NEA 2012 budget finalized . . . at last

Dec. 19, 2011
Well, after 10 months of dickering the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) finally has a budget for Fiscal 2012, which began quite some time ago.

Chicago-based 'Boss' a TV bright spot

Dec. 19, 2011
Don't look back.Maybe that's one lesson to be drawn from TV in the year past. At least, nostalgia didn't exactly pay off for the networks.

The man who became Vice President

Dec. 19, 2011
"Once upon a time there were two brothers. One of them went to sea, and the other became Vice President of the United States. Neither of them was ever heard of again."That's an old vaudeville joke, and it always got a laugh. It was true enough.

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' reheats Cold War espionage

Dec. 16, 2011
Feeling a little sinister? Wondering if a Russian spy is sitting in the next cube? The days of spy versus spy, Cold War-style may be over but filmmaker Tomas Alfredson brings them back to life in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Top 5 things to do this weekend

Dec. 16, 2011
I caught Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy this week – it’s one of the movies we talked about on 848 today.The film is based on a John Le Carré spy novel so of course the plot involves lots of duplicity, doubt and double upon triple crosses.  Every one of the characters just might be a Russian mole ope

'Recovering groupie' Cynthia Plaster Caster molds a rock-star weekend

Dec. 16, 2011
A warning--some listeners may want to put their ear muffs on. Eight Forty-Eight's Weekly Guide s best known for making plaster castings of the “naughty bits” of male and female rock 'n rollers.

From empty lot to a work of art

Dec. 16, 2011
“What’s gonna happen when I die?” Eddie Harris asks. “What are they gonna do with all my art?”Harris is 76 years old and he’s got a lifetime’s worth of art at his home.He’s skilled in many different media – painting, carving and drawing, to start.

The story of the Mickey Finn: Chicago's cocktail

Dec. 16, 2011
If you are a sophisticated drinker, you know about the Manhattan. Obviously, that cocktail was invented in New York City. Here in Chicago we can lay claim to devising our own famous mixed drink.In 1903 on this December 16th, the city was learning about the Lone Star Saloon and Palm Garden.

Pages