Gushing over Leno isn’t the most flattering
There is a nightly ritual to the “Tonight Show” at the Rosemont Theatre. Before the taping starts, the Freebie Guy arrives to pass out T-shirts and caps.
Category: Reviews
Jay Leno: ‘Celebrity-starved’ Chicago nice place for shows to visit
Last week, the “Late Show” flew 461 Chicagoans to New York to watch a taping of David Letterman’s CBS talk show. And next week, Jay Leno brings his “Tonight Show” to the Rosemont Theatre for a week. The trip is a repeat performance for Leno, who brought his act here in 1996. Letterman broadcast his show from the Chicago Theatre for a week in 1989 and did a one-night stand two years ago at the Steppenwolf Theatre.
“A Cab Called Reliable” by Patti Kim
Patti Kim shows the eloquent anguish of an abandoned child in her debut novel, A Cab Called Reliable (St. Martin’s, 156 pp., $18.95 . Her story is told through the eyes of 9-year-old Ahn Joo Cho, a Korean immigrant whose life changes forever when she sees her mother and little brother drive off in a cab. Without her. The last thing she remembers seeing is the word “reliable” on the car door.
Low-rent mob flick `Waiting’ to bomb
There’s something to be said for delegating. Who knows whether “Waiting for the Man” would’ve been a better picture if John Covert – the film’s writer, producer, director and co-star – hadn’t tackled such a heady project himself. But it couldn’t have been much worse.
Darkly comedic “Suicide Kings” revels in gruesome reality
“Suicide Kings” doesn’t take the kamikaze approach of going in for the quick kill. Rather, the convoluted story aims for plot twists and revelations that never really materialize in this tale of a bungled kidnapping.
Eric Clapton at United Center
Subscribing to the theory that more is more, Eric Clapton kicked off the first of two sold-out concerts at Chicago’s United Center with a 20-piece orchestra, six-piece band and three backup singers. But in the end, the best moments of his uneven show occurred when Clapton and his band, who will perform May 27 at the Forum, cut loose on some blue-eyed soul.
Mary J. Blige & Usher at the Arie Crown Theatre
With his pants falling down just enough to keep the young women screaming for another peek at his well-toned bod, baby-faced Usher stole the show from Mary J. Blige with a potent blend of musical diversity, showmanship and just plain old fun.
James Iha at Metro
Covering a little known Eric Anderson number near the end of his 50-minute solo set, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha sang, “I’d love to sing my ballad/But they only wanna hear me rock ‘n’ roll.” Not after this show. The shy musician’s ballad-heavy solo debut was a stunner. And the intimate Top Note Theatre–a part of Metro, the club that gave the Pumpkins their first big break–was the perfect setting for Iha’s laid-back performance in front of a hometown crowd that included Pumpkins’ bassist D’Arcy, members of the Frogs and his parents.
Docu-drama: Controversial Cobain film is coming to Chicago
“Kurt and Courtney,” the movie banned from this year’s Sundance Film Festival that became the event’s most talked-about title, is heading to Chicago next month.
Steve Poltz at the Uncommon Ground
Sitting on a stool – but looking as if he’d be happier hopping around – Steve Poltz accompanied himself on guitar and played homespun acoustic rock songs from his week-old solo album, “One Left Shoe.” He padded his two-hour set – which is brief by Poltz standards – covering cuts by TLC’s “Waterfalls,” Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me.” Poltz, who still is in the Rugburns, included some of his group’s material as well.
“Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia”
Marya Hornbacher learned to hate her body at an early age. She couldnt control her parents fighting or the way her male classmates leered at her maturing figure. But she could control how big her body got by refusing to help it grow. The 23-year-old author writes candidly about her lifelong battle with eating disorders in “Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia,” a fascinating memoir that details one woman’s take on anorexia and bulimia. Her conversational style makes the difficult subject matter easy to digest.
“Chairman of the Board”: Carrot Top movie rates near bottom
As Edison, Carrot Top doesn’t stretch from his prop-heavy stage act. He mugs, pouts and speaks loudly. Luckily for the Top, Jack Plotnick’s annoying portrayal of Zak, Edison’s stereotypically stupid surfer dude roomie, saves him from being the movie’s worst actor.
`Friends’ in need: They’re hits on TV – but mere blips on the big screen
Where have all the “Friends” fans gone? Sure, millions of fans tune in each week to watch the comely sextet sort out their problems in their impossibly spacious Manhattan apartments. But when it comes to the stars’ films, fans seem to prefer staying home sipping cappuccinos.
“Mother and Son” crawl toward grave
By the end of “Mother and Son,” I felt as lethargic as the half-dead mother in the title. Laboriously slow, the 73-minute movie would’ve made an effective, moving 15-minute short. Instead, the film drags on at a snail’s pace, depicting the almost Oedipal relationship between a dying mother and her caretaker son.
“Other Voices, Other Rooms”
What good is imagination, if you dont have the guts to live it? By the end of “Other Voices, Other Rooms” — a moody piece of cinema based on a novel Truman Capote wrote 50 years ago — young Joel has answered his own question.
Eviction notice: Can Amanda sleep with enough guys to save `Melrose’?
The neighborhood is changing for “Melrose Place.” Currently flailing in its sixth season, the frothy series about a group of attractive but none-too-bright tenants who live, sleep and quarrel with each other is in danger of being evicted from the Fox lineup.
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?”
“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.