From Julio to Jay-Z … The talent playing Atlantic City this weekend is truly an absurd mix that spans half a century, crossing many demographics. First you’ve got Julio Iglesias Friday and Saturday at Caesars. I’ve gotta be honest, I have no idea what Julio sings or what the draw is, but he’s said to have played more than 5,000 shows throughout his career, so there must be somebody out there who is his Biggest Fan. Then you’ve got Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday. Unlike the dynamic duo’s recent Philly performance, lots of tickets remain. In a bizarre blast from the past, ex-clothes-shedding Debbie Gibson — oh, sorry, Deborah Gibson (remember her Playboy spread?) — begins a three-week run at Harrah’s on Sunday. And the incomparable-on-so-many-levels Dolly Parton plays her rescheduled (due to, er, back pain) Borgata gig Saturday night. Simultaneously in the Borgata, there’s Tracy Morgan. Even if he just puts 30 Rock re-runs on the projector, its bound to be funny.

And they’re off … Saturday is the 134th Kentucky Derby. Start the day off right at McGillin’s Olde Ale House with $3 mint juleps. If the kids are tagging along, precluding the consumption of copious amounts of bourbon, head to Franklin Square, where Philly’s own equestrian heroes Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex have been immortalized as carousel horses (for $60,000!!!). From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., every kid that rides will receive a first-place ribbon. Finally, everyone actually wins.

At last, a reason to hang out under I-95 … I love Zoe Strauss. Her photography is real Philadelphia: mean, gritty and honest. So there’s no better place for a Zoe Strauss exhibit than in South Philly, under I-95. Front and Mifflin from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Her work is so real, it’s realer than real. It’s unreal. Just, um, check it out.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you … A lot of people are confused. This Sunday is not Mother’s Day. Next Sunday is Mother’s Day. Which gives you a whole extra week to completely forget. This year, skip the Godiva and opt for John & Kira’s locally made chocolates. You have to order by May 6th for delivery, and you don’t want to send them belated, right?

Not sure why Philly boy Todd Young didn’t do this in the first place, what with this being 2008 and all, but he finally got around to posting a YouTube video for his Barack Obama Song, which you first heard here last week. So go waste valuable time and do that viral thing that you love doing so much.

The last time we checked in with Silvertide, Northeast Philadelphia’s great rock-and-roll hope, it was 2002, they’d just signed with Clive Davis’s J Records and were bidding their hometown goodbye at South Street’s Theater of Living Arts, where most of the band members weren’t old enough to drink. Much has changed since then — the TLA is now the refurbished Fillmore, and backstage before their show on Saturday, singer Walt Lafty (pictured at Saturday’s soundcheck) exuded a sense of been-here, done-this calm as he chain-smoked on a couch. Then he stretched out his long legs, and his knees crunched like Rice Krispies in a bowl of milk. “Did you hear that?” he moans. “That’s what I get for jumping off amp stacks every night.”

Four years on the road (and marriage to his high school sweetheart) has brought some maturity, but Lafty hasn’t lost a drop of his high-energy stage presence. Swilling from a complimentary bottle of champagne and prowling the stage later that night, Lafty led his bandmates through a rousing set that, like his crackling joints, showed a band in the midst of some growing pains.

Lafty’s high-energy partner in crime, guitarist Nick Perri, was in Los Angeles scoring an indie film, and his electric solos were missed. Lafty also wasn’t shy about giving the eager crowd an update on the band’s completed but unreleased new record, which is stuck in a legal tug-of-war with their label. As a result, the set was light on new material, which was a shame, considering the promise of “What Are You Made Of?” — Lafty’s been soaking up a lot of Radiohead lately, and it shows in both his vocals, now unafraid to dance with falsetto, and the song’s atmospheric guitar work.

Standards like “Mary Jane” and “California Rain” sounded road-honed and tight, and “Ain’t Coming Home” made for an ironic finale. Six years ago, that song was a bittersweet farewell to their hometown fans. Now they’re back, stuck here, waiting for the business of music to work itself out so they can get on the road and take the next step in their career, creaky knees and all.

PHOTO: Jared Polin, youguys media

If you were one of the 18.2 million people watching the Grammys on Sunday night, you probably caught a glimpse of Coatesville’s messy-haired Brian Fitzgerald and his violin in the front row of the Foo Fighters’s orchestra — conducted by none other than Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones — during their performance of “The Pretender.” The 23-year-old Fitzgerald won the honor (along with 14 other musicians, though he lost out on first chair to a lovely young Asian violinist) thanks to a video he submitted to YouTube’s “My Grammy Moment” contest. I reached him this afternoon at his home.

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Couldn’t be happier for Coatesville’s Brian Fitzgerald, the 23-year-old violinist who will perform on stage with the Foo Fighters at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Fitzgerald won the privilege by submitting a YouTube video of his bowing skills to an online contest. He’s one of 15 winners who will share the spotlight, and he’s currently competing for the 1st chair position. (He’s made it into the top three, and you can vote for him at YouTube).

So, Brian, now that you’re about to get all this national exposure, you have to keep in mind that you’re representing Philly, a city known for its proud musical heritage. Which brings me to your MySpace page, which I visited after hearing your interview on the Preston & Steve Show a couple of days ago. I was surprised to find much more rapping than violin-playing, which is cool and all. You’re clearly a multitalented guy.

My only suggestion is that you write some new tunes. Case in point: “The Dub C Anthem,” from your Turn It Up CD. Lyrics like “West Chester’s the place to be,” “There’s diversity, looks at niggas on the track,” and “If the keg is kicked, man that don’t bother me” just don’t compare to “Expressway to Your Heart” — or even “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”