Kids in the Hall reuniting at the Merriam

THE KIDS IN THE HALL's Bruce McCulloch can't believe that people still show up to watch him and the buddies he's worked with since 1984 dress up in costumes and affect funny voices.

Still, every time they reunite, people show up.

McCulloch - along with Scott Thompson, Dave Foley, Mark McKinney and Kevin McDonald - will bring their much-beloved comedy for a show at the Merriam Theater on June 8. Go to kimmelcenter.org for more info.

The Rusty & Ready tour is their first since 2008.

"As you get older, you realize these friends, there's no one like that," McCulloch said about the desire to reunite. "We share a sense of humor that only the five of us have. As we endeavor to do our own thing, there's something so powerful about a group with a shared brain. It's something we can't resist."

It's important for the Kids in the Hall - best known for their sketch-comedy show that ran from 1988 to 1994 - to write new material rather than trot out the same head-crushing jokes from the early '90s.

"There's something about coming up with new material, which is why we started doing it in the first place. A new piece of material is more alive, and kind of scarier," said McCulloch, who has since gone on to directing. "I remember seeing Tom Petty at the Hollywood Bowl and it was $250 a ticket but it was boring. For us it needs to be alive."

This time, the Kids are keeping the tour short, making Philadelphia a rare stop, because, well, they aren't really kids anymore.

But they've never really been big on trashing hotel rooms and going wild. "We go, and we actually clean the hotel," McCulloch said. "It really f---s them up."

* Nick Cannon will be honored at the Angel Awards from the Community Angel Foundation on June 25 at the Hotel Monaco. Last year, the foundation honored Usher Raymond. Here's hoping he brings wifey Mariah Carey along with him.

* On Sunday, get yourself to a Ten Thousand Villages store. From 1 to 5 p.m., the store's 11 locations will donate 15 percent of all sales to the Hamels Foundation, which will use the funds to build a school in Malawi, Africa. Go to tenthousandvillages.com to find a store.

* Charles Barkley dined at Del Frisco's (1426-28 Chestnut St.) over the weekend, stopping to take a selfie with maitre d' Jennifer Fioravanti.

* Eagles coach Chip Kelly stopped by Headhouse Crab and Oyster Co. (119 South St.) on Friday night with a pretty brunette in tow. I hear that Kelly tipped well and was happy to take pictures with fans.

* "Project Runway" judge Tim Gunn and writer Ada Calhoun stopped by the Barnes Foundation on Thursday to get inspiration for their upcoming book on teaching.

Butch Cordora's documentary "Straight & Butch" - in which he poses in the buff with 12 straight men for a calendar - was recently purchased by premium OnDemand cable channel HereTV, which will offer the Philly guy's doc on Friday. See Cordora live and in person, midnight Friday at the Ritz at the Bourse, where he will discuss his project.

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