Rocky and Rambo have sided with the soldier: Sylvester Stallone told Fox News yesterday morning that he is backing John McCain in his presidential bid. We find his justification reasonable, though perhaps less elegant than it could be: "I like McCain a lot. A lot," Stallone said. He called the Republican the right character for the times. "The script that's being written - and the reality - is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged like a......

"Gov. Rendell has signed a death warrant for a New Jersey man convicted of fatally stabbing two sisters and a toddler in King of Prussia in 2005." The man is scheduled to die by lethal injection on March 6th. Keep in mind, however, that Rendell has signed 76 death warrants since taking office in 2003, and not one has been carried out. "Two reputed mob associates pleaded guilty yesterday to running a gambling ring......

The Daily News checks in with Nicholas Yarris, the first man exonerated by DNA evidence from Pennsylvania's death row, on the occasion of his receiving the last installment of a recent $4 million cash settlement in a malicious-prosecution lawsuit against Delaware County. A 15-page report, put together by an independent technical firm and commissioned by the advocacy group Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, states that two Montgomery County manufacturers in the Collegeville area whose emissions......

Hakim Glover, the cousin of the man who allegedly killed Officer Chuck Cassidy, pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of hindering apprehension and obstruction of justice. Glover is accused of helping his cousin flee to Florida. The Convention Center expansion project was halted on Christmas Eve when the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia obtained an injunction ordering wrecking crews to stop work. The preservationists want to save the two small but historic Broad Street buildings......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. Let's round up some Christmas leftovers to enjoy this afternoon, shall we? The Movie Blog posted its All Time Top 10 Christmas Movies, and we agree with... six of them. Meanwhile, XPN had a bunch of free downloads of holiday-appropriate tracks by local Philly bands. Then there's a documentary on the making of Chuck Jones' animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas,......

The saga of CBS 3 anchorwoman Alycia Lane has gotten even stranger. The Daily News reports that her first call upon release from NYPD custody was to Governor Edward Rendell. A spokesman for the governor,Chuck Ardo, said to the paper that she did it to "make sure he knew her side of the story because he is an opinion-maker and runs around in influential circles." And "I think she knew better than to ask......

The latest in the case of Ebony Nicole Dorsey, the 14-year-old girl allegedly killed by her mother's boyfriend: the Daily News has an exclusive interview with the girl's mother, Danielle Cattie, who calls her boyfriend a monster. Meanwhile, the Inquirer quotes Cattie's brother defending his sister; he says she's "a great mom who deeply loves her children," and "She's a good person who made some bad decisions. She's paid a horrible price." It may seem......

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. COMEDY Jim Norton Music Box at The Borgata, Atlantic City Sun, 1/20/08, 9PM On sale: Sat, 10AM, Live Nation Josh Blue House of Blues Atlantic City Sat, 7/12/08, 9PM $27-$41.50 On sale: Sat, 10AM, Live Nation Comedy Stop Tropicana......

The Inquirer takes a closer look at the Philadelphia policeman who was shot the day before the shooting of Chuck Cassidy, by a gunman who then fled and ultimately drowned in the Schuylkill. They also put the incident in the larger context of criminals in Philadelphia getting released from jail only to commit more crimes and be arrested again, over and over. Meanwhile, another Philadelphia police officer was injured this weekend, this time by......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Do you want to see a music video for the Gilbert & Sullivan version of "Baby Got Back?" Of course you do. (Via Sarah) Wow - turns out officer Chuck Cassidy and his shooting are the subject of an urban legend/email forward that already made it onto Snopes. (Via Debbie) Harmonix will send you a replacement for your busted Rock Band guitar if......

The Inquirer has an article about the Philadelphia Community Cats Council, a group of folks trying to manage and reduce the city's huge feral cat population, estimated to be at least 250,000. They do this by trapping feral cats, neutering them, and then returning them where they were found. Both the Daily News and the Inquirer have articles about Sharon Hill native John Patrick Foley and his elevation this weekend to the status of Cardinal......

The "10,000 men: A Call to Action" campaign will get started in earnest on Saturday when they put the first 200 men on the streets. It'll be a field exercise for squad leaders, and apparently they'll also be doing a door-to-door campaign to alert neighbors of the effort. Then they'll be patrolling in South Philadelphia next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening. John Lewis, the suspect in the murder of police officer Chuck Cassidy, was......

The Attorney General's Office has accused Former State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of giving his relatives fake jobs in order to pay them thousands in taxpayer dollars. A cheval-de-frise (an iron-tipped log that's placed in a riverbed along with many others in order to gore the hulls of enemy warships) was recently found at the bottom of the Delaware River at the Sunoco Logistics pier in South Philadelphia. It's a relic from the mid-1770s, and......

Let me just start off by saying that there is a lot of talent onstage during Being Alive. Let me follow that up by saying all the talent in the world can't save a bad show. It's not bad, I think, because Sondheim is some kind of holy, un-adaptable composer, whose music should never, never, ever be taken out of context, as some have suggested. In fact, more than a few revues have been built......

Oh, man. Did you see that Rick Santorum is writing an opinion column for the Inquirer now? Ugh. In vaguely related news, John Street's post-mayoral employment, beginning in January, will be at Temple University as a professor of urban politics and policy. Governor Rendell, who himself is an adjunct at U. Penn, encouraged Street to make the move. Officials responding to a report of a fire at a home in Upper Darby yesterday discovered......

As the city said goodbye to officer Chuck Cassidy, the suspect in his killing was agreeing to extradition to Pennsylvania. There are yet more details available this morning on Tuesday's election results. First of all, not all of the elections are over yet - it may take 2 weeks to count all the ballots in the race between Jack Kelly and David Oh for a GOP at-large Council seat. But we do have the......

Hey, it's election day! And what with the Mayor's race being a foregone conclusion and everything, the interesting stuff is happening in the fight for two seats on the state Supreme Court. The search for John Lewis, the suspect in the murder of Officer Chuck Cassidy, is over. Police apprehended him at a homeless shelter in Miami at 7AM. They tracked him down after learning that a relative had bought a bus ticket to......

The Inquirer discusses the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race and the possible repercussions on the Philadelphia area. The police now have a suspect in the death of police officer Chuck Cassidy - 21-year-old John Lewis of North Philadelphia - and have issued an arrest warrant for him. The search for him has intensified, and police and his relatives are asking him to turn himself in. Lewis is armed and dangerous; click through for a description......

The Daily News has more on what's happening in the city in the aftermath of the death of Philadelphia Police Officer Chuck Cassidy. The reward for information has been increased, the manhunt has been stepped up, and later today "detectives expect to have a video of the murder that was enhanced at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Va." In a lengthy hearing yesterday, more sordid information came out about Andy Reid's sons Garrett and Britt......

When our friend first played a track for us by The Go! Team we thought it sounded like The Electric Company meets Nintendo music meets cheerleaders on crack. And that was only the first album. Their new CD, Proof of Youth, is back with a tighter version of the band, creating music that is even more bonkers. With guest stars ranging from Chuck D (wha!?!) to Bonde do Role's Marina Ribatski, you have to......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. The Big Bang Theory (Mon, 8:30PM-9PM, CBS) - It's the debut episode of a new show about a couple of nerdy genius physicists (played by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons) who share an apartment and whose lives are disrupted when they meet their beautiful new neighbor (Kaley Cuoco). One of them inevitably falls in love with her on sight and subsequently - gasp! - entertains an illogical......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Becoming Jane - English majors around the world are either cringing or jumping for joy over this historical drama about the personal life of Jane Austen, which heavily influenced her work. Normally, this Phillyist would be rolling his eyes and thinking of any and every excuse imaginable to avoid seeing this movie, but if push comes to shove, he might suffer through it. After all, Anne......

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......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Black Sheep - Thought they'd already made a "scary animal" horror movie for every animal in the animal kingdom? Well, you were wrong there, mister! Behold, evil sheep! A guy scared of sheep comes back to the family farm only to discover that his brother is doing genetic experiments on the sheep. When one of the mutant lambs is released by animal activists, suddenly thousands of......

Hallelujah. Holla back, hipsters. It's the triumphant return of the Craigslist round-up. On a weekly basis, we will be brining you the Craigslist craziness like hot butter on your breakfast toast (or margarine, for the lactose intolerant). Like you, our amazement never ceases when we're scouring CL in an (ongoing) effort to delay the inevitable work that rests in front of us. So, pull down your plastic-framed spectacles, kick up your Chuck Taylor-clad toes, and......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. Extra, extra! Google cares a lot less about the First Amendment than we thought. Think those squirrels you see frolicking in the park are adorable and harmless? Not in Denver, where apparently, they're carrying the plague. On this day ten years ago? Computer Deep Blue Something (how 1997 can you get?!) beats its human opponent in tournament-level chess. In what's surely an attempt......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Pulp Muppets. We bet you can guess what it is based on the name. Our favorite part is that Eric Stoltz is already a muppet. (Via) The nominees for the 2007 MTV Movie Awards were recently announced, and you can vote for your picks right here. Although how you can pick anything decent out of the crappy lists of nominees, we're not sure.........

The Graduate lead singer, Corey Warning...

Just yesterday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced this year's inductees, which include R.E.M., Grandmaster Flash and the founder of Atlantic Records, among others. The Hall's website lists all the selections as well as the details of the ceremony (a link to the press release is at the bottom of this post). We here at Phillyist are passionate fans of a diverse array of music. Some of us (eh-hem) are even musicians in......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Tue; 8PM-10:30PM; ABC Family) - We've fallen back in love with Harry Potter recently. It's very comforting escapist entertainment. Watching these movies could actually be a fun new holiday tradition! This week we've got the quite excellent film adaptation of the third of the popular children's novels. Of course, the fourth one, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is......