Dan Gross: Dave Roberts hurts knee, misses Gardner ceremony
DAVE ROBERTSwas supposed to emcee yesterday's Philadelphia Public Relations Association's ceremony honoring "Action News" anchor Jim Gardner, but the weatherman, who retired Friday, injured his knee running in the studio during his final broadcast.
D
AVE ROBERTS
was supposed to emcee yesterday's Philadelphia Public Relations Association's ceremony honoring "Action News" anchor
Jim Gardner
, but the weatherman, who retired Friday, injured his knee running in the studio during his final broadcast.
Roberts, 73, was scheduled to have an MRI yesterday afternoon. So 6ABC meteorologist Cecily Tynan stepped in as emcee at the Ritz-Carlton reception at which PPRA President Bill Cowen presented Gardner with the Gold Medal award. Tynan and Gardner's longtime colleagues Lisa Thomas-Laury and Vernon Odom shared stories and laughs that they had had with Gardner, with Odom using the best word of the day - "horsepuckey" - while comparing cable news to "Action News."
Gardner thanked his wife, Amy, whom he introduced as Amy Goldman, for helping him loosen up, as Thomas-Laury said that he was "tightly wound" when she first met him in the '70s. Gardner, who started at WPVI in 1976, said that he would consider the PPRA award as being given to all 138 employees of "Action News," but as he had a particular place on his bookcase, the 137 other staffers would have to come over to look at it.
6ABC boss Bernie Prazenica, news director Carla Carpenter and sports reporter Jamie Apody were there to support Gardner, as were his former colleagues Marc Howard and Scott Palmer, who's now with the Phillies.
He hopes Obama likes his movie
George Manney is hoping that President Obama takes some time over the holidays to screen his movie, "Pipes of Peace," which the Northeast musician/filmmaker recently sent him on DVD.
Manney, who received a thank-you letter stamped with Obama's and first lady Michelle Obama's signatures, says he saw "an interesting correlation" between Obama's struggle as the first African-American president and late Philadelphia bagpiper Rufus Harley, the subject of his film, and the problems he encountered in the 1960s being the first African-American jazz musician to take up the bagpipes. The film was also just added to Temple University's Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection.
Drexel's record label up for IMAs
Mad Dragon Records, the label run by Music Industry students at Drexel's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, has received eight Independent Music Awards nominations.
The IMAs are the top national awards for college music-recording programs and independently produced music. Mad Dragon has won "Best College Label" for the past two years. The 2009 judges include artists such as actress/singer Zooey Deschanel, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and Blink 182's Mark Hoppus. Voting is open to the public online at independentmusicawards.com.
Samantha shouts-out mur. mur
The staff of Borgata's mur. mur nightclub are patting themselves on the back. DJ Samantha Ronson, who performs around the world, posted on Twitter last week that it's her favorite club to play and that the "people I work with are great there as is the sound system." Ronson, ex-girlfriend of Lindsay Lohan, returns to mur. mur Dec. 28, when she'll spin along with DJ VICE.
Nikki Evans, come on down. . .
Cherry Hill's Nikki Evans will "come on down" on tomorrow's "The Price Is Right" (11 a.m., CBS 3). Evans won a national contestant search and will be guaranteed a spot on contestants' row.
You'll have to tune in to see whether she ends up playing a game with host Drew Carey.
'No Footing' premieres in Pitman
94 WYSP digital coordinator Tommy Avallone, who directed "Community College," on Thursday premieres the film he produced, "No Footing," at the Broadway Theatre (43 S. Broadway), in Pitman, N.J. The drama, about a young college graduate attempting to get her career and love life on track, was directed by Michael Licisyn and stars Jensen Bucher. It features a cameo from Michael Ray Bower, of Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts," who also appeared in "Community College." Tickets will be available at the door for the film, which screens at 7:30 p.m.
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