Interview

Exclusive Photo: Cinema Royalty & Character Actor Bob Balaban

CHICAGO – The seemingly middle-of-the-road character actor Bob Balaban has more to his legacy than just a ton of appearances from the 1960s to present in classic films and TV. His Chicago family were pioneers in film exhibition and the movie executive suite during the studio system in the early days of the history of film. It is in his DNA.

Exclusive Photos: Ed Begley Jr. Wants You to Make Resolutions

CHICAGO – Although Ed Begley Jr. has had hundreds of roles in TV and film, he is most likely best known as an activist for environmental and sustainability concerns. He highlighted his latest book, “To the Temple of Tranquility…and Step on It!” at the Fall 2023 Chicago Humanities Festival, and HollywoodChicago.com got the Exclusive Photos and Interview.

Podtalk: Comedian Fritz Coleman in ‘Unassisted Living’ on Tubi

CHICAGO – The sound of laughter echos on streaming service TUBI, as veteran stand up comic Fritz Coleman presents “Unassisted Living,” his wacky journey with the vagrancies of getting older. The special is currently streaming, and TUBI is a free service to download as an app or to visit at UNASSISTED LIVING.

Podtalk: Director Adrian Buitenhuis on ‘I Am Burt Reynolds’

CHICAGO – Arguably, the last great movie star was Burt Reynolds. His everyman attraction, his accessibility and of course his box office made Reynolds a compelling force during his peak in the 1970s. The CW Network will show the doc “I Am Burt Reynolds” on December 30th, 2023, directed by Adrian Buitenhuis.

FLASHBACK Interview In Memoriam: Lee Sun-kyun Dies at Age 48

Lee Sun Kyun, APUC17 2023

CHICAGO – The world was rocked on December 27th, 2023, when the report came through that South Korean (SK) actor Lee Sun-kyun – who had a prominent role in the 2019 Oscar Best Picture “Parasite’ – had died from an apparent suicide in Seoul (SK), months after his appearance during Closing Night at Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC), where he represented his outrageous new comedy, “Killing Romance

Interview, Film Review: Um Tae-hwa and His ‘Concrete Utopia’

CHICAGO – There is a thoughtfulness in the top South Korean films that cannot be duplicated in any other cinema culture. Along with now classics like “Oldboy” and “Parasite,” another Korean visionary emerges with a story about humanity … co-writer and director Um Tae-hwa has created a “Concrete Utopia.” The film is in U.S. theaters on December 15th.

In Memoriam: Rocker Denny Laine of Band on the Run ‘Wings’

Denny Laine, Photo by Joe Arce 2010

CHICAGO – Denny Laine is a historic force in both the British Invasion of the 1960s with the Moody Blues, and as a member of “Wings” the band formed by him plus Paul and Linda McCartney in the 1970s. Laine died on December 5th, 2023, in Naples, Florida. He was 79.

Podtalk: Playwright Desiree Burcum Wishes Us ‘A Judy Christmas’

CHICAGO – In 1963, Judy Garland had a CBS-TV variety series, and in December there was a Christmas episode featuring her kids … including Liza Minnelli. Playwright Desiree Burcum and the comedy troupe FAMOUS IN THE FUTURE have created (click link) ”A Judy Christmas” as a stage play.

In Memoriam: Icon Norman Lear is Just Another Version of You

CHICAGO – In his humility, Norman Lear liked to express that he was “just another version of you.” In our humanity, we are different renderings, but all related, as the titan of TV philosophically said. Norman Lear died at his home in Los Angeles on December 5th, 2023. He was 101 years old.

JFK60: Patricia Puckett-Hall, Who Knew Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963

CHICAGO – Today is the 60th Anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination, November 22nd, 1963. His alleged assassin was Lee Harvey Oswald. On that day in Dallas, Oswald was staying at a boarding house owned by the grandmother of Patricia Puckett-Hall. Hall was 11 years old at the time, and knew “Mr. Lee.”

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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