"It’s not a show with music but I am working on an EP." - Daniel Franzese
Actor Daniel Franzese will forever be remembered as Damian in the original Mean Girls film that debuted in 2004. Mean Girls followed the story of a new student navigating her way in high school and became a phenomenon that grew into a Broadway musical and a 2024 musical version inspired by that production released this past January. Franzese has appeared onscreen in films such as Bully and I Spit on Your Grave among others. On television, he’s worked on ABC’s Conviction and RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity...
"I find it very charming and a reminder to lead with love." - McKinley Belcher III
McKinley Belcher III is a powerhouse out and proud actor who has a new Netflix series called Eric under his belt. The talented actor was born in Georgia and eventually graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee with a Communication Studies and Political Science degree. After that, he completed an MFA in Acting at the USC School of Dramatic Artis in Los Angeles. His theater career took off with a series of Off-Broadway roles that led to Broadway and A Soldier’s Play. His cast made...
"A lot of my music is funk inspired because of the bass." - Blu DeTiger
Blu DeTiger is a singer and bassist who creates landscapes of sounds to move and groove to. She launched an album titled All I Want Is Everything and debuted catchy singles like “Dangerous Game” and “Kiss.” The talented young musician is gearing up for the annual Grant Park music festival in Grant Park this August. She talked backstage about it after her live show at Lincoln Hall while out on her nationwide tour. JN: (Jerry Nunn) Your real name is Blu? BDT: (Blu DeTiger) Yes...
"I try to stay in my lane and focus on what I have to do." - Soo Ahn
Chicago’s very own executive chef Adalina Soo Ahn has graduated to celebrity status on Top Chef’s 21st season set in Wisconsin. This Michelin Star winner was cast as a 16th contestant with the requirement that he battle into the main series after winning challenges on Last Chance Kitchen. He accomplished that by joining the rest of the competitors in episode five. Ahn met up at Adalina to discuss his humble beginnings before his rise to become a sudden reality star on Bravo. JN: (Jerry Nunn)...
"This movie is attempting to show people who in our daily life we would just dismiss or possibly shun" - John Early and Theda Hammel
The new independent movie Stress Positions stars John Early as Terry Goon and Theda Hammel as Karla (no last name). The story centers around pandemic times when Terry is taking care of his nephew Bahlul from Morocco who is stuck in bed after a scooter accident. Many may recognize Early from previous projects such as Search Party and The Afterparty. Theda wore many hats for this undertaking by being a performer, director and scriptwriter. Stress Positions was the closing night film at the Sundance Film...
"Bears dig Little House on the Prairie" - Alison Arngrim
Alison Arngrim will always be remembered as the character Nellie Olsen on NBC’s Little House on the Prairie. There’s a whole other side to the talented person who began her career at twelve. She’s a New York Times Best Selling author of Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Olsen and Learned to Love Being Hated. The book was born from her engaging stories depicted in a one-woman show started in New York in 2002. She even performed the show entirely in French...
"I will have a specific Chicago song ready and we are going to go balls to the wall" - Michael Henry & Tim Murray
The gay duo Michael Henry & Tim Murray are bringing their stand-up act to the Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago on April 21 for one special night. These spontaneous sketch artists plan on packing in comedic jabs, queer musings and at least one song. They might even squeeze a visit to Sidetrack the Video Bar while in town. Some may recognize Murray from The Other Two on Max or his many stand-up appearances. Henry is a Queerty Award winner and has cultivated a 60 million...
Bridget Everett
Marc Price
Denali Foxx
Jazmin Bean
Yvie Oddly
Frances Forever