Inqlings: A crash course in Philly towing

The A&E series Parking Wars is a hit because of the conflict between the ruthlessly efficient Philadelphia Parking Authority and hapless motorists.

Stronger forces will collide in another auto-based reality series being shot here.

The series was green-lit, as it were, in the spring, well before the July shooting of a tow-truck operator at an accident scene, which led to a city crackdown. The one-hour series, running five or six weeks, will premiere with two half-hour episodes shown in succession.

Producers of the TV series Friday Night Lights left behind more than memories after a night of filming at Frankford High's football field with series star Kyle Chandler. A truck pulled up to the school two weeks ago, and it was loaded with practice and game gear - including helmets, pads, uniforms, socks, Under Armour apparel. "We saw a lot of heart in these kids and the coach," who is Mike Capriotti, producer Nan Bernstein told me, noting that schools back East are the "polar opposite in attention, money, and fuss that high school football gets in Texas," where the series is set and shot. "The student football team and Coach Mike gave the show so much more than we ever expected, we felt it was important to show our gratitude to the school and the athletic department in a substantive way."

Bernie Parent, the Flyers' Hall of Fame goalie, has donated his original locker stall from the doomed Spectrum to the Greater Norristown Police Athletic League, which has launched an online raffle. As I quoted his business partner Dean Smith here two weeks ago, Parent didn't want to give it to a group that would auction it off to some high roller. Better to allow everyday people to bid on it. Each entry at www.greaternorristownpal.org costs $39, and entrants get an autographed 8-by-10 photo. Winner will be chosen Sept. 9.

CBS3's Eyewitness News and 6ABC's Action News are moving the start of their morning reports by a half-hour - to 4:30 - effective Labor Day. This will put them in line with Fox29, which moved its morning news to 4:30 in the spring. NBC10 would not say last week if it planned to punish its staff likewise.

Greg Coy, the former CN8 morning anchor, has surfaced in Tennessee, hosting Good Morning Memphis for the Fox station there.

The independent movie Future Weather had to deal with Philly weather last week, as heavy rain forced a change in its hectic schedule. Actresses Perla Haney-Jardine and Marin Ireland, who play daughter and kooky mother in the drama about the environment, worked in a house in Abington and shot scenes in its driveway. Amy Madigan, featured as the grandmother, just wrapped her work, and Lili Taylor, who plays a teacher, is due to start work this week.

Luxe Lounge, at Seventh and Arch Streets, was the setting of a recent performance by rapper Meek Mill, but it was all work. Will Smith associate "Charlie Mack" Alston, director Jamal Hill, and producer Todd Wolfe, backed by a house of extras, were shooting the final scenes of Streets, an independent drama that Wolfe says combines elements of Crash, Belly, and Training Day.

Philly Irish folk-roots rocker John Byrne has been tapped to perform Sept. 13 at the Constitution Center for the presidential reception at the Liberty Medal presentation honoring former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. When asked if the honor is kind of strange for a native Dubliner who holds a green card but is not yet a U.S. citizen, Byrne said: "If they'd asked me to sing the national anthem at a Phillies game, that would be more strange than this - of course, I'd have to learn it. I'm actually going to do my citizenship thing soon. Maybe then they'll let me sing at the Phillies game then."

Soccer star Sanaldo Freitas de Carvalho - call him Sanaldo - will appear at noon Sunday at a fund-raiser for the Kicks Project in Core Creek Park in Bucks County's Middletown Township. Organizer Michael Gage hopes to raise $50,000 to fund South African orphanages. He will attempt a 500-kilometer soccer kick around the Cape of Good Hope to deliver the proceeds.

Buy a $21.99 bottle of Landy VS cognac at the State Store at 1218 Chestnut St. between 3 and 4 p.m. Monday, and Snoop Dogg will autograph it.

At Thursday's opening convocation for La Salle University's freshman class, the Rev. James Dever closed with: "Gracious God, it is now 'Facebook Official': These women and men, our new students, are part of the La Salle family."