Concept

Just when you've had it up to here with copycat reality shows - They dance! They sing! They cook! They get their huge hair caught in the ceiling fan! - along comes a copycat drama. Fox's The Good Guys is a wiseguy cop show, so you're supposed to get some chuckles along with your thrills, as the hopeless throwback and his clean-cut young partner go through TV's version of Kabuki, with moves that were first choreographed in the '50s. But just because something isn't novel doesn't mean it can't be entertaining.

In the maiden voyage of Garces Trading Company - the "all-in-one culinary destination" from the prolific, hot-as-a-pistol Jose Garces - a bit of a change of course had transpired at the end, on Tuesday, of its first week. The state's liquor control apparatus had made a rather bold move, establishing its own "wine boutique" - a mini-State Store - in space it leased in the bosom of the project in the Western Union Building at 11th and Locust. (All state liquor stores are in leased spaces, but this would be the first actually inside a market-cafe.

When Radical first announced its "The Last Days of American Crime," Comics Guy was immediately anxious to read it. The combination of Radical's production values, fan-favorite crime comic writer Rick Remender and an epic story concept had the promise of producing the crime story to end all crime stories. Indeed, the idea behind "The Last Days of American Crime" is a doozy: In the not-too-distant-future, the U.S. government has generated major controversy by announcing the abolition of paper money in favor of federally operated charge cards - the logic being that the elimination of paper money will put an end to drug trafficking and bank robberies.

The High Line is a Depression-era elevated rail freight line that runs for almost a mile and a half above street-level and along and through buildings in a part of lower Manhattan that once bustled with factories and warehouses. Active for about 50 years, the steel viaduct was abandoned by the 1980s and became an overgrown secret garden for graffiti artists and urban explorers. In the last decade, that heady New York mix of citizens and celebrities came together to raise awareness and cash to save the High Line, which was threatened with demolition.

Truth in advertising: The first song in Rhett Miller's set at World Cafe Live on Friday climaxed with Miller and his bandmates singing the word love in full-voiced three-part harmony, effectively setting the stage for 90 minutes of songs about that all-important four-letter word. As a solo artist or fronting the Old 97's, Miller is an unabashed romantic, although he sometimes wishes he weren't. "The trouble with being in love is it's so awfully hard to get out of, you might as well be in jail," he sang on "Another Girlfriend," a slithering shuffle about a weak-willed man who's discovered his spine one woman too late.

Pete Perrotta's seen a lot of car shows during his career as an auto journalist and a salesman for Honda and Mercedes, but he says there is nothing like viewing all the new models showcased together. "People may be buying less, but the auto show is always fun," Perrotta said. "You see all the competition, and you never know when the economy will come back and you will remember the car you wanted. " The organizers of the 2009 Philadelphia International Auto Show are hoping that positive spirit will bring out the crowds this year.

It is an odd but fitting detail that a giant thermometer is affixed to the roof of this Newtown Square strip mall where, ordinarily, most buildings would have a clock. The architect, of course, had no idea that a future tenant - located directly beneath the device - would be serving a menu designed to stoke some heat. But with a name like Spice Indian Thai Bistro, you can bet that a well-curried meal in this stylish suburban newcomer will take the edge off a chilly Pennsylvania winter.

An optimist would point out that the Flyers picked up a point in each of their last two games, against a physical San Jose team that looks like a Western Conference powerhouse. A cynic would point out that the Flyers are allowing 4.8 goals a game, the worst figure in the NHL, and that their 0-3-3 record matches the longest winless start in their history. A realist, like defenseman Kimmo Timonen, would point out that, any way you look at it, the Flyers need to improve their all-round play if they are to be a factor in the Eastern Conference.

City officials yesterday embraced the concept of bicycle sharing as a way to reduce traffic and pollution, but said many questions must be answered before Philadelphia becomes the first U.S. city to institute public pedaling on a large scale. Whether the city would have to fund the program with public advertising is at the top of the list. Where stations would be placed, how big the fleet of bicycles should be, and who would be in charge follow closely behind. These questions were presented in a hearing before City Council's joint committee on the environment and transportation yesterday.

SONAM IS "manos" spelled backward and, frankly, when I heard that, my first impression of this South Street BYOB was that it would be much too cute and over-thought. Even the restaurant's concept of "Asian Tapas" and "Global Dim Sum" screams, "Let's be different just to be different. " OK, a critic has to keep an open mind and, sometimes, eat her words. Chef-owner Ben Byruch and designer Naomi Stein have created a clean, contemporary space that sets the scene for the food.