So Really, Do You Believe in Ghosts?

It’s Halloween week, so that makes it a good time to check in on an old classic question:  So really, do you believe in ghosts?  According to the latest numbers, only 20% of Americans say they definitely don’t exist.  And 19% of people say ghosts probably don’t exist.

 

20% say they definitely DO exist, and 25% say they probably exist.  So that’s 45% of people who more or less believe in ghosts.

And finally, 16% of people say they “don’t know” if ghosts exist.  What a coward’s answer.  I hope the ghosts haunt those people first.

The survey also found 50% of people say DEMONS definitely or probably exist, so people are slightly more likely to believe in demons than ghosts.  (YouGov / YouGov)

 

Smashing Pumpkins recording sequel to ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’

Consequence of Sound reported this weekend that alternative legends Smashing Pumpkins will record a sequel to the beloved ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ and ‘Machina’. Billy Corgan confirmed the 33-song sequel which was originally intended to be a part of a worldwide arena tour that has been delayed due to the pandemic. This past week marks the 25th anniversary of ‘Mellon Collie’ which featured classics like ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings’, ‘1979’, and ‘Tonight, Tonight’. It went on to sell 5 million copies in the United States alone. Corgan formally announced the big project in a video you can watch below.

Pumpkins are not simply celebrating their past, but also forging new audible adventures with Corgan working again with guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin along Jeff Schroeder whose been with the group since 2007. Their latest album ‘CYR’ will be released on November 27th.

101WKQX’s Jon Manley and James Vanosdol were proud to talk to one of the biggest alternative bands to ever come out of Chicago on two recent episodes of our new podcast, History of Alternative. In part 1 episode Billy talks about how the band put their artistic vision ahead of commercial concerns, how some people tried to talk him out of releasing ‘Melon Collie’ as a double record, and more. In part two, Iha and Chamberlin dig even deeper with how the band’s legacy endured beyond their break-up in 2000 and they have evolved since getting back together.

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‘No Time to Die’ looked into $600 million sale to streaming services

 

With movie theaters struggling to get people to come out to a theater amid the pandemic, now streaming video platforms with a lot of money behind them are stepping into the game to possibly purchase the rights to get big blockbusters as streaming exclusives. Enter the global spy franchise James Bond with its delayed film ‘No Time To Die’ which is reportedly being in talks recently with big streamers Netflix, Apple, and Amazon. The news was widely reported that the film which could likely be the last to feature megastar Daniel Craigh portraying the Bond role. Now the film has been pushed back again for a April 2021 release and studio representatives have issued statements confirming the traditional release next year.

The reported price according to Variety was in the area of $600 million. Yeah, that is a lot of money but considering how well-known the Bond series is and the possibility of the film luring in or retaining subscribers to one of the streaming platforms, it makes some sense. MGM, the studio behind the Bond films has spent millions already on marketing on ‘No Time To Die’ which has been delayed twice in 2020. Read the full story from Variety. 

‘Borat 2’ which just hit Amazon Prime pulled around $120 million in their deal. Watch the reviews on that controversial comedy here. 

Watch the latest trailer for ‘No Time To Die’ here.

Police Scanner Weekend roundup

Listening to the Chicagoland police scanners is our absolute favorite weekend hobby.

You never know what you’ll hear!

Here is what we heard this weekend, check it out!

Friday 9:18 PM – Kimball brown line stop – Albany Park – man demanding he gets on the train for free. Says he’s mister clean and needs to enter train for a commercial.

Saturday 8:45 AM – 1925 Ohio st. In Lisle – White Male mid 30’s stuck in the slide at the park. He says he has been there since last night. He states he has no idea how he got there. Fire requested.

Part 1 Saturday 5:31 PM – 850 s. Barrington Rd. – Streamwood – Man trying to enter Walmart with a snake around his neck. He is stating it’s his emotional support animal and just wants to buy it some goldfish.

Part 2 Saturday 5:48 PM – 850 s. Barrington Rd. Streamwood – Man with snake in shopping cart scaring patrons in Walmart. Man is reportedly feeding the snake hot dogs. Police and Animal control is requested.

Sunday 9:18 AM – 2507 w. Armitage ave – Naked Woman in wheelchair eating Ice cream with her hands in Self Storage parking lot.

 

Khabib announces his retirement after winning in UFC 254

Fight night has come and passed for Khabib Nurmagomedov.

And this time, forever, at least that’s what he said after his win overJustin Gaethje in UFC 254 on fight island.

Khabib went a perfect 29-0 in his career, winning 13 of his fights in the UFC.

Does this last win give him the official GOAT status? Is this actually the last time we’ll see Khabib in the octagon?

Only time can tell.

Queued Up Playlist 10/25

HOUR 1
Clairo Sofia
Cold Hart/Lil Peep Me and You
Boy Pablo Hey Girl
Romy Lifetime
The Backseat Lovers Kilby Girl
Foreign Air The Apartment
EIS Break the Lines
Jay Way No I’m Not Ok
Lewis Del Mar The Ceiling
Beabadoobee Care
Grandson Dirty
Smashing Pumpkins CYR
Ashe Save Myself
Sports Team Camel Crew
Bully Where to Start
HOUR 2
Cannons Fire For You
Bea Miller Feel Something
Curtis Waters Stunnin
Jxdn So What
Shaed No Other Way
Melody Federer This Town
Nothing Say Less
Houses Paranoid
Kennyhoopla Lost Cause
The Dirty Nil Doom Boy
Cautious Clay Agreeable
The Shins The Great Divide
Washed Out Time to Walk Away
Bob Moses Desire
Gus Dapperton Post Humorous
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Adele jokes about her weight loss on SNL

It’s always nice to see when celebrities can joke about themselves. It makes them seem like they’re human again.

Plus I bet it’s not super hard to joke about how good you look after losing weight!

She really does look so good! And let’s be honest, she had an awesome opening monologue.

Who do you think has had the best SNL monologue so far this season though?

10.25.2020 History Of Alternative

Hour 1

  • Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen
  • R.E.M. – So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
  • Green Day – Hitchin’ A Ride
  • Adam Ant – Strip
  • U2 – The Fly
  • Matisyahu – King Without A Crown
  • The Clash – I Fought The Law
  • K’s Choice – Not An Addict
  • The Offspring – Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
  • Psychedelic Furs – Love My Way
  • Counting Crows – Rain King
  • Muse – Time Is Running Out
  • INXS – Never Tear Us Apart

Hour 2

  • Nirvana – Sliver
  • The Shins – New Slang
  • Weezer – Hash Pipe
  • Blancmange – Don’t Tell Me
  • Collective Soul – Gel
  • The Darkness – I Believe In A Thing Called Love
  • Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Pump It Up
  • The Stone Roses – I Wanna Be Adored
  • Rise Against – Give It All
  • The Cure – Let’s Go To Bed
  • Incubus – Stellar
  • Lush – Ladykillers
  • Pearl Jam – Corduroy


Hour 3

  • Blondie – Hanging On The Telephone
  • The Killers – Smile Like You Mean It
  • Live – All Over You
  • Yaz – Don’t Go
  • Cracker – Teen Angst
  • Rooney – Blueside
  • The Cult – Love Removal Machine
  • 10,000 Maniacs – These Are Days
  • Rancid – Fall Back Down
  • Split Enz – I Got You
  • Toadies – Possum Kingdom
  • Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
  • Filter – Take A Picture


Hour 4

  • The Vines – Get Free
  • Morrissey – Suedehead
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Zephyr Song
  • The Pretenders – Back On The Chain Gang
  • Screaming Trees – Nearly Lost You
  • Depeche Mode – Strangelove
  • Smashing Pumpkins – Thirty-Three
  • Dynamite Hack – Boys-In-The Hood
  • Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger
  • New Order – Age Of Consent
  • The Ramones – Rock-N-Roll High School
  • Alkaline Trio – Time To Waste

Website tracks the status of EVERY McDonald’s ice cream machine, EVERYWHERE.

Ladies & gentlemen, I present to you McBroken: an website dedicated to telling you if the ice cream machine at your area McDonald’s restaurant is broken or running.

This is the money quote from the “how and why” Ars Technica article:

“I reverse-engineered McDonald’s internal ordering API,” he explained when he launched the tool, “and I’m currently placing an order worth $18,752 every minute at every McDonald’s in the US to figure out which locations have a broken ice cream machine.

The spirit and ingenuity of America is still alive, people.  — [eric]

 

[📷, BELOW: a McBroken screen grab of the status of Chicago’s machines.]

[📷, ABOVE: Somben Chea from Pexels]

TV show from *1989* NAILS future tech predictions — like, almost 100%.

Flat-screen TVs reached the mainstream in the late nineties.  Ditto for HD television.  And voice-activated personal assistants that could dim lights, draw blinds, and make phone calls really didn’t hit the big time until a few years ago.

But this 1989 episode of the home improvement show “This Old House” almost perfectly predicts the future years before these things came into our lives — including having to ask Alexa twice to do something.  (It’s almost too perfect…🤔)

Perhaps it’s the fact that these technologies were around for DECADES before coming to consumers that made these predictions possible.  Or — just maybe — someone had a functioning DeLorean time machine to help.  I like to think it was option two.  — [eric]

Day of the Dead events with Dos Equis

We realize you’ve missed quite a few holidays this year, so come celebrate Dia de los Muertos, AKA Day of the Dead, with Dos Equis on Friday October 30th and Saturday October 31st!  Swing by these great bars and restaurants to sample an ice cold Dos Equis, scare up some great prizes and find out what colorful tricks the Dos Equis team has up their sleeve!

21+ only. Dos Equis, a most interesting beer.

Enjoy Dos Equis responsibly. Imported by Cervezas Mexicanas, White Plains, New York. Copyright 2020. Dos Equis Beer Brands.

Friday October 30th

The Whistle Sports Bar – 4911 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn, 6:30p-8:30p

115 Bourbon Street – 3359 W. 115th St. in Alsip, 9p-11p

Paisans Pizzeria & Bar – 6226 Ogden Ave. in Berwyn, 3p-5p

Guadalajara Grill – 6814 Cermak Rd. in Berwyn, 5:30p-7:30p

Lavergne’s Tavern – 6545 Windsor Ave. in Berwyn, 8p-10p

West End – 1326 W. Madison St. in Chicago, 3p-5p

Lottie’s – 1925 W. Cortland St. in Chicago, 5:30p-7:30p

Rambler – 4128 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, 8p-10p

Tuco & Blondie – 3358 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago, 3p-5p

Broken English – 1400 N. Wells St. in Chicago, 5:30p-7:30p

Deuces – 3505 N. Clark St. in Chicago, 8p-10p

 

Saturday October 31st

La Mex – 3157 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet, 6p-7p

Casa Maya – 102 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet, 7:30p-8:30p

Front Street Cantina – 15120 S. Des Plaines St. in Plainfield, 9p-10p

Next Mex – 319 Front St. in Lemont, 6p-7p

El Cortex – 10128 191st St. in Mokena, 7:30p-8:30p

Fat Rosie’s – 28 Kansas St. in Frankfort, 9p-11p

La Canoa – 50 S. Greenbay Rd. in Waukegan, 3p-5p

Wild West Grill – 1412 Washington St. in Waukegan, 5:30p-7:30p

Grand Tequila Bar & Grill – 1334 Grand Ave. in Waukegan, 8p-10p

La Costa – 3119 N. Central Ave. in Chicago, 3p-5p

Las Islas Maria’s – 3242 N. Pulaski Ave. in Chicago, 5:30p-7:30p

Las Islas Maria’s – 6550 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago, 8p-10p

O’Shaughnessy’s – 4557 N. Ravenswood Ave. in Chicago 3p-5p

Federales – 180 N. Morgan St. in Chicago, 5:30p-7:30p

Broken English – 2576 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, 8p-10p

Schubas – 1326 W. Madison St. in Chicago, 3p-5p

Big Star – 3640 N. Clark St. in Chicago, 5:30p-7:30p

Big Star – 1531 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago, 8p-10p

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The reviews are in on ‘Borat 2’

It was considered one of the funniest movies of the 2000’s when the innovative Sascha Baron Cohen took on a deranged character coming to America for the first time with a lot of pranks, unaware supporting cast, and extreme satircal cringe humor. Now 14 years later, the anticipation is high for the sequel, especially with news this week that the film will feature former New York City Mayor Rudy Giulani being roped into a “compromising situation”. As the film hits Amazon Prime today, does it deliver? Here  are some reviews of the film which is currently holding a certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 91%.

Dan Murrel details how impressive it was to keep the film under wraps when everyone knows who Borat is now.

Grace Randolph had a mixed review but she adored the ending and the film’s surprising heart-warming moments.

IGN loved it, giving it a 9 out of 10.

Pearl Jam are finally releasing their ‘MTV Unplugged’ set

Pearl Jam has a dedicated fanbase all over the world, that have devoured live recorded performances of the Seattle legends in any form they can find it. They are a band where some of their fans just need to have everything they have done, but one part in PJ’s history has never been widely available until now. This week sees the long-awaited release of Pearl Jam’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ show on CD, Vinyl, and streaming platforms. The show was given a limited release last year in April for Record Store Day but now you can listen to the memorable set on Spotify and Apple.

PJ is celebrating their 30th anniversary this week with another big release of a full remastered  2016 concert video from Philadelphia which saw them play the entire ‘Ten’ album in a massive 32-song set. You can purchase that stream through Nugs.tv at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight through October 25th.

Recorded on March 16th 1992, the seven-song ‘Unplugged’ set features Eddie Vedder and friends delivering emotional takes on tracks from the ‘Ten’ album in New York City. The set has been available on YouTube since 2014, so why not stream it here.