Podtalk

CHICAGO – In the landscape of life, not many have experienced a journey like Jian Ping. Raised in China, she was a child during the political reign of Chairman Mao Zedong. Eventually ending up in Chicago, she wrote her 2008 memoir “Mulberry Child” about her childhood, which was made into a documentary and directed by Susan Morgan Cooper. The doc is now on Amazon Prime.

CHICAGO – One of the traditional Chicago film gatherings, now in its third year, will go virtual and online in this magic year of 2020. But that also gives interested parties a chance to sign up for their FREE classes from anywhere around the world. Registration for the Filmscape Chicago Expo is now open, click here to access.

CHICAGO – Got an act? Got a camera phone to record it? Then YippieFest wants you! The fourth annual Theater, Music, Film, Comedy and Performance festival is doing what all the hep cats are doing, going online and virtual to keep everyone safe (details closer to the actual dates of YippieFest, August 14-16, 2020).

CHICAGO – The urban drive-in is back … at least for now as we negotiate these extraordinary times.

CHICAGO – If Willy Wonka were a slightly rumpled middle-aged anarchist, he probably would be Richard “Flabby” Hoffman. The author, musician, broadcaster and philosopher has just added “retailer” to his resume, with his amazing pop culture store, modestly called “The Extraordinarium.” It re-opened this week at 2800 N. Milwaukee in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.

CHICAGO – 50 years ago today (June 27th, 2020), a young activist got together with a group of marchers – with no permit – and showed the City of Chicago the actual faces of gay liberation. Gary G. Chichester, board member of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, was part of that first gay pride march … and 50 years later he remembers the freedom and history of that magic day.

CHICAGO – The April “Mainframe Comic Con” … an entire online Comic Con, including guests, artists, exhibitors and even cosplay … was a huge success. So the team decided to do it again. Mainframe Comic Con 2.0 will take place on this upcoming Saturday and Sunday, May 30th and 31st, 2020.

CHICAGO – With film/TV production and stages still shut down for the most part, what are actors doing to fill the void? For Laura Ann Parry, it’s been a chance to sharpen her craft, to do “new normal” auditioning and focus on what projects are upcoming. The Chicago character actor considers it part of the overall journey.

CHICAGO – David Dasmalchian is a comic book culture hero, in a sense. The kind, expressive and enigmatic actor (“Ant-Man”) will lend his considerable credentials as a self-professed “comic book nerd” to the exciting Mainframe Comic Con (MCC), the entirely online comic book convention taking place on April 25th and 26th, 2020.

CHICAGO – With large gatherings becoming unlikely in 2020, how will the comic book legion celebrate their heroes? “Mainframe Comic Con” has the solution. Their idea is to put an entire Comic Con – guests, artists, exhibitors and even cosplay – all online.