After that 4-11 start, the injuries, the pitching problems … can you believe it, we are tied for the lead with the Mets. Gee, it only took 159 games to catch up. I wish the Brewers would starting making it harder on the Padres; I want two viable options for post-season play. I feel good about tonight’s game with Cole Hamels on the mound and Sunday with Jamie Moyer. However, when it come to Saturday, I hoping that Adam Eaton gives the Phillies potent offense a little help. Like Jimmy Rollins said, The Phillies are the team to beat and the team nobody wants to face in the post-season. You should have heard my sister-in-law , a Met’s fan, whining about her team’s chances against the Phils when they were being swept at Shea.
Go Phillies!!

The start of autumn has brought with it a tremendous flood of anticipated new music releases. The list includes great new albums by Iron & Wine, Joni Mitchell and Chaka Khan. But before we get into them, let’s catch up with a couple stellar releases from earlier this month — from indie faves Animal Collective and songwriter-producer Joe Henry.
Former Baltimore kids Animal Collective, whose members have spread all over the world over the course of the psychedelic folk band’s indie scene rise during the last few years, follows up their terrific Feels (Fat Cat, 2005) studio release with this month’s Strawberry Jam (Domino). Recorded in the Arizona desert, the album’s tunes sound twisted, deranged, beautiful and euphoric — at the same time.
Extraordinary sound-and-songsmith Joe Henry’s latest studio album, Civilians (Anti) is one of his best yet. Henry, who has produced records for Solomon Burke, Bettye Lavette and Allen Toussaint/Elvis Costello, delivers a set of pensive, sparse and post 9/11-charged songs. The album, released on Sept. 11 of this year, is an advancement of sorts, says Henry. “I feel like I’m moving forward with Civilians,” says Henry. “I wouldn’t say that it came together effortlessly, but this record certainly feels as if it happened the way it was supposed to.”
Iron & Wine, the Floridian singer, songwriter and guitarist Sam Beam’s ongoing project, returns with The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop), a spooky collection that hums with lyricism and strange guitars. Beam, who appeared at the House of Blues a couple years ago, continues his run of masterful songwriting, gorgeous sounds and hushed atmospheres. There’s also some key differences. Like the funk-fueled “Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog).”
Check back soon for other new release reviews, including Khan’s Funk This (Sony BMG), Joni Mitchell’s return with Shine (Hear Music), Mark Knopler’s Kill to Get Crimson (Universal/Mercury) and Bettye Lavette’s Scene of the Crime (Anti).

Due to being hit with the flu bug when I returned from Toronto, this final report about the Toronto International Film Festival was delayed.
As always, there were some films I really wanted to see that I missed and a couple of others that I wish I had missed, but overall I’d say it was an excellent festival.
During the final days I had the opportunity to interview Sidney Lumet and Michael Caine. Lumet is an amazing man, so full of life at age 83, and still a terrific filmmaker. Go here to hear this interview.
His Toronto entry, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, is one of my favorite festival films, a cynical, nasty and tasty melodrama about a family that puts the “dys” in dysfunctional starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney.

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All this baseball excitement in late September is cutting into my Eagles angst. Of course the Eagles’ angst was relaxed by that thumping they put on Detroit despite those ugly uniforms.
Back to the Phils: That distressing loss last night to the Braves against their weakest pitcher of the series means the Fightins’ have to beat both Tim Hudson and John Smoltz. While conventional wisdom says that good pitching beats good hitting in the long run, in the short run the thundering Phillies’ bats must overcome a couple of tough opponents. Besides, I just can’t see All-World and MVP! MVP! J-Roll letting his first chance to play in the post-season slip by without a major battle. With the Padres and Colorado still playing well, we might have to hope that the Mets continue their stumble.
Wouldn’t it be perfect if J-Roll’s “team to beat” line comes true on the final day of the season? If that happens, if the Phils wind up as the Eastern Division Champs, Jimmy Rollins wins the MVP and maybe even his first gold glove. Check out his Web site here

“From Madison Square Garden to Miami, Atlantic City to Anaheim, and everywhere in between, we would like to offer you, your entourage and a few VIP guests an ‘all access’ pass to the KFC location of your choice,” reads a letter from Kentucky Fried Chicken president Gregg Dedrick to singer and actress Jennifer Lopez.
The letter, which has been leaked to news outlets and appears all over the Net, was apparently a response to J-Lo’s comments on the Access Hollywood TV show, where the curvy pop star admitted she has a constant craving for Colonel Sanders’ luscious legs and thighs.
Look out for J-Lo and her hubby Marc Anthony’s tour bus — he’s evidently an even bigger lover of the crispy chicken, devouring a bucket a night — at KFC’s Pleasantville location on the Black Horse Pike next weekend, when the pair kicks off its first ever tour together down the street at the Taj Mahal.
You might also find some PETA protesters in town for the concerts.
Some of the dozens of celebs who have boycotted KFC due to the company’s treatment of their chickens, include Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, Dick Gregory, the Flaming Lips, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Pink.

Two bits of big news announced yesterday relating to the future development of Atlantic City.
First, in the immediate future, it has been decided that Steel Pier, which was slated to close for good at the end of last year’s summer season, will remain open for another year.
“We will be able to offer good, clean family entertainment again in 2008,” said Trump Entertainment Resorts CEO Mark Juliano. Trump owns the historic Steel Pier, which opened in 1898.
Elsewhere in the resort town, Revel Entertainment Group has released plans for their new casino endeavor, which is proposed to be the tallest casino in town.
The project should be ready by 2011, and is to be built on 20 acres just north of the Showboat Casino-Hotel.

The Score: 25 movies, 4 press conferences, 1 round table.
Now that I’m looking at the final days of the Toronto Film Fest, I’d say it has been pretty good but not spectacular. When you have the choice of over 300 films, your selections, based on directors, actors and sometimes countries of origin, can go either way. On a manic Monday I managed 6 movies, plus a press conference with Sigourney Weaver and Kate Bosworth, discussing their film Girl In The Park. Their performances anchor an interesting story about a woman (Weaver) who has never fully recovered from losing her daughter in a New York City park sixteen years earlier. It takes a hustler con woman (Bosworth) to get Weaver’s character Julia to finally get past her sense that her daughter will someday turn up.

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The score to date: 12 films, three press conferences.
The score I’m hoping for later this afternoon: Eagles 27-Packers 13.
Before I head down the block to Hoops to watch the game, a few thoughts on this year’s Toronto Film Festival to date. The sheer volume of films, stars, journalists and hype-generating industry mavens is pretty much overwhelming. The trick is in staying cool even when you are in a hallway for an hour waiting to get into a room to hear George Clooney pontificate (which he does very well by the way) about his new film Michael Clayton. The films with big stars will sell themselves.
Then there is a movie like Juno, director Jason Reitman’s follow-up to Thank You For Smoking. It is the first movie that really popped for me. About a smartass and practical 16-year-old who finds out she is pregnant (Ellen Page), the movie features tasty dialogue, a fabulous ensemble of actors (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney) and a talented director on a roll. This movie will be coming to a cinema near you shortly. Don’t miss it

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Bob Campanell and his band perform at the Tony Mart’s Tribute at Stumpo’s Italian Grill of Somers Point with special guest, renowned Zydeco musician Terrance Simien. The jam packed event was hosted by Carmen Marotta who’s family owned the Bay Avenue club for decades. The event celebrated 25 years since the movie “Eddie and the Cruisers” and since the last summer of the night club, 1982. Atlantic City Weekly’s Managing Editor, singer & songwriter Jeff Schwachter also performed with Campanell and his band.
Photo by Lew Steiner

The 32nd annnual Toronto International Film Festival is off and running. I managed to see five films on day one, ranging from excellent to interesting, if not completely successful.
Those films included the creepy, but not exactly haunting Spanish haunted house flick The Orphanage. Jodie Foster will be hitting a few buttons with her film The Brave One, which tries so hard to be more than an exploitation revenge film but presents a lot of scenes that might get action fans riled up and cheering. There is also the fine drama about corrupt business people, murder and the men trying to expose them, Michael Clayton. That’s the George Clooney film at the fest. Already rightly praised at Cannes is the Coen Brothers’ wonderful return to Blood Simple-like form with No Country For Old Men.
Early in day two, I found the new terrorist/CIA torture-themed film Rendition highly watchable. That’s all for now. I’m on my way to hear Jodie Foster explain the tightrope she is walking with The Brave One.
I’m back!!!!!! from the Brave One press conference and the articulate trio of Foster, director Neil Jordan and co-star Terrence Howard were a pleasure to listen to. Although I don’t think their film as as good as they think it is, they supported their position wonderfully. I’ll have more on the specifics next week.
One quick note before I sign off for the day to get ready to see the Brad Pitt western. The members of the Cannes jury must have been on crack to choose the Romanian film 4 Days, 3 Weeks and 2 Hours as Palme D’Or over No Country For Old Men. The movie is boring and doesn’t deliver anything new emotionally or socially about abortion or the Communist regime, the movies’ two main themes.