icepack

Philly! Stop hating Manhattan. The city that never smokes, I mean sleeps, likes us. They're just weird about it. Philly's relationship with NYC is like a pre-nup

agreement: They're a little bigger and they keep us from their money—think Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin. But fuck them. We're foxier, thinner and when they aren't looking, we'll take everything they have. Besides, everyone here's doing stuff there. Stephen Starr opened his Morimoto thing in Chelsea Market with that doggone cute stolen abalone story. (D'ja check Rocco DiSpirito's pants?) (Also, with Buddakan NYC on the way, we give big-ups to Philly dawg exec chef Michael Schulson). There's Bela "B-Shehu" Shehu teaming with painter Rah Crawford for a Fashion Week show of their couture women's collection (A Taste of Art's satellite gallery at 139 W. 35th St., Feb. 8), which promises to be better than WIP hawking Wing Bowl clothing (I'd suck Idi Amin's cock before lowering myself for Wing Bowl). There's da rap story of 50 Cent and his cousin, Two Five (seriously) being managed by Yanna B. , the marketing manager of Philly corporate lawyer James Elam. Then there's the NYT bitch 'n' moan about Gyro/Sailor Jerry mate Larry McGearty partnering not only with R.J. Reynolds' Jerry Marshall for a cig-imprint (Marshall McGearty), but with their burly Marshall McGearty Tobacco Lounge in Chicago. Craftily, MMTL circumvents ChiTown's smoking ban via a legal loophole: one allowing "retail tobacco stores," spots where 65 percent of sales are of tobacco or "tobacco accessories." Whatzat got to do with Philly? I spoke with one willing bar manager last July who had, with RJ&Co., discussed that if Michael Nutter's smoking ban went into effect for Philly, cig-brands could aid participating clubs in constructing tony lounges so to puff-puff-puff. "We were ready then and are ready now to turn into half-a-smoke-shop if that keeps customers happy," said one off-record Old City bar manager back then about the potential for bringing in the smoke-stacks. … Is Smoked Joint—the rib place at Academy House—just-off-Broad's coolest live venue? "Unpretentious," said one muso of Joint's stage, owners and shows from the likes of Philadelphia Phenomenon starring Elliott Levin and Jamaaladeen Tacuma. … When extreme fighting/music bible TapouT drops its first issue with a party/Liddell vs. Couture boxing screening at Glam Feb. 4, look for UFC fighter Kenny Florian to show. And punch you in the fucking head. … Bookers-gone-wild: You like Songspot.org, Joe Mahoney's hippie-hop booking thang and soon-to-be label? Check his harder Headspot.org and its new weekly Thursday at Abilene with Mikey Primadonnaz and Blue Collar smashing equipment. Plain Parader Maria Tessa Sciarrino will string out in Glenn Branca's guitarchestra for Hallucination City: Symphony 13 for 100 Guitars Feb. 4 at Montclair State U.—N.J.'s second biggest university, yaknow. (MTS also designed that recent Kill Rock Stars label Delta 5 reissue: woo.) World Café Live's Karl Mullen isn't just a pencil pusher. He's painting (with wine). He's drinking again (more wine). And he's singing and playing with King of Siam's Bob Bell (who'll drink wine while fiddling bazoukis) for Henry Flower, a trio hitting Bar Noir Feb. 6 with a Mullen-gallery exhibit. "It's lovely songs for a gorgeous world," says Mullen. If you're mad he hasn't booked you—here's your chance. Plus Mullen's throwing an official goodbye to WCL/Troc gals Sheree Declemente and Grace Park—both leaving for L.A. … WHOWHATWHERE: Jules Shear and manager Peter Lubin (legendary A&R guy who signed Metallica) shopped at AKA; prolly before meeting to discuss Shears' Dreams Don't Count for Drexel U.'s student-run MAD Dragon Records. U2 producer Steve Lillywhite (now A&R/sounding board at SonyBMG) sniffed around Chris Archibald's most-melodic Illinois whilst at Khyber. Stephen Colbert went tri-corned-hat stylish while interviewing scary Ben Franklin impersonator Ralph Archbold at Free Quaker Meeting House for The Colbert Report. … N. 3rd's Mark Bee got Silk City. Actually, he's got an agreement to get Silk. Bee? "We just have to come up with the money. Which I should have by April and then it'll be ours. There's a chance I won't get the cash." "Really?" "No, we'll get it," laughs Bee, who'll put designer buds Scott Johnston, Mark Brodzik and Owen Kamihara on the place and redo Silk's menu. … WARNING: Tuesdays around 8 p.m. a burglar's been stalking the Fifth and South/Bainbridge area, knocking up Twist and Passional for cash. Is this guy busy before that? Someplace to be afterwards? … "The new songs'll make you eat your hair," says Honus Ryan, not only of Man Man's next ruckus, Six Demon Bag, but of his new band of Man men featuring ex-Need New Body drummer Chris Powell. That's right, NNB is no more. "Too many egos," said Powell, munching egg rolls. (NNB will compile demo/live stuff for a final CD.) "The old Man Man was like smashing watermelons," says Ryan. "This Man's like setting watermelons on fire then smashing them over scenester scumbags' heads." See Man Man's Demons Feb. 4 at a live vid/podcast: Interactive Playground (1811 Howard St.). … Young Friends of Operation Understanding (bringing together area African-Americans and Jews) hook up a fundraiser Feb. 8, at City Hall's Conversation Hall. (info: 215-665-8575) Go, or else you'll have black and Jewish guys united to kick your ass. … No sex in the city? I've tried helping y'all by not naming names (think Bob DeNiro in Cape Fear "counc'lller") and locations. But I think you're doomed: L&I closed KamaSutra for good. Next they got Pleasure Garden at Jerry's Corner, then Retreat at the old Tribecca spot—thusly reducing hefty lovers to menages at a Holiday Inn in Fort Washington.