Philly Gossip : Shia LaBeouf, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill SPLIT

June 12, 2016 by HughE Dillon

Philly Gossip : Shia LaBeouf, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Usher and Stanley Tucci

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Last week was a crazy week for PhillyChitChat, I was super busy and didn’t get to my weekly Philly Gossip column, so here it is. Last weekend was a hot, hot, hot celebrity weekend. The Roots Picnic was going on as well as Wizard World, both of which brought lots of celebrities to town like Stanley Tucci, who was in town for Wizard World, who had dinner Friday night at Suga’s which I mentioned last week. Nearby was 6ABC’s Nydia Han who told me her group really wanted to invite him over for dessert. The next evening Tucci watched the sunset from The Logan’s Assembly Lounge, which overlooks the Parkway.

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Usher was the headliner for the Root’s Picnic. When he arrived in town he headed to North Philly and got a cheesesteak at Max’s near Germantown Ave.

He posed for photos, and even sang with a few fans before he headed to Festival Pier for what I hear was an amazing, life changing set.

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Meek Mill is a free man after 90 days of house arrest for a probation violation; guess he didn’t realize that is was spring cause he showed up to the Root’s Picnic to celebrate with his bae, Nicki Minaj, in black jeans and sweater.

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When it got too hot to handle they headed to South Street which sent fans into a frenzy, to pick up a whole new outfit – tshirt, and white jeans, before heading back to the picnic and the rest of the concert.

Meek

Fans waiting outside Princess on South Street

Meek

The duo was low key all week until Wednesday, when I started getting lots of tips that they were dining at Devon seafood on Rittenhouse Square near midnight. Then the next day this picture popped up on Meek Mill’s Instagram.

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Friday Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj flew out of Philly (split the scene). I guess his probation is over. Best wishes for a long time of love.

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Actor Shia LaBeouf’s latest project has him traveling across the country using his Twitter coordinates.

The project is called “Take Me Anywhere.” He teamed up with Vice News, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and the Finnish Institute in London.

LaBeouf and two artists use their GPS coordinates broadcast via Twitter to allow random strangers to pick them up and take them anywhere, all in the name of art.

#TAKEMEANYWHERE by LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner (2016) Commissioned by Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art as part of MediaLive 2016, and The Finnish Institute in London. Project supported by Frame Contemporary Art Finland and Vice. Site programming by Citrusbits.

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The project began on May 23 and is expected to last until June 23. Last night his adventure (and Keily Cloude) brought him to Philadelphia from New Castle, Indiana.

‏@thecampaignbook #TAKEMEANYWHERE

39°56’01″N 75°09’32″W (Coordinates for Philly)

Casually meeting my OG BFF from Dubai after EIGHT years… And Shia LaBeouf.

But don’t look for him in Philly, his last tweet said he was back on the road…

A photo posted by Stupid Sinha (@stupidudit) on Jun 11, 2016 at 4:52pm PDT

Philadelphia

PhillyGossip: The Rittenhouse Hotel’s New Restaurant, Caitlyn Jenner, Kanye West PLUS More

February 19, 2016 by HughE Dillon

Good Friday morning. WOW did this week go by fast. Lots going on in Philly this week, and this weekend. Can’t believe we’re up to February 19 already. Spring is nearly around the corner. In the meantime I’m eating my Snap Kitchen meals and using my SAD light to get me through.

An Evening with Caitlyn Jenner happened at Penn Wednesday night to a sold out crowd in which the audience had to either be attending Penn or an alumni. Neither Team Derek or I made the cut. Team Derek did meet Caitlyn at the Rittenhouse Hotel, and told me she was super friendly. Posed for photos and signed dozens of magazines for them. Check out Billy Penn for more photos and info on her chat at Penn.

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Speaking of the Rittenhouse Hotel, the Philly foodie community has been on the edge of their seats to see what eatery is going to fill the space left vacant by Smith & Wollensky. Although Michael Klein alluded to it last year in a post, I will tell you it’s more than a rumor now, it’s going to be Scarpetta,

which is an Italian restaurant with locations in New York, Montauk, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and Miami. Friends of mine had dinner at the NYC one, and the server told them he was excited to begin work at the eatery. I spoke to Philly friends who have put me in touch with the investor behind the project. The transformation of the space hasn’t started yet, and they hope to begin this month and complete sometime in the summer. Some say it could be done by the time Hillary gets nominated, but that seems to be an ambition goal.

The Yelpers give it a solid 4 star review.

George from the Bronx said:

“This place is f——- amazing. I should just end my review here. But as
a yelper I will tell you the food journey I went on because it was
unbelievable. A fatass journey at the very least…because Scarpetta
left me speechless. I wish I lived next door that is how much love I
have for this place.”

I like their hours too, til 10:30PM every night but Sundays when they close at 10PM.

Dinner Menu

They also participated in NYC’s restaurant week. I love this place already.

Speaking of Grammy’s, Kanye West thankfully wasn’t there, but he was still making a fool of himself on Social Media when he complained he was in debt for $57 million. The Philly Police stepped forward offering him a job.

But I think Philly Smurfette told us something we all kinda know.

Great shot of a packed Fillmore Philly before the Bryan Adams concert on
Monday night, by Marilyn Russell, BenFM, who hosted the event.

Congrats to Philly fashion designer Michael Thomas who dressed Philadelphia Recording Artist Kriss Mincey for the Grammy’s on Monday night. Michael doesn’t have a website, but told me you could reach him at bewellbefaithful@gmail.com

A couple of Flyers ( Radko Gudas, Ryan White and Michael Nieurberth) leaving the Claude Giroux Foundation 2nd annual event at Lucky Strike Lanes Wednesday night.

It was windy on Monday.

Condolences to Big Ang‘s family, and so many of my friends who lost someone they adore. My timeline was filled with photos of with Big Ang.

Geno Vento continues his philanthropic ways in Philly. The other night he was a sponsor of the Nova Temple BBall game, and received the evenings ball.

All week he’s been the title sponsor for Philadelphia Fashion Week who is having wonderful shows at their new location in South Philly. Tickets are still left for the remaining two nights. Check out the Philly Voice today which covered the show’s street style fashion.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Miss NJ 2013 Cara McCollum and family who was critically injured in a car accident Monday night on Rt 55 in SNJ. There’s now a website Prayers for Cara

where you can go to get updates on Cara.

I met Cara through Miss Philadelphia 2013 Francesca Ruscio a few years back, as did Keith Jones, NBC10 reporter/anchor and boyfriend of Cara.

We were all last together at The Cole Hamels Diamonds and Denin Gala last summer, where we all shared a table.

The duo were in love more than ever. Cara was finally finished school and so excited for the next chapter of her life, at the new start up TV station SNJToday as an Anchor . She was so glad to be able to spend all her days with Keith. We didn’t see each other often, but via social media we’d catch up, and I knew I’d see her at the Red Cross Red Ball coming up, as Keith MC’d it every year.

Prayers for Cara

Philadelphia

Philly Gossip: Do we ever get tired of Meek & Nicki Minaj, Congrats to Zac Lashway & Syma Chowdhry

February 10, 2016 by HughE Dillon

Good Wednesday Morning. Finally a little snow has fallen on our fair City, after one of the more nebulous forecasts in while. I don’t know in the past they used to just say it was going to snow, and then it did. I don’t know when it became such a huge drama, as it seems to be now.

Anyway this light dusting is not enough to even bring a crisco oiled
cardboard box to the Art Museum Steps, or you’d really have a Rocky
Steps ride. But it is pretty to look at. Let’s get into some Philly Gossip

Last week several local media outlets wrote about my sightings of Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill about town. Then it was picked up by the NY Mag, so that was exciting for me as that’s the bible of what is hot in Manhattan. This week Nicki & Meek didn’t disappoint. Seems she’s in Brooklyn during the week shooting the TV show about her life, then the weekends she heads to Philly, and by weekend you know I mean Thursday to Monday. Friday I wrote that singer Monica (l) was in town, Thursday, at Macy’s for Black History Month and did a meet and greet. Well that evening she and her husband, Shannon Brown, who plays for the Miami Heat, had dinner with Nicki and Meek at Del Frisco’s.

Earlier Thursday Meek Mill made an appearance at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School. The media was less than kind with his appearance there, wondering if he was trying to leverage a lighter sentence for a probation violation, which was being heard the following day. First of all Meek has been visiting schools in the Philly area for the past 2 months. This one just happened to have a press release attached to it. Most of his appearances went unnoticed except for the few that were noted on his SM page. Meek’s tour of high schools is a lesson in mistakes made, and getting your life back on track. Every year I photograph the Boys’ Latin Fundraiser at Neiman Marcus, and am very proud of the schooling the kids get. They have a very high percentage rate of graduates , who go on to college.

Nicki and Meek had dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy ironically near the Justice Center, on Saturday night. Nicki even posed with a few servers. Later that evening she returned to her hotel and Meek Mill headed to Recess Lounge where all hell broke out with LeSean McCoy.

Shady at Recess in 2011, standing on a table at about the same spot where he allegedly threw a punch Saturday night.

Meek was not involved. Now some people in the internet world were wondering why he was there and not on house arrest. The house arrest doesn’t start until March. Hopefully we’ll have more Nicki and Meek out and about until then. I have a feeling Meek’s house is going to be a hotel in Center City, but not the one Nicki is staying at currently.

Congrats to Syma Chowdhry who is headed to Detroit 7ABC and starts on Feb 22

She did this cute video to inform her friends and fans.

Philly’s cute meter just dropped a bit as hottie anchor/reporter Zac Lashway is leaving WPHL 17’s Eye Opener, and heading to warm up a Minnesota news station. He hasn’t reported where he’s landed. The 27 yr old NY native came to us via a CBS affiliate in Great Falls, Mont. so he’s used to the tundra. Good luck buddy. Follow Zac on twitter @ZachLashway

Congrats to Ray Martin and his 9th Annual Peachie Martin/Joyce Sarocy Memorial Basketball Game
which raised $12,000 this year at their annual basketball game, and after party at Xfinity Live. Participating in last weekends game was CBS’ Survivor Gervase Peterson, Natalie Egenolf, Sports Radio WIP, Mo’Nae Davis and Ray Martin.

Monday I headed to Snap Kitchen in Old City for their ribbon cutting which was done by Mike Jerrick, Fox 29 with an assist by Philadelphia City Rep Sheila Hess.

Afterwards I headed over to the Fox 29 studios to catch up with my friends there. I hadn’t been in for awhile, these days I usually send my photos in or send in story ideas. Time constraints keep me off the air as well as lack of celebrities in Philly. But every week you do see my work on the show whether you know it or not. In fact I told told Mike Jerrick and one of the producers that I’d be seeing Foxy Brown’s Pam Grier later that day to shoot a promo for Dining Out For Life. They said ask her if she’d like to be on the next day.

And the next day she appeared. Tuesday she talked about her autobiography, My Life in Three Acts and

DINING OUT FOR LIFE

As I mentioned earlier after my stop at Snap Kitchen on Monday morning, I headed to Fox 29 Studios, then to Hotel Monaco at Noon. The nice folks from “15 Minutes” Inc. and ActionAids set up a few shots for me for PhillyChitChat as well as the wireservice I shoot for. Love this shot of

The Dining Out For Life Spokespeople Pam Grier, Ted Allen, Daisy Martinez and Mondo Guerra
Pam told me that she’ll be Dining Out on April 14 at a restaurant in Denver, where she lives, at a participating restaurant with her mom.

Dining Out For Life,
hosted by longtime partner Subaru, started over 26 years ago in
Philadelphia and is magnificent in its simplicity: On this special day,
dine at one of the 3,000 participating restaurants in cities across
North America, which donate a generous portion of the day’s proceeds to
fund HIV/AIDS services in your city. Philadelphia beneficiary ActionAIDS will hold Dining Out For Life this year onThursday, April 14th. More event info at www.diningoutforlife.com/Philadelphia.

Monday night I headed toYangming Restaurant

New Year’s Celebration. I’ve been going the last 4 years and it’s always a good time.

Thanks to Michelle Leonard for hosting another spectacular dinner party again this year. L-R: Eric Sales, EMS PR, Kristen Johanson, CBSPhilly, Michael Wei, owner of YangMing Michelle Leonard, Realtor and kneeling, and author Doreen McGettigan, who’s new book, The Stranger in My Recliner (a true story), was just released in January.
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WHAT’S HAPPENING

What are you doing Thursday. Academies rED Fest is having a networking, fundraiser at Saxbys headquarters in Center City. Don’t complain you don’t have anything to do, come out and meet some fun people. I’ll be there, so wear something red and festive. Tickets are reasonable $35 or 2/$50. There’s food, drink and all you can drink coffee. TICKETS & INFO

This photo popped up yesterday in my timeline. It’s P’unk Burger one year anniversary this week. Then last night I got this in my email.
FREE MILKSHAKES

P’unk Burger (1823 East Passyunk) celebrates its one year birthday this Friday, February 12, 2016 by partnering with Sweet Box Cupcakes on a special Red Velvet Raspberry Spodee Cake Shake. Shakes will be FREE (with NO purchase required) from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Shakes will also be for sale during the balance of Valentine’s Weekend.