Secret Keef

     Back on July 11, a 13-month old boy was struck and killed on the South Side by a vehicle that was escaping from a shooting that killed 22-year-old Marvin Carr, who went by the name of Capo. Capo was a collaborator with rapper and local miscreant Chief Keef. Earlier this week, Keef announced plans to hold a benefit concert for the family of the child who was killed via hologram(why hologram? Because he's a wanted man in Chicago for non-payment of child support. What an upstanding citizen!) When plans were announced, it drew the ire of Father Michael Pflager of St. Sabina, who criticized Keef for the apparent two-faced nature of the concert, saying that "If Chief Keef is calling to stop violence, that's great. But his music and Instagram and Facebook pictures have to reflect the consistency of that. You can't say, 'Stop the violence,' but promote it in your music." After more pressure was applied, the concert was called off. But in a new development on Wednesday, the Tribune reported that the concert was back on for tonight, to be held in a "secret location" Your guess is as good as mine where that location is, but I'm guessing Al Capone's Vault. We'll be back with more developments.

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Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Central: Let's Party!

     Well, we rode the Lightning alright. And after 3 days worth of riding the city's bars harder than a mechanical bull, the Hawks are ready to parade in front of their city showing off their fancy new hardware. Crowds of adoring fans will clamor to see the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy. The double-decker buses will roll through the streets of the city as they did in 2010 and 2013, until they reach the jam-packed Museum Campus, at which point the festivities will move over to Soldier Field for the rally. (Why no Grant Park? The field still isn't dry from Monday's deluge, and putting 100,000 people in a muddy field is not a wise decision.) How drunk will the players be? Just how X-Rated will Corey Crawford get this time? How many people will expose themselves during the 2-hour wait? And will the weather hold together for all of it? All of those questions and more will be answered tomorrow. And believe you me, I'll be back with all of the gritty details.

Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Final Central: Names

     Kyle Baun. Bryan Bickell. Daniel Carcillo. Corey Crawford. Kyle Cumiskey. Phillip Danault. Scott Darling. Andrew Desjardins. Ryan Hartman.Niklas Hjalmarsson. Marian Hossa. Patrick Kane. Duncan Keith. Marcus Kruger. Joakim Nordstrom. Johnny Oduya. Michael Paliotta. Ville Pokka. Antti Raanta. Brad Richards. Michal Rozsival. David Rundblad. Brandon Saad. Brent Seabrook. Patrick Sharp. Andrew Shaw. Viktor Svedberg. Teuvo Teravainen. Kimmo Timonen. Jonathan Toews. Trevor van Riemsdyk. Antoine Vermette. Kris Versteeg.

     These gentlemen are just 40 minutes away from winning the Stanley Cup on Home Ice for the first time in 77 years. They can make history. They've just got to close it out. Come on boys, you can do it.

GO HAWKS

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Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Final Central: Chicago Blackhawks man, Join the Hype Train!

     Ever since the Hawks won Game 5, the city has been salivating at the chance to win the Cup on home ice for the first time since 1938. Yeah, that's right. A National League Pennant has been raised in Chicago more recently than the Stanley Cup has been. Preparations for what might happen tonight are already underway. The Tribune Tower is decked out in a big Hawks banner:

     Nearby the Tribune Tower, the Official Blackhawks Store is doing land-office business, so much so that it might need to be renamed the Madhouse on Michigan. Meanwhile in Wrigleyville, the authorities are preparing right now. First off, the area already got a taste of Cup Fever on Saturday:

     Now combine that with what you may recall seeing back in 2013:

     And you've got something that the powers that be definitely don't want to happen again. To that end, there were reports of barricades going up all up and down Clark St. so that if the Hawks do win, the masses of liquored-up twentysomethings stay on the sidewalks. Finally, with the Hawks able to win it all tonight, there will be an additional guest at the United Center tonight. Earlier today, they were seen going through Security:

PUCK DROPS IN 7 HOURS

GO HAWKS

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TrekTopia Day 2: Rubbing Elbows with Fans and Stars

     After the excitement of the first day, the fans were back at the Westin for another day of hobnobbing. Walter Koenig started things off by stepping onstage and talking about some of his more recent work, such as a fan-made series(more of which will be discussed later). After that I stepped into the lobby to do some work on a blog post, when I ran into a fellow fan. We exchanged pleasantries for a bit, then I stepped back into the theater to watch John Tenuto give another lecture, this time about the creation of Star Trek Voyager, going through the cast and sharing informative anecdotes about then, such as the fact that Janeway was originally played by an actress other than Kate Mulgrew. Tenuto then ceded the stage to Tim Russ, who covered many things in his talk, including the new project that Walter Koenig was referring to earlier. It's called Star Trek: Renegades, and it promises to take a slightly grittier look at Star Trek, as well as moving the entire saga forward in the Prime Universe(i.e. separate from the timeline that J.J. Abrams is working in). Russ showed a trailer during his talk, and you can check it out at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjeX5drV9ms


     After an intermission, Adam Malin(the head of Creation) and Richard Arnold(Gene Roddenberry's right hand man and an expert on Star Trek) came up to give some remembrances of Leonard Nimoy, who just passed away on February, including a promo for a film being directed by Nimoy's son, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLuU8v81EOw    


     Once the appeal was finished, all kinds of cosplayers took the stage to partake in the costume contest. This Annual event lets attendees compete against one another to win a $250 gift certificate. After the winner was crowned, the stage was cleared yet again to allow for the No Minimum Bid Auction, where all kinds of goods can be had for very good prices. While that was happening, I stepped away to do some work on another blog post, and who should sit down across from me? None other than Robert Picardo, who was doing some work at the computer. After a bit, Armin Shimerman showed up as well, doing the same thing. When I finished, I bid both of them safe travels and went back to the theater to catch Connor Trineer and Dominic Keating(both of them from Enterprise) take the stage. During their time they shared all kinds of anecdotes relating to their time on the show, the experiences that they shared during those 4 years, and even beyond to the present day.


     After that, the stage was cleared for Tim Russ to sign. While we were waiting, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was playing at the hotel bar. So there I am, watching the Hawks game in a Star Trek costume(yeah, I did that) in a hotel restaurant(#becauseitsthecup), when Dominic Keating walks in, waiting to meet up with Connor Trineer for dinner. After about 15 minutes of watching the game and making small talk, Connor shows up, and Dominic steps away. On my way back to the theater, I run into the same person who I saw earlier in the day at the computers, and we start talking about fandom. And in fact, as I finish writing this right now, two other girls are in front of me playing cards. That seems to be a common theme here. Fans come for the weekend, make new friends at the shows, and even rub elbows with the very same people they see onstage. I guess that's what the fandom is all about, and what has been keeping Trekkies coming back for 49 years. Long may it live(and prosper!).

Chicago 365: Stanley Cup Final Central: LET'S GO HAWKS!

     After a thrilling comeback victory at home in Wednesday's Game 4 that finally featured Patrick Kane getting a point for this series, the Final shifts back to Amalie Arena for Game 5. Ben Bishop took part in the morning skate, but there is no official word on his status for the game. There isn't even any official word on why Bishop hasn't played, so who knows what's really going on there? As far as the Blackhawks, our stars finally started playing like they mean it in Game 4, with Toews scoring a goal, Kane notching an assist, and Keith continuing his practice of living on the ice. Hopefully we can continue the press, because Tampa has proven to be relentless. Winning tonight would put us in a GREAT position, since then we can be one win away, and come back to our barn on Monday night with the Stanley Cup in the building. What an inspiration that would be. But we can't think about that at all till we win tonight. Puck drops in just over an hour.

GO HAWKS

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TrekTopia Day 1: The 49 Year Mission

     Yesterday, hordes of Trekkies descended upon the Westin O'Hare for Creation Entertainment's 49 Year Mission Celebration in Chicago, and the fans were ready to greet their heroes. Chase Masterson started off the affairs by appearing onstage, talking about her recent work, and even doing some singing. After that it was time to welcome Garrett Wang to the stage, where he shared some anecdotes related to attending conventions, as well as relaying to us fans the story he wanted to see written for Harry Kim. Once Wang left the stage, fans were given the chance to test their knowledge by answering Trek trivia either Yes or No, with the winner of each round not only recieving a $200 gift certificate, but then being invited back onstage for further rounds with the ultimate potential to collect $1,200 worth of certificates.


     The festivities continued with Terry Farrell coming up to talk about her experiences being a model at the age of 17, working on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and her journey of learning to stand up for herself. After that Armin Shimerman came up to talk about his instrumental role in the evolution of the Ferengi on Star Trek, from their marauding first appearance on Next Generation to their current role as hapless, chauvinistic hyper-capitalists. John Tenuto then proceeded to come up and give a talk about the making of Star Trek VI, showing some rare production photos and sharing insider stories, such as the fact that all scenes on the Klingon prison planet in the movie were actually flipped(i.e. outdoor scenes were shot inside and indoor scenes were shot outside).


     After Tenuto gave out more informative nuggets of knowledge, Ethan Phillips took the stage. Phillips spent the time reflecting on his experiences working on Benson, Star Trek Voyager, and other work. Then the stage cleared and Terry Farrell was signing autographs on one side of the stage while Ethan Phillips was signing on the other. With that, Day 1 ended. We're back right now for Day 2, and I'll be back with those updates.

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Awesome A+ Arianna

     Like many students graduating from Chicago's prestigious Kenwood Academy, Arianna Alexander will be going off to college in the fall. Unlike many of her fellow grads though, Arianna won't be paying a dime for her higher education. As a result of a prodigious session of applying to colleges, as well as her father's inspirational advice to apply for scholarships like they're going out of style, Ms. Alexander was accepted to 26 different universities(including 6 Ivy League schools), as well as receiving more than $3 Million in scholarships. Yeah, you read that right. Three Million Freaking Dollars.

     Arianna said that the response from colleges was "...a lot to take in. I received emails, letters. It was just like, 'Come here, come here!' They were bombarding me with all this information." And for good reason too, as Arianna graduated with a 5.1 GPA on a 4.0 scale. After much deliberation, Arianna has decided to go to the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, a choice that she credits in no small part to Paul Brush, one of her teachers. “He said, ‘Do you know about the Wharton School of Business? ‘I said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’” said Arianna. Mr. Brush had this to say about his influence: "As teachers, we have a big moment to play with the lives that we have in our classrooms."

     The scholarship windfall means a lot to her father, who has already put Arianna's three older siblings through college. "When she graduates from Penn...We expect bigger and better things for her," he said. Arianna is already starting to affect those plans, starting to lay the groundwork for the menus of the four restaurants she plans to own as part of her future desire to become an entrepreneur.

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Weekends Can Get Crazy Around Here

     Summer is officially upon us, and it's hitting us with everything it's got. Trekkies from around the world are converging on the Westin O'Hare for Creation Entertainment's annual Star Trek Convention which goes through Sunday. Meanwhile, just up the road at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, MyFreeCams is hosting the Exxxotica Expo, a salute to all things hot and kinky. So we've got Trek fans and Adult Entertainment fans covered, what about Music fans? Fear not, for we've also got the Spring Awakening Festival going on at Soldier Field for those EDM lovers, and Blues Fest is happening at Grant Park. On top of all of that, Saturday will also see the World Naked Bike Ride taking place. And finally, even though we may be nerds, nudists, Adult Afficianados, EDM geeks, and bluesmen, we're all Blackhawks fans. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final starts at 7 PM on Saturday. All that, and I'll be bringing as much coverage of it as I can to you.

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Chicago 365 Stanley Cup Final Central: Double Down and Win!

     The cards are on the table. After two one-goal losses in a row making them lose back to back games for the first time this postseason, the Hawks are down 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final. We have to pull it out and win tonight. Get the puck to Kaner, work some magic, I don't know. But I sure as hell don't want to be going back to Tampa in a 3-1 hole to these upstarts. So the challenge has been issued. Let's win tonight!

GO HAWKS!

 



Summer 2015: Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Launch!

     As much it may not feel like it, we're in the first weekend of June. Summertime is fast approaching whether the weather is ready or not. From Star Trek Conventions to Erotica Conventions, L.A.T.E. night bike rides to Naked bike rides, the Joliet Pops in Bicentennial Park to Sir Paul McCartney in Grant Park, tourist traps to tourist Tastes, this summer's gonna(to borrow a line) hurt like a mother. Once again, Chicago 365 will be there on the front lines giving you all the most salient recaps of the fests and festivities that make a Chicago summer unlike any other. The craziness starts today, with the opening of The 606 and the Printer's Row Lit Fest. And as if that wasn't enough, the Hawks start Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at 6:15 PM. I'll be covering various facets of today's activities and will report back later. So let another summer of living vicariously through my blog commence!

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(I'm ending this with Love Never Felt So Good, a song which really should have been the song of the summer last year, but didn't catch on. I'm not giving up on it!)