NBC 10 Continues To Set Bar Higher And Higher

Man, I must have done like every drug ever last night. Or this is real. I don’t know which one is scarier.

Dress Your Favorite Anchor For The Prom [NBC 10]

Abridged ‘Daily News’ Columnists

Elmer Smith: College should be cheaper.

Christine Flowers: SOULS!

Jill Porter: Much like Dhani Jones was arrested for dancing, some dude was arrested for singing in Rittenhouse Square.

Decisions, Decisions

Yesterday, 5:01 p.m., inside a Gmail Talk box:

me: oh my god

Friend: ?
me: erin o’hearn is filling in on abc and kerri-lee halkett is on fox
WHO DO I WATCH
Mike: oh man
picture in picture
me: you always know the right answer

Kerri-Lee Halkett [MyFox Philly]
Erin O’Hearn [6 ABC]

Leftovers: Casino Capers

• Ha ha, casino operators! You want to take our income via slot machines? Well we’re just going to zone you out of the entire city using old laws meant to stop nightclubs from annoying us. Huzzah! [Metro]

• After spending $1,400 on meals in the first six months in office, freshman Buxco Rep. John Galloway will return all that cash because he ran on a platform of government reform. It’s good to know everybody falls into line after a few days in office. [Bucks County Courier TImes]

• This year, the Phillies will have vegetarian options available for fans at Citizens Bank Park. And a majority of the cups and other resources will be biodegradable. The Phillies, however, will still most likely disappoint. [NBC 10]

Jim Kenney Has This Blogging Thing Down Pat

Say what you will, but I think Councilman Jim Kenney has totally embraced blogging the way it’s supposed to be done. Good show.

What [Comment by James Kenney, YPP]

Bristol Residents To Remain Full, Fat

A McDonald’s is opening in Bristol. This isn’t just any McDonald’s, though, it’s the first “Starbucks-like” “upscale” McDonald’s in the Philadelphia area.

(Please note, if you were asked, “Where will the first upscale McDonald’s open in the Philadelphia area?” and you answered “Bristol,” I’m impressed.)

The store will replace an existing McDonald’s, and will have more space and be more like Starbucks. I’m not quite sure how this works, but apparently Americans have tired of eating fatty foods in disgusting restaurants and want to do it in a little nicer place.

Although the new McDonald’s will be larger, the burgers will remain the same size — and remain fatty:

Councilman Joe Szafran took issue with the location of a Dumpster on the property, which the restaurant agreed to shroud in shrubbery. Szafran also wondered aloud about the nutritional content.

“You going to get rid of the trans fats?” he asked.

McDonald’s officials laughed at the question but did not respond.

Ha ha, you puny humans and your desire to not die of heart disease.

McDonald’s to build upscale restaurant on Bristol Pike [Bucks County Courier Times]

Record Number Turn Out To Support No One For Mayor

The city’s largest union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, met last night to vote on an endorsement for mayor. The PFT is the city’s largest single-employer union, with 15,000 members living in the City of Philadelphia. It also has a reputation for mobilizing volunteers, holding phone banks, registering voters, etc.

So the endorsement’s pretty important. And 7,800 members showed up to vote en masse and pick the candidate they think would do the best job. Usually the vote attracts about 25 percent of the members; this time almost half showed up.

And everybody got together for mayor and picked the candidate who will do the best job:

For the first time since 1971, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has opted not to endorse a mayoral candidate in an open primary after a majority of members who cast votes in a referendum said that’s what they wanted. [...]

That was the choice for 2,418 members, nearly a third of the 7,799 who cast votes. It was more votes than garnered by any of the six candidates.

Whoo! The 2007 mayor’s race: Can you feel the excitement!

Teachers vote to endorse . . . no candidate [Inquirer]

TLA Renamed Fillmore Philadelphia

Starting April 27, the Theater of Living Arts is no more. Instead, it’s Fillmore Philadelphia, the newest in a soon-to-be House of Blues-ish chain of Fillmore theaters across the country. (Irving Plaza in New York will be renamed Fillmore New York. Live Nation owns both venues.)

And who’s the opening band at the new Fillmore? Why, it’s Todd Rundgren, of course!

The new chain will take a few good feature from the original Fillmore, i.e. a free basket of apples at the front door of every show. (Healthy living! No trans fans!) But, uh, to me, this sounds a little TGI Friday’s:

On top of the significant renovations that the venue underwent last year, hardwood floors are being installed, the walls will be painted a deep red hue and three large chandeliers will shine light on vintage posters, pictures and newspaper articles recounting legendary live music performances.

Aw, pretty soon we’ll have our very own little triangle of corporate rock right in Center City: Hard Rock Cafe, House of Blues and Fillmore Philadelphia. But, ah, hardwood floors you say?

TLA renamed Fillmore Philadelphia [phillyBurbs.com]
Todd Rundgren to Play Inaugural Concert at Newly Re-Named Fillmore Philadelphia [PRNewswire]

City Councilwoman’s Deep, Dark Secret

I’m still kind of confused by Stu Bykofsky’s Daily News column this morning. His column revealed that Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller has a horse in her backyard.

This wouldn’t be all that weird if she lived at, say, a horse track. But, no, Miller lives in Germantown. And has a horse. In her backyard.

Amazingly enough, city law doesn’t forbid horses, mainly for the reason that, ah, almost nobody owns a personal horse in this city. You can’t have farm animals — “any chicken, goose, duck, turkey, goat, sheep, pig, cow” (cow? —ed.) — but horses aren’t considered farm animals.

It’s actually Miller’s husband’s horse, but she declined to let Byko talk to him. But, of course, this isn’t the only time Byko has dealt with Miller.

Miller reminded me that I had called about a pony in her back yard 10 years ago. I had completely forgotten that.

The Shetland pony named Shera was a pet for her daughter Shakira, I reported at the time. The loyal pony was getting old and probably was going to be sent to the slaughterhouse.

So not only does she own a horse now, but the last one she owned she probably had sent to the slaughterhouse.

Stu Bykofsky | Hoofing it to G’town to nag a pol (again) [Daily News]

Terry Ruggles Picks Up Mascot Monday Ball

It’s been a while — since July! — that Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia featured Mascot Monday, and since the hosts who started it (George Mallet, Kerri-Lee Halkett, Jennaphr Frederick) are all on different shows now, it appears Mascot Monday is dead. (I think this is the seventh or eighth Mascot Monday epitaph on this website.)

Don’t fret! NBC 10’s Terry Ruggles has answered the call for a new Mascot… uh, Day:

Good show. Now all we need is Bill Henley to join in.

NBC 10 Anchor Boogies With Phillie Phanatic [NBC 10]
Archives: Mascot Monday