Just read this on Yelp Talk...

This Saturday July 14 from 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. There is a casting call for Extra's for a movie being filmed throughout Chicago until October...sounds like some sort of urban thriller maybe set sometime in the near future.

They are holding the call at Chicago Academy for the Arts- 1010 W. Chicago Ave, (Chicago & Halsted) 60622

They ask that you bring a recent color photograph and a pen. You will fill out a registration card. The casting is being done through Joan Philo casting - www.joanphilocasting.com.

Also, this is a paying gig!

Might be kind of cool to check out. Although our Saturday is pretty full...

Tags: batman, chicago, movies

My mom emailed this to me today. Some of them are funny. Some of them are not. They also forgot the Chicagoan propensity to refer to everything as "the" something. Also, they left off the tendency to end sentences with prepositions. To wit - "I'm going to the Dominick's. Want to come with?"



1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for "garage key" as in, "Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? Howmy supposta cut da grass if I can't git intada grach?"

2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.

3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in "Da Bears" or "Da Mare" (the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often called).

4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains. "I'm goin'to Jewels to pick up some sassage."

5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply called "Carson's."

6. Tree: The number between two and four. "We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow da udder night."

7. Over by dere: Translates to "over by there," a way of emphasizing a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, "I got the sassage at Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere."

8. Kaminski Park: The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was recently renamed U.S. Cellular Field (da Cell).

9. Frunchroom: As in, "Getottada frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes." It's not the "parlor." It's not the "living room." In the land of the bungalow, it's the "frunchroom," a named derived, linguists believe, from "front room."

10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' "Where use goin'?"

11. Downtown: Anywhere near Da Lake, south of Da Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) and north of Soldier Field.

12. The Lake: Lake Michigan. (What other lake is there?) It's often used by local weathermen, "cooler by Da Lake."

13. Boystown: A section on Halsted between Belmont and Addison which is  lined with gay bars both sides of the street. "Didn't I see use in Boystown in front of da Manhole?"

14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. "Gimme a braht wit kraut."

15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example, "Then he goes, 'I like this place'!"

16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.

17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say "soda" in this town. "Do ya wanna cannapop?"

18. Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle, a popular Midwestern burger chain. "Dose sliders I had last night gave me da shits."

19. The Taste: Da Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.

20. "Jieetyet?": Translates to, "Did you eat yet?"

21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, "What are the two seasons in Chicago?"

22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for "a couple, two, three" which really means "a few." For example, "Hey Mikey, dere any of dem beerz left in da cooler over by dere?" "Yeh, a cuppa too-tree."

23. 588-2300: Every one in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire! (Famous for their salesmen using 30 inch yard sticks to measure your home for carpeting).

24. Junk Djor: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous... but very important, junk.

25. Southern Illinois: Anything south of I-80.

26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate num ber: Da Dan Ryan ("Da Ryan"), da Stevenson, da Kennedy, da Eisenhower (da "Ike"), and da Edens.

27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes, but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!

Tags: chicago, forwards, funny, slang

For those of you in the Chicago area who are looking for places for brunch, do NOT go to Square Kitchen.

We first tried Square Kitchen for dinner when we moved into the neighborhood - we found the food overpriced and unremarkable.

Thinking perhaps it was better for brunch, we gave it a try this morning. I can't tell you how the food was, since we left before ordering due to the terrible service we received.

When we entered the restaurant, the gentleman working at the host stand rudely told us "on minute" without even making eye contact, while he proceeded to instruct a co-worker on the intricacies of their computer system. We were finally seated, and then waited almost ten minutes before our server came to take our order.

After ordering our food, we were told that the kitchen was "really backed up", and it might take longer than usual to get our food. At this point, we'd had enough, and we decided to leave.

As we were leaving, the host asked me why - I told him that he was very rude to us by the way he greeted us. He told me that he was not. I told him that in my opinion, the customer was more important than teaching someone how to use the computer system. He then said "You know what? Buh-bye." When I told him we waited almost ten minutes until we were served, he then told me that I was wrong.

I will never go back to this restaurant - the service was rude and accused me of lying. I will also be sending a letter to the owner of the restaurant, although since they manage to pack the place every Sunday, apparently nobody cares. In fact, as I was leaving, I told someone entering the restaurant that the service was terrible. His reply? "Yes, I know. We were here last week."

Disgusting.

Tags: brunch, chicago, rants, review

Thanks to Suey, I found a link to some neat photos on the Chicago Sun-Times website.

It's a collection of photos from each decade, starting in the 40s. Some truly amazing stuff to check out.

Some of my favorites included the Bears playing at Wrigley Field (which is in this post), Ernie Banks's 500th homer, The Mirage (the Sun-Times "undercover" tavern), South Side strippers (work-safe, don't worry), and Bogie and Bacall at Soldier Field.

Tags: chicago, history, photography

One of my favorite things about Chicago in the summer is the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival

This year they have a great selection. Here's the schedule. Who wants to go see these movies? (the ones I really want to see are highlighted in underline)

Citizen Kane
July 12
8:59 p.m.
Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Everett Sloane
Orson Welles’ masterpiece often tops lists of great movies. Welles, just 25 years old, co-wrote an Oscar winning script, directed, produced and starred in the tale of Charles Foster Kane, wealthy media mogul who amassed fame, fortune and material goods, only to discover it failed to bring him happiness.
(119 minutes)

Annie Hall
July 19
8:54 p.m.
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Christopher Walken
This is the quintessential movie about the trials and tribulations of dating and relationships. Diane Keaton won an Oscar for her performance as the quirky and insecure Annie, as did Allen for directing and writing. The film is both uproariously funny and uniquely poignant, and one of the few comedies to win Best Picture. Plus it features a great cast that includes Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall and Tony Roberts.
(94 minutes)

My Darling Clementine
July 26
8:48 p.m.
Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan
Henry Fonda is Marshal Wyatt Earp who along with Doc Holiday seeks to tame the town of Tombstone, ultimately leading to the showdown at the OK Corral. Directed by John Ford, it’s one of his most striking black and white films.
1946 (97 minutes)

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
August 2
8:39 p.m.
Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Stone
Steven Spielberg directs this well-known story of alien who is left behind in suburban California and the 10 year-old boy who befriends him and helps him to “phone home.”
(115 minutes)

The Night of the Hunter
August 9
8:30 p.m.
Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
In the only film directed by actor Charles Laughton, Mitchum chillingly plays a psychotic preacher with L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E tattooed on his knuckles. He terrorizes his stepchildren in pursuit of a fortune hidden in a little girl’s doll.
(93 minutes)

The Hustler
August 16
8:20 p.m.
Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie
Small-time pool hustler “Fast" Eddie Felson has a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude causes him to challenge the legendary "Minnesota Fats" to a high-stakes match. In a heartbreaking marathon match, he loses everything, so Fast Eddie joins up with a ruthless and cutthroat manager who agrees to take him on the road to learn the ropes. But Felson soon realizes that making it to the top could cost him his soul.
(135 minutes)

Star Wars
August 23
8:09 p.m.
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Alec Guiness
George Lucas created a cultural phenomenon and iconoclastic characters in what we now know as Chapter #4 of this classic sci-fi serial. It’s where we first meet Princess Leia, captured by an evil tyrant, and the heroes, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, who help to rescue her and destroy his empire.
1977 (121 minutes)

Tags: chicago, movies

Via Chicagoist.

City Council Passes Driver Cell Phone Ban

Through adroit parlementary manuvers, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance today that would ban drivers from using cell phones without a hands free device. Chicagoist has learned that the ordinance will be enacted this July, and first time offenders will be fined $50, with repeat offenders subject to fines of up to $200 with each offense. The ordinance does not apply to people in parked cars, people calling 911, or law enforcement officials.

Alderman Burt Natarus (42nd), who has been working to pass the cell phone car ban for over two years, was finally able to marshal the votes necessary this year when he received the support of Mayor Richard M. Daley and Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke (14th). Their support became crucial in the moments before final passage of the ordinance, as it was moved without debate and through an unusual parliamentary manuever as an "Omnibus Bill". By the time the bill had passed, aldermanic opponents had not realized the bill had passed.

Tags: chicago

Those bastards put together her dream Lollapalooza lineup, but then they decide to hold the party in Chicago only.

From Chicagoist:

Lollapalooza Lineup Announced

The lineup for the new (but not necessarily improved) Lollapalooza on July 23rd and 24th in Grant Park was released this morning and well...it’s a mixed bag. We’re really excited about some of the bands on this list and unmoved by others. Many of the bands you’d expect to be in the lineup are: Arcade Fire, Death Cab For Cutie, The Bravery, The Walkmen, World Leader Pretend, Louis XIV, VHS or Beta, etc. Problem is these are bands that are best suited to clubs, not fields. The energy of some of their performances will likely dissipate once it reaches your blanket.

The nostalgia bands seem calculated to pull in people who don’t normally go to live shows like Pixies and Billy Idol (because even though we love ourselves some Billy, we’re still scratching our heads about that one). Plus, where’s the metal and hip-hop? There are definitely bands worth seeing here but the eclectic nature of previous bills is lacking (though we’re thankful to see Digable Planets will be playing). By the way, you can place Widespread Panic and G. Love and Special Sauce in the Unmoved category for us.

Is it too much to ask for a Dig!-like showdown between the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols?

Finally, locals in the lineup include the previously mentioned Ms. Phair, Redwalls and the Changes. The Lolla site promises more bands to come though if we had our choice between seeing our favorite local band at say, Double Door or Lolla you know what we’d pick.

While we’re still mulling over how we feel about the lineup, there’s one aspect about this show that’s got us pissed off to no end: the graudated ticket price. First, tickets will start off at $85 for a two-day pass. But there’s a limited supply (no word on how many) and once those are gone, tickets will shoot up to $100. Then $115. And that doesn’t include a $9 service charge for each ticket or the $7 per order shipping charge. The math whiz next to you will tell you that 23 percent of your ticket cost will be eaten up by those fees. Don’t be fooled by the site’s suggestion that parking is included. That’s an additional $18 (though it’s a steal compared to what it normally costs to park downtown).

Those are our thoughts for now. Yours and the full lineup after the jump.

Pixies
Widespread Panic
Weezer
The Killers
Dinosaur Jr.
Cake
Dashboard Confessional
The Arcade Fire
Billy Idol
Death Cab For Cutie
Digable Planets
Liz Phair
G. Love and Special Sauce
Blonde Redhead
The Black Keys
The Bravery
The Walkmen
Louis XIV
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Z-Trip
Los Amigos Invisibles
M83
The Dandy Warhols
Tegan and Sara
VHS or Beta
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Soulive
Ambulance LTD
Shout Out Louds
Blue Merle
The Warlocks
DeSoL
World Leader Pretend
The Redwalls
The Changes

Posted by Scott Smith in Music

Tags: chicago, music

My favorite Chicagoist blogger, Rachelle Bowden (sorry Scott!), just posted this story on Chicagoist about Festivus.

I am listing here the Chicagoist Airing of Grievences about the city of Chicago:

Friends, family, City of Chicago: These are the ways you have disappointed us this year -

• Blago- We love that you live in Chicago, but the Springfield mansion is getting drafty and southern Illinois is getting pissed. You wanted to be Gov, you should live in Springfield. Also, why can't you play nice with Daley and Madigan? Democrats control Illinois government, and we've yet to see one major new government program. Isn't power supposed to be for more than press releases and security guards?
• Daley - Nice work moving to a swank new apartment building on Randolph, but can't you do something about all the other ugly residential towers going up around downtown? Like EIGHT floors of windowless, retail-less crud on these buildings? Aren't you supposed to be the arbiter of architectural style? You disappoint us, Mayor.
• Metro - your anti-camera policies STINK esp. for up-and-coming bands that could use the publicity from fans
• City of Chicago - your competitivesness with NYC has led you to also charge $9.50 for movie tickets
• Ticketmaster - your fees that are more than 1/3 of the ticket price (see Blue Meanies)
• The Burnham Plaza Theater - your place is a dump and has been for five years. Is it because it caters to a mainly college kids and African-Americans? It needs to be cleaned up.
• Dave Matthews Band - please don't poop on us anymore
• R. Kelly - please don't pee on us anymore
• Cook County State's Attorney's Office - seriously, bring R. Kelly to trial already. Guilty or innocent, it's time to shit or get off the pot.
• Whiny Voters who didn't vote - Don’t even speak to us when Bush plows your Social Security into crappy stock market index funds, we invade Syria on a whim and the CTA loses all its funding to the suburban highways.
• CTA - you threaten our nightlife with your proposed service cuts. And exactly when is the brown line reconstruction going to begin?
• Congress - you can't manage to pass the $10+ billion TEA3 transportation authorization bill. Want that new Fullerton stop? Should be at least two years. Fix crumbling Kennedy overpasses? Longer. Yep, Congress is lame and pathetic when it comes to this one. We are very disappointed.
• Cubs - Will you ever make it to the Series?
• Sox - Still being punished for the Black Sox scandal of 1919
• Bears - It's been 19 years since you did the Super Bowl Shuffle. Also, you landed a space ship on your stadium and are now going to get your historical landmark designation ripped away. Way to go.

Tags: chicago

( local chicago cops busting home poker games )

Tags: chicago, poker

Did you know...

The most popular beer at the World's Fair in Chicago was PBR?

That's why it was named Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Tags: chicago

So two of my friends entered the Urban Challenge today. They asked me to be their "headquarters" (which basically meant they called me all day to have me look stuff up on the internet and figure out clues, plus help them figure out how to get places on the CTA).

Well, they came in 5th place! Which means we're all going to Miami in November for the finals to try to win $50,000.

How exciting!

Tags: chicago, contest, urban challenge