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Donley’s Wild West Town a return to yesteryear

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:21:55 -0500

Go West, young Chicagoans. Go West. Direct your parents to load up the family car and head on Interstate 90 past Barrington, past Elgin and through Hampshire. Go west to Union, Ill., the small-town (population: 579) home of Donley’s Wild West Town, a museum and low-key amusement park geared for ages 3-11. The attraction opens for the season on May 18. “Real small kids get swallowed up in big theme parks,” said Randy Donley, one of the four-member Donley family running the park. “They come here dressed as cowboys and cowgirls.” Donley’s Wild West Town is an easy day trip, …

Get Up and Go! for May 17, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:15:13 -0500

Here are events worth getting out of the house for on May 17. Suggestions include Oak Forest, Park Forest and Midlothian.

Beverly Theatre Guild celebrates with ‘Fabulous @ Fifty’

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:01:48 -0500

Southland theater fans are spoiled — in a good way. Not only can they travel to downtown Chicago for a number of Broadway shows, but they also have a bevy of close-by community theater. Case in point is the Beverly Theatre Guild, which is billed as the oldest community theater group in Chicago. “We truly love the theater in every aspect and we want to support our mission to constantly put up quality productions and embrace the community,” said Barbara Moore, a Tinley Park resident who is the guild’s publicity director. “There’s a love of the theater. There’s just something …

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ turns out to be quite the Enterprise

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:10:14 -0500

RICHARD ROEPER: Director J.J. Abrams is a true talent, and he’s also a pop-culture savant who has great respect for the legacy of this franchise as well as a keen understanding of the mega-importance of box-office figures. There’s no better choice to make the best, the purest AND the most accessible big-budget “Star Trek” movie possible. Yet with all the futuristic splendor and the fine performances, “Into Darkness” only occasionally soars, mostly settling for being a solid but unspectacular effort that sets the stage for the next chapter(s).

Crowd Pleasers for May 17, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:22:45 -0500

Here is a look at some crowd pleasers. Events include Gaelic Park Players hosting the 20th annual Acting Irish International Theatre Festival in Oak Forest, Grande Prairie Singers' concert in Park Forest, and Suburban Youth Symphony Orchestra’s concert in Orland Park.

Star power — Adler tech revolutionizes sky show

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:11:04 -0500

As a pulsing nebula races toward the watchful audience, a hand shoots up to touch it. More hands follow suit, straining skywards. For the kids taking in the Adler’s newest show, “Cosmic Wonder,” outer space is just out of reach. It’s an illusion created by the latest technology: The Crab Nebula or stars in Orion seem to graze heads, when in fact they’re projected on a dome nearly 40 feet above the audience. As the image gets larger, it appears closer and flatter — “or like the objects are dropping on top of you,” said Mark SubbaRao, Adler astronomer and …

New on DVD for May 17, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:10:49 -0500

Here is a look at what’s new on DVD this week. Many of these titles were released on May 14.

Angelina Jolie says she had double mastectomy to try to prevent cancer

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:18:22 -0500

LOS ANGELES — Angelina Jolie says she had a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she carried a gene that makes it extremely likely she’ll get breast cancer. Jolie authored an op-ed for Tuesday’s New York Times, in which she writes that in April she finished three months of surgical procedures to remove both breasts.

FYI on FMBA: Rascal Flatts in Tinley Park

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:57:51 -0500

Farmers Insurance will present the Live and Loud Tour featuring Rascal Flatts with the Band Perry and Cassadee Pope from “The Voice” at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park in August. Find out more including when tickets go on sale on FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba.

Lucasfilm: New ‘Star Wars’ movie to be shot in UK

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:36:00 -0500

LONDON (AP) — The next “Star Wars” movie will be shot in a galaxy far, far away from Hollywood — Britain.

Marc Maron attempts ‘Normal’ with new book

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:21:52 -0500

NEW YORK — Soon after taking the stage, Marc Maron decides to skip the act. He’s got a packed room at a downtown New York club, all eager to see the 49-year-old comic tape what will be a comedy special for Netflix. Normally, such tapings are carefully structured and finely calibrated. Maron promptly decides against it. “No, let’s not,” he says. “Let’s just work through some stuff.” Working through stuff is the modus operandi for Maron. Though he started out as a stand-up known for bitterness and anger, Maron — after a lot of struggle and a bout with drugs …

First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre’s 2013 concert season

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:07:24 -0500

The 2013 summer concert season is a live music fan’s dream. A ton of great gigs are on the way, and many of them will be at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. “It’s a busy summer and there’s just a lot of great artists on the road and great shows coming through,” said Jon Reens, senior director of marketing/Midwest for Live Nation, which operates FMBA. “They run the gamut on style and they run the gamut on format. It’s an extremely wide-ranging summer season.” The outdoor venue is boasting the most amount of country concerts …

Crowd Pleasers for May 10, 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:21:05 -0500

Here is a look at some crowd pleasers. Events include St. Andrew Players’ “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” in Homewood.

‘Miss Neo Pageant’ explores what it means to be feminine, successful

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:23:12 -0500

Women studies scholars will tell you that there are three feminist movements. The first began with the suffragettes and the right to vote; the second, of course, was the women’s liberation movement of the ’60s and ’70s and the third rallied the young women of the ’90s via the Girl Power phenomenon. Megan Mercier came of age during feminism’s third chapter with strong female role models in her life. But despite all this, now at 29, she looks around and feels she’s “ended up in this weird limbo.” “It feels like being a teenager never stopped in some ways,” Mercier …

New on DVD for May 10, 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:22:51 -0500

Here is a look at what’s new on DVD this week. Many of these titles were released on May 7.

Sesame Street Live — ‘Elmo Makes Music’ at Rialto

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:23:22 -0500

Actress Denise Pajak, who appears as the character Bert in the touring production of Sesame Street Live — “Elmo Makes Music,” knows that when she and her cast mates perform it may be the first time that many youngsters see a stage production, and that is part of the show’s appeal. “Children do not see live stage shows that often,” Pajak said. “So there are the lights, the sets, the characters, and their minds are so fresh that it is so new and exciting to them.” VEE Corp. presents Sesame Street Live — “Elmo Makes Music” May 14 and 15 …