News of the day

'Wicked': Was it a good show, or a bad show?

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:20:45 -0600

Erin Mackey as Glinda the Good Witch in Chicago's resident production of "Wicked." (File)

"Wicked" has been a fixture in Chicago theater for three years. Residents and tourists alike have flocked to the theater — often repeatedly — to see this show, telling the backstory of the witches of Oz. When it closes here in January, it'll truly be a bubble bursting.

How many times did you go? What did the show mean to you? Comment below ...

And, what do you think should replace it for a long run? "Dirty Dancing"? "Mary Poppins"?

The first look at 'Grand Theft Auto IV' gameplay

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:27:42 -0600

The G4 network on Monday was the first to preview the gameplay in the new "Grand Theft Auto IV," out Tuesday. Here' a look at their live, cable-network demo of the game:

Pretty Good Dance Moves is the new Electronic Fenom

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:02:05 -0600

Chicago dance-music duo Pretty Good Dance Moves just won a fan-voted contest at FameCast.com. Watch the video to their winning, self-titled song here in all its groovy, motorcycle-helmeted glory...

Environmentally conscious pop songs

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:20:03 -0600

If we were making a playlist of our favorite environmentally conscious pop songs, these would definitely be included. Tell us yours!

"What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
"This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie
"My Dirty Stream" by Pete Seeger
"Pollution" by Tom Lehrer
"Hungry Planet" by The Byrds
"Don't Go Near the Water" by The Beach Boys
‘‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’’ by Marvin Gaye
‘‘Big Yellow Taxi’’ by Joni Mitchell
"Before the Deluge" by Jackson Browne
'‘After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young
"Mama Nature Said" by Thin Lizzy
"A Hard Day on the Planet" by Loudon Wainwright III
"Paradise" by John Prine
"If a Tree Falls" Bruce Cockburn
"Roads Girdle the Globe" by XTC
"Fall on Me" by R.E.M.
"Poison in the Well" by 10,000 Maniacs
"Nothing but Flowers" by Talking Heads
"The Landscape Is Changing" by Depeche Mode
"Autogeddon Blues" by Julian Cope
"I Need to Wake Up" by Melissa Etheridge
"No Cars Go" by Arcade Fire

Songwriters out in force for Obama

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:20:00 -0600

If the presidential race were won by the number of voters who step up to a microphone to sing about their candidate, Obama would have it in a landslide. And as the Democratic primaries drone on, more and more celebrities and nobodies are singing, playing and rapping in support of his campaign.

Here's a look at some of the most popular (Obama Girl) and preposterous (Hillary boy?!) videos currently making the rounds online:

Have you seen Beatle Bob?

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:53:55 -0600

He doesn’t sing or play an instrument. Instead, the gangly, 55-year-old overgrown adolescent known as Beatle Bob just may be the world’s only full-time concertgoer. The nickname is a nod to the bowl haircut he’s worn since the Fab Four first rocked his world during junior high four decades ago.

You've probably seen him at a show somewhere in Chicago, or one of the big festivals — dancing at the lip of the stage, like a man possessed.

And while the full-time fan has his admirers, plenty of other music lovers are fed up with what they consider churlish behavior.

Have you seen him? Where? Was he a funny oddity that lifted your spirits, or did he drive you crazy and you shouted him down?

DeRogatis makes 'Late Night' debut

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:09:27 -0600

Our very own music critic Jim DeRogatis made an appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" Monday.

At best, most Super Bowl ads just ok

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:30:07 -0600

Lewis Lazare: And so it goes, folks. The Super Bowl of Advertsing draws to close with a sexy bow from Victoria's Secret and another juvenile prank from Amp the energy drink. We've seen a lot of work the past three hours or so. Will any of it stand the test of time? Maybe a couple of spots have a stab at that. Most definitely, the vast majority of work we've just seen will not. Call it kinder and gentler advertising if you want. We think most of the ads were, at best, just ok.

Read more about what we thought about this year's Super Bowl of Advertising in tomorrow's Sun-Times.

See you back here next year for another go-round.

Bud Light's Endorsement

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:28:56 -0600

Watch "Jackie Moon" endorse Bud Light.

Coke's Jinx

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:24:02 -0600

Click here to watch Coke's commercial, Jinx.

Bud Light's Ability to Fly

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:17:11 -0600

To watch Bud Light's Ability to Fly commercial, click here.

Coke side of life uplifting

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:10:48 -0600

Lewis Lazare: Don't ya just love the Coke side of life. This uplifting bit of commercial magic involving two Macy's parade balloons is the kind of advertising we need a whole lot more of in this country. Kudos to Coke for making us remember what made this Cola the world's most famous brand. And don't underestimate the power of the music that accompanies the battle of the balloons. The music definitely helps make the spot work so well.

Click here to watch the advertisement again.

NFL does storytelling the way we like it

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:09:35 -0600

Lewis Lazare: Let's toast the fine art of storytelling in commercials. Shall we? If nothing else, this nifty NFL spot that just ran tells us the story of how Chester Pitts got to the Super Bowl. Well, how he kinda sorta got to the Super Bowl in an ad. We are big fans of storytelling in advertising. A tip of the hat to the NFL for doing it the way we like it.

To view the commercial, click here.

Shame on you E-trade

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:46:22 -0600

Lewis Lazare: Did we mention dregs? You're watching 'em folks. Talking babies that vomit right before our eyes during the Super Bowl of Advertising. E-trade, shame on you. We deserve better.

Bud Light's Wheel ad

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:44:27 -0600

To watch Bud Light's Wheel ad, click here.