Catch the psychedelic Monkees' movie Head on Saturday and every one of the 58-episode series of The Monkees on Antenna TV. more ›

With its scenic course, flat terrain and a million spectators cheering them on, the Chicago course is popular with novice runners and elite marathoners alike. more ›

If you were watching the broadcast of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon yesterday around the 10 o'clock hour, you most likely saw this brief interview with one Julian Romero of Lafayette, IN. Romero told NBC5's Marion Brooks that he ran the marathon barefoot. While barefoot running is growing in its nubmer of advocates, a few tidbits about Romero's interview piqued our curiosity. more ›

The city has been plastered with "10-10-10" signs and banners for weeks now, promoting the Bank of America Chicago Marathon that takes place this Sunday, October 10, 2010. Beginning and ending in Grant Park, 45,000 runners have registered to run the 26.2 mile race that winds its way through 29 of Chicago's neighborhoods (course map PDF). more ›

Photo by scrapplequeen more ›

• The Parking Ticket Geek has coverage from today's City Hall Parking Meter protest.
• The Harold Ickes Homes are coming down and Chi-Town Daily News has a great story on it. [via Gapers Block]
• Brown Line riders rejoice! Another stop is finally reopening; this time, it's the Wellington stop which has been closed for 16 months.
• The Sun-Times brings us the bizarre story of the sorority, the former Chicago Housing Authority comptroller, and the $900,000 wax statue.

Hydrate, people! Hydrate! more ›

Seems we're not the only ones who have trouble finding sports stories newsworthy enough to cover this time of year. With the Bears' season over, the Bulls and Hawks dwelling near the cellar, and the start of spring training still a couple weeks away, these are cold days for Chicago sports fans. more ›

The Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle closed off registration on Monday after reaching its 30,000 runner capacity. The event, now in its 29th year, is the kickoff to the outdoor running season and is Sunday, March 30; it includes both an 8K run and a 5K fitness walk. more ›

Were the mother and son who were shot in Gary the victims of a car-jacking--or a domestic dispute? more ›

The Sun-Times giveth, and the Sun-Times taketh away. How great: a list of 10 inspiring women of 2007! Wait a second...Jennifer Love Hewitt and the beauty queen who thinks we don't have maps? Come on. And what exactly do Paige Wiser and Lisa Donovan mean when they say that Laila Ali "redefined our idea of a female athlete"? [S-T] 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 ›

Add to the preparations plan for future marathons: Hand out more maps and make sure emergency personnel use them. more ›

We're hot off a solid 48 hours in New York for the annual CMJ Music Marathon, so not only are we hyped for live music again, there are also a TON of bands on the road home from the conference making stops along the way in Chicago. Without further ado, here's a glimpse at the shit ton of good shows this week: Rogue Wave is touring both in support of this fall's Asleep at Heaven's... more ›

If you're not off to New York for the CMJ Music Marathon, or to Reykjavik, Iceland for the Airwaves Festival this weekend, there's plenty to take in right here on the home turf. There's nary a group of more talented individuals in independent music than Matador Records' New Pornographers. Despite the widely varying solo careers and additional projects of the main dudes, Carl Newman and Dan Bejar (of Destroyer and Swan Lake), and dudette Neko... more ›

By now you've heard about the hottest ever Chicago Marathon, yesterday’s brutal event that claimed one life, brought ambulances to more than 300, and overwhelmed race organizers and emergency personnel. The initial stories about the fatality and the difficult decision to cut the race short, dashing the hopes of thousands of first-timers, have overshadowed the larger story about race organizers failing their own endurance test. Shrugging off the 2007 race as a once-in-a-lifetime snafu obscures... more ›

Patrick Ivuti of Kenya won today's running of the Chicago Marathon in a photo finish over Moroccan Jaouad Gharib. Both runners crossed the finish line at the same time, but Ivuti crossed 5/100th of a second before Gharib. But Ivuti's win, and Ethiopian Berhane Adere's defense of her women's title, were secondary stories to the decision by race officials to cut short the race due to the dangers they posed to participants by unseasonably warm... more ›

That steady wailing sound you may have heard this morning is 45,000 runners freaking out about Sunday’s forecast. For the 30th Chicago Marathon, Tom Skilling is promising record heat with a generous dollop of humidity. Runners, it’s time to dig deep and summon the strength that got you through that 14-mile training run in August or that sweaty half-marathon you conquered last month. To the thousands who fear death or worse this weekend, we say:... more ›

Have you noticed the photos and merchandise featuring a green metal soldier throughout the city? At your local 7-Eleven there are Slurpee cups featuring the same soldier carrying a flag, there is a strange red-orange new flavor of Mountain Dew called Game Fuel, there is a commercial with a elderly man talking about the great battle where "Master Chief" saved his life, and there's another where "Master Chief" seemingly comes alive in the middle of a massive diorama. There are books, comics, web "machinima," toys, and even an article in Time Magazine. This is Halo. more ›

The 30th running of the Chicago Marathon is just twenty days away. There are 45,000 runners that are preparing to compete in the 26.2-mile run. more ›

This weekend marks a crucial point for the 45,000 registered LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Participants. Six weeks out, runners begin their six-week taper that will build up to the event on Sunday, October 7. Most runners will train for 18 weeks or more, so staying motivated is often one of the greatest challenges to participating in a marathon. Now in its 30th year, race organizers have launched a new Web site to help motivate and... more ›

You’ve got to hand it to the University of Chicago for releasing the findings of a study that calls out the City of Chicago for not nurturing its hometown music scene, right on the heels of the most lucrative 3 days on the city’s annual music calendar. The study examined the economic impact of the music industry on the 50 most populous metro areas of America, pulling together data like number of jobs related to... more ›

The first time we saw Pattern is Movement live, it was a chilly fall night at South Union Arts. The band played underneath a larger-than-life-sized neon Jesus to a crowd of about 10, fully bundled in scarves and hats and down coats, sipping plastic cups that were filled to the brim with three-dollar red wine. One would assume that this environment would be less-than-inspiring to a band that was finishing a cross-country tour, had recently... more ›

Registration for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has been closed after enrolling 45,000 racers, 5,000 more than raced in last year's race. Those 45,000 racers have just over five months to prepare for this year's marathon as it will be run on Sunday, October 7, 2007. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Chicago Marathon, a race that has grown from just 4,200 runners in its inaugural year to 45,000 this year. It is... more ›

"Suet...not just for birds anymore.." via photoshopabuser. more ›

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese... more ›

Rarely do we have a little extra cash around, but with the weather being how it's been we have managed to save money that would otherwise have been spent at a beer garden. What to do with the extra cash? How about drinking and running for a good cause? We thought we'd highlight a few charitable events coming up this month that are sure to put a benevolent smile on your face. The AIDS Marathon... more ›

In 2006 the number of deaths by fire, bank robberies and murders were all up. The Jazz Showcase had a final NYE show, and now they're closed for good. New Yorkers don't care about Chicago's popcorn. You knew this was going to happen, right? Lawsuits were filed in the Ogilvie shooting. The Sun-Times and the Trib are cutting the stuff no one looks at. Andersonville was picked as one of the country's greenest urban... more ›

The Fake Fictions more ›

With visions of sugar plum fairies dancing through their heads, the -Ists began to get into that holiday mood. Well, some did. Austinist wasn't as the NY Times dissed them and a local Tex-Mex institution sold out. Making them feel better was music, sweet music and the local theater getting name checked on "Heroes." Chicagoist tried to wrap their heads around a religious movie being banned from a Christmas themed park. To wash that... more ›