Over the weekend, Change.org, an "online activism platform for social change" that allows its users to create online petitions the site then hosts, announced on its blog that MTV said it would "not air in its current form" Kanye West's video for "Monster,"because of one of their petitions. There's just one problem: MTV doesn't play videos in the first place. MTV, in a statement released to Hip-Hop DX and other media sites, says the video has not been banned. BUM BUM BUUMMMMMM. more ›

Kanye West's video for "Monster" leaked out over the break, and it's cool and all, but you haven't lived until you've seen the Muppet-ized version! We reccomend you throw on some headphones if you're gonna crank this at work. more ›

This photo of Oliver Purnell being introduced as the new men's basketball coach at DePaul University - with team mascot Dibs - is a fair representation to the monster task of turnaround that awaits Purnell. more ›

Dust those cobwebs off your costumes, folks. It’s the Saturday before a hump-day Halloween, so that means tonight is the night to let it all hang out. That is, if your costume is of that genre. Otherwise, check out these Halloween haunts: The Six Corners Monster Movie Festival in Portage Park features seven classic horror movies both today and tomorrow. Tonight: Nightmare on Elm Street at 8 p.m. Internet gossip columnist Perez Hilton hosts his... more ›

Since its restoration in 2005 the Portage Theater has become a popular destination for music, movies (it's the home base for the Silent Film Society of Chicago) and live theater. This time of year, Portage Theater management and the folks at the Six Corners Association use the theater to screen some classic scary movies. This year's line-up casts a wide net across silent film, the classic Universal monster movies, modern horror, and a little bit... more ›

Halloween, for some of us, is the most wonderful time of the year. If you're of the same mindset, get thee to the Music Box Massacre III tomorrow, a 24 hour horror movie marathon filled with spooky, scary and gore-y goodness. The third installment fittingly offers 13 movies (along with a short, and several vintage trailers) hosted again by Rusty Nails. Fred Dekker, the director of The Monster Squad (being shown this year) and RoboCop... more ›

A few days ago we unwittingly created a monster when we expressed our frustration about having to wait to see the schedule for this year's Chicago International Film Festival, which runs October 4-17. Well, we finally have a copy of said schedule in our hot little hands. What follows is a very brief, cursory summary of what you can expect this year (the full schedule will be online within the next few days). Regardless of... more ›

Major League Baseball announced the rosters for the July 10 All-Star Game being held in San Francisco. Chicago baseball fans will see at least three of our local guys in the game. Given the White Sox sub par season, it's not surprising that they have only one All-Star this year -- the minimum representation any team gets. Closer Bobby Jenks will be the lone Sox player on the Americal League roster this year. Quite a... more ›

Along with its manual scoreboard, one of Wrigley Field's signature elements is the brick- and ivy-covered outfield wall — alone in an era where most home runs clear walls of padded vinyl, printed with advertising. The idyllic green backdrop of Wrigley's outfield will be at least partially altered, as ads will now grace the doors in the outfield wall that the grounds crew uses. On Wednesday, the Cubs announced a deal with Under Armour that... more ›

Jagshemash! Borat is a hit. It's getting rave reviews, grossing millions, and definitely the most quotable thing we've seen in ages. But Borat seems to have missed most of the -ist cities, and we were all wondering how the film would have been different if he'd made his way around the world on the -ist tour. In Shanghai, Borat would be observing Inane Learnings of Penis Photos for Make Benefit Glorious Flat World of... more ›

T.M.X. Elmo, the hot new toy soon to be driving parents to explain to their children that, somehow, the entire city of Chicago is out of batteries, was created in part by a Chicago company. The newest incarnation of the Sesame Street character who refuses to use pronouns, the Tickle Me Extreme Elmo laughs hysterically and goes into convulsions, which will be endlessly amusing to children and funny to adults exactly once. Chicago toy makers Lund and Company LLC helped develop the technology responsible for Elmo's sophisticated movements. more ›

It's been a constant in Ravenswood for thirty years, known for its gauche art deco interior design, ho-hum food, harried waitstaff, rude busboys, and the saving grace of their tasty, gargantuan sundaes. And, if you're the nostalgic for this sort of place, you have until October 22 to grab one last bite at Zephyr. more ›

You'll have to forgive us if it seems like we've got a one-track mind when it comes to film lately: CIFF is one of our absolutely favorite things about Chicago, and every year brings the thrill that comes from attempting to see as many movies as possible in its two weeks. The Opening Night feature at the Chicago Theater last night was Stranger Than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball) and starring Will Ferrell,... more ›

Major League Baseball announced the rosters for next week's All Star Game yesterday, and 6 members of the White Sox were selected, along with one Cub -- Carlos Zambrano. more ›

In the spirit of last night’s Oscars, we present this montage of thoughts: * Forget pimps: it was hard out there for Jon Stewart. Stewart is and was frequently hilarious, but what works on the Daily Show doesn't work for the Oscars. Like most unconventional hosts (Letterman, Chris Rock), Stewart was done in because he was expected to bring his sharp, cutting wit to a venue that doesn't appreciate it. An organization that rolls three... more ›

George Eckart - Animator more ›

Squeezed in between Adrianne Curry and the newest Miss America (mmmm…), Terry Armour's column offered a sneak peek into movies that will be filming in Chicago in 2006. Armour predicts 2006 is going to be a slim year for film and television productions. He notes that Barbershop producers Bob Teitel and George Tillman’s My Ride With Gus is “in limbo.” But this is likely due to new projects both have in the works: an untitled... more ›

Nominations for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today and thank God Kanye West was nominated several times or we would never hear the end of it. As expected, West’s “Gold Digger” picked up nods for Record of the Year and Best Rap Solo Performance while Late Registration was tapped for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album (“Diamonds In Sierra Leone” pulled a songwriting nod for Best Rap Song). Common, another member... more ›

The films that make up the Star Wars franchise have never been the “sleeper hit” of any summer. But we were still surprised to see Hayden Christansen’s pouty face adorning the front page of the Sun-Times this morning. Man, that Revenge of the Sith hype machine is something. Ebert gave it a rave review as did Michael Wilmington in the Tribune. Their accolades aren’t entirely surprising. Reviews of early screenings (most notably Kevin Smith’s review... more ›

Media commentators have been falling all over themselves to proclaim that Hollywood’s in big trouble due to a six percent decline in overall box office receipts when compared with last year’s take. Some have even gone so far as to say that the “summer box office season” has gone into a slump thanks to last week’s underperforming Kingdom of Heaven. Wha? Since when does summer start in the beginning of May? Chicagoist is old-school and... more ›

The nominees for this year’s Metromix Rock ‘n’ Vote contest have been selected so now it’s your turn to play Simon Cowell (although Chicagoist knows you’re more like Paula Abdul with that “Cold-Hearted” routine you used to do in front of your bedroom mirror). If the strength of Chicago comes from its neighborhoods then this year’s contest certainly reflects the diverse parts making up the whole of the city’s music scene. Many of the bands... more ›