Entertainment Columns
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Spotlight: Screenwriter vows to tell the truth in Theater Wit comedy 'The Whistleblower'May 05, 2023 6:00 am - The whole truth Offered his own TV show, screenwriter Eli decides to share hard truths with his co-workers, friends and family in "The Whistleblower," the latest comedy ...
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Libertyville's Beth Lacke examines Constitutional conundrum in 'What the Constitution Means to Me'May 03, 2023 11:00 pm - Beth Lacke got her first laugh as a kindergartner playing a lamp in the class Nativity play, during which she forgot her line. Someone whispered in her ear and Lacke blu...
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Northlight's folk-infused 'Porch on Windy Hill' benefits from crackerjack trioMay 02, 2023 11:00 pm - “The Porch on Windy Hill: a new play with old music” - ★ ★ ★ “Music has charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks or bend a knotted oak.” Those words by 17th-c...
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Improvise! That's how 'Are You There God?' director elicited natural performances from film's young actorsApr 28, 2023 6:00 am - For almost half a century, novelist Judy Blume had a single word for filmmakers interested in creating a movie from her iconic 1970 book "Are You There God? It's Me, Mar...
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Spotlight: 'Abbott Elementary' star Lisa Ann Walter headlines Batavia's Comedy VaultApr 28, 2023 6:00 am - Sitcom star Actress/comedian Lisa Ann Walter, co-creator and star of several sitcoms and unscripted series, who currently plays Melissa Schemmenti on ABC's "Abbott Elem...
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Sisterly devotion meets a multitude of movie references in boldly deranged, multi-pop-cultural 'Polite Society'Apr 27, 2023 6:00 am - “Polite Society” - ★ ★ ★ ½ It seems like such a tiny thing, a simple bump in the road, yet it demonstrates the dedication to detail that writer/director Nida Manzoor br...
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Rachel McAdams blossoms in Blume's controversial story of pre-adolescent angst, struggleApr 27, 2023 6:00 am - “Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.” - ★ ★ ★ ½ One scene in this movie caused me to shed a tear or two, and it happened when Rachel McAdams, playing Barbara Simon, t...
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Paramount's terrific 'School of Rock' benefits from 21 young dynamosApr 26, 2023 4:45 pm - “School of Rock” - ★ ★ ★ ½ To prepare the young actors for Paramount Theatre's “School of Rock,” director Trent Stork added three extra weeks of rehearsal and introduced...
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Drury Lane rocks and bops down memory lane with its revival of 'Grease'Apr 21, 2023 1:00 pm - “Grease” - ★ ★ ½ Walking to my car Thursday after the opening of “Grease” at Drury Lane Theatre, I overheard a young man discussing the musical with a companion. “She ...
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Two Chicago festivals bring you the past, present and future of filmApr 21, 2023 6:00 am - Over the next few weeks, two Chicago film festivals will showcase the past, present and future of the medium with local flavor and global reach. CineYouth Festival ...