Billy Corgan was on our sister station last week, WLUP, when he co-hosted with Mancow. During the show, Billy touched on the current state of The Smashing Pumpkins. While on the topic, he said, “we’re talking about it” and “things look good” regarding a possible reunion. While we all want to believe that the Pumpkins will be returning to a stage soon, we can not take these phrases as confirmations and have to wait for an official announcement from the band. I won’t lie, I got extremely excited after reading what was trending on social media, but you can’t always believe what you read on there! In conclusion, we are right back to where we started on The Smashing Pumpkins, a reunion has NOT been announced, but that doesn’t mean they are not thinking about it. Check out the video below from Billy Corgan himself on his Twitter that will hopefully clarify what was said!
Lots of "trending" talk about The Smashing Pumpkins reunion this year.
After 146 years ‘the Greatest Show on Earth’ will come to an end in May. The owners of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told the Associated Press yesterday the popular circus touring company will end forever. Feld Entertainment, owners and operators of the show expressed that changing tastes, drawn out battles with animal rights groups over the treatment of the animals featured in the show, and high operating costs as just some of the contributing factors in their decision to close the curtain. The removal of Elephants in 2016 from the show after years pressure and legal fights with animal rights groups, has seen unexpected drops in recent attendance making the show unable to maintain a touring schedule.
“There isn’t any one thing,” said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “This has been a very difficult decision for me and for the entire family.” The Feld family has owned Ringling Bros. since 1982, running it’s two separate touring companies, and also producing the Monster Jam, Disney on Ice, and Marvel Live shows in arenas.
Ringling Bros. from Wisconsin merged their juggling acts, clowns, acrobats, exotic animals, and sideshows with the acts of Barnum and Bailey in the 1919. It brought live entertainment on a large scale to both small and big towns across the country with acts from around the world. It was at one point one of the biggest forms of live entertainment in America. This 1990’s documentary covering the craft, showmanship, and progression of the Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus is a thought-provoking watch, especially when you know the show for ‘children of all ages’ ends this spring.
Singer Sarah Barthel, one-half of rock duo Phantogram, all smoked-out eyes and sardonic lyrics. The energy she brought to this shoot, along with her dog, Leroy, (The Good Boy on IG) was effervescent. Despite Leroy’s typically adorable antics, all eyes were on the effortless Barthel. (MORE HERE)
The delightful English chaps at What Culture broke down all the hidden nerd info on the horror movie character who is forever linked to today’s date, Jason Vorhees. This video shows off how deep Vorhees has slashed his way into pop culture. Que the ‘ch ch ch’ creepy sound effect right?
In December, tech wizard Abhishek Singh promised on Reddit to soon reveal a domestic robot that communicates exclusively displaying GIFs and seems to show a humorous alternative to the new wave of at-home computers that answer to commands. Well in a video posted today on Youtube, Singh just proved he can make the coolest robot that everyone will want in their home at some point.
His name is ‘Peeqo’ and Singh ingenuously shows off the bot’s personality and ability to instantly pop up an isolated piece of media in the form of GIFs, that answers questions and communicates a point. Think of the way that Bumbllebee from the ‘Transformers’ movies would express himself with pieces of audio from other movies and Tv shows, but far more advanced while also very practical. Watch Peeqo in action here.
Taco Bell plans to go nationwide this month with its latest concoction: a taco with a shell made entirely out of fried chicken. Taco Bell says the shell of the Naked Chicken Chalupa is made up of all-white seasoned chicken. The rest of the taco is packed with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and avocado ranch sauce. (MORE HERE)
Just when you thought they couldn’t create something better than Cool Ranch Doritos Locos they turn around and do this!! So far 2017 is not so bad.
Another “Breaking Bad” character may be joining “better Call Saul” season 3. They released this promo video of Giancarlo Esposito as “Gus” the owner of “Los Pollos Hermanos.” Pretty creepy slogan, too. “Taste the family.”
Thank you to the person that texted this to me!! IDK if this pizza would be edible but you gotta start somewhere right? Maybe by 2020 we’ll have a GIORDANO’S app that can print pizza on our phones!!
Woody Harrelson has come a long way from being a dimwitted bar back in the sitcom ‘Cheers’ to a fierce Haymitch Abernathy in the ‘Hunger Games’ film series, and now he’s going to a galaxy far far away. Harrelson is confirmed to appear in the upcoming Star Wars spin off film with Alden Ehrenreich playing a young Han Solo and Donald Glover as a young Lando Calrissian. Harrelson’s role is believed to see him as a mentor to Solo, but it certainly adds a proven vet to the new wave of Disney produced SW films.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with an artist with as much depth and range as Woody,” the film’s directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie) said in a statement through LucasFilm. “His ability to find both humor and pathos, often in the same role, is truly unique. He is also very good at ping pong.”
Harrelson is quite busy this year already with three films set to be released including ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’, the R-rated comedy ‘Wilson’ and the experimental ‘live movie’ experiment he’s doing in limited theaters next week called ‘Lost in London’. Get the lowdown on all the big movies of 2017 in our 17 to Anticipate article here.
This Han Solo is scheduled to come out in May 2018, but could get pushed back to December 2018. It goes into production this month.
Saturday, you can gorge yourself with delicious grilled cheese sandwiches at Time Out Chicago’s Grilled Cheese Meltdown. Get tickets to partake in tasty, cheesy goodness from local vendors. It’s just the right event to put our winter blues to bed and comfort. At Thalia Hall this Saturday, January 15, for the Grilled Cheese Meltdown. (MORE HERE)
The first thing I did when we moved to our new location at NBC tower was scout out places to nap.
What I didn’t know then is that naps are GREAT for work productivity! An hour long afternoon nap improves memory and critical thinking!
Researchers examined the sleeping patterns of nearly 3,000 people to learn whether taking a nap had any effect on mental health.
Nearly 60 percent of the people in the study said they napped after lunch for between 30 and 90 minutes, with the average nap time at about 63 minutes.
The participants took several tests to assess their mental status, answering simple questions about the date, time of year and basic math problems.
According to the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, those who took an hour-long nap performed better on the mental tests compared to those who did not nap!
Here’s a clip from Tuesday night’s Daily Show, where correspondent Roy Wood Jr. investigates the new war being waged in the US around gun control — more specifically, gun emoji control. (MORE HERE)
Here are 10 bands in no specific order that you should seek out at the just-announced Bonaroo Music & Arts Festival 2017. Win the trip and tix to Bonnaroo by texting FEST to 64636. More on that here.
The Irish rock titans are jumping on the road to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their magical ‘Johsua Tree’ album. This date on a massive fest has not been the norm for Bono and company due the band being able to play football stadiums on their own, like the recently announced June 3rd show at Soldier Field (WIN TICKETS HERE)
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
The Peppers deliver live every time. They have tons of songs you will hear live that make you go “OH , I LOVE THAT” and then wiggle your butt wildly. Yes, instant wiggling going down. If you are not able to do roadtrippen to Manchester, Tennessee here is your shot to see RHCP during their two night residency at the United Center on June 30th and July 1st.
THE XX
This duo of dreamy alternative has been coming up strong, and this recent breakout performance on Saturday Night Live makes them that ‘band you’ve heard about that you need to checkout’ on this year’s ‘Roo lineup. The XX plays Aragon on May 1st.
LORDE
The New Zealand lady boss of alt is preparing to return in 2017 with this festival set one of her biggest shows announced so far. Could this allude to seeing her perform in another giant music fest? Maybe one that takes place in Grant Park in August….WHOA! Slow down, just speculating about how this affects the Chicago area live music fests, for more on who could be at Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, check out our Palooza Possibilities predictions/wants.
COLD WAR KIDS
CWK has made memories at Piqniq and Lolla in the past, so the sunny southern skies should be no problem. They also know how to amp their shows with alternate versions of their recorded material to give it a fresh feel for their live show that makes it feel unique and special.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
This band is one of the best live acts in music, not just alternative, all of it. Their sets which have seen singer Matt Schultz become a puppet-master of jumping crowds at our Piqniq and Nights We Stole Christmas shows have proven that Cage is band you can see multiple times and enjoy more each time.
GLASS ANIMALS
Their groovy Lounge session with us showed how much the Oxford-based group can get and that ability to be chill yet energized is an underrated part of a festival experience. You can only crowd surf so long before people don’t want to carry you, so this band provides that buzzy cocktail hour music for the modern age.
TEGAN & SARA
These loveable Canadians have been able reinvent themselves and bring their diehard fans with them along the way. We were fortunate enough to be able to feature them on at No Dough Show a few years ago and just a few months back in an intimate Lounge session. There songs have this real resonance live that you might not catch on your first or third listen, so get closer ..get it,…closer with this video.
ROYAL BLOOD
A UK band who the Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl says is his one of his “favorite bands”, Royal Blood won us over in 2014 with “Figure it Out” when they opened for Rise Against on our ‘Twas the Night Before show at House of Blues. They got this feeling you can gravitate very quickly with fist-bumping breakdowns and hooks that get stuck in your head.
THE FRONT BOTTOMS
When I got to chat with this band at Lolla’16 the energy was loud and pronounced: happy! This punk-influenced act from New Jersey had a standout set in the main field at Grant Park earned over people who never knew them and fans who fell in love with them online stood by the rails for their set for hours.
THE ORWELLS
These wild boys with a head-bobbing sound that meets at a cross section of the Stooges, the Strokes, and Cage the Elephant come right from our area, specifically Elmhurst. Catching one of their sold-out shows at Lincoln Hall a few years ago was a ride in itself with crowd surfing extravaganzas, collective stomping, mass clapping and mandatory hip-shaking. Based on their 2016 release ‘Terrible Human Beings’ that fire is still burning.
The Bonnaroo lineup is out! U@ (doing Joshua Tree cover-to-cover), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lorde and, as you can see below, a lot more. Check out their official site HERE. Score a trip to Bonnaroo by texting FEST to 64636. More on that HERE.
(from consequenceofsound.net) Photo via Twitter/@paveral
Over his two terms as POTUS, Barack Obama has earned the endearing if ironic nickname of the hipster President. Even on his way out of office, he still proudly claims ownership of that title, as he tapped Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder to perform ahead of his farewell address on Tuesday evening. Their relationship has been a bit more than just political, as well. In fact, the President once stopped in to visit (if only briefly) Vedder’s family while they were both on vacation in Hawaii. Vedder was also one of the rumored guests at the celebrity-packed White House party earlier this month. (MORE HERE)
Eddie Vedder w/ Voice Of Chicago performance at POTUS's Farewell Address .. Periscope Video https://t.co/83kEtienjN
The Killers are gearing up for a busy 2017 with a new album cycle after putting out a compilation of Christmas music for charity last month and spending New Year’s Eve jamming with Paul McCartney, so their collective futures are bright. Apparently, Chinese food chain Panda Express agrees with this after the band who recorded the classic song “Smile Like You Mean It” opened a fortune cookie that reads just that “Smile Like You Mean It.” Yes, we are not making this up.
I'm thinkin' orange chicken for life and we'll let you off the hook for using our stuff. pic.twitter.com/3gJ9FebZVD
This song about yearning for your past, dwelling on it, and maybe moving on from something. Maybe that is just my take. “It’s more melancholy, but it really translated to a lot of people. It was very personal to me, and that’s one of the things that’s amazing about music – we all bring our own meaning to songs. It was quite a sophisticated song for where we were at that time, I think.” said Brandon Flowers in 2013 in NME magazine.
📷: http://1000awesomethings.com
