Open to the Public: NFL Draft Parties During The NFL Draft
Are you ready to rumble….. it’s finally the NFL Draft. When I heard that Philly had been picked for the NFL Draft I was ecstatic, and I knew Philly would put a show like no other. The Parkway set up looks beautiful, there’s going to be so much to do for families during the day, as well as great opportunities to watch the draft in the open air at night. BUT if you want to hang with our home team players at NFL Draft Parties around town, there are a couple parties going on that are open to the public. I’ve compiled a list according to date:
Tonight hang out with Quincy Harris from Fox 29’s The Q Show. You never know who might show up.
Join me @marketcomcast today for brews, bites & games at #DraftTailgate! Must be 21+ to attend, get your tickets: https://goo.gl/VjpeyVg
The Eve of the NFL Draft there are lots of parties, but the only one I found open to the public is the one at Delilah’s, but I’m sure you’ll
find a few players hanging out at Philly’s favorite entertainment club – Plus meet the guys from The Bleeding Green Nation Podcast.
APRIL, 27, 2017 6PM – 10PM VICTORY BEER HALL 1100 PATTISON AVENUE PHILADELPHIA, PA19148 TICKETS $100 (LIMITED) SCHEDULE OF EVENT 6PM: Program Begins 6:45PM: Moderated Q&A followed by Guest Q&A 7PM: Live & Silent Auctions 8PM: NFL Draft Begins
Draft Party with Donovan McNabb at Coda Philly
1712 Walnut Street
Doors open at 7PM
Former Philadelphia Eagles Player Lesean McCoy and current player Jason Peters are hosting a draft night party at Voyeur aptly renamed for the night as House of Hennessy (1221 Saint James Street )
10PM to 3:30AM
Thursday April 27th Philadelphia welcome’s all 250,000 patrons entering the city for the 2017 NFL Draft. We cordially invite you to attend a star-studded celebration featuring NFL Superstars LeSean “Shady” McCoy, Jason Peters, and their celebrity friends. The world’s most recognized cognac brand Hennessy will be our sponsor. This will be an experience curated for you to be amongst the movers, shakers, elites, and the innovators of the Tri-State area. Join us in the House of Hennessy which was created to be a completely unique experience – a symbol of good taste, sophisticated style and pure distinction for the Hennessy connoisseur.
Afterwards Malcom Jenkins will be heading to 1925 Philadelphia for a Draft Night Party with his team mate Rodney McLeod.
Friday Night
Then Friday Night come out and watch the NFL Draft with everyone’s dream team Eagle’s Players Todd Herremans, Brent Celek and AJ Feeley as their joined by Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Dennis Kelly Come Support the Foundation at our Draftin’ with Todd Fundraiser on Friday night. You can get your tickets by going to https://goo.gl/yy59fF
But the biggest party of all is on the Parkway, definitely go check it out, take lots of photos and tweet them out to #DraftinPHL and show the world your pride of Philadelphia NFL Draft
The best info on the draft can be found at DiscoverPHL
There’s a very detailed descriptions of events for each day that I havent seen anywhere else:
Thursday, April 27 12:0 0PM: NFL Draft Experience presented by Oikos ® Triple Zero – Opens 3 :00PM —9:00PM: Autograph Stage at Draft presented by Panini ( 90 minute sessions ) Location: Autograph Stage at Draft presented by Panini / Von Coll in Park 4 :00PM —7 :00PM: NFL FLAG Public Clinics (30 mins/each) Location: Play Football Field presented by Danimals® 5 :30PM —6:00PM : Eagles Equipment Manager Demo Location: NFC Locker Room
Also try and stop by to The Mike & Mike show which will air live from 6-10am followed by First Take with Steven A. Smith from 10a-12p at the Chickie’s & Petes on Packer Ave near the stadiums. – And say hello to my buddy Damian Muziani who’s the Emcee warming up the audience. Funny guy. He’s got a long history in TV and is an actor. He’s got a lot of great stories.
The exciting NFL DRAFT IS at our doorstep, no really it’s at my doorstep and it’s a month away and I’m in awe of the road closures.
Here is a comprehensive list of ROAD CLOSINGS for the event that is to bring $86 million dollars to our coffers, and 200,000 fans who when not on the Parkway will be filling our restaurants, visiting our Liberty Bell and Historic Area, and shopping our fine stores. There’s also info on how you can get around as many of the roads are closed. (All of these measures are being done in the name of Security, and the safety of our guests.)
I’m crossing my fingers that shuttle buses from 2601 Parkway and 2401 The Philadelphian can run in the shaded red area which is marked “local access” so residents can get to work and appointments during the road closure days.
Phase 1: Think about taking SEPTA, it really is a relaxing experience and good practice for the NFL Draft when you will have to take SEPTA Here’s their website http://www.septa.org/
Start: 4/10/17 – 12:01am End: 5/7/17 – 11:59pm
Spring Garden Street westbound will close at Pennsylvania Avenue.
The westbound center roadway of Benjamin Franklin Parkway will maintain two lanes from 20th Street to Eakins Oval. The left lane of Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed from East Eakins Oval to Spring Garden St. and continue to southbound Kelly Drive, where it will open up to three travel lanes.
The right two lanes of Eakins Oval in front of the Art Museum steps will be closed for the building of the theatre. (Traffic headaches are not as bad yet, as the closet lane to the Art Museum Steps is usually clogged with cars from tourists, so business as usual. Proceed with caution. Be on the look out for worker bees in the street though)
Southbound (They really should call this the INBOUND lane, cause really who knows what southbound is?) Kelly Drive will have a lane drop between 25th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Phase 2:
Start: 4/19/17 – 12:01am to 5/3/17
Inner or Center lanes (inbound and outbound) of Benjamin Franklin Parkway closed from Eakins Oval to 20th Street.
Fans of all teams can follow the Draft, enjoy interactive exhibits and autograph sessions with current and former players, and take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Draft Town presented by Oikos Triple Zero, a massive, free outdoor fan festival.
Phase 3: ONE WEEK Monday Night til Monday 5AM Basically Don’t USE THE PARKWAY TO COMMUTE INTO or OUT OF THE CITY AT ALL if you want to maintain your sanity- Take SEPTA to WORK Start: 4/24/17 – 7:00pm End: 5/1/17 – 5:00am
Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed from 20th Street to the Art Museum.
Martin Luther King Drive will remain open to 24th Street.
Eastbound Spring Garden Street will remain open from 31st Street to 24th Street.
Kelly Drive will be closed at Fairmount Avenue with traffic detoured onto Fairmount Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. (TAKE SEPTA AS THIS IS A LOCAL ROAD, runs right in front of my house, and is narrow with lots of traffic backed up. You will be frustrated as hell. )
Starting at 7:00pm on Monday, April 24th, due to the closure of the outer lanes on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, traffic headed inbound (to Center City) from Spring Garden Street Bridge or Martin Luther King Drive must exit Eakins Oval on the 24th Street ramp. Traffic headed inbound on Kelly Drive must exit Kelly Drive at Fairmount Avenue. Those wishing to access the rear of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the north side must exit onto Fairmount Avenue, turn right on Pennsylvania Avenue and proceed SB on 25th Street onto Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive.
Phase 4 – Full Extent of Road Closures: (i.e. DON’T EVEN TRY DRIVING INTO TOWN FROM THE BURBS from this area, you will be stuck in traffic, screaming at the radio; Better Yet Take a vacation during these days and got see the NFL DRAFT – It’s Free and it’s in PHILLY!!) Start: 4/25/17 – 12:01am End: 5/1/17 – 5:00am
21st Street closed from Winter Street to Spring Garden Street
Local access to Pennsylvania Avenue only (all traffic must turn left)
22nd Street closed from Race Street to Spring Garden Street
Local access to Park Towne Place only (residents)
23rd Street closed from Fairmount Avenue to Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Local access only
24th Street closed from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Park Towne Place
Local access only
Martin Luther King Drive closed at Sweet Briar Drive.
Road opened daily during peak AM rush hour on 4/27 & 4/28 (5AM-10AM) for access to I-676 via 24th Street
Kelly Drive closed from Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Fairmount Avenue
Spring Garden Street Bridge closed at 31st Street
Road opened daily during peak AM rush hour on 4/27 & 4/28 (5AM-10AM) for access to I-676 via 24th Street
Access to I-76 westbound will be maintained
Local access to Art Museum will be maintained
Spring Garden Street closed from 22nd Street to Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Local access after peak AM rush hour
Pennsylvania Avenue closed from Hamilton Street to Fairmount Avenue
Local access after peak AM rush hour
Pennsylvania Avenue/Callowhill Street closed from 20th Street to 21st Street
Local access to Barnes Foundation driveway (westbound) only
Eastbound open from 21st Street
Park Towne Place closed from 22nd Street to 24th Street
Local access only (residents)
I-676 westbound 22nd Street off-ramp closed
The following streets be designated “local access only” west of 22nd Street: (Let’s call them #OpenStreetsPHL and have a bike event along these streets.)
Wallace Street
Mt. Vernon Street
Green Street
Judson Street
Brandywine Street
No Parking (Honestly, the City should discount the PPA Parking Lots for my neighbors who have cars, like during snow storms. This is really an inconvenience. There are at least 8 apartment buildings this afffects)
– No parking on 2400 Pennsylvania Avenue (south side angle parking only) from 4/5 to 5/8
– Pennsylvania Avenue between 22nd Street & Fairmount Avenue (south side of street only)
– Winter Street between 20th & 22nd Streets (both sides of street)
– 20th Street between Vine & Callowhill Streets (east side of street only)
– 21st Street between Benjamin Franklin Parkway & Race Street (both sides of street)
– 22nd Street between Winter & Spring Garden Streets (both sides of street)
– Park Towne Place between 22nd & 24th Streets (both sides of street)
Bicycle Lane Detours
During venue construction, a number of bicycle lanes along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Eakins Oval and in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be detoured. Appropriate signage will be prominently displayed, and cyclists are advised to utilize marked detours.
Pedestrian Detours
During venue construction, a number of sidewalks and pathways along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Eakins Oval and in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be detoured. Appropriate signage will be prominently displayed, and pedestrians are advised to utilize marked detours and avoid walking in the street. The primary north-south pedestrian detours will be 22nd Street and Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive.
Here are some of the highlights of the NFL DRAFT:
The fan festival activities will be FREE and last for three days along a half-mile stretch of the Ben Franklin Parkway. This will include “interactive exhibits, immersive games, and virtual reality experiences, free player autograph sessions and more.”
Hours for the fan experience:
Thursday, April 27: 12 pm – 11 pm
Friday, April 28: 12 pm – 11 pm
Saturday, April 29: 10 am – 6 pm
I wrote alot about the activities on my blog last month HERE
Public Transportation and Parking
SEPTA is a convenient, affordable way for fans to get to and from the event grounds. The PHLCVB has secured FREE parking at the sports stadium complex for NFL Draft Experience attendees. (Hmm free parking for the fans?) From the sports stadium complex, event-goers should utilize the Broad Street Subway at AT&T Station, located at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue. Fares can be purchased onsite, and fans are encouraged to purchase their return fare prior to departing AT&T Station.
SEPTA service changes/alerts can be found at www.septa.org.
SEPTA Customer Service can be reached at 215-580-7800 and directly on Twitter @septa_social. For more information on SEPTA and NJ Transit routes and schedules during the NFL Draft Experience, visit www.septa.org or call 215-580-7800, and www.njtransit.org or call 973-275-5555.
The PHLASH Downtown Loop will add service for Thursday, 4/27 for the NFL Draft Experience and will operate its April weekend schedule Friday, 4/28 – Sunday, 4/30. PHLASH runs 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and is an easy, inexpensive way to get around. PHLASH will re-route due to street closures during the NFL Draft Experience and will communicate any detours at http://RidePhillyPHLASH.com.
If driving into Center City is necessary, commercial off-street parking lots and garages conveniently are located near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Contact individual facilities in advance for rates and availability, or visit the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s website at www.philapark.org for a list of parking options. The NFL Draft Experience is not affiliated with these parking facilities.
Parkway Institutions
Most of the cultural institutions on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will maintain normal hours of operation and, in some cases, even extend schedules during the NFL Draft Experience. Visitors and residents are encouraged to visit.
During the NFL Draft Experience, the west entrance (otherwise known as the official entrance, not the side of the museum with the Rocky Steps, that’s the back entrance) of the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be open and visitors may obtain access via pathways north and south of this entrance. Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive will be open at 25th Street, with access to the museum’s parking garage for museum visitors throughout the week. The south entrance to Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive will remain accessible via the Spring Garden Street Bridge for museum visitors only. Signage will be prominently displayed with directions.
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, www.ansp.org, 215-299-1000
Regular operating hours: Thurs. April 27th and Fri. April 28th, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm; Sat. April 29th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.
On April 27-29, the Academy will offer free general admission to the museum to all visitors. In addition, an $8 Super Saver Ticket will be available for the special exhibits. Visitors who wear an NFL jersey, get $1 off the Super Saver ticket. Their special exhibit is Frogs: A Chorus of Colors, featuring 15 species of live frogs (on view through May 14).
The Barnes Foundation
2025 Ben Franklin Parkway, www.barnesfoundation.org, 215-278-7200
Thurs., April 27th: CLOSED for special event (ie sounds like an exclusive party with celebrities. I’ll be hanging out there on the sidewalk.)
Fri., April 28th and Sat., April 29th, regular operating hours: 10am – 5pm
Eastern State Penitentiary
2027 Fairmount Ave, www.easternstate.org, 215-236-3300
The historic site will remain open with regular hours – 10 am to 5 pm daily.
The Franklin Institute
222 North 20th St., www.fi.edu, 215-448-1200 Hours: The Franklin Institute will be open to the public from 9:30am-5pm during NFL Draft days (April 27-29).
Parking: The Franklin Institute’s parking garage entrance is located at 21st and Winter Streets, street parking and public transportation are strongly encouraged.
Special Offer: The Franklin Institute is offering a $2 discount on adult general admission for adult visitors wearing NFL team gear during draft days (April 27-29). (Wear your Eagles Jersey days.)
Free Library of Philadelphia – Parkway Central
1901 Vine St., www.freelibrary.org, 215-686-5322
Parkway Central Library welcomes NFL fans to experience guided tours of their 90 year-old beaux arts building and its world-renowned Rare Book Department.
Main Building
26th & Ben Franklin Parkway
Open: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Wednesday and Friday open until 8:45 p.m.
Perelman Building
Fairmount and Pennsylvania Aves.
Open: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Rodin Museum
22nd St. and Ben Franklin Parkway, www.rodinmuseum.org, 215-763-8100
Open: Wednesday–Monday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
This is truly a wonderful event to happen in Philadelphia. I’m excited it is here, and the Parkway is an amazing location to hold the NFL Draft. Living in the neighborhood that is affected by this amazing event, which is literally across the street from where I live, it would have been nice for my neighbors, especially the ones who have caregivers to know of the driving restrictions, people have to make arrangements, a few weeks notice is in adequate. With the Pope we had 3 months notice, and they had meetings with residents who live along the parkway even before they announced it to the press.
NFL Draft: Security Policy & Prohibited Items
For the safety of all fans, the following security measures will be in effect:
All fans and items (purses, small handbags, etc.) are subject to physical inspection by security personnel. Fans who do not agree to this search will not be allowed in the event.
No bags, purses, or backpacks larger than 16” x 14” x 12”
All weapons and firearms are prohibited within these premises including pepper spray and electronic stunning devices
No pets other than service animals
No bottles, cans, liquid containers, coolers (except for fans with medical / dietary needs)
No outside food or beverage
No video recorders except for credentialed media
No drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) of any kind
No missile-like objects
No hover boards or any other self-propelled devices
No smoking, lighters or e-cigarettes
No laser pointers
No artificial noisemakers
No poles or sticks of any kind, including selfie sticks
No object that may obstruct another fan’s view, including umbrellas over 4’ in diameter
No folding chairs, bikes, or other large personal items
No promotional items with commercial slogans or identification without written consent from the NFL
Any item deemed dangerous or inappropriate, in management’s sole discretion, will not be allowed at the NFL Draft and NFL Draft Experience
Confiscated items will be disposed of and not returned
Items left in vehicles should be stored out of sight
Chances Are You Saw: Johnny Matthis, Kevin Hart, Nicole Kidman, The Flyers and Eagles Out in Philly
Sunday, Sunday and time for another edition of PhillyChitChat, Philly Gossip
Kevin Hart is still in town filming Untouchable with Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman. Most of the shoots are now happening in Aston at the Sun Studio, but look for them to come into Philly one more time next week, meaning the week of March 27. The film is schedule to wrap the week of April 2. None of the actors have been spotted out at night until this week. Hart was spotted at Del Frisco’s Wednesday night. Thursday he took in his friend Keith Robinson‘s show at Helium Comedy Club at 2031 Sansom Street. Then jumped up on stage and did an impromptu set for 20 minutes.
Last week the Flyers stopped by Helium Comedy Club to get a few laughs: From left to right it’s Brayden Schenn, Nick Cousins, Michael Del Zotto, comedian Colin Kane, Michael Raffl, Claude Giriox and Jakob Voracek.
Team Derek welcomed Johnny Matthis to town when he arrived at PHL on Thursday. Matthis performed last night at the Golden Nugget Casino as part of the Johnny Mathis 60th & 61st Anniversary Concert Schedule
She’s the King of the World. Shania Twain was in town this week, here she’s posing on a heap of snow near Logan Hotel (maybe she ran into Alex Trebek there as he did a meet and greet with fans on Wed. ) No word on what she was doing in town, but she was here for about 3 days. She even took in the Flyers game.
Shania Twain is releasing her first new album in 15 years, and she revealed to Rolling Stone that some of the songs are inspired by her messy divorce from her producer and husband Robert “Mutt” Lange. Oddly enough he left her for her best friend, and Shania ended up marrying her best friend’s husband, Frederic Thiebaud.
A few Eagles Players stopped by Del Frisco’s for the “Welcome Party” for Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith.
Former Sixers now with the Dallas Mavericks Nerlen Noels gave out cheese steaks to fans who stopped by Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philly on Thursday night. Later that evening he was spotted catching up with friends, including Bachelor Craig Robinson, at Del Frisco’s. Friday afternoon before the game Mark Cuban, of Shark Tank fame, and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, was spotted at the Ritz Carlton having lunch at Aqimero by Richard Sandoval . At the game against the Sixers Friday night, Cuban sat court side as his team lost;
nearby was Biz Markie and who posed with Fox 29’s Good Day co-host Alex Holley at the game.
Last weekend the hot Latin American Carlos Jose Matamoros and his model wife Christina Autumn Harzer were in AC where they stayed at the Tropicana and had dinner at Cuba Libre and Hooters. They then spent a few days in Philly stopping by the Rocky Steps, posing with the Rocky Statue, stood in his footprints and played in the snow.
Congrats Joseph Thomas and Patrick Hagerty on your wedding day.
Congrats to Paul and Liz who got engaged at the Philadelphia Flower Show earlier this week.
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR YOU TO CHECK OUT, what I think was the best show in years. I like all the shows, but
this was the best. Check back on Thursday for more Philly Chit Chat Gossip, and every day this week for events I photographed.
Halloween Costumes 2016: What Philebrities Wore When They Hit The Parties this past weekend
First we’ll start with a celebrity. Actor James McAvoy was M Night Shyamalan’s annual Halloween bash called Shyamaween, which was held Saturday night at The Fillmore, at the Foundry. McAvoy is starring in the upcoming M Night film called “Split”; it was during that shoot he met production assistant Lisa Liberati Since the filming ended nearly a year ago, James has been spotted all over town, in Northern Libs, around Rittenhouse Square at 30th Street Station. I like that he’s smitten with a
Philly Girl. Split opens January 20, 2017
When she’s not stumping for Trumplicans, Erin Elmore is hanging with her adorable family in Rittenhouse Square; here with hubby Craig Spitzer.
Catch Erin on Election night with Piers Morgan
Bill Gerhman wondering when I will actually show up at his and Chris Mullins fabulous Halloween Party. This year I thought it was on 10/28 and I held the date, later to find out it was
really 10/27. I’m usually much better with my schedule. Anywho the costumes I saw on line were fabulous. I was shooting the Monster Ball for the Young Friends of the Academy of Music.
Bless me Father
Tom Louden produces The Q Show Monday through Friday on Fox 29. Check it out at NOON. Which reminds me I’ll be on Good Day
this morning in the 9″oClock hour.
Elizabeth and Todd Herremans
Erin Como used to be the traffic gal on NBC10 and now does the duty on Fox5 in DC. She’s dating Chris Smith, also from Fox 5, who grew up
in the Philly burbs.
Alycia Lane and beau dancing into a bright future
By day Sarah Maiellano is the PR princess for the Philly Pops, by night she writes a column for Philly Eater.
The WMMR Crew at M Night Shyamalan’s #Shyamaween
Former Mob Wife, now clothing queen Alicia DeMichele makes a dynamic duo with beau Rob LaScala
Dr. Nina Radcliff and Jacqueline London | NBC 10 Philadelphia
Dan Kessler, Real Estate Investment Associate for Brandywine Realty Trust, Former White House Intern, and Progressive dedicated to helping lead the next generation
Everyone looks spectacular but these last 4 knocked it out of the Walking Dead Park
Philly Gossip: Brooke Thomas, Sharon Reed, & Nefertiti Jáquez, Lori Wilson, Rarest First Look, Dorenbos Engaged
Good Sunday Morning. WOW it’s winter finally. I’m happy, don’t get me wrong I love warm weather, until I discovered how hot it can get in one’s concrete walled apartment. There’s an ordinance in Philly that after October 1, all apartment buildings in Philadelphia have to provide heat to their tenants if they don’t have individual units, and it can’t be turned off til May 1 (meaning the AC and heater use the same HVAC system. You’re either getting heat or AC.) There’s no provision for global warming as the law was written in the 1940’s. Councilman Greenly told my neighbor that it’d have to go before City Council to change and he just didn’t see that ever happening. Any who my apartment has cooled down from the high of 85 it was maintaining for 4 days. Now I have some cool gossip for you….
Rarest (834 Chestnut Street) Chef Anthony Marini, winner of CNBC’s hit show Restaurant Startup, tells me that the restaurant should be open on November 1. Marini, who I met about 3 months ago when I was at the AKA shooting the Equity movie screening party, tells me that the restaurant is going for the unpretentious, inviting vibe. The price point is on point, and people will be quite pleased with the unique menu of well prepared and curated traditional small and large plates. Plus the raw bar which will feature crudos, ceviches, and tartars as well as cured seafood, American cured hams, and artisan cheeses.
In the lobby of the AKA Washington Square is a.lounge.
There’s live music four nights a week in the grand lobby, curated by Eddie Bruce. Wednesday nights highlight a pianist from 5pm – 8pm. Thursday nights feature a pianist at 5pm, and Bob Egan’s Piano Bar goes on at 7:30pm to play the resident’s favorite requests. Friday nights begin with a pianist at 5pm, and then the Shayne Frederick Trio perform at 7:30pm. The Ella Gahnt Quartet entertains residents on Saturday evenings from 7:30pm – 10:30pm
(I was there again on Thursday night for the opening party for the Phila Film Festival, which runs until Oct 30
On the same day Brooke Thomas was released from CBS3, she was named one of the baddest anchorbaes in the USA by Bossip. Also on the list, and serious bad baes
who once graced Philly’s anchor desks – Sharon Reed, Brittney Shipp & Nefertiti Jáquez.And bad bae on air in Philly Alex Holley, Fox 29 (Bossip)
Speaking of anchorbaes, former NBC10 anchor Lori Wilson got married earlier this month, (Oct 9) to Dr. Tiy-E Muhammad “The Love Doctor”. Seems the doctor counsels couples on love; he has published several books, and is an alumni of the reality TV shows The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Gilligan’s Island. I love Lori Wilson, miss her infectious smile, and am happy for her. Congrats you two love birds. Here’s how they met according to their wedding page.
Once Upon A Time… Long, long… really long ago…
A man met a woman at a Step show on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta. The man and woman were attracted to each other right away. They dated. He moved out west. She moved out East. After years of not seeing each other, or even keeping in touch, one day, her best friend suggested they reconnect. She flew to see him. He flew to see her. He flew to Africa, came back to the US and proposed. She said YES! Woot-woot!
Congrats to Jon Dorenbos and Ananlise Dale on their engagement. The duo met in Las Vegas in 2015, and have been inseparable ever since. They’ve been engaged for about
two weeks, and haven’t set a wedding date yet. Their schedules have been jam packed between Jon’s appearances America’s Got Talent and his job as long snapper for
the Philadelphia Eagles. Jon told me he’ll be really busy on the off season as his appearance on AGT and last weeks appearance on the Ellen Show has opened up a lot of doors and stages for him. Next up though is the Malcolm Jenkin’s 3rd Annual Blitz Bow Ties & Bourbon Monday, October 24, 2016
Spotted at Matt and Maries (100 N 18th St) – Phillies Ryan Howard stopped in for lunch on Friday.
Happenings
The 6th Annual Monsters Ball Masquerade party will be held at The Ritz Carlton next Friday.
In all the DNC hoopla I forgot to mention that PhillyChitChat just turned 9 that means a whole year of #TBT posts up to the big TEN O. When I started PhillyChitChat in 2007 , I always imagined only doing it for 5 years since I was working full time as a paralegal, I had other plans, like opening up a coffee store,
selling books and greeting cards or still being yelled at by attorneys to take their damn boxes to the courthouse.
A lot has changed since 07/07/07 when I launched Philly Chit Chat, which was only supposed to be a hobby, an outlet for my so called useless info as dad would call it, and well I was really curious about what went on at those parties I read about.
First let me tell you the name PhillyChitChat came after a brainstorming session with my friends Simon and Katie Curtis (c) of NYC. I wanted a blog that was about Philly events, but also about chatting about Philly, not a message board, but a pictorial chronicalization of the City and what and who I thought was interesting. The blog PhillyGossip was for sale, but it had a hefty price of $5,000 attached to it. Philly Media bought it for Dan Gross, and well it was perfect I didn’t want to just write about gossip only anyway. I had a lot of ideas PhillyCalendar, Philly Social Diary, Philly Social Scene, Philly Scene, but then Simon came up with PhillyChitChat and I thought that was best. I did though buy all those other names, and I still own them today. On the right are my friends Greta and Alan Greenberger. This shot was taken before Michael Nutter was mayor, and Alan was still in private practice. Greta was, and still is for a few more months, City Hall’s Tour Director. I used to volunteer at City Hall for Greta before I moved to NYC in 2005 to work for 2 years, where I met the Curtis’ and eventually became a professional celebrity photographer in January 2007. This shot was taken 7/04/07
When I moved back from NYC, and even before I started PhillyChitChat.com, I had already started blogging in 2006 with my site “Confessions of a Paparazzi” ; I was living in NYC while working on a case for the Philly law firm where I had worked since 1991. It was supposed to be a short stint in NYC, but it turned into an 18 month long jaunt, and I squeezed every minute out of it. I never left for anything, I spent nearly every holiday there and Mike was great and visited a couple times a month. At first it was just to live in NYC, which was always a dream, but then i discovered the art and fun of photographing celebrities, the cult of fandom (there’s some hardcore fans ship going on, even worse today with the internet.), and I enjoyed telling stories to my co-workers via email everyday. Like Joan above who sat in front of me at work. The email list grew, until Mike suggested I do a blog, and that is how Confessions of a Paparazzi was born. I know I used the wrong tense of paparazzi, but that word had become popular through overuse by
Paris Hilton; who visited Philly to promote her perfume in February 2007. I had become friends with Phyllis Halpern, who lived in my building, who worked at Red Tettemer, who introduced me to Matt Vlahos, a young account executive there. He was trying to stage something viral, before viral was even a term, with Paris Hilton and a guy dressed as a Groundhog. i don’t even remember the circumstances. Matt wanted me to get the photo and send it to the wireservice I worked for WENN. Paris’ people were ok with the Groundhog, made the guy stand in line for the 2hrs. When Paris saw the Groundhog in line she had him thrown out. She was not going to pose with him. It was the most bizarre thing ever….
My goal in the early years was really to find out where the celebrities were in Philly. I had just come back from NYC, and I knew from reading Harriet Lessy, Michael Klein, Stu Bykofsky and Dan Gross’ columns that celebrities did stop by Philly, and they were bigger than Alycia Lane or Monica Malpass, even though I was happy when I photographed them the first time too.
Phyllis introduced me to Thom Cardwell (flower shirt). He was the developmental director of the Philadelphia Film Festival.
Great introduction cause sure enough during the film festivals there were plenty of nearly stars, stars and past star stage.
One of the first events Thom brought me to was one where Vince Fumo greets Angie Everhart at a movie screening at the Prince Theater. This is what I wrote on Confessions of a Paparazzi of the event:
After last Thursdays premiere, it was then my responsibility to “shop” the photos to the media to promote the film. OMG how exhausting was that, calling, emailing and be rejected by a dozen papers. Finally the People Paper “The Phila Daily News” saw that one of my photos told a story (after I mentioned Vince had a red thread on his wrist – a la Madonna and her Kabbalah bracelet). The greeting of Angie Everhart with Sen. Vince Fumo as co-director Sal Mazzotta looks on. One of my favorite columnist Dan Gross picks up on this photo and tells the rest of the story…
When the photo appeared in paper they cut his wrist off, even though the story was under the photo. I could have screamed. But in time these things would happen over and over again. I’ve never gotten used to editors. **Note above where I said I had to Shop the photos. I was thinking hey that’s a great idea, I will create a wire service for local Philly photos. I did attempt to do this with my friend Chris around the same time, but it was hard to convince local media outlets that we could provide photos that would be of interest. It would be years before I was able to convince them.
It also would be a year or so before another of my shots would appear in the Daily News. The budget for the paper was smaller, as was the space. That summer I heard Michael Klein was going to a food event of Thom Cardwell’s and I told him I could go and photograph it. I was super nervous cause I was a huge fan of his, and knew my photos would fit perfectly in his column. Having worked in NYC as a celebrity photography/paparazzi for the past year or so, and having read his column Inqlings, I knew that he probably was tipped off to celebrity appearances before they went to eateries or retailers, or during their visit, so he could put them in the paper the next day. My hunch was right. My 30 second spiel worked and he gave me a shot. Here’s the first shot we worked on together. Barry Manilow. Here’s what appeared in Klein’s column at the time- Inqlings – 9/7/07:
Looks like he made it – for dinner. Barry Manilow, with sidekicks, arrives at the Saloon in South Philadelphia. Manilow was welcomed Friday in a room whose patrons included mayoral candidate Michael Nutter, Q102’s Diego Ramos, lawyer Jimmy Binns, auto magnate Frank Kerbeck, and nightclub owner Larry Cohen. Last night, Manilow played at the Wachovia Center. And that was the beginning of a beautiful partnership that went on for 4 years, until the end of his column 3/26/11 The best advice Michael gave me was to spread my wings, and not work for just one outlet. It was nearly unheard of to do that, but each of the outlets I have contracts with adhere to different audiences; I work hard to adhere to their brand and they trust me to deliver the photos their readers want.
OK each Thursday I will publish 10 shots from each year. going forward I won’t be so wordy either. We’re starting in 2007
Boyz II Men at FYE minus one. I’m going to miss FYE, sometimes they had the best acts there for meet & greets.
Michael Marsico, Renee Gillinger, Sen Larry Farnese and Mary Patel.
Matt Ray, James Duggan and Steve McCann
Mayor Street, Judge Marjorie Rendell, Cary Lowell and Richard Gere at the Marian Anderson Awards. That year Patti LaBelle performed. This year Patti LaBelle is being honored. So excited for that.
Good Thursday morning, sorry I’ve been a little lax in my posts this week TIME has caught up with me and I am got sick with a fever and migraine. I didn’t drink enough water last week, and my body decided to punish me. OK here are the celebrities I saw last week. You may have seen these other places, a couple I have never published, but I have a bunch of stories and will tell you how I found these people.
Just as I suspected there would be a lot of celebrities, I was surprised though that there were not A List, and by A List I mean current in People or Us Magazine celebrities, roaming about Philly. They were on stage at the DNC, but most seemed to head back to where they came afterwards despite the many, many, parties happening nearly 24/7.
Although I was working with the DNC2016 on certain events and parties, the above calendar was sent to me by 3 readers, and I really appreciate it as it helped me understand what events were around. Ironically none of the 3 events I photographed that day are on this calendar. PLUS You can tell how early a draft this was as the Lady Gaga/Lenny Kravitz party is on a Tuesday night, when it eventually was scheduled on Thursday at 1PM. Rumors were Secretary Hillary Clinton would appear, but I knew that was never true having photographed movie premieres for years. A star will not show up at someone elses’ event even within days of a movie premiere, least those photos get published and not the ones of them on the red carpet at their own event.
Most of the rumored must do parties like Funny or Die, Google, Twitter, and Spotify were DUDS and I skipped most of them after hearing from my insiders, but I did do 3 hrs of sidewalk time for Funny or Die as my insiders insisted Will Ferrell and friends would go. I was angsting cause it was up against the Cory Booker party at Tiki Lounge, but guess what Cory didn’t even show up to his own party. Another party it was up against was “The Stone Pony in Philly” Now wouldn’t you think that was a Bruce Springsteen party, I did. I sent people over there to Old Bookbinders. When they texted me that they actually got into the party I realized it couldn’t be a Bruce event, those parties can’t be crashed. It wasn’t Bruce, my friends weren’t even sure who it was. I did miss the Grace Potter and Friends at Electric Factory, and Joe Walsh at World Cafe, both events I hear were amazing. I think that’s where my celeb friends went.
Definitely the best events I covered with the most celebs were the Creative Coalition events. I remember during the RNC 2000 they had events so I started doing research. But as luck would have it the online news source Billy Penn published a list of calendar of events. I wrote them and they said they’d get back to me. At the same time I was chatting with my friends Susan Helfrich and Rich Wolf,Breaking Glass Pictures, who BTW have a film out right now starring Susie Celek, Fight Valley, get it on Demand, and those two I discovered were involved with Creative Coalition. They connected me, I was able to cover a cocktail party where Creative Coalition wanted to raise awareness about tweens, and teens and OTC drug abuse. There were only two photographers there, their house photographer and moi. After the event the PR Henry said I like your work style, you’re polite, and not on top of everyone, here’s a list to the rest of our events.
Dean Norris – best known for portraying DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC series Breaking Bad and Under The Dome at Creative Coalition lunch raising awareness of drug abuse of OTC by Tweens and Teens. At Hotel Monaco.
Nearly every day they had an event, but I only went to 3 of them as my schedule permitted. But what a great experience, and noble causes they took on with their band of celebrities. Troian Bellisario, Alison Pill, Josh Gad, Ashley Judd, and Kevin McHale – poor things couldn’t get a hotel room in Center City and had to stay out at the Airport Hilton. Ashley Judd spent some time at the Wells Fargo Center watching the DNC. Word was spotted in the Cadillac Grille with Aretha Franklin watching the historic night when Hillary gave her speech.
Penn alumni Elizabeth Banks at OTC event. She played Vince Papale’s wife Janet in Invincible. She also produced a celebrity-studded video in support of Hillary Clinton using Rachel Platten’s hit Fight Song, which was shown Tuesday at the convention. She also appeared at a luncheon to raise awareness on teen obesity. I decided I didn’t want to be an example of what an adult looked like and skipped that luncheon.
Josh Gad likes his checkered shirts I see (like me)
Katy Perry stayed at a private condo at the Barclay, but moved over to the Rittenhouse Hotel when Orlando Bloom flew in. They spent sometime at the Library Bar as well as many of the celebrities that appeared on stage at the DNC.
Monday night I went to the Wells Fargo Center. It was memorable. I got wet with a lot of great people. I didn’t really get to explore the hall as much as I thought I would, IT WAS PACKED. Plus I was with my friend Sheila Hess and we were enjoying our stay in the IBX Box with this fabulous view. My goal for the week wasn’t to shoot who was on the stage, I really wanted to shoot who was behind the scenes in the hallways, in the lounge areas, behind the scenes, the press room, share it with you here as well as on my social media. If you’re following me on Snapchat, those people get all the dirt.
Tuesday was busy: Ashley Judd was making an appearance on behalf of Creative Coalition on Day to to raise awareness around DC Statehood on the 2nd day of DNC at Loews Hotel. – I spoke with her. She was enjoying the City. Had lunch at the new Ruth Chris. Said everyone was nice, and she was happy to be working with the Creative Coalition on worthy causes.
At DelFrisco’s 3 – 5PM Congressional Black Caucus. Lots of great people were attending, I love that I saw Judge Greg Mathis, and his bff Fareed Ahmed. This photo appeared in Philly.com online. Did I mention I was working for Philly Media. They approached me a few weeks before and I was honored to shoot for them. They let me do what I do, they didn’t know which parties I would be hitting, they didn’t know the parties as I mentioned I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone and I didn’t, and when I do that I wanna do my best. I think I did it. My plan was to contribute to my regular outlets, but I forgot to schedule time for that. I think I got 2 columns into PhillyMag, one each for the Metro and 7 or 8 for PhillyMedia. Plus I was on Fox 29 Good Day 5 times, and interviewed for stories twice and once for Chasing News.
Tuesday: Kimmel Center 4 – 6PM Client EnRoute hired us to shoot this party and this shot was taken by PhillyChitChat contributor Andre Flewellan. To celebrate the 2016 Democratic National Convention, international law firm Dentons LLP held a party last week to honor “Dentons Democrats.” Guests included former DNC Chairs Joe Andrew and former Gov. Howard Dean.
On my way to the Barnes, I saw the cars lined up for Bill Clinton at The Logan Hotel to take him to Wells Fargo where he was speaking that evening.
Tuesday: Comcast throws VP Biden a Goodbye Party at the Barnes Museum. A random Fairmount neighbor was walking by and the sweet Eva Longoria posed with her.
Oh Lucy Travers has a Mary Dougherty scarf on, she arrived with longtime Rendell friends Morgan Fairchild and Gary Barbera.
Tuesday night I worked on my columns and prepared to go on Fox 29 the next day so I stayed in and missed Bill Clinton’s party at Reading Terminal. But Chole Grace Moretz was there. The next day I got a sighting at the Sofitel of her and her boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham. I was bummed I didn’t have time to hang at the hotels as I thought I would. Turns out most celebrities stayed at either Sofitel or Palomar across the street, with Snoop Dogg staying at Hotel Monaco,
Lady Gaga, Idina Menzel, The Clintons, Obamas and Bidens all staying at the Logan Hotel at some point during the week – Note that Pope fence is up, because President and VP were now both at The Logan. If you look back on when Bill Clinton was leaving the Logan on Tuesday, no fences.
Guests going through the front door had to go through serious security
DNC VP Nominated Tim Kaine and family stayed at the Sonesta
Debra Messing was everywhere last week, and had time to have a twitter war with Blake Shelton, advising Gwen Stefani to dump him because she thought he supported Trump. OH BOY. She apologized when he said no such thing. On to happier news: Idina Menzel left the Ritz hotel Tuesday after a Democratic women’s tea. A policeman stopped 4 lanes of cars to help her across. She said wow the Philly Police really know how to make a gal feel special.
I love this photo. This was a Q&A with Fitz from Scandal and Carol from West Wing. It was a lot of fun.
Melissa Fitzgerald, Hrishikesh Hirway (who cohosts a West Wing podcast with show star Josh Malina), and West Wing star Richard Schiff participated in a game of “West Wing Quizzo” at PoliticalFest 2016. Melissa called her friend and costar Allison Janney to help her out with a question. Janney was at work on her show “Mom” and was rushed for time. Richard called costar Bradley Whitford. Both had teams consisting of mega fans of the show. Melissa’s team won.
Then I headed over to hear Congressman John Lewis at the African American Museum
My piece on Fox 29 when Alex Holley, Mike Jerrick and I break into song as the night’s talent rehearse
The it was on to the Wells Fargo. I got the only cab in Philly with no A/C and the windows busted out. Then when I wasn’t paying attention the guy took me from 10th Street made a right on Chestnut and down to Delaware Ave, I said buddy I’m tourist where you going? Ugh, nightmare. This is the reason people take ubers. Any I left that hot situation and found this hot situation in the Press Tent with Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover. Crazy press. Poor Danny Glover passed out from the intensity of the situation and people. He recovered and held a smaller press conference on why he felt Nina Carter deserved her day at the DNC Podium.
Wednesday night I trolled the halls for shots of interest. Word has it she liked Aston Cigar Bar, as did many of the celebs who headed there late night. Bradley Cooper stayed with his mom and girlfriend in his house in Abington. He told Jimmy Fallon, earlier this week he still lives there part time.
“During rehearsal [for the July 27 “What the World Needs Now” musical number], after the bulk of the song had been sung, we were asked to walk downstage and form a line while continuing to sing the refrain, ‘What the world needs now.’ We were told to encourage the audience to join in. Maybe clap. In performance, as we walked down to the lip of the stage, the energy of 30,000 people met us halfway. I’ve never felt anything like it. The energy was overwhelming. I hate to be so cliched about this, but it was one group hug through song. We really do need love, sweet love.” (THR)
I was super surprised that only Richard Kind showed up at the Fergie concert later that night, especially because Tyne Daly’s (green dress) brother Tim is the President of the organization.
Wednesday late night: The BET party at Coda was the same night at the Fergie concert and I was credentialed for her so on Wednesday night that’s where you found me. I hear Common stopped by Coda and that evening. Fergie was amazing, and her reunion with Taboo from Black Eyed Peas was musically a show stopper since it was rumored she and the band were no longer talking, especially since they booked a show against hers at the nearby Fillmore Philly. Fergie’s show also went on a bit late, about 130AM because the DNC went on a little longer than expected. In fact for the rest of the weeks parties everything was an hour later than originally planned. This was another Creative Coalition event. TCC raises funds for arts and music education in schools. Will.I.Am he went to the Spotify Party at the Barnes.
Thursday was work all day day, trying to get all my columns in, and photos to the wire service. No sleep for me either, I had been up for nearly 28 hrs by the time I went on the air at Fox 29 at 9AM. Mike and Alex are laughing cause I was reporting how Jerry Springer and Lance Bass both ate at Estia the day before, but not together.
I skipped the DNC and opted for an hour nap and dinner with John McDevitt, who was my wing guy that night. I had to choose between Snoop Dog and Hillary Clinton’s party. I chose Hillary. I had heard rumors that Bill was going to go to the Snoop Dog event. The Secret Service had already done a sweep, and were on stand by, but as I mentioned earlier everything was delayed and at 2AM the SS pulled out. Snoop went on about 3AM. Thanks to party crasher Melissa Leonard for this shot. Party crasher is a harsh term, she shows up to a party and somehow gets invited in.
Before taking the stage at her afterparty, Hillary met with her most generous supporters like Richard Garriott, who is the 2nd private citizen to fly into space. He paid $30 million to do it. He invented the video game Altima and he and his wife, Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux, are big Hillary fans. She even started the Entrepeneurs for Hillary group.
Clinton held an appreciation party for her supporters, including sponsors, volunteers and workers from her campaign at the Kimmel Center. A lot of notable people showed up including Debbie Wassermann Schultz, Anthony Wiener, his wife Huma Abedin, and son Jordan, Debra Messing, Kate Walsh, Dustin Lance Black and Darrin Criss.
Day 4, the final day. Sorry about missing Day 3, hopefully you saw my photos in Philly Mag and Philly.com, and caught me on Fox 29 yesterday.
After being on Good Day I headed over to the Convention Center, more like limped as I really hurt both my feet after standing for nearly the entire week. While on my way to pick up my “Thursday” DNC pass, I saw Danny Glover. He looked much better than the day before.
I then went home for a couple hours to do work. I chatted with my buddy John McDevitt from KYW News Radio and made arrangements to go out and find stories.
Here’s John interviewing a congressman from Vermont, who was about to board a bus for the Wells Fargo
I stood by and caught the fashionable
Senator Elizabeth Warren was in for a Democrats for Woman event on Tuesday and Robin Roberts of Good Morning America was in for dinner on Tuesday night at Davio’s. Mary Louise Parker caught the Snoop Dogg concert at the Electric Factory last night. The show went on at 230AM and the place was packed I hear; Snoop got back to the Hotel Monaco as the sun was rising. So glad I didn’t do that one. Brooklyn Beckham and Chloe Grace Morentz were spotted leaving the Sofitel Hotel last night on their way to the DNC Wells Fargo.
Then I said hey John I hear Hillary’s Victory Party is at the Kimmel Center. let’s go check it out. I told him it’d be hard to shoot Hillary as she would probably go in the back and there would be lots of security, but more than likely some celebs would go through the front with the guests.
We stopped by Bop and got a shot of Hillary and David Song, GM of Bop
Small world, just at that moment Mike Jerrick and Chris Murphy were heading to dinner at Bop. I decided not to go to the last night, cause I was exhausted, I hadn’t slept in two days and my feet as I mentioned were in so much pain. I should have worn sneakers this week. It’s ok too, the Wells Fargo was so packed, hot and water was $4.50. i watched the historic night from my couch with the husband before John came and picked me up about 1130PM
OK fast forward to midnight. John and I returned to the Kimmel Center and Hillary Clinton’s after party. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s a celebrity, especially if you don’t really watch TV or read celebrity magazines, but hey I think these two could potentially be one….
Harvey Hurdle and Kevin Yoder
Also spotted at the party Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux, entrepeneurs for Clinton organization and Richard Garriott, billionaire Video Gamer and 2nd private citizen to fly to space. (Philly.com will have his pix up shortly for your enjoyment. John picked him out of the crowd cause he was fun dressed, and then I shot him for the same reason, but it was random, we didn’t know his amazing story. )
Dustin Lance Black who was also in town for Equality Forum.
Around 2AM – President soon to be First Gentleman, Bill Clinton, Madame President Hillary Clinton with Senator Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton.
Teen Aniya Wolf, who got kicked out of prom for wearing tuxedo was on set of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Thursday. Plus shots from the set from their Old City shoot. Spoiler shots and stories ahead…
As I wrote yesterday It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia filmed in Old City on Thursday. I finished my work and got there about 1030AM, they were just finishing up a scene where Charlie, Dennis and Mac’s counter parts try and push over a jeep. The shots I missed earlier were the actors doing the same thing.
Then the crew headed to Franklin Fountain (116 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106) to shoot scenes where Cricket (David Hornsby) steals candy from a candy machine and a vagrant runs after him,
running by this lady
causing her to fall
they filmed several scenarios of this scene
beforehand with the stunts.
When they did the filming with the guy running,
they took the pads away.
Hey Aniya Wolf, on left…
Rob McElhenney (Mac) and Aniya Wolf chat. Extras are behind them. In the scene above, Aniya Wolf goes over and helps the senior citizen up after she falls. ( Aniya Wolf is theBishop McDevitt girl thrown out of prom for wearing a suit Rob saw the article and offered her a chance to be in a segment of IASIP)
The scene went well, Rob and Aniya hi-fived and the cast and crew applauded.
Check out Glenn Howerton’s bodyguard, gigantic
The tent on the right had AC blowing into it in case the actors got too hot
Speaking of hot, hey hot crowd control guy
Charlie Day recognized me from the other day and said hi. After the scenes were finished everyone headed for lunch.
But before that happened Rob
And Cricket (David Hornsby ) posed with fans.
David Hornsby plays Matthew ‘Rickety Cricket’ Mara, here he and with Rob McElhenney walking to lunch at Mac’s Tavern at 226 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tonight Cricket will be running through the City Hall Fountains as well as the Logan Square Fountain.
Today I’ll be at 10th and Market checking out filming there, then in the Gayborhood. It was great seeing all the readers and followers of PhillyChitChat. Come say hi. Thanks and have a safe, great weekend. Next week we’ll catch up on Jack Daniels, Behind the Scenes at the USO Fashion Show and all the great July 4th happenings. Also don’t forget to follow me on Snapchat (where I give you scoop and tidbits), Instagram and Twitter. Also FB Page – All under the name of PhillyChitChat. Chow.
Good Philly Gossip Monday. Hope you had a great weekend despite this horrible weather. Congrats to so many Philadelphian’s that ran and conquered the Broad Street Run.
Sheena Parveen and Mikey Ilagan at the Broad Street Run
It was exciting to see how many people in my timeline posted photos from the race, their medals, and bibs. Will Smith and super fan Kevin outside the Ritz last week.
I was chatting a lot about Will Smith being in town last week; He was checking out the Residences at Ritz Carlton on Monday with realtors, while staying at the Ritz hotel next door. He used the Residences at Ritz Carlton gym everyday, seemed to enjoy the 2PM workout time. Friday he ran into Bad Boy co-star Martin Lawrence who was in town to perform at Temple that evening. No word on what they discussed, but my friend who reads lips said it seemed they were chatting about a Bad Boy sequel. I bet he was telling Martin that Philly will be seeing more of him, and hopefully Jada Smith, as they are now the majority owners of the Sixers.
Martin Lawrence at Temple University
Yes it’s true #bcbgmaxazria closed on April 24 at 16th and Walnut. The sign on the door says visit them at their KOP or Cherry Hill Mall store.
It’s been fun following along with Kharisma MCllwaine and her brother Aloysius on their trip to Morocco via snapchat, which I’m trying to learn.
Seriously, if anyone was going to meet the new quarterback, Carson Wentz, first it was going to be Melissa Leonard. Here she is at the meet and greet press conference, as well as season owners of boxes.
Friday was a very special day for the Good Day Philadelphia Crew as they celebrated their 20 years on air with their loyal fans. Everyone turned up, chatted with viewers and posed for countless selfies.
Before the event though Mike Jerrick headed to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, where they had a prom for the kids. So sweet. Then he headed to the party at Sugarhouse.
After the 20th Anniversary Party, my friend Alex Holley, FOX 29 co-host of “Good Day Philadelphia,” was honored Friday night at the 7th annual 2016 NV Movers & Shakers Soiree in NYC. Love her.
Then Saturday night Mike Jerrick headed to DC to attend the White House Correspondents Dinner.
I wonder if he ran into Mike’s cousin David Nakamura (Washington Post White House correspondent), here with his wife Kris Schenck
I was so busy this weekend – Thursday I was at the Fairmount Conservacy Gala, Friday night I attended the premiere of Inis Nua Theater’sThe Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, (April 27-May 15) Saturday I was at Cure Duchenne Blingo at The Logan Hotel and Sunday I had a delicious brunch at Little Lion with Kory Aversa and Brooke Thomas, the new morning anchor at CBS3. Then headed to Savino Thorne’s baptism.
Teal Butterfly is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to raise awareness about the early signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer by educating the public through community events and social media campaigns
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Clinton held an appreciation party for her supporters, including sponsors, volunteers and workers from her campaign at the Kimmel Center. A lot of notable people showed up including Debbie Wassermann Schultz, Anthony Wiener, his wife Huma Abedin, and son Jordan, Debra Messing, Kate Walsh, Dustin Lance Black and Darrin Criss.
As I wrote yesterday It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia filmed in Old City on Thursday. I finished my work and got there about 1030AM, they were just finishing up a scene where Charlie, Dennis and Mac’s counter parts try and push over a jeep. The shots I missed earlier were the actors doing the same thing.
