Eeeeverybody's talking the Complaints Choir of Chicago this week — Daily Herald, Sun-Times, the Trib, Time Out, 848, even UPI — and with good reason. The Complaints Choir is rad! How do we know? Er, Chicagoist is in it. And so are a bunch of Chicagoist readers. But we'd think it was awesome anyway! Really. We've covered the choir before, but as a quick refresher: Finnish performance artists and husband-and-wife team Oliver Kotchta-Kalleinen and Tellervo... more ›

For all you Chicagoist fans who love to bitch--whether it’s about the CTA, Macy’s, Comments by Guest #2, or a typo right here on Chicagoist--we’ve found a new forum for you: The Complaints Choir of Chicago. Artists Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen will work with local musician Jeremy Jacobsen to create the first choir of complainers in the Midwest. No singing experience is needed, just a good gripe. The choir will meet during five workshops... more ›

This past weekend reinforced why we live in Chicago. Everything may still be brown and muddy, but the fact remains that the blue skies and warm sun reminded us why this city rules. Here are two more reasons why Chicago is awesome, just in case this weekend wasn’t enough for you. more ›

Last weekend, we caught Robin McFarquhar: Stage Combat, Text-to-Fight, a lecture about and demonstration of stage combat presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival. Dr. McFarquhar teaches theater movement at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and has worked with the Steppenwolf, Court, and Goodman theaters and on Broadway. He choreographed the combat in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s current production of "Hamlet," playing through November 18. more ›

First things first, it is Veterans’ Day and we would like to honor those that have been, are, and will be in uniform. With the politically charged environment that surrounds us these days, it is important to note that Veterans’ Day was originally known as Armistice Day. Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, was regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” Thirty-six years later, WWII happened and the day was altered to... more ›

While many of the lectures and panels for this year's Chicago Humanities Festival are already sold out, there still seem to be plenty of tickets left for the film series. The theme is “Peace and War,” a subject which is (unfortunately) as timely as ever, and Facets program director Charles Coleman has put together a superb lineup. All of the chosen films guarantee plenty of food for thought, some to an uncomfortable degree. We'd like to call attention to just a few. more ›

In case you weren't paying attention earlier, the Chicago Humanities Festival begins tomorrow. Really, we’re not kidding. Judging by the long scroll of sold-out shows in the website’s festival updates section, advance ticket sales have been brisk. And at $5 a pop to see the likes of General Wesley Clark, Garry Trudeau, and Paul Krugman, are you honestly surprised? This year’s theme, Peace and War: Facing Human Conflict, speaks to growing apprehension about America's military... more ›

It’s that time of year -- leaves are falling, radiators are clunking, and the Chicago Humanities Festival is raring to go. We love the fest, we really do. Chicagoist even worked for them for a few years. We don't want to look in gift horses' mouths, but we can't help wishing they would un-stuffy it up a little bit. Maybe book some more fun guests and authors. (Neil Gaiman sold out in minutes a few... more ›

Among the things we wish for at night, besides Heath Ledger telling us we are his only one, is the wish that we have changed the world, that we have had an impact, that we have taken our art to a higher form, and that we are appreciated for it. more ›

We’ve traveled a bit, we’ve been to Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. We’ve acquired faint ideas of what living in a third world country must be like, but we still had cute REI backpacks and pretty, pink mosquito nets. more ›

We tend to like our authors old and dead (just like our dates!), so we decided to step outside ourselves and read something new. For the American-bred Women’s History Month, we decided to read Canadian authors that are still living, negating everything all at once, except they’re all female, so that’s something. more ›

The Chicago Humanities Festival will be steered from a distance this year, with New Yorker Lawrence "Ren" Weschler taking the position of artistic director while remaining a resident of New York. He’ll spend four to five days in Chicago at a time for the job, and all the while keep his position as director of the New York Institute for the Humanities. more ›

Chicagoist believes the only thing better than finding fun shows and exhibits for our readers is watching them develop. The arts and theater communities continue working long after their 15 minutes on the web expire, we just try to keep up. Consider this report a “Where Are They Now?” sans washed-up celebrities. The Snubfest ’06 lineup has been announced, and it looks good. Not Aspen Comedy Festival good, but that’s kind of the point. The... more ›

A smorgasbord for the mind, the 2005 Chicago Humanities Festival has rolled into town. This year’s theme is Home and Away, concerning “the role that ‘place’ serves in the creation of our sense of rootedness and belonging.” Sounds like Pretentious-English-Major-speak, but an impressive slate of writers, musicians and performers are addressing such hot button issues as globalization, mobility, national identity, and bridging regional differences. Most tickets are $5, a bargain that ensures many sold out... more ›

Tickets for the Chicago Humanities Festival go on sale to the general public today. The city's annual celebration of culture, literature, art, and social sciences runs from October 29 to November 13, with speakers and performances all over the city. This year's festival theme is "Home and Away"; presenters will address the role that place serves in the creation of identity and belonging. There is also an accompanying children's festival featuring interactive programs in theater,... more ›

Now that grills across the city are sparking up with more frequency, Chicagoist has taken it upon itself to offer some helpful selections of beers and wines as well as some tasty cocktail recipes to complement your grilling experience and start you out on those baby steps to being a wonderful host- or an above average bartender.
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When Chicagoist thinks of Tribune film critic Michael Wilmington, the phrase “prison movies” doesn’t immediately spring to mind. So we were surprised to find out that he’ll be hosting “’Doing Time’ In Film” as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival this year. This year’s theme focuses on the notion of time so perhaps Mike hit on the clever pun and just went with it. We just hope he finds time to talk about Caged Heat.... more ›