Wehrenberg Theaters

Well, I went to see Shine a Light last week and it was awesome!!! However, I would not recommend it to people that are not fans of the Rolling Stones. While it does contain archive footage and backstage shots, the bulk of the movie is the band performance itself. Some highlights of the movie were the excellent versions of Champagne and Reefer and Some Girls. The large screen is amazing and has stadium seating. That is definatly the place where I will be seeing Indiana Jones when it opens next month. The theater itself has 14 screens and looks more like a Wal Mart super center on the outside than a movie theater. It was clean, the employees were nice, and the facilities would please people of all ages. They have a birthday party room for children and a mini-arcade. If I was a kid this is definatly the place I would want to have my party. For those of you who haven't been there I would recommend going and checking it out, it definatly beats the University theater and I would say that it is much better than the local Carmike theaters. It reminds me of the Palace(the nicest of the Carmikes) but much bigger and has more screens. Enough about the theater, I hope you are all having a great week and I hope to update again soon.

Shine A Light!!!

Today is a special day because in an hour I will be able to accomplish two things, one of which is witnessing the Wehrenberg Blooomington Galaxy 14 Cinema which opened a couple of months ago and the other is seeing The Rolling Stones film Shine a Light. Seeing as how the film is in limited release, I am very surprised that it is coming to Bloomington. Apparently the film captures the essence of a Stones concert and I am thrilled to be seeing it today. I will let you know how the new theater is and report back with a review. I went to a Wehrenberg cinema near St. Louis and had a great experience there so I am sure that this will be no different. For all you theater lovers out there, the Musical "The Merry Widow" is being performed at the Center For the Performing Arts. For more information you can go here. Also, once again teh Normal Theater has brought an excellent film. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is playing there all weekend and it was amazing. Rarely can I watch a film that deals with such a depressing topic and yet leave feeling happy. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Happy April Fools Day!!!

So many things have been happening lately that it is hard to remember what to tell. Well, for starters, for all who missed the Ed Rust speach on Wednesday, you missed out. The topic of his speach was risk and what better topic for the CEO of an insurance company. It was a pretty full crowd in the lower level of Braden but some bozos behind me felt the need to talk through most of his speach(this is my only complaint about teachers giving out extra credit for attending speaches). Also, I know not many of you came out but El Vez was at the Center for the Performing Arts and he was spectacular. He performed Elvis numbers with a latin twist and boldly threw his name in for the 2008 Presidential Election. El Vez for Prez!!!! For all you art lovers, both Transpace and the University Galleries will be hosting art shows today. I have good friends in both shows and if you attend you will not be dissapointed. Come out and show your support. All ISU art shows are free and open to the public. On a side note, my favorite band The Rolling Stones is releasing a live cd today. It is called 'Shine a Light' and is the soundtrack to the new Rolling Stones concert film that was filmed by Martin Scorcese in the Fall of 2006. I have seen clips and can't wait to see the film. The movie opens Friday but I am going to rush out and buy the soundtrack today. The Normal Theater released their schedule the other day for the months to come and I think that we are all in for a treat. One of the highlights is the original 3:10 To Yuma, a classic. I'm sure that there will be renewed interest due to the new film that came out last year starring Russel Crowe. Before I close, what would April Fool's Day be without a joke.
Q: What do you get when you cross a Gossiper and a Hitchhiker?

A:A Walkie Talkie.

State Farm CEO to speak at ISU

Hey there, sorry for the lack of updates but I recently celebrated a birthday, went home for Easter, and have been slammed with tests, papers, and homework......however, the time has come to do another update. I just wanted to take the time to direct everyone to the Illinois State University College of Business week. While I did not attend the ettiquete dinner that took place on Monday, I heard it was highly informative. The Mock Interviews that were conducted yesterday were fun and beneficial to any students career. Thats all for the events that have already occured, here is one that is going on today. Ed Rust, the CEO of State Farm Insurance will be speaking at Braden Auditorium, located at the Bone student center. The event is at 2 pm and is free and open to the public. I strongly suggest going to this event because it is not everyday that people can hear some insite from a CEO at the largest insurer in the United States.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Sorry for the recent lack of updates. I have been on vacation for the past week in Las Vegas but the website and blog will soon have many more entries. If any of you get a chance to go to Las Vegas I would highly recommend seeing any of the Cirque Du Soleil shows. I saw Mystere and Ka while I was out there and they were both fantastic. Also, Big Elvis, the daily lounge performer at Bills Gambling Parlor, was excellent as always and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Anywho.....Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone and I hope you are all wearing green and plan on having fun doing some activity. Although it is on Monday this year hopefully you will have a chance to drink some green beer. If anyone is interested in eating some corned beef and cabbage, Maggie O'Miley's, which is located next to the Coffee Shop in Uptown Normal, is always a great place. It might be a good idea to get there early. I was in Uptown Normal last year for St. Patrick's Day and Maggie's had a very long wait for anyone wanting to dine. I will make sure and do more updates as the week progresses but unil then... Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Spring Break Here We Come

ISU is getting ready to go on a long overdue Spring break and I hope that all you students that are going on vacation have a fun and safe trip.  I don't have much to report right now but I would like to take the time to recommend some movies that are either on DVD or coming soon.  Some received awards and Oscar buzz and others seemed to fall below the radar.  Either way, I'm sure you will love these films as much as I do.

1.This Is England

2.Sunshine

3.Rambo

4.The Orphanage 

5.Murder Party

6.Shoot Em Up

7.Right At Your Door

8.I'm Not There

9.Love Sick

10.Crazy Love

FAMILY GUY!!!!!

My girlfriend and I are currently battling with the Family Guy game on PS2 and we are both ready to pull our hair out. If anyone can figure out how to beat the level where Peter is battling the cops on his street, please slide the info my way. Any who.... amidst tests, research, homework, and all the pesky little activities that keep a college kid busy, I have found some time to update the site. Some recently added sections are sports and local restaurants. They are both works in progress but some great content is going to be added soon. This Friday come on out to ISU and enjoy the FLAME production of the Vagina Monologues. FLAME is a great organization and it would be great if you all went out there and supported them. For more information go here: Vagina Monologues. Once you get to the University Calender just look under the February 29th date and you can find information on the event. Another exciting happening at ISU this weekend involves the performing artist Holly Hughes. The University is always bringing good quality speakers and performers and I would highly advise coming out and supporting them. For more information on the Holly Hughes performance can locate it Here. More updates to come later this week. See ya later alligator.

-Chris

I'm Not There

Just a reminder to all you Bloomington-Normal area residents.  Don't forget that I'm Not There is playing at the Normal Theater this weekend.  It will be showing Tonight and Tomorrow night at 7 pm.  I myself saw it last night and really enjoyed the film. To get an  understanding of what the film is like, read this review from Rolling Stone magazine: I'm Not There.  Also, if you are looking for some sports fun tonight, don't forget to check out the Prairie Thunder hockey game at the US Cellular Coliseum tonight.  Tonight is ISU night and all students can get in for $12, also, there will be a pre-game reception for $8.  For more information, visit this link: ISU Hockey Night. Hope you have a great Saturday and try to stay out of the cold.  

A midmorning update

I was just browsing around on the internet and came across a Town of Normal Parks and Recreation Guide for Spring 2008. The P and R offer tons of great classes for both young and old, have maps of hotspots like constitution trail, and much more. For ISU students looking for post graduation employment, head on out to the Bone Student Center today for the 2008 Spring career fair.

Happy Presidents Day

Hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day.  I know I did but I am personally glad to not have to think about it again until next year.  Just wanted to cue you all in on what is coming up in the near future for the Bloomington-Normal area.  On February 23rd and 24th, the International Fair is going to be held once again at the Bone Student center on the campus of Illinois State University.  Admission is only $3 for adult non-students and $2 for students.  Come enjoy entertainment and food from all around the world.  I went last year and had a ball.  Also, for those of you who didn't get a chance to see the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" that was released last year, never fear, beginning this Thursday and running until Sunday, it will be at the Normal Theater.  That is all for now and I will hope to update the blog tomorrow with more information on upcoming Bloomington-Normal activities.  

Chris  

Happy Valentines Day!!!

If you haven't gotten anything for your Valentine yet you should stop on by http://washburnflowers.com/ and check out their store on North Street. I go there every time I get flowers for my girlfriend and everyone there is super nice and they always do an amazing job. For dining, while I would reccomend the restaurant DeStihl which is located in Bloomington, if you havne't already made reservations yet you will probably be out of luck. I tried to make reservations a couple of weeks ago and was told that most times were already reserved. Never fear, Medici is a restaurant located right down the street from Washburn Flowers and they do not take reservations so it is first come first serve. Don't forget about the Normal Theater if you are looking for some fun entertainment tonight and don't fell like spending alot of money. Popcorn and soda is only $1! For more information on what is playing there, check out their site at www.normaltheater.com. Hope you all have a great V-Day.

-Chris

This Weekend

If you are looking for something to do this weekend you should come out and support the local hockey team, the Prairie Thunder. They will be playing 2 home games this weekend at the US cellular coliseum. The coliseum is a great venue and is a great place for friends and family alike. Also, on Feb. 16th come out to Miller Park zoo and celebrate Candy the Sun bear's birthday party.

It is cold as can be outside...

Hope you all are taking care and trying to stay out of the cold. If you are looking for something fun to do that doesn't involve being outside, you should stop by the normal theater. This Thursday or Friday you can catch Katherine Hepburn in the 1955 classic and on Saturday and Sunday they will feature Fred Estaire and Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 film Funny Face. If you are looking for something to read, you should check out Illinois: A History of the Land and Its People. It was written by a local professor and provides tons of great information about Illinois.

The weather outside is not so hot

Hope everyone is staying in out of the cold. Won't the Bl0omington-Normal snow ever end?  If you are not wanting to go outside, I would recommend stopping by The Movie Fan and renting a film.  They have thousands of titles and are reasonably priced.  You can find them conveniently located next door to the Normal post office.  

Here we go....

Just wanted to let you guys know that the website will be updated very soon.  I am trying to gather as much information on the town and think back to all the great places that I have been.  Just to wet your appetites, here are some cool things that have just opened up in town.  

-Destihl-they have amazing food and great beer that is brewed right there in the restaurant.  I would highly recommend getting the beer sampler and the Kobe Burger.  

-The new Wehrenberg 14 plex is opening this weekend.  I have yet to go there but if it is anything like the other Wehrenberg theaters, you are in for a treat.  

The First Post

This is the first post but more info is soon to come.  I decided to create this site in order to provide information to the people of Bloomington-Normal about local happenings and fun things to do.  I first moved here three years ago and have had to explore the town for cool things to do.  Well, lucky for you all I will soon be updating my website with tons of information about fun things to do around town.  This includes bars, museums, movie theaters, and any other thing that is fun to do around town.  I hope you are patient with me because this site is a constant work in process.  

Chris