Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

It's funny the things you hear about your home when you're away — the notes pals text you, the gossip they drop. One minute I'm chugging zecht in Hamburg, Germany, listening to Bratze at the Reeperbahn Fest (Philly bands, do this in 2009!) without a care in the world and the next thing you know I look down at my Blackberry and there're texts reading "Sarah Palin hit Tony Luke's and Irish Pub and I'm scared" and "Alycia Lane's suing everybody." Ach du lieber!

► The only karaoke room in the world that matters — the "japas" upstairs at Yakitori Boy — plays host to the Great Greg Giovanni Roast Oct. 5. It'll raise funds for Giovanni's Big Messy Retro-Fest Part 1 at the Painted Bride Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 7 and 8. Carlota Ttendant hosts. Performers include Madi DiStefano, Scott Johnston, Andrew McElhinney, Grace Gonglewski and Steven Keever. And I'm planning jokes about watching him hang upside down with his dick out at Asylum.

► Ooh, so one of the things I heard while in Germany was that Brett Perloff — a Stein fam associate tied into Red Sky and a co-owner of Pearl — was no longer going to work on Pearl's day-to-day stuff. Yes, he'd still co-own. But problems arose that couldn't be fixed. Were those heartaches about who amongst them might-and-might-not want more DJ and club-stuff to go with their tony menu? Curious to see how things shake out.

► They're hard and heavy, crude and lewd white comic rappers, and this time they're wearing capes. It's Haddon-Heights' Nitty Gritty. They've got an eponymous CD. They'll be at Mako's Bar Oct. 5 and, just to prove they're goofballs, they're doing something vampire-y. "It'll be intense," says Gritty's Rock Hard Killa. "There's usually a goth show there, so we might dress all gothic."

► Philly director Jeremiah Zagar's In a Dream dire hi-def documentary about mom and pop Julia and Isaiah will appear on HBO in June 2009.

► When the 2008 Barrymore Awards for Philly theater hits the Crystal Tea Room Oct. 6, it'll first get a red carpet walk from local cats like Tony Braithwaite, Aaron Cromie, Joe Guzman and Sally Mercer; 30 Rock's Keith Powell, from Wilmington's Contemporary Stage Co.; Adam Gertler, who, before he did the Food Network's Will Work for Food did some Brat Productions stuff; and Broadway's Bill Irwin, nominated for The Happiness Lecture. It'll also feature me as its host and lots-of-nominees in couture dress designed by students from Drexel U.'s fashion department.

► We missed the Madden Bros at mur.mur in Atlantic City over the weekend — Joel came alone (sans Nicole Ritchie) and Benji hit the boards with gal-pal Paris Hilton, designer Richie Rich and Donnie Wahlberg. Might as well tell you about all these people: Spring Awakened Duncan Sheik is doing a Children's Hospital benefit with Lauren Pritchard at Philly's Park Hyatt, Oct. 17. LL Cool J will be with some lady-only contest winners at the Waterworks Oct. 2 (like noon-ish) for a Wired 96.5 event before his WachCenter show with Janet Jackson. Which means there's hope upon hope John Legend will show at Vango for his Wired 96.5 afterparty for Oct. 7's World Café Live Special Evening with Legend.

► And that only reminds me that while Hal Real busies himself with the rumored finishing touches on that rumored Wilmington Delaware WCL, his West Philly WCL starts celebrating its fourth anniversary in October with happy hours full of DiBruno Bros.' cheese plates, Jim Beam specials and chef-exec Matthew Babbage raffling tickets for him to cook in your house.

► Remember last week I mentioned that Character Driven Productions had been driven from screening their anti-Dick Clark rant The Wages of Spin where Clark once did Bandstand — 46th and Market's Event Center? The film has landed a smaller screen at The Elaine C. Levitt Auditorium, 401 S. Broad St., Oct. 11. More next week.

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► No, we haven't heard from Notekiller David First (the fly-killing Philly instrumental outfit's working on a new album) or shredding guitarist Yanni Papadopoulos or Buchla synth boss Charles Cohen in a month of Sundays. While those three legends of Philly's avant garde join forces Oct. 2 at the 45th-and-Locust Green Line Café, they'll have as their opener Michael McDermott — the Mikronesia mate from Gemini Wolf who is currently busy with Radiohead remix contests (vote at radioheadremix.com) and making/hosting a sound sculpture for an installation in November that necessitates lots of Hallmark holiday cards that play music when you open them. Find one you love, hate or want to get rid of. Donate it to Mike McDermott, 306 Kingsley St., Philly PA 19128.

► Matthew Izzo, Michael Anderer and Socialite Scott kicked off Izzo Lifestyle Store Liquid Sundays last week to launch the fall lines. I might love Nudie jeans and blu dot furnishings, but a good mimosa is hard to find.

► City Paper's own DJ knight Gair Marking — as Dev 79 — is getting ready to host Philly Laptop Battle 2008 with his partner Starkey. Ten "spinners" at North Star Oct. 3, one winner. Be there. Also of note: a Gair birthday party at Glam on a Friday TBA in October. Stay tuned. Plus look for the two-floor, one-guy (painter Kevin Kernan), two-gal (DJ Just Jess, DJ Kit) mega-bash at the "Wear" T-shirt exhibit, All-Grrrl DJ event First Friday, all night Oct. 3 at Glam. Grrrr.