My family was in town from Florida for a fantastically touristy weekend! Ravinia, Pride and of course, the Taste of Chicago. Now, I've always been a turkey leg and sweet corn kinda gal, but seeing "The Taste" through fresh eyes brought two new delights to my attention. Mom and Dad are apparently big fans of the deep fryer... cause our pics for '08 were none other than Harry Caray's infamous homemade potato chips (with hot sauce) and the indulgent sugar-coated beignets at Creole Cajun spot Lagniappe. Delish!

If you wanna "taste" for yourself... it runs through Sunday, July 6th at Grant Park. Eat up, buttercup!

Check out the new comedy featuring Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda, "Diminished Capacity!" If you haven't been to the Midwest Independent Film Festival before, they meet on the first Tuesday of every month over at the Landmark Century Cinema on Clark Street. For just $10 bucks, you get to screen a new film, enjoy a pre-screening reception with some drinks and snacks, and meet some local independent filmmakers. "Diminished Capacity" is from Steppenwolf Films, and it was made right here in Chicago. The movie premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Check out the trailer after the jump....

Wanna see the neighborhood for yourself...

Kuma's Corner
2900 W. Belmont

Hot Doug's
3324 N. California

Bulldog Bakery
3207 N. Elston

The Galaxie
2603 W. Barry

The Orbit Room
2959 N. California

I know I do. And I will probably claw your eyes out to get one at the toy store this Christmas to get one. Apologies in advance.

By the way, 'Wall-E' is the best film of the year thus far.

Here it is. We've been speculating for some time, but the first reactions to "The Dark Knight" are streaming out onto the internet. This morning I woke up to a blog entry from KTLA's Sam Rubin, who screened the flick last night, and he says of Ledger....

"His work, as The Joker, will absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and at this point in the year, Ledger is also a hands-down favorite to win it posthumously."

So it looks like the glimpses we've gotten from the trailer are indicative of what will play out during the film. Rubin also calls "The Dark Knight" one of the best superhero movies ever. Rolling Stone gives the movie 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars. Early fan reviews are pouring out all over the place, raving about how the movie absolutely lives up to the hype. So let me just throw this out there. Could we actually be seeing a little robot named Wall-E battling with Batman for Best Picture? And imagine Jack Nicholson's reaction when Ledger wins the Oscar? He'd have to be up there presenting it, right?

Anyhow, I see the film on July 8th in IMAX, and I couldn't be more stoked. If any of you have seen it, I'd love to hear your reaction as well. Let the madness begin! Read Rubin's blog post about the film here.

As usual we are always updating you on the hottest places and events around Chicago. But today we are letting you in on an up and coming artist, Trevor Hall. If you like artists such as Dave Matthews Band and Jason Mraz you are sure to love Trevor's acoustic rock sound mixed with some reggae vibes. He is traveling all the way from California to play a few shows for his Midwest fans! You can check him out this Sunday at Schubas in Chicago.

And to hold you over until Sunday...check out Trevor's newest music video below!

Show info:
Sunday, June 29th
9PM at Schubas
3159 N. Southport
Chicago
$12

Still can't get enough...
www.trevorhallmusic.com
www.myspace.com/trevorhall

As heard on tonight's "metromix minute," I talked about metromix.com's "A Taste of New on the Scene." For just $10 you can sample dishes from some of the hottest new restaurants around town. It's going down Monday night 6-8:30 p.m. at Sam's Wine and Spirits in the South Loop. Get all of the information you need from our trusty mothership, here.

Uhh...we sure hope not after watching this video!

Watch below to see Shaq dis his former teammate Kobe at the Village Underground in New York City. Let us know what you think of Shaq's unforgettable performance!

It sounds possible!
Last week Amy Winehouse collapsed outside her home and was rushed to the hospital. After she spent a week their her father, Mitch Winehouse, is opening up about her health. Mitch told BBC Radio,

"Amy really hasn't got emphysema, there's traces of emphysema. Obviously, if she doesn't quit smoking, it's going to get worse, like everyone else ... with patience her lungs will recover completely."

As far as what caused the damage...Mitch told People Mag that it's from smoking none other than crack cocaine and all those cigs. But no worries fans....her father says she will still be performing. We think Amy might want to purchasing an oxygen tank soon, unless she can kick the habit.

Whatever you call it... learn how to play! Here are the fantastic folks who taught me...

Discontinuum

Midwest Disc Golf

PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association)

OK, so I'm no Tom Cruise, but I now have my own cocktail. If you caught this weekend's "metromix," you saw the World's Fastest Bartender "Bobby G" Gleason, who now works for DeKuyper Liquors, whip up a signature cocktail for the program. It sure is fruity (not sure what he's trying to say with that). Anyways, here's the recipe.....

If you haven't heard by now...
Jamie Lynn Spears popped out a baby girl! People mag reports that she gave birth yesterday morning in a Mississippi Hospital. Her and her fiance named their new born Maddie Briann. The young couple purchased a three bedroom home in Mississippi where they plan to raise their daughter.
The real questions is...will this 17 year old be a good momma or will she follow in her big sisters foot steps?
Good thing Jamie Lynn got that GED to fall back on in case parenting doesn't work out.

If you have been watching Let's Eat you know we teased ya and told you to come here for your chance at winning dinner on us @ Kamehachi.
What you need to do is shoot us an email and you could be a winner.

email: metromixtv@tribune.com

We were on the Red Carpet for the grand opening of Angels & Kings, Pete Wentz's new rock n' roll bar in River North. But it also happened to be the Fallout Boy bassist's 29th birthday party. Wifey Ashlee Simpson was there to celebrate and give Pete a video b-day card from his friends and family. While we weren't allowed to let the cameras roll inside, here's a few snapshots from the festivities...

Watch our interview with Pete tomorrow night on the show!

Wanna dive into summer fork first? Check it...

Zed 451 (River North)
739 N. Clark

Moody's Pub (Edgewater)
5910 N. Broadway

Athena Greek Restaurant (Greektown)
212 S. Halsted

Chaise Lounge (Wicker Park)
1840 W. North

The Parrot Cage (South Shore)
7059 S. South Shore

Wanna frolic in the ocean like Sandy and Danny? Find your T-Bird or Pink Lady at Summer Lovin' 2008. Tomorrow's super hot singles soiree presents Chicago Magazine's 20 most eligible guys and gals. Oh ya, and I'll be there hosting the romantical event...

For tix, click here...

Is Coldplay running out of mojo? According to the Creaky Boards, that's a big fat yes! This little-known band says Chris Martin and company's new single "Viva La Vida" (the one from iTunes commercial) is just a bit too similar to their song, ironically titled "The Songs I Didn't Write." So, they poke a little lighthearted fun... check it out! Thoughts?

Universal officially announced it yesterday and Variety has the story here. Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" will be released in 2009. They are SO confident he will follow right along in Borat's successful footsteps. They're releasing the movie on May 15th, the same day "The Da Vinci Code" sequel is released, a week later you've got the "Terminator" sequel. But there isn't another R-rated comedy in sight on that date, so they're thinking it'll get some pretty good play.

I'm just having a hard time believing that an over-the-top gay journalist will get the same demographics to come to the theater as Borat. But I've been wrong before. We'll see.

Nicole Richie was busy being mommy and Joel Madden was busy blogging this weekend. His latest entry on the Good Charolette website, "We did it! Nicole and I finally got married!! Click here for pictures!!"

So you click...and uhh JK. Instead of wedding pics the Red Eye reports that you find two gorillas in a wedding dress and tux along side a cake. Keep reading to view Madden's blog entry...

That's right! I'll be dancing with the stars of Chicago media this July, and you can come out to watch! I'm one of the contestants in the March of Dimes "Dance for Babies" night. I'll be dancing two dances with a professional on July 31st at Galleria Marchetti. I'll be competing against "The Bachelorette's" Jennnifer Schefft, Heidrick & Struggles' Jane Marcus, Zoraida Sambolin of NBC, Fox's Amy Freeze, and Dr. Laura Streicher of the Sun Times.

Tickets are $75 bucks and it all goes to a great cause, The March of Dimes. So sign up and cheer me on! I'll need it...especially being the only guy in the competition. Conveniently, they left that out of the pitch when they asked me to do it. But I'm in to win, and I'm certain I will. Click here to for tickets.

It's sure a possibility!

Like stars such as Elton John and Celine Dion...The New York Times reports Jackson might be performing in Las Vegas permanently. Wonder why? No, not because people are demanding to be thrilled. Find out why after the jump.

Marcus Leshock here. If you caught the Brian Noonan Show on WGN Radio this morning, you may have heard my appearance. We talked about all of the festivals and events going on this weekend and beyond. So much to do in a Chicago summer, so little time. Keep reading to get all of the information about the things we talked about!

It’s one of those unexpected moments in life, where something just randomly happens and takes a while to sink in. Amidst all of the hoopla surrounding the ridiculous R. Kelly trial, news broke that NBC’s Tim Russert had died of a heart attack, while doing what he does best, prepping another edition of “Meet the Press.”

For fans of political talk shows, “Meet the Press” is one of the lone surviving sane programs on air. So much political talk on television has disintegrated into mindless claptrap. Guests are brought on with opposing viewpoints. They end up screaming and yelling at one another until the host butts in and puts his or (rarely) her point on the issue at hand......

If you like something you saw on our Cub-free Tour de Wrigley, here's all the info for the places we hit...

Yesterday
1143 W. Addison
(773) 248-8087

Hubba Hubba
3309 N. Clark
(773) 477-1414
www.hubbahubbachicago.com

Pick Me Up Cafe
3408 N. Clark
(773) 248-6613

Stage Left Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield
(773) 883-8830
www.stagelefttheatre.com

We checked out Kuma's Corner on tonight's show. The place is absolutely jammed packed on a nightly basis. We spent most of the night trying to stay out of the way there. They pump almost 150 burgers an hour out of their tiny 6X16 kitchen. The burgers are all different, absolutely delicious. They have the Slayer Burger (an outrageous dish of fries topped with a 1/2 pound of ground beef, Chili, Cherry Peppers, Andouille, Onions, Jack Cheese, and of course, Anger). There's also the Judas Priest (Bacon, Bleu Cheese Dressing with Apples, Walnuts, and dried cranberries). But I can only speak for the burger I had....

Wanna make this Mexican snack at home?

Ingredients
Masa Dough... 3lbs
Chicken Broth... 1 1/2cups
Salt... 3tbs

Mix masa, broth and salt for five minutes into a sour cream consistency. Drop a 1/4 cup of dough onto a 6x6in banana leaf. Thin it out with spoon. Add your favorite mix of meat and salsa (about 2tbs of each). Wrap sides of banana leaf, then top and bottom. Pat a few times to spread out ingredients. Place tamales in steamer pot. Bring water to a boil, then let it simmer. Usually takes about an hour to cook... let your nose be the timer! Unwrap carefully (VERY hot), garnish and enjoy...

Makes about 25 tamales.

For more on Tamalli, head to metromix.com!

Marcus hits up some fast food spot to check out their latest menu items.

Wah, the TV show that put me on the map isn't paying attention to me anymore, wah!!!! The AP is reporting that Katherine Heigl did not submit her name for an Emmy nomination because "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination."

She goes on in the article to pretty much throw the show's writers and creators under the bus. She says that she wants to "maintain the integrity of the academy organization" by making sure she doesn't get a nomination. In other words (mine), I'd like an excuse for not being nominated this year.

Katherine's character has definitely hit the back-burner a little bit on the show, but after years of hearing Izzie Stevens wine about EVERYTHING, it's been a little bit of a relief. You can read the entire story here.

......In Cyberspace! Tomorrow Stephanie will be conducting a LIVE video web chat on chicagotribune.com, hosted by Joe Gray. It goes down Thursday, June 12th at 1 p.m.

She'll be live in the Chicago Tribune studio taking questions from YOU for about 30 minutes. She'll talk about her experience on the reality show… and maybe about WINNING Top Chef on tonight's finale!

You can enter your quesitons for Stephanie here. Enjoy!

Wow, this is sad news. A new report coming from the AP quotes a close friend of Paul Newman, saying the legendary actor has been battling cancer for the past 18 months. It doesn't say what kind of cancer Newman is suffering from, but cites writer A.E. Hotchner, who helped start Newman's Own salad dressing company in the 1980's. You can read the entire story here, but we're really hoping Paul pulls through and ends up back in the theatre soon.

Happy Wednesday morning everyone. Don't ask how I ran into this clip, but it made me laugh. Enjoy...

Sean Combs, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Puff Daddy, Sean John, P. Diddy, Diddy.

(Diddy drops a few bombs in the above clip.)

Call him what you will, but after rumors of yet another name change, Diddy addresses the public. He posted a video of himself on his MySpace asking people to drop the subject and worry about something else. Sorry Diddy...we just couldn't help ourselves.

As if you haven't had enough reality TV...here's another one! The Hill's star, Brody Jenner, has signed up for his own reality TV show thanks to MTV. It's called "Bromance". But don't tune in if your looking for cat fights. On the show males will compete for Brody's affection and a spot in his entourage.