June 1–8, 2000 six pick Crosstown Traffic Q: When does history repeating itself sound like the rumble of bulldozers? A: When city planners decide a neighborhood stands in the way of “urban revitalization.’’ In the late ’60s and early ’70s,…

May 18–25, 2000 art Frankford Gets Festive On the avenue I’m taking you to: Merchants display their colorful wares on busy Frankford Avenue. With its first arts festival, Frankford is gearing up to remind Philadelphia that there is life beyond…

February 10–17, 2000 on media Vai Sick O’ Homos? This much is clear: Vai Sikahema will not be hosting the Lambda Awards banquet on Feb. 13. Why he won’t be hosting remains open for discussion. Sponsored by the Philadelphia Gay…

February 3–10, 2000 critic pick|jazz Ruth Naomi Floyd Search far and wide; you won’t find a mainstream jazz vocalist with a message as potent, or as urgent, as this. And you’ll be hard-pressed to locate a gospel singer with an…

September 21–28, 2000 cover story|sidebar Once A Cop… Licenses & Inspections Commissioner Ed McLaughlin used to be a cop. And some say he acts as if he still works for the Philadelphia Police Department. When police officers are unable to…

July 20–27, 2000 movies Cinema Veri-Gay A Boy Named Sue Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival only Venue Codes: PMT: Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. RE: Ritz East, Second St. between Chestnut and Walnut Sts. WT: Wilma Theater,…

March 16–23, 2000 picklet|electronica Christopher Lawrence L.A.’s Christopher Lawrence, dubbed the “Trance Messiah,” continues to climb the DJ ladder with his hard progressive house and techno trance, which has been making rave and club crowds go ballistic across the nation…

June 15–22, 2000 critic pick|opera Tears of a Clown Before the movies and Bugs Bunny popularized Brunnhilde with a horned helmet as the visual essence of opera, a photo of Enrico Caruso in circus whites beating the drum defined the…

October 12–19, 2000 critic pick|theater Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe In 1985, when Search for Signs made its Broadway debut, Lily Tomlin had already been a star for 15 years. She had shown her flair for…