Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Category: Entertainment

Entertainment news and reviews

  • The Philly concerts that’ll get you through Christmas week and into the new year

    The Philly concerts that’ll get you through Christmas week and into the new year

    This week in Philly music is all about the plentiful live music options on New Year’s Eve, including LL Cool J, Snacktime, Ben Arnold, Low Cut Connie, and Kindred the Family Soul.

    But before we get to the final blowout of 2025, there’s also some action with touring and local Philly bands in the days after Christmas. Not to mention: Wayne Newton!

    Friday, Dec. 26

    Wayne Newton

    Center City will become Sin City with this rare Philly appearance by the longtime denizen of the Las Vegas Strip. “Wayne Newton, Mr. Las Vegas: Memories and Melodies” is how the 83-year-old entertainer who released 165 albums in his day — and scored a signature hit in 1963 with “Danke Schoen” — bills the show he’s bringing to City Winery for two nights. (7 p.m., City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St., CityWinery.com/philadelphia)

    Saturday, Dec. 27

    Jealousy Curve / John Faye

    On Saturday at Underground Arts, Philly rock band Jealousy Curve shares a bill with John Faye, the longtime musician on the local scene. Faye played reunion dates with his ‘90s alt-rock band the Caulfields last month and was on stage at last week’s Pierre Robert tribute at the Fillmore as a member of David Uosikkinen’s band, In The Pocket. Faye’s latest is The Long Game, released on Uosikkinen’s ITP Entertainment last year. (8 p.m., Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., undergroundarts.org)

    Gogol Bordello play the Archer Music Hall in Allentown on Dec. 28.

    Sunday, Dec. 28

    Gogol Bordello

    Gogol Bordello, and its charismatic Ukrainian American lead singer, Eugene Hutz, have a long tradition of playing Philly shows in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. This time, the New York punk band, which mixes Romani and traditional Ukrainian music into their raucous blend, is bound for a different Pennsylvania location with a date at Archer Music Hall, the new Live Nation venue in Allentown. (8 p.m. Archer Music Hall, 939 Hamilton St., Allentown, archermusichall.com)

    A Jam Without Borders

    Yesseh Furaha-Ali of Snacktime, Camden trumpeter Arnetta Johnson, and the Bul Bey are among the artists who’ll be playing at Ortlieb’s at this event hosted by Corey Bernhard and Friends. It’s a fundraiser for Philadelphia families impacted by ICE. (8 p.m., Ortlieb’s, 847 N. Third St., ortliebsphilly.com)

    Monday, Dec. 29

    “Fear of Heights”

    Philly rocker Alan Mann regularly played South Street clubs like J.C. Dobbs and Ripley Music Hall before his death in 1987. Rich Murray, who directed the video for Mann’s song “Christmas on the Block,” which became the first indie video played on MTV and a subsequent Philly holiday music favorite, has made a documentary about his relationship with Mann and his legacy. Called Fear of Heights, the movie, which begins with a 2015 clip of the late DJ Pierre Robert dropping the needle on “Christmas on the Block” on WMMR-FM (93.3), will have its Philly premiere at Film Society East. It will be followed by a discussion with Murray and his co-filmmakers moderated by WMGK-FM DJ Cindy Drue. (7 p.m., Film Society East, 125 S. Second St., filmadelphia.org)

    Low Cut Connie at Concerts Under the Stars in King of Prussia on Aug. 1, 2025. Left to right: Rich Stanley, Nick Perri, Adam Weiner, Jarae Lewis (on drums, partially hidden), Amanda “Rocky” Bullwinkel, and Kelsey Cork. The band will play Ardmore Music Hall on Dec. 30 and 31.

    Tuesday, Dec. 30

    Dark Star Orchestra

    The longstanding Grateful Dead tribute band is marking the transition from 2025 to 2026 on a short East Coast tour, which includes a date at Franklin Music Hall on NYE’s eve. (8 p.m., Franklin Music Hall, 421 N. Seventh St., franklinmusichall.com)

    The Samples

    And for a further jam band experience, veteran Colorado 10-piece band the Samples, which blends a Dead influence with more pop-rock shadings, does two nights at 118 North in Wayne. (8 p.m., 118 North, 118 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, 118 NorthWayne.com)

    Low Cut Connie

    Adam Weiner and Miss Rocky of Low Cut Connie distinguished themselves with their take on David Bowie’s “Young Americans” at last week’s Pierre Robert tribute. Let’s hope they put it in the playlist for their two end-of-the-year blowouts on Dec. 30 and New Year’s Eve.

    The band didn’t put out a new album this year but had an eventful 2025, getting caught up in to pop-and-politics brouhahas in D.C. and Luzerne County, and releasing some high-quality protest songs. Bluegrass band Shelby Means Trio, led by the eponymous bassist formerly in Molly Tuttle’s band, opens on Tuesday, and Philly rock and roller Roberta Faceplant opens Wednesday. (8 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, ardmoremusichall.com)

    LL Cool J will headline a free concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway on New Year’s Eve. The show will also feature DJ Jazzy Jeff, Adam Blackstone, and Dorothy.

    Wednesday, Dec. 31

    LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Adam Blackstone

    This is the big new party on the Parkway and maybe the start of a new Philadelphia tradition? The city will officially usher in the year of the Semiquicentennial with its first-ever free NYE music and fireworks spectacle. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and “Mama Said Knock You Out” hitmaker LL Cool J is making good on his commitment to play Philly after he opted out of this year’s July 4 Welcome America show in solidarity with striking municipal city workers. DJ Jazzy Jeff is, of course, the master of the Wheel of Steel, and Adam Blackstone has become one of the leading ambassadors for Philly music, and plans to debut a new civic pride song called “Brotherly Love” at the show. Dorothy and Technician the DJ are also on the bill. (8 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Parkway, phila.gov)

    Snacktime

    Philly R&B and soul party band par excellence Snacktime is the NYE Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia house band. This is the third consecutive year that the horn-happy outfit has closed out the season at the Fishtown bowling alley/music venue. The band that started out busking in Rittenhouse Square during the pandemic has a new single. It is a sweetly sung and inventively arranged version of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” (8 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, 1009 Canal St., brooklynbowl.com/philadelphia)

    Ben Arnold

    Ben Arnold was another standout at this month’s tribute to the late Pierre Robert. The Philly songwriter covered Robert Hazard’s “Change Reaction” and then led a singalong finale of the Youngbloods’ “Get Together.” Arnold put out a top-shelf album called XI this year, featuring the terrific single “Catch the Lightning,” and also toured Europe with the band U.S. Rails. He’ll be singing his own songs and some by U.S. Rails at his Kelly Center NYE show in Havertown. (7:30 p.m., Kelly Center, 4 E. Eagle Road, Havertown, kellycenter.org.)

    Kindred the Family Soul performs on the Presser Stage during The Roots Picnic Day 2 at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on June 4, 2023. The group will do two shows at the City Winery Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve.

    Kindred the Family Soul

    The wife-and-husband team of Aja Graydon and Fatin Dantzler appeared last month at the Met Philly with John Legend, with whom they shared salad days at the Black Lily showcases in the early 00s. The veteran neo-soul act is back as City Winery NYE headliners, playing early and late shows at the Filbert Street club on Thursday. (7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St., citywinery.com/philadelphia)

    Felice Brothers plays Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia on Jan. 2.

    Friday, Jan. 2

    Felice Bros.

    Upstate New York-born sibling act the Felice Brothers’ winning, ramshackle sound has mixed folk and rock and roll into a satisfying blend over the course of 10 albums. The most recent is 2024’s The Valley of Abandoned Songs. Brother Ian and James Felice make their annual holiday season stop at Brooklyn Bowl Philly on Friday, with Canadian songwriter Charlotte Cornfield opening. (8 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, 1009 Canal St., brooklynbowl.com/philadelphia)

    Candy Volcano

    Philly Loves Bowie Week will kick off with two shows by tribute band Candy Volcano at Ardmore Music Hall. The first show will be at WXPN-FM Free at Noon, and then a nighttime show at the venue in which the band will cover Bowie’s 1976 album Station to Station. (Noon, Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, xpn.org/freeatnoon, and 8 p.m., ardmoremusichall.com)

  • Jimmy Kimmel jokes about fascism in an ‘alternative Christmas message’ for Britain

    Jimmy Kimmel jokes about fascism in an ‘alternative Christmas message’ for Britain

    LONDON — Talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at President Donald Trump as he warned Thursday about the rise of fascism in an address to U.K. viewers dubbed “The Alternative Christmas Message.”

    The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact of the second term in office for Trump, who Kimmel said acts like a king.

    “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” he said. “Tyranny is booming over here.”

    The channel began a tradition of airing an alternative Christmas message in 1993, as a counterpart to the British monarch’s annual televised address to the nation. Channel 4 said the message is often a thought-provoking and personal reflection pertinent to the events of the year.

    The comedian has skewered Trump since returning to the air after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September amid criticism of comments the host made after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

    Kimmel had made remarks in reference to the reaction to Kirk’s shooting suggesting that many Trump supporters were trying to capitalize on the death.

    Trump celebrated the suspension of the veteran late-night comic and his frequent critic, calling it “great news for America.” He also called for other late-night hosts to be fired.

    The incident, one of Trump’s many disputes and legal battles waged with the media, sparked widespread concerns about freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

    Hundreds of leading Hollywood stars and others in the entertainment industry urged Americans in an open letter to “fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.” The show returned to the air less than a week later.

    Kimmel told the U.K. audience that a Christmas miracle had happened in September when millions of people — some who hated his show — had spoken up for free speech.

    “We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on Earth a right and richly deserved bollocking,” he said.

    Channel 4 previously invited whistleblower Edward Snowden and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver the alternative Christmas message.

    Kimmel, who said he didn’t expect Brits to know who he was, warned that silencing critics is not something that happens only in Russia or North Korea.

    Despite the split that led to the American Revolution 250 years ago, he said, the two nations still share a special relationship, and he urged the U.K. not to give up on the U.S. as it was “going through a bit of a wobble.”

    “Here in the United States right now, we are both figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy, from the free press to science to medicine to judicial independence to the actual White House itself‚” Kimmel said, in reference to demolition of the building’s East Wing. “We are a right mess, and we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry.”

  • A Philly priest’s soon-to-be-famous Christmas song was played on this week in Philly history

    A Philly priest’s soon-to-be-famous Christmas song was played on this week in Philly history

    One of America’s great Christmas songs grew out of procrastination.

    Two friends — a rector and his organist at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square — found the inspiration in the run-up to the Christmas celebration in 1868.

    The result of their delayed creativity was “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” composed and heard in a Philadelphia church.

    It was a song that spread across the world, and put the 19th-century church on the map.

    The silent stars

    Three years before, in 1865, the church’s vicar visited the Holy Land.

    So moved by what he saw on that trip, the Rev. Phillips Brooks put pen to paper.

    The result was a poem:

    O little town of Bethlehem,

    How still we see thee lie.

    Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

    The silent stars go by.

    In totality, as a piece of music, the song is not exactly upbeat.

    The lyrics reflect on the darkness found after midnight. Cries of misery reverberating through dark streets under cover of ink-black skies.

    But there’s also everlasting light.

    A Christmas miracle

    Three years later in 1868, Brooks asked the church’s organist, Lewis Redner, a real estate agent who played the organ for four churches, to set music to those lyrics Brooks penned.

    It was to be part of a song that would play during the Christmas holiday in 1868.

    And then Brooks waited.

    To his congregation, Brooks was an inspiring preacher. In the throes of the American Civil War, he would ride on a wagon to the battlefields around Gettysburg to perform last rites on dying soldiers and offer words of comfort to wounded soldiers — Union and Confederate.

    Days turned to weeks, and Brooks was still waiting for the completed song.

    But as the holiday approached, the procrastination had reached a fever pitch.

    Two days before the Christmas service, on a Friday, Brooks nervously asked about the song.

    “Have you ground out the music yet?”

    “No,” Redner said.

    But he assured Brooks: “I’ll have it by Sunday.”

    On Saturday night, Redner wrote in his diary that his brain was in knots over the tune, according to The Inquirer.

    Once asleep, he woke with a start.

    He wrote that he heard an angel whispering in his ear.

    Redner then scribbled down the tune.

    And before the Sunday service, he layered on the harmony.

  • Crowds flocked to the final Wanamaker Light Show of the season. No one knows when it’s coming back.

    Crowds flocked to the final Wanamaker Light Show of the season. No one knows when it’s coming back.

    They came to the Wanamaker Building on Christmas Eve because it’s what they have done all the years they have been alive. They came bundled against the chill because they never had come before — and did not want to miss it now. They came out of love for the ghosts of Christmas past — and to share in the merriment of a cherished tradition with children who had yet to see the lights dance or hear the great organ play. They came because it is all going away, and no one knows for sure when it will be back.

    On Wednesday, thousands crowded into the gilded Grand Court of the Wanamaker Building for a last chance to meet at the eagle and behold the Wanamaker Light Show this holiday season. And to witness the end of what has been a truly blessed Christmas for the endangered Philadelphia holiday tradition.

    People watching the light show from the second floor at the Wanamaker in Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025.

    Both the Light Show and Dickens Village were saved by fundraising efforts announced after the sale of Macy’s earlier this year. In November, organizers said that with 700 individual donors and gifts from philanthropic foundations, they had raised enough of their $350,000 goal to bring back both attractions for at least one more holiday season — and to begin planning for their future care. While a permanent home for the Light Show, which began in 1956, remained an unsettled question, organizers had raised just enough to produce the holiday attractions in the shuttered department store this year.

    With the attraction’s future in doubt, the crowds kept flocking to the Wanamaker Light Show. Over 100,000 visitors have come through since both holiday attractions opened on Black Friday — a number that far exceeded planners’ expectations, said Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, who also led the fundraising effort. While the show remained free, guests donated more than $40,000 during its seasonal run.

    “It’s been totally overwhelming,” said Lovell, working the door before Wednesday’s afternoon final shows. “But also joyful and exciting and heartwarming. We didn’t anticipate these crowds.”

    Due to the planned construction within the Wanamaker Building, the Light Show and Dickens Village will take a pause in 2026 and 2027, Lovell said. But advocates for the show remain in conversation with new building owner TF Cornerstone about continuing the holiday traditions at the Wanamaker in years to come.

    “Everybody wants this show saved,” Lovell said.

    Marissa Miller, of Fairmount, is holding her child Ivy Jordan, 2, watching the light show with her family at the Wanamaker in Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025.

    Indeed, almost since the first show in November, lines had stretched out the door onto Market Street, often wrapping all the way down Chestnut Street, with organizers merrily hiring more staff and security and welcoming scores of volunteers.

    “There was a sense of ‘we have to get here because it might not be here again,’” Lovell said, adding that she is more optimistic than ever that the show will have a future.

    That’s exactly why Dori Pico, 68, of Center City, was first in line at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, a full hour and a half before shows began running every 30 minutes.

    “It’s the last time we might be seeing this,” said Pico, who had attended the shows after moving to Philadelphia in recent years, and wished that she had gotten to experience one with her father, Juan Vincente Lugo, before he passed away.

    Dori Pico, of South Philadelphia, is watching the light show for a third time and as a tradition for her dad who passed away last year at the Wanamaker in Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025.

    Down a few spaces, Paulette Steffa, 72, originally of Cheltenham, clutched a photo of her and siblings at Santa’s knee during the first Light Show in 1956. Attending Wednesday’s show with her brother Peter, she said she had been to the Light Show every year since, and had even attended the first performance of this year’s season.

    “We were here the day it opened,” Steffa said. “We needed to be here on the last day.”

    Soon, the lights in the Grand Court dimmed, and an expectant hush fell over families huddled around the 2,500-pound bronze eagle sculpture.

    Darlene Harley of Overbrook had ridden the train to Center City so her great-great-granddaughter, Aryah, 7, could see the show before it goes away for a few years, or maybe longer. Her parents and grandparents had always brought her as a child, Harley said.

    “And now I wanted her to see,” she said as the show began and 100,000 individual bulbs twinkled to life in the grand space.

    Soon, everyone was looking up, as Frosty and Rudolph and the Sugar Plum Fairies danced in light. Families waiting in line for Dickens Village peered over the ledge of an upper floor for a closer look. Peter Richard Conte, who has played the pipes of the world’s biggest organ since 1989, had only just played the familiar opening chords of “O Tannenbaum” when Steffa began to cry.

    Watching in the dark, she thought of all those childhood shows when her parents, Andi and Peter, made sure they were at the front of the line. She remembered all those holiday wishes on Santa’s knee and scrumptious holiday breakfasts in the old Crystal Tea Room. All those years, all those memories at the Wanamaker Light Show.

    “It’s part of Philadelphia,” she said.

    Many families and friends gather at the Wanamaker for the last light show in Philadelphia, Pa., on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025.
  • Jordan Mailata’s journey, the Eagles clinch the division, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

    Jordan Mailata’s journey, the Eagles clinch the division, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

    It was a festive episode of Hard Knocks on Tuesday, as the HBO documentary series released its latest episode, which offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Eagles clinching the NFC East ahead of the holiday season.

    The episode looked into offensive tackle Jordan Mailata’s journey from playing rugby in Australia to getting drafted to the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft, the Birds clinching the division, and more.

    Here’s everything you missed from the latest episode of Hard Knocks:

    Mailata’s journey from rugby to NFL

    Last Wednesday, before their Week 16 matchup against the Commanders, the Eagles held practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Without Lane Johnson because of a foot injury, Mailata continued to mentor younger players.

    Eight years ago, he never would have pictured himself in this position.

    A ‘New Heights’ gift guide for ‘dudes who can’t shop good:’ Where do scented candles and gift cards stand?

    “I was 20 years old when I joined the International Player Pathway program,” Mailata said. “The program aimed to bring a connection between the NFL to the rest of the world and grow the sport in that respective spot that the athlete was from. So I thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’

    “[When I was] drafted by the Eagles with a seventh-round pick, I was kind of, like, flabbergasted. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I knew that a team was taking a chance on me, a kid that never played football before. … I can’t believe I’m still here playing this game eight years later. In my eighth season, still trying to figure this thing out.”

    Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata laughs with coach Nick Sirianni against the Raiders on Dec. 14.

    Now, Mailata has become a crucial part of the Tush Push, earned second-team All-Pro honors, is a Super Bowl champ, and a proud member of the Philly Specials — a Christmas music group consisting of himself, Johnson, and former Eagles center Jason Kelce.

    ‘Been there, won that’

    With a 29-18 win over the Commanders, the Eagles became the first back-to-back NFC East champs since 2004. After the game, the team unboxed some early Christmas presents and expanded their wardrobe with new NFC East championship hats and T-shirts that read, “Been there, won that.”

    Of course, the win didn’t come without drama. With the Eagles leading, 29-10, late in the game, Nick Sirianni made the decision to go for a two-point conversion. At the end of the play, a fight broke out between Washington and Philadelphia players — resulting in three ejections.

    Adding more fuel to the fire, Eagles veteran Brandon Graham made sure to trash talk some of the Washington fans on the sideline.

    “Aye, we got some new gear for y’all after the game,” Graham said. “We got some more gear for you. We got some Eagles gear for you after the game. Don’t worry, we got you.

    The Eagles could be seen celebrating in the locker room postgame with their new gear.

    The Commanders will get a second chance at the Eagles to end the regular season. But first, the Birds will travel to Highmark Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

    “Guys, we talk about doing special [expletive],” Sirianni said. “Winning the division is doing special [expletive]. Nobody has repeated in the division in [21] years, right. Y’all should be proud of that. You don’t do special [expletive] unless you’ve got the men in this room, the talent that we have, and that we play with great [expletive] detail, and we do that [expletive] together.

    “We got a long way to go. Enjoy it now, and we’re back to work. We got a lot to be thankful for.”

    Jalen Hurts added: “Everything is in our hands. Control what we can, continue to stack, continue to build, continue to get more hats and T-shirts.”

  • Philadelphia Art Museum doubles down on arbitration in response to Sasha Suda’s push for a trial

    Philadelphia Art Museum doubles down on arbitration in response to Sasha Suda’s push for a trial

    The Philadelphia Art Museum has reiterated its position in court that a dispute with ousted director and CEO Sasha Suda should be resolved through arbitration.

    Suda, who was fired Nov. 4 three years into a five-year contract, was ousted following an investigation by a law firm, the museum said soon after. On Nov. 10, Suda sued the museum over her dismissal, and has pushed for a trial by jury in the matter.

    Later that month, museum trustees fired back at her lawsuit and said she was dismissed after the investigation determined that she “misappropriated funds from the museum and lied to cover up her theft.”

    Her contract with the museum stated that “any and all claims or controversies” against the museum should be pursued in “private, confidential arbitration.” But in a filing this month Suda argued that her contract contained “an explicit exception” to the arbitration provision.

    As a legal battle looms, Philadelphia Art Museum staffers head into the new year with tentative hope

    But “Suda has no credible response to the museum’s commonsense reading” of her employment contract, the museum said in a Dec. 19 Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas filing by the museum. The nearly 150-year-old organization is represented by lawyers from Philadelphia’s Cozen O’Connor and Washington, D.C. firm Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick.

    “Arbitration clauses are interpreted literally, but not foolishly,” the new filing argues.

    It asks the court to enter an order compelling Suda to submit to arbitration, and to stay legal proceedings until the matter is resolved in arbitration.

    On Nov. 21, the museum named former Haverford College president and Metropolitan Museum of Art leader Daniel H. Weiss as new director and CEO.

  • In Taylor Swift’s ‘End of an Era’ docuseries, Philly is everywhere

    In Taylor Swift’s ‘End of an Era’ docuseries, Philly is everywhere

    She may be a Chiefs fan now, but Taylor Swift can’t just shake off ties to her home state.

    In The End of an Era, the six-part docuseries about the pop star’s monumental “Eras Tour,” small nods to Philadelphia can be found laced throughout.

    The Disney+ series debuted Dec. 12 and its final two episodes dropped Tuesday.

    From a certain sweatshirt, to her audiobook of choice, to the series’ directors, here’s a quick look at all the connections we’ve spotted so far.

    1. The Eagles sweatshirt

    At the beginning of “Eras Tour” rehearsals, in a Before-Travis Kelce (BTK) timeline, the Berks County native is shown wearing a gray oversized Eagles sweatshirt as she walks into a practice space.

    Paparazzi have spotted Swift repping the crew neck before, which is fitting since she’s discussed at length over the years her memories of her dad watching Eagles games and her love for the team.

    In fact, on her first Philadelphia night of the “Eras Tour,” Swift sang “gold rush” as a surprise song and confirmed the lyric “my Eagles T-shirt hanging from the door,” was in fact about the team and not the band.

    “I love the band the Eagles, but guys, like, come on, I’m from Philly,” Swift said that night in 2023 (and yes, a celebratory Birds chant did break out from the crowd).

    It’s also worth noting that Swift’s Eagles sweatshirt appears to be unofficial — the team’s house style dictates that the eagle profile should always face left, with the plumage forming a subtle letter ‘E.’

    Of course as the docuseries progresses, we see an After-Travis Kelce (ATK) style evolution, and a lot more red and gold — gross.

    2. The audiobook

    At a point in the series where Swift is trying to calm her nerves, she lies on a couch and starts listening to an audiobook.

    It turns out, that book excerpt was from none other than South Philly author Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods.

    Moore and her book, which is a multigenerational mystery drama set in the Adirondacks, are having a good year. The God of the Woods was on multiple book club shortlists, including Barack Obama’s, and was just announced for a Netflix adaptation last week. Moore will serve as a co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer.

    Swift wasn’t alone in her book selection. The God of the Woods was the most checked-out print book of the year across all of Philadelphia’s library branches. (We don’t know about audiobook stats because those are managed by a third party.)

    3. Scenes from Philly shows at the Linc

    In the portion of the series that discusses the sheer pandemonium that the “Eras Tour” caused, with epic tailgates (known as Taylorgates), economic boosts, and overall good vibes, it seems only right that footage from outside the Philly shows were used as the ultimate visual aid.

    The docuseries even relies on a Philly voice to summarize things best:

    “I’ve never seen this before in my life,” Jon McCann, a local content creator who goes by The Philly Captain, says in a perfectly thick regional accent. “It’s like Woodstock but without the drugs.”

    4. The directors and post-production

    The End of an Era was directed by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, the local duo behind films including Rock School, Batman & Bill, and notably, Kelce — the documentary about Swift’s soon-to-be brother-in-law and former Eagle, Jason Kelce. The directors are both based in Philadelphia.

    All six episode credits also list Philadelphia as a post-production location.

  • Lawmaker sues to stop Trump from adding name to Kennedy Center

    Lawmaker sues to stop Trump from adding name to Kennedy Center

    A Democratic congresswoman sued the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees Monday to stop it from adding the president’s name to the institution, arguing that only Congress has the power to do so.

    In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Rep. Joyce Beatty (D., Ohio) claimed that a vote by the center’s board last week to rename the institution the Trump Kennedy Center exceeded its statutory authority and requested that a judge declare it to be void.

    “Because Congress named the center by statute, changing the Kennedy Center’s name requires an act of Congress,” the lawsuit says.

    The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent early Tuesday morning.

    Thursday’s vote by the Kennedy Center’s board to add Trump’s name to the institution — which has sparked concern among legal experts — marked the most overt effort to date by the president and his allies to remold the storied institution in his image. In February, Trump purged members of the board not appointed by him, installed loyalists and became its new chair. Earlier this month, he even hosted its annual honors event. Ticket sales have plummeted since Trump took over, a Washington Post analysis found.

    The lawsuit, which was filed by Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group on behalf of Beatty, requested that a judge order all physical and digital branding changes to be reversed. Trump’s name was added to the exterior of the building Friday, the day after the board’s vote.

    Beatty, who is an ex officio member of the center’s board, said in the suit that she had attended the board meeting virtually and had been unmuted previously, but that when she identified herself and raised concerns about the renaming, she was muted and received a written message that “she would not be unmuted, and therefore she could not participate in the meeting.”

    In 1964, the year after Kennedy was assassinated, Congress passed a statute designating the capital’s National Cultural Center as “the sole national monument to his memory within the city of Washington and its environs” and naming it the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

    In a series of posts on X, the center’s president, Richard Grenell, defended the name change as a reflection of its role as a “bipartisan space.” On Friday, he claimed the memorial to Kennedy was not impacted by the board’s action and “therefore the Board is allowed to change the name.”

    In an email to the Washington Post last week, Roger Colinvaux, a law professor at Catholic University, said the law clearly states that the building’s name is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “Under the statute, the board that voted to change the name not only does not have the authority, but that each member by so voting violated their duty,” he said.

    On Tuesday, the center’s website prominently referred to itself as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” but in other sections it continued to use the name “the Kennedy Center.”

    Members of the Kennedy family reacted with dismay to last week’s vote. “Some things leave you speechless,” said Maria Shriver, a niece of Kennedy, on X. “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial,” said Joe Kennedy, the former Democratic congressman from Massachusetts whose great-uncle the building was named for.

  • Controversial ’60 Minutes’ segment on Trump immigration policy leaks online

    Controversial ’60 Minutes’ segment on Trump immigration policy leaks online

    A news segment about the Trump administration’s immigration policy that was abruptly pulled from 60 Minutes was mistakenly aired on a TV app after the last minute decision not to air it touched off a public debate about journalistic independence.

    The segment featured interviews with migrants who were sent to a notorious El Salvador prison called the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, under President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on immigration.

    The story was pulled from Global Television Network, one of Canada’s largest networks, but still ran on the network’s app. Global Television Network swiftly corrected the error, but copies of it continued to float around the internet and pop up before being taken down.

    “Paramount’s content protection team is in the process of routine take down orders for the unaired and unauthorized segment,” a CBS spokesperson said Tuesday via email.

    A representative of Global Television Network did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    In the story, two men who were deported reported torture, beatings, and abuse. One Venezuelan said he was punished with sexual abuse and solitary confinement.

    Another was a college student who said guards beat him and knocked out his tooth upon arrival.

    “When you get there, you already know you’re in hell. You don’t need anyone to tell you,” he said.

    The segment featured numerous experts who called into question the legal basis for deporting migrants so hastily amid pending judicial decisions. Reporters for the show also corroborated findings by Human Rights Watch suggesting that only eight of the deported men had been sentenced for violent or potentially violent crimes, using available ICE data.

    The decision to pull a critical account of the Trump administration was met with widespread accusations that CBS leadership was shielding the president from unfavorable coverage.

    The journalist who reported the story, Sharyn Alfonsi, said in an email sent to fellow 60 Minutes correspondents that the story was factually correct and had been cleared by CBS lawyers and its standards division.

    CBS News chief Bari Weiss said Monday that the story did not “advance the ball” and pointed out that the Trump administration had refused to comment for the story. Weiss said she wanted a greater effort made to get its point of view and said she looked forward to airing Alfonsi’s piece “when it’s ready.”

    The dispute put one of journalism’s most respected brands — and a frequent target of Trump — back in the spotlight and amplified questions about whether Weiss’ appointment is a signal that CBS News is headed in a more Trump-friendly direction.

  • A holiday music playlist feat. songs that namecheck Wawa, reimagine seasonal classics, and more

    A holiday music playlist feat. songs that namecheck Wawa, reimagine seasonal classics, and more

    Christmastime is here, as Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson put it in the nostalgia-inducing song composed for A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.

    The soundtrack to that TV holiday classic has been reissued this year, so it qualifies for inclusion on this playlist of the best holiday music of 2025. The 30 songs of holiday cheer — along with interludes of winter solstice melancholy — assembled on a streaming Spotify playlist are either newly recorded this year, or as with tunes by Chuck Berry and Roberta Flack, reissued in 2025.

    They come from new holiday albums by Herb Alpert, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mickey Guyton, Brad Paisley, and others. Individual songs from Philly artists like Soraia, Bret Tobias Set, and Lizzy McAlpine also make an appearance. Look out for brand names such as Luke Bryan, Cher, and Gwen Stefani.

    Lainey Wilson and Bing Crosby, ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’

    The wonders of technology bring together country star Wilson and Crosby (who died in 1977) not only in song but also visually, as claymation video duet partners.

    Chuck Berry, ‘Run Rudolph Run’

    A holiday classic from The Chess Records Christmas Album, a terrific newly reissued compilation that includes Sonny Boy Williamson II, the Soul Stirrers, and Salem Travelers.

    St. Vincent, ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’

    The sleeper holiday album of the year is the soundtrack to Oh. What. Fun., the Christmas comedy starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Annie Clark nicely renders this melancholy classic first sung by Judy Garland. The soundtrack also includes the Bird and the Bee, Weyes Blood, Madi Diaz, and Sharon Van Etten.

    Old Crow Medicine Show, ‘Bethlehem, PA’

    Nashville band Old Crow Medicine Show’s holiday album OCMS XMAS features 11 originals including the heart tugger “Grandpa’s Gone.” This one imagines a “little baby born in the Keystone State” in Lehigh County and also references the Phillies to set the scene. “We drove from the Poconos, three hours to see the King,” Ketch Secor sings. “Stopped off at a Wawa store to get some gifts to bring.”

    Luke Bryan and Ella Langley, ‘Winter Wonderland’

    American Idol’s Bryan teams with breakout star Langley on a countrified version of the 1934 song whose lyricist is Pennsylvanian Richard Bernhard Smith.

    Melissa Carper, ‘Dumpster Diving on Christmas Eve’

    A lighthearted country swing tune from Nebraska singer Carper about making do someway somehow when times are tough, from the excellent A Very Carper Christmas.

    Melissa Carper’s holiday album is “A Very Karper Christmas.”

    Jake Shimabukuro, ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’

    A sprightly instrumental from the ukulele virtuoso’s great new Tis the Season.

    Mickey Guyton, ‘It Won’t Be Christmas’

    A cheery throwback ‘60s bop that’s a highlight of Feels Like Christmas, the new album by the singer who broke through to the country mainstream with her 2020 single “Black Like Me.”

    Kyle M, ‘Mrs. Claus Is Getting Down’

    Former Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney has a five-song holiday EP called Winter’s Wish. This low-fi romp finds Santa’s wife cutting loose while her hubby makes his rounds. Alicia Silverstone stars in the video.

    Jeff Tweedy, ‘Christmas Must Be Tonight’

    The Wilco leader, who released his Twilight Override triple album this year, delivers a tender version of the Robbie Robertson-penned song by the Band. Also on the Oh. What. Fun. soundtrack.

    The Bret Tobias Set, ‘For Christ’s Sake’

    Philly bandleader Tobias updates a blue-eyed soul Christmas song he originally recorded with the Bigger Lovers, to a yearning duet with Krista Umile.

    Kylie Minogue’s “Office Party” is from the new “Fully Wrapped” version of her “Kylie Christmas” album.

    LeAnn Rimes, ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’

    Rimes was 13 when she had her first hit with “Blue” in 1996. That’s the same age Brenda Lee was when she recorded this holiday perennial in 1958.

    Soraia, “Santa Claus.”

    Philly garage band Soraia, fronted by singer ZouZou Mansour, covers the Sonics of “Louie, Louie” fame on the new It’s a Wicked Cool Christmas!, the compilation curated by Underground Garage creator Steve Van Zandt.

    Chaparelle and Sierra Ferrell, ‘When It Snows in Texas’

    Lone Star State trio Chaparelle teams with Grammy-winning Americana singer Ferrell on this swinging new tune about a day that may never come.

    This album cover image released by Craft Recordings shows “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” (Craft Recordings via AP)

    Vince Guaraldi Trio, ‘Christmas Time Is Here’

    The A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack album has been reissued on vinyl, featuring Guaraldi’s wistful piano tune.

    Gwen Stefani, ‘Hot Cocoa’

    This bouncy holiday pop song is on both the expanded edition of Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas album and the Oh. What. Fun. soundtrack.

    Deer Tick, ‘Light Up Reindeer’

    A reflective song about anxiety in the holiday season from the Providence, R.I., rock band.

    Lizzy McAlpine, ‘Celebrate Me Home’

    Lower Merion native and Broadway star Lizzy McAlpine’s cover of Kenny Loggins evaded my notice last year, so it’s in this 2025 mix.

    Old Crow Medicine Show’s holiday album is “OCMS XMAS.”

    Herb Alpert, ‘Sleigh Ride’

    Nonagenarian music executive and bandleader Alpert plays his trumpet and sings along with his wife, Lani Hall, on one of 11 chestnuts on his new Christmas Time Is Here.

    Trisha Yearwood, ‘Candy Cane Lane’

    Yearwood takes a stroll down a red-and-white-striped street on her album Christmastime that’s produced by Don Was and features husband Garth Brooks.

    Kylie Minogue, ‘Office Party’

    A sassy new track from the Australian diva, from the new “Fully Wrapped” edition of Minogue’s 2015 Kylie Christmas album, which also includes a beyond-the-grave duet with Frank Sinatra.

    Cher, ‘Christmas Is Here’

    She sang “Run Rudolph Run” on SNL this month — with Roots guitarist Kirk Douglas playing Chuck Berry licks — and released a Christmas album in 2023. Now, Cher’s added this propulsive track to her Christmas song list.

    Roberta Flack, ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)’

    The elegant, soulful singer who died in February recorded this Mel Torme-penned Nat King Cole holiday classic on her 1997 The Christmas Album. It’s been reissued as Holidays.

    Eric Benet’s new holiday album is ‘It’s Christmas.’

    Eric Benet, ‘I Really Don’t Want Much for Christmas’

    Eric Benet puts family and romance above material things on this R&B holiday song from his new It’s Christmas album.

    The SarahBanda, ‘Overture (from the Cuban Nutcracker Suite)’

    Tchaikovsky hits the dance floor on Cuban Christmas, thanks to the SarahBanda, Havana musicians led by Berlin Philharmonic French horn player Sarah Willis.

    Dar Williams, ‘I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (Santa Version)’

    Folk singer Williams covers the title track to Richard and Linda Thompson’s 1974 album, updated with sleigh bells.

    Tyra Banks, ‘Santa Smize, Santa Smize’

    A loopy hip-hop electro banger that does double duty as a dance floor mixture of mythical North Pole lore and an ad for Banks’ hot ice cream brand.

    This cover image released by Mercury Nashville shows “Snow Globe Town” by Brad Paisley. (Mercury Nashville via AP)

    Brad Paisley, ‘Counting Down The Days’

    We could all use a break this time of the year, country singer and guitar hotshot Paisley thinks. “It’s been a grind, but I can see Christmas lights at the end of the tunnel.” From the new Snow Globe Town.

    Sofia Talvik, ‘Poem at Year’s End’

    Ruminative late December song from Swedish songwriter Talvik from her Wrapped in Paper holiday collection.

    The Dollyrots, ‘Auld Lang Syne’

    A punk-rock take on Robert Burns also on It’s a Wicked Cool Christmas!, complete with singer Kelly Ogden’s New Year’s resolutions. “Every morning we’re going to do one thing to make ourselves feel better, and then one thing to make somebody else feel better.” Cheers to that.