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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Arnold Schwarzenegger says that he's "been roasted by the Friars Club . . . sculpted in salt-water taffy... had my painting done in jelly beans," but that the birthday song he received from East Falls' Harry Jay Katz "is one of the most creative birthday tributes I have ever received."

Katz asked musician Skip Denenberg to write and record a birthday song for Schwarzenegger, who turned 62 on July 30. In a recent letter to Katz, the California guv said that he had just gotten around to listening to the song but was "very, very grateful." He sent his best to Katz' girlfriend, Debra Renee Cruz, and said that he hopes to see Katz sometime "before we get too old to recognize each other."

Denenberg told us yesterday that he's glad that Schwarzenegger enjoyed the song, and said that he's been an Ah-nuld fan since the early '80s, when he encountered the aspiring actor at Joe Allen's in Los Angeles. "Schwarzenegger lit up the stinkiest cigar you could ever imagine," says Denenberg, who was trying to eat and sarcastically thanked the Austrian for smoking. Denenberg has never forgotten that Schwarzenegger misunderstood him and reached into his pocket to "graciously" offer the stranger one of his cigars.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 9:40 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard were in a small party that stopped by Dusk, inside Caesars Atlantic City, on Saturday night. Could it have been a bachelor party? On Saturday, the Phillies outfielder marries Melissa Smith in Hawaii. The couple live in Las Vegas during the off-season and have a 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Kali'a. TMZ reports that Berks County baby-daddy Jon Gosselin will attend the wedding. He and the Flyin' Hawaiian are good friends.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 8:57 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
Monday, November 9, 2009

Peter Dunn, former president and GM of CBS 3 and the CW Philly, has been named president of CBS Television Stations, of which there are 29, CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves announced this morning. Dunn who left Philadelphia in 2005 to become president and GM of New York’s WCBS-TV, replaces Tom Kane, who years ago ran WPVI/6ABC for a while. Dunn will keep his title and duties at WCBS.
 

Posted by Dan Gross @ 12:19 PM  Permalink | 3 comments
Monday, November 9, 2009

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and family dined at Buddakan (325 Chestnut) Saturday night while his longtime Philly limo driver Big Penny hung outside. Also Saturday, a crew of Cowboys including Demarcus Ware and Igor Olshansky dined at Del Frisco's (15th & Chestnut) on porterhouse, snapper, duck and crab claws. A few nights earlier at Del Frisco's, in separate parties, were Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, Mayor Nutter and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand...Wyclef Jean caught the last game of the World Series from the Four Seasons where the musician stayed last week during a visit to town. Jean, who had a craving for jerk chicken, dined at Caribbean Feast (1338 Rising Sun) after an autograph signing at Villa (1018 Market), which was selling new eco-conscious Timberland boots. Jean also helped renovate West Philadelphia High School with Villa staff, the Sixers and City Year...Miley Cyrus and her crew ordered 30 sandwiches, cheesesteaks, chicken cheesesteaks and turkey hoagies from Talk of the Town (3020 S. Broad) to be delivered backstage toward the end of her show the other night at Wachovia Center...Singer Ray Lamontagne and a business partner at Davio's (111 S. 17th) sipping barolo, had salmon, caprese salad, pumpkin cheesecake and left a great tip. Phillies outfielder Ben Francisco and a female companion also dined at Davio's. They had angel hair pasta, shrimp and lobster, and shared gelato. Francisco signed a couple autographs, too...Comedian Jim Florentine dined at McCormick & Schmick's (1 S. Broad) the other night with a hot blonde. Florentine, who co-hosts "That Metal Show" on VH1 Classic and will soon be seen opposite Jenna Fischer, of "The Office," was in town performing at Helium (2031 Sansom). He's also the former beau of Howard Stern sidekick Robin Quivers...Eagles Brent Celek, Trevor Laws and Todd Herremans went for drinks at Rouge, on Rittenhouse Square, Thursday...Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant attended the Wednesday ribbon-cutting of Eye Innovations (1204 W. Township Line) in Drexel Hill...As much as we'd all love to see him in an Eagles uniform, Jon Runyan seems to be enjoying his free time with his family. The big man took his kids bowling at Pinsetter (7111 Maple), in Pennsauken, Friday night. All this and more in today's column.

 

Posted by Dan Gross @ 7:45 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
Friday, November 6, 2009

"Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Zolciak had a few chocolate martinis, a chili dog and some other snacks Thursday afternoon at Varga (10th & Spruce). In the spirit of her hit single "Don't Be Tardy for the Party," Kim took off just before five to get back to her hotel to get dolled up before an appearance at the Aloft Hotel in Mt. Laurel, for a party with My106.1 and DJ Richie Rich whose show she appeared on Thursday morning. Kim sang the dance hit on last night's "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reunion over a backing track that sounded much better than she did live. While Kim may record more with castmate Kandi Burruss, a renown producer/songwriter, to the despair of many fans of the Bravo hit, she will never release "Tightrope" in which viewers delighted watching her horrific attempt to sing last season.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 10:15 AM  Permalink | 13 comments
Thursday, November 5, 2009

We don’t know their take on the SEPTA strike, but Jimmy Rollins and outfielder Shane Victorino have made their position clear when it comes to the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Phillies teammates appear in a new AFL-CIO ad supporting the congressional bill that would make it easier for workers to join labor unions. The Major League Baseball Players Association asked the pair, who support the initiative, to pose for the ad, that recently ran in the Politico newspaper.

Rollins and Victorino appear alongside Yankees infielder Mark Teixeira (Booooooo) and nine other MLB players “who were gracious enough to lend their names to the ad to support workers all across the country,” says AFL-CIO media specialist Eddie Vale. Vale is a Mets fan but said he was rooting for the Phillies Wednesday, as “I hate the Yankees even more.

P.S. Congratulations to the 2009 Phillies on a terrific season.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 12:30 AM  Permalink | 20 comments
Wednesday, November 4, 2009

While his status for Game 6 remains unknown, ever-helpful Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino used his injured hand Tuesday afternoon to load his family's luggage onto his Ford F-250 outside Center City's Loews Hotel as one of our readers witnessed and captured in these photos. Victorino of course was nailed in the right index finger while trying to bunt a 90+ mph pitch from Yankees hurler A.J. Burnett during the first inning of Monday's World Series Game 5.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 1:26 AM  Permalink | 6 comments
Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Here’s “Astro Boy,” or at least somebody in one of Summit Pictures’ costumes of the animated robot who’s now in theaters holding one of Comcast SportsNet’s “Beat NY” posters at Manayunk’s Halloween Trick or Treat Parade, staged Saturday by the Manayunk Development Corp.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 12:26 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Jay-Z was in good spirits before and after the Yankees last ups. Photo: Sarah J. Glover/Staff Photographer

Roots drummer Questlove said that he and Jay-Z had a World Series bet that would involve "very public humiliation" from the loser. The Philly hip-hop hero, clad in a red Phillies hoodie, declined to get any more specific about his wagerwith the the Brooklyn-born superstar. They met up in Bill Giles Party Suite 78 where Alanis Morrissette, who sang the National Anthem last night, while N'SYNC's Lance Bass and actress Joanna Garcia, hung out in the suite next door. Garcia, who dates Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher and recently guest-starred on "Gossip Girl," arrived mid-game with her friend Bass. Jay-Z, whose "Empire State of Mind" seems to be inescapabale,  watched the Yankees last ups from a TV near the press room where Phillies and MLB staff ushered him and his crew out of Citizens Bank Park with more of a production that Rudy Giuliani and his wife Judith, who left minutes later. Jay triumphantly raised his fist in the air after the loss when we asked if he still had faith in his Yankees...

Comedian Chris Rock didn't really want to talk last night when we encountered him as we awaited an elevator at Citizens Bank Park. "I'm a baseball fan. I'm a Mets fan actually," he said when we asked the lifelong New Yorker if he was supporting the Yankees. He seemed to think that we were suggesting that he shouldn't be at the game, which was not the case...

Flyers winger Scott Hartnell and wife Lisa made it to the ballpark by first pitch last night after the Flyers trounced the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2...

Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt accompanied boyfriend Jamie Kennedy to Cheech's Beef & Ale (12th & Oregon) after Sunday night's game. The Upper Darby native Kennedy and friend Rob Tedesco, of Flippin' Pizza, in Phoenixville, dropped by to visit friend Maria Landi, Cheech's cook...

There's a gym at the Four Seasons, where the Yankees stayed during the three games here, but Alex Rodriguez worked out at the Sporting Club at the Bellevue (200 S. Broad) yesterday morning, as we had reported on Twitter. A-Rod played a little basketball and rode a stationary bike during his workout, which he followed up with breakfast upstairs at XIX...

Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon and his wife, Michelle, rented a karaoke room at Yakitori Boy (211 N. 11th) after dinner at Ruth's Chris (260 S. Broad) Friday night. Michelle told the hostess that she was looking for Anthony Checetto. The VIP manager, a Phillies fan, didn't recognize her, or her husband. Checetto arranged a private room with security for the couple. No word on what Damon was crooning, but he was playfully heckled by some Phillies fans in the house. During last year's World Series, Rays infielder Akinori Iwamura was at the karaoke bar a few times.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 8:26 AM  Permalink | Post a comment
Monday, November 2, 2009

We just heard that actor Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," will be at tonight's game, hopefully blessing the Phillies. Caviezel will soon be seen in AMC miniseries "The Prisoner," starting Nov. 15. Chris Rock and Guy Oseary, the mutual manager of A-Rod and Madonna, who introduced the former couple, are also expected.

Posted by Dan Gross @ 3:02 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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