Casey leaves 96.5; Shyamalan casts new film

WIRED 96.5 midday host Casey is leaving the station after nine years. The former morning host said she decided not to renew her contract.

The Temple grad's last day was yesterday.

"There are so many things I have yet to conquer on my list, and sometimes we have to move on to do so," Casey said. "Love and appreciation for anyone who has been a fan or supported me over the years. I hope we continue our relationship wherever my new path leads!"

Calls to Wired 96.5's program director, Dan Hunt, were not returned.

M. Night Shyamalan is nearly finished filming his so-called microfilm, "Sundowning," in the area, but he's kept the plot and cast so under wraps that nary a word has been spoken of it.

But TheWrap.com reports that Kathryn Hahn, who excels at comedies (think "Step Brothers," "Anchorman"), will star in the thriller about a mother who brings her son and daughter to visit their grandparents, with not such warm and fuzzy results.

Next up for Shyamalan is another Philly-set movie, "Labor of Love," which sees the local director reunite with Bruce Willis, the star of "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable."

Tattoos are forever. Even the bad ones.

That's the unfortunate lesson writ large on "America's Worst Tattoos," a reality show on TLC featuring Philly tattooer Tim Pangburn, who specializes in covering up terrible ink at Fishtown's Art Machine Productions.

The second season premieres tomorrow at 10:30 p.m.

Pangburn enjoys the cover-up business because no matter where he moved in the country, he told me, there was always work.

"There's always people with bad tattoos," he said.

Pangburn couldn't pinpoint one particular example of terrible tattoos because there are so many ways to make a permanent mistake: poor quality, bad content, the possibilities are endless.

"I've covered full-sleeve tattoos of jailhouse crap, or where people got [tattoos] in kitchens," Pangburn said. "And it's not like they did it in one sitting. They have to go back over and over again."

While the guys who Dave Schultz was taking down as a Broad Street Bully probably weren't laughing, the former Flyer is trying his hand at comedy on Saturday at the Deck at Harbor Pointe (101 Taylor Ave.).

The show, which starts at 8 p.m., also features Joseph Anthony (NBC's "The Truth") and radio regular Steve Trevelise. Tickets are $25. Word to the wise: Probably not a good idea to heckle.

Philly native Melissa Fitzgerald, who played Carol, the assistant to press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) on best-show-ever "The West Wing," and is the daughter of Pennsylvania judge James Fitzgerald, will speak with the press tomorrow at the Wilma Theater to discuss the Philadelphia-set play "Don Juan Comes Home from Iraq," written by Pulitzer-winner Paula Vogel. Fitzgerald serves as the senior director for Justice for Vets. "Don Juan" runs through April 20.

* Maestro Michael Krajewski, music director of the Philly POPS, will be on Sprout's "The Sunny Side Up Show" on Friday for music week. The kiddie-geared live programming block airs at 9 a.m.

* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives an insider view of his own country on "Israel: The Royal Tour" tonight at 9 p.m. on WHYY. Netanyahu, who lived in the area as a teen and graduated from Cheltenham High School, discusses his childhood and gives the Philly accent a try during the special.

Our very own Jenice Armstrong will take the runway on Sunday for Wine, Women & Shoes, a fashion show benefiting the Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter. Other celebrity models include NBC10's Christine Maddela and 95.7 BEN-FM's Marilyn Russell. Watch these ladies strut their stuff for a good cause from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at Valley Forge Military Academy's Mellon Hall (1001 Eagle Road, Wayne). Go to winewomenandshoes.com for more info.

Online: ph.ly/DNGossip