The new trailer for Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince is out and pretty much rocks like a hurricane. It'll be interesting to see how Voldemort becomes... Voldemort.

The movie drops November 21, 2008.

A few years back, Ewan McGregor (he of Star Wars and Moulin Rouge fame) and his best friend Charley (he of being Ewan's friend fame) set off on two BMW motorcycles and traveled from England to New York - the long way. The resulting TV series and accompanying book (aptly titled 'The Long Way 'Round) chronicled the pals as they made the 20,000 mile trek and tested the limits of their bikes, morale and friendship - plus you could watch Ewan's bear grow to Obi Wan-ic proportions.
Well the boys are back - this time on a new continent - and coming to Chicago (er, so to speak).

Someone edited Star Wars together with audio from Rush Hour.
It's pretty funny, waste some time watching it.

Here's the first look at Oliver Stone's much anticipated film about our Commander in Chief, George W. Bush. We see the President taking part in a beer bong, being escorted to a prison cell, and a lanky James Cromwell lecturing his son - "You're a Bush. Act like one!" I know it's too early to judge, but you'd think Cromwell would try harder to sound less like Cromwell, and more like Bush Sr.

The big question remains - with "change" filling the political airwaves these days, do people really want to see a film about a man they've been watching for the past 8 years?

You may have seen these local guys on this weekend's "metromix." The Giving Tree Band is so much more than just your regular bluegrass band. In fact, they wouldn't consider themselves to be bluegrass much at all. But the music simply speaks for itself. We caught up with them right as they were wrapping up production on their first ever carbon neutral album. Here's an exclusive performance of the song "Teaspoon of Sugar." More on the band here. Enjoy the show!

This is the Hollywood Jolt, a weekly mashup of all the best celebrity news, with a little bit of humor. Because my producers think two minutes of this nonsense is quite enough, I've included an entire EXTRA MINUTE, just for my friends on the internets! Love you guys! Enjoy!

I met Cory Wright downtown Chicago a few weeks back. He's a local playwright, looking to get his career going. Last weekend, he kicked off his big debut at the Black Ensemble Theater. The show is called "The Golden Boy," and it's part of the Black Ensemble's first Late Night Play Series. You can see it tomorrow at 11 p.m.

Cory grew up in Country Club Hills, graduated from DePaul University, and also acts and dances. He got involved with the Black Ensemble through their Black Playwrights Initiative, which happens on the first Monday of every month. I've actually seen a few shows at the Black Ensemble Theatre (4520 North Beacon), and if you haven't been, it's always very impressive. You can check out everything they're up to here. And don't forget to go out and see Cory's work this weekend, the show only runs until August 9th!

Here are some other cool spots to check out while you are visiting J-Town

Food:
Chicken & Spice
251 N. Chicago St.
815.727.1100
Try the chicken chunks @ this spot in downtown Joliet. They are delicious. They have great jambalaya and an incredible dipping sauce.

Hey Hot Dog
601 Ruby St.
Joliet, IL 60435
815.723.5487
The hot dogs are good and all, but this place has amazing sloppy joes. Don't forget to get a frosty mug of their specialty root beer.

Have you seen the new Radiohead music video for "House of Cards?" Kinda trippy. It's a video made without a video camera or video tape. Sounds intriguing, right? Truth... I was bored after the first few seconds. BUT the 'making of' is awesome, if you're a techie geek like me!

For the video, keep on reading.

This week Metromix is hookin you up with free tickets to the biggest music festival in Chicago! Lollapalooza. This pair of three day passes would cost ya over 200 bucks...but we are givin them away for free.
All you have to do is watch Metromix this Thursday and Friday and text LOLLA to CLTV24 ...or you can enter to win tickets to the right of this blog. ------->
Enter now to hang out with us in Grant Park August 1, 2, and 3 and to see bands like Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Kanye.

I hope you all liked my new celebrity/entertainment news segment 'The Jolt,' which debuted this weekend! As usual on this program, there was just too much Jolt-y goodness to squeeze into one episode, so I put together a director's cut for ya. Enjoy!

Happy Saturday morning, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your 'Dark Knight' screenings yesterday. But while we're talking movies, this weekend on the show WGN Radio's Nick Digilio and I are breaking down the lineup at the Chicago Outdoor Film Fest, and having some fun during the process. Here's the Director's Cut of our conversation, with some extras that couldn't make the show! For more on Nick, click here. And for the full Grant Park Outdoor Film Fest lineup, click here.

And that somebody is WGN Radio 720AM host Nick Digilio. We chatted about it during my recent stop into the studio last Sunday night. Here's what Nick has to say about the movie that EVERYONE is gushing about. Leave Nick a comment and tell him how you feel!

Here it is, folks. My review of 'The Dark Knight.' Deadline Hollywood Daily is now reporting that Warner Bros. execs are speculating the film could top $160 million this weekend. Unreal. Here's my review. Now, can I tell you how I got my scars?

Hundreds of fans lined up at Navy Pier tonight to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars at The Dark Knight red carpet event. While waiting in anticipation fans chanted “Batman” and names such as Michael Caine. Once the stars arrived, Marcus got up close and personal with the actors and creators of the movie. The line up included Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan. All seemed thrilled to be in Chicago once again where they filmed much of The Dark Knight. While this screening and after party for The Dark Knight was a private event that included a hefty price tag, Oldman and Nolan, the honoree of then night, didn’t mind stopping by the crowd of fans to sign a few autographs before the screening. To see what these stars and brains behind The Dark Knight had to say tune into Metromix this Friday at 7, 8, and 9pm to see Marcus’s exclusive interviews.
And that’s just the beginning of The Dark Knight excitement on this episode of Metromix. First up, Marcus stopped by some of the famous filming spots for The Dark Knight in Chicago. Then Marcus tells us what he thought about the movie during his review segment, The Leshock Value. Tune in to find out if it’s worth the hype!?
Click on for more Pics!

If you like electro-pop, dancing and awkward superfan Mel from Flight of the Conchords... you're gonna want to click here. It's the latest music video from the Chicago-based trio Pretty Good Dance Moves, edited by yours truly :)

The band's new self-titled EP comes out tomorrow! So turn it up and get your "Demons Dancing"...

Chicago filmmaker Jerry Vasilatos is a huge fan of the Batman series. Like many of you out there, he's super pumped about 'The Dark Knight,' which opens this Friday. And today, Jerry is premiering his new short film to the world. 'The Dark Knight Project' was filmed over a long weekend here in Chicago, and it's meant to bridge the gap between 'Batman Begins' and the upcoming 'The Dark Knight.' The film premiered online today and you can watch it here. Enjoy!

If you haven't heard yet... the loooong wait for the twins is over! E! Online reports that Angelina gave birth to her bouncing babies Saturday night in Nice. Brad, of course, was by her side to welcome their new son and daughter. And in keeping with celeb tradition, ordinary names were out of the question. The couple welcomed baby boy Knox Leon and their baby girl Vivienne Marcheline.

Dr. Michel Sussmann told E! News, "Both of the babies are adorable and in excellent health and everyone's content and getting some much deserved rest."

And so the bidding war begins for pictures of the newborn babies and one question remains, will we see a 7th bundle of joy for Bradgelina?

Happy Monday everyone! A close source tells me that singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw is filming a new music video in Schaumburg RIGHT NOW! He's at the Bonefish Grill in Schaumburg's Town Square, on the corner of Schaumburg and Roselle Road. A trusted source spoke with police guarding the scene, who said that Gavin will be filming there for the majority of the day. So if you're in the area, snap some pix and send them in to metromixtv@tribune.com!

The fine folks over at ChicagoTribune.com have given us a doozy of a new feature. They've created an online searchable database where you can look up the results of any restaurant health inspection done in the city of Chicago! Simply click here, then type in the name and address of your favorite (or maybe not-so-favorite) spot to see how they've fared!

UPDATE: A comment came in from reader EF who notes that the City of Chicago has had a feature like this one their website for some time. You can access it here:

http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/health/inspection.jsp

Thanks for the tip EF!

Bon Appetit!

Hello all! Just giving a heads up that I will be a guest on the Nick Digilio Show this Sunday night. Nick's on from 10p.m. - 2 a.m. We'll break down the Outdoor Film Festival lineup in Grant Park, which begins this Tuesday. I'm sure many other fun entertainment topics will arise while I'm in studio. Then, stay tuned to the cltv.com/metromix blog and next Friday's "metromix" for video highlights!

I first saw Mer at Northern Illinois University a few years ago. After growing up in the suburbs and attending NIU, Mer left DeKalb to pursue a full time gig in music. Today, he packs the biggest venues in Chicago, including the Cubbie Bear, the Double Door, the House of Blues, Schuba's, etc. He also about to embark on a European tour. We had Mer perform some acoustic versions of his original songs for tonight's "metromix" weekend. The above song is called "Here," and tune in tonight to hear more about Mer.

If you know of a local musician we should feature on the show, be sure to let us know!

A friend of mine got me hooked on failblog.org. Now I'm not usually one to laugh (hard) at the misery of others, but this shiz is funny!

WARNING: The site is addictive... click at your own risk.

If our sugar shock story left you drooling, here are the spots we sunk our sweet tooth into!

Twisted Sister Bakery
1543 N. Wells (Old Town)

Let Them Eat Chocolate!
5306 N. Damen (Bowmanville)

Berry Chill
635 N. State (River North)

Red Mango
111 W. Jackson Ave (Naperville)

Starfruit Cafe
1745 W. Division (Wicker Park)

Apparentley someone is capitalizing on Chuck Norris lore by modifying Super Mario Bros. By pasting a Texas Ranger sized head on Mario's body. By watching the mock-up we think it's a pretty stupid game, because you can't kill Chuck Norris.

The only way that could happen is if Chuck fought himself. Which we all know would cause time to stand still.

Marcus packs up his picnic basket and heads to Ravinia Park for tonight's Let's Eat episode of Metromix. In between judging the best picnic spreads, Marcus re-lives his grade school days at Sloppy Jo's. Then Jackie heads to an American Bistro called Perennial where she checks in with their two top chefs. Then Phil Vettel from the Chicago Tribune takes us to an upscale restaurant, Park 52. Oh and we almost forgot to mention we are giving away concert tickets once again on the show! So tune in tonight to Metromix tonight at 7, 8, and 9 for much more and to see who Marcus awards best picnic spread of the night.

Love hot dogs? We do too..so join us tonight as we honor National Hot Dog Month on this Let's Eat episode of Metromix. First up, Marcus stops by America's Dog to fill your brain with hot dog facts and grab a bite to eat. Then he brings Hawaii to us as he stops in Big Kahuna for some Hawaiian fast food...and spam? Trust me you gotta see this. Next we catch up with Jackie who is showin you how she likes her Crepes. But Jackie doesn't let the food stop just yet...she also satisfies your sweet tooth as she hits the hottest sweet spots around Chicago. From cookies, to cake, to all the chocolate you need... Jackie is gonna make your mouth water in this episode of Let's Eat. But that's just the beginning. Tune in tonight at 7, 8, and 9 to see what else we are cookin up.

Wow. So I’ve seen it. Seen it in IMAX. It’s been a few days now and it’s starting to sink in. ‘The Dark Knight’ is a good movie. No, it’s a GREAT movie. For days leading up to the film I read countless reviews that picked apart the movies final half-hour.

‘It’s too long.’

‘The movie went places it shouldn’t have gone.’

Those statements are probably correct, but there was one factor that washed away all of the film’s imperfections. It’s Heath Ledger’s Joker. Keep reading for more details…

That's right...Sunday Rose Kidman Urban was born this morning in Nashville. (And after a taking a breather from that name, all we can say is did they forget today is Monday?)
Urban's Publicist let the Associated Press in on the big news moments ago. The AP reports that baby Sunday weighs 6 pounds and 7 1/2 ounces and that Nicole and baby are well. Keith even posted his excitement on his website this morning. To find out what Keith said keep reading...

Happy Monday everyone. Hope you were OK waking up after the long 4th of July weekend. I had this video sent to me in an email. It's an old one, but a great one. Perhaps the best card trick I've ever seen. It's from Japanese television, but you don't need any words to explain what's going on. Enjoy!

How naughty, yet true. I actually liked the latest installment of Dr. Jones, but the more and more I think about it, it was a pretty dumb movie. One of the more ridiculous scenes, the now-infamous Tarzan sequence, no doubt influenced our friends over at Black20.com when they were putting this video together. We'll leave the debate as to whether Indy has finally "Nuked the Fridge" to another blog post. But for now, enjoy the Swingin' Lifestyle of everyone's favorite junior!

Like to Golf? Like to pretend you like to Golf? I'm really sorry for passing this on to our audience. Ever since it was f