New season, better outcome
As the top team in the Eastern Conference in the 2013 regular season, the Sky earned its first playoff berth in franchise history. With it came enormous expectations.But it all came crashing down in...
View ArticleHometown pride
While most films in last month's Chicago Latino Film Festival took audiences around the world, three movies kept things very close to home."Albert,""Mi Princesa" and "For the Love of Mom" were the only...
View Article'Godzilla' is poetry in commotion
*** (out of four)I'm not a fan of Mumford and Sons, but I mean this as a compliment: "Godzilla" is a good use of that band's formula. The movie establishes restraint and adds nice texture throughout,...
View ArticleWicker Park Fest 2014 lineup
Wicker Park Fest announced its 2014 music lineup and headliners, including Owls, legendary DJ (and composer of the "Mad Men" theme song) RJD2 and JEFF The Brotherhood.The fest will take place July...
View ArticleI don't feel like being epic
The Internet is a pretty cool place. It gave us hamsters eating tiny burritos, unique languages that allow us to imagine what dogs and cats would sound like if they could talk and a Twitter account for...
View ArticleThe essentials
Wrigleyville is like a drunk eclipse. Stare directly at its center-Wrigley Field's Captain Morgan Club or the bleachers-and risk personal injury. It's sometimes marginally safer to stay around its...
View ArticleStraight from Godzilla
From Bryan Cranston to Ken Watanabe to Elizabeth Olsen to Sally Hawkins, there's no shortage of A-list stars in Gareth Edwards'"Godzilla," out Friday. But there's one big name who's shied away from the...
View ArticleHaim's great expectations
The three sisters of Haim didn't release any music until they'd been a band for five years, spending much of that time honing what's now a must-see live show. On "Falling," the first track on the...
View ArticleWhat is the 'new black'?
Recently, rapper/singer/songwriter/multimillionaire superstar Pharrell Williams told Oprah Winfrey that being successful is not about skin color, but a state of mind. Enter the "new black.""The `new...
View ArticlePop-up tiki bar in Loop
"First of all, I am not trying to steal business from Three Dots and a Dash [laughs]," said Mike Ryan, head bartender at Hotel Palomar's Sable Kitchen & Bar. He's referring to his new pop-up tiki...
View ArticleLolla 2014 scheduling decisions
"Why, Lolla, why?!"That's the annual cry of frustrated concertgoers upon seeing the Lollapalooza schedule and all the good-bands-at-the-same-time conflicts that come along with it. Lolla 2014 is no...
View ArticleBike-friendly West Town, Lakeview
The Lakeview and West Town chambers of commerce want to bill their neighborhoods as bike-friendly places to spend money, and are working to unveil a joint program to offer discounts to cyclists in...
View ArticlePlans this weekend? We have ideas
EAT80th Anniversary CelebrationLotties Pub1925 W. Cortland St. 773-489-0738Party like it's 1934 with 80-cent burgers (noon-4 p.m. Saturday) and all-day Saturday specials including $8 homemade pizzas,...
View ArticleBig scare at Willis Tower
For a few very long seconds, Alejandro Garibay thought the only thing between him and the street 103 stories below was the pane of glass quickly cracking as he sat on the Ledge on the side of Willis...
View Article'Maleficent' is bad-just bad
* (out of four)Plenty of stories covered in animated Disney movies have become live-action adventures. "101 Dalmatians.""Alice in Wonderland.""Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the...
View ArticleCM Punk can paint. Who knew?
When the Cubs set out to have 50 custom-made chairs painted in honor of Wrigley Field's 100th anniversary, they didn't mess around.Actors Vince Vaughn and Gary Sinise, Martellus Bennett of the...
View ArticleNew Chicago food trucks
Despite a relentless winter and brisk competition for choice parking spots, Chicago's food truck scene continues to chug along. Just in time for summer, City Council just approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel's...
View ArticlePhones on porcelain thrones
If you're reading this on the toilet, do not feel ashamed. A new (albeit sponsored) study suggests the average American spends 16-minutes daily on an electronic device while on the porcelain throne....
View ArticleCTA upgrades mean closures
The Damen and California Blue Line stations will temporarily close for multiple weeks this fall under a preliminary station construction plan the CTA unveiled Thursday.The $33 million station work,...
View ArticlePark my bike
Chicago has more than 14,000 public bicycle racks, but it can still be challenging to find places to lock up on the go.The alternative options for locking a bike in public include parking signs, bus...
View Article