Last year Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham came to town to to film “Dream of the Romans” until the dream was cut out of the movie, and then later named Arlen Farber, after Director John Hindman’s father’s name, but then it didn’t test well with audiences and it was decided to call the movie “The Answer Man”. Lauren Graham plays a chiropractor, which reminds me I have to go to mine tomorrow I am dying. (a shot from the movie I took)

Jeff Daniels plays a crotchety middle age man. He came to visit two weeks ago to Philly to collect The Artistic Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Film Festival/Phila Cinefest. Here he is getting ready to order dinner at Del Frisco’s before the event; thanks Del Frisco.
He’s wearing a Detroit Tigers hat, he grew up in Chelsea, Michigan and is a huge fan of the team. He later told the audience that he would have filmed the movie in Michigan as they have great film tax credits, but Pennsylvania’s tax credit is better.
As luck would have it Governor Rendell was in the house hosting a fundraiser in the Vault. Jeff was more than pleased to go down and meet the Gov, but it was very packed and he was getting a bit antsy. He may have been in the movie arachnophobia, but I believe he suffered from claustrophobia as he was itching to leave as it was crowded and hot with a lot of Rendell supporters.Unfortunately I didn’t get the three shot as I hope as Jeff split as he was tight on his shooting schedule. If you check out a few interviews on YouTube you will see that he is truly an amazing, gifted, talented actor, but one of those that does not relish in his celebrity and the attention that goes along with it. What was surprising is that he would agree to accept “The Artistic Award”. I was excited that after 3 years of shooting the festival, I was going to get to shoot in the Green Room because the head photographer was off shooting the NCAA Championships for Louisville, her regular gig.

After shooting in several different scenarios, Thom Cardwell recommended JD pose with his wife, Kathleen Treado Daniels, his high school sweetheart to boot. Bingo he finally smiled and I got the shot I needed. (This shot appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer)Here’s Thom introducing Jeff Daniel’s to the audience
He was charming, witty and pleasant.
The Q&A was fun with WHYY’s Patrick Stoner doing the honors.
The website “Gone with the Twins” describes the movie as “Everyone wants to meet Arlen Faber (Jeff Daniels), the world famous author of the best-selling spiritual book “Me and God”, but crotchety, disgruntled Arlen simply wants to be left alone – and so far he’s been successful in keeping his identity a secret.” I enjoyed the movie, Lauren Graham was wonderful and Jeff Daniels diverse, best of all Philadelphia plays a big part, never looking more beautiful than in this movie.
Check out an exclusive interview with Jeff Daniels done by Streetalkin.com http://streettalkin.com/the-answer-man/

And the Q&A here: http://tinyurl.com/c7h9tb

The screen shots from the websites do not mean these sites were the culprits of the fanatical fans, just that they are sites where Gerry lovers can go, and not every fan that visited Philly was over the top, on the contrary some really did look at it as a vacation with friends with the added bonus of seeing Gerry. I really don’t think anyone got too out of hand, but I did want to put in writing of the extremes people will go to see the object of their desire, and frankly it’s not too far off the mark from the guy who made news by “stalking” Jamie Foxx. (For those of you who sent me an email, if you want me to remove it I will)http://gerrylicious.proboards.com/
This blog entry is a journey of the places, stories I heard and some of the snippets of the fan letters I received while Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler were in Philly during the filming of Law Abiding Citizen; I also want to say that I was really impressed by Gerard’s fan following as I received over a hundred emails from his fans asking me to give him a messages from him. Hopefully this blog will answer the questions I have been getting over the past few months “Where did Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx hang out while they were in Philadelphia?”

Law Abiding Citizen has wrapped and is in the post-production stage before it premieres in March 2010. Rumor has it that the producers would like it to premiere in Philadelphia, which goes to show that they truly appreciated the hospitality they received here.
Jamie Foxx slipped into town on Jan 1, after attending the Wired 96.5 LudiChristmas (Ludacris) Concert at Electric Factory, he went to dinner at Miss Tootsies on South Street for some good old fashion Soul Food. I attended Sabrina Tamburino’s 29th Birthday party at Table 31; it was there that several guests told me that Jamie Foxx would be going to G Lounge after dinner. Sabrina’s after party was also going to be held at the G Lounge. They said I could get that “First” shot that I always strive for of each celebrity that comes through our City. I was a wuss and went home to bed instead, it was 1AM and well I screwed up.
But as karma would have it I got a shot of Jamie the next day as he left Parc restaurant on Rittenhouse Square.

Dan Gross’ PhillyGossip.com Column

Jamie Foxx is lunching now on mussels at Stephen Starr‘s Parc on Rittenhouse Square where he also ate this weekend. The Oscar-winning actor is in town getting ready to start shooting “Law Abiding Citizen,” in which he plays a district attorney. His lunch companion is the film’s director F. Gary Gray. 12:41PM”At first I thought I’d have company, but then I remembered I was in Philly, and it was just me standing there across the street. I saw Jamie and a group come out of the restaurant, and anticipated them going in the opposite direction that they did. I hurried across the street, placed myself about 20 feet infront of him and began asking for a photo. No response, but he gently pushed his assistant to the right side of him and I got a clear shot, taking about 5 shots. Then I walked off in the other direction. A few days later someone tipped me off that Gerard Butler was eating at Del Frisco’s. I had no idea who he was so I looked him up online. One of the articles stated that in December he beat up a photographer that took a photo of him leaving a bar. Since it was a late Thursday night, raining lightly, and Gerard seems to have a temper, I passed.
Other friends, Arthur Kade and G-N Kang were there that night too and got this shot and put it on their facebook page. Never saw him before. Although I shoot movie premieres in NYC, I rarely see the movies. (Darn he looks like a nice guy)Over the next few days I was able to get a few photos of the filming, and by the end of the week I attended a press conference at City Hall to welcome the cast to Philadelphia. It was there that I saw the two stars of the movie: Jamie Foxx & Gerard Butler. I immediately was taken by Gerard as he said that the Liberty Bell was his Oscar until he got an Oscar. Plus he had all the City Hall employees swooning, but it would turned out not to be workers. In fact Dan Gross mentions in his column how he drove the ladies crazy at the press conference.At the time I took this shot I didn’t realize how ironic it was to have King Leonidas standing next to the beautiful Honduran wood statue with abs in the Mayor’s Reception Room. I now know why Butler has that look on his face as I would learn that a bunch of his fans crashed the press conference and were sitting in the front row and were rather vocal (kinda embarrassing for him as he was getting cat calls in the middle of the press conference).
I didn’t have a clue, at that time, to where he was staying, but there was no way I would ever give that info out even if I did know, but I suggested she send the item to one of the 5 luxury hotels and perhaps to the film office. She didn’t want to and instead told me she would travel from Ohio over the course of the filming to deliver the item. Of course it made me nervous, but with the territory of celebrity unfortunately comes this adoration, and most celebrities have security in place, and in 90% of the cases fans do not cross the line. (I was a little surprised that Gerard wore a dirty shirt to the press conference)
The fan sites took notice, and I started getting a lot of hits, and who doesn’t like people reading your stuff daily, by the thousands (Someone wrote me…Although touted as “officially unofficial,” Gerry’s manager and partner, Alan Siegel, communicates with Gerry’s fanbase almost exclusively through .Net. Of course, this “annoys” most GALS simply because they’d hoped Gerry’s personal appearance at the 06 Convention would give them some “cred” with his “people.” The translates into hard core “Tarts” having an certain air about them — that is to say that if it doesn’t come from .Net, it’s not valid. Whereas GALS is more “We’re Gerry fans, but don’t believe they’re the only ones.” )
Especially in other countries. Now I know how my name is spelled in Japanese. So I found my niche, I would try my best to find out what was happening in Gerry’s life daily. He likes to be called Gerry I later found out from my friend Aly, who became friends with both Gerry and Tim, Gerry’s body and stunt double.

That Saturday Gerard Butler went to G Lounge. He was denied entry, the doorman didn’t know who the heck he was. My friend Aly was there and is always on the list. She told the bouncers who he was, and then said he was her guest. She brought him in. After that he didn’t have anymore problems at the door.

There are no photos of Gerard as I would later learn he didn’t like his photo taken while he was in his “element”, so I never bothered going to G Lounge to see them, but I did collect the stories. After a few weekends, he and Jamie went their separate ways. Gerry hung out at G Lounge and Jamie made the rounds, mostly going to Denim, Miss Tootsie’s or Pearl Nightclub. Around this time I started receiving emails from fans who would come into town from around the states, Kentucky, Maine, Vermont, asking me what they should wear when they went to G Lounge or how much it would cost for them to eat at Del Frisco’s. Now I was not advising any of these folks to come into town, but they did and all in the search of Gerry. I was both impressed by their mobilization, and surprised by their motivation. A Gerard fan wrote: I freely admit that Gerry is simply eye-candy for me. (This is through no fault of his own. He’s simply the product of genetic lightning. He flips my visual trigger — plain and simple. He’s got the best on-screen kiss that I’ve ever had the pleasure of using to get my motor running. His Scottish accent (which has been horribly diluted by all the dialogue coaches) provides a good ear-fecking, too.) Unlike most Tarts, I’m not up to dissecting the “beauty of his poor, tormented soul.” I don’t want to date him. I don’t want to marry him. I don’t fastasize about meeting him one day and having him suddenly realize I’m his soul mate… blah, blah, blah. One particular weekend I did hear that Lance Bass and a few folks from Dancing with the Stars would be in town, so I stopped by and got this shot with him and Cheryl Burke. I had hoped to see Gerry, but it turned out that he was out of town.
LAC took a 2 week break for the Oscar. I went to NYC to cover Fashion Week. I was able to get a few questions in to Gerard as none of the celebrity photographers recognized him at first, although his fan girls screamed with delight. None of the questions were earth shattering, just if he like Philly or not. I forgot to ask my regular questions as the fan girls were trying to interject themselves into the conversation.After the Justin Timberlake fashion show, Gerry left with this nice lady. (Who he was just photographed over the 4/11 weekend with in NYC) I had no idea who Gerry was or that he had a huge reputation as a ladies man, but here in Philly I did hear that he was “dating” a lot of women. He’s favorite place to go with these women was Del Frisco’s. My friends went to Del Frisco’s too. One night (3/17/09) I was tipped off that he was at the Waterworks restaurant, which is right across the street from me. I went over, but it was very dark. I thought to myself, how would I feel coming out into the parking lot and having someone snap my pictures. I decided that it wouldn’t be polite. I think if it was downtown I would feel differently. He later called one of my friends for a good place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. She told him he should just stick to Rouge or Parc as it was late and the crowds would be rowdy. Now that I would have been able to shoot more easily.
He usually went out clubbing alone, but rarely left alone: I saw Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx inside the Vault at G on Saturday night. they stayed open late back there. i talked to Gerard and mentioned you and you two spoke in NYC! He doesn’t recall you from last week, but remembered my friend Hope Co***, they were on a boat together some time ago in Capri, Italy. (A few weeks later this same friend was at Rouge, which was Gerry’s hangout on Sunday’s. Gerry stopped by her table and they talked. She told him Hope said hi. He wanted to call her, but she said that hope was away that weekend and unreachable) When Gerry went to Rouge he often sat in the window unbothered. Although one time a girl did get up, greet him and break into song. Gerry was very nice about it, but my friend Renee turned around and told the girl this was not a Karaoke bar and to take it outside. Gerry told the girl that her singing was very nice and gladly accepted her business card.
Rouge is on lovely Rittenhouse Square, the tony section of Philadelphia. Many of the A – list people hang out the restaurants along 18th Street and enjoy the view of the park. On the other side of the park are the luxury hotels and apartment and condo buildings. Recently someone told me of a woman that was walking home from the local grocery store. She lived in one of the more expensive buildings with a doorman and car service. As she was reaching nearing her building her grocery bag broke. A man came up behind her and asked if she needed help. He assisted her the rest of the way to where the doorman was able to grab the bags for her. As she turned to thank the man she mentioned to him that he looked familiar. He said his name and that he was filming a movie in town with Jamie Foxx. He invited himself up (maybe longing for a home cooked meal), and she turned him down saying the nanny was upstairs with her baby and she needed to tend to her. The friend who told me the story also mentioned the woman stated she was married. (The person who told me was a prominent attorney in Philly, so I am going to have to believe this story happened)
A few days later the woman was sitting outside of a coffee house Rittenhouse Square, when a black SUV pulled up. The window rolled down and Gerry said hello. He invited himself to join them, she turned him down. (She wasn’t even his type, she was blond)

Once I heard about Gerry going into the coffee shop, with one of my friends, and many of the patrons took out their cell phones and took photos of him. Sometimes they would ask Gerry to pose with them, and he did, but after awhile he just asked them if they would respect his privacy. (I guess this is why he went to Rouge, Parc and some of the other more expensive places to hide from his celebrities. That’s why I like to wait outside an establishment to get my photos. I remember a couple times friends tipped me off to him being at a couple of those places telling me I should come inside and get a photo, but I just wouldn’t feel right doing that)
It was around this time that the emails from Gerry’s fans increased. It was like Whoppi Goldberg in Ghost, the spirits were coming out of the woodwork. They were always very nice, but I know they weren’t just writing for pleasantries, they wanted info, any shred of info, and sometimes with those little emails it did jog my memory of something. One girl wrote me every single day, until I wrote about that Strongbox appearance. Then she stopped. Then for me to find out later that he had a randy reputation irritated me that I was attacked over what I wrote. It was like the time I called Clay Aiken gay, and his followers went into a bee sting frenzy.

Well this was the night that I met the majority of the Gerry Gals. When I went over to City Hall to see the filming I met about a dozen fans, mostly women. Some traveled as far as South America. They were all linked together through the fan pages. The funniest thing was each was swore they were just a minor fan and not a crazy one. One even took issue with me as I had written a piece on my blog about a Nightline episode where they listed the levels of fans before they became stalkers. Some of them definitely were a bunch of friends getting together for an outing, others well they were seriously there to snag a Gerry hug.

Although most of the fan letters were harmless sometimes I worried about the state of their reality.
She did ask me if they were filming all week at City Hall, and I felt mercy for her and told her yes, especially since many of the fans I had talked to said the info was on the various message boards.

(Someone told me about this definition: Gerard Addicted Lust Syndrome or “GALS.”) I guess I am just taken aback a little by the fever these women have for Gerry. I do recall I was in love with Madonna in a big way, but never went to these lengths to get a glimpse of her, until this year when the opportunity arose and I photographed her for the first time. I was excited, but didn’t go out of my way to photograph her again since that day.

Another email: Three years ago, I had a wonderful and very unexpected thing happen to me. I met Gerard Butler. He’s truly what they say…a kind and, may I add, very
handsome man. I was in Vancouver with about 30 other ‘Tarts’ (a term given
Gerry lovers) to support a little known movie he filmed just before Phantom
was released. It was Beowulf & Grendel and it was very good. It was opening
in Canada on March 10th. Along with 2 other ladies, we drove looooong hours
to get there. We had to see the later showing that night. Actually, I had
seen the movie the previous October at the Vancouver Film Festival.
The next day, we had planned a get-together with the other Tarts to have
lunch and a raffle of ‘Gerry Items’ which included posters, homemade
pillows with pics of Phantom and Beowulf on them. There were drawings to
give away too. I did one of Gerry.
(Do you see the spoiler in this photo from the filming?)

(A friend wrote me this about Gerry)

Honestly I am not dating him… I met him a month ago and we had a blast hanging out. He tried coming home with me but I told him that I’m that girl but that he would always have a friend in Philly. So that is why he probably feels comfortable with me. These girls that jump into bed with them are one and done!

Trust me I was tempted but I would rather be friends with them then a one night stand.
http://www.gerryscorner.it/

At some point Gerry_Butler contacted me. He said that he was a she and knew I would run into Gerry at the party I was hinting that I was going to attend. She wanted me to offer the site to Gerry as she was receiving many, many emails from his fans. She felt terrible about it and realized it got out of hand. I asked about Demi Moore contacting her, what happened with that. She said she never answered Demi and then Demi unfriended her. She said if it was a negative or if she didn’t hear from me she would close the site in a weeks time. I think the power of Gerry went to her head and after a brief period of being dormant she came back in full force.

Yesterday she was finally shut down, but it looks like she came back as “FakeGerryButler” and the same girls that worked to shut her down, have embraced her. Maybe they missed “Gerry_Butler”, at least that created a central figure to represent Gerry and create a dialog.

I don’t think it was someone on IMDB, I think it is a fan, and it’s not someone that normally talks to DonnaKat as more than once the person wrote to say that DonnaKat was hot on her trail to expose her.2009/3/25 Gerard Butler via Twitter to me
Hi, I was out of town for a week. So he was a jerk? Wow. May I ask what he said to you? I’ll shut down of course. I don’t want to get sued.

Gerard Butler / Gerry_Butler–
follow me at http://twitter.com/Gerry_Butler
reply on the web at http://twitter.com/direct_messages/create/Gerry_Butler

At Strongbox: I asked Tim about Twitter, he said Gerry doesn’t have time to go online. I asked about the fans and what Gerry thought of them. He said Gerry appreciates their dedication, but wishes they didn’t go to such lengths to see him and wouldn’t show up at the film set. At one point the 2 crew workers who were there, turned on me when I told them about my blog, and showed them a few of the letters I had received (on my BB) from the fans. Well they were none too happy thinking I was the one giving all these gals the info. I tried to explain the elaborate websites and networking these women participate in. It’s impressive and scary, but there was no convincing this crew and my time in the VIP room was cut short as they further stated how the gals slowed down the production. Even though I told them they were 5 days ahead of schedule. They went on to say that an actor is in character and if there are screaming, women within 50 feet waving signs and flashing photos, that could ruin his concentration. And right after that is when Gerard Butler came in and told me about his “element” and I respected that, but as a blogger it’s my right to write about what I observed ie see the Strongbox Opening entry. It was not Kristi with him at Strongbox. It was someone that he knew for a longer basis than just that night, but he wasn’t with her that night, they are friends. I saw what I saw, but as far as that incidence goes it was an observation and speculation. I still am irritated that the fanbots got so personal with me, when all anyone, including me, needs to do is do a search on “Gerard Butler and girlfriends” to find out that he is a randy guy. It wasn’t something I made up. But it did give you all, especially the IMDB folks hours to obsess about – LOL
In February I did find out where Gerard & Jamie were staying. I had interviewed a young actor from a play that had a run in Philly. The kid told me he was so excited because Jamie Foxx was staying down the hall from him. I was like where are you staying? I never photographed them at their hotel, because as time went on I must have received more than a dozen requests from fan girls to the location of the hotel. Most of them just said we want to drop something off.
This is the 6th floor room that Gerard stayed in. (I took these photos last year while I was on a tour at the AKA Hotel) Over the course of the 3 months, I had over 5 women want to give GB their screenplays. 2 of them sent them to me, and I found myself getting caught up in the Gerry stalking just so I could make these fans happy, and maybe to improve their lives or something. Although I didn’t go too overboard. It was kinda weird for me to break the 4th wall and try and talk to him on their behalf. As soon as I wrote the details of the Strongbox incident, most of them dropped me, I guess they like living in their cocoon of fantasy. It was a rude awakening, so I don’t see the harm in revealing to my readers who don’t read the fansites, some of the emails I recieved. But to really get a flavor read the fan sites.)
With this view of Rittenhouse Square Park. On the last day Gerry was in town, he spent a part of it with my friend Aly. She told me that Gerry enjoyed Philadelphia and was going to London on Saturday for an awards show. He took out his phone and also showed her a few of the photos that he had taken on set. Unfortunately I now know the end of the movie, which I won’t be sharing with you. The other photo was of Gerry nude with just a sock on. It wasn’t shocking to Aly that he would show her this as she knows many of his war stories, Gerry is a ladies man, and he considered Aly his friend, although it still is odd he would show her those photos.
Many of you may be aware of the Jamie Foxx incident that occured there. Steven Taliver, 49, pretended to be one of Beyonce‘s producers to get in to see Jamie. After the actor realized he didn’t know the man, Jamie pushed him out of his Philadelphia hotel room and slammed the door. The man was arrested earlier this week when Jamie’s security team noticed the creep lurking near the set of Jamie’s new movie, Law Abiding Citizen, and called the police.My Theory is: The man was homeless and probably lived on the corner. No doubt Jamie gave him a nice chunk of change, as I heard he was very generous. The man probably wanted a few bucks again and created his new ID and presented it to the desk clerk, who called up to Jamie. Jamie probably ok’d the visitor and as soon as he opened the door recognized the homeless guy and pushed him out. Thankfully the man was dumb enough to return to the scene and Jamie’s security guys collared him. Jamie seemed none to worried and the story didn’t even come out til his last day in the City, as he gave a shout out to the Mayor and the citizen for their hospitality. It was interesting to how TMZ broke the story, how did they get it? I do think it’s fine and fun to travel to the premiere’s, conventions and to the Cities where your celebrity filmed his last movie, maybe even visiting the set once, but don’t get confused with a celebrities politeness and turn it into something else. He’s not your friend, and he probably is a little scared of you too, but what is he going to do yell at you so you could go back to the boards and report it. Remember Rebecca Shaeffer, John Lennon, Selena who was killed by the president of her fan club. You might not see yourself going over the line, but I’m sure someone in your life is telling you you are.
On the last day Gerry was here, he ran to Boyd’s to buy a few parting gifts for the crew, and for his friends back home he said. (My blog was featured on Jossip because of the comments I recieved from Gerry’s gals)

Not since Gene Hart has the silence in Philadelphia been so deafening. Harry Kalas above in 10/07 at the Phillies rally at City Hall, died today at age 72 in the sporting booth ready to call another game.

(Personally my father was a huge Phillies fan, and a serious fan of Harry Kalas. Dad died 5 years ago, and today is his birthday. No doubt Dad is waiting for Harry at the gates to recall many of the great Phillies ball games)

On Saturday 4/4/09 I covered and extraordinary gala for an organization I never heard of before called Thorncroft:

Welcome to Non-Profit Thorncroft. Our mission is to help build the physical, emotional and mental well-being of all people; particularly those with special needs, through establishing an atmosphere of cooperation, respect and love in an equestrian environment. We are committed to a mainstreaming approach of teaching horseback riding, and to promoting the development of new and independent therapeutic riding programs. We are currently seeking volunteers to help with our weekly therapeutic lesson program. We offer private and group lessons for all ages and abilities Monday through Saturday, morning through evening Volunteers groom and tack lesson horses then assist students in the ring by leading or side aiding. In addition to our weekly lessons, we also have special programs with area schools and organizations, summer camp, Special Olympics, and special events.
Lauren Jendrasiak 610-644-1963

John Kallmeyer, Nicole Saunders, Christina Howard, Sarah Emmel, Annabel Moxon, Julia Taylor, Ben Prvette, Bethann Coradino, Jenn McGrew

Phanatic, Rebecca Bradbeer (who works at Thorncroft), Jenny Russo and Jennifer McDrew Nancy & John Amici, Salley & Jim Zemanck, Linda and Kevin Donahue and Mary Levin
Making the social scene Ron & Lisa Patterson enter the Grand Ballroom in the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at The Bellevue
Jayne Tolson, Sally Frazier, Mike Donohue

Nicole Miller’s Mary Donahue and her son Niles Neumann with the Phillies Phanatic and the Championship TrophyKip and Sherri Fedetz
Very stylish Sharon Jones and Barbara Gilbert
John Amici, Linda Donohue, Jim Zemanek admire a painting a friend did, then donated it to the silent auction.
Ronald and Marcia Rubin
Thorncroft offers instruction in Balanced Seat Equitation, Driving, Combined Training and Trail. We offer one-hour group lessons of up to six students with comparable skill levels. Private, half-hour lessons are also available. Depending upon the ability of the rider, lessons are held on the flat or over fences and might be in the indoor arena, outdoor enclosed ring, our cross country course or through the neighboring countryside.
The Park Hyatt Crew – Jason Cabrera, Assistant Manager of the Park Hyatt at The Bellevue; Judy Ellis Taylor, Director of Sales and Marketing; Andrew Speizman, Bellevue Property Manager, Attorney Jackie Penrod; and Jeffrey Miller, General Manager of the Park Hyatt.

Love is the most irresistible power in the universe. Caring is its very implementation…
That’s what healing is all about. – A Bob Dylan signed guitar was up for auctionRebecca Shields has her eye on a Cuisinart as she loves to cook.
We specialize in therapeutic horseback riding for mentally, emotionally and physically disabled children and adults, including training for those interested in learning this art. We offer our land, our equipment, our horses and our ideals. But most importantly, we offer ourselves and our love. Healing abounds here…come see for yourself, the joy of a student as he “walks” down the narrow country trail with his horse. The horse can take him places that his wheelchair cannot go!
Sallie & Saunders Dixon with Jay Tolson who received the Friend Award
George Rubin shares his daughters experience with Thorncroft and why he supports the organization. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, in fact I barely have any photos of him as I was so moved.

Backstage as George exits with friendsSallie & Saunders Dixon who care and nurture Thorncroft. If you would like to help the programs at THORNCROFT please contact them.

Earlier this month I stopped by 10 Arts at the Ritz-Carlton across from Philadelphia City Hall to attend the book signing of On the Line: The Stations, the Heat, the Cooks, the Costs, the Chaos, and the Triumphs (co-authored with Christine Muhlke). Eric Ripert was in the house signing for his fans.

Each of these hor’devours were from the book and passed around to the guests.

Chef Eric Ripert, Where Magazine Publisher Laura Burkhardt and 10 Arts Chef Jennifer Carroll.

Mark & Leigh Baker. They have eaten at 10 Arts several times. They are big fans of the rabbit dish.
Chef Ripert and Peter Leokum, GPFO
Jean A. Durling Chief Recruitment and Professional Development Officer, Jordan Roznowski and Julia Rariz all from Fox Rothschild LLP, (Named One of the 50 Best Law Firms for Women by Working Mother), enjoy the happy hour book signing.

Laurel Fairworth – Cachet Communications, Jamie Gordon PR Director Ritz-Carlton, Sunny Yi – Walking Elephant Marketing, and Heather Seok enjoy the afternoonPastry chef Monica Glass and Chef Jennifer Carroll. Both women are from the Philadelphia area. Who doesn’t have fond memories of a delicious cupcake snack after school? Well the cupcake has grown up and it is now part of a unique happy hour pairing being offered at the Lounge at 10 Arts at the Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia.

Also happening on this day was a visit from a class from The Restaurant School, posing with Pastry Chef Monica Glass, Chef Eric Ripert and Chef Jennifer Carroll.

Jennifer gives them a behind the scenes tour of the kitchen. I was excited that I could go along to. The kitchen is beautiful, clean and lots of dinners were being prepared that evening. Fun to watch the action.
Later stayed and enjoyed dinner, as I had eaten in the lounge before. The food was so delicious. There were a couple of salads on the menu, I had the house salad at $12 (apps $10 – $14), which was a meal by itself, but forced myself onto the Trout, which I had heard many of my friends rave about. DELICIOUS and reasonable at $26. Most entrees range from $26 – $34. There is also a menu for the lounge and prices range from $8 to $16 with a fish slider at $19. Of course I love the fish sliders. You really have to try them.

Last week I took my regular short cut through Macy’s and saw a sign:

The Macy’s Philadelphia Flower Show will be showcased in the Grand Court at Macy’s Center City, the site of Wanamaker’s flower shows from the 1930s through the early 1970s. For this year’s Flower Show, we’re proud to be partnering with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, founded in 1827. The PHS runs the Philadelphia Flower Show, the world’s oldest and largest indoor Flower Show.

Featuring stunning landscapes, celebrity guests and renowned floral designers, Dream in Color will transform our Center City store into a vibrant, colorful dreamscape, showcasing unique garden environments overflowing with thousands of exotic trees and flowering plants.

1PM – Behind the Dream in Color lays the design magic. Explore the making of the Macy’s Flower Show with designer Burke Brothers, Landscape Design & Builder from Wyndmoor, PA. Discover what it was like to build and design this beautiful and unique show. My sister loves these Dooney Bourke bags and I thought I would take a few shots for her to shop by internetTuesday, April 14

5:30PM – A Rose by any other name… Floral enthusiasts are welcome for a special discussion and book signing with Douglas Brenner and Stephen Scanniello authors of the book, A Rose By Any Name: The Little-Known Lore and Deep Rooted History of the Rose Name.

(Ralph Lauren Table. Did you know Ralph Lauren’s son David is dating Lauren Bush and if they got married her name would be…..)

1PM – Fashion and home designer Rebecca Moses makes a special appearance to introduce her new Heart Soul Style Summer Entertaining Collection exclusively at Macy’s. Inspired by her life in Italy, Rebecca will demonstrate how to create three affordably beautiful table settings with her colorful, whimsical and refreshing new collection, just in time for spring. Although most of the displays are on the first and 3rd floors, springtime flows onto the sales floor too.

This set up is by Martha Stewart (Please buy Martha Stewart, her stock is in the dumpster. A few years back I thought I would make a killing and bought 1000 shares; thank god I didn’t quit my day job)

12:30PM – Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Big Top! Come one, come all, join us for a special performance by the world-famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus® Clowns. Enjoy face painting, popcorn, and many other special surprises. (Coulrophobia is an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. A lot of people I know are afraid of clowns. One of my favorite movies is Killer Klowns From Outer Space)If I ever get married this is the china pattern I would like. It’s by Vera Wang. It’s very simple and classy, just like a beautiful Vera Wang wedding dress.

BTW NEXT TUESDAY 4/14/09 Come on out and support City Of Hope’s “Let Them Eat Cake” It’s Philadelphia’s Wedding Cake Design competition for professionals, students and those who love to bake to create. After the cakes are baked and judge, the doors open and the Brides-to-be and cake lovers converge for the fourth annual competition featuring the best of the best and you get to try out the various cakes, check out the latest bridal vendors of every variety. Gift bags for the first 100 peeps.

Reserve your tickets now >> Tues., April 14th, 2009
Loews Philadelphia Hotel 1200 Market Street
Doors open: 6 p.m – 9PM Advance tickets: $40 At the door: $50
For tickets, please contact Harry Giordano:
800-344-8169 or hgiordano@coh.org.

I know this is the Macy’s Flower Show, but it looks like a subliminal JW on the flamingo’s. What do you think?

PSPCA is one of the pet projects of Jen Utley and last week, before the first game of the season, Jen held a Phillies Pup Rally at Rittenhouse Square.
The Invite Stated: Dress your dogs in their Phillies best and join the Red Phanatic, Phillies Broadcasters and Phillies Ballgirls to raise funds and awareness for the Pennsylvania SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Drop off much-needed blankets and toys. Cash donations will also be accepted. Cats and dogs will be available to adopt. There will also be a raffle for a variety of items. Donors will receive a special ticket discount for a future Phillies game.
The Red Phanatic? What’s that about? This is such an odd picture I like it.
Do I even need to say how cute this is? i love the little dog standing up to the red Phanatic.
My friends Janita Styles and Jen Utley. Jen’s with Jack, and as you might recall in an earlier entry this year, Jen & Chase adopted Jack from a litter where the mother was put down after being a fighting pit bull. Originally Jack was named Simon, but Chase didn’t like the name. One day they were driving in NYC and saw a billboard that said “Jack” on it (Jack in the Box? she couldn’t remember). Chase thought Jack was a manly man name good enough for a pit bull. Jack’s shy, and I wasn’t going to call him or pet him, I’m afraid of pit bulls. I probably won’t be visiting the Utley’s much.
Here at the PSPCA, we address the needs of thousands of homeless animals a year. We started out with a single center in Philadelphia and, with the help of our dedicated staff and generous donors, burgeoned into a state-wide operation with six busy shelters.

Learn about our fascinating history reflecting the human capacity for good, get to know the exceptional, dedicated people who staff our shelters, and learn about our endless mission to prevent and relieve suffering. Become a supporter and help us continue to materialize our mission, helping not only animals in need but also inspiring people to be more humane.

This event brought out a lot of interesting folks, like this politician and his bulldog
A couple girls from Hollywood Tan came by and pedaled their wares in the park. They were offering a free tanning session for 4/4/09,
I bet if you mention that you saw their photos on PhillyChitChat and blame me for putting them up a week late maybe they would give you a free tan.
That hair, what is up with that hair? Is the Red Phanatic supposed to be female?
Poor muzzled puppy
I hear they had a dog parade and judge the best dressed pup, but I had to run.
http://www.pspca.org/services

Last night I attended a soiree high above the city streets, looking down on the citizens of Philadelphia where this little fella lives,
In conjunction with Philadelphia Style Magazine and The Residences at Liberty Two they held a join WELCOME HOME to Phillies COLE HAMELS & HEIDI HAMELS PARTY
Before they got to their home I strolled around and took a few snapshots of the folks there to welcome them, as well as a few mover’s and shakers that might be in the market for a new home say for $3 million to $15 million bucks. Over the next dozen photos or so you will meet the man who just purchased the 55th & 56th floor (57th pictured here), but I can’t identify him as per his request. Former Sixers president Billy King and wife Melanie, who’s son, Reginald James King named after his uncle, former Pacers great Reggie Miller, just turned one years old, chatting with David Maser Ben & Dana Oller
One of the most attractive couples gracing the social scene of late Tony Rufo and the lovely Lindsay Kravitz.
Natalie Czastkiewicz and Nick Gaudiosi enjoy the party. Missing from the scene was man about town Arthur Kade www.Arthurkade.com , who I hear is filming Air Bender this week with M. Night Shyamalan and Dev Patel here in Phillywood.

One of Philly’s finest Real Estate Teams (and best looking, you should see their ads) Michelle Ranieri, Antonio and Georgine Atacan, Jill Rizen and Cristian David
Did I mention that Moet was one of the sponsor’s and everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Those are tiny personal champagne bottles. Jessica Matthews, Matthew Vlahos, The guy you should thank for outfitting some of Philly’s best dressed women, Boyd’s Women’s fashion buyer Sean General and Fran Dambrosio, Jimmy “Style” Contreras, Christian DiCicco and Diane Johnson

Unfortunately for me, this was only the 2nd time I was every in Liberty Two and it was a rainy night. Now that I know two people that live in the building I am going to have to impose to get a few good shots, hmm maybe the guy from Brazil will let me house sit the six months that he’s at his other house?The girls were getting restless while waiting for Cole
Laila Ahmadinejad, Jessie Lane and Stephanie Twinning (thanks to her and Sarah Schafferfor placing the photos I take in the pages of Philly Style Mag that give the Charities of the City just that extra little PR, and every bit helps)
on the 52nd Floor, Del Frisco’s and DiBruno’s set up shop. This is also where I found the sample residences. I think I am going to have to pretend to be a buyer to get up here for the wrap around views. The DiBruno chefs.
Their spread in the living room. I know a lot of people think that it would be tough to live in a building where the windows don’t open, but I didn’t feel that way, the views are so spectacular that anything else I can just look past. ( Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora is letting his well-decorated pad serve as a model unit until the rest of Two Liberty is sold and then he will move in, his home on the 52nd floor cost $2.5 million – See following pictures)
Today was a tad stressful for me, just a tad though. I took my lunch at 10AM so I could cover this great event for Project Home that I will write about later this week; but when I pulled my camera out of the bag 2 knobs had fallen off. I should have known because the Tribeca Film Festival is in two weeks and it was this time last year that my last camera broke, I kill them. The Murphy’s Law part is the warranty ran out Sunday, but them I check and was smart enough to buy a 2 yr warranty. Whew. In the meantime I will just use the camera I got fixed last year.
And now back to our regularly schedule entry. I ran back upstairs just in time to see the fiercely dressed Sarah Schaffer escort Cole Hammels and his pretty young wife Heidi into the party.
He gives good face
Another one for you ladies…

Since it was hot, and a cluster you know what I decided that I would forego trying to get the Cole Hammels shot and instead went back to the photos I enjoy taking the most
My friends, and as you know this is one lady I never get tired of shooting. C’mon she gives it up, comes alive and makes it happen. (Oh and btw she lives at Liberty Two: The Residences) You don’t need to watch Spencer Pratt and his fake wife, you just need to tune into PhillyChitChat and get the real deal with Sabrina Tamburino, just as pretty with less drama.
Douglas Pearson and Donald Pearson – Soethby’s International Realty
Renee Freeman ASID and Don Freeman ASID.. INTERIOR DESIGN & INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN of Freeman Interiors. Renee, a big fan of PhillyChitChat, wanted to make sure that it was on my list to cover Donors are Heroes, in conjunction with the Gift of Life Donor Program, are hosting ‘THE Party’ on Friday, April 17 at Park Hyatt Philadelphia at The Bellevue. Tickets are only $75 and can be purchased at http://www.donors1.org ; and please remember to check will donate organs on your drivers license, and say yes in the hospital for the organ donation. I read when Natasha Richardson passed her family donated every viable organ to those in need (it’s not going to be the same covering the Met Gala Costume ball without her in May)
At first I thought this was Wanda Skyes and I wanted to ask her where her new talk show was going to be film. Did you know she lives out on the Main Line, and she just came out of the closet a few months ago, love her. I don’t who this band was, but I enjoyed listening to them. The name of the band is Crosstown Traffic — Greg Davis on guitar, Ms. Jeannie Brooks on vocals, Wally Smith on keyboard and Neil Simpkins on drums.
Tonight at the Loews it’s the Sake Fest 6PM – 8:30PM. Tickets are $75 at the door, and among the food to be served is Morimoto. I’ll be there.Dan and Jaclyn Fisher (it was so great to see Jaclyn, I never had a chance to say goodbye when she left), and her mom and Dad, Denise and Norman Vosko.

Natalie Alvarez and Chris Chafin

Marci & Nicole Blicher. Nicole says that her theater company, The Nice People Theater
is getting ready for a really big season, so look out world.
She’s really nice too, styling it with that flower in her hair. She said she’s getting married in two months, but Nicole let me tell you something, May 30, is not two months ahead baby, you’d better get crackin’
Did I mention how hot it was on the 57th floor, well it only got hotter with this crew. John Bolaris, Lauren D’Orsio, Lauren “sporting the super sexy librarian looking glasses” Nelson, Alycia Lane (who I just adore), John Colabelli, Howard Eskin, Phillies marketing man Mike Harris and bad me for not asking his girlfriend. Hmm I wonder how many Phillies box tickets I can get for this exclusive shot? I promise to donate a couple to a charity.
Sponsors of last nights party included Daniel Stern & the restaurant at Two Liberty (Can’t wait for that), Boyd’s, Moet & Chardon, Stella Artois, Bud Light, Coca-Cola, Philly Pretzel Factory (must have missed those), Bernie Robbins, Kiehls, Hugo Boss, (did I mention I didn’t get a gift bag, so we won’t be able to report what was in it but it sounds like it was good), Del Frisco’s and Di Bruno Bros. Also donations to the Hamels Foundation were being accepted at the party. (Philadelphia Philles P Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi have started The Hamels Foundation, which will focus on AIDS in Africa and education in Africa and Philadelphia. Then after spring training workouts in Clearwater yesterday, Hamels told reporters that the couple is trying to adopt a child from Ethiopia)

Carol Tamburino and the Boyd’s owner, another name I didn’t get, did I mention I was going to pass out soon. Sadly I didn’t make it to the closing night of the Philadelphia Film Festival Party. I thought I would go home and get some sleep, but alas it’s 2AM as I write this so basically I’ll be getting to bed my normal too late self, and trying to hit the gym before I go to my paralegal job in the AM. Oh well it was fun reliving this night, great to see everyone, and meet the new folks I hope to be shooting a lot in the future. One last thing, Carrie Nork Minelli, who was a guest at the soiree as Cashman & Assoc were not handling this party, notice my absence near Cole Hammel and came right over and asked if I had gotten what I needed, well no I didn’t and she
arranged it so Cole and Heidi posed for a few shots, and I really appreciate. Thanks Carrie.By the way, again I plead heat and the excitement, I did not get these two kids names. If anyone knows who they are I would love to send them this photo.
As I was leaving I saw Cole, Heidi and Nicole Cashman head towards the Hamel’s new pad with a huge, I mean huge bottle of champagne. Idiot me should have asked if I could come and photograph the popping of the cork which would have made my night. Oh well, that’s one good photo that got away.