We know not everyone just says no, but if you're going to do drugs, please try not to be a child abuser or a moron. A Wisconsin woman and her friends taught her two-year-old how to smoke a joint. Krystle Webber, Sean Held and Dane Ashley all pleaded guilty to charges, and Webber has since regained custody of the little boy, but apparently they filmed the incident, and that video has now surfaced. In other......

Your hipster and/or Chad beer options just got more crowded this week with the launch of Shiner Bock in the city. To help you out in hunting the Texas brewery selection down, Shiner has set up a neat little website briefly describing the beer, its history, and - most important - a list of locations where you can find Shiner Bock. The list, which we're hoping is partial, is sort of the lowest common denominator......

We’ve heard of East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop feuds, but how does the Second City figure in? Apparently, the latest feud involves Chicago’s Nice Peter, who combine improv with rock, versus 50 Cent. Now, we’re not giving a huge amount of credence to this “feud” because we don’t really believe that 50 Cent has actually heard the song that’s causing the ruckus — “50 Cent is a Pussy” off the latest Nice Peter live......

College football season kicks off this weekend, and that means that across the city, fans will be flocking to countless bars to watch their favorite teams. Chicago is second to none when it comes to its school pride, as nearly every sports bar and neighborhood tap affiliates itself with some college team -- at least in Lincoln Park and Lakeview. If you're trying to find the hideout for a particular school, keep your eyes peeled......

God, we're so sick of Snakes on a Plane that we want to kill anyone and everyone that makes a "something on a something" joke. But then we realized that there was no way we could ever win this fight, and, hell, if you can't beat them, we might as well join them. And with that, you have the theme of this weeks' Gothamist network post. Austinist makes it easy for us, with Candidate on......

Each year Chicagoist reaches into our deep war chest and pulls out a wrinkly Thomas Jefferson two dollar bill and head to MudBug Off Track Betting on Weed St. for the Kentucky Derby. We admit that we probably have no place in a betting parlor with such a minimal understanding of the sport. The page in the newspaper dedicated to horse racing is Greek to us. What the heck is a quiniela anyway, and what......

The lines began on Monday afternoon, the auditions on Tuesday. The casting director for the reality TV show* "The Biggest Loser," where fat contestants compete for a $250k by losing weight, say they were impressed by the turnout of people in Chicago. Really? What do they expect from the country's fattest city? More than 400 people from across the Midwest lined up for a chance to be on the show, which they say would help......

Interactive shows are often like the political rallies of the theater world. The presentation is predictably high concept, improvisation is mostly warmed over talking points, and everyone’s expected to cheer on cue and leave feeling wonderful. Only later do you realize your candidate’s flawed, his policy papers need work, and there’s no way he’ll deliver on his promises. It’s all too easy to dismiss The Awesome 80s Prom as some cheap attempt to capitalize on......

We’re still suffering from a White Sox hangover so the very thought of staying out all night to see live music has us feeling a little nauseous. But if you’re a Cubs fan or looking for some good live music with your Halloween festivities then there are plenty of options this weekend. We love a good cover song and the notion of bands masquerading as other bands is a natural for Halloween. Beat Kitchen hosts......

Chicagoist has loved hip-hop music ever since we got a cassette tape of the Beat Street soundtrack and we called it "breakdancing music." We love it so much that we often spend our hard-earned money to go see our favorite rappers live in concert. But this is an unrequited love, because rappers routinely put on the worst live performances of any musicians. Just ask some fans who went to see Ghostface Killah at Joe's on......

Last night on "Rock Star: INXS," Chicago’s Marty Casey clinched a spot in the final three, which means he’ll go on to the finale show and have a shot at becoming INXS’ new lead singer. And honestly, we’re feeling a bit conflicted about the whole thing. We’ll leave it to the "Rock Star" website to give you the full recap and just bullet point it for you here: * Marty: Loved by the audience, disliked......

Did anyone else catch Dennis DeYoung and Billy Corgan singing Christmas carols on WGN this morning? Wow. It was…a little awkward. While both are talented in their own right, they’re not exactly born to duet with each other as DeYoung’s vibrato drowned out the less robust vocal stylings of Corgan. But if two of the biggest egos in Chicago rock are able to peacefully coexist in the same studio then yes, Virginia, there is a......

We don't ever want to become the kind of pet owner who carries around a teensy dog in a purse�that shit is annoying. But sometimes�we get a little jealous. It's hard to be away from the poochie (or kitties) all day, and every once in a while, even thought it goes against our better sensibilities, we can almost understand why you'd want your little doggie with you all the time. No need to feel guilty......