In this week of horror and entertainment I thought I would hold off until some other time on the horror in my own life -- my wonderful wife diagnosed with ovarian cancer and doing well in treatment -- and share with you (as you're bombarded with inane entertainment news of the Royal Wedding) a few moments I've spent over the years with real entertainers. more ›

This weekend, Naperville plays host to the 19th annual Duckon, a yearly sci-fi convention featuring nearly everything including panels on how to pick up geeks, tips on costume making, a bird show, masquerade ball and more. Duckon is a bit different from other conventions that come through Chicago, with a heavier focus on both fandom and actual science. While events like C2E2 and Wizard World feature loads of fandom and fun, Duckcon definitely brings some more unique aspects of the culture together under one roof. While there's definitely enough interesting programming to keep anyone with a passing interest busy, some of the more exotic highlights of this three day geek extravaganza include: more ›

We're a little over two weeks away from the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2 for short) and it's a bit surprising how quick it snuck up on us. This isn't to say that we aren't excited for the massive three day event - we are - it just managed to sneak under our radar. The convention, which covers the latest and greatest in comics, movies, television, toys, anime, manga and video games, will run April 16 to April 18 at the McCormick Place and will be jam packed with panels, film screenings, exhibits, signings and just about everything else to make us self-professed geeks buckle at the knees. more ›

Youth boxing phenom Tracy Rollins was billed to lose in the program - and surprised a lot of the crowd by unanimously winning his bout Friday at St. Andrew's Gym (Addison & Paulina, 8p.m.). The youngster, who at 16 was facing veteran boxer Ramon Valenzuela in his first-ever senior Chicago Golden Gloves championship (he's the five-time junior national champion), felt confident before the fight - and the look on his face after said he felt vindicated. more ›

So many movies, so little time. How true. Unless you're a professional cinephile, there's no hope of seeing even a fraction of what looks interesting in any given year. We actually tallied up the numbers and between theatrical releases, film festival screenings, and DVDs we've seen 175 movies this year — barely any at all. And with the industry's practice of backloading releases, a veritable midyear drought suddenly giving way to an avalanche of multiple releases at year's end, it's harder than ever to keep up. more ›

If you're like us, you're already getting pumped up for the Oscars! Not. Jeez, let's get past New Year's first, O.K.? Oops. Too late. The Chicago Film Critics Association has already jumped the gun and handed out their awards. To the surprise of no one the big winner was No Country for Old Men, the new Coen brothers movie that both impressed and disturbed us when we saw it last month. It won four awards in all (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem). We're very pleased that Bardem won; there wouldn't be much of a movie without his chilling character study, and he damned well better win the Oscar. more ›

It's another big week for Oprah. Oprah has a new reality show in the works. She's planning a film version of the stage version of the film version of the book "The Color Purple." She went to the premiere of her movie, "The Great Debaters" with Denzel, and best of all, Oprah's been fugged. more ›

The City's settlement in the Burge case has stalled again. Again. Really cute profile of a children's television production company based right here. "Well, the shit really hit the fan last night. And it was the CEILING fan. Maybe I should find a new taqueria." Nothing to do with anything, but we just lost 20 minutes going through the entire archive, and we loved every second. Hey, ladies, don't forget to have a bunch... more ›

We'd just like to point out that for the price of one Hannah Montana ticket, you could feed a starving indie rock band for a year. For reals. Conrad Black got a 6 1/2 year sentence today. Oddly enough, we're not feeling sorry for him. Cheryl Lavin continues to dispense awesome advice. In this case she tells a woman who is upset at only having sex 4 times a week to tell her boyfriend... more ›

The Holiday season is in full swing in NYC, with holiday lights in Brooklyn, a giant snow globe in Bryan Park and Chanukah specials for ham. One citizen decided to go vigilante on annoying car alarms, a murder suspect used a fake Asian accent on the stand and a video of a man being beaten up by teenage girls on a subway shocked the city. And we interviewed soon-to-be-leaving-Gawker editor Choire Sicha, who said,... more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. Dewars Repeal Day, because you shouldn't take the right to have a drink for granted. Sony Card, because you'll get a free MP3 player if you apply. Love is a Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield's book about women, music, and love. American Express' Urban Adventures-- for information about shopping, dining, and entertainment. Homes for Working Families-- working to make housing affordable in... more ›

Who knew "celebrity" golf tournaments could be such a flustercuck? Not Caddyshack star Cindy "Lacey Underall" Morgan. She hosted a 2006 event, which was supposed to benefit the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, turned out to be a disaster. A giant no-money-making, friendship-ending, lawsuit-generating disaster. Morgan says only about 100 people played golf, that the Caddyshack cast members who did show (Bill Murray and Chevy Chase weren't there) left early, and now she's on the... more ›

Hearts all across Chicago were broken last January when Zephyr closed its doors. We walked past its former space a few days ago and wouldn't you know, construction workers were busy building what looked to be another restaurant. Alas, it won't be Zephyr 2.0 but rather an Irish-style bar and restaurant (pictured), opening in March 2008 (to their best estimate). The workers didn't know what it was going to be called. New York Times writer... more ›

Some news of the weird to keep us going: A pissed off son drove his Grand Am into the front of his parents' house and parked in the living room in Monee last night. While the police say the guy wasn't drunk, they say he was apparently "disgruntled" and may have carried out the sensational act on purpose. He didn't hurt anyone, but he did hurt the entertainment system when he parked on top of... more ›

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and... more ›

Barry Bonds was indicted this afternoon for perjury and obstruction of justice. Dennis Hastert resigned today, which means there'll be a special election in his district. Open office plans turn out to suck if you like privacy. No kidding! Is Lollapalooza going to Philly? Police have identified one of the two women whose remains were burned on the South Side. She was Theresa Bunn, 21. Workers paving a bike trail near Lemont discovered the... more ›

A little while ago, we told you about Granny Ball, a basketball league for cougars. Well, attention ladies over 50: There's another round of tryouts tomorrow for the newly formed Granny All-Star League. More than 250 people submitted adoption applications for the 41 horses that survived that truck crash. Wonder where we can see a bunch of local news promos....oh. Right here. Donda West's doctor confirms that she had plastic surgery but denies any... more ›

Kanye West's mother Donda West's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. The Chicago Board of Education is going to approve plans for a culinary arts high school for juniors about to drop out of school. Mark your calendars: On weekends between November 17 and December 23, Fannie May will be offering free ferry rides "between Chicago's commuter train stations and the Michigan Avenue shopping district." Moo Moo, a 2-year-old shih tzu was stolen from his Wicker... more ›

For over three years, artist Kathy Kozan has been keeping tabs on the unruly and often violent last call atmosphere at Chromium nightclub on her website LAKEandHALSTED.com. Her mission to detail the constant fights, shootings, and other misbehavior spilling out onto the street below her residence has attracted the likes of Channel 7's Chuck Goudie and, this week, Inside Edition. Kozan's persistence apparently paid off. On October 29th the city revoked all of Chromium's... more ›

Steppenwolf’s Broadway offering went dark this weekend thanks to the Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employee strike, now in its third day. August: Osage County, a rousing critical favorite and the company’s best received show in a long time, was in its second preview week at the Imperial Theatre, drawing 800-900 patrons per night to the 1,400 seat house. more ›

Well, it's finally happened: the Writer's Guild of America declared a strike early this morning after midnight negotiations stalled. Naturally there's been plenty of finger-pointing, with writers claiming that the producers broke off talks while producers say that the writers were the ones who walked out. Regardless, the strike will have some very immediate effects, which the Trib has handily put in chart form. Daily shows will suffer the most at first, with programs like... more ›

Want to go to a play--but you don't know how? The Trib has you covered. This "Theater 101" article is full of such helpful tips as "If the show starts at 8:00, get there at 7:50." Honest to God, we can't tell if the item "Applause: When the play ends, there's a blackout, then the lights come back on and all the actors come on stage to take a bow. This is when you should... more ›

There is little we like more than an afternoon spent browsing through old books, even if we can't afford to buy any of them. Which is why we're planning on spending the next couple of days at the Leslie Hindman October Book Auction, featuring rare and extremely expensive books (like this Henry Gray Anatomy text, which is expected to sell for $4,000 to $6,000). Look for us as we polish our monocle while pretending to be able to afford anything. You can view the entire catalogue here. more ›

It’s easy to miss A Mano on the street despite the restaurant’s name hanging above the front door in bright in bright red lettering—because it's tucked under Bin 36 like a secret clubhouse. Owner Dan Sachs and Chef Jon Caputo opened up the new rustic/authentic Italian eatery under their original mainstay, but when we attended a media preview a few weeks ago, it was clear the two want A Mano to stand on its own. more ›

There isn't total agreement on just how "green" Chicago is (though if anyone knows, it would be Blair Kamin). The city hopes to make some progress in Al Gore-ifying the city with its two new programs. more ›

You've probably heard the news: J.K. Rowling outed Dumbeldore. more ›

Remember Kid Million? That sort-of loud, sort-of anthemic, sort-of sloppy band from a few years back? Remember their singer, David, um Singer? We sure do. In Kid Million, we always liked Singer's penchant for crafting a slightly quirky hook, and his sweet and slightly strained tenor. After Kid million dissolved (did they ever actually break up?) Singer went on to release a number of solo albumsunder the guise of David Singer and the Sweet Science.... more ›

Before we go to the listings, we want to bid farewell to the Tribune's Kevin Pang, who's heading over to the Tempo section. But he leaves the food beat with a profile of Peter Engler, the city's foremost expert on mother-in-law sandwiches, street food and other south side cheap eats. Shaw's Crab House concludes this year's edition of their "Royster with the Oyster" festival with their annual tent party at their Hubbard Street location tonight.... more ›

The moment Giles Corey Feldman, presiding judge of Crucible the Musible’s mock Salem witch trial, pulled out the washboard and rocked a rendition of Santana’s “Evil Ways” in his cotton ball wig, it was official: this was the goofiest play we’d seen all year. And for a Hallows Eve entertainment meant for ages 10 and up, that’s a good thing. Where the typical haunted house or hayride provides bloodless cheap thrills and little attempt at a story, this original piece of musical theater and gymnastic spectacle presented by Strange Tree Group and Aloft Aerial Dance serves up laughs and breathtaking aerial achievements. more ›

Ah, Phil Vettel. When the Tribune's restaurant critic isn't busy with finding bargain brunches or busting restaurants on the use of wine doggy bags, he's a stickler for a clean fork. Vettel writes in today's Tribune that in future dining excursions to restaurants "with ambitions higher than, say, hash house" he's insisting on a fresh, clean fork with every dish. His reasoning being that any restaurant that places hospitality over profit margin would not dare... more ›