African, Hollywood cinema battle in `Plot’
Halfway through the satirical film “Aristotle’s Plot,” the narrator asks, “Why are African filmmakers always asked political questions?”
Author: Jae-Ha Kim
“Stars on Ice”
It used to be that competitive skaters turned to ice shows after they won their medals and wanted to lay off the training. Not any more. With shows like “Stars on Ice,” which glided into town Saturday night at the Rosemont Horizon, many professional figure skaters are in the same physical condition today as when they trained for the Olympics and the World Championships. The two-hour show included something for everyone. American ice princess Kristi Yamaguchi vamped to Elvis’ “Trouble,” executing flawless jumps, while fellow Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton skated all the roles in a whimsical salute to the “Wizard of Oz.”
Cameraman is in over his head with `Whales’
With narration by Patrick Stewart and a theme score by new age musician Yanni, you’d think that “Whales” would be smooth sailing. But the Omnimax film, which opens today at the Museum of Science and Industry, is a visual drag that lasts for 40 very long minutes.
“La Femme Nikita”
The best reason to subscribe to cable television is “La Femme Nikita.” Well-written, suspenseful and sexy, the superb drama kicks off its second season Sunday on the USA Network with an engrossing episode that reveals a turning point in the title character’s life. Based on the 1991 Luc Besson film of the same name, “La Femme Nikita” focuses on a beautiful, young woman sentenced to prison for a crime she didn’t commit.
New Year’s Eve lineup provides everything but bubbly
There’s a lot to be said for staying home and curling up in front of the TV on New Year’s Eve. You don’t have to deal with traffic jams, snooty waiters or drunken strangers puckering up in your vicinity. And, if you happen to get a tad tipsy, you’re already home.
Is it `Fame L.A.’ or `Lame L.A.’?
If the tenants at “Melrose Place” decided to become entertainers, their lives would pretty much resemble the ones on “Fame L.A.” Loosely based on the 1980 film “Fame,” this syndicated series revolves around a group of young actors, singers, dancers and comics – all hoping to make names for themselves in Hollywood. The repeat airing Saturday is the second show of the series’ three-part opener, first seen in September.
Jehsah (제사)
I was almost 5 years old when my family moved from Seoul, South Korea, to Chicago. Language barrier aside, I couldn’t figure out why some of my new pals were so excited about the arrival of an old man they didn’t know, who would slide down chimneys that some of them didn’t have, to drop off presents under decorated trees in their living rooms. Couldn’t this Santa person just use the door like everyone else?
Matthew Fox: TV drama’s eldest brother battles cancer
There isn’t much that hasn’t happened to the orphaned siblings on “Party of Five.” Death, infidelity, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, mental illness and alcoholism all have been dealt with responsibly on the Fox drama. On tonight’s episode, from 8 to 9 on Channel 32, the family faces another blow when eldest brother Charlie Salinger reveals that he has Hodgkin’s disease.
Mancow Muller: A night in ‘Cow town: No anonymity for shock jock
If you can’t find something fun to do on a Chicago weekend, then you’re an idiot. So says Mancow Muller, the popular, outspoken morning drive radio personality at WRCX-FM (103.5). For the uninitiated, Muller, 30, is a man who doesn’t weather boredom well either on his radio show or his live rock ‘n’ roll extravaganzas. For instance, at his “Hell-O-Ween Spectacular” last month at the United Center, his sideshow included dozens of lap dancers who took their acts to audience members. Then there was the little matter of feeding time for the 600-pound snake and a little donkey named Danny, but we won’t go there for a bit. So it was with curiosity that the Sun-Times set out to chronicle a typical night out with the popular shock jock.
Deconstructed: Bush
Goldie and Bush’s Gavin Rossdale are an unlikely combination. But the trip-hop God is among a handful of artists who remix the band on Deconstructed. Phillip Steir’s ”Synapse” oozes breathy seduction, while Fabio Paris’ pulsating ”Personal Holloway” induces dancing, rather than moshing. It’s Goldie’s fussy ”Swallowed” that’s a clunker.
A frighteningly good read: Judith Rossner blurs the line between heroine, villain
Novelist Judith Rossner admits that her characters’ antics often get so violent that they frighten her out of her own house. “The violence and the plots I come up with sometimes scare me,” Rossner said.
At home with….Artist Jamie Weiss
Walking around Jamie Weiss’ loft, guests are hard-pressed to find anything black. And with good reason. “I used to have all black lacquer furniture,” said the makeup artist and silverware designer. “After I gave all that away, I wanted to try something bright and different.”
Mark Harmon ties `Hope’ to another doc – It’s check-in time for TV hospital vet
Mark Harmon is hovering by the juniors department at Carson Pirie Scott downtown, but he’s not shopping. The star of “Chicago Hope” is preparing for his next scene, which is being filmed in an unused section of the department store’s second floor. The cast and crew of the fictional Chicago Hope Hospital fly to the Windy City two to three times each year to shoot on location.
At home with…musician Brian Liesegang: Rocker creates welcoming“locker”
Brian Liesegang didn’t have a difficult time finding a job out of college. After graduating with a degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago five years ago, Liesegang joined the rock group Nine Inch Nails.
Rolling Stones at Soldier Field
Dismiss the ruminations about this being the Rolling Stones’ “401K” tour and faggadabout the Geritol jokes. The Stones may be the grandfathers of rock ‘n’ roll, but they also are consumate professionals who can still teach the youngsters a thing or two about how to put on a good stadium show.
“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anna Fadiman
With her first book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman poignantly documents the head-on culture clash between a family of Hmong refugees from Laos and the American physicians who treat their infant child. Each party wants whats best for the child. But neither is ready to acknowledge that whats foreign to them may be the best treatment for little Lia Lee.
The doctors are in (town)
Chicagoans are used to spotting bits of the Windy City on NBC’s hit drama “ER,” which kicks off its fourth season with a one-hour live broadcast at 9 p.m. Thursday on Channel 5. But when they spot the actors walking around their streets, they get a little rabid. For instance, one woman asked George Clooney – who plays womanizing pediatrician Doug Ross – to sign her baby’s Pampers.
Stones Diaries are pages from the past: Where are they now?
You know their faces and you even know some of their names. They’re the family members, lovers and hangers-on who have littered the Rolling Stones’ lives during the band’s 35-year career. Some, such as Mick Jagger’s ex-wife, Bianca, have survived nicely, and built lives for themselves away from the excesses of rock ‘n’ roll. Others (Anita Pallenberg, Mandy Smith) still are getting used to not being on the world’s most famous guest list.
Oasis made headlines this week
You’d think that having just released the fastest-selling album in British history might have mellowed Oasis’ infamously prickly leader, guitarist Noel Gallagher, just a little. But even though Be Here Now is setting records and debuted in the U.S. last week at No. 2, the elder Gallagher (brother Liam is the band’s lead singer) is as irascible as ever.
“Rats in the Ranks”: Australian town throws its `Rats’ in ring for documentary
Shot over a nine-month period in Leichhardt, Australia, the documentary “Rats in the Rank” follows the absurd antics of 12 council members maneuvering to get their mayoral candidates elected to office.