"I'm looking to represent Philadelphia to the nation," Gargano told us yesterday. "I'm tired of all the negative stereotypes about Philadelphia and I'm going to quash them. No more throwing throwballs at Santa and all that."
He'll be filling in on WIP, with Ike Reese, for the vacationing Howard Eskintoday through Friday, and then takes off for his own Florida vacation until Labor Day.
Cameras following Kendra
An E! camera crew will be on the scene Tuesday, when Playboy Playmate-turned-Eagles bride Kendra Wilkinson, star of E!'s "Kendra," signs her memoir, "Sliding into Home," at 6 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on Rittenhouse Square.
Wilkinson and Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett recently moved into Two Liberty Place.
Miss Patti's drag double
Some divas don't like having drag impersonators, but Patti LaBelle loves hers. She's had Eddie Fields open for her several times and also presented him the Spirit of Michigan award while serenading him with "Wind Beneath My Wings." On Friday, Fields will perform as part of the Divas in a Man's World Outdoor Concert at the Piazza at Schmidts. The show, presented by Dan Contarino and directed by Steven Andrade, will feature male performers impersonating Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Cher, Elton John and Prince. The show will be hosted by Gary Dee, as Joan Rivers. Barbara Sheree, part of Miss Patti's gospel team on "Clash of the Choirs," also will perform. The show begins at 9 p.m. and costs $20. A VIP pre-party costs $40 and starts at 7 p.m. Proceeds help the cancer charity City of Hope.
Local guy wins NPR gig
Swarthmore grad Hansi Wang, of Glen Mills, was just awarded National Public Radio's prestigious Kroc Fellowship, so he'll spend a year working at NPR's headquarters in Washington. While at Swarthmore, Wang developed War News Radio, a student-run report on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and he founded Chinatown Youth Radio Philadelphia, a program that teaches radio to students.
Tesco Vee's local ties
Meatmen front man Tesco Vee, who will sign copies of "Touch and Go" at Brickbat Books (704 S. 4th) at 7 p.m. Friday, spent a few years at Upper Merion High in the 1970s, when he was still known as Bob Vermuelen, which he didn't bother to tell us when we spoke on the phone recently. Tesco Vee's Hate Police play the North Star (27th & Poplar) Friday night.
* Another punk icon with Philly
roots is Lee Ving, of Fear. It took him long enough, but Ving, who played Mr. Body in the movie "Clue," eventually admitted that he was raised around K&A.
* In other punk news, Gods and
Queens, featuring Jamie Getz, formerly of The Deadly and Turmoil, perform Sept. 4 at Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front), with Chikita Violence from Mexico City. The band's four-song EP is free at godsandqueens.wordpress.com.
Bars, cafes support AIDS
Bar AIDS, a citywide fundraiser for AIDS organizations, takes place tomorrow, with local coffeehouses and bars donating part of their proceeds to ActionAIDS, the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, Mazzoni Center and Philadelphia FIGHT. For a list of participants, see actionaids.org/events/bar-aids.
Blogger's new Web home
Dan McQuade, formerly of PhiladelphiaWillDo.com, starts next month as an assistant Web editor at Comcast.net. McQuade, who's covering fantasy football for SI.com, will edit, select stories and write for Comcast. He says he's "sad I'm going to have to leave my dogwalking job."
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.
