July 31-August 6, 2003

music

icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

According to Variety, the reality-TV genre is dying a happy death. My condolences to the local girls of Bachelor 2, Yardley’s Amanda Craig of Big Brother 4 and Roy Bank, one of the producers of The Restaurant. (Who likes that show anyway? A whiny, pseudo-hip Italian dude unhappy someone else’s money couldn’t get him what he wanted, who schmoozes more than he works? You could watch me bitch.) No matter. Everyday people, especially in Philly, still want to be schtars. Like the kids who lined up at Club Flow for the last-minute open mic for Bad Boy Entertainment, P. Diddy’s company headed up by visiting A&R head Conrad, looking for "singers, rappers, dancers." Mics for dancers? Was somebody tapping? Also due in Philly soon is What Not to Wear, a Learning Channel show looking to find queer and straight men to give the eye to. (Who says to themselves, "I dress badly enough to get on TV"?)… In a less real situation, the wannabe gangsters I heard shouting at West Coast Video on South 15th last weekend would like to be cast in Searching for Robert DeNiro, written by Paul Borghese (The Sopranos) and William DeMeo (Analyze That). The two will direct and produce with an eye toward Philly shoot dates.… Hey, those guys shoulda been with Mel Gibson. Last seen in Philly for M. Night’s Signs, Gibson ate at Jim Coleman’s new eponymous hot spot at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell after showing his Passion to local Catholic bigwigs.… Not to be outdone, Kevin Bacon, after starring in Philly producer Lee Daniels’ The Woodsman (and who will start his next film in Philly, as I told you, this fall), will work alongside Philly’s Jill Scott (a Philly soul doyenne like Eve, who also worked with Bacon and Daniels) on a film for Showtime. Scott, by the way, was drinking mojitos upstairs at Cuba Libre with a party of pals in the back booth last Friday.… On the local documentary tip: Former Philly FOX TV host Donya Archer (who told me last week she’s hawking around the film she directed/produced on Rudolph Nureyev) and Philly’s Dyanna Williams (ex of WDAS and the former Mrs. Kenny Gamble) are working on Sound of Philadelphia: Message in the Music with scribe Nelson George. And Philly’s Jason Ferraro and Brian Galla are running around with WID, their film on comedian/diorama pop-cult artist The Legendary Wid and his bid for fame and identity. WID made the rounds at N. 3rd, so far. King Britt and Ahmir Thompson are also having their quests for ID captured on film. At last week’s Scion car bash at Fluid (where VIPs got picked up by several FiveSixMedia people, a great party trick), Britt revealed that Toyota will spring for a cinematographer to shoot him and Thompson (both non-drivers) getting their driver’s licenses. Dawn Englehart is story-boarding.… Britt figures into Ice’s objets d’art department this week, too, as his name and mug appear on the back of Salem boxes due to his Aug. 2 Salem/Shampoo bash. Also in the objet running: Rich Fravel, in this, his post-Dotdash career, has turned his mug Pop for a series of Warholian "Purveyor of Properties" ads for Prudential. Cashman & Associates sent out groovy "DineDenim" invites to advertise chef Scott McLeod: big patches of designer denim, pockets and all. Get enough, stitch them together, create your own new jeans jawn. I dare you.… Barmaster Donal McCoy is leaving his mahogany post at Sassafras in Old City to brighten up Eulogy -- 20 yards away.… Mama Volume fans unite! Not only did MV singer Billy Taz release a debut with The Scraggs (the hard riff, heavy psychedelia of One With Everything, produced by Brian McTear), Bayen Butler is hawking around his own decidedly smooth, dramatic singer/songwriter menace in demo-disk form.… Some good vibes on the Marah front: Not only does the currently label-less band have new demos (www.marah-usa.com) and throw down long shows, they’ve found (as at Tin Angel recently) their rootsy inner Springsteen: Dave crooning "My Girl," Serge walking through crowd doing a Bruce-like rap on the importance of first kisses.… Aug. 4, Stef Renee starts her "Soul Sanctuary" radio show, Mondays and Fridays, 4-6 p.m., www.WQHS.org.… The tonsorial titans of Ground Zero Salon popped out a fourth full-service hair/nail salon, GZ South at 700 Passyunk, off South Street. Only this one is inside a Sweat gym.… I don’t know why, but Tito Jackson debuts his blues band in Philly with a series of shows at Warmdaddy’s starting July 31, and ending with a Jackson 5 tribute on Aug. 2.… Shampoo/Club Tru promo-party man Dan Contarino stopped in the midst of putting together Tru’s Aug. 2 second-anniversary jam long enough to offer the staff of Bump a celebration of life/memorial service for recently deceased Bump waiter Glenn. The departed was also honored in an Internet ad for Contarino’s record release party for Madonna’s "Hollywood. " Glenn would have loved it.