SPEAKING WITH…Jonny Lang
Ask Jonny Lang about his favorite book or film and he’ll be hard-pressed to come up with an answer. But ask him about his favorite music and the guitarist-singer-songwriter can go on forever.
Month: January 2004
For Oprah, the empire starts here
Oprah Winfrey’s impact extends to the nation and the world, but here at home, we claim her as a Chicagoan — a Garrett-popcorn-eating, lakefront-jogging, North Michigan-Avenue-shopping one.
Fabulous at 50
Come Thursday, Oprah Winfrey turns the big 5-0. And if she’s to be believed — and why wouldn’t she be — the world’s most famous talk show host will be embracing her well-earned day. She’ll celebrate with a special birthday show Thursday in Chicago followed by a weekend bash in Santa Barbara for 50 of her closest friends.
Munchausen’s by proxy
At age 4, Mary Bryk began to suspect there was something seriously wrong with her mother. As Bryk recalls, her mother would meticulously tie Bryk’s hands together and bind her leg to a high chair. Then, she would strike the child’s foot with a hammer. “My mom was a nurse and would constantly tell me she was doing treatments and that the doctor knew what she was doing,” says Bryk, now 44. “But even at that age I knew something wasn’t right. When she fractured my hip while I was hospitalized, that’s when it hit me that what she was doing wasn’t normal.”
She’s a beauty, she’s a beast
With her sallow complexion, sagging jowls and bloated body, the woman onscreen in “Monster” isn’t recognizable as Charlize Theron. Best known for her killer legs and babydoll face, the 28-year-old actress was an unlikely candidate to portray real-life serial killer Aileen Wournos. But when you look at side-by-side photos of the two, the likeness is uncanny.
SPEAKING WITH … Marty Casey
Chicago’s Lovehammers have done the shed-tour thing with Nickelback, experienced life on the road (including the requisite broken-down bus) and worked with greats like Steve Albini.
Aretha Franklin rings in the new year
New Year’s Eve concerts traditionally end some time after the clock strikes midnight. But when you’re the Queen of Soul, 2004 begins when you tell it to.