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Thursday, March 11 2010, 11:58 PM | Cloudy, and 46° F | Tomorrow: High: 53 F Low: 45 F Breezy and cooler with rain

COVER STORY: Reinventing Arlen

One year after he fled the GOP, Pa.'s senior senator is scratching and clawing to do what he does best: survive.

The Clog

Have you tried Google's new bike maps feature?

by Holly Otterbein

8 hours ago

You should. It's pretty amazing. I tried it yesterday, when it debuted, going from The Clog headquarters to Studio 34 — and by golly, »»

Askadelphia. How do I find a beer rep for a fundraiser?

by Askadelphia.

11 hours ago

I am having a fundraiser in spring for an animal rescue and wanted to contact a few beer representatives. I see Miller, Coors, Bud Light, Lager, etc. out at events, does anyone know the company they work for and the best way to contact them?

Meal Ticket

Metropolitan Bakery adds hand-crafted pizza

by Drew Lazor

7 hours ago

Metropolitan Bakery now offers individually sized pizzas at its Rittenhouse (262 S. 19th St.) and Reading Terminal Market (12th and Arch) »»

Pub & Kitchen debuts new space, new menu

by Alexandra Harcharek

8 hours ago

Puppet Uprising's Julius Caesar

Thu.-Mon., March 11-15, 8 p.m., pay-what-you-can (Thu. preview)-$20, 267-909-2633, puppetuprising.org.

For a simultaneously schizophrenic and appetizing play, the five-company production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar fits the bill.

Bell 3 Figure Drawing

Every Thu., 7-10 p.m., $5, 831 N. Second St., Apt. 3, bell3drawing.wordpress.com.

It's difficult to achieve a more laid-back, artistic atmosphere than Bell 3 Figure Drawing, which is exactly the point.

Groovaloo

March 9-14, $25-$59.50, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 215-731-3333, kimmelcenter.org.

Fresh from guesting on So You Think You Can Dance in December, the Groovaloos are breaking and battling their way to Philly.

Popular

Popular Critical Mass Posts

Editor's Letter

by Brian Howard

Hell, it distracts from the fact that our own country has a successful and popular scaled-down version of government-run health care. It's called Medicare.

Loose Canon

Meet the Tree Guy

Planting trees created money in New York.

by Bruce Schimmel

"Trees are the great organizer, and there are very few people who don't like them. In Chicago, we found that neighborhoods hold up a tree as a sign of prosperity, as a symbol of life. You know, a family tree."

Feedback

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"Larger ships, expanded operations equals the same volume as before?"

Food

Green Zone

A peculiar spirit behind your local cocktail bar is having its moment.

by Tim Hyland

From that initial NyQuil shock to the down-the-gullet burn (it's 110 proof — 55 percent alcohol), Green Chartreuse presents a challenging drinking experience. Which is probably why so few Chartreuse newbies become Chartreuse regulars.

Spirit Sister

The Climb

Behind Ladder 15's Ansill-fied revamp.

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Not every business owner can admit failure, but those who do have an opportunity to start fresh.

What's Cooking

The Week In Eats: Philly Beer Weekend Edition

Get Out!

by Alexandra Harcharek

Left Hand Arm Wrestling at South Philly Tap Room | Pour Your Own Guinness at O'Neal's | Craft Beer Express | Stout Brunch at Johnny Brenda's | Brewers Plate at Penn Museum

Recent Restaurants

These restaurants are recently added or updated

Healthy Bites ToGo | 2521 Christian St.
Average entree $10 - $20

Katie Cavuto Boyle's Healthy Bites meal-delivery service has grown out of its Philly Kitchen Share beginnings and into this storefront, a fresh/local market, café, Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA pickup spot and cooking-class venue. To go: a soup/sandwic »»

Hoof+Fin | 617 S. Third St.
Average entree $10 - $20

Chef Lucas Manteca, who does Quahog's and Sea Salt down the Shore, has introduced this rustic BYO in the space that was Gayle. There are extensive raw bar, appetizer and entrée sections here, but the most interesting aspect of the menu is the "Fro »»

Garces Trading Company | 1111 Locust St.
Average entree $10 - $20

He already monopolizes your restaurant dreams — now Jose Garces is poised to dominate your every dry good-related thought! Garces Trading Company is the Iron Chef's foray into the gourmet market game. Bread, charcuterie, soups, salads, sandwiches, »»

Desi Chaat House | 501 S. 42nd St.
Average entree under $10

A pan-South Asian comfort food, chaat can describe an array of savory snackies and condiments sold from street carts across the subcontinent. Hasan Bukhari — who owns the Desi Village restaurants in King of Prussia and West Philadelphia — opened »»

Photo Galleries

Pavement T-Shirts

Robin Rice Re:view - 2010/03/11

Music : Oh! Pears by John Vettese

First Friday Focus 2010/03/04

Arts

Art

Queen Bee

Philly's matriarch of the stage talks motherhood, menopause and Florence Henderson.

by David Anthony Fox

From frothy musicals to heavy drama, a season doesn't go by without a memorable Mary Martello performance. Now she's written her own vehicle, Happily Ever After, an exploration of what happens to fairy princesses when they hit a certain age.

Arts Picks

Red Thread

Fri., March 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 13, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; $20, Performance Garage, 1515 Brandwine St., 215-546-2552, philadanceprojects.org.

by Janet Anderson

Lisa Kraus, Eva Kraczag and Vicky Shick, who danced together in Trisha Brown's renowned NYC troupe in the '70s, reunite to perform a collaborative world première, Red Thread.

Arts Picks

Waiting for Godot

March 12-28, $30, Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St., 800-595-4849, egopo.org.

by Mark Cofta

Brenna Geffers recognizes the anxiety Samuel Beckett reveals in his 1953 existential play Waiting for Godot, but the EgoPo director isn't sweating the task of staging modern theater's most revered text.

Agenda

Agenda Lead

Don't Block the Box

Local comic artist Box Brown has a theory on why Everything Dies.

by Brian James Kirk

"From certain standpoints, the facts are funny."

Agenda Picks

Bell 3 Figure Drawing

Every Thu., 7-10 p.m., $5, 831 N. Second St., Apt. 3, bell3drawing.wordpress.com.

by Emily Currier

It's difficult to achieve a more laid-back, artistic atmosphere than Bell 3 Figure Drawing, which is exactly the point.

Agenda Picks

Liberty Bears Art Show

Fri.-Sat., March 12-13, 7 p.m., $5, Bike Stop, 206 S. Quince St., third floor, 215-627-1662, thebikestop.com.

by Josh Middleton

The members of the bear community may have a reputation for wreaking havoc, but under that tough, brawny exterior lies a sensitive spot for fine art and goodwill.

Half Off Depot

Why live life at full price?

Critical Mass

’90s INDIE NERD ALERT: Pavement tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon

by Patrick Rapa

6 hours ago

But you know that already. So, here's a slideshow of Pavement t-shirts. For some reason. The show is Sept. 17. Go to manncenter.org for ticket »»

IDOL HANDS: American Idol, From Boyz II Men

by Molly Eichel

7 hours ago

We like American Idol. Too much. Tommy Button: For the first time since we got outta Hollywood I think the boys did better than the girls. After Seacrest's »»

Cover Story

Reinventing Arlen

One year after he fled the GOP, Pa.'s senior senator is scratching and clawing to do what he does best: survive.

by Dan Hirschhorn

Today, Arlen Specter is courting Democratic voters and liberal constituencies more proactively, more earnestly and more publicly than he's ever had to before. Still, his seeming willingness to change his allegiances and positions on a dime leaves some in his new party wondering, bluntly: How the hell can we trust this guy?

News

A Million Stories

All the news we care to print.

by Jeffrey C. Billman, Brian Howard and Holly Otterbein

To Philly's Earth Quaker Action Team, simply building green doesn't cut it. Throughout last week, the group's members protested outside of the Flower Show, which PNC sponsored, because the bank does business with coal companies responsible for mountaintop removal.

Man Overboard!

Equa-burden

If we are going to start drafting up clever new taxes, we'd first better make sure they're fair.

by Isaiah Thompson

The proposal, which would tax retailers 2 cents for every ounce of "sugar-sweetened beverage" that they sell — soda, Gatorade, frappa-mocha-chinos, and (I checked) tonic water, among others — may be multipurpose, but it's not equa-purpose. Nor is it equa-burdensome.

Soapboxer

The New Normal

Once it's policy, there's no going back.

by Jeffrey C. Billman

The excise tax is unfairly targeted. The promised fixes may not materialize. You have every right to worry. Screw it. It's game time. Pass the bill.

Music

The Next Movement

Oh! Pears' Corey Duncan is assembling an ambitious rock orchestra.

by John Vettese

Duncan, former guitarist of heady rock combo Pattern Is Movement, is joined by two cellos, two violas and an upright bass. It's the first sectional rehearsal for his new band Oh! Pears' record release show on March 13. Strings today. Tomorrow is percussion, later in the week is choral/flute and finally full band.

Music Picks

The Low Anthem

Fri., March 12, 8 p.m., $13, with Annie & The Beekeepers and Lissie, First Unitarian Sanctuary, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

Oh My God Charlie Darwin — evolutionary inspirations aside — about the furthest thing imaginable from the artily esoteric, operatic take on On the Origin of Species recently released by Swedish synth-pop duo The Knife.

Music Picks

Foreign Born

Sat., March 13, 9 p.m., $10-$12, with Free Energy and Clovers, Mar Bar, 4000 Walnut St., 215-222-0800, marbarphilly.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

While not as overtly ethno-flecked as their multiculti kissing-cousins/alter egos, Fool's Gold, sunny L.A. denizens Foreign Born still ring true to their world-wandering moniker.

Movies

In the Hood

Three directors tackle the Yorkshire Ripper in the Red Riding trilogy.

by Sam Adams

The Red Riding trilogy, adapted from a series of novels by David Pearce, offers some of the satisfactions of its more costly cousins; it's not a heroic coming-of-age tale but a dense, sprawling tapestry that finds its way into every dark and seamy corner of the north of England.

A Prophet

City Paper Grade: B

by Sam Adams

Set largely in a French cell block, Jacques Audiard's A Prophet is less a film noir than gris, its scuffed-up surfaces suggesting a world where everything and everyone is just about spent.

Movies In Theaters

Ajami (No Rating) [B+]

Alice in Wonderland (PG) [C-]

The Art of the Steal (No Rating) [B+]

Avatar (PG-13) [C+]

Brooklyn's Finest (R) [C]

Cop Out (R) [C]

The Crazies (R) [B-]

Crazy Heart (R) [B]

The Ghost Writer (PG-13) [B-]

Green Zone (R) [B-]

The Last Station (R) [B-]