In a 10-second teaser video, Matthew Broderick reveals he'll reprise his role as Ferris Bueller in a Super Bowl commercial. more ›

The house is 11,233 square feet and has 6 bedrooms, 6 full and 4 half bathrooms, and an outdoor swimming pool. more ›

If there's one character populating the popular imagination of Chicagoland who would know what to do with a day off, it's Ferris Bueller. But how can one make the most of a day off work when snowed in by the impending blizzard? A Ferris Bueller's Day Off board game, obviously. Maxim Dalton, an illustrator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, used a handsome retro-inspired design style to turn the plot of the movie into a conventional board game. We asked him about this project in advance of its premiere next Friday. more ›

Ten years after meeting on the set of a student film, the filmmaking duo Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck is on a roll. Their first feature, 2006's justly acclaimed debut Half Nelson, received the recognition it was due when star Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Academy Award. 2008's Sugar earned more plaudits for its portrayal of a young Dominican's pitcher's journey through Minor League Baseball. The latest from the co-directing and co-writing couple is It's Kind of a Funny Story, a light-hearted adaptation of a comedic young adult memoir about a suicidal teenager who checks himself into a mental health clinic, starring Keir Gilchrest, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis. We sat down to talk about Galifianakis, John Hughes, brain maps, Broken Social Scene and the how you make the anti-Cuckoo's Nest. more ›

Movie writer and director John Hughes, who passed away last summer at the age of 59, was honored at last night's Academy Awards. While many stars are honored during the "In Memoriam" segment (including Michael Jackson but not Farah Fawcett), Hughes was singled out for a full segment featuring Matthew Broderick, several members of the Brat Pack (including Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Anthony Michael Hall) and Macaulay Culkin. The actors remembered Hughes and honored him with a montage of clips from his movies. more ›

Words don't do this justice. John Hughes (remixed 2009). more ›

We're still reeling from yesterday's sad news about John Hughes. Right now, we need a montage. Set to The Who. Thank you for obliging us, YouTube. more ›

• Sonia Sotomayer has been confirmed to the Supreme Court.
• Gov. Quinn signed the Texting-While-Driving ban into law today.
• DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett has decided to not run against Lisa Madigan for Attorney General next year.

M83 (a.k.a. Anthony Gonzalez) albums have tended toward being sweepingly atmospheric, with rumbling songs that stretch out and cover the landscape with warm gooey tones. The new album Saturdays=Youth starts off with a snippet that would lead the listener to believe this pattern would continue to hold true, until the deliciously cold and shimmering "Kim & Jessie" kicks in like the opening credits of a John Hughes film. more ›

The last time we saw James McAvoy, he was Mr. Tumnus in . There was something about that half-human, half-goat thing (combined with his angelic curls and baby blue eyes) that gave us some not-very-rated-PG thoughts. Thus we are thrilled to see Mr. McAvoy return to the screen in Starter for Ten, a comedy from the UK showing as part of the Chicago International Film Festival. more ›

John Hughes, founder of Hefty Records more ›

Interactive shows are often like the political rallies of the theater world. The presentation is predictably high concept, improvisation is mostly warmed over talking points, and everyone’s expected to cheer on cue and leave feeling wonderful. Only later do you realize your candidate’s flawed, his policy papers need work, and there’s no way he’ll deliver on his promises. more ›

This week we endured the nasty heat wave, the sniping local politicos, and the weiner wars. This weekend, Chicagoist just wants to have fun. Lucky for us, three shows promise to deliver with a capital F: Sandbox Theatre Project’s Where We Live puts the courtship ritual and all its awkwardness under the microscope, as Jenn and Brandon come home to his apartment over and over again until they get things right. The results are engaging,... more ›

Chicagoist is a fan of the John Hughes-ian film genre wherein there’s a totally hot girl that no one else seems to notice is totally hot. Said girl frets and worries that she will not be asked to the prom/dance/concert by poorly coifed 80’s band by whomever has been cast as the movie’s anti-hero/stud. So, to compensate, she tries all kinds of goofy stunts to become what she thinks the guy will like only to discover that in the end she’s most likable just being herself. more ›

McWhat? Yes, McHenry County! It's that county just northwest of Cook County, home to film director John Hughes and Woodstock, Illinois, the film location of Groundhog Day. But really, what we'd like to point out is the inordinate amount of bad things that have been happening to the good people of McHenry County. more ›