03/20/08

Celebrity Beat: Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi, John Legend, and more

Forget Taste of Chicago.

Common Threads—the charity cofounded by Oprah toque and Table Fifty-Two honcho Art Smith that teaches kids about nutrition and healthy cooking—held its third annual World Festival Monday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The scene was sort of like an all-star episode of Top Chef: Local bigwigs including David Burke (David Burke's Primehouse) and Gale Gand (Tru) handed out haute-cuisine samples while schmoozing with...

03/17/08

Back on Thursday

LGS is returning from a weekend of bonding with The Boyfriend’s parents; check back Thursday for her report on John Legend and all things glitzy at Art Smith’s World Festival.

03/13/08

Forget Green Beer. Think Green Bikinis.

St. Patrick's Day officially kicked off last Sunday with the South Side Irish Parade. For those who missed it—a full week-plus before the actual holiday—there are still plenty of options for the Irish in each of us. Seems like every bar in Chicago, Irish accent (Mystic Celt) or no (Grand Central), has something going on. Whether you're...

03/10/08

Lolla Alert

Thursday night I got the opportunity to chat up former Jane's Addiction frontman and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell. Farrell was in town promoting Galapalooza, an annual fundraiser held the night before Lolla (this year, it's July 31st; tickets are $350) benefiting Chicago Park District partner the Parkways Foundation. This year's Galapalooza is expected to draw about 1,000 people, mostly VIP Lolla attendees. And yes, Farrell will be there, too...

03/06/08

Schwimmerpalooza

Couldn't get tickets to The Black Crowes' sold-out concert tomorrow at Park West? (I'm right there with you—but still hopeful.) Never fear: There are plenty of other nightlife options this weekend—not the least of which is getting up-close and personal with Friend-turned-director David Schwimmer (try to contain your excitement). Get choice nightlife tidbits below, and keep reading for celeb and new bar news...

03/03/08

15 Minutes with ... The White Tie Affair

Move over, Fall Out Boy. The White Tie Affair, which bears a striking sonic resemblance to Pete Wentz and Co., is the latest boy band to come out of Chicago. The group, which signed with Epic Records a year ago, has been touring in support of its upcoming album, Get in Where You Fit In, out this April (check out the band's new double video for the singles "Allow Me to Introduce Myself ... Mr. Right" and "Candle (Sick and Tired)" on ngtv.com). The guys...

02/28/08

Seven Days, Seven Nights Out

Don't make us tell you twice: The weekend starts tonight, which means it's time to get those social calendars squared away. And since Leap Year falls on Friday, we all score an extra night out—and you know how much LGS loves that. We've cherry-picked the best of what's coming up in nightlife in the next seven days...

02/25/08

Celebrity Beat: Ashlee Simpson (and Pete Wentz)

"I miss playing with my band," Ashlee Simpson, 23, confessed to me on Thursday night. I caught up with the younger Simpson sister at The Underground, a local stop on the club tour promoting her latest single, “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya),” from the upcoming album I Am Me. The club-tour format, popularized recently by pop stars...

02/21/08

The Weekend Starts Thursday

Valentine's Day is sufficiently behind us. In case you were wondering, The Boyfriend did a great job with his surprise plans. We dined at NoMi, at a table overlooking Michigan Avenue. Calling it "romantic" doesn't even cut it. And my last-minute gift for him: tickets to Citizen Cope, whose music The Boyfriend introduced me to, and who plays the Vic this Saturday. See, even I can be sentimental—sometimes.

Moving forward, there's no shortage of potential celebrity sightings and events this weekend. When it rains it pours...

02/14/08

Love Can’t Wait: Last-Minute Valentine's Ideas

If you're as far behind on Valentine's as I am—sorry, Boyfriend—you're still looking for gift ideas. (Good thing he's more forward-thinking than I am; a bouquet of roses was waiting for me when I got home last night, and he's had reservations at a surprise restaurant for months. Go ahead: Insert gagging sounds here.) I know it's uncool to admit you like Valentine's—I'm with you. But let's be honest: You're secretly hoping for a romantic night out. It's OK. We won't tell anyone. But we will tell you where to get your last-minute V-Day on, with options for everyone from the haters to the hopelessly in love. As of this writing, the spots below were still taking limited reservations, but be sure to call ahead...