Hey, it’s Labor Day! As a refresher, labor is traded for currency, with which workers can purchase goods and services. Today, many of you are grilling and drinking beers to stand in solidarity with the achievements of America’s organized labor movement. Solidarity! I’m working, though, because I’m capitalist swine. In that spirit, let me take advantage of all the press we’ve been getting to guide you to some tickets to the 2011 Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe:

>>>ACTION NEWS! 6abc, the inventor of that fine format, (excuse the commercial, I couldn’t figure out how to strip it out) says WE ARE THE ACTION:

>>>Amy S. Rosenberg wrote up a guide to navigating the world of the festivals for the Inquirer. We are legion, so if you’re having trouble picking shows, see if her article can help you out.

>>>Over at the Daily News, Molly Eichel cuts right to the bone of it and offers up choice Live Arts picks. She also scopes out our edgy venues.

>>>Whoops, I missed Patrick Rapa’s round up of “dark stars” for last week’s City Paper. So, there it is.

>>>Scuttlebutt has it that this is absolutely the most favorite time of year for Philadelphia’s arts writers. Is that right, fellow travelers? At the Inquirer, check out the growing mass of reviews for this year’s Live Arts and Fringe shows. HUGE rave from Howie Shapiro for Heavy Metal Dance Fag (in which you can see our former colleague Janice Rowland): “If you’re waiting for the buzz about what will be the big-deal dark-horse hit of the Fringe festival, hear it here first: a raw-talking, blood pumping, street smart and altogether charming piece – one of several festival shows tucked somewhere inside a basement this season – with the unlikely title of Heavy Metal Dance Fag.” Congrats, Tribe of Fools!

>>>Speaking of Howie Shapiro, he rounded up and wound down opening night(s) for the Inquirer as well.

>>>Peter Crimmins talks to Whit McLaughlin (Extremely Public Displays of Privacy) and Amy Smith (Red Rovers about technology and romance for WHYY/Newsworks.

>>>Lewis Whittington runs down his picks for LGBTQ-themed shows for Edge Philadelphia.

>>>Not to be beat, Natalie Hope MacDonald runs down her picks for LGBTQ-friendly shows and audiences for the blogs at Philadelphia Magazine.

>>>Allentown’s Morning Call runs down some of what’s on offer this year. So does the Daily Times (DelCo).

>>>Mashinka Firunts is covering us for our friends at Culturebot.

>>>ACTION NEWS! WE ARE STILL THE ACTION! SWEET ACTION!

Again, sorry about those commercials. Go buy tickets!

–Nicholas Gilewicz