Crazy wild lineup for the Saturday installment of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival at Schubas. Let's take a look, shall we? more ›

Having tasted the Holy Grail of coffee in October, we were curious to see how some also-rans fared, in comparison. By chance we came across a second place winner from last year's Nicaragua Cup of Excellence while making our monthly bean run at our local coffee shop. more ›

We can still remember with vivid clarity our parents sitting us down for the two major "talks" (sex and drugs) of adolescence. In our family, both talks were equally jarring and minimally helpful. Now imagine having to sit down and talk about drugs and/or sex with Bill Cosby. The Cos has long been a fan of jazz and at times dabbled in singing and scatting; his comedic talent and mugging for kids also masked for... more ›

Last night, over a hundred people filled the Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea roasting facilities on West Fulton for a tasting of La Esmeralda Especial, the Panamanian Geisha coffee that made headlines in May when Intelligentsia paid $130 a pound for the beans at the "Best of Panama" auction. For the event, both Intelligentsia coffee buyer Geoff Watts and La Esmeralda estate owner Daniel Peterson were on hand to discuss the coffee and why it's become,... more ›

The October foodie calendar kicks off in a major way Monday night when Intelligentsia hosts a tasting of the fabled Panamanian Hacienda La Esmeralda at their Fulton Street roasting works. Last May, Intelligentsia made headlines for purchasing 100 pounds of La Esmeralda for $130 a pound at the Best of Panama auction (okay, carry the one … yeah! That’s a lot of money for coffee). It’s the highest amount ever paid for coffee. On October... more ›

Winner of a special prize at the Berlin Film Festival, #12 on Metacritic's All-Time High Scores and one of the first 50 films chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry, Killer of Sheep has always been a film more talked about than seen. Until now. This week you'll probably be hearing a lot more about it, because twenty years after it was finished it's finally getting a release; it opens Friday at the Music Box. more ›

Chicagoist still has the Mew sticker we were handed outside the Auditorium Theater after one of Radiohead’s epic sets there last June. Now, normally we’d greet this kind of obvious marketing machine swag with a swift hook shot into the nearest trash receptacle, but the stick figure drawings of cats were whimsical, and we were on a post-show high, so into the back pocket went the sticker. Turns out first impressions for rock bands are... more ›

Just like Christmastime, each year Oscar season seems to start a little bit earlier. Some people were even making predictions way back in November, but we've done our best to hold our tongues. Why? Well, the Oscars are much less like a horse race and much more like just a good excuse to throw a party. If you're a film lover, it's better for your own sanity to care less about winners and losers and... more ›

We never thought of coffee as a luxury good. Its always been like toilet paper, or laundry detergent -- something that always needs to be on hand, because if you are out, things can get really bad, really fast. more ›

Dear Diann Burns: more ›

Ask the average Chicagoan about the riots of the late 1960s, and he or she will probably nod their head and say “During the Democratic National Convention, right?” While the 1968 riots maintain a prominent (read: notorious) place in this city’s history, this week marks a series of riots that were a flashpoint for the frustrations of Puerto Ricans in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. On June 12th, 1966, 20-year-old Aracelis Cruz was shot by police... more ›