Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Step aside, divas. Mariah Carey is back. Big time. The figures are still being tallied, but it’s a strong bet that her new disc, “Charmbracelet,” will be the top debut on the next Billboard album chart. Estimates of first-week sales range from 200,000 to 270,000–about double what Carey managed with last year’s much-maligned soundtrack to her movie flop “Glitter.”
Gina Oswald is a fictional character, but you’ll recognize her immediately when you see her cheesy schtick in the Noble Fool Theater’s revival of the holiday revue “Roasting Chestnuts: Oy! It’s Christmas.” She is the performer whose insincerity rings through with every verse. She is the entertainer who doesn’t realize her moment has long since passed. And to her whipped co-stars, she is the lipsticked tyrant who rules her brood with an iron fist.
Are you ready for some football? TV isn’t the only place you’ll find some good games, especially if you’re into interactive sports where there’s little chance you’ll get hurt (outside of a little carpal tunnel, perhaps). Here we try out the slew of new video games on the market, telling you which score touchdowns and which fumble near the goal line.
Inspired by the Christmas productions at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, country superstar Martina McBride has decided to undertake her own holiday tour. McBride’s first annual “The Joy of Christmas” tour reaches the UIC Pavilion on Sunday.
It’s 8 o’clock on a Friday night. Chris’s Billiards on Chicago’s Northwest Side is full of some serious pool players. They glance at our table. If they’re thinking we’re uncoordinated players, they’re too polite to point that out. Instead, a kindly gentleman walks over and suggests we take a bit more time to focus before we hit the ball. “It just takes a little getting used to,” he says. “You’ll get used to it.” Though my friend and I have only played pool a combined total of five times–ever–we’re having a ball.
Tori Amos has one of those ethereal voices that can make even the mundane sound compelling. Whether she’s performing her breakthrough hit, “Silent All These Years,” or tackling Eminem’s misogynist ” ’97 Bonnie & Clyde” from the woman’s point of view, Amos conveys emotions that reach the listener’s soul.
There are plenty of unintentionally funny moments in “Extreme Ops.” When a terrorist mistakenly assumes the women are CIA operatives, he intimidates them with threats of death. Oh, and yes, he’d like to see the two women kiss each other. Accused of being a sick freak, he gleefully responds, “Sick freak … with a rifle.” Well, he’s got ya there.
Maybe it was jet lag that made him do it, but Tim McGraw actually said something Tuesday in Chicago that drew boos from diehard fans. During a break from his nine-song set at a private listening party at Isaac Hayes’ downtown club, McGraw friskily said, “I’m a Packers fan.”
The Goo Goo Dolls did the best they could Friday night at the Chicago Theatre. But they were playing to an audience that probably didn’t attend a lot of rock concerts. How else could you explain a bunch of grown men [and women-but let’s face it, most of them were guys] who would hurl fluorescent glow sticks at the stage and think the band would enjoy it.
Jakob Dylan doesn’t like to analyze his music. Truth be told, he doesn’t particularly like listening to it, either. “I don’t listen to any of our records because I don’t want that influence of what we’ve already done hanging over us,” says Dylan, 32. “If I’m critical of the past, then I become a critic just like everyone else.”
By Jae-Ha Kim Chicago Sun-Times November 22, 2002 At its prime in the 1990s, Primus was headlining at Lollapalooza and touring with U2. These days, Les Claypool, Primus’ frontman before the members went their separate […]
The beginning of the end for the late, great television show “Politically Incorrect” came shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Viggo Mortensen has 30 minutes left before he has to return to the set to reshoot a scene for “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” which will be in theaters next month. Dressed in character as Aragorn, he is muddied, tired and looking forward to digging into the food he’s carrying on a tray. But first, he searches the make-shift cafeteria for his son Henry. As he walks past the cast and crew, bystanders aren’t sure whether to look away or bow to the oddly regal actor.
With “Justified,” Justin Timberlake has declared his independence. From ‘N Sync, the boy band that made him famous. From his female counterpart Britney Spears. And from critics who gleefully depicted him as a bubble-headed, curly-haired playboy.
Phoning from Canada, Wynonna Judd has her hands full. Sure, there are the back-to-back concerts she has to perform. But she’s also getting her
children’s lesson plans ready for the day. “I teach,” says Judd, 38. “I homeschool. When I’m in the studio recording, I have a nanny/tutor to teach my kids.”
You are Tommy Vercetti. Never mind that you look like the love child of Don Johnson and Steven Seagal and sound like Ray Liotta (who voices the character). Life seems like it’s going to improve 10-fold. You’ve just been released from the joint after having served a 15-year stint.
Donna McKechnie still is one singular sensation. The Tony Award-winning actress/singer/dancer made a name for herself as Cassie in the original Broadway cast of “A Chorus Line” in 1976. But it’s her storytelling ability that’s winning her kudos in her latest production, “An Evening With Donna McKechnie–My Musical Comedy Life!” The show is running through this weekend at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights.
So, all you have to look forward to this Halloween week is handing out crummy candy to the neighborhood rugrats. Where’s your treat? Fear not, we’ve ferreted out some of the best (and worst) video games to give you great big goosebumps.
When Shane Williams occasionally sang on the television series “Early Edition,” her performance was good enough that many viewers wondered who was dubbing her singing voice.
There are some folks who have their Halloween costumes planned out months in advance. For the rest of us, it’s all we can do to stock up on candy and not eat it all before doling it out to the kids. But regardless of your approach to the holiday, there’s nothing like a good creepy film to ensure a frightfully fun evening. Here are some of our favorite Halloween picks, including a couple that’ll keep your kids entertained.