Why Amanda Seyfried Is Hanging Out in Philadelphia’s Kensington Neighborhood

Actress Amanda Seyfried (third from left) in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia this week (photo courtesy Philadelphia Police Department)

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Why Amanda Seyfried Is Hanging Out in Kensington

Lots of Philly-Hollywood news this week. Yesterday, we learned that three Philadelphians (or semi-Philadelphians) picked up some very big Oscar nominations. And then we found out that actress Amanda Seyfried has been hanging out in Kensington.

Okay, Seyfried isn’t that local. She’s from Allentown. But we sort of lay claim to Taylor Swift, who’s from Berks County. So we figure we can lay claim to Amanda Seyfried as well.

Seyfried, who became famous thanks to the original Mean Girls movie and has since gained acclaim for her work in Mank and Hulu’s The Dropout (she played Elizabeth Holmes), was hanging out in Kensington this week.

It turns out that she’s preparing for the in-development series Long Bright River. It’s based on the book by Philly novelist Liz Moore about a Philadelphia cop whose sister goes missing. Moore is also adapting the story for the screen. Seyfried reportedly did a ride-along with Philly cops earlier this week.

No word on if she turned up at the El Bar, clearly the best bar in the vicinity of Kensington.

Biden Pulls Ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania

By now, you know that Nikki Haley lost the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, meaning Donald Trump won it. Barring some sort of divine intervention, Trump will be the Republican nominee. And on Tuesday, November 5th, voters across the country will decide between Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and some inevitable third party candidate or candidates.

So how will Pennsylvania vote on November 5th? After all, we’re the most populous swing state, and a hugely pivotal one. Keep in mind that the 2016 race was called for Trump the moment he won Pennsylvania. Well, according to the latest poll, Biden has pulled ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania.

In December, Biden led Trump by just a point in a Muhlenberg College poll, one point being within the margin of error. So, a wash. Then earlier this month, Biden led Trump by three points in the Quinnipiac poll. Also within the margin of error.

But on Tuesday, the results of the Susquehanna Polling and Research survey came out, and that poll shows Biden holding a 7.5-point lead over Trump. Biden came in at 46.8 percent, while Trump saw 39.3. And since the margin of error is 3.7, we can call this an actual lead.

Don’t celebrate just yet, Dems. Let us not forget that some polls were massively wrong in both 2016 and 2020, leading many to question the value of polling to begin with.

Headline We Wish We Hadn’t Read

“Upper Darby Woman Charged with Torturing Animals for Likes on Social Media”

On a Decidedly Lighter Note

There’s a rare bird causing quite a stir at Bartram’s Garden.

By the Numbers

0: Days in the 14-day forecast that are currently predicted to see any significant snow. Sorry, kids. Then again, 14-day forecasts are about as reliable as those 2016 and 2020 polls.

5: Years since the founding of Philly’s Colored Girls Museum. And it looks like the museum can stay right where it is after finally winning zoning approval. Somebody had reported the museum to 311, because it was operating without the right variances. Ah, neighbors.

$45 to $60: Range in price for dinners at Center City’s Restaurant Week, which is happening now.

10: On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst, how bad your average server at a Restaurant Week spot would probably say Restaurant Week is for them.

And from the Doop-Time-Already? Sports Desk …

The Union played a preseason friendly against Austin FC last night in St. Petersburg, and first-goal-of-the-season honors went to …

DOOP 🗣️ DOOP 🗣️ DOOP 🗣️@QuinnSullivan33 scores the first goal of preseason! #DOOP | #PHIvATX 1-0

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) January 24, 2024

Oh wait, just kidding; after video review, the goal went to forward Julián Carranza, for a shot between the Austin goalie’s legs. Austin’s Daniel Pereira tied it early in the second half, and the match wound up a 1-1 tie.

Brian Johnson is gone from the Eagles as part of the Great Coaching Purge of 2024. And there is, of course, drama. Speaking of drama, look who was on the bench — again — for the Nets/Knicks game last night:

The trim on Ben Simmons' sweater makes him look like a hologram pic.twitter.com/I2QYl6JZUv

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) January 24, 2024

The Flyers also played.

Any College Hoops News?

Last night at home, the La Salle Explorers fell behind 16th-ranked Dayton 36-23 at the half but came storming back early in the second before losing traction in what turned out to be a 66-54 loss. Andrés Marrero led the team with 15. And playing at UMass, St. Joe’s Hawks trailed by four at the half, 42-38, then overcame a 13-point deficit to pull within a point with just under two minutes left in an absolute thriller. OMG!!!

Hawks Win!#THWND pic.twitter.com/sWwMErJ8px

— SJU Hawks MBB (@SJUHawks_MBB) January 24, 2024

On tonight’s schedule: South Florida pays a call on Temple at 7 p.m., while Villanova visits St. John’s for an 8:30 tip-off.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.