New videos were released this weekend showing Pandel, chef of the soon-to-open Balena, making homemade Tajarin and Chitarra. Watch and drool. more ›

In this video from Coudal Partners, crossing Racine Avenue becomes an epic journey. more ›

Thirty years ago today a little channel named MTV debuted that would end up changing the way the world experienced music. Music videos weren't new -- there were weekly programs that featured these promos before MTV came along -- but the idea of a channel devoting itself wholly to music was something new. We stumbled across VH1 Classic's programming of highlights over the past 30 years and were struck by how, well, sharp and playful the channel once was. There's an entire generation that knows the station primarily as a generator of countless reality shows and we think that's kind of sad. heck, back in the early days MTV's original reality program The Real World was actually something of a social experiment. Now it appears as if that programs primary purpose is to provide 20-something with a hot tub and plenty of booze. more ›

Today we bring you a natural anomaly along the lines of a Devil's rain or a double rainbow. Take a look at this egg, then see why it's so big. more ›

We liked yesterday's diversion so much we decided to stick with the cat theme today. Here's how to properly rid a cat of all that dander that builds up. Tomorrow, we'll show you how the cat puts the lotion in the basket. more ›

We were playing Tortoise at home this afternoon and thought of featuring the video for "Prepare Your Coffin" today. But that's been done before. Ah, well. A little more digging and we found this live performance of "I Set My Face to the Hillside." Still cool. more ›

One of the things about getting to write and research this feature is we sometimes discover bands we wouldn't be aware of otherwise. Like Gold Motel, formed after singer Greta Morgan put her other band, the Hush Sound, on hiatus. The song we picked today is just the bit of pep we need in our step, having been awake since 4 a.m. more ›

This skit from our pals at WGN Morning News are going to go a long way toward helping us with our mandate for more clowns on the site. more ›

The videos that Grant Achatz and Craig Schoettler have been putting out showcasing the cocktail offerings at the Aviary have us foaming at the mouth, in the best possible way. The things they are going to do with cocktails have never been done in Chicago before. Until we can actually taste the drinks (and believe me, once they open, you will have to pry us out of their chairs with a crowbar) we can watch the gorgeous videos. A new one, posted yesterday, shows guests mixing their own drinks, combining a carbonated negroni with a classic white lady gin cocktail. Afterwards, guests swizzle a sidecar (with ginger ice) with a stalk of lemon grass, melting the ice and combining the flavors. Our only questions? How does this audience get invited, and why aren't we there? more ›

If there is one Steve Goodman Cubs-themed song he should be remembered for, it should not be "Go Cubs Go," but "A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request." This is an exercise in gallows humor on multiple levels. more ›

Yes, there was more to Steve Goodman than "Go Cubs Go." This week we're going to explore some of our favorite songs from the late singer-songwriter. more ›

We've long theorized here that anything can be made better with a little bit of "Star Wars." Yoda dancing to a song from one of Will Smith's obnoxious kids may put that theory to the test. more ›

The steady stream of videos Grant Achatz and his team have released charting the progress of the cocktail menu at the Aviary has done wonders in selling the sizzle for that proposed new lounge. But we haven't seen or heard much about the menu development of NEXT, the ticket only restaurant he's got in the works. more ›

Long before Damon Locks and Wayne Montana went on to form the Eternals and Fred Armisen moved to New York to create Ferecito and a bad Barack Obama impersonation, they and Chris DeZutter formed one of the more chaotic local bands around in Trenchmouth. They weren't punk, jazz, no-wave, funk or ska, but at the same time they were all that. Simply put, Trenchmouth was one of a kind. more ›

Remember the discussion in "Pulp Fiction" where Jules and Vincent debated the merits of how charming a pig had to be to stop being a filthy animal? more ›

Earth, Wind & Fire concerts were sort of like P-Funk shows, only under the influence of wine coolers instead of weed. more ›

What did Julie Andrews sing in Mary Poppins? "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down?" more ›

Inter-species relationships! Inter-species relationships! more ›

One of the best late night tv bits is Jimmy Kimmel's "This Week in Unnecessary Censorship." It appeals to our more juvenile impulses. We especially love it wwhen the censorship is applied to "Sesame Street" clips, such as this one featuring the Count. more ›

A few months back John Ciba, founder of local record label The Rabbit Factory, one-half of the East of Edens Soul Express DJ team and record crate digger extraordinaire, sent me a vinyl 7" single from local soul revivalists JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, coincidentally signed to his label. more ›

Today we're having fun with alliteration and with formulaic late-80's buddy cop movies. more ›

Whenever the Sadies are in town it's a safe bet that Mekon Prime Jon Langford will take the stage for a short three song set. If Langford's bandmate Sally Timms is in the audience, she might convinced to come onstage and sing a couple songs, as well. more ›

Long before he went on to greater things as a 40-year-old virgin and as the bumbling, always inappropriate Michael Scott on "The Office," Steve Carrell was a regular at Second City and local improv shows throughout the city. He also did his fair share of local commercials, like an eight-second bumper for WTMJ back in the day. Or this blink-twice-and-you'll-miss-him appearance in a spot for the Citibank Rewards Card. more ›

This morning we bring you the world's most expensive Bondo job ever, as a guy test drives a $1.7 million Bugatti Veyron, with predictable results. more ›

Honestly, we don't have the words to explain this today. more ›

Our Town lost one of its musical giants over the weekend with the passing of Gospel music great Albertina Walker at the age of 81. Ms. Walker's career started in the early 50's as a backup singer for Mahalia Jackson, who, recognizing Ms. Walker's talent, encouraged her to carve her own path in Gospel music. Ms. Walker formed a group called the Caravans, whose roster over the decades was a veritable all-star lineup of Gospel legends. Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, Bessie Griffin and the Reverend Dr. James Cleveland (recognized as the architect of the modern Gospel sound) were all members of the Caravans at one point in their careers, earning Ms. Walker the nickname "Star Maker." more ›

If anyone else besides the Muppets were to make an Old Spice Guy commercial just as that meme was about to fade into obscurity, we'd probably snark about striking while the iron is hot. But this parody featuring Grover is pretty damn cute. more ›

The Chicagoist food and drink team finds butchering pretty damn fascinating and it's a long range goal here to eventually match knives with Rob Levitt of mado. The self-taught butcher's frequent classes at his Wicker Park restaurant are highly anticipated and frequently are packed. more ›

The last we talked about local power-poppers I Fight Dragons, the band was signing on to Atlantic Records. Now they've got a nifty new hand-animated video by Grey Gerling for "The Faster The Treadmill." As for the band's success, they'll go even wider when one of their songs - "Heads Up, Hearts Down," which, like "Treadmill," we first heard on their Cool Is Just A Number EP - will play during tomorrow night's finale of MTV's The Hills. But as for the below video, the description is as follows: more ›

We brought a camera phone to Healthy Food Lithuanian in its last days of operation. Mike Gebert brought his trusty video camera and produced one of the more moving episodes of his Sky Full of Bacon videocast. If you're a fan of old restaurants, Chicago history, ethnic histories, or middle aged women with thick Bohemian accents, watch this. more ›