Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

We're getting ready to (please, already) say bye to F. Gary Gray's Law Abiding Citizen crew. We'll miss that nude-scene-shooting ass of yours, Gerard Butler. And your oddly shy stuffed-animal-toting zealots — I mean fans. We'll miss you taking over Strongbox and your snit-fits at Parc and Continental Mid-town 'cause they wouldn't seat you when you wanted. And Jamie Foxx, last seen hanging with Common at the Deck in Essington. (BTW: Com's disgraceful Zune TV ads where his catalog sells for $15 make you realize how desperately artists are getting ripped off by Internet music sales.) We'll miss youse guys. Now beat it. We have a Cinefest to finish here. Which reminds me: I ran into ex-CP-ad-guy Sonny Vellozzi at Prince Theater before The Nail. He had two words for anyone entering Tony Luke Jr. 's movie: "Saddle up!" Vellozzi (an actor in the upcoming Fighting and The Answer Man) is a camera op on Mickey Rooney's locally filming Saddle Up! Then there's the dirt I heard about Connie Stevens. Now the last time the words "dirt" and "Connie Stevens" came together was during 77 Sunset Strip. That's a good thing. We love her, and thought the sophomore directorial flick CineFest brought Stevens to Philly for, Saving Grace B. Jones, was cool even if it wasn't about the diva who sang "Pull Up to the Bumper." (Now that would've been a movie, honey.) Anyway, Connie was to have been fêted officially at Del Frisco's by the Fest's Thom Cardwell, etc., but word is her old pal/socialite Carol Tamburino (Turner Construction, the board of Stevens' Windfeather charity) kinda absconded with Stevens and took over her schedule. Rumor has it Tamburino held her own Stevens-tribute meals (dinner at Positano Coast, private brunch at Del Frisco's) unconnected to C-Fest. Oy. Stevens even hit Loews' MANNA Shut Up & Dance benefit. Way too much drama, way too fast for da Fest. As of press time Del Frisco's Shang Skipper and PFF/Cinefest '09 were working out a dinner for Artistic Achievement Award recipient Jeff Daniels and director John Hindman (The Answer Man) with Channel 12's Patrick Stoner and Goodbye Solo director Ramin Bahrain on one floor, and a fundraiser for Gov. Ed Rendell (with Nutter there) on another, with a hopeful photo op between 'em all.

► Ex-Philly-ian Santigold — already working on her next CD with Pharrell Williams — makes a good guest. She brings cake. She'll sing on your upcoming records if you're fellow local Amanda Blank (I Love You), David Byrne (Happy Friday) and the Beastie Boys, who she's in the studio with right now.

► While I'm hearing ex-Le Bec-Fin-er Pierre Calmels' cozy Bibou Franco BYOB on South Eighth (ye old Pif spot) should open within a week, Georges Perrier, exec chef Nicholas Elmi and pastry man Jessie Prawlucki got a four-course/four-Paul Goerg Champagnes jawn on April 14 at Le Bec-Fin with Mario Rinaldi, the ambassador for Goerg, on board. The Tuesday before, April 7, Loews Hotel is hosting a Sake Fest with net proceeds going to Philly's Japan Society.

► Oh Topstitch. How we'll miss that walk up to your second floor to buy yer fine handmade clothes and tchotchkes. I know you're just moving April 3 (to 54 N. Third) but still.

► When I spoke to Marianne Faithfull about her covers CD Easy Come Easy Go produced by Upper Darby's Hal Willner, she remembered Hal's dad's "wonderful deli" in Darby ("Hal loves to eat") and spoke fondly of covering Philly's own Espers' "Children of Stone." "I love the spell that song casts. That's all I've ever wanted to do, you know, cast spells." When I saw Faithfull at NYC's City Winery she did a soulful psychedelic version of "Children." She'll do a Free at Noon show April 3 at World Café Live.

► For four months, Peekaboo Revue's Christa D'agger (a star of Sweetbread Studios' Eye of the Tiger movie) and David Cassanova have run a rocking poppy band that's the toast of Murph's Bar. They're heading south to play with Shawn Kilroy April 6 at National Mechanics. Kilroy will do tracks from his new earSnake CD, Hessian Love Songs. All three will show off their cinematic skills with a multimedia mini-film-fest display of their works.

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► WHOWHATWHERE: We know you ain't buying cars. But you can hit Gary Barberas Chevyland at 63rd Street and Roosevelt Boulevard April 6 at breakfast time to see a motivational chat for "Minority Male Students in their Academic Careers" with noted driver Charles Barkley, ABC Sports' Keith Russell, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Brian Dawkins.

► Jacky Bam Bam and Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix hung at Bam Bam's DJ booth at Cheerleaders discussing Roach's gig with Buckcherry. "It's for our MMR B Q May 17," yells Bam Bam.

► Freckle-faced adult schtar Faye Reagan hasn't just been hanging around TLA Film offices because she likes its rental fees. She's a contributor to TLA porn-humor blog POPPORN.com.

► Bare but not that bare, Zee Bar's third anniversary (down the street from the family-owned Delilah's) is April 2, held with guys from the local Harley-Davidson dealership and body painter Jason Marzano. They grow up so fast, those Z girls.

► And congrats to Ned Taddei. He's the guy Profile Publicity tells me is opening the Blockley Pourhouse Bar and Mary Oaks Restaurant on 38th and Chestnut at the location of ye old Chestnut Cabaret. Youngins won't remember (it's been a dismal Koko Bongo forever), but the Cab hosted first Philly shows with Chris Isaak, k.d. lang, Lenny Kravitz and the whole Hooters/Conwell continuum back when their managers (the Mountains) held the property. We hear Taddei's going to start with DJs then host bands. G'luck, Neddie.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)