Podtalk

CHICAGO – Singer/songwriter Richard Knight Jr. believes that “Love is Possible,” so that is the title of his latest album. He will be performing selections from that album and more as he appears at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois, on Monday July 15th, along with Gerald Dowd. For tickets and details, click SPACE.

CHICAGO – Writer/director Brittani Ward is bringing her made-in-Chicagoland feature, “Single Car Crashes” back home to the Gene Siskel Film Center for a special screening run on July 12th-14th & 16th, 2024, after the festival circuit with Cinequest (New Vision Award) and the Midwest Film Fest. For tickets and details, click SCC SISKEL.

CHICAGO – It’s been an exciting year so far for the gem of film exhibition, FACETS Cinema in Chicago’s DePaul Neighborhood. And spearheading that excitement is Executive Director Karen Cardarelli, who began in that position in the pandemic year of 2020 and has shepherded FACET’s growth and new programming, in addition to becoming a leader in Chicago’s film scene.

CHICAGO – Growth from a young and rising actor is defined by KiKi Layne. After getting her big break as Tish in “If Beale Street Could Talk” from 2018, she has build her resume in both independent (“Native Son”) and tentpole (“Coming 2 America”) films, and showcases her music talent as the title character in “Dandelion,” which opens Friday, July 12th.

CHICAGO – The same day that director Ti West’s “MaXXXine” – the third film in his “Maxine” series – is released, why not catch up with the story beforehand at Chicago’s FACETS with a double feature/discussions on the first two films, “X” and “Pearl,” presented by film programmer Stephanie Sack. Click TI WEST for tickets/details.

CHICAGO – Pride Weekend is upon us, and what better way to celebrate then with “Trauma Clown” John Michael, showcasing his latest one-man performance of “Spank Bank Time Machine“ at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre from June 28th-30th, 2024. For tickets and info, click SPANK BANK.

CHICAGO – Happy Pride Weekend! HollywoodChicago.com kicks it off with a revisit to one of our favorite interview subjects, LGBTQ+ activist Gary G. Chichester. But this time we gave him an assignment … provide his personal list of the top Chicago historic LGBTQ+ sites in the city. The results are in the YouTube video below.

CHICAGO – As you know if you interact with this website, HollywoodChicago.com is “Everything Entertainment.” But as a alternative today, through a connection from the Dallas International Film Festival, we talked to Alan Washer from HomeVestors® of America, because of their efforts in volunteering for the community, specifically The Friendship Center Food Pantry of Chicago. For more information about that organization, click TFC.

CHICAGO – Happy Pride from the Midwest Film Festival of Chicago, celebrating with a special film event on June 24th, 2024 … writer/director Cory Grant’s “Screams From the Tower.” For tickets and information, click SCREAMS.

CHICAGO – “Scrap” is a scrappy new film that is building anticipation through the film festival circuit. The writer, director and lead actor of “Scrap” is Vivian Kerr, and it also features familiar character actors Anthony Rapp and Lana Parrilla. The release date for this set-in-Los Angeles family drama is to be determined.