Icepack Illustrated: In Bed with Butch, Lee Daniels, Sweatheart and more
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
News, gossips, who did what where, etc.
Philadelphia bed-ridden phenomenon and bare-assed media maven Butch Cordora (of In Bed with Butch) just scored a major coup for his Straight & Butch documentary. “Dude, HereTV just bought my movie and It starts airing in May,” says Cordora who got the good word from Philly’s Breaking Glass Pictures (the company who distributes his DVD). Along with his G-Town Radio show, look for Butch to pull out the stops for upcoming screening parties and such.
On two separate occasions in November 2013 — one and two — Icepack and Icepack Illustrated gave the exclusive scoop on how ye olde Liberties on North Second, one of that area’s oldest bar/eateries, was becoming Bourbon & Branch before March 2014. We were right on time. New owner/chef Alex Carbonell (from Lola's in New Hope) is doing the Euro/U.S. tavern thing he said he would, and has brought in Lola manager/bartender Righteous Jolly to stock 80-plus whiskeys and magically mixed hand-crafted cocktails. The place will host live music, from cabaret to jazz to indie-rawk, starting this weekend. I like a man who sets a date and sticks to it. Mazel tov.
Things are moving quickly on the series that I told you my Philly pal/Butler director Lee Daniels was doing for Fox several months ago. Empire, the Daniels’ hip-hop drama co-written by his Butler bud Danny Strong, is now scheduled to star another local, Terrence Howard from Lafayette Hill, as Lucious Lyon, a rap tycoon. Sad thing is, according to the Chicago Tribune, that all these Philly dudes are going to film Empire in Chi-Town. That’s OK, Howard is also inked and linked to Philly’s M. Night Shyamalan for his Fox miniseries Wayward Pines, a Twin Peaks-y thing co-starring Matt Dillon.
I’d be wrong to not mention the fact that Philadelphia jazz giant drummer G. Calvin Weston is at the center of a fascinating newly released album of recordings with saxophonist John Lurie and Amulet label owner Billy Martin: The John Lurie National Orchestra’s The Invention of Animals. While buying it in any form is a worthwhile adventure, finding it on vinyl means seeing Lurie’s cover painting in full.
Any opportunity to hang out at the grand German Society of Philadelphia building is a welcome one as the space is to die for, focusing as it does on this city and state’s historical and cultural ties to Germany. Throw in local and international beers and, well, OK, you have a sale: that’s Philly Bierfest, Sat., Feb. 22, starting at 1:30 p.m.
Bus Stop on fabulous Fourth Street in Fabric Row just won Best Boutique in the USA — the Footwear Plus Design Excellence in Retail Award — from the Fashion Footwear Association of New York and the footwear trade publication, Footwear Plus. I have won a lot of prizes in my life. I will never get one of those. Congrats.
WHOWHATWHERE: Love was in the air when DO AC — Atlantic City’s tourist drive — hosted its initial DO AC Dig for Bling with Bernie Robbins Jewelers at Xfinity Live where six lucky grooms-to-be dug in a sandbox for six buried treasure chests with Robbins’ engagement rings and luxe Atlantic City vacays at the end of the rainbow. Tony Bruno (97.5 The Fanatic jock) hosted and the three ring-bearing gents dropped their knees to propose. Who said Icepack wasn’t about love? Top Chef judge Emeril Lagasse hit up Wayne's Paramour on E. Lancaster while making one of his product hawking appearance at QVC. Son of God producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey made several cinematic pits stops (like Ritz 5) for their holy epic flick. So where did they decide to eat? La Scala’s. Mangia. Food Network star Marc Summers was spotted at Kevin Sbraga's recently opened Fat Ham with pal/Le Bec-Fin legend Georges Perrier nearby. Before hitting the stage at Wells Fargo Center, Tennessee’s Kings of Leon hung tough with Global Spectrum's Chris Wegfahrt, Ben Rowe and Matt Homan. Hit-making gal duo Icona Pop played a rare intimate gig at The Coastline in Cherry Hill, NJ and mugged for all concerned. Talk about mugging, I have photos here from the mega-wedding of the season, of Sweatheart leaders and all-around wack artisans Thom Lessner and Rose Luardo at the Latvian Society. She was in leopard-print. He was in a beard. Friends and musicians such as Santigold (hey she’s pregnant) and Amanda Blank threw rice. “I’m a happy man,” says Lessner of the wedding. Me too.
