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Saturday, July 4 2009, 12:40 PM | Partly Cloudy, and 78° F | Tomorrow: High: 84 F Low: 63 F Partly sunny

MOVIES: Moon

City Paper Grade: B

The Clog

The Clog Weekend Omnibus: The Glorious, Patriotic 3-Day Weekend

by kristen.humbert

1 day ago

Friday: Head out of town for some pre-patriotic R&R at the Chaddsford Winery's live music and barbecue fest, where you'll listen to local »»

Want to help Scott Beibin make an eco village?

by Holly Otterbein

1 day ago

In this week's Agenda section, I did an interview with Scott Beibin, a geek who's doing some pretty cool things. He'll be performing his show, »»

Meal Ticket

Where'd I order these cocktails?

by Drew Lazor

22 hours ago

»»

Holiday cookout procrastinators: The Italian Market will be open on July 4

by Drew Lazor

23 hours ago

You're having a bunch of hollow-legged friends over to cook out before booing Sheryl Crow taking in the fireworks on the Parkway. Problem »»

City Tavern's Independence Day

Sat., July 4, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., free, City Tavern, 138 S. Second St., citytavern.com.

Ben Franklin is so clearly our boy.

Tree Adventure

Opening reception Sat., July 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free with regular museum admission of $7-$14, exhibit ongoing, Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., 215-247-5777, morrisarboretum.com.

One of Morris Arboretum's new exhibits is the treehouse you always wanted as a kid, blown up to epic proportions.

1776

Through July 5, $25-$52, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, 610-282-9455,

It's been 233 years since the historic bickering among the 13 colonies about declaring independence in "foul, fuming, fetid, foggy, filthy Philadelphia" (some things never change).

TODAY IN THE SUMMER FUN GUIDE

Sheryl Crow

Go see Sheryl Crow perform at the Welcome America concert with the family-friendly masses. Or ... more »»

Opinion

Loose Canon

Domestic Tranquility

When the system is fair, we tend to share.

by Bruce Schimmel

In effect, our little scheme to ensure tranquility in our house shares the same principles to keep the peace in the nation. That people are all valued the same and all share equality in the common good.

Feedback

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"Subsequent bites made me eat the steak like the Three Stooges — taking their mouths to their hands and chewing."

Food

Drink Dapper

Bartender Christian Gaal is a vision of sartorial sipping splendor.

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Gaal is known both for his beyond-retro look and encyclopedic knowledge of cocktail lore, dispensed as he concocts adult beverages from a boggling array of obscure liqueurs at APO Bar + Lounge and the newly opened Noble: An American Cookery.

RECIPES: The Blood & Sand and the Alaska Man's Luck

Learn how to make two of Christian Gaal's cocktails.

by Felicia D' Ambrosio

What's Cooking

July 4 Edition

by Lauren Fleming

11th Annual All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival | 4th of July Extra-vegan-za | Live Music and Barbecue at Chaddsford Winery | 4th of July Red, White & Blue Food Tour

Recent Restaurants

These restaurants are recently added or updated

The Blockley Pourhouse | 38th and Ludlow streets
Average entree $10 - $20

This West Philly space, which has seen all manner of concepts come and go, is ready for a done-right redux now that Ned Taddei, Patrick Hughes and chef Ross Essner (Django, Taproom on 19th) are at the helm. The Blockley is a pub and live music venue »»

Panda Bar | 200 S. 40th St.
Average entree $10 - $20

Marathon Grill owner Cary Borish, manager Nick Maldonado and contractor Mike Parsell have converted U-City's MarBar into Panda Bar, a bar and music venue with room for 350. Aesthetic changes include the addition of high-backed booths and vintage-styl »»

The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. | 112 S. 18th St.
Average entree $10 - $20

This shrouded-in-intrigue watering hole, in the former Bar Noir, has finally flung its subterranean doors open to the public. Proprietors LLC, a design/consulting firm owned by David Kaplan (NYC's Death & Co.), has collaborated with owner Chris D »»

Smokin' Betty's | 116 S. 11th St.
Average entree $10 - $20

Susan Schlisman's newest Philly restaurant specializes in comfort-food traditions from around the country. (She's also got Devil's Alley on Chestnut and two Sam's Grills, in Jenkintown and Wynnewood.) Spread out over two floors, the clean, wood- and »»

Photo Galleries

Last Chance : 2009/07/02

First Friday Focus : 2009/07/02

Ashley John Pigford : 2009/06/25

Full Exposure : Yale MFA Photography 2009: We Belong Together : 2009-06-25

Critical Mass

Montreal Jazz Fest: Day 2

by shaun brady

10 hours ago

I wondered where he was smuggling the third hand from. One thing I’ll say for Montreal audiences, they’re definitely enthusiastic. I haven’t »»

The Media and the Message: A Q&A with author and media theorist Barry Vacker

by Jimmy Viola

1 day ago

Digital media has so proliferated within our daily lives that it's become easy — whilst skimming news headlines online and indulging in Twitter updates »»

Arts

Art

Blessed Union

Ish Klein preaches connectivity through poems and puppets.

by A.D. Amorosi

Ish Klein's work is an extension of her gentle, playful, daring soul. It's also part-and-parcel with happily growing up the daughter of a sanitation worker.

Arts Picks

1776

Through July 5, $25-$52, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, 610-282-9455,

by Mark Cofta

It's been 233 years since the historic bickering among the 13 colonies about declaring independence in "foul, fuming, fetid, foggy, filthy Philadelphia" (some things never change).

Arts Picks

City of Nutterly Love

July 8-26, $39, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., 215-985-0420, philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.

by Mark Cofta

Some of the Philly phenomena they've discovered: It's the only place where the phrase "John Wanamaker's giant organ" isn't creepy.

Movies In Theaters

Away We Go (R) [B]

The Brothers Bloom (PG-13) [F]

Cheri (R) [B]

The End of the Line (No Rating) [B-]

Food, Inc. (PG) [B]

Girl From Monaco (La Fille de Monaco) (R) [C+]

The Hangover (R) [B+] recommended

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG)

Little Ashes (R) [F]

Moon (R) [B]

My Sister's Keeper (PG-13) [C]

The Proposal (PG-13) [C-]

Public Enemies (R) [C]

The Stoning of Soraya M. (R) [B-]

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (R) [C-]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PG-13) [C-]

Up (PG) [B]

Whatever Works (PG-13) [B+]

CP Photostream

Twilight, Philadelphia

downtown Philadelphia evening

East Coast Extravaganza 2009 Group Shot

Meet the people who fought — and continue to fight — our wars in the Middle East.

by Charles Cieri

More than 1.5 million Americans have fought in this country's two ongoing wars. While public interest and news coverage in Iraq and Afghanistan have waxed and waned, these volunteers have continued to stream to and from the battlefield. Here are 12 such people from the region.

News

Needle in a Haystack

The president made a promise about syringe exchange.

by Isaiah Thompson

The controversy around needle exchange is endlessly frustrating for advocates, because the data is so uncontroversial. An abundance of studies have shown that needle exchange programs prevent HIV and Hepatitis C infection among needle drug users.

Dispatch

By the Sword

Little Anthony's mother didn't like the 18-inch sabre he'd hung above his bed.

by Mike Newall

In the apartment upstairs, Edward Harty was lounging in his underwear watching the Discovery Channel. His 11-year-old son heard commotion. Edward went to his front door but didn't hear anything. The son heard more noises. Edward walked downstairs to Anthony's slightly open front door. "Oh no, please," he heard Anthony saying.

Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

I'm not a sentimentalist. I want the future now. I just want Philly to be careful and get harder where it counts.

Music

Suite Spot

Hidden Gems

by Peter Burwasser

The theme that coursed through so much of the recently concluded Hidden City Philadelphia Arts Festival is history.

Music Picks

Japandroids

Tue., July 7, 8 p.m., $10, with Matt & Kim and Team Robespierre, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Molly Eichel

Brian King and David Prowse always meant to make their garage rock outfit a trio but never got around to finding a lead singer.

Music Picks

Kindred

Wed., July 8, 8 p.m., $25-$35, , World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by Deesha Dyer

Three albums and a few children later, Aja and Fatin still possess that true love of soul and self that you've been reading about in City Paper for almost a decade.

Movies

Moon

City Paper Grade: B

by Sam Adams

The movie successfully imagines a distant but recognizable future in which the planet's energy problems have been solved by a transition to fusion. But we discover eventually that consumption has only been displaced and not eliminated, and that the true fuel source is not lunar rock but something far more precious.

Repertory Film

Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.

Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.

Agenda

Agenda Lead

Nerdcore

In the future, will science be cooler than rock 'n' roll?

by Holly Otterbein

When I reach Scott Beibin over the phone, he's acting like a rock star. The thing is, he's not one — dude never shredded a guitar in his life. A much better description would be "artsy scientist" or even simply "nerd from West Philly."

Agenda Picks

Tree Adventure

Opening reception Sat., July 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free with regular museum admission of $7-$14, exhibit ongoing, Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., 215-247-5777, morrisarboretum.com.

by Kyle Press

One of Morris Arboretum's new exhibits is the treehouse you always wanted as a kid, blown up to epic proportions.

Agenda Picks

City Tavern's Independence Day

Sat., July 4, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., free, City Tavern, 138 S. Second St., citytavern.com.

by Carlene Majorino

Ben Franklin is so clearly our boy.

Center City Sips