Discobelle pointed us towards Shala Esquire’s Immortal Movement Radio podcast. It's got some of the Chicago area's hottest hip-hop and dance talent including: Cool Kids, Hollywood Holt, Kid Sister, Qualo, Mic Terror, and even The Jai Alai Savant. more ›

Some things to do this weekend, and into next, as an excuse to dress in costume. Rare and fine wine auction house Hart Davis Hart is holding an auction of private collections from both coasts today from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Tru. The auction is free to attend, but anyone taking the time to head to Tru and not eat is an idiot, quite frankly. Lunch today at Tru is fixed-priced at $75.... more ›

Former Chicago resident and one-time member of the Maniac Latin Disciples Jose Padilla was convicted yesterday of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people overseas, conspiracy to provide material support for terrorists, and providing material support for terrorists. Adham Amin Hassoun, a Lebanon-born Palestinian, and Kifah Wael Jayyousi, a naturalized US citizen born in Jordan, were convicted as well in federal court. Although held for 3-1/2 years in military custody as an enemy combatant, his... more ›

Say you're a candidate for president. The crux of your campaign is not only that you never voted to authorize a war in Iraq, but you knew it was wrong from the get-go. So what do you do, hotshot, when a carpetbag Senator from New York calls you naive and irresponsible when it comes to foreign policy decisions? If you're Barack Obama, you respond by threatening to start another war. In a speech today at... more ›

In the blog age of the hyper (and overhyped) search for the Next Big Thing, an artist’s shelf life as a “big deal “in the independent music world is dwindling to little more than one sold out tour and a trackback in year-end review posts. Gone are the days when one band set the bar for a genre and then completely redefined it, all to the great satisfaction of its fans and its critics alike.... more ›

Mayor Daley and the rest of his Getalong Gang took their Olympic show on the road yesterday, heading to Rio de Janeiro to the Pan American Games, sort of a regional Olympics. Daley and company are hoping to learn a few lessons from an actual large-scale event, rather than just what they might envision on their drawing board. It won't be a carnival for the boys behind the bid, however, after the USOC issued a... more ›

Some fairy godmother at the Siskel must be granting wishes lately. Not only did they bring Helvetica to town and decide to mount an Antonioni series (including the radically awesome, hard-to-see Zabriskie Point) but now we've learned that next week they're launching "Lost Highways & Wild Hearts: The Films of David Lynch." Wild at heart and weird on top; or, as Gordon Cole might exclaim, "This is like some sort of miracle. A ...a phenomenon."... more ›

Happy Father's Day! For those of you who have dads, are dads, or know dads, this one's for you, from all of us at the Gothamist network." It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by... more ›

In what we will now rashly generalize as "The Wisecracking Kids' Reign of Terror," a second student has used his bodily functions in school to affect students and teachers in school. more ›

This Chicagoist left the city for the holidays and was lucky enough to eat many excellent meals. One particular dish peaked our interest for the second year in a row, making us wonder if it was really all that hard to make ... or if we, too, could make it and bask in its tasty glory. The dish in question, as you can tell (hopefully) from the above photograph, is chocolate soufflé. Did you... more ›

Chicagoist loves stories of mischief and mayhem, bizarre crimes and the like, but they tend to follow a script. For instance, when a 32-year-old man punches a 63-year-old man walking with a cane, it's usually the younger fellow who gets in trouble. But most of the time the older gentleman hasn't just slashed 18 sets of tires with a pocketknife. more ›

Whew! What a week it's been in politics, and it's only Wednesday! Chicagoist has lotsa political tidbits for you today, so saddle up little buckaroo, and let's ride out! more ›

Halloween is here, a time when you can show off your creativity as well as the parts of you that are usually only seen by a board-certified physician. WGN says the top costumes this year are princess, pirate, witch and Spider-Man. Last year's favorites were tinker, tailor, soldier and spy. If you haven’t made your plans yet, Centerstage Chicago has a tidy guide with costume tips, food ideas and recommendations for a sober or sauced... more ›

Long before there was a League of Chicago Music Venues or a Hawk Winter Music Festival, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs (under the guidance of program director – and fellow Lane Tech grad – Michael Orlove) was bringing together the city’s club scene via the World Music Festival. After seven years, the festival has earned a place beside both Blues and Jazz Fest as one of Chicago’s premier music showcases. WMF is also one... more ›

With the five-year anniversary on Monday, firefighters from Illinois and Wisconsin are riding to New York to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 atacks. On Wednesday at 9:11 a.m., the ride - organized by firefighter Tom Maloney - commenced, CBS reported. more ›

Celebrate Ben Franklin's 300th birthday with the Bikini Bandits and Phillyist! (NSFW). Speaking of Mr. Franklin, send in a picture of Ben (or Ed Rendell) with a red tongue and win a free t-shirt. And they might have the next YearlyKos in Philly. more ›

August is traditionally a very slow news month, so the local CBS station has taken to reporting vermin news from around the state of Illinois. A few days ago, the big story was rabid bats! In three counties (including Cook), the state health officials have confirmed the presence of infected flying mice. In Will County, one 87-year-old man was bitten by one of these feisty creatures and became infected. (We don't know if he got all foamy or not.) This guy (who apparently failed to learn the lesson "don't pick up sick animals" back during the Depression) is now undergoing a month-long series of anti-rabies shots. (No, we don't know if these are ass-shots or just arm-shots.) more ›

It was a perfect day for shopping, and, really, what day at Tiffany’s isn’t? As the sun bounced brightly off of her new diamond tennis bracelet, Marcy Meckler wondered how life could get any better. Little did she know the terror she was about to experience. more ›

The Transportation Security Administration adjusted its carry-on rules yesterday, allowing passengers to carry up to 4 ounces of liquid nonprescription medicine and solid lipsticks. Many substances remain on the banned list. more ›

Of course by now you know all about how the Brits foiled a terrorist plot to blow up airplanes flying to America with liquid explosives. The news caused absolute chaos at airports yesterday as passengers had to dispose of all liquids, gels, creams, and lotions, and subject themselves to more intense searches. Add to that the simultaneous freakout that occurs at the mere mention of terrorism near an airport these days, and you have an absolute nightmare for air travelers. more ›

Even as the stores sport back to school sales (which depress us, even now), summer lingers on your friends the -ists. This week's collection of links provides some of the best, worst, and oddest bits of summer fun. So, bring your laptop up onto the roof, make yourself an umbrella drink or ten, and enjoy this week's choice posts from across the Gothamist network. Torontoist (where it's 75 degrees F as of this writing)... more ›

If there’s one thing Chicagoist hates, it’s unknowingly walking into a porn shop. Apparently it's a problem in Madison, Wis. A big problem. Thankfully, Madison Alderman Tim Bruer agrees, and he’s ready to do something about it – increase porn shop locations. more ›

DCist is screwed in the event of an oil crisis. Not that we're not all screwed in the event of an oil crisis, just D.C. is more screwed. Don't sell your car yet, District resident, a cabbie can kick you to the curb if he doesn't like your address. Not even Metro can save you now. Londonist experiences the London of the future through the wonders of 3D modeling, but while the 3D guys are... more ›

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... more ›

Talk about a nightmare: back in August, a 57-year old man found himself homeless in Chicago, with no idea how he got here or what had happened in his life up until then. He was living in a shelter in the South Loop and selling newspapers on State Street, tormented by his lost identity. He asked the Chicago police for help, sent his fingerprints to the FBI, called the Social Security administration to research the... more ›

The student paper at NIU has jumped into the controversy by running the cartoons this week. more ›

A smorgasbord for the mind, the 2005 Chicago Humanities Festival has rolled into town. This year’s theme is Home and Away, concerning “the role that ‘place’ serves in the creation of our sense of rootedness and belonging.” Sounds like Pretentious-English-Major-speak, but an impressive slate of writers, musicians and performers are addressing such hot button issues as globalization, mobility, national identity, and bridging regional differences. Most tickets are $5, a bargain that ensures many sold out... more ›

Dear Vince, more ›

You can't keep those Londoners down. more ›

A day after Londoners celebrated the news that they would be hosting the Olympics in 2012, a series of coordinated bombings spread throughout the London transit system in a terrorist attack likely timed to coincide with the G8 summit. more ›