Pictures

The CEO of Rockit Ranch Productions, Billy Dec, is currently looking for Spring interns! We are looking for outgoing, fun, energetic people who love Chicago, believe in our brand, want to work hard, learn a tremendous amount and have a strong grasp on the current and up and coming social media platforms and trends.

Mia Hall here, Chef Network Director at Kitchit! I was having coffee this morning with Chuy Valencia, a great Chicago chef and a contestant on Top Chef season 9. Chuy was saying that Kitchit.com is a great way for chefs to reach their audience – people like you and me – in their homes.

Cristobal Martinez is a Senior Program Associate with Urban Initiatives. Coach Cris implements the Work to Play Program, which encourages kids to live active and healthy lives through the sport of soccer across 5 Chicago Public Schools. They'd like to tell you about a great event that's right around the corner:

Chicago’s South Shore Drill Team was recently notified that they were one of twenty-four groups selected nation-wide to perform in President Barack Obama’s inaugural parade on January 21st, 2013 in Washington D.C. The team was one of over 2,800 to apply for the honor, and will send 54 of its senior members to the nation’s capital to represent the City of Chicago.

Chicago's local-area reality TV casting associate, Lyn Niemann, needs singles! Get out of those post-holiday slumps! After all, Valentine's Day is practically around the corner! Love darts are ready to fly! I'm doing the preliminary casting for the next 3 DAYS for a television show on the WE Network called "Set Up For Love".

It’s a well known fact that Chicago has some of the coldest winters around (well, with the exception of this one, anyway). And when I say cold, I mean COLD. Like, -30 degrees, frigid COLD (or so it feels). Sadly, many homeless and abandoned dogs are forced to endure these conditions for nights on end, all alone. So, in honor of these precious pups, Project Rescue Chicago (PRC) is “Freezin’ for a Reason” and asking you to do the same!

Early New year prediction: I pull my numb face off a mirror, peel my withered tendril of a former feather boa off the sticky club floor and grope about in the dark For my shades….it’s a brand new year, is that howling I hear outside?..is it the year of the diamond dogs? No-not quite, however I do know that I, Chris Connelly, am fulfilling a secret dream of mine to step into the shiny black brogues of the THIN WHITE DUKE and be him for a night, and not just ANY night, January 11th, just 3 days after his 66th birthday! And where? Oh-the METRO, my favorite venue ! and why? Apart from why NOT!? Because it’s for the Pablove foundation, an amazing organization established to provide relief for the patients and families of pediatric cancer.

Have you checked out Daley Plaza yet? It is literally the best way to get into the spirit of the season. Besides grabbing some fun gifts at Chriskindlmarket, you have to stop by and admire the tree. I did back in November when they lit the tree for the 99th time.

What happens when you combine leaders in the world of Chicago arts, culture & entertainment? An incredible musical that takes its audience on a journey of reflection and self-discovery through song, dance, fashion and design. Sita Ram began in 2002 when Krithika Rajagopalan of Natya Dance Company commissioned founding ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, David Kresnar, and Grammy-nominated composer, Jai Uttal, to create a world musical that encompassed Chicago’s rich diversity and culture. The first show premiered in 2006 and was a great success. The Hindu epic, Ramayana, is the basis for Sita Ram as it fuses together the past, present & future – all themes that are as relevant today as they were 3,000 years ago when Ramayana was first written.

A catwalk, the latest fashions, batting averages. You’ll find all three when current and former Cubs players take to the runway for the first Strike a Pose celebrity fashion show to benefit the David DeJesus Family Foundation on Thursday, January 17th at the River East Art Center. Kim and David DeJesus will co-chair the event and all funds raised will benefit ALS research, patient care and family support for those afflicted by the disease, a cause near to their hearts.