Miscellaneous: November 2009 Archives

Neither the Cubs or the Sox had particularly awful seasons, but they weren't great and both teams were left on the outside of the playoff race looking in. Fitting, then, that some of their better performing players made distant blips in some post-season award voting. The Cubs' first basemen, Derek Lee - who had a monster year with 35 HR, 111RBI, and a .306 avg - finished ninth in the voting for this year's NL MVP, the highest finish in either league's voting for a Chicago player. The Cardinals' Albert Pujols was the unanimous winner. Last week, Sox infielder Gordon Beckham finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and the Cubs' Randy Wells finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. As the saying goes, wait til next year...

Yesterday, we watched a Yip Yips-Busta Rhymes mash-up. Today? We watch this glorious piece of genius, the Muppets covering Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Sorry, Wayne and Garth, this one's better. [via]

          

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Reports surfaced yesterday that Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen got a black eye after being punched Saturday night. Details are slowly trickling out and, if some of allegations are true, it leaves us shaking our head. It seems just hours after Notre Dame's loss to UConn in South Bend, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Clausen was allegedly involved in an "altercation" outside CJ's Pub that resulted in Clausen receiving, according to a source to the Trib, "at least one black eye."

Just what we needed during this travel heavy week: dense fog and rain. The fog that's spread throughout the area is already burning off and will clear up by around 10 a.m. and then we can turn our focus towards potential rain. There's a sixty percent chance of showers as the day moves on but that will increase as we move into the overnight hours. Highs today will probably hit around 50; tonight, with the rain, it'll drop to the mid 40s. And that's that, for the week. We'll see similar weather through Friday, expect mix in the chance of a few flakes with the raindrops, so travel safe everyone.

     

Back in the early days of this-little-website-that-could we used to make it a practice of actually trying to meet our readers at a pre-arranged location to have some drinks, have a good time away from the flat-screen glow, get to know each other and (most important) thank you for choosing to spend a portion of your day reading Chicagoist. As you can see from this Flickr set, these "Reader Happy Hours" were very fun.

The famous Sesame Street aliens meet Busta Rhymes. Awesomness ensues. [via]

As members of our staff scatter to the winds for the holiday week, we hope their (and your) trips go much more smoothly than this one. (Beware if you're still in the office, use your headphones; the language gets salty)

              

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We begin the holiday week with warm(er) weather. But the sad part is that it won't last, so get outside while you can. Partly sunny skies will be overhead eventually and highs will be above normal into the mid-50s. Overnight, clouds thicken, though and lows drop to around 40. And later in the week...well, it'll start to feel like late November. But for now, we'll take advantage of the (relatively) warm weather while we have it.

Proving you can auto-tune anything. [via]

       

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Today looks like a lot like yesterday and that's pretty okay in our book. Sunny skies and highs in the lower 50s is a nice Sunday in late November as far as we're concerned, especially with "chance of snow" in the forecast for a few days from now. Tonight, lows drop to the mid 40s under partly cloudy skies.

       

You didn't think we were gonna make it through a whole day without mentioning Oprah again, did you? Well, we'll be brief. We've already revisited the controversy over this year's season premiere which was filmed downtown in early September. But readers who've been this site for a bit might remember that Stoplman and my predecessor, Margaret, attended the 2008 season premiere, filmed in Millennium Park and featuring a slew of Olympic athletes from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Be sure to check out the entire story and even more photos here.

We've all done it: Google or Facebook stalk old friends from college or high school. One guy did it a few years ago and made quite a discovery about an old high school friend. (Mostly SFW, a few naughty words) [via]

       

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It'll be a through-and-through gorgeous day to get outside for yard work or the kids or whatever you like to do on your weekend. Highs will be in the mid-50s and sunshine will be plentiful. Tonight, under clear skies, temps drop into the upper 30s.

We pondered the new Chicago section of the NY Times and even reminded you yesterday and...now it's here. I actually picked up a copy this morning but haven't had time to read it yet. However, lucky for me (and all of you, right?) you can also access the content online here. Besides the CNC's NY Times content, the site also features Chicago-centric headlines from other sources as well as links to other helpful Chicago sites (including us!). Of course, if you're reading this then you probably already know that stuff.

Sports blog extraordinaire Deadspin reported earlier today that Jay Mariotti apparently got himself booted from Underground last night for a bit of a scuffle over a cell phone pic. The alleged incident was spread on Twitter last night and Deadspin got the story from a reader this morning. Mariotti (not surprisingly) hasn't responded to Deadspin and the photo hasn't surfaced yet, so we'll just have to make do with this one of Mariotti pulling a Tankboy on someone's couch after a big party. We wonder if Jay's gonna make a hungover appearance on Around The Horn.

What would Earth look like if it had rings like Saturn? This amazing video shows what it would look like both from outer space and from down here, looking up. So freaking cool. [via]

          

Earlier this week our good friends at Torontoist had a great idea about "Google Auto-Suggesting" themselves and fleshed it out in a rather funny post. The Auto-Suggest feature--essentially the 21st century's version of a palm reader--has been the object of web comedy for a little while (or 12 blog years) and it's the kind of idea that we wish we would have come up with first. But when you aren't innovative, the next best thing to do is copy the idea entirely, right? So, what did we learn about ourselves from Google's Auto-Suggest? We smell like chocolate, Google "gets" the Cubs, and people hate Oprah, Michael Jordan, and us. Ouch.

       

Dry your eyes, kiddies - the world will very likely continue to spin after Opes packs her bag and hustles over to the west coast. But while we're all in a collective state of mourning, let's turn to the internet to find us some shining examples of the Way Things Used To Be. Throughout Oprah's long and storied career, through the tabloid weight rollercoaster coverage and the choruses of "look at her hair!" photos throughout the years, we could always count on Ms. Winfrey to bring us the hard news, the soft news, the loopy medical advice, the celebrity softball interviews, and the occasional discussions of va-jay-jay painin'.

          

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It's a bit chilly out there but the fog is burning off and there's some blue sky and sun above. It'll be partly sunny today but, hey, any sun right now is a good thing, at a time of year when we see less and less of it. Highs today will be into the lower 50s. In fact, it looks like it'll be fairly pleasant all weekend after a week of clouds and scattered rain. But don't look to far ahead on some forecasts because some folks just have to go and predict flurries for Thanksgiving.

In a sign of the batshit crazy times we live in, the U.S. Postal Service is cutting way back on the popular service where volunteers answer letters to Santa Claus out of fears of sexual predators getting their hands on the addresses of children who just want a new bike for Christmas. The AP (via NPR) explains:

          

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We never intend to be all gloom and doom but when we have to be, we try to provide a little tonic for the soul to bring things back into balance. Take for example, a video of a frolicking baby otter to save you from being a complete pessimist after reading yesterday's Extra Extra (see last bullet). And, here's something else: just when it seemed like a lot of things that make Chicago the unique place it is were ending up on the cutting room floor - like the Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park, Chicago Jazz Fest, and Looptopia - we're happy to hear the CTA Holiday Train is alive and well.

Damp, dark, dreary...it's not a fun day to be out and about. Rain is likely today and it's gonna be cool, too, as highs will be in the upper 40s (normal for this time of year). But if there's a silver lining, it looks like the scattered showers will taper off towards evening and that we'll have a mostly rain-free weekend on tap for the area. But be prepared if you're traveling for the holiday next week: it could be a wet commute.

We're suckers for time lapse stuff, sure, but it's really hard to pass up this one, a terrific trip through our beautiful city. This brightened up our gloomy day and we hope it does the same for you.

          

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File this under "Why We Can't Have Nice Things." When a Buffalo Grove teen had his Xbox video game system taken away by his parents as punishment for an undisclosed transgression, he called the police to see if it was within their legal rights to do so. Sure enough, it is, the responding officers told him. Well, we're glad that clears that up. At this rate, the kid is probably one step away from becoming this guy:

Whether we're ready for it or not, it's the holiday season and with Thanksgiving a week away, that means it's almost time for the deluge of mall Santas. But there's a twist this year: the spread of the dreaded H1N1 virus. And with mall Santas handling dozens (if not, in some cases, hundreds) of children every day for almost a month, there's some reason for concern. At a recent conference, the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas covered basics of swine flu prevention including hand sanitizers. And one group in Alabama, as the Associated Press explains, is asking for priority in terms of receiving the vaccine.

It's a wet way to wake up on a Humpday and it's looking to stay pretty damp. The rain will come and go throughout the day and 10 to 15 mph winds will make it feel kinda raw out there as highs struggle to reach 50. The rain might begin to taper off towards evening but there's a good chance of showers and drizzle into the overnight hours; lows will be in the lower 40s. None of us are in very good moods right now - well, except for Benjy, he's always happy - but come talk to us tomorrow when the weekend will be at our doorstep.

We're fans of athletes who don't take themselves too seriously and the young Chicago Bulls prove themselves worthy of that adoration. Seriously, do you think Vince Carter would ever do something like this? [h/t NQTC, via Windy Citizen]

While Sox fans didn't get another World Series trophy to polish and use to incur the jealousy of Cubs fans, one thing they can be thankful for is having one of the season's most memorable moments: Mark Buehrle's perfect game. (Aside: a moment within that moment has to be Wise's a-MAY-zing catch to maintain the perfect game.) And if you missed it the first time around, CSN is going to give you a chance to see it. On Thanksgiving night, after you've stuffed yourself with turkey, potatoes, and who knows what else, you can sit down and watch the replay of Buehrle's perfecto in its entirety, complete with post-game press conference. It'll all start at 7:00 p.m. on CSN. And, Cubs fans, you're not left out either. Early in the day - 12:30 p.m. - CSN will also replay the Cubs-Indians game from this season that featured a Cubs rally from a 7-0 deficit.

A change in criteria used to measure a building's height has moved the new downtown Trump Tower from seventh place to sixth place on the list of the world's tallest towers (but still behind the fifth place Sears Willis Tower). So what changed? The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat - based here in Chicago - changed exactly where you begin when measuring height. The Trib's Blair Kamin explains:

          

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It's time for another peek behind the curtain of the Obama White House in which we learn, among other things, that our President is more than likely a Star Wars nerd. First the lightsaber photo and now a photo with a stormtrooper and Chewbacca? We're digging it. As always, the photos come from the White House Flickr stream.

We're on record as saying we greatly dislike Tuesdays: they're just like a repeat of Monday. Today's weather only deepens those feelings and, by the looks of it, Tuesday's weather has decided to return the favor by loathing us back. It'll be cool, cloudy, and breezy today as temps might not crack 50 degrees and there's a chance of rain, too, though that may remain to our south for most of the day. Tonight, the chance of rain increases and it'll be a nice, cold rain as lows sink into the lower 40s.

The Chicagoist Podcast Series soldiers into mid-November with another media-centric conversation. Whether it seems like it or not, Chicago is awash with local sources of news, information, and entertainment, and while teeth continue to gnash over whether the Zells and Tyrees of this market will save us from media blackouts, some people are jamming their shoulders to the grindstone and pushing forward however the hell they can.

The following post is from our advertiser, Focus Features. Pirate Radio is the newest ensemble comedy from filmmaker Richard Curtis (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, and writer/director of Love Actually). This high-spirited film tells the story of 8 DJs whose love affair with Rock n Roll changed the world forever. In the 1960s a group of rogue DJs, on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic, played rock records and broke the law all for the love of music. The songs they played united and defined an entire generation and drove the British government crazy. The band of rebels is lead by The Count, played by Academy Award Winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. Pirate Radio also stars Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh, and Tom Sturridge, and features an unbelievable selection of music including The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Cream, and The Beach Boys, just to name a few. Pirate Radio in theatres now!

The fine folks at Rocketboom! are back with another "Know Your Meme," this time exploring the Auto Tune phenomenon with a little help from music's court jester, Weird Al.

              

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Gone are the warm, sunny days of last week, replaced with the cloudy, cold days of...this week. Hope everyone likes rain, too, cause that's what we're getting. Today looks to be more typical of the kind of weather we expect to have here in mid-November: cloudy with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. There's rain to our south and while there's a chance of showers this way later today, odds are it'll hold off for just a bit longer. To add insult, though, it's going to be a bit windy as the day goes on. Tonight, the chance of rain increases a bit and lows fall to the lower 40s.

And you thought the view from The Ledges was good. Check out this view from the top of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. [via]

       

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After a run of great weather, especially for mid-November, it's back to the dreary reality. Clouds and scattered showers are what we have to look froward to today, not to mention temps that will fall throughout the 50s throughout the day. And it looks like there are plenty of clouds to come this week.

As nice as Mark Buehrle's perfect game earlier this year was, it doesn't quite measure up to one of the craziest athletic achievements: pitcher Dock Ellis throwing a no-hitter while tripping on LSD. No Mas and artist James Blagden have animated the story, set to Ellis' own words from a radio interview he did before he died last year. It's amazing.

We warned you the final countdown was underway. Well, it's here. As of midnight last night, LITE FM made the switch to Christmas music. Odds you'll hear the below song are still pretty slim, though.

       

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We're off to a beautiful start today but if you haven't taken advantage of the recent warm, sunny weather, do so today because by later today, things will be going a bit downhill. We'll see highs over the 60 degree once more but later today clouds will roll in and lower and we could even see some scattered showers by the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Also, we can say good-bye to the 60s; lows drop to the lower 40s tonight. We're in for a couple of cool, cloudy days over the next week, so take advantage of the nice weather while you can.

          

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It seems actually showing your team's games on local television can be financially beneficial. Who knew? The Blackhawks' local broadcast deal is one of a few being cited by Forbes' magazine as one of the reasons the the NHL's overall value jumped last year. As for the 'Hawks, the team also took a big jump in value to the tune of 26 percent. Of course, we're sure a young team, a fantastic season with a trip to the Western Conference finals and a rabid fan base helped. Now standing at an overall estimated worth of $258 million, the 'Hawks rank seventh in the league overall. In fact, the Original Six all rank in the top seven (Philly being the odd man out at No. 5). The jump was the largest one-year change in the entire league. You can check out Forbes' entire feature here. [via Crain's]

It's the appearance that got people talking. The Rogue and the Daytime Queen. And it's almost time to see what has been wrought upon- Okay, we'll stop. Chances are, it'll be a pretty paint-by-numbers appearance. But, still, we'll be checking out former Alaska Governor and rogue patriot Sarah Palin's appearance on Oprah (taped yesterday, airing Monday). And a clip is already out and about for your enjoyment perusal. [via]

We've posted something similar to this in the past and always get a kick out of them. Follow one traveler from Denver all the way to Singapore and then back in just 5 minutes. Bonus: keep your eyes peeled for the O'Hare cameo.

          

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With their new store opening on Michigan Ave. having come and gone, Victoria's Secret is giving you the opportunity to vote on essential things like Sexiest Band, Sexiest Hotel, and Sexiest Athlete. And never ones to miss a chance to have fun, the Chicago Blackhawks are making the most of their lobbying efforts for their nominee, Patrick Sharp.

Almost three months since its official launch, we're still reserving judgment on the Tribune's Chicago Now blog network. There's no denying there are quality reads on the site: the Parking Ticket Geek has become particularly notable in the wake of the parking meter privatization, the CTA Tattler is still a go-to for us, our pals at Gapers Block have a page, and there's some good sports coverage. But at 126 blogs and counting, the site still feels unwieldy, making it more difficult to find other potential quality reads. So we were a bit puzzled at the recent announcement that Chicago Now would be starting up it's own radio show on WGN. As it turns out, we're not the only ones.

Travel deal mega-site Orbitz has some news for you: O'Hare is going to be really, really busy at Thanksgiving and you should fly out of Midway instead. Of course, chances are you already knew that. And, given the way prices for Thanksgiving are almost twice as expensive as any other weekend of the year, chances are you booked well in advance and you're either stuck with O'Hare or Midway already. But in the event you've waited til the last minute (seriously, Thanksgiving is two weeks from today! Don't disappoint Mom!), Orbitz thinks Midway is the better option.

Another sharp day is on tap as bountiful sunshine and highs in the upper 50s will help us rebound from a chilly start to the day. Today and tomorrow would be a good time to get out and about during lunch or before sundown to enjoy the sun. The next several days are starting to look more and more like typical "cloudy and cool" November weather so soak up the sun while you can, even if you're wearing a light jacket. Lows tonight drop to around 40 with clear skies overhead.

Do you have a breath-taking image of Northeastern Illinois that you feel represents everything you love about our neck of the woods? Here's your chance to share that image. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is holding the 2009 Images of Northeastern Illinois Photo Contest during November. The contest is open to residents of Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Kendall counties to capture what they value about the region. Two winners will be selected in each of the following categories, along with one overall contest winner and runner-up:

This is why we love the Discovery Channel. Behold the site of a water droplet bouncing. [via]

With the fun-loving center averaging a double-double this season (11.4 ppg / 12.4 rpg through seven games), Morrissey made good on his pledge to eat his words, covered in spicy Mexican condiment, at the Berto Center on Monday. He even had the whole thing taped for posterity. In penning his mea culpa, Morrissey confesses, "I stand before you a humbled man, having been set straight by a Bull who possesses energy, heart and, yes, ability." Now, if only we could compel Jay Mariotti to eat something much fouler tasting than paper and hot sauce for all the crap he's written...[Via NQTC]

       

Originally known as Armistice Day after the First World War, and recognized as Veteran's Day in the United States, today inevitably becomes one of those sort-of holidays when the Post Office closes and the kids stay home from school. But for many Americans, at least one member of their family has served in the Armed Forces, either during peacetime or in combat. After the jump are the memories and stories of some of our family that served. Add your story of family and friends that served or are serving in the comments below.

          

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This weekend, the web was abuzz when pictures of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa from a recent Vegas event surfaced that showed him looking a bit paler than usual, raising speculation as to its cause, including it being a result of alleged steroid use. A former Cubs employee defended Sosa, saying he'd recently undergone some skin treatment. Appearing on Univisions's "Primer Impacto" program, Sosa himself has addressed the uproar by explaining, "It's a cream that I have, that I use to soften [my skin], but has bleached me some." He then inexplicably said, "I'm not a racist, I live my life happily." So to recap, Sosa's just trying to keep his skin soft and that's why he looks white, not because he wants to be white.

It's a gorgeous day, particularly for those of you who aren't in the office. Clear, blue skies stretch out overhead and the Sun is doing its thing, warming us up to a point of comfort with highs in the upper 50s. We know the cool, damp weather that marks typical Autumns will return soon enough so embrace this pleasant weather while you can. Lows tonight will drop into the lower 30s and skies will remain clear.

As we all know by now, today is the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. From the thousands of clips we could possibly choose, including a recent appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama, the side-splitting conversation between Elmo and Ricky Gervais, or even the heart-wrenching scene when Big Bird learns Mr. Hooper isn't coming back, we all know what you really want: Stevie F'n Wonder rocking out "Superstition" with the kids of Sesame Street (especially the kid at 4:12).

Sure, we're over a month removed from the vote that sent shockwaves through the city (no matter what you thought of the bid), but we're just now starting to hear more information on what exactly went on in Copenhagen. The latest comes from Jack Kelly, of Lexington Kentucky and member of the 2016 bid.

Mega tech-company Google is giving the people what they want: free wi-fi at airports across the nation. Unfortunately for Chicago, where Google coincidentally has an office, neither of our city's airports will be offering the free wi-fi, instead sticking with their current pay-as-you-go wi-fi setup. But take heart, weary travelers: FOX 32 has a full list of the 47 airports around the country that are getting in on the free action, so as you head off to destinations far-and-wide this holiday season, at least you know you can view this site for free while stuck in a layover in Kalamazoo (we can hear you all breathing sighs of relief from our office).

          

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The White Sox's AL Central rival Minnesota Twins are getting ready to move out of the HHH Metrodome and into the new Target Field, which boast such amenities as a view of the sky (they'll love that in April) and a field designed exclusively for baseball. A new commercial supposedly portrays the move, with movers unpacking a truck filled with bats, a World Series trophy and crate filled with Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer and a whole lot of foam peanuts. When a White Sox fan gets hauled off the truck, one of the movers exclaims, "Woah, Woah, Woah! Doesn't belong here..." before he gets tossed back on the truck. We Sox fans are tough so we can take the ribbing -- and the toss back into the truck. We just hope the Twins made sure to use lots of extra bubble wrap on Joe Crede, because he's extremely fragile. [via]

Today will have a little something for everyone. We're off to a cool, cloudy start right now with temps right around 50, and there are some showers scattered across Northern Illinois. But those showers - as well as the clouds - will eventually break and give way to sunny skies by later afternoon and warmer temps that will inch their way towards 60. The trend this week looks similar to last: warmer as the week goes on. In fact, Skilling Sayz that November has thus far been warmer than October. Proof again that no one knows anything.

Chicago Current, the successor to now-folded local news website Chi-Town Daily News, has gone live and you can read the web-edition here. There's not a whole heck of a lot there and some of the stories seem a bit stale - the CTA budget story doesn't offer anything new and Geoff Dougherty's op-ed about Daley seems is just managing to catch up to where several other outlets went a month ago when the city's Olympic bid failed. But there are a few pieces worth reading through and CTDN featured some great content that was hard to find anywhere else, so we're giving Current the benefit of the doubt as it is, after all, just starting up. And there's still the print issue to consider.

Greetings, citizens of the Chicagoist Podcast Nation. The Chicagoist Podcast Series returns clad in elbow pads, helmets and spandex, prepared for the verbal assault that's about to take place.

We're all about being nerds today, what with Vanilla Ice and Harry Potter already being referenced on the site today. So let's go all-in with this pretty sweet video of how some folks way smarter than us got some Roombas to play a real-life game of Pac-Man. [via]

              

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Even with Northwestern's football team bowl eligible after a big upset win over Iowa, some (more bookish) folks may be looking for a non-football opportunity. Lucky for you, those clever NU students have the answer: Quidditch. Yes, Quidditich: the (until now, apparently) imaginary game from the Harry Potter universe. The Sun-Times spoke with NU student Marc Bourgeois who's in charge of getting the Quidditich team up and running: "We're gathering equipment and organizing meetings and practices and all that. We should start having pickup games in the next two weeks or so." Bourgeois hopes to get NU's team involved with the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association - yes, it's real - to compete against teams from other schools across the country.

The City's law department may have to tinker with the way speeding motorists are ticketed as more and more tickets based on laser gun readings are being dismissed by traffic court judges. The Tribune explains:

By now, you've got your coffee, settled at your desk, or you're preparing for those dreaded Monday Morning staff meetings. If you're a Bears fan, the morning is even gloomier. You need a pick-me-up. We hope this stop sign graffiti, located at the corner of Monroe and Sherman in Evanston, will give you the Monday morning chuckle you need.

After a gorgeous weekend, we'll be facing some shifty weather today. While it'll start out warmer than usual, just like the last few days, highs will peak around noon in the mid-60s and begin a drop from there into the mid 50s. Clouds will be the dominant feature in the big ol' sky but there's a chance of some sun mixed in there as well as, later, a chance of rain. Eventually, lows will reach the mid-40s into the overnight hours. Either way, decent weather if you're looking to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down.

Seattlest talked about gay marriage, performing, and the sexiness of the Pacific Northwest with Rufus Wainwright.

       

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Take a look at the photo on the left -- a recent photo of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa we first came across on Deadspin the other day. It was shot at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas when the slugger attended the Latin Grammys 2009 Person Of The Year Event Honoring singer Juan Gabriel. In addition to the ghostly skin, it also looks like Sosa's had some eye work done, too. The nose still looks to be stock, but we guess each starts their rebuilding process differently. Nobody can deny he looks very, very different from how he did even a couple years ago, as seen in photo on the right, taken when he testified to Congress about performance enhancing drugs. Some speculate that Sosa may be suffering from vitiligo like Michael Jackson but, in this case, caused by years of alleged steroid use.

The unseasonably awesome weather continues today as we'll see more sun sun sun and highs into the lower 70s once again. It's the kind of a day we'll be longing for soon enough, so no excuses. Get out there and have some fun. The turn around to cooler weather begins tomorrow and by mid-week we should be back to normal temperature readings. The pleasant weather will continue tonight, though, with clear skies and a low in the mid-50s.

       

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It appears fall's not ready to give way to winter quite yet and, in fact, it feel like the Spring we never quite had. Gorgeous, sunny skies are overhead with that bright, little guy we call the sun. Temps will warm themselves up to 70 today for the warmest temps in almost a month and a half (tomorrow is already looking like more of the same, as well). So we think this is Mother Nature's make-up gift to us, her "sorry about taking away your spring and making the first half of your summer cold and wet" gift. If so, we accept it. Now if you'll excuse us, we have some bike riding to do.

The Great O addressed the rumors of a new cable network but her silence on the possible departure from Chicago for Los Angeles may have been just as loud. She confirmed the formation of a new network (OWN, short for Oprah Winfrey Network) but on the subject of the relocation, she told CBS 2 simply, "I am going to make that announcement soon. I am going to make that decision and make the announcement soon." And what of the numerous local jobs at Harpo, Inc? "They should not worry." Sooooo.. they're going with you? You're gonna compensate them handsomely when you ditch town? We guess it's just more wait-and-see.

              

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We couldn't pass this up. Bonny Jain, a teen from Moline, brought the giggles on a recent episode of Jeopardy when, in his Final Jeopardy answer, he made a reference to those SNL Celebrity Jeopardy skits and got a laugh out of even Alex Trebek. It would have been funnier, though, if he had gotten the answer correct. [via]

It's cloudy now but don't worry, the sun is coming out later. And when the clouds do break, it's going to start warming up. How warm? Hard to say, we're not weathermen, but Skilling Sayz it's going to get into the mid 60s and maybe even near 70 by tomorrow. The National Weather Service is a bit more modest in their forecast, but either way, we're shaking the chill for a few more days so enjoy it.

  

There's been plenty of rain this autumn, particularly in Western Illinois where there's been flooding along both the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The quick eyes of NASA were able to catch some cool images of the flooding via satellites.

          

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The owner of a Toronto film studio has purchased 48 acres on the West Side with plans to develop a film and tv production complex reports WBBM. Nick Mirkopoulos chairman of Cinespace Studios said he paid about $20 million for the property at 2558 W. 16th St., a complex of nine buildings which was the Ryerson Inc. headquarters and old metals plant.

Today will be one of those lovely fall days we've been blathering on and on about lately. Clear skies and seasonal temps - highs in the low-to-mid 50s - are the forecast so that means some pleasant weather for whatever you've got going on today. Tonight is more of the same with lows in the lower 40s and clear skies. There's a warm-up coming this weekend; how warm we're not quite sure as there's a 10-degree difference between different forecasts for Saturday, but it'll be warmer than today. We feel safe saying that.

After our earlier zany mash-up diversion, you might have thought we'd go with something a bit less off-the-wall for this diversion. You thought wrong. In the wake of Tankboy's Weezer review from yesterday and our never-ending love of small, furry animals, we are happy to post these videos.

Some criminals learned this lesson the hard way recently and wound up ditching their attempted loot because the safe they tried to swipe was too heavy. Police were called late last night to a Lincoln Square office building (5653 N. Lincoln Ave.) and found the front door of the business busted open and the office "ransacked." But, 40 feet away, the office's safe lay unopened on sidewalk. Fox 32 has the details:

          

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Or maybe ever. Seriously. This magical video - produced by Ricardo Autobahn - utilizes sound clips from some of our favorite tv shows and movies and it's A. MAY. ZING. If you're feeling frisky, you can download an mp3 of the tune here. [via our former leader Margaret now at EW PopWatch]

After such a gorgeous fall day yesterday, today is a little less impressive. Not that we're totally against rainy days; they serve their purpose. But it's just a bit harder rolling out of bed and finding that motivation we need on these cool, gray days. Such is life. There are scattered showers about the area this morning and they'll remain here and there throughout the rest of the day. Highs will only reach the upper 40s again today and lows tonight will be in the lower 30s. But it looks like we may be headed for a warm-up just in time for the weekend. We can dig it.

"As simple as/ This sentiment is/ It is the thing/ That I have to give/ So I won't let go."

This dancer was filmed at a bus stop over a 15-month period, dancing away like Michael Jackson. Well alright. [via]

Comedy Central star and former Second City player Stephen Colbert continues to reach new, er, tights of fame. Colbert and his show are now the lead sponsor of the U.S. Speedskating team and "Colbert Nation" will be printed on the team's uniforms.The team was left without financial support a short time before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics when primary sponsor DSB Bank NV declared bankruptcy last month. In stepped Colbert, who won't be sending money directly to the team but has asked viewers and supporters to make donations which can be done via his show's website or the team's website.

We've all been extremely frustrated by authority figures in our lives. But as we get older and - hopefully - more mature, we realize there are ways to channel and cope with this anger and, occasionally, battle the source of the anger. But not Kane Kellett, who resorted to more adolescent ways of communicating his frustration with a judge and wound up with six months of jail for contempt of court. It seems, according to the Daily Herald, Kellett gave the judge the One Finger Salute when he was asked to raise his right hand when being sworn in and threw in some obscenities for good measure. This from a guy who had been arrested less than 12 hours before on warrants for home invasion, aggravated battery and other charges including attacking a pregnant woman. The list of crimes had landed Kellett on the McHenry County Sheriff's Top 10 Most Wanted List.

                     

We love Autumn. Sweet apple cider, do we love it. The beautiful colors, the newly crisp air, the seasonal food and drinks, and the knowledge that holidays with our families are just around the corner. Before winter's harsh cold and snow storms trap us in our houses for days on end, we thought we'd list some of the reasons we love autumn and include some amazing reader photos submitted to our Flickr pool. Check out our reasons after the jump and be sure to add your favorite fall things in the comments.