Saving Sabina
December 4, 2007
MAYOR DALEY WILL attend the "Raising the Roof for St. Sabina" fund-raiser this evening at the Akainyah Gallery. He is co-chairing the stellar reception to raise funds for the roof crisis at Rev. Mike Pfleger's church.
JUST IN: Actors Morris ("The Best Man") Chestnut, Gabrielle ("Daddy's Little Girls") Union and Charles ("Roll, Bounce") Murphy -- who are part of the all-star cast in "The Perfect Holiday" opening nationwide Dec. 12 -- will be in town on Friday at the ICE Chatham Theatre, 210 W. 87th St., for a VIP screening. The theater is also celebrating its 10th anniversary.
THE BAND CHICAGO, in honor of its four decades of rocking out, will be saluted this afternoon at the Chicago History Museum with a ribbon-cutting to kick off a wonderful 40th anniversary memorabilia exhibit of items from the band's personal archives. The exhibit will be on display now through March 30, 2008. And the evening will be capped off with the guys giving a special concert to raise funds for the museum. This legendary group has sold more than 100,000,000 records, earning 40 gold and platinum records. Their longtime manager, Pete Schivarelli, is so proud.
Hey, Oprah! It would be nice to see the band featured on your show ... Chicago is surely as worthy as The Osmonds clan... and they are hometown boys.
Just a suggestion.
HEY GIZMO: The mobster movie "Chicago Overcoat," filming in Chi Town and starring Frank Vincent, Stacy Keach, Armand Assante, Danny Goldring and produced by the Chicago-based Beverly Ridge Pictures, is wrapping up this week. It can now be revealed that a scene was filmed at the lovely Beverly home of Terry and Linda Whirity with actors Goldring and Keach. The South Side spot was selected because the couple's son, Bill, is a former Columbia College classmate of the young guys who own Beverly Ridge. The Whiritys' family dog, Gizmo, an adorable Yorkshire/Pomeranian, came out to greet the film crew, and his yapping made such an impression they decided to include him in the scene.
So, a star is born!
THE OWNERS OF the popular Carnivale restaurant are doing it again. Businessmen Billy Marovitz and Bud and Bob Cataldo have opened the new and unique sports bar "Stretch Run Sporting Club & Grille" at LaSalle and Ohio. While eating, customers can also legally bet on horse racing and watch other sports events on 217 TV screens.
At the recent grand opening, sports and media celebs such as Christie Hefner, Doug Buffone, Steve Lombardo, Burt Natarus, Jim Tyree, Phil Rock, Ron Magers, Theresa Gutierrez, Andy Shaw, Jerry Kleiner and Arny Granat were on hand.
PIZZA KING Rudy Malnati will be officially knighted and presented with a plaque by the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights on Dec. 8 in North Carolina. The team performs each year at the Chicago Air & Water Show. What -- you mean there was no pizza involved? Just kiddin' ... and congrats! ... Kudos to WMAQ-Channel 5 anchor Warner Saunders, who won his 20th Emmy for his "Target Chicago" news information program. ... Also, Saunders and co-anchor Allison Rosati are co-hosting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation gala on Saturday at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center. The Steve Miller band will perform and actress Virginia Madsen is a special guest, along with Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould ... who is offering himself as a "dinner with" auction item.
FOLKS JUST CHILLIN': The WhiteSox' Bobby Jenks and Jerry Owens, the Cubs' Sean Marshall, the Indians' Josh Barfield and Ryan Braun relaxin' at The Underground. ... The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano dined with friends at the LuxBar. ... The Bears' Brian Urlacher eatin' at Hugo's. ... The Dallas Mav's Eric Dampier and Devean George and the Bears' Lance Briggs dined at separate tables at Gibsons. ... State Sen. Jim DeLeo was seen at 200 East Supper Club. At another table, WGN-Channel 9's Merri Dee and hubby Nick Fulop. ... Actor Armand Assante was seen in the lobby of the plush Belden-Stratford Hotel. I understand he will be back in town next week for the first Romanian Film Festival. ... Hip Hop's Irv Gotti and rapper JaRule dined at the ESPN Zone.
HAVING A BIRTHDAY: Rev. Leonard Barr, Tyra Banks and belated to WBBM-Channel 2's Shawnelle Richie, Rumell Nichols, Hide "Tony" Taniguchi of Ron of Japan and Yvette Moyo. Wednesday: Little Richard.
Well, that's Stella in the City!
