We'll miss Fumo because of the great copy; we didn't know there’d be math involved. Chinatown really doesn't want a casino. Really. We just want a Philly team to win a championship (and sorry Jaws, the Soul really doesn't count in this regard), so sure, we're frontrunners in this one. Luckily we now have a cheat sheet. Citizen Mom gets a shaming from students at Strawberry Mansion High, but promises to go to graduation. Broad......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Writers, Live!: Live at the Writers House, featuring poets Tom Devaney, Randall Couch, Trapeta B. Mayson, Scott Edward Anderson, and Ish Klein and musical guest Hezikiah Jones, hosted by XPN's Michaela Majoun at the Kelly Writers House (3805 Locust Walk), 7-9PM. Free With the Music: Emmett Lindsay Band, Cortez Cortez, iNFiNiEN, and Brackets & Arrows at Tritone (1508 South), 10PM. $5 Open Mic: Free at The Fire (412......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Pirate It Up: Celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day with a screening of Bob Hope’s The Princess and the Pirate at Independence Seaport Museum (211 S Columbus Blvd), 7:30PM. $4 For Something More Serious: Leerraum Night featuring Swiss, Japanese, and German Experimental film and video at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut), 8PM. Free Soothe What Ails Ya: Experimental electronic music of Tantrum Tonic at the Random Tea Room......

On Saturday evening, Ross and I went to see our last Live Arts show of this year's festival, Jérôme Bel's The show must go on, which was presented at the Kimmel Center. My review of that show is forthcoming, but for the purposes of this column, now, suffice it to say that it's one of those shows that you either "get" or you don't. And while most of Saturday night's audience was willing to......

Hey guys, have we mentioned it's Live Arts Festival/Philly Fringe time? Despite being a good recycler, you're still a little trashy. We'll admit, we didn't know what khat was, but apparently ICE doesn't like it. The guards at the Art Museum are asking for paid sick leave. It's like talking to a statue. A peek into the Democratic National Convention… and getting there. While in the political mood, get involved with a worthy cause. It's......

We're excited about the night of Art, Music, & Film being planned by Studio 34 for August 23rd in West Philly. They're planning an art extravaganza celebrating the premiere of the short film In this place by Cait Davis. In her first film since graduating from college last year, Cait explores personal growth and development. Also enjoy artwork by local artists: installations, short stories, paintings, pottery & more! Bands throughout the night. Support your local......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Jazzy: The Summer Heritage Jazz Series kicks off with Glen Bryan at Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine), 7PM. Free Temptation: Drexel’s lit magazine Painted Bride Quarterly celebrates the release of its Temptation issue in the Sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut), 7PM. $10 Drexel Again: Catalyst, a dance showcase featuring seven student choreographers and others at the Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut), 8PM. $8 Eggs!:......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: They Mean Nexus: Monthly series paraphrase/NEXUS presents violinist Katt Hernandez, dancers/choreographers Michele Tantoco and Liza Clark, and visual artists Rebecca Gilbert and Virginia Batson at the Nexus Gallery (1400 N American), 8PM. Free Grind For Life: 4 Skateboarders, a show that features four skateboarders and a band, raises money for Grind For Life, an organization that raises money for uninsured skateboarders, at the M-Room (15 W Girard), 7PM.......

We love, love, love, love BalletX. Sure, we have our favorites amongst their works (at least the ones that we've seen), but even at our least impressed, we still manage to be pretty much blown away by the company's work. It's modern, it's sexy, and above all, it's technically impeccable. This isn't your traditional, Nutcracker/Swan Lake/Giselle ballet: the dancers are on point, sure, but oftentimes, that's where the similarities end. Even if you're not typically......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: N It: Enjoy some improv with The N Crowd at The Actors Center (257 N. 3rd), 8PM. $10 Ashley Deekus: Ashley Deekus, Jesse Sparhawk, and Eichen Oaks at Brickbat Books (709 S. 4th), 8PM. Free. Why Do You Build Me Up: Drink Up Buttercup, Moneynotes, Jukebox the Ghost, Modern Skirts, and Madi Diaz at the Khyber (56 S. 2nd), 9PM. $8 Saturday: It’s International Women’s Day: Celebrate......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Friday: Better Late Than Never: Anne Lamott reads from her latest book Grace (Eventually) at the Free Library of Philadelphia Central Branch (1901 Vine), 7PM. Free Don’t Shoot First: Space 1026 (1026 Arch) converts their space into the Mos Eisley Cantina for their food show and potluck tonight from 7-10PM. $5 (Free with a dish to share—they request special brownies) Feeling Like Some Lebanese: "Improvisation and Emotion in......

This weekend there are several cool dance events going down, most of them on the cheap. We were going to front-load (dance-load?) Frugal today, but then thought it might be better to devote a little more space to each. Besides, with all this slushiness, wouldn't you rather watch other people move than do so yourself? If you need a little something tomorrow afternoon to make you forget about said slush, consider heading over to 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......

We are torn. We are not usually torn. Usually, when something makes us rather uncomfortable, we use our prerogative as a (unpaid) blogger to ignore it. We have taken great license with our Phillyist byline, in that we write about what we like and think is important; we don’t pick up on the stuff that is out of our league or seems boring to us. Hence you’ll find a lot of arty stuff, charity......

To say we like puppets is probably an understatement. What’s there not to like about talking pieces of wood? Or, for that matter, watching humans channel their emotions and desires through a manipulate-able avatar? Twilight Zone aside, it sounds like a surefire recipe for fun. The Institute for Contemporary Art obviously agrees: their new exhibit The Puppet Show, which looks at the imagery of puppets in contemporary art, opens tonight at ICA’s Winter Opening Reception......

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......

Understandably, there are no new productions opening in the next ten days. So just sing "We Need a Little Christmas" from Mame for now, and rest assured that there are several new shows opening in January. Now, on with the listings! A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant - We hear TomKat may make an appearance with Suri. Through December 30. Tickets online. Winter Musicale - Sing along, everybody! Through December 23. Call 215.785.0100 for......

This Sunday, a music legend comes to the World Cafe Live. And he's not just coming to play. Bob Mould (MySpace) will take part in a special Q&A session before performing an intimate acoustic set. Then he'll step aside for a screening of his first concert DVD, Circle of Friends. If that doesn't sound cool, there's something wrong with you. Bob Mould is, of course, the mastermind behind punk/college rock band Hüsker Dü and......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY First Friday Film Flix: Freshout and Expressway Productions present First Friday Film Fix: A Night of Genre-Defying Indie Film Shorts at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut), 7PM. $3. SATURDAY You Are Here. Honest: Performance artist Brett Keyser leads interactive expeditions in Independence National Historical Park; the group meets at the APS Museum (104 S. 5th). Requires a sign-up (email the APS Museum museum@amphilsoc.org with your name, phone number,......

Performances: A Twilight Performance of Spoon River Anthology (The Late Laureates of Laurel Hill ) (No Future Showtimes.) Pulling up the rear in this edition of the Phillyist Philly-Live-Fringical-of-Arts Diary series we celebrate the ultimate Halloween pre-game. Just in time for CVS' pre-pre-trick-or-treating candy fest comes a reading from the dead in a place of the dead with a cast and audience pretty close to death themselves (I jest, of course. Respect your elders kids!)......

Performance: Fatboy (Brat Productions) (no future performances) I'm exhausted, so it's just as well the festival is over. I know, compared to other diarists, my eight plays were nothing, but it was a lot of theatre in a very short time by my standards. And it ruled. Some of the plays were great, more were so-so. But it felt incredibly good to watch live people performing (as opposed to all those filmed people I......

Performance: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] (The Marathon Theater Collective) (Future Showtimes) This festival has been full of highly forgiving audiences, even when squeezed into a tiny theatre like the Shubin and given uncomfortable chairs reminiscent of grandma's kitchen. I guess we Philadelphians are willing to put up with some discomfort—and the occasional bad play—in our quest for good art. That's encouraging. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] I thought this one......

Performance: Grace: Kingdom (A Grateful Company) (No Future Showtimes) Remember that rain we got on Tuesday? It produced mosquitoes. A lot of mosquitoes. Word to the wise: if you're going to see a show at the CEC on 35th and Lancaster, don't stand in the grass before the house opens. Half the audience was scratching at their arms and legs. Grace: Kingdom Admittedly, my familiarity with Jeff Buckley's album Grace, on which this work was......

Performance: Trad (Inis Nua Theatre Company) (Future PLAF Showtimes; Additional Showtimes) I realized today that I've gotten to the point at which I don't know what I'm seeing anymore. I show up at the theatre I'm supposed to be at, ticket in hand, and try my damnedest to remember what the Festival guide said about the show I'm seeing: Comedy? Drama? Dance? Musical? Of course, by that point, it doesn't matter. I just have to......

Performance: Litttle Girl Blue (Pheralyn Dove a.k.a. "Lady Dove") (No future performances) The last time I'd been at the Ethical Society it was to hear an ex-Buddhist monk discuss the Dharma for the modern age. Wednesday I went to see a one woman show about an African American woman's personal and spiritual journey. Gone was the Buddha statue adorned with lit candles. In its place were the props that would help the Little Girl Blue......

Performance: Between the Pages: 3 sisters, a winged boy and a lighthouse (SCRAP Performance Group) (Future Showtimes) During college, I didn't get to see a lot of Fringe shows because so few of them were staged in University City. Now it seems that the Festival has spread far beyond Center City and Old City, and I think that SEPTA should have a special Festival pass, or the Festival should have special shuttles, so that people......

Performance: Hearts of Man (The Riot Group) (Future Showtimes) It was a Wednesday night and the crowd was thin. There were a lot of empty seats in the audience, even though there was a post-show discussion scheduled. Theatre tip: The Arcadia Stage at the Arden Theatre has poor sight lines. I was only three rows back and in the middle, and I still had to twist around in my seat to see everything that was......

Performance: An·'tis·a·lon (Kaibutsu) (Future Showtimes) One of the things I love so much about the Live Arts and Fringe Festivals is the audience who goes to see the shows. The people waiting to see these shows usually aren't your standard theatre-going audience, or, if they are, they're more relaxed than they are at more traditional shows. They talk to you while you're standing in line. They offer alternative suggestions about other shows to latecomers who......

Performance: Gatz (Elevator Repair Service) (Future performances) So I got my proverbial PLAF cherry popped the other night. Frankly, if I wasn't writing for Phillyist, I would not be attending any PLAF events. "Experimental theatre" and "performance art" are terms that generally send a shiver up my spine. But Editor Jill sat me down and we went through the catalog and a couple of shows actually piqued my interest. So here we go... Gatz Gatz......

Performance: Gatz (Part Two) (Elevator Repair Service) (Future performances) As I write this, I realize have spent more time in the last twenty-four hours sitting in theatres than I have in bed. And so begins the Festival. And it is good. Gatz As promised yesterday, this is actually going to be about Elevator Repair Service's Gatz in its entirety, even though I saw half of it on Thursday night. I'd planned on writing this diary......