• Anne Lockett, the ex-girlfriend of Brown's Chicken Massacre defendant James Degorski, testified against Degorski at his trial today.
• WBEZ takes a look at the case of Devon Young, a 25-year-old man shot and killed by police in June 2008, and the seeming lack of a police investigation into the shooting.
• The Trib talks to Patti Blagojevich.

From Hollywood to the West End to Broadway, Billy Elliot has been around the world and back, and now the show’s making its fourth stop in the Windy City. The twirling and tumbling Billys are chasséing their way into the Loop next spring for the show’s first post-Broadway incarnation. The show opens in March, tickets go on sale in November, and the show will run as long as Chicagoans are willing to pay top dollar for seats. more ›

Broadway in Chicago is not the most recession-friendly institution, but it's taking a break from its tickets prices tonight. During Taste of Chicago, Broadway in Chicago will present a concert featuring its current and upcoming big-budget musicals. (You can finally see part of Jersey Boys!) Original Broadway stars of Mary Poppins Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee, Roger Bart from Young Frankenstein, and yes, the entire cast of Jersey Boys will be there. more ›

Larry Bortniker and Sally Deering like to write about doctors. First it was “father of the sexual revolution” Alfred Kinsey in their Jeff-Award winning musical Dr. Sex and now its Dr. Barry Mishkin, a Broadway musicologist who has a collection of musical numbers cut from classic Broadway musicals. Mishkin, a fictional character, is the subject of their latest musical comedy, Bombs Away!, which recently opened at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville. more ›

Script is not the first word that comes to mind when you think about improv, but Second City’s training center likes to try new things. Hence the brand-new scripted musical, The Timeless Tale of New Portsmouth. Set in 1876, the show explores the life of New Englanders who are stuck in their ways and refuse to move into the future. (Maybe they should take up blogging…) While we don’t know much about the music other than there’s a sea shanty and an angry love song, we’re certain it won't be like Jersey Boys or Wicked, unless it's a parody. more ›

Musical theater has been on our minds lately because frankly, we’re having trouble finding it in Chicago. Not just any musical theater - new work that originates in the second city. Sure Wicked had a nice run but the show began with an out-of-town try-out in San Francisco. Jersey Boys is still going strong, but the show’s ticket prices don’t really appeal to the masses. National tours come through all the time, most rrecently with Rent opening this week. But let’s face it: it’s just a cheap ploy to make a lot of money. (Original cast members Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are way too old to play struggling 20 year olds in the East Village.) And to add insult to injury, each one of those shows is based on some prior piece of work. more ›

An teenage boy is dead and a 21 year-old woman is injured after an early morning shooting in Lawndale. [Trib, S-T] more ›

If you're looking for some breezy fun on a big-ass screen, you could do a lot worse than Kung Fu Panda, which opens tomorrow at Navy Pier's IMAX. 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 ›

After a wildly successful run on Broadway that received 8 Tony nominations and 4 wins, including best musical, Jersey Boys toured the country before arriving in Chicago for a six-month stint down at The LaSalle Bank Theatre. more ›

"Sun Kissed" via alforque. more ›