Chicago Sun-Times

A Marvel of a sequel, ‘Iron Man 3’

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:31:55 -0500

RICHARD ROEPER: Filled with breathtakingly brilliant special effects, bolstered by excellent supporting performances from a half-dozen other top-tier actors, crackling with sharp humor and working as a story that stands alone while often acknowledging the larger Marvel(ous) universe, “Iron Man 3” is one of the best entries in this modern golden age of superhero movies. Working from a smart if sometimes meandering script, director Shane Black takes us on a 3-D thrill ride in which a LOT of stuff is blown up, and the skies are filled with superheroes and supervillains. It’s a great start to the summer movie season.

Amanda Bynes wants her $3 million in savings, but parents balk

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:31:35 -0500

BILL ZWECKER: “I’m not crazy,” the former actress insists, but her mom and dad worry about her bizarre behavior and fear she’ll waste her money on a doomed fashion business.

A heads-up on headgear for Kentucky Derby day

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:32:07 -0500

The run for the roses is the perfect excuse to be daring with a hat, either subtle or flamboyant and big-brimmed.

Tristan Hummel engages the public with summer’s Pop-Up Art Loop

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:04:08 -0500

Tristan Hummel is an ideas guy. He thrives on creating public art projects because “it’s just a slight dip outside the social norms.”

Gary R&B concert cancellation hits sour note

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:03:14 -0500

GARY — Disappointed fans of R&B groups Bell Biv Devoe and SWV will get their money back after waiting hours for a concert that didn’t take place Friday at the West Side Leadership Academy. Concert promoter Rodney Trotter of RLT Music and Filmworks, said Wednesday he was in the process of sorting through the tickets to authorize refunds. Jerry Schwede, of Gary, said he bought two VIP tickets at $65 each for the concert he expected would take place at the Genesis Center. Schwede said when he arrived at the Genesis Center, there were signs posted saying the concert had …

Lil Wayne writes to family of Emmett Till

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:31:43 -0500

It took more than two months, but Lil Wayne finally has reached out to the family of civil rights icon Emmett Till. In a letter, he said he wanted to “acknowledge your hurt” about his lyric referencing the 14-year-old black Chicagoan beaten to death for whistling at a white woman in Mississippi in 1955. — B.Z. …

Meredith Vieira reportedly planning daytime talk show

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:34:22 -0500

Veteran broadcaster and ex-“Today” co-anchor Meredith Vieira reportedly is planning a return to daytime TV. According to Us Weekly, Vieira is shooting a pilot for an NBC talk show similar to Katie Couric’s daily chatfest. If the pilot is picked up, the show would launch in 2014. — B.Z. …

Michael Shannon as General Zod in ‘Man of Steel’: No need to kneel

Wed, 01 May 2013 02:26:08 -0500

The Chicago actor says his villain in the upcoming Superman epic isn’t ruled by rage. This baddie’s “more like a general. He’s trying to protect the place where he rules.”

Gary man suing Tyler Perry over screenplay

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:01:47 -0500

GARY — Miller resident William James found the story line in Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor” eerily familiar. The similarities prompted James to sue Perry, Tyler Perry Studios and Lions Gate Entertainment, claiming copyright infringement. James, with Miller lawyer Darnail Lyles, filed the suit April 24 in U.S. District Court in Hammond after realizing that the plot of the movie was “substantially similar to the plot in “Lovers Kill,” the federal complaint states. “It was more than mere coincidence,” the suit says. “The plot of ‘Lovers Kill’ centers on a married couple; the wife of whom, is …

Chicago gets shout-outs as ‘Kinky Boots,’ Steppenwolf vie for Tonys

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:53:11 -0500

With abundant nominations for two productions first seen here — the Cyndi Lauper musical and the revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” — the city’s theater scene again proves it can take N.Y. by storm.

Joffrey Ballet’s ‘Othello’ positively stunning

Wed, 01 May 2013 02:26:18 -0500

HEDY WEISS: Revival of Lar Lubovitch’s masterpiece at the Auditorium Theatre suggests Shakespeare’s tragedy may best be told with dance.

Britain’s James Blake continues electronic journey on ‘Overgrown’

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:46:22 -0500

Taking piano lessons as a child, said Blake, “I wasn’t a very good student, always improvising and trying to make things up. But you can only improvise for so long before you have to bottle it up and make something concrete. So I tried to do that with a computer.”

Chance the Rapper continues his artistic climb with ‘Acid Rain’

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:38:01 -0500

The second mixtape from Chance the Rapper positions him as Chicago’s biggest breakthrough hip-hop artist since Kanye West.

‘Downton Abbey’ star cast as Cinderella

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:45:35 -0500

Director Kenneth Branagh has found his Cinderella — at Downton Abbey. The glass slipper fit on Lily James, who will star in a live-action Disney version of the beloved fairy tale. On the PBS series, James is filming her second season as young heiress Lady Rose McClare. —Gannett …

Maria Shriver returns to NBC News

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:45:35 -0500

After nearly a decade away, Maria Shriver is returning to NBC News. The former California first lady was named a “special anchor” reporting on the roles of women. She quit in 2004 amid concerns about conflicts while Arnold Schwarzenegger, then her husband, was governor. —AP …

Luna Negra artistic director resigns; dance company’s future in peril

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 02:24:38 -0500

HEDY WEISS: Just days before the exit of the audacious and imaginative Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, the Chicago-based company, which has been suffering from previously undisclosed financial and administrative problems for many months, announced it had canceled a spring program of new choreography.