By Kathy Boccella Inquirer Staff Writer In recent years, Ellen slipped deeper into her problems and away from her friends. By early 2004, she rarely left the house or returned phone calls. In March of that year, she still hadn’t taken down her Christmas tree. The house was so cluttered it was hard to get past the front door. “Things were bad,” Pedlow said. Her friend sought counseling, Pedlow said, but she claimed that antidepressants aggravated her chronic colitis. Five months ago, Ellen finally consulted a lawyer and rented a place in King of Prussia for $1,550 a month. She […]
THIS JUST IN: Philebrity Still A Bag Of Dicks
With friends like this, who needs enemas? From the Department of Faint Praise comes this typically backhanded compliment from our old dear friend, Joey Sweeney. We took the liberty of fucking with it in the pursuit of humor. Ah, feels like old times: Phawker Produces First (Sort Of) Readable Post, Nabs Interview With Jose Swilton CITIZEN MOM REPORTS: The scariest guy on the Internet plops down next to me on a banquette. He’s sporting a head of pink hair, a dark T-shirt-and-jacket combo, skinny jeans and moon boots ? an ensemble that probably nobody else could pull off. He looks […]
EXCLUSIVE: Inky Re-Hires Laid-Off Sports Columnist
Phawker has learned that Inquirer sports columnist David Aldridge, one of the people axed from the paper’s roster in two rounds of layoffs earlier this month, is now BACK on the job. He will resume his columnist duties for the next Villanova game. Aldridge, who is African American, was NOT one of the signers of a letter sent to the Inquirer ownership from the National Association of Black Journalists pointing out that a disproportionate percentage of the employees laid off were minorities. Owner Brian Tierney responded through spokesman Jay Devine that the company’s hands were tied by the seniority provision […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR ON WHYY Polish writer Ryszard Kapuscinski died on January 23, 2007, at the age of 74. As a foreign correspondent, Kapuscinski covered coups and revolutions in the developing world for forty years. Many of his articles appeared in a series of books that made him famous: The Soccer War, Another Day of Life, and Shah of Shahs. This interview originally aired in 1988. PLUS, Actor Forest Whitaker has been nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker played jazz musician Charlie Parker in Bird, […]
EDGY: From The Makers Of HUSTLE & FLOW Comes This Twisted And Torrid Slice Of Southern Gothic Pulp
BLACK SNAKE MOAN: Starring Samuel L. Jackson and his chain, Christina Ricci and her panties, and Justin Timberlake and his big fuckin’ gun.
BREAKING: Philebrity Smells FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET In Bob Brady YouTube, We Do Too
Watch it for a few minutes, and you begin to feel something weird; set to DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat,” the clip ruminates on a clip of Chaka Fattah speaking on the House floor, before moving to stock footage of young black men dancing in the street, then Mayor Street, then, absurdly, Mumia Abu-Jamal and stills from pro-Mumia rallies. Suddenly, Bob Brady’s face appears on the screen. The montage continues, until just about the end, where a legend bears: “THIS MAY, DO THE RIGHT THING,” followed by a shot of a “Fattah For Mayor” placard with “Fattah” x’ed […]
Cover Wars: Whose Artfag Kung-Fu Is Stronger?
Someone important once said: Writing about comedy is like square-dancing about acupuncture. Or they should have. And now, for all intents and purposes, it has been said. And not a moment too soon, because PW rock’s its first, and possibly last, annual Humor Issue this week and boy are my arms tired! Props for the 411 on local laugh shacks and the aspiring showbiz Sheckys that fill them with hot air, laughing gas and two-drink-minimum guffaws. Which reminds us, did you ever hear the one about the lollipop and the jump rope? Skip it, it sucks. [insert rimshot here] Yeah, […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
Haliburton Convoy Ambushed In Iraq FRESH AIR ON WHYY Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada is the first American officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq on the grounds that he thinks the war is illegal. He is joined by one of his lawyers, Eric Seitz, a civillian. Watada is now being court-martialed for his refusal, and for statements he made opposing the war and the Bush administration’s leadership.
HOLLA: Note To Self, Make Chuck D. A Man
BY JAMES DOOLITTLE It takes about all of five minutes for the uneasiness to begin while watching Byron Hurt’s “Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture.” It’s a sense of imminent dread that has nothing to do with the focus of the film, but rather the perceived vanity of its director. With a front-ended bio that firmly establishes Hurt as the former quarterback of the Northeastern University football team — that’s right, THE Northeastern University football team — chopped together with plenty of runwayesque shots of our strapping narrator/director/star, there’s a strong sense […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
[googlevideo]5301095338254002492&q=pan%27s+labyrinth[/googlevideo] Pan’s Labrynth director GUILLERMO DEL TORO is Terry’s guest on Fresh Air today. On RADIO TIMES: The new film BREACH is inspired by the story of Eric O’Neill who was hired by the FBI to work undercover in the Robert Hanssen spy case. Hanssen was subsequently convicted of selling secrets to the Russians. O’NEILL is in the studio with Marty along with the movie’s director and screenwriter BILLY RAY.