'Delco Proper' inches closer to its own show

Tommy, Izzy and John, from the Comedy Central Web series "Delco Proper," could find out as soon as next week if their pilot episode will develop into a 30-minute TV series.

You may remember these guys as the hugely popular "Real Househusbands of Philadelphia." The sketch-comedy skits, a spoof on the "Real Housewives" franchise, have thousands of hits on YouTube.

As comedians, writers and producers of their own material, the men have now been given a chance to make it big with Comedy Central and "Delco Proper," the story of three best friends from Philly and Delaware County who struggle to avoid trouble - but typically fail - in the most comedic way.

"We always wanted to do a show about our upbringings and the characters and the world we grew up in," said Tommy Papa, perhaps better known by his stage name, Tommy Pope, during a recent interview.

"Delco Proper" stars Pope, John McKeever and Tim Butterly, a/k/a Izzy, who hail from Northeast Philly or Delaware County.

Pope, 35, is also known for his work on the Emmy-winning comedy website, Funny or Die, and National Lampoon magazine.

"Over the past four or five years, we've done sketches, and some of them grabbed the attention of networks. Comedy Central loved it," said Pope.

"So, we shot that one pilot and here we are . . . It breeds a wild animal that you can't find anywhere else. We're trying to duplicate that and expose the wonderful characters this city offers to the world and to the nation."

Radio and TV talker Michael Smerconish is suing a Main Line art gallery for allegedly selling him a phony signed photo of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

In the civil suit filed Monday in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, Smerconish claims he purchased what he thought was an original copy of Yousuf Karsh's famous 1941 photo of Churchill from Arader Galleries of Philadelphia (1308 Walnut St.) Arader, the largest rare-book and print dealer in the world, also has branches in King of Prussia, New York City and San Francisco.

The CNN host claims that when he bought the photo in 2000, the gallery owner duped him by producing a certificate of authenticity guaranteeing that the portrait was autographed by Churchill himself during World War II. Smerconish says that when went to get the photo restored and had it looked at by an antique expert, he was told the photo was a copy with a forged signature.

Smerconish wants his money back, and it appears he's getting no push-back from the gallery owner.

"I've never had anything like this happen to me once in all my years," said gallery owner Graham Arader, reached by phone yesterday. "We've been humbled and beaten by the great power that Mr. Smerconish has."

Arader claims he has no record of a sale to Smerconish, but "they asked for $5,000 and we'll give them $5,000 to settle this matter."

Arader called this situation "particularly strange" because he said he's not in the business of selling signed photographs and has no recollection of having any art relating to Churchill, but the legal fees alone to fight the suit would create a greater financial burden than a settlement.

"I spend all my time giving my money away," said Arader. "I'm happy to give some away to Mr. Smerconish. I've been put in my place."

Smerconish would not comment on the pending litigation.

It appears that former Philly mob boss Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino spent much of his nightlife over this past weekend in Margate City, N.J.

Yesterday, I reported that Merlino was spotted at Johnny's (9407 Ventnor Ave.) on Sunday night.

Now, I'm hearing he spent Saturday night at Memories (9518 Amherst Ave.) with former Philly Councilman Frank DiCicco and Pete Ciarrocchi, CEO of Chickie's & Pete's. They reportedly danced to Sammy Davis Jr.'s "The Candyman," and did the Mummers' strut until the bar closed at 4 a.m.

A week earlier, sources say, Memories hosted Lt. Gov. Mike Stack and state Sen. Larry Farnese, who just missed former state Sen. Vince Fumo at the same venue.