Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

Jump back to last weekend — Philadelphia Fashion Week's finale at the 23rd Street Armory. Jon Gosselin had been close by at Parc and Village Whiskey, but celebs-of-zero-value don't matter to focused fashionistas. With pop-up stores, designers (local, scholastic and international) and runway stuff, PFW was out to prove in one swoop that a scene long existing is now unified, young and ready to conquer. Old-heads not in attendance — store owners, buyers — beware: PFW's got a size 12 stiletto and it's going straight up your ass.

► Anyone loving salon culture adores pianist/singer Wynne Alexander. Her family started WDAS as freedom-fighting radio for Philly's African-American community. Her book Get It from the Drums (commissioned by Philly's School District) put that protest in historical context. Along with writing a new text on Philly jazz (interviews in the can with Bill Cosby, among others), becoming the subject of an hour of PBS' Inspiration series for 2010 and hitting D.C.'s National Press Club benefiting American Friends Service Committee, Wynne'll show off her new drummer, Ron Griffin (of Dixie Hummingbird), at Chez Jacqui's Salon in Strafford, Oct. 17.

► Eloping: Rich Hoak (Brutal Truth, TFD) and Carolyn Chernoff (MFClash, Girls' DJ Collective). Congrats. The punk rock duo'll debut their band After the Riot soon after.

► To celebrate the release of the film Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 and the bard's Spectrum finale, National Mechanics welcomes the flick's director, Murray Lerner, Oct. 19. After a free screening, Kenn Kweder, Mary Ellen Desmond, The Armchairs, David E. Williams and more cover Cohen. Hallelujah.

► Speaking of the Spectrum closing, groovy rumors got Springsteen joining Pearl Jam for Oct. 31's last big show.

► If Wednesday's spaghetti day in Boston, Friday's hip-hop night in Old City. While Curly Castro's 5 O'Clock Shadowboxers hit Khyber Oct. 16, Patou around the block presents Castro, Whatever (MJ of Phil Moore Browne) and Jawnzap7 (from Robots in Disguise/Burndown Allstars).

► NJ's Rocco Fiorentino — the jazzbo pianist spied with Tony Bennett at Mitch Albom's Park Hyatt book party for Have a Little Faith — is getting an audition with America's Got TalentOct. 25/26 at the Convention Center. For vocals, not for piano playing. "I've been listening to jazz since my mom piped it into my incubator," says the 12-year-old Voorhees native made blind by premature birth. Fiorentino is responsible for $1.2 million being dedicated to Braille education in N.J. and receives a "Hands On" Award for that fête this weekend. Rocco got the Talent show when PR pal Sharla Feldscher heard about auditions from Eddie Bruce and told Fiorentino's story to its producers. "I'm not nervous," says Fiorentino, a Joe Sample fan who'll sing "This is the Moment" at tryouts. "I'm ready for the challenge." 

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HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► Tric Town/Mojo 13 and Khyber booking guy Andrew Miller and the singularly named Sloan (who owns the North Star) have just formed their own promotion/booking jawn called Sunny Day Music. Anything to get Miller out of Delaware, man. Sike — we love the DuPonts.

► Bardo Pond, Arc in Round and Ape School monkey around at Johnny Brenda's Oct. 16 in to benefit Vox Populi Gallery. Ook ook.

► WHOWHATWHERE: If this isn't an advertisement for clean living — J. Mascis shopped at Whole Foods before running down South Street to play the TLA with the rest of Dinosaur Jr. What? Did no one ask Lou Barlow if he needed anything? After spinning a gig at Tavern on Broad Friday night, DJ Samantha Ronson ran to Zee Bar for a last-minute drink. Philly writer-turned-turned-producer Terry Lee Barrett spent time with actor John Beasley (Boston Legal, Navy NCIS, currently doing Fences in Boston) discussing Beasley's involvement (and that of some who Beasley's acted for, namely Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey) in two of Barrett's film projects, Kata and a story on football-er Martin Briscoe.

► During the Stephen Spielberg (so much shorter than I imagined) Liberty Medal event with Bill Clinton and Whoopi Goldberg at the National Constitution Center, I ran into nonprofit public relations maven Cari Feiler Bender. She reminded me not only that the Philadelphia AIDS Walk was happening Sun., Oct. 18, but that onetime Project Runway contestant Jack Mackenroth would be part of the run/stroll/step/pace for this most worthy cause. The diagnosed-with-HIV-positive Mackenroth was on the Runway in 2008 and was so much more interesting and funny than any of the contestants that the 2009 Lifetime versions gots. Run don't walk for this one.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)