Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

When you read this, Pennsylvania will either be a free state or an enslaved right-wing robo-republic. If we're the latter, oh children of the immediate future, kill us. Take New Jersey, too. That Christie is a miserable fuck.

► Word has it that Transit , the mega-huge, mega-vacant Spring Garden club space previously landlorded over by Stephen Starr , then Billy Weiss , is being bought and opened soon for what's rumored to be an "urban clientele." Yahoo.

► Some say Philly's noisy Ugh God came from the wreckage of Rasputin's Secret Police . Some say it's the other way around, that Ugh begat Rasputin. No matter. Not only is Rasputin holding court at the Balcony late Nov. 5, another Ugh God, offshoot, Gorgeous , sets up in the same space Nov. 13.

► Chef Amy Sullivan takes the kitchen at Lucky 13 offa East Passyunk and we hear she's cooking up tough-but-tender swanky American menu specialties.

► While Safe wracks up macho testosterone film points, TLA 's present ( Thom Cardwell ) and past ( Big Pictures' Rich Wolff ) re-team starting Nov. 5 at Voyeur when the Wolff-produced/ Fred Caruso -directed/Cardwell-associate-produced Go-Go-Crazy: The Mockumentary starts shooting a dancing-boy contest in the Gayborhood. Cardwell and Caruso (they did You Can't Have It All ) ask novice-dance dudes, "How far would you be willing to go for $1,000?" while starring with Derek St. Pierre (Broadway's Rock of Ages ), porn man Jake Steel and drag mister-ess Hedda Lettuce . Production moves swiftly to Woody's and Tavern on Camac (which reminds me, ToC's top floor got a new GM, Randal Mrazik , who'll also manage its sister space, Terra ) while Wolff tends to screenings of Ticked Off Trannies with Knives at National Mechanics and Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Voyeur, too, is busy with a few techno-Italians. On Nov. 4, Crookers — Bot and Phra, Diplo 's pals — stop by for a spin.

►  Commonwealth Proper, Craig von Schroeder' s shirt-and-suit brand that Bela Shehu helped launch in '09, opens a new showroom on 1732 Spruce in November along with its first line of couture men's suits. Look for a runway show ASAP. Before that, fashionistas'll get their fix when retrophilly.com debuts at Chops Restaurant , Nov. 9. B4 Apparel' s new luxe retro-themed, online-based boutique is dedicated to past and present icons of Philly and the Jersey Shore.

► You're excited and I'm excited that Sharon Pinkenson's Greater Philadelphia Film Office celebrates 25 years with two big shows Nov. 12 (a private home event) and Nov. 14 at Sun Center Studios in Aston, Pa. While the 14th features 500 of greater Philadelphia's film and television professionals, we're hearing that the gig on the 12th will be full of celebs. Who? Stay tuned.

►  More ice? Try citypaper.net/criticalmass.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)