It wasn't all about roasting pigs out in the 'burbs this week: more ›

What does the MSM do when faced with a slow news day? They trot out pictures of puppies and ask you to vote on them. more ›

Okay, so last night after a rousing episode of “Lost” (oooh, it’s getting so good again), we sat down to watch “Thank God You’re Here”. The show originally aired in Australia where it was the most successful new show in 2006. Parts of it were painful to watch and parts of it – well – parts of it weren’t so bad. We thought Chelsea Handler was okay, taking the easy way out sometimes with her... more ›

Some say Chicago suffers from second city-itis, but there is no denying that we are the kings of the improv mountain. The legacy of Del Close, Second City, and a penchant for working our asses off make Chicago the best place to study improv comedy. Luckily, people are starting to notice. more ›

No witty introduction this week. Our fault for trying to impress the new staffers with barleywine ale and Dalmore. Thank God for French-pressed coffee. The buffet is now open. A Good German to the End: The closing of Delicatessen Meyer should have been a story we weighed in on earlier in the week and not relegated to the Buffet. To that end, Chicagoist extends a sincere mea culpa. Anyhoo, for those who haven't heard, the... more ›

Anyone expecting to get their usual dose of local music videos via JBTV was sorely disappointed, as the show was pre-empted on WJYS Channel 62 for one of the many ministries broadcast on the station (though it did air on its sister station WEDE Channel 34). Then today we saw this on JBTV’s MySpace blog: more ›

Wow. That's all Chicagoist can say about yesterday's indictment of Tony Rezko. We're glad to see that Fitzgerald finally grew some fucking balls and indicted someone that's actually up to no good. When the news hit, we were busy at our day jobs (Chicagoist has to eat too, ya know), but when we got home, let us tell you, we were all over it. Blagojevich (wisely) took some quick action to try to get in... more ›

Chicagoist was an English major and while we don’t really get science too much, we’re sure as hell glad it’s out there. And we’re guessing so is Claudia Mitchell, the world’s first “bionic woman” (not counting Jaime Sommers). Today, the Sun-Times reported Mitchell has been fitted with a “bionic arm” at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. She lost her left arm in a 2004 motorcycle accident. The device allows Mitchell to move her robotic arm... more ›

Well, the protestors came. About five of them. Turns out the Evil Jackass Monsters of Hate Tour was a little understaffed. But what they lacked in numbers they made up for in unbridled asshattery: shouting vulgarities and waving signs reading “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” At a funeral for an Iraq war vet. Can we stop for a fucking minute here? Think what you will about the war or the grillions of social issues that... more ›

Seriously? That's the name of the act that IL Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is introducing into legislation? Very creative. Think we found our new copywriter. Naming jokes aside, if passed, the RIP Act would prevent protesting at funeral services. The act is a response to all the demonstrations that have been going on at funeral services for military personnel. But instead of just applying to military services, the act would create a 300 foot buffer... more ›

For a brief moment, Chicagoist contemplated not going to the Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings show on Friday night (beer-fueled inertia is a powerful force). Thank God we rose to the occasion as our collective mind was freed with our ass following right behind. Then we woke up this morning (thanks for the day off, Messrs. Presidents!) and flipped on Comedy Central for our Daily Show fix and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the classic blaxploitation parody I’m Gonna Get You Sucka. Finally, this week's Reader article about the "funk archaeologist" had us burning with jealousy. The signs are clear: it’s time for another trip to one of our favorite record stores: Dusty Groove America. more ›

Snow snow snow. Everybody’s cancelling plans and freaking out about the alleged “incoming snow” scheduled to income tonight/tomorrow/etc. Use extreme caution when traveling, they say. Stay home if at all possible, they say. more ›

Though the phrase "Christian rock" would likely (and rightly) send most music fans fleeing with hands cupped over their ears, Pedro the Lion's Dave Bazan manages to inject a spirituality into his songs that never becomes too preachy. He mercifully keeps things subtler than, say, Creed. (Who now have officially broken up. Thank God.) The fact that Bazan listens to and is noticeably influenced by bands like Radiohead also helps immeasurably. Pedro the Lion, perhaps most of all, works as great background music: Chicagoist has written our fair share of term papers to the pessimistically titled albums It's Hard to Find a Friend and The Only Reason I Feel Secure. It'll be interesting to see how their sound translates to a live setting tonight at the Abbey Pub. more ›

The CTA is planning to spiff up it's image with a few El station repairs, planning next spring to fix up the Grand Avenue station (registration required for Crain's) and then Clark and Division in 2006. CTA construction crews are pretty busy these days, with that work along the Dan Ryan Red Line Branch, the Blue Line Cermak Branch, and next year's plans to begin rehabbing just about every freaking station along the Brown Line (will this rehab include going back to the cool, old "Ravenswood" name?). more ›