Grant Park Movie Fest 2009 Opens Tuesday
Monday July 13, 2009
The uber-popular summer delight that is the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival opens tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14 with a screening of Sunset Boulevard.
About.com's Guide to Classic Movies Laurie Boder says Sunset Boulevard is "one of the best Hollywood-on-Hollywood movies, the cynical kind that says: 'Okay, maybe Hollywood is corrupt, shallow, vain and more than a little insane – but I bet you can’t stop watching.'”
The movie kicks off in Grant Park at 8:58 p.m. Find the rest of the summer Grant Park Movie schedule, and review of a list of all the movies shown in Grant Park to date.
Related: Grant Park Music Schedule
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Image of Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard courtesy of the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival.
Volo Auto Museum - Worth a Visit?
Monday July 13, 2009
Any parent who sticks their two young children and their own parents in a car and drives more than an hour to check out an attraction can't help but have at least one question in mind: Will the drive and admission price be worth it?
My answer from a trip to the Volo Auto Museum, which is located northwest of Chicago in Volo, Illinois, is a definite yes. (And, I don't think you have to have kids to enjoy it.) Read more about their pastoral setting, active dealership, and their amazing movie car collection, which included the above pictured truck driven by Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight.
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© Jennifer Roche. This truck, which was driven by Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight, is one of many movie vehicles featured at the Volo Auto Museum. It has been turned into a memorial to the late actor.
FruitSlinger: Scenes from a Chicago Farmer's Market
Saturday July 11, 2009
"Yesterday I had a long discussion about raspberries with a frequent customer. She had plans to make jam, but wasn't in love with the raspberries.
'They're still too tart,' she said.
'But don't you want tartness in your jam berries?' I shot back. 'You're going to be burying them in sugar. Don't you want something that will stand up to that? Something that will be a little bright after all that sugar?'
She bought six pints of raspberries."
-- Daniel Shumski, from his Chicago-based blog Fruit Slinger, aka the blog where you'll want to eat the photos while you savor the words. It's a city cyber-connection to Mother Earth, and I find it irresistible. You can also follow him on Twitter: @FruitSlinger.
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© Daniel Shumski
Chicago Air and Water Show Performers Announced
Friday July 10, 2009
The 2009 Chicago Air and Water Show has launched its list of performers. The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team will headline the free extravaganza. No word yet, though, on whether Bill Murray will again make a Cinderella story landing on North Avenue Beach this year like he did in 2008.
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Scott Olson/Getty
The Reinvention of Ravinia?
Thursday July 9, 2009
by Tom Mullaney
This summer, the Ravinia Music Festival seems to pack more musical punch.
I have circled more must-go dates this season than in several past summers, including many of the programs in its noteworthy Lincoln Bicentennial tribute that I wrote about earlier on this site.
And newly-installed video screens in the Pavilion will add to patrons’ enjoyment. Credit for this happy state of affairs must go to Welz Kauffman, Ravinia’s major domo, and his artistic team.
Kauffman may also be feeling the need to counter the challenge posed by the upstart Grant Park Music Festival. Read more...
This summer, the Ravinia Music Festival seems to pack more musical punch.
I have circled more must-go dates this season than in several past summers, including many of the programs in its noteworthy Lincoln Bicentennial tribute that I wrote about earlier on this site. And newly-installed video screens in the Pavilion will add to patrons’ enjoyment. Credit for this happy state of affairs must go to Welz Kauffman, Ravinia’s major domo, and his artistic team.
Kauffman may also be feeling the need to counter the challenge posed by the upstart Grant Park Music Festival. Read more...
Is Michelle Obama pregnant?
Wednesday July 8, 2009
This morning I was reviewing photos of Michelle Obama while on her trip to Russia, and something seemed amiss.
The usually indefatigable, radiant First Lady looked exhausted. Even nauseous. And, then there's the possible bump. Maybe she just has a bad case of flu, but apparently others noticed it and the rumor that she might be pregnant has been flying around DC, too. This photo was taken as she was leaving for Russia.
If true, imagine what a nationwide journey and 24/7 non-stop media blitz for seven months that will be.
As Bonnie Fuller writes in the Huff Post, "There's almost nothing that this beleaguered country could use more now than an adorable Obama baby. In fact, we need it so badly, that if Michelle isn't already knocked up with #3, she and Barack should start trying immediately."
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© Pool/Getty
Our Man in Moscow Will be Back in Chicago
Wednesday July 8, 2009
President Barack Obama is concluding his trip to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (at right). Obama pressed what he called a diplomatic "reset." Thankfully, he stopped short of calling it a button. Next stops for Obama are Italy and Ghana. Watch for his return to Chicago for a DNC fundraiser on July 23. Ticket prices begin at $250.
Funny Story about Sasha in Moscow from the Sun-Times | Barack Obama's Chicago
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© Epsilon/Getty
Edgewater Dinner Crawl Set for Thursday, July 23
Tuesday July 7, 2009
Eat your way through the Edgewater neighborhood later this month and sample tapas-size servings at more than a dozen of their local restaurants. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If it were me, I'd make a beeline to Flourish Bakery, Francesca's Bryn Mawr, and Zanzibar. Tickets are $25 and are on sale now.
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Hyde Park - 10 Great Things to See and Do
Monday July 6, 2009
Now that President Obama has settled into his new home in DC, you might want to check out his old neighborhood of Hyde Park-Kenwood with our list of 10 Great Things to See and Do in Hyde Park. It would be a shame if all anyone did was drive near his house when the area has so many worthwhile things to do.
Related: Gates at the University of Chicago welcome the public and members of the university alike. © Jennifer Roche.
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July in Chicago - Events and Highlights
Tuesday June 30, 2009
As I write in our July events listings, Carl Sandburg may have described Chicago as the City of the Big Shoulders, but in July I think of it more as the City of Long Legs stretching out on the front porch of summer. Find great events here for stretching your middle month of summer as far as you can. The guys pictured above are playing futbol in an inflatable field at the annual Fiesta del Sol celebration in Pilsen. © Jennifer Roche
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