Inqlings: Mayfair singer makes 'Idol' cut
Fox's American Idol whittled its field to 36 singers last night, and one of four Philly-area singers is still in the hunt.
[Editor's note: Joanna Pacitti has been disqualified, Fox announced late last night, after this column was published. For more, see link at right to news story.]
Fox's American Idol whittled its field to 36 singers last night, and one of four Philly-area singers is still in the hunt.
Mayfair's Joanna Pacitti, 24, who muffed the lyrics of "If I Ain't Got You" on Tuesday night, is a seasoned performer, relatively speaking. She has had two record deals and as an 11-year-old was cast in a Broadway-bound production of Annie.
As the eighth season of Idol picks up Tuesday, it won't include Havertown's Kenny Hoffpauer, 17; Burlington's Markese Morris; and Magnolia's Brianna Horne, who were sent to Hollywood with the field of 147, but did not make the cut.
Lights . . . camera . . . Schuylkill
Law Abiding Citizen, F. Gary Gray's thriller starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, will shoot scenes early next week under the Platt Memorial Bridge in South Philly. The company is doing interiors this week at the old Broadmeadows prison in Thornton, Delaware County. After the South Philly work, the filming will take over the vacant Holmesburg Prison in Northeast Philly for exteriors and then return to City Hall.
Channel 40 to pull plug early
TV's digital transition may have been delayed till June 12, but WMGM, the NBC station broadcasting as Channel 40 from Atlantic City, will stop transmitting its analog signal Tuesday. WMGM was one of about 500 stations that filed with the FCC to do the changeover on the original deadline. TVs connected to cable or satellite, or attached to a digital converter, will not be affected.
Briefly noted
Maximum Cheer All-Stars of Montgomery County is in the running (or the pyramid-building, as it were) for a prize in a contest keyed to the movie Fired Up. See the routine and vote at http://firedup.mtv.com.
Phillies spokesman John Brazer will be the opening act Saturday night for comedians Joe Conklin and Big Daddy Graham at the Broadway Theater in Pitman. It's Graham's way of paying back Brazer for scoring him Series tickets. Brazer says he plans to tell one joke and get off the stage.
Fox29's Sue Serio and Bill Vargus, married since 1994, will spend this Saturday spinning love songs from
6 to 9 p.m. on WNUW (97.5). Valentine's requests can go to cupid@nowismusic.com.
He's got this down cold
Hatfield's Kevin Gregory, who owns Ice Concepts Inc., had to move fast to win the National Ice Carving Association's national championship over the weekend in Downers Grove, Ill. The temperature was nudging 60 degrees as Gregory, assisted by friend Ed Wolf of Havertown, took on 35 carvers. His Saturday sculpture was a sailfish, carved from 900 pounds of clear ice in five hours. Sunday's piece was an eight-foot- high mythological phoenix, carved from 600 pounds of clear ice in four hours. Both are now puddles. Gregory will compete in the 2010 Ice Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com.