'The Book Of Mormon' Arrives On Broadway

From Trey Parker and Matt Stone, four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of South Park comes this hilarious Broadway musical about a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. The Book of Mormon is written in collaboration with Robert Lopez, the Tony Award-winning writer of Avenue Q, and co-directed by Mr. Parker and three-time Tony nominee Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone). Previews began at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on February 24.
Click here for more information.

Remembering Anthony P. (Tony) Zecca

Tony Zecca was an absolute trailblazer.
In fact, in Philadelphia he was a public relations pioneer. 
Zecca was one of the first public relations practitioners to direct PR for a major municipal entity. The year was 1953. The Mayor was legendary Philadelphia reformer Richardson Dilworth. When Dilworth decided that he needed a Public Relations director, he turned to Zecca, a former wire service reporter who had the distinction of covering three political conventions in the city in 1948.
Zecca was the right man for the job -- and not just because he scored the highest of numerous applicants on the civil service exam. Zecca was quick. He was street-smart. He was loyal, yes. But he was also a total pro. He had good judgment and was an adept multi-tasker long before anyone even knew what the term meant.
Over the course of 23 years in city government Zecca worked for several Philadelphia mayors but he is best remembered as the spokesman, wordsmith and ever-president confidante to Mayor Frank Rizzo, one of the most colorful characters in Philadelphia's rich history.
As Deputy Mayor to Rizzo, Zecca was the guy who who worked his butt off to try to make sure that the rough-hewn Rizzo looked, talked and acted like a mayor. But he was also the guy who had to repair the damage when the Big Bambino didn't live up to the expectations of his most trusted loyalists. Along the way, once in awhile Zecca doubtless had to learn to simply "let Rizzo be Rizzo."
In the end it Zecca who was with Rizzo on the day he died in July 1991. Rizzo was seeking a dramatic return to the mayor's office when Zecca found the former Police Commissioner dead on the floor in the bathroom of his campaign office. Rizzo suffered a massive heart attack.
That day brought to an end a significant portion of Tony Zecca's career. And Zecca always maintained that an important part of Philadelphia died as well when Frank Rizzo passed on.
Today, we mourn the passing of  Anthony P. Zecca, a fellow member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame who died Sunday.
Tony Zecca was born in Philadelphia to Italian immigrants Giacomo Zecca, who built boats and planes at the Naval Shipyard, and Nevicella Zecca.
He grew up at 18th and Mifflin streets and graduated from South Philadelphia High School. He went on to Temple University, where he became editor of the Temple News.
He went to work for the old International News Service, and covered the 1948 Democratic, Republican and Progressive Party political conventions, all held in Philadelphia.
We extend our condolences to his son Mark, his daughter Adrienne and the entire family.
Those of us who follow in the footsteps of Tony Zecca are honored to do so.

Kean Presents NJ Tax Cut Bills; Dares Dems To Act

Senator Tom Kean, Jr. has announced that Republicans will submit today four tax cut proposals outlined by Governor Christie in last month's budget address.
"Republicans are committed to reducing the tax burden on New Jersey employers, but we will not do it recklessly or outside the context of a balanced budget," said Senator Kean. "The Governor has proposed several tax relief measures as part of his FY 2012 budget that we are eager to support, and are submitting these pieces of legislation to the Senate today. Senate Democrats appear to have recently become concerned about the tax climate for businesses in New Jersey after voting to raise taxes 115 times in the last decade. Senate Republicans hope their conversion is out of sincere concern for job creation rather than political opportunity. If their belief that tax cuts create jobs in genuine, they'll join us in passing these bills."
The following four tax cut bills, outlined in the Governor's budget, have been submitted to the Senate today:
Reduce S-Corporation Minimum Tax 25% (Sponsors: Senators Jennifer Beck, Tom Kean, Jr.)
Increase R&D Tax Credit to 100% (Sponsors: Senators Steve Oroho, Sean Kean)
Raise Estate Tax Exemption to $1 Million (Sponsors: Senators Joe Kyrillos, Gerald Cardinale)
Business Software Installation/Support Tax Exemption (Sponsors: Senators Tony Bucco, Diane Allen)
"New Jersey has lost jobs because fiscal recklessness- living beyond our means to pay for government's actions- has made our state an unaffordable place to do business," Kean continued. "Fiscal responsibility means paying for only what you can afford in order to assure job creators they will not be asked in the future to foot the bill for unaffordable spending. The tax cuts we have proposed can be paid for and are part and parcel of the Governor's balanced budget. There is no reason for our colleagues not to support these tax cuts."

Live Sex Demonstration Troubles University Chief

Statement by Northwestern University President Morton Shapiro:

I have recently learned of the after-class activity associated with Prof. Michael Bailey’s Human Sexuality class, and I am troubled and disappointed by what occurred.Although the incident took place in an after-class session that students were not required to attend and students were advised in advance, several times, of the explicit nature of the activity, I feel it represented extremely poor judgment on the part of our faculty member. I simply do not believe this was appropriate, necessary or in keeping with Northwestern University’s academic mission.
Northwestern faculty members engage in teaching and research on a wide variety of topics, some of them controversial. That is the nature of a university. However, in this instance, I have directed that we investigate fully the specifics of this incident, and also clarify what constitutes appropriate pedagogy, both in this instance and in the future.
Many members of the Northwestern community are disturbed by what took place on our campus. So am I.

Live Sex Toy Demonstration On College Campus

Northwestern University has now acknowledged that during a live sex toy demonstration on its campus last week students observed a naked woman being penetrated by a sex toy.
And get this: The demonstration followed a psychology professor's human sexuality class.
Though attendance was optional, about 100 students stayed on for the live sex demonstration said to be conducted by Faith Kroll and her fiance, Jim Marcus
Reportedly, the demonstration was conducted using "a machine-powered saw with a phallic object instead of a blade."  The Chicago Tribune said the couple are "exhibitionists" and that they enjoy having people watch them have sex.
The "guest lecturer" who spoke to the professor's class on the topic and who appears to have been the catalyst for the demonstration that followed will reportedly be paid several hundred dollars by the university's College of Arts and Sciences.
Here's the way the psychology professor explained this to the Tribune:

 “The students find the events to be quite valuable, typically, because engaging real people in conversation provides useful examples and extensions of concepts students learn about in traditional academic ways.”

Conversation?
Oh, is that what they call it now?

Christie: Get Me Outa The Cage; Let Me At 'Em!

"We're ready, we're ready!"
That's what New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said yesterday during a Town Hall meeting in the Garden State.
The Governor said he wants to be uncaged. He wants to "end the foolishness".
What was he talking about?
Collective bargaining.
Governor Christie says he is in favor of real collective bargaining where someone is in there representing the people who pay the bills. he wants to collectively bargain with unions and he wants to vigorously represent the taxpayers of his state. In effect, Christie is saying: "Bring it on!"
Or, in the Governor's own words: "Let me at 'em!"

Bateman: Approve NJ Civil Service Reform Now

In response to today's rally by police and firefighters outside the New Jersey State House in Trenton, Senator Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset/Morris) renewed his push for civil service reforms that will produce the savings needed to keep those vital public servants at their jobs.
"Today's rally should be a wake-up call to Democrats to stop stonewalling and pass comprehensive civil service reform," stated Bateman. "In these tough economic times, towns and cities throughout New Jersey are struggling with the inflexibility of the current civil service bureaucracy that makes it impossible to cut costs and balance budgets without laying off employees, including police and firefighters. Civil Service reform is not a cure-all, but it certainly would help towns lower their costs and allow many of these men and women to continue serving their communities."
Bateman noted that the civil service system was instituted early in the last century as a way to prevent politicians from packing government offices with incompetent friends and allies, or from firing good public servants without cause. This happened before modern labor and discrimination laws were passed, or before public workers formed unions.
"The civil service system was an important form of protection for public workers before modern labor laws were enacted, but now it's just another redundant layer of bureaucracy that hurts both public employees and taxpayers," Bateman continued. "Local government officials have little control over their workforces and lack the flexibility to manage their personnel in a way that cuts costs and protects jobs."
Senator Bateman is the sponsor of comprehensive civil service reform legislation (S-2039) that would allow local governments to opt out of the civil service system entirely and give town and county officials more power to reduce personnel costs and streamline operations. This bill is part of the Governor’s “toolkit” of bills designed to assist municipalities, counties and State agencies in managing their budgets.
"The Democrat majority passed a watered down version of civil service reform, but it was correctly rejected by the Governor for being ineffective and meaningless," concluded Bateman. "New Jersey taxpayers, and the thousands of police and firemen who serve them, deserve real change and real civil service reform now."

Christie Accepts Education Task Force Suggestions

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today welcomed the recommendations of the New Jersey Educator Effectiveness Task Force as a blueprint to remaking public education in the state and refocusing the fundamental goals of the system to center on high student achievement and results for children. Established by Executive Order No. 42, the nine-member Task Force was charged with studying and developing recommendations to guide the creation of a fair and transparent system of educator evaluations, centering on student learning and achievement and demonstrated practices of effective teachers and administrators.

“The first step toward driving innovation and excellence in our public schools and expanding opportunity to every New Jersey child is making accountability and performance the foundation of educator evaluations. The most important factor in a child’s education is the effectiveness of their teacher, yet our system is biased away from accountability and measurements of how well instructors are performing or how well children are learning,” said Governor Christie. “If we are to succeed in delivering real educational opportunity to every child in New Jersey and finally closing our achievement gap, we cannot ignore performance or avoid accountability any longer.

“With a strong, student-centered foundation, we can achieve real reform to make educator effectiveness and student achievement the driving forces behind public education – rewarding excellent teachers who are getting positive results in the classroom and removing teachers who don’t. This report provides a roadmap to make these common sense reforms a reality, to challenge the status quo and to move the system toward the mutual goals of tangibly valuing our best teachers and excellent results for children.”

The Task Force’s report and recommendations are broken into four sections:

· Recommendations for a New Teacher Evaluation System;

· Recommendations for a New Principal Evaluation System;

· Other recommendations for the State to Set Positive Conditions For Successful Implementation Through Related Policies and Activities; and

· Next Steps to Begin the Process of Achieving Reform.

In addition to its chairman Brian Zychowsky, Superintendent of Schools in North Brunswick Township, other members of the Task Force included: Derrell Bradford, Executive Director and Director of Communications for Excellent Education for Everyone (E3); Jesse Rector, Clinton Hill Campus President of North Star Academy Charter School; Ross Danis, Associate Dean of Education at Drew University; Donna Chiera, an Executive of the American Federation of Teachers and Special Education Resource Teacher; Rafael Fajardo, former President of the Elizabeth Board of Education; Rev. Edwin Leahy, Headmaster of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark; Jane Cosco, retired teacher and Director of Operation Goody Bag; and PeggySue Juliano, Executive Board Member of the Lacy Township High School PTA.

The report is available in full at: http://www.state.nj.us/education/educators/effectiveness.pdf

Temple Undergrad Brings Sesame Street To Life

This spring, while many Temple University undergrads are fleeing Philadelphia for warmer weather and a welcome relief from work and school, sophomore anthropology and strategic communications major Laura Gillespie will be doing just the opposite. She will bring one of the most famous residents of 123 Sesame Street to life, portraying the role of Abby Cadabby at the Liacouras Center from Saturday, March 12 through Monday, March 14.

Gillespie, originally from Levittown, PA., has taken her talents from Broad Street to Sesame Street, touring around the country with the show since August 2009, and is especially excited to return to the Philadelphia area to perform in front of her family and friends at her university’s arena.

“Knowing that I am in an arena not only close to home, but one that is a part of my university is very exciting. I know I will be full of adrenaline knowing that my family and friends are in the audience. The applause and cheers from the crowd always give me energy and create excitement in me as a performer. Knowing that my mom, dad, aunt’s uncles, and grandparents are a part of the crowd will be even more exhilarating.”

Sesame Street Live’s Elmo and friends will teach young children the importance of “going green” and focusing on the environment when they perform “Elmo’s Green Thumb” at the Liacouras Center from Saturday, March 12 through Monday, March 14.

Tickets starting as low as $12 are on sale now online through ComcastTIX.com/elmo, by phone at 1-800-298-4200, or in person at the Liacouras Center box office. Group tickets also available by calling 215-389-9543. 

Show times are Saturday, March 12 at 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 13 at 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.; Monday, March 14 at 10:30 a.m.

Remembering Shelley Picker

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Shelley Picker -- a friend, colleague and one of the kindest, most talented, most gracious people we've ever met.
A member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, Shelley served as President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and spent a large part of her professional life as a successful and highly-respected PR practitioner in the Philadelphia region. She represented an impressive number of  corporations and non-profits and gained a reputation as a savvy businesswoman, a generous and helpful colleague and an accomplished wordsmith. It's no secret that the PR practice can be rough and hugely competitive. But Shelley managed to succeed without the sort of pugnacity that characterizes so many others in the business. She competed with the best of them (and often bested them) with an a smile and a warmth that made her widely admired not just by her colleague but by all who knew her.
Shelley Picker was always interested in art. Indeed, she drew and painted all her life.
After receiving her training in oils and acrylics at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, she expanded her work to include fabric wall hangings. During this time, she was a studio artist, taught art and showed her work extensively throughout the country in galleries and museums.
She served as the President of Artist Equity and was an advocate for the rights of artists regarding safety issues and gallery relationships. She also served on the Board of Collab, (the design section of the Philadelphia Art Museum) and worked as a consultant for the Museum. And she served on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, and was a Signature Member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and the Baltimore Watercolor Society.
In the 1990's, Shelley began to focus her energies on watercolors. Her floral and garden paintings proved to be remarkably captivating. And, her career as an artist flourished.
She exhibited her work extensively  in galleries and museums, (both juried and group shows) and her work was acquired by corporate and private collections.
Here's what Shelley had to say about this:

I touch the paper with color and sometimes magic happens.
Water and paint – mixing, floating, moving, blending, sparkling, creating shapes and images. Each color is special; each reacting in its own way, some transparent or staining, others opaque or granulated, that's what makes the watercolor medium come alive for me.
Sometimes I work very close to a painting for many hours only to raise my head and feel like only minutes have passed. I back away and am surprised to see a new and different painting.
Whenever I work outside, direct from nature, I revel in it. The sky is always a wonder to me. The sparkling sun filters through the trees, always creating wonderful rich darks – deep and mysterious. The light shines through the petals of my favorite flowers creating lights and mid-tones, shifting the shapes and changing the petal structure. The environment speaks to me and always makes me smile.
Watercolor has turned out to be a perfect match - a love match.

Shelley never acknowledged it, but the "magic" that she said merely "happens" didn't just happen.
It came from her.
And she shared it with her wonderful family, her colleagues and all us who were fortunate enough to know her. While she saw the light shining through in nature, we saw the light shining through in her. And we were inspired and strengthened by it.
She will be greatly missed. But we are greatly comforted by the example of her life and her rich artistic legacy.
Our deepest sympathies are extended to her husband Ben, her children and her entire family.
Funeral services are set for tomorrow, Friday, at 1 p.m. at Levine’s at 7112 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia.