Bill Murray's son Ram tough
Jenny DeHuff takes over Philadelphia's best local gossip column
PHILADELPHIA saw some father-son love in the City of Brotherly Love over the weekend, when Bill Murray was in town.
La Salle University's Kale Beers, who was doing the broadcast play-by-play during the La Salle/University of Rhode Island basketball game Saturday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena, spotted the "Caddyshack" star in the stands.
Murray, incognito under a baseball cap, watched his son, assistant men's basketball coach Luke Murray, help lead the Rhody Rams to a 59-56 win over the Explorers.
(As a URI alum and megafan of all things Wes Anderson, this makes me proud.)
Beers told me that it wasn't a "mob scene" around Murray and that he was trying to stay out of the limelight.
Nice try, but we noticed.
Hip-hop dynamic duo does some good
At one point during their Friday-night "Cheers for CHOP" performance at the Valley Forge Casino (1160 1st Ave., King of Prussia), Salt-N-Pepa pulled two guys on stage to grind with them, Philly Chit-Chat's HughE Dillon told me.
One of them - 19-year old Children's Hospital of Philadelphia patient Tom Gillin - was made Internet-famous last year with "Bald So Hard," a song parody based on the phrase "Ball so Hard" from Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind."
"Bald" referenced his chemotherapy-related hair loss. Its aim was to raise awareness of pediatric cancer.
OUT AND ABOUT
Eagles defensive tackle Beau Allen was spotted at the newly opened P'unk Burger (1823 E. Passyunk Ave.) last week.
Open just two weeks, P'unk Burger attracted the attention of the 23-year-old early draft pick, who stopped by during East Passyunk Avenue's Restaurant Week.
Sources say he ordered "The Cuban" and posed for pictures with store owner Marlo Dilks.
New crown in town
The 2015 Miss Philadelphia was crowned Saturday night, and the winner was 22-year-old Julia Rae Schlucter, of Wayne. (You can live in the 'burbs and be Miss Philadelphia.)
Schlucter told me that she was "overwhelmed and just ecstatic beyond belief" when her name was announced.
"Before I knew it, I was whisked away to the Four Seasons Hotel [1 Logan Square] for some royal treatment," she said. "I am just enjoying the thrill of my crowning moment."
Schlucter graduates from Fordham University in May and plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. She runs her own nonprofit called Singing at the Top of My Lungs, proceeds from which go toward cystic fibrosis research.
Schlucter told me that she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis before she was born and wants to help make life easier for others suffering from the chronic illness.
Bye, local bureaucrats; hello, local celebrities
As you may have noticed, I'm taking over the gossip column - a highly coveted space that has showcased the work of many greats, including Molly Eichel, Dan Gross, Stu Bykofsky and the late Larry Fields. It's quite a different hat from the one I wore covering City Hall, and cops and courts before that.
In my decade as a journalist in Philadelphia, I've learned a lot about the value of acquiring, keeping and protecting sources who provide reliable and quality information.
So, tipsters, trust that your secrets are safe with me.
Here we go.
On Twitter: @PhillyGossipDN
Online: ph.ly/DNGossip