the present: Come August, Philly will decide who its new 
Alyssa Milano will be appearing at the Phillies game tomorrow to promote her clothing line TOUCH. Her clothing is meant for female sports fans who want something that is tight and shows their mid-drift “accidently”. Just like many of the actress turned designer lines, it sucks. Her line resembles preteen clothing that just never seems to look or fit right, and every other shirt is low cut. Rumor has it she even helped with the drawings. Enough said. Milano will spend an hour signing autographs for fans who purchase any item from her line, but signing has to end at 1pm, because she has a Phillies game to watch. Besides being a 
We heard from a lot of, er, Journalism Professionals after 
>>> Mpozi Tolbert was one of the good ones, and by “one of the good ones,” we mean that he was one of those people who seemed to contain all of Philadelphia within himself, and spread it wherever he went. Mpozi’s been gone a little while now, but tonight at Silk City, there’s a tribute to his life and work with Sadiki, Dozia, King Britt, Chuck Treece, Cosmo Baker, ?uestlove, Schoolly D, Jafar Barron, Brendan Bring’em and more. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, 
