Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

I was standing in front of the Hannah Montana/Disney Camp Rock tour bus last week, getting my hair frosted by Great Clips rock star stylists, when I realized my birthday was approaching. Sure, I started to feel a little creepy hanging around kids with that particular tip of hot red in my hair. But more than that, I realized there were a few things I haven't done yet with summer 2008 that I needed to get done. So during this birthday week of mine (I share the date with my Jewish goddaughter, Mariel Weiner, so hello, Lady M), I'll run to the Unisys Building and proudly double the length of my condo's lease when their sign goes up (Richie Sambora! Dude?). I'll beat Jose Garces at any melon-wielding Iron Chef challenge he can throw at me. And I'll get drunk with Mike Nutter, hit every open mic in Philly and out-sing his version of "House of the Rising Sun." H-b-day, Leos everywhere.

► We're hearing that the whole Kenny Gamble/Patti LaBelle "I Am an American" thing (so Colbert-ish, that title) will tour the eastern seaboard in October, full orchestra and all, right after Patti and her gals Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx drop their Lenny Kravitz/Wyclef Jean/Gamble & Huff-produced CD Back to Now and right before the reunited trio tour that bitch around. Dag, gurl

► Spinto Band, Spinto Band, where art thou? Moving from Bar/None to Philly's Park the Van label to drop the Tom-Verlaine-having-a-sugar-rush-y Moonwink ASAP. Now if we can just get you out of Delaware

► The not-dead-despite-just-getting-hit-by-a-car Needles Jones and Liz Rywelski ("Bonnie Showcase" of Lefty Lucy Cabaret fame) host le Monday Night Club's Live Arts/Fringe Fest networking finale with NYC's fabulous The Love Show, Philly's Mikronesia, the Green Chair Dance kids and more previewing their Fest events Aug. 25 at the Balcony

► I don't listen to Howard Stern's Sirius radio show as much as I'd like. And I'm no prude. But now that Stern's running eerie, salacious Steven Singer spots about women creaming their pants that turn the hated jeweler's rep into something — er — slimier, listening to Stern is gonna be hard to stomach. I don't hate Singer. I loathe the fucker

► WHOWHATWHERE: Philly-boy Danny Bonaduce may've found himself sliced up in a Hollywood fight last week. But he ain't missing his Celeb Boxing Federation Middleweight championship at Marple Sports Arena in Broomall against the Rev. Bob Levy on Sept. 13. The Price Is Right did an audition search for a new model at Applebee's at 15th Street last week and people actually showed up. Blocks away, Ahmir Thompson was spotted at Springboard Media getting his I-something rejiggered. Then there's cute-boy Teddy Geiger, whom I hung with at World Café Live before kids descended upon him and his Cover Girl-sponsored show. His film with Rainn Wilson, The Rocker, opens this week. Geiger dug working with the Office dude ("He's hilarious"), wants to maybe act in more films ("It's not something I don't want to do"), is looking to make music that isn't power pop ("My first record skewed younger; now I'm listening to M.I.A. "), doesn't mind his Cover Girl sponsor ("They just set up a stand and give out lip gloss") and has but one message for his rabid fans ("I usually just say 'hey'"). Hey

► Hit up pianist/comic Steve Odabashian's Wednesday or Friday night at the Piano Bar at 20th and Arch. Wish him well with the Mr. Miyagi birthday salute ("Happy Birthday Dear Steve-san") and ask him to play his Alycia Lane song

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► Before there was Beretta 76, Sugar Town events or any of these girl-fronted rawk things we have in Philly, there was The Friggs and Palmyra Delran. Sure Delran (aka Lisa Cortes) may have played with Ben Vaughn, the Santa Marias and Pink Slip Daddy. But the kids're fond of the Friggs and not just because their music got used in Superbad. "I always idolized The Friggs as the ultimate cool rock chicks," says Sara Sherr, who booked the long-awaited Friggs reunion on the heels of its twitchy Today is Tomorrow's Yesterday: Singles & Unreleased Songs compilation for a Tritone show Aug. 23

► We all just got a little older. Buddakan — Stephen Starr's first true restaurant — turns 10 this week. His Parc is doing swimmingly. Atlantic City's Chelsea Prime and Teplitzky's ("very 1962," says Starr of its design) open soon. "The hipster crowd is in force at the Chelsea. It's not a casino crowd. It's a New York crowd — the antithesis of Atlantic City." That's all good. Yet it's the operatic Buddakan on Chestnut Street that put Starr on the foodie map. "It's significant to me, of course. But it's as significant to have been the part of that second wave after Steve Poses, The Frog, Knave of Hearts and all those groovy South Street spaces' first wave." The Continental (also his) started that second renaissance. But Buddakan gave the wave credibility, made it national and couture-food-driven rather than bar-driven. It put the stamp on Old City as a destination and allowed Starr and Buddakan to get to New York City, Atlantic City and now Miami with Budda-k having signed a lease there, south of Fifth Street. Starr acknowledges that Buddakan 1 remains formidable due to the fact that chef Scott Swiderski has been there since its grand opening. "That's what made it consistently great." No, Starr won't have an anniversary bash ("you see the same party-goers, they leave, they forget"). Buddakan will donate a portion of its proceeds Aug. 25-28 to Project H.O.M.E. "It's better to do some good than to have a party," notes Starr.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)