“Meet the New Media… Same as the Old Media?”
5:30 p.m. Thursday, October 28th
Film Row Cinema, Columbia College, 1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Free and open to the public (but there might be a quiz).
Top 5 "scariest" service in Chicago
Oct. 28, 2010
In honor of Halloween, thought I would share some of the more harrowing experiences I've had, purely from a customer service perspective:
1. Wieners Circle
I know the late-night, post-bar crowd expects to be yelled at, but I've been there at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, and the servers are just as grumpy. The Tribune's Kevin Pang had a hilarious bit on his "Cheeseburger Show" showing just how abusive they can be (warning, R-rated language ensues).
2. Gene & Georgetti
It may be the oldest steakhouse in town, but so are the waiters - as aloof as Uncle Fester and abrasive as Don Rickles; don't even think of sitting down in the front bar area unless you're a "regular." They will literally leave tables empty while you wait in the bar, just in case one walks in.
3. Schwa
The Morning Drive Podcast: Long-shot political candidates, Blago, less wind
Oct. 28, 2010Chicago’s top news stories, piped straight to your earbuds.
In today’s episode: the psychology behind the long-shot political campaign; the latest on Rod Blagojevich's retrial; a not-so-windy day in store for the Windy City.
It’s all the news that’s fit to podcast. Click above to listen.
Chicago architecture turns political
Oct. 28, 2010I fell asleep with the TV on earlier this week, and awakened to a campaign commercial with the ghostly images of senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias appearing and re-appearing on the facades of Chicago architecture.
Couldn't be. This is what I get for eating that giant sandwich before going to bed, I thought.
Turns out the commercial is real.
The ad, paid for by the Washington D.C.
The 2010 Giants = The 2005 White Sox?
Oct. 28, 2010I don't think I've watched a World Series game in three years.
The Phillies were in it the last couple years, right? I am just too busy and even if I made it home, there was usually better TV to watch. And let's face it, by the time two teams you barely care about get around to playing a seven game series in late October, you've moved on to football, hockey and NBA basketball (as of last night).
But there I was, watching all of Game 1 between the Texas Rangers and my new favorite team, the San Fransisco Giants.
The game turned out to be a sloppy blowout. The Rangers' ace Cliff Lee got lit up and the Giants poured it on. But while watching the Giants play, I saw something familiar: The Giants are the 2005 Chicago White Sox.
The team similarities are endless:
The Giants have transcended baseball and become a movement. Their fans wear beards, sing anthems and go absolutely nuts on balls and strikes. Their orange and black garb is strikingingly crisp. The players are becoming folk heroes (Posey, Ross and Lincecum). Sound familiar?
Midweek thoughts about mid-life
Oct. 27, 2010
Hello all!
1. First of all, what do you guys think of these new digs? We're just "moving in" to our new Mission Amy K.R. space today, so please toss any and all thoughts our way.
2. I also want to remind you about this week's Trick or Tweet mission. My box of band-aids and I are here waiting for you!
3. I am sorry to say that I did not get enough Talent Show submissions last week to warrant creating a video. I want to thank the small handful of you who did send material in (which was great, by the way). I think by now you know that I take every mission to heart and try to make good on every idea and offer; I suppose once in a while there will be a mission that does not conclude with the word "accomplished." Sigh.
4. Finally, I want to leave you with this short piece I wrote about turning 40. It ran in Oprah Magazine a while back and I was thinking it might be just the thing to share with you midweek.
ever yours,
amy
On the streets of Chicago, Chevy stalks Honda…in a well-done commercial
Oct. 27, 2010Over the weekend, I caught this commercial for the new Chevrolet Cruze.
The 30-second spot shows the Chevy prowling the streets of Chicago on the hunt for its rival, the Honda Civic. Cinematic in approach, the commercial shows the Cruze cruising around some Chicago landmarks, including the Marina City parking ramps and the EL. That 24hr coin laundry sign at 0:09 looks familiar, but I can't place it. The shot of the car passing through a sliver of space between two buildings near South Water and Michigan at 0:13 is pretty cool, as is the part when the lights go out on the Art Deco marquee at Park Ridge's Pickwick Theater.
The tag line, "We're going hunting; it's Civic season," ain't bad either.
Footworking in Chatham: Battle Groundz takes dance to a new level
Oct. 27, 2010It doesn’t really look anything like a typical dance club. For starters, the lights are on, blazing. They serve zero, zip, when it comes to beverages. And it only happens on Sunday nights.
But Battle Groundz, on 87th just east of Stony Island in Chatham, isn’t a very typical place. This is where a good bunch of Chicago’s hardcore footwoorkers -- from the South Side, the West Side, the suburbs, even a few stragglers from the North Side -- come to practice, compete, and hang out.
“I think of footworking as hyper tap dancing,” explains Maurice Fulson, 31, who started Battle Groundz two years ago in the empty front room of an insurance office, in a space donated by a sympathetic friend. Since he first opened, the floor tiles have been nearly worn through from all the sliding, jumping, skimming, popping, tapping and slamming involved.
“There are different types of spins, combos and crossovers,” says Fulson, a father of five who makes a full-time living from coaching and teaching footworking.