A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. Looks like Spore is coming to the iPhone, too. People, do you know what weekend it is? It's Super Smash Bros. Brawl launch weekend!! GameStop will be holding Brawl tournaments and midnight launches this Saturday at 2,500 of its stores, including a number in Philadelphia (via). Joystiq has their own first impressions of the game, as well as a metareview. Finally, they also......

Dear YouTube: There's so much about you to love. From Tay Zonday to Samwell to He Man Sings to Liam Kyle Sullivan to Barats and Bereta (that's their newest video on the right) to Eepy Bird to the Numa Numa kid to Chad Vader to, um, stuff like this, you have given me hours upon hours of entertainment since your launch in February of 2005. I've spent countless nights staying up until four in the......

Thursday has often been called a day of thirst, probably because we need an excuse to drink on a week night, and the wordplay writes itself. We wish we could refrain from suggesting at least one bar, just to rebel against the 'thirsty' designation. Well, we can't refrain. We just plain can't. But at least we have some music to serve before the booze. THE FOO FIGHTERS AND SERJ TANKIAN AT THE WACHOVIA SPECTRUM......

OK, take a deep breath. Are you sitting down? Good. People, all the Starbucks in the country are going to be shut down for three hours on February 26th. Which, if our calculations are correct, means most of the stores in America will be closed. But don't freak out! It'll only be from 5:30PM to 8:30PM, which is well after most of us have already gotten our Starbucks fix. Also, they're only shutting the......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Some Art for the Wall: 5th Annual Emerging Artists and Emerging Leaders Art Auction, with entertainment by local guitarist Marisol Rampolla and an open bar, at Drexel University - Paul Peck Alumni Center (32nd and Market), 7PM. $10 There Are Some Who Aren’t?: Local author Lynn Hoffman reads from his novel bangBANG, the story of “a feisty Philly waitress,” at Molly’s Bookstore (1010 S. 9th), 7:30PM. Free......

Normally we could start this post with some quip about chasing off the winter doldrums with some laughter. But seeing as how the mercury is riding high today, and should be for a while, we got nothing. That’s why we’re not comedians. Luckily, there are some very talented folks who are, and they are presenting a 5-day smorgasbord of improv and sketch comedy goodness for your gluttonous consumption. Philly Improv Theater’s Shubin Week starts tonight......

Dear La Petite Mort, I think my game is broken. I haven't been out on multiple dates in years. I'll admit, I'm sort of a particular guy. If I want to see There Will Be Blood and she wants to see 27 Dresses, done. If I want to talk about Obama and all she can say is, Oh Britney! she's finished. It might seem picky, but I never want to settle. If she's too short,......

Warning: This whole review is basically a spoiler. Despite its infamy, there are apparently people out there who are still surprised by the "twist" at the end of M. Butterfly, currently being produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Company. These are the same people who are confused by Ru Paul. Please proceed with caution. Let's just get this out of the way, folks. Butterfly in David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly, just like Dil in The Crying......

The Daily News analyzes Paris Hilton's visit to the area yesterday, and comes to the rather surprising conclusion that she's a nice lady and her only real fault is that she's not punctual. The Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibition of American artist Bruce Nauman has been selected to appear in the US Pavilion of the the 53rd Venice Biennale, "one of the most important art gatherings in the world." Mayor Nutter revoked a license given......

Let's face it: bad things happen to good people. It sucks, but it's a reality we all have to get used to. Whether it's a bitter divorce, an untimely death, or a serious illness, it's hard for those most immediately affected by tragedy—be it large or small—to have the courage and the coping mechanisms to eventually return to the status quo. And then there's you: one degree of separation and absolutely hopeless. What do......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Life After People (Mon, 9PM-11PM, History Channel) - An interesting thought experiment: what would the Earth be like if human beings suddenly disappeared off of it? Of course, it's not all guesswork; they take a look at actual places that were abandoned by people and what happened in those cases. Moment of Truth (Wed, 9PM-10PM, Fox) - The debut of the new game show where contestants have......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY On the Highwire Tonight: Fire Museum Records presents MaryClare Brzytwa, Dominique Leone, and Ashley Deekus at Highwire Gallery (2040 Frankford Ave.), 8PM. $5 The Other New Wave: Screening of Francois Truffaut’s 1959 The 400 Blows at Molly’s Bookstore (1010 S. 9th), 7PM. Free Oh the Drama: The Drama Club, The Grundles, The Peace Creeps, and The Miners at Grape Street (4100 Main St.), 8PM. $10 We'll Remember:......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Mon, 9PM-10PM, Fox) - The second part of this new show's much-anticipated two-night premiere. You can bet this Phillyist will be watching, because part one was pretty freaking cool. Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (Mon, 8PM-9:30PM, TCM) - Great filmmaker Martin Scorsese narrates a profile of great filmmaker Val Lewton. Lewton was known for making extremely artful,......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: Art Opening: Opening reception for Evidence, an exhibit of local photographers Natalie McDonald, Ellen Rosenberg, and Rachelle Lee Smith, at the William Way Community Center (1315 Spruce), 6-8PM. Free Leave the Glass House at Home: Marc Silver and The Stonethrowers bring their acoustic bluegrass and roots music to Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd), 7PM. $10 Geraldine Brooks: Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Geraldine Brooks reads from her new......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. BCS Championship Game: Ohio State vs. LSU (Mon, 8:15PM-11:30PM, Fox) - Woo hoo! It's the college football Super Bowl! Of course, the bittersweet thing is, this means college football is over for the season. But at least it'll go out with a bang. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Mon, 10PM-10:30PM, Food Network) - This episode's theme is eateries that are open 24/7, and one of the places being......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Ice Dancing: University City District presents Winterfest!, a night of public skating, at the Class of 1923 Ice Rink (3130 Walnut), 5-8PM. $1, skate rental free (but show up ½ hour early to reserve your pair) Sing Us a Song: Steve Odabashian’s Happy Hour Piano Show, every Friday at the Cascamorto Piano Bar (1939 Arch), 5-8:30PM. Free SATURDAY No Clowns: Transistor Rodeo, Rhondo, and Ledbetter Heights at......

Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! I'm a music guy. I listen to a ton of music, and because of Phillyist, I've been able to hear a lot of great stuff I never would have heard otherwise. But, no......

Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! With apologies to those readers who don't celebrate Christmas, I'm going to indulge myself a bit here. I love just about everything about Christmas. I actually enjoy Christmas shopping, stressful though it may......

The saga of CBS 3’s Alycia Lane continues. She has been divorced twice, appeared on Dr. Phil, was romantically linked to WCBS anchor Chris Wragge, and of course infamously sent bikini photos to a married man. All of this seemed to make her one of the darlings of the New York Post’s Page Six column of late. So it is not a shock that she got into some trouble in New York, more specifically in......

There is a new Queen of Soul. Sorry Mary, Alicia, and Jill, but there is a woman from Brooklyn who's reminding us all of how it's done. Her name is Sharon Jones, and she and her backing band, the Dap-Kings, will slay your ears and make you yearn for a time when people sang (and didn't sample), "Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean." Jones brings the soul while......

Dear Philadelphia: Congratulations! Just a day after The Inquirer reported that violent crime was down across the city, we received a press release from the GPTMC extolling all your other achievements in 2007. You deserve a big pat on the back for the national and international media mentions you've garnered this year. People are paying attention to you. You're like a celebrity now. On the Food front, The Today Show decided that Vesuvio Restaurant's......

Visions of sugar plums not giving you your terror fix? Head out to the Troc tonight at 9:30 for the DVD release extravaganza of Unholy Sideshow, a local independent horror movie from West Philth Productions. Juggling, needles skewered through human flesh, women taking their clothes off, sword swallowing, aerialists performing without a net, Heavy Metal, a spectacle you will remember for the rest of your days. Sounds like a good time to us! Unholy Sideshow......

Phillyist's favorite birthday present this year was a pair of socks that had sock monkeys on them. We tried to engage our partner in a discussion of the possible philosophical implications of having socks with monkeys made of socks on them, but he didn't take the bait. In any event, one may say we are predisposed to sock monkeys, which is why we can't stop giggling with joy over Mew Gallery's upcoming Sock and Awe......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Juno - Another of this year's big pregnancy comedies! We'll have a review coming up later today. Trailer Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse The Red Balloon - A remake of the 1956 French classic about the evil red balloon that stalks and kills people! Well, okay, it's not a mean and deadly balloon. But it does stalk people! Juliette Binoche stars as a single mother......

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 weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! 10. Jumper - Yeah, I know it stars the whiny Darth Vader, but it's also got Sam "Motherfucking" Jackson, and a screenplay co-written by David Goyer about a war between teleporters and those......

Because Brat Productions is opening a very tongue-in-cheek Scientology play this week, we thought it only fitting that we use a quote by L. Ron Hubbard to kick off this week's listings. It runs in full: “Freedom is for honest people. No man who is not himself honest can be free – he is his own trap.” Now, on with the listings! A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant - We hear TomKat may make......

Good morning, readers, from a Phillyist on a plane, killing time on the way to Louisville via Chicago. Yeah, I know that's really out of the way. But then, so is Louisville. Air travel is generally hated by most people. Strangely, though, today's experience has been almost pleasant. Here's why: (1) Tuesday afternoons in December are apparently an awesome time to fly. Business travelers are out of town, going about their midweek business, and......