Sabrina Carpenter’s not mincing words when it comes to the Trump administration using one of her songs in a video promoting ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
On Tuesday, the pop princess condemned the White House for posting a video featuring ICE arresting protesters and undocumented immigrants to one of her songs. The video, which was published on the White House’s X account one day earlier, was captioned “Have you ever tried this one?“ alongside the hearteye emoji and was paired with Carpenter’s track ”Juno.”
It’s a nod to a scene in Carpenter’s just-wrapped “Short n’ Sweet” tour, where she would playfully “arrest” someone in the crowd “for being so hot,” giving them a souvenir pair of fuzzy pink cuffs before performing “Juno.”
Carpenter, a Bucks County native, replied to the post, “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.” Her response has been viewed more than 2 million times.
this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.
It’s the latest in a series of similar incidents, where artists ranging from Beyoncé to the Rolling Stones have objected to the White House using their music in videos promoting the Trump administration’s agenda without their consent.
Last month, Olivia Rodrigo had a similar exchange in the comments of a White House Instagram video demanding that undocumented immigrants self-deport over the singer’s track “All-American Bitch.” Rodrigo, who is Filipino American, commented at the time, “Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
The White House also used a song by Carpenter’s friend and musical collaborator, Berks County’s Taylor Swift, last month. Fans of Swift’s called out the use of “The Fate of Ophelia” in a video celebrating President Donald Trump, despite the president’s repeated slights toward the pop star. Swift herself did not comment on the video, but she has previously criticized Trump for posting AI photos of her on his social platforms.
Carpenter, 26, worked with HeadCount on her “Short n’ Sweet” tour, registering 35,814 voters — more than any other artist the nonpartisan voter registration group worked with in 2024. She’s been vocal about her support for LGBTQ+ rights and has publicly donated to the National Immigration Law Center.
When Trump won last year, she took a moment during her concert to say “I’m sorry about our country and to the women here, I love you so, so, so much.”
“Here’s a Short n’ Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: We won’t apologize for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists and pedophiles from our country,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the New York Times. “Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”
The 15th class of Forbes 30 Under 30 has some major Philadelphia connections, from Shark Tank winners to social media influencers, and Super Bowl champions.
A total of 18 people with ties to the Philadelphia area were recognized on the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in categories such as sports, social media, education, aerospace, and venture capital, among others.
Awardees who attended Philadelphia universities or based their businesses in the city appeared in all 20 categories.
Among the 600 honorees chosen for this year’s class, the local representatives include Philadelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley, 28, and Jalen Hurts, 27. Along with carrying the Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX win earlier this year, Hurts and Barkley have landed major brand partnerships and endorsement deals, which have elevated their profiles beyond the gridiron.
Social media influencer Brandon Edelman (aka Bran Flakezz), 29, popular for his humorous TikTok videos about Philly culture and insights into influencer marketing, has also landed on the coveted list.
University of Pennsylvania alums Alexandre Imbot, 27, and Eli Moraru, 25, who founded Philadelphia’s the Community Grocer, are on the list. With partnerships with M&T Bank and FMC Corp, the leaders of the food-justice nonprofit have provided nutritious food to more than 10,000 Philadelphians, including recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Another honoree is fellow Penn alum Kausi Raman, 28, cofounder of ChompSaw, a kid-safe power tool for cardboard cutting. Raman’s company has produced nearly 76,000 ChompSaws since 2022. In 2024, Raman joined cofounder Max Liechty on Shark Tank, where they secured $250,000 in a deal with Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban.
Another Philly-area honoree is John Huddleston, 27, the cofounder of Albacore Inc. The defense and space manufacturing company develops underwater vehicles to deter maritime invasions. Albacore has raised $6.5 million from backers including Z-Fellows, Outlander VC, Liquid 2, and Brave Capital.
Other Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees with Philadelphia ties
David Waltcher, 29, Penn alum and principal at New York-based venture capital firm FirstMark.
Salaar Kohair, 29, Penn grad and cofounder of L.A.-based gaming studio CAGE Studios.
Yejin Yeoum, 29, a Penn alum and principal at New York-based alternative investment manager BC Partners.
Tristan Fogt, 28, cofounder of Cincinnati-based Sensory Robotics and a Penn alum.
Jason Kaufmann, 26, Penn grad and cofounder of San Francisco-based Maritime Fusion.
Farah Otero-Amad, 29, Penn grad who’s a video producer and host at the Wall Street Journal.
Crystal Yang, 18, Penn student and founder of Audemy, a nonprofit assisting blind video gamers.
Katherine Sizov,29, Penn alum and founder of the life science company Strella, which designs technology to reduce food waste and improve quality.
Cindy Ji Won Lim, 29, Penn grad and director of brand marketing at Dallas’ Match Group. She’s also the cofounder of Korean American streetwear company Sundae School.
Andre Hamra, 28, Penn grad and founder of the recruiting platform Refer.
Kara Rosenblum, 28, Penn grad and co-owner of Bar Next Door in West Hollywood.
Maggie Tang, 25, Penn graduate and founder of Magic Technologies, an AI company specializing in hospitality services.
Philadelphia, start your engines — there’s another hometown star competing in the upcoming season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Meet Mandy Mango, a first generation Filipino American who calls herself “the sweetest fruit in Philadelphia.”
Mango is one of 14 contestants announced this week who will compete in Season 18 of the legendary show that has catapulted the careers of some of the best drag performers in the country, from Trixie Mattel to Bianca Del Rio, to Bob the Drag Queen.
In the show, the queens face dance, makeup, sewing, acting, and lip sync challenges as they vie for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar and a cash prize of $200,000.
Mango introduced herself in the show’s “Meet the Queens” Instagram post praising Philly’s drag scene, which she described as “very diverse, very eclectic.”
“We have our teeny boppers, we have our mama whoppers, we have some flippity floppers, and some daddy toppers,” she said.
She added that her biggest drag inspiration is her mother, who was a pageant queen in the Philippines in the 1980s.
Philly drag queen Mandy Mango will compete on Season 18 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ premiering on Jan. 2 on MTV.
“Growing up [Filipino American] has always been strange, trying to figure out if I’m Filipino enough, American enough, or not enough of either, on top of being queer,” said Mango. “Drag has really guided my journey understanding my identity.”
Drag fans will likely recognize Mango’s performances on Philly stages in recent years, from the time she competed in Snatcherella, or organized a No Arena Drag Show in 2024 to protest the Sixers’ arena in Chinatown, which she called a “special place for me and my art,” according to Philadelphia Gay News.
Mandy Mango is the drag persona of Sigfried Aragona, an HIV care and community health nurse at Penn Presbyterian Infectious Diseases who advocates for LGBTQ+ healthcare. He lives in Philadelphia with his three cats, Wasabi, Sriracha, and Soy.
Aragona first performed in drag as a student at West Chester University to Chelley’s “Took the Night.” He later went on to work at AIDS Resource Alliance, a nonprofit that provides health services across Northcentral Pennsylvania.
In a 2020 TEDx talk in Williamsport, Pa., Aragona passionately explained how he blends drag performance with his healthcare work and community activism.
“With Mandy Mango, I feel powerful. I feel fulfilled. And I believe that my space in this world is finally valuable,” said Aragona. “Mandy’s drag journey seeks to blend nursing intellect and drag art to empower people similarly.”
Mango is only the second drag queen to represent Philly in Drag Race’s 16-year history, following Season 16 star Sapphira Cristál. The opera singer was a fan favorite who aced challenges all season long and ultimately placed second. Cristál earned the title of Miss Congeniality and brought home $35,000 in prize winnings.
Other contestants who have ties to the Philadelphia region are Aquaria, the winner of Season 10, who grew up in West Chester, and Season 3 competitor Mimi Imfurst, who was raised in Massachusetts and Maine, but now calls Philadelphia home. Both of them represented New York on the show.
Season 18 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ premieres at 8 p.m. on Jan. 2 on MTV.
The Christmas tree was indeed magical and the music, in turns, brilliant and warmly enveloping. Even the Wanamaker Eagle got into the act, crowned for the occasion with a lit Christmas wreath hung around its neck.
A certain misty, nostalgic conjuring of Christmas past has reached its apotheosis in the Wanamaker Grand Court, and now the bittersweet countdown begins. Tuesday night’s “Home for the Holidays” concert is done, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret checks in next week, the Light Show and Dickens Village attractions run through Christmas Eve, and then the space closes for perhaps a couple of years while the building undergoes renovations.
The Wanamaker Eagle donned a lighted wreath for Tuesday night’s concert.
The one-night-only concert in the former Center City Macy’s did exactly what it should have. In the best gritty Philadelphia tradition, it took a defeat — the departure of a major retailer and the imperilment of the beating heart of Christmas in the city — and turned it into a party.
Opera Philadelphia was the creative director behind the event, which swung from sincere and spiritual (chorus members running their fingers around the wet rims of glasses to produce an ethereal shimmer) to the head-scratching (a couple of dancers in dinosaur suits moving to an excerpt from Philip Glass’s 1000 Airplanes on the Roof).
Anthony Roth Costanzo (right), countertenor, and Leah Hawkins (left), soprano, perform during “Home for the Holidays” on Tuesday at the Macy’s Center City.
The forces — orchestra, chorus, dancers, superb soprano Leah Hawkins, and clarion-countertenor (and Opera Philadelphia chief) Anthony Roth Costanzo led by conductor Geoffrey McDonald — delivered a variety-hour-plus celebration a la “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” if in miniature.
But the best vibe of the evening came from above via the hands and foot-peddling feet of organist Peter Richard Conte. He showed how a musician, instrument, and their space can seem made for each other, and why the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ is not one instrument, but many. The highly inventive organist called upon fat French horns and muted trumpets in his own arrangement of Victor Herbert’s “March of the Toys.”
Pure joy.
The Opera Philadelphia chorus performs in “Home for the Holidays” at the Wanamaker Building’s Grand Court on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
Christmas in this space triggers memories unique to each one of us, but it was a nice stroke by 10th Floor Productions to animate the marbled expanses around the courtyard’s arches with projected images of marching bears and soldiers for anyone who remembers the store as the source for holiday toys.
Frederick R. Haas, philanthropist and organist, waves to the crowd during “Home for the Holidays” in the Wanamaker Grand Court.
That the organ is still being played in this sliver of a post-Macy’s era is largely due to a $1 million donation from philanthropist Frederick R. Haas for the Pipe Up! series (as well as many previous gifts to the organ).
Rarely have a donor and his cause been more personally intertwined. Haas is himself a trained organist who could sometimes be heard playing in the space in its department store days. On Tuesday, he played his medley A Christmas Improvisation, tapping into a supply of enormous, overtone-rich bells in “Silent Night” and beautiful, unusual harmonizations in “Carol of the Bells.”
Conductor Geoffrey McDonald leading the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra in the Wanamaker Grand Court.
If the evening had a theme beyond Christmas, it was nostalgia.
Sub rosa, though, this and every event in the Pipe Up! series in the past few months has been about the future — about making the case for the Wanamaker Grand Court as a space that should survive as a public right of way no matter its next life.
TF Cornerstone, the building owner, has been generous and respectful of preserving public access so far. As the developer renovates and cuts deals with prospective tenants, access and the future of the organ as a daily presence hang in the balance.
The Opera Philadelphia orchestra, chorus, and vocal soloists in the Wanamaker Grand Court Tuesday night.
One piece on Tuesday night was a reminder of the special dynamic at risk.
When Opera Philadelphia flash-mobbed Macy’s with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah in 2010, it packed a punch because of the surprise of it. Music was suddenly in the best place of all: somewhere you’d never expect it. That’s also the secret superpower of the organ.
It was great to hear the “Hallelujah Chorus” here again. But heard now, it seems like a challenge issued, illustrating what the space once was and might one day be again.
“Home for the Holidays” will be broadcast Dec. 23, 8 p.m. on WHYY TV12, WHYY radio (90.9 FM), and via whyy.org.
The Pipe Up! series continues with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret’s “It’s Giving Cabaret” in the Greek Hall at the Wanamaker Building, 13th and Market Sts., Dec. 10-14. operaphila.org.
The Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village run through Christmas Eve. visitphilly.com.
If you need a Christmas tree to brighten your living room with the smell of freshly-cut pines and a medley of lit ornaments without the typical holiday crowd, you’re in luck.
These decadent evergreens can arrive without you ever setting foot outside of your house, thanks to an array of local delivery services.
Place an order, and the following business will transport a tree straight to your doorstep. Many will even set it up for you, or you can opt for a contactless delivery. There are even some offering recycling services once the holiday season comes to an end.
Here’s where to order a tree for delivery in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.
Ross Varanyak helps prepare Christmas trees for customers at Yeager’s Farm in Phoenixville, Pa. on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022.
Philadelphia
The Christmas Tree Stand
Choose between a Living Emerald green (3 to 4 inches tall) and Fraser or Douglas firs (3 to 16 feet tall) at the Christmas Tree Stand. Both the Fishtown and West Chester locations offer tree delivery services seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Next-day delivery is available in the city and in select suburbs throughout the region. Visit the website to select the tree type, size, and delivery option. The tree will be transported straight to your doorstep. Upgrade to the premium package to have your tree set up with a stand. Once the holidays pass, you can also schedule a pickup and recycling service in January. Wreaths and garlands are also available for purchase.
Stop by Walt’s Christmas Trees in Northeast Philly for a variety of Fraser, West Coast Douglas, and Pennsylvania Douglas firs. The 47-year-old family business is kicking off its inaugural Christmas delivery season with the help of a third-party service. Visitors can stop by the main location or one of the other five hubs and choose a tree ranging between 5 and 14 feet tall. Once selected, the tree will be delivered for a $40 fee within a 10-mile radius. Delivery will be available until Christmas Eve.
Rob Felker, 34, of South Philadelphia, slams a christmas tree to unveil the size and branches for customers on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. Felker is Rocky Yo-Mo’s nephew. “I love Christmas,” Felker said. “I love going up to Pittsburgh and bringing the trees down here so people can have trees in their house.”
Rocky Yo-Mo’s Christmas Trees
Looking for a Christmas tree without sacrificing convenience? Rocky Yo–Mo’s will deliver the tree to your front door for free. Check out the selection (Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday) at the South Philly lot. Decide between a Fraser, concolor, or Douglas fir, and schedule your at-home delivery. Payments are made in cash.
Founded in 2020 with the late Trevor Budny and his brother, Anthony Price, Cousin Eddie’s Tree Delivery is back to dispatch fresh-cut, 6-to-7-foot-tall Douglas firs across the Philadelphia area. Check out their Instagram account @cousin_eddies to view available trees and claim one via direct message.
The trees are claimed on a first-come, first-served basis and are offered until the supply runs out. All trees and sizes come at a flat rate, which includes contactless delivery. Cousin Eddie’s also offers a tree stand and post-holiday removal for an additional charge,
People shop for Christmas trees at Yeager’s Farm in Phoenixville, Pa. on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022.
Suburbs
Yeager’s Farm & Market
The Yeager family has been farming in northern Chester County for 200 years. Pick your tree at this Phoenixville farm, and they’ll deliver it to you. Cut your own Douglas, Fraser, Canaan, concolor, or Nordmann fir for $15 per foot. Fresh-cut 6-to-10-foot-tall Douglas and Fraser firs are available for $50 to $299. Trees will be delivered and set up on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
💵 Cut your own: $15 per foot; fresh cut: $100 to $350,📍1015 Pike Springs Road, Phoenixville, Pa. 19460, 📞 610-935-8244, 🌐 yeagersfarm.com
Colavita Christmas Tree Farm
More than two dozen varieties of trees fill this Yardley farm, offering delivery across Lower Bucks County and other nearby areas. A stand and set up are available for an additional charge.
Call the farm to arrange delivery within your area, or swing by any day of the week (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to cut or choose your own tree, which range from 4 to 12 feet tall. The farm makes fresh wreaths daily, too.
For its 62nd season, this Buckingham farm offers a wide variety of 3-to 17-foot trees. Call to set up delivery in the Doylestown area, or show up at the farm to pick up a precut Fraser, Douglas, and concolor fir. All trees come with a free holiday mug, while supplies last. Farm hours are Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This family-owned business delivers trees throughout the region, with fees starting at $50for areas near West Chester. Any delivery beyond 30 minutes starts at $75. Call ahead for exact pricing to your home, or visit one of the Wiggins’ three farms.
The West Chester location offers Douglas firs ranging from 7 to 8 feet tall, and the Cochranville location has trees from 2 to 10 feet tall. The precut lot at 1301 Westchester Pike in West Chester offers trees between 5 to 11 feet tall for $59 to $229. Purchase with cash, Monday to Friday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
💵 $59 to $229,📍2176 Gap Newport Pike, Cochranville, Pa. 19330, or 1257 Westtown Thornton Road, West Chester, Pa. 19382, 📞 610-344-7822, 🌐 wigginschristmastrees.com
Tom Barrett, 43, of Queen Village, carries a new Christmas tree from Rocky Yo-Mo’s Christmas Trees with his kids Chloe Barrett, 9, and Callum Barrett, 6, to their home on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019.
It’s OK if you don’t want to admit how many times you listened to “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters — Spotify will tell us, anyway.
Spotify Wrapped — the music platform’s annual, aesthetically pleasing deep dive into users’ listening habits — is back again with the feature dropping Wednesday morning.
The 11-year-old feature is both beloved and feared by users for its unflinchingly honest view into users’ favorite music over the last year-ish. So much so, last year, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey admitted that he manipulated his Wrapped results to be Bruce Springsteen-forward.
Features include users’ most-listened-to songs, artists, and albums, as well as the duration of time spent listening to music. There are also some bragging rights involved — in the past, users within an artist’s top 1% of listeners could access a special video message and sometimes purchase exclusive merch.
Across social media, users share parodies of their Spotify summary, saying things like “You spent 25,684 minutes this year complaining about Nick Sirianni.” Know Your Meme says the meme format dates back to about 2017.
Wrapped is considered one of Spotify’s signature calling cards and a major driver for user engagement and customer retention. This year, it dropped at the same time some users are boycotting Spotify entirely citing ads heard on the platform and its CEO’s investments.
Here’s more on that and Wrapped 2025:
When did Spotify Wrapped results drop?
Spotify Wrapped was released on Wednesday morning.
Historically, the feature usually drops the week after Thanksgiving, around the first week of December.
How do I see and share my Spotify Wrapped results?
Once Spotify Wrapped is live, here’s how you can see your results. Use the service’s mobile or web browser versions. It is not available on the desktop app.
Here are the steps:
Open Spotify on your phone. A prompt to see your 2025 Wrapped should be visible from the homepage of the app. If it isn’t, or you’re using a web browser, visit www.spotify.com/us/wrapped.
Find the “Wrapped” section in the top navigation bar, a featured playlist, or by typing “Wrapped” in Spotify’s search bar.
This year’s Wrapped results include a “report” and assign listeners to a club based on their listening habits, like the Serotonin Club or the Grit Club. It also has a visual component that shows artists racing for the top of your streams month by month. With bold black and white designs and colorful fonts, it walks you through your listening journey, featuring your total minutes spent listening to music, top songs, artists, genres, and podcasts. One new feature includes users’ “listening age” based on how trendy their picks are among generations.
Each slide of the Wrapped Story has a “share” button at the bottom. Click that button to save each individual slide to your camera roll or post on social media. At the end of your Wrapped Story, there will be a second opportunity to save your Top Artists summary.
What’s the time frame for Spotify Wrapped data?
It’s fuzzy. While Spotify spokespeople previously said data was analyzed between January and October, the streaming platform said in 2023 that Wrapped was still counting past Halloween.
The announcement sparked light controversy among audiophiles — the last week of October was once treated like the ultimate good-music-curating season to ensure impressive results.
Spotify users would also treat November and December like open season, free to blast holiday music on repeat without fear of it reflecting on their “cultural report card.”
But with an indefinite cutoff date, users remain left in the dark when it comes to how their listening habits will be reflected when Wrapped drops. Last year, the company again promised that data collection would happen past Halloween, but hasn’t disclosed a firm deadline.
We don’t know exactly when listening data stopped being collected this year. But we can guess it was sometime in mid- to late November.
Can I modify my results? What does ‘excluding from my taste profile’ really mean?
Where’s the fun in that?
There’s no way to modify your Wrapped results (unless you’re the aforementioned U.S. rep and opt to photoshop them). You get what you get, guilty pleasure songs and all — unless you plan ahead.
Spotify has a feature you can opt out of, including some elements from your listening data.
While using Spotify, users can click the ellipses next to a playlist and select “exclude from your taste profile.” For example, you can exclude your nightly “10 hours of ocean waves” playlist or your kid’s Disney playlist to keep those tracks from influencing your weekly Discover playlists and annual Wrapped data, Spotify says.
The caveat here is this only works for playlists, not individual songs, artists, or albums. A loophole could be curating a playlist of every sleep song, white noise track, guilty pleasure bop, or kids’ music that isn’t yours and excluding that entire playlist from your taste profile. But you’d have to do this ahead of time.
You can’t make edits to your Wrapped results after the fact.
What can I do with my Spotify Wrapped data?
You can post it on social media to brag about your incredible taste, obviously.
Beyond that, there are several third-party sites you can link your Spotify account to that will analyze your Wrapped data and roast you even more.
How Bad is Your Spotify is an AI bot that will judge your music taste. And be warned, it’s kind of harsh. Some results include: “Your spotify was tay-tay-fangirl-cling-clang-pots-and-pans-music-ponytail-pop bad,” “Your spotify was bon-iver’s-impact-escape-room cabincore bad,” and “Your spotify was folklore-evermore-dumbledore-witch-pop-escape-room-has-a-1975-lyric-tattoo bad.” You get the idea.
Receiptify reports your top songs in the form of a shareable shopping receipt graphic, while Instafest conceptualizes a music festival lineup based on your top artists.
What’s up with the Spotify boycott?
In recent months, Spotify’s received backlash over reports that its CEO, Daniel Ek, invested $693.6 million in the European defense technology start-up Helsing. The tech has been criticized for its role in driving the military-industrial complex and ethical concerns over surveillance technology.
Around the same time, reports came out that Spotify — and other streaming services — were running ICE recruitment ads. A spokesperson for the company said the ads were part of a wider ad campaign by the U.S. government running across multiple platforms.
Rolling Stone reported that the Spotify users hearing the ads were using the streaming platform’s free ad-supported tier and that other streaming platforms running the same ad campaign included Amazon Music, Hulu, Max, YouTube, and Pandora as early as April. Apple Music did not run the ads, but it’s a paid-only service with no free ad-supported tier.
Is there a version of Spotify Wrapped for Apple or Amazon Music?
Yes and no. For the first time last year, Amazon Music launched 2024 Delivered, its clapback to the Spotify Wrapped experience. The feature gives a graphic breakdown of users’ listening habits. Amazon Music users can access it by opening the Amazon Music app and tapping a banner that says “2025 Delivered” in their Library.
Apple Music has a feature called Replay, which is available all year and allows users to see a detailed view of their listening habits. Similar to Wrapped, Replay has a “year-end experience.” The Replay year-end experience debuted in 2023. Critics said at the time that Apple’s version lacked in the shareable experiences and themes that Spotify does so well.
YouTube Music also offers a “year in review” recap with breakdowns of users’ top songs, albums, artists, and total listening time over the year.
But none of them feel quite like Wrapped, which is praised for its extra pizazz.
Sixty-two years ago, Allan Sherman was all the rage.
Sherman, the singer and comedian who specialized in wry song parodies rife with references to Jewish culture, released three albums that all topped the Billboard charts in 1963.
The popularity of “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp),” a song about a spoiled child writing home from summer camp, set to music from Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda, made his My Son, the Nut the fastest-selling album ever up to that point in time.
And judging from the lineup that will perform at “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute concert being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday, affection for Sherman, who died in 1973 at age 48, remains strong with musicians across a wide range of genres.
The A-list lineup includes performance artist Laurie Anderson, centenarian Sun Ra Arkestra leader and free jazz sax player Marshall Allen, NRBQ pianist Terry Adams, English songwriter and novelist (and Philly resident) Wesley Stace, Dead Milkmen vocalist Rodney Anonymous, Hooters singer-guitarist Eric Bazilian, and Low Cut Connie bandleader Adam Weiner.
Bringing these eclectic talents together in tribute to the musical humorist who’s been called “Weird Al Yankovic’s Founding ‘Faddah’” is Bucks County native Jonathan Stein, who coproduced the show with his partner Jess Gonchor.
A handful of VIP-level tickets remain for the otherwise sold-out 8 p.m. “Glory, Glory.” By popular demand, a 3 p.m. dress rehearsal show has been added, for which tickets are available.
For over a decade, Stein has been working on an in-and-out-of-development project aiming to bringing a biopic of the pudgy, unlikely pop star who chronicled Jewish life in songs like “Sarah Jackman“ (set to the tune of “Frere Jacques”) and “Harvey and Sheila” (based on “Hava Nagila”).
Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen performs at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. He’ll be among the performers at “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute concert being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday.
Stein is also a fan of Hal Willner, the Philadelphia-born producer who specialized in bringing musicians of diverse backgrounds together to sing sea chanteys, or honor William S. Burroughs, or recast music from Walt Disney films.
The poster for “Glory, Glory” announces the concert is presented “in conjunction with the spirit of Hal Willner,” who died in the spring of 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight-piece house band at the show will be led by pianist and bandleader Steve Weisberg, a longtime Willner associate.
Willner, the longtime Saturday Night Live sketch music coordinator, was the son of a Polish Holocaust survivor who co-owned Hymie’s Deli in Merion Station. In 2014, Willner put on a Sherman tribute in New York that featured many “Glory, Glory” guests, plus luminaries like the composer Philip Glass.
Philadelphia-born record producer Hal Willner, who died in 2020. He is the inspiration behind “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute concert being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday. The photo was taken by Willner’s late friend Lou Reed.
The diversity of the “Glory, Glory” bill reflects Willner’s try-anything aesthetic. It includes Robert Smigel, the comic behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog; actress Chloe Webb, who played Sid Vicious’ Philadelphia-born girlfriend Nancy Spungen in Sid & Nancy; and “banshee mandolin” player John Kruth.
“Hal had this Rolodex, and people just wanted to do his shows,” says Stein. “When we started talking about doing this, and Hal’s name was invoked, people started coming on board left and right, because they know what kind of show it’s going to be, and they want to be a part of it.”
When Dan Samuels, the Weitzman’s director of public programs, first got Stein’s pitch to bring the Sherman show to the museum he thought, “This is crazy!” but in the best possible way, he says, while on a Zoom call with Stein this week.
Generations of fans “came up on Allan Sherman, or their parents had the records in the house, or their grandparents had the records in the house, or maybe because they just know [”Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh”],” says Samuels, who also grew up in Bucks County. “They’re going to be surprised when they realize the version of the songs are not going to sound like they did on the records. They might be really surprised when they hear Marshall Allen.”
Philadelphia singer and novelist Wesley Stace is among the performers at “Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” the tribute to the late song parodist and comedian Allan Sherman at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
Stace counted himself in, and connected Stein with the Hooters’ Bazilian and Low Cut Connie’s Weiner. “They both e-mailed me back and said: ‘I’m in,’” Stein says. “And those three right there are the beginnings of a great hometown show.”
Almost all of the artists on Stein’s wish list came back with a yes, including pianist Adams, who worked with Willner on many projects, and Anderson, who also teamed with Willner and is the widow of Willner’s close friend Lou Reed.
Just this week, however, he did get “a very kind rejection letter from the Phillie Phanatic. He expressed his regrets and “apologized that he’s already booked,” Stein says.
Another Philly icon that Stein did get is the Dead Milkmen’s Anonymous. He’ll sing a song called “I’m a Punk.”
“Allan voiced The Cat in the Hat for CBS in 1971,” Stein says. “It’s just a really clever, pre-punk punk song, with the guy declaring that he’s just a punk,” which rhymes with “a crutunkulous shnunk!”
“When I asked him,” Stein says, “he said ‘Oh my God, I’m so honored to do it. My Mom and I would sing Allan Sherman songs together all the time.”
The poster for Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute, is being staged at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday,
Stace’s history with Sherman goes back to his mid-‘70s schoolboy days in England. At a friend’s house, a pile of Velvet Underground, David Bowie, T-Rex and Roxy Music records gave him “my first proper education in music,” he says. And there was also one Allan Sherman album, My Son, the Celebrity, the second hit LP from 1963.
“That’s the one with the liner notes that says ‘the family are croquet players, with mallets toward none,’” says Stace, with a laugh. “I know that album inside out.”
At the Sherman tribute, Stace will perform “Won’t You Please Come Home, Disraeli” sung in the character of Queen Victoria to the tune of “Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey,” and “Me,” in which Sherman described his physique as “a carcass” dressed in “the best from Neiman Marcus.”
“They’re both very funny songs,” Stace says. “I hope to do them justice.”
“Glory, Glory Allan Sherman: A Celebrity Music and Comedy Salute,” Dec. 4, 8 p.m., Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 South Independence Mall East. There is also a 3 p.m. dress rehearsal. theweitzman.org
Quinta Brunson wants you to dig into your pocket to make free field trips possible for Philadelphia students.
The actor, writer, and comedian — along with Philadelphia School District officials and the leader of the district’s nonprofit arm — announced the “Quinta Brunson Field Trip Fund” on Tuesday.
District teachers and administrators will be able to apply for money for field trips by completing a short application subject to evaluation by an independent, internal group of educators. Field trip grants will be made twice a year.
“They opened my world, sparked my creativity, and helped me imagine a future beyond what I saw every day,” Brunson said. “Going somewhere new shows you that the world is bigger and more exciting than you believe, and it can shape what you come to see as achievable. I’m proud to support Philadelphia students with experiences that remind them their dreams are valid and their futures are bright.”
“Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson watches the Phillies play the Atlanta Braves during a taping of the show in Philadelphia in August.
Every Abbott Elementary season has featured a field trip episode, including visits toSmith Playground, the Franklin Institute, and the Philadelphia Zoo. Brunson’s fund “will remove the financial barriers that too often limit our children’s access to these enrichment opportunities,” officials for the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia said.
The GivingTuesday launch kicked off with an unspecified donation from Brunson herself.
Kathryn Epps, president and CEO of the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, said getting students out of their classrooms is crucial.
“We are honored to partner with Quinta to expand these experiences for children in Philadelphia’s public schools, helping them to envision and realize any future they desire,” Epps said.
Tony B. Watlington Sr., Philadelphia School District superintendent, said he was grateful to Brunson.
“We want our students to venture out and bridge what they’re learning in the classroom to engaging, real-world learning experiences,” Watlington said. “This commitment to equitably expanding opportunities for students to have experiences outside of their classroom will help accelerate student achievement and we are becoming the fastest improving, large urban school district in the nation.”
The holiday concert season in Philly is in full swing, with touring acts and local musicians capping off the year with plenty fa la la la la from now until Christmas Day.
This list of recommended shows includes pop, rock, R&B, country, hip-hop, EDM, gospel, and jazz, all in the end-of-the-year business of spreading musical holiday cheer.
Jane Lynch
Dec. 2, Keswick Theatre
Glee and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actor and comedian Jane Lynch put out an album called A Swingin’ Little Christmas in 2016, and she tours regularly in the holiday season. She sings along with The Office’s Kate Flannery and Glee vocal arranger Tim Davis with a 1950s and ‘60s Frank Sinatra-Andy Williams style Christmas repertoire. 8 p.m., keswicktheatre.com.
Aimee Mann and Ted Leo’s Christmas Show comes to City Winey Philadelphia on Dec. 3.
The Aimee Mann & Ted Leo Christmas Show
Dec. 3, City Winery
This offbeat music and comedy holiday duo teams up top shelf songwriter Mann, who released the excellent melancholy holiday album, One More Drifter in the Snow in 2006, and punk rock veteran Leo. They have a history of performing and recording together as the Both, and will be joined by Philly-born comic Paul F. Tompkins and utterly charming cabaret singer Nellie McKay. 8 p.m., citywinery.com/philadelphia
LeAnn Rimes
Dec. 6, Keswick Theatre
Veteran country singer LeAnn Rimes — who released her first album in 1991, when she was 9 — is on a Greatest Hits Christmas Tour. That means she’ll be singing Christmas songs from her multiple holiday albums, plus her biggest hits. 8 p.m., keswicktheatre.com.
Don McCloskey
Dec. 6, Brooklyn Bowl
Philly songwriter Don McCloskey is known for his 2008 Phillies fight song “Unstoppable,” his association with the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crew, and most recent album The Chaos and the Beauty. He and his eight-piece band — including singers Hannah Taylor and Sarah Biemuller — throw their annual “Holiday Office Party” in Fishtown. 8 p.m., BrooklyBowl.com/philadelphia
Work Drugs
Dec. 6, Double Nickel Brewing Company
Work Drugs, the smooth, soft rockers who self-identify as “Philadelphia’s premier bat mitzvah and quinceañera party band,” is throwing its 14th annual Holiday Spectacle, and has just released a cover of Alexander O’Neal’s ”Our First Christmas.” They’ll be joined by opener Nero Catalano for a free show at Double Nickel Brewing Company in Pennsauken. 8 p.m., dnbcbeer.com
V. Shayne Frederick performing at the University of the Arts in 2022. The jazzman will sing at South Jazz Kitchen on Dec. 6 and 7.
V. Shayne Frederick
Dec. 6, 7. South Jazz Kitchen
In 2022, Philly jazz vocalist V. Shayne Frederick released The King Suite, an album of songs associated with Nat “King” Cole filtered through the African musical diaspora. Cole sang the definitive version of Mel Torme’s classic “The Christmas Song,” so expect Frederick to have his way with it when he plays two “A Very V. Shayne Frederick Holiday” shows each night on Dec. 6 and 7. Times vary, SouthJazz Kitchen.com
Various artists at Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Starting Dec. 6 and through December
The Center City club will deck the halls all December long.
On Dec. 6, the Tim Brey Trio celebrate the 10th anniversary of the pianist’s holiday release Unwrap. Dec. 9, 16, and 23 are Holiday Soul nights with trumpeter Josh Lawrence & Friends. On Dec. 17, it’s the Peter Frank Orchestra’s Holiday Show. Dec. 18, the Laura Orzehoski Quartet plays Vince Guaraldi Christmas Classics.
The next night, it’s the Benny Benack Quintet Holiday Show featuring Michael “Sonny Step” Stephenson. The Anais Reno Quintet’s “White Christmas” Holiday show is Dec. 20, and Bruce Klauber Swings the Sinatra Christmas Songbook on Dec. 24. Times vary, ChrisJazzCafe.com.
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones bring their Jingle All the Way tour to the Miller Theater on Dec. 12.
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
Dec. 12, Miller Theater
Virtuoso banjoist Bela Fleck and bandmates Howard Levy, Roy “Future Man” Wooten, and Victor Wooten recorded the reimagined holiday songs album Jingle All the Way in 2008. They’ve reunited for this tour, which will draw from their nonseasonal catalog as well. The quartet will be joined by both saxophonist Jeff Coffin and Tuvan throat singing ensemble Alash, so expect Christmas music unlike any you’ve heard before. 8 p.m., EnsembleArtsPhilly.org.
Santa Rave
Dec. 12, Brooklyn Bowl
Have yourself a very EDM Xmas at this Fishtown dance party, which promises holiday hits, “2000s and 2010s” remixes and dubstep, techno and dance grooves, courtesy of DJ Pad Chennington. 8 p.m., broooklynbowl.com/philadelphia
Laufey performs during the Newport Jazz Festival in 2024. She will sing at the Jingle Ball at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Dec. 15.
Jingle Ball
Dec. 15, Xfinity Mobile Arena
This annual holiday season pop star cavalcade is presented by radio station WIOQ (102.1-FM), better known as Q102. This year, it includes pop-rock sibling band AJR, Icelandic jazz singer Laufey, YouTuber turned “Ordinary” international hitmaker Alex Warren, and Texas country rapper BigXthaPlug, among others. 7:30 p.m., XfinityMobileArena.com
Ben Folds
Dec. 16-18, City Winery
In 2024, piano man Ben Folds released his first Christmas album, Sleigher, mixing chestnuts with new songs, including the gem “Christmas Time Rhyme.” His solo tour will being him to Philly for three Tis The Season shows this month. 7:30 p.m., citywinery.com/philadelphia.
Darlene Love
Dec. 17, Keswick Theatre
Darlene Love was dubbed “the Christmas Queen” long before Mariah Carey had any claim to the throne. She sang three songs on Phil Spector’s classic 1963 A Christmas Gift For You, including the unstoppable “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” which she performed annually for 28 years on David Letterman’s late night TV show before moving to The View on 2015. She brings her Love For the Holidays tour to Glenside this year. 8 p.m., keswicktheatre.com
CeCe Winans performing in 2019. Her Christmas with CeCe Wians comes to the Met Philly on Dec. 18.
CeCe Winans
Dec. 18, the Met
Beyoncé, Alison Krauss, and Aretha Franklin are the only women with more Grammys than CeCe Winans, who’s tied with Alicia Keys with 17. The daughter of Detroit’s first family of gospel released her second Christmas album, Joyful Joyful in 2024, and the powerhouse vocalist is headed to North Broad Street on her “Christmas with CeCe Winans” tour, accompanied by sisters Angie and Debbie Winans. 8 p.m., themetphilly.com
The Tisburys will be joined by Stella Ruze and Nervous Nikki & the Chill Pills on Dec. 20 at the Sellersville Theater in Bucks County. Left to right: Dan Nazario, Ben Cardine, Tyler Asay, John Domenico, Jason McGovern.
The Tisburys
Dec. 20, Sellersville Theater
Indie rock quintet the Tisburys, whose 2025 album A Still Life Revisited is one of the standout Philly releases of the year, will be playing holiday songs atop a ‘Tis the Season triple bill. The band will be joined by Stella Ruze and Nervous Nikki & the Chill Pills. 8 p.m., st94.com.
The Klezmatics
Dec. 23, City Winery
The musically adventurous klezmer band, the Klezmatics, has won a Grammy for a Woody Guthrie tribute album and has recorded with violinist Itzhak Perlman. Known for lyrics that comment on world affairs, the band’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah Tour — “a celebration of light in dark times” — arrives one day after the holiday ends. 7:30 p.m., citywinery.com/philadelphia.
Mars Co-Op, the Philadelphia rapper known for the standout verse he contributed to The Roots’ song “Clones” from 1996, has died.
His death last week was confirmed on Sunday by Dice Raw, the Philly rapper who is a long-standing member of the extended Roots family, and was first reported on AllHipHop.com.
Mars Co-Op, who was born Phillip Blenman, was raised in the East Logan section of Philadelphia. He brought a toughness and street-wise energy to The Roots’ third album, Illadelph Halflife.
He is featured on the recording for “Clones,” a single from Illadelph in which he trades verses about urban violence with principal Roots rapper Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Dice Raw.
“I try to tell ya,” he rapped. “Don’t let these street … fail ya / The way [people] by gettin’ clapped, [will] scare ya!”
The video for “Clones” was shot in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood and features a young Trotter and Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, as well as other band members including the late bassist Leonard “Hub” Hubbard.
“I grew up in the streets. … I ran away from home, got out on the streets, shooting [people], doing all types of [stuff]. Luckily, at some point in my life, I did have a father. The music saved my life,” Mars Co-Op, who also went by Black Caesar, told AllHipHop.com in 2012.
“We brought the streets to The Roots. Early on, they was doing street festivals and stuff, and then me and Malik [B] was doing stuff that our peoples liked. Me and Dice was from Logan, so our style was different. We was that street stuff,” he told the website.
After Illadelph Halflife, Mars and Malik B left The Roots and formed the label Tali Up Boyz Records. Malik B died in July 2020 at age 47.
