Note the name change. I know it changes your life.

1. Anybody who is anybody was at the The Alderman Ed Bus Variety Show at Beat Kitchen last night (or, anybody whose boss was running it and didn’t want to get beheaded was there). Schadenfreude performed. There were appearances by Henneman, her boyfriend, and “a member of the Chicago Cubs.”

There was also ‘an occasionally annual’ Alt Media Slam, which Gaper’s Block won, narrowly beating out The A.V. Club. The winner was actually determined by former Alderman Burt Natarus, though he appeared biased, perhaps because of a love for Ramsin Canon’s very cool t-shirt…

2. Cirque Shanghai Extreme has been postponed for one week and now will open June 29. The Pepsi Skyline Stage  at Navy Pier had to undergo roof repairs due to “the high number of inclement weather days in Chicago since mid-April.” The show will run through Labor Day. 

3. Word around the office is that the live show of Q with Seth Meyers last night was very funny. He’s certainly making the media rounds; TimeOut has an interview, as does the Trib. BUT WHICH ONE IS BETTER?! Hint: The Trib includes Meyer’s mentioning that his old apartment in Chicago “smelled of fish.”

4. We’re gearing up for the Neo-Futurarium’s latest endeavor: a Chicago pride-themed Too Much Light called 30 Queer Plays in 60 Straight Minutes. It’s scheduled to run next Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. They also want your Gay art, so whatever that means to you…be free.

5. Steppenwolf‘s Clybourne Park has rounded out their cast. The show, which will run from September 8 to November 6, is directed by ensemble member Amy Morton, and features James Vincent Meredith with Karen Aldridge, Cliff Chamberlain, Stephanie Childers, Kirsten Fitzgerald, John Judd and Brendan Marshall-Rashid.

Expect debates over race-relations during five decades on the northwest side of Chicago s.  It’s all part of Steppenwolf’s look at war in their 2011-12 season. 

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.