A few online media outlets greatly exaggerated their reports of the passing of actress Natasha Richardson yesterday, following her awful skiing accident. Uncle Grambo has a roundup of the gleeful piling on of many gossip-oriented sites about the news that did not happen.

Luckily, Philadelphia’s weblog community can hang with the big dogs-

It’s a screen capture from Google Reader, as the post has since been deleted from Mr. Dillon’s site.

But not to worry! He still has the “last photos taken of her” up on the site.

Oh, well, the last photos he took of her, at any rate. And really, isn’t that what counts, in the final analysis?

Did you know that World Cafe Live has a travel service? Well, they do-

Yes, James Taylor- a terrible, terrible dream.

Man, I haven’t seen that many counts since the big vampire trials back in ‘85.

Explain This To Me is a new occasional series in which I, a relative outsider, ask you, the reader, to explain some specific bit of “local color.”

From Wikipedia:

Scrapple is a savory mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour. The mush is formed into a loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then fried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a regional American food of Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland…

…Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, heart, liver, and other scraps, which are boiled with any bones attached (often the entire head), to make a broth.

Okay. Let’s read that again. “Head, heart, liver, and other scraps.” Reading Terminal Market even holds a little festival for it.

Do you folks actually eat this stuff? Or, is it more of a “dare” kind of food, something you use to show off how tough you are?

I believe you, Philadelphia- you’re tough, I get it. You can put down the facade and put down the scrapple.

Please explain this to me. Thank you.

A question that vexes every local news outlet’s Web site- “How, how can we have an excuse to just post a photo of some bikini lady’s junk? How?”

Ah, thank you, New Jersey’s Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling.

BONUS PRO TIP: Also a chance to pull out the ol’ bikini photo galleries! Local televison news sites love photo galleries.

Well played, NBC 10. Well played.

Barred For Life: Black Flag tattoo shoot this Sunday

Local artist Stewart Dean Ebersole is working with photographer Jared Castaldi on a book called Barred for Life. It’s a collection of images of Black Flag fans’ bars tattoos, along with a history of the band’s fans and of the iconic symbol. Ebersole and Castaldi have already done shoots of ink from Philly, Lancaster, West Chester, Jersey City, New York City and Sunbury, Ohio, and will be doing a major shoot for the book this Sunday. If you have bars, head to Tattooed Mom’s on Sunday, March 15, between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to get your bars shot and tell your story. There’ll be a live tattoo session to boot.

Kind of sad that this is going to totally overshadow the similar event being held at Tops Bar on Saturday for people with Thin Lizzy tattoos.

Odd thing about the article, though- with the two example pages, it makes me wonder if every single Black Flag fan ends up becoming a hair stylist.

Sad Twitter post, or saddest Twitter post?

While we’re on the subject, if you’re not following the Bulletin’s Twitter feed, you’re missing the awesome:

Police find man’s body in crate [Inquirer]

Yes, in a crate.

As a friend just commented, “Jesus, that’s all The Wire and shit.”

Indeed.

Family fears dead baby found in suitcase is victim of mother’s religious cult [Inquirer]

The religious cult that Ria Reshma Ramkissoon belonged to shunned health care and formal education. The leaders were known as “King” and “Queen,” and their followers called themselves “Prince” and “Princess.”

They were forbidden to interact with loved ones outside the cult without a member’s supervision.

And they may be killers.

Two days after police found a dead baby stuffed in a suitcase hidden in South Philadelphia, Ramkissoon’s relatives in Baltimore await a phone call that they suspect will confirm their worst fears: that the infant is Ramkissoon’s 18-month-old son, Javon Thompson.

Relatives fear that cult members starved the tot to death because he refused to say “Amen.”

Spotted on the menu for Center City horse betting parlor/bar/”restaurant” The Turf Club:

Chicken Ranch Sandwich
Grilled chicken coated in crunchy Cool Ranch Doritos, deep fried and served on a kaiser roll with lettuce, romato and Ranch dressing. Served with Cool Ranch Doritos.

Wow. I… I have nothing.

Just above that is the “Backyard Sandwich,” featuring beef steak, chicken steak and bacon.

Turf Club Menu [pdf]