Results tagged “queen”

Last weekend, resting on the couch after DJing until 5 in the a.m., we happened to pop in a DVD of a flick much favored in our younger years and now we just can't get the theme song out of our head. Maybe we can get it stuck in yours too?

After a waaaay too long delay, the Switches debut album Lay Down The Law is finally available in the U.S. Their song "Drama Queen" ensnared us last year with it's stomping glam beat, sneering Dandy Warhols-esque verses, and it's over the top Queen-sized chorus. The rest of the album took the promise of that original salvo and decimated our expectations in the best possible way.

There are no shortage of opportunities to see a theater performance in Chicago, and that certainly applies to children’s theater or theater based on children’s literature. A number of of these productions have enjoyed some popular success as well. This goes to show that these performances are not attended only by dutiful schoolchildren, but are considered to be viable options in the Chicago theater scene, due to the effort and imagination that goes into adapting children’s literature for the stage.

Before we go to the listings, we want to bid farewell to the Tribune's Kevin Pang, who's heading over to the Tempo section. But he leaves the food beat with a profile of Peter Engler, the city's foremost expert on mother-in-law sandwiches, street food and other south side cheap eats. Shaw's Crab House concludes this year's edition of their "Royster with the Oyster" festival with their annual tent party at their Hubbard Street location tonight....

Growing up in the big, bad metropolis of Kankakee, we became very good at bowling. After all, in a town where the yearly opening of the Dairy Queen was a significant event, entertainment options were a bit few and far between. Now that we are bonafide "city folk," however, bowling has become one of our standard "gonna do"s, one of those activities we say we want to do almost weekly, but in which we...

That's how many people are working illegally in this country, at least according to some estimates. Others put it closer to seven, depending on who you ask, and when. It's hard to get a handle on the actual number because most undocumented workers aren't too keen on standing up and being counted. Yesterday afternoon Elvira Arellano was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency charged with, among other things, keeping people from washing...

Each morning we're going to highlight five bands playing at Lollapalooza that we think are worth seeing. Some will be popular, some less known, but we believe they're all worth your time. And for those not making it to the festival itself, we'll round it out with an additional show going on after the grounds close down for the evening. Matt & Kim Bouncy, jouncy, fun, and happy, Matt & Kim are just the sort...

All right, people. It's the moment you've been waiting for: as of Friday, the beaches are now open. Glee! Last one to dive headfirst into Lake Michigan is a piece of raw sewage ... much like Lake Michigan itself. Ah, but we poke fun at that body of water of ours. To be honest, the city is putting a pilot program into effect this bathing season in order to help out with that pesky E....

Back in May of 2003 we started watching one of the few reality shows that had us hooked from the first episode. Four years later we're still watching and have become borderline obsessive/compulsive about America's Next Top Model. It's not Tyra that's the draw for us. Nor is it Twiggy, the original waif. Not Nigel Barker who is "married", nor is it even really about the girls competing for the big win (well, maybe just...

Beginning April 2, life is going to get a lot harder for those wishing to go to Southport Lanes, Justin's, or Schubas. The Southport stop on the Brown Line is going to be closed for a year starting April 2. We're only kidding. If your biggest hardship in life is getting to Schubas, we so want to be you. But as your faithful reporter of all things CTA, we wanted to let you know...

Perhaps it is the image of Jennifer Hudson walking down the red carpet at the Academy Awards, but we've been getting inundated with talk of the event. The barrage has had its affect though, we have some Oscar related events for you this weekend, well except for one that involves vintage beer drinking, but we all need a break some time. We are all about gluttony and package deals this weekend, enjoy! We would suggest...

At some point today, Fall Out Boy will be playing an invite-only show at House Of Blues to celebrate the release of their new album, Infinity on High. Okay, stop your laughing. To folks with asymmetrical haircuts and teenagers whose composition books are dripping with despondently poetic ink, this is a big deal. And, to a certain extent, it’s sort of a big deal for Chicago as well. Sure, the new disc is probably not...

"Solitude." "Mood Indigo." "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." Even Mary J. Blige covered "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me." These are all standards composed, of course, by Duke Ellington, arguably the greatest American composer of the 20th century. Yet he did not write his band's theme song, "Take the 'A' Train." That composition is by Billy Strayhorn. For 29 years he worked with Duke, shunning the spotlight even as he created or co-created some of the Ellington's greatest moments on record. Strayhorn was only 51 when he died of esophageal cancer. His best-known song "Lush Life," which he wrote while still a teenager, continues to live on in versions by the likes of Queen Latifah.

Our resident jaunter had to up and leave town suddenly this weekend, but we will try our best to fill you in on happenings for today. Despite the January blahs, there's quite a bit of stuff going on. Fox & Obel, they of upscale food market fame, are holding a free chocolate tasting from 1-5 p.m. The chocolate in question is Schokinag, of which drinking chocolate will also be available (mm!). Strap on the feedbag...

This week, the Chicago Film Critics announced its nominations for the best films and cinematic performances of the past year. Babel picked up nine nominations, while The Departed and The Queen followed with six. As usual, the CFCA made some unconventional choices: Maggie Gyllenhaal picked up a nod for her work in the largely ignored Sherrybaby, and an adapted screenplay nomination went to A Prairie Home Companion. The CFCA also fueled the comebacks of Ben...

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward...

Chicagoist loves us some comics. So we were particularly pleased to see one of Chicago’s most famous practitioners of the art form, Chris Ware, receive a $50,000 grant for his work along with local artist Nick Cave (not that one) and 11 other visual artists.

We knew it was coming. The sophomore slump. The uninspiring live tour. Who is it this time? It’s the Killers.

Roger Ebert posted his first review today since he began recovery four months ago after undergoing surgery for salivary cancer. And we couldn’t be happier. Maybe that makes us “boosterish,” but we are. True to the honesty that’s been a hallmark of his reviews for the past 40 years, Ebert posted a lengthy description of his recent illness and rehabilitation. He notes that he doesn’t remember much more than “fragmentary episodes” from July and August...

We all have our guilty pleasures. Here at Chicagoist, our guilty pleasures range from "America’s Next Top Model" (starts tonight! Set your TiVos), to Suzy Q’s, to dressing up like K-Fed and singing “Hit Me Baby One More Time” with a fake baby at our teat. But if you want us to get specific and tell you about our literary guilty pleasures, then let us introduce you to the amazingly fun reads of Phillipa Gregory.

In the biggest celebrity-related Chicago film news story since Crazy Tom Cruise hit town to kiss-and-make-up with Uncle Steven, the organizers of the Chicago International Film Festival announced that their annual lifetime achievement award will go to Dustin Hoffman. This year’s fest will run from October 5th through the 19th and will screen Hoffman’s Stranger Than Fiction, which lensed here back in May and co-stars Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. It was written...

Whew! Happy, sore, tired, but mainly thrilled Lollapalooza spends her time in our home town. We'd like to give props to each and every one of the fans who stood their ground to be down front for whoever was their favorite band from The Flaming Lips to Wilco or The Raconteurs and the Chili Peppers. You guys are the ones who made Lollapalooza the best! Here are just a few more thoughts on the bands that performed.

When we first heard they were doing iPod audio tours of Millennium Park, we were psyched. We like the idea of an audio tour; we can go at our own pace and listen to headphones that drown out screaming children and double-decker buses. We also like to see Chicago through someone else’s eyes; see a different Chicago than the one we’re used to seeing every day.

Folks, it’s going to be hot out there this weekend. If you’re out and about, drink water. Take breaks. Wear loose-fitting natural fabrics for God’s sake. You do not want to end up having to check yourself into the hospital, what with some people going out of their way to give “heat exhaustion” a bad name. Much of Chicagoist will be braving the elements out at Union Park this weekend, but the siren call of...

Nominations for The Joseph Jefferson Awards Citation Wing, recognizing the finest work from scrappy but brilliant non-Equity theater companies, were announced this morning. A local, less insufferable version of New York’s Tonys, the Jeff Awards recognize excellence among productions that opened between last April and this March. Click here to learn (and possibly understand) the nominations process. Queen Lucia rules the musical nominations; Lifeline’s original adaptation of E.F. Benson’s operatic rivalry tale leads all productions...

Last night, after being inspired by ourselves, we headed over to the Metro for The Sounds and Morningwood show to see if these girls really do just wanna have fun.

Some of us here in the Chicagoist office know a lot about comics and graphic novels. Some of us (ahem) don’t know quite as much. What we do know, is that we’d have to be under the biggest rock ever to have not heard of Jessica Abel, Queen of the Comics. Once you see her name for the first time, you will start to see it everywhere.

We’ll admit it: we’re Anglophiles. We check in regularly on our British cousins and try to impress our friends with half-assed James Bond and John Cleese impersonations. And when we discovered a new crop of British imports opening on Chicago stages last week, we couldn't resist. Funny how a week of watching anxious characters speaking the Queen’s English reminded us why so many Brits glorify life on our side of the pond.

Phillyist notes a fistfight between local pols that leaves one man down for the count. Jehovah's Witnesses get a Philly contributor out of bed, things get a little geeky with a film festival and geeky gets taken to a whole new galaxy when they talk with the Dragon Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Shanghaiist gets all excited this week over a new nightclub in the city unfortunately named "Snatch" and Mike Tyson is scheduled to...

Torontoist throws down the gauntlet and challenges all comers: pillow fight, bitch. They also stand up for a fellow blogger taking heat from the TTC and welcome city-wide WiFi. SFist can finally admit it: It's possible that Bary Bonds juiced. Is Bay Area artist (tempted to put quotes around that) Thomas Kinkaid "kinda crappy" or "explosively crappy" or does he just like marking territory? SFist wonders. Technology comes in the form of new Mac goodness...