OffBeat
OFFBEAT: TV's 'Family Affair' actress has new cookbook for Thanksgiving
Last month while in Chicago I felt like I was in a television time warp.
Nov 25, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Expert has 27 years of fowl play experience
Marge Klindera always knows exactly where and how she'll spend her Thanksgiving each year.
Nov 24, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Chicagoland gets short run of fun and sun with 'South Pacific'
Before checking my story archive, I had nearly forgotten that a Broadway in Chicago national tour of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's Tony-winning musical "South Pacific" had docked for a short run…
Nov 23, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Michael Essany helping with new celeb site intended to rival TMZ
Valparaiso's TV talk show claim-to-fame Michael Essany is back in the celebrity biz again.
Nov 22, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Theatre at the Center 'Christmas Schooner' sailing uncharted waters with success
Previous stage voyages of "The Christmas Schooner" -- the ones I'm familiar with in the Chicagoland area -- have been small runs.
Nov 21, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Jeanne-Claude's death reminds of Valparaiso visit from legendary artists
It was in October 1996 that I had the rare opportunity to interview husband and wife legendary artists Christo and wife Jeanne-Claude Javacheff.
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Johnny Depp, Tiki Birds and Mr. Toad a part of Disney World's changes
Some things should just be considered sacred in the world of entertainment and pop culture.
Nov 19, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Goodman Theatre's 'High Holidays' uncomfortably entertaining
Consider the latest "short-term" holiday stage offering at Chicago's Goodman Theatre as a sorta TV's "The Wonder Years" with an extreme Jewish twist, along with some bad language, adult themes, a bit of drugs and some brief nudity thrown in for good measure.
Nov 18, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Kathie Lee Gifford not smiling about latest 'SNL' spoof
Kathie Lee Gifford is usually willing to laugh at herself and doesn't mind poking fun at others.
Nov 17, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Natalino's Italian restaurant in Chicago's West Loop nets chicken claim-to-fame
September was National Chicken Month, as deemed by the National Chicken Council, but Natalino's Italian restaurant is still celebrating.
Nov 16, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: 'American Idol' singer and Cedar Lake favorite Amy Davis in Region for weekend
While in Walt Disney World in Florida last week, one of the most popular new live show attractions at the Disney Hollywood Studios theme park was "The American Idol Experience."
Nov 15, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Disney mutes Walter Cronkite's voice at Epcot attraction
DATELINE - - Orlando - - Columnist Philip Potempa is reporting from Florida this week while traveling.
Nov 14, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: New Disney World Contemporary Resort Bay Tower offers lodging of a lifetime
DATELINE - - Orlando - - Columnist Philip Potempa is reporting from Florida this week while traveling.
Nov 13, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Some of the most interesting facts and stats about Walt Disney World are rarely shared
DATELINE - - Orlando - - Columnist Philip Potempa is reporting from Florida this week while traveling.
Nov 12, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Mickey Mouse and Disney movies get major play in Chicago, everywhere
DATELINE - - Orlando - - Columnist Philip Potempa is reporting from Florida this week while traveling.
Nov 11, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Hershey Felder bringing Beethoven and Chopin to Drury Lane Water Tower
Hershey Felder is both young and experienced in his performance field.
Nov 10, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Uno Chicago Grill celebrating 65 years of great deep dish pizza
One of the favorite cozy places to enjoy the real definition of Chicago deep dish pizza is Uno Chicago Grill, right at the corner of Ohio and Wabash in downtown Chicago.
Nov 09, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Readers want to know about coverage of Chicago Jeff Awards for stage
I cover a lot of plays during the course of a year.
Nov 08, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Bill Clinton to speak next week at Chicago House luncheon
I received a nice invitation earlier this month from publicist Gina Kremer asking me to attend a luncheon Nov. 11 at The Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago featuring Bill Clinton.
Nov 07, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Broadway's Chicago bow of 'Young Frankenstein' old, stiff and not too funny
As a "casual" (as opposed to die-hard) fan of Mel Brooks' 1974 film "Young Frankenstein," I was excited to finally see the Broadway musical stage variation opening at Cadillac Palace Theatre this week. It's the first national tour of this…
Nov 06, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Final days to see Steppenwolf Theatre's stage mystery 'Fake'
It might have taken me a while to finally see it, but I enjoyed Halloween by intensely watching Steppenwolf Theatre Company's world premiere mystery play "Fake."
Nov 05, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: National Radio Hall of Fame induction dinner this Saturday in Chicago
The more than 160 inductees into the National Radio Hall of Fame over the decades represent a broad cross-section of individuals and diverse program formats. And this weekend, that group gets to grow a little larger with the latest inductions.
Nov 04, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Anniversary Off Beat column included accurate numbers without sharing reason
Thank you to the many readers who called or e-mailed congratulating about Monday's anniversary Off Beat column.
Nov 03, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Happy 5th Anniversary!
When this daily column first launched on Oct. 30, 2004, it was part of our newspaper's latest new look and redesign. The idea for the column, and even the name, came from one of my previous editors, Theresa Badovich.
Nov 02, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Chesterton's Joseph Maggio stars in Drury Lane's 'Christmas Carol'
Halloween is over and November has arrived, along with the time change.
Nov 01, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: 'Millie' missteps a few moves, but still mildly entertaining
The last time, and only time, I saw "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on stage was when the national Broadway tour played a two-week run at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago following the six Tony Awards the musical took home when it played Broadw…
Oct 31, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Melissa Joan Hart still casts as spell as Halloween hostess
Sometimes I receive very tempting party invitations from publicists on the East and West coasts.
Oct 30, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Soupy Sales was true TV pioneer for 'new' children's shows
As promised on Wednesday's column, today I'm sharing a tribute to comedian Soupy Sales, who died last week at age 83, with some of the best moments from my October 1997 interview with Soupy when he played a double-bill show at the Star Plaza Theatre with …
Oct 29, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
OFFBEAT: Soupy Sales remembered for his fresh and innovative 'funny business'
Despite the span in age difference, one of the pop culture connections I have with all four of my older siblings is we all grew up watching and admiring rubber-faced Soupy Sales, who died last week at age 83.
Oct 28, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
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