02/14/08

The Singles Bracket: The Championship Game

The guitar lessons were great, but did the crush on the teacher remain just that—a crush?

And what goes better with a pick-up line—a Black Cat espresso or a Miller Light on a doily?

We present the championship match-up...

02/13/08

The Singles Bracket: Final Four

Even though an anonymous commenter called it a place "full of dumb yupps," the soccer league at Sport & Social beat out the marathon running group.

But what will happen when kicking balls goes head-to-head with waiting for a cold one at the Friendly Confines?

The field has narrowed yet again. Here, the Final Four...

02/12/08

The Singles Bracket: Elite Eight

Will country-punk Carol's edge out late-night perennial Marie's? Is the pick-up scene better in a marathon training group or a soccer league?

It's time to find out which Chicago hot spots make it to Singles Bracket: Elite Eight. Drumroll, please...

02/11/08

The Singles Bracket: Sweet 16

I'm choosing to ignore all Valentine's Day madness for something far more representative of my current milieu: a Chicago Singles' Sweet 16. Inspired by the basketball madness that is March, in the next few days, I will whittle down the best cultural events/spots for meeting a potential mate (Note: whether "mating" is just for the evening or for longer term is purposefully not specified, as it is usually indeterminable from first meeting)...

02/07/08

IM'ing the Interview Show

Humor columnist Mark Bazer works in the same building as me (the Tribune Tower), but our paths never cross. Then I heard he was starting a talk show the first Friday of every month at my favorite bar, The Hideout (starts tomorrow night, the 8th, from 6 to 8 p.m.; cover is $5. The next show will be Friday, March 7th).

Since we’re both serious journalists who work serious journalism jobs, I thought I’d throw the whole professional interview thing out the window and bug him a little over Instant Messenger:

Coda: Hey, Mark, do you see this?
Mark: Yes! Did you see my yes?
Coda: Yes! I see your yes! This is fun!
Mark: We are technologically ahead of the curve, I think...

02/06/08

Anatomy of a Political Event

6:20 p.m. My colleague and I arrive at Hyatt Regency Chicago, site of Barack Obama's Super Tuesday election night party. Navigate through crowd of campaign volunteers, Japanese TV crews, and supporters to check-in table.

6:45 p.m. Obtain media badge, walk through metal detector, scan crowd. It's stocked full of media types, college kids, and local politicos such as Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool.

7:05 p.m. Attempt to enter ballroom, only to be intercepted by overeager volunteer...

01/28/08

Fashionistas: A Casting Call

Yet another reality show taping. Yawn.

Still, there are those of you out there who might be interested in this: a behind-the-scenes-of-the-fashion-industry reality show. They're coming to Chicago to tape on February 2.

The CW network apparently is launching some sort of show that blends elements of America's Next Top Model and Project Runway. They are looking for stylists, publicity people, and anyone who works in the fashion business side...

01/24/08

I Geek Out on Dance V. 692

I hear there are still a few spaces open to the public for the Hubbard Street-IIT show this weekend at Crown Hall. (For tickets, call 312-850-9744.) It's a noteworthy pairing—and not just because Hubbard Street is the city's leading contemporary company.

Over the past few years writing about culture, I've interviewed a number of dancers and choreographers who talk about the influence of architecture on their art. The first time someone mentioned it—it might have been the Chicago-born (New York-based) choreographer Lar Lubovich—I remember thinking how incongruent it sounded. I mean, a building is a fixed thing; a dancer is anything but...

01/21/08

Hey Girl, This is Freaky

Before I get into the goo, let me just say: I'm usually a fan of the Museum of Contemporary Art's performance series as curated by Peter Taub. It's challenging stuff, often culled from performance groups abroad. Whether it's music, theatre, or dance—the one commonality is that there is generally a strong visual art element. Sometimes I think you could snap a picture mid-scene and create an image worth hanging in the art galleries upstairs...

01/10/08

Guest Blog: It's Da Bomb

"The audience in Oedipus Rex knew what was coming," said Doctor Atomic librettist and director Peter Sellars in his pre-concert lecture at Lyric Opera last night. He was drawing a comparison between Greek drama, when the stories being staged were traditional tales already known to the theatergoers, and Doctor Atomic, which is based on the real-life testing of the first atomic bomb, in 1945. The second half of Sellars's talk took listeners through the opera scene by scene, describing what would happen, what he thought was great about it, and his anti–nuclear weapons politics...