ON THE DAY before his death, singer Al Martino was in a Fort Lee, N.J., studio recording a cover of Garth Brooks' "If Tomorrow Never Comes." His wife, Judith, and son, Al Cini, shared the news with us Friday at the D'Anjolell Funeral Home, in Broomall, which held the viewing and memorial service of the South Philadelphia born show business star. Martino, who turned 82 on Oct. 7, died of a heart attack Tuesday while cooking at his home in Springfield, Delaware County. The family says that it's not sure whether the song will ever be released.

Martino, a terrific singer and a true gentleman, who many remember for playing Johnny Fontane in "The Godfather," drew a large crowd of mourners, fans and friends alike, including broadcast veterans Bill Wright, Sr. and Bill "Wee Willie" Webber.

'Citizen' kicks off film fest

Since it's namedropped in the film, Del Frisco's (15th & Chestnut) seemed an appropriate choice for the "Law Abiding Citizen" premiere after-party Thursday night. Being only a few doors from the Prince Music Theater couldn't have hurt, either.

In the movie, which opened the Philadelphia Film Festival 18 1/2, closing today, Gerard Butler's imprisoned character asks for a 20 ounce Porterhouse steak, pomme frites and asparagus from Del Frisco's. While some have thought that the steakhouse chain bought the plug as product placement, such is not the case. Director F. Gary Gray dined there a few times a week when the movie shot here, and plugged the restaurant as a favor. Gray told us that he would love to work in Philadelphia again, and said that the city "lent itself to the mood of the picture."

"Everything is here, things I didn't envision we took full advantage of," he said. Gray thanked South Philly's Ari Hyman, who moved to L.A. four years ago, who worked with him as a creative executive on the film.

Actor Bruce McGill said that he walked the Ben Franklin Bridge "just to be able to say I walked from Philadelphia to New Jersey," the actor told us, admitting that he took a taxi for the return trip.

Regina Hall and Emerald-Angel Young, who play Jamie Foxx's wife and daughter in the film, also attended.

Local actors such as Brooke Mills, who plays Butler's wife; Reno Laquintano, who plays his cellmate; John Wooten; and Keith Moyer attended the premiere screening of the film, which Dave Dougherty also worked on.

Among newscasters who can be seen in the film are CBS 3's Dave Huddleston, 6ABC's Lisa Thomas Laury and former CN8 anchor Connie Colla, who uses her own name in a news report.

'Chef' Carroll craves hoagies

"Top Chef" contestant Jennifer Carroll, chef of 10 Arts by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton, is the newest subject of uwishunu.com's With Love Letter series interviewing local notables about city pride. The Somerton-raised culinary sensation also likes to eat simple. Carroll says she wishes that Sarcone's Deli (734 S. 9th) was open 24/7 so that she could go for hoagies after work.

* Speaking of chefs on TV, Jeremy Duclut, executive chef at Georges' (503 W. Lancaster) in Wayne competes at 10 tomorrow night on the Food Network's "Chopped." Duclut and three other chefs will cook a three-course-meal, vying for a $10,000 prize.

Out and about

Disgraced Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was in town the other night for dinner with friends at Ms. Tootsie's (1314 South). He spent the night at the Sheraton City Center where Mayor Nutter had a fundraiser. Kilpatrick wasn't a guest.

* Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz showed up in an orthopedic boot, with sneakers on top, to receive her Pink Ribbon award from the PA Breast Cancer Coalition at its conference in Harrisburg.

Schultz, a breast cancer survivor, injured herself sliding into second in a charity softball event. Fellow honoree state Sen. Vince Hughes complimented Schultz on her sneakers.

Visit PhillyGossip.com for Dan's latest updates or follow PhillyGossip on Twitter. Have a tip? Call 215-854-5963, or e-mail grossd@phillynews.com. For recent columns, visit go.philly.com/dangross.