[Illustration by ALEX FINE] It wasn’t very long ago that we saw Porter Wagoner onstage at Madison Square Garden, singing, playing guitar, sparkling like a sapphire. We feel even luckier now having made the trip to NYC, and as always, are stunned how fast cancer can take a life. [via CITIZEN MOM] LA TIMES: Porter Wagoner, 80 PREVIOUSLY: Porter Wagoner + The White Stripes, Live At Madison Square Gardens PREVIOUSLY: The Wagonmaster’s Comin’ PORTER WAGONER & THE WILLIS BROTHERS: I’ll Fly Away
MEDIA: FEAR OF A HOMELESS PLANET
BY JEFF DEENEY I was struck by a sense of déjà vu while looking at the Sunday Inquirer. They’ve gotten around to noting, once again, that the numbers of homeless men and women living on the streets — especially on the Parkway — are on the rise. Funny, if you remember this article from a little more than a year ago, you’ll notice that they’re essentially the same story, almost verbatim. Last year, the focus was on whether or not charity groups should be able to feed the homeless on the Parkway, and this year the focus is on a […]
QUESTION THE PARKING AUTHORITY: Stop Piracy!
BY PATRICK KERKSTRA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER When it comes to ruthless efficiency in local government, the Philadelphia Parking Authority would seem peerless. With an army of blue-uniformed parking enforcers blanketing Philadelphia each day, the agency has become one of the nation’s most aggressive towing, booting and ticket-writing juggernauts since state Republicans took control of it in 2001. The authority slaps nearly 1.6 million violation notices on the windshields of Philadelphia drivers annually, a 35 percent increase over 2001. Nearly 50,000 vehicles are towed, more than double the old figure. Meters require more feeding, the hourly rate at authority garages is […]
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Rain On The Scarecrow
PENNSYLTUCKY: Target Bin Laden, Strohl Valley, PA, Pop. 34, Sunday 3:47 PM [Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA]
INSTA-REVIEW: I’m Not There Soundtrack
NOW PLAYING: ON PHAWKER RADIO! BY ED KING ROCK SNOB You all know more about this I’m Not There pseudo-bio-flick that Todd Haynes, I believe, has had in the works for a number of years. Buskirk knows everything there is to know about this film, I’d bet. I’ve been looking forward to it. I love Dylan, I love many of Haynes’ films, and I like the concept of having various actors play Dylan at various points in his life: Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Tom Arnold, Charles Grodin…So Phawker drops this soundtrack album on us, and what’s a poor boy to […]
CINEMA: The Horror, The Horror
THIRTY DAYS OF NIGHT (2007, directed by David Slade, 113 minutes, U.S.) EXHUMED FILMS 10th ANNIVERSARY 24- HOUR HORROR MARATHON! (Doors 11 a.m. TOMORROW, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., www.ihousephilly.org, $20 ) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s you could always count on the weekend before Halloween to deliver some disreputable horror film to our podunk local movie theater. The tiny South Jersey town I lived in was packed with churches and real controversy ensued over attending the flick. Pastors would howl against it from the altars, teachers (particularly the openly devout ones) would […]
WORTH REPEATING: Triumph Of The Will
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Still from Triumph Of The Will directed by Leni Riefenstahl HERMAN GOERING*: Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. INTERVIEWER: There is one difference. In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their […]
WORTH REPEATING: We Have Nothing To Fear But…
“They have to come up with super-human powers for Al Qaeda because they want to use Al Qaeda to justify a super-extreme agenda for the United States of America. If you really, really want to radically transform our government and radically transform who we are as a country; if you want East German style policing, and people informing on their neighbors, and you want to get rid of the Fourth Amendment, and you want endless wars conducted for profit; if you want to completely get rid of the safety net function and the regulatory function of the government; if you […]
HOT DOC: How To Restore The Fourth Amendment
Tell Harry Reid: No Immunity for Lawbreaking Companies The Senate is considering a bill that would grant immunity to any telecom company that assisted in the administration’s illegal wiretapping. Chris Dodd promised to put a hold on any such bill, and Joe Biden and Barack Obama pledged to uphold it. We believe that any bill coming before the Senate that includes provisions for so-called ‘amnesty’ for large companies involved in illegally spying on Americans should be opposed, and have authored a letter to this effect addressed to Majority Leader Reid. You can co-sign it below. The letter will also be […]
GAMBLOR: Sugarhouse Suing Its Way Into City’s Heart
INQUIRER: In suing the administration and City Council, SugarHouse joined the city’s other planned casino, Foxwoods, in forsaking the political process for the courts. Foxwoods Casino has also asked the Supreme Court to require the city to approve its project. (Virtually all issues connected with the licensing, planning and zoning of the state’s nascent slots industry go directly to the highest court, by law.) The lawsuit’s intent: “to force these guys to do what they’re legally obligated to do,” said SugarHouse’s lawyer, Stephen Cozen. Cozen was joined by labor leaders who urged the city to build the casinos now. Critics […]
EARLY WORD: The Mystery Tramp
REMINDER: I’m Not There Soundtrack Now Playing On Phawker Radio!