Producer Kristin Fairweather says she and writer/director Jenny Deller have partnered with local businesses to have a sustainable film set including organic, locally sourced food.
Deller's screenplay is currently in the semifinals of the Nicholl Fellowship. In April, the film won a $40,000 Alfred P. Sloan grant from the Tribeca Film Institute.
You can follow progress of the shoot on the film's Web site, futureweathermovie.com.
Artist hopes to paint in space
Laurance Rassin, who used to paint in Rittenhouse Square, is hoping to be the first artist to paint in zero gravity. Rassin has been training in hopes that he can get onto one of Virgin Galactic's trips in space that Virgin space agent Moshe Gabbay estimates could be in 12 to 18 months after completing safety tests. Of course, Rassin needs to come up with the $200,000 required to be one of the first to board the Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise, which the artist says he's already raising through art sales.
Out and about
Moorestown's Linda and Bob Sliwowski, who owns the Bobby Chez Crabcakes there, lunched and caught races in Saratoga, N.Y., with "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly and had drinks with him at Siro's, in which Connolly and co-star Kevin Dillon are partners.
* Mayor Nutter and Councilmen Jim Kenney and Bill Green were guests at Wednesday's Best of Philly party by Philadelphia magazine at the National Constitution Center, as were 6ABC's Rick Williams, Amy Buckman, Ali Gorman, Shirleen Alicott and Karen Rogers, who interviewed Philadelphia magazine interim editor Tom McGrath and president David Lipson. Daily News reporters Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman, who earned a Best of Philly for their Pulitzer Prize-winning police-corruption series and People Paper alternative music writer Sara Sherr, who won for her "Sing Your Life" karaoke events, were among partygoers.
GPTMC loves 'Runway' gal
America was introduced to Kristin Haskins-Simms on Thursday's premiere of Lifetime's "Project Runway," but the Germantown designer is no stranger to the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. The GPTMC's Philly 360, focusing on African-American tourism, has featured Haskins-Simms in a video about artist Barkley Hendricks and did a photo shoot at her home studio last year. The GPTMC made an ad for its With Love letter series wishing her luck on the show.
Eagles are no summer slouches
Before reporting to camp at Lehigh University last week, Eagles Todd Herremans, Winston Justice, Juqua Parker, and Jamaal Jackson had been regulars at Power Train Sports Institute (5 Esterbrook) in Cherry Hill, as were teammates Brent Celek, Omar Gaither, Mike Bell, and A.Q. Shipley and longtime former Eagle Tra Thomas, now a Charger.
Charitably minded
Temple basketball coach Fran Dunphy and wife Ree, co-host the Coaches vs. Cancer Ball Saturday at the Stone Harbor Golf Club in Cape May along with fellow coaches/wives Judy and Phil Martelli, Aida and Jerome Allen, Rene and Bruiser Flint, Donna and John Giannini and Patty and Jay Wright. Comcast SportsNet's Neil Hartman emcees the event that benefits the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge of the American Cancer Society.
Tickets are available for $125 by calling Marjorie Madresh at 215.985.5347 or online at phillycoachesvscancer.org.
* Restaurateurs Stephen Starr, Audrey Claire Taichman and Michael Solomonov will co-host the Feastival Sept. 15 to benefit the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. The event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Festival Hub at 5th & Fairmount. Chefs Jose Garces, Marc Vetri, Georges Perrier, Michael Schulson and Ellen Yin are among those participating in the event, which features silent and live auctions. For info and tickets, visit livearts-fringe.org/feastival.
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.
