Dan Gross: A casting call in SW Phila.
"THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK," which stars Rydal native Bradley Cooper and "Winter's Bone" Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, shoots in the area from Oct. 10 through November.
"THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK," which stars Rydal native Bradley Cooper and "Winter's Bone" Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, shoots in the area from Oct. 10 through November.
Heery Casting is holding an open call for background actors, otherwise known as "extras," on Saturday at a warehouse at 6900 Lindbergh Blvd. in Southwest Philly.
The film, based on a novel by La Salle graduate Matthew Quick, will be directed by David O. Russell, who made "The Fighter."
The casting call is open to men and women, ages 20-65, all ethnicities, though men 30-60 of Southeast Asian/Indian descent are needed the most. Screen Actors Guild members will be seen from 10 a.m. to 11:30, and nonunion applicants are asked to come between 11:30 and 3:30 p.m.
All are asked to bring a casual photo, not a mug shot, that producers can keep. Heery says the filmmakers are especially looking for "real Philly characters."
Dr. Oz drops by
Dr. Mehmet Oz has a soft spot for Philadelphia. It's where he met his wife, Lisa, and it's where he got both a medical and a business degree - from the University of Pennsylvania. Better known simply as Dr. Oz, he was here yesterday at Fox 29 promoting the new season of "The Dr. Oz Show," which airs new episodes at 4 p.m. daily weekdays and old ones at 11 a.m.
Interestingly, Oz's wife, raised in Huntingdon Valley, is the daughter of Gerald Lemole, now with Temple, who was one of Oz's medical professors.
Here's Oz's take on a few medical issues we raised with him:
Are diet sodas as bad for you as regular sodas? "They're not good. They trigger you to want to eat something by giving you something sweet."
Do cellphones cause cancer? "We have a lot of data on cellphone use but not much on what it does to you."
HPV vaccinations? "I don't like to legislate decisions that should be family decisions, but I strongly believe in the vaccine."
Medical marijuana? "I strongly believe that medical marijuana has an important role in the medicinal treatment of illnesses." Right on, Doc. Right on.
Our video interview with Dr. Oz, featuring our taste test of his daily fruit/vegetable breakfast shake, will be available this afternoon at PhillyGossip.com.
OUT AND ABOUT Flyers star Chris Pronger was a good husband Monday, supporting wife Lauren as she was named one of the 19 Fashionable Women in Philadelphia by Nicole Miller Philadelphia at a party at the XIX restaurant in the Bellevue. Others on the list include 6ABC's Nydia Han; psychologist Bhavna Shyamalan, whose filmmaker husband, M. Night Shyamalan, did not attend; Philadelphia's first lady, Lisa Nutter; Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman; PR professional Nicole Cashman, and Brown Betty Dessert's Norrinda Brown, who is still extremely fashionable while very pregnant with her first child. The Prongers later attended a party downstairs at the Palm that Philadelphia Style hosted in honor of Nicole Miller, who graces the cover of its new issue. Miller, in from New York for both parties, had no patience for our questions about the teenager who drove an Escalade through Miller's Manayunk boutique or her shout-out on an old episode of "Seinfeld," in which Elaine dated a man to get a discount on Nicole Miller dresses. "I actually thought that was obnoxious," Miller said. Mary K. Dougherty, who operates both Miller locations in Philadelphia, has a better sense of humor and enjoyed the reference. * Just off the plane from St. Louis, Eagles QB Michael Vick, joined by fiancee Kijafa Frink of PNK Elephant (504 South), stopped to wish boxer/fashion designer Simon "One Punch" Carr a happy 35th birthday at G (111 S. 17th). * Talk host Nate Berkus stayed at the Sofitel Monday night. * We hear Doylestown native pop star Pink; her husband, Carey Hart; and their baby, daughter, Willow, are vacationing this week in Stone Harbor.
Charitably minded
The annual Ride for Kids motorcycle fundraiser for the Brain Tumor Foundation takes place Sunday. The 40-mile ride starts and ends at the Valley Forge Christian College campus in Phoenixville. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the ride starts at 10. Cost is $35 per person. To register in advance, visit pbtfus.org/ rideforkids or to donate through Daily News photographer Steven M. Falk and his wife, Deneen, who organized the ride, visit tinyurl.com/falkride.
* Injured Flyers winger Ian Laperriere will participate in a Flyers clinic and also sit above a dunk tank Sunday during the KidzFest 2011 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Challenge Grove Park (100 Borton's Mill) in Cherry Hill. The free event raises money for various children's charities.
For info, call 877-744-3083 or email info@kidzfest.org.