Svengoolie will be among the spooky stars at this weekend's Ghost Conference.(photo via myspace.com/svengoolie26)
Chicago Ghost Conference 5-11 p.m. Friday and 8:30 p.m.-midnight Saturday; Portage Theater; $50 for a two-day pass
Join paranormal experts and speakers for this annual event about all things otherworldly. This year's speakers include Lorraine Warren from A&E's "Paranormal State" and Jeff Belanger, paranormal author and creator of Ghostvillage.com, who join members of paranormal groups from around the country to educate, inform, network, share ideas and entertain others that are fascinated with the supernatural. If that's not enough, Chicago legend Svengoolie makes an appearance on Friday night.
If an event were to include even two of these things, we know you'd be scrambling for tickets. Next Friday's Lucha Va Voom event at the Congress Theater has all three (plus, possibly, midgets). The touring spectacle has been featured in numerous publications and on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and included appearances from the likes of Jack Black, Robin Williams and Patton Oswalt...and now it's finally coming to Chicago.
Tickets range from $25-$60, but we have three pairs to give away! To be entered in the drawing, send a direct message with your namemessage with the words "Sign me up for the Lucha Va Voom ticket contest!" to Centerstage via Twitter by this Friday, September 11, at 3 p.m.
Next Tuesday, Sept. 8, Beyonce's better half will headline a free concert at 8 p.m. at Chicago's House of Blues.
The tickets are free, which means there's a big commercial promotion with it, of course, courtesy of Samsung and AT&T (you can try out their new JACK cell phone at the show). Here are the two ways to land the free tickets: (1) A certain number of tickets are made available each day leading up to the show on this Samsung site — which also shows the other free concerts around the country, and boy did we get the best act. (2) Listen to WPWX for ticket giveaways.
The next Bulls star? Or just your lunch companion?
Dwyane Wade is coming to Chicago....to eat steak.
While the Miami Heat star guard may not be joining his hometown Bulls just yet, you'll have a chance to talk him into the idea during the latest installment of Lunch with a Legend at Morton's Wacker Drive location on Wednesday, September 9. For $50, you'll get a three course meal including a salad (Caesar or Morton's house salad), entree (single cut filet with mashed potatoes, chicken Christopher with mashed potatoes or salmon filet with garlic green beans) and chocolate mousse for dessert. Nonalcoholic drinks are also included, and Waddle and Silvy will be broadcasting live on ESPN 1000 beginning at noon. The lunch starts at 11 a.m.; reserve your spot by calling (312) 201-0464.
Stephanie Izard poses for a picture with Hector, the goat pinata. (Via Twitpic)
In case you didn't know, The Wandering Goat is the traveling dinner-party series hosted by former Top Chef champion Stephanie Izard, in anticipation of the eventual opening of her West Loop restaurant, The Drunken Goat, in early 2010. Last night, Izard and friends threw the first of six dinners in a beautiful backyard near the United Center (the home of socca chef/owner Roger Herring), and we were there to catch the action. All in all, it was a heck of a night that went well past the scheduled closing time. In classic Our Town fashion, we loved...
1. Stephanie Izard. And not just because of all the great food she prepared. Izard has built a reputation for being extremely genuine and just plain nice, and that all came through during the evening, as she (as well as fellow Top Chef alum Lee Anne Wong) spent time talking to pretty much everyone at the party, discussing everything from goat skulls (there was one perched atop a mannequin to welcome guests as they arrived) to fraise du bois (the wild strawberries that highlighted the sumptuous dessert table). She even put her considerable clout to good use, getting us a fresh Gumballhead from the Three Floyds man (we love you, too) just when we needed it most.
2. Lamb-stuffed calamari...and that was just the start of it. The food was limited to small plates at three stations spaced around the backyard, but we wouldn't guess that anyone left hungry or unsatisfied. We didn't catch all the ingredients of each dish, but some of our favorites were a grilled octopus salad with a citrusy dressing and tons of bacon; fry bread topped with short rib, tomatoes and queso fresco; and the aforementioned calamari dish topped with fried onions (we also recall a braised pork shoulder with slaw atop a small biscuit; polenta with gooseberries and corn salad; and oyster shooters). And let's not forget about the dessert. Black Dog Gelato came through with three flavors of creamy goodness -- banana curry, red pepper and ginger lemon -- which were served in mini pink Chinese takeout containers along with berries and other additions.
3. "Mo' Money Mo' Problems"...and the rest of the upbeat tracks playing throughout the night. The freewheeling soundtrack was emblematic of the very laid-back atmosphere -- it was the kind of party what you always hope your backyard BBQs will become (too bad you can't charge $50 a pop). Several times during the evening we thought a dance party might break out among the crowd, which was filled with everyone from major food-media personnel to Top Chef aficionados to that one couple who was doing some toe-sucking right next to us on the deck. As we said, it was a fun night.
Want to get in on the next dinner? Make sure to follow Stephanie on Twitter for all the details.
As if you needed another reason to visit The Wit Hotel (in addition to its popular rooftop bar, Roof, and its upscale restaurant, State and Lake), now there's a Michael Jackson shrine in its lobby.
The memorial, which will be open 24 hours a day through next Friday, July 3, includes a portrait-size photo of the King of Pop surrounded by 20 votive candles. Jackson's music will be incorporated into the Muzak rotation (one song per hour).
We're guessing that you're not one of the lucky few who got invited to the exclusive screening of "Public Enemies" tonight at the AMC River East (unless you're reading this, Roger). But that doesn't mean you can't head down to catch a glimpse of the stars attending the red-carpet event, including Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard and director Michael Mann. They're expected to arrive around 6 p.m., so try and leave work early -- the crowds will be out in full force.
Want Ari Gold to swear at you? It could happen. One of several prizes in the silent auction at next week's Piven Theatre Workshop Annual Benefit is a walk-on role on "Entourage," the HBO show starring Jeremy Piven as a high-powered, foul-mouthed super-agent to the stars.
Piven will be at Rockit Bar & Grill on Saturday, June 20 to host the event with friend (and Rockit owner) Billy Dec from 6-10 p.m. Proceeds from the $125 tickets will help provide scholarships to kids wishing to train at the famed Piven workshop in Evanston. See, Ari's not as heartless as he sounds.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (right) poses with Second City actor Joey Bland, who plays Blagojevich in the Second City show "Rod Blagojevich Superstar," as Blagojevich guest hosts on WLS Radio in March.(AP file)
As his wife braves self-absorbed reality TV stars and other creatures in the Costa Rican wilds, Rod Blagojevich this weekend will venture into another jungle: the Second City show mocking him as a corrupt, vainglorious buffoon.
It will be Blagojevich's first time seeing the four-month-old musical, although he interviewed its stars during a March fill-in stint on WLS-AM (890).
The "Superstar" run recently was extended through Aug. 9.
Proceeds from Saturday's ticket sales will benefit Gila's Club Chicago, which offers support for everyone living with cancer — men, women, teens and children.
The Four Seasons hosts a legend on June 13. Filmmaker George Lucas (of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" fame) will be the guest of honor at an exclusive event, where he will receive the Gene Siskel Film Center Visionary Award for Innovation in Filmmaking. In addition to the presentation of the statue (designed by the team behind Oscar), the white-bearded one will also engage in a discussion led by, um, Jon Favreau (come on, he did direct "Iron Man"). The conversation will include film clips from throughout Lucas's career.
The evening will kick off with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner menu inspired by Lucas's films. Tickets ($400-$1,000) are available by phone at (312) 846-2072.
One question: Does a Storm Trooper suit qualify as "cocktail glam"?
Kanye West and his mom, the late Donda West, on stage together in 2006.(AP file)
Tickets go on sale Thursday for the next hometown concert by hip-hop hero Kanye West — and this one's for a special cause.
The performance will be 8:30 p.m. June 11 as part of the second "Stay in School" Benefit Concert at the Chicago Theatre, supporting the Kanye West Foundation, which was founded in 2007 by Kanye's momma, the late Dr. Donda West, to help combat the school dropout problem plaguing the country (along with Chicago Public Schools and S.H.O.W.). The show will also be broadcast later in the summer on Fuse TV.
Tickets range from $49.50 to $500 (for the VIP Reception) and can be purchased here.
From an event press release:
Highland Park High School sophomore, David Abrams, conceived the event concept as he listened to a story on NPR about a Chicago Public School (CPS) student who was failing out of school. As an incentive to stay in school, the student’s mother offered two tickets to a Lil Wayne concert. David then turned to his mom and said “We should do that – let’s get kids to SHOW up to school, get their grades up and put on a free concert for them.” David formed S.H.O.W (Students Helping Our World), which is run by a group of Highland Park teens and supported by parents like Wendy Abrams, an environmental activist and founder of Cool Globes. S.H.O.W formed partnerships with CPS, the City of Chicago, former quarterback of the Chicago Bears Kyle Orton, and ultimately the Kanye West Foundation.
... S.H.O.W will offer free tickets to students who demonstrate marked improvements in attendance and/or grades in the last quarter of the current school year. Approximately 3,000 inner city and Chicago area students will have the opportunity to meet Kanye West and experience an intimate behind-the-scenes snapshot of how he prepares for a concert.
“I have always had the desire to help people and make the world a better place. I believe that youth are the music for creating a world filled with harmony. To create such a world, however, we must all do our part,” Kanye says in the same statement.
Were you at the House of Blues for the Drake show on Friday? Do tell. What caused the fight — and was it related to the man outside who got shot in his backside?
Here's (a) a rip-roarin' tale of the evening from NBC5, about the show's ridiculous delay, the restless crowd and fears of the incident's chilling effect on hip-hop shows in Chi town, and (b) YouTube video from the concert, showing Drake doing his thing (warning: adult language!) and then falling apart once the fight starts. And that's Lupe Fiasco holding him back ...
Back in the 1970s, long before anyone pitied the fool, there was a bouncer at the Chicago nightclub Dingbats named Laurence Tureaud. Today, that address (622 N. Fairbanks Court) is a pub called Timothy O'Toole's, and Laurence is better known as Mr. T.
In celebration of Mr. T's 57th birthday on Thursday, the staff of Timothy O'Toole's will be dressed in the garb the sweet-but-menacing T-man made famous: mohawks (OK, many will be faux-hawks), overalls and lots and lots of gold chains. The pub's chef, Sean O'Brien, has even created themed food and drinks — Mr. T appetizers, a B.A. Baracus Burger, a Mrs. T-ni Thunder Punch Cocktail — and there will be trivia games. (Q.On what TV sitcom did Mr. T play bodyguard to a spoiled rich kid?A. after the jump ...)
The Mr. T's Birthday Bash begins at 9 p.m. Thursday. Maybe he'll show up. We know he's around: Just a couple of weeks ago, our photographers caught him coming out of the Cook County Courthouse after serving jury duty ...
IT'S JUST A FLESH WOUND ...
Terry Jones, a founding member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python and co-director of the 1975 movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” will host a showing of the film at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, as part of the theater’s “Meet the Maker” series. An hour-long question-and-answer session after the screening will be a rare treat for Monty Python fans. Tickets are $39.50 to $44.50. Call (773) 472-3492 or visit www.lakeshoretheater.com.
Audarshia of 312DD's got the scoop (we hope she heard via text) on a special celebrity appearance at Rockit Bar & Grill tonight. Ed Westwick (aka Chuck Bass) and his "Gossip Girl" co-star and possible real-life girlfriend, Jessica Szohr (aka Vanessa Abrams) will be on hand from 7-10 p.m. to help launch Target's new "Bullseye Bazaar" pop-up shop.
Want to meet the sneaky bastard and his occasional booty call (the two were actually caught kissing off set recently)? RSVP for the party, which includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, at vip@rockitranch.com.
Hey, bookworms! Three events for you to get out of the house for this week:
Steve Harvey, who's been sitting pretty atop the best seller lists for a few weeks, signs Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, 6 tonight at Borders, 830 N. Michigan.
Find those great editions you've been hunting at the Northwestern University Library Book Sale. Pick from nearly 8,000 books — including a 1920 edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise — mostly priced from $3 (hardcovers), $2 (paperbacks) and less. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at 1970 Campus Drive in Evanston.
Actress Julianne Moore is in town promoting her children's book, Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully. She'll sign copies of the book from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Bloomingdale’s, 900 N. Michigan; and at 4 p.m. Monday at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.
Here's one more reason to visit the Green City Market during the (fingers-crossed) beautiful weekend: restaurateur and author Alice Waters will be there on Saturday signing copies of her new book, "The Edible Schoolyard," according to the Tribune's food blog, The Stew. The book examines how the "slow food" pioneer and a group of teachers turned a Berkeley middle school's land into a garden.
Waters will be signing from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, then touring the market (open from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.).
In times like these, that luxurious lifestyle you always dreamed of can feel even further out of reach. But you don't have to be a millionaire to spend your weekend in the company of fine automobiles, gourmet food and sparkling jewelry--all you need is 20 bucks.
That's the admission fee for the Luxury Living Expo, April 24-26 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. The three-day exhibit offers attendees a chance to get up close and personal with amenities they might never be able to afford (though you will have to pay for any of the sports memorabilia you win in the silent auction). The show runs 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
Want a free lunch with Art Smith, the chef vouched for by the satisfied palettes of both Oprah and Obama? The Table 52 maestro (and future "Top Chef" competitor!) will be whipping up lunch on April 27 for a select few — in a secret location.
Head to NBCChicago.com and answer some local trivia questions. The first 160 people to pass the "test" will get a golden ticket to the lunch event, which consists of a password and the secret locale (not revealed until the day of). Chew on that!
The boys of Bassprov welcome a special guest this week.
Everyone laughs in the same language. That's the general premise behind the 12th annual Chicago Improv Festival, which starts tonight at the Lakeshore Theater. This year's event is the most diverse ever, with 90 ensembles from six countries (Canada, Israel, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the U.S.) performing on 11 stages over the next week.
But you won't pay $20 per show (less, for some) for a glorified Benetton ad. You'll get lots of comedy, too. Some highlights (check the festival site for the full schedule and ticket info):
FACEBOOK, with Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel ("30 Rock"), headlines Tuesday night at the Lakeshore, along with Siblings of Doctors and Mission IMPROVable
Boom Chicago alumni, including MAD TV's Ike Barinholtz and Jordan Peele, bring a taste of Amsterdam to the Lakeshore stage on Friday
Joe Flaherty, of SCTV fame, will receive a Lifetime Achievement award on Wednesday at Second City ETC, then show why he got it by performing with Impromptu Splendor (Saturday at Second City Skybox) and Bassprov (Sunday at Lakeshore Theater)
One internationally infamous comedian who won't be performing: Andy Dick, whose Saturday-night show was cancelled.
Stephanie Izard poses for a picture with Hector, the goat pinata. (Via 
