Acoustical cuts
Singer-songwriter Bryan Adams performs an acoustic concert at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS Nov. 1. The tour is named after Adams’ current release Bare Bones, a live acoustic collection of hits from his career including “Cuts Like A Knife,” “Summer of ’69,” “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” “Heaven” and others. The Grammy-award-winning musician has…
What scares me at Halloween
A recent Chris Britt editorial cartoon in the State Journal-Register showed two kids anxiously peering through the window at a stranger standing outside their home. “Dad, who’s that on the front walk?” It’s not a vampire, it’s a dark-cloaked man labeled “Poverty.” All too many children have picked up their parents’ justified fear of sliding…
Paranormal pulls off frightening hat trick
While not quite as effective as its two predecessors, there’s still enough gas left in the franchise’s tank to make Paranormal Activity 3 a worthy entry in the series and one that delivers what is arguably the scariest moment of the cinematic year. The new blood behind the camera, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who…
Quiet and assured, Way delivers worthwhile message
I’m always a bit leery about films that are intent on delivering a “message.” Rarely are movies like this done with any semblance of tact or subtlety as the filmmakers behind them belabor their point and literally beat the viewer over the head to make sure they get the point they’re trying to make. I…
Poll: Illinoisans still believe in budget magic
It’s long been a tenet of public opinion that voters want the government to cut its budget and don’t want new revenues, but also don’t want any actual programs slashed. However, the latest Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll shows a slow but sure trend in favor of specific state budget cuts and revenue increases.…
Nourishing the nation, one tray at a time
It’s in all 50 states. In thousands of school districts. It’s growing by leaps and bounds. And now it’s been endorsed and getting support from the federal government and some state and local governments. Schoolchildren are eating fresh food from local farms for school lunches and breakfasts. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack explained: “The vision…
Wall Street is dazed and confused
Astonishingly, some Wall Streeters continue to be clueless about what the Occupy Wall Street movement is protesting. Yoo-hoo, Streeters: Note that the movement’s name has the term “Wall Street” in it. While there is a plethora of particular issues being raised by the protesters – from the corrupting power of corporate money in our elections…
Gizmo-maker as god
Steve Jobs is dead, and the world talked about little else for a week. By now we have arrived at the transitional moment that was neatly described by columnist Rick Polito in the Pacific Sun – the one between “He was a genius who will be sorely missed” and “The battery has to be replaced…
Streets of treats
Downtown Springfield, Inc.’s Old Capitol Farmers Market 2011 season comes to a conclusion with its annual Halloween at the Market. Not only can you grab the last of season’s fresh produce Oct. 29, but you can enter your kids and dogs in a costume contest. Register your kids, up to 12 years old, beginning at…
Wild and untamed
Dress as your favorite Rocky Horror character or in your best Halloween ware and laugh yourself silly at one of the most engaging and hilariously-good times in Springfield at the Rocky Horror Show Live at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Produced by ADHD Productions and directed by Mac Warren, Ralph Shank shines as Dr.…
bicycle poem #3
a guy was interviewed on NPR who’dbuilt a full-size wooden bicycle one thatreally works he said the chain was thehardest part why’d he do it? a friend bet hecouldn’t now I’d like the friend to challengehim further try making one of spaghetti © 2011 Jacqueline Jackson
Masquerade and accolade
The public is invited to a free evening of supernatural sensations brought to them by the folks at Benedictine University’s Quiddity, an international literary journal whose companion component includes a broadcasted program and reading series on WUIS Public Radio. The ghostly gala celebrates the release of the latest journal issue and includes: group dancing with…
Balancing Brooke
In a world frighteningly full of frustrated folks fighting to attain and sustain a peaceful existence, Brooke Thomas found a life of balance and contentment. With a joyful marriage, satisfying work and a fulfilling form of personal expression, the Springfield-based singer and songwriter is sitting pretty in a sweet spot. Raised up singing in church…
Letters to the Editor 10/27/11
NO TO TENASKAIllinoisans should not be forced to buy overpriced, dirty coal power for the next 30 years. Unfortunately, when the legislature reconvenes for its veto session, they will consider the Tenaska Bill (SB 1653), which would do just that, by building a new plant in Taylorville. A generation from now, our children will still…
Whiff the wrong man
I admire that you often add research to your columns, so I thought I’d ask you about an article I read on birth control pills. Apparently, taking the pill can cause the “wrong” man to smell good to you — a man you might not be into once you’re off the pill. Unfortunately, I experience…
The best dining experience
RIP, CAITIE GIRLBest downtown dining. Most original menu. Best chef. Best-kept secret. And all gone. If there was a landslide winner in this year’s Best Of competition, it was Caitie Girl’s, the restaurant on East Jefferson Avenue that closed forever in September with the death of Aubrey Caitlin Barker in a traffic accident. Caitie Girl’s…
Entertainment & nightlife
BEST BAND WITHOUT A CATEGORY Still Kick’nOh my goodness, the bull ran loose when no category for country band appeared in the 2011 Best of Springfield list. Immediately fans of Still Kick’n and band members began a campaign to prove the popularity of one of central Illinois’ favorite bands. Still Kick’n folks should know they…
Puss a charmer from beginning to end
Recapturing the sense of charm and wit that made the first two Shrek films such a delight, Chris Miller’s Puss in Boots proves that there’s still some mileage left in skewering fairy tales. While the last two Shrek features were obviously running on fumes – struggling to bring anything new to their formula and even…
To play or not to play
Six performances of the play, I Hate Hamlet, are slated by the theater program at the University of Illinois Springfield Studio Theatre to kick off its 2011-2012 season. I Hate Hamlet is a humorous play by Paul Rudnick about a successful young television actor, Andrew, who lands in the apartment once owned by actor John…
Old Black and Blue Eyes
When Springfield native Jeff Dauksch of Chawbacon infamy moved to Chicago nine years ago looking for bigger and better things, he formed a band called Old Black and Blue Eyes. The power trio specialized in performing Frank Sinatra standards punk-rock style and made a splash doing so. Now bandmates Dauksch, Brad Bischoff and Michael Mace…
Are you being served?
BEST BAR FOODBrickhouse Grill & Pub3136 W. Iles Ave., 546-2745219 S. Fifth St., (downtown), 679-1500 OK, you’ve got your cheeseburgers, your horseshoes, your nachos, your chicken wings, your seared ahi tuna steak salad. Huh? Brickhouse combines standard tavern fare with a hint of the exotic that doesn’t go too far. Sure, they have plenty of…
Capital city biz bests
BEST BARBERCraig JonesUnique Blendz Barbershop, 2917 S. MacArthur Blvd., 528-4245If you’ve got to put your head in the hands of a guy with some seriously sharp blades, Craig Jones is the kind of guy you’d want that to be. Professional but fun, he’s welcoming – and skilled, with the ability to tame any type of…
Imbibe me
BEST BAR FOR SPORTSBEST CHICKEN WINGSBuffalo Wild Wings2808 N. Dirksen Parkway, 670-00484420 Wabash Avenue, 546-9453Walk into Buffalo Wild Wings and there’s not a seat in the house from which you can’t see a TV or two – or five, for that matter. With athletic competition broadcast from every angle on big screen TVs, it’s hard…
Food, glorious food
BEST ASIAN FOODBEST SUSHIBEST MARTINI NAMEBEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATEOsaka1665 Wabash Ave., 726-8037Osaka sure does a lot of things right. First things first, let’s start with the cocktails. We are traditionalists. As such, we believe that martinis should contain only gin or vodka, with perhaps a hint of vermouth and an olive garnish. Period.…
Off the grid
BEST-KEPT SECRETFree knife sharpening at Schnuck’s1911 Sangamon Ave. E., 744-20122801 Chatham Road, 698-2980Sorry, dear readers, but perhaps you did not understand the question. Much as we loved the place, Caitie Girl’s, the top vote getter, was not Springfield’s best-kept secret, given that the proprietor gave cooking demonstrations on television. And what kind of secret is…
Capital city people & places
BEST ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONAnimal Protective League1001 Taintor Road, 544-7387Springfield has at least five places where you can adopt an unwanted dog or cat, but Animal Protective League is, by far, the favorite with readers, who gave the APL more than twice as many tail-wags as all other contenders combined. Maybe it’s the dog washes, with…
