Chicago

CHICAGO – Omi Hopper is competing … and still survives … on the second season of “Next Level Chef,” the TV cooking show on FOX hosted by Gordon Ramsay. The social media viral star, who created a following with her approach to traditional Puerto Rican dishes, is still in play as the show winds down to the finale on May 11th.

CHICAGO – The future is now at the 2023 CineYouth Film Festival, taking place this upcoming weekend April 21st-23rd, at FACETS cinema in Chicago, CineYouth features 65 local, national and international short films from creators that are children, teens and young adults up to 22 years old.

CHICAGO – Carla Bruni is a Chicago preservationist, and had a unique idea for a Fellowship within her discipline. Her idea became “Community Glue,” a gathering of repair artists and seamstresses to … you guessed it … repair/mend broken and damaged items, instead of throwing them away.

CHICAGO – The world broke open and came to a more evolved place after the digital campaign of #MeToo and #TimesUp late last decade. In the entertainment industry especially, the stories of institutional sexual harassment was legion and pervasive.

CHICAGO – To indicate how the timeline is off during the pandemic period, Karen Cardarelli has been Executive Director of FACETS cinema since February of 2020, but impact began post pandemic. Besides reformulating FACETS, she also is spearheading the beginnings of the Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals.

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Michigan Rattlers Rock Thalia Hall in Chicago.

CHICAGO – The Michigan Rattlers are a group of uncompromising folk-rock musicians who have captured the hearts of audiences everywhere with their timeless sound, rich, deep vocals, and memorable nostalgic performances. The band is composed of lifelong friends and deep-north natives Graham Young (guitar), Adam Reed (bass), Christian Wilder (piano), and Tony Audia (drums).

CHICAGO – The Asian Pop Up Cinema (APUC), a Chicago cultural institution, launched Season 16 this past week with a sensational pre-season event featuring Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok and the Japan Cinema Showcase. Wrapping up the showcase is “Unami,” CLICK HERE for details.

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Larkin Poe performing at Thalia Hall 01

CHICAGO – Larkin Poe is an acclaimed roots rock sister duo – fronted by Rebecca and Megan Lovell – and are originally from Georgia and now hail from Nashville, with two highly successful albums under their belt … “Venom & Faith” and “Self Made Man,” and their latest, “Blood Harmony.” Photographer Jeff “Doc” Doles of HollywoodChicago.com was at Chicago’s Thalia Hall on March 16th, 2023, and captured the following images.

CHICAGO – It’s been an amazing journey for actor and filmmaker Alex Heller with her directorial debut film “The Year Between.” The film premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and screened at the hometown Chicago International Film Festival last October. The film is being released through Video-On-Demand beginning March 3rd, 2023.

CHICAGO – On the next stop on the book tour, Chicago International Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza will talk about his book “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” at Chicago’s Union Club on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023.