Hometown hero Amanda Rockman, pastry chef of The Bristol, starts her run on Top Chef: Just Desserts on August 24th. We're rooting for her - her Apple Basque Cake is one of the only desserts in town that genuinely makes us swoon. Heck, it taught us the meaning of swoon! Her thoughtful, sweet-and-savory concoctions are one of the best parts of dining at the Bristol, so hopefully the show will inspire you to head in and start eating. more ›

When a Chicagoan appears on a reality TV show involving food, it tends to end well (see: Izard, Stephanie and Levitski, Dale). We hope the trend continues with Jeff Mauro, who won The Next Food Network Star on Sunday night. According to the Tribune, he focused his efforts on sandwich-making; his new show, "Sandwich King," starts this Sunday. more ›

In case you hadn't notices, we love infographics. Here's part of a great one from The Pizza Experts. Ever wonder how all of those restaurants fare after the reality TV stars pack up and leave? Apparently, not so well. The full size graphic has a lot more information. We remember an NPR story a few years back about makeover shows. After the home-makers on the shows left town, their shoddy work and rampant destruction came back to haunt homeowners, who were stuck with a gorgeous-looking but totally unsound house. The same apparently happens with restaurants - of the restaurants on Season 2 of the American version of Kitchen Nightmare, absolutely none are still in business. more ›

This Sunday, on Spike TV, Chicago's own The Abbey Pub will be featured on the new show Bar Rescue. On Bar Rescue, failing bars and pubs all over America are dissected, ripped apart and rebuilt by consultant Jon Taffer and his team of chefs, designers and bartenders. We're not huge reality TV fans, but this one had us glued to our seats. Unlike your typical "makeover" show, Bar Rescue gives viewers a backstage view of the restaurant industry - and we don't mean chef's throwing knives, we mean numbers, blueprints and management. It doesn't pull punches, exposing health issues, profit margins and other things that most bar customers don't know (and might not want to know) about. more ›

I'm sure Oprah's promo producers are just phoning it in at this point, but imagine what kind of fun they could have if they actually let loose for this episode. The Oprah Behind The Scenes show has documented exactly what kind of trials and tribulations The Almighty O had to put up with during February's Blizzaster, saying "Two shows hang in the balance and a super star guest goes missing. It's the most drama-filled hour yet!" more ›

The Winter Olympics may be over, but men's figure skating champion and Naperville native Evan Lysacek will be twirling and whirling on a television near you. Prompted by a tweet from Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Cheryl Burke which invited him to join the reality television series, Lysacek actively expressed interest in joining the show after he won gold in Vancouver. All of the hype became a reality, and Lysacek was formally announced as a cast member on the coming season of DWTS beginning March 22. He'll join "celebrities" like Pamela Anderson, Shannon Doherty, Kate Gosselin and Buzz Aldrin [Ed's Note: The second man on the moon reduced to competing with Kate Gosselin and Pam Anderson? WTF? - M.G.]. more ›

Sure, we're still digging out from yet another serving of snow but spring is just around the corner. We know this because the Cubs and White Sox have finally opened camp in Arizona. Cubs pitchers and catchers arrived in Mesa last Wednesday, while the Sox battery showed up in Glendale on Sunday to kick off Spring Training. With the entire season ahead, fans of both teams can still express optimism for the upcoming season, but both teams are coming off disappointing seasons without playoff appearances. Has either team improved enough to change that in 2010? more ›

• Yesterday's death of bicyclist Jepson Livingston has been ruled a homicide; police allege Livingston was caught in an altercation between two cars and was struck when one driver tried to intentionally hit the other car.
• Details are emerging regarding the death - apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound - of 12-year-old Michael Maxey Jr. of Gary, Indiana who went missing Monday afternoon.
• United Airlines continues to battle the city over the O'Hare Expansion.

We don't know what it is about Chicago that the Discovery Channel loves so much, but we're not complaining. Both Liar's Club and the Metro have been featured recently on the show Ghost Labs and Dirty Jobs was recently in town as well. Now, part of Chicago is getting the limelight all to itself. The channel will debut a new three-part series tomorrow night called Cook County Jail, which focuses on...well, do we have to spell it out for you? Parts one ("Brains & Brawn") and two ("Gang Ties") air tomorrow night, starting at 8:00 p.m. more ›

It seems former governor Rod Blagojevich's federal trial might get underway come April 2010. At a status hearing this morning, U.S. District Judge James Zagel said he prefers for the trial to start by next April and by July 2010 at the latest. Zagel also floated the idea of an anonymous jury. Blagojevich defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. said, "If that's what the judge orders I'll be ready." more ›

It was just last week when we learned former governor Rod Blagojevich actually met a PR opportunity he could refuse: appearing on the HBO show Cathouse, which focuses on Las Vegas's famed Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel. At the time, Blago spokesman Glenn Selig said, "They did offer it to him but we're not taking it seriously." Now, Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof told WBBM 780 he might set his focus on landing Drew Peterson instead. Said Hof: "You know, I think I might as well just stay in that Chicago area. I think I'm going to go after Drew Peterson. He doesn't have an old lady now; at least they can't find her. He might as well be on my show and have some fun with the girls." more ›

href="http://torontoist.com/2008/02/phototo_snowbal.php">photographing a big, organized snowball fight.

is right on schedule. more ›

While we were chompin' at the bit for the return of Project Runway following a holiday hiatus, the casting for Bravo's next attempt at reality success had us wishing some more episodes of The Office were ready to go. more ›

During last week’s sleet storm we ducked into the South Loop Wine Cellar on the walk home from the Museum Campus. Half-frozen, soaked and more concerned with warming up than with finding a new shopping destination, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found inside. Warm, welcoming and filled with wine bins, exposed bricks and a beautiful Christmas tree, the store was the perfect place for us to stop. With all of the hype surrounding the opening of the South Loop location of Sam’s Wine and Spirits, some may have missed this much smaller, but much cozier, destination. more ›

This week's installment of Project Runway played out like a roller coaster of emotions. The designers were given the challenge of clothing for real people (yay!), retooling "fat clothes" from women who had lost significant amounts of weight, ranging from 45 to 160 pounds. Although the contestants tend to bitch and moan every time they're forced to design for, gasp, a non-stick frame, we always enjoy seeing what they have to offer. After all, while you, 110 pound, 5'11 model, might look good in a bubble skirt or trapeze dress, most of the women buying clothing off the racks will want something flattering and wearable for their frames. more ›

When you think of stylish, modern fashion, don't the terms "neon," "flares," "fringe" and "overalls" pop into your mind? Oh, wait, they don't? Well, on Wednesday's fashion designer throw down, the challengers were faced with modernizing such dreaded fashion trends that we all hoped were relegated to the design graveyard in the sky. As if designing a chic outfit with shoulder pads wasn't hard enough, Nina Garcia also bore the bad news that they would... more ›

Out of all of our celebrity chef crushes, Gordan Ramsay doesn't really crack the top three five ten. He just doesn't do it for us. There's something about the incessant swearing and love of horse meat that isn't attractive to Chicagoist. But he does do it for FOX viewers and restaurants that need a makeover on his Kitchen Nightmares show. We learned via Schadenfreude (and apparently there was an ad in the Reader as well)... more ›

This is Officer Coates. When we first saw him at approximately 4 p.m. this afternoon, he was standing on a Segway (instant annoying!) and appeared to be telling some dudes with big signs announcing a 50% off sale on tuxedos (?) on Michigan Avenue that they couldn't stand there or something. This was right out front of 535 N. Michigan Ave. just south of the Intercontinental Hotel. We thought, "Who cares? Leave them alone!"... more ›

In the “reality TV”-obsessed era of “So You Think You’re the Next Bachelor Genius Idol” cultural saturation, there comes a time when every sensible man and woman must turn off the television and venture out into “reality life.” Luckily, the transition is eased by events like tonight’s regional finals of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships at Metro — ambitious folks with limited talent in a ridiculous “discipline?” Check! Less ambitious, more voyeuristic folks willing to pay to observe the first group perform feats of absurdity within said discipline? Check! One of the most storied rock venues in America to host this circus? Check! more ›

All across the land this weekend there'll be grills firing up; hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie patties will be duly seared, oversmeared with condiments and consumed. But at Facets, another kind of feast is on display. The ingredients? A desert island. Reality TV. And hungry contestants. more ›

In this age of obnoxious reality television, people are comfortable eating bull balls and making asses out of themselves. Yet there is still one show that is what reality TV should be, and that show is "Survivor". This season gives us Mookie, a Chicagoan who keeps pissing where he eats and screws up the game. We also have our favorite survivor ever, Yaoman, a wiry, older Asian fellow who is going to quietly steal all... more ›

As the world holds its breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning. Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called "punk rock" for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area. Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry's plans... more ›

Plans for the Olympic stadium and village have been unveiled. Illinois is one of a bunch of states that have reached an $8 million settlement with Bayer, who they say didn't properly warn people about the risks of taking the drug. Local tech company Itellext is teaming up with AOL to make a free customized version of their search tool Watson available for K-12 students. The CTA is putting a new northbound platform and... more ›

Chicagoist knows good reality TV when we see it, and this past "Survivor" was the best season since Boston Rob and Ambah fell in love and won the All-Stars (they’ll be back for another go in the Amazing Race All-Stars in March). We do think Ozzy should have won the million, even if he did look a lot like Joey Lawrence on the reunion show. more ›

In a perplexing marketing move, some of the cast of The Real World Denver will be at Crobar on Friday for a “Premiere and Holiday Party.” Now, we’re not here to make fun of the higher-ups at MTV for having a premiere party three weeks after the actual premiere. We’re not even here to poke fun at Colie for making out with Alex and thinking they were actually going “steady.” And we’re still not here... more ›

A new season of “The Apprentice” begins on NBC January 7, and the opening lineup of contestants includes two women from the Chicago area. Aimee, who is 32, was raised in Elmhurst and most recently managed sales for a top medical company. She thinks she ought to be the next Apprentice because “I am wicked smart, tenacious and have insightful interpersonal skills, as well as a high level of integrity.” Nicole, 25, was born and raised in Naperville. She worked 2-3 jobs simultaneously while attending college and now owns a real estate acquisition corporation. She says, “I have the education, real estate experience and an undying will to succeed at everything I do.” more ›

Go ahead and look it up if you're not familiar with this old school weapon. We didn't know what the name of this thing was until we saw good old Matt Roloff decide to up and build one on a manic whim on "Little People, Big World." more ›

Admit it — you’ve probably dreamt up an invention or two in your day, some grand idea that would change the world, or at least make it a little more enjoyable. However, the thought of having to design a protype, pitch it to a company, and apply for a patent sounds like far too much work to fit into your already busy schedule. more ›

Torontoist visits the site of a new Frank Gehry structure, stalks "the elusive Bahamas streetcar", and watches Tom Green get surgery. Phillyist rejoices in the Phillies' wild card chances, mourns the injuries sustained by Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse, and goes pirate on our asses. SFist notes that Guns and Roses were in town, that San Franciscans are taking over reality TV, and that the San Francisco Chronicle's skills of original nomenclature could use some... more ›