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Jan Carabeo joins CBS3

Uh-oh, she’s a Redskins fan.

Jan Carabeo.
Jan Carabeo.Read more

CBS3 HAS ADDED another face to its roster. Jan Carabeo will join the station as a general assignment reporter.

A native of the Washington, D.C., suburbs, Carabeo comes to Philly from the Fox affiliate in Hartford, Conn. She's a graduate of the University of Maryland.

Her Hartford station bio reads, "No matter how tough the season is going, she'll never stop rooting for the Redskins."

Uh-oh. Carabeo is in Eagles country now. Could she switch affiliations?

"If anyone from home sees this, they will disown me," she said when I asked her about her team affiliation. "Whenever I go somewhere new, I want to immerse myself in the culture and become a fan of the team of where I'm in. Is it possible for me to root for both teams and be happy with whoever wins?"

Probably not, but if you're ever at a loss for words with Carabeo, there's always Donovan McNabb to discuss.

Maybe she just hasn't had enough time to cast off her old Redskins affiliation yet. Carabeo told me this is her first experience in the city for more than short trips, but she's excited to immerse herself in the restaurant scene.

Carabeo is hitched up with a boyfriend, but he's also in the broadcast-news industry and, unfortunately, works far away.

TV snubs Philly twice

"Agatha," an ABC drama, is set in Philadelphia. The main character is a Philadelphia criminologist. Her dad is a member of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Yet, the show will be shot in Toronto, meaning the city has lost yet another television production - which brings with it jobs and a nice sheen to the city - because of the cap on the film-tax credit. Greater Philadelphia Film Office executive director Sharon Pinkenson confirmed that the production was shooting in Canada because of tax-credit issues.

The ABC pilot is set to star Bojana Novakovic (now on Fox's little-watched Greg Kinnear show "Rake") as the titular character and Clancy Brown ("The Shawshank Redemption") as her estranged papa.

But that's not all.

Pinkenson also said that we could have had "Empire," the Fox drama from Philly's own Lee Daniels, starring Lafayette Hill's Terrence Howard as a Jay Z-esque hip-hop mogul. Oscar-nominated Gabourey Sidibe, who has one of the more charming celeb Twitter feeds (@GabbySidibe), just joined the cast. Alas, she'll be hanging out in Chicago where the pilot is now filming.

Hey, Pa. lawmakers, y'know you'd make a certain gossip columnist really happy if you lifted the cap on that tax credit and brought more celebs her way. Hint, hint.

At least we have "How to Get Away with Murder," the pilot filming around the city starring Viola Davis and created by Shonda Rhimes of "Scandal."

Top Talkers

Radio-industry mag Talkers Magazine released its Talkers Heavy Hundred list, a ranking of talk-radio hosts from around the country. Michael Smerconish is the top Philly name, coming in at No. 17. NPR powerhouse Terry Gross is at No. 58. WPHT's Chris Stigall follows Gross closely at No. 60, making him the only local-broadcast host on the list.

The Heavy Hundred is meant to rank "who is important in the industry, who is held up as a role model or has a different brand of talk radio," said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers Magazine. He adds it is not a barometer of quality or popularity, but how each host is viewed through the industry spectrum.

OUT AND ABOUT

* "Royals" singer Lorde was spotted shopping in Center City on Saturday while she was in town for her show at Tower Theater in Upper Darby. I hear the 17-year-old Kiwi pop star was sunglasses-clad when she walked into clothing shop Barbour (1517 Walnut St.) with her entourage.

Rose goes to church

Former Phillie Pete Rose will speak at Christ's Church of the Valley (1560 Yeager Road, Royersford) on March 30. Charlie Hustle will be interviewed by senior pastor Brian Jones during the church's three services. Rose and Jones will discuss the merits of second chances.

Hamlisch in the books

Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie, who originated the role of Cassie in "A Chorus Line," will read from Marvin Makes Music, a children's book written by legendary composer Marvin Hamlisch, who died in 2012. McKechnie will be at Barnes & Noble (1805 Walnut St.) today at 1 p.m. It's all to celebrate the Philly POPS Hamlisch tribute, running tomorrow through Sunday. Go to phillypops.com for more.

On Twitter: @PhillyGossipDN

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