After seeing their viewer numbers plummet over the last few weeks, the major networks forced their late night talent back on the air last night. David Letterman took the high road, working out a deal with his writers so they could return with him, but keep in mind that he owns the production company that puts out his program. We suspect neither Conan O'Brien or Jay Leno are too jazzed to return without their......

Police officially identified the body of Eric Kaminski today, announcing that the remains they uncovered in a Pilsen basement on Saturday belong the Oak Park Lawn man who had been missing since 2004. A tip led police to 2248 W. Coulter St, where cadaver dogs helped locate the body under six feet of concrete and limestone. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and police already have a suspect in custody (he was being......

Once a Second City performer, always a Second City performer...right? Rachel Dratch and Tim Meadows, both mainstage alumns, will be at the Chicago History Museum tonight for a panel about improv. Kevin Dorff, another Second City performer and now an on-strike writer for Conan O'Brien, moderates, and there will be real live sketch and improv to boot. Tickets are $12 ($10 for members) and the show starts at 6:30. We can't believe we missed last......

There's so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it's almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don't have to! Londonist took a walk through Oliver Twist's London, thanks to a gorgeous map layer for Google Earth. They also caught up with modern-day fictional London, with the Fantastic Four and 28 Weeks Later. It was a week of insanity over at DCist. They started the week off with......

When we received a Myspace bulletin from one of our favorite local bands, The Fake Fictions, we hoped it included news about an upcoming show, a new tour, an appearance on Conan ... Not news about a massive fire at their practice space. The Fake Fictions, as well as several other local bands, practice at CPE Sound near Damen and Grand. On Saturday night, a building nearby caught on fire, and the fire spread to......

30 Rock's Jack McBrayer...

The Emmys were last night, and if you cared, you watched. So the three of you that did can skip this post and move down the page to see what the other -ISTs wrote about last week. As for the rest of you who were catching up on episodes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation" during the big ol’ marathon this weekend, you can check out the Mo Ryan’s wrap-up here, complete with all the good......

It must be something in the air. Look beyond the explosion of neighborhood Summer Fests, “Taste Ofs”, and nationally recognized rock smorgasbords, and you’ll find… still more festivals. Taking a cue from music promoters, local theaters know you’re excited to spend hours upon hours being entertained along some kind of theme. Festivals grab attention, and these festivals grabbed ours: Darknight Theatrical Productions pays tribute to Twilight Zone master Rod Serling, presenting three original one-acts inspired......

Procrastinating indie kids and drunken Dads throughout the city will look a little down in the mouth this weekend as both the Boy Least Likely To and Jimmy Buffet shows are sold out this weekend. Plus, the lead singer of Snow Patrol lost his voice so their show is postponed as well. But there are still plenty of good shows going on over the next couple of days. But did we miss a memo or......

Still waiting to hear back about those Conan tickets? Yeah, you and 70,999 other people. But NBC has announced guests for some of the four “Late Night” shows to be taped at the Chicago Theatre May 9-12. On Monday, May 9, Sean Hayes, Glen Ellyn native and Illinois State University alum, will be a guest. “Will and Grace” will air its series finale the next week. Dave Chappelle and Common are scheduled to appear on......

Seattlest saw a house party get senselessly attacked with a shotgun and end in seven dead. A local senator is debated and their version of the big dig is investigated. To truly get to the bottom of it they interview the writer Jonathan Raban. Bostonist has its first birthday party and investigates how to attach more gambling dollars to the Red Sox. Benjamin Franklin is celebrated and Johnny Damon is not. Image by Ethan Bagley......

Want to score a pair of tickets to see Conan when he comes to Chicago May 9-12? Better act fast. To request tickets (2 per person allowed), send an email to ConanInChicago@nbcuni.com with your name, address, phone number and email address. If your email is chosen, you’ll have two tickets “reserved” for you. You’ll receive an email confirming that your request has been received and a second email if you’ve been selected. But this does......

Phillyist notes a fistfight between local pols that leaves one man down for the count. Jehovah's Witnesses get a Philly contributor out of bed, things get a little geeky with a film festival and geeky gets taken to a whole new galaxy when they talk with the Dragon Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Shanghaiist gets all excited this week over a new nightclub in the city unfortunately named "Snatch" and Mike Tyson is scheduled to......

Good news for Late Night fans: Conan O’Brien will be string dancing his way into town to broadcast his show for the week of May 9-12. The show has visited locations such as Toronto, Los Angeles and, most recently, Finland, but this will be the first Chicago broadcast. And it’s about friggin’ time. Conan himself is no stranger to Chicago. In 1988, he worked on a local stage show, Happy Happy Good Show, with fellow......

With all the hullaballoo over James Frey’s memoirs, Chicagoist senses a mighty duel brewing between fiction and non-fiction, and wants to get in on it. We’re choosing our allegiance by deciding between two literary events this week, one a fiction reading by Julian Barnes, the other a non-fiction reading and discussion by Christina Page that both take place at 6 pm this Monday. English writer Julian Barnes will read from his novel, Arthur and George,......

Hate festivals, but want to see some of the bands anyway? A few of the bands playing Intonation Festival this weekend will also be playing at other venues around town. So click around and see if anything is of interest. First up, Four Tet will be doing an in-store at Reckless Records at 3161 N. Broadway on Friday at 5:30 pm. Free. The Go! Team will be at the Double Door on Friday night with......

Start hording those ImprovOlympic mugs, shirts, and ticket stubs, ‘cause “ImprovOlympic” is no more. The 24-year old company that gave us large blocks of the Saturday Night Live cast, much of the talent behind Late Night With Conan O’Brien, and “that dopey guy” from Scrubs has changed its name to I.O. Theater. In a story you’d expect to find in The Onion, I.O. Owner and Director Charna Halpern received a letter from the U.S. Olympic......

Did everyone catch Conan O'Brien last night? The Cone Zone is on vacation, so it was a rerun. But the second comedy sketch, after first guest and former Second City member Tina Fey - that's a lot of firsts and seconds there - had a particular relevance and hilarity to Chicagoans. It involved a couple from the Chicago 'burbs � one of them being Conan writer Kevin Dorff, a cast member alongside Fey at......