Adam Wallcavage Kind Of Doesn’t Care That Dark Shadows Totally Bit His Style

Those of you who’ve had the pleasure of taking in the (admittedly pretty magnificent) Tim Burton Dark Shadows film might have had the same reaction other Philly art buffs have had, which is: “Gee, those chandeliers and decor look pretty Adam Wallcavage-y!” And indeed, those chandeliers — very much of the type Wallcavage has been making here in Philly for years now — play prominently in the film. But alas, they’re not his. The likeness has been spotted by many, though, including the artist himself, who laughed it off last week in a post on Facebook. Luckily, Wallcavage isn’t sweating it. Presently, his sprawling, wild, Jules Verne-inspired chandelier work is installed all over the world, and this month, you can check them out in an installation of Wallcavage’s work at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

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Attn. Billy Joel: We Don’t (Entirely) Hate You

You may have noticed this post from earlier in the week about the University City District’s “Heart & Soul” project, which seeks to put pianos in public spaces for uses that may or may not include the playing of Billy Joel songs, most likely to the annoyance of most nearby humans. What’s that? You didn’t notice it? Funny. Because Billy Joel sure as hell did, who then fired off a note to his publicist who then got the University City District to remove their link to our post on their website. Say it with us: WHAT? (And what was the logic at UCD? “Listen guys, ONE DAY, WE’RE GONNA NEED A FAVOR FROM BILLY JOEL. Best to just take it down!”)

At any rate, since William has forced the issue, and for the record, let us state Philebrity’s official position on Billy Joel: While it is true that, as he has grown older, apparently drunker, and more cantankerous in recent years, we do not hate Billy Joel. And in reality, his gradual morphing into an angry little troll is something that we are willing to overlook, in fact, on a very frequent basis indeed. This is because, even though he’s a Google-alerts-obsessed superstar in decline, there is still very much to love about Billy Joel. And we don’t care who knows it! After the jump, five reasons we still love Billy Joel. (more…)

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Right Now In The People’s Republic Of Comcast: (You Gotta Pay For Your) MEGAGIGABYTES, SON!

Remember that time Comcast got caught red-handed singling out bit-torrent users and throttling their Internet service and then had to settle a $16M class action suit? For everyone else in the world, that was pretty awesome, but as you may suspect, KableTown® is still pretty dickhurt about it, and they are not giving up the ghost. Why? Well, it’s quite elementary: Comcast likes to throttle big pipes. All the livelong day they be throttling that pipe, squeezing every last bit of… OK, enough of that. The point: Yesterday, Comcast announced that they’d be once again trying to address their penchant for ISP seller’s remorse by basically introducing a tiered system for data costs. If you want the real breakdown of how this might look (10GB per month or under should be fine), go here; if you want the Comcast corporate-spoken-out-the-fucking-ass version, go here. Either way, one thing is for sure: Comcast is continuing to alienate Internet users large and small by harping on this, and creating a very appetizing space for other ISP’s to come in and capitalize on what is increasingly a bad look for a company that won’t stop promising “endless fun” and then dishing out something else indeed.

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Help Us Understand Why The Mayor’s Office Felt The Need To Issue A Press Release About Donna Summer

Philadelphia, May 17, 2012 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter released the following statement on the death of performer Donna Summer:

“The City of Philadelphia and the music world are deeply saddened by the passing of an incredibly talented musical artist, Donna Summer. For people in my generation and many others, she was one of the greatest vocalists of the second half of the 20th Century. An innovator of note, she had a wide range of musical capabilities. She was one of the leaders of the Disco wave in America and Europe, and she broke new musical ground with songs like ‘Love to Love You Baby’, ‘Bad Girls’, ‘MacArthur Park Suite’, and ‘Hot Stuff’.

“Whether performing alone or in duets with talents like Barbara Streisand, Donna Summer was one of the very best. I loved her music, her beautiful voice, and her grand musical talent.

“For a young guy working in a night club at the high point of Disco and for everyone who came together in those days of joyful music and dance, she represented a singular musical style and a towering artistry. We all carry fond memories of Donna Summer.”

I mean, we feel love, too. And it’s true that she did work hard for the money. And we loved hearing her on the radio. But damn, if The Dude is gonna send out a press release every time someone awesome dies, well, he’d better get to work.

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This Evening: MCA Come And Rock The Sure Shot

>>>Awesome Fest and The Troc are hosting a free screening (with a $5 suggested donation) of the Beastie Boys concert film AWESOME; I FUCKIN SHOT THAT, with all donations going to a charity of the late Adam Yauch‘s family’s choosing.
>>>Class Actress and Penguin Prison are playing Johnny Brenda’s, and Cousin Brian, Neighbors, and Slutever at PhilaMOCA.
>>>And if you’re not doing any of that, GO OUTSIDE. It’s beautiful.

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Dept. Of Meaningless Lists, Part Très: Hey Kids, Go To College Somewhere Else

So far today we’ve learned that it’s expensive to stay here, we don’t read books that often, and now here is the worst one of them all: On a list of the most dangerous colleges to go to, UPenn and Temple took the top two spots.

The list was complied by Elite Daily, and takes into account various crime statistics from the last 3 calendar years at the schools. Here’s how they stack up:

>>>Murders: Temple – 1, UPenn – 4
>>>Negligent Homicides: Temple – 0, UPenn – 0
>>>Forcible Rapes: Temple – 34, UPenn – 27
>>>Non-forcible Rapes: Temple – 0, UPenn – 0
>>>Robberies: Temple – 192, UPenn – 176
>>>Aggravated Assaults: Temple – 97, UPenn – 40
>>>Burglaries: Temple – 747, UPenn – 117
>>>Car Thefts: Temple – 56, UPenn – 28
>>>Arsons: Temple – 1, UPenn – 0

Although outscored by Temple in every category except murders, Penn still took the top spot on the list, probably due to the fact that the attendance is lower. The list was rounded out by (in order, from least safe to safest) Columbia University, Johnson & Wales University, Washington University in St. Louis, Morgan State University, Rutgers University-Newark, Harvard University, Tufts University, and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. You win this one, Drexel.

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Dept. Of Meaningless Lists, Part 2: We Don’t Read No Good

According to Amazon.com, Philadelphia fell short of the top 20 most well-read cities in the U.S. this year. Well, actually, let’s clarify: It’s really a list of the cities that ordered the most books on Amazon. According to the list, “The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.”

Still, it stings to be ranked below Knoxville, Gainsville, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati in anything.

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Attn. Music Nerds: Bob Lefsetz Will Be At WXPN’s Non-Comm Conference

WXPN‘s Non-Comm gathering for all non-commercial radio peeps is taking place tonight through Saturday. It’s all sold-out, but a certain guest could ruffle some feathers. According to Dan DeLuca, music “critic” Bob Lefsetz will be interviewed for the convention. Bob’s The Lefsetz Letter makes him a very polarizing figure within the realm of music and music criticism, and while you will not be able to hear him speak (unless you’ve already got your tickets), you can read the excellent Wired Magazine profile on Bob here, and promptly get bummed out that you’re missing this.

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Chris Christie And Newark Mayor Parody Seinfeld, Since It’s Not 2012 Or Anything

All of our core dislike for Chris Christie aside (and as corny as this video is), this was actually nice to see: Two politicians, reaching across the aisle to make little jabs at each other. And since it would never happen here, someone has to cast and create a fake Nutter/Corbett video. Birdtext, we’re talking to you.

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Not To Let The Barnes Have All The Glory, The Renovated Rodin Museum Reopens In July

Not unlike the man on the right, we’ve been sitting around, waiting for the Rodin Museum to open back up, wondering what to do with ourselves. But not to be overshadowed by its new neighbor, the Rodin will once again be swinging open its doors.

Art Daily took an inside look at the renovations, and they seemed pretty impressed:

In the galleries of the Museum, [visitors] will encounter an entirely new presentation of the collection. The reinstallation includes 90 works in a variety of materials—bronze, marble, terracotta, and plaster—that survey the genesis and development of Rodin’s monumental The Gates of Hell, a project inspired by Dante’s Inferno that consumed the artist for nearly four decades, from 1880 until his death in 1917. Visitors will be able to learn more about Rodin’s work through new interpretive tools, including a new mobile app, and new public programs such as family activities and performances

The Rodin will reopen on July 13th, and will be open to the public from 10 AM until 5 PM Wednesday through Monday. It will be closed on Tuesdays.

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And Here’s Your Trailer For That Rowing Movie With Dawson In It

The film is called Backwards and it stars James Van Der Beek alongside writer/star Sarah Megan Thomas (a Haverford native), and is directed by local director Ben Hickernell. The film is set (and was filmed) mainly on Philadelphia’s rivers, as Thomas plays an Olympic alternate rower turned High School rowing coach. The rowing world is one not often seen on film, let alone in a romantic setting, so it’ll be interesting to see how Thomas and Van Der Beek pull it off. That being said, here is an imagined phone conversation between James Van Der Beek and his Dawnson’s Creek co-star Joshua Jackson:

Van Der Beek: Hey Pacey.

Jackson: Don’t call me that.

Van Der Beek: Anyway, I wanted to tell you about this new movie I did. It’s about an athlete whose career may be over who leaves the sport to coach kids and …

Jackson: Let me cut you off right there. I did that movie once. It was called The Mighty Ducks. [click]

And scene.

You can find out more about Backwards here.

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It’s Not Too Late To Take A Day Off Tomorrow And Hit Some Free Museums

It’ll be a great day to culture-yourself up a bit:

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will offer free admission all day on Friday, May 18, in celebration of International Museum Day. Free admission will also be extended to the Museum-administered Park Houses, Cedar Grove and Mount Pleasant.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is also offering free admission. So, you’re probably starting to come down with something right about now, better tell your boss.

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Dept. Of Meaningless Lists: We’re Pricey

According to the Budget Hotel Report by CheapHotels.com, Philadelphia is the nation’s third priciest city to stay in, behind Boston and New York of course. The report looked at only, “accommodations situated in or very close to either the city center or its main attractions,” and looked at the cheapest available double room for the end of the month.

Taking the whole “close to the center of the city” thing into account, this actually makes a lot of sense. The bottom 3 on the list; Anaheim ($45), Las Vegas ($36), and Orlando ($33) are all tourist destinations completely overrun with hotel options. But the $154 Philadelphia comes in at is still pretty steep, so we’re just happy we live here and don’t have to drop that hotel money. Plus, $33 hotel rooms are the kind you see in horror films.

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Plant Music Is Here Just In Time For Summer

Way back on April 13th, the folks at Data Garden presented Data Garden: Quartet, “a plant-controlled audio composition” at Megawords at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. How did the plants make the music? “By converting the physiology of the specimens into data, the plants [performed] quadraphonic audio compositions in real time. The very presence of museum goers [affected] this performance, resulting in a unique composition from moment to moment.” Yeah, we don’t understand it either, but we know that it’s really cool.

You probably missed it, but now you can listen to those plants anywhere you want. The Data Garden: Quartet album is available for digital download over here. Unfortunately, we missed out on the, “hand-made seed paper with screen-printed album art and download code on reverse side,” that could actually be planted in the soil and sprout blue lobelias. We’re pretty bummed about that, but at least we still have the tunes.

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UPDATE: Jonathan Papelbon Seems Confused

We’re really starting to like the guy, and he’s really starting to like us, but Jonathan Papelbon seems a bit confused: In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, the new Phillies closer said that Philadelphia reminds him of Paris. Now, Papelbon has never actually been to Paris, but he has seen it in some movies. Pap told SI, “Philadelphia has a cool feel to it, man … It’s a vibe that the city produces. It makes you feel like you are in Paris. I’ve never been to Paris, but I’ve seen it in a lot of movies. I think [Philadelphia] is going to be a great place to live.” He continued, “When I walk down the street [in Philadelphia], everyone is nice. They say hi, and then they let you do your business … In the other city, the people get up in your face a lot more and want to talk about baseball, the team and how you are going to do. It’s more easy-going in Philadelphia.”

We happy you like it here Pap, and we really like nothing more than when someone shit talks another city in comparison to ours, but Paris? And the Paris of the movies? Unless the dude is talking about Taken, we’re not sure what he sees. And as for the people being easy-going towards him? Just wait until you blow a few saves, that’ll change. But hey, we’re glad you’re here.

Update: On second thought, maybe he was just thinking of this.

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Dept. Of Old Grudges: Let’s Hope That Barrier Can Contain Them

The few, the proud, the Barnes protesters; fighting the good fight outside today’s press preview.

We’ll have our impressions of the new Barnes later this week.

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Captain Freeshit: Win Tickets To See Justin Townes Earle At The TLA Saturday Night!

In a time when most children with famous fathers are starring on the show Girls, Justin Townes Earle is putting his name out there by making some truly remarkable music. Dude’s had it pretty rough so far (with addiction, multiple rehab stints, and a not-so-great relationship with said famous father, Steve Earle) but has turned some of the shittier turns of his life into great folk/soul/rock music, most recently on this year’s Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now. Plus, it’s got nothing to do with his music, but dude is 6 foot 6, which blows our minds. Justin is playing the TLA with support from Tristen this Saturday night, and we have tickets to give you. To enter to win, email ihopeiwin[at]philebrity[dot]com with “LOOK THE OTHER WAY” in the subject header. You’ll automatically be subscribed to the forthcoming new Philebrity Reader weekly newsletter and win chances for other exclusive free stuff.

Oh, and don’t forget that you could also possibly come swimmin’ with us, for free, the night before.

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Noontime Nuggetz: Market East, “Elena”

Here’s the newest clip from Philebrifaves Market East, next slated to play May 24th at North Star Bar.

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This Moment In Parties: Is Silent Disco The Best Disco There Is?

If you ask us, we’d say no, for we subscribe to the Whit Stillman view on such things. However, one cannot deny that we live in a time where simply throwing a dance party with music just no longer seems like enough. There’s the Cat Face Party, the Rebel Bingo party, the ’70s rollerskate party, to say nothing of flash mobs, pillow fights, and the dreaded cuddle party. But now, at long last, The Silent Party has come to Philadelphia:

At a Silent Event, rather than using a traditional speaker system, live music is broadcasted and picked up by specially designed wireless headphones worn by the audience. Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to silence. People watching is half the fun!

The effect, as you can see in the video at right, is one of mass tone-deaf headphone singalongs, which we must admit is more sweet and funny than it is soul-killing or dumb. The Silent Disco hits the Blockley tonight, and we also have to give that venue some credit, too: While the rest of us have been whining about how there’s no new kinds of fun out there (have we?), The Blockley has just been all like, “You want your roller-rave crazy-shouty-bingo-on-headphones fix? We have you covered!”

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