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

by A.D. Amorosi

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Published: Jul 22, 2008

Know how you're physically sickened when lazy writers call our burgh "Phillywood"? Well, that's fine since Jeff Rotwitt and his pals at Pacifica Ventures are building their multi-acre Sun Center Studios in Chester Township. Let Chester get some dumb nickname. I know you're pissed they're not doing the studio downtown, but we've got plenty of things that we stupidly affix "Ph" prefixes to. No more. It's those dammed "Ph"s — not Rocky or cheesesteaks — that make Philly slimily parochial. Or is it "Pharochial"? Phuck it. Philly-expat Steve Condon's found a nice way around the "Ph" thing anyway. The now-Los Angeles-based director who shot The Borough (about Upper Darby — ugh — give him a break, though) started a wry autobiographical blog about a married-with-kids film pro dealing with the West Coast cinema scene (phillyboyinla.com). And he's got a film company, 10/10, with Philly locals (Dennis McFadden, Steve Molineux) who are shooting a pilot for their TV show in and around town this week. Little Hollywood is what 10/10 calls us and the show that'll feature locals Rachel Holt, Kevin Dillon and Pierre Robert. Isn't Little Hollywood nicer than "Chestwood" or "Hollyter"? I think so.

► Speaking of such, I ran into Rainn Wilson at WHYY's studio not long after he ran into the cast of Mamma Mia! (the stage play at Academy of Music). "I was going to play guitar for Terry Gross but I ran out of time," jokes Wilson. The comic actor the kids love (Juno, The Office) was around to talk up his mullet-haired leading-man debut as The Rocker. Comedies may, in his words, get offered to Will Ferrell and Jack Black first before they get to Wilson. But the Who-fanatic/art-dealing Wilson got to play a failing drummer named Fish after Fox studios green-lighted him when they saw him rocking out and throwing watermelons during an Office episode. Why are drummers always the failing guy? "Because they're idiots," smirks Wilson. "What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians? The drummer! I have a newfound respect for all the other players in the band."

► Big British gent Jack Eldridge (a local computer software exec) and his gal, realtor Mary Hallman, thought they'd soft-open their boutique Lippincott House B&B at 21st and Locust. That is until the families of the Olympic team gymnasts tumbled in during the trials at the Wachovia Center and filled all rooms. There's time for quiet when you're dead, Jack. More news on Lippincott soon.

► I'm hearing a rockabillyrumor that Glenside's home to all things sideburned-n-slicked-back, Blue Comet, may be going through a sorta transition. Not selling. Just a trim off the nape.

► You were excited you had your picture taken with Snoop Dogg at G lounge last week. Atsa nize. But did you know Snoop met with King Britt at Silk City before his Festival Pier show?

► It's a big week for drag doyen Needles Jones. He's hosting Bob & Barb's drag event July 24 to celebrate the year anniversary of his near-death beating. That's fun. Then the Balcony's Monday Night Club July 28 (the LiveArts/Fringe networking bash with Apogee and Temple of Bon Matin) finds him blowing out candles for his birthday. No b-day punches, there.

► As if it weren't enough that Yakitori Boy has the best Japanese traditional karaoke game in town in its attic (the large-scale Japas room): The Chinatown eatery will host Wii fests in its basement starting in August.

► Remember last week when I mentioned that guitarist Eric Carbonara got jumped? The beatdown didn't happen in NoLibs or Fishtown but rather Cobbs Creek Park. Bad is bad all over.

► No li'l ol' brain aneurysm'll stop Nick DiFonzo. The restaubar owner-n-chef at Jasper in Downingtown just reopened his joint after illness felled him for a minute.

► Book and the Cook/Center City Proprietors Foundation babe Judy Faye wrote to tell me its expo (as opposed to its celeb chef dining series) will return for the first time in six years, Oct. 25 and 26, at the conclusion of its eating week that is Oct. 20-26. Yum.

► The Sci-Fi series you read about in CP last week takes into account some old-school Dutch Master avant-jazz-bos when Gojjo welcomes Interplay — Elliott Levin, Rick Iannacone, their battery of percussionists — July 27, 45th and Baltimore. It's the first gig in two years and they're dropping their first spoken-word/blaring noise CD, Apology to the Atonists.

► Art, we hardly knew ye: The last Big Art show for some time will happen courtesy the boys from Backseat Conceptions on July 26 at 941 Theater (bigartshow.com). Ask to see Visual Art Assassination and Yummy Luv Press.

► While we wait for the verdict on Joe Grasso's Walnut Street Capital — to erect an American Commerce Center that'll dwarf the Comcast Building (we want Grasso to win) or not — there's plenty other news at the house that Brian Roberts built. The unholy alliance of Table 31 (Georges Perrier's steakhouse at the Comcast Building) and Paperstreet doing outdoor Wednesday reggae parties at the dancing fountain sounded cute until the cops supposedly shut it down (for good?) due to noise. While the cable giant awaits judgment from the FCC's chairman, Kevin Martin, for slowing down Internet users sharing big data files and downloading movies, a rumor has its occupant chef Perrier's other restaurant, Le Bec Fin, facing a brutally high rent increase on its Rittenhouse Row block. Ouch.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

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