Chicago is My Home

13
Dec

Top Chicago Music Picks For the Weekend of Dec. 14, 2007

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Music

Who needs casinos when you have the bloody prince of darkness? That’s right, Ozzy Osbourne – that dude who starred in the 2003 reality series and used bite off bat heads on stage – is coming to Rosemont’s Allstate Arena on Sunday night with opening act Rob Zombie. Tickets range from $50 to $100.

While the Oz man may have lost a leap since his Black Sabbath days or when he used to tour with the late Randy Rhodes, he’s a consummate performer who knows how to wink at his legacy of contrived decadence while thrilling crowds with power chords of yesteryear.

Ride that crazy train into the holiday season and check out Ozzy before you can see him wallow in retirement on Nick at Nite.

What can be more fun than waiting outside the Chicago Theatre on a frozen December evening trying to score a ticket to the sold-out Duran Duran show? Just about everything.

Finally, for those of us not fortunate enough to make it to London’s Wembley Stadium this week to catch the first full-length concert performed by Led Zeppelin since the Carter administration, breathe a collective “Thank You” in Elmhurst on Friday night night as Zep cover band Kashmir performs at the Good Times Pub.

While clips from the Wembley show can still be found on YouTube, the IP police at Warner Bros. are scavenging unauthorized clips of “Black Dog,” “Trampled Under Foot” and “Stairway to Heaven” more quickly than a Bears three and out. Let’s just hope Page, Plant, Jones and young Jason Bonham make their way to the Midwest in 2008.

By Brad Spirrison

13
Dec

Voice of Homer Simpson Pedals With ‘The Bicycle Men’ For Chicago Tour de Force

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Theater

CHICAGO – Frantic and fantastically funny, the musical-comedy play “The Bicycle Men” invades Chicago again for a limited run at the Lakeshore Theater this time featuring the man – Dan Castellaneta – who is best known as the voice of TV’s Homer Simpson.

“The Bicycle Men”.
Photo credit: The Lakeshore Theater

The show, which originated with Castellaneta’s co-stars (Mark Nutter, John Rubano and Joe Liss) as “Le Comedie du Bicyclette” at the Los Angeles ImprovOlympics in April 2003, had a long run in Chicago that same year.

Loosely structured around a nebbish American (Castellaneta) and his bicycle tour of the French countryside, Nutter, Rubano and Liss play multiple characters designed to insanely disrupt the journey.

Set in a bicycle shop, youth hostel, restaurant, movie theater and most weirdly a talent show cabaret, each location inspires another surreal sketch with a musical number. Accompanied on piano by the multi-talented Nutter, Castellaneta and company sing a “Cynic’s Lullaby” and odes to “Fake Breasts,” “White Guys” “Church Barn” and most succinctly “Musical Hetero”.

Castellaneta – with his everyman demeanor – is perfectly cast as the ugly American content to play the straight man around the mad swirl of the other three crazies. Liss shines especially as a Marcel Marceau-type mute (in a Dana Carvey wig), a Dutch traveler who sings himself to sleep and an expert in the subtleties of dog poop.

Rubano is the glue of the show as the metaphoric bicycle god, and with his other characters, he steals every scene he chews.

His Texan-American ways with a happy physical abnormality would make George Bush proud while his turn as a puppet competes with Pinocchio. Playing a force of nature named Chester Manchester, he had the audience in paralyzing laughter and produced more gales with each characteristic expression.

Dan Castellaneta.
Photo credit: IMDb

The songs and choreography have a valid musical theater quality with standouts being the “White Guys” number with a boogie-woogie movement that is best described as spastic.

The brilliant song “Musical Hetero” – in which Castellaneta pleads that he is a straight man in a gay song-and-dance world – farcically manages to skew both ends of the orientation spectrum with several high kicks thrown in for added measure.

For fans of “The Simpsons,” it was also interesting to listen to Castellaneta’s natural speaking and singing voice and detect the familiar rhythm behind so many voices in that legendary series.

This play is outrageously off-kilter even down to the scene transitions where the players use broad physical comedy to transcend time and space. The men on stage have great fun with a loose, improvisational style that buries the laugh meter in the red zone and takes the audience along on their audacious bicycle ride.

As Homer Simpson himself once said: “I love legitimate thee-ay-ter.”

By Patrick McDonald

13
Dec

‘The Dark Knight’ Delivers High-Impact IMAX Prologue Before ‘I Am Legend’

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film

I went to screen “I Am Legend” on Wednesday in Chicago to experience “The Dark Knight”.

That statement doesn’t speak grimly about my feelings for Will Smith. I was looking forward to learning his legend and I’m glad I did. The night at Chicago’s Navy Pier IMAX, though, went to its first six minutes with the Joker as the star.

A production still from “The Dark Knight” prologue.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Before I skipped the capacity crowd awaiting entrance into the theater, I stopped to listen to people’s pre-conceived motivations for spending a chilly Wednesday evening at the movies.

People weren’t there because it was free. More important, many people weren’t talking about “I Am Legend”. The buzz king went to Nolan & Co. A few people even went so far as to say they’d consume “The Dark Knight” prologue and skip out immediately thereafter.

I spoke to the publicist running the screening moments before heading in. He was in a panic.

He just got off the phone from New York because “the prologue wasn’t going to show,” he said. At the mere quiet mention of the notion, the few critics who heard it threw their hands in the air in disgust.

I’m paraphrasing, but the publicist immediately retorted: “Don’t worry. It’ll be there now. I made sure of it.” Their nerves were calmed and I now felt vindicated after having to miss last week’s sneak peak of the prologue following yet another “The Dark Knight” viral game.

We were first treated to a trailer for “The Spiderwick Chronicles”.

The next trailer – for a film documenting a rock star – was relatively unimpressive and forgettable. Then a sweeping shot of downtown Gotham ushered in “The Dark Knight” prologue and the theater erupted in applause.

You immediately felt the difference between a typical trailer preceding the big event as this prologue is a short film in its own right. Its design is to introduce the Joker as the crazed fiend he is. He’s indeed feared, he’s indeed demented and he indeed delivers on the frenetic hype.

The story leading up to his unmasking deliberately makes his revelation deliciously climatic. You love to hate Heath and feel no remorse loving him all the while.

For this Chicagoan who has been covering the ins and outs of the film as it has taken over our Windy City, the prologue feels much like home. I’d be watching and instantly recall reporting on that courthouse and stepping foot on those very floors when I was beckoned there for jury duty.

A cameo by William Fichtner (“Go,” “Armageddon,” “Contact”) as a Gotham National Bank manager proves even in just a glimpse the power of this cast from roles as big as Heath Ledger as the Joker and Christian Bale as Batman all the way down to this small bank manager who dominates a memorable scene.

William Fichtner in “The Perfect Storm”.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Director Chris Nolan will be remembered as an innovator who made the premeditated choice to work with director of photography Wally Pfister and IMAX technicians to mark the first time in Hollywood history the larger and heavier IMAX cameras were used to film select sequences.

Rather than succumbing to the quality degradation inherent in converting traditional 35-millimeter film to the largesse of IMAX, Nolan filmed directly using the 60-millimeter, sensually orgasmic format. The wait was worth the remuneration and serves as yet another telltale sign that “The Dark Knight” will be the film of 2008.

10
Dec

GetFave.com Targets Chicago With First Neighborhood Search Engine

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Technology

CHICAGO – On Sept. 1, 2005, Jeff Seymour was able to convince his identical twin brother, Jon, to jump on board with his idea for a local search engine.

Jeff Seymour owned a small orthodontist practice in Tampa for 10 years. As the Internet became mainstream, he wanted to harness the advertising possibilities it promised through Google’s pay-per-click model. As one of the first orthodontists in Tampa to use Invisalign braces, he advertised information online and quickly became frustrated.

Seymour ended up paying for clicks from people who weren’t his target audience. He added: “It was wasteful and frustrating not only receiving patients that weren’t mine but the local people weren’t targeted enough.”

He turned to his brother – an entrepreneur and technology executive – with his problem. Jeff Seymour wanted a new way to localize Internet advertising. He asked: “How can we make it possible to target a neighborhood and price market?” The thought process became the underlying principle that led to the development of Chicago’s first localized search engine: GetFave.com.

In Sept. 2005, Jon Seymour locked himself up for about a year and wrote the original GetFave.com software. It was launched in Chicago on Oct. 8, 2007.

So why use GetFave.com instead of or in addition to Google or other popular search engines? While Jeff Seymour says the big companies can afford to sometimes waste their advertising budget using pay-per-click advertising, it’s not affordable for the local business. When you search through Google results, it still may take pages before you find the relevant listing you really want.

“GetFave.com will never show an ad the user didn’t specifically request,” Jon Seymour said. “You will never see an ad for a florist unless you are looking for a florist.”

Along with being able to find desired area searches, businesses also have the ability to control the information pertaining to their business. GetFave.com does its best to log as many local businesses as possible. Jeff Seymour added: “We feel it’s our commitment to develop the finest database of local data. It doesn’t take long to see content is king in terms of video and information.”

Along with licensing data from local databases, companies can register for a free feature to determine whether or not their business is already in the database. If the business is already listed, they can then update all content found on the site. Businesses can choose to pinpoint their location on a map, categorize it into a function group for optimal search, allow for free keywords and upload multimedia.

Another unique aspect of GetFave.com is its ability to offer local businesses with small advertising budgets the ability to air their own commercials. In this YouTube day and age, local businesses in the Chicagoland area have embraced the content and have been able to successfully appeal to their target audiences.

Since its launch, the Seymour brothers say they have seen hundreds of businesses register with GetFave.com. They have also seen high numbers of return traffic. They say the search engine will continue to change to fit the needs of its users. Local business information is updated frequently and full product updates are on a fairly regular release schedule.

By Stacy Jeziorowski

09
Dec

Podcast: On Chicago Keynote Address From ‘Star Wars’ Producer George Lucas

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Business, Celebrity News, Film, Podcast

Legendary writer, director, editor and producer George Lucas (“Star Wars”) spoke in Chicago on Dec. 3 at the Economic Club of Chicago. In this podcast, Adam Fendelman and colleague Brad Spirrison discuss the keynote address and why industry change is in the air.

Samuel L. Jackson (left) and George Lucas on the set
of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.
Photo credit: IMDb

07
Dec

John C. Reilly Delivers Dewey Cox at Chicago’s Cubby Bear For ‘Walk Hard’

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Celebrity News, Film, Music

We reported on Wednesday that man-of-many-faces John C. Reilly would be performing in character as Dewey Cox on Thursday in Chicago to pump his upcoming film “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”.

Excellent photos are in from the Chicago native’s packed show. These are credited to Joseph Mohan and have been published by Pitchfork. The show took place at the Cubby Bear by Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The group will also play at Stubb’s in Austin on Dec. 7, the Mercy Lounge in Nashville on Dec. 8, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 10 and the Knitting Factory in New York on Dec. 19.

“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” hits theaters on Dec. 21.

06
Dec

Johnny Depp, Michael Mann Agree to Film ‘Public Enemies’ in Chicago

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film

Michael Mann and Johnny Depp have agreed to film “Public Enemies”. It’ll be a Chicago-based film about Depression-era gangsters set in 1933 to 1934.

Depp will play John Dillinger, according to Variety. The film is slated to start shooting in Chicago on March 10, 2008.

Michael Mann.
Photo credit: IMDb

Mann wrote the script based on the book by Bryan Burroughs. Depp recently backed out of Mira Nair’s “Shantaram” due to WGA strike-related script problems.

Since 2006’s “Miami Vice,” Mann has been jumping on and off abandoned projects. “Public Enemies” sounds close in tone and period to an untitled Hollywood noir written by John Logan that stars Leonardo DiCaprio. That project fell through due to a budget climbing in excess of $100 million.

Mann also was attached to “Empire” – a media-mogul drama again written by Logan (which its proposed star, Will Smith, recently compared to “Richard III”) – along with a former Martin Scorsese project entitled “Frankie Machine”. “Frankie Machine” was due to star Robert De Niro and be rewritten by Alex Tse (“Watchmen”).

Mann was possibly to step in and direct “Edwin A. Salt,” which is a CIA thriller to star Tom Cruise.

Its original director, Terry George (“Reservation Road,” “Hotel Rwanda”), recently dropped out due to script problems. Despite the strike, Mann also wouldn’t commit without a rewrite to the screenplay by Kurt Wimmer (“Equilibrium,” “Ultraviolet”).

Depp and Mann previously almost collaborated on an adaptation of “Death of a Dissident” about the assassinated former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko.

Mann, who was born in Chicago, previously filmed “Thief” and “Manhunter” in the Windy City.

05
Dec

John C. Reilly to Perform in Chicago in Character For ‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Celebrity News, Film

John C. Reilly will perform in Chicago on Thursday at the Cubby Bear (1059 W. Addison) by Wrigley Field in character to pump “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”. The Chicago native stars as Dewey Cox in the film from “Superbad” and “Knocked Up” talent Judd Apatow.

John C. Reilly in “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”.
Photo credit: IMDb

The film is directed by Jake Kasdan – the brother of Jon Kasdan (who I interviewed for “In the Land of Women”) – and the son of the legendary “Star Wars” writer Lawrence Kasdan.

The poster for “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”.
Image credit: IMDb

Stay tuned for our full review on “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” from critic Dustin Levell. As a sneak peek into his take, he says it’s one of the funniest films of the year. The film opens on Dec. 21.

03
Dec

‘Star Wars’ Producer George Lucas to Speak in Chicago on Monday

Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Business, Celebrity News, Film

Legendary writer, director, editor and producer George Lucas (“Star Wars”) will speak in Chicago on Monday night before a business crowd at the Economic Club of Chicago. Lucas will be joined by Ariel Capital Management President Mellody Hobson.

Samuel L. Jackson (left) and George Lucas on the set
of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Though Lucas and Hobson decline to speak about their romance, they no doubt have been seen together at events for more than a year and are furthering the trend of making stops in Chicago.