Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
2009 will not only bring us a new President (and hopefully a new governor), but a new speaking series at the Chicago Theatre and boy, does it look awesome. The series features an evening of conversation with the 'Stars of the Political World' at The Chicago Theatre, Radio City Music Hall in NYC and The Wang Theatre in Boston. The lineup is pretty strong and we can't take our eyes off that first one: Maher vs Coulter? It's like every Macho Man vs Hulk Hogan grudge match from our childhood amped up on amphetamines. If you see a rip in the space-time continuum somewhere around State & Lake that night, at least you'll know why. Our one caveat? No Soledad O'Brien. Man, we love her.
The full lineup:
- March 11 - Bill Maher and Ann Coulter (!!!!!)
- April 1 - Al Gore
- April 22 - Chris Matthews interviewing Tucker Carlson, Arianna Huffington and Paul Begala
- May 28 - Charlie Rose interviewing James Carville and Karl Rove
Best of all, there's a special ticket presale that starts TODAY in an hour (10 a.m.) and runs through January 10th. Tickets range from $32 all the way up to $160 VIP packages. To purchase tickets, click here, and enter the code: CHICAGOIST. So what are you waiting for? Get those clicking fingers ready.
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I bet Bill and Ann hook up that night after the show. Nasty angry sex.
So I'm supposed to pay to see people I can't stand arguing with each other when I already don't watch them for free on TV?
Why in god's name would anyone be excited to see Bill Maher or Ann Coulter, let alone on stage together?
The day I pay money to hear Ann Coulter is the day you'd better shoot me and then bury me in polyester.
I love Bill Maher, but not if I have to listen to her.
Gore might be interesting, and perhaps Maher, but this speaking series seems to be another way for pundits to simply interview each other. And Maher vs Coulter is a tired act by now. I can't imagine anyone, save perhaps Gore depending on his mood, will say anything they've not said a million times on cable or in op-eds. And this series reaffirms the tired cliche of left vs right, the talking heads shouting at each other.
I'm sure Al Gore will have some wacky hijinks planned for April Fools' Day. He's such a card.
Two words: air strike.
"Here are a bunch of shouty white people. Come pay to watch them shout."
Al Gore being the exception, as he's more of a drone than a shout.
It's pro wrestling. I used to watch that stuff on television but swore I'd never pay money to see it in person. Then one day I saw it in person. It was actually fun. Of course, I got the tickets free, but I could see how someone would pay to see it. It's a "show", nothing more.
That being said, if I have some extra money (which I never do), I might consider going. It might be fun to boo Coulter in person instead of yelling pointless invectives at my television.
I love the way Arianna Huffington says "blogosphere."
@Stealth:
How dare you...how...DARE...you compare this to pro-wrestling. They could not be more dissimilar.
Wrestling is entertaining.
I love the way Arianna Huffington says "blogosphere."
I love the way she says anything. She's like a politically active Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Although I hated her when she first came on the scene YEARS ago when she and that asshole D'nish D'Souza were on some show talking about how the U.S. should close its borders to immmigrants... now that both of them and their families are safely inside the walls, of course.
Wrestling is entertaining.
LOL. OK, put Maher in a spangly wrestling singlets and Coulter in one of those wrestling bikinis.
No, wait, on second thought, switch that.
Thank you. I am now blind.
Tucker's wearing a tie! I gotta see this in person!
I can't imagine anyone, save perhaps Gore depending on his mood, will say anything they've not said a million times on cable or in op-eds. And this series reaffirms the tired cliche of left vs right, the talking heads shouting at each other.
Maybe Jon Stewart will show up and call Tucker Carlson a dick.
I love the way she says anything. She's like a politically active Zsa Zsa Gabor.
That's exactly who she sounds like. Awesome.
i was hoping coulter's wired-shut jaw would be a permanent thing
karl rove vs james carville is the best ticket after al gore on his own.
it should be al gore vs dick cheney.
The sign contains two great slogans:
"Hear the source, not the spin"
[As though most of these assholes were not masters of spin, or would not have jobs if they could not lie shamelessly to the press and public.]
"Live & Uncensored"
[As though people such as Rove, or Carville, will offer never-before-heard information about what really want on in the White House. Or Coulter will say something even more superficially shocking than the edgy platitudes she has thrown out before.]
God, I hate when my intelligence is insulted.
Most of these speakers need to go back to the mole hills from whence they came. The country would be better off without them.
I love this kind of shit. I'm sure it would be a waste of money, though - Coulter, Carlson and Rove will be booed beginning to end by the audience. I'll stick to watching it for free on The O'Reilly Factor and Maher's show.
@Matilda:
I still maintain that Ann Coulter is the most successful performance artist since Andy Kaufman.
Really, I think anyone actually that hateful and stupid would have killed themselves trying to comb their hair by now.
Albany: Yeah, I think you are right. But she is still a shit: Not because I disagree with her, but because she is not serious (one can be funny and still be serious, as J. Stewart or PJ O'Rourke often show). She is, mainly, a propagandist who tries to crack jokes, and I have no patience for propagandists on either side (M. Moore, for instance, has turned into one for the left.)
@Albany, matilda
I think you're giving Coulter too much credit. No doubt she has an impeccable pedigree, but I don't think it's an act at all. Especially if you look at her background.
I'm sure she plays things up for drama, but deep down she believes what she says and has no scruples about keeping the drama alive to feed her checkbook.
She's scum.
I think I might have more respect for her if she WERE doing it as 'performance artist'.
I think I might have more respect for her if she WERE doing it as 'performance artist'.
Exactly. If this was a "character" she created, I'd be like "fuck, WOW! Is she good!" This would be BETTER than Kaufman as she NEVER seems to get out of character. But as it stands, she's just one more narrowminded, shrill jerk and those are a dime a dozen.