Dan Gross | Market gets Dick to fight Rick
THE READING TERMINAL Market has retained the firm of attorney Richard Sprague, whose name alone has been known to frighten adversaries, in its high-steaks battle with Rick's Steaks.
THE READING TERMINAL Market has retained the firm of attorney
Richard Sprague
, whose name alone has been known to frighten adversaries, in its high-steaks battle with Rick's Steaks.
Rick's Steaks is scheduled to be evicted at the end of the month from the Reading Terminal, its home for 25 years. The market says it's booting out Rick's to bring in a fresh face, that of Tony Luke's, which doesn't currently have a Center City location.
Rick Olivieri, grandson of Pat Olivieri, credited with co-creating the cheesesteak, wrote in a Friday Daily News op-ed that "management is trying to throw me out because they view me as a troublemaker, a whistleblower, somebody who isn't a team player." Olivieri is president of the Reading Terminal Market Merchants Association, which handles leases and merchant issues and other dealings with market management.
Reading Terminal spokesman Kevin Feeley says the Sprague firm was retained after the market received "very aggressive" communication from Olivieri and his attorney. He declined to be more specific, but we're told Olivieri's lawyer has threatened to file various lawsuits against the market and individuals behind the market. His attorney, William Harvey, could not be reached yesterday. Meanwhile, attorney Lawrence Woehrle, of the Sprague & Sprague firm, yesterday said no suit has been filed against the Reading Terminal, but in the event there is one, the firm will vigorously defend it.
Celebs play it straight at YSC
It was no laughing matter Saturday at the Youth Study Center when comedian Mo'Nique told the teenage inmates that they must stop being disrespectful and ignorant and stop blaming others for their wrongdoings. Queen Latifah told the juvenile inmates to "surround themselves with positive people and find role models that will truly move them forward in life." Actress Tisha Campbell sang a gospel hymn for the crowd at the Saturday afternoon appearance.
The entertainers were in town for the annual Charlie Mack Party 4 Peace Celebrity Weekend. At a Saturday night shindig at Ms. Tootsie's (1314 South), actor Chris Tucker, who stars in the upcoming "Rush Hour 3," busted out his dead-on Michael Jackson dance from "Rush Hour," which delighted the party crowd.
Out and about
In addition to a six-year, $25 million contract, Flyers forward Scott Hartnell also has an anniversary to celebrate. He and wife Lisa spent their first anniversary at Atlantic City's Borgata over the weekend.
The couple dined at the Old Homestead under the watchful eye of executive chef Romeo DiBona, a South Philly native and lifelong Flyers fan.
After the couple's meal, Old Homestead's waiters brought out a cake created by Borgata pastry chef Thaddeus DuBois and the Borgata pastry shop - a vanilla cake with raspberry jam, trimmed in Flyers' orange and black with a tasty Flyers logo, made of buttercream, on top.
* CBS 3's Maria LaRosa and son Michael, CBS 3's Liz Keptner and daughter Sophie, and NBC 10's Stacey Weaver and son Ben spent their Friday together at the Philadelphia Zoo.
No thanks, she prefers to stand
A woman who called in to Q102 Sunday afternoon hoping to win tickets to Maroon 5's October concert at the Wachovia Spectrum tells us she was "extremely offended" when the man who answered the phone said she had not won the tickets, but had "won the chance to sit on my face." The woman, who has won tickets from Q102 before, replied that her husband wouldn't appreciate that remark and says she was then told: "Your husband is not satisfying you."
The woman, who asked that we not use her name, called the station to complain and also called us. A station spokeswoman did not return our call yesterday.
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