As the 2006 election season begins to rain down on us, party operatives are kicking into high gear with attack

I spent part of last week at a convention in Madison, Wis., where I had two shocking moments. The first

Even though I had but a miniscule connection with City Paper in its first year, before I defected to California,

I had to fly from Boston to Philly recently, but unless I could wrangle a special security clearance in an

Of all the Grups in Grupland — that magical place where over-30 hipsters dress in Matthew Izzo-bought Nudie Jeans, listen

Francis "Frank" Redmiles and his crew set sail on a Friday afternoon, hoping to get a little evening fishing done. Midmorning Saturday, with the weather turning, crewmember Franny Gessler saw something big and black in the boat's path. Then — BOOM!

Philadelphia for Faith and Family was the name of a big candidate's forum and rally held Sept. 24 at Mount

The goal was noble but the statement absurd. A year ago this month, Mayor Street and crew took to a

"A lot of times the most interesting part of a story isn't the most obvious one, or what people are

They wait in the first act. They wait in the second act. It's a good bet Vladimir and Estragon, protagonists

There are dark moments in From Tha Hip, but they're more than balanced by large doses of good humor and

Museums and galleries are nice, and easy, but don't you wanna see where the art is made? It's tricky; infiltrating

Right now, right here in Philly, you can see the first 100 percent high-definition media arts show ever in America

John Irving hated the idea of an Owen Meany movie. He thought the book couldn't be filmed, and forbade the

South Africa's apartheid ended in 1991, but Athol Fugard's plays about its brutal legacy have lost no relevance or power,

So You Think You Can Dance? I still go through So You Think You Can Dance? withdrawal every Wednesday. For

If you saw Siobhan Davies at 2005 Fringe, you know that when she says traditional proscenium stage presentations aren't her

The title of photographer Keith Sharp's exhibition at Muse Gallery is clearly meant ironically. The point of "Grounded" is that

Just back from performing at City Center in New York City, Pennsylvania Ballet opens its local season with an audience-friendly

Thu., Oct. 5, 7 p.m., free, Borders, 1 S. Broad St., 215-568-7400 When Flores Forbes was 14, he got beat

Runs Oct. 6-29, $15-$32, Walnut Street Theatre, 823 Walnut St., 215-592-9560, www.1812productions.org Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey, a disciple of France's Ecole International

Jim Wallis Thu., Oct. 12, 7 p.m., free, Barnes & Noble, 102 Park Ave., Willow Grove, 215-659-1001 Political question for

The Pernice Brothers Live a Little (Ashmont) With the opening, quasi-orchestral strains of "Automaton," it's clear that Joe Pernice's '80s

Who says the working band is dead? The core of Dave Holland's current quintet has been together for nearly a

Before Bart Blatstein enticed bloggers to like his artists' enclave, Northern Liberties had only Ed Farnsworth to tout its virtues.

The Shostakovich centennial is upon us in full force. It began last month with an all Shostakovich program from the

El Perro Del Mar: dog of the sea. Curious choice of moniker for a melancholic Swedish chanteuse, but if your

In an interview with MTV, Killers vocalist Brandon Flowers enthusiastically gushed that his band was in the process of making

Is it porn with recipes? Or an erotic memoir set in the world's most famous restaurants? The self-absorbed musings of

1 Cherry Crest Farm Harvest Roundup Through Oct. 28, 150 Cherry Hill Rd., Ronks, Pa., 717-687-6843 Cherry Crest Farm grows

"Now that the hip-hop cultural movement is over 30 years old, is it not time to have artists tell their

Sun., Oct. 8, 2 p.m., $15, Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave., 215-228-8200, www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org Halloween will be here soon, as

Hemp T-shirts,$24 and up, Revelations Boutique, 711 S. Fourth St., 215-925-4022, www.revelationsboutique.com If those red splotches covering your back and

Fri., Oct. 6, 6 p.m., free, Tony, 47 N. Third St., 215-592-8669, www.tonyonthird.com Two years ago, on a First Friday,

1428 Walnut St., 215-546-5874 Whenever I visit Toronto, New York and Washington, I make it a point to find a

Sat., Oct. 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., $38, Back Home Cafe, 1515 Fairmount Ave., 215-386-9224, www.whitedogcafe.com It's Mural Arts Month: What

215 Festival Spelling Bee Sun., Oct. 8, 8 p.m., $5 for competitors, free for hecklers, Tritone, 1508 South St., www.215festival.com

What: "Sacred Seasons, Sacred Earth: An Interfaith Call to Reflect and Act Symposium" Who: Rabbi Arthur Waskow, co-organizer of "Sacred

A few weeks ago, I received a letter so enthusiastically sincere, I couldn't ignore it. Handwritten on ruled legal paper, it was signed simply, "Escort-Illiterate Eddie."