• Prosecutors now allege that Tahawwur Hussain Rana - who was arrested with David Headley on charges of planning a terror attack in Denmark - also knew of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks; Headley has already been charged for helping to plan the Mumbai attacks.
• Police have charged a local man in a "weekend killing spree" that has left two dead and one critically hurt.
• Celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma is joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a creative consultant for the next three years.

For those that have their holiday shopping finished, the Music Box Theatre is rewarding you with several classic and modern movies about Christmas. more ›

Remember when the readworthiness of a book was judged by the number and quality of pictures it contained? Up until first grade: the more illustrations, the more colorful, the better. In second and third grade, chapter books with colorful covers and line art inside were the coolest. By fourth grade, anything with pictures was FOR BABIES, though we still enjoyed the occasional Where the Wild Things Are, or, when the season was right, The Polar... more ›

If it isn’t a family tradition in your house, Chicagoist recommends heading out to see a movie on Christmas Day. Think of it: two whole hours where everyone in your family has to be quiet or face bodily removal from your immediate vicinity. That’s what we call a win-win situation. Every year, studios take advantage of the need for quiet time in the family and release a few movies on Christmas. This year The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fat Albert, and The Aviator will all see yuletide release dates. Two of the most inessential movies of the year, Meet The Fockers and Phantom of the Opera, will get the jump on the weekend in wide release tomorrow. more ›

Chicagoist makes this solemn promise to you: this is the last post we will be writing about any film fests that are running in Chicago. At least until next week. But we’d be remiss in our reporting duties if we failed to alert you to the 13th Annual Independent Filmmakers Conference at the School of the Art Institute. more ›

Did you know that the Chicago International Film Festival is the oldest competitive film festival in North America? Chicagoist didn't, but it's in a press release, so it must be true. (Plus, we'll take any excuse we can get for hometown bragging rights.) Celebrating its 40th year (the celluloid anniversary?), the fest will screen over 100 features and 40 shorts from over 40 countries between October 7th and 21st. (That was definitely too many... more ›