Icepack

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


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Published: Apr 15, 2010

Look at tax time pragmatically. How bad can things be for you if, on April 18, Black Landlord's Maxx, GPTMC's Sabrina Tamburino Thorne, PAWS prima donna Dana Spain and TIME owner Jason Evenchik are gonna do the cha-cha and quick step, foolishly and willingly, for charity? I guarantee you'll feel more pain for Maxx than you might coughing up real estate tax. If these Dancing with Philadelphia Stars (at Penn's Landing's Hyatt Regency, benefitting the Sickle Cell Disease Association) are willing to be that uncomfortable to help others, you gotta buck up.

► When Bradley Cooper hits Union Trust (and Del Frisco's and Happy Rooster) for Dark Fields' filming starting this week, will Old City's steakhaus have The Mezz ready? That's U-Trust's new tapas-y mezzanine.

► Funny funky art-rawk with a soulsonic twist: That's South Philly's The Great Vibration. Beardos David Kisleiko, Greg Diehl and Jeremy Blessing finished their eponymous CD and hit Kung Fu Necktie April 16. Opening is Julia Rainer, South Philly's answer to "What if PJ Harvey and a beat-up acoustic guitar had a kid?"

► Sounds as if ex-Live Nation booker/managers Bryan Dilworth and T.J. have gotten together to form a company to book stuff in the area and are looking for office space. When I asked Electric Factory's Larry Magid (last week) if Dilworth was working for him (like the venue's new manager Mike McNally is), Magid said no. OK. That doesn't mean he's not working with him. Stay tuned.

► Opening Day for Ronnie Norpel's Baseball Karma & the Constitution Blues is April 16 with a book reading at Ninth Street's Connie's Ric Rac. Norpel's son Adrian's Dirty Princess, Three Rooms Press' All-Stars and Fire Museum label pals Gondola, Crazy Dreams and Curanderos (wooly Bardo Pond offshoot) join so Norpel won't be so Blue.

► Two ends of town have re-found their late-night mojo. After opening, closing, then reopening, Strongbox (April 7's reopening got closed by cops for overcrowding), RitRow's Brett Perloff held a renovation/reopening April 9 with interior-istes Nouveau Image. Then there's the RUBA Club in NoLibs, which is under new creative management (G. Rich Goldberg?), and which held a party with mission statements for film- and science-industry peeps. "Build audiences for artists, organizations and physics through social arts-entertainment," read the notes.

► When Roger Waters launches The Wall's 30th anniversary tour Sept. 15 (Philly gets it Nov. 8 and 9), he won't have A's guitarist Rick DiFonzo on board, like he did in Berlin, July 1990. "I'd love to do THAT again," says DiFonzo. "He should get in touch if only to hear the last 20 years worth of my jokes. His were awful."

This went under the radar for a month: Hairdressing giant (or giant hairdresser) Nick Cerruti left the heralded Head Area in Washington Square for Old City’s Hush Salon on Third.

➤ Grub Street Philadelphia confirmed that Stephen Starr and Spotted Pig’s Ken Friedman have been looking to open a gastropub in Philly together. I say keep your eyes on the 18th Street between Market and Walnut.

➤ We don’t know why Philly’s Jim Kelleher (that’s big-in-Italy MC/producer Jimmy Luxury, also of Tony Rome Orchestra and The Goats fame) changed the name of his new jazzed hip-hop ensemble from Exotic Birds to Baby Jewelry at the last minute. Either way, he’ll debut his bejeweled bird baby thing at the Troc’s Balcony April 21 with Hoagy Wing’s ska-jazz Loaden Crappe, Soup Cooler (the avant-swinging end of a few ex-Baptist Preachers) and chanteuse/comedienne Kaki Burke in tow.

➤ Bus Stop shoes on Fourth Street celebrates its third birthday on April 15. They’re serving free drinks and selling Bensimon French sneakers for 15 percent off. I got size 12 men’s, and even I am into sweet cheap French sneakers. See you there.

➤ After hitting up I-House’s world première of director Lee Mekhai’s Computer Love last week, Patti LaBelle found out she’d be getting an honorary doctorate of humane letters at Temple U’s commencement at Liacouras Center on May 13.

➤ Bring yer oil when Logo and The Big Gay Sketch Show take over Voyeur on April 17 for the fourth annual Mr. Gay Philadelphia contest. Frank DeCaro and Brittany Lynn do the hosting. Michael Musto, Sandy Beach and Perry Monastero do the judging.

➤ Are you drinking with film producer Howard Rosenman? Thom Cardwell is. And you could, too, April 16, at The Prime Rib/Radisson-Warwick Hotel. You just gotta pay and RSVP tcardwell@phillycinema.org. Don’t let the fact that Rosenman did The Main Event put you off, either. He did Buffy the Vampire Slayer, too.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)