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To-Dos are added daily, so be sure to visit
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Manicures and Martinis at The Drake
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 5 - 8pm
Join us in the beautiful Palm Court at the Drake Hotel for an evening of pampering. Come and enjoy a manicure, massage, martini, and chocolate tasting, all while you watch the film Sex and the City. This is an event you will not want to miss. Tickets are selling quickly!! 5pm-6pm--There will be a special Champagne Toast and Appetizers so get there early! There will also be an informal fashion show featuring Chicago designers. 6pm--8pm--You will enjoy the film screening, spa services, martini, and chocolate tasting.
Miscellaneous Info: Price Includes: -Manicure -Martini -Massage -Chocolate Tasting -Fashion Show
Door: $55
Advance: $45
World Kitchen: Awash In Squash
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 6 - 8:30pm
Know your Hubbard from your Kabocha? The bins at the Farmstand are full of fascinating varieties from the squash family. Tonight, fall's bounty will be celebrated in many colors and shapes as we use as many different kinds as we can, in recipes for dinner or dessert. Learn their differences, what to substitute, and how to use the less common types as well.
Price: $30, registration is required
Organic Groov: Luciano Antonio
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 7pm - 12am
Brazilian guitarist, singer, composer & percussionist Luciano has placed his stamp on the Brazilian music scene in Chicago not just through his soulful renditions of some of Brazil's greatest compositions but through his original works and collaborations. He also performs with Cuarteto Sur, Bossa Tres, A Cor Do Brazil, Evanston Orquestra de Samba, Som Brasil and as a soloist.
Price: Free!
Cuba and His Teddy Bear (Preview)
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 7:30 - 9:30pm
While a father tries to move dope, his son tries to find his voice. Nuyorican playwright Reinaldo Povod's explosive drama, Cuba and His Teddy Bear, features a dynamic ensemble of award winning, nominated actors and exciting newcomers. Journey back to the mid-1980s and experience New York's Lower East Side like never before; a world where love, drugs, family and faith are everything.
Price: $10, Preview Night
Other Times To-Do It: November 6-December
Phil Seed
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 8 - 9:30pm
You may know Phil Seed from the legendary Chicago based group DETOUR. The musicians that represent the trademarks of the Best in Contemporary JazFunk. This Thursday, Blu 47 will feature the amazing guitarist Phil Seed with a show of his own. As Blu 47 kicks off the first week of extended music...we are thrilled to have such a talent grace the stage and do what he does best! Phil's musical style and on stage chemistry will provide a show that you won't want to miss!!! 2 Sets - 8pm and 9:15pm
Price: Free!
Other Times To-Do It: Thursdays
Chi-Town's Emerging Stars
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10pm - 1am
Decago Inc. & Emblazon Entertainment Presents Chi Towns Emerging Stars!!!, Treologic a Chicago hip hop band will provide the music. Russoul, Chicago Idol winner, will tantalize the ladies. Kosha, a Chicago MC, will be performing as well. G-odd will be in the house too y'all. He's as real as it gets. Broth Deep will be reciting Spoken Word. Frankie Parker - Neo Soul Artist
It's going to be a great night! Sounds by D. Clown Music.
Price: $10
Precious Movie Screening Fundraiser
Friday, November 6, 2009, 6 - 10pm
Private Movie Screening for the film Precious! based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire, You've heard about it on Oprah . . ., You've heard the buzz at the Sundance Film Festival . . ., Now see it for yourself!, Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious, Summary:, In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction., Starring: Mo'Nique , Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Gabourey Sidibe, Sherri Shepherd Directed by: Lee Daniels Produced by: Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Lisa Cortes Join us for a special viewing and some holiday shopping!!
Price: $20
MCA's First Fridays
Friday, November 6, 2009, 6 - 10pm
Happy hour takes on a new meaning with First Fridays at the MCA. Relax after a long workweek with a cash bar featuring Absolut Vodka specialty drinks and free Wolfgang Puck appetizers. Enjoy live music from local DJs, the world's only iMac G5 digital dating bar, and creation stations right within our open galleries. Each month features an up-and-coming Chicago artist in a preview of the latest 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work exhibition. Keep the festivities going at our after-parties at Chicago's newest and hottest spots. First Fridays tickets include museum admission, live entertainment, and complimentary Wolfgang Puck hors d'oeuvres. Please call the MCA box office at 312.397.4010 or visit www.ticketweb.com. Cash bar until 9:30 pm. Guests must be 21 or older to enter.
Door: $16
Advance: $11
"We'll See"
Friday, November 6, 2009, 8 - 11:30pm
The art exhibition "We'll See" is an art event in which everything will be produced live off of improvisation. All aspects of the night's entertainment such as art, music, and food will be created as the event transpires."We'll See" can be described as an experience of creative spontaneity when a diverse artistic audience comes together for a cause to improve the lives of others., Cash Bar, Proceeds benefit Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center, Silent Auction, Raffles, and Giveaways, Artists: Max Sansing, Immy Mellin, Shambe, Sonya Freyman, Kiwon Choi, and Yury Kanzburg, DJs J imani & Koko, and DJ Trentino, Body painting by Sonya Freyman
Advance: $10
Price: $15
Close-Up 2: Harlan Jefferson
Friday, November 6, 2009, 8pm - 2am
Potent as a saxophonist, flutist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and actor, Harlan Jefferson is a very dynamic, creative and soulful artist with a kind and beautiful heart. He explores new dimensions of contemporary jazz without relying simply on technique and gimmicks. Harlan has a way of sticking to the melody, while being spontaneous and exploring his soul with a combination of jazz, hip hop and funk. His music is delightfully soothing, as he extends voice-like sounds from his saxophone. The last year has seen Contemporary Jazz Saxophonist Harlan Jefferson moving onto the Chicago scene with his neo-soul group So So Tight. After headlining at Anthony's Jazz Club in Elgin, IL, Jefferson began playing regularly at Chicago's world-famous Cotton Club and the renowned Back Room.
Price: $5
Other Times To-Do It: Friday and Saturday
Sarah Jones: Does Laughter Have an Accent? An Evening with Sarah Jones
Friday, November 6, 2009, 8 - 9pm
The shape-shifting, mind-boggling Sarah Jones stands to put the better part of humanity into her Festival appearance. The New York Times heralded the Tony Award winner's one-woman show Bridge & Tunnel as a "sweet-spirited valentine to New York City, its polyglot citizens and the larger notion of an all-inclusive America, that ideal place where concepts like liberty, equality, and opportunity have concrete meaning and are not just boilerplate phrases slapped around in stump speeches and news conferences." She'll bring some of those characters and a raft of fresh ones just for us, serving up one of the funniest and most heart-warming programs of the Festival.
Price: $15
First Fridays Chicago
Friday, November 6, 2009, 9pm - 2am
OK people, RSVPs are out of control, Hotel rooms are almost sold out and I only have a few tables left in the Ciroc VIP Lounge. So, if you are interested in being a part of the Ciroc VIP lounge, trying to reserve a table or interested in BDAY/Group rates, call us today at 312-498-6798, We are running a one day special on VIP to get it sold out quick. We have space for 165 more RSVPs then that will be shutting down as well. You will be able to pay at the door Friday. Join us this Friday at the W Hotel on Adams for Chicago's #1 monthly socializing and networking affair for urban professionals "FIRST FRIDAYS". Live and Direct from New York will be the legendary DJ S&S. It doesn't get any better than The W Hotel, this night is guaranteed to be one to remember
Boys And Girls Booked On Hair Shops Reading Nook
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 10am - 12pm
Boys And Girls Booked On Hair Shops Reading Nook Opening Donated By Mocha Moms, Inc., Reading by Alderman Toni Preckwinkle. Refreshments, give-aways and entertainment for the children.
Price: Free!
Sapphire and Crystals: Routes to Roots - 21 Years of Collaboration (Artists Talk)
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 11am - 5pm
Artists Talk - 2-4pm, Curator, Joyce Owens Sapphire and Crystals Collective's second exhibition in 1988 was held at Nicole Gallery. The African American women return to Nicole Gallery 21 years later. Focusing on the aspect of collaboration,16 artists and their exciting new work address the Chicago Artists Month theme. The self portrait silent auction during the opening reception on Sat. presents affordable collecting opportunities. The individual personal work exemplifies the diversity within the ethnic group. The collaborative site-specific installation is an exhibit feature distinct to this group.
Price: Free!
Other Times To-Do It: Tuesday - Saturday through December 12th
World Kitchen: Look To The Seas
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 11am - 2pm
We get so many requests for seafood classes, it's clear most home cooks are mystified about what to buy and how to prepare it. Join us today for a primer in fishes and sea creatures guaranteed to make you more comfortable shopping or cooking. We'll give you ideas for adding an ethnic spin to your menus, as well as recipes simple enough for every day.
Price: $30, registration is required
Mel Watkins: On the Real Side
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 12 - 1pm
Mel Watkins, a former writer and editor of The New York Times Book Review, has written extensively on African-American comedy and literature. His 1994 book, On the Real Side, is a highly acclaimed social history of underground African-American humor and its impact on American culture. Watkins will discuss African-American humor ranging from its emergence during slavery and evolution from blackface minstrelsy through such seminal comedians as Bert Williams, Stepin Fetchit, Moms Mabley, Dick Gregory, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, and Chris Rock.
Price: $5
Blacks, Jews, and the Comedy of Subversion
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 2:30 - 4pm
This provocative roundtable discussion explores two of the most important influences on comedy and popular culture in the United States: African American humor and Jewish humor. From Bert Williams, Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer, and the "race films" of the 1920s to Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Jerry Seinfeld, and the age of Obama, the panelists will discuss comedy's role in critiquing and subverting dominant American culture. Panelists include Romi Crawford, assistant professor of visual and critical studies at the School of the Art Institute and a former curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem; Sander Gilman, an authority on Jewish culture and psychoanalysis and professor of humanities at Emory University; and Mel Watkins, author of On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy from Slavery to Chris Rock.
Price: $5
Ourselves As Others See Us: One Year Post-Election
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 4:30 - 6pm
Even as globalization takes hold, foreign journalists continue to see and tell US news stories from a different perspective than their American counterparts. One year after the 2008 presidential election, find out how foreign media channels depict President Obama and the news stories of the moment. Former Chicago Tribune editor and columnist Charles Madigan, now presidential writer-in-residence at Roosevelt University, returns to moderate this annual forum of prominent US-based international journalists.
Price: $10
Hip Hop Fiction Author, K'wan - Section 8: A Hood Rat Novel
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 5 - 8pm
DaBook Joint in conjunction with Davis Elegant Events presents K'Wan, discussing and autographing his new release Section 8. K'Wan is the #1 Essence Bestselling Author of Gutter, Sill Hoood, Hood Rat, Eve, Hoodlum, Street Dreams, Gangsta and Road Dawgz. This free event is open to the public, so come out and enjoy complimentary drinks, food, music and vendors, Books for sale at Da Book Joint Book Store.
Price: Free!
Dreams Deferred
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 6 - 9:30pm
Chicago has the highest youth homicide rate in the nation. "Dreams Deferred" shows what these youth could have achieved had they lived. Gripping, Powerful and Inspiring. This is a Must See!
Door: $25
Advance: $20
22nd Annual Chicago Concerned Jamaicans Gala
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 6pm - 12am
Honoree: Mr. Herbert Witter, MC: Nikki Woods (Sr. Producer Tom Joyner Morning Show), Entertainment: Travel Through Musical Time with a "Tribute to the Greats" Performing: Award Recipient Charles 'Organaire' Cameron and Indika Band!, Silent Auction & Raffle
Price: $80
Chicago Urban League Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 6pm - 2am
After another groundbreaking year of achievements, the Chicago Urban League is ready to reach higher, work harder, and do more. At the 48th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner we will "take it to the nextLevel." The premier social event of the season, the dinner attracts more than 1,700 of Chicago's corporate, civic and elected leaders; honors the work of the Urban League and lays the foundation for the year ahead.
Soleil's Take: There are some To-Dos that profess to be "Black Tie" and others that truly are. This To-Do is one of a few to which you can really break it out! No doubt, this 48th Annual will be fabulous!
Price: $750
Authenticity The Game - Preview Party
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 7 - 10pm
Please join us as we bring back Authenticity the relationship game . Panelist will engage in a lively discussion while answering questions from the game. The audience plays a part with follow up questions and opinions. An entertaining, sometimes rowdy, but always interesting evening - great event for singles & dating or married couples. Enjoy this event in an intimate setting in Dream's plush lounge complete with a full bar and menu. Valet and street parking is available. Prize drawing for a 6 Day Cruise Vacation courtesy of 220 Communications (for attendees who purchase the game). Special guest panelists include: Theresa Carter (thelocaltourist.com), Melinda Joseph (Raymi Productions by Cece and Melinda), Derrick Lane (Art After Dark), Glenn Murray (220 Communications), Zondra Hughes (Editor N'Digo Magapaper), Special Guest Host : Sarah Vargo of Maven (creator of the Diva and Divo Series), More panelists to be announced.
Price: Free!
Close-Up 2 Third Anniversary, f/ Harlan Jefferson
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 8 - 11pm
Potent as a saxophonist, flutist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and actor, Harlan Jefferson is a very dynamic, creative and soulful artist with a kind and beautiful heart. He explores new dimensions of contemporary jazz without relying simply on technique and gimmicks. Harlan has a way of sticking to the melody, while being spontaneous and exploring his soul with a combination of jazz, hip hop and funk. His music is delightfully soothing, as he extends voice-like sounds from his saxophone. The last year has seen Contemporary Jazz Saxophonist Harlan Jefferson moving onto the Chicago scene with his neo-soul group So So Tight. After headlining at Anthony's Jazz Club in Elgin, IL, Jefferson began playing regularly at Chicago's world-famous Cotton Club and the renowned Back Room.
Price: $10
Funny 1st Saturdays: Straight Trip'n w/ Damon & Friends
Saturday, November 7, 2009, 8:30pm - 1am
Every first Saturday of the month, Damon Williams Entertainment, in conjunction with Knock-Knock Productions, produces a monthly comedy event - Funny First Saturdays. Our comedy shows, which are hosted by Damon Williams, feature an array of nationally-acclaimed comedians and poets from HBO, Comedy Central, BET and more. Doors open at 8:30PM. Show time is at 9:00PM sharp. Immediately following the show, everyone is invited to hang out on the dance floor and enjoy the music of DJ Dolla Bill.
Price: $20
Other Times To-Do It: First Saturday of Each Month
The Victuals Brunch Experience
Sunday, November 8, 2009, 11am - 2pm
Sweet potato pancakes, blueberry coconut waffles, salmon cakes and more! Join Chef Cordell and the Victuals Food Club @ the Bronzeville Coffee house as we experience great food, great conversation, and a great time! This event is BYOB. There will be no ticket sales at the door, so purchase your tickets TODAY! Thanks, and I'll see you there! Chef Cordell, Passion's Cuisine, chefcordell@passionscuisine.com, "Relax, this is my PASSION!!"
Price: $30
Movies with a Mission-"Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai"
Sunday, November 8, 2009, 2 - 4pm
"Taking Root" tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Noble Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy.
Price: Free!
The Color of Funny: Dick Gregory on Race, Comedy, and Justice
Sunday, November 8, 2009, 5 - 6pm
It's hard to predict whether Dick Gregory will be most celebrated as a path-breaking comedian or a trailblazing civil rights activist. It's impossible to imagine the history of either movement without him-or without the unique way he managed to blend the two. In the early 1960s, he became one of the first black comedians to perform before integrated audiences. In 1967, he ran for mayor of Chicago against Richard J. Daley, and a year later for president as the Freedom and Peace Party candidate. The editor of African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today, Gregory is still a staunch, wry political voice across a range of issues as varied as nutrition, social justice, and the environment. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington will interview the provocative and always unpredictable Gregory.
Price: $10
unWINEd: A Wine Tasting Experience
Sunday, November 8, 2009, 6:30 - 8pm
Join Diva On The Go Concierge Service & Pampered Souls Mobile Spa for the unWINEd., Whether you are an expert, novice or somewhere in between, unWINEd is here to cater to a niche of consumer who is looking for something more. Catering to the mature crowd, the goal of unWINEd is to introduce a new experience to those interested in learning more about wine., Whet your wine appetite and enjoy cheeses from around the world. Develop your wine I.Q. through hands on instruction and discussion, about the characteristics that make a good wine.
Price: $25
Music Mondays - Curtis Robinson
Monday, November 9, 2009, 7 - 10pm
Great Black Music in an intimate cabaret setting, Hosted by Sue Conway, "Maven of the Microphone" and WVON Radio personality Cliff Kelley., Curtis Robinson plays the guitar as if his life depended on it . . . and it does. If not his biological life, then, without question, his creative life is inextricably bound to the instrument he began to play when he was in elementary school. His distinctive style is captured on his upcoming first CD, "Tribute to the Messengers."
Price: $15.00; 10 or more $12.00 (group reservations recommended)
Other Times To-Do It: Second Monday of each month
Kimbrough & Company
Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 7 - 10pm
Kimbrough & Company is a consortium of Chicago's many fine musicians; a musical hybrid capable of meeting the demands of any appreciative audience. Kimbrough & Company comes in trio, quartet, and quintet formats and draws from a collective accumulation of backgrounds, disciplines, and educations as diverse as jazz, blues, rock, classical, R&B, and every Latin style and incarnation. The band's collective voice & purpose is quality jazz. Kimbrough & Company is also fully versed in Blues, Funk, & R&B.
Price: Free!
Other Times To-Do It: Live Music Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Scott Burns
Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 7 - 10pm
A native of Dayton, Ohio, saxophonist Scott Burns began his education and professional career in music in nearby Cincinnati. After graduating at the top of his class from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Scott became an in-demand performer in the greater Cincinnati / Dayton area. While attending the university, Cincinnatis own Blue Wisp Jazz Club provided him a supplemental, hands-on education in jazz music. Countless nights at the club were spent soaking in local and national jazz talent; in addition, Scott was a frequent performer as both leader and sideman at the renowned institution. Among his many performance credits in Cincinnati include the Blue Wisp Big Band, led by legendary drummer John von Ohlen, the PsychoAcoustic Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and numerous small group performances with pianists Steve Schmidt, Phil DeGreg, and drummer Art Gore. Scott also performed in a quintet with legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry as part of a Cincinnati jazz series In 1996., In 1998, Scott moved to Chicago, IL to attend graduate school at DePaul University. [more]
Price: Free!
Other Times To-Do It: Live Music Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Fedra: Queen of Haiti (Closing Week)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 7:30 - 10pm
Sat & Sun, 3pm Matinee
Written by J Nicole Brooks
Directed by Laura Eason, The king is dead. The son is lost.
The queen is mad.
Desire threatens the kingdom, and survival hangs in the balance.
Our 22nd season opens with an explosive retelling of Phaedra that would make Euripides, Seneca and Jean Racine blush. This story of power and lust is set in a re-imagined Haiti that stands as the world's greatest superpower. Only the fiercely mischievous pen of Ensemble Member J. Nicole Brooks (Black Diamond) could so ignite the hidden power of this enduring myth. Award-winning Ensemble Member Laura Eason (Around the World in 80 Days) directs Lookingglass' 51st World Premiere.
Price: $28-62
Other Times To-Do It: September 30 - November 15, 2009
World Music Wednesdays: Viento de Los Andes and Folklore Ballet Pachacamac
Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 8:30 - 11pm
Join us for another Andean event drawing from the wealth of the exceptional Ecuadorian artists here in Chicago. Viento de Los Andes is a musical group making their debut at the Old Town School. Pachacamac is a traditional dance troupe that returns to our stage with a new show called Shungo (or "Heart" in the Kichwa language) that encompasses dance from the coastal, Amazonian and mountainous regions of Ecuador. The artists will offer a workshop in our Thursday Workshop Series.
Price: $5, Suggested Donation
The Chicago Park District's 
(A Couple of Popular Parks - visit the CPD website for a park near you!) 
Through November 15, 2009
Ongoing through December 30, 2009
Nightly
Mondays, 7:30 - 11pm 
Fridays
