Seems Chicagoist wasn't the only one who found the lopsided terms of the Pau Gasol trade a bit fishy. With outrage and confusion growing in Memphis, the Grizzlies owner pointed his finger firmly at ... the Bulls! Wha?! more ›

Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King would have been 79 this year. In 1984 an act of Congress made the third Monday of this month Martin Luther King Day. With most government offices closed today, there are a plethora of events honoring his memory. The Chicago Park District is holding a series of events dedicated to his legacy. The University of Chicago is hosting panels and speakers all week, with a series of films and documentaries this evening starting at 5 p.m. The DuSable Museum of African American History is holding workshops, performances and panel discussions on the legacy of the civil rights movement and the challenges it still faces in 21st century America. The Chicago History Museum kicks the day off with crafts and storytelling for children, followed by songs and spirituals performed by the Chicago Chamber Choir. At 1 p.m., LeRoyce Hawkins and Cameron Drake will perform Jeff Stetson's critically acclaimed "The Meeting", an imagined meeting between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, followed by a reading of King's "I have a Dream" speech. more ›

That last hour on Fridays always seems to take forever. At least there's plenty of cool stuff cooking this weekend: more ›

A mountain of peanut butter and banana sandwiches were waiting for runners as they completed the 10th Annual Elvis Is Alive 5K Fleet Feet race yesterday in Lincoln Park, which benefit Rock for Reading, a non-profit group fighting the trend of illiteracy and working to renew interest in reading. more ›

A local church is replacing traditional hymns with U2 songs to try to "engage young people and encourage social activism." Columbia College is giving college credits for Second City courses. They're also teaching kids how to become hip-hop producers. Only half of the planes leaving or arriving at O'Hare were on time in December. That places O'Hare dead last for the month among the nation's busiest airports. Can't believe we were worse than LaGuardia... more ›

Discussions about Black History Month have become as complex as discussions about race. Debating the labels ‘black’ and ‘African-American’ lead to debates about biracial identity and, recently, whether Senator Obama, Joe Biden’s “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” friend, is actually African-American. In the same vein, Black History Month has increasingly been relabeled African-American Heritage Month and African Heritage Month, terms emphasizing the present and future as... more ›

With all the hype surrounding the Bears and their upcoming trip to the Super Bowl, we've been neglecting the other teams in town. Just because they're not headed to Miami doesn't mean they're not making news, so we thought we'd give a quick Friday update on the Cubs, Sox and Bulls. Cubs The Cubs signed Cliff Floyd, former All-Star and Chicago native, to a one-year contract this week. Now the question is: what to do... more ›

"Sign That Probably Used to Be Cool" via ChicagoEye who notes, "This sign at 76th and Vincennes in all mangled with multiple paint-overs, etc. But I bet in 1957, when this thing was all lit and the neon-installed, it was pretty cool." more ›

Gunther Murphy's, Tonight, 9 p.m., $8-10, 21+. more ›

Hard though it may be to believe, occasionally we at Chicagoist carry differing viewpoints. These tend to manifest themselves most strongly when it comes to discussion of the arts, though we have learned that the way to resolve contrasting opinions need not be through a duel to the death. Anymore. So with that in mind, we decided to hand associate editor Scott Smith and music critic Tankboy each a copy of the new Catfish... more ›

We’re of the opinion that the older people get, the more they rule. That’s why we were particularly sad to hear that a few days ago, while we were all eating pizza rolls and yacking about Stroger, what may have been the world’s oldest person quietly passed away in this very city. more ›

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. Ah, Houstonist. They're biking to work, that is, if they can figure out how to get there. That's right, Mapquest says "Houston had the... more ›

March Madness resumes tonight with half the Sweet 16 teams in action. The game that's likely to garner the most local attention pits the Bradley Braves against the Memphis Tigers. Can Bradley, a 13th seed, take on #1 seed Memphis and continue the unexpected run through the NCAA Tournament? Or will tonight end a magical run by a team few expected to win even one game in the tourney. At this point, there shouldn't be... more ›

Some arty-farty Chicago stories we’ve been checking out on the internets today: * The National Endowment for the arts awarded $1.1 million in grants to various people, places and things that make life worth living in Illinois. Recipients include some Chicago heavyweights like the Lyric Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as the Mexican Fine Arts Center and Tribune columnist Dawn Turner Trice. To our mind, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association is putting... more ›

While much of our collective sports attention is forcused on the White Sox, Chicagoist hasn't forgotten that we have a few other teams in this city, and they don't come to a screaching halt just because one of 'em's in the playoffs. So here's what's going on with the others: more ›

Ah, road trips. Fluorescent lights and prefab office furniture are no good for anybody and our favorite cure for office blahs is a few hours on the road. With Columbus Day approaching, now’s the time when we start thinking about getting out of the office for a long weekend. Summer road trips are where it’s at for some people but it’s hard to commune with the road with the windows rolled up and the A/C... more ›

West Side resident and local blues legend Emery “Detroit Junior” Williams Jr. died on Tuesday at the age of 73, leaving behind memories of a man whose wild performance style and humor kept him in the public eye despite the loss of a leg due to diabetes. more ›

It’s no secret July is going to be a huge month for live music in Chicago with Intonation Fest next weekend and Lollapalooza the week after that. Yet the whole idea of fests like these is to get exposed to music you’ve never heard before. So anyone who’s REALLY into music would be a fool to miss this weekend’s Eight Annual Folk and Roots Festival sponsored by the Old Town School of Folk Music. If... more ›

Just kidding, they didn't even keep score at the game that was played over the weekend on the White House lawn. But we bet it was adorable to watch a couple dozen little kids from Chicago and Jersey play T-ball (or is it tee-ball?) on the south lawn. Every player got to bat and run bases and at the end George Dub presented them each with a signed commemorative ball. The kids and their families also got a tour of the White House before the game and individual photos with the president. Not too shabby. more ›

As you may have read, we took advantage of a preview of WIRED NextFest 2005 at Navy Pier this morning. While it seems that a more appropriate title would be "NowFest" (don't get us wrong, there are plenty of interesting exhibits, it just wasn't the mind-blowing glimpse into the future we'd thought it'd be), one particular exhibit had quite an effect on us. Together Hanson Robotics, the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of Technology and the Automation and Robotics Research Institute of University of Texas at Arlington have created a "robotic likeness" of sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, and the robot makes its debut at NextFest. Those familiar with Dick's work will appreciate the appropriateness of PKD as the subject of the exhibit as most of his novels explore the effects of technology on human identity.
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With all the baseball and NCAA basketball going on, Chicagoist has been neglecting our Bulls of late so it time to get ya'll up to speed. more ›

When Chicagoist travels around this great country of ours, we brag about being from The City That Works. In response, people usually respond with “Oh! Michael Jordan!” or make that annoying rat-a-tat-tat machine gun sound. Gangsters, ha ha! It’s funny because it’s...actually, it’s not funny at all. Especially since the city’s got so much more to offer like, say, a kickass live music scene? Anyone? Seems we’re not the only ones tired of faux machine... more ›

After a month of debate the Chicago City Council got down to brass tacks today and passed a 2005 budget that raises taxes by $86 million. The budget was thoughtfully seperated into two votes: One for expendiatures, which passed 47-3, and one for taxes, which passed 45-5. more ›

The mythology of The Day The Music Died hangs heavy over the world of rock music; it immediately evokes the tragedy of missed opportunity and loss. Few artists who have died in the midst of still relevant careers are able to escape its grip as commentators note that the artist was “turning their life around” or “on the verge of stardom.” True or not, it’s a generally accepted precept that we not speak ill of... more ›

To the surprise of no one, R. Kelly filed a $90 million dollar lawsuit Monday in the wake of an alleged pepper spray attack by Jay-Z associate Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith and the subsequent cancellation of their joint "Best of Both Worlds" tour. more ›

Early this morning, a tour bus full of Chicagoans headed down to a Mississippi casino overturned on Interstate 55 in north-eastern Arkansas, near Memphis, Tennessee. At least 14 of the 30 people onboard were killed and it's unknown how many others were sent to the hospital for treatment. more ›