Joshua Kuhl of Madison, Wis., and Simon Brown of Rockford, Ill., were charged with felony burglary on Tuesday for allegedly breaking into the Smashing Pumpkins’ rehearsal space and taking various items including publicity photos for the group’s next album. more ›

* Chicago’s Victory Records announced this week that it will release a live CD and DVD from legendary Chicago rock band The Smoking Popes on February 26th. Thanks to a successful (and sold-out) reunion show last November, a headlining tour is planned from February 22nd to March 12th. The tour will kick off in St. Louis with the band playing an all-ages show at Creepy Crawl. More cities will be announced soon. more ›

Chicagoist is usually against bringing little kids to bars. Not because we’re worried about them being exposed to alcohol but more because they’re usually hogging the jukebox; the hits of Radio Disney should not be the soundtrack to anyone’s alcoholic adventures. While the law in the State of Illinois agrees with us, how are you going to teach your kid proper show etiquette if you can’t bring them with you? Martyr’s may just have the... more ›

Lately, Ebert's been telling people to see films like Spirited Away, All or Nothing, 13 Conversations About One Thing, Innocence, You Can Count on Me, The Son, and Owning Mahoney as well as well-made studio films (Minority Report, Master & Commander, and A Beautiful Mind). It's not about agreeing with him, or being angry with him after we see a movie he said was good but that we hated - it's about reading and understanding the things he likes and looks for in a film that can help us be better viewers. more ›