In this week's entry to the Chicagoist Podcast Series, we turn again to the world of film. There are a lot of crews in town setting up, shooting, casting, scouting and creating TV and movies around town, so we spoke with the guy who wrangles them all. Rich Moskal runs the Chicago Film Office and facilitates everything from Michael Bay tearing down Michigan Avenue, all the way down to the smallest pilot crew taping exteriors for indie films and pilot programs. How much did Oprah help ease the way for Transformers 3? (Insert your own "gargantuan robot" joke here.) more ›

Was Bruce Wayne right around the corner from your apartment? Was the Joker ever down the street from your office in the Loop? Everyblock Chicago has kindly put together a list and map of all the shooting locations for in conjunction with the Chicago Film Office. The link contains a list of address information, and we wondered: Before you check Everyblock, can you name these iconic Chicago locations, based solely on their street address? more ›

In our experience, Angelina Jolie is pretty much on everyone's if-I-meet-this-person-in-real-life-I-have-a-free-pass-to-hit-it list, and is even the most popular person we've heard women say they'd "cross over" for. As in, "I'm not gay, but if I had the chance I'd be all over Angelina." Where are we going with this? The Chicago Film Office has provided information about a ton of streets being closed because Angelina Jolie's new movie Wanted is in town, and we're trying... more ›

If you're a writer, Thanksgiving weekend is always rife with material. In addition to amateur night at the bars on T-Day Eve (if you were brave enough to venture out), there are the usual family shenanigans on the day of, and a juicy Black Friday anecdote or two. What's more, the office Christmas party is approaching. If you're feeling starved for material around this time of the year, then you obviously aren't paying attention. more ›

Back in the waning days of the late 1990s, Chicagoist’s college roommate came to visit us. Since he was a big "ER" fan (remember this was the late 90s when the show was still good), he demanded to see where “County General” was. We had to delicately break it to him that there was no such place though we did take him by its doppelganger, the old Cook County Hospital building. We further shattered his illusions by driving him past Michigan and Wacker to illustrate how George Clooney and Anthony Edwards would have been idiots to talk a walk down by the river during their breaks from saving lives. more ›

What would Batman Returns have looked like if it were filmed in Milwaukee? Would High Fidelity still resonate with you if it had been filmed in Madison? Do the Blues Brothers have the same soul if they’re from Oshkosh? We may be about to find out, as Wisconsin hasn't been keeping its eyes on its own paper and just totally copied off of us. Screen Magazine, a periodical we turn to for the lowdown on... more ›

Can you sing and dance? Do you enjoy Broadway spectacle? Do you have a “pretty face, infectious grin, and indomitable spirit?” Then perhaps you can be in the feature film Hairspray, which is based on the Broadway play, which was based on the movie that didn't have as much singing and dancing the first time. more ›

Squeezed in between Adrianne Curry and the newest Miss America (mmmm…), Terry Armour's column offered a sneak peek into movies that will be filming in Chicago in 2006. Armour predicts 2006 is going to be a slim year for film and television productions. He notes that Barbershop producers Bob Teitel and George Tillman’s My Ride With Gus is “in limbo.” But this is likely due to new projects both have in the works: an untitled... more ›

If you were to compare the museums of Chicago with people you went to high school with then The Museum of Contemporary Art would be the kid in black clothes who mutters “This is bullshit” under his or her breath during pep rallies. You know, the one who always made it a point to mention oppressive CIA-supported regimes whenever you discussed the American Revolution in your U.S. Government classes. But here’s the thing: you needed... more ›

The Chicago International Film Festival has a “sneak peek” on their website of the films that will screen at the festival this October. This year’s theme is “Film Capital of the World.” Wow. We get one Batman prequel and a Vince Vaughn flick and hyperbole breaks out faster at the Chicago Film Office than a teenage girl does on the day of Prom. Opening the fest will be the new Cameron Crowe film, Elizabethtown. We’re... more ›

Having finished their work at UIC last week, the makers of the film Stranger Than Fiction move downtown to Daley Plaza this June and are looking for some authentic city background. This means you. If you’re looking to gaze longingly at Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman (from a respectable, non stalker-y distance and God help you if you ask for an autograph!), then why not become an extra in the film? Alert reader... more ›

So we�ve been talking about movies in Chicago (, etc), and we were getting a little curious about how that�s all regulated and stuff. It turns out there�s a Chicago Film Office as part of the Mayor�s Office of Special Events. The CFO works to �attract and accommodate� projects in Chicago and �prompt the economic and cultural development that filmmaking provides while striking an effective balance with the needs of the community.� Score. more ›

Chicagoist was on the scene today as TV Land and the City of Chicago commemorated Bob Newhart's role as Dr. Robert Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show with a life-sized sculpture. The unveiling was actually a much bigger "to do" than we'd expected. Hundreds of people, mostly the media, gathered to hear presentations by Larry Jones, the president of TV Land and Nick at Night; Rich Moskal, the head of the Chicago Film Office; and Dan Sorkin, a long-time friend and radio personality. more ›