Down to the wire: Nutter opens City Hall for HBO finale

Look out! Because the stickup boys are coming to City Hall.

Mayor Nutter is such a big fan of "The Wire," the HBO drama that chronicles life on the gritty streets of Baltimore, that he has arranged for a special network-sanctioned screening of the series finale at City Hall on Sunday night.

"As a fan, it's tremendous," said Nutter, who is so committed to the show that he squeezed in a viewing of the season opener just days before his inauguration. "I want to say thank you to HBO for responding."

The 8 p.m. screening - one hour before the airing on HBO - in the Mayor's Reception Room will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Nutter and actors from the show.

Currently, Wendell Pierce, who plays Detective Bunk Moreland, is scheduled to attend, and the city is hopeful that one or two other stars may join him, said City Representative Melanie Johnson.

Asked who else is on his wish-list, Nutter said he'd like to meet Lance Reddick, who portrays the no-nonsense Colonel Cedric Daniels.

Johnson said that the roughly 100 tickets for the event would be evenly divided between invited guests and the general public. She said that the city plans to do a ticket raffle through the Philadelphia Daily News, the Inquirer, Al Dia and The Philadelphia Tribune.

Nutter called Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, just over a week ago to ask for help with his party plans.

"He said that he was a huge fan of 'The Wire' and that the show was ending and he didn't know if this kind of thing was possible, but what did I think of us having a special public-private gathering and screening of the final episode," Pinkenson said.

Pinkenson got HBO to sign on. The network is providing the screen and a copy of the episode, and is also reaching out to actors for the Q&A, according to Johnson and Pinkenson.

The City Representative's office, Managing Director's office and Greater Philadelphia Film Office are collaborating to put on the event.

Critics have hailed "The Wire," created by former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon, as one of the best shows on television.

Over five seasons, "The Wire" has turned an unflinching eye on the flawed institutions that make up the troubled city of Baltimore. The show takes on the police, the drug gangs, the politicians and the schools, detailing the corruption, political rivalries and mayhem within each one.

Along the way, Simon and his cowriters have created some of the most complex, compelling characters on television.

A longtime audience favorite is Omar Little, the shotgun-toting stickup boy, who takes his grandma to church on Sunday and sleeps with men. Another memorable character is Proposition Joe, the oversized, business-minded drug lord who brokered deals among dealers.

Many of the story lines hit close to home here in Philadelphia, where poverty and street violence is also evident.

Perhaps that's one reason Nutter enjoys the drama. He's been following with interest the ongoing story of Mayor Tommy Carcetti, played by Aidan Gillen, who runs for office on a platform of reform and public safety improvements. (Sound familiar?)

Nutter is fond of referencing a scene in Season Three when Carcetti's campaign staff lock him into a room to make fundraising calls. Clearly it hit home.

Nutter said that he hoped this was the first of many opportunities to hold cultural events at City Hall.

"I think this is very exciting for the city," he said. "It represents the first in a series of opportunities to highlight pop culture."

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What is Bubbles' real first name?

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