Worldview’s International Food Smackdown if fast approaching! Live on WBEZ at noon our listener-judges will sample four international dishes and crown one the champion. To help you follow the action at home, we’re providing the recipes for all the dishes after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

Jill Seltzer and Brian Babylon brought a new brand of entertainment to the pledge drive Tuesday night. Check out their spoof of the classic song ‘You’re Just In Love’” by Donald O’Connor & Ethel Merman.

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The people spoke and they went over their pledge goal by $2000!

Big news from our friends at Worldview- they’ve selected the judges for their International Food Smackdown. Last week we asked for your stories of your best food experience abroad. Now Worldview staff has selected their three favorites. The honors go to Robert Launay, Margaret Czopor and Robert Stigger! What do they win, you ask? The privilege to come to the station tomorrow and judge the dishes Worldview contributors are preparing!

Tune in to Worldview tomorrow at noon on 91.5FM (or click the “Play WBEZ” link at the top of this page) to hear it all go down LIVE!

Click through for the winners’ essays. Read the rest of this entry →

Won’t you join us? I’ll give you a few of my tots if you do.

What’s in your lunchbox today? Mine has Marcus Gilmer, Anna Tarkov, Dan Sinker, Mike Fourcher, Ramsin Canon and Amanda Vinicky in it. I think they’re talking about the Illinois Budget Address, but I’ve heard that if it’s boring Cory Haim discussion will be tolerated. Everyone who’s anyone will be there.

Three time Academy Award® winner Walter Brennan sings?
Enuff said!

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Remember that song in “Up In The Air” during the wedding scene? That was by Sad Brad Smith, a Chicago singer/songwriter who came by our studio for an Eight Forty-Eight appearance which airs tomorrow. We asked Brad to leave the relative safety of the studios and play a song for us in Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens. We tried premiering it in today’s episode of The Lunchbox, but some people had trouble loading it. Here it is again for your enjoyment.

Guest: Richard Roeper

Musical Guest: Sad Brad Smith

Panelists: Eric Zorn (Trib), Robert Feder (Vocalo), Jen Sabella (Huffington Post Chicago), Anna Tarkov (Windy Citizen), Scott Smith (Playboy), Andrew Huff (Gapers Block) and Mark Bazer (RedEye)

This morning at the new Harry Caray’s restaurant on Navy Pier, Governor Pat Quinn declared today “Dutchie Caray Day.” Here’s video I shot of him reading the official proclamation. See if you can pinpoint where he stops reading verbatim.

The proclamations don’t stop there for Governor Quinn- tomorrow he’s declaring “Rescue Day in Illinois” at the International Cluster of Dog Shows. Still no major recognition for the band Wilco in Chicago or Illinois- even as Duluth and Madison fall over themselves to pile on accolades.

This proclamation spree makes me wonder if Quinn is shoring up different electoral blocks- today Cubs fans, tomorrow dog lovers. If he cares about the music vote, he should give Wilco some love.

Anyone who knows Wilco knows they’re a Chicago band through and through. Just glance at the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or listen to the tune “Via Chicago” for proof. Now some of our regional neighbors are trying to bask in the band’s glow. First it was Duluth, Minnesota. When the band played there on February 19, Mayor Don Ness met with the band before their show and made an official mayoral proclamation of Wilco being an “Honorary Duluth Band.”

When Wilco played Madison, Wisconsin the next day, The Cap Times reports that Tweedy taunted the city for not recognizing them after playing far more concerts there than Duluth. Alderperson Satya Rhodes-Conway was at the show and was approached by several constituents, who wanted Wilco to be recognized. She rose to the challenge and introduced a resolution claiming Wilco as honorary Madison citizens. Madison’ alderpeople (that’s what they call ‘em in Madison) can’t make proclamations, so the resolution still has to be adopted by the full council at their March 2 meeting. So far the mayor and nine out of twenty council members have sponsored the measure, so has a good chance at passing.

This got me wondering if Chicago had ever taken similar measures to recognize Wilco. After all, we have ‘Talk Like Shakespeare Day’, ‘Smashing Pumpkins Day’ and ‘Diddy Day.’ Surely there must be something on the books for Wilco. Not according to David Daskal (and everyone else I spoke with at the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Mayor’s Correspondance Office). Daskal said there’d never been much demand for special recognition.

Click through to read Duluth and Madison’s hilarious full documents. Read the rest of this entry →