Final days of Chicago Restaurant Week (Friday-Sunday) 

Chicago Restaurant Week continues with more than 380 Chicagoland eateries will offer specially curated prix fixe menus for brunch ($25), lunch ($25) or dinner ($42/$59) between January 19 and February 4. With more than two weeks to chow down, there’s plenty of time to make a few reservations and check out some of the best restaurants in Chicago.

Meat Wave at Empty Bottle (Saturday) 

Hard rockers Meat Wave come to the Empty Bottle for a sold out show on Saturday night. A homecoming show for the exciting three-piece, this could very easily be the best show of the weekend.

Meet Me at the Altar at House of Blues (Saturday) 

Emo stalwarts Meet Me at the Altar come to House of Blues for what should be an excellent show on Saturday night. Tickets are available here.

Cider Summit Chicago (Saturday) 

Tickets are now on sale for Cider Summit Chicago, the region’s largest cider tasting. Cider Summit Chicago celebrates local, regional and international artisanal ciders and cider makers. The 10th annual Cider Summit Chicago will feature over 150 ciders, cider cocktails and fruit spirits. This year’s event, Saturday, February 3 at Navy Pier’s Aon Grand Ballroom, expands general admission event hours to 2-6 p.m..

Night Snow Tubing (Saturday) 

Bundle up for an evening of snow tubing. Thrill seekers will meet at the Long Room, where transportation will be provided to a nearby mountain. After you’re done tubing, you’ll refuel with some food and drinks before heading back to the city. Get all the info here.

Bulls host the Kings (Saturday) 

Can the Bulls crawl closer to .500? They face the pesky Sacramento Kings on Saturday night at The UC!

Ben Bradley from WGN is continuing to do the Lord’s work for exposing the corruption taking place in Dolton from their mayor Tiffany Henyard.

According to WGN Investigates, Henyard has spent $67,000 on trips to Portland, Austin, Atlanta and New York City in recent months. This includes a stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta. She also brought home a bill of $9,347. Her stay in New York included a $13,098 hotel bill. Airline records show everyone in the group frequently flies first class, as well.

Ben Bradley joins Brian & Kenzie this morning at 8:20am to further discuss the matter.

Now is the chance to cash in on your feet.

In the same way that Beanie Babies and Crypto have had moments of tremendous value in the past, feet are all of the rage now. A survey released by fetish site FunWithFeet revealed that models with “square feet” were earning up to $45,000, with other shapes and sizes also cashing in to make a chunk of change.

It should be noted that 96% of FunWithFeet users draw the line at hairy feet. That is a no-go for most fetishists.

Former Charmed star Alyssa Milano is yet again under fire, this time for starting a GoFundMe for her son’s travel baseball team to take a trip to Cooperstown.

In the post, the actress says,

Baseball is life and our teamates are our brothers. Baseball gives us purpose and we are driven to be our very best. In order to compete, we must raise funds.

The Birds 12U team is coached by two great coaches and our team is diverse, hardworking and really good. We’ve won many championship rings!

Our coaches instill lessons not just about baseball. They teach us leadership and life-skills. They are good people. We are lucky to have them.

We hope you will make a donation to keep our team competitive. Your donation will go to travel costs, uniforms, and dues for families. We also might use your donations for pins or novelty items to make our tournaments memorable experiences beyond the field.

Thank you so much for your consideration. We won’t let you down,

The Birds

She was immediately met with harsh criticism from those that feel that a lifelong TV star should not be groveling for money online.

Milano responded, “I would if I could” to one particular Tweet questioning why she didn’t pay for the trip herself.

Every Friday, Case the Producer rounds up the most exciting new tunes in music and serves them up in one easy-to-find blog for you, the Q101 Crew Members.

Alkaline Trio: Blood, Hair, & Eyeballs

If you can believe it, Alkaline Trio is on their tenth studio album. The Chicago legends have given us Blood, Hair, & Eyeballs, which marks their first record since 2018’s Is This Thing Cursed? Unsurprisingly, the group can still pack a punch. Album standouts “Bad Time” and “Versions of You” harken back to the band’s golden era.

Alkaline Trio returns home on March 16 at the Aragon Ballroom with the one-and-only Drug Church.

Katy Kirby: Blue Raspberry

Katy Kirby is a beacon of light in a rather dull world. The New-York based singer-songwriter has a voice that most can only dream of. Powerful yet somber, Kirby’s words cut deep to expose uncomfortable truths. Blue Raspberry is her second full-length album, and while her first effort wasn’t bad by any means, it’s clear she’s taken a step up with this project.

Katy Kirby hits the stage at Lincoln Hall on March 3.

Militarie Gun: Life Under the Sun

Known for their barking vocals and unrelenting riffs, the Los Angeles punks are taking a bold step in a different direction with their Life Under the Sun EP (a play on 2023’s outstanding Life Under the Gun). Absent are singer Ian Shelton’s growls that turned heads in a recent Taco Bell commercial, and in their place are soft whispers and unique collaborations with artists such as Bully and Manchester Orchestra. In a 2023 interview with Kerrang!, Shelton noted, “I want our music to be confusing to people who are close-minded”. Life Under the Sun serves as the biggest test to that ideology yet.

The Smile: Wall of Eyes

Radiohead fans will have to continue to wait for a new Radiohead project as Thom Yorke fills his time with The Smile. The band’s second album in two years, Wall of Eyes is yet another bold step sonically for the iconic frontman.

Brian Urlacher has had enough.

The company Medical Man Cave has begun using Urlacher’s name and image to promote their hair transplant service. Urlacher says that the company falsely listed Brian Urlacher as an “MMC Client,” and that the MMC website showed a picture of the former Bear on its first page. The lawsuit says the MMC Website also included another photo of a different man’s scalp with the label “Brian Urlacher” underneath.

This is the second hair company Urlacher has sued in a year for alleged misuse of his name and likeness.

The City of Chicago is back again with a chance to etch your name into history with the second annual “You Name a Snowplow” contest. The names this year are:

1. Above the Thaw
2. Artctic Institute of Chicago
3. Bad, Bad Leroy Plow
4. Better Call Salt
5. Bill Flurry
6. Buckingham Plowtain
7. Buddy Guy-cicle
8. Casimir Plowaski
9. Celery Salter
10. Chance the Scraper
11. Chicago My Home Plow
12. Chillinois
13. Chicago Plowhawks
14. ChiPlowgo
15. City of Big Shovels
16. CTRL-SALT-DELETE
17. Deep Dish Plowzza
18. Earth, Wind and Plower
19. Ernie Snowbanks
20. Ferris Bueller’s Scrape Off
21. Jesse Whiteout
22. Kevin McPlowister
23. Little Dibbie
24. Looper Scooper
25. Lost Shaker of Salt
26. Maxwell Street Plowish Sausage
27. Micicle Jordan
28. Mies van der Snow
29. Minnie MiNOsnow
30. Nat King Cold
31. Oh Snow You Didn’t!
32. Pablo Picassnow
33. Plowapalooza
34. Plowdiniera
35. Plowed Gate
36. Salternate Reality
37. Saltsa N Chips
38. Scoop Dogg
39. Sir Melts a lot
40. Sister Jean’s Machine
41. Skilling It
42. Snower Wacker Drive
43. Snowprah Windfrey
44. Super Bowl Shovel
45. Sweet Plow of Mine
46. Taylor Drift
47. Thawsome Sauce
48. The Magnificent Pile
49. The Salt Shedder
50. The Unslushables

You have until February 2 to vote.

After months of barging into American homes with their infectious Hulu commercial, little image sits down with Case the Producer about the impact of that commercial, UTI’s, and so much more.

This is A Case For: little image.

Tomorrow Never Knows Fest at Lincoln Hall, Metro, Schubas, and Sleeping Village (Friday-Sunday) 

Since 2005, the crew at Lincoln Hall has had a mission to prove that Chicagoans will brave the cold for good music. The Tomorrow Never Knows Music Festival spans five days and brings some of the best local artists and national acts to Chicago’s finest venues. For a full list of performances, you can visit their website. We highly recommend checking out Squirrel Flower at Lincoln Hall on Friday night if you can.

Chicago Restaurant Week Kicks Off (Friday-Sunday) 

The 17-day celebration of the best food in Chicago kicks off on Friday, and just like every other year, we are once again reminded that this is the greatest city for food in the country. A full list of participating restaurants can be found here.

The Great American Dog Show at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center (Friday-Sunday) 

Calling all canine lovers! The Great American Dog Show is taking over the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center from January 19-21. Attendees can watch premier show dogs from the 200 American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized breeds compete for top prizes, as well as meet the competitors. The three-day experience will also include a puppy show, demonstrations, a grooming show, vendors offering pooch-friendly products and experts providing educational programming.

Disney on Ice Presents Magic in the Stars (Friday-Sunday)

Parents, bring the family to Allstate Arena for a day of Disney magic. Kids will experience the timeless stories of Cinderella, Aladdin, Toy Story, Frozen, Encanto and more through performances on ice by their favorite characters. You can also purchase a character meet-and-greet add-on that includes storytelling, crafting, interactive time and photos with Elsa and Mirabel.

Meg Myers at Beat Kitchen (Friday) 

Our friend Meg Myers will host an intimate evening of music at the Beat Kitchen on Friday night. Tickets for this event are sold out.

Blackhawks host the Islanders (Friday)

The struggling, Bedard-less Blackhawks bring the New York islanders to town on Friday at the United Center.

Bulls host the Grizzlies (Saturday) 

Can the Bulls stay hot as they bring the lackluster Grizzles into town? We’ll find out on Saturday night.

Stan’s Donut Fest (Saturday) 

Indulge your sweet tooth with a host of delectable, sugary treats from Stan’s. The chain is hosting its inaugural donut fest in celebration of its 10th anniversary, and attendees will have the opportunity to sample 12 different flavors during the event, including Dreamsicle, Captain Crunch bismark, tiramisu, cookies and cream Oreo and more.