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ISSUE . January 27th, 2011
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Cover Story


Why is Harry Bennett Dead?
One-quarter of the people fatally shot by police since 2009 were mentally ill. This is the story of one North Philly man's under-investigated, under-reported and, perhaps, unnecessary shooting at the hands of Philly cops.
by Isaiah Thompson
This case raise questions: about how the police handle the mentally ill; about how fatal shootings are and aren't investigated by the police, by the District Attorney and by the media, as well; and about how much faith, in the face of glaring contradictions, the public can put in any of them.


News


News :: Hold Your HorsesHold Your Horses
Did a land trust cave to millionaires building an illegal corral in Conshy?
by Holly Otterbein
Maybe it's so deeply ingrained in the American psyche that your land is, well, your land that it simply never occurred to Brad and Andrea Heffler that on their land, the right to bulldoze trees and build a horse corral wasn't theirs and theirs alone.

Man Overboard!:
Tinted Justice
DA Williams: We tip the glass, but find it half-empty.
by Isaiah Thompson
It has come to the attention of Man Overboard! that a certain portion of the population is, to some degree, colorblind.

The Bell Curve
CP's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks, we make jokes.

A Million Stories
The anniversary of the Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22 always draws support and bitter hatred for women's rights groups. This year was especially tough.


Arts


Warrior One
Through yoga, Philadelphia playwright Jennifer Schelter taps into the compassion of an Iraqi torture victim.
by Bruce Walsh

The play debuted at the 2007 Philly Fringe with four chairs, a stage and a budget of about $300. A board member fell for it, and gave a DVD copy of the show to artistic director Seth Rozin. He fell for it, too: Love Lessons opens Saturday at InterAct.


Arts Picks:
Meredith Monk
Jan. 31-Feb. 6, Bryn Mawr College, 101 N. Merion Ave., 610-526-5210, brynmawr.edu.
by Shaun Brady
It can be an education just witnessing the work of Meredith Monk.

Lidless
Through Feb. 13, $27-$32, InterAct Theatre Co., 2030 Sansom St., 215-568-8079, interacttheatre.org.
by Mark Cofta
InterAct Theatre Co. gets back to intense political drama with Frances Ya Chu Cowhig's Lidless.

Kaleidoscope
High Dramma: Live in 3-D | Amina Claudine Myers | Chely Wright's Like Me | Micro-Fest Philadelphia

Arts Picks:
Bizarre Beasts Past and Present
Jan. 29-April 24, $12, Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-299-1000, ansp.org.
by Eric Schuman
From oversize flightless birds to spiral-saw sharks, no kingdom is without its weirdos.

Re-View:
Food for Thought
Robin Rice on Visual Art
by Robin Rice
Jenny Drumgoole's work has become increasingly bizarre, humorous and unsettling — a feminist Borat meets David Lynch.

Dance:
Elements of Style
DANCE REVIEW: Larry Keigwin's Elements
by Deni Kasrel

Keigwin's choreography is an agile mash-up of ballet, modern and hip-hop. Meantime, the soundtrack plays Mozart, Cole Porter, Willie Nelson and Philip Glass.


Theater Review:
Beyond the Grave
THEATER REVIEW: Lantern Theater Co.'s A Skull in Connemara
by David Anthony Fox
Dirk Durossette's superb set has it all, as well as a pickax hanging from the ceiling beams. There's even a graveyard that seems to be swallowing up home and hearth, which pretty much says it all.


Movies


Movies :: Another YearAnother Year
City Paper Grade: B+
by Sam Adams
You get the feeling you've lived with these people for the year the film spans, and learned something from them, even if it's by way of a bad example.


Music


Music :: Quad Damage
Reconsider Me:
Quad Damage
Gang of Four's Content
by M.J. Fine
Every generation gets the Gang of Four it deserves.

Music Picks:
Wavves/Best Coast
Tue., Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m., $15-$17, with No Joy, Starlight Ballroom, 460 N. Ninth St., 215-821-7575, r5productions.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
Maybe there's something deeply, universally reassuring about the perfectness of the pairing, or maybe it's just fun to imagine them romping around in a constant weed-fueled daze.

Rap TV
Wed., Feb. 2, 9 p.m., $5, Blockley Pourhouse, 3801 Chestnut St., 215-222-1234, theblockley.com.
by John Vettese
It may be premature to declare this a renaissance year for live Philadelphia hip-hop, but the picture is looking undeniably bright.

Sugar Town
Sat., Jan. 29, 6 p.m., $7, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.
by Patrick Rapa
If this city can still afford the bronze and concrete when the time comes, you'll see a star on Broad Street with Sara Sherr's name on it one day.

Donny McCaslin
Sat., Jan. 29, 8 and 10 p.m., $20-$22, Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.
by Shaun Brady
Saxophonist Donny McCaslin just doesn't go in much for drama.

Dahi Divine Quintet
Fri., Jan. 28, 5:45 and 7:15 p.m., free with museum admission of $16, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.
by Shaun Brady
Are they slipping something into the school lunch program these days? For whatever reason, the city is on a roll with jazz prodigies lately.

Far-Out Fangtooth
Thu., Jan. 27, 8 p.m., $10, with Blank Dogs and The Soft Moon, M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, themanhattanroom.com; Sat., Jan. 29, 8 p.m., $10, at Making Time with La Femme and Small Black, Voyeur, 1221 St. James St., igetrvng.com.
by John Vettese
Philly four-piece Far-Out Fangtooth loves its ambience.


Food


Food :: Legendary RootsLegendary Roots
Jessica B. Harris gets High on the Hog to examine the culinary reach of the African diaspora.
by Will Stone
Harris beckons the reader into a sacred, long-loved cookery where iron pots of gumbo and the aromas of praline and molasses speak to the centuries, continents and cultures traversed by African-Americans.

Portion Control:
Cabin Pressure
REVIEW: Jet Wine Bar
by Adam Erace
Snug as a coach cabin, Jet's street-level bar so captures the carefree terminal zeitgeist of the 1950s and '60s, you half expect a Catch Me If You Can Leo DiCaprio to hurry through the door with a gaggle of leggy blond stewardesses.

What's Cooking
The Week In Eats
by Drew Lazor
Michael Solomonov vs. Jose Garces on Iron Chef America | Third Annual Khyber Beer Chili Cook-Off | Third Annual South Philly Tap Room Beef & Beer | Winter Market Dinner at Fuel

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Elixr Coffee | Le Pain Quotidien | Ha Saigon | Plenty


Agenda


Agenda :: Puss in Boots Happy Hour Sale
Shopping Spree:
Puss in Boots Happy Hour Sale
Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday through March 21, Puss in Boots, 1134 S. Ninth St.
by Julia West
If anything can top off a perfect day of shopping, it's hitting up a happy hour surrounded by the overflowing bags of merch you just scored.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
The Times came off a bit like Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes, making backdated lock-up/rehab jokes about Robert Downey Jr. Philly's well past that headline.

Agenda Picks:
Three Potato Four Barn Sale
Sat.-Sun., Jan. 29-30, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Three Potato Four, 376 Shurs Lane, Building A, 267-335-3633, threepotatofourshop.com.
by Kala Jamison
A warehouse full of "curiosities and oddities" sounds more like a Tim Burton flick than a sale, but Three Potato Four says the store's new "barn sales" are anything but eerie.

Dragon Gate USA
Sat., Jan. 29, 8 p.m., $20-$75 (discount with this issue of City Paper), Asylum Arena, 7 W. Ritner St., 267-519-9744, dgusa.tv.
by Massimo Pulcini
Japanese wrestling league Dragon Gate USA is gearing up for a smackdown in South Philly that focuses on the athletic side of pro wrestling.

LAVA'S Really, Really Free Market
Sat., Jan. 29, noon-4:30 p.m., free, LAVA Zone, 4134 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-6155, lavazone.org.
by Will Stone
Conventional capitalist wisdom would have you believe that markets require, well, money.

The Oldest Profession
Thu., Jan. 27, 7 p.m., $8, Ibrahim Theater at International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, thesecretcinema.com.
by Shaun Brady
The mostly forgotten, rarely seen 1967 portmanteau The Oldest Profession has another go at sexual relations, this time of the paid variety.

Colm Tóibín
Thu., Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.
by A.D. Amorosi
There's a hush to Colm Tóibín's work that is most noticeable in his devilish details.




 
 
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