Man, Petrillo sure would've hated iPods. more ›

We are very sad to hear news that Robert Altman, one of our favorite filmmakers, has died at age 81. His last film A Prairie Home Companion was one of his few to deal overtly with death, so we can't help thinking that it was on his mind. At last year's Oscars, the long-overdue presentation of a lifetime acheivement award to Mr. Altman filled us with pride. A true maverick who directed everything from M*A*S*H to Popeye, The Player, Nashville, Short Cuts and Gosford Park, Altman was known for making films exactly the way he damn well felt like making them. As irrational as it sounds, to this day we have a soft spot for Popeye and often still hum "He Needs Me," as sung in the film by Shelley Duvall. more ›

Look, we know we post a lot of stories about animals. Sure it can get old, but sometimes we just can't resist. Especially when we're talking about a city sponsored plan to give geese diarrhea ... on purpose. more ›

Chicagoist headed down to the Taste of Chicago against our own advice to witness the incredible show that Santana puts on. Luckily our adopted Mexican/Puerto Rican adopted family arrived at 10 am to snag a spot near the Petrillo Band Shell so that we had somewhere to call home in the estimated crowd of 300,000 on Saturday evening. more ›

If you're heading down to sample all the tasty pre-cooked goodies at the Taste this weekend – Chicagoist once heard that pizza stand Bacino's starts prepping, and freezing, pies in January for the event – you may want to skip the food and just check out the free music acts at the Petrillo Band Shell instead. As with any Taste line-up, there are a fair number of uninteresting bands – in years past, that's included everyone from a past-their-prime Hootie & the Blowfish to the once-tolerable local mainstays Poi Dog Pondering. This year is no exception, with performances by not-bad-just-unspectacular musicians like Melissa Etheridge (tonight) and the Counting Crows (Sunday). more ›