Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

If any of y'all have friends in the music industry who went to SouthXSouthWest, they're barely recovered from the 7 a.m.-Austin-time tequila-shooters-n-'shrooms, and now they're off to Miami for the Winter Music Conference. They know nothin' about what's going on in Philly. Fuck with their heads: Give them fake news and keep it plausible. Tell 'em Mayor Nutter bought prostitutes for he and the missus just to keep au courant with the McGreeveys and the Spitzers. Tell 'em the Flyers are winning. Nah. They'd never believe that.

► Congrats are in order for Simon Powells — not Cowell, Idol-ators — for he's the new head of Starr (as in Stephen) Catering Services.

► You don't hear enough from funky folksters Maggi, Pierce & EJ. But when you do, listen. EJ is doing his solo rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar Good Friday, March 21 (drinks and pedicures aplenty) at the Dawson. And MP&EJ have a racy blog up at thesaucyjohnnydare.blogspot.com.

► In more profane fashion, drag doyenne/dramatist Needles Jones is doing Easter Mon., March 24, with his own brand of resurrection-ist sacrilege at the Troc's Balcony. The bigger news is that he's reforming his dirty legendary Hard Liquor Theatre for its first reunion since 2003. "The only 12 steps we're taking is to the bathroom," says Jones about re-teaming with Mr. Dead Guy, Christa D'Agastino, Laura Eris and Dishmebe Jabari. Along for headlining fun is Mr. Roboto Shawn Kilroy, who'll debut his electro-rock crock pot S-Kilroy-3, a mentalist collab between Waking Fish Theater's Michelle Pauls and the Absinthe Drinkers and the divinely dangerous poet CAConrad (who wants you to hear actress/filmmaker Ish Klein reading from his "going to 108" series at weirddeer.com).

► When I had a crack at talking to Zooey Deschanel about her sweet pairing with M. Ward titled She & Him, Vol 1. , the actress with the honeyed-Billie Holiday-like voice who hung in Philly filming M. Night's The Happening told me she loves our dirty li'l Philly. "How could you not — all the architecture. I think the Mütter Museum was my favorite place. Ever been there?" Indeed I have.

► Next up for rumored Academy o' Music shows: Leonard Cohen for September. We think a double-opening bill of Kenn Kweder and Linda Cohen's in order.

► They were gonna call it Spit, but: Swallow opens at 1030 N. American St. this week. That'd be Jason 'n' Cindy Caminos' sweet teensy Euro-BYOB.

► He DJs and he PRs — how many more initials does he need? Carl Michaels (aka "Karl Michelfelder") just started PNK LFNT Marketing. First client? The Bump/Pure/Woody's unholy trio. Which reminds me: Bump's vixen-kitten Miss Cyoni and Clockwork-Orange-looking mash-up-DJ Robbie Tronco are doing a devilish weekly industry night, Mondays at Vango, starting March 24. Which reminds me: DJ Dave Pianka will Make Time with the only Canadians that have rhythm (and a cool Chanel-like logo), Crystal Castles, at Transit (also owned by the Weiss family that owns Bump, etc.), March 22.

► After the doggone fire that felled his Bahdeebahdu gallery, Warren Muller had to move his Tony Goldman/Philadelphia Bldg. "green" light installation to cleaners in Montgomeryville (Windsor Wood Service). "They swabbed it with Q-tips and put it in an ozone chamber to reverse the smell of smoke," says Muller, who'll bring his baby home to Goldman's Bldg. March 22.

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► These things happened to other people's families: When Julie Slick played with brah Eric in Adrian Belew's Trio at WCL March 12, you could have either asked Jules about the upcoming free-psych Cheers Elephant CD which she produced, or her mum, Robin (only slightly a stage mom), who has one new book out (39 and Holding ... Him), a sequel due soon and is in talks with Oliver Stone's producing bud Michael Spielberg. From the Capitol Years/Daniel Johnston Troc show I gathered that Shai Halperin's sis/ex-High Times intern Shirley wrote Pot Culture: The A-Z Guide to Stoner Language & Life published by AbramsImage and due out 4/20, aka dope-day! Tommy Chong scribed its forward, Redman shows off blunt rolling and Steve-O Roll makes a bong. BONG!

► ZombieShark comedy improv king Rick Horner hosts a crowd-interactive "Improv Philly Style" at Free Library (Central Branch) March 26. You don't have to keep quiet.

► Philly's jazz-bo folksy soulster Lili Añel's signed with Germany's ESC Records, who'll compile the best of her self-released stuff before forging forward.

► We hear Laurencio Maras purchased Café Habana just the other day for a restaurant of his own devising. Apparently George Anni from Valanni wanted it, too, but Maras is so damn nice.

► Don't speak: What new-to-the-biz local comic, after getting heckled at one of Lickety Splits' open mic nights, got banned from performing there for using the "n" word? We hear he's sorry, but c'mon, man — it's 2008. Remember Michael Richards?

► The world might be impressed by Walnut Street Capital's Garrett Miller for wanting to build 1,500 feet into sky at 18th and Arch. But can I get a whoop for li'l ole Wynfield Drive's Winky Fairorth and his Tait Towers? They just did the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Vegas in time for Bette Midler's "The Showgirl Must Go On," to say nothing of the upcoming Cher shows. Arch Street is one thing. But divas, man. Divas.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)