Dharun Ravi Gets 30-Day Jail Sentence in Rutgers Webcam Case
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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A judge sentenced Dharun Ravi to 30 days in jail, three years probation and 300 hours of community service and ordered him to pay $10,000 to a charitable group that supports victims of bias crimes. Ravi faced up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty on a number of charges stemming from multiple instances in which he used a webcam to observe his roommate at Rutgers engaging in an intimate relationship with another man. His roommate, Tyler Clementi, later committed suicide. [New York Times]
Celeb Scoop: Check Out the Trailer for Bradley Cooper’s The Words
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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Trailer Released for The Words. In The Words Bradley Cooper plays a writer struggling to make ends meet and desperate for a muse. Enter Zoe Saldana and a bunch of moral complications.
Katy Perry and the Biebs Kill the BBMAs. Anyone who's anyone in the recording industry was in Las Vegas last night for the Billboard Music Awards. Katy Perry and Justin Bieber cleaned up in between bouts of shuffling from LMFAO. Also, Penn alum John Legend participated in a tribute to Whitney Houston. [E!]
Will Smith Raps Fresh Prince Theme. The Men in Black III star has been on a bit of a strange press tour overseas to promote his new summer blockbuster. Last week he rapped the theme to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air along with a live studio audience. [Gawker]
SNL Mocks Stephen A. Smith. Philadelphia native Stephen A. Smith is a *ahem* boisterous basketball analyst on ESPN. On Saturday, Jay did his best Stephen A. impression as a part of "Weekend Update." [NBC]
Queen Latifah and Company Talk About Rocky. In case you were wondering what Queen Latifah, Holly Robinson Peete, La La Vazquez and Jenn Sterger think about the Rocky franchise, they're here to offer their analysis. Also, cheesesteaks! Skip to the 2:59 mark to hear them talk Rocky. [Huffington Post]
Bond Is Back. Here's the trailer for the latest 007 flick, Skyfall.
Two Arrested After Conestoga Students Get Sick From Pot Brownies
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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A group of students at Conestoga High School got sick after eating some food laced with pot (brownies?). Police started an investigation that led them to a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman that were arrested for allegedly trying to sell marijuana during a sting operation. [CBS 3]
Judge Denies Sandusky’s Request to Have Trial Delayed
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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Today a judge denied Jerry Sandusky's request to have his trial delayed further. His attorney Joeseph Amendola argued that he needed additional time to track down and interview witnesses in order to provide Sandusky with an adequate defense. He also cited issues concerning the lack of availability of the Penn State officials that face charges in the case. The trial is slated to begin on June 5th. [Washington Post]
Pat Burrell Grabbing a Woman’s Breast at the Piazza on Sunday
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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Pat Burrell returned to Philly over the weekend so that he could retire with his former club. Fortunately, it also meant that we were all treated to a weekend's worth of out-on-the-town antics like dancing shirtless at the Pen and Pencil, spending $158 at a bar and not tipping, and grabbing a young woman's breast at the Piazza in Northern Liberties. Crossing Broad is slowly but surely piecing together the former Phil's weekend agenda. [Crossing Broad]
Bryce Harper Wants You to Boo Him
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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Everyone's least favorite man-boy with a dog named Swag will be in town for the next few days as Bryce Harper and the Nationals take on the Phillies (weather permitting) at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. After the Nats beat up on the O's yesterday, Harper said that he hopes to bring out the boo-birds while he's in town. “Hopefully, I get a couple of boos. That would be awesome," he said. "I’m excited to get in there and play and hopefully they won’t throw any batteries or whatnot at me." Well Bryce, beggars can't be choosers.* [Philly.com]
* The last thing Philly needs is another incident like that to play 15 times a day on SportsCenter. So, let's all agree to refrain from actually throwing batteries at the kid.
Pat Burrell Danced Shirtless at the Pen & Pencil and Left No Tip on a $158 Tab
By Mike Bertha 5/21/2012
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Pat Burrell's Triumphant Return to Philly. The former Phil was back in town for the weekend to be honored at Saturday's game. He signed a one-day contract with the team so that he could retire as a Phillie. While he was in town, Burrell was spotted at the Irish Pub and the Pen & Pencil. At the latter he was wearing a blazer with no shirt and was joined by Mr. and Mrs. Chase Utley. He reportedly spent $158 and left no tip. [Crossing Broad]
UPDATE: Burrell was also photographed grabbing a woman's breast at the Piazza in NoLibs yesterday.
Will Smith Slapped a Reporter. The Fresh Prince was walking the red carpet at the Moscow premiere of Men in Black III when a male reporter tried to plant a kiss on the unsuspecting star's lips. Smith barely managed to avoid the kiss in time and lightly backhanded the reporter across the face. [USA Today]
Archdiocese Removes Two More Priests. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has removed two additional priests from the ministry. Msgr. Hugh P. Campbell—who retired, but most recently served at West Chester's St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish—was removed after he admitted to sexually abusing a minor and Msgr. George J. Mazzotta of Philly's Stella Maris Parish and St. Madeline Parish in Ridley Park was removed after the Archdiocese substantiated a claim of abuse. [Inquirer]
Ruben Has a Sit-Down With Reporters. On Sunday morning, the Inquirer ran two stories concerning a cortisone shot that Ryan Howard received before he ruptured his Achilles and the availability of Howard during his rehabilitation and other instances in which it appeared as though the Phillies organization had been less than forthcoming. Ruben Amaro was not pleased with this. So, after yesterday's game, Amaro had a sit-down with the folks on the Phillies beat. [The 700 Level]
Jay-Z to Announce Made in America Lineup. Today is the day, folks. The lineup is supposedly going to rival the list of performers from Live Aid in 1985. Check back here this afternoon for all the details.
Insurance Broker Naming Names. An insurance broker who pleaded guilty to defrauding the PHA out of $2.3 million is cooperating with federal investigators looking to find out which public officials are on the take. State Rep. Dwight Evans, Ed Rendell, John Street, Vincent Fumo, John Perzel and Mayor Nutter all received contributions from the broker and his father. [Inquirer]
Frankford Fire Linked to Arson. Two fires in two days have authorities on the hunt for an arsonist in the city's Frankford section. [Fox 29]
This Is How the Facebook IPO Went Down Today
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Mark Zuckerberg Rang the Bell. Facebook's founder, head honcho, and Grand Poobah Mark Zuckerberg officially opened the day's trading by ceremoniously ringing the bell to signal the start of trading.
Facebook Opened at $42.05. Facebook opened at just more than $42 a share, but dipped shortly after. [Forbes]
Zynga Got Crushed. Zynga is a social media company that generates most of its revenue through Facebook. NASDAQ halted trading on its stock twice today when it dropped more than 10 percent in a five-minute span. Ouch. [CNN Money]
There Was a Delay in Reporting Trades. NASDAQ is investigating a glitch that caused a delay in the reporting of Facebook trades. [WSJ]
It Closed $4 Down. According to NASDAQ's real-time stats, Facebook closed at $38.06. [VB]
Facebook may not have impressed many people with its first day of public trading, but, at the end of the day, it was still the third-biggest IPO ever and Mark Zuckerberg is still rich enough to higher Andy Samberg to impersonate him whenever he wants.
You Might See Crazy People Doing Backflips in Philly Tomorrow
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Tomorrow, expect to see a bunch of people running up walls and over benches and every other obstacle they can find as they participate in the Philadelphia National Jam 2012—a parkour event that starts at Penn's Landing and will move along Market Street. For those not in the know, parkour is basically the art of moving from one point to another quickly and efficiently. More recently, though, parkour and freerunning have become a bit of a subcultural phenomenon that has spurred countless YouTube videos of people doing backflips off walls, climbing up parking structures, and utilizing everyday objects to entertain people who are bored in their offices.
Adam Levine Golfs Nine Holes in Atlantic City
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Maroon 5 frontman and judge from NBC's The Voice Adam Levine is in Atlantic City because his band is playing Revel tonight. Today, though, a bearded (?) Levine was able to take advantage of the awesome weather and golf nine holes at Atlantic City Country Club before grabbing some tuna salad and crab cakes at Tap Room Grille. [Philly Gossip]
Remember That Time When Philly’s Public Schools Were a Disaster?
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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In case you've forgotten that Philly's public schools are in a state of crisis, Philadelphia Public School Notebook, WHYY/Newsworks, American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would like to remind you (with infographics!). The piece focuses on 2005's incoming crop of freshmen at Benjamin Franklin High School. Believe it or not (believe it), the piece shows that Philly students have a rough road to graduation and college. [Newsworks]
New Barnes Foundation Official Dedication
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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This morning, the fancy new Barnes Foundation on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway was officially dedicated to its founder Albert C. Barnes. The doors opened at 12:07 p.m. and a group of trumpeters welcomed guests into the new building. Mayor Nutter said, "It's the real deal." Ed Rendell said, "It's awesome." [Inquirer]
Roy Oswalt Worked Out for the Phillies
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Let the circus begin. Roy Oswalt—who is currently unsigned by a Major League team—threw a bullpen session for the Phillies (and one for the Red Sox). Reports are that he looks like he's in spring training form and that he'll throw for at least two more teams. With Lee just off the DL and Worley recently placed on the shelf with elbow inflammation, adding Oswalt couldn't hurt, right? [CSN]
Celeb Scoop: Jimmy Kimmel Cut an Off-Color Rick Santorum Joke from His White House Correspondents Dinner Performance
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Kimmel Cut a Santorum Joke at WHCD. Jimmy Kimmel reportedly cut a Rick Santorum joke from his White House Correspondents Dinner gig. The line would have been, "Newt Gingrich’s campaign is so dead, Mitt Romney wants to baptize it and Rick Santorum wants to put it in a jar and show it to his kids.” [EW]
Elizabeth Banks Resorts to Murder. Penn alum Elizabeth Banks has signed on to star in a dark comedy about an office worker who snaps and resorts to murder after years of being walked-on by colleagues. [Hollywood Reporter]
The World Remembers the Fresh Prince. Will Smith—while promoting MIB III in Europe—said that everywhere he goes, people still remember him most as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Oh, and he rapped the theme song. [Digital Spy]
Whoa. Attention all women who grew up on early '90s television: Joey Lawrence has signed up for a three-week stint as a singer, dancer and host for Chippendales in Vegas. [Philly Gossip]
Happy Birthday, Tina Fey! Upper Darby's Tina Fey turns 42 today. It's too bad that ratings were down for the season finale of 30 Rock last night. [E!]
Bono Is the Richest Rock Star in the World. If you think about this for more than 13.7 seconds, your head will explode (it's science)—by 4 p.m. today, Bono will be the richest musician in the world thanks to his stake in Facebook. He's going to make about $1 billion. [TMZ]
UPDATE: Or maybe Bono won't make $1 billion today. [TMZ]
Charlie Manuel, Umpire Each Suspended One Game
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Earlier this week, Charlie Manuel was ejected from a Phillies matinee for taking issue with home plate umpire Bob Davidson because Blue had gotten in Brian Schneider's way while the catcher was trying to track down a wild pitch. The resulting tirade sent spittle flying and had parents earmuffing their children. Now, the swift hand of Major League Baseball hath dictated that both Manuel and Davidson owe the crown a penance of one game for their actions. [Crossing Broad]
Barack Obama Announces $3 Billion Pledge in Private Funding to Fight Hunger in Africa
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Barack Obama is set to announce that a $3 billion pledge of private funding will help work toward alleviating hunger in Africa. The private-sector pledge is expected to add to the $22 billion that resulted from a 2009 summit in L'Aquila, Italy. The idea is that the funds will help to establish sustainable agriculture and help 50 million people out of poverty. [Huffington Post]
This Is What a Mitt Romney Presidency Would Be Like
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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Or at least that's what the Romney campaign wants you to think. Mitt Romney's first ad for the general election began airing today. It's called "Day One" and outlines what the Republican presidential hopeful would do on his first day in office. The ad says he'd greenlight the Keystone Pipeline to create a bunch of jobs and then introduces tax cuts and reforms. In actuality though, his first day would probably consist of a lot of glad-handing and trying to determine whether or not to take iodine supplements to protect his thyroid from the radiation from the XW-9 warhead in a silo 93 feet below the Eisenhower putting green. [Boston Globe]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GzK3ZX7hvzg
Mayor Nutter Biked to Work Today
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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To participate in National Bike to Work Day, Mayor Nutter was the leader of a pack of cyclists that pedaled down the Parkway from Boat House Row to City Hall. He also took time to commend the other riders for helping to make Philly the major city with the largest number of people who bike to work. No word on whether or not Mayor Nutter had trading cards in his spokes. [CBS 3]
Yeremiah Bell Will Sign With the Eagles…or the Jets [UPDATE]
By Mike Bertha 5/18/2012
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It looks like 34-year-old free agent safety Yeremiah Bell has narrowed his suitors down to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets. Bell—who made the 2009 Pro Bowl as a Dolphin—played under current Eagles defensive backs coach when both were with Miami. The safety is represented by Drew Rosenhaus because of course he is. [Inquirer]
UPDATE: Welp, there goes that. He signed with the Jets.
Billy Joel Has Time to Read Philebrity, Answer Every Insult
By Victor Fiorillo 5/18/2012
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Billy Joel has sold more than 150 million albums. He's won six Grammys. And he was once married to one of the world's most beautiful women. So what does a 63-year-old super-rich musician with a background in substance abuse and depression do on your average Tuesday night? He sits around reading nasty things that bloggers are saying about him.
On Tuesday, Philebrity published a story about the University City District's Heart & Soul project, an awesome-sounding piano pop-up in which the public will be invited to play on a series of artist-decorated pianos throughout West Philly. Philebrity's headline? "For University City's Heart & Soul Project, We Beg You Not to Play Any Billy Joel."
For Philebrity, that's mild.
But Billy Joel didn't think so. Whether he's a loyal reader of Philebrity or whether he gets a Google News alert every time his name is used in a headline is unclear. But what is clear is that he saw the story and emailed his agent, Claire Mercuri, who contacted the UCD, which had added the Philebrity story to its "news" page. Yesterday, UCD removed the story.
This morning, Philebrity publisher Joey Sweeney said he has not heard from Joel and wasn't aware that Joel's publicist had contacted the UCD. Mercuri wasn't immediately available for comment. As for the sentiment expressed in the blog post, I agree that the first person to play "Piano Man" should be dealt a severe punishment. But would a little "Captain Jack" be such an awful thing?
