Chicago Sun-Times

A poignant finale episode closes out ‘The Office’

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:30:25 -0500

LORI RACKL: Ain’t no party like a Scranton goodbye party, and the Dunder Mifflin gang proves it with big laughs, emotional moments and the return of the star we most wanted to see.

Kanye West’s hatred of paparazzi strains his love for Kim Kardashian

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:09:25 -0500

BILL ZWECKER: Kim’s hunger for the spotlight isn’t easy for a rapper who just proclaimed, “I ain’t no mother-[expletive] celebrity.”

‘The Iceman’ creates a chilling portrait of a natural-born killer

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:28:10 -0500

If ever there was a movie role perfectly suited to Michael Shannon’s unique brand of creepy indifference and icy rage, it’s that of real-life contract killer Richard Kuklinski in Ariel Vromen’s “The Iceman.”

He’s heavy BUT happy & not weighed down

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:05:52 -0500

I know I’m fat. I look in the mirror and don’t have any illusions. You get the looks that any fat person gets. You get the prejudice. I’ve been in job interviews and had that sick feeling [that they were thinking], “Do we really want this monstrosity walking around the office?” If people want to believe those things, it’s their flaw; it’s not mine. I know what’s inside me and I’m very proud. I have high self-esteem and I’m very confident in what I’m doing. Part of being tough is overcoming the prejudice. During a marathon, you go out and …

The Mix — Cool Things to Do 05.17.13

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:16:00 -0500

Our picks for cool things to do this Weekend and beyond what the hecht? Six works of legendary Chicago Daily News columnist Ben Hecht comprise a new radio play presented by Strawdog Theater and Access Contemporary Music. 7 p.m. May 21, $8-$20, at Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood. Visit acmusic.org. WRESTLE UP SOME SUSHI The ‘Sumo+Sushi Tour’ invites you to sample two of Japanese culture’s greatest ambassadors. A three-course sushi/sake tasting and a live Sumo match, $69-$89 (21+over), will be a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds, May 17-19, 108 W. Germania Place. Times vary. Visit livingsocial.com/sumo. CLASSIC …

Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra set to perform ‘Space Odyssey’

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:12:00 -0500

Mention a youth orchestra concert, and what likely comes to mind is a nice, safe program of easy-listening favorites by Mozart or Gershwin. But the truth, at least, when it comes to the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, is often exactly the opposite. Sure, the ensemble of 121 top young musicians plays the standards by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, but music director Allen Tinkham likes to mix in lesser-known works past and present as a way to challenge his aspiring players and expand their notions about what music can be. In that spirit, the youth symphony’s May 19 program (which will be …

Wright Plus tour debuts five never seen homes on annual housewalk

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:59:37 -0500

Frank Lloyd Wright was far from the only interesting and important architect working in Oak Park at the turn of the century. The evidence will be on full display on Saturday as part of Wright Plus 2013, this year’s edition of an annual housewalk of historic homes organized by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.

Donley’s Wild West Town a return to yesteryear

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:14:00 -0500

Go west, young Chicagoans. Go west. Direct your parents to load up the family car and head on Interstate 90 past Barrington, past Elgin, and through Hampshire. Go west to Union, Ill., the small-town (pop: 579) home of Donley’s Wild West Town, a museum and low-key amusement park geared for children ages 3 to 11 that opens for the season May 18. “Real small kids get swallowed up in big theme parks,” said Randy Donley, one of the four-member Donley family running the park. “They come here dressed as cowboys and cowgirls.” Donley’s Wild West Town is an easy day …

Yo-Yo Ma, CSO players offer a robust program of chamber music

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:30:00 -0500

Sometimes when superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma comes to Chicago, he flies well below the public’s radar. As creative consultant to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, he often works behind the scenes, helping the CSO develop program ideas and make contact with Chicagoans who don’t necessarily spend much time at Symphony Center, the CSO’s home base. This week, however, Ma has been in the Symphony Center spotlight. On Monday, he appeared with the Civic Orchestra, the CSO’s training ensemble. On Wednesday, he returned to Orchestra Hall with a small band of CSO and Civic members in chamber works by Bach, Dvorak and …

The paper pushers of ‘The Office’ left an imprint on TV

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:29:23 -0500

LORI RACKL: “The Office” is about to close for good, with Thursday’s 75-minute finale capping off a nine-season run. For me — and probably many fans — NBC’s workplace comedy really ended two years ago when Michael Scott left. That said, I’ll still be sad to see the groundbreaking sitcom go.

Out of the shadows: How ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ dancer picks a partner

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:29:13 -0500

On this night, the woman plucked from the audience for a “Loving You” slow dance is a 70-year-old from Munster, who says the songs take her back to high school homecoming.

Angelina Jolie used disguises to keep surgery secret, sources say

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:29:03 -0500

BILL ZWECKER: Determined to keep her three-month process under wraps, Jolie reportedly relied on wigs and aliases while undergoing the double mastectomy.

Swift swim by Taylor Swift fan

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:26:30 -0500

Police nabbed a fan of Taylor Swift early Wednesday near her $17 million Rhode Island beachfront mansion. According to TMZ, the 22-year-old from the Chicago area was arrested and charged with trespassing, after admitting he had been swimming in water near the star’s homearound 2 a.m. — B.Z. …

Rod Stewart’s gender bender

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:26:30 -0500

Proven ladies’ man Rod Stewart, who has fathered eight children with five women, told Howard Stern he once seduced a man — thinking it was a woman. The rocker said he was set up for the practical joke by his former Faces bandmates in Australia in the 1970s. — B.Z. …

Latest ‘Star Trek’ appears to be quite the Enterprise

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:33:26 -0500

RICHARD ROEPER: Director J.J. Abrams is a true talent, and he’s also a pop-culture savant who has great respect for the legacy of this franchise as well as a keen understanding of the mega-importance of box-office figures. There’s no better choice to make the best, the purest AND the most accessible big-budget “Star Trek” movie possible. Yet with all the futuristic splendor and the fine performances, “Into Darkness” only occasionally soars, mostly settling for being a solid but unspectacular effort that sets the stage for the next chapter(s).

Why Angelina Jolie went public with her double mastectomy

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:33:03 -0500

BILL ZWECKER: After getting tests and treatment to ease her risk of breast cancer, the star hopes to help others do the same.