Drs. Dorian and Turk are back for at least one more season.

I’ve said time and again that if I’m going to be writing on this arts and culture blog, I will exercise my blogger prerogative to write about pieces of art that resonate especially deeply with me.

Television sitcoms.

Tonight, one of my favorite television shows makes a return for what will most likely be its final season.  Scrubs returns after making the jump from NBC to ABC and is running the first two episodes of the season, back-to-back, tonight at 9 PM.

Due to what seems to be constant reruns on one cable channel or another every night, I’ve probably watch every episode of this show 4 or 5 times over and am very familiar with the changes it has gone through from one season to the next.  One of my favorite television critics and a Scrubs afficionado, Alan Sepinwall, reviewed these episodes and gives me hope that after sliding a little in quality the past few seasons, the show is coming back strong:

…after watching “Scrubs” primarily out of loyalty for a few years, the first two episodes suggest to me that the creative batteries may have been recharged enough to power the show, even without this cast.

And if not, at least “Scrubs” gets to sprint to the finish line instead of limping.

And I’ll be running along beside them.

Sepinwall effectively reviews tonight’s episodes so I probably won’t have much to add but I will use the comments section of this post to give some brief thoughts after I watch them tonight.

Before this weekend, I wasn’t even aware of the existence of this distinctive and very traditional form of transportation in Philadelphia but according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia’s blog, pedicabs (aka bike taxis, rickshaws) have been operating in some fashion since about 2003.  I’ve seen these in New York and some other cities but haven’t witnessed them among all of the various other unusual transportation options we have here.

If the city government doesn’t take action, we might not see them any time soon.  The post on BCGP’s blog is from one of the proprietors of such an operation.  Apparently, the city code hasn’t caught up with this centuries old innovation:

Currently, Philadelphia has no regulation that deals with this industry.

We have been forced to stop operating until City Council passes an Ordinance which provides this regulation. My brother Tom has been helping me try to get this regulation passed, but we have had trouble convincing City Council that this is an important issue - so we need your help!

Check out the post for more information if this is an issue that you think City Council should take up.  Without proper regulation, it’s unlikely that the streets of Philadelphia will ever witness some of the cooler innovation in pedicab technology:

Photo from Wikimedia Commons, click on picture for link to original

On the other hand, the fact that it’s going because the owner of the space feels like they can get a much higher rent for the space than they could when they originally leased it to Brasserie is a good thing.  Right?

Performing artists at the home for the Performing Arts

Love ‘em, hate ‘em or have no opinion about them, the Mummers are just as much a part of this city’s cultural offerings as the Art Museum or the Kimmel. In fact, this picture just reminds me how much Philadelphia has to offer to so many different people.

Peter also got up close with another string band:

A string band struts their stuff along South Broad

The thought crossed my mind yesterday as I watched the parade that there are a LOT of musicians involved with this event who otherwise are just normal, everyday folks.  Aside from the occasional athletic event or event-for-hire, this is their chance to show off those skills.  Wind players, string bands, and other musicians demonstrate the ability not just to play, but to play in a group, with elaborate costumes, outside and in the frigid cold.  There’s something to be said about that.

So when some friends of mine, newly moved near my South Philly neighborhood, suggested taking a walk up Broad Street to catch the parade, I thought sure, why not.  After all, I did attend my first Fancy Brigade rehearsal and I have been following closely the story of how the city budget cuts were threatening the parade.  Why don’t I go see what the fuss is all about?

Apparently, not much.

As we walked up Broad Street at about 11:30, we saw various costumed revelers spread out in the middle of the street, standing around or sauntering with no particular hurry towards the official parade starting point at Washington Avenue.  Crowds between Washington and Pine were thin.  The Inquirer’s account of the parade bears this out:

Many sidewalks in South Philadelphia were close to deserted, and even some stretches of Broad Street near City Hall were nearly empty at times. Spectators could walk up to a few metal barricades instead of craning their necks for a glimpse of the strutters - unheard of during most parades.

“It is anemic compared to the last few years,” Philadelphia Police Sgt. Austin Fraser said.

Between Spruce and City Hall, they got somewhat larger but didn’t seem focused on anything in particular.  Rather, it was just larger and larger groups of people with beers in hand, congregating on New Years to drink and be merry.  The very occasional group of Mummers walked in Broad Street but not with any kind of regularity or consistency that made the parade itself worth watching.  In fact, it became more of a backdrop for the partying crowd than a focus of attention.  Unable to see much from in the crowd, my friends and I cut over to 15th and walked up to Market, just west of City Hall.  We walked by the Clothes Pin, crossed Market and took up a spot on the north side of Market in front of Two Penn Center.

The grandstands near City Hall were filled though not packed.  Mummers in elaborate get ups that seemed to be walking floats as much as they were costumes entered the performance space at City Hall, danced to music blasted over portable loudspeakers for about 30 seconds, abruptly cut the music and then continued west on Market. Having performed their act, most of them were content to hustle along that stretch not particularly eager to play to crowds before disappearing north on 16th, presumably to their transportation.

In essence, the “parade” is just a long line of Mummers waiting for their chance to perform in one spot - City Hall - for judges who, ultimately, weren’t handing out any prizes.  Some Mummers went above and beyond.  String Bands, in particular, did their part to entertain, walking and playing as they waited their turn.  In fact, WHYY’s Peter Crimmins got this great shot from the middle of Broad, just south of City Hall, of the Aqua String Band, a crowd favorite:

Aqua String Band performs for crowds on South Broad Street (photo by Peter Crimmins, WHYY News)

It seems likely that the threat to the Mummers comes not so much from the cuts by the city, but from the fact that the show itself is not particularly fan friendly in its current form.  If crowds continue to diminish, finding other things to do with their New Year’s Day vacation day, the Mummers may find themselves performing for friends, family and those who like to use the event as an excuse to drink in public.

The aforementioned Inky account of the parade included quotes from a number of folks for whom the Mummers parade is a can’t-miss tradition.  As was clear from yesterday, however, that’s an ever shrinking group, which leaves me wondering, what kind of public celebration would get me (and other, non-Mummer diehards) out of the house on New Year’s Day, cold weather or not?

Did anyone else experience the parade yesterday?  Perhaps you had a better time than I did.  Feel free to share it in the comments.  Otherwise, I’m interested to know if anyone has any suggestions for making the event itself more entertaining or more of a draw.  What can Philadelphia - and the Mummers - offer on New Year’s Day to get people out and celebrating?  Will a parade on New Year’s Day in Philadelphia ever draw the kinds of crowds that it did in the past?

Following the Obama mold of organizing, they are encouraging interested parties to organize in their own cities.  As yet, no one has stepped up in The City of Brotherly (and Pants) Love:

Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Flash Mob / Facebook Event

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Shoqs / Facebook Event

Boston, Massachusetts - BostonSOS / Facebook Event

Chicago, Illinois - Facebook Group

Denver, Colorado - Urban Prankster Network / Facebook Event

Lisbon, Portugal - Urban Prankster Network

Los Angeles, California - Urban Prankster Network

New York, New York - Improv Everywhere / Facebook Event

Phoenix, Arizona - Urban Prankster Network / Facebook Group

Portland, Oregon - Facebook Event

San Francisco, California - Urban Prankster Network / Facebook Event

Toronto, Canada - Improv in Toronto - Facebook Event

Twin Cities, Minnesota - PlanB

Vienna, Austria - Urban Prankster Network / Facebook Event

Washington, DC - Urban Prankster Network / Facebook Event

Will no one* step up?

*Unfortunately, I have a very serious medical condition known as “pullus tibia” (chicken leg) syndrome that requires that I refrain from any de-pantsing activity.

Not to be left on the sidelines of blog-created awards season, Adam at A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago (hereafter known forever on this blog by its acronym) has his nominee for Funniest Half Hour of Television of the Year and is looking for other suggestions.

Jump on over to ALOTT5MA and throw your own thing on the list.  (But please feel free to let us know your nominee in our comments section as well.  I’ll start.  I have to put How I Met Your Mother’s “The Naked Man” up there with 30 Rock’s “Reunion.”)

Samuel Taylor of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History wonders whether Penn’s decision might be a little shortsighted:

“The reason that this has become such an issue is what’s at stake if the choice they’re making is the wrong choice.”

Taylor says if the museum gives up researchers and puts resources into exhibits, it risks losing its legacy as a leader in the field, to focus on something it’s admitting is a weakness.

This is a debate that is going on in museums across the country as they try everything to attract customers who have an exponentially increasing number of edu-tainment options.  The internet and digital and high definition television are bringing art, nature, science and history into homes in a way that used to be available only from a trip to the museum.  Meanwhile, the economic downturn and fundamental questions over the role of the museum in society are causing the unrestricted foundation grants, charitable donations and government funding sources to shrink.  This puts the museums in a difficult position essentially forcing them to look for funding through dangerous commercial/corporate sponsorships and with exhibitions that, while attractive to the masses, may have a little less scholarship behind them.  Similar criticism has been leveled against museum formerly known as The Franklin Institute for some of its recent movie-themed science exhibits.  (What’s next?  The Science of Marley & Me?)

Let’s hope that Penn Museum director Richard Hodges follows through on his assertion that research will still be an important part of the museum’s mission.

Of course, this is your chance to share your own memories of the Penn Museum.  Like most non-anthropology students, my experience consists of running around the mummy displays as a young child while my mom worked part time catering events at the museum.  I don’t remember any field trips but I’m sure I must have gone on at least one in 12 years of elementary and high school.

Click on photo for to go to DesignPhiladelphia for larger image and links to more photos of the Carnegie Libraries

Other blogs have taken up on behalf of the functions of the libraries which are set to be closed in a couple days.  With this photographic treatment, DesignPhiladelphia wants to make sure that we think about what could be lost in the historical and design significance of the building themselves.  The Carnegie libraries, as Preservation Magazine reported, have their own advocates simply because of their historical status:

“I want them to stay as libraries,” says John Gallery, director of the Alliance. In a letter to Mayor Nutter, Gallery wrote that his group is “concerned that if they are vacated as libraries and become surplus city properties, they will either decline or be sold or leased in ways that will jeopardize the historic value of the properties.”

And keeping them as libraries is important in preservation since the interiors have just as much historical significance:

Carnegie, who felt that the wealthy should not only help the poor but help the poor to help themselves, built 1,600 libraries across the country between 1886 and 1917. For Carnegie, a library’s interior layout was even more important than the exterior. His innovative libraries were designed to allow a single librarian to be able to oversee the whole library.

Even if the city’s historical commission designates the four Philadelphia libraries historic, only the exteriors of the buildings will be protected.