If it isn’t a family tradition in your house, Chicagoist recommends heading out to see a movie on Christmas Day. Think of it: two whole hours where everyone in your family has to be quiet or face bodily removal from your immediate vicinity. That’s what we call a win-win situation. Every year, studios take advantage of the need for quiet time in the family and release a few movies on Christmas. This year The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fat Albert, and The Aviator will all see yuletide release dates. Two of the most inessential movies of the year, Meet The Fockers and Phantom of the Opera, will get the jump on the weekend in wide release tomorrow. more ›

Is there a bigger double-edged sword in any live music scene than the cover band and its fraternal twin, the tribute band? You could decide to form Safety Dancers: A Tribute To Men Without Hats and though you’d still have a built-in audience most clubs (at least the ones that don’t feature a “quarter draft night”) would be reluctant to book you because no matter how hard you work you’ll still be derisively referred to as “just a cover band.” With live band karaoke now the rage, most bands are finding that they have to bring a unique spin to the artists they cover in order to separate themselves from the pack. more ›

� Chicagoist gets a sneak preview of Matt & Ben and loves it more ›

After all of the craptacular cinema from the last few months, Chicagoist is definitely ready to get the fall (and the Oscar party) started. I mean, what do the multiplexes have to offer right now, Alien Vs. Predator? "No matter who wins, we lose." Damn right. (See McSweeney's Internet Tendency for a funny take on that epic battle.) Entertainment Weekly's Fall Movie Preview issue, that guilty pleasure among guilty pleasures, and the recent barrage of trailers for the award season's line-up, have us really excited for what's to come. In the past day, we've seen trailers for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I Heart Huckabee's, and Sideways all hit the web. So here is Chicagoist's Fall Movie Preview (far less glossy and pleasurable than EW, mind you) of these three hotly anticipated (by us, at least) films by three hot young directors... more ›