ALISON GREEN Chaz Allen in his room back in 2013 Earlier this week a mashup of Brooklyn chanteuse Lana Del Rey and Atlanta-via-Mississippi rap duo Rae Sremmurd took hold of handfuls of music sites. The tune combines the somber-strings instrumental of Del Rey’s 2011 breakthrough “Video Games” and Rae Sremmurd’s slo-mo, Billboard 100 charting anthem “No Type”; like any good mashup this track, which is dubbed “Lana Del Rae,” reflects its distinct parts and creates its own identity....

The orca Tilikum was taken from the remote waters of Iceland at the age of 2 and penned in a pool proportioned like a bathtub away from the ocean and even the sun most of his waking hours. Tilikum became a killer by the age of 10, drowning trainer Keltie Byrne in an incident spun as an accident. The 12,000-pound behemoth killed and killed again, including among his victims senior trainer and SeaWorld poster girl Dawn Brancheau, dragged into the water, dismembered, and partially eaten minutes after a Dine with Shamu show....

Almost five years ago, I happily joined the chorus of Chicagoans straining to find clever ways to describe the bizarre boundaries of the newly created Second Ward, which zig and zag around several north- and near-north-side neighborhoods. But I’m starting to realize there was another—perhaps even more significant—consequence of the mayor’s creative gerrymandering that’s only now becoming apparent. Now Hopkins is clearly the mayor’s front man on the issue of industry on the near north side....

Criss Henderson, executive director of the Shakespeare Theater, tells us what to expect from the Yard, a new addition to the theater currently under construction on Navy Pier.

Well that was good while it lasted! Sort of?! The city of Chicago and Cook County have advised city and suburban residents to follow a stay-at-home protocol again for at least the next 30 days. Here’s the City’s official advisory in PDF form if you didn’t see it when it was issued on Thursday, November 12. Tue-Sat at 8 PM and Sun at 7 PM, through 11/21: Catch the last showings of Theatre in the Dark’s online production of A War of the Worlds....

The Thompson Center cost $172 million to construct. Helmut Jahn, who died in a bike accident last month, began designing the 17-story building in 1979. Located on the corner of State and Lake, it was originally known as the State of Illinois Center, and named after its keeper, then-Illinois Governor James R. Thompson. After Thompson left office, he contributed to Illinois’s long-standing history of political corruption by having his firm represent Governor George Ryan pro bono....

That’s another feature you won’t find at most bars: the draft system allows beer to be stored (and poured) at its optimum serving temperature, so a stout will be served a little warmer than a saison or pale ale. When I was there the selection ranged from classics such as Founders Harvest Ale and Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale to the bizarre-sounding Omnipollo Hilma Vanilla Burger & Fries IIPA, described as a “hazy imperial ‘hoppy meal’ IPA....

Ben is back on the air. Continuing Joravsky’s decades-long tradition of in-depth reporting on Chicago politics and culture, the show will feature a wide range of guests talking Chicago to Chicagoans. Dennis Schetter will serve as producer. presented by with support from our sponsors

There are plenty of Mon 5/21: Australian Courtney Barnett utilizes familiar materials to wax profound about fear, friendship, and love. 8:30 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, sold out, all-ages Wed 5/23: The Sea and Cake weather major shifts to produce another jewel of glistening guitar pop, Any Day. 7 and 10 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $20, $18 in advance

Q: I have a quick question about bisexuality. What if one has a preference for dating straight individuals? As a straight woman, I am only interested in dating straight men. Is that some kind of phobia? Or is it OK for that to be a preference? I’ve always wanted to ask someone this but I’m afraid of being thought of as having a phobia. A: I would send my regrets along with a broken toaster and the wrong receipt....

The bartender: Jacyara de Oliveira of Sportsman’s Club The drink: Caipirinha The bar: La Sirena Clandestina During the year Oliveira spent living in Brazil during college, she often drank the country’s national cocktail, the caipirinha—a simple drink consisting of muddled limes, sugar, crushed ice, and cachaca, a liquor made from distilled sugarcane juice. Oliveira, whose family is Brazilian, also drank variations like the caipiroska (made with vodka) and caipirissima (made with rum)....

The first time I saw stand-up comedian Whitney Chitwood perform, she was onstage at the Green Mill digging into the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission during the “live magazine” variety show The Paper Machete. It was fall 2017, and the Supreme Court was hearing arguments about whether a baker could refuse to make a cake for a gay wedding. But I’m not the only one who’s been appreciating the material....

When I heard that Mayor Lightfoot had teamed up with Samuel Skinner—former White House chief of staff under George H.W. Bush—to produce a study on how to eliminate inequities in Chicago, I raced to the report to find any references to TIFs. But, alas, there’s only one itty-bitty reference to the tax increment financing program possibly helping fund Black-owned businesses. It’s on page 44, if you want to see it yourself....

As the new City Council was sworn in this week, aldermen said they were organizing themselves into five different, loosely defined blocs. The Don’t Forget About Labor Caucus: Its members received donations from at least one of Chicago’s leading public-employee unions: SEIU, the Chicago Teachers Union, and AFSCME. Though smaller in size and influence than the Becky Carroll bunch, this group is supposed to make sure that the council occasionally listens to people other than the hedge fund operators, investment bankers, and other big-money donors who financed Chicago Forward and the mayor’s reelection....

Powerhouse drummer Mark Guiliana gives two performances with his agile quartet Sunday night at Constellation (the first show sold out, so a second has been added at 10 PM). His terrific band features players who lead their own projects, and two of them, Cuban-born pianist Fabian Almazan and Cleveland-based saxophonist Jason Rigby, have released strong records this year that illustrate their range—their approaches are very different from the fusion-informed rhythmic aggression and complexity of Guiliana’s band....

The Back Room Deal features radio personality and longtime Reader political writer Ben Joravsky arguing local Chicago politics with Reader staff writer Maya Dukmasova. With sharp wit and stinging analysis, Joravsky and Dukmasova cut through the smoky haze of the elections to offer you a glimpse of the current Chicago races—ward-level and, of course, mayoral. Will these historic elections be determined in back-room deals, like so many in Chicago’s past? Let Ben and Maya talk you through it....

As of this month, Chicago is out another $22 million in police misconduct payouts. First, the city settled one lawsuit—brought by the family of Bettie Jones, an innocent bystander shot by police officer Robert Rialmo, who also killed Quintonio LeGrier in December 2015—for $16 million. A few days later, the City Council authorized a $6 million payment for two other police misconduct settlements. A report about the cost of police misconduct settlements and judgments recently published by the Action Center on Race & the Economy, a group that researches racial injustice in the financial industry, estimates that Chicago has paid out more than $800 million for police misconduct lawsuits since 2004....

Avondale Restaurant Crawl A foodie desert no more, Avondale is one of the hottest hoods for good eating. This neighborhood crawl kicks off in Brands Park, then moves on to 12 area restaurants including Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Parachute, and Square Bar. Wed 6/1, 6-9 PM, Brands Park, 3259 N. Elston, 773-478-2414, avondaleneighborhoodassoc.com, $30, $25 in advance. Popstar: Never Stop Never StoppingSpinal Tap meets Justin Bieber in the Lonely Island’s faux documentary of pop singer Conner4Real (Andy Samberg), who leaves his boy band, the Style Boyz, behind in search of a solo career....

UPDATE Thursday, March 12: this event has been canceled. Refunds available at point of purchase. This musical version of the 1987 Michael J. Fox vehicle, receiving its world premiere at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, tells a sweet, lighthearted story—plucky young man climbs the ladder of success from mail room to executive suite—that feels a lot like an updated version of Frank Loesser’s 1961 Broadway hit How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, only without the bite or wit or heart....

Several sculptures of marine life made from garbage washed ashore are now perched along Lake Michigan—and they are some of the coolest art on the Third Coast. “Since the project began, 10,000 volunteers have removed more than 38,000 pounds of plastic trash—largely single-use plastics—from over 300 miles of beaches,” the Shedd’s website says. “Ninety-five percent of the debris collected has been used in more than 60 sculptures so far.”