As a rule, SketchFest organizers don't meddle with the artistic product. But last night we couldn’t help wondering if the troupes were ordered to do pet humor. In three of the four shows we saw Friday, performers became felines for laughs. For the other, a monologist drank like a gerbil. Team Submarine and Brick even used the same “distracted by a laser pointer” gag. A minor complaint, as Friday night treated us to plenty of original material. more ›

The Sun-Times ran an AP wire story today that's mostly good news with a sprinkle of bad news for lovers of music, though that depends on your persepctive. Overall, music sales were up for the year 2006. While sales of physical albums declined 4.9 percent, digital album sales doubled, and sales of digital singles increased 65 percent. What’s refreshing about this story is that it doesn’t feature any dunderheaded analysis (or fulminating quotes from industry... more ›