Alison Cuddy

Drive-in movies in the digital age of film.

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 24, 2012

Aug. 24, 2012

Friday on Eight Forty-Eight we're going to talk about the future of drive-ins. Now, I've had plenty of good times at drive-in movies, from fighting with my siblings in the back of the car to making out with boyfriends in the front. But as a car-less Chicagoan, they're mainly a thing of my past.

Which is a shame, because the drive-in seems to have found ways to adapt to changing technology and audiences, while retaining many of the old-school elements that made them so appealing in the first place, from foil-wrapped, warmed-over burgers to double features – for the price of one!!

What changes have come are welcome. Remember those clunky and sometimes hard to hear speakers? Swapped out for FM stereo radio in most cases, though some drive-ins keep a few of the old tin cans on hand (often near the concessions stand in case you wanna hang out and watch from there).

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Why is it so hard to define the legacy of departed celebrities?

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 22, 2012

Aug. 22, 2012

The act The media reaction to the death of the film director and producer Tony Scott has been a bit puzzling. Some of it no doubt is because Scott apparently took his own life. Suicide is literally a tough act to follow - how do you respond to something that's both heartbreakingly definitive and maddeningly hard to define? It makes sense that family and friends would want to figure out how to contain a final act that really is a never-ending story.

By contrast the media feeds on an open-ended story. What better way to keep the 24-hour news cycle going (our modern version of eternity)? So ABC raced ahead with a possible motive, reporting the director had inoperable brain cancer. Some suggested that's becoming a bit of a habit for the network. But CNN, Fox and NBC have all been there too.

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Art outings for August 20-26

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 20, 2012

Aug. 20, 2012

1. Industry of the Ordinary: 2003-2013, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi. Adam Brooks and Mathew Wilson, the artistic duo known as Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO), aren't so much putting on a show as taking over the Chicago Cultural Center with their retrospective, which opened over the weekend. There's a sound installation in the elevator and, coming soon, one that will pipe out across Randolph Street. Over the show's six-month run, a variety of performances will happen in various spots around the building, including dance, group recitation and the intriguing Celebrity and the Peculiar, which involves an installation of tents "infused" with celebrity scents.

The show's sprawl is matched by its density, as if Brooks and Wilson were compelled to include everybody in their retrospective.

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Art tips for August 13-19

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 13, 2012

Aug. 13, 2012

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Legendary DJ Atomâ„¢ makes his Chicago debut

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 10, 2012

Aug. 10, 2012

Chicago's never been afraid to wear its electronic heart beat on its musical sleeve. This is the city where house music was born, where Smart Bar, an epicenter of Chicago's DJ scene, just celebrated 30 years in business, where even Uncommon Ground, a venue best known for hosting folk or world music acts, is now entering the electronic scene with its new monthly "downtempo, chill, lounge DJ session."

That last event tells you — as if you need to be told — where electronica is now, which is just about everywhere. When Peaches performed at the Empty Bottle in the early oughts, indie rock types were too hip to listen let alone dance to her sound. Now everybody is dancing and electronica acts are on Pitchfork's main stage, instead of performing in in a tiny, tucked away DJ tent. If you're parent to a teenager you've probably chaperoned them to at least one local EMD festival this summer.

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An Arts Roundup for August 6-12

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 6, 2012

Aug. 6, 2012

1. Lollapalooza set an attendance record this past weekend, but if it didn’t slake your thirst for outdoor music in general or electronica in particular, head to The Mid Tuesday night for the Toast of the Coast Finals. Local DJs and bands (The Palmer Squares, Second City Citizens, Supreme Regime and more) will compete to win a spot at this year's North Coast Music Festival, which takes place the final weekend of August. The show’s for those who like their music/culture in bite-sized chunks. Each act will play a 15-minute set.

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What happened at the final Chicago Cultural plan meeting?

By: Alison Cuddy | Aug. 1, 2012

Aug. 1, 2012

 

The final town hall to review Chicago's draft Cultural Plan was quite a sonic event: 350 people (more or less) conversating in Preston Bradley Hall at the Cultural Center equals noisy!

Still people were paying deep attention to one another, and to the draft plan. There were a variety of responses to both the proposals and the process, from outright enthusiasm to deep cynicism.

I joined Tony Sarabia for a quick review of the proceedings.

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Can you spare some time for Chicago's cultural plan?

By: Alison Cuddy | Jul. 31, 2012

Jul. 31, 2012

Tonight is the last town hall seeking public input on Chicago's draft cultural plan.

This is Chicago's first plan in about 25 years, which might explains its length. It has more than 200 initiatives, ranging from developing a South Side museum campus, to donating vacant land to arts and culture groups.

Any items that do make it into the final plan – due this fall – could well set the city’s cultural agenda for years to come.

So the city’s seeking input – Tuesday night is the last of four public meetings since a draft was released in mid-July.

The format is tight.

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