Last night, for the second time in the past week, our eyes and attention were diverted from the big screen during a movie we paid to see by someone unashamedly using their cell phone. Although we resisted a nearly overpowering urge to ask the person who felt so compelled to text or twitter or update their Facebook page with (one imagines) a fetal review of Midnight in Paris that they couldn't even wait until the movie finished exactly where they acquired a mobile device with what was obviously an eight-digit candlepower display, we can't help but get a little Andy Rooney on the subject now. more ›

A North Austin woman might lose her vision after she was attacked yesterday by a group of four men who beat her and threw acid in her face. According to CBS 2, the attack was retaliation for complaints issued by the woman and other neighborhood residents about a group of young men whose basketball games were turning disruptive to the neighborhood. Police say the woman had earlier received a threatening letter but have not yet said if the two are connected (we're guessing probably). It's at least the third acid attack in the area this year after a pair back in March; suspects in a 2008 Logan Square acid attack are still awaiting trial. more ›

If you're one of the thousands of music fans heading south to Austin next month for the annual SXSW music party / conference / drunkfest, Transmission has done a really good job of rounding up where and when Chicago related bands and parties are taking place. more ›

• A community organization on the South Side is fighting for the right of local commuters to get access to Metra's inbound South Shore train which city commuters are currently prohibited from boarding.
• Authorities are blaming a space heater for a fire that killed two and injured two in the Austin neighborhood.
• New evidence and charges in the murder of Melissa Bridgewater.

Chicago has seen far too many of these in the last few months, but another hit-and-run death was reported on the West Side last night. 55-year-old Debra Bolden was crossing the street at the 1300 block of N. Central Ave. Friday night when she was hit by a white Cadillac which kept driving. She was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead a short while later. Police have no suspects in custody so far. [Tribune] more ›

• A jury sentenced Andre Crawford to life in prison, sparing him the death penalty.
• Strange happenings in Austin where a Chicago-bound flight was delayed by a bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax.
• The RTA approved the CTA's 2010 budget, cuts and all, which totals close to $1.3 billion.

A pair of shootings within an hour in the Austin neighborhood last night left seven people, including a 9-year-old girl, injured. The first shooting occurred at 7:45 p.m., a drive-by shooting near West Monroe Street and South Lotus Avenue that injured five men between the ages of 17 and 29. One was reported in serious-to-critical, one in good condition and the other three ranged from fair-to-serious condition to good condition. About half an hour later, another drive-by shooting happened in the 1000 block of North Leclaire Ave., injuring the 9-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy. Both were in fair-to-serious condition. Police have not said whether or not they suspect the shootings were related. Two more shootings happened last night in the neighborhood as well, bringing the evening's total to nine injured in about a 3.5 hour period. [Chicago Breaking News] more ›

It's been just over a month since Bears running back Cedric Benson was arrested for boating while intoxicated, and now Benson's in trouble with Austin, Texas law enforcement once again -- he was arrested last night and charged with drunk driving and was released from the Travis County jail this morning. Police pulled Benson over after he allegedly ran a red light, and based on the results of a field sobriety test cops hauled him off to the hoosegow, where he supposedly declined to take a Breathalyzer and blood test. more ›

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The Life of Reilly, an adaptation of the late Charles Nelson Reilly’s one-man stage show, is finally screening in Chicago. After making the rounds on the film festival circuit, a limited theatrical release run began last November, hitting Austin, New York City and Washington D.C., and eliciting very positive reviews along the way. Directors Barry Poltermann and Frank Anderson championed the idea for the movie, convinced Reilly to perform his retired stage act a final time, and edited their footage of the three-hour show down to an 87 minute film. more ›

Time to lock and load this week's list of hometown shows, SXSW style. more ›

One could be forgiven for the overwhelming feeling that there are just too many disco-dance rock hybrid bands out there. Because, well, there are, and like any other oversaturated genre the majority of groups copping the dance-rock sound are doing so in truly generic fashion. more ›

Michigan Avenue, a new luxury magazine, has set a new launch date: September 17. Dan Uslan, most recently of Where Chicago magazine, was named the publisher today. There's a Where Chicago magazine? Live and learn. [Crain's] more ›

Forgotten Chicago spotlights three abandoned movie "palaces" they hope make the preservation cut: The Colony Theater on 59th and Kedzie, the Ramova Theater on 35th and Halsted, and the Patio Theater on Irving Park and Austin. "Someone, somewhere, has to come up with the necessary means to save and restore these places," they write. "It would be wonderful if they remained as movie theaters, but just saving the interior space would be great as well." Amen. more ›

Music: The Jazz Institute of Chicago is sponsoring a jazz guitar summit at Austin Town Hall this evening. Featured performers will be John Moulder, Buddy Fambro, Jeff Parker, and Curtis Robinson. more ›

SXSW just released their full band list and the number of Chicago bands is really encouraging as far as supporting the national impact of our little scene. It's also a good indicator of just how genre-less Chicago is, since the bands range from punk, hip-hop, pop, math-rock, metal, and good ol' fashioned "college rock." It could haave easily been predicted that bands like OFFICE, The Redwalls, Sybris, and The 1900s were in, but big ups to local metal crew Bible Of The Devil and the overlooked and uncategorizable Tub Ring for being selected. And Yakuza? They picked the punk-jazz-metal of Yakuza? Awesome.We're shocked but pleased to see see Naked Raygun will be making a trek down to Austin, but we're really surprised to see Joan Of Arc heading South. Who knew they were still active? more ›

An Austin man was killed in a car crash Wednesday, just hours before his home and business went up in flames. James Phillips called 911 yesterday morning from behind the wheel, saying he was having an asthma attack. Around 10:30, he lost control of his Escalade, crashed into a pole and died. Then nine hours later, his barbecue restaurant and catering business Phillips Ribs and his home above the restaurant on 5048 W Chicago Ave on caught fire. more ›

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Brooklyn-by-way-of-Boston quartet Via Audio is no stranger to serendipity. A couple of years back, singer Jessica Martins passed Spoon drummer Jim Eno a disc of demos at one of the iconic indie band's Boston shows, and Eno immediately invited the young foursome to record at his studio in Austin. That's a tale of near epic proportions, but critical praise for the group's soothing, bedroom-meets-radio-ready pop in the vein of the Decemberists or Snow Patrol has piled up ever since. more ›

href="http://londonist.com/2008/01/6_years_on_amne.php">Amnesty International bringing Guantanamo Bay to the American embassy to raise the profile of the continuing campaign to close the detention center.

It's the end of the line in our pre-coverage of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival, which can only mean one thing: you're well-prepared for the weekend rockness. more ›

The "nation's report card" for public schools came out yesterday, and Chicago ranks behind other urban areas on reading and math for 4th and 8th graders. about 16 percent of the 2,400 4th graders who took the reading exam showed proficiency, compared with an average of 22 percent in cities as a whole. In math, 16 percent of Chicago pupils were proficient, compared with an average of 28 percent in other cities. About 17... more ›

Judge Joan Lefkow handed 28 aldermen their asses today, denying their request to force the City to disclose the names of the police officers accused of brutality. Lefkow said that the case is currently being appealed (busy day at the 7th Circuit), but if the aldermen want to sue the City, they can. Have you been wondering which 28 aldermen signed the petition? We sure have. We called Manny Flores's office and were told there... more ›

You’ve got to hand it to the University of Chicago for releasing the findings of a study that calls out the City of Chicago for not nurturing its hometown music scene, right on the heels of the most lucrative 3 days on the city’s annual music calendar. The study examined the economic impact of the music industry on the 50 most populous metro areas of America, pulling together data like number of jobs related to... more ›

From a public relations standpoint this has not been a banner couple weeks for the Chicago Police Department. First, the Reverend Al Sharpton opens a Chicago office for his National Action Network in order to address the issue of police brutality in Chicago. Days after Sharpton opened his office, 42-year-old Gefery Johnson died from injuries sustained after police Tasered and forcibly arrested him. Days after that, 18-year-old Aaron Harrison was shot to death by police... more ›

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,... more ›

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a... more ›

There's no love lost here between Chicagoist and Cook County government. In fact, not only has Todd Stroger (as well as the other comedians that pass for "Commissioners" on the county board) been a target for our anger, frustration, and disappointment, they've been fodder for our ridicule and a symbol of what's wrong with local government here. Looking back at the news from last week, we've been following the story of Sally Lemke, the nurse... more ›

As music writers, we get the opportunity to hear a lot of stuff that flies under the radar for the average fan. There’s a little sense of pride in having a friend stop cold in the middle of a sentence, point to our car stereo, and ask “Who is this? This is really cool!” Never have we had that happen more often than when playing Jim Bianco’s 2004 release, Handsome Devil. Recorded with a 19-piece big band, including members of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, it’s a brainy, wildly creepy concept album about the disturbing power of the male libido. Weird, right? But it works, and if Elvis Costello and Serge Gainsbourg had a “what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas” kind of weekend with Tom Waits, Handsome Devil would undoubtedly be the soundtrack. It’s full of boozy, New Orleans-jazz tinged ballads and rollicking ragtime pop numbers, each one dripping with a come-hither sarcasm that makes you feel like Bianco’s got a few riverboat gambler’s tricks up his sleeve. more ›

Would you like flies with that? more ›