A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Hey, it's Valentine's Day! Or, as we're going to call it from now on, Horny Werewolf Day! To celebrate the day, we offer you links to geeky valentines of the naughty, mean, and sweet varieties (via), as well as some super-nerdy comic book valentines from Chris Sims (definitely check out all of them, as the last one is seriously hilarious, and seriously wrong).......

Ah, love. Though we may not have an overflow of the brotherly variety, Philly is offering plenty of options for those happy couples looking to sanctify said happiness with boxes of chocolates and a night on the town. We’ll tackle the latter here; we've given you some chocolate-related goodness already. If you forget to get a card and all the Rite Aid has left are American Idol Valentines, take heart: you can make your own......

Proofreading Philly tries to capture typos, wordos, and all other kinds of grammatical mistakes that we see around the city. But we need your help! Email photos to us from your computer or your phone, and show the city that you care about good grammar. This photo of an Italian Market fishmonger, submitted by Michael Alan Goldberg, would still have been amusing without the misspelling (despite the word being spelled correctly a few inches away).......

Editor's note: This review contains some comments and descriptions that could be considered "spoilers," but only if you're unfamiliar with the story of Sweeney Todd, which is unforgivable anyway, so we have little sympathy for you. I love Stephen Sondheim. I even took a semester-long course on Stephen Sondheim. I like to think of myself as pretty intimately acquainted with Sondheim's work. And so I'm probably going to be a lot pickier about an adaptation......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Paranormal State (Mon, 10PM-11PM, A&E) - The debut of a new reality show featuring members of Penn State University's Paranormal Research Society investigating reports of paranormal phenomena. During this hour, they seem to be playing two episodes, one about a boy who can supposedly see dead people, and another about a supposedly haunted house where murders were committed. Independent Lens (Tue, 10PM-11:30PM, WHYY) - It's another Penn......

It's time again for First Friday. What's that you say? You don't like the looks of tonight's weather forecast? Silly readers! A little cold and wet never killed anyone (well, pneumonia and tuberculosis aside, at least). And besides, all those warm bodies packed into a little art gallery, accompanied by free wine? You'll be warm for sure, in no time flat! Here are a few places where we suggest keeping dry. Before jumping on the......

Disclaimer: This post relates to an event put on by First Person Arts, of whom Editor Jill is an employee. However, Editor Jill did not have a hand in writing or editing this post. (With the Festival going on this week, she wouldn't have time to, even if she wanted to.) A little while back, we told you about the First Person Story Tour and its colorful "mascot," the Story Tour Van. The Story Tour......

I love La Viola. It was the site of my first foodgasm, and a couple of foodgasms since. It's one of the first places I recommend to people who want a romantic meal before a night at the Kimmel or the Merriam. It's one of the first places I tell people to go for a first date. And when Ross and I decided to celebrate being Libras together, it was one of the first......

Wednesday The Dolce Suono Trio devotes an entire concert to Philadelphia composers, including Ned Rorem, George Crumb, Charles Abramovic, and Curt Cacioppo. First Unitarian Church (21st and Chestnut); FREE; 7:30 PM The Opera Company of Philadelphia presents Verdi's timeless Rigoletto. You'll be humming "La Donna è mobile" all the way home. Academy of Music (Broad and Locust); 7:30 PM; $8-$113 Thursday The Philadelphia Orchestra shows its love for Beethoven with an all-Beethoven concert featuring his......

Disclaimer: This story relates to a promotion run by First Person Arts, of which Editor Jill is an employee. Editor Jill did not have a hand in writing or editing this post, and the opinions contained herein are exclusively those of the author, who would think this is pretty cool even if he wasn't Editor Jill's better half. If you read Sunday's Inquirer, you might have seen a story about a psychedelic-looking van that's making......

Monday As part of the Music and Conversation series, Andrea Ceccomori and Elitza Harbova will perform and discuss works for flute and piano by living Italian and American composers. Roberts Hall (Haverford College); 4:15 PM; FREE Tuesday The Philly Orchestra continues its run of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, now paired with works by Rihm and Reinecke. Check out Phillyist's review here. Verizon Hall (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $38-$113 Friday As part of the Last......

The Rotunda on 40th and Walnut is known for its support of the Philadelphia hip-hop community. It is the home to "The Gathering," a monthly jam session featuring open ciphers, live painters, break crews, and guest djs. It also hosts many local hip-hop acts though out the year. This past Friday, I attended the Art of War Lyricist competition a contest pitting polished spoken word artists against quick-lipped freestyling MCs. It is a interesting concept,......

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable. Its many uses include: Eggplant Parmesan. Baba ghanoush. Eggplant fries. Crostini with roasted eggplant spread. Eggplant caponata. Eggplant rollatini. Getting a shout out from God. A woman who recently lost some family members found consolation in her refrigerator's crisper. According to 6ABC, the woman was preparing dinner Sunday evening (apparently the Sabbath for eggplant, as well as for Christians), when one of the slices appeared to spell out Bob Saget's......

Things are slowing down right now, in the weeks before the Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festivals. But that doesn't mean that all of the theatres in Philadelphia are dark. Now, on with the listings! Those Were the Days - We think we can safely say: they don’t write ’em like that anymore! Through August 12. Tickets online. Nunsense - It’s not nonsense. Through September 30. For more information, call 302.475.2313. Wicked - We......

We love Steve Martin. We love just about everything he's ever done – Cheaper by the Dozen notwithstanding. One of our favorite Steve Martin flicks? My Blue Heaven, also starring Rick "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" Moranis. Phillyist re-watched the movie recently and were struck by two things: (1) It's exactly as funny as we remembered it being. (2) Despite the funny, it's beginning to show its age. Case in point, a dialogue between Vinnie......

The Philly Orchestra is finally back in town. Hooray! Wednesday Soprano Maria Traub, also a French and Italian professor, comes to the Holy Trinity's Brown Bag Lunch series for a program of operatic favorites. Holy Trinity (Rittenhouse Square); 12:30 PM; FREE Wednesday, Thursday, Friday The Philadelphia Orchestra presents programs of Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky respectively. The Beethoven concert boasts a rather odd slogan of "9 symphonies in 90 minutes" and will feature one movement from......

We actually happen to like the Italian Market. Mass retailers (there aren't that many, guys) and all!......

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It's the lunch rush, and you're part of it. You're standing around the counter at Wawa or some other sandwich counter with two dozen other people, all waiting for your respective sandwiches. It seems like it's taking forever, and they're not calling the numbers in order, so God only knows how long it will be before you'll be biting into your toasted Italian hoagie. Your stomach is yelling at you and your head feels like......

So you thought that Starbucks was finished with its quest for total domination in the land of hot caffeinated beverages? Maybe they are. They are not, however, finished with their domination of early morning (and even mid-afternoon) munchies. Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 22), Starbucks will be launching its new warm food platform. With this platform will come five breakfast sandwiches and two lunch sandwiches. If you’re more of a bagel, pastry or cookie Philadelphian, don’t......

Today and tomorrow, South Philly is celebrating the 9th Annual Sorrento Cheese Italian Market Festival. If you’ve never been to the Italian Market (do you even LIVE in this city?!?), or even it’s just been awhile, this weekend is a great opportunity to go down and get your cuisine on. The festival is a giant block party from 9th and Federal north to 9th and Fitzwater and the fantastic food is a given: olives stuffed......

A fire that killed the owner of the House of Bread in the Italian Market on Wednesday was caused by a cooking pot left on the stove. The man accused of supplying weapons to the Fort Dix terrorists has been denied bail. Runner-up mayoral candidate and professional rich guy Tom Knox wants more money! He plans to go into investment banking and make hundreds of millions of dollars. Then maybe run for office again. Mumia......

Once a week, Phillyist will be visiting a different block in town and letting you know what's discovered there. This may or may not be an excuse to validate random wandering - either way, if you've got suggestions for places to check out, send them along! Though I don't get to the Italian Market as much as I'd like to, this block is one I assumed I knew inside and out. Pizza at Lorenzo's and......

Since changing from Jake’s Real Italian Pizza & Grill to Milano’s Pizzeria & Grill, the pizza has improved at this South 10th Street restaurant across from Thomas Jefferson Hospital. When we visited them as Jake’s we found the pizza was about the same quality you'd get in a hospital cafeteria. The quality has improved a great deal with the pizza, making it seem less like hospital cafeteria food and more like pizza. As was the......

Readers: I'm currently performing in, helping to choreograph, and acting as the dance captain of a musical that goes up this week. It's left me a bit delirious and really quite hungry. Apologies for the off-beatness... Once upon a midnight dreary, I was dancing, weak and weary, To the jazzy beats of a difficult Coleman score. While I counted, madly clapping, I soon noticed quite a tapping, From my stomach, no longer napping, napping as......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. God Grew Tired of Us - What sounds like a pretty intense and interesting documentary about three young men, refugees of the civil war in Sudan in the '80s, trying to adapt to life in America, and understand the new culture they've been thrown into. Certainly worth a viewing if you're up for this kind of thing. Trailer Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse Most Likely......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. The Italian - A Russian film - originally released there in 2005 but apparently only just now getting to screens in America - about a six-year-old orphan named Vanya living in a children's home run by a corrupt headmaster. An affluent Italian family is interested in adopting him, but he wants to find his birth mother, so he teaches himself to read, tracks down his mother's......

Editor's Note: Phillyist has seen and enjoyed Puppet Karaoke before, but we thought it was time to revisit and reiterate. Also, you know how we love a good post about faux penises... You haven't lived until you've seen a puppet named Fruitwa sing "Touch me in the morning." Seriously. And things really aren't right until you've chair-danced while a paper bag puppet resembling Vincent Price belts out "Timewarp." We saw all of that and more......

By George in the Reading Terminal Market sells various prepared Italian foods in addition to pizza. Both are rather disappointing, but we will just focus on the pizza. You would expect good pizza from By George, given its location and the fact that they use a brick oven, but the pizza is expensive ($2.50 for a plain Neapolitan slice) and inconsistent. Over the course of a few visits, they could not get plain pizza......

Before I begin my review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, I'd like to encourage all those who still want to see the film by the end of my review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer to make sure to visit the restroom on their way into the theater. The film clocks in at just under 150 minutes, without previews. Now that that's out of the way... Perfume is a beautifully shot,......