Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

Without having to get into my August's mourning, I thought that Philly could wrap up this cruelest of summers without further passings. The weather's chilled. The September Issue was smart. My Beatles box set — stereo, not mono — sounds dee-light-ful. No matter how much birthday cake people feed me, I ain't gained an ounce. Then DJ AM died and the crashing doom of Monk's fire escape hit and I'm wishing fall in Philadelphia would come and blow the sadness away.

► Snap out of it: Slinging rumors and previews before anyone else makes me smile. Know how I gave you Jose Garces' PLCB-backed café name in July (Garces Trading Co. )? Its workers are moving foodstuffs and hammering nails and will have GTC ready for November (off mere weeks from my previously reported late October) while Garces' booze-infused Village Whiskey sprouts liquor-y wings Sept. 3. The Gayborhood wants Steve Gonzalez's Zavino pizzeria bad. But you're gonna need to dance those carbs off. So I'm tickled by the rumor where the Vasiliadis brothers (of Monkey Bar fame) not only bought Bump from the Weiss Bros, but are trying to buy into a nearby health-beauty/drugstore to expand their dance-club concept. "The queens need new places to dance," says Dan Contarino, Darling's diner GM, Shampoo's one-time PR head and now the CEO of a Sunday gay ball at — Sloane Rangers, suck on this — G Lounge. The lights and the catwalk are perfect for Philly's gay crew. "They haven't had anything downtown in ages," says Contarino, who'll start the show Sept. 13, borrowing Mistress Cyonni from Bump, DJ Tronco from Benny the Bum's (did that spot close for a minute?) and the legendary much-better-now Ms. Phoenixx from the latter's gig chaperoning kids at Woody's all-ages Wednesdays.

► August's best happy hour intends to stay the finest of Fall: DelFrisco's Thursdays "Get Frisc-y," where five-dollah-bill menu items (Filet Mignon Tips, Pesto Crusted Salmon) meet stirred-but-never-disturbed martinis.

► Fishes and kisses to Evilolive 3000's filmmaking team of Beth Kellner and Scott Johnston for throwing the funnest Star Trek-dress themed party at the Franklin Institute (I was honored to get drunkkissed by Dave Commander in ass-crack-showing Lincoln-meets-Kirk gear). Next Kell-Ston do a two-weeklong during-the-Fringe Late Night Cabaret (don't call it anti-Fringe) throughout Philly starting Sept. 4 (myspace.com/evilolive3000studios).

► I'll do my part too to welcome Fringers, accepted and unaccepted, Sept. 7 at National Mechanics' Fringe-Get-to-Know-Y'all jawn with Termite TV, B. Someday Productions, Mascher Dance, Absinthe Drinkers and Slo-Mo. Slo Mike Brenner Mo got a new CD with Mic Wrecka and a Sept. 12 release gig at Johnny Brenda's too. "The record's called Gimme What You Got — I almost died when I saw your Amanda Blank cover story as I thought its title was the name of her album." Brenner says its tracks are live, features "more Steph Hayes guitar" (and less Lauren Hart, with whom Slo-Mo amicably parted ways) and "Wrecka lyrics rocking harder than anything we've done before." Grr.

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► Here're three phrases you'll want to remember come Sept. 12: "Velvet Lily" "imported Italian dildos," and "Liberties Walk." Stay tuned.

► If the Philly ties surrounding Big Fan — the director Robert Siegel wrote the New Alhambra-lensed The Wrestlerand shot bits of Big Fan near my house in the Ital Market — aren't enough to get you to the movie, maybe it'll motivate you to see its star, local fave, absurdist comic Patton Oswalt when he hits Keswick Theatre on Oct. 10.

► When Halloween II director Rob Zombie dropped hints last week that his next flick was to be a remake of The Blob, local photog Scott Weiner's ears must've pricked upwards. His uncle, Philadelphia producer Jack H. Harris, did the first one and, as far as we know, still retains the rights to the wet globby 1958 film, that, grossed a gazillion times over its $240,000 cost.

► The chunky percussive pop outfit City Line — from Philly, best known for its World Café Live appearances — just got signed to EMI.

► Shirtmaker to the stars Sarah Van Aken opened her SA VA fashionista multiplex last weekend. Yummy stuff at 1700 Sansom St. Funnily enough, the gods must be smiling on that address as its previous addressee, Echochic's Jen Ramsay wrote to tell me about how her husband, Jesse — Mr. Schoolly D to you folks — was in NYC previewing tracks on Sept. 14 at the Blender Theatre. What tracks? Those from his new album with Chuck Treece, International Super Sport. More on Philly listening/gigging sessions next week.

► WHOWHATWHERE After their screening of The September Issue at the Ritz 5, director RJ Cutler and Vogue editor/film star André Leon Talley slipped into Vetri. Michael Vick stopped into South Broad's Talk of the Town — a sandwich place you never hear about unless an Eagle hits it — over the weekend. The Abbaye was the after-hour space to be for the 941 Black Landlord/Brown Sugar bbq. Lots of devilish activity in all colors and forms with all of its attendees and bad-boy bands in the house. Look for a repeat billing at Patou Sept. 11 is what I hear. Jazz-bo guitarist George Benson hung out after his Mann Center show for drinks at Chris' Jazz Café. Bet he didn't have to pay the minimum. And while I had to not eat at Bibou due to the now-infamous neighborhood blackout where my neighbors pulled out candles so to light chef Pierre Calmels' way (I'll do a lot of things in the dark but not eat), my dessert at Parc was highlighted by the appearance of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd (who I heard afterwards had supped at El Vez) and Owen Wilson. Chocolate pots de crème all around.

► Now here's an old-head reunion that makes sense: on September 4 and 5, the Tiberino Family Gardens in Powelton Village and its inhabitants pay tribute to Bacchanal, the legendary South Street bar that muralist/mentor Joe Tiberino ran for poets, punks and prophets. You can, at the very least, consider writer Paul Grillo and the Cobalt Blues Band part of the two-day event.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)