The new writers just keep on coming – this time, in the form of Stephanie Mannis, a chronic Yelper who won us over when she sent us a bit of marketing collateral she wrote for work about an American answer to the Beatles. Welcome aboard, Stephanie! Here's the buzz in the 215 blogs this week: Jeff Deeney over at Phawker sang the praises of author Susan Jacoby, who in turn railed against the dumbing down......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: There Goes That Spielberg Again: “Sharks, Spaceships and Spectacles: The Films of Steven Spielberg,” a presentation by Dr. Lester Friedman, with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, at the Prince Music Theater Independence Black Box (1412 Chestnut), 6PM. $10 As We Look Forward: Author Mitch Nathanson discusses his new book The Fall of the 1977 Phillies: How a Baseball Team's Collapse Sank a City's Spirit at the Penn Bookstore (3601......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Famous Films II: The Secret Cinema presents a second installment of their Famous Films series, including A Trip to the Moon (you've seen clips, trust us), at the Moore College of Art and Design (20th and Race), 8PM. $7 Jeannie Gagne: Jeannie Gagne at the Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Drive—West Mt. Airy), 8PM. $10 Cold: Absolute Zeros, Parsnip Revolt, and Dylan McGuire at Fergie’s Pub......

Mayor Nutter has cut taxpayer-funded nonprofit Philadelphia Safe and Sound's funding by $21 million, and City Council's majority leader said she would call today for hearings to look into how Safe and Sound conducts its business. The funding cuts will result in the closing of ten school-based community centers; the termination of a parent-truancy program; and the elimination of many after-school programs. As the head of one after-school program put it, "It's a fiasco."......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Money Folders II: Second installment of series featuring the Philadelphyinz, DJ Gravity, and more at the Arts Garage (1535 Ridge Avenue), 10PM-3AM. $10 (women free before 10:30PM) Sing, Sing a Song: Choral Concert with Organ presented by the Delius Society at St. Mark’s Church (1625 Locust), 7:30. Free Art Is Primary: Opening reception for Red Yellow Blue, a solo show of artist Vincent McLoughlin, at AXD Gallery......

Pennsylvania ranks very low amongst other states in requiring breakfast to be served in its schools to the children of low income families. A new memorial design for the President's House, which "would allow visitors to peer down through a glass shed and view archaeological remnants of an 18th-century house once occupied by presidents and slaves," will be unveiled tomorrow night at Freedom Theatre. "The DRPA, whose board meets today to adopt its annual budget,......

UPDATE: Oops! I forgot links! I've added them now, and made a few other tweaks. What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer &c. (Tue, 8PM-9PM, CBS) - The extremely odd, but quite lovable, 1964 classic about the reindeer with the glowing red nose, the elf who really wants to be a dentist, a bunch of misfit toys, and the Abominable Snow Monster. CBS is also airing Frosty the Snowman and......

What is there to say about Peter Pan that hasn't been said already? It's a fifty-three-year-old musical with a storied past (Veronica Lake even cut off her signature locks for the chance to play the title character) and familiar and memorable songs. The show is always staged the same way (in fairness, it kind of has to be), and so any differences from production-to-production occur in the set and the cast. The former, designed for......

Hey, it's election day! And what with the Mayor's race being a foregone conclusion and everything, the interesting stuff is happening in the fight for two seats on the state Supreme Court. The search for John Lewis, the suspect in the murder of Officer Chuck Cassidy, is over. Police apprehended him at a homeless shelter in Miami at 7AM. They tracked him down after learning that a relative had bought a bus ticket to......

The weather's gotten colder, but First Friday still has some goodies that should get you out of your homes, apartments, and cardboard boxes. So put on your fall jacket, nip a little wine or whiskey to keep warm, and get out to First Friday for some great events. A bit north of the ordinary Old City First Friday scene, Projects Gallery in Northern Liberties is giving you not one but two exhibitions to make it......

It's interesting: in the late 1950s, it seems that the whole world was afraid of the dangers of groupthink. Here in the United States, terrified anti-communists were producing Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And in France, a country still in many ways reeling from German occupation during the war, absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco created Rhinoceros, a play about the people of a village transforming into the aforementioned animals, as a statement against fascism. Up until......

If you ever look at our weekly theatre listings (and we hope you do!), you may have noticed that one local company has been conspicuously absent from the mix: the Philadelphia Theatre Company. They're starting their season off a little late this year so that the finishing touches can be made to their new home: the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on Broad and Lombard Streets. This Phillyist and Phillyist GW made it out to a special......

Disclaimer: This story relates to a promotion run by First Person Arts, of which Editor Jill is an employee. Editor Jill did not have a hand in writing or editing this post, and the opinions contained herein are exclusively those of the author, who would think this is pretty cool even if he wasn't Editor Jill's better half. If you read Sunday's Inquirer, you might have seen a story about a psychedelic-looking van that's making......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Apparently, the producers of Lost really do listen to the fans - sometimes. The characters Nikki and Paulo were introduced when fans said they wanted to know more about the other castaways. But when fans complained about the Nikki and Paulo storyline taking away from the main story, the writers responded by burying those characters alive. The point......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. You might have heard about a little game called Halo 3 getting released late last night/early this morning. Game|Life has the details on the midnight release party at a Best Buy in Manhattan, while Joystiq covers a non-launch in Boston and an actual, celebrity-infested launch in LA. Beware, however! Rumor is that the limited edition packaging for the......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Welcome to the next big steps forward in lolcats meme technology: lolsecretz (via) and lolthulhu. Brilliant! Artsy gamers just might want to enter Konami's Design Your Own Contra Character contest. Make a game character that embodies what Contra is all about and you could have your design included as an unlockable character in Contra 4 Mobile, get your name in the game credits,......

Considering that Phillyist needs a new car, we're a little disappointed that we just gave up knitting (and donated the accoutrement to a worthy cause even). Scion is sponsoring a DIY contest, Craft My Ride, which challenges the crafty among us to design a car accessory (which they helpfully define for us) and get the chance to win a 2008 Scion xD five-door subcompact. You have until October 22 to submit images and a......

Sure, you can wander through art gallery after art gallery tonight. The same places you always go, with the same cheap wine you always drink. Or, you can take advantage of the fact that there's always a First Friday during the Live Arts and Fringe Festivals, and there are plenty of free or pay-what-you-can PLAF events you can hit tonight and for the next week. A few that we think sound interesting: Sonic Dances A......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Remember the news about Universal's upcoming Harry Potter theme park? Turns out Disney thought about doing it, too, but passed on the project, after deciding that realizing Rowling's vision would be too complex and expensive. The Logan's Run remake isn't dead yet! Now Joel Silver has taken it over to Warner Brothers, with a new director (Joseph Kosinski,......

In a rather surprising decision, the Board of License & Inspection Review voted unanimously yesterday to allow the Death of Venus mural to remain on the wall in the historic district, even without a permit. Although the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Tacony-Palmyra Bridges are still officially "safe," they're also described as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Most will be undergoing repair or updating soon. The extremely congested Terminal F at the Philadelphia International......

As part of an inspection for damage, some vaults have been opened - for the first time in a very long time - at Christ Church Burial Ground at Fifth and Arch Streets, "the resting place of more than 4,000 prominent Philadelphians, including Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence." The vaults look quite a bit different than expected, and new sketches will have to be drawn. The PA budget......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. Shatner has confirmed that he won't be in the new Star Trek movie, and Leonard Nimoy will. He seems kind of pissed, but he's got a sense of humor about it, too. Sci Fi has got a fun video from the red carpet outside the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring interviews with the director, screenwriter,......

This year's DanceBOOM! closes tomorrow, but true to form, The Wilma theater. made sure that its final week of programming was its best. The dancers, singers, and percussionists of Raices Culturales Latinoamericanas, a nonprofit group dedicated to "increasing public awareness of the beauty and diversity of Latin American culture through music and dance performances" greeted DanceBOOM! patrons and Broad Street passersby alike, fully ready to embrace, and able to prove, their organization's mission. I......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Design a new burger for Wendys and you could win $25,000, and you might even see your burger on their menu in 2008. Runners up win free burgers for a year. Dude, awesome. We've got an idea for a burger: it's just a pile of bacon on a bun. What? That's just a bacon sandwich? Damn. Ah, well,......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. Check out this very creepy trailer for 30 Days of Night, an upcoming film based on a graphic novel about vampires attacking in the arctic circle during the time of year when the sun doesn't rise for a whole month. Awesome! We're sure there are worse ideas for movies, but right now a prequel to The Blair Witch Project sounds like......

For whatever reason, I'm mildly obsessed with Rube Goldberg machines. (Maybe it's because my parents never let me own Mouse Trap when I was a child?) Because of this, I'd been excited to see Rainpan 43's machines machines machines machines machines machines machines. Like, really excited. Like, I'd been anticipating opening night of the show for well over a month. And maybe that's why I was so disappointed in the show. Don't get me......

Paul Mecurio Giveaway
4/27/07-5/1/07...

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. Commodore is back! With high-end PCs selling at ridiculous prices! Uh... thanks but no thanks, Commodore. (Via Jill) Fascinating Marvel Comics spoiler: guess who's taking over Cap's job now that he's gone? Holy crud! This could be fun. (Via) There are a lot of things we bet you don't know about sloths. Luckily, SNL is here to fill you in. (Via)......

I haven't studied a lot of Brecht. But from what I have studied, I feel very safe in making the assertion that Brecht is either someone that people either adore and worship and elevate, or he's someone whose work people really can't stand. I lean heavily toward the former, which is why I was so excited to see The Wilma Theater's production of The Life of Galileo. Fortunately for fans of Brecht, this production......