Let The Weekend Begin: Movie, Parade, Def Poetry
By Margaret Lyons in News on Nov 19, 2004 6:13PM
After a rainy, rotten week, Chicagoist is counting down the minutes to the weekend. All that junk about "cellar door" being the most beautiful phrase in the English language? Buh-buh-buh-bullshit. Try "it's Friday." Or "my treat." Or "open bar." Really anything that involves a) not working and b) recreation. To the Batcave! Um, check that, to…the newspaper listings!
++ Over the summer, the Reader ran a huge story about these two women who made a documentary about Christian rock music. It was all the rage, and we really wanted to go, but sort of never quite got around to it. That's a familiar chorus here at the Chicagoist offices. Anyway, now's our, and your, chance to see Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? Filmmakers Heather Whinna and Vickie Hunter shot over 200 hours of shows and interviews in Chicago and at the Cornerstone Christian Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois, and they'll be on hand tonight to discuss the documentary. A paltry $9 at the Gene Siskel Film Center tonight at 8:15 p.m.; Saturday at 3:00 p.m., 7:15 p.m., and 9:15 p.m.; Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; and Monday-Wednesday at 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.
++ Hate tourists, children, Disney, and Christmas? Then by all means, stay away from the Mag Mile on Saturday. It's the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, which could be fun if you were really in the mood/a young child/pretty stoned. There's a bunch of holiday schlocky stuff starting at 11 a.m., ice carving from 2-5 p.m., and the parade kicks off at 6 p.m. Exactly how Mickey Mouse is involved is a mystery to us, but um, he'll be there, "lead[ing] the illumination of more than one million lights." Fireworks at 6:55, so if you're feeling as scroogey as we apparently are, avoid avoid avoid. If you're filled with holiday cheer, just counting down the days until Decemberween, we're happy for you. No we are. No, seriously.
++ One night only! Def Poetry Jam is at the Chicago Theatre Saturday night, and holy shit, we're excited. Chicagoist saw the show on Broadway in New York and pretty much urinated with poetry glee. It was unattractive to say the least. But the show was great. Now the poets are at it again on a 65-city "encore tour," with Black Ice, Georgia Me, Lemon, Poetri (our favorite on this tour, we're suckers for his Krispy Kreme poem) Staceyann Chin and Suheir Hammad from the original cast and newcomers Shihan, Flaco Navaja and Ishle Yi Park. Tickets are $20, $30, and $35. Cough it up, it's completely worth it.