icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

Here’s some real April Foolishness: After seeing city and civic leaders in overjoyed overdrive about getting The Real World back in Philly, hearing that the mayor -- when he wasn’t noshing with MTV producers at Cuba Libre -- had proposed a budget cut to the arts of nearly $4 million.

"This is what the real world is," wrote Paula Mensing of Pig Iron Theatre Co. in an e-mail concerning Street's proposed budget for 2005, which includes nathin' for Philly's Museum of Art or Atwater Kent Museum and reduced monies for the Cultural Fund, the African American Museum and the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. Adding insult to injury, we got dissed by Travel + Leisure as the city with the least attractive, least stylish and least friendly people. Plus, Men's Fitness put us in its fat top 10. Dag. I know y'all are super-styling (except for the Eagles wives who showed up at Premiere's anniversary bash at 32° in a white limo. Tacky!). But if you see Michael Moore hovering with a camera, run! … Speaking of Real World, when Bunim/Murray Productions thanked Cuba Libre owner Larry Cohen at last week's news conference announcing the show's return to Philly, it got the rumor mill started -- now that it seems definite that the Worlders won't be working for Stephen Starr, would they be earning their keep at Libre? Nope. "We're not," says Cohen's partner Barry Gutin. "That wasn't Larry's mission. His base of influence and acquaintance saw to it that the right people got talking. Larry's not a labor negotiator, but he knows how to put people together." … The last time I spoke to photographer Zoe Strauss, she was calling from the rubble of Vet Stadium. "There's kids crawling through a fence, risking life just to get pieces of it for their parents," laughed the Public Art Project exec director and Philly Art Museum exhibitor. Strauss comes in from the cold of her I-95 exhibits to show new snapshots of intercourse social and sexual at Bar Noir on Mon., April 5, at 9 p.m. Joining her is filmmaker Andrew Repasky McElhinney, whose newest feature, Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye, got a major writeup on FilmThreat.com. … DiBruno Bros.' gourmet shop is opening a nearly 7,000-square-foot commissary/market at 17th and Chestnut. … It's Chief Kamachi's world: The word-tripping rapper is not only all over Brooklyn electro-contortionist Heat Sensor's new EP, Touch (Sound Ink), he's dropping his own single, "The Best," with Guru of GangStarr, April 1 (exclusively at Cue for its first week), and he's got a debut CD, Cult Status, following in July. … Designers Don and Renee Freeman host the annual Gift of Life organ donor soiree April 1 at the Hyatt Penn's Landing, with an afterparty at 32°. For information call 866-290-2790. … The last days of Plain Parade at Doc Watson's, April 1 and 2, star new Philly dweller Jack Rose (of Pelt), Philly expat (for Baltimore) Ian Nagoski, the weird wired science of Philly's The Last Wave and VIP's Peter Seprish. … WHOWHATWHERE: You can spy Toni Collette with director Curtis Hanson at Famous Deli on April 2, filming bits of In Her Shoes. Don't know if they made it to the Arden's pre-party with Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia award-winners Carole Shanis and Meryl Levitz, but it was announced that artists Jamie and Andrew Wyeth will get the council's Avatar Award on May 11. Punisher star Thomas Jane hung at Atomic City Comics. Painter/Cream Charger Dean Rosenzweig got to hang his paintings in the dressing rooms of the Wachovia Center and Tower Theater on March 29 for visitors David Bowie and Bob Dylan, respectively. Now he can die happy. Bachelor locals Helene Eksterowicz and Gwen Gioia stopped by Red Sky for a book-promoting cocktail party for Nobody's Perfect. A Food Network crew hung at Stephen Starr's Arcadia (maybe) on Washington Square, waiting, like him, to find out if Riingo chef Marcus Samuelsson will join Alfred Portale on Starr's acquisition list of NYC star chefs. Philly native Qool DJ Marv -- now at NYC's Centro-Fly-- stopped at Aqualounge. Could Woodsman Kevin Bacon -- who with his brother just recorded a version of "Footloose" for the upcoming soundtrack/album Will and Grace: Who's Your Daddy? -- be a surprise guest at April 8's Philly Film Fest? I know you can't buy tickets to The Darkness. But they'll be at Indre Studio April 1, courtesy of Y100. Start singing high and maybe they'll let you by. … The Lyle Lovett of Philly, Matt Davis (he co-wrote my fave tune, "Bruised Fruit," with cellist Monica Mcintrye) and his big band, Aerial Photograph, hit Tin Angel April 4. … After celebrating his bartender Seth Hogan's b-day between Bar Noir and Medusa, David Carroll reopens his redesigned Walnut Street boite, Magazine, April 1 with a welcome-home open house at 7 p.m. … Happy belated b-day to Todd Weinberger, Eric Weiss and Jonathan Haas, who celebrated with "Southern Fried Bar Mitzvah with a side of Goy" at Whiskey Dix, and to Spaceboy Records for turning 6.

-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there