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

by A.D. Amorosi

Has anyone noticed that 99 percent of all reporting on the Philly-filming Happy Tears — mine, Klein's, Gross' — pretty much points toward the fact that all its actors are doing is eating? Tinto. Audrey Clare. Tria. Snackbar. Make your movie. Stop noshing. Get going. And Owen Wilson: Don't make like your chunky brah and sup here constantly while lensing Marley & Me. Do your scenes at the Inky. Have a diet cola. Stay lean.

► Greg Giovanni hasn't been around much. The Big Mess Theater boss is busy doing what he calls "the noh-thing" for the last 10 years. (As in Tang Dynasty Japanese musical drama; his Pine Barrens play was produced by Theatre Nohgaku in 2006.) But Greg's coming out of the Pines since Painted Bride offered him a 20-year retrospective of his work. "The idea being that four of my plays are produced there this fall, and, if that goes well, larger ones come spring," says Giovanni of avant-local classics such as Lectures in Theater History and Naked Cocktail essayed by companies like Brat, Azuka and Mum Puppet starting in September. More soon.

► Two things I forgot to ask during my brief stay at Jason Binn's tony Niche Media relaunch of John Colabelli's Philly Style at City Hall. When cover boy Jon Bon Jovi arrived (right when singer Jarrod Spector hit the high notes of Jersey Boys on stage — coincidence or swell planning?) with publicist Ken Sunshine, I noticed Ken and Jon had samey shiny teeth and bonding. Same dentist? Also I wanted to ask ex-Style owner Dana Spain-Smith if her Fitzwater Street neighbors' gossiping was true — that she's willing to shave a million-or-two off the $6 mil asking price of her McMansion if the prospective buyer's quick and thick with the dough. What? Think I don't need more closet space?

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► House hop DJ Just Jess was the hit of the Sapphire Fund's Emerge 2008 fundraiser. Now she's two places, one night, Friday, May 16 — Liberties Bar's bash with Josh Holliday; and with me, A.D. , and guests at O.N.E. That's demand.

► And we just thought it was an adjunct of the Scientology building: The Institute at 12th and Green, a lounge from Charlie and Heather Collazo. Look for it in June.

► Book 'em, boys: First I hear Live Nation-eer Bryan Dilworth isn't feeling well (pneumonia? Nasty stuff). Get that man some soup. Then I hear Joe Lekkas (beau of phillygirlabouttown.com) isn't booking Heyday anymore. "After two years, I decided to go at it on my own and book shows throughout the city at lots of different venues," says Lekkas, who's naming his Kinks-y sounding company Village Green and putting bands at 941, Johnny Brenda's, etc. "It'll give me a chance to craft each event in a special way ... . Also, this gives me the opportunity to put the M Room back on the map with good touring bands and solid locals." Then I hear Sherman Arts' Rich Wexler will book Green Line Café full-time and drop his other venues. He's stopped his Tritone night, has a last Rotunda gig soon, and will make May 19's show with Armchairs, Tunturia and Brian Reichert's Thomas Jefferson Airplane at the Balcony one of two final flings upstairs at the Troc. "I'm trying hard to get out of bar shows and feel in order to make Green Line work I must put all my energy there and not compete with myself." Soup all around.

► Buy new drapes. Vango's getting guests. Ms. Cyoni and Robbie Tronco's Mondays welcome country cousin DJ Jon Gill May 19. The next night Rachel Inc.'s Rachel Furman, leaving town to PR the Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry film, does her bon voyage there.

► Some know Ezekiel Zagar from his brother Jeremiah Zagar's In a Dream flick starring mosaic-ist father Isaiah, and gallery-owning mom Julia. Others know Ez's warm roots reggae CD Love and War recorded with Gil Scott Heron's band. Now you can dig him as shop owner of Cornerstone at the 611 space on Fourth Street. It's selling vintage musical equipment. But mostly, it's pushing good vibes.

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► Then there's bad vibes: like when Fran Scareho, after a two-week crash course in bass playing, debuts with grouchy Bitchslicer for a Tritone show May 19. Or May 17's West Jefferson Street's Coffin Factory gig with the Fire Museum label, Larkin Grimm, Orion Rigel Dommisse and Katt Hernandez. Even Jealous Type-ex Tommy Ciccone's band Twelve Twenty (Khyber, May 17) might be creepy in a power-popping manner if the sound of Hit with the Cool Ray is any display of evil.

► Did you know there's a rumored battle 'tween Dreamz and Lounge 125 (whose owners're opening a second club supposedly) over the fact that each of their sidewalks is littered with the others' fliers every weekend? Are you surprised Dreamz is open?

► Daryl Hall called me the other day. Not to ask me to grow a 'stache and be his new Oates. Along with readying his Internet Webcast sensation Live from Daryl's House for HDTV and announcing his first solo tour (July 12, Keswick) he and John are being named "icons" at BMI's Pop Awards May 20 in L.A. All the best songwriting kids get them. "Ahh, awards don't mean shit. They're meaningless gestures," laughs Hall. "But as far as meaningless goes, this is very nice." I love a pragmatic guy. Maybe I'll grow that 'stache after all.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)