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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Tony Danza looking to shoot series here?

A curious dinner party Monday night at Alma de Cuba near Rittenhouse Square:

Mayor Nutter and his wife, Lisa, plus Sharon Pinkenson and Tony Danza.

(Who's the boss? You have to ask?)

As for the meaning of the meeting, I got a big nothing. Nutter told me simply that it was just two guys having dinner. Pinkenson nervously declined to address the issue.

The answer may have come from Danza himself. On Danza's Web site, where he video-blogs daily, he seems to be considering Philadelphia schools as the setting of his A&E series, to debut in the fall.

Hollywood Reporter described the untitled reality series as a "real-life Welcome Back, Kotter." The hitch, though, is that Danza is from New York. 

Perhaps this series -- if green-lit -- would put a more positive spin on Philly than A&E's Parking Wars.
Posted by Michael Klein @ 7:24 PM  Permalink | 10 comments
10
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:10 PM, 06/09/2009
    buut angela.
    — give me liberty or death
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:38 AM, 06/10/2009
    How would televising the details of a school district with a very high dropout rate, below average test scores, and rampant violence put a positive spin on Philly?
    — Goose1963
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:17 AM, 06/10/2009
    I love me some Tony Danza. Anything other than "It's always sunny in Philadelphia" or Animal Cops Philaldelphia to show the world we're actually cool down here. Are we terrific? No.. but give it a go.
    — Ariel72
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:47 AM, 06/10/2009
    I think this is a good idea. I happen to think parking authority is a great show!!! I bet every city around the US has those types of stories. And I would love to meet the guy form the second series, episode 22 he was so great. Come on we need the revenue. Do you realize how much money those series generate for the city?? You probably do not, and we need some stimulus
    — youwish
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:47 PM, 06/10/2009
    Danny Pintauro already applied to teach AP Showering for Gentlemen.
    — mikerainey82
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:36 PM, 06/10/2009
    Ah, another reality series to NOT watch!
    — Josephine6Pack
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:02 PM, 08/19/2009
    Although I empathize with the hesitation of educators to allow someone with no experience teaching to enter a Philadelphia classroom, I see this as an immense opportunity to raise awareness about the many woes of the educational system in this country. The publicity and initial revenue generated by this could be greatly amplified if the Philadelphia school system played their cards right. For example, placing Tony in a school with problems such as teacher shortages, lack of supplies, and underfunded programs could very well spur the Obama administration to change their educational policies. This kind of opportunity does not come up often. It's about time that public education gets put on the spotlight and talked about at dinner tables. It's unfortunate that it might take a reality TV show to achieve this goal, but in this case I think the ends very much justifies the means.
    — aileenbean


10 comments
About Michael Klein
Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
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