Because Puppets Are People Too Peoplehood, parades, pageantry and puppets. Alliteration rocks, and so does Spiral Q Puppet Theater’s Peoplehood Parade and Pageant. This West Philly community project revels in everything that is “peoplehood.” Sponsored by Spiral Q — a community arts-based non-profit in West Philadelphia — the event is a culmination of weeks of community building and rehearsals. An annual celebration of community, this year's event focuses on activism and nonpartisan reflection on the election. The parade starts at the Paul Robeson House (50th and Walnut), ends at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore) and is followed by the pageant held in the park.
Because You Know You’re Scurred Granted, Halloween is every inner-freak’s favorite time of year. But before you get your skank on, check out the annual Terror Behind the Walls Haunted House held in the eleven-acre Eastern State Penitentiary. Choose from five separate “houses,” located throughout the historic former prison. If you want to rock sweet shades, “The Experiment in 3D!" is a solid hit where visitors wear 3D glasses to ensure a psychedelic adventure. Fans of Snick’s Are you Afraid of the Dark? have to stop by the “Night Watch,” where you are left with only a flashlight inside the pitch-black walls of the prison. The nightmare-inducing attraction is open until Nov. 2. While this haunted house is a bit pricey ($20-$30, depending on the time of night), student deals are offered on Oct. 16, 22 and 28, with $5 discounts.
Because Young America Hasn’t Sounded This Good Since Motown The Sound of Young America is a weekly interview podcast hosted by Jesse Thorn. Thorn’s low key, conversational style makes the chats more than just standard plugs for albums or movies. Knock off a 30-minute episode a day in those five-minute chunks between classes; in two weeks you’ll know all kinds of cool things, from how Bubbles was created for The Wire (1/7/08) to a behind-the-scenes look at The Onion (3/26/07).
Because We’re Getting Inside a Criminal Mind Maybe you don’t know Neal Baer’s name, but if you’ve ever gotten sucked into a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit marathon on USA (please pretend you haven’t, we dare you) you are definitely familiar with his work. Baer is the Executive Producer of Law & Order: SVU, so if you want to blame him in person for being the reason you get nothing productive done on Saturdays, don’t miss lunch with him at the Kelly Writers House. He’ll be in the Arts Cafe at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 21, and you can RSVP via e-mail to wh@writing.upenn.edu or by phone: (215) 573-9748.
Because We Toast To Dear Old Penn Homecoming: providing an excuse for day-long drunkenness since 1740. (Watch us — hopefully — kick Brown’s ass at noon on Sat., Nov. 1.)
Because We Like Our Martinis With Sex and Smoke Don Draper: here is a man that gets drunk before lunch, cuts out of work early to cheat on his gorgeous wife and lies pathologically. But if you watch Mad Men, you have probably fallen in love with him. Draper is just one of the many complex characters whose speech is as sharp as his wardrobe on this Emmy-award winning drama. Mad Men takes you inside the world of the men (and women) who smoked and worked and smoked some more at Madison Avenue ad agencies in the '60s. AMC is showing the final two episodes of the second season over the next two Sundays at 10 p.m. If you don’t know your Pete Campbells from your Joan Holloways, make sure to catch up on the season's first 11 episodes — as well as the first season’s DVD set which, of course, comes packaged in an oversized cigarette lighter.
Because Art Gets Better After Dark Blow all your money on beer but still want to see the city? Hit up The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s “Art After Five,” which is free on Friday nights after museum admission. The PMA puts together all you need for a classy evening of culture: wine, art galleries and live jazz. The museum is located at 26th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway; save on cab fare and walk the path along the Schuylkill. Call 215-763-8100 or visit www.philamuseum.org.
