"All during your career, you look for a certain kind of security from the people you're working with, people that believe you're talented, that you can do what you can do," says Bruce Dern, 76, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 1978's "Coming Home."

NEW YORK — CBS strengthened its dominance over the television industry this year at the same time that the unprecedented reign of "American Idol" came to a close. For the 10th time in 11 years, CBS was the nation's most-watched network, the Nielsen company said Thursday. CBS' margin of victory was wider than any other network in 24 years and it won among 18- to 49-year-old viewers, a group...

Palatine's Alley 64 touts cold beer and warm service — and delivers on both counts. And as summer revs up, both are welcome draws for this biker-themed bar on Rand Road that also boasts a strong menu to boot. It's very casual with outdoor seating available in good weather. The bar also sponsors theme nights, like car shows on Wednesday and bike night Thursday.

Spring is a good time to plant trees. But many trees are planted too deeply. This prevents needed air and water from reaching the roots and can cause the tree to decline and eventually die.

The average hotel will cost $112.21, before taxes and any other add-on such as resort fees. That's up 4.4 percent from last year's $107.52, according to hotel research firm STR. Hotels are also expected to be slightly fuller, with occupancy rates climbing from 69.3 percent last summer to 70 percent this year.

From the moment he first appeared in "Devil in a Blue Dress" in 1990, Easy Rawlins was an instant favorite. So the disappointment was palpable when the black private detective drove his car off a cliff at the conclusion of "Blonde Faith," the eleventh novel in the series. But now Easy is back in "Little Green," where we find him awakening from a two-monthlong coma to discover, as usual, that...

Dread hearing your kids whine "I'm bored" this summer? Well, we have five new family-friendly attractions -- everything from a laser-light show to a new concert venue -- that will keep families busy over the next few months.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre subscribers are certainly familiar with the relationship revue. In fact, these lighthearted romps — which typically clock in at 90 minutes or less — have become the bread and butter of the Arlington Heights theater's season. The latest of these pleasantly innocuous confections is “Five Course Love,” a lukewarm effort by...

ABC's newest "Bachelorette," Desiree Hartsock, says it's not hard to keep the details of her experience on the show a secret from her friends. "Ironically, I'm kind of a private person anyway, so my friends know not to ask," she said in a recent interview. Hartsock has some experience with the matter, although her last reality TV romance ended in heartbreak.

Janet O'Grady recently had the front walkway and porch steps replaced on the rambler she's owned for 30 years in Arlington, Va. She also had her kitchen painted. Now she's planning to upgrade her countertops to granite.