We're not certain how many fans of The Office still call the show appointment television—we certainly don't—but the idea of a Dunder Mifflin paper truck is pretty cool. (We wished it happened during the funnier Steve Carrell years, though.) more ›

Earlier this week, we mentioned Grant Achatz's new super hard-to-get-into bar, underneath the Aviary. With only 14 seats, and entry by invitation or reservation only, we opined that we'd probably never get in. Our commenters mostly said "Good riddance." Time Out Chicago now has the entire menu, and while we still think we'll never get in, now we're a little bit sad about it. more ›

Second City Alum Tina Fey and her outstanding comedy 30 Rock got a whole lot of love from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences today when the show earned a whopping 22 Emmy nominations, the most of any show this year. Fey also garnered another nomination for Lead Actress in a Comedy and her Sarah Palin imitation grabbed a Guest Actress nomination. What other Windy City connections got nominations? more ›

If someone could make these with snippets from , please, that'd be great. Thanks, internet. more ›

John Kass doesn't want us to think about his "Mediterranean back hair," which pretty much guarentees that's ALL we're going to be able to think about for, oh, ever, but he's really writing about what's he's dubbed "Showergate": City Budget Director Bennett Johnson III has installed a shower in his City Hall office. It's at his own expense, and City Hall spokesfolk say he wants it because he bikes to work sometimes and wants to rub a dub dub when he gets to the office. more ›

When it's this cold and icy, the last thing we can imagine doing is sitting outside at a ball game. But spring will one day arrive, and we're sure some of you will want to spend time enjoying the nicer weather at Wrigley Field. more ›

Who doesn't love dogs? Besides these two, we mean. Many of us here at Chicagoist have our own pups that we lavish with too much attention and expensive things to chew. There's nothing that warms our hearts after a long day at the office like the excited look and wagging tail of our canine companions. more ›

Friday’s late night crowd at Gorilla Tango Theater is raucous and loud, with some patrons sloshed to the point of major distraction. But complaining about a drunken scene at sketch comedy revue Boozelegger’s Ball is like complaining about excessive violence in There Will Be Blood. The title alone should clue you in. more ›

We're pretty tough on love and Valentine's Day around the office, but we're not completely embittered. If you're got a secret crush, today might just be the appropriate day to let them know how you feel in an unconventional way. Here's some inspiration. more ›

What's the best part about the Monday after the Super Bowl? Why it's heading into the office and listening to Mr. Hilarious Co-Worker re-enact all of his favorite Super Bowl ads of course. more ›

Among all of the jockeying for Cook County State's Attorney and the sparks and drama of the presidential primaries, one of the more significant local races this primary season hasn't gotten nearly the attention that it deserves. more ›

The race for Cook County state's attorney has been hot and heavy in the past few weeks, with candidates taking plenty of shots at each other in a debate last week. (You can watch the debate here.) more ›

The jury in alleged mobster Anthony Calabrese's trial may hear an audio tape of him beating the living the shit out of someone, even though he's on trial for armed robbery. The Sun-Times got ahold of a transcript of the tape, and it really reads like a scene right out of The Sopranos. Except the curses are blacked out. [S-T] more ›

While we were chompin' at the bit for the return of Project Runway following a holiday hiatus, the casting for Bravo's next attempt at reality success had us wishing some more episodes of The Office were ready to go. more ›

Get it while you can, all you professors of herbology: Illinois is about to ban salvia divinorum, a mild hallucinogenic. Starting Jan 1, possessing the leafy plant will be a class 1 felony. [Trib] more ›

Five days ago, a New Foundland dog escaped from its owner's office in River North, not having been seen since. While it's fairly common to have a pup go missing in the city, most dogs aren't quite like Johnny B. Good, who weighs in at a staggering 125 pounds and stands at over three feet tall on all fours. His owner, Chad Munger, said that the dog opened two doors himself, using his head and... more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. Dewars Repeal Day, because you shouldn't take the right to have a drink for granted. Sony Card, because you'll get a free MP3 player if you apply. Love is a Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield's book about women, music, and love. American Express' Urban Adventures-- for information about shopping, dining, and entertainment. Homes for Working Families-- working to make housing affordable in... more ›

Mayor Daley has finally announced his pick for new police superintendent: J.P. “Jody” Weis, an FBI agent who was most recently the head of the Philadelphia field office. The City Council still has to approve the appointment, but given that Ald. Isaac Carothers, chairman of the City Council's police committee, says "maybe going to the outside might bring a fresh look — a guy who knows no one and owes no one,” is anyone worried?... more ›

The NFL already has fans pretty pissed off because tonight, when the best game in the NFC all season is played, most of us will be stuck watching The Office and Scrubs instead. Why? Because the game will only be carried by the NFL Network, which is available only to those who have satellite or pay an extra fee for the channel. Those of us trying to keep our cable bill in double digits will... more ›

It's all gray and misty out, and today's essentially just a waiting day until vacation time, plus people are on edge about traveling and family and blahblahblah, we know what we need to do. Brace yourself. Get ready. Gird your loins. Did you? Time for some things that are awesome! This weird old TV from the 50s! It costs $500, which puts it out of our price range, but still, the TV itself is... more ›

We've been playing with Hulu, FOX and News Corporation's (FOX, MySpace, etc.) online video-on-demand service, for a few days now and admit we're pretty impressed. We've been missing eps of The Office, Heroes, and The Simpsons, and since that feud with Apple blew up, our only chance of seeing them was crappy streaming video on network sites. That stuff always stalls and crashes our computer. So imagine our pleasure when we started watching Hulu's high... more ›

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2007 Recap from Super!Alright! on Vimeo. Austinist attended a town hall meeting about proposed noise ordinances that could undermine the city's future as the Live Music Capital of the World, and lamented the possible loss of Texas's only feminist bookstore. Throughout the week, they interviewed a bunch of indie fashion designers and D-I-Y websites—Etsy, Ornamental Things, 31 Corn Lane, and Aorta Designs—for the upcoming Stitch Fashion Show. They also did... more ›

George Ryan is edging ever closer to the big house after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied today yet another request from the Ryan camp. This go-round, Ryan was trying to stay out on bail until the Supreme Court could hear his case, but the 7th said no. That leaves Ryan with just one option left: Ask the Supreme Court to extend his bail. If they decline, Ryan will head to the clink... more ›

Does Starbucks have anything larger than a venti? We're sure that many across Chicago are wondering the same thing if they stayed up to watch the entire Cubs-Diamondbacks game last night. Between the 9:07 p.m. first pitch and a 3-hour, 44-minute game, one was hard pressed to brush their teeth and make it to bed before 1:00 a.m. — enough time for a few hours of shuteye before getting up to trudge into the office. more ›

In what what was quite possibly the most anti-climactic letter ever, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office announced yesterday that it would stay out of the legal dispute between her dad, House Speaker Mike Madigan, and the Illinois Property Tax Appeals Board. In July, the Board, headed by Blagojevich ally Ron Messina, asked her office to rule on the possibility that the Speaker's second job as a property-tax appeals lawyer might disqualify him from taking a... more ›

Police brutality and a lack of transparency go together like...well, not PB&J (a happy combo). Let's say hangovers and dry heaves. The abjuration of responsibility and accountability goes like this: The list of Chicago police officers who have the most excessive-force complaints is secret. The City wants it to stay that way. US District Court Judge Joan Lefkow ordered that the records be unsealed and made available to the public. The City's appealing that order,... more ›

Friday seems like it's forever away, so consider this a Wednesday Afternoon Diversion. Man, we can not wait to get out of the office, get home, and get down with our loved one.... more ›

Amid criticism and sermons, the Cook County Board voted 9-7 this afternoon to defer until mid-October any further action on theproposed two percent sales tax increase. So while the tax hike isn't off the table yet, the deadline for first-quarter tax increases was today under state law — which means any increase that may happen won't take effect until April 1, 2008, at the earliest. (The county's fiscal year ends November 30.) County Commissioner Roberto... more ›

We cannot wait for tomorrow. Not just because it's the season premieres of The Office and Ugly Betty, but also because there's an even more important show debuting. On the internet. We write, of course, of City Council Meetings, which, starting tomorrow, will be streamed online. Clear your calendars; the meeting starts at 10 a.m. These meetings were supposed to be broadcast back in 2004, but aldermen are pretty pretty princesses. "Some aldermen complained that... more ›

In our continuing effort to pay for things around the office, we'd like to take a moment to thank the advertisers on Chicagoist this week: Busted Tees because everyone needs some funny shirts, right? Bonus - they have a sale that ends next Wednesday. If you're interested in advertising on Chicagoist or the Gothamist Network of sites, head on over to our our nifty online mediakit where you can learn more.... more ›