Tony Luke

Tony Luke Jr. online Official website: www.tonylukes.com . www.tonylukes.com/music.htm has MP3 downloads of original music. Official business website: www.tonylukes.tv . "Watch the Mummers Strut" video: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mummers+luke&aq=f . "The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone" trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahID5siy7gU . Eat 4 Peace: www.eat4peace.org (click on About tab).

We were there: 8:40 p.m. (bottom of the fifth inning). Wait: 2 minutes. Order: A roast pork sandwich with a side of roasted long hot peppers. Cost : $11. Phindings : El Phoodio finally got off the schneid in a big way. After consecutive visits suffering the overpriced and oversalted fare at Harry the K's and the flavor-challenged pizza from Seasons, the roast pork sandwich at Tony Luke's was truly manna from heaven. This delicious belly-filler (which, if swung in anger, could probably leave a dent on the human skull)

HERE ARE some tips (and a favorite snack recipe) from Tony Luke for those who'd like to follow his lead and remake their physical appearances in an organic and healthy way: * Understand that it's not about dieting or exercising for a specific period of time. "You will never keep the weight off if you don't make it a lifestyle change and if you don't make exercising as important a part of your life as getting up and showering in the morning. " * Moderation is the key. " 'Healthy' doesn't mean just eating wheat grass and alfalfa sprouts.

Back in 2007, when Daryl Hall came up with the idea for his online music show Live From Daryl's House, he was motivated in part by being able to go to work without leaving home. "I've been traveling around the world forever," says Hall, the 65-year-old Pottstown native who, along with John Oates, made up one of the best-selling duos in music history, with No. 1 hits that included "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do). " "But the Internet allows you to turn everything upside down," says Hall, on the phone this week from his house in Dutchess County, N.Y., where Live From Daryl's House is filmed.

Let's cut to the chase: The reaction to the news last week that Tony Luke's, the gritty South Philly sandwich stand, was coming out with a frozen, microwavable/boil-in-a-bag version of its venerable cheesesteak was not exactly positive. "Sounds gross," was one of the milder e-mailed posts. "Two words," went another: " Nas-Tee . " "Blechhh," spat another. Then they got personal: "Tony sold out to The Man!" They had another thing in common. None of the commenters (except one, a defender)

TONY LUKE Jr. isn't nearly the man he used be. And that's one of two reasons the 50-year-old cheesesteak-and-roast-pork entrepreneur may be the happiest he's ever been (more on the second reason later). A year ago, when I profiled the modern-day Renaissance man for the Daily News , Luke didn't so much tip the scales; he crushed them, weighing almost 350 pounds. But just about a year later, here is Luke (real name, Anthony Lucidonio Jr.) sitting at a back table in his favorite Italian eatery, the deep-in-the-heart-of-South Philly Franco & Luigi's, carrying a mere 243 pounds on an impressively toned, 5-foot-9-inch frame.

A FEW years ago, a psychic told Tony Luke Jr. he hadn't survived childhood in any of his previous 10 lifetimes. Maybe that's why the South Philly native is driven to lead so many different lives in his current incarnation. Carrying a tattoo-bedecked, 340-plus pounds and sporting a cleanshaven head, twin diamond stud earrings and a serious goatee, the man born Anthony Lucidonio Jr. may look like a loan shark's collector or a nightclub bouncer, but he is a wildly successful businessman who runs an ever-expanding international dining and frozen-food business.

Fascinated by cheesesteaks, all the lore and more? Then check out The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book, new from Philadelphia's Running Press. Author Carolyn Wyman (Spam: A Biography) doesn't fret about ratings and reviews as much as she dishes out heaping portions of local color, history and helpful info, like recipes. (Cheesesteak pierogis? Italian rolls!) Want to know who serves what meat on which rolls? She tells you for 38 major steak shops, from Pat's and Geno's to Claymont Steak Shop in Delaware - and shares stories about the folks behind the food.

Barack Obama vows he shall return and sample a cheesesteak. Just one? Yesterday, sports talker Glen Macnow of WIP (610 AM) posted his nearly final rankings of 45 cheesesteaks sampled between West Chester to Atlantic City. Only the order of the top six could change, pending a final on-air showdown at noon on Saturday, April 19. Interestingly, ranked No. 1 was also the place that finished first with Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan after his 2002 whirlwind tour of 23 eateries: John's Roast Pork on East Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia.

YOU'VE HAD Pat's. You've had Geno's. You've had Tony Luke's and John's and Jim's and Steve's and D'Alessandro's and Donkey's and Chubby's and Cosmi's and Chick's and dozens more. But have you had a cheesesteak pot pie? Wontons? Spring rolls? Bao buns with spicy pickled shallots, homemade sriracha and micro cilantro? Yeah, probably. Eighty-three years after its invention, Pat and Harry Olivieri's humble creation - originated with butcher's scraps and a hotdog roll - has gone international.

YOU'VE HAD Pat's. You've had Geno's. You've had Tony Luke's and John's and Jim's and Steve's and D'Alessandro's and Donkey's and Chubby's and Cosmi's and Chick's and dozens more. But have you had a cheesesteak pot pie? Wontons? Spring rolls? Bao buns with spicy pickled shallots, homemade sriracha and micro cilantro? Yeah, probably. Eighty-three years after its invention, Pat and Harry Olivieri's humble creation - originated with butcher's scraps and a hotdog roll - has gone international.

DiNIC'S ROAST PORK - sliced thin with broccoli rabe and extra-sharp provolone on a seeded Carangi's roll - is a damn good sandwich. But the best in America? A day after the Reading Terminal Market stalwart was named the best sandwich in the country by a Travel Channel show, some competitors and their devotees questioned whether host Adam Richman had cast a wide-enough net. Richman announced the winner Wednesday night, after sampling 28 sandwiches throughout the country and naming 10 regional finalists and two wild cards.

St. Joe's Prep and Temple grad Michael Rady just had some real-life practice in a hospital for his role as a doctor on the upcoming CW show "Emily Owens, M.D. "   "I delivered my son. There were other people with me, but I was actively involved," Rady told Daily News TV critic Ellen Gray in Los Angeles during the Television Critics Association conference. Rady, who starred on the CW's update of "Melrose Place" and appears on Showtime's "House of Lies," and actress wife Rachael Kemery welcomed a baby boy named Ellington two weeks ago. Rady said his participation in the delivery was a tough task for a guy who is squeamish, which he has tried to overcome since being cast opposite Mamie Gummer in "Owens.

Back in 2007, when Daryl Hall came up with the idea for his online music show Live From Daryl's House, he was motivated in part by being able to go to work without leaving home. "I've been traveling around the world forever," says Hall, the 65-year-old Pottstown native who, along with John Oates, made up one of the best-selling duos in music history, with No. 1 hits that included "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do). " "But the Internet allows you to turn everything upside down," says Hall, on the phone this week from his house in Dutchess County, N.Y., where Live From Daryl's House is filmed.

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY on Thursday to seriouser and seriouser talk-radio host slash political hobnobber slash best-selling author slash Inky columnist slash occasional nudist Michael Smerconish. The Main Liner and onetime major Republican made big waves four years back when he endorsed Barack Obama for prez. Today, his views are solidly middle-of-the-road. Not sure about Smer's opinions on astrology, but the stars say he oughta enjoy where he is now and latch on to adventure in April. Sharing space on this week's birthday list is slenderized sandwich star Tony Luke Jr., also 50 today.

HERE ARE some tips (and a favorite snack recipe) from Tony Luke for those who'd like to follow his lead and remake their physical appearances in an organic and healthy way: * Understand that it's not about dieting or exercising for a specific period of time. "You will never keep the weight off if you don't make it a lifestyle change and if you don't make exercising as important a part of your life as getting up and showering in the morning. " * Moderation is the key. " 'Healthy' doesn't mean just eating wheat grass and alfalfa sprouts.

TONY LUKE Jr. isn't nearly the man he used be. And that's one of two reasons the 50-year-old cheesesteak-and-roast-pork entrepreneur may be the happiest he's ever been (more on the second reason later). A year ago, when I profiled the modern-day Renaissance man for the Daily News , Luke didn't so much tip the scales; he crushed them, weighing almost 350 pounds. But just about a year later, here is Luke (real name, Anthony Lucidonio Jr.) sitting at a back table in his favorite Italian eatery, the deep-in-the-heart-of-South Philly Franco & Luigi's, carrying a mere 243 pounds on an impressively toned, 5-foot-9-inch frame.

The health attributes of Philadelphia's signature foods are beyond debate. Hoagies and scrapple are salty and fatty. Soft pretzels and Krimpets are loaded with empty carbs. Cheesesteaks? All of that. But in this supersized America, a one-thousand-calorie sandwich seems to fit right in. Then why are two major Philadelphia sandwich players - Tony Luke's and Rick's Original Steaks - going smaller? Both have introduced 6-inch versions of the traditional 9-inch sandwiches at their food-court locations.

Official description: Juicy, lean, premium Angus beef topped with fire-roasted onions and peppers, melted Swiss and tasty aioli spread on a toasted Philly roll. Chain: Arby's. Calories: 610, with 30 grams of fat and 1,670 mgs of salt. Location: 2560 Aramingo Ave. Order time: 3 minutes. Price: $5.29. Review: Yes, the commercials are annoying to anyone who lives here; we're not sure what naming a sandwich a "Philly" means. Was this decision made by a focus group in Idaho looking for something authentic?