The man William Alexander tried to have killed for $200 and a used above-ground pool has forgiven him, but Alexander still will serve more than seven years in federal prison for his role in the bizarre murder-for-hire plot.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Man in murder-for-pool plot gets 7 years
After his arrest for trying to arrange hit, he became friends with target
The man William Alexander tried to have killed for $200 and a used above-ground pool has forgiven him, but Alexander still will serve more than seven years in federal prison for his role in the bizarre murder-for-hire plot.
The man William Alexander tried to have killed for $200 and a used above-ground pool has forgiven him, but Alexander still will serve more than seven years in federal prison for his role in the bizarre murder-for-hire plot.
This Week in Food & Drink: Craft Distillers, Key Ingredient Beef Tendon, Wasabi, a Shake-Up at Green City Market, and More
Last week Mike Sula wrote about underground distillers. In this week's Omnivorous he looks at several regional craft distillers who are going the legit route, among them Paul Hletko, whose Few Spirits will be the first distillery in the history of Evanston.…
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Ballet Blockbuster Black Swan Wins Big with Broadway Fans
Before the Oscar trophies were handed out at the 2011 ceremony, Broadway.com asked which of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture you'd most like to see adapted for the stage. The votes are in, and readers are eager to see Black Swan spread its wings in a Broadway theater. The ballet drama, which earned Natalie Portman a Best Actress trophy, scored 42% of votes.
Voters would also like to see The King's Speech delivered in person. The Best Picture winner earned 22% of votes for a second place finish.
Mind-bending action flick Inception landed in third place with 8% of votes. The Christopher Nolan-directed film won four Academy Awards.
Thanks for voting!
Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/155423/ballet-blockbuster-black-swan-wins-big-with-broadway-fans/
This Week in Food & Drink: Craft Distillers, Key Ingredient Beef Tendon, Wasabi, a Shake-Up at Green City Market, and More
Last week Mike Sula wrote about underground distillers. In this week's Omnivorous he looks at several regional craft distillers who are going the legit route, among them Paul Hletko, whose Few Spirits will be the first distillery in the history of Evanston.…
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Morning Art: Laura Letinsky
Untitled #2, a photo by Laura Letinsky, part of a group show on display through 4/2 at Valerie Carberry Gallery, 875 N. Michigan, #2510, 312-397-9990.
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/28/morning-art-laura-letinsky
Weekend Poll: Which Best Picture Oscar Nominee Would You Like to See Adapted for the Stage?
Hollywood's biggest night is almost here! With multi-talented co-host Anne Hathaway channeling Evita in promos for the 2011 Academy Awards telecast on February 27 and fellow co-host James Franco making his Broadway debut later this year in Sweet Bird of Youth, this year's show is sure to have more than a little theatricality. For the second year in a row, the Academy has expanded the Best Picture category to include 10 nominees, including a film set in the New York ballet scene (Black Swan), a Tony-winning actor (Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech) and some familiar Disney faces (Toy Story 3). Broadway.com can't help but reimagine these fantastic films as live theatrical events. We want to know: Which Best Picture Oscar nominee would you like to see adapted for the stage? Vote below!
'Go Rent!' Original Star Jesse L. Martin on the Musical's Return to the New York Stage
Rent, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical by Jonathan Larson, is officially headed back to the New York stage. The production, which is being helmed by original Rent director Michael Greif, set dates this summer at off-Broadway’s New World Stages. Broadway.com asked Jesse L. Martin, who played Tom Collins in the original company as well as the movie adaptation, about the musical’s return to the boards.
"I think it’s amazing! I want Rent to last forever,” Martin exclaimed and then added, “I’m a little shocked, to be honest, that’s it going to be back so soon, and that Michael Greif is directing it again. But if anybody can do it, he can. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s retold."
Martin noted that the world has changed since Rent’s premiere at off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop on January 26, 1996 (it moved to Broadway in April of that year). "It’s definitely a period piece now," the actor, who just landed a new TV pilot, told Broadway.com, "but the music is timeless and absolutely beautiful. I think it’s going to stick around for a really, really long time ...
Cops: Edgewater killing suspects part of 'crew' involved in drugs
Three men suspected in the fatal stabbing of two men in an Edgewater apartment were part of a "crew" that had ties to drug-trafficking organizations -- and may be responsible for several drug-related mass killings -- police disclosed today.
Almost Slept on Drive-By Truckers
One of the few downsides of my job is that I don't often get to listen to music purely for enjoyment. Keeping up on the nonstop flood of new releases takes up much of my time, and because I love a lot of different kinds of music, I run out of hours in the day really quickly.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/25/almost-slept-on-drive-by-truckers
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Carving Time Approaches
What if instead of gerrymandering wards we moved to a grid system?
by Ben Joravsky
With the recent release of census data, the gun's sounded for the start of my favorite political sport. I'm talking about ward reapportionment, in which the City Council adapts the ward map to a decade of demographic changes.…
by Ben Joravsky
With the recent release of census data, the gun's sounded for the start of my favorite political sport. I'm talking about ward reapportionment, in which the City Council adapts the ward map to a decade of demographic changes.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-politics-city-council-ward-system/Content?oid=3305538
Will The King's Speech Director Tom Hooper Bring Les Miserables to the Big Screen?
Fresh off scoring an Oscar nomination for The King's Speech, director Tom Hooper may be interested in adapting the Tony-winning musical Les Miserables for the big screen, according to the Los Angeles Times. A rep for Hooper would not comment on his involvement with the project.
The previously announced project is being produced by Working Title films and producer Cameron Mackintosh. No casting has been announced, but production is expected to begin later this year or in 2012.
Featuring music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, a book by Schonberg and Alain Boubil and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, Les Miserables made its stage debut in London in 1985. Two years later, it took the Broadway stage in March 1987. It played for 6,680 performances before closing in 2003. A revival followed in October 2006, playing 463 performances before closing in 2008.
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the story of reformed 19th century Frenchman Jean Valjean and his struggle against police officer Javert during the background of France's student revolution, was adapted into a non-musical version for screen in 1998, starring Liam Neeson as Valjean, Tony winner and The King's Speech star Geoffrey Rush as pursuer Javert, Claire ...
Behind the 'Absolute Madness' of War Horse's Amazing Life-Size Puppets
When director Marianne Elliott was pitched the idea of creating a theater piece based on a children’s book about cavalry horses in World War I, she responded, “It sounds like absolute madness. Yes, I’d love to do it.” Along with co-director Tom Morris and the artists of South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, Elliott guided War Horse to a widely hailed London debut, and the creators are now hard at work bringing the show’s lead character, a beloved horse named Joey, to life for the American premiere of War Horse at Lincoln Center Theater beginning March 15.
At a February 24 press preview, held in a rehearsal room beneath the Vivian Beaumont Theater, Handspring co-founder Basil Jones, a native of South Africa, quipped, “A puppet is an engineer of the emotions, using up-to-the-minute 17th-century technology.” But don’t be fooled: These horses are amazingly lifelike despite being crafted of lightweight cane, aluminum, leather and mesh. A team of three puppeteers—described as the horse’s head, heart and hind—control Joey’s intricate movements and provide his "voice" in scenes choreographed by Toby Sedgwick.
“Movement is thought,” Jones explains of the horse puppet, emphasizing the importance of ...
Morning Art: Richard Wasserman
A photo by Richard Wasserman, part of The Chicago River 1999-2010, a show of his work on display through 9/2 at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State, 312-747-4300.
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/25/morning-art-richard-wasserman
Will The King's Speech Director Tom Hooper Bring Les Miserables to the Big Screen?
Fresh off scoring an Oscar nomination for The King's Speech, director Tom Hooper may be interested in adapting the Tony-winning musical Les Miserables for the big screen, according to the Los Angeles Times. A rep for Hooper would not comment on his involvement with the project.
The previously announced project is being produced by Working Title films and producer Cameron Mackintosh. No casting has been announced, but production is expected to begin later this year or in 2012.
Featuring music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, a book by Schonberg and Alain Boubil and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, Les Miserables made its stage debut in London in 1985. Two years later, it took the Broadway stage in March 1987. It played for 6,680 performances before closing in 2003. A revival followed in October 2006, playing 463 performances before closing in 2008.
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the story of reformed 19th century Frenchman Jean Valjean and his struggle against police officer Javert during the background of France's student revolution, was adapted into a non-musical version for screen in 1998, starring Liam Neeson as Valjean, Tony winner and The King's Speech star Geoffrey Rush as pursuer Javert, Claire ...
Kelsey Grammer Has a Real-Life Broadway Wedding at the Longacre Theatre
Former La Cage aux Folles star Kelsey Grammer will marry his fiancee, 29-year-old Kayte Walsh, on stage at the Longacre Theatre on February 25, three days after his 56th birthday. The afternoon ceremony will be presided over by cast member Terry Lavell, who plays Cagelle Mercedes in the show and is an ordained minister.
After the ceremony, guests are expected to head to the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom for a wedding dinner. According to Us magazine, the menu will include andouille en croute, slow-roasted turkey breast with chorizo stuffing, braised short-ribs and vegetarian options for the bride such as goat cheese truffles and wild mushroom risotto. The wedding cake is by celebrity baker Sylvia Weinstock.
Grammer has been engaged to Walsh, a former flight attendant for Virgin Atlantic Airlines, since late December. The actor’s divorce from his third wife, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Camille Grammer, became final on February 10. He is the father of a son and three daughters, including 27-year-old actress Spencer Grammer.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Mark Moraghan Joins the London Cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
British television actor Mark Moraghan will join the West End company of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on March 7 in the role of mechanic Bob. He joins current stars Don Gallagher as Bernadette and Oliver Thornton as Adam, along with previously announced new cast member Richard Grieve, who will begin playing the role of Mitzi on the same day.
Moraghan is best known for playing Owen Davies in BBC drama Holby City. His other television credits include Dream Team and Brookside. His theater credits include Our Day Out, Funny Money, Fears and Miseries of the Third Reich.
Based on the popular Australian film of the same name, Priscilla follows three drag queens on a cross country road trip. The show, written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, had its world premiere in Australia in 2006 and is gearing up to open at Broadway’s Palace Theatre on March 20.
Omnivorous: Dry No More
Evanston's Few Spirits is just one of several regional craft distilleries setting up shop.
by Mike Sula
Even before it formally came into existence, Evanston was decreed dry when Northwestern University imposed a four-mile ban on the sale of alcohol around the college campus in 1855. And the city remained that way up to and during Prohibition, as well as long after it ended—the first legal drink wasn't sold there until 1972.…
by Mike Sula
Even before it formally came into existence, Evanston was decreed dry when Northwestern University imposed a four-mile ban on the sale of alcohol around the college campus in 1855. And the city remained that way up to and during Prohibition, as well as long after it ended—the first legal drink wasn't sold there until 1972.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/alcohol-distilling-paul-hletko-few-spirits/Content?oid=3305785
Show People: Tony Winner Levi Kreis on His Million Dollar Run, Love-Hungry Fans & Future Plans
Good Southern boy Levi Kreis has done pretty well for himself up on Broadway in the past year, earning rave reviews and trophies (including a 2010 Tony Award) for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in the hit musical Million Dollar Quartet. Now that Kreis is preparing to leave the role, Show People host and Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek invited the charmer (and his precious pup) for a chat about his amazing run, future plans and the passionate fan base that recently voted him Broadway's most-desirable Valentine's Day date.
Ex-teammates gather for Duerson funeral
Former teammates and friends solemnly gathered Saturday morning to attend the funeral of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church on the city's South Side.
Harvey Fierstein to Host 2011 Drama Desk Awards Dinner
Harvey Fierstein, author and star of La Cage aux Folles, will host the 2011 Drama Desk Awards, which will be presented on Monday, May 23, at a sit-down dinner at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The ceremony’s venue and day of the week are a departure from past years for the awards, which honor Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions.
The Drama Desk Awards are voted on by critics and journalists covering the New York theater scene. This year's ceremony will be filmed in HD for a television special that will be given two primetime airings plus four additional national broadcasts on the Ovation network between June 2 and June 15, 2011. Celebrity presenters and production numbers from nominated musicals will be featured.
Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/155406/harvey-fierstein-to-host-2011-drama-desk-awards-dinner/
Off-Broadway?s A Perfect Future to Retire Early
The end is in sight for the world premiere of David Hay’s A Perfect Future, which will play its final performance at off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre on March 6. The open-ended engagement began previews on February 4 and officially opened on February 17, directed by Wilson Milam.
Like many good New York stories, A Perfect Future begins with a dinner party. Power couple John and Natalie are hosting, and the guest list includes Elliot, a friend from their college radical days, and Mark, a straight-laced young man from John's risk management firm. Over the course of the evening—and many bottles of wine—these four explosive personalities try and reconcile idealism with reality and turn their belief systems inside out.
A Perfect Future, which explores whether people can truly love each other and have opposing political views, stars Donna Bullock as Natalie, Scott Drummond as Mark, Daniel Oreskes as Elliot and Michael T. Weiss as John. For a video feature on the show, click here.
Report: Man who faked stabbing here being investigated for child porn
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- A University of Iowa researcher who faked his own stabbing in Chicago last year learned the day before that he was under investigation by campus police for child pornography, according to a police report made public Friday.
Kelsey Grammer Has a Real-Life Broadway Wedding at the Longacre Theatre
Former La Cage aux Folles star Kelsey Grammer will marry his fiancee, 29-year-old Kayte Walsh, on stage at the Longacre Theatre on February 25, three days after his 56th birthday. The afternoon ceremony will be presided over by cast member Terry Lavell, who plays Cagelle Mercedes in the show and is an ordained minister.
After the ceremony, guests are expected to head to the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom for a wedding dinner. According to Us magazine, the menu will include andouille en croute, slow-roasted turkey breast with chorizo stuffing, braised short-ribs and vegetarian options for the bride such as goat cheese truffles and wild mushroom risotto. The wedding cake is by celebrity baker Sylvia Weinstock.
Grammer has been engaged to Walsh, a former flight attendant for Virgin Atlantic Airlines, since late December. The actor’s divorce from his third wife, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Camille Grammer, became final on February 10. He is the father of a son and three daughters, including 27-year-old actress Spencer Grammer.
To Serve and Uproot
by Steve Bogira
If my dad were still alive, I know how he'd have decided who to back for alderman in his southwest-side ward this year. He'd have read up on privatization and charter schools and all the other important citywide issues.…
If my dad were still alive, I know how he'd have decided who to back for alderman in his southwest-side ward this year. He'd have read up on privatization and charter schools and all the other important citywide issues.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/politics-southwest-side-tree-removal/Content?oid=3305543
This Week's Food and Drink Events
An Oscar viewing party, a celebration of chicken wings, a whiskey dinner, and more.
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/24/this-weeks-food-and-drink-events
Woman dies from fire that killed her brother
A woman who was critically injured in a Northwest Side fire that killed her brother earlier this week has now died.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Happy Feet
Remember when you were ten and you liked to draw on your sneakers? Chicago-based company BucketFeet takes that concept to the next level, using actual artists who are much more talented than you.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/24/happy-feet
Liza Minnelli Talks Lady Gaga and Recording in Bed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was in for a treat when that legend of stage, screen and recording studio Liza Minnelli appeared on the February 23 episode. Minnelli, who has just released a new album called Confessions, stopped by to dish on everything from her heartwarming Madison Square Garden shout-out from Lady Gaga to her recent recordings with The Pet Shop Boys and My Chemical Romance. Next up? Well, if Minnelli takes Fallon’s suggestion to heart, she’ll be shooting for a guest spot on Glee. Take a look!
Man held in threats against Ald. Burke
Bond was set at $25,000 today for an unemployed Southwest Side man charged with making veiled death threats in telephone calls to the ward office of longtime Ald. Edward Burke, 14th.
Hotcha! Christopher Sieber to Return to Broadway's Chicago
Two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber will return to Chicago as Billy Flynn on March 8. Sieber will remain with the production through March 25 at the Ambassador Theatre.
Sieber received Tony nominations for Shrek the Musical and Spamalot. His other Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Into the Woods, Triumph of Love and A Christmas Carol. He has also appeared off-Broadway in The Kid, Avow and The Boys in the Band. His many TV and film credits include Pushing Daisies, Morning Glory and Sex and the City.
Now in its 15th year, the Tony-winning revival currently stars Bianca Marroquin as Roxie Hart, Leigh Zimmerman as Velma Kelly, LaVon Fisher-Wilson as Matron "Mama" Morton and Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart.
Police kill man in south suburban standoff
A standoff situation in south suburban Glenwood ended Thursday night with police shooting and killing a homeowner who they said fired at them first.
No Face Time and No Endorsement
An aldermanic candidate turns thumbs-down on the thumbs-up process.
by Michael Miner
Until he called I'd never heard of him, but Bart Goldberg sounded like a nice guy on the phone and we have his word for it that across the table he's a powerhouse. Goldberg was calling because he felt stiffed by the Sun-Times.…
by Michael Miner
Until he called I'd never heard of him, but Bart Goldberg sounded like a nice guy on the phone and we have his word for it that across the table he's a powerhouse. Goldberg was calling because he felt stiffed by the Sun-Times.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-politics-suntimes-bart-goldberg/Content?oid=3305527
Hail to the Chief! James Earl Jones Joins Broadway-Bound The Best Man
James Earl Jones has signed on to play a former U.S. President in an election-year Broadway revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, according to The New York Times. Jones, who is currently starring in the Broadway revival of Driving Miss Daisy, will play Arthur Hockstader, who is torn between endorsing two potential presidential candidates. The previously announced revival is aiming for a spring 2012 Broadway opening at a theater to be determined, directed by Michael Wilson.
Vidal’s 1960 political drama centers on power, ambition, political secrets and ruthless behavior surrounding a race for the presidency. A 2000 revival featured Charles Durning in the part to be played by Jones, with Chris Noth as the title candidate, Elizabeth Ashley, Charles Durning, Christine Ebersole, Spalding Gray and Michael Learned. No other casting for the 2012 revival has been announced.
The Best Man will be revived on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Eagle Productions and Infinity Stages.
Happy Feet
Remember when you were ten and you liked to draw on your sneakers? Chicago-based company BucketFeet takes that concept to the next level, using actual artists who are much more talented than you.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/24/happy-feet
Beyonce Under Fire for Fela Tribute Photos in L?Officiel Paris
Pop diva Beyonce graces the pages of French publication L’Officiel Paris’ March issue, and the star is under fire for a photo paying tribute to the Nigerian pioneer of Afrobeat music—and subject of recent Broadway musical Fela!—Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. In the controversial photo, Beyonce wears an African-inspired dress designed by her mother, with the singer's skin artificially darkened and painted with a tribal design.
Beyonce’s connection to the story of Fela Kuti began well before this photo shoot: Her husband, rap mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, was a co-producer of Fela! on Broadway, along with Hollywood couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. The show shuttered at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in January 2011 and went on to a sold out run at London’s National Theatre with original star Sahr Nguajah reprising the title role. The show uses Kuti’s pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies), in a hybrid of concert, dance and musical theater, to explore his controversial life as artist, political activist and revolutionary musician.
The photo tribute has raised the hackles of some media world personalities, including Jezebel.com blogger Dodai Stewart. "It's one thing to ...
Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/155395/beyonce-under-fire-for-fela-tribute-photos-in-lofficiel-paris/
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Blago judge may offer jurors no-trespassing signs
He cites tales of reporters hounding jurors after first trial
A federal judge said today that he might have a federal marshal buy no-trespassing signs and offer them to jurors to post outside their homes following a verdict in the upcoming retrial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
A federal judge said today that he might have a federal marshal buy no-trespassing signs and offer them to jurors to post outside their homes following a verdict in the upcoming retrial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Early Warnings Roundup
Though a heap of shows sold out this past week (Cut Copy, Florence + the Machine, the Wax Trax! showcase, Iron & Wine, Queens of the Stone Age), another solid batch got announced, including Young Widows at the Beat Kitchen, Empty Bottle shows by Davila 666, the Marked Men, and Parts & Labor, and Hideout dates from Azita and Anni Rossi.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/24/early-warnings-roundup
Teacher accused of penning 'inappropriate' letter
The Northwest Herald reports: A Woodstock North High School teacher and coach was arrested today for alleged inappropriate statements made to a student in a handwritten letter.
Omnivorous: Dry No More
Evanston's Few Spirits is just one of several regional craft distilleries setting up shop.
by Mike Sula
Even before it formally came into existence, Evanston was decreed dry when Northwestern University imposed a four-mile ban on the sale of alcohol around the college campus in 1855. And the city remained that way up to and during Prohibition, as well as long after it ended—the first legal drink wasn't sold there until 1972.…
by Mike Sula
Even before it formally came into existence, Evanston was decreed dry when Northwestern University imposed a four-mile ban on the sale of alcohol around the college campus in 1855. And the city remained that way up to and during Prohibition, as well as long after it ended—the first legal drink wasn't sold there until 1972.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/alcohol-distilling-paul-hletko-few-spirits/Content?oid=3305785
How to Succeed Star Daniel Radcliffe Shows Off His Smooth Moves in People
Work it, Daniel! Less than a week before the beginning of previews of the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, People.com has published photos of Daniel Radcliffe and his castmates in rehearsal. In one shot of Radcliffe and the male ensemble, the star pivots like a pro under the watchful eye of director/choreographer Rob Ashford. (Yes, that’s John Larroquette in back as J.B. Biggley!) Radcliffe’s hoofing ability as J. Pierrepont Finch will surprise audiences, according to Rose Hemingway, who plays his sweetheart, Rosemary Pilkington. “He’s going to blow people away,” the actress told Broadway.com. “I keep telling him how proud I am of him. He is really going to impress people.” To see Radcliffe, Larroquette and Hemingway in action, get tickets for the show, which begins previews on February 26 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
That 70s Movie
SpaceDisco One is Damon Packard�s dystopian vision of the Me Decade.
by J.R. Jones
Did I grow up in the 1970s, or just watch them on TV? Like many people in my profession, I spent way too many childhood hours sprawled in front of the tube, drinking in endless cop shows, sitcoms, and movies of the week as my mom implored me to go out and play.…
by J.R. Jones
Did I grow up in the 1970s, or just watch them on TV? Like many people in my profession, I spent way too many childhood hours sprawled in front of the tube, drinking in endless cop shows, sitcoms, and movies of the week as my mom implored me to go out and play.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/movie-review-spacedisco-one-damon-packard/Content?oid=3306028
Man charged in Northwest Side crash that killed 2
A Chicago man ticketed in a crash that killed two people last year has now been charged with reckless homicide, police said today.
American Idiot to Launch National Tour in Fall 2011
American Idiot will take its namesake country by storm when the Green Day rock opera sets out on a national tour beginning in the fall of 2011. No dates or cities have been announced at this time. Open call auditions for the tour will take place in Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston and Chicago this spring.
Featuring a score from the Green Day album of the same name, American Idiot follows three twentysomething friends as they search for meaning in their lives in a post-9/11 society. Directed by Michael Mayer, the musical opened on April 20, 2010 at the St. James Theatre and received three Tony nominations including Best Musical.
American Idiot's Broadway production currently stars John Gallagher Jr. as Johnny, Stark Sands as Tunny, Michael Esper as Will and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong as St. Jimmy.
Panhandler who shot at police was mentally ill, brother says
The man described as an aggressive panhandler who was shot and killed by police after he fired on them had long suffered from mental illness, according to his brother.
Heavy snow expected in area tonight; 115-year record should fall
A National Weather Service winter weather advisory that predicts 3 to 5 inches of snow is in effect in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana beginning at 6 p.m. this evening until 9 a.m. Friday.
Cris Mazza
by Kathie Bergquist
Among Cris Mazza's many honors—starting with a 1984 PEN/Nelson Algren Award for her first novel, How to Leave a Country—is the dubious distinction of coining the term "chick-lit." She and Jeffrey DeShell invented it for their 1995 anthology, Chick-Lit: Post-Feminist Fiction.…
Among Cris Mazza's many honors—starting with a 1984 PEN/Nelson Algren Award for her first novel, How to Leave a Country—is the dubious distinction of coining the term "chick-lit." She and Jeffrey DeShell invented it for their 1995 anthology, Chick-Lit: Post-Feminist Fiction.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/cris-mazza-literature-critics-choice/Content?oid=3307599
City unions guarded about Emanuel's victory
Police officers, firefighters voice concerns about pensions
Leaders of several unions representing city workers weren't ready to take on Rahm Emanuel a day after he was elected mayor, despite his campaign promise to press for benefit reductions because of the city's looming budget crisis.
Leaders of several unions representing city workers weren't ready to take on Rahm Emanuel a day after he was elected mayor, despite his campaign promise to press for benefit reductions because of the city's looming budget crisis.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Bazaar Bear Never Looked So Bummed
A couple of years ago I wrote a profile of Kent Lambert, who records crafty, elaborate electro-pop under the name Roommate. Today Lambert e-mailed me to remind me that his group's new album, Guilty Rainbow, comes out in early spring on local label Antephonic.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/bazaar-bear-never-looked-so-bummed
Soda Brand to Rescue Cool Kids Album From Label Limbo
Over the past couple of years, well-liked local hip-hop duo the Cool Kids have gotten a lot of attention and experienced a lot of frustration—the latter largely because they haven't been able to put out a full-length record. Their only official release to date (that is, not a mix tape or Internet giveaway) is the 2008 EP The Bake Sale, released on local label Chocolate Industries.…
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Tonight: Flamenco Pianist Chano Dominguez at Instituto Cervantes
Tonight superb Spanish jazz pianist Chano Dominguez makes his first local appearance since 2003, playing at Instituto Cervantes as part of Flamenco Festival 2011. Though he's a jazz artist, Dominguez is completely at home with flamenco, the traditional music of his homeland—by embracing it, he transformed himself from an unremarkable fusionista into an exciting innovator.…
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'Don't You Want' Lea Michele and Darren Criss? Watch The Glee Stars Get Down to an '80s Classic
Bottoms up! The McKinley High students broke out the booze when Rachel's dads headed out of town for the weekend, leading to some pretty wild antics for the Glee crowd. When a game of spin the bottle erupted, Rachel (Lea Michele) found herself smooching Dalton Academy hunk Blaine (Darren Criss). The passionate moment lead the duo to (what else?) break into song as they took to Rachel's very own in-home stage to belt out the Human League classic "Don't You Want Me Baby." Watch their drunken rendition below!
This Week in Food & Drink: Moonshiners, West Town's New Belgian Bistro, Key Ingredient Jujubes, and More
In Omnivorous Mike Sula tracks down a couple of modern-day moonshiners, one making aromatic runs of gin for the sheer DIY thrill of it, the other with hopes of crafting and eventually going legit with a Calvados-quality applejack made from Wisconsin cider. Distilling booze remains a felony; next week’s column on two upcoming licensed craft distilleries covers the path to making it legally.…
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Burning Boy Scribe David West Read on Reliving His High School Nightmares at Roundabout Underground
About the Author:
David West Read already has an enviable educational pedigree, and the young playwright is quickly amassing a body of work to back it up. His NYU masters' thesis play Happy Face was part of the 2010 Pacific Playwrights Festival at South Coast Repertory and had a staged reading directed by Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation). Another play, The Dream of the Burning Boy, in which the sudden death of a high school overachiever tortures the dreams of a doting teacher, was workshopped at the 2010 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Now Read will get his first full New York production when Burning Boy bows at the Roundabout Underground on February 25. The talented young writer recently reflected on this milestone experience with Broadway.com, including why it’s worth reliving his own less-than-blissful high school days to see this story come to life.
I’ve been in and out of several educational institutions since graduating from high school almost a decade ago—the University of Toronto for my B.A., New York University for my M.F.A., and now the Playwrights Program at the Juilliard School—but still, it’s nightmares ...
Celia Graham and David Thaxton to Join Ramin Karimloo in London's Love Never Dies
Celia Graham has been tapped to play Christine and Olivier Award nominee David Thaxton will play Raoul opposite continuing star Ramin Karimloo in the London production of Love Never Dies, beginning March 7. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera was recently nominated for seven Olivier Awards and is booking through January 2012 at the Adelphi Theatre.
In addition to Graham and Thaxton, incoming cast members at Love Never Dies include Haley Flaherty as Meg Giry, Tracey Penn as Fleck, Charles Brunton as Gangle and Jack Costello sharing the role of Gustave with continuing cast members Daniel Dowling and Harry Polden. Also continuing in the musical are Liz Robertson as Madame Giry and Adam Pearce as Squelch.
Graham has been an ensemble member in Love Never Dies and first cover for the role of Christine, which was created by Sierra Boggess. She is also a vet of the West End production of the original Phantom of the Opera as well as Les Miserables and West Side Story. Thaxton is an Olivier Award nominee for Passion and played Enjolras in Les Miserables.
Love Never Dies continues the story of the Phantom, who has moved from his lair ...
C?est Magnifique! A First Look as French Film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Comes to Life on Stage
Kneehigh Theatre Company, the imaginative British group behind Broadway’s recent multimedia romance Brief Encounter, has a new creation hitting the London stage: a musical reimagining of that classic of French cinema, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Catherine Deneuve starred in the 1964 Jacques Demy film, and Olivier Award winner Joanna Riding and cabaret artist Meow Meow star in this stage version of the tale of young French auto mechanic Guy Fouchier, who falls in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery, an employee in her widowed mother's chic umbrella shop. Directed by Kneehigh artistic director Emma Rice with lyrics translated by Sheldon Harnick, the show will premiere at the Curve Leicester before bowing at the West End’s Gielgud Theatre on March 5. Click through to see Steve Tanner’s production photos of this technicolor treat.
Can Chicago Do Better Than Detroit's Robocop Statue?
Well, they’ve finally done it!
Advocates in Detroit have raised more than $50,000 for a statue of cyborg-crimefighter Robocop. A worthy civic venture, indeed.…
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The Celestial Septet on Your Computer
Tomorrow night at International House Philadelphia, superb jazz and improvised-music presenter Ars Nova Workshop hosts the first concert of a short tour by the Celestial Septet—a collaboration between ROVA, a San Francisco group that helped put the saxophone quartet on the jazz map in the late 70s, and the Nels Cline Singers, a muscular, flexible trio led by the guy known around these parts as the lead guitarist in Wilco.
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/the-celestial-septet-on-your-computer
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Soda Brand to Rescue Cool Kids Album From Label Limbo
Over the past couple of years, well-liked local hip-hop duo the Cool Kids have gotten a lot of attention and experienced a lot of frustration—the latter largely because they haven't been able to put out a full-length record. Their only official release to date (that is, not a mix tape or Internet giveaway) is the 2008 EP The Bake Sale, released on local label Chocolate Industries.…
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Original Star Ashley Brown to Fly Back to Broadway's Mary Poppins
Ashley Brown will return to the Broadway production of Mary Poppins as the magical nanny, beginning March 8. Brown, who originated the role at the New Amsterdam Theatre, will take over for current star Laura Michelle Kelly through July 17 while Kelly is on hiatus for a film project. Kelly will return to the production on July 19.
Brown made her Broadway debut in Beauty and the Beast and has toured nationally with Mary Poppins and Disney's On the Record. She recently starred in the musical Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin at the La Jolla Playhous and released her debut solo album, Speak Low.
Mary Poppins currently stars Gavin Lee as Bert, Laird Mackintosh as George Banks, Megan Osterhaus as Winifred Banks, Valerie Boyle as Mrs. Brill, Ann Arvia as Bird Woman and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Robertson Ay. The show opened on Broadway on November 16, 2006, and received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.
Bazaar Bear Never Looked So Bummed
A couple of years ago I wrote a profile of Kent Lambert, who records crafty, elaborate electro-pop under the name Roommate. Today Lambert e-mailed me to remind me that his group's new album, Guilty Rainbow, comes out in early spring on local label Antephonic.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/bazaar-bear-never-looked-so-bummed
Naperville North counselor charged with sex abuse
A Naperville North counselor and track coach has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse after a parent notified school officials of a possible relationship with a student, District 203 Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said this evening.
Priscilla Drag Stars Will Swenson, Nick Adams & Tony Sheldon Butch It Up for Out Photo Spread
Although they're the hottest men in heels on Broadway, Priscilla Queen of the Desert stars Will Swenson, Tony Sheldon and Broadway.com video blogger Nick Adams left the drag to the professionals for their new photo spread in Out magazine. Posing with New York drag icons Lady Bunny, Sherry Vine, Bianca Del Rio and Bebe Zahara Benet (winner of RuPaul's Drag Race) at the Pierre Hotel, the men got spiffy in black tie for the sexy shots by photographer Roger Erickson. Click here to see the article and photos and watch the video below for behind the scenes footage. Looking sharp, boys! (Prefer to see these boys dolled up like girls? Get thee to the Palace Theatre, where Priscilla starts performances next Monday, February 28!)
Your Election-Day Morning News Roundup
Polls opened at 6 AM as Chicagoans awakened to another snowfall.
But already there’s plenty to talk about.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/22/your-election-day-morning-news-round-up
Win a Chance to Air Your Dirty Laundry
Reality TV is so over. These days it's all about reality on the Internet, or so Kenmore (yes, the appliance company) would have you think.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/win-a-chance-to-air-your-dirty-laundry
Navy Pier Flyover Approved
Yesterday afternoon, the Chicago Plan Commission approved an overpass for the Lakefront Trail that should ease congestion near Navy Pier. Just south of the pier, the path is currently routed along a sidewalk next to the busy lower level of the Lake Shore Drive bridge over the Chicago River, and is a nightmare to bike on because it's usually jammed with pedestrians, cyclists, and in-line skaters.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/18/navy-pier-flyover-approved
CPS students call foul on Emanuel's charter school claims
Carol Moseley Braun has complained that reporters jump on her "crack addict" and "Hitler" references—but ignore Rahm Emanuel's transgressions.
Does she have a point?
Southie Pride! A Sneak Peek at Frances McDormand, Tate Donovan and the Cast of Good People
Oscar winner Frances McDormand and stage and screen vet Tate Donovan have returned to Broadway in Good People, a new play by David Lindsay-Abaire set in the rough-and-tumble streets of South Boston. The stars play high school sweethearts who went (very) separate ways after graduation, with McDormand stuck in the old neighborhood with her disabled adult daughter and Donovan in a comfy suburb with a successful medical practice. We’ve got your first look at Joan Marcus’ photos of this Manhattan Theatre Club production, which also stars Estelle Parsons, Becky Ann Baker, Renee Elise Goldsberry and newcomer Patrick Carroll. Get to know these Good People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
Bazaar Bear Never Looked So Bummed
A couple of years ago I wrote a profile of Kent Lambert, who records crafty, elaborate electro-pop under the name Roommate. Today Lambert e-mailed me to remind me that his group's new album, Guilty Rainbow, comes out in early spring on local label Antephonic.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/bazaar-bear-never-looked-so-bummed
Morning Art: Michael Jackson
Snake Lady Meets David Murray at the Hothouse, a photo by Michael Jackson, part of a show of his work opening Fri 2/18, 5-7 PM, at Gallery 175, 175 W. Jackson, 312-781-2500.
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/18/morning-art-michael-jackson
Monday, February 21, 2011
Morning Art: Peggy Macnamara
Flock: Curvature, a painting by Peggy Macnamara, part of Ruskin's Nine: Bird Compositions, a show of her working on display through 3/26 at Packer Schopf Gallery, 942 W. Lake, 312-226-8984.
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/morning-art-peggy-macnamara
Rules spelled out for Marni Yang murder trial
Sheriff's officials lay out rules for media and spectators because of high-profile case set to start March 1
Lake County officials are preparing for a media deluge in the Marni Yang murder trial, which revolves around a former Chicago Bears player, his pregnant girlfriend and a jealous rival who allegedly revealed ugly details of her crime on tape.
Lake County officials are preparing for a media deluge in the Marni Yang murder trial, which revolves around a former Chicago Bears player, his pregnant girlfriend and a jealous rival who allegedly revealed ugly details of her crime on tape.
She?s the Top! Watch Sutton Foster Strut Her Stuff in Anything Goes? Title Number
For those musical theater mavens already champing at the bit for the upcoming revival of Anything Goes to open on Broadway, we’ve got a sneak peek at the astonishing title song! We caught up with the company in rehearsal at Studio 54 where the talented Sutton Foster, backed by a stage full of triple-threats, led the charge as evangelist-turned-nightclub singer Reno Sweeney in one of the most gloriously extravagant tap numbers to grace Broadway in recent years. With direction and choreography by Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes will hit the stage of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on March 10. For now, take a look at this sensational selection.
Earwax Cafe Closing
A Wicker Park institution for 21 years, Earwax Cafe will be closing its doors for good on February 28 for "financial reasons." Its meatless menu options made it a popular hangout for vegetarians and vegans, but there are a lot more restaurants and cafes in the neighborhood now vying for a chunk of change from the great Wicker Park gold rush; the past few years alone have seen the openings of Big Star, Birchwood Kitchen, Cumin, and the Wormhole, among others.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/21/earwax-cafe-closing
Watch Dancing on Ice Defy Gravity with Help from a West End Wicked Star!
British television spectacular Dancing on Ice pulled out all the stops to celebrate its recent theater week, and the showstopping-est number of all had a very special, very green guest star: West End Wicked star Rachel Tucker! In a truly genius artistic mash-up, four of the show’s professional skaters performed a brilliant routine to “Defying Gravity” while Tucker belted out the famous Elphaba anthem, live and in color. As if Tucker’s vocal pyrotechnics combined with these unbelievable athletes wasn’t enough, this number has a high-flying big finish that you really won’t want to miss. Click on below to watch this winter-y Wicked spectacular!
The Grandfather Trilogy
Art Institute graduate and instructor Allen Ross was a fixture in the Chicago film scene from the 70s, when he cofounded Chicago Filmmakers, until 1992, when he moved to Oklahoma and later Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Ross disappeared in 1995.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/17/the-grandfather-trilogy
This Week's Movie Action
Steven Soderbergh's And Everything Is Going Fine uses performance and interview clips of actor and monologuist Spalding Gray (Swimming to Cambodia, Monster in a Box, Gray's Anatomy) to construct a sort of posthumous autobiography. The movie opens today for a week-long run at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and my long review considers it alongside Kenneth Bowser's documentary Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune, which arrives at the same venue on Friday, February 25.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/18/this-weeks-movie-action
TwentyThirtyForty.net Pop-Up
Locally based online boutique TwentyThirtyForty.net becomes brick-and-mortar for the weekend. The site has put up a pop-up shop with a selection of women's clothes and accessories (including items not available online yet) at Revision Home, 2132 W. Fulton, today and Saturday.…
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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2011/02/18/twentythirtyfortynet-pop-up
Joey Curatolo on Fulfilling his Fab Four Fate as Paul McCartney in Rain
Age and hometown: "Late 40s." Brooklyn, NY
Current role: Charming three generations of Beatles fans in a Broadway debut performance as Paul McCartney in Rain.
No Place Like Home: For those who find the notion of destiny doubtful, the story of musician Joey Curatolo might just change minds. When his Beatles tribute show Rain opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on 52nd Street last fall, it was around the corner from where Curatolo stumbled on his career as a Paul McCartney doppelganger 30 years earlier. “I was working as a messenger in the city when I was 16, and I happened to go by SIR studios on 54th Street,” Curatolo remembers. “I heard 'Magical Mystery Tour' being played live, so I went in and someone said ‘Are you here for McCartney?’“I threw down the packages and said ‘Sure,’ and played for them. Within six weeks I was at the Pantages Theater in L.A. with the show Beatlemania.”
Playing Paul: After touring with Beatlemania, Curatolo joined Rain—“the first ever tribute band”—and set his sights on creating a pitch-perfect Paul. “I didn’t want to play him, I wanted to channel him,” the actor says. “It came pretty ...
DePaul student crowned St. Patrick's Day Queen
Sarah Gorecki is a bonny lass who is looking at three weeks of intensive soda-bread munching, bagpipes and Guinness-filled goodwill.
The Seldoms
by Laura Molzahn
The new, hour-long Stupormarket is a "low-budget project," says Seldoms choreographer Carrie Hanson, featuring costumes by her and Goodwill. But its scope is huge—nothing less than an exploration of New Keynesian vs. neoclassical perspectives on our economy.…
The new, hour-long Stupormarket is a "low-budget project," says Seldoms choreographer Carrie Hanson, featuring costumes by her and Goodwill. But its scope is huge—nothing less than an exploration of New Keynesian vs. neoclassical perspectives on our economy.…
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