What in the name of love was Bono doing in town last weekend?
It wasn't Bono.
The wrap-shaded guy in black leather was Pavel Sfera, a Bono impersonator who had sung at the Saturday-night wedding of South Jersey U2 fans Karen and Martin Smith at the Ben Franklin. (So it was in the name of love.)
Sfera caused heads to turn Monday at the Marathon Grill at 16th and Sansom Streets. He said staff and customers had approached him with sweet nothings of "Are you?" and "I love that Joshua Tree album."
His response was a smile. "I had some fun with them," Sfera said by phone from his next stop, Kansas City, Mo., where he appeared with other celeb impersonators for Sam's Club. Sfera, who emigrated as a baby from Yugoslavia with his Romanian parents in 1969, is based in L.A.; check out his Web site, www.bonolookalike.com. He and his band do two to five appearances a month, plus charity dates.
Sfera said he didn't try to mislead people - even when they deserved to be fooled: "I mean, I'm talking and they ask, 'Do you usually drop your Irish accent in public?' "
Eagles kicker David Akers has gone to federal court, accusing a Florida auto restorer of doing shoddy work on his Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in the summer and posting on its Web site unauthorized photos of Akers in an Eagles jersey and the car. Akers, through attorney Kevin M. Siegel of Dolchin, Slotkin & Todd, contends noted Shelby modifier Ronaele Inc. of Palm Harbor applied a defective clear coat and improperly installed a high-performance exhaust system - which had to be redone. The invoice spells out more than $31,000 of work, including a $1,689 radar detector. The suit seeks more than $75,000. All traces of Akers are gone from Ronaele's site. Ronaele's Ed Monfort, contacted Friday, blames New Jersey roads for the exhaust-system problems and says he and Akers had discussed a partial refund.
CNN's Carol Costello was spotted at CBS3 last week, interviewing for the anchoring chair formerly held by Alycia Lane. A job here would put the New York-based Costello closer to her husband, Timothy Law Snyder, who last year moved from Fairfield U in Connecticut to a high-level job at Loyola College in Maryland.
Word of CBS Radio layoffs swept through Philly's five stations (KYW, WOGL, WYSP, WIP and WPHT) last week, and about 10 sales and other behind-the-scenes people were axed. The news Friday at KYW Newsradio (1060) was chilling: Management seeks two newsroom volunteers to resign by Tuesday. If no one comes forward . . .
Action News' health reporter will be Ali Gorman, 33, who grew up Voorheesian (Eastern Regional High) and last worked in Jacksonville, Fla. She's also a marathon runner, and in her past life was a registered nurse who worked in New York City hospitals and with the Navy. She starts in-house at 6ABC in mid-March, replacing Anita Brikman, who quit for an anchoring job in Washington, D.C.
For her flight out to cover the Grammys, CBS3's Anne-Marie Green joined CBS contest winners on a New York-to-L.A. jet bearing John Legend, who concertized on board for a half-hour. Legend and his crew enjoyed the rest of the flight in first class, while Green and reporters for TV Guide and MTV sat in coach. Green reports that Legend's artist brother, "Bumper," sat back with them. (Delta and CBS arranged Green's flight out as part of a promotion; her station paid for the hotel and trip back.) Green's stories aired on 17 stations, and she'll be on Eyewitness News tonight and tomorrow.
Philly-raised actor Robert Prosky, now in The Price at the Walnut Street Theatre, on Wednesday will get this year's ATTY Award, which the Spector Gadon & Rosen Foundation gives out for positive depictions of lawyers in the arts. Board head Paul R. Rosen cites Prosky's work as a pro-bono attorney in Dead Man Walking.
No tears from Terrell Owens as the asking price of his Moorestown mansion has been lowered again, to $2.96 million from $3.4 million. He paid $3.9 million in 2004 for the spread, by Rancocas Creek.
Pileggi Boutique near Washington Square is dark. The reason: Founder and style icon Joan Pileggi - saying she's "changing directions" - has sold it to Andrea Chila, a Drexel grad and alumna of Diane von Furstenberg and BCBG Max Azria. Chila is closing for a two-week renovation. Pileggi, who opened in 1976, has been easing her way out, having previously sold her two salons. "She's a talented young lady," Pileggi says of Chila. But Pileggi says she can't call this retirement. "I'm just changing directions."
Philly paparazzo HughE Dillon, in New York for Fashion Week, caught up with Katie Lee Joel, wife of Billy Joel, who joined the piano man for his stay surrounding the recent Academy Ball. She enjoyed her visit, Dillon reports: "She said the people were very friendly, the streets were surprisingly cleaner than she imagined, the orchestra was lovely, and Geno's cheesesteaks were their favorite. She said she had the 'liquidy cheese sauce.' I told her that's Cheez Whiz."
Contact columnist Michael Klein at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/michaelklein and http://go.philly.com/foodanddrinq.
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