CHICAGO – YIPPIE! It’s back, in the neighborhood of its roots. YippieFest 2023 will be August 4th-6th in the Lakeview/Buena Park venue of PRIDE ARTS, 4139 North Broadway in Chicago. The space is less than a half mile from the former Mary-Arrchie Theatre, whose “Abbie Hoffman Festival” was the template for the three-day performance celebration. YippieFest currently has slots for theater acts, including one-act plays, monologue, sketch, improv, vaudeville and other stage performance arts. Artists get free admission to the rest of the festival, so click YiPPIE FEST 2023 to sign up.
Tracy Morgan
On-Air Film Review: ‘Spirited’ is Ghost of Musical Presents
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 26, 2022 - 8:55amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on November 23rd, reviewing the holiday musical “Spirited,” a reimagined version of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol, currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Film Review: Back in the U-S-SA! On-Air Review of ‘Coming 2 America’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 4, 2021 - 7:47pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 4th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Coming 2 America,” streaming on Amazon Prime Video beginning March 5th, 2021.
Feature: The Episode of '30 Rock’ That Predicted the Future
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 28, 2020 - 5:19pmCHICAGO – Like many of you, I have been perusing the digital platforms, looking for the appropriate binge shows that will provide a temporary bit of sanity. Amazon Prime, for example, offers the entire series of “30 Rock” (2006-13), the seminal NBC-TV series created by and featuring Tina Fey.
Tribeca 2017 Slideshow: Tracy Morgan and Sting on the Red Carpet for 'The Clapper'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 24, 2017 - 9:30amNEW YORK CITY – The Red Carpet is always a wild ride with the free-wheeling Tracy Morgan. He was at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival representing his role in the new film “The Clapper,” starring Ed Helms and featuring Brenda Vaccaro, who also walked the carpet. Joining them were surprise guests Mark Cuban and the musician known as Sting.
Film Review: Report Card on ‘Fist Fight’ is a Failing Grade
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2017 - 12:13pmCHICAGO – “Fist Fight” is such a thin premise it can’t even sustain its own two minute trailer, much less a feature length film. That premise, what there is of it, is simple – English teacher (Charlie Day) and History Teacher (Ice Cube) get involved in an altercation with a student on the last day of class, at a failing high school known for senior pranks.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘The Night Before’ With Seth Rogen
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 15, 2015 - 4:55pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated comedy “The Night Before” starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie!
Blu-ray Review: Chris Rock’s ‘Top Five’ is Pretty Interesting
Submitted by NickHC on March 18, 2015 - 10:39amCHICAGO – Chris Rock isn’t a huge writer/director, but when he does make a film, it’s an event to consider. For example, he made black president tale “Head of State” long before then-senator Barack Obama was even considered for the real-life role, and whether behind the stand-up mic or in an interview, he’s a voice to be reckoned with.
Film Review: Schizophrenic ‘Top Five’ is Evolution for Chris Rock
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 12, 2014 - 5:05amCHICAGO – Chris Rock wants you to take him seriously, so he has made a comedy with inconsistent laughs, and a nod towards the weird fishbowl lives that today’s celebrities endure. It’s a rare film where the last part is stronger than the first few acts, a mishmash that is “Top Five.”
Film Review: Animated ‘The Boxtrolls’ Has British Comic Tone
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 26, 2014 - 10:06pmCHICAGO – Monty Python, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Mr. Bean, Alan Partridge – all are examples of British comedy, that off-kilter “are you in on the joke?” point of view. That comic tone has arrived in an animated film, within the stop motion world of “The Boxtrolls.”
Interview: Directors of ‘The Boxtrolls’ on Their Animated Life
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 25, 2014 - 8:07pmCHICAGO – How do you interpret an odd British storybook called “Here Be Monsters!” into a mainstream animated film? By taking the main characters – called ‘The Boxtrolls’ – and putting them up front. Animation veterans and co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi got the assignment, and deliver the goods.
