Transformers 2 In Philadelphia?

Film Geek geeks all over the Internet are freaking out about this quote in March’s Main Line Today, where Philadelphia is mentioned as a possible location for the filming of Transformers 2.

It’s all mentioned in an interview with the Philadelphia Film Office’s Sharon Pinkenson and how Philly is a booming movie town; this article is notable for being the 453rd one to use that premise. (Yeah, yeah, I’ve written it too.)

Pub Team Wins Battle Of Flaming Birds

Last night, Philadelphia Public League champion Communications Tech advanced easily in the state basketball tournament, improving to 28-3 and moving on to the state quarterfinals Friday.

Comm Tech defeated my alma mater, Holy Ghost Prep, by scoring the first eight points of the game and jumping out to a 22-7 lead. The game was the nerdiest one in state tournament history, as it pitted the Phoenix (Comm Tech) against my Firebirds. Not only was this a battle of birds on fire, but it was also a game between the two previous names of Web browser Firefox.

A bunch of teams in the state basketball playoffs have oh so hilarious names, or at least ones that are hilarious when you spent 100 percent of your time online and everything seems funny at some point: Millionaires, Konkrete Kids, “Milton Hershey Spartans” (I assume this school is nicknamed the Hershey Spartans and named after Milton Street). Girard College is nicknamed the Hummers, apparently, and Math, Civics & Science Charter School is nicknamed the Mighty Elephants. There’s also a team simply labeled “Moon Tigers.”

There’s actually apparently a ton of Public League schools still left in the state tournament, proving that Philadelphia can no doubt put a ball through a little circle better than anybody else in this state.

This Kind Of Sums Up Eight Years Of John Street

Click to enlarge.

Update, 11:39 a.m.: For photos taken by, oh, I don’t know, an actual photographer, the Daily News‘ Alejandro Alvarez has a slideshow.

Update, 1:51 p.m.: Teresa Masterson has pre-dawn photos of Mayor Street waiting in line for his iPhone. Impressive.

Earlier today: John Street In Revenge Of The Nerds

John Street In Revenge Of The Nerds

Earlier this week, I read an excellent column from The Star-Ledger about Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Booker is alerted on his Blackberry anytime there was another homicide in the city. He also is willing to go to jail to protest the pointless War on Drugs. (The only war currently going worse than Iraq!™)

Our mayor, John Street, is similar in a lot of ways. He, too, has a Blackberry. And he is willing to wait in line for an iPhone on 16th Street. He’s been there since 3:30 a.m.

“I want to know the kind of things that are on the market,” Street told KYW 1060. “I believe that we are a city that’s leading the way in many respects in the use of technology. We got a late start in this city but we’re trying to catch up…. I might be able to learn something here with the use of this technology that might help us in the city.”

That’s right: John Street is going to fix the city with his downloads of White Stripes MP3s. Of course, the mayor has to do things like, oh, I don’t know, be the mayor of the city, and the iPhone doesn’t go on sale until 6 p.m., so he’s going to be signing all his important papers (or whatever the hell a mayor does) while waiting in line for his phone.

He also has to leave for a few events during the day and will have someone sit in his chair. Please, please, please let it be a homeless guy I’m friendly with so I can steal his seat. Actually, wait: There’s Wi-Fi there, isn’t there? I could blog from John Street’s folding chair. Well, maybe not. Either way, Street will be cutting in line since he has to leave to go cut ribbons.

“We live in a geeky little world here,” Street said to Mike DiNardo. “Times have changed dramatically. It used to be the people seen as geeks were kind of looked down upon. But not anymore!”

Hm. I’m a little torn here. I do think the mayor should have better things to do than wait in line for an iPhone. However, if I were mayor — I had photos of all the other candidates with Shetland ponies who were not their wives — I’d totally get an iPhone. I might work on that homicide problem, too, though.

Update: Photographic proof.

Mayor Street in line for iPhone [KYW 1060]