Would the U.S. Government produce a video like this in 2008? Probably not, but we can't help but feel that things might be more pleasant if they did. Thanks to D-Mac for this one!......

We bring you the buzz in the 215 blogs this week. Philebrity found fault with local columnist/DJ/man-about-town A.D. Amorosi's grammar and punctuation skills. For the record, this Phillyist is horrified, too. No more privately-owned cars on our potholed streets? Philadelphia Will Do isn't so sure about that. We're as flummoxed as Phillybits about the whole feminist terrorist thing. And who knew raising kids was a form of jihad? That sort of takes the whole concept......

The current Facebook Status of our nation’s prominent political figures: Barack Obama is not agreeing with the comments of his Facebook Friends but he cannot block them either. Hillary Clinton is dodging sniper fire while she writes this. Bill Clinton is on the road again! Yeee-hawww! John McCain is committed to staying on MySpace and Facebook as long as is necessary. George W. Bush is sleepy. Dick Cheney is listening to Peter Gabriel’s So.......

So, what is Cloverfield? Probably if you've watched the ads, you've thought of Godzilla, and although it certainly has a lot in common with that series, it also has elements of The Blair Witch Project. It's a monster movie, but told in a hyper-realistic way, from the point of view of the people on the streets who are running between the toes of the monster. Critics (well, the cut-rate ones, anyway) will often compare films......

Pennsylvania ranks very low amongst other states in requiring breakfast to be served in its schools to the children of low income families. A new memorial design for the President's House, which "would allow visitors to peer down through a glass shed and view archaeological remnants of an 18th-century house once occupied by presidents and slaves," will be unveiled tomorrow night at Freedom Theatre. "The DRPA, whose board meets today to adopt its annual budget,......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Sci Fi Wire reveals that Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet and rapper Xzibit will be in X-Files 2, while The Movie Blog tells us who won't be in it: Lance Henriksen. GameSpot has decided to release a more in-depth series of responses to the controversy surrounding their firing of Jeff Gerstmann, and Joystiq has the run-down. Meanwhile, this whole thing has gotten everybody thinking......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. Who knew there was an annual symposium for cocktail robotics? Apparently it's called Roboexotica, it's been around for nine years, it just happened again weekend before last, and Wired has the photos. (Via Jill) This past weekend an auction of items formerly belonging to Ozzy Osbourne and his family raked in a lot of cash, with all the proceeds going to......

Two separate laws aimed at making most government records public by default are making their way through the state legislature. The House bill, which was approved by a committee yesterday, is stronger than the bill that was passed by the Senate yesterday, 48-1. Another day, another shooting in Philadelphia. Two officers responding to a call about a man causing a disturbance in West Philadelphia early yesterday morning chased the man into an alley, where he......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this holiday weekend (all of these movies open today). Most Likely to Rule: I'm Not There - An "unconventional" biopic of Bob Dylan wherein six different actors play him at various stages in his career. Said actors include Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, and Heath Ledger. Also in the cast (but not playing Bob) are David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, and Julianne Moore. We could see how this......

When Richard Kelly's film Southland Tales was originally screened at Cannes, the buzz was extraordinarily negative. The word was that the movie was a great big mess - ridiculous and nonsensical. I didn't want to believe it. I really enjoyed Kelly's amazing indie/romance/sci-fi flick Donnie Darko. I thought maybe people were reacting to Southland Tales the way that some had reacted to The Fountain: they were confused by it because they hadn't looked hard enough......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. Blender has annoyed us with their lists before, but we can't help but post something that claims to be The 100 Greatest Rock & Roll Movies of All Time. And we do like a lot of their picks in the top ten (even if they did include the horrendously bad, incredibly overrated Purple Rain). Could DC be planning to kill off Bruce Wayne/Batman??......

Prominent Philadelphia trial lawyer Dennis Cogan may defend state Senator Fumo, if he can get the case delayed for several months so he can study up on all its complexities. On November 14th, Penn Praxis will unveil its vision for the Delaware River waterfront, which is based on discussions with residents and representatives of commercial and government interests. But details about the plan have already come out, and although it has many supporters, it......

Prepare to be insulted! A recent survey of visitors and residents of 25 cities ranked Philadelphia as the home of the least attractive people in the United States. Apparently we're also among the least stylish, least active, least friendly, and least worldly. Well, we don't know about all of those things, but these results certainly make us feel pretty unfriendly at the moment... (Via Jen) As another new tactic in the fight against crime and......

What's new and/or interesting in theaters this weekend. Most Likely to Rule: Gone Baby Gone - Ben Affleck's directorial debut is based on a novel by the guy who wrote Mystic River, and stars Ben's brother Casey as a private detective investigating a young girl's disappearance. As one might expect, nothing is what it appears to be and he must risk everything to find the girl. The film also stars Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, and......

Warm up your Tivos, because some exciting television program is coming your way this Saturday! And by exciting, we mean boring and pointless. It's a televised debate between the Philadelphia mayoral candidates! The city has ordered Judge Rayford A. Means to fix the two rooming houses he owns in Southwest Philadelphia, which are apparently infested with rodents, have faulty plumbing, sagging floors and broken ceilings, and are also overcrowded. In response to a grand jury......

LAist began the month with a new food series exploring the popular and unknown late night eats around town. If a Top Chef winner opened up a late night spot in Los Angeles, denizens would flock it, yet the LA Times and other media might be wary. Turning to sports, the Dodger season was quite memorable in the way that it imploded and the LA County Sheriff's Department made some games of their own......

When I was younger, I wanted to study abroad in Ireland because I wanted to pick up the accent. That dream was never to be, but my love for the Irish accent lives on. And so that, combined with my affinity for the work of Martin McDonagh, led me straight into the arms of Lantern Theater Company's new production of McDonagh's The Lonesome West, directed by David O'Connor. Unlike last season's production of The......

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......

14,029 people participated in yesterday's Philadelphia Distance Run. The Inquirer article about the event focuses not on the winner, but on the amateurs and the regular folks involved. The still theoretical Philadelphia Major League Soccer franchise already has a fan club: the Sons of Ben, or SoBs. As part of a piece of 2002 legislation, the state of New Jersey took over many of the powers of Camden's local government and school board. Yesterday,......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. You may vaguely remember from long ago the idea for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off show called Ripper that was meant to follow the adventures of Anthony Stewart Head's character in England, along with a whole cast of new characters. Well, good news! It sounds like it's actually going to happen now, with Joss Whedon in the captain's chair, and shooting beginning......

A Philadelphia police officer shot in 1966 while trying to stop a burglary finally died on Sunday from complications of his injuries, and his death has therefore been ruled a murder. Police are now considering whether to charge the shooter (already sentenced to 10 to 20 years for attempted murder) with the crime. Pacifico Ford in Philadelphia and Springfield Ford in Delco have made an agreement with the government to reimburse African African customers who......

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness – we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts......

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......

If you're wondering what all those cops are doing hanging around near the Gallery this morning, it's not because somebody stole a rhinestone "You look better on MySpace" T-shirt; it's because W is coming to town! Yes, the President himself is coming to Philadelphia to speak at the American Legislative Exchange Council's Thomas Jefferson Freedom Breakfast at ALEC's 34th Annual Meeting at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown at 1201 Market Street. Plenty of other big-name political......

Banner week for SFist as the site's new editor introduced himself -- hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF's mayoral race, only SFist had the (insert tongue firmly into cheek) hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist's readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with "open mic......

Late last night Governor Rendell made a deal with top lawmakers that ended the budget standoff and the partial shutdown of state government. The Daily News has a run-down of some of the crime that occurred in the city this past weekend, and it includes a story about a potential burglar getting his head caught in a trapdoor and suffocating to death while trying to rob a bar. In other crime news, a man......

Early last month, Phillyist discovered Waheed when they played a show at the Khyber. With members on vocals, guitar, bass, drums and scratching, this group (formerly known as Kameelah Waheed and Government Cheese) has cultivated a unique sound that's part funk, part rock, part hip hop and all good. On Mizu, their current album, you can hear how all of their influences come together, especially on tracks like "Fall Back," which consists of crisp......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Most Likely to Rule: Into Great Silence - A documentary about the remote Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps, on the occasion of its opening its doors to the public for the first time since being founded by St. Bruno in 1084. The director adapted himself to the ascetic lifestyle of the monks and captured their lives here without voice-over, musical score, interviews, or archival......

Guess who's surging in the polls now? It's Michael Nutter! He's taken a very close second place to Tom Knox, and the Inquirer has a profile. Philly's three African elephants now have new travel plans: Pittsburgh. Here's hoping that this deal doesn't fall through like the last one did. And that they don't become Steelers fans. A Germantown High School teacher got to face the two students that injured him at their sentencing hearing......

Tom Knox is the frontrunner in the 2007 Democratic primary and, according to the most recent Keystone poll, the one with the momentum behind him. But like so many other things about him, Knox’s accomplishment is less impressive than it first appears. Relying on nothing more than a wealth of contacts in city and state government, a nationally known campaign team (his media guru was profiled in The New Republic, under the headline “Joe Trippi......