After on-air tirade, Kenney dares Jon Stewart to come to Philly

It's not everyday an elected official puts a dare to a celebrity in the form of a piece of legislation.

But that's what happened during Thursday's regular session of City Council, when Councilman Jim Kenney challenged "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart to come to Philadelphia and film a week of shows to make up for the diatribe he unleashed on the City of Brotherly Love during a segment of Tuesday night's episode.

"With my tongue firmly pressed against my cheek," Kenney introduced the resolution that reads as follows:

"Daring Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show," to come to Philadephia and film a week of shows to prove how wrong he was in his May 20th tirade against Philadelphia, our people, our prized Philadelphia Phillies Manager Ryne Sandberg, our affinity for running up museum stairs and calling it exercise, and our world-class cuisine; his multiple rants against our city have finally gone too far."

After Chief Clerk Michael Decker read the resolution aloud to council chambers, laughter erupted, but Kenney kept a straight face, perhaps sending a message that he (along with many others) hopes Stewart would take the bait.

Council members quipped with each other that the resolution was approved with a "laughing vote," and Council President Darrell Clarke laughed too, but added, "Let's make this official with a real vote," which passed 16-0.

Stewart pulled no punches Tuesday when he (jokingly) took merciless jabs at the Phillie Phanatic for being a "Jim Henson, reject-looking piece of ----," calling ours, "a city so insecure it has to put its name on cream cheese," and using our art museum as exercise equipment. Stewart later apologized for the rant in a segment equally as funny, and Kenney told me he has a cheesesteak hat on its way to Comedy Central studios "in a large size to make sure it fits his head."