Dan Gross: Acting gigs bring Brian O'Halloran back home

ACTOR

BRIAN O'Halloran

, best known for playing Dante Hicks in "Clerks" and working on many of Kevin Smith's other films, was in town not long ago working on the

James L. Brooks

comedy, playing a waiter in a

Reese Witherspoon

and

Paul Rudd

date scene shot at Union Trust (717 Chestnut).

He also worked in the area on M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," but before both of those projects, O'Halloran spent some time in Bucks County shooting the teen-sex comedy "Hooking Up," which is out tomorrow on DVD.

O'Halloran plays a high school principal and father of a student who aggressively pursues her chemistry teacher, played by Bronson Pinchot.

Corey Feldman also co-stars as a 25-year-old cokehead who dates and is abusive toward a high school girl in the film written and produced by Doylestown-raised Jeff Siegel, a Central Bucks East grad, and directed by Levittown-raised Vincent Scordia, who attended Neshaminy.

The actor says he was happy to play a parent, and says it was a "refreshing little break" that this time he wasn't the one doing all the dirty talk, which "Hooking Up" is certainly full of.

"I felt like these guys are really pushing the envelope, like how Kevin pushed the envelope in 1993. Back with 'Clerks' I learned the term 'snowballing' then I read this script, and read about 'seagulling' and 'rainbow parties.' I'm not a prude, I've heard a lot of things, but I hadn't heard of those."

Next up for O'Halloran, who performs a lot of theater in the New York area, is a film he's helping to develop called "Keeper of the Pinstripes," based on a children's book "Boy of Steel," about a child overcoming adversity to become a Yankees batboy. Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui are signed on to appear, O'Halloran says.

Philadelphia loses

guitar genius

Our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Jack Rose, whose masterful acoustic-guitar playing earned him the admiration of many fans and humbled other musicians.

Rose's death was reported Saturday online by Arthur magazine.

Friends tell us that Rose, 38, died that morning of an apparent heart attack. For those who enjoy or are unfamiliar with Rose's work, we posted a few video clips over the weekend at PhillyGossip.com.

Out and about

* A day after buying a controlling

interest in NBC Universal, Comcast founder Ralph Roberts and wife/TV host Suzanne had sandwiches at the lobby bar at the Ritz-Carlton Friday evening.

Ralph had a Diet Coke, Suzanne a hot tea, and the classy couple were polite to a few people who congratulated them on the NBC deal. The cable-TV pioneer paid the $35 tab, tipping close to 30 percent.

* Tony Danza and Randall "Tex"

Cobb, both boxers turned actors, hung out Friday night, taking in the card at the Legendary Blue Horizon (1314 N. Broad) as an A&E camera crew working on Danza's show "Teach" rolled.

Before the fights, Danza dined at Osteria (640 N. Broad).

* Flyers Jeff Carter, Scott

Hartnell and Ray Emery were all texting furiously through dinner at Buddakan (325 Chestnut) Friday evening, just hours after learning, via text message, that coach John Stevens had been fired.

The guys signed autographs for a few kids who approached their table.

* Councilwoman Blondell Rey-

nolds Brown danced it up Thursday at the Cashman & Associates' holiday party at Trust (3rd & Arch) or as it's more commonly known, "The Real World House."

Mayor Nutter, Councilman Jim Kenney, state Sen. Larry Farnese were also among guests of the PR/Events firm, as were Fox 29's Mike Jerrick and John Bolaris; NBC-10's Dawn Timmeney, Dave Warren and Aditi Roy; 6 ABC's David Henry and Ali Gorman, and CBS 3's Anne-Marie Green and Lesley Van Arsdall.

Iverson's pen at auction

The Cross pen that Allen Iverson used Thursday to sign his contract with the Sixers is up for auction to benefit Sixers Charities and the Comcast-Spectacor Foundation. The opening bid was $160, and as of yesterday, it was up to twice that amount. The auction ends Dec. 17 and can be viewed at http://tinyurl.

com/iversonpen.

Visit PhillyGossip.com for Dan's latest updates or follow PhillyGossip on Twitter. Have a tip? Call 215-854-5963, or e-mail grossd@phillynews.com. For recent columns, visit go.philly.com/dangross.