Chicago Lifestyle Podcast & Video Blog
A war of words. In 1938 twenty-five-year-old Orson Welles became famous after his radio play interpretation of “A War of the Worlds” shook the airwaves, purportedly nearly causing national panic. The book’s seventy-five-year-old author H.G. Wells was not amused at how his intellectual property was …
“Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” is the best musical I have seen in years. Opening night was one to remember. John Berendt, the author of the best-selling book, was on hand for the curtain call and to see this new musical version …
You’ve probably seen ’em. Signs like Throop, Goethe, Paulina and Devon but how do we say them in Chicago and why?
Here is a short video from WBEZ that at least tries to tackle the “why” as well as some of the “how.”
My friends from India who have a British background will pronounce Devon as DEV-in while Chicagoans seem to prefer Dee-VON. It’s not included in this video but How do you say Honore?
Be sure to enjoy the podcast and the accompanying photos at the bottom of the page. You don’t need to be an architectural expert to simply look around and enjoy the various styles and building materials that combine to make up Chicago’s diverse urban landscape. …
In this podcast episode I present my film review as well as share some personal recollections of the Maxwell Street and Halsted shopping district where the music known as Chicago Blues sprang to life. If you want a glimpse at a piece of the not …
Beginning in the 1950s and ending in the 1970s Mr. Kelly’s on Rush Street was the premiere Chicago nightclub featuring some of the most popular entertainers of the period.
The Newberry Library at 60 West Walton Street, Chicago is launching a new exhibit on March 21, 2024 running through July 20, 2024 that includes scheduled showings of “Live at Mr. Kelly’s” as well as other related programming. For more information visit https://www.newberry.org/calendar/a-night-at-mister-kellys
The documentary film, “Live at Mr. Kelly’s” directed by Ted Bogosian is about 90 minutes long and jam packed with testimonials and stories from many entertainers including Barbra Streisand, Lily Tomlin, Bob Newhart, Herbie Hancock, Shecky Green, Ramsey Lewis, Bette Midler, The Smothers Brothers, Lainie Kazan, Tom Dreesen, Tim Reed, Mort Sahl and others who while in Chicago called Mr. Kelly’s their home or who attribute their appearance at the local club as a significant contribution to their success.
“Live at Mr. Kelly’s” showcases a bit of Chicago history that with each passing day fades further into obscurity. Thankfully this film has made an effort to stop the clock and capture a snapshot of the past from a few of those who were there to witness it in its heyday.
Listen to our podcast above and check out the film trailer below.
Now available Amazon Prime Video On Demand Apple +
When you cannot adequately express yourself with the nuance and clarity of a native speaker, people do not know that you are actually smart, funny, and kind. Instead, they only hear your imperfect pronunciation and limited vocabulary. You may be easily assumed to be inferior …
In this “Cracking the Code of Spy Movies” podcast, Raymond Benson (author of 12 post Ian Fleming, James Bond books) joins Spy Movie Navigator hosts, Dan Silvestri and Tom Pizzatto in an enthusiastic conversation with John Morris Russell (a/k/a JMR), conductor of the Cincinnati Pops …
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. In this podcast we do a quick overview of some of some ways you can experience the Eastern Asian, South Asian, South-East Asian, Central Asian, Western Asian and Pacific Islander cultures represented in Chicago.
Though Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was the inspiration for this podcast you can enjoy exploring Chicago’s Asian and other ethnic neighborhoods and offerings all year long.
This podcast includes ideas for ways to interact with the Asian community as well as things to do and places to eat.
*Correction: Traditional Korean neighborhood is on Bryn Mar between Kedzie and Kimball. Merla’s Kitchen on Kimball just north of Foster and Reza’s and Clark have permanently closed.
For further research and enjoyment take a look at some of these other Asian related podcasts and posts.
Argyle Night Market | Uptown Chicago
The 2024 Argyle Night Market continues EVERY THURSDAY JULY 11 – AUGUST 29 on ARGYLE (between Kenmore and Sheridan).
This is a review of a musical that ran in 2024 but you might still enjoy learning about it and is relationship to the Asian community.
The South-East Asia Center’s Senior Golden Diners Program is still going strong five days a week in Uptown featuring largely Vietnamese inspired cuisine.
Look for my reviews here of Blinded by the Light and Hala two South Asian immigrant inspired coming of age movies.
Comedy in May. Reno Lovison reviews Judgment Day. “This world premiere comedy is a thought provoking and thoroughly entertaining production with several guaranteed laugh-out-loud moments.” Also a restaurant review of Offshore Rooftop Bar at Navy Pier. Purported to be the nation’s largest rooftop venue. Excerpt …
PODCAST THEATER REVIEW by RENO LOVISON In this musical comedy, three overworked, underpaid and unappreciated 1970’s era office secretaries seize the opportunity to kidnap and blackmail their domineering misogynist male boss in an effort to change the power dynamic and improve their working environment. The …
Flyover Chicago is a multisensory, multimedia event that includes all of the thrills and excitement of an amusement park ride.
The attraction will be taking over the former IMAX Theater location near the entrance to Navy Pier opened on March 1, 2024.
Before you head off to experience it for yourself sit back and take a listen to the people who designed the attraction including the writer, film director, music director, score composer and others to get a first hand glimpse of what you might encounter and how the whole attraction came to be.