Many Chicagoist readers no doubt have a good familiarity with the 80's. Whether we remember waiting for nuclear war watching Red Dawn, had a special affinity for Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, or logged thousands of hours on an Atari playing River Raid and Missile Command, pop culture from the Reagan era burrowed its way deep into our collective psyche. On Thursday, columnist, author and radio host David Sirota will show readers exactly how much the 80's still effect our lives today at a special release of his new book “Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain The World We Live In Now.” more ›

Downtown Owl is the latest book from fellow Midwesterner Chuck Klosterman, a journalist and former writer for Spin magazine. A dark comedy set in a small town in North Dakota, the story focuses on the population of Owl, which consists mostly of hard-working people that hate the government, impregnate teenage girls and lack an understanding of pop culture. more ›

One of our very favorite pop culturists, for more than a decade Nathan Rabin has been head writer for The Onion A.V. Club. He's equally at home writing about Epic Movie or western swing, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of his wicked sarcasm when it's time to mete out a takedown. more ›

What do you get when you cross an A.V. Club head writer, a short, liberal, Irish-Catholic from Joliet, an ape, and a slam poet? Funny Ha-Ha. more ›

"You've got to be willing to get a cut in your face to get rewarded at the end of the night. If you don't want to do it, you're not going to win the Stanley Cup." -- Blackhawks coach Denis Savard after last night's 1-0 loss to the Blue Jackets. more ›

Stop by the Hideout at 8pm tonight where Claire Zulkey and NPR's John Green will be hosting Funny Ha Ha II, a second night of Chicago's funniest performers and writers. more ›

Tomorrow night Claire Zulkey will be hosting a night of Chicago's funniest performers and writers at the Hideout. Titled, "Funny Ha-Ha" the night features sketch comedy from Schadenfreude, a short film from Steve Delahoyde, and readings from The Morning News' Kevin Guilfoile, The Onion AV Club's Nathan Rabin, RedEye's Mark Bazer, and more. more ›