Because I'm in the process of curating a traveling exhibition of undergraduate art student work, in the last few months I've seen a lot of student art from schools and universities along the Mid Atlantic... a lot of student artwork. And at the risk of sounding too harsh, I've been unimpressed with most of the artwork I've seen, and its presentation. But within a few minutes of walking into the Moore College of Art &......

Wouldn't it be great if Thursday was the new Friday? A 4:3 ratio of weekdays to days off would serve to alleviate as much as 20% of the workweek stress in the population. On what do we base this theory? A hunch. A very well-researched, frequently replicated and peer-reviewed study, conducted in real-time in actual and not virtual or simulated environments. But alas, this is but a dream. Let us distract ourselves this evening......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: There Goes That Spielberg Again: “Sharks, Spaceships and Spectacles: The Films of Steven Spielberg,” a presentation by Dr. Lester Friedman, with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, at the Prince Music Theater Independence Black Box (1412 Chestnut), 6PM. $10 As We Look Forward: Author Mitch Nathanson discusses his new book The Fall of the 1977 Phillies: How a Baseball Team's Collapse Sank a City's Spirit at the Penn Bookstore (3601......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Famous Films II: The Secret Cinema presents a second installment of their Famous Films series, including A Trip to the Moon (you've seen clips, trust us), at the Moore College of Art and Design (20th and Race), 8PM. $7 Jeannie Gagne: Jeannie Gagne at the Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Drive—West Mt. Airy), 8PM. $10 Cold: Absolute Zeros, Parsnip Revolt, and Dylan McGuire at Fergie’s Pub......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Chicken!: Wissahickon Chicken Shack at the Dawson Street Pub (100 Dawson), 9:30PM. Free One Film to Rule Them All: Kick off One Film, One Philadelphia with a screening of Empire of the Sun at Moore College (N. 20th and the Parkway), 6PM. Free New Idioms: Ongoing concert series by Bowerbird, featuring artists working in composed, electronic and electroacoustic music, free improvisation, and other creative, genre-defying forms, at the......

Mayor Nutter has cut taxpayer-funded nonprofit Philadelphia Safe and Sound's funding by $21 million, and City Council's majority leader said she would call today for hearings to look into how Safe and Sound conducts its business. The funding cuts will result in the closing of ten school-based community centers; the termination of a parent-truancy program; and the elimination of many after-school programs. As the head of one after-school program put it, "It's a fiasco."......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Money Folders II: Second installment of series featuring the Philadelphyinz, DJ Gravity, and more at the Arts Garage (1535 Ridge Avenue), 10PM-3AM. $10 (women free before 10:30PM) Sing, Sing a Song: Choral Concert with Organ presented by the Delius Society at St. Mark’s Church (1625 Locust), 7:30. Free Art Is Primary: Opening reception for Red Yellow Blue, a solo show of artist Vincent McLoughlin, at AXD Gallery......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY The Secret Cinema Holiday Spectacular: The Secret Cinema is bringing in the holidays with "...an assortment of surprise short films, then climax with a screening of The Greenwich Village Story, a super-rare 1963 independent feature about life among the beats, shot entirely on location in downtown Manhattan." 8PM at the Moore College of Art & Design (20th & Race Streets) $6 SATURDAY: Jazz/Rock at the Rotunda: Agent......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Hot Wheels!: Secret Cinema presents Hot Wheels! Short Films About Hot Rods, Slot Cars, Skateboards at Moore College of Art & Design (20th & Race Streets) at 8PM. $6 Turkish Film Festival: Thursday, November 16 – Saturday, November 18 is the Turkish Film Festival at iHouse (3701 Chestnut Street). Tickets are $7 per film. Today's offering, Istanbul Tales (Anlat Istanbul), begins at 7PM. SATURDAY The A-Sides: The......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Puppet Uprising: Puppet Uprising brings in the holiday with "Alice & Frank: The work of Lewis Carroll and Mary Shelley from the Victorian Era to the Information Age presented in the form of two fine puppet shows by Toronto's Stranger Theatre and Philadelphia's Shoddy Puppet Company." 8PM at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street). Free - with a suggested donation of $5 - $10. Improv with the N......

FRIDAY Starkweather: The "uncompromisingly brutal Philadelphia Tech-Metal" of Starkweather at The Khyber (56 S. 2nd) , with Noosebomb, Otesanek & March into the Sea at 9PM. $8. (21+) Curator's Choice: The Secret Cinema dives into their vaults to present an evening of films they haven't shown before...or haven't shown in a very long time. This look into the forgotten realms of film begins at 8PM at The Moore College of Art and Design and......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Goodnight Nobody: Philly's reigning chick-lit author, Jennifer Weiner, will be appearing at Head House Books (619 S. 2nd Street) to talk about her latest novel, Goodnight Nobody, at 7PM. Free Music at Green Line: Sherman Arts & Bowerbird present a free evening of music beginning at 7:30PM at the Green Line Cafe (43rd and Baltimore). Performing will be Tuntematon 3.0, The Bastard Trio and Dave Smolen. Music......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Fish Census: Free annual demonstration of fish census taking techniques by the Philadelphia Water Department's Office of Watersheds. You know, if you're into that sort of thing (which you might want to consider being, as it's related to determining the cleanliness of our drinking water). 10AM at the Fairmount Water Works (640 Waterworks Drive). From Philadelphia With Love 3: "Still More Industrial, Educational, and other Lost Local......

The Secret Cinema is presenting a two-day tribute this weekend to the Stooge that isn't Moe, Philadelphia's own Larry, nor even Curly: Shemp. (Oh yes, you're no doubt saying to yourself as you look at the picture, that guy.) Included in the $6 ticket price (applies to both nights...so hold on to your Friday night vouchers) are two nights of screenings of several Shemp shorts and the Stooge film Soup to Nuts, as well as......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Eurotica: Secret Cinema presents a sexy movie double-feature at the Moore College of Art & Design (20th & Race Street): The Lickerish Quartet & The Libertine.  Admission for both features is $6, the show starts at 8PM, and we're pretty sure since they're both foreign films, you can get away with saying they're "artistic" rather than "dirty." Free Friday at Noon Concert: at XPN's World Cafe (3025......

Frugal in Philly is a weekly celebration of all things Philly that are fun, frugal (costing $10 or less) or free! Stop here each week to see what Philly's got to offer for those of us who haven't quite mastered the art of becoming Independently Wealthy (although believe us, we're trying). Featured Pick of the Week: Free King Kong! It may have been beauty that killed the beast...but the anticipation for Peter Jackson's version King......

This Saturday night, The Secret Cinema will be celebrating Halloween with 8 straight hours of horror movies, trailers and television programs at the Moore College of Art & Design (20th and Race). Included among the features are The Abominable Dr. Phibes , Berserk and Frankenstein...and in case your biggest fear is nodding off before the night is through - coffee and donuts will be provided during the wtiching hour. (For a complete list of films......

Frugal in Philly is a weekly celebration of all things Philly that are fun, frugal (costing $10 or less) or free! Stop here each week to see what Philly's got to offer for those of us who haven't quite mastered the art of becoming Independently Wealthy (although believe me, we're trying). Featured Pick of the Week: Really - What Good *IS* Sitting Alone in Your Room?: Phillyist has been surprised and delighted by the amount......