suntimes.com

Sports

Bears' defense needs to make a stand Jay Cutler seems to have found a way to keep his bad games from following one another, and while he has struggled in prime time, none of his stinkers have come at Soldier Field.

Entertainment

Nicolas Cage turns in fearless performance in 'Bad Lieutenant' Nicolas Cage figures he owes no apologies when critics gripe about all the Hollywood action flicks he's done. An Academy Award winner for "Leaving Las Vegas," Cage says commercial movies provide the freedom to do smaller, smarter films such as his offbeat cop tale "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans."

Business

What happened to all of Chicago's conventiongoers? McCormick Place has seen nearly a third of its business vanish this decade, a period that saw two recessions. Attendance at major events in Chicago's main convention center declined from 3 million in 2001 to 2.3 million last year. Las Vegas and Orlando held up somewhat better but likewise have seen attendance fall off since the middle of the decade. But there's a silver lining for Chicago in its loss of two large conventions this month: It shows that the competing cities have space to fill.

Developer loses control of Block 37; stores opening Wis. mulls Harley-Davidson, cheese microbe honors Movies online: Free 'n' easy, but is it theft? Indiana unemployment at 9.8 percent in October Harpo Studio just a part of vibrant Near W. Side Business briefs Democrats hit magic number to pass health care bill