Pogo checked out Fat Willey's and their Carolina style BBQ on this weeks Let's Eat. There are plenty of other spots in the city to grab some Q. Smoque in Irving Park is just one of the spots to get your hands dirty.

Turns out the celeb gossip rags are pretty good about spreading accurate star gossip. For weeks, there’s been baby buzz surrounding Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz, and now the rumors have been confirmed: the pop tart and Fall Out Boy are expecting! This news comes just a day after the former Miss Simpson officially changed her last name to “Wentz.”

Recently Marcus went to Scotland on his toughest assignment yet! We asked him to produce a 1/2 hour show about scotch.

Here's a preview of The Secrets of Scotch Whisky.

Tune in Saturday, June 7 @ 3p & 8p! It also runs again on Sunday, June 8...Just in time for Father's Day gift ideas!

If you wanna check 'em out for yourself...

Dr. Wax
5226 S. Harper Avenue
(773) 493-8696

Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Avenue
(773) 324-5520

Promontory Point
5491 South Shore Drive
(312) 747-6620

Hyde Park Hair Salon and Barber Shop
5234 S. Blackstone Avenue
(773) 493-6028‎

Harper Court
5211 S. Harper Avenue
(773) 363-8282

Medici on 57th
1327 E. 57th Street
(773) 667-7394

And if you wanna listen to our most favorite tour guide Laurence Holmes from 670 The Score, check him out on Myspace!

The first major street fest of the summer is fast approaching. Some big name bands will be there on the edge of Wicker Park and East Village. Click for the details!

Did Cameron Diaz pull a Britney? Click on the link to see why Miss Diaz is sporting a new look.

(More after the jump)

After nearly four years, 1,500 performances and lots of green face paint... the cast of Wicked will take its final bow. The lights go out on this record-breaking production January 25th, 2009 and go down as the longest-running Broadway musical in Chicago history. The good news? You can still get tix!

RIP Glinda and Elphaba...

Marcus Leshock here. I have to give big props to the folks over at Tri-Cities Crossfit. This Monday is Memorial Day...in honor of that they'll be hosting a charity fundraiser, raising money to buy cooling vests for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you're new to Crossfit, it's an internet-based workout that's sweeping the country. Earlier this year I checked out Chicago's Crossfit branch, here's the story....

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Tri-Cities Crossfit is located in St. Charles....run by first-class trainers Mark Reinke and Jason Homesly. All of the details about their fundraiser this Monday can be found after the jump....

Marcus Leshock here. If you're looking for something to do last minute tonight, check out the Annoyance Theatre's free video night! They showcase (mostly) funny shorts by filmmakers all over the city, and yes, it's free of charge. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. And as a special bonus tonight, my good friends over at Hombre Films will be premiering their new comedy short film "Wheelchair Werewolf." You might remember a while back on "metromix," we premiered their last short "Time Gun." Here's the video....

More Hombre can be found at their website here. And check out the Annoyance Theatre's site for info on all of their events here.

Marcus Leshock here with my last American Idol recap of the year. It was David versus David. Cook versus Archuleta. A bloody battle until the beginning of "Hell's Kitchen." Who would come out on top? A David? The audience? Me? Find out, here's my recap for ChicagoLive.com.....

It's been fun putting these together all year, and thanks for your viewership and feedback. Also, if you ever have the chance to work with confetti, I highly recommend against it. I'm still picking it out of my hair, and I have a date with a high powered vacuum a little bit later today.

Remember to check out my past American Idol recaps in the archive section of ChicagoLive here.

And for even more American Idol madness, check out the RedEye's American Idol blog Vital Idol. Find it here.

Help beautify the city one tulip at a time! Find out more about your local Community Garden at the Chicago Park District... ya dig?

Ellen DeGeneres must have had marriage on the mind, because as soon as it was announced that gays and lesbians can get married in California, the talk show host came out with her own plans to marry girlfriend Portia di Rossi! Go, Ellen!

(Read Ellen’s Public Statement After the Jump)

On this weeks Let's Eat we filled you in on raw foods and the vege-centric eats at Green Zebra. So to spread a little love here are some more healthy spots to check out.

More goodness after the jump.

Strawberries & Cream Parfait

Soak cashews and almonds in separate jars of water for 3-5 hours. Strain.

Blend the following:
2 cups cashews
2 cups almonds
4 cups water
½ cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt

Refrigerate mixture so it thickens.

To build parfait:
Start with a layer of ground flax, add sliced strawberries and a layer of cream. Alternate flax, strawberries and cream. Garnish with blueberries and mint leaf.

It's one of my favorite comedy shows in town, and we covered it right here on "metromix." "Don't Spit the Water" is an improv show that takes average folks from the audience and brings them on stage. Then, they fill your mouth with water, and the various comedians try to make you laugh so hard - you spit a mouthful of water all over the place!

The "Don't Spit" crew has been invited out to Hollywood to perform on the Comedy Central stage. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be seeing "Don't Spit" on Comedy Central anytime soon. But they are playing on the development stage and Com Central suits will be watching to see if there might be a future for these guys on the network. I wish them the best, these guys are hilarious!

For ticket information for their regular shows in Chicago (Saturdays, 10pm, Playground Theatre. I'm told they won't be changing at all), head to their website. It's www.dontspitthewater.com.

Marcus Leshock here. Last night the American Idol Top 3 got a chance to show off their decision making skills by picking their own songs to sing. Also, the judges picked one, along with the show's producers (who apparently flew in on their Deloreans from a Pre-Historic era). Anyhow, it was Sayesha Mercado vs. David Cook vs. David Archuleta vs. My Recap I put together for ChicagoLive.com. Here it is...

Also, don't forget to check out my past recaps in the super-sweet archive on ChicagoLive.com. Find them here.

And if you're looking for more Idol knowledge, or just a chance to sound off with style, check out the RedEye's "Vital Idol" blog. You can find it here.

In this week’s Neighborhood Tour segment, I made my way to La Grange, IL-- a cozy suburb 14 miles west of the city. If you didn’t catch our show tonight (tisk! tisk!), you’re in luck because you can watch the clip on our video player at the right of the screen. Yay!

Click on the link below for a quick recap and my personal opinion on all of the places I visited.

(More after the jump)

As has been the case the past few years, the Lollapalooza organizers have added additional artists to the initial roster. Some will make you say, "who are these guys?", while some ought to make you say, "Aw, sweet!". Click for the details...

As summer slowly sets in, here are some of my picks for fun in the sun...

KAYAKING
Kayak Chicago

Check out the rest after the jump!

*Phew!* Well, at least for now. Click for more...

Do you enjoy independent arts, theatre, and music? Do you like it when you go to a cafe and someone is up there singing some tunes? How about supporting a non-profit group by showing up at one of their events? Do you enjoy seeing live music in a venue that's smaller than a hockey arena or football stadium?? Exercise some rights and click to read more....time is of the essence!

Marcus Leshock here. If you missed my review of the latest in Fast Food, you're in luck. Below you'll find the extended version, complete with a review of Taco Bell's new Chicken Bacon Club Chalupa! Got a Fast Food favorite you'd like me to tackle? Leave a comment!

Think being a food critic is all glam and glory? Hardly. Somebody's gotta sample the overcooked steak and burnt bruschetta so we don't have to!

Chicago Magazine's Restaurant Reviewer Jeff Ruby made this video detailing his anonymous exploits:

Jackie checked out the sweet creations @ Berry Chill in River North on this weeks Let's Eat. So we thought it would be a cool to spread the love with another spot we recently featured ont he show called Just Indulge.

Its new to the custard game in the city. I hope you enjoy it as much as Bahar did.

I LOVE that two of my favorite bands (Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails) are changing the way we access music!

Following the footsteps of Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” release in October, Trent Reznor’s giving fans a chance to download the new 10-track NIN album (The Slip) for FREE, in any format.

(Read More About "The Slip" After The Jump)

Starring director Wes Anderson and actor Jason Schwartzman. Please don't ask me for the secrets of my patented researching process. Instead, sit back and enjoy this viral video I made....

Ever see a grown man cry? Marcus Leshock here, admittedly going a little stir crazy, like I do towards the end of every American Idol season. Last night the contestants sang songs from the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. As always, I put together a little video recap for ChicagoLive.com. Here it is:

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And don't forget to check out the archive of my Idol recaps from weeks past. You can find them here.

Aaaannnnnd....if you STILL can't get enough American Idol, be sure to check out the latest musings from our good friends over at the RedEye. They put together a weekly American Idol recap with RedEye attitude. Find their Vital Idol blog here.

This week our Neighborhood Tour was in the Back Of The Yards and New City part of town. You might have to go out of your way a bit to look...but a good deal of history and hidden gems can be uncovered in this area of the South Side. Click for the details on all the spots you saw on this week's segment:

I love this song from the sexy Sri Lankan musician, M.I.A. Check it out.

The new trailer for "Batman: The Dark Knight" has just mesmerized me with its awesomeness. It's got more than enough Heath Ledger to get you fired up for July 18th. Just look at some of the little touches he's adding to the Joker, particularly that freakish tongue smacking around his scarred lips. They're not kidding when they say this guy was into the role. Wow. Watch the full trailer in fantastic HD video.....here.

People.com is reporting that actors Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson are engaged. It looks like the 31-year-old Reynolds couldn’t wait to be a hubby--- he was previously engaged to musician Alanis Morrisette before their long-term romance fizzled. This is 23-year-old Johansson’s first engagement, and the Hollywood duo has yet to set a wedding date.

Marcus Leshock here! Summer movie season is officially here, the most exciting time of year for movie fans everywhere! Instead of doing your traditional Summer Movie Preview 2008, I've decided to actually rank the top 8 movies of the summer without seeing one of them! This way we can all sit down in September and have a good laugh at how wrong I was. So keep reading after the jump for my Top 8 movies on summer 2008, complete with each of their trailers!

The new single from Coldplay is called "Violet Hill". They're offering it for free...click for the details:

Let's face it, you're busy..right? And you TRY to eat healthy...but is there a way to do it quickly, easily, and not have it cost an arm and a leg? There is. We enlisted the help of a personal chef, and you can see the results on the right side of the page in the video section. It's called "Healthy Eating Tips At Home", and for the recipes of what you saw (and more), just click.

Great grub at 7, 8, 9, and midnight! We'll hit the new bar and grill Tallulah's in Lincoln Square, we'll chat with some up and coming female chefs at Kendall College, and Chicago Tribune food critic Phil Vettel will review Gabriel's in Highwood AND Vermilion on Hubbard in the city. I'll see you tonight....but for now...enjoy a little food-related satire from the Onion News Network...right after the jump...

In this weeks leftovers we take you to Rogers Park & Newleaf Natural Grocery. So if you're looking to buy that healthy food after watching Pogo's healthy cooking piece, stop on over.

On the Web: newleafnatural.net

Metromixers, what are you doing this Friday night? Going to bed at 1 a.m. like a good little boy or girl? Wrong answer! You’re heading to Looptopia—Chicago’s second annual all-night party!

The dusk to dawn affair features live music, art exhibits, dance, and the general craziness that ensues when human beings stay awake all night long. Sounds mighty fun, doesn’t it?

(Read more about LOOPTOPIA after the jump)