10/15/07

LGS off to Italy

Last Girl Standing is off to Italy to cap off her international wedding tour; she'll be attending her uncle's nuptials in Rome before retreating to a villa in Tuscany for a week with her family.

10/11/07

Where’s the Food?

"What do you think the biggest difference is between Fashion Week in Chicago and places like Paris or New York?" Lakeview Broadcasting Company's Stephen Westman whispered in my ear during Gen Art's Fresh Faces in Fashion runway show Tuesday night. "The biggest difference is, instead of Anna Wintour sitting in the front row, we are," I responded.

Although I've never attended Fashion Week anywhere else, I can only imagine what it's like...

10/08/07

It Ain't Easy Being Pink and Green

"I'm trying to prolong the summer," Jerry Kleiner said, only half-joking, when I asked him why he chose pink and green as this year's theme for his annual color-coded bash for beautiful people, held last Friday. "And look: It's working," he added, referring to the record-breaking 85-degree weather.

Anyone who knows Kleiner—probably one of the city's most recognizable restaurateurs, whose holdings include...

10/05/07

15 Minutes with ... Kelli Zink

Who: Kelli Zink, 27, Chicago by way of Detroit
Job: Host and reporter, CelebTV.com
Status: Super single—"typical young professional girl who doesn't have time for a guy, blah, blah, blah."
Neighborhood: Gold Coast

After attending Michigan State University, where she was a Spartan cheerleader for two years, Kelli Zink started anchoring in South Bend, Indiana, covering local and national sports. In 2003 she moved to L.A. to help launch the NFL Network as a producer. “It was the kind of job that people automatically assume you're cool and you're into sports...

10/01/07

Celebrity Beat: Keeping up with Kim Kardashian

L.A. socialite and one-time Paris Hilton sidekick Kim Kardashian came to town this past weekend to host Poparazzi Friday at Crobar. The event meant Kim got a night off from filming her reality-TV show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, which premieres October 14th on E! The show follows the lives of Kim and her nine siblings: Kim's dad was the late O. J. defense attorney Robert Kardashian; her mom, Kris, is now married to Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner; between them, Kris and Bruce ride herd over a Brady Bunch-style brood (including MTV's The Hills heartthrob Brody Jenner)...

09/27/07

Celebrity Beat: The Rich Get Richer

Check out The Underground’s Web site, and you’ll find nearly endless photos of musicians who’ve dropped by and hopped on the club’s mike; both Kanye and John Mayer visited over the summer. Add to that growing roster Chicago’s own Common, who popped in last Thursday after his concert with Joss Stone at Charter One Pavilion...

09/25/07

Barcabulary, Part One

The club-hopping cognoscenti have their own language—slang that, at one time, only a true nightlife enthusiast would use and/or understand, but that has begun, at least in part, to creep into the everyday vernacular (to wit, the “-ster” variations: scenester, hipster, clubster). Don’t be left sounding like your elderly grandma. Do learn the lingo; then post your own additions below for consideration in future updates...

09/20/07

The Pitfalls of Mr. Perfect

The Guy I'm Seeing met my parents a month ago, on the night of their 40th anniversary, at a party they held for 60 of their nearest and dearest. At the time, we were only a month or so into the relationship; usually I wouldn’t have thrown someone to the pack of wolves so soon, but, well, who doesn't like a good party? Plus, dodging the question "What's new in your life?" with "Work is going great!" was getting old. Now I could just shove TGIS in the face of anyone who asked.

We also agreed it would be a strategic move: With so many friends around, my parents would be too distracted to interrogate him. The plan...

09/17/07

Green Tie Dos and Don’ts

Holding an outdoor event in Chicago in September is a gamble, and Saturday night's weather didn't exactly agree with the 16th annual Green Tie Ball, which took place for the second year at Northerly Island’s Charter One Pavilion. It's hard to rock black-tie attire and keep warm when the temp is hovering around 50, but I planned accordingly and opted for black-tie casual: tuxedo pants and a cream silk camisole under a cropped pea coat and Missoni scarf. (Attending the event relentlessly for the past six years...

09/13/07

Off for Rosh Hashanah

Last Girl Standing is off for Rosh Hashanah and will return Monday with a report on the Green Tie Ball.