Entertainment Columns
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World premieres, national theater tours set for winter and early springJan 06, 2022 5:00 am - Nearly two years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close, Chicago-area theaters continue the rebound that began last spring. Despite breakthrough cases among fu...
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Sound check: After two years, Space Mafia is backJan 06, 2022 5:00 am - Space Mafia returns Just two days shy of marking two years since their last show together, Space Mafia brings all its psych-influenced garage rock glory back as it ...
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Widescreen: The best new movies, shows you can watch at home in JanuaryJan 06, 2022 5:00 am - The snow has arrived, the holidays are over, and our unwelcome viral friend still won't leave. Luckily, there are plenty of new offerings coming to our televisions and m...
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Oak Brook's First Folio to require proof of booster vaccine for upcoming performancesJan 04, 2022 12:00 am - First Folio Theatre has updated its COVID-19 vaccination and masking policy to require theatergoers show proof of the booster vaccine for admission to the Oak Brook thea...
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Top 10 movies: Film critic Dann Gire offers his favorites from 2021Jan 02, 2022 6:33 am - In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted critics just as much as it has film production and movie theaters. In my case, I have tried to avoid all theatrical press scr...
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Little roles, big impact: Supporting players who made a difference on screen in 2021Dec 30, 2021 5:00 am - On the silver screen and the black mirror, 2021 was a year of bravura performances from big-name actors. A slithering, scary Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Do...
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In-person performances, breakthrough COVID cases, high-profile departures mark 2021 in local theaterDec 30, 2021 5:00 am - After more than a year without in-person performances, Chicago-area theaters began to rebound - gradually and cautiously - from the COVID-19 pandemic. And in several not...
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Jim O'Donnell: From the Bears and Arlington Park to Erin Andrews, 2021 will hopefully lead to 2022Dec 30, 2021 12:00 am - THREE RELEVANT ROCK 'N ROLL QUOTES to fill in for the late Dick Clark as yet another surreal New Year's continues its creep toward midnight: • "The future's uncertain an...
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Jim O'Donnell: An old beer commercial helped flip John Madden into an NFLer for the agesDec 29, 2021 12:00 am - FOUR WARRING WORDS greatly assisted the rise of John Madden from former NFL coaching curiosity to beloved national icon: "Tastes great! ... Less filling!" That was it. W...
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Spotlight: Four C Notes welcome 2022 at Marriott TheatreDec 28, 2021 5:00 am - NYE at Marriott The Four C Notes, an ensemble formed by longtime "Jersey Boys" Chicago cast member John Michael Coppola, perform two shows New Year's Eve at the Marriott...