Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

Now that the dust's settled and City Paper's staff room's a neater place than the Belgian De Dolle Oerbier-beer-and-artisanal-Cheetos maelstrom it was weeks ago, I'd like to welcome not only the editors to their new positions, but you readers to a new Icepack: one with no semicolons (save this last one ... now;) and more conflict resolution. If you're gonna fight, settle it before we leave.

► A mad-mad world? Not long after purchasing Grape Street (whoever said Fergus Carey was buying the Grape should only die), it looks like Mad River acquired ye old fire station-turned-Korean buffet boite at 1528 Sansom, all 5,000 square feet. Please: no cover bands.

► The only reason to hit Liberty Place unless that gourmet popcorn store's still there — I luvs me Cajun 'corn — returns March 7 with WMGK 102.9 FM's Classic Rock Art Show/Silent Auction. I like to smoke, gaze at Ron Campbell's Yellow Submarine animation and bid in the name of other artists (e.g. photog Scott Weiner).

► Dirty Diamond (who's editing his Dirty South tour documentary) starts a game show called "Suicide Idol" at the Troc in April while drag doyenne Needles Jones'll reopen his kettle of Hard Liquor Theatre fish there this month.

► Other rumored events? Tom Waits at Academy of Music in July. John Leguizamo, Jay McCarroll, William H. Macy and Jacqui Bisset at April's TLA/PhillyFilmFest with Patti Smith (buy the house in Philly already) introducing PFF's finale. Kevin Bacon at Annenberg Center April 4 for a Zellerbach benefit. Kimmel 2008 stuff: Spring Awakening in June, Rennie Harris Puremovement's world première of 100NakedLocks, Cassandra Wilson and sitar dad-n-daughter Ravi and Anoushka Shankar.

► The murkily psychedelic men of 50th and Hazel — Soft People Matt Ricchini, Zach Sulat, Michael Heinzer and Eric Carbonara — have The Vapors. Does their debut CD sound smitten with sexual ardor or just plain illin? "Illin's closer," says Matt. "Though Zach's thoughts on it are closer to trendy Victorian melancholia and a romanticized contrived depression." Either way, Soft People bring the results of "18 months of nonstop wires running up and down three flights of steps of our West Philly house" and its Mayo Thompson-meets-Can sound to First Unitarian Church March 8.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Invincible Pictures' Rich Murray was at Fifth and Diamond directing a video for Universal rapper Thor. He said if he didn't die, his company's new DVD would be a hip-hop doc Street Bangaz, starring Method Man. Before Ashlee Simpson came to a Neshaminy Wal-Mart to sign CDs, she and her Fall Out beau Pete Wentz were hanging-n-spinning records at Borgata. Who hit luxe-life nightspot Pearl's opening? Club owners! Ex-Bar Noir's David Carroll and his management client Erika Schiff, Denim's Wayne Schulick, G's Dino Morelli, the unnamed-Thirteenth and Chestnut lounge's Justin Fine and Anthony Sembello with Lauren Beloff who jez opened Elle Belle with her mum Diane on South 20th.

► March 10 isn't just a fancy-schmanzy 1812 Productions benefit at World Café Live honoring theatah patron Dolly Beechman Schnall. It's marketeer David Witz's Martha Manning-like live radio broadcast of Ron Monroe's Lunch Party.

► Nice or weird: Sex Dwarf Robert Drake in his guise as WXPN's Kids Corner producer looking for listener memories (kidscorner.org)? Backinaday Philly kid show host Gene London reaching out to those on his show or have memorabilia to share for a multimedia thingy on comic/Three Stooge-oriented sites?

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► Comedy: Not only was "KeithFromUpDaBlock" Ruffin on Dr. Phil talking up Internet cheating: He (Keith not Phil) will hit Danny Ozark's Notebook night March 10 at the Balcony with Kenn Kweder. Keith's 360 degree management/label deal with Game's Jonathan Shecter yields fruit via Ready to Laugh next week. Plus Herpes-humorist Mayo (Joe DiMaio) tells me that his crank-call restraining order from radio beardo Howard Eskin ends March 7 — the date he'll appear at Lobster Club (13th and Porter).

► Dunno if it was L&I's long arm or the short arm of mischief. Why did Rittenhouse saloons Whistle Bar (nee Tragos) and Loie close last weekend? Why is Fishtown's Arts Garage closing, too?

► There Afrotaino DJ Rahsaan was — starting his Ladies Night Tuesdays at Vango, Mambo Futuro Thursdays at Brasils and "Bhangatron" for March at EDN (formerly St. Jack's) when he found out EDN had just closed. Ouch. "We'll have someone directing partygoers to MINT — the right new location," says Rahsaan of the March 7 soiree.

► United States Artists hooked three Philly-ians with $50,000 fellowships: Rennie Harris, Zoe Strauss and Mat Johnson right before Bala Cynwyd's Karen Kilimnik and Philly-birthed Lisa Sigal got selected for the 2008 Whitney Biennial, which starts March 6.

► Before Jerry Blavat commences to bebop for his doo-wop reunion at Kimmel April 13, congratulate the yon teen for getting that hole in his heart fixed at Hahnemann.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)