Write a check to The Human Fund, and here's to a happy Festivus for the rest of us. more ›

Can you believe Festivus has only been around since 1997 but is now the preferred holiday of 67% of the world's population* today? If, due to a blow to the head in a previous Feat Of Strength, you're not familiar with the basic traditions of the Festivus holiday, Comcast has been kind enough to create an infographic (now the #1 method of sharing information** today!) to make sure everyone can celebrate together. more ›

If you're one of those who are really into the recent CW remakes of "Beverly Hills 90210" or "Melrose Place," then you'll enjoy this. more ›

Bust out your puffy shirts, Jon Voight pencils, and garbage eclairs- the Seinfeld Campus Tour is coming to the University of Illinois next Thursday, September 18. Throughout the fall, a 60-foot, Seinfeld mini-museum bus is driving over 10,000 miles, stopping in 26 cities, and handing out 1,000 pounds of black-and-white cookies and candy. In an attempt to reach out to the 70 million people that make up the "millennial generation" the bus will have TV screens playing classic show moments, a "Kramer's Yogurt Bar" serving non-fat frozen yogurt, Seinfeld photos, laptops with Seinfeld MySpace and Facebook pages, games and prizes. more ›

A native Chicagoan, it's no wonder that Bob Balaban was bitten early on by the movie bug, since his family is the Balaban of the Balaban & Katz movie threater chain. What's more surprising is how many hats he's worn. He's a character actor royale, appearing in films by everyone from Woody Allen and Christopher Guest to Terry Zwigoff and Robert Altman. (But he's probably best known for playing the NBC exec who's obsessed with Elaine in five episodes of "Seinfeld"). He's also a children's book author and a filmmaker. more ›

Two stories have us thinking about the continuing evolution of the cinematic experience and the differences between going to see a movie and just watching one. First off, "boutique" theater chain Muvico has signed a letter of intent to occupy two floors of the Block 37 development. The proposed multiplex would have only seven screens, much smaller than the AMC RIver East 21 for example. But (to quote Seinfeld) they'd be draped in velvet, so... more ›

Kramer and Newman couldn't make it work, but crooks in Ohio and Michigan can. Michigan police officers have busted a crime ring that transports and sells out-of-state, non-redeemable cans and turns them in for that sweet, sweet 10 cent payoff. The 13 crooks were arrested with $500,000 in cash. That's...a lot of cans. The 67-count warrant was a part of Operation Can Scam that busted two smuggling rings based in Ohio and Michigan. Investigators allege... more ›

Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods. Bostonist got a crash course in what not... more ›

The dropping temperature and pouring rain didn't stop us from getting excited when we read that three new frozen yogurt places will be opening up in Chicago in the near future. Frozen yogurt? Like TCBY? Yes, but better. This isn't just any fro-yo, as Chicagoist likes to call it. We're talking about Pinkberry (A.K.A Crackberry), which is either the best thing since sliced bread, or a huge crock of marketing shit. Our coastal friends... more ›

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they... more ›

NBC is counting on a new rhyme to advertise its Thursday night lineup, “Comedy Night Done Right”. It’s not quite as catchy as "Must See TV," and it sounds a bit …simple, but Vince Manze, President and Creative Director of The NBC Agency says, “It has all the great ingredients: It says there's a night of comedy and, of course, it rhymes.” The lineup includes "Scrubs," "My Name is Earl," "The Office" and "30 Rock."... more ›

Some of you may be thinking we should just let Festivus go. Seinfeld hasn't been on for many years and afterall, it's just a television show. First of all, we're a little offended by the "just a show" sentiment. Seinfeld brought our friends and families together in comedy and both reflected on pop culture and produced many popular catchphrases. But enough about Seinfeld. This is a time to celebrate Festivus and regardless of the... more ›

Whenever we pick up on a story about “cost-cutting” we always pause to ponder the ultimate usefulness of most cost-cutting strategies, namely, slicing off a thin sliver of fat at the bottom rather than the thick fat at the top. So it’s bemusing to read in the Trib that NBC 5 is slicing, dicing and shuffling its news programming in an effort to slim down. Changes include Michael Sneed’s snarky celeb gossip (discontinued), WSCR-AM 670... more ›

In nine years, a certain suburban Chicago man will be able to decide for himself whether he wants to be circumcised when he turns 18, thanks to a Cook County judge's ruling yesterday. Chicagoist isn't normally a betting man, but we'd say odds are 1,000,000-to-1 it won't happen. more ›

In a story that seems like the most dark and twisted Seinfeld episode ever, a Palos Heights family is trying to figure out what to do after someone stole their 4-year-old son's walker, pediatric stroller, and a backpack with a turkey sandwich from his driveway. Stephen Sichak and his mother were waiting for the schoolbus last week, when they left the stuff at the end of the driveway and went inside to escape from the cold. When the bus came shortly thereafter, the things were gone. Stephen's mother Erin thought the bus driver had already put them on the bus, but it turns out that they were stolen. more ›

Yesterday Oprah Winfrey spoke at a Women's Business Development Center luncheon at Navy Pier and the most interesting tidbit she divulged was that, early in her career, a news director suggested she change her name to … Susie. That's right. Susie Winfrey. However we might feel about her, we're glad that she's named Oprah. Because the name Susie just brings to mind that episode of "Seinfeld" where Elaine's officemate mistakenly calls her Susie. And of... more ›

Yesterday the city announced plans to link together a 500-mile network of bike routes, including almost 200 miles of new street routes. More bike paths = good, but also great are the safety issues the plan addresses. more ›

It’s been two months since Fat Tire Amber Ale, from Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Company, made its long-awaited (legal) Chicago debut, complete with commemorative labeling on the bottles. Like the inspiration for Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi, who’s looking to open franchises eight years after that show was consigned to syndication, Chicagoist is striking while the iron is quickly cooling, weighing in on the fast receding Fat Tire phenomenon. more ›

Chicagoist first picked up David Rakoff's acclaimed Fraud a few years back because he was Canadian and we had a thing for our neighbors to the North. Then we discovered Rakoff was gay and, well, hot (our criteria for picking new authors today) and we were hooked. Rakoff is a regular on This American Life and has been called by TimeOut Chicago an amalgamation of "the wit of Stephin Merritt, the observations of Jerry Seinfeld... more ›

We’re not sure why it took so long for the Asbury Shorts touring festival to make it to Chicago but we’re glad it’s here in time for the 25th Anniversary of the fest. Born on Asbury St. in Long Island, NY, Asbury Shorts gets its Chicago premiere this Thursday night at the Vic at 7:30 PM. Reserving tickets ahead of time saves you three bucks although tickets can still be purchased at the door on... more ›

It's a thirsty Thursday if ever there were. It's been snowing and raining (holla, seasonal affective disorder,); everyone's feeling like a fatty after Thanksgiving and like a hobo with no gift budget. These are dark days, friends: our transit system is about to go belly-up, our country is at war, and that special was kind of disappointing. Let's all take a big deep breath. In? Slowly? Now let it out. Aah. Are you thinking what we're thinking? Time to get shitfaced! more ›