Philadelphia, PA

Congrats to NBC 10 meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz who was engaged to Bucks County’s Christie Wood on Christmas morning.

Schwartz, fifty six years old, gave Wood, forty years old, a school guidance counselor, a ring along with her other Christmas presents. The pair met on Match.com earlier this year.

Schwartz has been separated from first wife Wynette since the late summer of 2006. The weatherman says the happy couple has yet to set any wedding plans.

We are currently going away for the holidays and we will be fully back up starting January 1st, 2009. Yes - 2009. Crazy.

We will probably publish something here and there after Christmas, though.

We hope you all have a safe, fun, and stress free holiday season!

The contestants on the fifth season of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” will compete for a job as a head chef at one of the restaurants at the Borgata in Atlantic City. The show, hosted by chef Gordon Ramsay, premieres at 9 p.m. January 29th, 2009.

It was unclear today whether the winning chef would take over one of the Borgata’s current restaurants, which include Bobby Flay Steak, Wolfgang Puck’s American Grille, SeaBlue, Izakaya, Ombra, and Old Homestead, or would operate a new spot at the hotel/casino. “The winner of this season will win a head chef position at Borgata.

Details regarding specifics of this position will be released in the coming weeks,” a Borgata spokeswoman said this afternoon. This season features an area contestant, Andrea Heinly, a thirty year old line cook from Reading.

(Image via Wire Image. Gordon Ramsay to the right.)

Locally raised actress Blythe Danner and funnyman Fred Willard are special guests at the Academy of Music’s 152 anniversary concert January 24th, 2009. Danner hosts and Willard will perform an ode to the Academy’s newly-restored chandelier. James Taylor will also perform some of his greatest hits with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Christoph Eschenbach.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and is followed by the Academy Ball at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue. For gala information, call the Academy of Music Restoration Fund Office at 215-893-1940. Concert-only tickets are $183 (of which $148.50 is tax-deductible. For more info, call 215-893-1999 or click here.

Hello guys and gals. We’ve been on break for a couple of days, but we’ll be back tomorrow.

Plus, there’s nothing interesting going on today that you want to hear about, well, at least that has anything to do with the crazed city of Philadelphia…

Starbucks will be harassing Philadelphians with fake coffee cups this holiday season.

Here is a recently released press release:

“This holiday season Starbucks and Zipcar are teaming up to reward good Samaritans in Philadelphia. Zipcar will be driving around the City with life size magnetic versions of Starbucks signature red holiday cups attached to their roofs. When individuals stop to warn the drives about their coffee cup, drivers will then reward that person with a free Starbucks gift card.

If you have any further questions, please let me know.”

Uhh, what the hell?

But none the less, keep a look out.

Armed police finally ended a ninety minute siege at a bank, only to discover that they’d been in a tense stand-off with a cardboard cutout.

The cops raced to the PNC Bank in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, last Thursday when an alarm went off. Upon seeing the silhouette of a person in the window of the bank, with the blinds drawn, they promptly sealed off the area and evacuated nearby buildings.

There then followed a nervous hour and a half confrontation as authorities attempted to make contact with the shadowy figure.

…are you kidding me?! We’re battling war(s), in a recession, and you’re chasing a cardboard cutout?

“I drove in the parking lot and see all these guys with guns,” local resident Ross Stout told the Star-Ledger newspaper.

After ninety minutes of fruitless attempts to negotiate with the figure using bullhorns and telephones, the police sent in a SWAT team – who discovered that the suspected criminal was actually a life-sized cardboard cutout of a person.

(Via the Metro.)

The Penn State senior who plays the Nittany Lion mascot was arrested on a DUI charge and his status for the Rose Bowl is currently in doubt.

James Sheep was pulled over on campus around 3:15 a.m. on November 22nd, hours before Penn State’s 49-18 win over Michigan State.

The officer who made the stop saw that the vehicle was overloaded, with passengers piled onto each other and blocking the driver’s view.

After determining that Sheep had been drinking, the officer administered sobriety tests and took him to the hospital for blood tests. He was later charged with DUI and summary traffic violations.

At the Michigan State game, the final home game of the year, Sheep was honored for serving as the mascot since January 2007.

Stupid college kids…

(Via our partner, CBS 3.)

CBS 3 4 p.m. co-anchor Angela Russell will soon be leaving the station where she started in early 2006. We’re told her contract was not renewed. We will update this post if more information is to come.

Got some things to do this Saturday? Well, guess what? Parking is free on Saturdays after 11 a.m. for the rest of the year. “We have the free meter parking every Saturday,” says PPA spokeswoman Linda Miller.

Women are keen to both look and feel good, so a stylish iPod would be equally as good as their favorite fragrance. Many people think that perfumes are an expensive luxury item, but using a good price comparison website you can find cheap perfumes and women’’s fragrances at amazing low prices.

Perfumes make the perfect gift for any woman, and you don’t have to spend a ton either, which is always a plus. And hell, perfume is better then a lot of the gifts you may give her, like an iron board, soap; you know what I’m talking about.

With Save Buckets, you can search for the cheapest prices on brands such as Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Calvin Klein, Oscar, and much more. Normally when you walk into a department store, these brands are normally over-prices. If you take the time to search and compare online, you can usually save a lot of money. When I search for cologne or perfume online, I end up saving 50% or more.

So - if you not sure what gift you should buy for your special women, check out some of the hottest perfumes today.

Customers in a frenzy for deals at a Long Island Wal-Mart trampled an overnight stock clerk to death, the NY Daily News reports. Witnesses said he tried to hold back the crowds as they took the doors right off their hinges in the dash when the store opened at 5 a.m. this morning for Black Friday:

“He was bum-rushed by 200 people,” said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. “He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too…I literally had to fight people off my back.”

A pregnant shopper who made her way inside the store with the masses was pushed to the ground and suffered a miscarriage, a witness said. Sadly, no one stopped to help the victims:

Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk’s life.

“They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. “People were still coming through.”

Only a few stopped.

“They’re savages,” said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. “It’s sad. It’s terrible.”

This December there will be a holiday lighting ceremony with Benjamin Franklin illuminating thousands of holiday lights, and the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel.

WHERE: Franklin Square, 6th & Race Streets

WHEN: Monday, December 1, 2008, 5:30 pm

VISUALS: Colonial-era carolers singing, Benjamin Franklin ceremonially electrifying lights, Santa and Elfreth the Elf leading guests on a carousel ride, beautiful holiday lights turned on throughout the Square.

DETAILS:

¨ Franklin Square Holiday Lights – Franklin Square will be sparkling for the holidays with thousands of festive, twinkling lights all month long.

¨ Saturdays & Sundays in December – Holiday in the Square – Meet Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and Elfreth the Elf in Franklin Square. Bring your holiday wish list for a FREE ride on the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel and visit the man of the season and his trusty elf. Storytime with Mrs. Claus – new in 2008, Mrs. Claus visits, sharing stories of the season to the delight of young and old alike. Purchase a photo taken with Santa! 11 am – 2 pm, weather permitting.

¨ Saturday, December 20 – Colonial Holiday Caroling – FREE caroling performance in Franklin Square where visitors can sing along with their favorite holiday songs as they stroll through the Square. Take a ride on the Lightning Bolt Express Train ($5 for adults, and $4 for children 3 – 12, 2 and under are free), a magical ride around the historic square, 11 am – 2 pm, weather permitting.

Fun family entertainment and a beautiful park are just steps away from the Liberty Bell, in one of William Penn’s original five squares. Award-winning Franklin Square is an outdoor amusement oasis located in the heart of Historic Philadelphia, featuring Philly Mini-Golf, a restored vintage marble fountain, playgrounds, and the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel. After a day of experiencing the treasures of Philadelphia’s history, putt through some of the city’s most famous icons, take a ride on brand new hometown horse heroes Afleet Alex or Smarty Jones aboard the carousel, or enjoy a rest next to the restored – and restorative – fountain. Named Top Ten Playground in the U.S. by Dream On Travel.

2008 Season Operating Hours:

December 1 – 14: 11 am – 8 pm, Fridays through Sundays

December 19 – 31: 11 am – 7 pm, daily (closed Christmas Day)

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Well - today was ole’ judgment day for Larry Mendte. The former CBS 3 anchor Larry Mendte returned to federal court today to be sentenced after pleading guilty in August to illegally accessing the email of his former co-anchor Alycia Lane.

Mendte, who bypassed media as he entered the courthouse for his 3 p.m. hearing, was sentenced to three years probation, six months home confinement, 250 hours community service, computer monitoring, psychiatric evaluation, a $5,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.

Poor little Larry.

Craig Robinson, the comedian who plays warehouse supervisor Darryl Philbin on the NBC comedy, performs tonight through Saturday at Helium (2031 Sansom).

Robinson, who can be seen in theaters in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” said his act is “very musical,” with audience participation. He tries to play a couple of shows each month, but his busy shooting schedule on “The Office” makes that difficult. As for his character, who was recently freed from the clingy Kelly Kapoor (played by Mindy Kaling), Robinson said, “I don’t know what they have in store for me. “I’m as excited as everyone else to see what’s next for Darryl.”

The comic actor is happy that his recent drug-possession charge has been dropped. In August he pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to a felony after he was pulled over for a traffic violation and police found Ecstasy pills in his car. The case was cleared in September after Robinson completed a court-ordered drug program.

His upcoming movies include “Playboys,” “Night at the Museum 2,” and “The Goods.” For tickets for this week’s shows, click here.