Leslie Knope and her delightful group of Pawnee, Indiana civil servant pals got back together this past Thursday for a charity driven ‘Parks and Recreation’ special benefiting Feeding America, which is getting meals to those in need during the current pandemic. The 30 minute special delivered a lot of ways for fans of the show with all of your favorite side characters getting some shine and big singalong finish for a lil’ beloved horse. The special proved successful raking in a reported $2.8 million for the cause.
NBC dropped the entire special on YouTube to keep the good vibes going.
‘Parks and Rec’ has been off the air for a few years after having big finale, but you will be able to stream the entire series soon on the new streaming service Peacock in July.
Nick Offerman joined our buds WLS-AM on the Jen Weigel show to promote it all, share insight on his hilarious podcast, and why he really needs the Cubs to come back asap.
Rage Against the Machine has rescheduled its 5/19 and 5/20 dates at the United Center for 7/19/21 and 7/20/21 respectively. From the band’s press release:
Rage Against The Machine will commence our tour at such a time when we are confident it will be safe for our fans… YOUR TICKETS WILL BE HONORED for the postponed shows. During this difficult time we also respect the fans who want their ticket money back. We’ve requested and confirmed that, as of this weekend, ANYONE who wants a refund can begin the process at your point of purchase. We sincerely hope that each one of you and your families and friends stay safe and well and that music is bringing you solace and inspiration. We look forward to seeing you.
Ravinia has made the decision to pull the plug on its 2020 season, due to COVID-19. This marks the first time since the Depression that Ravinia’s gates have been closed.
It may seem like someone is beating us all over the head with the public call to be safe in our collective fight with COVID-19, but maybe the regal guardian lions of the Art Institute of Chicago could get the message across. The iconic statues got a makeover yesterday with Chicago flag face masks displaying our beloved baby blue bars and 6-pointed red stars. WGN News got the whole story here.
Unfortunately that did not last long, as CWB is reporting that the face masks were stolen a few hours after they were installed on Thursday by two men who climbed the statues around 11pm, and quickly ran off in a waiting black four-door Chevy sedan.
In this time where spending a lot of time watching anything is considered productive, Foo Fighters have answered the collective content call with the release of a full spectacular set at Hyde Park in the UK in 2006. The set once again shows how the Foos are one of the best rock bands to have ever rocked. It also features Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmeister and Queen’s Brian May for some surprise cover songs.
Always a band that has supported special causes, Peal Jam has created a truly remarkable contest for the ALL IN Challenge, which “provides meals to the elderly and front line heroes” and it gives the winner the right pick songs for PJ’s set list at a future show, sit on stage, annd even work on the show as a guitar tech. You can enter to win here and help the cause.
Eddie Vedder and company released their new adventurous album ‘Gigaton’. You can stream the entire album here.
It’s a sign of the times… Mystery Science Theater is returning over videoconference for a special “Riff-Along” of the movie “Moon Zero Two.” It’s a bit of a throwback, in that they ripped on that movie in their very first season. The 2-hour event will be streamed Sunday on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, etc.
The Art Institute lions and the Picasso at Daley Center are current with the pandemic times; they’re all wearing coronavirus face masks. The story from WGN TV:
Nick Offerman has become embedded in a generation for his role as the surly public servant Ron Swanson and he joined our sister station WLS 890 AM on the Jen Weigel Show to dish about his return to Pawnee for tonight’s special ‘Parks & Recreation’ reunion show. Swanson describes the special episode which takes place all over Zoom and he says there is some “incredible surprises” including some surprises guests.
Offerman who is an alumni of the University of Illinois, talks about his college experience with yoga in the theater program and how they are harder to do now. He also shares about sports fans sharing his continued dedication to the Chicago Cubs and more.
While promoting his most recent TV show ‘DEVS’, Offerman was on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ to talk about his time in Chicago’s theater scene, in the 90’s.
As “The Last Dance” reminds us of just how amazing the 1990s Bulls were, we’re going down the rabbit hole and reliving all those classic MJ moments. ESPN compiled their top 10, and they’re pretty great.
Join us Sunday from 8-10pm as we host a “Last Dance” watch party/chat with the WKQX jocks on the 101WKQX Facebook page!
As part of his Health Care Hero feature, Jimmy Kimmel surprised NY trauma nurse TJ Riley with special guest Dave Grohl. Grohl serenaded Riley with a version of “Everlong.”
Zoom videoconferencing could be vulnerable to foreign spies. If they’ve been peeking in on Brian, Ali and Justin’s happy hours they now know that Ali has an adorable dog, Brian drinks Summer Shandy and Justin chats from inside a noise-proof closet.
For those of us who thought the G-rated “Willy Wonka” movie was horrifying in its own right, this doesn’t make things any better. Check out what Corridor did to “Wonka,” evolving it into a full-blown horror concept.
Since everyone is sheltering at home, we have to get creative on how we still collaborate and come together. Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Dan from Bastille, Simon from Biffy Clyro, Ben from Royal Blood, YUNGBLUD, Rag’n’Bone Man, Chris Martin from Coldplay and more join together virtually to cover Foo Fighter’s Times Like These from their respective homes to raise money for BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief and the WHO’s COVID-19-Solidarity Response Fund. Enjoy!
I wonder what other far away collaborations we will see! <3 Lauren
A van decked out with ice cream truck music is hitting up Chicago neighborhoods with delicious brew, delivered with proper and safe social distancing guidelines. You can hit up this link to get prepped for your beer delivery. Just one rule — you can’t call for beer unless you can physically see the van near you. So, cross your fingers and pray to the gods of barley and hops. — [eric]
Netflix reportedly added 15 million more subscribers with everyone in quarantine, so that’s millions more scrolling around trying to find the right show for their mood or something they have not seen before. The need to laugh at anything right now feels more immediate, so what’s the best comedy shows we may have missed or lost in the ever-changing algorithms of streaming video? You’ve seen more popular comics like Kevin Hart and Bill Burr, so what else is on the Flix of Net?
Here are 5 must-see new(er) comedy specials for you to stream right now.
‘Middledietch & Schwartz: Completely Improvised Comedy Specials’ are just that gracefully performed long-form comedy made up on the spot sets in the tradition that filled many theaters in Chicago for decades. These two accomplished screen actors Thomas Middledeitch (Silicon Valley) and Ben Schwartz (Parks & Recreation) deliver three unique sets on a single audience suggestion each time with an undeniable sense of playfulness ringing through it all..
Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross and Dave Attell is another unique take on a performance style we’re pretty familiar with: stand up comedy. This 2018 three-part special sees these two mic masters will humor out of every single random audience member, turning from seemingly prepared material to roasting the pants off some celebrities at the acclaimed Comedy Cellar in New York City. If you have binged through the more common stand up specials with a single comic on stage in a theater, this alternative presentation leans into a more looser energy. It feels like a party from the start.
Bert Kreischer ‘Hey Big Boy’ sees the shirtless raunchy monster back once again with his original take on stories of embraced dysfunction and the fallout of being a family man in the process. If you have not felt the Bert alert already, he has several special but his latest one which dropped in March is great starting point. Yes, he keeps his shirt off the entire time.
The Degenerates is another go-to for comedy fans who simply want to see the gloves off without any apprehension that seemingly floats over those things ‘you are not supposed to talk about in 2020’. This series now with 2 seasons sees a who’s-who of comics from Nikki Glaser, JIm Norton, Big Jay Oakerson, and more in 30 minute or so episodes.Chicago’s very own Kyle Kinnane and Liza Treyger should be where you start here.
Nate Bargatze ‘the Tenenesee Kid’ starts with tender intro from Nate’s daughter with the endearing southern charmer spinning smart ass takes on life. It may be more the traditional of the bunch but Nate’s wave that’s churning into shore. Think of a band that you want to listen to before your dorky little brother gets a hold of it.
We may not be able to see our favorite bands play live in person right now but so many are stepping up with a lot of special content online like the Killers who taped a session for CBS This Morning. The sessions featured Brandon Flowers on piano and drummer Ronnie Vanucci on guitar as they laid down some very emotive renditions of new songs off the upcoming ‘Imploding the Mirage’ album.
This is the first we have heard of the woman-in-torment ballad ‘Blowback’ which may reach a lot of us trying to deal with these very challenging times we are enduring currently.
It’s been a few years since the rock world lost the working class muse that was Tom Petty so it hit a good note in our soul to hear Brandon and Ronnie lay down this guitar cover of Petty and the Heartbreaker’s classic ‘the Waiting’.
Not enough of the desert sons of Nevada? Listen to another new studio track from the Killers called ‘Fire in Bone’ which has a real Pete Gabriel 80’s new wave pop vibe to it.
Last night Post Malone along with Travis Barker of Blink 182 on drums, Brian Lee on bass and Nick Mack on guitar did a Nirvana tribute livestream show from his house in Salt Lake City with proceeds going to the World Health Organization (p.s. you can still donate and Google will match $5M) watch all blazing 117 minutes of it (there are a couple naughty words involved FYI)
Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
Drain You
Come as You Are
Lounge Act
School
Heart-Shaped Box
Something in the Way
About a Girl
Stay Away
Lithium
Breed
On a Plain
Very Ape
Territorial Pissings
In Bloom
