Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

Welcome to Ugly Week: the seven days between a moist summer and an elegant fall full of breezes. Gives you a chill, doesn't it, all that sweet, sweet autumn? But not yet, bub. Not until you get past the thick humidity, the chubby, narcotized Cheeto-slurping moms on TV, the pretty new students in HSM2 tees (is Philly lawyer Larry Charles under lockdown?) and an Eagles loss already. Get over that last one now! You read The Secret. Shake the negative thoughts, asshole. You'll kill us all. 

► While hitting its wowee windup weekend, Live Arts/Fringe '07 is making sharp stars of some of its participants. Like, of all the dedicated mems of New Paradise Laboratories' BATCH, Jeb Kreager's a standout. Though he's part 'n' parcel of Grateful Company's Jeff Buckley-induced Grace:Kingdom, graphic comix guy Joey Feldman's artwork is apparently flying off the CEC's walls. And while I'm certain Fringe Cabaret host Fergie shouldn't cease pub operations to take up the art of Irish song (love ya, brah), he did take time from readying Belgian Tavern's 21st and Green opening to croon a Celtic tune. Tura lura that.

► Ever want to know what Pink Floyd's The Wall'd look like with littler bricks but far more attractive persons than Misters Waters and Gilmour? Dig Bckseet Productions' one-night-only musicale at Society Hill Playhouse, Sept. 15. Bckseet, currently Fringe-ing Hung on a Blonde Ponytail, haul a Wall to benefit its OMEGA (2007-08) season.

There Brett Brasler was, ready to talk up his sometime-boss Restaurant Associates' acquisition Gardenia (opening this week at ye old Le Jardin in the Art Alliance), when he gets slash-tacked by a manic transvestite on 16th Street. Brasler's up and running (buy him a stiff, pricey vodka). But what's with the evil neo-gals in da neighborhood?

► As soon as Uncut Productions finishes Fringe-ing Assembly: Junior High, they'll celebrate with a Drunken Spelling Bee at the Balcony Sept. 17 with back-on-his-feet Monday Night Club host Needles Jones before handing their 2006-shot Eye of the Tiger to Sean Kilroy for audio-mastering with November as the film's release. In between, they'll host "Tri-Ass-Lon" Sept. 22, noon, at Lemon Hill. "Bring a tricycle, big wheel, wagon, dolly — whatever rolls," says Jena Serbu, who promises a 45-foot-long Slip 'N Slide and a three-legged race finale. 

► The things you hear at strip bars: Cheerleaders' 611/King Britt/Dozia bash? Not only did I get a nize earful about King of Prussia's Old English Tavern turning into a girl-peeling Just Enuff on weekends, but I found that legendary Cheerleaders bar-mistress/Alura Gourmet Tours boss Kathy Flocco-McMaster was leaving for Austin with her band man Tim McMaster and his band man Tom Gillam, who'll take their Tractor Pull to Texas for a spell. Sob, y'all.

► Know who else is leaving? Rumor has Tony the Pizza Guy from SLiCE on 10th Street, after all the accolades and Philly mag awards (those Philly mag mentions'll kill you), heading back to the homey confines of his dad's Steve's Steaks shop on Eighth and South. "No change in taste yet," note several addicted SLiCE peeps through bites of Margherita. And Marc Brodzik's Woodshop Films jawn left the Philebrity blog last week, taking its content with it. We hear it was not real friendly — the leaving. But it never is. Wait. Am I talking about Brodzik or the pizza guy leaving? Atzanogooda.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Before Cuba Libre's Larry Cohen ate near Barry Manilow (Jimmy Binns and Michael Nutter too! Dudes?!) at the Saloon, he told me about the mass of Cuba Libres that he and Barry Gutin are opening soon-ish in Miami (first), Washington, D.C. (maybe), and Vegas. At AKA Records, Mike Hoffman played host to Dinosaur Jr. 's J. Mascis and a few other band peeps who looked even older than J. (We kid, J.) Right after wrapping shooting ads for King of Prussia Mall outside the Khyber, photog Pier Nicola D'Amico spoke at the Apple Store SoHo for their APA Pro Sessions series. No, he didn't skateboard or motorcycle in.

► Sundae house master Lee Jones is so excited to have bud Josh Wink spinning their Sansom Street block party Sept. 16 ("a super-long way-cool set," says Jones) at Bubble House, anyone wearing an Ovum shirt gets in free. Do that.

► CP's li'l podcast frien' Jon Solomon just started what I thought was a comedian's record label — Comedy Minus One — until I saw Bottomless Pit (Hammer of the Gods) and Karl Hendricks' (The World Says and Buick Electra; digital downloads, too) November releases. That's not funny.

► Why's Molly Russakoff reopening Molly's, her Italian Market bookstore, with an Isaiah Zagar mosaic dedication bash Sept. 14? She damned near lost her faith in the word. Or selling it. And she spent too much time running to the private school in Chester County where her son went. So she pulled her kids out of school and will turn the shop into a mixed-use bookseller/community-arts salon and resource center for home-schooling families. Not a school. Just a cool spot for tykes. Bring the kids, dammit.

► Philly expat Adam Lasus so loves the yipping-pop of Oliver Future that he not only produced their Pax Futura debut as his Fireproof Recordings debut and released it jointly with Philly's Transit of Venus label. Lasus had 'em on a Sept. 14 North Star bill with fellow Venusians The Trolleyvox. That is until Trolleyvox had to reschedule their two-CD release show (for Your Secret Safe) due to a family illness. Get well, y'all, and see you in October.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)