Tirdad Derakhshani was born in Tehran, Iran, and raised in London and rural North Jersey, where he closely studied a theoretical, radical post-Hegelian approach to cow-tipping. He moved to Philadelphia in the mid-'80s to seek enlightenment, and instead received a B.A. in literature at Penn. While pursuing doctoral studies in modern religious thought and philosophy, he worked at the Inquirer as a news clerk, researcher, editor, and entertainment writer.
He hopes SideShow will help citizens better understand the vicissitudes of the Consumerist-Military-Industrial-Infotainment Complex, or, in other words, why Britney Spears has a tendency to shave her head, Brangelina to adopt children, and Lindsay Lohan to crave imprisonment.
For live gossip and entertainment coverage visit the SideShow blog.
Email Tirdad at sideshow@phillynews.com
Halle Berry, who's been promoting The Call all over, and looking fine doing it, is preggers by her potent, virile fiancé, Olivier Martinez, at 47 her senior by a year. It's a Hollyvoid tradition: have kids in your 40s 'cuz you can. Halle has daughter Nahla, 5, from previous genetic material donor/arm decoration Gabriel Aubry, from whom she explosively sundered in 2010. TMZ reports that Halle's current passenger is male.
- 'Real Housewives of NJ' hubby rejects plea deal
- TV or reality? Lines blur after death of show star
- Fists fly at 'Real Housewives of NJ' event
Reality TV is all about trouble, so perhaps it comes as no big whoop to hear that on Saturday, a brawl erupted at the clothing boutique Porsche 2, in Ridgewood, N.J. Whose boutique? Kim DePaola of Real Housewives of New Jersey. Seems a man allegedly made
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Stones to play Philly June 18
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If you try sometimes, you just might find that the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary tour - the one that never materialized in 2012 - will finally make its way to South Philadelphia in June. The Stones' 50 and Counting tour will play the Wells Fargo Center
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Jolie's school for girls
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Angelina Jolie is bringing grrrl power to Afghanistan. Brad Pitt's partner has opened an all-girls elementary school in a village outside Kabul. She tells E! News she picked the area because of its population of refugees, people often deprived of social services. She says more than 200 girls have enrolled.
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Death threats for Jeff Dunham
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Jeff Dunham, world-famous puppeteer and, more important, creator of Achmed the Dead Terrorist ("Silence! I kill you!"), has been the target of Twitter death threats recently, according to Dunham and the police. Now, TMZ is reporting that L.A. po
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'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' in 3D was worth the wait
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Was it worth waiting for 3D? Was it ever! G.I. Joe: Retaliation deployed to the top spot at the box office after a nine-month delay to convert the film to 3D. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Bruce Willis, and Channing Tatum, the movie earned $41.2 million for the weekend. The animated prehistoric comedy The Croods slipped to the No. 2 spot with $26.5 million in its second weekend.
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Lamentations begin over Walters news
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The editorial weeping has begun. "Television Without Barbara Walters Is Hard to Imagine," reads a headline on Forbes.com. Hard, yet not impossible?
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Flight Lt. Wales, TV superhero
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Prince William isn't just a spoiled royal - he's also a genuine 24-karat golden boy who uses his military training, finely honed instincts, and big chops to save ordinary people in distress.
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Letting go is hard to do
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Justin Bieber is no longer a boy. But, honestly, is he yet a man? The Canadian megastar's mum, Pattie Mallette, isn't sure. She does know one thing: She's not quite ready to let him go, to fly the coop. "Um, yeah, I mean, he's growing up," Patti
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Warwick files bankruptcy
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East Orange, N.J., native Dionne Warwick, 72, has filed for personal bankruptcy in her home state. The five-time Grammy-winning singer of "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" lists total assets of $25,500 and total liabilities of more than $10.7 mi
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He embodied, loved Lincoln - then what?
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He moved us with his award-winning performance as President Abraham Lincoln in the Steven Spielberg saga. But did you know that Daniel Day-Lewis was himself moved beyond words, beyond reason, beyond love itself?
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Mormons a hit in U.K.
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Seemingly unstoppable, The Book of Mormon has broken another record - this time on the other side of the Atlantic.
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