Cafe Carries Aura of Forbidden Pleasure
You gotta wonder about a restaurant named after an illegal drink. So it was with curiosity that I ventured to the oh-so-hip Cafe Absinthe.
Year: 1994
Behind the Scenes at “Oprah” – An Inside View of America’s No. 1 Daytime Talk Show
Oprah Winfrey may be Chicago’s biggest tourist attraction. Sure there’s the lakefront, the Bulls, the Art Institute, Magnificent Mile, Wrigley Field and Gino’s East. But how many of them can really make you feel better about yourself?
Crispin Glover’s Quirks Hit The Road
Crispin Glover, a character actor, also is quite the character. He once lived in an apartment painted all black, kept an operating table rumored to have been used for gynecological exams in his living room and gave new meaning to the word “hyper” when he greeted David Letterman with a kick-boxing move that got him booted from the show.
“Erotique” Aims for the Mind – and Misses
If male directors had made “Erotique,” the film would have been called soft-core porn. But because women were employed to direct the movie’s three vignettes, “Erotique” is being billed as “intelligent erotica.” Whatever. The result is the same – a film where sex is more important than content and where women’s – not men’s – bodies serve as the primary objects of titillation.
Still the 1: Doug Banks Stays in Tune With Listeners
Doug Banks is a big man in radio. Literally. At 6-foot-3, the disc jockey on WGCI-FM (107.5) is Chicago’s No. 1 afternoon radio personality. You know who we’re talking about – the friendly, funny guy with the rat-a-rat-tat machine-gun laugh who keeps you company from 2 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
Culture Clash: Ethnic Portrayals and Television
I don’t necessarily love her semi-autobiographical show “All-American Girl” yet, but I relate to Margaret Cho, the star of ABC’s new comedy. Cho is Korean-American. I am Korean-American. She is the antithesis of the ideal Asian woman (geisha girl). No one would mistake me for Suzy Wong. She snorts when she laughs. I snort when I laugh. She’s big (chubby). I’m big (tall). Once, a Korean friend’s father helpfully advised me to “stop growing” if I wanted to land a husband. She’s not a doctor, but a comedian. I’m not a doctor, but a journalist – kind of like a comedian. Cho dates losers. When I date, they’re usually losers. She’s 25. I’m . . . well, never mind.
Customers Roll in for Shiroi Hana’s Sushi Deal
Grrrrrrrumble!!!! The noise you hear is the collective hunger pangs of wannabe patrons waiting for a table at Shiroi Hana. The line outside the Japanese restaurant is long and winding. There is no band playing. And as far as I can tell, there are no celebrities inside to bother, either.
Moxy Fruvous Catching On
Moxy Fruvous sings about Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Seuss, eats fried buttery brain and once spent a whole day busking, only to net a Canadian dime and a Kleenex – used, no less. “That’s all right,” guitarist-vocalist Michael Ford said, laughing. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”
‘Forever Plaid’ Flaunts, Taunts Boy Wonders
“Forever Plaid” is a tribute to the guy groups of the ’50s and ’60s who dressed exactly alike, performed choreographed moves and sang beautiful, heartbreaking harmony. It also is a hilarious, quick-paced 90-minute musical comedy that sends up those groups as much as it pays homage to them. Like the songs, “Forever Plaid” is light and frothy. At Tuesday night’s opening at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, the four starring actor; singers perfectly depicted the euphoria of being in front of an audience while conveying the pathos of being dead.
The Lunch Bunch // Regulars Crowd in, Get Cozy At Leo’s
It’s 10 a.m. Saturday and there’s already a line at Leo’s Lunchroom. But no one seems cranky. Hungry, yes. Crabby, no.
Jane’s Is a Winner at Healthy Fare
I lost my headache at Jane’s. Let me explain. The first time I ate at the Bucktown restaurant, I reacted in typical American horror when the waitress seated my friend and me right next to the only other couple in the restaurant. But too embarrassed to ask to be moved farther away, we sat there and made the best of it and ended up having a fabulous time.
Listen Up: Earwax Has Hard Rock, Cafe
Earwax isn’t the most appetizing name for a cafe/record and video store. But it is a pretty darned catchy one.
Bands Turn Triple Play: Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms, Cracker Show Old Team Spirit
In a perfect triple bill for a beautiful summer night, the Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms and Cracker played to a capacity crowd Saturday night at the World Music Theatre, and the band’s diverse musical styles couldn’t have complemented each other better.
Chris Isaak Plays a Wicked Acting Game
Chris Isaak used to joke that he had less screen time in the three films he’s been in so far than in the video for his breakthrough single, “Wicked Game.” Those days are gone. The San Francisco-based singer-actor stars as the father of a young boy believed to be a reincarnated Buddhist teacher in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Little Buddha” (now playing in Chicago at the Fine Arts). Last year, Isaak took a break from recording for filming in Nepal and Seattle.
Menu, Music, Ambience Make Coffeehouse a Home
Place: No Exit. Time: Just about anytime, but try Sunday afternoons around 4. Why: Because it’s a lot of fun, there’s free jazz music and the coffee is killer.
Ian Hart Gets Back To the Leader Of the Band
When the producers started auditions for the film “Backbeat,” they saw more than 100 actors for the role of the “forgotten Beatle” Stuart Sutcliffe, at least 50 actresses for the part of his German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr and dozens of other actor-musicians for the other members of the Fab Five. But when it came time to cast the role of 19-year-old John Lennon, they saw only one actor – Ian Hart.
To Sum Up. . . Lulu’s Has Tasty Asian Menu
I’ll be the first to admit I had a bias about Lulu’s the first time I went there for dim sum, the traditional Chinese brunch where diners sample small portions of many dishes. First of all, there’s nothing traditional about Lulu’s. It’s in Evanston, which doesn’t have a large Chinese population. Second, I didn’t see any Asian chefs. And third, does a place named Lulu’s really sound like it would have good dim sum?
`Bradys’ Go Over Big with Park West Bunch
Here’s the story/of a TV sitcom/that just wouldn’t ever really go away/Though folks can see reruns on Channel 50/They still pay big bucks to see the live play. Since Chicago sisters Jill and Faith Soloway staged their first line-for-line recreation of a “Brady Bunch” episode three years ago at the Annoyance Theatre, their production of “The Real Live Brady Bunch” has taken on a life of its own. Running through Monday, the play returned to Chicago Tuesday night to a full house at the Park West.
Roth Urges Fans to Take `Blind’ Test
“You won’t get your money back if you don’t like it,” David Lee Roth said, laughing. “But I think people at my shows enjoy themselves no matter what because they see I’m having a great time.”
Boise’s Charms Put Potato Jokes to Rest
My friends used to snicker when I told them about my yearly trips to Idaho’s capital. And to tell you the truth, if I didn’t have family out here, I probably wouldn’t have given the city a second thought as a potential vacation spot. But you know what? All the potato jokes aside, Boise is a fun place to spend a weekend without having to worry about traffic jams or spending a lot of cash.