Mark Hamill

CHICAGO – The force was with the Chicago Fan Expo on August 16th … what the heck else can be said? Mark Hamill is making a rare appearance and fan meet/greet all this weekend at the Expo, which runs until Sunday, August 18th. Photographer Joe Arce was at his live panel event and captured two Exclusive Portraits.

CHICAGO – Anime acolytes unite! The Chicago Fan Expo and Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) is presenting a screening/discussion of the Anime classic “Inu-Oh” that will be moderated by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, and hosted by APUC Founder/Exec Director Sophia Wong Boccio. Mark down Saturday, August 17th at 10:30am in ROOM 13 for the screening and post-screening interaction. For more information on the Anime happenings at Fan Expo, click FAN EXPO ANIME.

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Oscar Winner Mira Sorvino.

CHICAGO – One of the greatest celebrity shows and entertainment gatherings in the country is coming to Chicagoland this week, and includes a rare appearance by Mark Hamill of “Star Wars.” FAN EXPO Chicago takes place from August 16-18, 2024. For tickets and information, click FAN EXPO Chicago.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 7th, 2023, reviewing “The Boy and the Heron,” the latest animated film from Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki. In theaters on December 8th, 2023.

CHICAGO – A long time ago (1978) in an America far far away, the one and only showing of the “Star Wars Holiday Special” took place on CBS-TV. Infamously miscast and difficult to watch, the history of the show is chronicled in a new doc “A Disturbance in the Force,” co-directed by Jeremy Coon and Steven Kozak.

CHICAGO – Who are the voices in our lives that really matter? If you were a cartoon fan in the 1980s and ‘90s then it was Rob Paulsen, the source for Pinky (“Pinky & the Brain”), Yakko (“Animaniacs”) and a myriad of others. Recently Paulsen beat cancer, which threatened his career, and he tells the story in the new book … “Voice Lessons.”

CHICAGO – There are some fears in this world that seem irrational to us. Like a fear of clowns or the fear of using an elevator. Horror films are at the core of some of these fears, with the truly great ones creating new things to fear. The “Child’s Play” franchise may have had its roots in psychopathic soul transfers, but the update focuses on the ghost in the machine.

CHICAGO – Most likely Peter Mayhew stepped into movie history because he could fit into a costume. The seven-foot-three actor was the perfect size for a new character in a little film called “Star Wars,” and so he became the once and future persona of Chewbacca. Mayhew died in Texas on April 30th, 2019. He was 74.

CHICAGO – Everything that could be thrown into the Stars Wars legend – and the official story – is present in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” With three concurrent stories converging into an amped-up climax, all manner of Star Wars-mania and fan satisfaction can be realized in Episode 8.

CHICAGO – “Live from New York, it’s a new generation of ‘Saturday Night Live’ movies!” Four guys from SNL… performers Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett, segment director Dave McCary, and producer/performer Andy Samberg all pitch in to create “Brigsby Bear,” the odd story of a man-boy who loves a TV show.