CHICAGO – Yes Virginia, there still is live theater. The Possibilities Theatre presents “Free Space,” a play by Tara Meddaugh, via Zoom and a special live performance (weather permitting) in its final weekend October 29th-31st, 2020. For more information, including tickets, click here.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Interview: Singer/Songwriter Lara Bell Hits All the Right Notes
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 1, 2020 - 9:54amMCHENRY, ILL. – The venue D.C. Cobbs (Woodstock, Illinois) was the location for an acoustic set by 23-year-old Lara Bell, an up and coming singer/songwriter who has been performing professionally since she was 15 years old. Her rich and sultry voice, embodying a wide range of genres, was complimented by an enthralling stage presence.
Entertainment News: Virtual 2020 YippieFest Extends Registration Deadline to August 2nd
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 31, 2020 - 7:27pmCHICAGO – 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).
Podtalk: Shane Simmons of Elevated Films on Drive-In for ‘I Used to Go Here,’ July 29, 2020
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 29, 2020 - 5:40amCHICAGO – The urban drive-in is back … at least for now as we negotiate these extraordinary times.
Film Review: Memory! On-The-Air Reviews of ‘The Rental’ and ‘Cats’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2020 - 6:17pm- Alison Brie
- Cats
- Dan Stevens
- Dave Franco
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Ian McKellan
- Idris Elba
- IFC Films
- James Corden
- Jennifer Hudson
- Jeremy Allen White
- Joe Swanberg
- Judi Dench
- Movie Review
- Patrick McDonald
- Razzie
- Rebel Wilson
- Sheila Vand
- Taylor Swift
- The Rental
- Toby Huss
- Tom Hooper
- Universal Pictures
- VOD
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 23rd, 2020, reviewing the new Video-On-Demand film “The Rental” and the infamous 2019 film, “Cats” (Digital & DVD).
Film Review: Groundhog Day on Steroids! On-Air Review of ‘Palm Springs’ with Andy Samberg
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2020 - 9:09amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 16th, 2020, reviewing the new HULU channel original film, “Palm Springs.”
Podtalk: Flabby Hoffman Opens Our Minds in The Extraordinarium
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 16, 2020 - 12:42pmCHICAGO – 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.
Film Review: Will Ferrell on the Music Charts? On-The-Air Review of “Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga”
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 12, 2020 - 1:57pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 9th, 2020, reviewing the instant cult classic from Netflix, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.”
UPDATE: Music Box Theatre IS OPEN! Gene Siskel Center Continues At-Home Screenings
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 12, 2020 - 12:14pmCHICAGO – Using safety-first precautions, the Music Box Theatre of Chicago has reopened as of July 3rd for limited seating (see link below for details). The Gene Siskel Film Center continues “Film Center From Your Sofa.”
Film Review: HollywoodChicago.com On-The-Air Review of ‘Hamilton’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 3, 2020 - 10:05amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 2nd, 2020, discussing one of the most anticipated summer releases, the filmed-on-stage version of “Hamilton,” streaming from the Disney+ platform on July 3rd.
Interview: ‘Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh’ Keep on Delivering
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 2, 2020 - 2:25pmCHICAGO – The trio of teenage sisters that are “Gold Frankincense & Myrrh” (GFM) – CJ Sanders, Maggie “Rose” and Evie “Lulu” English – create their sound by blending the melodic pop-rock of Paramore with the power and aggressiveness of Slipknot. GFM wants to use their music as a vehicle to illustrate that women and young people can create positive, uplifting music that can still rock.
Film News: Carl Reiner of ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show,’ Dies at 98
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 30, 2020 - 9:51amLOS ANGELES – If there ever was a living embodiment of show business history from the mid 20th Century to now, it was Carl Reiner. The producer, director, writer and sometimes actor worked in the business from 1938 to the present, and is probably best known for creating “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961-66). He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on June 29th, 2020.
Podtalk: Gary G. Chichester, on First Chicago Pride March, June 27, 1970
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 27, 2020 - 10:10amCHICAGO – 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.
Pride Weekend: ‘After Stonewall’ is Reviewed on ‘Reel Pride’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 26, 2020 - 9:35pmCHICAGO – The 2020 Pride Weekend, which occurs every year around the June 28th anniversary date of the Stonewall Inn uprising, will be remembered not for the LGBTQ+ themed parades or observances, but the cancellation of those events due to COVID-19. But the celebration continues, as the film series “Reel Pride” reviews the documentary “After Stonewall.”
