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ISSUE . October 7th, 2010
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Cover Story


Grand Theft Rowhome
Stealing a house is easier than you think.
by Isaiah Thompson
Stealing a car is not an easy proposition: At a minimum, you'd need tools, know-how and access to a chop shop. But, it turns out, stealing a house — at least in Philadelphia — is considerably easier: A pen, a notary stamp and some postage will do the trick.


Opinion


Editor's Letter:
That's Dynastic
The Phillies made me look like a granny playing penny slots.
by Brian Howard
The going theory about what constitutes a dynasty in sports is that it doesn't matter how much you win if you don't win it all, often.


News


News :: And Stay OutAnd Stay Out
A Cambodian refugee faces deportation after 24 years in the U.S.
by Holly Otterbein
Iv is currently awaiting deportation to Cambodia, a country he hasn't seen since he was a toddler. That's because in 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty acts, which made deportation mandatory for any immigrant who commits an "aggravated felony," an opaque term that includes everything from non-violent drug offenses to tax evasion.

A Million Stories
All the news we care to print.
by Jeffrey C. Billman, Carolyn Huckabay and Holly Otterbein
It's not our usual policy to comment on the doings of Philadelphia Weekly — for much the same reason you don't punch a guy in a wheelchair.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.


Arts


Arts :: Shine a Light
Art:
Shine a Light
The Hacktory brings new meaning to the impermanence of graffiti.
by Julia Askenase
"Illuminating Graffiti," part of this year's DesignPhiladelphia, is a two-pronged multimedia affair involving projection onto buildings from The Design Lot across from the Kimmel Center.

Arts Picks:
Eye Design
Oct. 7-17, 2-6 p.m., $5 (workshop registration required), Margot & Camille Optique, 47 N. Third St., 215-923-0508.

by Josh Middleton
To have a little fun with the concept of eyeglass design, Margot & Camille Optique owner Valerie Vittu is asking folks to create an imaginative pair of frames with nothing but a handful of striped and sparkly pipe cleaners.

Theater Review:
Dammit, Mamet
Simpatico Theatre Project's Cryptogram
by David Anthony Fox
David Mamet, who not long ago was America's angriest young playwright, is now 62.

Arts Picks:
Sweeney Todd
Oct. 13-31, $17-$25, Tomlinson Theater, Temple University, 1301 W. Norris St., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com.
by Mark Cofta
If Peter Reynolds could give a play as sweetly comical as A Midsummer Night's Dream a dark edge, what will he do with the already-bloody (and bloody funny) Sweeney Todd?

Ellen Lupton
Thu., Oct. 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Art Institute of Philadelphia, 1622 Chestnut St., eighth floor, 215-567-7080, artinstitutes.edu/philadelphia.

by Julia Askenase
Ellen Lupton wrote her 2004 guidebook Thinking With Type out of desperation: She simply couldn't find a book that met her teaching needs for design courses at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Kaleidoscope
Belle and Sebastian's "I Didn't See It Coming" | Roy Hallady "Funner" T-Shirt | The Social Network soundtrack | Andrew Ervin's Extraordinary Renditions

Shelf Life:
American Roots
Under the Covers with Justin Bauer
by Justin Bauer
Tom McCarthy's C | Nigel Farndale's The Blasphemer | Rick Bass' Nashville Chrome

Arts Picks:
Citywide Storefront Challenge Awards Ceremony
Thu., Oct. 14, 4-6 p.m., free, AIA Philadelphia, 1218 Arch St., 215-683-2000, phila.gov/commerce.

by Josh Middleton
The City of Philadelphia Commerce Department and the Community Design Collaborative believe spruced-up storefronts lead to spruced-up profits.

Passing Evidence
Opening reception Fri., Oct. 8, 5-8 p.m., free; exhibit through Nov. 6; AxD Gallery, 265 S. 10th St., 215-627-6250, a-x-d.com/gallery.

by Julia Askenase
In their joint show at AxD, local artists Nancy Sophy and Christine Stoughton explore, through several mediums, what's most erratic and captivating about natural and found materials.

Fablastic: Upcycled
Opening night Fri., Oct. 8, 6-9 p.m., free; weaving workshops Oct. 9 and 16, noon-5 p.m., and Oct. 12-15, 4-6 p.m., free; Minima, 118 N. Third St., 215-922-5465, designphiladelphia.org.

by Julia Askenase
It's no secret that we overuse plastic bags. At best, we recycle or store them in our closets for years; at worst, they make their way into our oceans, strangling and choking innocent creatures of the sea. Enter FABLASTIC: Upcycled.

Miss Richfield
Thu.-Sat., Oct. 7-9, 8 p.m., $28-$30, Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. Eighth St., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com.
by Josh Middleton
She may look like Dame Edna's younger sister, but Miss Richfield 1981 brings something to the table that purple-haired broad usually shies away from.

Underground Philadelphia
Sat., Oct. 9, 3 p.m., $10 (registration required), 30th St. Station, 2900 Arch St., 215-546-1146, preservationalliance.com.

by Josh Middleton
Everyone gets a little spooked when the subway comes to a halt in the middle of a dark tunnel, but you'd be cool as a cat if you knew what was actually happening down there.

Windows & Mirrors
Opening reception Thu., Oct. 7, 7-9 p.m., free, exhibit through Nov. 7, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St., 215-627-2667, afsc.org.
by Daniella Wexler
Zaher Wahab asked Afghan children to sketch their daily lives. The results comprise this traveling exhibit that's meant as a response to the gross under-coverage of the Afghan death toll since 2001.


Movies


Movies :: It's Kind of a Funny StoryIt's Kind of a Funny Story
City Paper Grade: D+
by Sam Adams
By the time the cast slaps on glittery eye shadow and lip-synchs to "Under Pressure," your head will be buried too deep in your hands to see what happens next — that is, if you haven't fled the theater already.


Music


Music :: Secret Spell
Reconsider Me:
Secret Spell
Built to Spill and The Electronic Anthology Project
by M.J. Fine
Recording as the Electronic Anthology Project, he and Built to Spill bassist Brett Nelson have converted one song from each BtS full-length into moody, muted synth-pop using only keyboards, drum machines and Martsch's high-pitched voice.

Music Picks:
Deerhunter
Wed., Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m., $15, with Casino vs. Japan and Ducktails, Starlight Ballroom, 460 N. Ninth St., 215-821-7575, R5productions.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
Pop music is inextricably intertwined with nostalgia, maybe even more than with love or rebellion, since in a sense it encompasses and supersedes them both.

WPRB Membership Drive
Oct. 10-17, 103.3 FM WPRB, wprb.com.
by Patrick Rapa
WPRB is really a nonprofit, member-supported station. Which means they're kinda poor.

Perfume Genius
Mon., Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., $10, with Sebastian Blanck, First Unitarian Side Chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.
by John Vettese
Mike Hadreas might have made the perfect rainy-day album.

Slutever
Fri., Oct. 8, 6 p.m., $7, with The Hot Toddies, When I Was 12 and Westward Drive, The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 267-671-9298, iourecords.com/thefire.
by John Vettese
"What the fuck is up? What the fuck." Far as lyrical refrains go, you don't get much blunter than that.

Sunny Ali and the Kid
Sat., Oct. 9, 9:30 p.m., $7, with Prowler and The Chance, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.
by John Vettese
Having made ears bleed and feet dash to the back of the room in noise-punk trio POPO, Hassan Ali must've felt like proving that, y'know, he writes songs, too.

DuoJalal
Sat., Oct. 9, 8 p.m., $16-$20, PSALM Salon, 5841 Overbrook Ave., 215-477-7578, psalmsalon.com.
by Mary Armstrong
Just a violin and a hand drum? That might imply light listening, but duoJalal play with the energy and drive of a crowd of musicians.

Pierced Arrows
Sat., Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m., $10, Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.
by Patrick Rapa
Pierced Arrows sounds an awful lot like Dead Moon, and that is excellent.

Women
Sun., Oct. 10, 9 p.m., $10, with DD/MM/YYYY, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
There's a distinct whiff of irony about this Calgary band's name, but there's nary a trace of humor, or even lightness, in what they do.

Gorillaz
Sun., Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m., $61.75- $113.40, Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, N.J., 800-745-3000, livenation.com.
by Patrick Rapa
If you want to market your sound as the future of pop, you probably shouldn't partner up with Internet Explorer.

Scout Niblett
Thu., Oct. 7, 9 p.m., $10, with Holy Sons and Ladies Auxiliary, M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, themanhattanroom.com.
by M.J. Fine
Scout Niblett's a powerful reminder that sometimes the most terrifying sound is that of one woman alone with her thoughts and a guitar.


Food


Food :: All SaintsAll Saints
Catahoula brings genuine Louisiana cooking to Queen Village.
by Adam Erace
Thanks to chef Paul Martin, N'awlins associations in this part of town now tend toward bangin' bacon-studded collards, oyster po' boys that won't make you po' and smoky Acadian gumbo as mahogany-brown as the banisters in an antebellum estate.

Ms. Freeze
Bartender Katie Loeb combines Capogiro and cocktails.
by Drew Lazor
Katie Loeb has just launched a new cocktail list at Capogiro's UPenn location, and every drink features scoops of the famed gelateria's products as a main ingredient.

What's Cooking
The Week In Eats
by Rachel Burgos
Sustainable Seafood Dinner at 10 Arts with Eric Ripert and Jennifer Carroll | Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll Encore | Philly Neighborhood Food Week | Regional Wine Dinners at Mémé


Agenda

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Some things go down and you don't mind.

Shopping Spree:
AmareSinh Fashion & Art Social
Fashion > Forward
by Julia West
All the elements are present for the siblings' fashion line, AmareSinh, to become a tale of humble beginnings and big success.

Agenda Picks:
Paranormal State
Wed., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $24.50-$29.50, Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650, keswicktheatre.com.
by Patrick Rapa
I think it's brave of the poker-faced stars of A&E's Paranormal State to follow up their spoOoOoky storytelling at the Keswick on Wednesday with a little Q&A.

OutFest
Sun., Oct. 10, noon-7 p.m., free, 13th and Locust streets, phillypride.org.
by Juliana Reyes
Come be out and proud at OutFest Philly's "claim to fame of pride events."

West Philly Bookstore Crawl
Sat., Oct. 9, 11 a.m., free, Bindlestiff Books, 4530 Baltimore Ave., 215-222-2432, bindlestiffbooks.com.
by Eric Schuman
If pub crawls succeed in introducing folks to new places to get hammered, why not organize a similar event for some of the city's best book nooks?

Camp Tabu
Fri., Oct. 8, 8 p.m., $5, Tabu Lounge, 200 S. 12th St., 215-964-9675, tabuphilly.com.
by Juliana Reyes
If your idea of a good weekend involves lots of belly laughs, kick it off at Alejandro Morales and Christine Meehan's newest comedy showcase.

Women Directors
Thu.-Sat., Oct. 7-9, $8, International House, Ibrahim Theater, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, ihousephilly.org.
by Shaun Brady
Film culture tends to thrive under repressive conditions, so it should come as no surprise that North Africa and the Middle East seem to turn out more strong female filmmakers than the "liberated" West.

Do Yoga Philly!
Thu.-Sun., Oct. 7-10, $150, Dhyana West Philadelphia, 3945 Chestnut St., 215-496-0770, dhyana-yoga.com.
by Daniella Wexler
Calling all downward-doggers: Dhyana Yoga is hosting Philly's first-ever yoga festival, a four-day bonanza featuring teachers from all over the country.




 
 
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