The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. The big news today is, of course, the fact that Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have mended fences and Jackson is going to direct not just one, but two movies based on The Hobbit. We don't remember the book being all that long, but hey, we'll give them our money twice. In slightly less exciting Peter Jackson-related news, Jackson and......

Let's see if we can keep this straight. John Nolan left Taking Back Sunday to form Straylight Run (MySpace), for which he eventually recruited drummer Will Noon after the band Noon was in, Breaking Pangea, split up. The lead singer of Breaking Pangea had been Coatesville native Fred Mascherino, who then went on to replace Nolan in Taking Back Sunday. While still in Breaking Pangea, Mascherino began work on his own project, The Color Fred......

You gotta wonder about Penn students (and alums too, as it turns out): they shoot up terrorists, steal panties, and now apparently they adopt other people’s identities and swindle them out of loads of cash. To be fair though, Drexel does share some part of the latter, seeing as one of the accused is still a student there. You all know what we’re talking about right? Because it’s in the friggin international news! So Philly......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. This is one of the most awesome news stories we've ever read: a ring of guerrilla restorers spent a year secretly fixing an antique clock inside the Pantheon, only revealing themselves and their work to officials when they were done. They were cleared on Friday of breaking in. They are totally our heroes now. (Via Mike V.) Wired takes a look......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: Shohei Imamura Retrospective: The Making of a Prostitute, part of the Shohei Imamura Retrospective, at the I-House (3701 Chestnut), 7PM. $5-$7 Oslo: Oslo, at Upstairs at World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut), 8PM (doors 7PM). $6 cash, $8 credit Beretta 76: Beretta 76, Dirty Sweet, the Donuts, and Foxy Contin at The Fire (412 W. Girard), 9PM. $8 Saturday: Damage is Fun: Freaks of the Beat and Freshout......

Mostly what we have for you this morning are election results from all around the area: municipal elections for Bucks County and Montgomery County, School Board elections for Montgomery County, ballot questions in Bucks, and the various suburban races. And of course, as expected, Nutter's position as Mayor has been made official. The Daily News has some more details on John Lewis' flight from police and his eventual capture, and the Inquirer has the......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. If you want to know what Sam Raimi's up to, Cinematical has you covered, in two posts which summarize all the juicy details that came up during Raimi's recent interview with MTV. Word is Saw V and Saw VI will be shot back to back. Capcom has announced that they're finally going to make a Street Fighter IV, and you can see a......

UPDATE: A water main broke at about 5AM in front of the University of Pennsylvania's new Life Science Building, flooding the streets in three-foot deep rapids. The flow was stopped and the water has since subsided, but as of 7:30AM, University Avenue between 38th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue was closed while repair continued on the broken water main. Woodland Avenue is an alternate route. Ramps on and off I-76 at University Ave. were......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. Let's get some "old," but still exciting, entertainment news out of the way first: the possibility of a Doctor Who movie, the official confirmation of the rumor that Microsoft and Bungie are breaking up (but they'll still be BFFs), and the official confirmation of the rumor about the cheaper PS3 model - at least in Europe. We were considering getting a......

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford begins with the last train robbery Jesse and Frank James did together, and already you can tell the lengths to which writer/director Andrew Dominik and his DP Roger Deakins have gone to create a new cinematic language for the Western. The night is pitch-black, and the light of the train shines through a late-autumn forest as if God himself were onboard. The inside of the......

It’s still hard to believe. The Phillies have found their way into October, alive and thriving. And they are National League East champions. Sounds a little foreign, but we’d be lying if there wasn’t a sweeter sound in Philadelphia. The moment when Brett Myers struck out Wily Mo Pena, threw his glove straight into the air, and his teammates mobbed him was a defining moment for this Phillyist. After years of hearing Harry Kalas drone......

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out......

This Phillyist hearts Rilo Kiley. Jenny Lewis is our long-standing girl crush. So we're pumped for tonight, when they'll be at the Tower Theatre, touring after their new album, Under the Blacklight. We can't stop playing it. It's a lot more eclectic than the band’s previous CDs, but we dig it, immensely. It’s like Multiple Personality Disorder Rilo Kiley. Which is awesome, because crazy people are fun. Didn't you see Sybil? Under the Blacklight has......

Dear God (go with me on this one – if someone can sue Him, I can sure as hell write Him a letter): Hey up there! How's it going? Long time no talk! Sorry about missing Rosh Hashannah last week. The holidays aren't on a consistent date every year—not on the Western calendar, at least—so I didn't know when they were when I made my PLAF schedule. But hey – the Torah indicates that......

Sometimes, it's hard to resist the hate. You may not be having an especially bad day – you may in fact be in a good mood. But sometimes the snark comes so naturally that you have to marinate in it. Like it's Lawry's. Today is one of those days for two Phillyists who found themselves in an e-mail conversation about Tori Amos, lactating, and people we'd like to have killed. This may be in poor......

Yesterday American Idol competitions were held at the Wachovia Center, and the Daily News was there. Update: We are informed that the Inquirer was there, too, and even shot some video. From Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon, technical problems made it impossible for anyone to buy Amtrak tickets either online or at station kiosks. The reservation system has since been completely restored. Apparently Philadelphia is losing some of its college graduates and young professionals to......

I have been waiting for tonight for a long time. Last time I ate at Bistro Romano, I basically foodgasmed over the lobster ravioli, and then I discovered that they have another lobster experience: a fifteen dollar dinner. I swear to you, there were tears of joy streaming down my face at that discovery. Unfortunately, it's been over three months, and I still haven't made it back. That's all going to change tonight. I......

Schoolyard Heroes, a Seattle punk-rock band, is shooting their latest video in West Chester, PA and you can be IN IT! They aren't your average punk-rock band (their MySpace tag line is: I vomit out my heart for you) and they are definitely far from your skinny-pants-loving-emo-crowd. Their gore-loving sophomore effort, Fantastic Wounds (is there really a wound that's fantastic?), had critics raving. Will their third album, "Abominations" be just as ground-breaking and horrifying? You......

Phillyist is pleased as punch to welcome another writer to our staff – and not just because he's dating one of our editors. New staffer Ross Currie is a recent grad of Villanova Law, and he's due to start practicing at a Center City firm this fall. Provided that he's not spending too many late nights writing briefs, you'll be reading his thoughts on music (you can see the two guest posts he's written for......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. There's finally an official teaser trailer for The Dark Knight officially on the web, and you can watch it here. There's no footage from the film, just audio - but you do get to hear the Joker. (Via) Fun little profile of Neil Gaiman here, on the occasion of the upcoming release of the film adaptation of his book Stardust (via).......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Thursday post only collects the latest announcements, so definitely check the Tuesday post for any you may have missed. COMEDY Joe Piscopo Resorts Atlantic City Wed, 8/8/07 - Thu, 8/23/07, many dates and times $30 On sale: Fri, 10AM, Ticketmaster MUSIC The Last Goodnight, Mat Kearney, and Kingsfoil Chameleon Club, Lancaster Mon, 8/6/07, 6PM $9.70 On sale:......

Saturday night at a party, I somehow ended up getting into a conversation with some new acquaintances (and an old friend or two) about the video embedded here. If you're somewhere where you can watch it, do – but you may want to skip the first two and a half minutes or so. If you're not able to watch the video, it's called "Text Message Breakup," and for all its ridiculous conceits, it does express......

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too – two of them in -Ist cities. Sampaist was shocked when a passenger jet crashed into the center of Sao Paulo, killing at least 200 people. The airplane, an Airbus A320, skidded off the runway at the......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Tuesday post only collects the early announcements, so definitely check back on Thursday for the latest ticket news. Pnuma Trio and Grimace Federation Chameleon Club, Lancaster Tue, 7/31/07, 8PM $8 On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster The Used w/Army of Me and Bled House of Blues Atlantic City Tue, 9/11/07, 8PM $23 On sale: Wed, 10AM, Live Nation......

I'll bet you thought I was going to write something about barbecues, in honor of the Fourth of July, right? Wrong. I already covered where and what to barbecue, and frankly, I don't like potato salad or cole slaw enough to come up with recipes to provide you with, because then, I'd have to try them. And we're giving pretty decent coverage to the Fourth of July on Phillyist, anyway. We're patriotic like that. And......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. Heh. The Daily News got a great photo of Mayor Street waiting in line for his iPhone. (Via Neil) Any film geek is bound to have issues with the AFI's latest list of 100 greatest films, but here's a blog that took their issues a step further and made a detailed list of the films the AFI missed - both times they counted......

Highway and transit funds are currently the subject of much debate in this state and others around the nation. Rendell has given up on his idea of increasing PA's sales tax because, he says, the economy is doing better than expected, and it won't be necessary. Better get practising, folks, because American Idol is coming to town. The reality show will be holding auditions, with Simon, Paula, and the whole crew, at the Wachovia Center......

Shortly after the sudden death of our close friend and fellow staff member here at Phillyist, Star C. Foster, reader Lisa sent us an email offering her condolences. She also told us how pulmonary embolism, which caused Star's death, was also the cause of tragedy for a friend of hers. She then provided us with some information about the condition, and urged us to get the word out about it and how it could be......

Restaurateur Susanna Foo has completed her six-month probation and 50-plus hours of community service, which she received for supposedly striking an officer of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, something she still claims she didn't do. About 1:30AM yesterday morning a woman died when she crashed her car into the back of a stationary PennDot dump truck in a construction zone on northbound I-95 near the Chichester Avenue exit. Northbound traffic was detoured until the lanes were......

Michael Nutter is a celebrity on the streets of Philly now! Good for him. During heavy rains (like we're getting now), sewer lines in Philly sometimes get overwhelmed and back up, flooding some residents' basements with some pretty nasty stuff. Apparently after a fight with his girlfriend on Sunday in Lancaster, a Philadelphia man shot his girlfriend, his girlfriend's mother, and his girlfriend's daughter, as well as the daughter's boyfriend and her 2-year-old child. He......