Entertainment

Brian Neale (left) and Ann Neale of Smoke Freaks are seasoned barbeque competitors. (Jeff Hirsch Photography/Photo courtesy of Brian and Ann Neale)

Cedar Lake man wins World Champion of ribs title

As 50 mph winds whipped through the Texas Motor Speedway, Brian and Ann Neale kept their eye on the prize: The perfect barbecue. Dust battered their faces while they toiled for hours against more than 125 other top “pitmasters” from around the world for the Steak Cookoff Association World Championship in Fort Worth, Texas. After making it to the final...

Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden in "The Ballad of Wallis Island." (Alistair Heap/Focus Features)

Review: ‘The Ballad of Wallis Island,’ where the right concert can change your life

A reclusive lottery winner hires his favorite folk duo for a reunion concert. Love, music...

Rev. Marshall Hatch, Sr. looks through the Hatch Family Apartment exhibit for the first time at the National Public Housing Museum, whose new brick-and-mortar location opens to the public April 4, and features the last remaining structure at the former Jane Addams Homes on March 27, 2025. The museum made a replica of his family’s apartment from the sixties. “This is surreal,” Hatch said. “It’s an incredible honor.” (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

National Public Housing Museum opens in Chicago, the first of its kind, with residents’ stories at its heart

Free to visit and located in the last surviving building of the former Jane Addams...

Arts

Yoko Ono's installation "Add Color (Refugee Boat)" here at MAXXI Foundation in Rome in 2016. (Musacchio, Ianniello and Pasqualini / Provided by the MCA)

Yoko Ono exhibition is coming to the MCA — with Chicago as its only US destination

The exhibition will open here next fall, coming to Chicago from the Tate Modern in London, where it reportedly set attendance records.

Books

Biblioracle: Ron Currie Jr.’s latest novel is the dark but inviting ‘Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne’

Babs Dionne's world is much smaller than the planet, but to her it's everything, and her death is truly a combination of savage and noble, a perfect description of the novel itself.

Movies

FILE – Val Kilmer poses for a portrait, Jan. 9, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in “Top Gun,” donned a voluminous cape as Batman in “Batman Forever” and portrayed Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” has died. He was 65.

TV and Streaming

Kevin Bacon stars in "The Bondsman." (Amazon)

‘The Bondsman’ review: Kevin Bacon the demon slayer

Kevin Bacon plays a bail bondsman brutally killed, only to be suddenly back among the living and working for the devil.

Theater

Clare Kennedy Mclaughlin (as Céline Dion) and music director Michael McBride in "Titanique" at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago. (Michael Brosilow)

As ‘Titanique’ opens in Chicago, talking to the actress who plays Céline Dion

This show is a musical spoof of both the 1997 movie "Titanic" and the Canadian vocal diva Céline Dion. We spoke with Clare Kennedy McLaughlin, a Northwestern University graduate who plays Céline.

Restaurants, Food and Drink

Kumiko partner/creative director/mixologist Julia Momose is a James Beard Foundation nominee in the Outstanding Bar category. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Here are Chicago’s 5 James Beard nominees

The James Beard Foundation announced Wednesday the finalists vying for its coveted awards, and among them are five Chicago chefs and restaurants.

Music and Concerts

The Deftones perform at the United Center in Chicago on March 31, 2025. (Jessi Roti / for the Chicago Tribune)

Review: With a sold-out show at United Center, Deftones are bigger than they’ve ever been

The modern reassessment of late ‘90s nu metal has played a role in the band’s seemingly sudden resurgence, but where Lollapalooza headliner Korn’s popularity seems rooted in nostalgia, interest in Deftones is brimming with serious adoration.

Travel

Businesses line a street in the Old City of Montevideo, near the Port Market, in Uruguay in Jan. 2025. You can't go far in Montevideo without smelling smoke from the city's many steakhouses, or parrillas, grilling meat over wood fires. (Tali Kimelman/The New York Times)

Montevideo, Uruguay: 50,000 steps in a city where the sidewalk never ends

The nearly 14-mile waterside promenade La Rambla serves as an outdoor living room for locals and as an antidote to visitors' winter blues.

Museums

Shermann "Dilla" Thomas at The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago on March 14, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago historian Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas planning future with DuSable Museum after being laid off by ComEd

Thomas is starting to settle into a new role as the brand ambassador and chief of social media for the Washington Park institution.

Home and Garden

It may take one to four weeks for branches to bloom. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

How to force branches to bloom indoors

Some good plant choices for forcing branches indoors include magnolias, lilacs and viburnum.

Recipes

This incredibly flavorful stir-fry comes together with just three ingredients. (Ryan Liebe/TCA) (Ryan Liebe/TCA)

The Kitchn: The ridiculously simple 15-minute dinner I make at least once a week

As much as I love a double-digit-step recipe with more ingredients than I can count on my two hands (looking at you, Beef Wellington), that’s not realistic for every night (let alone weekly!). Sometimes you just need a simple recipe...

Fashion

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey applauds in the final moments of a game against North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

These NCAA Tournament styles stand out in a sea of coaches in team polo shirts and quarter-zip pullovers

The styles of Notre Dame's Niele Ivey, LSU’s Kim Mulkey, Alabama’s Nate Oaks and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley stand out in a sea of coaches in team polo shirts and quarter-zip pullovers.

Entertainment

The Shawnee Country Club bowling team featured Joan Mercer, from left, Marjorie Wood, Glenn Garrett and Betty Maloney as they attended a women's bowling tournament in Nov. 1939. (Chicago Tribune archive)

Column: When billiards and bowling were all the rage

With the rising popularity of pickleball, a look back at two other, even bigger pursuits: billiards and bowling.

Entertainment

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