Friday, September 30, 2011

Yacht-style boats, Kid Sister, and a very small collie

I don't really have the time to keep up with MTV reality shows (I don't have cable, either), so all I really know about former From G's to Gents contestant Riff Raff comes from his profile page on the show's website. Apparently he "says that he cheated his way through 11th grade and once started a fight in school because he was bored."?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/yacht-style-boats-kid-sister-and-a-very-small-collie

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Criminal courts?

Re: "Basketball controversies: In the name of protecting kids, there's a movement to take their sports equipment away" by Mick Dumke and Kevin Warwick, September 22 Editor's note: This story elicited dozens of impassioned comments on the Reader's website; here are just a few.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/inbox/Content?oid=4718354

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Man killed by Metra train in Naperville

A 67-year-old man died after being hit by a Metra train just east of the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe line's Naperville station this evening, according to the agency and Naperville police.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/VhT-deaCY-c/chi-metra-train-stopped-at-naperville-because-of-pedestrian-incident-20110930,0,3359972.story

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Muscles & Mascara with Priscilla's Nick Adams: Dental Emergencies and Meeting 'Banana Sutton Foster'

The 25th Annual Broadway Flea Market was set to be an exciting day filled with greeting fans for Priscilla Queen of the Desert's Nick Adams...until a loose tooth suddenly sent him to an emergency dentist appointment! With his pearly whites intact, Adams was luckily to make it back to the flea market in time to hand out some autographs...and capture all the madness on camera! Also in the latest installment of Muscles & Mascara, Adams introduces his new dressing room buddy "Banana Sutton Foster," bids farewell to adorable young co-star Ashton Woerz and welcomes Priscilla newcomer Wayne Wilcox to the family. Take a look below!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/priscilla-queen-desert/buzz/157911/muscles-mascara-with-priscillas-nick-adams-dental-emergencies-and-meeting-banana-sutton-foster/

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Who wants to buy old magazines?

Bob Katzman tries to hang on with his Magazine Museum by Michael Miner In 1976 a young writer named John Baskin published his first book, an exploration of an Ohio hamlet doomed by a new dam. The New Yorker gave it the highest imaginable praise.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bob-katzman-old-magazine-museum/Content?oid=4711871

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Goodness Gracious! London?s Million Dollar Quartet Releases Live Cast Album

The London production of rockabilly tuner Million Dollar Quartet has released a live cast album! Recorded at the Noël Coward Theatre, the CD was released on September 29 in honor of original ‘million dollar quartet’ member Jerry Lee Lewis’ 76th birthday.

Inspired by the famed December 4, 1956, recording session that brought together rock icons Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, Million Dollar Quartet recreates the legendary session and the story of the men who made it happen. With a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, the production features a roster of classic rock and country hits, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”

The Million Dollar Quartet London cast includes Ben Goddard as Jerry Lee Lewis, Derek Hagen as Johnny Cash, Michael Malarkey as Elvis Presley, Oliver Seymour-March as Carl Perkins, Bill Ward as Sun Records founder Sam Phillips and Francesca Jackson as Dyanne.
 

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/million-dollar-quartet-london/buzz/157898/goodness-gracious-londons-million-dollar-quartet-releases-live-cast-album/

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Illinois public health director leaving for Chicago State University

Gov. Pat Quinn’s office announced today that the state’s top doctor is leaving government for the world of academia.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/9teO7N2VF4w/chi-illinois-public-health-director-leaving-for-chicago-state-university-20110930,0,716430.story

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Andrea McArdle on Real Housewives of Broadway: 'I'm There! When Do We Start?'

Over the past year, Broadway.com has been floating around the idea of a theatrical offshoot for the Bravo Real Housewives franchise: The Real Housewives of Broadway. We dreamt it up, asked readers who should be featured (Katie Finneran, Orfeh and Idina Menzel were top picks) and even got Bravo exec Andy Cohen himself to bless the fantasy project, adding his own top choice for the cast: Kristin Chenoweth.

Now Andrea McArdle wants in on the action! In an interview for Broadway.com’s Show People with Paul Wontorek, the Annie star, newly divorced and living in Manhattan with her twentysomething daughter Alexis, pitched herself as a perfect candidate for the show.

“I’m there,” she said. “When do we start? That sounds like fun. Dysfunction junction!” McArdle added that the lives of Broadway divas were ripe with drama, and that “if you could get [Broadway] music factored in there, that’s golden.”

McArdle is currently in rehearsals for Greenwood, a new musical that will be part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The complete episode of Show People will premiere on September 29 only on Broadway.com.

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157896/andrea-mcardle-on-real-housewives-of-broadway-im-there-when-do-we-start/

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Evanston mayor wants tickets for small amounts of pot

Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl thinks anyone caught with 10 grams or less of pot does not intend to sell it, and so should only be ticketed and fined — not jailed.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/4FeEHz-pQKE/chi-evanston-mayor-wants-tickets-for-small-amounts-of-pot-20110930,0,3029664.story

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Watch Hunter Parrish and Co. Spread the Word of Godspell in Rehearsal

Weeds star Hunter Parrish has returned to Broadway to lead the cast of the first-ever revival of Godspell. Parrish, Godspell composer Stephen Schwartz and the cast recently invited the press into their rehearsal space at the Ballet Hispanico to get a taste of the show, which begins previews on October 13 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Take a look below to find out about the modern twists the company plans to bring to the 40-year-old classic.

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/godspell/buzz/157916/watch-hunter-parrish-and-co-spread-the-word-of-godspell-in-rehearsal/

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Cooking with booze

Often I cook with a glass or two (or three if it?s a particularly involved recipe or a particularly harrowing day) of wine. For me, not for the dish.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/cooking-with-booze

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CTA installing electronic bus timing signs

The Chicago Transit Authority has started installing electronic signs at bus shelters to inform riders when the next bus will arrive.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/MyfJezgx7rY/chi-cta-installing-electronic-bus-timing-signs-20110930,0,6035712.story

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Cooking with booze

Often I cook with a glass or two (or three if it?s a particularly involved recipe or a particularly harrowing day) of wine. For me, not for the dish.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/cooking-with-booze

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Yacht-style boats, Kid Sister, and a very small collie

I don't really have the time to keep up with MTV reality shows (I don't have cable, either), so all I really know about former From G's to Gents contestant Riff Raff comes from his profile page on the show's website. Apparently he "says that he cheated his way through 11th grade and once started a fight in school because he was bored."?

[ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/yacht-style-boats-kid-sister-and-a-very-small-collie

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Blood of a Poet

Abstract expressionist Mark Rothko puts more than paint on his canvases in John Logan�s Red by Tony Adler As John Logan's fascinating Red makes emphatically clear?even in its current, flawed incarnation at Goodman Theatre?Mark Rothko was no Jackson Pollock. Wyoming-bred Pollock had rough good looks and bad-boy habits.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/john-logan-red-looks-at-mark-rothko/Content?oid=4713133

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Suspicious fire destroys 4 Elgin school buses

Four Elgin elementary school buses were destroyed by fire as they sat in a school parking lot this morning, and authorities were investigating the incident as possible arson.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/_jPsNVRsQTg/chi-suspicious-fire-destroys-4-elgin-school-buses-20110930,0,608718.story

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Inbox

Criminal courts?

Re: "Basketball controversies: In the name of protecting kids, there's a movement to take their sports equipment away" by Mick Dumke and Kevin Warwick, September 22 Editor's note: This story elicited dozens of impassioned comments on the Reader's website; here are just a few.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/inbox/Content?oid=4718354

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Straight-Shooter Andrea McArdle on the Perfect Annie Cast, Life as a Theater Icon and Her New Musical Role

Andrea McArdle is a straight-shooter, which makes her guest appearance on Show People with Paul Wontorek a must-see. The original star of Annie opens up about the effect of the iconic role on her career (not great), explains why she should be considered to play Miss Hannigan in the forthcoming revival (she learned from the best, Dorothy Loudon) and offers her own casting choice for the title role. The newly single McArdle, back in New York co-starring with daughter Alexis Kalehoff in the new musical Greenwood at NYMF, also chats about censored You Tube clips, dream roles and why she can’t lie about her age. It’s an action-packed Show People, so click on and enjoy!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157903/straight-shooter-andrea-mcardle-on-the-perfect-annie-cast-life-as-a-theater-icon-and-her-new-musical-role/

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Andrea McArdle on Real Housewives of Broadway: 'I'm There! When Do We Start?'

Over the past year, Broadway.com has been floating around the idea of a theatrical offshoot for the Bravo Real Housewives franchise: The Real Housewives of Broadway. We dreamt it up, asked readers who should be featured (Katie Finneran, Orfeh and Idina Menzel were top picks) and even got Bravo exec Andy Cohen himself to bless the fantasy project, adding his own top choice for the cast: Kristin Chenoweth.

Now Andrea McArdle wants in on the action! In an interview for Broadway.com’s Show People with Paul Wontorek, the Annie star, newly divorced and living in Manhattan with her twentysomething daughter Alexis, pitched herself as a perfect candidate for the show.

“I’m there,” she said. “When do we start? That sounds like fun. Dysfunction junction!” McArdle added that the lives of Broadway divas were ripe with drama, and that “if you could get [Broadway] music factored in there, that’s golden.”

McArdle is currently in rehearsals for Greenwood, a new musical that will be part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The complete episode of Show People will premiere on September 29 only on Broadway.com.

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157896/andrea-mcardle-on-real-housewives-of-broadway-im-there-when-do-we-start/

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Inbox

Criminal courts?

Re: "Basketball controversies: In the name of protecting kids, there's a movement to take their sports equipment away" by Mick Dumke and Kevin Warwick, September 22 Editor's note: This story elicited dozens of impassioned comments on the Reader's website; here are just a few.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/inbox/Content?oid=4718354

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2008

The year in Chicago history via the pages of the Reader by Michael Miner "This is a profitable business. The company has a good cash flow.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/nate-silver-baseball-prospectus-forecasting-algorithm/Content?oid=4718344

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Trial of Naperville homeless man, self-described protester, concludes

A trial for a Naperville homeless man and self-described protester on trespassing and disorderly conduct charges concluded Thursday, with a judge expected to rule in the case in about three weeks.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/n16_paPV8-E/chi-trial-of-naperville-homeless-man-selfdescribed-protester-concludes-20110929,0,4386624.story

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Final daze

The last home games of the baseball season are always bittersweet, but this year there was a divide between the north and south sides. The White Sox' last home game Wednesday was more bitter, because of the Sox' higher hopes for this season (which nonetheless found the team finishing below .500) and the fresh departure of Ozzie Guillen for Miami.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/final-daze

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Edward Norton Previews Inaugural Season at Signature Center, Featuring New Play From Edward Albee

The Signature Theatre Company has revealed initial plans for seven productions, including a world premiere by Edward Albee, during its upcoming inaugural season at the new Signature Center. Signature veterans such as Michael Urie, Lois Smith and Frank Wood donned hard hats during a September 28 press conference in the theater's still-under-construction space as board member Edward Norton took to the podium to speak about the company's future.

“I have no words to describe how exciting it is to be involved as a part of this journey,” Norton said, noting the new building will allow the company to explore playwrights' work in the manner similar to art museums displaying the works of famous painters. “We’ve never had the opportunity to examine bodies of work in the theater in the same way that we have come to expect from other cultural forms of expression. The theater needed an institution in which you could see the works of Edward Albee or Tony Kushner examined as a landscape in their own right.”

The company will launch its previously announced Residency One series of works from South African playwright Athol Fugard with a production of Blood Knot directed by Fugard himself ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157887/edward-norton-previews-inaugural-season-at-signature-center-featuring-new-play-from-edward-albee/

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Spend a Day with Follies' Fabulous Song-and-Dance Man Danny Burstein!

In Follies, Danny Burstein is stuck in a love triangle. His character, Buddy Plummer—once a stage door Johnny, now a salesman—is hopelessly in love with his wife, Sally (played by Bernadette Peters), who has in turn been in love with someone else their entire marriage. Luckily, ubertalented character actor Burstein doesn’t have the same problem. The low-key Broadway vet, who has appeared in everything from The Seagull and Saint Joan to Company, South Pacific, The Drowsy Chaperone and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, has been happily married to fellow Broadway favorite Rebecca Luker since 2000. Burstein recently invited Broadway.com photographer Jenny Anderson to tag along and capture the pre-show rituals that get him ready to tackle this taxing role. Click on to join them!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/follies/buzz/157877/spend-a-day-with-follies-fabulous-song-and-dance-man-danny-burstein/

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Foresters hope tiny wasp can fight big problem: The emerald ash borer beetle

Experts released nearly 1,000 Chinese wasps into a Lake County Forest preserve on Thursday that they hope will show how to stop or at least slow the spread of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/p7qLYIv6shc/chi-foresters-hope-tiny-wasp-can-fight-big-problem-the-emerald-ash-borer-beetle-20110929,0,5518097.story

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More weekend jazz

As I wrote in a blog post last week, fall offers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to live music. In this week's Soundboard the Reader covers 14 artists playing in town over the next week (plus two festivals), but of course that's just scratching the surface.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/more-weekend-jazz

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Final daze

The last home games of the baseball season are always bittersweet, but this year there was a divide between the north and south sides. The White Sox' last home game Wednesday was more bitter, because of the Sox' higher hopes for this season (which nonetheless found the team finishing below .500) and the fresh departure of Ozzie Guillen for Miami.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/29/final-daze

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Inbox

Criminal courts?

Re: "Basketball controversies: In the name of protecting kids, there's a movement to take their sports equipment away" by Mick Dumke and Kevin Warwick, September 22 Editor's note: This story elicited dozens of impassioned comments on the Reader's website; here are just a few.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/inbox/Content?oid=4718354

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Northwest suburban 911 dispatchers threaten to strike

Employees of a central dispatch center that handles 911 calls in 11 northwest suburbs are threatening to strike, according to the system that covers 11 northwestern suburbs.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/lcPX69eqNgc/chi-northwest-suburban-911-dispatchers-threaten-to-strike-20110929,0,4159866.story

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Opera Legend-Turned-Follies Star Rosalind Elias on Her New Romance with Theater and 42-Year Honeymoon

Age & hometown: “Oh, say something funny”; Lowell, Massachusetts

Current role: Bringing her powerhouse operatic vocals to her Broadway debut performance as former showgirl Heidi Schiller in Follies.

Black Sheep: The youngest of 13 children of parents from “the old country,” Beirut, Lebanon, Elias didn’t grow up among performers. “Only bad girls go on stage,” she says of her parents’ attitude towards the arts, but she listened to Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts while doing her chores and imagined a career on that stage. “That was my dream,” she says, “and my dream came true.” But it wasn’t an easy sell. “I would talk to my sister who would talk to my mother who would talk to my father," she remembers. “They thought I’d get over it.” At 14, a determined Elias was finally allowed to start studying voice, which led to a degree from New England Conservatory.

Big Break: Elias made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1954, but her big break came four years later as Erika in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa. “I auditioned four times,” she remembers, but the opera wasn’t exactly as she’d imagined. “I went to my boss and said, ‘I’m the ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/follies/buzz/157895/opera-legend-turned-follies-star-rosalind-elias-on-her-new-romance-with-theater-and-42-year-honeymoon/

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Sister Lives: Backstage at ?Sister Act? with Sarah Bolt #6: Broadway Back-Up Plans

It’s time for episode six of Sister Lives: Backstage at ‘Sister Act’ with Sarah Bolt, and our fabulous Broadway.com vlogger went trolling her Twitter feed to find out what her equally fabulous fans wanted to know! This week’s question: What would you do if you weren’t on Broadway? Bolt, for one, nannied the entire Upper East and West Sides of Manhattan before hitting the big time, but admitted that her post-Sister Act dreams include voicing a squirrel in a Disney cartoon. (Hint, hint, Alan Menken.) Marla Mindelle remembers her days as a signing waitress and considering being a foot fetish model, while other post-Broadway plans include being a sex therapist, children’s book writer, coaching football and touring with Beyonce. Oh, and you’ll find out which dancing priest has a law degree. As a bonus, Bolt heads out of town and takes Sister Lives on a Philly field trip. Check it out!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/sister-act/buzz/157888/sister-lives-backstage-at-sister-act-with-sarah-bolt-6-broadway-back-up-plans/

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Edward Norton Previews Inaugural Season at Signature Center, Featuring New Play From Edward Albee

The Signature Theatre Company has revealed initial plans for seven productions, including a world premiere by Edward Albee, during its upcoming inaugural season at the new Signature Center. Signature veterans such as Michael Urie, Lois Smith and Frank Wood donned hard hats during a September 28 press conference in the theater's still-under-construction space as board member Edward Norton took to the podium to speak about the company's future.

“I have no words to describe how exciting it is to be involved as a part of this journey,” Norton said, noting the new building will allow the company to explore playwrights' work in the manner similar to art museums displaying the works of famous painters. “We’ve never had the opportunity to examine bodies of work in the theater in the same way that we have come to expect from other cultural forms of expression. The theater needed an institution in which you could see the works of Edward Albee or Tony Kushner examined as a landscape in their own right.”

The company will launch its previously announced Residency One series of works from South African playwright Athol Fugard with a production of Blood Knot directed by Fugard himself ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157887/edward-norton-previews-inaugural-season-at-signature-center-featuring-new-play-from-edward-albee/

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Lauren Samuels, Alasdair Harvey and Wayne Robinson Set for West End We Will Rock You

Lauren Samuels, Alasdair Harvey and Wayne Robinson will join the cast of the West End's Queen musical, We Will Rock You, on October 10 at the Dominion Theatre. Samuels will take on the role of female lead Scaramouch, with Harvey playing the villain role of Khashoggi and Robinson taking over as brave-hearted rebel Brittany.

Kevin Kennedy (Pop), Brenda Edwards (Killer Queen) and Rachel John (Meat) will continue with the show alongside recent new addition Alex Gaumond, who plays hero Galileo.

Samuels recently appeared on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Wizard of Oz TV casting competition series Over the Rainbow. She has previously appeared on the West End as Sandy in Grease. Harvey's many credits include Phantom of the Opera, Side By Side By Sondheim, Sunday in the Park With George, Les Miserables and Beauty and the Beast. Robinson recently finished a run on the We Will Rock You U.K. tour. His other credits include Hairspray and The Lion King and he has worked as a songwriter for Lulu and Lionel Richie.

We Will Rock You
is entering its 10th year in the West End. Featuring the song catalog of Queen, the musical is set in a dystopian future ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/we-will-rock-you-london/buzz/157892/lauren-samuels-alasdair-harvey-and-wayne-robinson-set-for-west-end-we-will-rock-you/

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Musical Adaptation of Ghost Sets Opening Date at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

The hit musical adaptation of Ghost, currently running at London's Piccadilly Theatre, has set a Broadway opening date of April 23, 2012, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Previews will begin at an unspecified date in March, directed by Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus. No casting has been announced.

Ghost follows a young couple, Sam and Molly, who get mugged while walking home to their New York apartment one night. Sam is murdered and becomes trapped in this world as a ghost, unable to leave Molly, who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her. The London production opened on July 19 with a cast that includes Hair vet Caissie Levy as Molly, Richard Fleeshman as Sam and Sharon D. Clarke as Oda Mae.

Ghost features a book by Bruce Joel Rubin (adapted from his screenplay for the hit 1990 film starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg) and a score by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. The show also features the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” which became the love theme of the movie.

Ghost will have ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157889/musical-adaptation-of-ghost-sets-opening-date-at-broadways-lunt-fontanne-theatre/

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School cleared, backpacks searcherd after single bullet found in suburban high school

St. Charles North High School students were sent home early and after-school programs cancelled after a staff member found a single bullet in a school common area, authorities said.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/kl3N8x9CRUs/chi-west-suburban-high-school-cleared-backpacks-to-be-searched-in-security-issue-20110929,0,4870754.story

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Hysteria!

Victorian sex lives exposed in Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room by Tony Adler The occasional world war, economic meltdown, or ecological collapse notwithstanding, bourgeois society is a fabulous thing. It's given millions upon millions of average people luxuries they couldn't have contemplated under more primitive arrangements, including clean water, plentiful food, warm shelters, store-bought clothes, imported rugs, and a reasonable expectation that they won't get stoned to death by a mob.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/vibrators-loosen-up-the-victorian-bourgeousie/Content?oid=4712720

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Who wants to buy old magazines?

Bob Katzman tries to hang on with his Magazine Museum by Michael Miner In 1976 a young writer named John Baskin published his first book, an exploration of an Ohio hamlet doomed by a new dam. The New Yorker gave it the highest imaginable praise.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bob-katzman-old-magazine-museum/Content?oid=4711871

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Do I Have to Spell It Out?

Solution by Ben Tausig

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/spell-it-out-crossword-key/Content?oid=4718090

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X Factor Winner Shayne Ward Feels the Noize as Stacee Jaxx in London's Rock of Ages

Recording star Shayne Ward is a 2005 winner of Simon Cowell’s X Factor, but only now is the Twitter favorite making his West End debut. Ward, soon to be 27, has signed on through March to play bad boy rocker Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages, the wild 1980s songfest set to open at the Shaftesbury Theater September 28. Broadway.com joined the instantly likable and engaging Ward in his dressing room during previews to find out what it's like swapping Cowell-style fame for life in a raucous, hit-filled stage musical.

It certainly looks from the posters and images in this dressing room as if you’re getting into the Rock of Ages groove.
As you can see, I’ve got Bon Jovi, Journey, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne—even Samantha Fox up there.I suppose you might call it method acting, but it’s just that I like to get myself so involved in the moment that the minute the costumes and the wig go on, I become that character.

And those nails [painted a slightly chipped black]…
That’s Kristin’s decision [director Kristin Hanggi]. See the nail varnish on the shelf? I have to ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/rock-ages/buzz/157874/x-factor-winner-shayne-ward-feels-the-noize-as-stacee-jaxx-in-londons-rock-of-ages/

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Who wants to buy old magazines?

Bob Katzman tries to hang on with his Magazine Museum by Michael Miner In 1976 a young writer named John Baskin published his first book, an exploration of an Ohio hamlet doomed by a new dam. The New Yorker gave it the highest imaginable praise.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bob-katzman-old-magazine-museum/Content?oid=4711871

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'Very Excited' Bobby Cannavale on Funny Girl, Lauren Ambrose and the Legacy of Sydney Chaplin

With his musical theater experience limited to a bit part in the Encores! production of Bells Are Ringing, Bobby Cannavale wasn’t the most obvious choice to play Nicky Arnstein in the upcoming revival of Funny Girl. But he’s certainly an exciting choice, thanks to his risk-taking reputation and recently acclaimed Tony-nominated work in The Motherf**ker with the Hat.

“I’m very excited,” Cannavale told Broadway.com. “I hope that I can do some justice to the memory of [original Funny Girl star] Sydney Chaplin. And we’re all excited cause it’s a show that hasn’t been seen in so long.”

The musical theater novice admitted he’s taken a shine to Chaplin’s performance opposite Barbra Streisand on the original cast recording, although he’s stopped listening to it to prepare for rehearsals. “It’s not really helping me,” he laughed. “I’m just going to my voice teacher and doing what she says and listening to my director.”

Although he worked opposite Funny Girl star Lauren Ambrose for “like two seconds” on an episode of HBO’s Six Feet Under, Cannavale didn’t audition opposite the new Fanny to land the role. “But I ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157870/very-excited-bobby-cannavale-on-funny-girl-lauren-ambrose-and-the-legacy-of-sydney-chaplin/

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Silence of the Lambs Spoof Silence! Finds New Off-Broadway Home For Open Run

The off-Broadway hit Silence! The Musical, a spoof of the Oscar-winning 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, has found a new home at 9th Space Theater at P.S. 122. The production, directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, will begin an open-ended run on October 25. Jenn Harris will reprise the role of Clarice Starling, with casting for Hannibal Lecter to be announced shortly. Original star Brent Barrett is unable able to continue with the show due to prior commitments.

Silence! The Musical, which debuted at the 2005 Fringe Festival,  features a book by Tony nominee Hunter Bell and music and lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan. The show received its first full New York mounting this summer at off-Broadway's Theatre 80. The production opened on July 9 and extended twice before closing on September 24. 

In the original film, rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling matches wits with the brilliant but insane cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, to catch the serial killer known only as Buffalo Bill. Clarice must face her own demons and race the clock to unlock Lecter’s clues before another innocent girl is killed. In the musical version, the action is narrated by a singing ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157867/silence-of-the-lambs-spoof-silence-finds-new-off-broadway-home-for-open-run/

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Key Ingredient: Sugarcane

Dirk Flanigan of Henri and the Gage brings out the big knives to tackle these five-foot-long stalks by Julia Thiel The Chef: Dirk Flanigan (Henri and the Gage) The Challenger: Luke Creagan (Pops for Champagne) The Ingredient: Sugarcane When sugarcane stalks are cut for commercial use, it usually requires a machete or larger machine?both of which Dirk Flanigan lacked.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/henri-the-gage-dirk-flanigan-tackles-sugarcane/Content?oid=4713450

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DCFS and Mexico renew agreement on immigrant parents, kids

Salvador Cicero remembers the case of a Mexican child who was allowed outside by his immigrant parents in the cold Chicago winter with no shoes.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/I6unFcajhRQ/chi-dcfs-and-mexico-renew-agreement-on-immigrant-parents-kids-20110928,0,6096934.story

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Dee Hoty, Samantha Mathis & Concetta Tomei Complete October Cast Of Love, Loss and What I Wore

Tony nominee Dee Hoty, Samantha Mathis and Concetta Tomei will join previously announced star La La Anthony in the October cast of Love, Loss and What I Wore, joining current cast member Zuzanna Szadkowski, who has signed on for an additional month. The women will join the production on October 5 and remain with the show through October 30 at off-Broadway's Westside Theatre.

Hoty has received Tony nominations for Footloose, Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public and The Will Rogers Follies. Her other Broadway credits include Bye Bye Birdie, Mamma Mia!, Me and My Girl, City of Angels, The Five O'Clock Girl and Shakespeare's Cabaret.

Mathis has appeared on Broadway in 33 Variations and The Man Who Had All The Luck. Her film and TV credits include American Psycho, First Years, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Broken Arrow, Super Mario Bros. and Little Women.

Tomei's Broadway work includes Cyrano, The Elephant Man, Noises Off and Goodbye Fidel. Her other credits include The Clean House, Richard II, The Normal Heart, Fen and Cloud Nine.

Szadkowsi is best known as Dorota on TV's Gossip Girl. Her other TV work includes Guiding Light, The Sopranos and Law and Order. She has ...

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/love-loss-and-what-i-wore/buzz/157878/dee-hoty-samantha-mathis-concetta-tomei-complete-october-cast-of-love-loss-and-what-i-wore/

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CTU president says she never agreed to join advisory panel on longer school days

Lewis says her recollections of talks with Brizard differ from his

Some Chicago public schools started their longer school day schedules this week, and an advisory committee is already at work helping all CPS schools transition to the expanded day next fall. But district and teachers union officials still are bickering over who should serve on that advisory committee.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/QSs9NPpq6zo/ct-met-cps-board-20110929,0,1684417.story

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Joanna Gleason, Santino Fontana & More Take the Stage in Sons of the Prophet

Tony winner Joanna Gleason returns to the New York stage on September 28, as Stephen Karam’s Sons of the Prophet begins previews at the Laura Pels Theatre. Peter Dubois will direct the Roundabout Theatre Company's limited engagement, which runs through December 23.

Broadway regular Santino Fontana joins Gleason in this story of a Lebanese family in Pennsylvania who never lose their sense of humor as they struggle with crazy bosses, medical mysteries and other issues. With unexplained chronic pain and the fate of his reeling family on his shoulders, Joseph Douaihy (Fontana) takes a job with a kooky former book editor named Gloria (Gleason).

The cast of Sons of the Prophet also includes Yusef Bulos, Jonathan Louis Dent, Lizbeth Mackay, Dee Nelson, Chris Perfetti and Charles Socarides. Head to the Laura Pels Theatre and see this family drama unfold!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/sons-prophet/buzz/157868/joanna-gleason-santino-fontana-more-take-the-stage-in-sons-of-the-prophet/

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Local news ? a "complex ecosystem"

If you have a soft spot in your heart for newspapers, here's some troubling news:

"Most Americans (69%) say that if their local newspaper no longer existed, it would not have a major impact on their ability to keep up with information and news about their community."

But most Americans might be wrong. The new report I'm quoting from continues:

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/26/local-news-a-complex-ecosystem

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Dunn breaks White Sox strikeout record in bizarre style

Adam Dunn set the White Sox season strikeout record last night?and he did it in one of the stranger at bats you'll see.

A week ago I thought he no longer could break the record; he simply had too few whiff opportunities remaining.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/28/dunn-breaks-white-sox-strikeout-record-in-bizarre-style

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The Asian effect: How early in life does it start?

In 2007, median household income for Asian-Americans was $66,000, compared with $52,000 for European-Americans, $39,000 for Hispanic-Americans, and $34,000 for African-Americans. This likely is due in part to a striking difference in educational attainment between racial and ethnic groups: in 2003, 50 percent of Asian-Americans 25 or older had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 30 percent of European-Americans, 17 percent of African-Americans, and 11 percent of Hispanic-Americans.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/26/the-asian-effect-how-early-in-life-does-it-start

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A brief afternoon dilemma re: Peter Hook

Judging by the stories I've heard from people who've worked with Peter Hook and interviews with him I've read, the guy is about as awful at being a person as he is amazing at writing bass lines?i.e., he is apparently pretty much a shitty dude. So my first reaction to hearing that Hook was embarking on a tour playing songs by Joy Division with a band that includes neither of his former Joy Division bandmates?who recently reached some sort of breaking point after several decades of putting up with him and finally booted him out of New Order?was to mentally roll my eyes and make barfing motions.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/23/a-brief-afternoon-dilemma-re-peter-hook

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Sutton Foster Lands Leading Role in ABC Family Pilot Bunheads

Two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster has nabbed the starring role in Bunheads, a forthcoming ABC Family pilot from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Foster will play Michelle, a Las Vegas showgirl who impulsively marries a man and moves to his sleepy coastal town, taking a role at her mother-in-law’s dance school. No other casting has been announced.

Foster is currently starring as Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, for which she won the 2011 Best Actress Tony. She received her second Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie and received Tony nominations for Little Women, Shrek and The Drowsy Chaperone. On TV, Foster has guest-starred on Flight of the Conchords and Law & Order: SVU.

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/anything-goes/buzz/157886/sutton-foster-lands-leading-role-in-abc-family-pilot-bunheads/

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Casino money for the arts?

The Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill that would give 2 percent of tax revenues from casinos in that state to arts programs, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The proposed legislation also includes audience size and booking restrictions for casino entertainment, which arts groups there regard as competition.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/28/casino-money-for-the-arts

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Sidewalk Serenade! Kristin Chenoweth Takes a Seat on NBC's Talk Stoop

During a visit to New York to promote the release of her new solo album, Some Lessons Learned, Kristin Chenoweth took a seat on the steps of a brownstone to chat with Cat Greenleaf on NBC's Talk Stoop. Chenoweth reminisced about her days in Wicked, chatted about the inspirations for her new album and previewed a few of Lessons' songs, including "Fathers and Daughters." The actress even refused to be silenced by a loud cement mixer in the background, and embraced the Big Apple craziness by continuing on with the interview. Squat on the stoop next to Chenoweth by clicking below!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157883/sidewalk-serenade-kristin-chenoweth-takes-a-seat-on-nbcs-talk-stoop/

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Learn everything you wanted to know about the water you drink

Chicago uses one billion gallons of water a day, the vast majority of which is processed at the James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant, the largest treatment plant in the world. (You'd recognize it from its trademark "cribs," those little houses floating out in the lake you can see from the beach.)?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/23/learn-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-water-you-drink

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This week's movie action

Like Ron Howard's The Dilemma earlier this year, Moneyball is a Hollywood movie too smart to be marketed effectively, which may be the reason its 15-second TV spot is an ungainly marriage of critics' blurbs and disconnected one-liners. If you've got more than 15 seconds to spare and you want to get an idea what the movie is actually about, check out our long review.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/23/this-weeks-movie-action

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Chicago aldermen crack down on employee vacation payouts

The number of vacation days non-union city employees can cash out when they leave their jobs would be significantly reduced under a proposal a key City Council committee endorsed today.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/atF0x3w7o90/chi-chicago-aldermen-crack-down-on-employee-vacation-payouts-20110928,0,7196184.story

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Local boutiques spiff up their websites

Bucktown boutiques Robin Richman and Clever Alice?shops that offer very different but well-curated clothing and accessory collections of mainly European origin?both recently unveiled redesigned websites. You can now find more photos of the highly covetable goods at Robin Richman (although sadly there's still no online shopping), while things at Clever Alice are sleeker and more professional looking.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/26/local-boutiques-spiff-up-their-websites

chicago musical

Learn everything you wanted to know about the water you drink

Chicago uses one billion gallons of water a day, the vast majority of which is processed at the James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant, the largest treatment plant in the world. (You'd recognize it from its trademark "cribs," those little houses floating out in the lake you can see from the beach.)?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/23/learn-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-water-you-drink

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Watch Jeremy Jordan and Dolly Parton Sing Out in Trailer for Joyful Noise

Jeremy Jordan is having quite the fall as he currently stars in the Disney musical Newsies at the Paper Mill Playhouse before bringing Bonnie & Clyde to Broadway in December. Looks like Jordan's profile is going to continue to rise in January with the release of the new movie musical Joyful Noise. Starring Tony nominee Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah (who scored an Oscar nod for the film adaptation of Chicago) as rival choir teachers, the film follows the duo as they team up for a Los Angeles competition. When Parton recruits her vocally gifted grandson (Jordan) to the team, he sparks a heated romance with Queen Latifah's daughter. Jordan recently revealed to Broadway.com he landed the role after going on for the first time as Constantine Maroulis' swing in Rock of Ages...and Joyful Noise director/writer Todd Graff just happened to be in the house! Take a look at the trailer below, in which Jordan sings a Paul McCartney classic, Queen Latifah belts out some Stevie Wonder and Dolly tackles Chris Brown! Joyful Noise hits theaters January 13, 2012.

Source: http://www.broadway.com/shows/bonnie-clyde/buzz/157860/watch-jeremy-jordan-and-dolly-parton-sing-out-in-trailer-for-joyful-noise/

chicago climate

Hasta la vista, Ozzie

For the last several years it's been a joy to sit in the dugout and listen to Ozzie Guillen's media sessions on a daily basis. Before the game, he'd make himself accessible to reporters to discuss the day's news?who's playing, who's not, while sizing up contenders and the given opponents?inevitably followed by a more free-ranging, off-the-record session.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/27/hasta-la-vista-ozzie

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Jennifer Hudson, Angela Lansbury and More Hit the Town at the American Theatre Wing's 2011 Gala

Attendees at the American Theatre Wing's annual gala at the Plaza Hotel received a rare treat: a live performance from Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson! The September 26 event, which honored longtime American Theatre Wing board member Sir Howard Stringer, a.k.a. Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation, raised more than $550,000 for the Wing's education and outreach programs. Broadway favorites like Angela Lansbury, Elaine Paige, Colin Donnell and Kelli O'Hara were also on hand to support the cause. Score your own invite to the elegant event by checking out Broadway.com's photos below!

Source: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/157864/jennifer-hudson-angela-lansbury-and-more-hit-the-town-at-the-american-theatre-wings-2011-gala/

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Highwood mayor on DUI: 'I let my guard down'

Too much wine during a family gathering over Labor Day weekend led to the DUI charge against Highwood Mayor Charlie Pecaro, he said in an interview.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/AxD23RTMISI/chi-highwood-mayor-on-dui-charge-i-let-my-guard-down-20110928,0,172776.story

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Elmhurst school district cuts teachers, support staff

Eleven teachers and seven support staff would be eliminated in Elmhurst Community District 205, fees would be increased and class sizes would be slightly increased under a new budget approved for the 2011-2012 school year.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/IUoJPdveH10/chi-elmhurst-schools-cut-teachers-support-staff-20110928,0,2532411.story

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This week in Food & Drink: Key Ingredient bamboo worms, Masa Azul, Cocktail Challenge nutritional yeast

In Key Ingredient Pops for Champagne chef Luke Creagan takes on bamboo worms, which he ordered from a Pennsylvania bait shop?they came in cans labeled ?Not for human consumption.? Fried, they?re a common street food in Thailand, and Creagan too decided to go that route, frying them with french fries and cheese curds to make poutine. He?s not putting the dish on the menu, but he says that ?If someone comes in and asks, I?ve got cans of them, and if you?re crazy, I?ll fry some up for you.? Next up is Dirk Flanigan of Henri and the Gage, working with sugarcane.?

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Source: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2011/09/23/this-week-in-food-and-drink-key-ingredient-bamboo-worms-masa-azul-cocktail-challenge-nutritional-yeast

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