AltWeeklies Wire
Half Baked Comic Jim Breuer Finally Grows Upnew
Jim Breuer has always rocked. The New Jersey comic hangs with Metallica, screeches AC/DC versions of "The Hokey Pokey" during his standup act, and wears Jerry Garcia's ashes around his neck in Half Baked. But in recent years, he's been rocking something else -- cradles.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Scott Yorko |
12-01-2009 |
Performance
The Troopers in Broken Lizard Have Frat-House Humor Lickednew
The five members of New York-based comedy troupe Broken Lizard are much like the writers and actors for Reno 911! The only difference is, Broken Lizard is actually funny.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
11-17-2009 |
Performance
Tags: Broken Lizard, comedy
How South Philly Became the Center of the Alt-Wrestling Universenew
This sub-genre flips the focus back from operatics to athleticism, catering to those for whom the Monday Night Raws and SmackDowns and even the TNAs of the world have gotten too far removed from what they love about the sport, or the art, or however you care to refer to it. (Just don't call it "sports entertainment.")
Philadelphia City Paper |
Shaun Brady |
11-17-2009 |
Sports
Anita Chu's 'Field Guide to Candy' is a Sweet Booknew
The Field Guide will help you properly identify (and make) more than 100 varieties of treats -- some contemporary, some esoteric, all presented in unadulterated, cavity-inducing glory.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Drew Lazor |
11-10-2009 |
Food+Drink
Is a Draconian Law Forcing Innocent Men Out of the Country?new
Over the last 13 years, the federal government has deported more than 1 million immigrants following criminal convictions -- a number that has escalated dramatically in the last decade. But what if the men are innocent, and the law doesn't care?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Julia Harte |
11-10-2009 |
Immigration
Resurrecting the Dead Milkmennew
When we heard that the Dead Milkmen were officially back in the picture -- playing shows, making new music -- and blowing it out with a big Halloween bas, we gave frontman Rodney Anonymous a word count and set him free.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Rodney Anonymous |
11-03-2009 |
Music
Tags: Dead Milkmen, punk rock
Life After 'Gourmet': What Should You Read Now?new
The November edition of America's most influential food-culture monthly started hitting mailboxes this week. Conde Nast will then decant subscribers into the mailing list for Bon Appetit -- a journey that, for some, will resemble that of a Chateau Lafite-Rothschild into a pitcher of sangria. So for anyone who hungers for more than Gourmet's replacement can offer, here's a survival guide for life without it.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Trey Popp |
10-27-2009 |
Food+Drink
Keystone United: Kinder, Gentler Skinheads?new
The eight-year-old group wants to "break the stereotypes of skinheads being alcoholic thugs and violent, drug-addicted criminals," according to its website. It simply believes that the white race is superior to all others, and that white people should not mingle with people of color -- and really, what's so wrong about that?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Julia Harte |
10-20-2009 |
Race & Class
How Maurice Sendak Unleashed a Multimedia Monster with 10 Little Sentencesnew
While plenty of books from childhood are remembered nostalgically and still others are simply forgotten, Where the Wild Things Are is, for many, beloved not only for what it was then, but for what it means now.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Lauren F. Friedman |
10-20-2009 |
Books
The Flaming Lips' 'Embryonic' is a Surprising, Giddy Rushnew
Small-w weird in the best possible sense, the record cranks back the clock hands a full two decades, reveling in the kind of "whatever the fuck we want" experimentalism it seemed the Lips long ago shucked.
Philadelphia City Paper |
J. Edward Keyes |
10-13-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
How One Sword-Swallower Sired a Legion of Philly Freaksnew
Almost single-handedly, Red Stuart, who at 58 is the world's oldest active sword-swallower, has helped bring to Philadelphia one of the country's most up-and-coming sideshow scenes.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Bill Meagher |
10-13-2009 |
Culture
Is Kurt Vile a Lo-Fi Schizo Prodigy or the Most Important Man in American Music Today?new
When Gerard Cosloy signed Kurt Vile to Matador Records, he issued a press release declaring the Lansdowne native "one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009."
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
10-06-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
An Inside Look at the G20 Summit and the Police State That Surrounded Itnew
The phrase "lockdown" doesn't quite get to the core of how militarized and contained Pittsburgh really was throughout the two-day G20 Sept. 24 and 25.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Matt Stroud |
10-06-2009 |
Civil Liberties
Going for the Gold at the Toronto International Film Festivalnew
The Toronto International Film Festival is often a venue for anointing the preordained, the first stop on the studios' long march toward Oscar season. But it's the surprises that shine through.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Sam Adams |
09-29-2009 |
Movies
Does Team Obama Risk Losing Momentum Over Health-Care Reform?new
As some former Obama fans see the president's stance on health care shift from his pre-election promises, a new question has arisen. Will they be more loyal to their president or to their own vision for health care?
Philadelphia City Paper |
Julia Harte |
09-22-2009 |
Politics
