By Steve Rhodes

It’s been nearly three years since Bernard Madoff confessed to running a $65 billion Ponzi scheme – the largest financial fraud in history,” 60 Minutes reported Sunday night. “Thousands of trusting clients who felt safe investing with a financial genius were swindled. He hadn’t invested a penny.
While Madoff is serving 150 years in prison, his family has had to deal with the consequences of his crimes. His wife Ruth, divested of most of her great wealth – and derided by a suspicious world. Their son Mark – dead. Driven to suicide by shame and accusations of guilt. Their other son Andrew isolated – trying to live with the disgrace.
Are they innocent or were they willing partners? For the first time since Bernie Madoff’s arrest, his son Andrew and wife Ruth speak out about crime, punishment and the shame of being a Madoff.
–
Madoff’s ties to Chicago go back a long way; as far back as 1990 the Sun-Times ran a story with the headline “Midwest Mad At New Yorker Madoff.”
Which was nothing compared to the Lake Forest millionaire who said “I hope they burn him” after his scheme was exposed.
Let’s take a look.

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Posted on October 30, 2011

By Andre Meadows

“In honor of the Jurassic Park trilogy release on Blu-Ray, I countdown my favorite fictional dinosaurs from the 1980s and 1990s. I also have a mini-rant that dinosaurs should be represented more during Halloween and be seen more as scary, not cute or ‘Xtreme!'”

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Posted on October 28, 2011

Tonight’s The Night

“Throughout the alternative-rock era, from humble origins in 1992 through hosting their own show from ’93 to ’97, two of the funniest but most insightful voices rock criticism ever produced worked as a tag team shining a needed spotlight on the fads, hypes, poses, and pretensions of the day, occasionally celebrating but more often agitating for music that was ‘cool’ over that which ‘sucks,'” Jim DeRogatis writes on his Pop N Stuff blog for WBEZ.
“And now, 14 years after the end of their initial run, their proud creator Mike Judge – who also has given us Office Space, King of the Hill, and The Goode Family, for better and worse – is bringing those sages in worn concert T’s back for round two.”

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Posted on October 27, 2011

By The Beachwood Occupation Affairs Desk

Making the financial system that rips you off cool.
1. What Fallon Is Really Saying.

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Posted on October 24, 2011

One Man, One City!

Premiering tonight, 10 p.m. on Starz.
1. “He’s not a bad man, but he does very, very bad things.”

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Posted on October 21, 2011

By FuzzyMemoriesTV

Here’s a commercial for the WFLD “TV Starter Kit”, devised to try to encourage retail sales advertising on the station. Featuring Walt Bodkin, Sales Manager. Give him a call (during business hours) at 645-0333. 😉
Recorded in January 1975.

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Posted on October 20, 2011

By Steve Rhodes

Dear Rosie:
Despite our supposed, newfound world-class status, we are really still a lame cowtown with second-rate insecurities to match our obvious non-New York-, non-Los Angeles-ness.
Examples:
1. We have a well-compensated, relatively popular columnist here named Mary Schmich. When not churning out her umpteenth meditation on the weather, she writes things like this:
“Welcome to Chicago! We were really psyched to read in the Tribune the other day that you are getting such a warm bienvenidos from our frosty town as you inaugurate The Rosie Show.

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Posted on October 19, 2011

In High Definition

“McDonald’s customers will soon be able to have local school sports, movie previews and heartwarming human interest stories to go with their fries – McTV is here and in high definition,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“In one of the most unusual twists in niche programming, the global fast-food chain is launching the McDonald’s Channel, a digital network of exclusive original content targeted at dine-in customers. The programming will be customized to specific communities around the individual restaurants, and will include local news and entertainment features, such as spotlights on upcoming films, albums and TV shows.”
Let’s take a look.

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Posted on October 18, 2011

By The Beachwood Occupation Affairs Desk

Let’s take a look at the latest.
1. “The Occupied Wall Street Journal: As some mainstream media networks continue bashing the Occupy Wall Street protests, the movement publishes its own newspaper at a secret location. RT takes a sneak peek into what the Journal is all about.”

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Posted on October 17, 2011

By RT

1. “It took some time but much of mainstream media is finally showing up to report on the movement that started as Occupy Wall Street and is spreading, across the entire country and even the entire world, to what some are calling Occupy Everywhere.
“But one network seems to not have gotten the memo – CNN, also known as ‘the most trusted name in news.’ They have instead been covering the other ‘Breaking’ news, like Michael Jackson’s doctor’s trial, Amanda Knox’s tearful thank you and Paul McCartney’s wedding.”
*
“But what about intrepid reporter Anderson Cooper? He’ll surely pitch a tent with the rest, right? After all, he went to Haiti and Japan after their major earthquakes. But alas, he’s been too busy with his new daytime talk show, interviewing Paula Abdul and learning how to brush a dog’s teeth.”

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Posted on October 13, 2011