Chicago Sun-Times

Carpentersville ‘guitar guy’ an artist at his craft

Sat, 28 Sep 2013 02:11:50 -0500

CARPENTERSVILLE — There isn’t much that can’t be made into an electric guitar — from car mufflers to cigar boxes, according to local luthier Robby Bakes. Bakes, owner of Bakes Guitar here, has experimented with just about any combination to make the instrument. He has been either making or repairing guitars for 30 years after first discovering the occupation in high school. He has owned the shop on Main Street in Carpentersville for the past three years but is preparing to return to his Genoa home to focus less on repair and more on the building of custom guitars. His …

Nick Offerman pens his own guide to living well

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 17:28:54 -0500

You probably know him best as Libertarian manly man Ron Swanson on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” but actor Nick Offerman’s new book, a collection of unique life wisdom called “Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living,” hits bookshelves today.

Paparazzi who harass stars’ kids face tougher penalties

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 00:14:00 -0500

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Paparazzi and others who harass the children of public figures will face tougher penalties under legislation that California Gov. Jerry Brown signed Tuesday. Celebrities including Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner urged lawmakers to support the bill. Berry testified that her daughter has been intimidated by photographers who follow them daily. The measure also will help protect children of police officers and judges.

Toy taken from Willie Nelson’s band returned in NY

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:58:01 -0500

A theater manager says a stuffed armadillo that was stolen from Willie Nelson’s band after a show in suburban New York has been returned unharmed.

Actor Gary Sinise donates to Colorado firefighters

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:14:00 -0500

Actor Gary Sinise, well-known for his role as Lt. Dan in the movie “Forrest Gump,” has made a large donation to help first responders who rescued people and fought the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.

Kurt Cobain’s mom selling his childhood home in Washington

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 09:13:25 -0500

The home, last assessed at less than $67,000, is being listed for $500,000. It’s a short walk from a riverfront park dedicated to Cobain’s memory, and the family said it would welcome a partnership to make the home into a museum. His room still has the stencil-like band names — Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin — he reportedly put on the walls, as well as the holes he put in them.

Lily Collins a risky search on the Internet

Wed, 18 Sep 2013 02:24:32 -0500

Computer security company says links to the “Mortal Instruments” actress and other stars often lead to viruses and spam.

Kanye West charged in airport scuffle with photographer

Sat, 14 Sep 2013 14:14:00 -0500

Prosecutors have charged Kanye West with misdemeanor battery over a July scuffle with a celebrity photographer at Los Angeles International Airport.

Scarlett Johansson engaged to Frenchman

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 08:45:35 -0500

Apparently love didn’t get lost in translation for Scarlett Johansson, who is engaged to a Frenchman and onetime journalist.

Ron White brings his comedy show to the The Venue

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 15:00:43 -0500

With a wind chime sweetly singing in the gentle breeze blowing outside his “modest home with an immodest view,” just over 900 feet above Montecito,Calif.’s majestic Channel Islands, Grammy Award-winning comedian Ron White can’t help but make a joke.

Florence Pushker, 89, model, fashionista

Sun, 08 Sep 2013 02:46:31 -0500

When she was a 14-year-old girl dreaming of fashion and glamour, Florence Pushker didn’t just read Vogue. She went to Fishman Fabrics, bought material, and had a dressmaker copy the clothes in the magazine. She saved her dollar-a-week allowance so she could eat salad at the Pump Room. But she was really there to watch the movie stars who dropped by Booth One for a little food and publicity. Mrs. Pushker had the kind of beauty that has been likened to a strawberry sundae — red hair and creamy skin. It carried her into a career in modeling, boutique ownership …

Bruno Mars will be next Super Bowl halftime show star

Sat, 07 Sep 2013 19:02:00 -0500

Singer Bruno Mars will be the halftime performer for the Super Bowl in February, a source familiar with the NFL’s entertainment plans said Saturday.

Matt Kenseth doesn’t dwell on the danger in NASCAR

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 15:20:12 -0500

The Chicagoland Speedway is sort of a homecoming for NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth. “I’m from Wisconsin and it always, in a way, feels like a home track race for me.”

‘Riddick’ role a mixed bag of emotions for Diesel

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 08:41:35 -0500

More than a decade after he created the futuristic antihero Riddick, the brawling don’t come as easily for Vin Diesel. “What’s inside of Riddick is so scary. Now that I have kids, when I watch the Riddick character, there is a part of me that feels guilty for having such a darkness in that character,” he says. Diesel fights off bounty hunters and alien predators in “Riddick” (opening Friday). “I look at what he’s doing and say, ‘That wasn’t cool. It’s only because I have kids now. Otherwise, I love a good kick-ass scene as much as the next guy.” …

Irish poet Nobel winner Seamus Heaney dies at 74

Fri, 30 Aug 2013 15:12:22 -0500

Seamus Heaney, Ireland’s foremost poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, died Friday after a half-century exploring the wild beauty of Ireland and the political torment within the nation’s soul. He was 74.

Linda Ronstadt, 67, has Parkinson’s

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 06:57:30 -0500

LOS ANGELES — Linda Ronstadt says she suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which has robbed her ability to sing. The 67-year-old music legend told AARP Magazine, in an article posted online Friday, that she was diagnosed eight months ago and “can’t sing a note.” Ronstadt says she began to show symptoms as long as eight years ago, but attributed her inability to sing then to a tick disease. When her hands began to tremble, Ronstadt said she thought the shaking was the result of a shoulder operation. The Tucson native said she was “completely shocked” when she finally saw a neurologist …