Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

I hate being the guy who says "told you so." But with reports of Jersey's gambling revenue down by gazillions, The Donald firing himself from Trump Entertainment Resorts and taking The Ivanka with him, and having six of Atlantic City's casino hotels in or near bankruptcy, the Icepack of yore said A.C. would never rule as a big spender's mecca. It's in Jersey. Who's spending big bucks to go there? Pennsylvania should quick turn our slot parlors into swanky entertainment centers. Stephen Starr — do your next Barclay or Chelsea Prime here. And A.C., bring back those diving horses off of Steel Pier. There's money to be made.

► I hope Philly Twit(ter)s had a nice Twestival. Guess everybody got boozed up at the Get Happy Pub before rushing some crucial info regarding what they thought of Lost or where they left their glasses.

► A few Matthews in the kitchen: XIX at Park Hyatt/Bellevue just brought on Matthew Maslowski as its exec pastry chef. Ex-Lacroix guy Matthew Levin just convinced partner/Eagle Jon Runyan that a three-plate-prix-fixe restaurant, Masano, should go in a 201 Green St. warehouse.

► While spending two weeks on South Street (man I shoulda worn a coat) for my Naked City lede, rumors ran rampant that an often-shuttered liquor-license-less J.C. Dobbs rokspot lost half of its ownership as Heshi Schlachterman departed. If that's true, it's just Hank the Drag Queen twirling his skirts.

► Psydde reads! Delicious Boutique hosts a book signing with Ilana Stranger-Ross for her bra-shop-in-Brooklyn novel Sima's Undergarments for Women, Feb. 25. at 7:30 p.m. Champagne and corsets? I'm there.

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► WHOWHATWHERE: The Eagles' Trevor Laws was spied bobbing his head to the Black Keys at Electric Factory. Several Electric Factory/Live Nation staffers were spied at one of Union Trust's soft-openings. If we only knew where Black Keys went, we'd be flush. Producer Nigel Richards launched his 611 Records' new Web site (611ecords.com) with a free rave (not a perm but a dance event popular during the '90s) with Dave P and John RDN at Shampoo.

► When I heard ex-Weekly writer Josh Valocchi was doing something manly starting Feb. 19, I wondered what it could be. Eating sausage with too much fennel? Waxing his testicles? Oh. Hosting the local dude-o-riffic thrillist.com crafted by Philly's Adam Rich and Ben Lerer. Check it.

► With Oscar peeps around Philly (Jamie Foxx, Slumdog Millionaire Dev Patel starts Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender any sec), may I mention rip-offed Kevin Bacon? He went un-nominated for Frost/Nixon. He was at least as good as the Knorr soup guy who played Tricky Dick. While you can see a somber Kevin in ex-WYSP DJ/screenwriter Ross Katz's directorial debut Taking Chance on HBO Feb. 21, he and brah Michael do their Bacon Bros. thing Feb. 19 at Camden County College's Dennis Flyer Theater in Blackwood, N.J., for their new CD, New Year's Day. One thing that could've thrown Oscar for a loop is The Bacon Brothers' YouTube Dance-Off Video Contest and its "Put on Your Dancing Shoes" tagline. "No matter what your dance moves, or just shakin' what your mama gave ya', we want to see you getting down," goes the ad form. Kevin and Michael'll pick their faves and edit portions of the winner into a video for their "Go My Way." Check it out at musicallies.com/resources/baconbrothers.

► Rumor has Brett Perloff and his Secret Squirrel associates opening his pricey hideaway Strongbox at 22nd and Walnut solidly within three weeks.

► It's lucky for us that Louis CK, Jim Norton and Artie Lange are in town this weekend. All of our comedy troupes — ComedySportz, Industrial, TRAFFIC JELLY, Men About Town, Rare Bird Show and Illegal Refill — are at the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival in Carrboro, N.C.

► Not content to let Diplo be Philly's only T-shirt salesman on the block (the DJ made one with Playboy), here comes David E. Williams. In celebration of his first video ("Summer Wasn't Made for You and Me," at youtube.com/watch?v=Eutk-lLueWw ) and Every Missing Duck is a Duck Missed, his first CD in five years (downloadable for $6.66, eskimofilms.com), Williams issued his first-ever T-shirt with his face emblazoned on the front. "The great tragedy is that I personally will never know the joy and contentment of wearing me on my chest," says DEW of the clothing item whose eyes seem to follow anyone who stands in front of the wearer. Rarely mentioned in the same company as Williams is Jon Bon Jovi. JBJ is currently suing an ex-sales manager of his Philadelphia Soul for logo copyright infringement. This guy supposedly designed his own championship rings (ah, it's fantasy football) that look kinda like a Philly Soul logo. The fact that anybody would've bought a ring for the Soul period is heartening. But who cares? The Hard Rock Café is doing a series of shows in March with local bands that'll draw attention to the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation. The PSCF raises money for its community-building organization. And there's a T-shirt that Jon painted and designed whose monies go the organization. The eyes don't follow you and there are no bunny ears, but the heart's in the right place.

➤ Celebrity Rehab Sober House’s bustiest/porn star/politician Mary Carey will dance at le World Famous Gold Club on Chancellor Feb. 24 to 28. Don’t offer her a drink, assholes.

➤  Everybody wants work, right? The sexy Pleasure Garden in SW Philly needs door gals and strapping men to clean up and bounce — someone serious about the job, not about being part of the party. “Please DO NOT e-mail me if you are a single guy looking to work here for hookups,” says Ms. Vixen. “You won’t last long.” Hey, how does she mean that? Vixen@ThePleasureGardenClub.com.

➤ Know the event that had chicks at Macy’s court at the Montgomery Mall jumping around a few Sundays ago in cheerleader outfits? That had nothing to do with Pleasure Garden — yet. It was a cheerleading competition for that MTV/Screen Gems Fired Up flick that opens Feb. 20.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)