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Inqlings: Seymour visits for Mural Arts

Actress Jane Seymour clearly is not one to give Philly the brush-off. She'll spend two days here this week for events sponsored by the Mural Arts Program. She'll attend Thursday's Wall Ball, the nonprofit's annual major to-do, at the Loews. State Rep. Dwight Evans will be honored, and Mayor Nutter will give an award to Philly police officers who participated in MAP's "Cops & Kids" program.

Actress Jane Seymour clearly is not one to give Philly the brush-off.

She'll spend two days here this week for events sponsored by the Mural Arts Program. She'll attend Thursday's Wall Ball, the nonprofit's annual major to-do, at the Loews. State Rep. Dwight Evans will be honored, and Mayor Nutter will give an award to Philly police officers who participated in MAP's "Cops & Kids" program.

Friday afternoon, Seymour will help muralist Cathleen Hughes create a mural based on Seymour's "open heart" paintings, at Western Community Day Care (1617 South St.). Also Friday, she'll host a meet and greet (6 to 8 p.m.) for Mural Arts' artists and supporters at the center's headquarters at the Thomas Eakins House (1729 Mount Vernon St.).

Seymour, an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, got into the Mural Arts spirit this time last year. She happened to be staying at the Loews when she wandered into the Wall Ball and was asked to make the closing announcements.

Queuing up

QFest, formerly known as the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, will run July 9 to 20, and among confirmed guests are Sharon Gless, Chad Allen, and actor/director H.P. Mendoza. The fete is expanding into Old City, screening at the Ritz East as well as its home at the Prince.

Eskin's a solo act

WIP-AM (610) afternooner Howard Eskin is not getting a sidekick. So says CBS vice president Marc Rayfield - and quite emphatically. Rayfield explained nighttimer/ weekender Rob Ellis' presence in the chair next to Eskin's last week and yesterday as a move to give Ellis more exposure in prime time. "Howard has a ton of vacation time coming up," Rayfield said. Eskin's ratings have everyone guessing. April's Arbitron numbers indicated that he had his lowest audience rating in more than a year among his target demographic of men ages 25 to 54, while his former cohost Mike Missanelli, now his rival at 950ESPN, had his best book since he signed on a year ago. Eskin did have a higher cumulative audience than Missanelli in April, suggesting that Eskin's audience dial-flips more.

Briefly noted

WBEB-FM (B101) moved within Bala Cynwyd from its home since 1967 at 10 Presidential Blvd. to 225 City Ave.

Jennaphr Frederick is to return to Fox's Good Day Philadelphia tomorrow. She delivered a baby girl, Landry, in March.

"Write On!", tomorrow's benefit for Philadelphia Young Playwrights at World Cafe Live, will feature Philly's Quiara Alegría Hudes, a Young Playwrights alum and a Pulitzer finalist for In the Heights. I hear that she'll perform an excerpt from a work she will premiere this fall at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She does not normally perform her own work.

Jennifer and Chase Utley's second annual Utley's All-Star Animals Event, a benefit for the Pennsylvania SPCA in Old City, raised $215,000 on Thursday. Business exec Paula Errington topped Phillies players including Eric Bruntlett, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, and Carlos Ruiz in Texas Hold 'Em, walking out with a home entertainment system from sponsor HiFi House.

This is Goofy

Two months later, an April Fool's joke is still making the e-mail rounds: It's an official-sounding press release stating that the Walt Disney Co. plans to "create a unique and historically detailed environment celebrating the nation's richness of diversity, spirit and innovation - Disney's America - to be located east of Philadelphia in Bellmawr, N.J." A Disney rep said it was not true, and a borough official who picked up the phone just giggled.