Issue Browser :: 2009-06-11 :: Philadelphia Events, Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs

Given the number of rapists, sadists and perverts in Stieg Larsson's Stockholm, one surely wouldn't want to leave home without a nice can of peppery goodness close at hand.

The Big Rewind by Nathan Rabin

The Moment: You give your home movies a thumbs-down

by Michael Pelusi

Nathan Rabin's memoir and first book reveals the turbulent upbringing that led to his pop culture livelihood.

How The Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll by Elijah Wald

The Moment: (You say) you want a revolution

by K. Ross Hoffman

By positioning The Beatles as, effectively, the end point of a historical narrative, Wald lets us reconsider both the 1960s and the half-century that preceded them.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

The Moment: You'd rather sink than float

by Matt Jakubowski

The author is a scholar whose relatives are women accused in the real Salem trials, so the novel's flashback scenes are much stronger than Connie's story, which is campy and clichéd.

I'm Down by Mishna Wolff

The Moment: You're questioning your cred

by Gary M. Kramer

In the very first sentence of memoir, Mishna Wolff declares that she is white. She establishes this fact — repeatedly — because her father, a white man, truly believes he is black.

This Is Your Country on Drugs by Ryan Grim

The Moment: You can't find your stash

by Isaiah Thompson

In college, Ryan Grim tried to answer a question that had nagged at him for years: Where did all the acid go?

A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert

The Moment: You catch your daughter burning her bra

by Katherine Hill

Knowing a good formula when she's found it, Walbert is back with another slim novel-in-stories, focusing this time on a family rather than a group of friends.

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Moment: Something goes bump in the night

by Dominic Mercier

Making his written-word debut this summer with The Strain, Guillermo del Toro of Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy series takes on the done-to-death vampire myth, but manages to stand it on its head.

How to Sell by Clancy Martin

The Moment: You root for the bad guys on Law & Order

by Matt Hotz

How to Sell reads like a crime novel: Liars, thieves, counterfeiters and con artists use copious quantities of liquor, cocaine, meth and ecstasy while shuttling between wives, girlfriends, mistresses and hookers.

Life Inc. by Douglas Rushkoff

The Moment: Your therapist tells you to own up

by Natalie Hope McDonald

The onetime Gen-X chronicler and longtime techie argues that Americans have traded in hard work and common sense for greed and instant gratification.

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

The Moment: You're ready to put on your traveling pants

by Mark Cofta

Sullivan writes fiction you might expect from a journalist: Her clean, precise prose stays carefully neutral and balanced, even as she shifts points of view from chapter to chapter.

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton

The Moment: Your life has officially become Office Space

by Holly Otterbein

At points, Alain de Botton seems as new to the modern economy as a spoiled 16-year-old.

The Blindfold Test by Barry Schechter

The Moment: Your plans go to shit. Again.

by Justin Bauer

Parker's life isn't a complete disaster. With a steady low-rent community-college job, a mildly depressing but comfortable apartment, and an affectionate out-of-his-league ex, he's more a slacker sad sack than a walking catastrophe. He's just a sad sack with enemies.

Opinion

Editor's Letter:

Put a Sock on It

Will nude cycling achieve critical mass?

by Brian Howard

Sept. 6 is the day, should organizers have their way, that hundreds of Philadelphians will shed their clothes and bike naked through the city streets.

Feedback:

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"Do us a favor and delete the moral arrogance oozing from your cycling promotion."

Loose Canon:

Chicks are for Peeps

"Chickens can be very affectionate, actually."

by Bruce Schimmel

Nancy Parsons knows the answer to the eternal question of which comes first, chickens or eggs. "People," she answers with a chuckle.

News

Across Enemy Lines

Casino-Free Philadelphia tries to beat the house in Chester.

by Daniel Schwartz

More than 100 demonstrators sauntered into the Chester Harrah's this past Saturday to park themselves in front of the contraptions they fear will wreak havoc on their city.

A Million Stories

What, exactly, is a "gentrifucker"? | Flav being Flav | These women need men's shoes | Feed the BigBellies | A pathologically mischievous man-size rabbit

Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

It's like Nero's walled-up walk-in Rome with niftier landscaping and Tommy Up selling hamburgers. I'll buy it.

Sports:

Does Coaching Matter?

The (in)significance of hiring Eddie Jordan.

by E. James Beale

Coaches play an important role on basketball teams: They decide who plays and what their jobs are. They can make a difference. Unfortunately for the Sixers, they usually don't.

The Bell Curve

City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Arts

Art:

The Truth Fairy

Director Robert Lepage finds fact behind the fancy of Hans Christian Andersen.

by A.D. Amorosi

Canadian actor Yves Jacques stars in the one-man multimedia-heavy show The Andersen Project, which brings humanity to the transformative characters in Hans Christian Andersen's mixed-up world.

Arts Picks:

Joseph O'Neill

Tue., June 16, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.

by Justin Bauer

Joseph O'Neill's Netherland has collected a lot of well-deserved good fortune.

Kaleidoscope

The Black Spot Books | Ida Maria | You Look Nice Today | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Shelf Life:

Caricature Assassination

Under the Covers with Justin Bauer

by Justin Bauer

Lashner's reliance on types doesn't weaken his books at all — he writes thrillers, beach books — and the shorthand they provide ups his page-turning velocity.

Theater Review:

Head over Heels

THEATER REVIEW: Let's Pretend We're Married

by Mark Cofta

Quick-witted, adorable ad-libbers, they long ago aced the never-a-dull-moment pacing that makes this crowd-pleasing celebration of marriage feel effortless.

Dance:

Some Enchanted Evening

DANCE REVIEW: La Sylphide

by Janet Anderson

La Sylphide is the oldest ballet still being performed. Taglioni's daughter Marie, famous for popularizing en pointe dancing, performed the lead.

Art:

The Lepage Project

The French-Canadian director talks fairy tales, Freud and Philadelphia.

by A.D. Amorosi

"Even though what I do tends to draw audiences or is very popular, there is this sense of isolation or sense of having the impression of not being understood or well perceived, and that's the main aspect that I could read from doing my research on the life of Andersen."

Free Association

Yves Jacques has shared the stage with everyone from Rossellini to Malkovich, but he's no diva.

by A.D. Amorosi

"The best way to introduce teenagers or someone who's been bored by old-fashioned theater would be to bring them to see a Lepage."

Arts Picks:

Art + Soul Food

Opening festival Sat., June 13, 6-9 p.m., free, galleries open Saturdays through July 4, West Girard Avenue between 26th and 30th streets, 215-908-1881, artplussoulfood.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

The generally disregarded northwesterly 'hood of Brewerytown has been witnessing an upspike in cultural action lately, and it's throwing a little coming-out party this weekend to let us in on the fun.

Slightly Irregular

Sat., June 13, 8 p.m., and Sun, June 14, 7 p.m., free, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. Second St., 215-922-1122, ardentheatre.org.

by Mark Cofta

Toiling in obscurity, Arden Theatre Co.'s professional apprentices are seldom seen by audiences, unless moving props and scenery or delivering preshow announcements.

Urban Convergence

Opening reception Fri., June 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., free, exhibit through Aug. 2, Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine St., 215-557-0455, asianartsinitiative.org.

by Brion Shreffler

If not for Obama, you might never have heard the name Shepard Fairey.

Merge: Recent Works

Opening reception Fri., June 12, 6-10 p.m., free, exhibit through June 27, Midwives Collective, 1241 Carpenter St., second floor, midwivescollective.com.

by Brion Shreffler

Ranging from drawings to hand-sewn fabrics, Midwives Collective's "Merge" brings together the divergent paths of seven of its eight artist members.

Movies

Home Sweet Home

Natural performances save Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida and Sam Mendes from themselves.

by Shaun Brady

Its opening scene, a deadpan discussion of "vaginal flavors" during oral sex, threatens 90 minutes of the sort of self-satisfied wise-assery that too often intrudes on Dave Eggers' fiction. But the film soon settles into a less strident pace, driven less by its authors' whims than by the casual airs of its leads.

Pressure Cooker

City Paper Grade: B

by Sam Adams

Mark Becker and Jennifer Grausman's documentary is a straightforward inspirational-teacher tale, but it's enlivened by uncommonly intriguing characters, including the three students the film focuses on.

Music

Order vs. Chaos

Pilot Cloud weathers the storm and shines In Transition.

by John Vettese

When they talk about creating their debut album, Justin Lerner and Nick Biscardi of Pilot Cloud sound coolly calculating.

Music Picks:

Telekinesis

Tue., June 16, 8 p.m., $10, with An Horse and Steve Goldberg & the Arch Enemies, $10, Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, r5productions.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Leave it to good ol' Merge Records to keep the indie rock flames burning strong.

Aid or Invade:

Poland!

Infinity could be the soundtrack for the next Hostel.

by Rodney Anonymous

The Warsaw Village Band's Infinity is a healthy dose of weirdness that could work perfectly as the soundtrack for the next Hostel movie.

Music Picks:

Wussy

Sun., June 14, 3 p.m., free, Main Street Music, 4444 Main St., 215-487-7732.

by Michael Pelusi

Wussy captures life in all its messy disappointments and tiny graces, while callower groups pursue Pitchfork plaudits to mask their paucity of ideas.

Benga

Sat., June 13, 10 p.m., Subdivision Warehouse Party with Plastic Little, Flufftronix and RX, $10, 941 Theater, 941 N. Front St., 215-235-5603, radsummer.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Diary of an Afro-Warrior features an elegantly tough cover portrait — that matches the visceral urgency of his highly varied and infectious grooves.

Sunset Rubdown

Sat., June 13, 9 p.m., $12-$13, with Elfin Saddle, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by Brian Howard

If it's a formula, it's a weird one, and one that Krug's managed to keep fresh because manic hysteria is rarely boring.

The Tallest Man on Earth

Thu., June 11, 9 p.m., $12, with John Vanderslice, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Dusty folk rambles and country blues are hardly typical fare for year-end lists, so Shallow Grave, Kristian Mattson's understated 2008 debut, made an unlikely candidate for critical love.

Food

In the Wurst Way

German food is poised to make a major local comeback thanks to Brauhaus Schmitz.

by A.D. Amorosi

Welcome to Brauhaus Schmitz, Philly's first German restaurant in some time, and one with a married-couple pedigree straight from the motherland.

Mass A-Peel

Blue Bananas Café

by David Snyder

If a place has the word "banana" in its name, it's not a promising sign for the food. But there are exceptions: Blue Bananas Café proves that a place named after the tropical treat can indeed bear fruit.

What's Cooking:

The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Lauren Fleming

The Next Food Network Star Party at the Sidecar | Tom Colicchio Book Signing at Williams-Sonoma | Southern Hospitality with Virginia Willis at Marigold Kitchen | Great Chefs Event at Osteria | Headhouse Farmers Market Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

Fish | Paul | Zama | Percy Street Barbecue

Agenda

Agenda Lead:

The Pretender

Tribe 8's chief just doesn't belong.

by Molly Eichel

Lynn Breedlove, former leader of Tribe 8, opens up a vein in Confessions of a Poser, his new show that pokes fun at having a foot in several different communities.

Shopping Spree:

Shopping Spree:
Fashion > Forward

Oma Vintage Grand Opening Party

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Egloff refurbished the retail space with chic white wainscoting and white floors, the better to display a carefully edited selection of men’s, women’s and children’s vintage apparel.

Agenda Picks:

Juneteenth

Sun., June 14, 2 p.m., $15, Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave., 215-228-8200, thelaurelhillcemetery.org.

by Sherri Hospedales

Juneteenth celebrates the delivery of the Emancipation Proclamation to the slaves of Texas in 1865.

Art for The Cash Poor

Sat.-Sun., June 13-14, 1-6 p.m., pay as you go, Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St., 215-235-3405, cranearts.com.

by Matthew Schantz

This weekend, more than 100 artists will peddle their works at InLiquid's annual sale, all for less than $199 each.

Just Opened:

Girl.Bike.Dog

Open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; 625 S. 23rd St., girlbikedog.com.

by Adam Scavette

After five years of aggressively selling her goods in person, online and at independent retailers, Lindsay Duggan is getting just desserts and opening up her own shop in G-Ho.

Agenda Picks:

Cinematic Titanic

Fri.-Sat., June 12-13, 8 p.m., $38, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-5483, thetroc.com.

by Patrick Rapa

Joel Hodgson, alongside MST3K alums, is once again interrupting B-movies with his silhouette and good-spirited jabs — this time in a live theatrical setting.

Philly Dyke March

Sat., June 13, 3 p.m., free, Kahn Park, 11th and Pine streets, myspace.com/philadelphiadykemarch.

by Chris Monigle

Dyke Marches began to protest against Pride Parades, because several women felt they were controlled by gay white men at the expense of lesbians, transgender lesbians and women of color.