Piggybacking on the latest Philadelphia Bloggers Meetup, I'd like to invite Philly Future bloggers and readers to Phillyist's first Happy Hour, to take place on Wednesday, July 27th at Fergie's Pub (1214 Sansom Street).

Along with the Philly Bloggers Meetup and Drinking Liberally, we hope to provide another great opportunity for the writers, readers and citizens of Philadelphia. It'll be like cuddling, minus all that unwanted touching.

Hello Philadelphia:

I'm here to announce Phillyist, the latest website in the growing Gothamist network. We've been in beta for a few weeks and we're going live today.

We hope you'll stop by today to check us out. If you like what you see, we hope to see you daily. The site features some great Philadelphia writers and bloggers.

You think you know someone when you read their blog. But do you really, truly know them? For instance, could you answer the following test question:

True/False: Jason Weitzel's mother thinks that John Street has a flat head.

I bet you couldn't. But now you can! Check out promohthree for the latest installment of The Definitive IMterview Series.

This week, I talk with Jason Weitzel, of Beer Leaguer fame.

The Philadelphia Phantoms defeated the Chicago Wolves tonight, 5 - 2, to win the AHL's Calder Cup. The Phantoms burst ahead with a four goal second period.

Philadelphia fans showed up in droves, selling out the Wachovia Center and setting an AHL playoff attendance record with 20,103 in the building.

I was at the game, and will be chiming in with my thoughts in the morning. If you were there -- or just following on the web -- please drop a link or some thoughts in the comments. I'll update this post as needed.

The Philadelphia blogging community checks in:

I've posted my experience/recap at promohthree.

Let's not forget our print friends: Phil Sheridan wrote a column for the Inquirer.

Dave has a photo of the champs up at the lunabomber manifesto.

Philly Sports Blog hopes that these champs can get on the ice as Flyers and chase down a different Cup.

The Phillies traded infielder Placido Polanco to the Detroit Tigers today for relief pitcher Ugueth Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez.

Official story from Phillies.com lives here. And let's not forget ESPN.

My commentary is up at promohthree. Will add more Philly commentary as links pop up.

Will Bunch checks in. Also, read about the trade at Balls, Sticks & Stuff.

I'm launching a new feature at promohthree entitled, "The Definitive IMterview."

The feature will talk to a new blogger each week about life, love and lox. I started off with a bang, interviewing superstar journalist Daniel McQuade of Philadelphia Will Do fame.

So check out the IMterview. You'll get a much better sense of our city's sky blue blogger, and maybe a laugh or two. And if you're lucky, maybe you'll be the next person to participate in promohthree's Definitive IMterview series.

Live 8 has announced its worldwide acts for the free concerts set to happen on July 2nd. One of those locations, as you should know by now, is at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway here in Philadelphia. Stereogum has posted the worldwide acts here.

For your viewing pleasure, here are the Philly acts:

* Will Smith
* Dave Matthews Band
* Bon Jovi
* Maroon 5
* Il Divo
* Stevie Wonder
* Puff Daddy
* Jay-Z
* 50 Cent
* Keith Urban
* Sarah McLachlan
* Kaiser Chiefs
* Rob Thomas

Five free concerts will happen worldwide on July 2nd. The concerts coincide with the G8 summit in Scotland. The concerts aren't looking for money, hence the free tickets. The main goal is to raise awareness of world poverty.

The artists above are all confirmed acts for the Live 8 show in Philadelphia. There could be more acts added today, or further down the line.

I checked in with some of my own thoughts at promohthree. Please leave your own links in the comments and I'll update this post later.

UPDATE: Mirror.co.uk reporting an expanded list of performers. For Philly, it notes that Will Smith is "hosting." Its list also includes 50 Cent, Keith Urban, Sarah McLachlan and the Kaiser Chiefs.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Philly.com news story is up and includes the previously mentioned acts, as well as Rob Thomas. More acts to come, the story reports. Also, Howard checks in with a Live 8 Post at The Smedley Log. Plus, Philebrity checks in with a post that makes mine look downright optimistic.

Oldboy lived up to the hype. The film's a strong thriller, packing a punch that's far stronger than the usual short-lived thrills of surprise twists. Hopefully, the film will become a festival favorite. If so, you'll have one last chance to see it at the end of the week.

Here are your Sunday screenings:

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: Quiet Summer (12:15 pm), Childstar (2:30 pm), The Last of the Mohicans (4:45 pm), White Men Can't Rap (7:00 pm), The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things (9:30 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Me and You and Everyone You Know (12:30 pm), King of the Corner (2:45 pm), Evilenko (5:00 pm), Mad Hot Ballroom (7:30 pm), Karaoke Terror (10:00 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: Genesis (12:15 pm), Too Beautiful to Lie (2:30 pm), Lila Says (5:00 pm), Le Grand Voyage (7:15 pm), Cool! (9:30 pm)

Ritz at The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street: Road (12:30 pm), Astronauts (2:45 pm), The Nomi Song (5:15 pm), Soundless (7:30 pm), Bear Cub (9:45 pm)

The Bridge: Cinema de Luxe, 40th and Walnut Streets: The Car (12:30 pm), Arahan (2:45 pm), UNO (5:15 pm), Swindled (7:30 pm), Soap Opera (10:00 pm)

International House, 3701 Chestnut Street: Seeds (2:30 pm), Macked, Hammered, Slaughtered & Shafted (5:00 pm), Mardi Gras: Made in China (7:15 pm), Shooting Livien (9:30 pm)

Black Box at the Prince, 1412 Chestnut Street: Pink Ribbon (4:30 pm), Racing Against the Clock (7:00 pm), Deadroom (9:15 pm)

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: The Soup, One Morning (12:30 pm), Mad Hot Ballroom (2:45 pm), This Charming Girl (5:15 pm), Me and You and Everyone You Know (7:30 pm), The Far Side of the Moon (9:45 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Winter Solstice (12:15 pm), The Promise (2:30 pm), Bear Cub (5:15 pm), King of the Corner (7:30 pm), Cutie Honey (10:00 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: Take a Deep Breath (12:00 pm), Ma Mere (2:15 pm), Throw Down (4:45 pm), Genesis (7:00 pm), Quiet as a Mouse (9:30 pm)

Ritz at The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street: The Return of Cagliostro (12:30 pm), Woman is the Future of a Man (2:45 pm), Lipstick & Dynamite (5:15 pm), Niceland (7:30 pm), Story Undone (9:45 pm)

The Bridge: Cinema de Luxe, 40th and Walnut Streets: Off Beat (12:15 pm), Antares (2:30 pm), Oldboy (4:45 pm), Stratosphere Girl (7:15 pm), Evilenko (9:30 pm)

International House, 3701 Chestnut Street: After Innocence (2:30 pm), Shooting Livien (4:45 pm), Pink Ribbon (7:00 pm), More Things in Heaven and Earth (9:30 pm)

Black Box at the Prince, 1412 Chestnut Street: Seeds (5:00 pm), Generations Revealed (7:15 pm), Night of 100 Films (9:30 pm)

Well, Day 7 coverage got blitzed by real life. My apologies for that, I hope some of you were able to go out and see some good films. Before getting to today's action, I wanted to highlight some Philly bloggers covering the festival:

Wookified checks in with some thoughts on Oldboy

Dialectic Humanism checks in with thoughtson Day 5 of the fest.

Blankbaby has been attending some screenings, including The 48 Hour Film Project.

Does This Blog Make My Butt Look Big? has some celebrity sightings.

Sarcasmo's Corner put up part one of her Film Festival coverage.

Rubber Hose also has some thoughts on the fest.

Lunabomber has a few brief posts about the festival, including quick takes on Oldboy and The Edukators.

Now, onto day eight:

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: Continuous Journey (5:00 pm), Palindromes (7:15 pm), Not Your Saturday AM Cartoon (9:45 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Brothers (12:30 pm), Yuva (The Youth) (3:00 pm), Hari Om (7:00 pm), Off Beat (9:30 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: Vento di Terra (12:15 pm), Z Channel (2:30 pm), Sweet Sixties (5:00 pm), The Voyage Home (7:15 pm), Throw Down (9:30 pm)

Dan McQuade checks in with his thoughts on L'Amant at Philadelphia Will Do.

Meanwhile, the Film Festival barges ahead, now entering its sixth day. While some of the bigger names have thinned out during the middle period of the festival, there are great smaller films all over the place. Plus, some bigger stuff is on the horizon towards the end of the festival (like Steve Buscemi's Lonesome Jim, Theo Van Gogh's Cool! and Music From the Inside Out).

So, here's what you can check out on Day 6:

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: Pizza (4:45 pm), Machuca (7:00 pm), Oldboy (9:30 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Bear Cub (12:15 pm), Lakeside Murder Case (2:30 pm), Cronicas (5:00 pm), Brothers (7:15 pm), Antares (9:45 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: Midwinter Night's Dream (12:00 pm), Ladies in Lavender (2:15 pm), The World (4:30 pm), The Car (7:15 pm), Warsaw (9:30 pm)

Ritz at The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street: Or (My Treasure) (5:00 pm), Road (7:15 pm), Games of Love and Chance (9:30 pm)

The Bridge: Cinema de Luxe, 40th and Walnut Streets: The Holy Girl (12:15 pm), Mana -- Beyond Belief (2:30 pm), State Property II (5:00 pm), Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (7:30 pm), Flower and Snake (10:00 pm)

International House, 3701 Chestnut Street: Love Practically (5:00 pm), 48 Hour Film Project (7:15 and 9:30 pm)

-- I'll point you towards: Pizza, Or (My Treasure), The Holy Girl, The Car, Warsaw

-- I'll also strongly recommend Oldboy.

You'd think we were at least a week into this by now, but we're not. Only Day 5, yet running around and catching films in between my normal routine has been hectic. I'm sure it's this way for anyone trying to get out there and see as much as possible. Chaotic, but fun.

Here's your Day 5 schedule:

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: Between (5:00 pm), Mana -- Beyond Belief (7:15 pm), Spider Forest (9:30 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Late Bloomer (2:15 pm), Izo (4:30 pm), Lakeside Murder Case (7:15 pm), One Missed Call (9:45 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: L'Amant (2:30 pm), 5x2: Five Times Two (4:45 pm), Midwinter Night's Dream (7:00 pm), School of Seduction (9:30 pm)

Ritz at The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street: The 10th District Court... (5:00 pm), Dias de Santiago (7:15 pm), Saint Ralph (9:30 pm)

The Bridge: Cinema de Luxe, 40th and Walnut Streets: Black Friday (2:15 pm), The Edukators (5:30 pm), Four Shades of Brown (8:15 pm)

International House, 3701 Chestnut Street: About Baghdad (4:45 pm), It Came From Planet 3-D (7:00 pm), Our Naked City (9:15 pm)

Some recommendations, if you're overwhelmed: Izo, Black Friday, The Edukators, Four Shades of Brown, About Baghdad, Our Naked City

Well, Day 3 is over. Hopefully you'll get out and see some films on Sunday. The nice weather will continue tomorrow, so you can't hold that as an excuse. You know you're in introduction trouble when you mention the weather, so let's get right to last night's films:

-- House of D is a nice debut effort, but I found it clunky and confused at times. The characters are often strong, but there's so much going on in the film that writer/director/star David Duchovny has trouble keeping everything in control. There's the coming of age story, the adult finding his life back in New York, the mother's troubles with her husband's death and her son's maturation, and a retarded friend dealing with similar issues, but with his friend. There's a whole lot going on, and the movie hits as much as it misses. There are no more screenings left of House of D, but it may be a Festival Favorite on Closing Night. Personally, I don't think it deserves that recognition, but others might disagree. Or maybe they definitely disagree.

If you'd like to read some more about Duchovny, check out Dan's post at Philadelphia Will Do.

-- lbs. is a fiction tale of one man's weight problems. I'm specifying fiction because I went into it thinking of it as a documentary, possibly one trying to ride the coattails of Super Size Me. I was wrong, of course, and the film turned out to be a good drama, although it sometimes had the same problems as House of D. The film would wander off with its supporting cast, telling stories that often didn't matter in the grand scheme of the film. Neil's problems with his family and with his weight were more than enough to carry this film. lbs. will be playing again today, Sunday, at 4:30 at the Black Box at the Prince. Check it out if you have the time.

Here's your Saturday update for the 14th Philadelphia Film Festival. Now that we're into the opening weekend, the entire schedule has opened up. Every theater but the International House and Black Box at the Prince has a full schedule starting around noon and ending late in the evening. In addition to the regular $9.50 ticket price, I should point out that matinee shows (any show begin at or before 4 pm) cost $7.50 per ticket.

Here are Saturday's shows:

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: McDull, prince de la bun (12:30 pm), Metallic Blues (2:45 pm), Rittenhouse Square (5:00 pm), Mysterious Skin (7:15 pm), Layer Cake (9:45 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Quiet as a Mouse (12:30 pm), Somersault (2:30 pm), House of D (5:15 pm), 5 x 2: Five Times Two (7:45 pm), Survive Style 5+ (10:00 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: The Keys to the House (12:00 pm), Sweet Sixties (2:15 pm), The Car (5:00 pm), Ladies in Lavender (7:15 pm), Right Now (9:30 pm)

Ritz at The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street: The 10th District Court... (12:15 pm), Midwinter Night's Dream (2:30 pm), Or (My Treasure) (5:00 pm), Peas at 5:30 (7:15 pm), Late Bloomer (9:45 pm)

The Bridge: Cinema de Luxe, 40th and Walnut Streets: Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire (12:15 pm), Chased by Dreams (2:30 pm), Frozen (5:00 pm), L'Amant (7:30 pm), R-Point (9:45 pm)

International House, 3701 Chestnut Street: Pink Ribbon (4:45 pm), Over the Edge (7:00 pm), lbs. (9:30 pm)

Black Box at the Prince, 1412 Chestnut Street: Getting over It (5:00 pm), Everyone (7:15 pm)

Some notes on what to see:

The first day of the 14th Philadelphia Film Festival was a good (albeit short) day. Writer/Director Alex de la Iglesia was on hand along with his co-writer, Jorge Guerricaechevarría. The two briefly spoke before tonight's screening, offering up their film as something that could appeal to everyone's basic instincts: humor, sex and violence.

Ferpect Crime, like its title, is a comedy that always flirts with its own perfection. The film is a great dark comedy, hitting on most of its points for the first 3/4 of its running time. The department store is a great setting for such a dark comedy, and Guillermo Toledo walks the tight line between straight humor and camping it up. The film hits some slow points near the end as it gets tied up in an increasingly complex crime plot, but it's not enough to ruin how funny the rest of the film is. The final scene is a perfect summation of the opening night film: there's sadness, there's death, but there's lots of bizarre fun going on around it. I'd get more specific, but I don't want to spoil anything for you.

For another perspective on the festival's opening night, check out Dan McQuade's thoughts at Philadelphia Will Do.

Tomorrow, the festival begins showing films at each of its locations. Tickets for prime time shows cost $9.50 each. The locations and films:

Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street: Everyone (5:00 pm), House of D (7:15 pm), Marebito (9:45 pm)

Ritz East Theater 1, 135 S. 2nd Street: Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (4:30 pm), Somersault (7:30 pm), Flower and Snake (10:00 pm)

Ritz East Theater 2, 135 S. 2nd Street: Ladies in Lavender (5:00 pm), UNO (7:15 pm), Land of Plenty (9:45 pm)

Ritz at The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street: Rolling Family (5:00 pm), Chased by Dreams (7:15 pm), Murderball (9:30 pm)