With the Democrats clinging to their "59 vote minority" in the U.S. Senate, it's not surprising that the senior senator from Illinois Dick Durbin is on board to help get Alexi Giannoulias elected to the Senate in November. At a news conference at his Springfield home yesterday, Durbin announced that ye would chair Giannoulias' campaign, helping to "get out the vote" to overcome being the "underdogs" in the campaign fundraising arena compared to the other candidate, Republican Mark Kirk. more ›

We were big fans of the debut album from New Jersey boys Titus Andronicus with its swirling vats of blood spattered and screeching arena punk. Their new album, The Monitor, is set to come out in early March and it's a slightly more focused affair in that it's production is a little more polished, but that hasn't rubbed the rough edged delivery away. In fact, sonically, the new disc bears a resemblance to Conor Oberst's Desaparecidos* had that group gained a penchant for penning 6+ minute epics churning with fury and the fearlessness to throw whatever works, including boozy brass sections, into the mix. Call it what you will -- we're going with prog-punk -- we think you'll agree it's pretty arresting. Here's an advance treat of the new disc for you to swim around in. more ›

Five years ago, a woman smashed through the glass ceiling of comedy with her debut stand-up performance. She drunkenly slurred her words. She appeared to have peed her pants on stage. She was told never to pursue comedy again. more ›

Rahm, kicking ass through Andy Samberg. more ›

The New York Songwriters Circle has been featuring some of the best up-and-coming talent for almost 20 years, giving a stage to musicians that may not otherwise have a foot in the door. Some of the biggest success stories have included Norah Jones, Jesse Harris, Lisa Loeb, and Vanessa Carlton. And the Circle continues to grow. Now they're on the road and bringing their show to Chicago to give you a chance at hearing the next big thing. Tonight's show hits Schubas and features Dave Cavalier, Shelley Miller, Josh Kim, Gia Margaret (in the running for Deli Magazine's Chicago Artist of The Month), Nick Deutsch, and apparently a "surprise guest band." Such a show would be worthy of attendance but for $10, it's definitely worth the time. more ›

Couldn't get enough of Kitty Half-time on Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl yesterday? (Neither could we.) You're in luck. Embrace your inner cat lady this Saturday (trust us, we're in no position to judge--we have a fluffy white cat in our lap as we type) and head down to Gorilla Tango Theatre for a special "Cupid Cats" performance of the Circus Cats of Chicago. Samantha Martin, inspired by a white odd-eyed beauty named Tuna, has trained a handful of precocious felines to jump through hoops, walk on large rubber balls, and even rock out in a three-piece band called (naturally) The RockCats. more ›

Sitting outside the café replicated from Edward Hopper’s famous "Nighthawks" at the beginning of the second act, a wife asks her husband about the people inside the café. “Don’t you ever wonder about people here?” she asks, gesturing towards a visibly upset woman being consoled by her husband/boyfriend, “Maybe she’s dying.” Her husband, busy eating his green beans, doesn’t care to pry. “It’s creepy,” he says. It's a particularly urban voyeurism that is prevalent in many of Hopper’s paintings. more ›

The International Children's Heart Foundation seeks to care for and cure congenital heart conditions in children from developing nations. Friday night at Old Oak Tap (2109 W. Chicago Ave., 773-772-0406) a fundraiser for ICHF will be held, featuring tastings from NAHA's Carrie Nahabedian, Custom House Tavern's Aaron Deal, and Branch 27's John Manion. Manion fans will remember that, during his time walking the earth like a cheffing ninja between leaving Mas and landing at Branch 27, he helped revamp Old Oak Tap's menu to the point where it got Tankboy's attention. So he'll be on familiar ground. more ›

The Atlantic coast suffered the brunt of this past weekend's snowstorm but it looks like the Midwest is about to get its fair share of the white stuff. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for what it's calling a "long duration winter storm." The snow will start late to overnight tonight but will be heaviest tomorrow afternoon and evening. By the time it all tapers off Wednesday, most of the area chould have 6 to 12 inches of snow on the ground. High winds tomorrow will cause hazardous driving conditions tomorrow so if you have to be out on the road, be careful. more ›

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Northwestern Tops Hoosiers more ›

Okay, so, we've covered how to roast a chicken. But what if you're dumb? Here are the cliff notes: Buy chicken. Salt chicken. Put in 450 degree oven for an hour. Done. more ›

The Chicago Transit Authority's "Doomsday" schedule was implemented yesterday, but today is supposedly the day where riders will feel the cuts in service. I'm of the opinion CTA wasn't doing a bang-up job maintaining its bus routes and schedules when they had a full service schedule — a friend Saturday called CTA the "Chicago Tardiness Authority" — but I have to say that my trip from Bridgeport to my day job in Evanston was none the worse for wear. Now ask me again after the return trip home. more ›