We’ve read (and cried through) her diary and now we get a glimpse into her family photo album. “Anne Frank: A Photo Album” is on display at Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich. Funded from a state grant and brought in from the Anne Frank Center in New York, the exhibit features over 70 black and white photos taken by Anne’s father, Otto Frank, who was a talented amateur photographer. The exhibit chronicles Frank family life from when Anne was a baby all the way up until the family's last summer together at home. more ›

This is part of Chicagoist's continuing coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival. Today is too hot and too humid to hang around the house. Instead, head over to the Landmark Century to catch the final screening of an amazing film from Argentina called The Aerial. We were late catching this one yesterday, but boy, we're glad we did. Picture a film from the late silent era codirected by Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton and Georges... more ›

Oh, how we love this photo by ten-nine. Great black and white tones, interesting textures, a nice dose of urban grit, and an interesting angle make for an alluring photograph. It also reminds us of one of the downsides of city life — the rather frequent need to find a decent apartment. We're always a bit intrigued to know where people live, and why they chose to live there. So, dear readers, spill the... more ›

You know, maybe you guys are right. Maybe Chicagoist is never satisfied when it comes to the CTA. We are not happy when they are doing nothing to take care of problems, and when they come out with some sort of solution, we aren't happy with that. But it just seems like the higher-ups over at CTA crazy always go so black and white with their ideas. It's either do nothing, or get a little too overzealous. But let's get to the details. more ›

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A couple years ago we came across a local band named Wonderful Smith's promo pack. We pulled out the photo and immediately cringed, worrying that the group was going to be another slightly granola frat-friendly party band (not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with that, it's just not our thing). However, if there's one thing we do pride ourselves upon, it's that we give EVERYTHING that crosses our desk a listen. If someone can take the time to send us our music, the least we can do is give it an honest listen. more ›

Last year when we posted about Crispin Glover coming to Chicago with his film What Is It?, we had no idea it would trigger a rather heated discussion about the nature of art and of provocation's role in art. We were also surprised that, well, that many other people saw the film; after all, a film with a naked woman in a monkey mask jacking off a man with severe cerebral palsy isn't exactly aiming... more ›

Joshua Kuhl of Madison, Wis., and Simon Brown of Rockford, Ill., were charged with felony burglary on Tuesday for allegedly breaking into the Smashing Pumpkins’ rehearsal space and taking various items including publicity photos for the group’s next album. more ›

One of the most notable features of S.R. Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology is that its massive open space on the first floor can be manipulated to accommodate numerous activities -- sometimes all at once. This was all apparent at last night's event, "Mixing the Perfect Mies: Celebrating Mies van der Rohe's 121st Birthday," hosted by the Mies van der Rohe Society at IIT. When Chicagoist arrived, we walked right into a black and white ball, complete with jazz music and martinis and tiny quiches, but as we became more aware of our surroundings, we noticed that numerous due date-driven students were hard at work behind a series of portable, collapsible walls on either side of the centrally located affair. We immediately flashed back to our college days, where we were pros at procrastinating, always working very casually until the last minute when a project was due. We'd then pound a couple of Red Bulls and frantically do two weeks worth of work in one sitting. This image made us feel sorry for the students being taunted by the appetizer buffet and open bar that suddenly appeared in the middle of their work space. more ›

Martinis and Mies van der Rohe sounds like a pretty awesome combination. Add in some birthday cake and a few passed appetizers, and Chicagoist is all about it. more ›

We've heard some rumbling about the new graffiti book Graffitecture for a while now and the official release party is here. From 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. on Friday, February 23 at Heijfina, 1529 N. Milwaukee, you can catch a live graffiti and wall art installation while David Castillo and DJ small MVP spin music. Enough about the release party, you say, what's Graffitecture about anyway? Over 40 Chicago graffiti artists were given photographs... more ›

If you haven't heard the news that Barack Obama is officially running for president yet, we'd have to wonder what hole you've been hiding in. After a rousing announcement speech in Springfield, where he laid out his reasons for running and outlined his vision for America, Obama headed to Iowa, where he made a whirlwind tour of one of the states that will be critical to securing the nomination. After talking tough about Iraq, energy... more ›

Chicagoist isn't one for food shows. This is mainly because we don't have cable thus have no access to the world of the Food Network. But a few weeks back we found ourselves in a cable using household and we got sucked into an episode of The Barefoot Contessa. This episode was about the chicken hash Truman Capote made for his black and white ball. The contessa went on and on about Capote and we didn't mind, we were enthralled by the dish itself. So when we got back to our own cable-less apartment and kitchen, we thought we'd try to make our own hash from memory. As you will see our recipe isn't much different from its inspiration and we'll totally understand if you go with the shoeless cook ... it won't hurt our tender soles one little bit. more ›

Amy Schroeder, Editor of Venus Magazine more ›

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the first network television broadcast of The Wizard of Oz. The first CBS broadcast (which was on WBBM Channel 2 in Chicago) was introduced by Bert Lahr with a 10-year-old Liza Minnelli sitting on his lap. Back then, people were unfamiliar enough with the film that viewers were warned that it opens in black and white, lest they think something was wrong with their color televisions. Except for the years 1957-1958 and 1963 (because of JFK's assassination), it has been broadcast annually. The Wizard of Oz has been seen by more people than any other movie (an estimated one billion), and a 1998 Gallup Poll reported that 94% of American adults had seen the film. more ›

Sex, and sex-related desires and activities, seems to be one of the most common ways people can get themselves into trouble. Some people just lose their heads when it comes to getting their freak on. So please, try to be smart about sex, and about spoiled milk. more ›

If you’re a regular reader of this site (thanks, Dad!), you’ll know that Chicagoist http://www.chicagoist.com/archives/2005/06/21/the_great_debate.php">is really looking forward to Superman Returns. But more than one commenter has challenged our enthusiasm for what will surely be the definitive movie blockbuster of the summer of 2006. We understand that kind of skepticism. After all, isn’t this really just another attempt at creating yet another big media superhero franchise (one whose last outing brought us Jon Cryer and... more ›

People are constantly emailling us asking "Hey, Chicagoist, I'm going to be in town next week. What's a good place to grab a drink and some grub?" Or "Hey, Chicagoist, I've got an hour to kill between sessions at my conference next week. Can you tell me something I could do in the Loop?" Lately these emails have been more like "Hey, Chicagoist, I'm going to be in town for Intonation/Pitchfork/Lolla. Can you give me some tips about where to drink/eat/shop/take in the sights?" more ›

, and we think this lady's pretty swell. Before writing poetry, Blinn had a successful career as an advertising copywriter, during which, she tells us: "My long-term goal was to eventually retire and write ‘for myself.’ Happily, enough, I’m doing just that." more ›

Do you spend your days traveling for work, shuttling back and forth between the airport and your cramped apartment, wondering when and if you'll ever have time to finally find that special someone? If so, Chicagoist has an answer: get Chubby. more ›

One of Chicagoist's favorite bands, Magnus, was recently selected as one of 2004's best unsigned bands by the Illinois Entertainer. This Friday at Metro IE is having it's Best of Around Hear showcase, featuring Magnus and two other great local bands, The Bon Mots and Canasta. more ›

Author John Leland is going to be at the W Hotel on Adams tonight from 6pm - 8pm talking about his new book, Hip: The History. Leland is an award-winning reporter and his new book delves into the annals of history to bring us the lowdown on hip as we know it. more ›

Picturing Chicago is gigantic. Any website that has a 24-page .pdf explanation in addition to its 5 page (also .pdf, wtf?) FAQ better actually need it. We�re not totally sure that Picturing Chicago needs such a labored explanation, but uh, there it is. The site is a �public history� project intended to create a �visual record of everyday life and the social order�.It seeks to illuminate, or articulate, the macro level of social structure by photographing the micro, everyday life, level.� Wow. We�re going to stick with it just being a shitload (4,000+) of pictures. more ›