For many food writers, the mere mention of the name John Mariani is enough to raise hackles and raise voices in protest. The "food and travel correspondent" for Esquire makes for an easy target with his byline at Esquire, Wine Spectator and Bloomberg News, ostentatious prose and numerous accusations of questionable ethics, including one instance relayed by moto's Homaru Cantu that's now become legend. more ›

Did you know Tyra Banks is a singer? Not only is that her speaking during the opener of ANTM (which is fairly unchanged since last season) but that's her vocals on the background harmonies. Feel free to bust out that bit of trivia at the next party you attend. The episode opens with Jay introducing the girls to their bio-diesel powered limo. Something about that is oxymoronic, but given that this season is "The Futuristic... more ›

The Sun-Times is reporting that Oprah is moving out of her Water Tower Place condo to a new apartment a couple of blocks away on East Lakeshore Drive. Sale price: $6.2 million. A couple of thoughts: 1. First of all, we thought that Oprah lived at that curvy tower across from Navy Pier. The fact that she lived at Water Tower Place was news to us. A quick search for "oprah lives" on Flickr doesn't... more ›

A good movie may gross the big bucks and win the awards, but the Neo-Futurists recognize that a truly bad movie will stay with you for a long, long time. Tomorrow night they open the fifth annual festival of wonderfully awful films, skewered on stage for your entertainment, known as It Came From the Neo-Futurarium. Rachel Claff and Jay Torrence will recreate, as best they can on the cozy Neo stage, Bridget Fonda and Jennifer... more ›