>>> Dr. Dog and Spank Rock: Adored by indie royalty, especially you, young Spank. But don’t feel bad, Dr. Dog: Beck still wants to touch you in your bathing suit area. [Pitchfork]
>>> Adam Arcuragi, also rockin’ them year-end bloggerlistenschteins here and here. [MusicIsNotDead/HarmoniumMusic]
>>> And we have a feeling that Plastic Little (pictured) won’t get left [...]

¬? Today’s expected angelic high, no, not that kind: 63
¬? Philly homicide count also on the rise: 394
¬? Bodies checked into R5’s Punk Rock Flea Market: 2,200
¬? Results for Guild vote on deal with Philadelphia Media Holdings, yays to nays: 498-69
¬? Average age of Philadelphia Park casino gamblers: 67
¬? Increase of Philly robberies since last [...]

Yes.

You aware that the Sunday 30% rule has been abolished? Before, you had to
have 30% or more in food sales to be open on Sunday if you were a bar. But
now there is no restriction, so Bob and Barbara’s and places like it (poss
McGlincheys) will open on Sundays.
We did not know that! But [...]

Looking to Fill Seats!!!You Can Stop Looking Frank Stallone is Back On Top
Frank’s classic street corner song “Take You Back” from the upcoming Rocky Balboa movie!
Oh God. Well, I guess if we’ve gone this far:
Frank Stallone: “Take You Back” [mp3]
Not as great as his work in Staying Alive, but hey. We can’t live in [...]

>>> John Street, as you may have heard, endorses Riverwalk, using the logic that it’s better to have a totally annoying piece of shit casino at Delaware and Spring Garden that’s owned in part by Philadelphians than it is to have one not owned at all by Philadelphians. Yay for moral relativism! On the plus [...]

>>> Quite possibly the bestest Movie Monday of the year: How The Grinch Stole Christmas ‚Äî the original, none of that Jim Carrey shit ‚Äî and Home Alone, which you’d have to be some kind of monster not to love. At The Balcony, 7:30pm, $3.
>>> And at Bar Ferdinand, we think what may be their [...]

Seriously. Because before the big premiere tonight, before the local news blowout makes us go “ooh” for all the shiny shiny, somebody needs to ask: How much did we charge this guy to haul his piece of shit statue up to the Art Museum and leave it there like a fucking herpes sore on the [...]

…John Street had Jonathan Saidel’s hair?
Well, I suppose now we know! Collin Flatt, it’s been too long.
Previously: The Compleat Works Of Collin Flatt And Auxillary Readers Photoshop Galleries
Also: Saidel-Ology!

But of course: The Salsoul Orchestra. Depending on who you talk to, Salsoul was either Mike Douglas’ band gone horribly awry, or co-authors of the disco cornerstone of cheese, sex and rhythm. Either way, South Philly’s Vincent Montana Jr. made some of the most iconic disco music of the era, accompanied of course by Ellen [...]

IN THIS CORNER: Smoking Ban Lifted Until Jan. 8 [ActionNews]
PRO: Well, duh. You can smoke with all the power in the lungs that the Good Lord gave you! Light up, bitches!
CON: Persnickety bar owners/bartenders already spoiled by a month or so of waking up not smelling like failure. In particular, yours.
PRO: Under the new law [...]

Nick The Crow, from the wow-we-wonder-why-it-never-aired The Mafia’s Guide to Restaurants and Recipes.

Abnormal weather patterns get us all a little vagued, but there aren’t enough drugs in the Illy for us to embrace the skirt-n-Ugg. So if you find yourself in U City where Penn Collar Poppers wear shorts and flip flops year ’round, and their fem counterparts fake tan their way into December with a Penn-is [...]

KatieLThompson: Walkmen At Johnny Brenda’s [Flickr]
AngeloYap: Punk Rock Flea Market [YapSnaps]
DJDeejay: Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus At M Room [Flickr]

My favorite banned items:
¬? Paintings not gun related
¬? Buckles, non-gun related
¬? Pins not gun related
¬? Books, gun related only. No “How to” books.
¬? Bumper stickers except NRA and 2nd Amendment
ValleyForgeGunShow: The Rules Are… There Are No Rules (Except For These Few Rules)

It’s only been five days since the Guild came to an agreement with Philadelphia Media Holdings, and already (or rather, still), you kinda wanna smack them. Throughout the talks/strike-windup-that-never-came, the union that represents Daily News and Inky editorial had taken whining and banal heartstring-pulling to new levels, and it was easy to understand why: As [...]

FRIDAY:
>>> Two art happenings tonight that meld standard-issue art-fun with holiday joy: Space 1026’s annual art auction (with auctioneer Todd Kimmel) is back, happening concurrently with the Space’s flipbook show, basically showing you everything that is fun and great about le Space. Opens at 6:30, auction’s at 9pm, 1026 Arch St. Meanwhile, at Fleisher-Ollman, “Morgellons” [...]

We’re taking the day off to go chop down the Philebrity Christmas tree, but we won’t leave you totally hangin’: Check back in a spell for Weekend Picks, ‘mkay?

>>> Maybe it’s the disco ball. Maybe it’s the fog machine. Maybe it’s the sparkling little white Christmas tree or the bar backs with rippling biceps. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s the motherfucking Italo pumping into your air supply. Any way you slice it, DJs Mike T and Ron Morelli over at Paradise At Key [...]

>>> Mahogany get a really solid nod from Pitchfork, even though it’s only a 7.6. Does Pitchfork do the thing now that Rolling Stone does, where the review writes whatever he’s gonna write, but then the ed-in-cheif picks the rating? Wait. Why are we even asking this. Anyway, if you missed this record on The [...]