George Clooney has often been compared to Cary Grant. But, if memory serves, Cary Grant never shot an innocent woman in the back of the head in any of his movies, as Clooney does in The American. more ›

A New Trier high school student got access to the school's computer system, apparently to check his class rank. He didn't steal any personal info, and nothing was deleted or changed; he just accessed "student directory information for all students, semester grades for current students and the last three graduating classes, and ACT test scores for the class of 2008." Police are investigating. [S-T] more ›

The American Apparel on Armitage reopened today after being closed for two weeks for operating without a business license. Weirdly, none of the four Chicago locations had local business licenses--just Illinois ones. But the Lincoln Park store had been warned, whereas the others had not. Anyway, you can go back to your regularly scheduled programming of buying high-waisted Vegas leggings. (Pictured are the taffeta swim trunks, if you're planning for warmer weather.) more ›

And we're wearing Milkbone underwear. (Maybe our favorite Normism ever. Er, anyway....) more ›

No, don't. If your pipes have frozen during this long cold snap, please do NOT thaw them with an open flame. The American Red Cross says so, too. more ›

Now that Obama has inched closer to out-and-out announcing that he is going to run for President, it seems that the right is cranking up the talking points. We were shocked, and frankly a little dissapointed to read this piece on Illinoize by Bill Baar. Although his political leanings aren't immediately evident, and probably are more complex and nuanced than simply left or right, you would be hard pressed to find something like The American Prospect or The Nation linked in his blogroll. more ›

We know that our nostalgia over the former FAO Schwarz on Michigan Avenue is probably matched by the tortured remembrances of those we dragged into the store as a chorus of terrifying little voices sang "It's a Small World After All." Even so, we maintain that the American Girl Place is 100 percent more aesthetically upsetting than any other toy store that has ever existed. That's why we have some sick, sick pleasure in hearing... more ›

It was less than two years ago that the Lincoln Park Zoo went elephant-free after the deaths of several of its elephants. Detroit Zoo no longer has an elephant exhibit either. Seems it might be growing more difficult to visit elephants in the Midwest. more ›

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "delirium" as a "temporary state of mental confusion and fluctuating consciousness resulting from high fever, intoxication, shock, or other causes. It is characterized by anxiety, disorientation, hallucinations, delusions, and incoherent speech." The folks at the the Brouwerij Huyghe, the oldest brewery in Belgium's Ghent region, take a distinct tongue-in-cheek approach to the definition, as anyone familiar with their popular Delirium Tremens can attest. While that beer is certainly worthy of... more ›

"Sign That Probably Used to Be Cool" via ChicagoEye who notes, "This sign at 76th and Vincennes in all mangled with multiple paint-overs, etc. But I bet in 1957, when this thing was all lit and the neon-installed, it was pretty cool." more ›

It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was buzzing about Sufjan Stevens latest installment in the 50 state series, Illinois. Everyone loved it. It had to be listened to, or else. How quickly Sufjan has slipped from that mountain of acclaim with his latest release, The Avalanche. Originally slated to be part of Illinois as a double album, these are the songs that didn’t make the cut when it was pared down. The Avalanche boasts... more ›

Local rock critic Jim DeRogatis has spent the last few years pestering members of the Flaming Lips for interviews, haranguing them in the studio while they tried to get work done, bugging singer Wayne Coyne’s significant other for photos of the band and digging through years and years of smudged newsprint mining old interviews with and profiles of the band. This is just a long-winded way for us to say that DeRo has gone and... more ›

As were were going through our Tivo’ed episodes of Law and Order last week, we noticed that TNT had found a winner in its “Dramatic Auditions” contest: Chicago stage actress Monifa Days. more ›

Chicagoist loves a good McDonald's story. Hell, we should probably set up a McDonald's Archive Section for all the stories we've published about them. Much like their fries, if we see a news morsel about Mickey D's, we must consume it. Then we lick our fingers, wipe them on our shirt, and feel guilty for indulging the rest of the day. Fine, we overdo it it because we're lucky enough to be the only -ist... more ›

Yesterday Mayor Daley dedicated a new Little Village High School on the Southwest side and took the opportunity to say that he thinks it's only a matter of time before Chicago's public schools switch to a year-round schedule. The only thing right now is that they don't have the money to extend the school year. more ›

If you wanted proof that you're a lazy hack that sits your butt too long and too often, this weekend was happy to oblige. Forty thousand (that's a 4 followed by four 0's) runners from all fifty states and all over the globe got together early last Sunday morning to run the 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. The race began at 8:00 AM at the intersection of Columbus and Monroe downtown. The runners ran as... more ›

They came to Chicago excited to celebrate 50 years of wedded bliss, but they're leaving divorced. The Service Employees International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE HERE (UNITE is the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees and HERE is the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union) announced that they'd boycott the annual AFL-CIO conference. The conference begins today in Chicago, and labor officials say the SEIU and the teamsters will announce at a press conference today that they will leave the AFL-CIO. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations merged in 1955. more ›

The American Medical Association, holding its annual House of Delegates meeting in Chicago this week, is reviewing a proposal asking that they persuade the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay "direct-to-consumer" drug advertising for a period of time after a drug is initially approved. The delay would allow doctors to discuss a drug's safety and efficacy with their patients before ads hit the market. more ›

Chicagoist has often wondered who would play ourselves in the movie version of our life (we're hoping our life looks more like fleshbot.com than i-am-bored.com). Sure, there's temporary fame to be found on TV by eating bat dung or inviting Mary Poppins to live with you, but we're shooting for historical permanence here and that requires the big screen treatment. Several films in the city this week provide looks at the famous, the anonymous and...the... more ›

You didn't expect Chicago's involvement in the 2006 Gay Games to be drama free, did you? more ›

The second album from both Chicago rock quintet Riviera and its label Glorious Noise Records gets the big-time release party treatment this Saturday. We’ve been grooving on a preview copy of At The End Of The American Century... for the last couple weeks and it should come at little surprise to those who’ve been following the story that it's a pastiche of the various cultural touchstones that get hashed out on the GLONO bulletin boards every day. more ›

Here at Chicagoist we're behind in our holiday shopping and the stress is getting to us. And that stress has led us to thoughts of suicide. Other people's suicides that is. We'd never think of taking ourselves away from you people. We know it would ruin you. more ›

In Southwest Suburban Orland Park, Village Board Members voted 7-0 to allow construction of a new mosque that will accomodate up to 500 worshipers, "because it is the right thing to do." The mosque is the first non-Christian house of worship to be built in the suburb, and it wasn't without strong protest. more ›