Now that the Company and the Guild have called off their game of chicken, it’s time for the Last Free Lunch and, unfortunately, shit sandwiches are all that’s left in the picnic basket. As had been made clear all along, strike or no strike, there will be layoffs. The exact number remains an elusive quantity, morphing in unforeseeable ways with each new staff departure and rumored departure (BIG NEWS afoot on this front, more later today), from as low as 82 to as high as 150. And pink slips are expected to be dispensed just in time for Christmas. “Anybody […]
SPLACK PACK: Shake That Ass
Warning: Not ENTIRELY Work-Safe.
BREAKING: Tom Waits For No Man, Except Maybe David Dye
“File our stay under ?Accidental Tourism,? a random touchstone to Waits? boozy, flophouse residency at Tropicana Motel in the endless, doomed summer of Los Angeles in the ?70s. It was a simpler time then. A piano served as furniture, and down the hall lived Waits? partner in grime, Chuck E. Weiss, ?the kind of guy that would sell you a rat?s ass for a wedding ring,? joked Waits to an interviewer at the time. Weiss brought around Rickie Lee Jones, with whom Waits shared a brief creative and romantic dalliance. It was at the Tropicana that Waits forged the image […]
OBIT: Mister, We Could Use A Man Like Ahmet Ertegun Again, Number One Zep-Head Dead At 83
Ahmet Ertegun, the music magnate who founded Atlantic Records and shaped the careers of John Coltrane, Ray Charles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and many others, died today in Manhattan. He was 83. A spokesman for Atlantic Records said the death was the result of a brain injury suffered when Mr. Ertegun fell backstage at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan on Oct. 29 as the Rolling Stones prepared to play a concert to mark former President Bill Clinton?s 60th birthday. He had been in a coma since then. […] Mr. Ertegun was the dapper son of a Turkish diplomatic family. […]
SMELLS LIKE DEMOCRACY: DiCicco Calls For Six Month Hold ‘Em On Slots, Wants To Re-Shuffle Deck And Deal Public Into The Game
PENNSYLVANIA ? As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News: “With four of the potential casino locations in his district, Councilman Frank DiCicco yesterday urged the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to postpone for six months the selection next Wednesday of the two winning applicants. “Though DiCicco had hoped for plenty of support from the city’s legislative delegation to Harrisburg, he got only incoming freshman state Rep. Michael O’Brien and Councilman Darrell Clarke to stand with him in South Philadelphia near the proposed Foxwoods Casino. “?With a six-month delay, the board could gather more public input on the casino operators’ evolving plans, […]
SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM: Mayor Lifts Smoking Ban For Three Weeks, Marlboro Man and Camel Joe Spotted On Edge Of Town
Mayor John Street signed a revised bill into law on Thursday, allowing smaller bars to apply for permanent exemptions. That ban goes into effect January 8th, and overrides the current one. So, until then, smoking is allowed, although it is expected that most restaurants will continue to enforce the ban. Under the new law, outdoor cafes and taverns which make no more than 10-percent of sales off food can apply for exemptions. 6ABC: Quitters Never Win, Plus It Makes You Look Cool And More Grown-Up
WORST INTERNSHIP EVER: Bringing Homeless Back Into To Society, Thru The Men’s Room Door
PHILADELPHIA: A group that helps homeless people get back on their feet is posting once-homeless “attendants” in the restrooms of a downtown library in an effort to help manage the masses who flock there looking for shelter or a bathroom. Project HOME and the Free Library of Philadelphia hope the project, which started this week, will prevent loitering and unsanitary conditions. But they also see the six-month pilot as a unique way to reach out to the homeless. “They can relate to these folks,” Ed Speedling, a community liaison with the advocacy group, said of the newly trained attendants. “They […]
THE MONEY $HOT: Mazel Hop
SHADRACH THE MIC: Matisyahu, TLA, December 14, 2006 [FLICKR]
PEEPLE: Did Allentown Sorority Sister Break-Up Vince And Jenn, AKA Vennifer of Vaughistan?
Hollywood starwatchers are still abuzz with news of actress Jennifer Aniston’s recent breakup with movie star Vince Vaughn. One thing missing in the gossip columns, however, is a complete explanation for the sudden split. Now, it seems at least part of the answer may have its roots in the Lehigh Valley. Star Magazine’s discovery of 2004 Parkland High School grad Laura Mallory Lane’s dreamy post on her Web site alluding to “messing around” with Vaughn in his Budapest hotel room has started a cascade of speculation about the blonde Trinity University student’s involvement with Vince, and whether she is responsible […]
TRIBUTE: Peter Boyle Has Exited The Monster’s Ball
Actor, Emmy winner, Philly native, LaSalle College alumnus and former seminarian Peter Boyle, 71, died Tuesday night. DAN BUSKIRK REMEMBERS: Peter Boyle didn’t look good bald. Actually, he didn’t look good with hair either, and perhaps you should put aside your warm memories of the recently departed actor and take a good look at his picture. His eyes are partly unreadable because of his natural squint, his lips are thin and seem to rest in a perpetual smartass smirk, and that forehead! With its thickened brow leading up to that bulbous dome, Boyle’s swollen head seemed to suggest both the […]
FASTFOOD NATION: Oh The Irony, Lettuce — Sweet, Natural, Green, Healthy Lettuce — Kicks McFood Right In The Colon, And It Could Be Fatal
Shredded lettuce has emerged as the most likely source of the bacteria that have sickened at least 71 people who ate at Taco Bells in four states, federal health officials said yesterday. “Could it change? It’s possible,” said Christopher Braden, a medical epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “but we’re fairly confident in the information.” The assertion is not based on evidence from testing but rather from the CDC’s statistical analysis of what victims ate compared with what was eaten by companions who did not get sick. The statistical evidence pointed to lettuce, cheese and ground […]