If you were at last night's Estrojam (warning: makes noise) opening-night Panty Party at Funky Buddha, it's likely you're familiar with the festival. You're also probably a) hungover from all the $1 beers and mango vodka shots, and b) searching for your face on Last Night's Party, hoping for a new MySpace photo. The five-year-old, woman-centric music and culture festival continues all over the city this week with a bevy of concerts, films, workshops and... more ›

The Sensuous Woman: Margaret Cho more ›

Sanjaya’s coming! Sanjaya’s coming! Time to let your freak flag fly with some help from bobby pins, of course. And, a few more shows that aren’t so mainstream to pass the time until your favorite Idols come to town. Modern Finnish psychedelia - a genre that we have to admit has never crossed our minds - comes to town. Avarus’ sound has been mysteriously likened in several reviews to the feeling of being in the... more ›

Cyndi Lauper has been slated to perform at the Gay Games VII Closing Ceremony at Wrigley Field. Tickets are now on sale for the July 22nd event. Cyndi has been active with PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard Foundation and previously performed at the Gay Games in 1994 when they were held in New York City. Lauper's latest CD, The Body Acoustic, celebrates diversity, friends, and acceptance which are consistent with the image that we feel... more ›

Note: Part 1 of this series is here. The Chicago Sketchfest brings some of the country’s finest comic troupes to town this weekend and next. Fitting really, since a mid-January Chicago vacation requires a hearty sense of humor. Yesterday, Chicagoist profiled a few up-and-comers but we didn’t want to leave out the veteran performers, the very backbone of the festival itself, and the uniquely wacky groups, the pickled liver of the festival itself. Many of... more ›

Watch out! Comedian Margaret Cho is back, hitting Chicago Theater tonight and tomorrow night on her Assassin tour. Last month, Cho told the Windy City Times that Assassin is about the nation's current political struggles, "such as how we are dealing with our administration and how we are dealing with issues like gay marriage." The 36-year-old San Francisco native has been doing stand-up comedy since her early twenties. Her two previous national tours -- Notorious... more ›