Philly-born actor/director Webber engaged to Australian beauty

CONGRATS AND snaps to actor/director Mark Webber, who got engaged to Australian beauty, and star of recent zombie rom-com "Warm Bodies," Teresa Palmer, over the weekend.

Webber, 33, is the son of local activist and 2012 Green Party vice presidential candidate Cheri Honkala. His experiences growing up homeless in Kensington influenced his directorial debut, 2009's "Explicit Ills," about Philadelphia's working poor, starring Rosario Dawson, Paul Dano and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of the Roots.

Palmer tweeted out the news on Saturday, writing "I think I've said the word 'fiancee' over 100 times in the last few hours. It sounds so nice. So happy @likemark."

Twitter was an apt engine for the announcement, considering the couple started chatting via 140 characters or fewer. "I looked him up after I saw the trailer for his film 'End of Love' and realised [sic] we had so much in common," Palmer, 27, told Australia's Herald Sun. 'There were lots of emails going back and forth . . . it was like old-fashioned love letters in a way."

The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association announced that they will induct Philadelphia Gay News founder and publisher Mark Segal into their LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame. Joining Segal in the 2013 class is Bob Ross, the founder of the Bay Area Reporter (not the bearded/fro'd-out PBS painter).

Segal started the Philadelphia Gay News in 1976.

Segal is also a columnist at Philly.com.

Center City hot spot Square 1682 is up for best hotel bar in a USA Today poll. But here's a fun fact: If you prove to the bartender you've voted for the 17th and Sansom spot (show 'em on your phone, a printout, whatever) you will get hooked up with free truffle popcorn. Go to bit.ly/squarecorn to vote by Aug. 26.

Former Eagles will be hanging out at Xfinity! Live during Eagles open practices at Lincoln Financial Field. Hollis Thomas posts up today, Ike Reese says hi on Sun., Aug. 11 and Tra Thomas meets and greets on Mon., Aug. 26. Players will be at Xfinity! Live from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced their Emmy nominations on Thursday night at Center City's Mexican Post. While the Philly region had a strong showing, leading stations included Comcast Sportsnet/The Comcast Network with 27 nominations, CBS3/CW57 with 19 nomination, NBC10 with 14 nominations, Eagles Television Network with 11 nominations, Fox 29 with 10 nominations and WHYY-TV with eight nominations. Temple TV led area colleges with six nominations.

Winners will be announced on in a ceremony on Sept. 7 at the Sheraton Society Hill, where broadcasting pioneer Marciarose Shestack will receive the Board of Governors' Award, recognizing career longevity, lifetime achievements and significant contributions to the television industry.

* Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels was spotted waiting in line for a Ride the Ducks tour.

* Nick Frost, Brit star of such must-see flicks as "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," took in a Phillies game after screening his new flick, "The World's End," about a pub crawl that ends apocalyptically. "The World's End" director Edgar Wright, on the other hand, eschewed baseball for a visit to the Mutter Museum to check out all the medical weirdness Philly has to offer. To bring it all back home, Wright directed Mark Webber in 2010's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."

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Online: ph.ly/DNGossip