Our constant complaint about food trucks: They never come to us! Of course, we live and work in strange, far-flung neighborhoods, so this isn't really a complaint that they should feel obliged to do anything about. However! The Southern Mac and Cheese truck is going to make it a little easier to predictably get that gooey goodness - they're opening up a storefront. Yes. It's mindblowing - from restaurant to truck based on a restaurant to restaurant based on a truck based on a restaurant. Whew. more ›

The Sun-Times reported on a meeting between mayoral candidates Carol Moseley Braun, Danny Davis and James Meeks yesterday. Ostensibly a meeting to make a last-ditch effort to unite behind a single consensus black candidate for mayor, Davis told the Sun-Times that they discussed “factors that will contribute most significantly to victory for whoever is running and their chances of being successful,” and the timing of the meeting - one day before the deadline to withdraw from the race - is fueling speculation that Meeks may withdraw his candidacy. more ›

It may just be us, but it seems as though the Sun-Times is floating trial balloons for prospective challengers to Rahm Emanuel's mayoral campaign. more ›

With contradicting media reports flying all over the place helter-skelter and speculation about whether or not there was a Free Agent Summit over the weekend, we're finally getting down to business in the biggest NBA free agent class ever. In just a hair over 10 hours - at 11:01 p.m. Chicago time - teams will be free to contact NBA free agents, including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Dirk Nowitzki (plus several others). While no contracts can be signed until July 8, there will still be plenty of action. All eyes will be on Ohio where LeBron James will entertain reps from just about every team that has the cash to woo the (still title-less) superstar. Both the Knicks and the Nets are expected to meet with him on Thursday. As for the Bulls, there's no timetable for their visit yet, but a report from ESPN today claims the Bulls' delegation will include everyone at the top of the organization: Jerry Reinsdorf as well as coach Tom Thibodeau, general manager Gar Forman, and executive vice president John Paxson (who would do well to wear those three championship rings he won with the Bulls). In case you wanted more speculation and fuel for the rumor-mill fire, ESPN sat down Bill Simmons and Dan LeBatard with Pardon the Interruption's Tony Kornheiser and (Chicago's own) Michael Wilbon for a half-hour of discussion on potential player destinations. While somewhat entertaining, though, the show, like everything else, is pure speculation. more ›

While we all know LeBron James is the preeminent free agent in the NBA this off-season, perhaps it's another guy with an expiring contract that could have the most influence on winning a title. Ten-time champion coach Phil Jackson, who lead MJ and Pippen to six titles with the Bulls before winning four more (and currently working towards his fifth) with L.A. Lakers, is in the final year of his contract. The Lakers have indicated that they don't want to continue paying Jackson the $12 million annually he's currently earning if he were to return. That doesn't mean he's opposed to returning to the Lakers bench anyway, but he's also hinted at retirement. But he's also indicated he might seek new opportunities elsewhere. It's not an easy decision when you're dating your boss's daughter. more ›

The Daily Swarm is claiming they've gotten the inside skinny from "multiple industry sources" that three of the Lollapalooza headliners will be Lady GaGa, Green Day, and Soundgarden. We admit that these names make sense, and we have been all but certain Soundgarden would be amongst the headliners since they announced their reunion earlier this year. For Lady GaGa it would be a victory lap of sorts, since she made her Lollaploooza debut on a tiny side-stage in 2007. And Green Day is one of the last remaining arena rock acts that haven't played the festival yet. more ›

Are the Bears interested in trading for loudmouth wide receiver Terrell Owens? That's the rumor ESPN was spreading yesterday when Adam Schefter speculated that the 1-4 Buffalo Bills may want to trade T.O. before next week's trading deadline, and their Rumors page (both ESPN Insider only) suggested he might end up with the Bears. more ›

Earlier today, when asked about those "Jay Mariotti to the Trib on September 1" rumors, one Trib employee told us, "I haven't heard anything about it, sorry. And I would have heard something." We also posed the question to the Tribune's Gary Weitman, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations, who told us, "This rumor is not true." Seems pretty succinct to us. Mr. Weitman forwarded our inquiry to Kate Mersman, communication manager for the Tribune, who we're still awaiting word from also told us, "I have no additional comment. The rumor is not true." Whether or not Mariotti ultimately ends at Tribune Tower in one form or another, at least it gives the Trib a little press on the day its Chicago Now blog network - Mariotti's originally rumored destination - moves out of beta and into "officially open for business" territory. Even their Breaking Tweets Chicago blog addresses the rumor but seems to ultimately wind up in pseudo-denial mode. more ›

Rumors are spreading fast today about R&B singer R. Kelly. Media Take Out is citing unconfirmed reports of a police raid at Kelly's home in connection with a charge of statutory rape involving an alleged 17-year-old girlfriend. However, we put a call in to the Olympia Fields Police Dept. this morning and an OFPD spokeswoman told us, "All rumors are completely false information. There is no investigation into R. Kelly at the present time. We have been fielding calls for the past three days." more ›

As Batfans around the world are giving their Christmas present DVDs of The Dark Knight multiple viewings, rumors are beginning to circulate about the next chapter in the franchise, including filming once again in Chicago. Speculation has included pre-production on the next installment beginning in early 2009 and an office for the production opening here in town as early as February. Of course, most of the rumors are circulating around casting.

The most popular rumors: Johnny Depp as The Riddler alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin. Now, it'd be tough to imagine such campy characters in Nolan's Batman universe, especially since both are basically pale variations of The Joker. In October, "Dark Knight" co-writer David Goyer told MTV that all the rumors were false. more ›

Word from the Tribune late Tuesday ended any speculation that former Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti might be joining the city's other major newspaper. While talks did in fact take place, they fell apart due to the Sun-Times lawyers threatening to sue the pants off Mariotti and the Trib. Said Mariotti, "[they] threatened me with a lawsuit in 64-point type." Jay the Joke also said of the Trib, "It's not your father's Tribune...I enjoyed dealing with them. I think they have a great future.'' Huh. We thought Jay left the Sun-Times because newspapers were a dying industry. more ›

Mechanics at Chicago-based United Airlines may soon vote to join the The Teamsters union. After a two-year organizing drive at the airline, the Teamsters filed a petition for a new representation election with the National Mediation Board on Monday. The 10,000 mechanics at United are currently members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). A vote to switch unions among the mechanics comes at a turbulent [Ed. note: Hay-oh!] time for United, as the legacy... more ›

After rumors that Jon Bon Jovi would be the guest judge on last week's Project Runway proved to be false, with Sarah Jessica Parker filling the celebujudge role, Chicagoist was hoping that he might venture to show up on this week's episode. As Tim Gunn led the contestants onto a soundstage, we held out hope, but instead were treated to...Tiki Barber? Yes, the former NFL running back/Today Show correspondent was the challenge subject and guest... more ›

"Warm to the touch." We can't get that phrase out of our heads after reading that a relative of Drew Peterson helped him move a blue barrel that was warm to the touch on Oct. 28, the day before Stacy Peterson was reported missing. The relative — not named by the Trib but identified as Thomas Morphey, a step-brother, by the Sun-Times — then went home and told a friend that he was afraid he... more ›

Can Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich please, please get a reality show? That way, when they have a "nonproductive" meeting like they did today, we have a full serving of drama to go with our intense disappointment and frustration? Today's meeting, between Blago, Madigan, Mayor Daley and state legislative leaders, was an attempt to make progress on the state transit funding...oh, let's call it an "issue." (Clusterfuck? Mess? Problem? Bargaining chip? Dick-wagging contest? All... more ›

It only took them five games into the season, but the Bulls finally won a game on Thursday night. After dropping their first four to mediocre teams, they handed the previously undefeated Detroit Pistons their first loss of the season. Nice! Second-year player and new starting power forward Tyrus Thomas had his second monster game of the season, leading the team with 19 points while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds. Luol Deng added 17 points,... more ›

As we reported the other day, the rumored switch from talk/classic rock to Spanish language programming would mean that some of WCKG's (105.9 FM) top programming needs a new home. more ›

So is Dennis Hastert resigning or what? This morning, it sounded like a done deal, but Hastert's press secretary Lulu Blacksmith just told us that there are "no changes from [his] August statement," when he said he wouldn't seek reelection but would finish out his term. Blacksmith declined to comment on why resignation rumors would surface today. AP Photo/Susan Walsh... more ›

You know it's a slow sports week in town when columnists from the big newspapers start sounding like the drunk guy at the corner bar yelling at the TV during the game, certain he could assemble a better team than the one that management has put together. So who is their target? In his column today Mike Downey follows Jay Mariotti in demanding that the Bulls need to trade for Kobe Bryant. There has been... more ›

Chicagoist was left scratching our head when we heard the rumors than an extension to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's deal was in the works. With two years remaining on his current deal and his team with the worst record in baseball, the rumors should have been that he was about to get canned. But for some reason, Sox general manager Kenny Williams decided he needed to lock Guillen up until 2012. Five more years... more ›

Chicagoist checked our calendars and it's not April Fool's Day, so we're not sure why there are media reports that a contract extansion for White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen is in the works. At least those are the rumors that WMVP AM 1000's baseball beat reporter Bruce Levine said recently. When asked, Guillen denied any talks of an extension with either Sox GM Kenny Williams or team owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Williams similarly denied contract talks,... more ›

They're Ours! We were pleasantly surprised by signings announced on both sides of town in recent days -- the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano agreed to a five year deal worth $91.5 million on Friday, and on Saturday the White Sox announced a two year, $22 million extension for Jermaine Dye. Zambrano's signing caught us by surprise for a number of reasons -- because of the impending sale of the Cubs, because of the dollars involved... more ›

This weekend’s music festival inspired us to check out some local indie talent with our kiddo this week. We’ve heard rumors that Mr. Singer (with or without his band the Sharp Cookies) was the best around: a talented guitarist whose folksy music set featured music you could bob your head to, a kids’ musician who was more Springsteen and less Old MacDonald. We were not disappointed. We arrived at the concert venue, the yellow barn... more ›

It’s coming down to the final moments before Lollapalooza begins. We’ve emailed our Lollapalooza schedule to our friends. We’ve purchased a gallon of sun block. We’ve stocked up on water and batteries. Now we have some time to gossip about Lollapalooza. We don’t think Perez Hilton should be the only one to have all the fun while he's in town for the festival. We’ll start off the gossip talk with this one from finifinito in... more ›

Well, Chicagoist had finally come to terms with the fact that Mark Buehrle's days with the White Sox were numbered. We've heard and read the daily rumors about him being traded to the Mets, the Red Sox, the Cards, the Dodgers, the Braves, etc. While we hoped the Sox would lock up the durable lefty, his looming free agency, along with his supposed desire for a five year deal and rumors that he wanted to play for his hometown Cardinals made it seem unlikely that he'd remain on the South Side as the Sox continue to head south in the standings. more ›

We don't know about you, but we just cannot get that excited for this weekend's Cubs-White Sox series that begins this afternoon at the Cell. The Sox have lost 20 of their last 28 games since the two last met, while the Cubs haven't played much better. The "lovable losers" haven't been so lovable of late, with their manager being suspended for bumbing an ump during an on-field tirade, the now exiles Michael Barrett getting... more ›

Since we first discussed Kobe Bryant's unhappiness with the L.A. Lakers and the possibility that he could seek a trade to the Bulls, the rumors have persisted as his relationship with the Lakers continues to deteriorate. more ›

The sports media has been abuzz since ESPN's Ric Bucher reported that L.A. Laker guard Kobe Bryant suggested during an interview that he wanted to be traded if the Lakers didn't lure former GM Jerry West back to the organization. A day later, Kobe refuted that assertion, but the rumor mills continue to swirl about whether the Lakers' prima donna wants out. more ›

Well, the Bulls certainly didn't go down without a fight — not even after falling into a 3-0 series hole. But down they ultimately did go, losing to the Detroit Pistons 95-85 in Game 6 on Thursday night at the United Center. For a half, actually forcing Game 7 seemed like a realistic possibility as the Bulls took a 48-43 lead into the locker room. P.J. Brown had the playoff game of his long career,... more ›

The rumors had been swirling about who else would play Friday night at the Pitchfork Music Festival and those rumors turned out to be true for Slint and GZA joining up with Sonic Youth to play a full album. We never heard a peep about Saturday’s headliner of Yoko Ono. Love her or hate her, for a myriad of reasons, John Lennon’s widow is quite the accomplishment for Pitchfork’s Fest in July. Ono is more... more ›