The Associated Press reports this morning that New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton will appear in Atlantic City next Friday (Sept. 7).
No, the 2008 presidential hopeful will not be singing at Caesars or spinning records at Borgata, but rather addressing the New Jersey Democratic Party’s Annual Conference, held this year at Bally’s Hotel & Casino from Sept. 6-8. Also expected to speak at the conference is N.J. Governor Jon Corzine.

I’m starting to get that feeling of excitement in the pit of my stomach. The Toronto International Film Festival is just 8 days away and the anticipation of seeing the best movies from around the globe — and some world-class movie stars hawking those flicks — is building. I’m also looking forward to my pal Jerry’s fabulous brisket sandwiches and cabbage borscht at Toronto’s New Yorker deli.
This is my 19th trip to the TIFF and every year the star-power seems to grow exponentially. Since 2001, I’ve been driving to the Festival. You really understand how long New York State is when you have to drive the entire length. You also appreciate the cheaper gas in New Jersey and the fact that you don’t have to pump it yourself.
After looking over the list of films coming to Toronto here are the dozen films I most want to see at this moment in time. The more I read about the films, the more this list will change.
(Pictured are Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead)

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (USA; Sidney Lumet)
Body of War (USA; Ellen Spira, Phil Donahue)
Chacun son cinema (France; 25 of the world’s best directors)
Death Defying Acts (United Kingdom/Australia; Gillian Armstrong)
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Romania; Cristian Mungiu, Palme d’Or winner)
Honeydrippers (USA; John Sayles)
In the Valley of Elah (USA; Paul Haggis)
Iron Ladies of Liberia (USA; Daniel Junge, Siatta Scott Johnson)
Man From Plains (USA; Jonathan Demme)
No Country For Old Men (USA; Joel & Ethan Coen)
Titov Veles (Macedonia; Teona Strugar Mitevska)
With Your Permission (Denmark/Sweden; Paprika Steen)

Rascal Flatts made their headliner debut Aug. 23 at Boardwalk Hall and the concert lived up to all the hype. The trio of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney backed by a smokin’ supporting band, are really a rock and roll band with country accents. When you hear them harmonize, their musical roots are closer to the Eagles than Alabama.
In the cavernous Boardwalk Hall, the sound tends to float into the rafters. Opening act Jason Aldean’s lyrics were nearly impossible to understand in the back of the house.
However, Rascal Flatts literally bridges the gap between the Boardwalk Hall stage and the center of the audience. They have a bridge that descends from the rafters, allowing them to walk to a platform that rises from the middle of their elaborate set. This gave the entire audience the opportunity to see and hear the great music, and feel the charisma that the threesome generate whether they are just joking around or at the apex of their three-part harmonies.
The show opened with a couple of road songs, “Me And My Gang” and “Fast Cars And Freedom.” After “Take Me There,” Jay DeMarcus, the resident cut-up took the lead for a little James Brown, “I Feel Good.”
The trio walked the bridge to present some of their favorite songs that aren’t big hits, an acoustic trio of “Please Release Me,” “To Make Her Love Me” and “Yes, I Do.”

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The Blue Moon Brewery Summer Jazz Series continues this Sunday night (Aug. 26) at Gregory’s in Somers Point. Trumpeter Eddie Morgan and his Rek’d 4 Jazz Combo will take the stage at 8pm at the restaurant/bar on Shore Road. Morgan’s combo leans toward the smooth ‘n’ funky side of jazz, so if you like contemporary jazz, you’ll love these guys. Morgan, an Atlantic City-based musician who has performed with Uri Caine and Roy Ayers, will also appear next Thursday, Aug. 30, with Rek’d 4 Jazz at Center City Park (North Carolina & Atlantic aves. in Atlantic City) from noon to 2pm for a free show.
Sunday night’s show (which will feature Darryl Robinson on keyboard, guitarist Tony Marshall, bassist Andy Lalasis and drummer John Spence, along with Morgan) is presented by the Somers Point Jazz Society.

Through a combination of E-mails and Internet hunting, I have compiled a list of the celebs likely to show up at the Toronto Film Festival. Drum roll please:
George Clooney, Jodie Foster, Danny Glover, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Woody Allen, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, Aaron Eckhart, Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Susan Sarandon. Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, John Sayles, Tommy Lee Jones, Jimmy Smits, Maria Bello, Timothy Olyphant, Kathy Baker, Keira Knightly, Viggo Mortensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle and Phil Donahue.
The complete official line-up of films for the Festival has been posted to the TIFF website. Check it out here.

It looks like Michael Vick will no longer stain the NFL with his presence. Now that Vick has pleaded guilty to financing dog fighting, gambling on fights and killing under-performing dogs, he is headed for the slammer. Even if it is only for a year, it sends a message to the other dogfight organizers out there. This country is ready to get serious about the horrendous underground sport of dog fighting. Maybe this will spur the justice system to change some laws on the books to make it easier to prosecute dog-fighting participants. If you’ve ever watched Animal Planet’s series of animal cop shows, you know that it is nearly impossible to catch dogfights in progress. The cops seem to arrive right before or after fights, and unless they catch them red-handed, it is difficult to get a conviction for the charges that include jail time. Michael Vick’s stupidity just might save some canines down the road. In fact it has already helped in one case.
In Mt. Vernon, NY, an animal shelter found 63 kittens dumped at their door, crammed into three boxes. Humane Society officials believe they were “bait” animals, used to give fight dogs in training a taste of blood. They also believe the Michael Vick headlines led the dog fighters to get rid of the kittens. You can read the story here. To find out about buying the shirt pictured above go here.

The Eagles faithful are in mourning over the shocking news that Jeremiah Trotter has been cut from the Eagles. As much as pro football players know that the NFL is a business, it still had to rock the locker room when the news trickled down. It turned Brian Dawkins’ press interview into a farewell salute to the Axeman, and a plug for Omar Gaither, his replacement at middle linebacker. With the Eagles’ track record of dumping players at the right time — remember how shocked we were when Brian Mitchell was given the boot? — you have to assume that Andy Reid & Co. know what they are doing. Still, it hurts right now. It will hurt even more if Jeremiah Trotter ends up going to a division rival like the Giants or, perish the thought, the Cowboys.
Good luck, Jeremiah. We will miss your leadership and your emotional play.
The pic of Jeremiah Trotter was provided by Tom Briglia.

The psychedelic rock sounds of the 1960s will be the draw this Sunday in Margate as the Gold Foundation hosts the third annual Margate Pop Festival.

The free concert will feature the Soul Survivors opening and then an appearance by the Classic All-Stars, a group consisting of former members of bands such as Rare Earth (”Get Ready,” “I Just Want To Celebrate”) Sugarloaf (”Green-Eyed Lady”), Iron Butterfly (pictured; “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) and Blues Image (”Ride Captain Ride”). The show starts at 7PM at Washington Avenue and the Bay. Over 5,000 people are expected to attend and there will be a fireworks display sponsored by Boardwalk Bank following the show.

The Gold Foundation, started by Roy Goldberg, has raised over $2 million for more than 60 local charities over the past 20 years. Beneficiaries have included Catholic Social Services, The ARC of Atlantic City and Cumberland Counties, Manna, Gilda’s Club, 21 Down’s Syndrome and many others.

For a taste of what’s to come at this special concert, check out this 1968 appearance by Iron Butterfly on Hugh Hefner’s show Playboy After Dark.

My alma mater, Atlantic City High School, will begin the 2007-2008 school year with a dress code. According to an article in South Jersey.com:

The upcoming school year will start a new mandatory high school uniform policy. The policy bans students favorites, jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies. The uniform consists of plain polo shirts, only white, navy, or black, and only black, navy, or khaki color dress pants or skirts. The ACHS school logo is the only logo allowed on clothing.

As someone who grew up during the “Age of Aquarius,” I find that rather ironic. My generation of ACHS students (Class of 1971) was one of the first that was allowed to wear jeans to high school. I remember a favorite pair of mustard bell-bottoms that I wore often. The hair on male students was often long, big Afros were popular with African-American students and the only time I had to wear a skirt was when I played basketball.

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When my brother visits from North Jersey with his family, dining out equals a trip to Library III. I’m happy to report that the quality of this South Jersey institution remains first rate. The restaurant’s award-winning salad bar remains the standard for fresh delicious ingredients, and of course the steaks and prime rib are as fantastic as ever. My brother was practically moaning with delight over his prime rib entrée. However. I wanted to mention that they do seafood, too. My Mom loved her crab cake entrée. Nine out of ten times I choose the fabulous filet mignon, but on this night I went for a blackboard special, grilled tuna in a ginger and sesame sauce. The tuna was perfectly cooked medium rare as requested and the Asian flavors in the sauce were heavenly. The only disappointment was that the restaurant was out of its signature summer dessert, Key lime pie. I had to console myself with the cherry cream cheese pie, which was lighter than traditional cheesecake and delicious.