Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

I nearly succumbed to all that Balboa Christmas cheer what with Stallone gifting Rocky memorabilia to the Smithsonian (smelled-up boxing shorts, his signed pact with the Devil, Burt Young) and making his sexagenarian see-me pleas. I almost bought his message of Christian reconciliation — Rocky-as-rebel yell for believing in something higher. That is until Alex Ben Block's "The Untold Story: 'Rocky' Underdog Origin a Studio Myth" on Hollywoodtoday.net where everyone concerned gets truthy about Stallone's my-way-or-the-highway tale of the making of the original flick. Perry King?! C'man. Now 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.

► If you still think you likee movies, stand outside Manhattan's South Street Seaport in January. That's what Source Of Synergy, Inc. wants of you celebutante-not extras looking to cozy to Will Smith for his I Am Legend flick. Want in?rdh@sourceofsynergy.com.

► After bashing with mega-punk mistress Janet Panic at NoStar weeks back, Flor-eed-da's sprawling prog-rock quartet Chroma (www.chromatime.com) and six of their neatly creepy pals have moved to sunny warm Philadelphia.

► Joe Tagg is hitting the Webs hard, telling peeps about his Three 4 Tens due-February CD Down the Way and his pricey Brodzik vid for "Everyday" on YouTube. It's Christmas. Help a bra' out. Hit his YouTube. Make him famous.

► "Movie Irv" Slifkin just dropped Filmadelphia: A Celebration of a City's Movies on Middle Atlantic Press, a book of notes and anecdotes on the locally born (Kevin Bacon) and the locally filmed (Unbreakable).

► Gruff-talking Joe Mahoney — the booking/promoting guy behind the Songspot.org collective and Brotherly Shove fest — has been out of commission. It's none of your business WHY. He just has been. And now he's not. Because Mahoney's Shove is doing a mini-fest atop the Troc every Thursday starting Dec. 21 with Liam and Me, The Boils and Mose Giganticus headlining its next few weeks.

► I need you fuckers to look spiffy over the holidays. That Hugo Boss BOSS Orange shop that had its Cashman-thrown/Jon Gill-spun bash last week above Neiman's? It's the sole BO in the U.S. Don't let Hugo down. Get spending.

► Franca DiRenzo's Tre Scalini has been at 11th and Tasker for so long, there's braciole prints in the pavement. But come Dec. 30, she's gotta move. Da lease? She's a-gone. Don't cry. Tre's opening at 1915 E. Passyunk a week later. Atsa nize.

► Philly's Ben Vaughn — the Sickidz drummer who left unsensible music-making in brands of rockabilly and Ween-wonk to make money soundtracking 3rd Rock from the Sun — is now a disc jockey at Memphis' WEVL-FM. He put out a CD, Designs in Music, that when you get around to forgiving him for John Lithgow, will still be there.

► While Nike bombards the planet with mix CDs from LCD Soundsystem and OK Go, Puma sneaker pimps it on the live tip Dec. 21 at Bamboo with MC Gravy and DJ Brendan and their special guest, Diplo — Philly's Wes Pentz. Dip's been sorta busy with the Piracy Funds Terrorism sequel (out in 2010, says his MySpace place), an upcoming Hollertronix 6 mix with Low Budget and filming Favela on Blast in Rio about Funk Carioca. He's also maybe breaking up with the girlfriend he's wrapping bits of a second CD for: M.I.A. wrote on her MySpace Dec. 12 something about getting "shat on" by her "ex boyfriend ... gone to save strippers in Brazil." Wogga wogga. The Puma-bash also serves as an after-soiree for Brendan Olkus' wife, Kasey O's "Louise," the sexy skimpy womenswear line introduction at Echochic that hubbie'll spin for at 6 p.m. I say you come see A.D. do his regular Thursday '80s jam at Alfa at 5 p.m., hit Echochic after that then we'll all go skinny-Diplo-ing so to console him.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Ex-pat Philly cabaret promoter Earl Dax was spied outside L'Etage with multimedia perf-artist opera schtar Meow-Meow scouting locales for a February performance. Porn star Mary "Not Mariah! She don't swallow" Carey hit Oasis Gentlemen's Club for the club's holiday bash before her three eves o' writhing starting Dec. 21. Check out Creole chef Michael Duplantis from Crescent City Dec. 23 at New York's James Beard House. Big Dem Howard Dean ate at Bistro St. Tropez. How do we know it was him since he wasn't "yee-hah"ing? Name-tag — you're it.

► The best new local dub/loversrock/ska act with a lead singer ("Lord" Tedford Juachon) swinging a trombone, Wareika Hill, hits House of Blues Atlantic City, Dec. 22. I heard them rock the Troc with Sizzla weeks ago. Be this.

► Before the Zappa-zotzed Creeping Weeds drop their sinister CD in January, check them pre-release holiday style at The Fire with CP cover guy Adam Arcuragi Dec. 22. Creep this.

► In case you've been wondering why you haven't seen Steal Vybe singer/teacher/Web mistress Stephanie Renee 'round town, the soulsonic lady left town so to play Ministry of Sound's newly expanded Singapore club, The Cannery. If she's not back by January, send Tastykakes or an international police envoy.

► While Scott Storch was busying himself blowing out candles with Ludacris at South Beach's Mansion, his ex-mates in The Roots were collecting Game Theory Grammy nods, scoring some much-needed gigs for slothful ol' ?uestlove (remixing Pharell's In My Mind, producing Al Green's new CD), and booking their first-ever tour of South Africa, performing free gigs on flatbed trucks in Johannesburg and Capetown this week. And that's the spirit of Christmas man — Africa, giving, hip-hop. With that Icepack wishes you a hip-hop, rap-snacking holiday, yo.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)