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Philly vs. LA and the Cult of Sensationalism

We hate to mention the guy’s name at all, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the recent T.J. Simers piece in the LA Times lambasting Philadelphia and it’s fans, but giving only a cursory glance at the actual baseball that is scheduled to be played over the next week. We will not link this failure’s column because that is exactly what he wants, and in all fairness, we were conflicted on even giving this ass more publicity, but he needs to be called out.

Simers is not like some of the other awful sports personalities that exist. He is not in the realm of Skip Bayless, who is annoying, dimwitted, but is ultimately a harmless wuss. He is not Tim McCarver, who it seems at this point simply has a learning disability. No, T.J. Simers belongs in the worst, most dangerous, and most teeth-grinding of categories: Jackass sportswriters who take themselves too seriously.
Simers, along with Gregg Easterbrook and Howard Eskin (to name a few) are so caught up with their own cleverness and celebrity that they forget they write about friggin’ GAMES for a living and have the abject arrogance to think that what they write will somehow affect the games themselves. Simers tries to insult and sensationalize his way into controversy so people will read his rag of a column. He’s also a complete blowhard who tries to sound tough but comes across as a petulant child. People in LA even hate this guy.. like, a lot. Easterbrook thought he was actually a private investigator last year when he wrote column after column for ESPN.com basically calling for the New England Patriots to be run from the league and that he, HE, had the damning evidence to indict them. Gregg, you’re not Bob Woodward, you’re just a verbose and rambling windbag who takes eight paragraphs to say what could be said in one. You were the kind of kid who cried and took his ball home when he lost a game as a child. You are to the sports world what Lance Bass was to the Russian Space Program: a lucky mooch happy to be along for the ride. There are better careers for the Holier-Than-Thou, like Senator from Idaho. As for Howard Eskin, what else is there to be said about a pompous bootlicker who would do anything just to cozy up to a local celebrity and make people believe that he helps Jeffery Lurie and Andy Reid make personnel decisions? His verbal molestations of women on the air are not funny in an Opie & Anthony or Howard Stern kind of way, but rather sad and pathetic like an old man lecherously reaching to cop a feel of high-school tit. We’re half expecting to one day see him walk into a room with Yoo-Hoo and condoms while Chris Hansen tells him to “take a seat right over there.”

The point is, a lot of fans (myself included), listen to and read these writers for the sole purpose of being incensed, and that is exactly what they want. It’s all about readers and ratings. We should all make a concentrated effort to ignore these blowhards, because that’s the only way they’re ever truly going to go away. So T.J. Simers can talk all the shit he wants on Philadelphia, but T.J., we’d rather be “obstinate pugs” than stick-up-our-ass LA phonies who don’t show up until the 4th inning. We’d rather have our hockey team be “a bunch of bullies” than completely and utterly irrelevant. And we’d rather have a tough (albeit borderline impotent) football team than an empty stadium and a history of two NFL failures.

Most importantly, we’d rather kick your ass with homegrown talent who love the game rather than with a leftfielder who quits on his team, a manager you flew in from (gasp) New York, and a bunch of fair-weather (literally, it’s nice there) fans who want Dodger Dogs made with tofu. T.J. Simers, jump in front of a moving truck.

Phils in 6.

Image Credit: Flickr user dameetch.

Weekend Sports Notes and a Sad Night for Hockey

Things got hot in LA this weekend and it looks like we may have a real series on our hands. A few head-seeking fastballs, a little bench-clearing, and a whole lot of jawing just turned this NLCS into a tense and competitive slugfest. Game 4 is tonight. Joe Blanton is winless in Chavez Ravine this season. Derek Lowe is pitching on 3-days rest. Gear up, Philly, this could get good as the Phils try to take control in a 3-1 series, or allow the Dodgers to knot it up at 2-2.

The Eagles decided to play football yesterday and squeaked out a nail-biter against the San Francisco 49ers. The team really came through while Brian Westbrook was out of commission. The all-around effort was highlighted by great performances by Correll Buckhalter, DeSean Jackson, and David Akers. The defense stole the show, however, and proved to be the backbone of this team.

The game was also notable for Donovan McNabb writing his name down in the record books. Not only did McNabb break the record for most pass attempts in Eagles’ history, not only did he become the all-time Eagles leader in passing yards, but McNabb and Andy Reid broke a record set by Joe Montana and Bill Walsh.

Joe Montana and Bill Walsh. That wasn’t a typo.

McNabb and Reid won their 76th game together, one more than any other QB-coach combo that started their careers together.

Sure, it kind of sounds like an asinine stat, but it’s not every day you get to break a Montana/Walsh record. Congrats to Donovan and Andy.

On top of all of this, both Washington and Dallas lost yesterday, and Tony Romo is out for about a month with a broken finger. It was great that the birds took it to the Niners, but they’ll need to take advantage of these NFC East slip-ups to even have a prayer at the postseason. The Flyers opened their season with a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday night. The Orange-and-Black spotted the Rangers a 4-0 lead to start the game and put in the most abysmal first period since District-5 played the Hawks prior to Gordon Bombay’s revelation that the game is supposed to be fun.

The Flyers did rally back to get within one goal of the Blueshirts, and that showed a lot of heart and a good team dynamic, but the defensive corps of this team should really worry the fans. With Ryan Parent out for an extended period along with Randy Jones, there’s a lot of question marks on that blue line which led to Martin Biron getting hung out to dry. On first glance, first-round draft pick Luca Sbisa looked fairly impressive in his first NHL game and could learn from some veteran defenders—if we had more than one, that is. Let’s hope Kimmo Timmonen will be able to mentor the lad to prominence.

Also, we get the feeling that Ossi Vaananen is this year’s version of Jaroslav Modry, by which we mean we’ll be screaming his name at the television a lot with an expletive preceding it. We have no real factual basis for this theory, but it’s just kinda one of those feelings... like when you realize 10 seconds too late that your milk has gone bad.

Finally, and most troubling, Comcast-Spectacor Chairman and Flyers Boss man Ed Snider decided to inject politics into this years’ Flyers opener by having Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and American Dunce-Laureate, Gov. Sarah Palin drop the first puck at the home opener under the guise of “hockey-momism." Anyone who doesn’t think this was a political stunt ought to be bludgeoned over the head with a civics text book. Mr. Snider’s political leanings are well-documented, as he escorted that same Alaskan Governor to the Irish Pub back in September for the first Presidential Debate and would love the tax breaks he would get from the Geezer/Dingbat administration. What is troubling about this is how little Mr. Snider seems to care for his beloved Flyers or the fans they so often take financial advantage of.

Mr. Snider, how dare you inject politics and division into the first game of this hockey season. At a time when Flyers fans should be standing together rooting for another chance to get their hopes up and fall short, you turn them against each other based on their political beliefs. Yes, Sarah Palin was booed unmercifully by the Flyers Faithful, and rightfully so, but those few people who did cheer for the governor were then treated to condescending and mean looks from Obama supporters that they, in turn, gave right back.

The point is that it doesn’t matter whom you support for the White House, because everyone has the hockey team they all love in common. And you, Mr. Snider, drove a wedge into that.

It’s not enough you pair with Aramark, one of the most evil companies to ever sell a hot dog. It’s not enough that you priced the blue-collar fans who made hockey what it is RIGHT out of the game. It’s not enough that you decided to tear down the Spectrum, perhaps the greatest venue to watch a hockey game still standing, in favor of that soulless monstrosity you call an arena. No, none of that was enough. For the fans that did fork over the ghastly price you require for tickets, they had to be treated to your naïve political charade that cast an uncomfortable pall around many areas of the Wachovia Center.

The most tragic part of this is that you should know better, Mr. Snider. You used to understand this city and this sport. There was a time when you once understood that luxury and opulence have no place in hockey. But perhaps you’ve been among the privileged for too long, Mr. Snider. The Spectrum, for instance, would offer a true home-ice advantage to the team you claim to love so much. If you truly cared more for the team’s success than your own, then you would find a way to blow up the Wachovia Center, put “Philly Live” in that parking lot, and make the Spectrum the Fenway Park of hockey. But then you sacrifice luxury boxes and posh client meetings. You know, all those things that kids fantasize about when they’re skating around on frozen ponds.

You lost touch, Mr. Snider, and you lost the faith. You proved that when you made the Flyers a cash cow instead of the relatable local team that hung out with fans at Kaminsky’s in Cherry Hill. You proved it when you decided to euthanize the Spectrum. And you proved it by forcing Sarah Palin down our throats and then trying to drown out the boos with music. To think that blue-collar fans of a blue-collar sport in a town like Philly would actually buy this tripe is insulting. You put politics ahead of the fans and you expected us to buy it. It’s a damn insult, Mr. Snider, and you should be ashamed.

This should be infuriating, but it isn’t. It’s just sad. It’s sad to think that a dad and his son, forget a family of four, have to shell out 200 bucks to go to a game. It’s sad that the biggest booster the regular fan once had is now a shill for greedy corporate pigs. It’s sad that we won’t be able to take our kids to the same arena where we got to see Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, and Roy play Roenick, LeClair, Recchi, Hextall, and Primeau. It’s just sad that we have to go to a game now and put our politics before our hockey team.

So thanks for that, Mr. Snider. And by the way, I think I owe you $45 for a dog and a beer.

Image Credit: Flickr user neat1325

Getting Hammered!

The last successful invasion of Los Angeles was in 1990 when West Philadelphian (born and raised) Will Smith conquered Bel-Air and ruled for six years as its Fresh Prince alongside his loyal friend, Duke of Silver Spoons, Carlton Banks.

Last night, a Canadian and a Hawaiian put the City of Brotherly Love one more offensive away from winning the Battle of LA.

The story of the night is how Matt Stairs and Shane Victorino launched moonshots into right field to come from behind late in the game and put the game in the win column for the Phils. Well, at least it should be, but if you ask Phillies closer Brad Lidge, he seems to think it’s just another day at the ballpark.

"I don't care if we're down by 10 runs. If there's two innings left, we just believe that somehow, some way, we're going to catch up. No matter how many runs we're down by, I'm still thinking I'm going to come into the game," Lidge said.

That’s the team dynamic that wins championships. The confidence, fortitude, and desire to never quit the fight until the last out is what makes this group so endearing, and epic October moments like these are what we, as fans, live for.

Unfortunately, our dear friend Mr. Lidge didn’t have the quote of the day. That honor belongs to home-run hero Matt Stairs who said that he was excited to get the dugout pumped up, jumping around, and generally forming a mini-mosh pit. Stairs accentuated that sentiment by adding this future T-shirt slogan:

“Getting your [butt] hammered by guys, there’s no better feeling.”

I’m sure the Dodgers are feeling the same way, Matt.

Photo snapped before Monday's game at Dodger Stadium by Flickr user jondoeforty1.

Painting the Town Red

This Phillyist must admit to missing most of last night's game. Depressed and tired, with the Phillies down by two, she fell asleep early in the fourth inning, only to wake up and find the home team victorious.

Hmmm... Maybe Phillyist staff sleeping = good luck for the Phillies?

The Hockey Mom Cometh

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin, the original "Hockey Mom," brings her only expertise to the Wachovia Center this Saturday to drop the first puck as part of the Flyers' Season Opener against the New York Rangers. While this is a brilliant bit of publicity on behalf of the Flyers, it is more a continuation of Ms. Palin's involvement with a team that likes to play dirty. Only the Flyers usually win.

Rumor has it, Plain was the second choice as Ed Snider really wanted Joe Lieberman.

Ms. Palin will join the winner of the Flyers' regional search for the "Ultimate Hockey Mom" contest at center ice for the ceremonial opening face off. No word on how she'll work "William Ayers" into the event.

Philadelphia Flyers Home Opener
Wachovia Center
Saturday, October 11th 7PM
Tickets

Image Credit: Flickr user bobster1985

A Few Pre-Game Notes

You gotta give Derek Lowe some credit for taking it like a man. After his sinkerball silenced the Phillies’ bats for five innings, he hung a few up in the zone and suddenly the Dodgers were trailing the game. Even though those homers were just over the wall, he didn’t blame the ballpark. Even though Shane Victorino only got on base in the sixth because of a botched play by Rafael Furcal, Lowe didn’t fume and call out his players like John Lackey did in the Angels-Red Sox series.

No, Derek Lowe blamed himself, saying, “It’s a hitter’s park, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pitch a good game.” He talked about second-guessing his decisions and, in the end, called last night’s Game 1 a “what-if game.”

Classy move from a classy guy. We hope he doesn’t win another ballgame in 2008, but still, classy move.The Brewers, Dodgers, and Angels have all bungled games this postseason thanks to shaky defense, but only because the Phillies and Red Sox capitalized on those miscues. That will have to keep up if the Phillies want to advance, and you get the sense that these guys have a great sense of the moment.

Our condolences to Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel, whose mother, June, passed away today. Manuel will manage tonight’s game, but did not speak with the media today. Our best wishes go out to the Manuel family.

Lots to look for in today’s Game 2. Did that two-run dinger wake up Chase Utley’s bat? Can Brett Myers continue his post-season success? Is Pat Burrell the Phillies’ Mr. October? Some of these will be answered later today and more questions, still will arise. Such as, how loud will this city get after 3 more wins?

Also, a certain Phillyist will be attending tomorrow's Flyers home opener where a certain female vice-presidential candidate will be dropping the first puck. A look at that little adventure on Monday but, to be fair, nothing that woman could do (short of communicating some semblance of a coherent thought) would surprise us at this point.

Fun Tidbit of the Day: Bill Simmons was asked what he thought about Andy Reid by a reader from Philly and it seems as if the Sports Guy is the lone nation sports figure who shares the thoughts of the Philly Faithful on this matter. Here's a snippet:

Q: On behalf of every Eagles fan, can you please be the one media guy who doesn't suck up to Andy Reid and point out all the reasons why he sucks and needs to either resign or start smoking? The man either needs more oxygen or more nicotine. Thanks in advance. -- Randy, South Philly
SG: I'd be delighted! Reid is like Art Shell with a better PR staff. He makes terrible decisions at the worst possible times. His players make boneheaded mistakes (like the DeSean Jackson spike, or McNabb's pathetic eight-minute drill in Super Bowl XXXIX) and nobody ever blames him. He doesn't seem to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his players even remotely, as we witness every week when poor David Akers is forced to try 50-yard field goals with a 43-yard leg and their crappy offensive line is forced to keep ramming it down someone's throat on third-and-1. His clock management has always been horrendous -- always -- even back when the Eagles were going to the NFC title game every year.

Read the rest of it here.

Bill sounds like an adopted Philadelphian here. It’s about time someone on the big stage finally noticed what this overrated clown was doing with our football team. Ah well, the Good Lord saw fit to bless us with the Phillies, he also gave us the festering wound that is the Eagles.

Win some, lose some. Now let’s kick some Dodger ass!

Image Credit: Flickr user The G-Tastic 7.

America's Favorite Hockey Mom

But clearly not Philadelphia's.

Whiz of the Web: Tuesday Torpedoes

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you.

Some interesting entertainment news tidbits from Cinematical: production of Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter may or may not be in trouble, depending on who you believe; a theme park in the UK is going to have a ride based on the Saw films; and there are some new pics of Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac in Soul Men.

Mel Gibson has apparently said no to Lethal Weapon 5. Whew.

You can watch a new clip from Punisher War Zone (introduced by the director) over on the official site. It's actually not all that great; it's dark, it's not always easy to tell what's going on, and the music is pretty dumb. Still, we remain vaguely interested in the film. (Via)

Infogrames now officially fully owns Atari. We hope Joystiq's guess is right and that Infogrames will now change its name to Atari. Infogrames is a terrible name for a company.

A last handful of links on the Tokyo Game Show: although business attendance was down, public attendance was up; a photo gallery of the cosplayers at the show; more info, pics, and video from Castlevania Judgment; and a trailer from that other Castlevania game, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has apparently been rated by the ESRB for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Even elephants are texting now.

Wired rates Obama and McCain on the important issues: geek issues!

A proposal and acceptance over Twitter. Oh, you silly kids.

Two expansion packs are already on their way for Spore.

At some point, World of Warcraft will be adding paid character customizations in the form of microtransactions.

Some fun pics from the set of Max Payne.

Wii Fanboy picks the top 5 tear-jerker moments from video games.

Ooh, Circuit City has a buy one Wii game, get one 50% off deal going on now through Saturday.

Well, that explains a lot. Maybe the Republicans should change their campaign slogan to "Embrace Change."

Jones Soda is putting out some cute limited edition Halloween monster-themed cans, available exclusively at Target.

Image Credit: Flickr user jeremydeades

Proofreading Philly

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 Christopher Wawak writes:

Saw this on the far west exit on the Frankford bound El platform @ 15th street.

Elecrical indeed.

Monday Manners: Election Edition

This is not a column about politics.

This is not a column about politics because, honestly, I'd be just as annoyed—pissed, even—if Obama's supporters shouted "off with her head!" or "terrorist!" when he mentioned Sarah Palin at a campaign rally and he did nothing to quiet them.

Politics are never nice, but this election is getting particularly nasty, in a bloodcurdling, hateful way.

Attack somebody for his experience. Criticize someone for her platform. Hell: bring to light all of a candidate's friends and all of the awful things that those people have said or done. But when you insinuate that a person is a bad or disloyal American based only on his middle name (the 57th most common name in the Arabic-speaking world, by the way) or because he has some loose association with a former leftist organizer who now happens to work with both political parties on matters of education reform, and then your supporters begin to call for his death and you don't stop them or correct them... you're not just playing politics, you're supporting hate.

And this isn't limited to the political arena. As I've mentioned before, most, if not all of us, have pre-conceived notions about people based on race, class, or religion. And that's fine; nobody can tell you what to think. But when you express these feelings in a large group of people, and your statement goes unchecked, that's when things move from ignorance to hate to worse. When a teacher overhears the class bully calling another boy in the class "a fag," he is just as obligated to step in and say something as Sarah Palin was to quiet her supporters who were calling for Barack Obama's death. The only difference? In the real world, we're not looking for votes, and the teacher who stops a grade-school gay-bashing ultimately has a lot less to lose than the politician running for the second-highest office in the nation.

Why? Why do politicians feel they have to play it safe, fear they'll alienate their voters if they take a stand against hateful speech? Why not alienate the damn voters? Would you want a person like that voting for you? I know I wouldn't.

Let's not take the lead from our politicians. They are not being polite or well-mannered when they stay quiet. They're being the worst kind of rude, like a blown-up version of those parents who let their children run around restaurants and movie theatres, unchecked. Because somebody has to encourage good behavior, and it looks like it's going to fall to us.

Photo illustrating our point posted to Flickr with complete sincerity by user andrew lopez.

The Indigo Ball

The William Way LGBT Community Center (1315 Spruce Street) held its 2008 Indigo Ball on Friday, October 10th at the Grand Ballroom at the Bellevue Park Hyatt in Philadelphia. The event was sponsored by Wachovia and included a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner, and dancing. The William Way Community Center seeks to encourage, support, and advocate for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities through service, recreational, educational, and cultural programming.

Text and photos by Karen Cornell

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Yo, Philly in the News

With the great clash between Philly and LA coming up tonight, it's time to compare the cities and start trading barbs. (Meanwhile, as the Eagles seem to drift further and further from a championship, they at least have phone sex with Playboy Playmates to console them.)

This weekend a number of political superstars will be coming to the region, including Sarah Palin, who'll be dropping the first puck at the Flyers' regular-season opener at the Wachovia Center.

The lawyer for the lead defendant in the Fort Dix terrorism trial is trying to keep prosecutors from playing videos found on his client's computer that show Muslim terrorists beheading their victims.

A caller told police last night that he had placed multiple bombs along the Route 309 corridor just south of Lehigh County. Investigators searched shopping centers, a Wendy's restaurant, and a Hess Oil station in Upper Bucks County. Nothing was found by late last night, but investigators said they would continue checking until each establishment mentioned by the caller was cleared.

Temple University students living in as many as 60 off-campus houses in North Philadelphia may get eviction notices in the next two weeks.

"The former chief of staff to the House Majority leader Bill DeWeese testified in a Dauphin County court this morning that DeWeese knew and approved taxpayer-funded bonuses to Democratic staffers for campaign work."

A Bollywood movie will be filmed this weekend in Center City near 16th and Market Streets. Apparently we can expect FBI helicopters overhead and the sounds of gunfire.

Mayor Nutter warned yesterday that the gap in Philadelphia's five-year spending plan could reach $850 million. He immediately froze budgeted $1,100 bonuses for 4,500 nonunion employees and promised a more comprehensive plan to deal with the deficit by month's end.

A bill targeting illegal purchases of firearms won unanimous approval yesterday in both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature. Governor Rendell has promised to sign the bill. He also said he'd sign a bill intended to dramatically improve the care and treatment of dogs kept in Pennsylvania's larger commercial kennels.

That Mormon temple will apparently be built on North Broad Street.

The fight over that Valley Forge museum may not be over yet.

Joe Galiano, owner of the Suburban Armory on MacDade Boulevard, is angry that the young men who stole guns from his store in August are getting off with what is essentially a slap on the wrist. It's not the only story in the news this morning about anger over a criminal being let off easy.

Mayor Nutter's top advisers on casinos and city planning will attend a Chinatown meeting tonight mostly to listen to concerns about the planned Foxwoods casino.

Police arrested three people Monday night in two drug busts in South and West Philadelphia that netted close to $50,000 in drugs and cash.

Image Credit: Flickr user Ingorrr

Thursday Ticket Update

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Thursday post only collects the latest announcements, so definitely check the Tuesday post for any you may have missed.

Ozzmosis
Chameleon Club, Lancaster
Fri, 11/7/08, 9PM
$8
On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster

Strutter
Chameleon Club, Lancaster
Fri, 11/14/08, 9PM
$8
On sale: Today, 10AM, Ticketmaster

Usher
Electric Factory
Wed, 11/5/08, 8:30PM
$77
On sale: Fri, 10AM, Ticketmaster

Anthony Hamilton
Electric Factory
Fri, 11/14/08, 8:30PM
$35
On sale: Fri, 10AM, Ticketmaster

Jorge Celedon & Jimmy Zambrano
Resorts Atlantic City
Fri, 10/31/08, 9PM; Sat, 11/1/08, 9PM
$40-$55
On sale: Sat, 10AM, Ticketmaster (Fri show, Sat show)

Lil Wayne
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City
Sat, 11/1/08, 8PM
$55-$150
On sale: Sat, 10AM, Ticketmaster

Blind Melon
Crocodile Rock, Allentown
Mon, 11/10/08, 7PM
$12
On sale: Sat, 10AM, Ticketmaster

We don't claim that these are all the shows going on sale this week. If there's an event missing that you think should be here, either post it in the comments, or let us know via email.

Image Credit: Flickr user marfis75

Frugal Fun Alert: Thursday

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Horror with a Twist: October screenings from Andrew's Video Vault, with the theme ''What do we do with the killers we create?'' and featuring Body Snatchers (1993), Uncle Sam (1996), and The Ravager (1970) at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut), 8PM. Free

Memories…: Screening of Election Day, combining 11 stories shot on November 2, 2004, at the Painted Bride (230 Vine), 7PM. $10

Martha!: The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret every second Thursday at L'Etage (624 S 6th), 9PM. $10

Igor's Egg: Igor's Egg, The Skylar King, and Jason Roth at Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave), 9PM. Free

Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and share the wealth!

You're Watching Tonight, Right?

Go Phils!

Cheap Laughs

Everybody has one of those friends who's so funny, people tell him he ought to do stand-up. We have one, too: former Phillyist Neil McGarry. Only Neil, unlike most such guys, took the plunge and actually went into stand-up. And that's fun for everyone. This Friday night, Neil has put together something called The 1-4-5 Show, which is one hour's worth of entertainment from four local comedians (Carolyn Busa, Mike Eiswerth, Katie Kohler, and Neil himself) that'll only cost you five bucks! That's hard to beat. You can check out the embedded video of one of Neil's previous performances for a preview of what's to come, then swing on by Joe Coffee Bar around 7 tomorrow night to enjoy the show.

The 1-4-5 Comedy Show
Joe Coffee Bar (1100 Walnut St.)
Fri, 10/10/08
Doors at 6:30PM, show at 7PM
$5

PAWS Dog of the Week

Help PAWS earn money so that it can continue to do its incredible work! Follow this link and vote for PAWS. You can vote once a day, and after all, it is election season, so vote early, vote often!

Check out the PAWS Photo Exhibit and Silent Auction, going on now through Saturday at the Shops at Liberty Place!

Also, on October 25, PAWS will host its Second Annual Mutt Strut at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. All proceeds from the Mutt Strut support PAWS's lifesaving efforts, so grab a four-legged friend and register for the Strut!

Automus (ID# A05997829)

Automus is a 1 to 3 year old boy who came to the shelter as a stray. He's in need of some TLC, as he's underweight still in the process of being trained. He's learned how to sit, but could use some more guidance so that he can reach his full potential. But with a loving home where he'll get some good meals and good instruction, Automus could make a wonderful companion.

If you'd like to save Automus, e-mail natalie@phillypaws.org. The adoption fee for a PAWS dog is $40, plus an $8 city license fee if you live in Philadelphia. The fee includes spaying/neutering, which will be performed before your new companion comes home with you, and microchipping. Also, make note of Automus's ID number above, and bring it with you when you go to the PAWS shelter, which is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave (map).

Image via PAWS.

Foodsday Tuesday: Pomodoro Pork

DiBruno Bros. is a really dangerous place for me. I visited their Center City location yesterday because I was in the neighborhood and I thought maybe I'd pick up some fresh pasta. I was planning on making a quick pomodoro sauce to go with it... and then I got inspired. What I ended up serving alongside the porterhouse steak I ended up buying at DiBruno's (not part of the original plan, but it just looked so good) still resembled pasta pomodoro in the end... only better. The combination of crispy proscuitto and fresh goat cheese lend the dish an interesting texture, and the red wine helps the dish to have a more robust flavor. Recipe, or an approximation thereof, is below.

CASARECCE POMODORO WITH PROSCUITTO AND GOAT CHEESE
Four servings of casarecce pasta, cooked and tossed with olive oil to avoid sticking
1-1/2 lbs. Roma tomatoes, chopped
Red chili pepper flake-infused olive oil (method after the jump; can use regular olive oil if you don't want the heat)
5 cloves garlic (or more, to taste)
1 small handful pine nuts
1/4 lb. Proscuitto di Parma, sliced into strips
1/4 lb. Soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 to 1/2 c. Red wine (I used pinot noir)
Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt, pepper, dried Italian seasoning to taste

Heat heavy-bottomed sauce pan, then add enough red pepper-infused oil to coat cooking surface. When oil begins to smoke, add garlic and pine nuts. Heat until browned, stirring constantly. Without lowering heat, add proscuitto. Cook until proscuitto begins to crisp, then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat. Cover pan and let simmer for ten minutes, until a liquid base has formed. Add wine, turn heat back up and re-cover pan. Just before sauce begins to boil, reduce heat and add casarecce, stirring until the pasta is coated with sauce. Remove from heat and serve onto individual plates, topping with basil. Drizzle lightly with infused oil, then sprinkle goat cheese over the plate. Serve immediately. Stir goat cheese and basil into pasta while eating.

Make your own red pepper-infused olive oil. Instructions after the jump!RED PEPPER FLAKE OLIVE OIL
Infusing olive oil is usually pretty easy, depending on what you're infusing it with. To make a spicy, chili-infused oil, sprinkle a liberal portion of red chili pepper flakes into a saucepan and cover with olive oil. Heat the mixture for a few minutes (you'll know when it's done because you'll start to smell the chili cooking), then remove from heat immediately. Allow to cool and then transfer to a jar or bottle. You can use the olive oil with the pepper flakes as a bread-dipping oil, or strain the flakes out of the oil for cooking. (You'll especially want to strain the flakes out if you're using the oil to brown or sautee food. They lend the food a really bitter aftertaste if they burn or fry in the oil.)

Image Credit: Flickr user Merelymel13

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Title: Bruce Springsteen for Obama on the Parkway
Photographer: chrisinphilly5448
Location: The Boss performing free on the Parkway this past weekend for a Barack Obama rally and voter registration.

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CinePhillyist Reviews... Body of Lies

In the movie Lakeview Terrace, released two weeks ago, Samuel L. Jackson is told by a neighbor that at least housing prices should continue to rise. That line of dialogue, innocuous enough when written, instantly places the movie as a relic of the hazily-remembered golden days of last summer, when subprime mortgages and those who securitized them saw no end in sight. Body of Lies is equally ill-served by the time-lag involved in movie production.

In a moment in history where the dominant narrative tells us that the surge is working and people use the terms “carnage,” “collapse,” and “crisis” to describe Bear Stearns rather than Baghdad, Body of Lies is about Iraq and the war on terror. To make matters worse, the movie comes with an armful of earnest policy prescriptions like Hollywood’s answer to the Iraq Study Group, eschewing the potential timelessness of great cinema in exchange for the incessant topicality of latter-day Law & Order. Like the show, Body of Lies is ripped from the headlines. Last year’s headlines.

That commitment to immediacy is apparent the second you see Leonardo DiCaprio, who looks scruffier here than he ever did playing the infamously razor-averse Howard Hughes. Alas, the beard, and the scars that continually criss-cross DiCaprio's face, are doing most of the work. They signify his willingness to delve into a character rather than forming a character. Russell Crowe, as DiCaprio’s CIA handler in Langley, has a similar problem. Crowe’s introduced in a wonderful scene where he undertakes a tricky negotiation with a potential double agent while simultaneously getting his children ready in the morning; it’s disappointing, then, when the movie makes clear that there’s nothing to the character aside from an amiable bloodlessness. Only Mark Strong, as the imperious Jordanian spymaster Hani Salaam, is able to give his character any inner life.

Screenwriter William Monahan brilliantly adapted the Hong Kong action film Infernal Affairs into The Departed, marrying his facility with dialogue and a sense of verisimilitude to the strong structure of the original. The novel, by all appearances, was not nearly as helpful. Body of Lies is a sloppy piece of work that spends well over an hour displaying Monahan’s facility with national security jargon before deciding that perhaps a story might be a good thing to have. That’s only a mixed blessing, however, as whatever sense of verisimilitude the movie has established is undercut by a plot that requires our allegedly experienced CIA hand to act as if he thought Muslim was a kind of fabric.

Ridley Scott is not much help in this regard either; he ends up giving the proceedings a schizophrenic feel. Scott has always over-directed his material, so that even a low-key con man movie like Matchstick Men is coated in an impersonal sheen for no conceivable reason. That temptation is in constant struggle with his desire to impart a sense of shaky-cam you-are-there immediacy, the result being something like the most hardcore Lexus commercial you’ve ever seen. The sight of Leonardo DiCaprio being brutally tortured is not as jarring as the cut immediately following to what appears to be the desert vistas of an early ‘00s Sting video. Like everything else about this movie, he’s trying too hard.

Image Credit: Warner Brothers Pictures

Frugal Fun Alert: Tuesday

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Mural Arts: Exhibition of "Listen Up: Young Artists Have Something to Say About Domestic Violence," part of the Mural Arts Program, at ArtJaz Gallery (53 N 2nd), 6PM

Get Ready: Peoplehood Community Build in preparation for Spiral Q’s Peoplehood parade at their Puppet Theater and Living Loft Puppet Museum (3114 Spring Garden), 6PM. Free

New Orleans: Reception and film screenings of Belly of the Basin and Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans at the International House (3701 Chestnut), 7PM. $10

Furry?: Bearsuit and Milton and the Devils Party at M Room (15 W Girard), 8PM. $8

Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and share the wealth!

PAWS Cat of the Week

Help PAWS earn money so that it can continue to do its incredible work! Follow this link and vote for PAWS. You can vote once a day, and after all, it is election season, so vote early, vote often!

Lovelorn (ID# A0559349)

Lovelorn is a sweet, big ol' girl who's a lot of cat with a lot of love to give. She's an adult cat, 6 to 10 years old, and is pretty mellow. If introduced properly, she'll get along with other cats, but Lovelorn does like her space and privacy. If you have a windowsill that's in need of a sunbathing kitty, Lovelorn might be your girl.

If you'd like to save Lovelorn, e-mail alamond@phillypaws.org. The adoption fee for a PAWS cat is $40. The fee includes spaying/neutering, which will be performed before your new companion comes home with you, and microchipping. Also, make note of Lovelorn's ID number above, and bring it with you when you go to the PAWS adoption center, which is located at 100 N. 2nd Street (the corner of 2nd and Arch).

Image via PAWS.

Frugal Fun Alert: Wednesday

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

What is the What Now?: Whenever Wednesday Lecture: “What is Contemporary?” at the Institute of Contemporary Art (36th and Sansom), 7PM. Free

Metal and Wood: Dolce Suono Chamber Music Concert Series: Metal and Wood Band Redux at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut), 7:30PM. Free

Party!: 4th Anniversary Party featuring $4 food and booze, and Sea Trio, Butane Variation, That Toga Band, Do You Need The Service?, and Autosuggestion at World Café Live (3025 Walnut), 7PM. Free

Quizzo Mania: Get your Quizzo on at 12 Steps Down (831 Christian), 9PM; The Black Sheep (247 S. 17th), 8PM; Dirty Frank’s (13th and Pine), 9PM; Dr. Watson's (216 S. 11th), 9PM; Grey Lodge (6235 Frankford), 7PM; National Mechanics (22 S. 3rd), 8PM; and Manny Brown’s (512 South), 9PM. Free

Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and share the wealth!