The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Ben Soldinger, NBC5 Street Team (video)

The travesty which is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is about to induct it’s newest class of 2007 on Monday (which can be viewed on VH-1). I’ve never been a fan of a small panel of people deciding who can either enter an elite ‘club’ or win a ‘prestigious’ award. The politics involved is always biased and works on either the buddy system or popular opinion vs. who really deserves such an honor.

The R&R Hall is no different. Their latest embarrassment involves the inducting of Van Halen. The iconic Edward Van Halen is sick and will hopefully find salvation in the rehabilitation facility he has just check himself into. Regretfully, the guitar wizard will not be able to attend the ceremony. However, original lead singer, David Lee Roth, would still like to perform. A television producer has turned down Roth’s overtures to perform in preference of a younger band named Velvet Revolver performing Van Halen songs. An insulted David Lee Roth is now not attending the ceremony where he is supposed to be honored.

Hopefully this will be the last straw that sheds the light on unfair political recognition. Hopefully audiences will begin to demand awards of integrity. Not allowing an INDUCTEE to perform is a new low for all these awards ceremonies. By being more concerned on a television audience than the actual music it is supposed to honor, the R&R Hall has definitely lost its thread and all credibility.

Ben’s Blog Archives:

Chicago – ‘Home of the Blues?’

Wednesday Nights at Sushi Samba

Quiet Comfort Lounges

Guns N Roses

The Perfect Casual Italian Restaurant

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Ice Skating & I Do in Millennium Park

Blagica Stefanovski, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

There’s something about an ice skating rink in the middle of the city. There’s also something about falling on that same ice when the love of your life asks for your hand in marriage.

Michael and I love eating at the Park Grill, Millennium Park. We even have a favorite table, which provides a phenomenal vantage point of the restaurant and rink. The plan was to skate, take in the city lights and enjoy dinner. Seemed simple enough, right?

I haven’t been on ice skates in years. I wasn’t paying attention to much around me – aside from the way my left foot kept rotating inward with every step. After years of running track in high school, it seems like my ankles became weaker (Dr. Oz, do you make house calls?). I figured Michael skating behind me to make sure I kept my balance and didn’t pull a cartoon banana slip move. He mentioned that his skate needed tying and I thought, ‘Awesome, my ankles need a breather.’ We stopped at the end of the rink, I took a city picture with my digital camera and BAM, Michael looked up at me and asked me to marry him. I was in shock and literally fell to the ground when I realized what was going on. After tears and kisses, I turned around to see the camera posse – Michael had his brother and good friend hiding in the Michigan Avenue shrubbery with cameras. The entire episode was captured on film. More tears gushed. This shot was taken as I turned around to see our paparazzi.

If you are a fan of ‘The Cosby Show’, you know that Dr. Huxtable loved to NOT be surprised. I felt like I was Dr. Huxtable and the whole world was in on the news, but I reveled in not knowing the details. After our Park Grill (the goat cheese ravioli was delish) dinner, another zinger was waiting for me. We strolled over to the Elephant & Castle on Wabash for what I thought were drinks with the Camera Mafia, but turned out to be the Camera Mafia along with our closest friends. Yes, you guessed it. More tears.

In 1995, I was a Western Michigan University college sophomore visiting Chicago for the first time. I strolled up Michigan Avenue and made a wish. I wished to move to the Windy City after college, enjoy whatever job I had and meet the man I’d share the rest of my life with. To be in the center of Chicago, on a crisp March night, with my other half asking me to be his partner in crime is something I’ll never forget.

Frankie was right. Chicago is my kinda town.

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Slams Sans Snaps: Young Chicago Author’s "Louder Than A Bomb"

Brian Battle NBC5 Street Team (video)

I’ve never actually asked a performer directly if snapping at poetry is world’s longest-running false cliché — it very well might be. I hope so… I’ve never ever learned how to snap. Thankfully, my inability to perform simple motor skills did not ruin the weekend.

The non-profit Young Chicago Authors organization held their annual Louder Than a Bomb Chicago Teen Poetry Slam, and the crowd was all screams, claps, laughter, cheers and occationally, when a crap judge (like me) gave a low score, chants of “LISTEN TO THE POEM!!!”.

“Listen To The Poem”, I quickly learned, is a sort of a LTaB mantra the kids relish to holler out at lowly judges. Hey… it’s better than flat-out booing. And, as the slam MC’s would continually remind us, it’s not about the points… it’s about the poems. Regardless of what was written on my little dry-erase board, the poems were inspiring.

A few years ago my pal dragged me to Louder Than A Bomb finals (at The Metro that year), and the raw talent and collective energy of the show was infectious. So, when the slam came back ‘round this year, it took slightly less dragging to get me to help out. Eventually (and God knows why) I wound up in the front with a little clipboard, one of five judges ready to rate a “bout” — praying I’d be able to recognize a good poem if and when I heard it.

The opposite occurred. I was so blown away by these kids and their fearless self-expression, exuberance, rhythm and rhyme scheme. I was like, the entire bouts’ proud mother — clapping too long and too loud for everybody who had the guts to take the Columbia stage.

With the semi’s completed earlier this week at The Hothouse, all that’s left is the Cream of the Crop: Teams from all around greater Chicago verbally jousting it out at the Illinois Institute of Technology campus (3201 S. State) tomorrow (Sat 3/10) at 8pm. I HIGHLY recommend checking out the bouts… if only for the sheer energy and lack of snapping.

In the meantime, check out Chicago Public Radio for soundbites from last year’s winners

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ANN REINKING TELLS A STORY

Tom Kolovos, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

This week Ann Reinking is in Chicago, and, no, I don’t
mean the musical.

Ms. Reinking is in town to present the world premiere
of her work “Rossini Recess” as part of a weekend long
celebration of the 15th Anniversary of Thodos Dance
Chicago at The Harold Washington Library.

I had the good fortune Wednesday night to be invited
to a private cocktail reception in honor of the Tony
award winning choreographer of “Chicago” at the
beautiful home of Thodos board member Elaine Margulis.
(Look, Melissa Thodos, Ann and Elaine at the reception!)

Ms. Reinking’s choreography and Bebe Newirth’s performance in the
Broadway production are among my fondest memories.
I wonder if that could have been 10 years ago, Elaine doesn’t think it’s possible
but Ann confirms it to be true. Wow, how time flies!

Over the years I’ve had a couple of nagging questions about “Chicago”
but I never thought I would get the chance to have them answered by the master herself.

In particular, I wanted to know how did she feel about
Renee Zellweger’s performance in the film, since Ms.
Zellweger was clearly not a dancer and her “dancing”
relied heavily on editing. She gave me the same
surprising answer when I asked how it was possible for
Melanie Griffith to get such rave reviews on Broadway
despite the fact that she was neither a top notch
singer nor dancer.

She thought both of the performances were a success
because “you have to be able to hit the notes and do
the steps, yes. But the most important thing you have
to do as a dancer is to tell the story.”

A Gala cocktail reception with Ms.Reinking on Friday
between 5:30-6:30pm precedes the world premiere of her
work and a full program of dances follows Saturday,
March 10th and Sunday, March 11. For full details,
tickets and prices log onto
http://www.thodosdancechicago.org
or call 312 266 6255.

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Dreamgirlyman

Shlomi Rabi, NBC5 Street Team
(Video)

It wasn’t easy, ya know. I made it look easy, but it wasn’t. As a matter of fact, it took a lot of work. Tons, actually. And time too, because that sort of thing requires countless days of practicing. They say that nothing in life comes easy, but man, that was a tough one to pull. Some might even say dangerous, if not downright inhumanble. Future generations will look back at all of this and wonder: “how exactly did he do it?”; shows on the Discovery Channel will be devoted to this impossible feat; poetry will be written in my name; my face will be carved into mountains in national parks; genetically engineered fruit will be named after me; and from now on this impossible act will be known as… “the Shlomi”.

The feat, of course, is my extreme self-restraint at the sight of Jennifer Hudson. Because if you think it was easy standing next to The JHud and not scream/cry/bounce like Elton John at a Scissor Sisters concert, you’re insane. Last night, as part of Jennifer Hudson Day, the new Oscar winner arrived at the uber-chic Boutique Lounge (809 W. Evergreen, right between Nowhere and What’sThat?) for a private meet and greet. The room was packed with Chicago’s hottest and hippest (and me), all thanks to The Miracle Worker himself, Marcus Riley, to whom I am endlessly endebted. I have been obsessing (although I just think of it as deeply rooted committment) over J-Hud since watching Dreamgirls, so I couldn’t believe my luck when she agreed to have her picture taken with me. She may have asked me for my email and phone number afterwards but that could have been the mojitos. Either way, girl made this boy’s dream come true.

Jennifer and Shlomi Hudson

Mandy and Jennifer

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2007 Frost Ball

Amanda Hunt, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

Joel Johnson, president of Lincoln Park Young Professionals, celebrated Chicago’s winter season with an extraordinary soiree at The Peninsula Hotel titled Frost Ball. Let me tell you honey… everything was white!! From the ice sculptures and frosted cupcakes to the Shanghai Terrace hors d’oeuvres and white chocolate strawberries. To add icing, we enjoyed white gazpacho cocktails and snapper sashimi on ice while viewing the evenings $2 million diamond fashion show with Manny B & Co. and Andriana Furs. What a night!!

Below are the evening highlights and to discover LPYP’s next event go to
www.lp-yp.com.

Slideshow: Frost Ball

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Proud to be Cheap!

Shlomi Rabi, NBC5 Street Team
(Video)

Okay, so I know that Valentine’s Day is, technically, over, and there is no reason to guilt our loved ones into buying us any more tanning sessions. We can also lay off the apparently bottomless candy box/bucket/tub. True, so it will be a little while before we have to show off our tanned, lean, smokin’ machines (does anyone even say that these days?) but it’s still not an excuse to look, well, like me. So, what I say is this- sell the remaining candy on eBay, and use the money wisely, healthily, and smartilily. Invest in wine.

Kafka Wine‘s tag line is “cheap, easy, fun”. Now, considering the fact that the store is located in the heart of Boystown, the tag line takes a whole new special meaning, and for good reasons. With over 250 different wine selections, all under $15, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why you should ever venture far out to Napa, Chile, Australia or Jewel to find good wine. The wines are sorted by category (my personal favorite–and be nice when I tell you– is “floral”), and overall the experience is as cheap as your broke butt could afford, as easy as promising you’ll stop eating carbs tomorrow, and as fun as a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau on a soon-to-be Spring night can be. Cheers!

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My Oscars Adventure

Brook Jay, NBC5 Street Team (video)

Wow. I just arrived back from L.A and attending the Oscars with world famous Music Supervisor Bob Badami. I have to say it was a thrill. My last entry covered the Thursday prior to the Oscars, where I had attended the Damien Hirst Art Opening.

On Friday I was invited by Henry Eshelman of Eshelman Rose PR to attend a gifting suite called, appropriately, “Haven,” as it was a haven for the young, rich and famous! A gifting suite is the ultimate “swag fest” in which celebrities and their publicists are invited to walk through a very high-end venue (in this case a mansion in Beverly Hills), and are given gifts that can be anything from a bar of soap to an HDTV. It is the ultimate experience in decadence.

By day, HAVEN featured spa services, celebrity gifting, editorial photo shoots for Premiere and American Photo magazines, as well as intimate entertainment and transportation to and from the venue. By night, the venue featured a series of Award-caliber evening events from studio events to live musical performances.

I roamed around with good friend and actor Christian Oliver, who starred as Cate Blanchet’s husband in The Good German. Between Christian, his girlfriend Jessica and myself, we scored big!!!

I am the proud owner of new skinny jeans, Everlast workout gear, fabulous hair and bodycare products, hot new t-shirts from up-and-coming designers, and I carried it all away in my new Asics gym bag!

I’m just getting warmed up. Click here to read the rest of my Oscars adventure!

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