As we mentioned yesterday, there was a pro-Conan O'Brien rally down at NBC Tower and a decent crowd showed up to give CoCo their support (and raise some cash for Haiti at the same time). You can view more photos from the event here and here. Of course, the rumors are already swirling about a new domain registered by one of NBC's rivals [via], so who knows what's next. more ›

Already responsible for The City's Most Expensive Hole In The Ground, Spire developer group Shelbourne Development Group Inc. is in more hot water as their sales center is facing eviction from its current home in NBC Tower. Crain's reports that a complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court claims that Shelbourne hasn't paid rent since April 1 and owes over $300,000 for the space which takes up the entire 18th floor. It's not the only legal wranglings Shelbourne's been involved in; remember, they were sued by Bank of America back in August for allegedly defaulting on a loan. A spokeswoman for Shelbourne said in a statement, “The issue is a typical tenant/landlord dispute that we expect to be resolved amicably. During our time there, we've experienced a few minor issues, and hope the management is more responsive to our concerns.” And, in a display of optimism that suggests Shelbourne lives in a land of rainbows, leprechauns, and unicorns, she added, “The Chicago Spire project is very much alive and yes, we are still talking to potential buyers interested in purchasing units." more ›

Do you have a business idea? If you ran into Donald Trump on an elevator, could you sell it to him before the doors open on the 23rd floor? You can practice your pitch for a chance to win $5,000 in prize money in the inaugural FAST PITCH competition, part of Entrepreneurship Week Chicago. That's enough cash to buy quite a few Foosball tables for your startup office (OK, so maybe you should pay the rent first). A panel of experienced business owners, investors, and other high muckety-mucks will critique your pitch and select a winner, and, of course, it's all preceded by a networking reception. more ›

Much like the last TECH Cocktail we attended, last night's TECH Cocktail 3 was a great success. Unlike last time, there were no limos stolen, but we did hear that if you stayed around long enough you'd have witnessed a minor incident where someone caught fire (?). Oh, the drama. more ›

Attention geeks, nerds, schmoozers, power movers, and all combinations therein: TECH cocktail 3 is this Thursday, January 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. This round will be held at Amira, at the base of the NBC Tower. Be there to mingle with like-minded folks from the Chicago tech community and, since you'll be in the NBC Tower, get a chance to see just how short Art Norman really is. more ›

Building, Antennae, Span, Earth -- and other crap like construction cranes. This is the sport of BASE jumping. Every time we hear about people getting all crazy Bond and jumping off of high stuff, parachuting down and then cruising away as fast as possible to avoid criminal charges, we are entirely nonplussed. Not only do we admit to having a little fear of heights, but we also get a little vertigo just by walking a little too close to the edge of the el platform. more ›

As we reported here a few weeks ago, Tony Danza in town for three days broadcasting his crappy talk show live. more ›

Casting tryouts are coming up for two reality TV shows that feature musical groups looking to replace a member who died. The groups? TLC and INXS. Let's here it for acronyms. And dead band members! R U The Girl features T-Boz and Chilli, the 2 remaining members of TLC, as they try to find a female performer to replace Left Eye who was killed in a car crash in 2002. Oh, wait. Replacing Left Eye?... more ›