Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Take time to read and laugh together! These children's books will get the giggles rolling.
Everybody loves to laugh! Here are some recently published books I’ve enjoyed sharing with kids. In Animal Masquerade by Marianne Dubuc, all the animals are invited to a costume party, but Lion can’t decide what to wear. The next page reveals him with a trunk. Now Elephant wants to come too, but what will he dress up as? Pretty soon preschoolers will catch on to the pattern of one animal disguised as another, followed by the real animal wondering what to wear. There are some wacky surprises, like when little Red Riding Hood dresses up as a birthday cake. The pictures here are the real treat. Imagine a mouse in a flamingo costume and a bear in a snail disguise. The book is quite long, but there is no need to finish it. At any point you can …
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Just sign up for our free daily newsletter and you'll be entered into the drawing for tickets to their June 6 show.
Returning hit-makers Don McLean and Judy Collins open Ravinia's 2013 season on a double bill early next month, and we want you to be there! McLean’s 1971 hit song “American Pie” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and he was inaugurated into the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. Known for her blend of folk songs and contemporary themes, Collins has enjoyed a career that has spanned over 50 years. She continues to produce new music and recently released her album Paradise, a collection of songs and duets. We want to send you and a friend to their show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6 for free. All you have to do is sign up for our free daily newsletter. The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, when we…
Monday, May 20, 2013
Independent filmmaker Shaiking Mathis is work on a project about Robert “Yummy” Sandifer, whose gang-related death became national news, Evanston Review reported.
Skokie independent filmmaker Shaiking Mathis, 26, is working on a documentary about Robert “Yummy” Sandifer, whose gang-related death became national news, Evanston Review reported. In 1994, Yummy, a sixth-grader whose nickname referred to his love for cookies, spent three days evading authorities for shooting a 14-year-old girl to death in South Side Chicago, Chicago Tribune reported. But before police could arrest him, members of his gang lured him into a car and put two bullets in the back of his head, Chicago Tribune reported. Mathis, a television director at the Evanston Community Media Center, says he can identify with Sandifer’s story because he has served time in a Wisconsin prison and hopes the documentary, which hits Ford …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Director Baz Luhrmann took the terse novel and spread it too thin.
In dreams, there are hopes, expectations, and anticipation. The anticipation keeps the excitement alive, just as it did for Jay Gatsby who awaited the reunion with his love, Daisy Buchanan. And just as it did for me as I waited more than six months for the release of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. But what happens after the dream is realized? Do we not sometimes discover the dream was better than the reality? Just as Gatsby’s reality with Daisy did not turn out as expected, my reality with the film did not live up to all I hoped and dreamed. Maybe I expected too much; maybe Luhrmann waited too long to release his film, creating anticipation impossible to fulfill. Whatever it may be, Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby took too long to …
Monday, May 6, 2013
Join the Skokie Art Walk downtown throughout the month of May. Check out these awesome paintings by area artists.
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Monday, May 6
From the community ~ The Skokie Art Walk will showcase the works of talented professional and student artists in restaurants and businesses in downtown Skokie (along Oakton Street and Lincoln Avenue) during the entire month of May. The juried artists works will be displayed in storefront windows, while the student artworks from Niles North and Niles West High School and will be displayed at Crafty Beaver Home Center, 4810 Oakton St. Also, K-8 student artworks from elementary and middle schools in Skokie will be on display at Bughouse Studio, 4845 Oakton St., throughout the month of May. While visitors are invited to tour downtown Skokie to view the art on display anytime throughout the month, the live activities will be held on Saturday, …
The HBO film 'The Girl' shows the Master of Suspense as a sadist, rapist. But are its merits as a film on par with any of Hitchcock's work?
After watching two films about the life and work of Alfred Hitchcock (Hitchcock and The Girl), my love of the Master of Suspense has been severely tested. The Girl is a HBO movie set around the filming of both The Birds and Marnie, both of which star blonde model Tippi Hedren. Now, I know Hedren has never shied away from claiming Hitchcock was mean to her and a spiteful, nasty person…depicting Hitch as someone who controlled every aspect of Hedren’s life…on and off camera. But, this movie takes “mean and spiteful” to new levels. Hitchcock here is depicted as a sexual deviant and even as a rapist. Most books about Hitch do not portray him as an innocent, kind soul when it comes to ladies, but to make accusations like the ones in this…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Skokie Patch goes one on one with 'Invasion of Skokie' playwright Steven Peterson.
Enjoy a sneak peek from ShPIeL's upcoming North Shore premiere of The Invasion of Skokie , an original play by Steven Peterson, at the Mayer Kaplan JCC on May 2 at 7:30 p.m. The program will include insights from the playwright, performers, artistic directors of ShPIeL; and Todd Whitman, director of the recent documentary film, "Skokie: Invaded But Not Conquered." The play opens at the Mayer Kaplan JCC May 22. The Invasion of Skokie tells the story of a struggling Jewish shopkeeper, Morry Kaplan, who is faced with a "double invasion" of his home during the days of the attempted 1978 neo-Nazi march on Skokie. While plotting to "borrow" a rifle for self-defense, the likeable but misguided Morry is faced with the dilemma of how to come to …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Skokie producer and Chicago Blues Hall of Famer Lynn Orman Weiss is teaming up with Frank Russell in a tribute to Miles Davis set for this Saturday.
Skokie’s Lynn Orman Weiss of Orman Music Group will present the Frank Russell Band on Saturday, April 27 at Chicago’s The Mayne Stage, 1328 Morse Ave., in Chicago at 8 p.m. “Miles Davis is one of my biggest influences as a musician,” Russell said. “To get the blessing and support from the Miles Davis family for this concert, there are no words … but that I am blessed and thankful.” Russell will be performing with special guests Dede Sampaio, a Miles Davis band percussionist, Dee Alexander and trumpeter Corey Wilkes will pay homage to the jazz master in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. The event will feature signature song Code M2, which was originally penned for Miles Davis by Robert Irving and arranged for Russell’s CD “Circle …
Anthony Hopkins' film portrayal of Hitchcock falls flat, though Helen Mirren nails his wife. Also--to what extent do an artist's personal failings make us want to push them away, and will we lose out on great art?
Where do we draw the line between the person and the artist? Do we boycott Woody Allen films since he married his adopted step-daughter? Do we run away from Roman Polanski films since he has been accused of having sex with a minor? Do we swear off films by Elia Kazan after he sold out friends to the Communist Witch hunts of Joseph McCarthy? If we would alienate all of these film directors films because of their personal (and sometimes illegal, as in the case of Polanski) predilections, we would be missing out on some of the greatest cinema ever. I would have missed seeing Match Point, one of my favorite movies of recent years, if I had stopped seeing Woody Allen films. I would have never watch Polanski’s Frantic on DVD and …
Monday, April 22, 2013
You could say Ryan Jannak-Huang, 15, is a prodigy when it comes to music. He will be performing at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie on April 28.
LaVerne
8:50 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
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