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How much do celebrity chefs really matter to their restaurants?
Crain'sreported yesterday that Japonais, the decade-old glitzy-sceney Japanese restaurant on the north branch of the Chicago river, will team up with celebrity chef Masaharu Morimoto—or, as he is...
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Did you read about Oprah, Jack Monroe, and black holes?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• About independent bookstores trying to stay in business with crowdsourcing campaigns? —Tony Adler• That Oprah...
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How I spent my summer break: Firing teachers
A Chicago principal explains how she spent her summer break: Firing teachers. by Ben Joravsky It's been a lousy year for the local public schools—even by Chicago standards. There was the brouhaha over...
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12 O'Clock Track: Kendrick Lamar steals Big Sean's "Control (HOF)"
Last night rap-radio icon Funkmaster Flex dropped a new Big Sean track that features a typically entertaining Big Sean verse, as well as one from Kendrick Lamar that basically smashes the entire 2013...
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A century and change—there's a new anthology of great Chicago sportswriting
Ron Rapoport, a former Sun-Times sports columnist, has just published a book with a title that doesn't know when to quit: From Black Sox to Three-Peats: A Century of Chicago's Best Sportswriting, From...
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Tribune, Agate Publishing teaming up for e-books, print runs
If I'd known about I'd have mentioned it, but I didn't know. The other day I wrote a Bleader post that said a few warm words about Tribune feature writer Christopher Borrelli.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe...
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Your festive (and sometimes messy) visual arts weekend, planned
After spending the week in your cubicle staring at a computer screen, your eyes deserve a look at something interesting. Here's what's happening this weekend: Thursday 8/15"On The Wall: Zine Art Meets...
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Breaking Bad engages warp drive
Following the Breaking Bad season five premiere (part two), we felt it our duty to conduct a Gchat to discuss #likewhiteonricin, the Skyler vs. Walt power struggle, and whether Hank actually is that...
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The Act of Killing's theater of war
In Joshua Oppenheimer's unforgettable documentary, Indonesian executioners re-create their killings for the camera. by J.R. Jones More than a half million people died in 1965 and '66 when the...
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In Ulzana's Raid, the Vietnam War's in the Arizona desert
Robert Aldrich's Ulzana's Raid sets the moral conflicts of the Vietnam War in the Arizona desert. by Ben Sachs We are in the middle of the Arizona desert, sometime near the end of the 19th century. A...
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Chicago Dancing Festival: Dance wants to be free
Dance wants to be free at the seventh annual Chicago Dancing Festival. by Laura Molzahn You don't have to leave home to discover new things. The Joffrey Ballet, for instance, reveals a whole new side...
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The highs and lows of longtime WBEZ visionary Torey Malatia
The highs and lows of longtime WBEZ visionary Torey Malatia by Michael Miner A few weeks ago I reported on an internal debate over education coverage at WBEZ. Should Becky Vevea, a freelancer who...
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Gossip Wolf: Magas makes some famous fans
Gossip Wolf: Magas makes some famous fans, John Bellows goes electric, and more. by J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil When one-man electro army Jim Magas opened for Tortoise at the Empty Bottle last month,...
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Reader's Agenda Wed 8/14: The Sound Opinions End of Summer BBQ, Garlic Fest,...
Looking for something to do today? Agenda's got you covered:You may have been to a lot of barbecues this summer, but probably none can equal the Sound Opinions End of Summer BBQ.…[ Read more ][...
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Gig poster of the week: Nathan Xander butts out
ARTIST: Josh DavisSHOW: Nathan Xander, Old Fashioned War, and Ty Maxon at Schubas on 7/28MORE INFO:deadmeatdesign.com[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
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Northwestern University's Block Museum closed until January
Official tweets from Northwestern University's Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art last week announced a sudden closure for "maintenance," due to an "unexpected facility issue."Yesterday came word that...
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Reader track premiere: Willis Earl Beal connects with Sharkula for the spooky...
Local phenom Willis Earl Beal is gearing up for the release of his second proper album, Nobody Knows, which comes out September 10 on Hot Charity/XL Recordings. So far Beal has dropped a couple tunes...
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Did you read about Jay Cutler, Alberto Ramon Gutierrez, and the sole...
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• That the bottom line on Jay Cutler, according to Rick Telander (speaking for many), is that he's nothing special?...
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Playing Family Feud at Steppenwolf's First Look
They always hurt the ones they love in Steppenwolf's First Look repertory. by Tony Adler There's a neat little feature in the program for this year's First Look Repertory of New Work, at Steppenwolf...
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12 O'Clock Track: "Liquid Spirit," a shot of gospelized soul from Gregory Porter
I'm not a very big fan of contemporary jazz vocalists, but considering this is the second time I've written about one in the last few weeks I'm wondering if my aesthetic sensibilities are changing. In...
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