By The Center For Social Media

A documentary that features Chicago’s CAN TV in its first part.

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Posted on August 30, 2013

From People’s Iron and Metal Company To Division 17

1. Mandy Patinkin’s Abominable Behavior.
This New York Times Magazine article about Chicago native and Chicago Hope star Mandy Patinkin is getting a lot of attention for how awful he’s behaved on the sets of his jobs, but the family background that seemed in part to have led to his “abominable” behavior is the really fascinating part.

[Patinkin’s father] Lester ran People’s Iron and Metal Company, a Chicago-based junk business, founded by his father, Max.
The defining event in his life was a diving accident he suffered at 20, breaking his neck in Lake Michigan.

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Posted on August 22, 2013

By The Museum Of Classic Chicago Television

The Museum of Classic Chicago Television’s primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (’70s and early ’80s, primarily) recorded off of any and all Chicago TV channels; footage which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally.
Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives – the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical purposes.
For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, and to view more of the 4,200+ (and counting) video clips available for viewing in our online archive, please visit us at Fuzzy Memories TV.

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Posted on August 21, 2013

When Things Get Real

True Life: I Live In The Projects originally aired in 2007, but was rerun on Sunday night. One of its subjects is from Chicago.
“Vikki was born and raised in the Chicago projects and her only goal in life is to move out,” the episode guide says. “Her boyfriend was murdered in those projects and nothing good has ever come of her living there. However, as a clerk at Borders, Vikki will have to find a new job before she can afford to move. There’s a new hotel opening that Vikki thinks will provide her with a better paying job, but will they take a chance on a girl from the projects?”
Here’s the full episode:

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Posted on August 12, 2013

Plus: A TV Reporter Helps Others Contemplate Life And Death

1. Make A Sound For A MasterChef.
“MasterChef season three finalist Joshua Marks is facing charges stemming from a bizarre incident last week in which he was arrested for allegedly attacking a police officer at a University of Chicago apartment complex,” NBC News reports.
“Those in contact with the 7-foot-2 reality TV contestant say Marks’ actions were completely out of character for him and are likely the result of a mental illness.
“A video shot in February to promote the Make a Sound Project supports those sentiments. In the clip, Marks mentioned that he struggles with mental illness.”
Not sure that’s in this clip, but the Today show clip supplied by NBC goes into the rest of the show, which is heinous.
So here’s this one:

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Posted on August 6, 2013

Reality Bonanza Hits Town

1. “Humboldt Park resident Kanani Andaluz, 19, is one of 16 finalists on the new cycle of America’s Next Top Model, returning on the CW network at 7 p.m. Friday (WGN-Channel 9),” Bill Zwecker reports for the Sun-Times.
“The Orr Academy High School alum spoke to me this week, explaining how she became intrigued with life as a model, participating in a nationally televised reality show to pursue that dream – and getting to know the show’s creator, former supermodel Tyra Banks.”
You can click through to find out what she said, but unfortunately Zwecker’s interview ignores her Humboldt Park roots and focuses on Banks and modeling.
We’d like to fill you in because while modeling isn’t our kind of thing, Humboldt Park is, but there’s not much out there. Paging Chicago’s newsrooms!
Here’s what we did find:

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Posted on August 2, 2013