Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY: Last Friday: Last Friday featuring author Samara O’Shea and musician Gina Kaz at the Philadelphia Art Alliance (251 S 18th), 7PM. $5 Free R&B: Sounds of R&B series finale featuring Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway at the Great Plaza on Penn’s Landing (Chestnut and Columbus Blvd), 7:30PM. Free City Hall Film Series: Showing this week: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in the courtyard at City......

Don't you wish you were headed there, to the paradise pictured below? Well, you're not. Unless you are. Anyway, it's Friday, so you can close your eyes and picture the paradise of two full days away from work and everything it stands for. In the meantime, there are a few interesting goings-on, uh, going on tonight. So Happy Friday! LAST FRIDAY AT THE PHILADELPHIA ART ALLIANCE You heard all about First Friday, but what......

Last Friday & the weekend: Michael defended his decision to cut $21 million in funding to Philadelphia Safe and Sound, the program that, as we mentioned last week, John Street had shifted money to in the waning days of his administration. And he announced that the Department of Public Welfare would be auditing Safe and Sound's finances for the last couple years. Michael also ignited Governor Rendell's fury with his revocation of SugarHouse's casino license,......

Last Friday & the weekend: Michael's search for a new CEO of the Philadelphia School District got down to two contenders—apparently—after Temple College of Education dean Kent McGuire withdrew his name from consideration for the position. Monday: Michael's choice for city commerce director, Germantown-born Andrew Altman, was sworn in, as was Managing Director Camille Bates Barnett. And the worst-kept secret of Michael's early administration appointments became official, as he named Lori Shorr his chief education......

Last Friday & the weekend: Michael probably doesn't know it, but he got a shout-out from Hot Hot Heat frontman Michael Bays at last week's FREEZEtival before the band played "Bandages." What the connection between the song and our mayor is, we have no idea. And in real news, Michael named his appointees to the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority board. Monday: Michael joined a record-setting number of volunteers at this year's MLK Day of Service,......

Last Friday & the Weekend: Michael must have had a low-key weekend, as the Nutter newswires were fairly quiet. He probably needed the rest, though, as he had a pretty hectic week last week, and it may only now be sinking in that he's the mayor. Monday: Michael tapped Lori Shorr, (now-)former VP for policy and planning at Philadelphia Youth Network, to serve as his chief education adviser and help him get to work on......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: Last Friday: Last Friday at the Philadelphia Art Alliance (251 S. 18th), featuring visual, literary, and performance offerings, 7PM. Free Saturday: Space is the Place: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts hosts a family day inspired by their Space is the Place exhibit, 11AM-4PM. Free with museum admission, $5-7 (children, adults) No, Not the Bourne: Arab: The Born Identity, featuring four spoken word poets sharing their experiences......

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......

Last Friday, we decided to grab some food at World Cafe Live and enjoy the opening band, The Kin. We were headed off to The Polyphonic Spree later in the evening, but instead of the regular restaurant in Northern Liberties, we thought we would try something new. Not only was the food great (though they don't have many menu items) the entertainment was even better. The Kin are from Adelaide, Australia though they just......

Last Friday night, the Black Lily Film and Musical Festival's Opening Concert stayed good from the second it started. The evening was hosted by Ryva, of Decibel Live, and just as Decibel Live lets no one stay on stage at Mill Creek's First Tuesday event if they're not performing well, or have gone over their time limit, she kept the pace moving and the crowd energized and entertained all night. The evening was filled with......

Last Friday, January 5, the GPTMC held a joint press conference with Mayor Street at F.U.E.L. Collection (the former Real World House) in Old City. During the conference, the Mayor reaffirmed the goal that the city of Philadelphia would be wireless by 2007—something that may have been cast slightly into doubt by the fact that the GPTMC was handing out Wi-Fi detectors to members of the press. (They presented it as an ironic gift: soon,......

ABC 6’s Action News #1 yet again, CBS 3 getting stronger As expected the awful, retro-themed, over-sensational Action News on ABC 6 has dominated the November sweeps ratings once again. So we look at the real horse race for number two instead of theorizing why ABC 6 is constantly first in the ratings. (Subliminal messages in the music? The mesmerizing quality of Jim Gardner’s wig?) TV Spy reports that in the 11 p.m. race for......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Some Like It Hot: Free outdoor screening of the comedy classic, Some Like it Hot at the International House (3701 Chestnut Street) at 8PM. $3 will get you into the Latina Block Party at the White Dog after. It's a Stick up!: "On the Last Friday in July, join in Tattooed Mom's second annual sticker show by having an arsenal of your own stickers in hand, for......

Dear America (it’s ambitious, I know – just bear with me): Call me corny. Call me deluded. Call me five years old. I spent my Fourth of July weekend roaming around Disneyworld. My younger sister is working there this summer, as part of the Disney College program, and I was able to spend four days roaming the Disney Parks for free (plus the cost of food and tchotchkes, of course). Last Friday at an office......

Last Friday, Phillyist told you about our exciting upcoming birthday event. We're still firming up details, but we wanted to give you an update. Four of them, to be exact. (1+3 -- get it?) 1. Phillyist will be sponsoring an open bar up till our budget runs out. If you want to make sure you're drinking for free, come early. But if you can't come early, never fear! Drink specials will run all the......

Dear SEPTA Trolley Driver Who Took Us Home Last Friday: We supported you during your strike this fall. We didn’t think that your management needed so much more than you. Unfortunately, your brethren have done a good job at reminding us why a world without SEPTA might not be a bad world at all. Last Friday’s incident was no exception. Before we go any further, we should tell you, and the readers, that we recently......