Cafe Carries Aura of Forbidden Pleasure
You gotta wonder about a restaurant named after an illegal drink. So it was with curiosity that I ventured to the oh-so-hip Cafe Absinthe.
Year: 1994
Behind the Scenes at “Oprah” – An Inside View of America’s No. 1 Daytime Talk Show
Oprah Winfrey may be Chicago’s biggest tourist attraction. Sure there’s the lakefront, the Bulls, the Art Institute, Magnificent Mile, Wrigley Field and Gino’s East. But how many of them can really make you feel better about yourself?
Crispin Glover’s Quirks Hit The Road
Crispin Glover, a character actor, also is quite the character. He once lived in an apartment painted all black, kept an operating table rumored to have been used for gynecological exams in his living room and gave new meaning to the word “hyper” when he greeted David Letterman with a kick-boxing move that got him booted from the show.
“Erotique” Aims for the Mind – and Misses
If male directors had made “Erotique,” the film would have been called soft-core porn. But because women were employed to direct the movie’s three vignettes, “Erotique” is being billed as “intelligent erotica.” Whatever. The result is the same – a film where sex is more important than content and where women’s – not men’s – bodies serve as the primary objects of titillation.
Still the 1: Doug Banks Stays in Tune With Listeners
Doug Banks is a big man in radio. Literally. At 6-foot-3, the disc jockey on WGCI-FM (107.5) is Chicago’s No. 1 afternoon radio personality. You know who we’re talking about – the friendly, funny guy with the rat-a-rat-tat machine-gun laugh who keeps you company from 2 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
Culture Clash: Ethnic Portrayals and Television
I don’t necessarily love her semi-autobiographical show “All-American Girl” yet, but I relate to Margaret Cho, the star of ABC’s new comedy. Cho is Korean-American. I am Korean-American. She is the antithesis of the ideal Asian woman (geisha girl). No one would mistake me for Suzy Wong. She snorts when she laughs. I snort when I laugh. She’s big (chubby). I’m big (tall). Once, a Korean friend’s father helpfully advised me to “stop growing” if I wanted to land a husband. She’s not a doctor, but a comedian. I’m not a doctor, but a journalist – kind of like a comedian. Cho dates losers. When I date, they’re usually losers. She’s 25. I’m . . . well, never mind.
Customers Roll in for Shiroi Hana’s Sushi Deal
Grrrrrrrumble!!!! The noise you hear is the collective hunger pangs of wannabe patrons waiting for a table at Shiroi Hana. The line outside the Japanese restaurant is long and winding. There is no band playing. And as far as I can tell, there are no celebrities inside to bother, either.
Moxy Fruvous Catching On
Moxy Fruvous sings about Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Seuss, eats fried buttery brain and once spent a whole day busking, only to net a Canadian dime and a Kleenex – used, no less. “That’s all right,” guitarist-vocalist Michael Ford said, laughing. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”
‘Forever Plaid’ Flaunts, Taunts Boy Wonders
“Forever Plaid” is a tribute to the guy groups of the ’50s and ’60s who dressed exactly alike, performed choreographed moves and sang beautiful, heartbreaking harmony. It also is a hilarious, quick-paced 90-minute musical comedy that sends up those groups as much as it pays homage to them. Like the songs, “Forever Plaid” is light and frothy. At Tuesday night’s opening at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, the four starring actor; singers perfectly depicted the euphoria of being in front of an audience while conveying the pathos of being dead.
The Lunch Bunch // Regulars Crowd in, Get Cozy At Leo’s
It’s 10 a.m. Saturday and there’s already a line at Leo’s Lunchroom. But no one seems cranky. Hungry, yes. Crabby, no.