Drew Carey visits Betsy Ross House, other Old City landmarks

A king of improv comedy, funnyman Drew Carey surprised several people yesterday when he showed up unannounced at some public places around town.

Carey made his first appearance Tuesday night at Cuba Libre (10 S. 2nd St.) in Old City with a lady friend, where he ate the adobo-rubbed 12 oz. Black Angus sirloin steak and a side of grilled broccoli. He opted for bottled water. I'm told Carey drinks only water - no carbs - as part of his diet.

My sources say he finished everything on his plate and left the server a 200 percent tip.

Then, yesterday, among other stops, it was off to the Betsy Ross House (239 Arch St.) for Carey and a tall, blonde woman. Sources say he paid for the audio tour and made his way through the house unrecognized. When he finished the tour, some staffers asked to pose for pictures with him, which he did.

Into the wild for Hurt

HE PLAYS a role unlike any he's ever broached before in cinema, and now William Hurt has shared with me just what it means to take a riveting, new look at the potentials of today's technology.

Such is the premise behind a new show on AMC called "Humans," starring Hurt and the English actors Katherine Parkinson, Gemma Chan and Tom Goodman-Hill. The new, eight-part-series premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on AMC. (See Ellen Gray's review, Page 27.)

"I like the script. I like the topic, and it's one that I'm particularly fascinated by," Hurt told me yesterday. "To me, the topic of our relationship with the future of technology is crucial to everybody on the planet - the same way that major topics like global warming are . . . I think this is a timely and essential topic, and the way this particular series was approached was absolutely right on."

Fun fact: I worked with Hurt's son, Alex, at Stephen Starr's Washington Square restaurant (now, Talula's Garden, 210 W. Washington Square). Alex was studying at the University of the Arts at the time and has since gone on to land jobs in theater in New York City, Hurt tells me.

Heidi Klum from "America's Got Talent" hit the golden buzzer for 11-year-old opera singer Arielle Baril, from Drexel Hill, on Tuesday night's show.

"We are so moved by it - to see an 11-year-old have such a mature voice, it's freaky, and freaky in the best way," said judge Howard Stern. "The overall effect is quite astounding."

But it was Klum who stood up and smacked the golden buzzer, sending the young singing sensation straight to the live shows at Radio City Music Hall later this summer.

Baril performed an aria that pulled Klum to her feet, starting a standing ovation from the entire audience. Congrats to the local young talent from the People Paper.

Alysia Reiner, who plays Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series "Orange Is the New Black" was in town yesterday, pumping iron at Fearless Athletics (744 S. 11th St.), in Bella Vista.

Reiner and her business partner, Sarah Megan Thomas, have launched a new, all-female production company, Broad Street Pictures, geared toward making films with strong female roles. The "Sideways" star will be in Philly all summer shooting "Equity," the first film about New York City's Wall Street told through a woman's eyes.

And to prove her strength, Reiner posted a picture to social media yesterday doing a 60-pound plank with an extra 35 pounds on her back at Fearless Athletics.

Philadelphia Style magazine's "Best of Style" issue comes out this week, and it features local artist Charles Burwell.

Locally, Burwell is represented by the Bridette Mayer Gallery, in Washington Square, and has work hanging in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Ben Franklin Parkway) and the African American Museum (701 Arch St.).

Sources say his artwork also delves into issues raised by Kevin Hart's upcoming show at the Linc on Aug. 30. Just what those issues are, though, remain to be seen. We do know that Hart will be the first comedian ever to perform in the Eagles' stadium.

While you're flipping through Philadelphia Style, don't miss a few snapshots of yours truly posing with Tamron Hall and Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman (sister of Philly restaurateur Marc Vetri) at the magazine's "Women of Influence" party last month.

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