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ISSUE . December 21st, 2006
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Cover Story


It's Ebeneezy!
Smart ways to give to those who need it most... minus the night of supernatural torture.
by Margaret Battistelli
So you stayed up late watching A Christmas Carol, and this morning you have a knot sitting in your stomach like a big hunk of overdone figgy pudding. You're wondering, "Is it too late to get off Santa's 'naughty' list?" Don't worry, Ebenezer, you're not as scrooged as you might think.


Opinion


Slant:
Gonna Lie Now
Funny how Philly's greatest sports legend doesn't even exist.
by J.F. Pirro
It's Rocky — who ranks No. 7 on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Heroes list — to the rescue, again.

Editor's Letter:
Gettin' Scroogy With It
Take something you can afford to give and send it to the local organization that could really use it. No fuss, no muss.
by Duane Swierczynski
Last Sunday's New York Times Magazine featured an essay by Princeton professor Peter Singer titled "On Giving." Editorially, the timing couldn't be better.

Loose Canon:
The Frog Jumped
Climate change is transforming politics — and Philly's economy.
by Bruce Schimmel
T wo thousand six was the year when things tipped: when enough Americans realized that saving our planet is more important than slaughtering our enemy

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
Hooker Line's a Stinker; George Did Not Tell a Lie; Jailhouse Rocked; You Down with CCP? Hell No, Not She; Not Content With Corruption; 


Naked City


Naked City :: Punch DrunkPunch Drunk
Horror stories from local office holiday parties, and tips for surviving yours.
'Tis the season for holiday office parties, and with them, myriad opportunities for the working stiffs who attend them to get blind, stinking drunk and make gigantic asses of themselves.

Bad Idea Factory:
It's Your Decision, But...
Bad Idea Factory's top five other things the Ethics Board really thinks you should do, but hey, you're an adult, and we can't make your decisions for you anymore.
Last week Common Pleas Judge Allan Tereshko threw out the city's strict campaign finance limits, explaining that they are not allowed under state law.

Running Numbers
A scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
6, 7, 10, 46, 12, 850

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Sly's Smithsonian gift looks like a tax break, his old man begging more pathetic than ever. It's like I found out there was no Santa three days before Christmas. And I bought eggnog. I hate eggnog.

Web Exclusive
Fine Print:
Free At Last
A Citypaper.net exclusive:Remembering fallen activist Kuwasi Balagoon.
by Jessica Loughery
Candles burned and the scent of incense flowed as talkative activists squeezed chairs around small tables at Saturday’s Kuwasi Balagoon Memorial Dinner.


News


News :: Rubbers StompedRubbers Stomped
The city said it would provide prisoners with condoms. Why haven't they?
by Alex C. Pasquariello
Prison-health advocate Waheedah Shabazz-El thought last Thursday would be a red-letter day in America's fight against the AIDS epidemic.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

José's Sandals
A Christmas tale from the award-winning Brazilian author of The Alchemist.
A long time ago, so many years ago that we can no longer remember the exact date, there lived in a village in the south of Brazil a little 7-year-old boy called José.

Philly Blunt:
I'll Have T With That
Why I pity the fools in Rocky's corner.
by Brian Hickey

It was a scene, declared one TV reportress, that, if it were just a few degrees warmer, would make her think she was in Hollywood. And one that left an onlooker declaring that, "It's not about stars, not about celebrities; it's about inspiration." No kidding, sunshine.


Political Notebook:
Legal Briefs
Who's running for judge next year? What were the highlights from PGN publisher Mark Segal's annual bash?
by Mary F. Patel
Michael Nutter and Chaka Fattah were there; Dwight Evans and Tom Knox were not.


Arts


Arts :: Tinted Love
Art:
Tinted Love
Judith Schaechter is a (stained) glass-half-full kinda person.
by A.D. Amorosi
In 1984, Judith Schaechter  appeared on the local arts scene as a visceral artist and punk contemporary whose work keyed into the classic and the comix, the medieval and the mod.

Culture Shock:
Things That Matter To People Who Matter
Estamos Aqui (We Are Here); Spring Awakening; Salif Keita; Track Jackets
Mike DelVecchia; Bill Felty; Rob Swanson; Gair "Dev79" Marking

Theater Review:
Don't Ask Alice
Though Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass are heralded as children's books, they're actually quite challenging for adults.
by Mark Cofta
Through Dec. 30, Curio Theatre Company, Calvary Center.

Arts Picks:
You're a Good Man Charlie Brown
t's not easy getting Center City folks to venture out to the suburbs but this holiday season a boy, his dog and his bumbling brigade of 6-year-old friends just might be enough.
by Amanda McKenna
Runs through Dec. 31, $22.50-$39, Media Theatre.

The Great Divorce
Nothing makes a writer famous like a movie of his works, so don't be surprised to find Chronicles of Narnia fans attending The Great Divorce.
by Mark Cofta
Runs Dec. 26-30, $30, Lantern Theater Company at St. Stephen's Theater.

The Frog Bride
1) Take an old Russian fairy tale, the story of three princes, their girlfriends and how to win a throne. 2) Add a visual world influenced by the great Wassily Kandinsky. 3) Mix in a funky score that bounces off Prokofiev and moves into jazz and hip-hop.
by David Anthony Fox
Runs Dec. 22-30, $14 (kids)-$28 (adults), Philadelphia Theatre Company at Plays & Players Theater.


Arts Agenda


Arts Agenda :: Last ChanceLast Chance
Catch It or Regret It
by Rachel Frankford
A Camden Christmas Carol: Runs through Dec. 23, $12, The Gordon Theater at Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts.
Sam Cooke: Forever Mr. Soul: Runs through Dec. 24, $28-$48, Delaware Theatre Company
Ben Franklin: Writer and Printer:  Runs through Dec. 22, The Library Company of Philadelphia.


Arts Agenda Picks:
On The DL
A Deeper Shade of Sex: The Best in Black Erotic Writing
by Jessica Loughery
Thu., Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m., free, Robin's Bookstore.

Galleries
Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted with Reception 3RD STREET GALLERY, 58

Museums/Exhibits
Museums and exhibits have varying schedules; please call for exact days, hours and prices. ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES, 19th St. & the Parkway, 215-299-1000. BUTTERFLIES!

Performing Arts
Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information. dance THE NUTCRACKER This classic story of a girl

Readings/Book Signings
CHAPTER & VERSE Open reading with special guests. Every last Sat, 8pm, FREE, Chapterhouse Cafe & Gallery, 620 S. 9th St., 215-238-2626. GABEBA BADEROON, DAVID


Movies


Movies :: A Girl ThingA Girl Thing
In Pedro Almodóvar's latest, women do just fine on their own.
by Cindy Fuchs
"There are so many widows," observes 14-year-old Paula (Yohana Cobo). As she watches her mother, Raimunda (Penélope Cruz), scrub her grandparents' grave, Paula is being trained in the art of mourning and remembering.

Waking Up
Dreamgirls is hardly the stuff of fantasy.
by Sam Adams
As we're reminded about a zillion times during the course of Dreamgirls, everybody has a dream.If we're to believe the movie's advance press, Bill Condon's was bringing this cultishly adored 1981 musical to the screen.

Unwrapped
What's under the movie tree this season.
Reviews of: The Curse of the Golden Flower; The Good German; The Good Shepherd; Rocky Balboa; Sweet Land; We Are Marshall

Screen Picks
Long-awaited by at least half a dozen people, Canadian slacker sitcom Twitch City makes its DVD debut
by Sam Adams
I have to say I found the show more appealing when I was living like Curtis than I do nowadays.

Showtimes
AMC Orleans 8 , 2247 Bleigh St., 215-722-4262. Charlotte's Web (G) fri, sat: 10:30, 12:50, 3:15, 5:40, 8, 10:30; sun: 10:30, 12:50, 3:15, 5:40, 8;

Repertory Film
Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net. BROADWAY THEATRE OF PITMAN 43 S. Broadway, Pitman, NJ, 856-384-8381, www.thebroadwaytheatre.org. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000, U.S., 104


Music


Music :: Top 10 ClassicalTop 10 Classical
by Peter Burwasser
1. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano SCHUMANN Carnaval; Études Symphoniques (Warner Classics) This son of French engineers started his professional life as a new-music specialist, a protege

Aid or Invade:
USSR
Rodney Anonymous vs. The World
by Rodney Anonymous

Artist: Various Pinkos
Album: The Best of Communism: A Selection of Revolutionary Songs Country of Origin: USSR


Top 10 Jazz
by Shaun Brady
1. Dave Burrell Momentum (High Two) 2004's Expansion saw Burrell return to the studio for his first proper album as a leader in nearly 30 years.

Top 10 Roots
by Mary Armstrong
1. Bradley Walker Highway of Dreams (Rounder) Bradley Walker loves country music, real country music, the take-it-or-leave-it kind that's not designed with crossover in mind.

Music Picks:
BT and Thomas Dolby
Thu., Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m., $24-$39, World Cafe Live.
by A.D. Amorosi
This seems like an easy marketing pitch: young electronic music acolyte touring with one of its most revered oldheads.

CKY
Fri., Dec. 22 and Sat., Dec. 23, 8:30 p.m., $20-$22, with Down the Drain and The Murder Junkies, The TLA.
by A.D. Amorosi
Jackass and brother Bam be damned. Despite being around since the late '90s, West Chester's CKY — drummer Jess Margera's band — have to date received zero respect for their rambunctious metal.

Tremors
Fri., Dec. 22, 10 p.m., $10 (ladies $5 before 11:30 p.m.), with Broady Boy Ace, Random, DJ I.M., DJ Rest, Five Spot.
by Deesha Dyer
"We gave this project a lot more attention than the others," says DJ Caliph Now on the topic of Jersey's Finest, the latest from MC Viro the Virus.


Food


Food :: SnackdownSnackdown
Is Snackbar too avant for its own good?
by Elisa Ludwig
There's a deceptively casual atmosphere at Snackbar, the glowing little cove of an eatery that opened more than a month ago at 20th and Rittenhouse.

Small Bites:
Jam on It
Catherine Gilbert-Ansill has a passion for jam.
by J.F. Pirro
If Pif owner-chef David Ansill's passion is organ meats — say, lamb's tongue or venison tartare — his French-born wife and pastry chef Catherine Gilbert-Ansill's love is jam. And slowly, her reputation is starting to rival his.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor

Now Seating >> Fogo de Chão; Tiffin Store

Waiting List >> James Restaurant; Avenue North


What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
by Amy Strauss
Ansill's Five-Course New Year's Eve; Mom Raffles Herself Off for Charity; First Annual New Year's Eve Dinner Party; Holy Ravioli; Shaken Not Stirred NYE 007

Top 5:
Books for Cooks '06
Feed Your Head
by A.D. Amorosi
1) I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence By Amy Sedaris; 2) Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver; 3) Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon By Claudia Roden; 4) Delilah's Everyday Soul By Delilah Winder; 5) The Omnivore's Dilemma By Michael Pollan

Watering Hole:
Ministry of Information
It's Where We Drink
by Will Dean
Michael Nutter's smoking ban has changed the air inside our bars—for better or for worse, depending on whom you ask. But like most things in Philly, there's a loophole.


Agenda


Agenda :: Love and Pane
Agenda Lead:
Love and Pane
Inside the Looking Glass
by Rachel Frankford
The French have a phrase for it: lèche-vitrine. Literally, to "window lick." In other words, window shop.

Agenda Picks:
Justify Your Existence
Homeless Memorial Day 2006
Thu., Dec. 21, 4:30-5:30 p.m., free

Just Opened
H Clothier
by Amanda McKenna
Handmade: That's the theme at H Clothier, the newest addition to Antique Row.

Kids, etc.
Big Fun for Little Ones
by Megan M. Erwin
Family Giftmaking Workshop; Mr. Cool Beans Holiday Concert; Kwanzaa Festival with Queen Nur; The Frog Bride; Water in Winter

Been There/Done That
Then & Now Walking Tour
by Kelly White
Runs through Sun., Dec. 31, free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St.,

New Year's Eve Guide: All About Eve
10 Great Ways to Countdown to 2007
by Margaret Battistelli
Ho-freakin-hum ... here comes the ball again. Unless it's on fire and Britney Spears has perched her pantyless puss atop it, who cares?

... And the Day After
New Year's Day Guide
by Margaret Battistelli
Ah, Jan. 1. So full of promise. A new year, a fresh start. Why then do so many of us waste it cursing the evil trolls who poured the devil's drink down our gullets the night before.


Paper Doll


Paper Doll :: Portrait of a Lady, Pt. II
Paper Doll:
Portrait of a Lady, Pt. II
This time it's personal.
by Ashlea Halpern
Some are passable, pretty even, but most look exactly like what they are: men in dresses. 


 
 
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