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ISSUE . January 15th, 2009
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Second Season Arts Preview
by Carolyn Huckabay

Notes to Self
Anthony Campuzano deals with mortality and memory in bits and pieces.
by John Vettese
Bonus Web Content
Some pieces in Campuzano's "Touch Sensitive" are the product of a forward-looking artist experimenting with scale and presentation in a way previously unseen in his work. Others are based on sketchbook designs and mementos he collected over the years, ideas that have finally reached critical mass.

Flash Forward
Bucks band Illinois unleashes a digital divide-and-conquer strategy (and flirts with Catastrophe).
by John Vettese
Bonus Web Content
The Bucks County folky fuzz rockers are putting out their current release, The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe, in stages. Fans buy the flash drive at one show, remember to bring it back a month later, and fill it up with more music from either the merch stand or the band. Commence difficulty.

Erin Go Broadway?
Philly's new Irish theater strives for serious amid leprechauns and dancing lords.
by Mark Cofta
"This show was produced without the use of any shamrocks, green beer or blarney stones," reads a Skin Deep program note. "No leprechauns or 'lords of the dance' were harmed in the making of this production."

Theater
by David Anthony Fox

Dance
by Janet Anderson

Opera/Classical
by Peter Burwasser

Rock/Pop
by Jakob Dorof

Jazz
by Shaun Brady

Roots
by Mary Armstrong

Visual Art
by Robin Rice



Editor's Letter:
Our New Web Technique Is Unstoppable
The site looks nice, right?
by Brian Howard
The new citypaper.net, with its easier-on-the-eye color scheme, tweaked-out font treatment and easy-like-a-virgin-on-prom-night navigation, has been a hit.

Loose Canon:
Can We Tawk?
To see Jew screaming at Jew is as embarrassing as any family feud.
by Bruce Schimmel
Bonus Web Content
There were Jews at Love Park who were not supportive of Israel's actions. These protesters, pushed to the perimeter by a cordon of police, held handmade signs that read, "Stop the attacks on Gaza," "Philly Jews: Not in my name" and "We didn't survive genocide to commit another."

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"A lot of us don't seem to be all that interested in all the facts and the big picture, preferring instead the pretty lies of the industry and many politicians. Thanks for laying it out plain."



Naked City :: Game TheoryGame Theory
In Northeast Philly, the U.S. Army is waging a war for our hearts and minds.
by Daniel Denvir
Hordes of young men race toward the three rows of Xboxes, playing tournament games of Halo, America's Army and Madden, as well as to the Apache and Black Hawk attack helicopter and Humvee combat simulators. Smiling recruiters chat with the gamers and provide a running commentary on the tournaments. One tall, muscular man with a booming voice speaks into a wireless microphone, eerily projecting his encouragement over an invisible speaker system.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
No green vegetable dye (wimps) and nothing spray-on. Shout Hallelujah and come get hairy.

Running Numbers
A scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
The Running Numbers Pet Peeve and Petty Complaint Department airs its grievances.



News :: Game ChangerGame Changer
The library battle could accidentally transform Philly's government.
by Isaiah Thompson
In early 2005, when then-mayor John Street tried to save money by slashing funding for branch libraries, it was then-City Councilman, now-Mayor Michael Nutter who led the charge to stop him.

Sports:
A Front-runner's Guide to the NFC Championship Game
by E. James Beale
So you all but forgot the Eagles existed these last couple of months. Maybe you were really busy; maybe you gave up on them. That's OK — your decision has saved you plenty of confusion and heartbreak.

Dispatch:
Sustainable Claire
by Mike Newall
Claire does not always tell people about her program, since people's eyes tend to glaze over when you start talking about sustainability. But this was a doctor.

Citizen Mom:
Pull It Off Your Bumper, Baby
Where are you going to be when Barack Obama takes the oath of office? Supposedly, it'll be one of those moments our grandkids are going to ask about, so it might be worth taking a second to consider how you'll mark the occasion.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.



Movies :: Revolutionary RogueRevolutionary Rogue
Benicio Del Toro and Steven Soderbergh take on the epic life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
by Cindy Fuchs
In an abstract sense, the film is about this dissemination, the saga of Che refashioned. Each half of the film is based on a book by Guevara, but neither takes a single perspective or tells one story. Taken apart, the halves suggest a conventional narrative split (say, rise and fall, promise and failure), but together they form a beguiling sort of disorder.

Guerrilla Filmmaking
Director Steven Soderbergh talks Che.
by Sam Adams
Soderbergh has described himself as something of a fiend for pacing. But after the massive success of Dark Knight, he says the conventional wisdom that audiences won't see long movies no longer holds true. Besides, he points out, "We told the story of the Cuban revolution in less time than it took to tell Sex and the City."



Food :: Temper, TemperTemper, Temper
Prohibition Taproom brings great food and drink to an under-the-radar neighborhood.
by David Snyder
Outside, the arrow in Prohibition's towering, neon-red one-word sign ("BAR") points locals to a rotating selection of eight U.S. brews on tap (with another on hand pump) and 50 international bottles. But is this blazing beacon bright enough to draw a citywide crowd? Yes — much of the food deserves a neon sign, too.

Faux What It's Worth
Big changes are afoot at popular vegan restaurant New Harmony.
by James Saul
Two weeks ago, owner Ming Chu upgraded the menu, adding items like vegetable tempura, peanut beef and a vegan-friendly deep-fried cheesecake. New Harmony is also turning its basement into a VIP room, complete with big-screen TV and 10,000-song karaoke selection.

Top 5:
Top 5 Chinatown Bakery Eats for Under $1
The Cent-urion
by Isaiah Thompson
1 Fried Happy Ball (70 cents) | 2 Swiss Roll (65 cents) | 3 Fried Taro Dumpling (70 cents) | 4 Vegetarian Egg Roll (75 cents) | 5 Cornet Sponge Cake (75 cents)

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
943 | BREW | Chipotle | Marty Grims and Judy Wicks team up | Swallow Bistro reopens | Dinner at Teri's restaurant

What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Nikki Volpicelli
Free Burritos at Chipotle | Chima Inauguration Special | Philadelphia Brewing Co. at Earth Bread + Brewery | Caribou Café Brews & Crus | Oceanaire Seafood Room Five-Course Wine Dinner



Agenda :: Holy Hoax
Agenda Lead:
Holy Hoax
Sex, lies and videotape with installation artist Virgil Wong.
by Jakob Dorof
"It's all connected. Just one big experiment of looking at and communicating with the world."

Agenda Picks:
Just Do It
MLK Day of Service
by Dianca Potts
Neighborhood Bike Works Shape Up the Shop | Guadenzia Centro Primavera Read-a-Thon | Outward Bound Fairmount Park Cleanup | Unitarian Society of Germantown Bowl-Making | ACORN Fights Foreclosure

Just Do It
Fixed Gear Conversion Class
by Dianca Potts
Fri., Jan. 16 and 23, $100, reservations required, Neighborhood Bike Works, 3916 Locust Walk, 215-386-0316, neighborhoodbikeworks.org

Just Do It
Speaking Radically
by Molly Eichel
Thu., Jan. 15, 7 p.m., free, Wooden Shoe Books, 508 S. Fifth St., 215-413-0999, woodenshoebooks.com, jasondelgandio.com

In The Event That...
You Don't Think Musical Theater is Gay Enough
by Gary M. Kramer
The Keith, Melissa and Tom Show! | Fri., Jan. 16, 7 and 9 p.m., $15, William Way Center, 1315 Spruce St., 215-847-2820, tomwilsonweinberg.com


 
 
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