Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

If you're like me and love bone-dry expenditure charts (Alan Greenspan's book is dreamy), you'll dig Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance's rap that Philly and its suburban counties mean big money when it comes to the farty arts. While we can't see including Upper Darby in that, we read that Southeast Pennsylvania generates over $1.3 billion in yearly expenditures ($35,000-plus in jobs, including whatever it is Absinthe Drinkers do, $158-plus million in state/city taxes) with plenty of audience support but not enough public funding. Mike Nutter says he'll reopen Philly's Office of Arts and Culture (and its windows; very stuffy as I remember) when he gets mayoralized. But we gotta get the well-over-a-thousand art orgs — the tiny ones that work hardest — cashola soon. We'll give the Zizkas some dough. But dole out the ducats to kids from Circle of Hope on Broad Street, the Megawords guys who got that gi-hugic photo magazine (#7 with William Pym www.megawordsmagazine.com/media.php) out now. Or Sherman Arts' Rich Wexler. The guy who put the neu in neurosis and the "Large" in the "Marge" has made chicken movies, thrown odd DIY picture exhibits (the lift up your shirt/photo-booth one was GPCA-worthy) and fused a strong-coffee's klatch of diverse dippy artists into Sherman's blender for eight years. So along with moving his birthday celebration to a post-Yom Kippur Sept. 28, he's got a spate of Sherman 8 celebrations. All hail Sherman Sept. 29 with the lovely Larkin Grimm and Matthew and the Arrogant Sea (Green Line Café), and Oct. 1 with the lovely DreTime, Apogee and Bugs Multiply from North Carolina (Balcony at the Troc). Bring a Rosh Hashanah gift. No shofars. He has plenty.

► We're hearing rumors Mansion on Rit-Row got sold and signed over — lock, stock (what's left of it after some rumored dipping into the barrel) and barrel. To whom? There's a mystery. Who doesn't love a sale? While we can't say enough that 1812's Jen Childs is doing Jane Wagner's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe at the Walnut is a bargain at twice the price, somehow having Pat's Steaks sponsor $12 Tuesdays just makes Childs yummier? Or at least Wit'-Wizzier! And remember those "having-a-fine-art art sales" somewhere on Route 1? Falling Cow Tim Bowen is holding "Hodgepodge" for one last weekend, Sept. 27-29, with all pieces 50 percent off, with coupon, at his Fourth St. Gallery. He may not hold another exhibition of his work ever again.

► It's Vango. Not Mango. And he meant it to be so, says Diaa Sawan of his much-anticipated restau-bar atop his Byblos house-and-hookah hotspot on 18th Street. After several name-changes and time spent handcrafting design-conscious furnishings and lighting (a $30,000-plus fiber-optic chandelier), Sawan's ready to open Vango and its roof deck in October with chefs snagged from Buddakan, Nobu and Tangerine for a Japanese/Mediterranean-inspired menu.

• Listen to Grammar Debate's Cheetah Vs. Helicopter

► You know Joe Lekkas as the booker at North Star, M-Room and Khyber. On Sept. 27, he'll be the guitar-slinging singer on the Khyber stage (when his Grammar Debate looses its forever-incubating GBV-infused Cheetah Vs. Helicopter (which you can stream at citypaper.net/musicstore).

► Quiet before the storm: That was the din of dinner time Saturday at the former Pompeii on 11th and Walnut while its neighbors were loudly packed. That'll change when the new sign for "Joe Pesce," a fish place with Medit-Asian influence (sounds familiar), hits now that Robert Liccio joined with bro/chef Joe Tucker.

► WHOWHATWHERE: It was so nice running into my comic-chum Chuck Nice — Best Week Ever stalwart — in front of Brasserie Perrier the other night, I didn't even ask him why he was in town. Much-traveling Philly guitar tech Bobby Schneck served up his family members — sister Betsy, bro Eric Vincent — as sacrifices to gods of rock Aerosmith at the Borgata. Steven Tyler showed up during Joan Jett's sound check and gave Eric and Betsy big hugs and kisses. Woody's got a Sunday saunter-in from Dante's Cove's Reichen Lehmkuhl and Jenny Shimizu.

► Read your friends: Diabolik/Exhumed film dude Joe Gervasi can be found along with fellow International House-mate Jesse Pires talking up his hymen-breaking hardcore debut in My First Time: A Collection of First Punk Show Stories, edited by Chris Duncan. Though you'll stop by Glam's Restaurant Week happy hour to hear A.D. spin the slow songs, bring a copy of September's Men's Health and get manager Robert Miller to sign his muscled squat shot on page 128. Feel the burn.

► See your friends on TV: Dr. Dog sings da National Anthem for the Phillies Sept. 27 after just having left to tour with Wilco. Anything to get 'em away from Jeff Tweedy. Man Man's raucous take on Showtime's Weeds theme "Little Boxes" can be heard Oct. 1. Anything to get 'em away from Modest Mouse.

► Watch your friends get married in scary places: Wayne Hamilton (of Vibrolux, Rockula, Suffacox) married Christine Risley this weekend in Upper Black Eddy. Or did he marry someone named "Upper Black Eddy"? Congrats either way.

► The Give the Shirt Off Your Back Gala for the Foundation for Breast & Prostate Health honors Channel 6 guy, cancer survivor Gary Papa Sept. 28 at Hyatt at Penn's Landing. Vince Papale, Joe Conklin, John DeBella and Chris Booker like him. Stephen Starr likes him and made silk-screening your face on a chair at Buddakan part of its auction's fare. While we don't want to see these guys with their shirts off, DeBella put Papa in perspective. "His wife was the delivery room nurse when my son was born," says the WMGK-FM host. "His name means 'pope' in Italian. You never want to cross a Pope!" Atzanize. Call 215-732-2300 for tix.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)