Hey all, Marcus Leshock here. The trailer to the first Rod Blagojevich (spoof) film "Keep Love In Your Heart" was such a big success, I couldn't resist creating a follow up. And since our former Governor seems to be so fond of old cowboy movies, I figured the guy should have something go his way. So here it is, the online premiere of Govnor-ROD-o: The Rod Blagojevich Western!

In case you missed "Keep Love In Your Heart," the original Blagojevich film, the trailer is right after the jump!

Tonight's "American Idol" pitted New York against Puerto Rico. It's your regular "West Side Story," but with a crazy rocker in retro hipster sunglasses. Only in Ah-meer-ee-kah!

Now I have to mention how stupid I am. I completely forgot "American Idol" was on tonight, something more than one of you readers pointed out after my "see you next week" line on Wednesday. You have my deepest apology....but keep reading for my BEST, WORST, OBAMA, and FINAL VERDICT!

The badass chicks of the Windy City Rollers have their home opener this Saturday, January 31st. Watch Beth Amphetamine, Riley Coyote, After Bertha and Sonya MouthShut go for the jugular in the first bout of what will surely be bone-crushing season.

Tickets start at $20...

Yours truly,
Jaxis of Evil

Earlier in the month we asked you to send in your best and worst Valentines Day stories in our contest to win tickets to the French Pastry School's For the Love of Chocolate Benefit.

Well after an onslaught of submissions, some happy and some sad. So without further adieu here are your winners...

My worst Valentine's Day was a few years ago my ex decides to buy me a box of 'chocolates'. Instead of chocolates inside I found headless gummy bears.(We broke up the day after). Not cool. He apologized but i never got a late V-Day gift - Yesenia

My worst Valentine's Day was in 2006. I was working as a pastry cook at the Park Hyatt when I discovered two things, that my boyfriend was cheating on me and that I had a mass in my breast. Well I was diagnosed with breast cancer on 2/13/06 and broke up with my boyfriend...cancelling love on 2/14/06! I'm still single but I celebrate life on 2/13 and love on 2/14! - Angela

Congrats to our winners! If you want to still go to the benefit all you need to is head here.

Week 9: Hakuna Matata - The Lion King.

We know the choice is a little juvenile. But we had to raise morale here in Illinois with Blago's fate hanging in the balance this is the best way to remember the phrase "It means no worries for the rest of your days."

So enjoy and support your local Lion King. Do you have a song that you hate to hear? Let us know...

Welcome to Utah, the friendliest place on Earth! Where's Mitt Romney when you need him? Tonight "American Idol" invaded the hometown of David Archuleta, and they found a few special singers who might make it just as far. That said, it's time to put these formulaic audition shows to bed - for GOOD! The bad singers aren't as humorous, the post-production gags are all getting stale, and the judges' antics are about as exciting as a night in, well, Utah.

Keep reading for my BEST, WORST, OBAMA WINNER and FINAL VERDICT.....

All season long, “American Idol” has showcased stories of hope, inspiration, and vomit-inducing upliftness. No, it’s not a word. Tonight, that would all change, because “American Idol” took the show to Jacksonville. That’s right – there would be no OBAMA AWARD winner for “hope and inspiration” tonight. Instead, we got more weird moments with the judges, a few GREAT auditions, and the rebirth of the flat top. Let’s get to my breakdown of THE GOOD, THE BAD, and my FINAL VERDICT.

Today, a big-time Broadway producer scooped up the rights to make the greatest selling album of all time "Thriller," into a Broadway musical. (AP) -

The show will include songs from two of the pop king's best-selling albums, "Thriller" and "Off the Wall."... No word yet on who will write the book for the show or what songs will be included in the production, or who will direct and choreograph.

OK so we're real excited at the possibility of this becoming a staged reality. Our question is who plays Michael Jackson on the stage? Hit the jump for the nominations...

The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and "Benjamin Button's" Taraji P. Henson was among them. Marcus talked with her in December about her role and the possibility of an Oscar.

More Oscar interviews and some MARCUS feedback after the jump!

Howdy, y’all! “American Idol” went down to Lou-uhl-ville, Kentucky and found a few good singers, some strange birds, and apparently a guy in a port-a-potty. So before you ask why I wasn’t watching “Lost,” let’s get to my BEST, WORST, OBAMA AWARD WINNER, and FINAL VERDICT!

Now that the studio court battle is over, "Watchmen" is stepping up their viral marketing campaign. This fake news report just hit YouTube today and gives you the back story on who Dr. Manhattan really is. Well done DC Comics, well done.

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YUM!

Beer and gourmet food? It's like casting your pearls before the swine, right? Beer tends to be a drink that most people associate with pizza and burgers. While those foods do make great pairings, lately craft brewers have been showing beer enthusiasts that lagers and ales can be placed alongside finer cuisine. No longer does wine dominate the culinary platform.

You can get an idea of what I'm laying down this Friday at Jake Melnick's Corner Tap (41 E. Superior). There you'll find their chef on hand along with reps from Goose Island demonstrating how certain beers compliment their respective dishes. It's $35 to get in and it's all you eat and drink.

Don't let anyone tell you Metromix is all fluff and food stories. Yesterday we honed our journalistic chops in the only way we possible... reporting on the Inaguration of Barack Obama.

Marcus checked out one of Barack's Chicagoland staples, his barbershop in Hyde Park & Jackie hit the burbs to hang out with 1st graders and got their take on the historical day.

If you missed the stories give them another look.

Welcome to your Inauguration Night American Idol Recap! This season, “Idol” producers promised us “change we can believe in,” meaning they were going to show us more “good” talent and stop promoting the train wrecks. Well, let’s hope our new Commander-In-Chief is a little bit better with his word. On the one-hour San Francisco audition night spectacular, “American Idol” breezed through a few yellow tickets, and spent most of the time on the biggest freaks in flower town.

Keep reading for my BEST, WORST, and the winner of the coveted OBAMA Award!

ABC’s Lost returns Wednesday night in all its deliciously frustrating, mind-messing glory. In a series filled with jaw-dropping, scratch-you-head moments, we’re presenting our ten favorites. It was hard to narrow them down, but these made us, drop the remote, call our fellow Lost-ies, log on to the message boards and say, out loud, “WTF?”

The album "No Line on the Horizon" drops on March 3rd, and if U2's new single "Get on your Boots" is any indication, it's going to be a bit different:

It's got a great riff but I'm not sure the song is all that great. I will admit that it's in my head now, for whatever that's worth. Will it be a mega-hit like "Vertigo" or "Beautiful Day?" I doubt it.....but as more time passes, I think I like it better than both of those songs.

What do you all think?

So you caught "Notorious" this weekend, loved it, and now you want to know more. I have a confession, I'm actually a junkie when it comes to both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. I've read dozens of books, tried to see all the movies, and I'm still fascinated by how complex and intriguing both of these characters are. So if you're new to the game, I have four great options for you to check out in your spare time, starting with this fantastic documentary.....

Imagine two brewers having this conversation:
"You've got your Three Floyds in my Dogfish Head!" exclaims one brewer. "You've got your Dogfish Head in my Three Floyds!" replies the other. Three Floyds and Dogfish Head; two beers that go great together! The result of this mad combination: Popskull!

All jokes aside, these two breweries are collaborating to concoct this experimentally extreme beer. Described as an "old school, german brown ale with Palo Santo wood and botanicals," only 60 barrels of Popskull will be produced for a very limited release for the Chicago area. The market due date of this brain-buster beer will likely around late April.

It's been a couple months since Joaquin Phoenix retired from the acting game. He's apparently been really busy polishing his musical skills in with all of his free time.

Friday at LAVO in Vegas, the world saw him sing a song that wasn't written by Johnny Cash. The best part... well all of it is gold. Hit the jump to see Joaquin jump and then fall.

Marcus caught up with Kevin James and talked about their shared love for malls.

Marcus reviews the new biopic "Notorious."

Daniel Craig takes off the Bond tux for a WWII epic. Marcus let's you know if it's worth your time.

From breakfast to dinner and dessert, it seems Chicago restaurants can't get enough of the sizzlin' stuff...

Yolk (South Loop)
At Yolk, the bacon goes right into the waffle batter to make sure every bite is smokin'. Choose your favorite eggs to top it off. Drizzle syrup and dig in!

The Fifty/50 (Wicker Park)
Not only is this three-story spot mixing up a Wobblestopper (Fifty/50's take on a Bloody Mary) with a strip of bacon in it... dive into an all-you-can-eat pile of the fried pork for $9.95.

Sushi X (River West and Lincoln Park)
The Five-O roll is, of course, a tribute to the men in blue. Inside this massive maki find yellowtail, scallions, cilantro, and bacon... all rolled up in rice and more bacon, then wrapped with prociutto and topped with eel sauce and pineapple mustard mayo.

Theory (River North)
This new spot in River North is a lover of all thing pork! Maple bacon and ribs spend about eight ours together in the smoker, so you get all of the unadulterated flavor.

More (Gold Coast)
Taste the sweeter side of the pig product at More. The cupcake shop is serving up two sweet treats, the bacon maple and a BLT.

... of Chocolate! While I could do without the weather, Febraury is one of my favorite months because of this super sweet event. The French Pastry School's "For the Love of Chocolate" is an annual gala for you and your pallete like none other. There's chocolate to eat, see and wear at this extravaganza. I've donned a chocolate-covered gown for the last two years and this time around you'll find me getting painted (with chocolate!) in the Cocoa Sutra room.

Find out more here. And if you wanna join in on the indulgence... enter to win tickets on the right side of this page.

Just got an email with the above attachment... a beautifully executed vault onto the bandwagon. Hope the marketing person gets a raise for this one!

RYAN SEACREST: What happened? No ticket?

CHELSEA: No ticket. They said I sound like a cat falling off a roof or something.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is why I love “American Idol.” The second audition night kicked off with waitress Chelsea Marquardt, a cute little blond with a cat caught in her throat. Then there was the even more attractive Casey Carlson, a self-confessed “bubble tea maker” who managed to con the judges with her weak take on a Vanessa Carlton hit. Overall, it was a pretty embarrassing night to be a sorority girl in the audition room.

I will say that tonight’s episode was a big improvement, mostly because we had less of Kara being crammed down our traps. But still, too many judges too little time. This show works best when Simon is allowed to shine. Facebook poster Andrew puts it best:

“The entire 2 hours should be the inner monologue that Simon gets when he gets "the look" in his eyes when he realized he'll be able to market the "talent" in front of him: "Ahh yes, a blind--yet cute, not scary Andrea Bocelli gazed--curly haired, piano playing young lad--genius! {que sound effect: cha ching!}" I only watch the show for that look. He's a genius."

Simon had that look more than a few times tonight. My BEST, WORST, and FINAL VERDICT after the jump!

Bet that headline got your attention! Oprah Winfrey had Kate Winslet on her show to praise her new film "The Reader." Fresh off of a Golden Globe win for her acting, Oprah found another reason to praise Winslet....

How's that for an Oscar campaign? This fall - see the breasts that will have everyone talking! Oprah Winfrey raves - "Her breasts do what real breasts do. The best performance from a set of mammaries since my work in The Color Purple!"

If Episode 1 of Season 8 is any indication, it’s time we replace the term “jump the shark” with “add a judge.” “American Idol” finally pulled back the curtain on Kara “Khemistry Killing” Dioguardi. Watching the episode, I felt I was witnessing history. Analysts will someday look back at this tape as the day “Idol” finally threw on the waterskis and let her rip! The show spent WAY too much time introducing another unnecessary voice, another person to suck valuable time away from Simon Cowell.

It was also the first post-Obama “Idol,” packed full of buzzwords like “hope,” “courage,” and “strength.” This year will feature young chicks in bikinis, right next to 16 year olds who create charities for seniors. Seriously, do you want proof that we’re not in another Great Depression? A 16 year old with enough time and financial support to create her own charity also has time to audition for “American Idol.”

My full breakdown is right after the jump....

Week 8: t.A.T.u.: "All The Things She Said"

Admittedly we have a minor obsession with this song. But we hate to hear it because it sticks with you worse than the rumors of t.A.T.u.'s alleged lesbianism. You may be hearing more from t.A.T.u. in the near future, the motion picture "You and I" is slated to hit U.S. theatres in March with Mischa Barton in the lead role.

Hit the jump for our other fave t.A.T.u. song...

Beer? School? Festival? You can sign me up... just as long as the school part doesn't involve any math homework! Sheffield's in Lake View is offering their first ever Beer School Beer Festival designed to teach beer patrons about rare and specialty brews. It happens this Saturday, Jan. 17 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. There'll be over 15 different breweries on hand including locals Three Floyds, Goose Island, Two Brothers, and Flossmoor Station. Others include Dogfish Head, Left Hand, Bells, New Holland, and many others.

Entry is $40 and you get 12 drink tickets that enable you to sip on any 14 different drafts AND 4 different cask condition ales! Not to worry! Extra tickets will be available for purchase if necessary!

Hey there everyone! Highlights from my night on Nick Digilio's show are airing on CLTV News this evening, but if you just can't wait or want to hear more, you can download my ENTIRE performance from WGN Radio 720 AM! Just click here and download the four mp3's I'm featured in! The Globes were fun, can't wait till Oscar time!

Video Courtesy: NBC

Chicago Filmmakers are honoring Obama's upcoming inauguration with a screening of the documentary "Senator Obama Goes to Africa." The screening is this Saturday, January 17th (just four days before Obama is sworn in) at 8 p.m. at 5243 N. Clark St., on the 2nd Floor. The film chronicles Sen. Obama's trip to Africa in 2006.

Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, this timely documentary follows Senator Barack Obama as he travels to the land of his ancestry in 2006. From South Africa to Kenya to a Darfur refugee camp in Chad, Obama explores the vast continent that is gaining increasing importance in this age of globalization. The heart of the film is Obama's emotional homecoming to Kisumu, Kenya - his father's former home - where thousands of people turn out to greet him.

Marcus reviews Clint Eastwood's new drama "Gran Torino."

Ya, I didn't get the memo about smiling :(

Get your groove on FOR FREE with a pass to a six-week House Dance class! All you have to do is send an email telling us why your skills are in need of some serious remodeling (*house* dance, get it?)

I recently stumbled upon Kim Kardashian’s website and I have to admit, it’s surprisingly good. The web design is slick, the writing’s pretty tight and the content is updated every day and packed with tons of pictures. Apparently, one of Kim’s goals in 2009 is to share her favorite beauty products. Inspired, I decided to share mine, too.

Do the "post-Holiday blues" got you down! Not to worry! Quencher's Saloon (corner of Western and Fullerton) is currently hosting Stout Fest this month! What not a better way to chase away the winter blahs!! From their Myspace bulletin, here's the skinny:

For the entir​e month​ of Janua​ry,​ Quenc​hers will be hosti​ng Stout​ Fest - 2009.

TAPS:​
Three​ Floyd​'​s Molok​o Milk Stout​,​ Two Broth​ers North​wind Imper​ial Stout​,​ Surle​y Coffe​e Bende​r Stout​ or Dogfi​shhea​d World​wide Stout​,​ Bell'​s Doubl​e Cream​ Stout​,​ Lagun​itas Espre​sso Stout​,​ Found​er'​s Break​fast Stout​,​ Dark Horse​ Cream​ Stout​,​ New Holla​nd Drago​n'​s Milk Stout​,​ Beami​sh Stout​,​ Guinn​ess Stout​.

Well it's only a matter of time before all the corruption, intrigue and hairstyles of the Blagojevich Scandal comes to the big screen. Or maybe just to Lifetime or Law & Order. But as long as we're dreaming big, we're going to cast the Blagojevich arrest and subsequent fall out like we're Steven Spielberg - no one turns him down, not even the dead or those made of felt and cloth.

Part 1: The Illinois First Family.
We figure John Travolta has the jaw line and hair mass that could be styled into Rod's recognizable 'do. And we're bringing back Alley Sheedy - particularly her bangs-in-the-face hairstyle, to play Patti.

MTV's "true story of seven strangers” returns tonight for what seems like it’s 400th season. (actually, according to Wikipedia, it’s the 21st). In its honor, we present the Top 10 Real World-ers, of all time. We’ve rated them based on their entertainment value, the drama they caused and if we could live with them. As a bonus we’ve included 5 of the worst.

10. Ace – Paris – Season 13

Ace was the good-natured Southern party guy with a smile that could warm the coldest Parisian hearts. Sure it was easy too look like a catch when you’re standing next to Paris’s McSleazy (aka C ‘I take credit for flowers I didn’t send’ T) but Ace was charming anyway.
Entertainment value: 7
Drama Caused: 0
Cohabitate-ability: 10

Take a look at the President Elect on Check, Please! circa 2001. What are the chances we'll get him to stop by metromix???

Once again, I will be a guest on the Nick Digilio Show this Sunday evening, following what is sure to be another stellar Golden Globe Awards extravaganza! We'll break down the award show after it's over. Find out what we liked, didn't like, hated, and hated more! If that's not reason enough, take a look at Nick and I recapping LAST year's show:

Man was I wrong about "Atonement." Tune into WGN Radio 720 AM this Sunday night for more great predictions like that one. Nick's show starts at 10 p.m. Then, tune into CLTV News on Monday evening to see the video.

Nobody has your award season (un)covered like CLTV!

That's right - Chipotle will be doling out FREE BURRITOS this Thursday, January 8th, at their brand new Logan Square location. You can get yours anytime between 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Once again, here are the details:

WHAT: Free Chipotle Burritos!
WHERE: Chipotle in Logan Square, 2717 N. Elston Ave.
WHEN: Thursday, January 8th.
WHY: Because they're free and delicious!

After the jump you'll find the official Chipotle press release featuring all kinds of nice phrases like "sustainable sources" and "food with integrity." All I can say is be prepared to wait. I went to the opening of the Gurnee location and waited in line for almost 30 minutes, maybe because people in Gurnee were new to this large, wrapped tortilla "burrito" concept. That's a joke. See you all in Logan Square this Thursday!

Ever wonder what Balki Bartokomous & Cousin Larry did when they weren't herding sheep and taking pictures? Yeah, we didn't either. Who cares right? After watching this YouTube video we realized people have way too much time on their hands and the ABC hit TV show should have been called Perfect Murderers.

Last August we stumbled upon local band Par Avion at one of their shows at the Beat Kitchen. We immediately became hooked on their unique electro-pop sound. During our interview with them they talked to us about putting out an album and a few months later that day is here.

Head to the Beat Kitchen tonight at 5:30 for their record release party. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.