Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

I've no time to talk. TRH — "Their Royal Highnesses" — are in town and I'm scrambling to find my bow-iest of bow ties, yo, for the Academy of Music's 150th Anniversary Ball thing. (Rod Stewart's playing the gala. Haven't seen Rod since "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Smoked a lot of weed then. Should I bring pot?) And a day coat to accompany Prince Charles to Mantua for his look-see at Jane Golden's Mural Arts stuffs (take Charles to see that Jerry Blavat/Al Martino mural!). And hay for Charles' horse — I mean, Camilla. I better not smoke mary before I hang with TRH. I might make that stallion slip. Or tell them Mayor Street was once Bozo the Clown (thanks, Wikipedia, for blowing the lid off that!). Or that the Philly Toe Sucker likes hooves. Or that they're gonna miss the Car Show and the Wing Bowl by doing all that Liberty Ball dribble. Point is, I'm busy. So I'm letting others talk. Like my man pots 'n' pans Jerry Blavat. The Geator presented the pride of Philly hosting at the big house for Gov. Rendell's inaugural. ("Not only were we able to show the rest of Pennsylvania what it is we're about, what with the Trammps, Frankie Avalon and my thing. I had 5,000 people doing the Stomp, the Boogaloo, and the Mashed Potato.") But more than that, the Boss with le Hot Sauce had the prescience to book Ronnie Spector's Ronettes with a Wall of Sound orchestra, at Kimmel Jan. 28 for his R 'n' Roll Extravaganza. Prescient? Ronnie just got nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I'm on the nominating committee and have been pushing to get her inducted for years," says Blavat. "When it happened, I figured what better way to celebrate than to bring her to the Kimmel?" Blavat's got surprises up his sleeve. Like hopefully getting Ronettes Nedra Talley and Estelle Bennett — Ronnie's sister — to the show. Yes, Blavat's trying still to get Chubby, Frankie and Connie Francis into the Hall of Fame. And yes, I'd like to see him in the Hall. "Nah, as soon as they know where you're at. ... The least said is the least mended, know what I'm saying little brother?" I do.

► Know who's talking? Kristina Burke — the managing/married partner of Jim Burke of James on Eighth: the new green-linen mod Italiano lounge/ristorante opening in the old Michael's spot this week. I've been waiting for this joint to open forever. "Forever?" jokes Kristina. "We redid this bad boy from top to bottom in only four months!" They opened this bad boy — a swank one with hand-painted silver trees in the private dining room, fabu chandeliers and horseshoe banquettes (Jim's favorite design element) — in part for the new Souf Philly, the one wit da yout', I mean, young professionals, in mind. And while Jim's cuisine is best described as pristine but never fussy or overdone ("he's a purist, Buddha-like"), I gotta know: As the nu-foodie couple, don't they get sick of talking about menu items? "No — we live for this. Right before bed we discuss what new pork preparation we may do."

► Producer Eric Vincent's claiming family ties for his Curve Dominant Studio Monday at Bar Noir Jan. 29. Terry Gamble, nephew of Kenny, plays bass. Vincent will yank out custom guitars from his brother Kurt (godsmack) Schneck's closet. And I hear singers Ryat and Chris (Come Dionysus) Jones are siblings. And they're fucking. And that's sick.

► WHOWHATWHERE: While Ian "Britany Lynn" Morrison was onstage at Pure doing his drag rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Sandra Bernhard walked in, cheered and jumped on stage. "She wrapped her arm around me, I instinctively dropped to my knees and almost shoved my face in her crotch — it was very surreal," says Lynn.

► So you know how they say nothing new happens at the hottest dance club, Upstairs at Sal's? Well, Carmen Martella will host First Fridays there as Skeletor, and DJ A.D. (moi!) will do the same every last Friday starting Jan. 26 with DJ Evan from Alfa's '80s night, VJ Large Marge and electro-groovin' To The Moon.

► Sara Sherr may've just quit Plain Parade. But she's still DJing and throwing band bashes — like the all-femme Sugar Town. "Only this time, I'm flying solo," says Sherr, who'll kick it off Feb. 10 at Tritone with Voodoo Economics and DJ Julia Factorial.

► Remember me rumoring that spiky-haired Frankowskis — John, Vincent — of Swanky Bubbles/Brulee were eyeballing the Olive in Cherry Hill? They snagged it for a Pan-Asian SB2 to open Feb. 5 with a deck.

► There was comic Steve Odabashian. Top of my 2007 list for his Andy Reid impersonations and his Thursday piano/singing gig at Cascamorto. When suddenly. "They pulled the plug on my show. I feel like Arrested Development. The critics love me, but I have no network." Then the Eagles lost, and he was left with nothing. Sorrow. But only for a day. "I'm back on Fridays from 5 till 8. A better shift! Your review helped." You're welcome!

► Evil Philly noise punks Violent Students, Home Blitz and F'nu Ronnies: Meet the campus police, Jan. 26, Pi Lambda Pi, 3914 Spruce St. Be there.

► We love Fox29's Kerri-Lee Halkett and can't wait to eyeball their 5 p.m. late-afternoon news with her. But they got to film better commercials with her. Look at her fulcrum. The lighting gives her shadow-stache. For a foxy Halkett see Feb.'s W mag all-femme-anchor spread where she's done up by Philip-Lorca diCorcia. That's lighting!

► We're sorry we missed Monkey Bar's dressiest DelloBuonos' (Peter, Dylan) birthdays. And Undergirl/Twist hair salon Amy DiCamillo's, too. And ?uestlove's. So stop at the Monkey and say hello, get a trim at Twist and hit ?'s Tastytreats Jan. 27 at Fluid and bring cake. Jill Scott'll be by swinging her new Collaborations CD.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)