REJOICE O PIONEERS AND LET THINE BURNING EMBERS FORM A THUNDERCLOUD OF DESTRUCTION O’ER THIS CONFLICTED ZIPCODE! REJOICE, AND SHOUT TO THE HEAVENS, AND HOWL AT THE MOON! Oh dear. Pardon me. Seeing something around town of note? Cameraphone it to: tips[at]philebrity[dot]com.

Respect where it’s due: Bunny Sigler is a Philly soul legend who’s worked with everyone from The O’Jays to The Roots. But this has to be the craziest thing we’ve seen in a while. Sigler’s newest track is called “Philadelphia Burning,” which manages to draw a connection between the M.O.V.E. bombing 25 years ago, and [...]

The soda lobby: They’re like the Tea Party, but with bubbles! Let us count the ways: They’re robustly ignorant of the facts surrounding soda and the obesity of kids, they are essentially made of up astroturf groups anchored directly in big business, and they are especially adept at rounding up indignant, put-upon proles (“I’M NOT [...]

FRIDAY: >>> Oh hai First Friday! So nice to amble all over the place with you. Thank you for not being 90 degrees and warpy humid. >>> After that, of course, come the parties: We like Hot Mess at The Barbary with special guest DJ Neil Armstong, though you certainly couldn’t go wrong with Sex [...]

RECOMMENDED: Because we watch late night talk shows, we can already tell you a whole bunch of things about Iron Man 2 without having actually seen the movie! Here they are: – Robert Downey Jr. has the rapey-est facial hair we have ever seen on a human being – Mickey Rourke is the villain, and [...]

After being a twinkle in the city’s eye for quite some time, Starwood‘s Le Meridien finally opened yesterday, complete with the kind of hotel lounge/bar that you always fancy yourself having “affairs” in, you know, when you become an “adult.” The hotel is at 1421 Arch, in what used to be a YMCA. What does [...]

HURRY! We’ll be picking winners in an hour or so…

A reader points out: “The Ultimate Ass-Kicking,” by E. James Beale (May 5, 2010), meet “Why I Fight,” by Steve Volk (Jun. 13, 2007). We swear we’re not looking for this stuff; it just keeps happening, like some cosmic echo between brains, from 15th and Sansom to 2nd and Chestnut, back and forth, together, forever. [...]

>>> Is it a natural response to this weather to stay up late listening to scuzz rock and drinking lite beer? SCIENTISTS, GET ON THIS. Meanwhile, Aussie transplants The Death Set play Night Train at Kung Fu Necktie; meanwhile, local scuzzers the Jerks play crispy sounds at Lucky 13. >>> Get that First Friday happening [...]

Three words: DIRTBALLS IN LOVE.

Oh dear.

When their power goes back on, we’ll delete all the nasty things you said and be all like, “Oh, word?”

Because that is basically what Jersey Shore is. So it’s maybe especially sweet that an NJ judge said OK to hearing a lawsuit from three neckfaces who fought with Ronnie last summer. It’s not just a victory for the people of New Jersey, and nor is it just for the Italians, either: It’s for all [...]

God damn it to hell: The Dark Fields strikes again. We are also hearing reports that The DeNiro is about in the area today, so please prepare to offer yourselves in sacrifice should He require it. The DeNiro is right; the DeNiro is good. Seeing something around town of note? Cameraphone it to: tips[at]philebrity[dot]com.

Philadelphia — Catharine Clothier, one of the innumerable attractions at the annual garden Fete of Philadelphia’s Smart Set, held at the Clothier Estate at Wynnewood. Mrs. Percy Frazer III, wears a smart afternoon frock. (1922) [A very mighty hat tip to If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats]

ESP just revealed a whole slew of upcoming events; briefly, then, these are them.

Finally, we can breathe: A commenter has been kind enough to point out that That Girl With The Megaphone Singing Alphaville’s “Forever Young” is in fact artist Alison Feldish. On one hand, we were disappointed to know that this was all for art as opposed to just someone being awesome, but on the other, we [...]

You always knew Ed Rendell was, love him or loathe him, kind of a badass. But this seems a bit extreme, even for Fast Eddie. In the wake of a variety of pieces in the news lately regarding adoption from overseas, a piece in this week’s issue of The New Yorker about Americans adoption Haitian [...]

Via Society Hill Civic Association’s Weekly Crime Report email for May 6, 2010: Current News— Be on the lookout for a man who has been exposing himself and harrassing people in the vicinity of the Super Fresh and Three Bears Park. He was last seen on May 5. Call 911 immediately.