In the Mix | A Def move to grab gamers
It's the latest sign of virtual reality bleeding into reality, of real life and video games becoming nearly indistinguishable. No, I'm not referring to network TV's coverage of the war in Iraq, with its super-cool graphics of F-16s and Bradley fighting vehicles and tank's-eye views of actual battle mayhem.
( By Dan DeLuca, Inquirer Columnist, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Our bodies are wondrous to behold, especially from the inside
Talk about visceral. The Human Body, the Franklin Institute's new Imax eye-popper, takes you on a subcutaneous journey that Raquel Welch could only dream of decades ago in Fantastic Voyage.
( By David Hiltbrand, Inquirer Staff Writer, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

In search for mom, a moving musical
War and Peace Bollywood-style, the incomparably moving musical A Peck on the Cheek hops from the political upheavals in Sri Lanka, where a baby is conceived in great love, to serene India, where she is born and adopted in equally great love.
( By Carrie Rickey, Inquirer Movie Critic, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Teen-angst tale centers on stakes of table tennis
A deft, delightful mix of sulky teen drama and overcoming-obstacles sports-movie triumph, with a trippy cinematic style and a moody techno soundtrack, Ping Pong is set - yep - in the high-stakes world of junior champion table-tennis competitions.
( By Steven Rea, Inquirer Movie Critic, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Taking a cue from Ritchie, and running badly with it
One's tempted to lay the blame for 9 Dead Gay Guys at the feet of Guy Ritchie - Madonna's man and director of the fast, furious, flip London gangster pics Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. With its ziggy cameras, zaggy soundtrack, and snicker-snicker title cards, this aggressively un-p.c. trip though the gay quadrants of London town is Ritchie-esque without being particularly rich.
( By Steven Rea, Inquirer Movie Critic, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Two films planned on serial killer
Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio are both working on biographical pictures about serial killer H.H. Holmes. The notorious murderer was a charming doctor who lured his victims to a hotel he built not far from the 1893 Chicago World's Fair grounds.
( ZAP2IT.COM, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

'Trauma' to pair Firth and Suvari
British actor Colin Firth and Mena Suvari will be starring in Trauma, a psychological thriller directed by Marc Evans (My Little Eye).
( ZAP2IT.COM, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Dave Chappelle brings his bad self to town.
'If I said everything I thought, it would just freak America out, man. You wouldn't want to hear a young black dude saying half the things I be thinking. The only way people would listen to stuff I think is if a pretty white girl sang my thoughts."
( By Rob Watson, For The Inquirer, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Family Filmgoer
Beyond the ratings game: Jane Horwitz of the Washington Post suggests recent releases appropriate for children - or not. The Jungle Book 2 Well-drawn, better than workmanlike sequel to Disney's 1967 animated classic continues Rudyard Kipling-inspired tale of jungle boy Mowgli (voice of Haley Joel Osment), reprises original songs between forgettable new ones, flawlessly mimics original voices; now living with loving humans in village, Mowgli sneaks back for jungle visit with old pal Baloo (John Goodman...
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Electronic showmen on a roll
Fischerspooner at the TLA tonight.
If hype equaled dollars, the members of the musical/performance collective Fischerspooner would be billionaires. Their #1 (Capitol) would be worth their weight - singers, dancers, technicians - in gold.
( By A.D. Amorosi, For The Inquirer, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

A Funk Brothers reunion
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "sidemen" category rightfully gives unsung players such as Motown session bassist James Jamerson and drummer Benny Benjamin their props. But if not for last year's compelling documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the Funk Brothers - Motown's money-in-the-bank house band, which included Jamerson and Benjamin - would remain in the shadows of pop music lore. Given the grooves they supplied on classics such as the Four Tops' "Bernadette," continued obscurity...
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Nightlife
Philadelphia Songwriters Project With Nancy Falkow, Tania Alexandra, George Stanford, Deb Callahan, Jason Wheatley. Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St; 215-563-4330 ext 7. www.phillysongwriters.com. .$8 7 p.m. Sun.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

The Future File
The Philadelphia County Fair will move to new digs outside the Mann Music Center grounds May 1-11. Along with the livestock competitions will be the popular Hambone Express Racing Pigs and Henrietta the tic-tac-toe-playing chicken. The chickens are expanding their talents: this year they will play basketball (with ping-pong-sized balls). Admission: $5; children under 7 are free. Information: 215-878-0110.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Ghosts of the Abyss *** (out of four stars)
Directed by James Cameron, produced by Cameron, Chuck Comisky, Gig Rackauskas and Janace Tashjian. Narrated by Bill Paxton. Running time:1 hour
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Get away from it all - for a bit
The first two weeks of the month bite... uh, the purse strings. We don't know about you, but in our lives the rent - or mortgage - is due, the car payment has to be mailed, and we have yet to buy groceries. The club scene is contrary in that it offers much to smile about at the beginning of the month - not to mention an escape from sweating those bills, bills, bills.
( By Lloylita Prout, For The Inquirer, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Mystery Muncher | In a down market, bar's fortunes are looking up
All through the bull market, the little bar across from the Philadelphia Stock Exchange at 20th and Ludlow Streets was a shot-and-a-beer called the New City Tavern. It had a certain hole-in-the-wall ambience. The dark paneling probably came from Panelrama, circa 1974. Stale smoke hung like a curtain. Few went there to dine.
( By The Mystery Muncher, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

At the Casinos
Bally's Casino Resort Boardwalk & Park Pl; 800-736-1420. www.ballysac.com. "Legends in Concert." $15-$25. 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Sats, 3:30 & 7:30 p.m. Suns-Thus.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Special Events
Tonight 11 p.m. "R.T. Herwig's The Good Thief Post-Screening Party" (Nodding Head Brewery, 1516 Sansom St.) Saturday 9 p.m. "Adult Swim: The Animator's Ball" (Emerald City, 460 N. Second St.)
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Art and activism in black and white
If you haven't made it to the Philadelphia Art Alliance to see Ernest C. Withers' photographs, don't procrastinate any longer. This exhibition of 125 black-and-white prints, organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., packs a powerful double punch.
( By Edward J. Sozanski, Inquirer Art Critic, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Art galleries and museums
Indicates wheelchair-accessible. Indicates listening devices. African American Museum in Philadelphia 7th & Arch Sts; 215-574-0380. www.aampmuseum.org. Albert Chong retrospective, 36 photographs. Closes 8/15. Ming Smith, photographs. Closes 6/03. Slide talk by photojournalist Jack T Franklin. Noon-4 p.m. Sat. $6; $4 seniors, ages 3-12; free ages under 3. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues-Sats, noon-5 p.m. Suns.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Carmen Electra may join 'Starsky and Hutch' on big screen
Carmen Electra is in talks to join Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Warner Bros.' big-screen adaptation of the '70s TV police series Starsky and Hutch.
( ZAP2IT.COM, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Myths and memories
Despite its title, When the War Is Over has nothing to do with this week's tumultuous events in Baghdad. Instead, Robert Smythe's one-man piece addresses a more ancient and universal conflict: the fissures and bitterness that can divide families and generations.
( By Desmond Ryan, Inquirer Theater Critic, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Portrayals not as deep as play's unhealing wound
Sheila Callaghan calls her play Scab, but what's important to the play is the lack of more than one of them. A character has a cut that, for a rather bizarre purpose, she won't allow to heal, but the wound and her attitude toward it are symbolic of the deeper emotional injury she can't or won't remedy.
( By Douglas J. Keating, Inquirer Theater Critic, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Theater, Dance, Classical Music
Indicates wheelchair-accessible. Indicates listening devices. Big Love Comedy. Wilma Theater, Broad & Spruce Sts; 215-546-7824. $9-$41. Tues-Suns. Closes 4/26.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Index
Movie Reviews Anger Management (***)... 4 Ghosts of the Abyss (***)... 4 The Human Body (***)... 8 Film festival reviews... 11 In the Mix... 3
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Family Fun
Indicates wheelchair-accessible. Indicates listening devices. *FREE* Community Egg Hunt Activities, Mr Bunny visit; all ages. Laurelwood Church of Christ, 543 Somerdale Rd, Blackwood; 856-782-1100. www.laurelwoodchurch.org. 10 a.m. Sat.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

Smells like bodily-function fun and games
Kids are fascinated with all of the substances - liquid, solid or gas - that come out of their bodies. This interest is explored in the Franklin Institute's newest exhibition for children, "Grossology," which seeks to explain the science of the necessary, if not socially acceptable, bodily functions.
( By John Tierno, For The Inquirer, 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)

How To Get Listed
Weekend listings are published as space permits. Information must be received in writing by mail, fax or e-mail at least two weeks before Friday publication. Due to the volume of listings, we cannot take information over the phone.
( 04/11/2003 03:01 AM EDT)