For the first time in almost ten years, fewer people in the Philadelphia area are predicted to travel 50 miles or more this Fourth of July weekend than did the previous year. The change is believed to be due to high gas prices, increases in the price of food, and other expenses. And it's probably just as well, because cops are hiding out there on the roads in PennDOT trucks, ready to tip off other......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Guillermo Del Toro dropped some more hints about what we can expect from the one or two Hobbit movies he's going to direct. Check out Pixar's first short film. More pics from Scorsese's upcoming film, Ashecliffe. An upcoming film version of King Lear is set to star Anthony Hopkins as the titular king and Naomi Watts, Keira Knightley,......

"On the last day of the fiscal year, Gov. Rendell and legislative leaders struck a deal on a $28.2 billion state budget, averting a repeat of last year's employee furlough and partial government shutdown." The Inquirer examines what it meant (for the players and their families) for a team from Camden's Cramer Hill neighborhood to play T-ball on the White House lawn yesterday. A Daily News reporter gets a few minutes with John McCain.......

The 76ers drafted Marreese Speights, a 6'10", 250-pound center from Florida, with their only pick in the draft last Thursday. Speights is only 20 years old, and is a bit of a mystery entering the draft as a sophomore who had little college experience, having playing time blocked by NBA lotto-picks Al Horford and Joakim Noah. The pick is hard to project based on his experience. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas mentioned (in the 30 seconds......

Photograph of one of the man-made waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge by Jake Dobkin Gothamist enjoyed watching New York City's latest big public art project--four multi-story man-made waterfalls--rise up in East River and the debate about whether it's art or folly (but they sure look pretty at night).Londonist handed out advice on how to queue for Wimbledon tickets, then embarked on a gruelling fact-finding tour of drinking-holes at the capital's main terminus rail stations.Seattlest......

We want to remind everyone that this is absolutely not gay. (~Stewie Griffin)......

The Eagles’ single game tickets went on sale today at 10 AM. Birds fans across the nation sat white-knuckled at their keyboards staring at Ticketmaster’s website around 9:42 AM. Were you shut out? You’re not alone; here is a recreation of what happened…......

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. Phillyist reader James found these two outstandingly un-proofread headlines on philly.com over the weekend. The first, a spelling error, proves that Hooked on Phonics worked too well for somebody. The......

Remember, Eagles fans: tickets go on sale this morning at 10AM. The Inquirer offers tips on how to score some for yourself. Today is Philadelphia City Council's last meeting before summer break, so they're going to try to make decisions on a lot of leftover items at the last minute, including proposals to hike fines for littering, privatize the city's sludge plant, take control of Fairmount Park, force contractors to keep sidewalks open during construction......

You know it's bad when the dry cleaning lady gives you a disapproving look and tells you she can't guarantee success on the first try. REAL PIRATES AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE Well, sort of. Their historically significant stories and wares are on display over at the Franklin Institute. The exhibit specifically features artifacts from the Whydah, including a full-size replica of the ship. The show runs until 8pm tonight, so you'll have time to head......

City Controller Alan Butkovitz will release an audit of the city's recreation centers and playgrounds in an 11:30AM press conference today. Charter schools in the city of Chester seem to be successful, but the school district is having a hard time coping with the drain they put on available resources. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission will hold the first of two scheduled public hearings today on the proposed closing of two troubled city......

Happy Portugal Day! ANDRE DUBUS III: THE GARDEN OF LAST DAYS We had to list this reading/signing because we had heard on NPR that the novel is about "terrorists and strippers." The author himself is most notable for coming down with a severe case of fame after Oprah implored her minions to read The House of Sand and Fog and they did so, in rabid droves. According to the Library's web site, a group of......

Philadelphia public and parochial schools plan to maintain regular hours today, but some schools in the surrounding area are closing or having early dismissals due to the excessive heat. Click through for the full list. A bunch of insane people actually had a bike race in Manayunk this past weekend, and other insane people actually went outside to watch it. Uh, whatever. We were inside keeping cool. The Inquirer discusses Mayor Street's already fading legacy.......

Photo by Anthony Macaluso/AnimalNY Gothamist was shocked when someone scaled the 52-story New York Times building's exterior on Thursday. And then Gothamist was shocked again when a second person scaled the building six hours later.Shanghaiist was amused by a wild and wacky publicity stunt by a Chinese acupuncturist who stuck 2,008 needles in his head to welcome the Olympics.Torontoist featured dozens of dramatic photos from Newmindspace's downtown pillow fight.Phillyist encouraged its readers to foster......

Camden Riversharks vs. Lancaster Barnstormers Sorry, but we like our Phillies on the TV. We look across the pond to the Camden Riversharks to get our ballpark fix. With cheap tickets, marginally cheaper beer, and the blessed relief of not being too invested in the game’s outcome, the Sharks offer a good night out. Parking is cheap too, but if you have to hoof it PATCO and the Riverlink aren’t too far away. If you......

As promised, yesterday Mayor Nutter announced his plan to combat homelessness. Click through for the details. The 14-year-old Lansdowne boy accused of stabbing his older brother to death over a video game has admitted to voluntary manslaughter. The judge will determine his sentence at a hearing on June 5th; he faces a maximum of seven years of supervision until he reaches age 21. The polo team from the acclaimed equestrian program on Chamounix Drive in......

Gothamist was enraptured by the Telectroscope, supposedly developed from a "forgotten tunnel connecting New York to London."SFist, after providing a practical map of liquor stores near the historically naked/tipsy Bay to Breakers marathon route last week, saw itself this week get blamed by the San Francisco Chronicle when the race devolved into an even messier urine and booze free-for-all.Torontoist featured some amazing time-lapse videos of their city—from their skyline during Earth Hour, to a......

Lots of people consider me handsome. Let me rephrase that, lots of WOMEN consider me handsome. When I walk down Walnut Street, specifically the phashionable and trendy corridor between Broad and 20th Streets, I can pheel women undressing me with their eyes. I can’t miss the sudden stopping in their tracks as I pass, bodies turning to see if my going is as good as my coming. I even get the occasional wolf whistle, which......

Do you all stay in your apartments and houses weeping of boredom when we leave you hanging? Do you sit at home bleary-eyed, wondering just what it is that you can't miss? We hate to hurt you, and we'll never do it again. Until the next time. WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP CLASS You may not be America's Next Top Model, but that doesn't mean you have to leave the house looking like a sideshow. Hurry up......

What to Watch: It's the Flyers vs. the Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at 7:30pm on Versus. Bad news for the Orange and Black: Kimmo Timonen has a blood clot in his left ankle. The Flyers' best defensemen will likely miss this series and possibly the remainder of the playoffs, a huge blow to the Flyers' chances of shutting down Sidney Crosby and the high-flying Pens. But hey, they've dealt with......

We bring you the buzz from the 215 blogs this week. The Clog is recruiting Flyers fans in Pittsburgh for a bit of mischief. We assume this is in response to something some Pittsburgh person did to slight our fair city and/or our hockey team, but this Phillyist isn't enough of a sports fan to know these things. Anyway, The Clog forgot step three: take a picture (it'll last longer). PSoTD noted that the military......

The Flyers start their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. No word yet if Philly area Papa John's will hand out Sidney Crosby #87 "crybaby" t-shirts. The Phils won their weekend series with the San Francisco Giants on a fielding error and Ryan Howard's chugging frog splash into home. Philadelphia starts a four game set tonight with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold the best record in the majors. Lito Sheppard......

If they don't win tonight, they're out of the playoffs. So we'll have our fingers crossed. Meanwhile, how 'bout them Flyers, huh? Anyone else see the last five minutes of last night's game?......

The Pistons blew out the Sixers last night 98-81, putting Philadelphia at the brink of elimination. But, the big story from the game was Samuel Dalembert’s new coif. Sammy shaved a fresh mohawk before Tuesday’s game, with the initials “SD” on the side. “SD” stands for “Samuel Dalembert” and “strong defense” according to Sixers play-by-play man Marc Zumoff. Sammy’s nemesis Rasheed Wallace went for 19 points, 6 boards and 6 blocks, so Dalembert might just......

"No - no words. No words to describe it. Poetry! They should've sent a poet. So beautiful. So beautiful..." - Ellie Arroway, talking about the amazing spring day we have here in Philadelphia. OPEN STAGE NIGHT AT COMEDY CABARET You know the deal. Show up and pound a few so you can convince yourself that people want to see you try to sing or be funny or do that weird thing where you put......

In last year’s NFL Draft, the Eagles traded out of the first round and selected QB of the future Kevin Kolb with the 36th overall pick, leaving many fans underwhelmed. What would they do in 2008? Trade out of the first round to take a DT, leaving many fans underwhelmed. Hey, at least they’re consistent. Evaluating the NFL draft past, say, the 20th pick is like trying to handicap a middle school frog race. And......

Have you been outside yet? It's raining Mondays! BASEBALL: THE MELTING POT It's as good a day as any to discuss some baseball. The National Constitution Center will host this event, emceed by Jayson Stark and including speakers on topics including the Negro Leagues and Japanese baseball. With the summer creeping up on us, it's not a bad idea to look back at the beginnings of a sport that has displayed many of the......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: New Play Reading: Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company stages a reading of company member Paul Parente’s Rage of Achilles at the Philadelphia Art Alliance (251 S 18th), 7PM. Free If You Didn’t Get Enough Baseball This Weekend:The National Constitution Center presents baseball historians discussing the place of the game in American culture at the Kirby Auditorium (525 Arch), 6:30PM. Free Digital Leather: Digital Leather, Faux Slang, El Diablos Blancos,......

"A man who was being evicted from his apartment in Yeadon, Delaware County, yesterday pulled a gun and shot the constable who served the eviction notice and the apartment manager, police said. The gunman fled into Southwest Philadelphia and hid in a rowhouse at 1846 Conestoga St, but a host of cops tracked him down and arrested him as he attempted to get away out the back door." The wounded men were listed in critical......

So much for David; it seems the Sixers awoke a sleeping Goliath. The Pistons, who lacked their trademark intensity in game one, responded last night with a 105-88 rout at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Philadelphia shot a dismal 39.5%, trailed big the entire game and had their top scorers held in check by Detroit's stifling defense. We love Lou Williams, but when a bench player is your top scorer in a playoff game, it's......