Chicago is My Home
Chicago is My Home
30
Oct
Chicago Public Schools Spends $7 Million on Social Networking
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Education
CHICAGO – FirstClass software from Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Open Text will go live on Oct. 31 across the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system. The software is designed to link teachers and students via e-mail, social networking and online tools.
Open Text will oversee the implementation of the software on the CPS database. The school board budget reported the cost for the technology at $7 million.
FirstClass is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that’s designed to ease the burden of technology professionals within schools. Chicago students will receive access to the service on a “rolling basis” throughout the school year.
The program has been used in certain CPS schools for nine months. A technology coordinator and computer teacher at Agustin Lara School in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood has some concerns with its rollout.
“I am waiting to see all the bumps and cracks,” said Lauren Villwock, 23, in an interview with MidwestBusiness.com. The software will go live to approximately 600 schools in the district.
Leave a Comment30
Oct
Radio Show Sound of Young America Goes Public in Chicago on Oct. 31
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Comedy
CHICAGO – The Sound of Young America – a public radio show syndicated through Public Radio International and a Time Magazine “Pick of the Podcasts” in 2006 – will be hosting a live Chicago show and taping on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. at the Second City e.t.c. stage.
Ablini is best known for working with artists such as The Stooges, Nirvana, Bush, Screeching Weasel, Superchunk and the Pixies along with being the frontman for the band Shellac.
Always controversial, Albini has long been a pundit of indie and mainstream music. Chicago comic favorites Hannibal Buress, Team Submarine, Schadenfreude and Second City comics will also perform that evening.
Stephen Colbert (left) and Jesse Thorn.
Photo courtesy of the Sound of Young America
He has interviewed personalities including Stephen Colbert, Art Spiegelman and Ira Glass. Something of comedian himself, Thorn is committed to promoting independent and “alternative” comedy.
By Dustin Levell
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
28
Oct
‘Blade Runner: The Final Cut’ Showing in Chicago on Nov. 2
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
“Blade Runner: The Final Cut” has a a limited-run theatrical engagement in select cities through the fall and holiday season in conjunction with the anticipated DVD release.
The film opens in Chicago on Nov. 2 at the Music Box Theatre in honor of the 25th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s science-fiction masterpiece.
The film has been restored with new and improved special effects. It also includes never-before-seen added and extended scenes that Scott created specifically for the new edition.
Leave a Comment27
Oct
Chicago International Film Festival Announces Audience Choice Awards
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival on Oct. 25 announced its three Audience Choice Award winners for 2007 based on ballots over the 14-day festival.
The awards went to “Control” (United Kingdom) from director Anton Corbijn, “Lovesickness” (Puerto Rico) and “Spirit of the Marathon” (U.S.) from director Jon Dunham on the Chicago Marathon.
Leave a Comment26
Oct
‘Wanted’ Trailer to Debut With ‘American Gangster’
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
It was revealed on Oct. 26 that the first trailer from Universal Pictures for “Wanted,” which filmed in part in Chicago, will debut in theaters in preview to “American Gangster,” which opens on Nov. 2.
“Wanted,” which stars Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy, is slated to release on March 28, 2008. (Source: Superhero! Hype)
25
Oct
Reeling 2007: 26th Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival Coming Nov. 8 to 18
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film Festivals
With the Chicago International Film Festival concluded (Oct. 4 to 17) and the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema wrapping up (Oct. 18 to 28), Reeling 2007: The 26th Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival is nearly upon the Windy City.
Running from Nov. 8 to 18 and presented by Showtime, Comcast and “The L Word,” Reeling is the “second-oldest lesbian and gay film festival in the world and a premiere cultural event for Chicago’s LGBT community and film-appreciating audiences”.
Leave a Comment23
Oct
Fox Atomic Plucks ‘Juno’ Writer Diablo Cody, Megan Fox For ‘Jennifer’s Body’
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
Diablo Cody, the comedic writer behind “Juno,” and “Transformers” siren Megan Fox have both been plucked by Fox Atomic for a comedic supernatural thriller by the name of “Jennifer’s Body”.
Megan Fox (left) and Diablo Cody.
Fox photo courtesy of IMDb; Cody photo courtesy of Scott Walker
Fox Atomic bought the Cody piece last week with Fox in negotiations to star in the film. Chicago-native “Juno” producer Mason Novick, who is credited with discovering Cody, is on board to produce the film.
Click here to continue reading this report…
Leave a Comment22
Oct
City of Chicago’s Casino Cash Wouldn’t Be Big Jackpot, But Could Help CTA
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Gambling
This just in from ChicagoBusiness.com:
Mayor Richard M. Daley’s dream of a city-owned casino won’t be a financial jackpot for Chicago.
Much of the debate around the current proposal has focused on the $1 billion in annual revenue a downtown casino is projected to generate. In reality, the city’s take after paying state taxes, operating costs and debt service would be only about $150 million.
That’s not enough to fully bail out the cash-strapped city government, which this year is asking for $300 million in new taxes and fees to close budget holes.
Continue reading the story here…
1 Comment20
Oct
Film Short: ‘Hollywood Jerome’ Premieres in Chicago Tonight
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Short Film
I just received a note stating that the short film “Hollywood Jerome,” which I mentioned back on June 14, is premiering on Oct. 20 in Chicago at 1104 S. Wabash at 7 p.m. as part of the IFP/Chicago Flyover Zone Short Film Festival.
The short film, which addresses urban themes and still isn’t listed on IMDb, is credited to Frey Hoffman (director, cinematographer and producer) and Malik Yusef (actor, writer, narrator and producer).
Click here to continue reading this post…
2 Comments19
Oct
In ‘Gone Baby Gone’ Directorial Debut, Ben Affleck Matures Into Polished Auteur
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Chicago International Film Festival, Film
CHICAGO – It wasn’t that long ago when Ben Affleck was an unknown. Fortune eventually smiled upon him and along came quality performances in independents and an Academy Award for screenwriting.
Then came “Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor” and a series of nauseating tabloid stories involving something called “Bennifer”. Affleck’s public image as either a true filmmaker or a hack is riding heavily on his directorial debut of “Gone Baby Gone”.
Without fail, he falls easily into the category of true talent. Following the path that fellow actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood did with “Mystic River,” Affleck elevated a crime thriller by author Dennis Lehane to the big screen.
Click here to read the full review by Dustin Levell…
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