Fon-Don't: It's More than Bread and Cheese, Guys

Real men eat fondue. At least they should. It’s a recipe for romance.

THE SURREAL THING: 60 Masterpieces bridging two art styles

This lady in red ain’t sexy. She’s scared stiff. Her troubled blue eyes dart sideways as trench-coated men loom behind her in a chilly, subterranean subway. Her right hand curves protectively around her belly.

Family Christian Center threatened with foreclosure

MUNSTER | The Family Christian Center, the state's largest mega-church and one of the 20 largest in the U.S., is facing foreclosure, with Pastor Steve Munsey telling congregants Wednesday night the church owes $750,000 in back payments on its sprawling worship center.

Mavis Staples: The lady sings the blues

If the blues were a woman, Grammy winner Mavis Staples would have her number.

'Motherhood The Musical' celebrates the perils and blessings of parenthood

'Motherhood the Musical,' a 90-minute ode to maternal instincts has toddled into the Royal George Theatre through May 20.

Cool patients cast off white plaster casts for funky hues

Val Vickroy broke her arm in the third grade (cheerleading mishap) and her ankle in sixth grade (soccer). She landed back in the E.R. for a fractured hand during her senior year of high school (she tripped while skipping).

'Motherhood The Musical' celebrates perils and blessings of parenthood

Motherhood, arguably the world's oldest profession, is forever young. Every newborn restarts the cycle of love, fatigue and burp cloths.

Robert Rauschenberg: Razzmatazz in Grand Rapids

The Texan-born artist whirled through media, mowing down traditions and leaving critics in the dust the second half of the 20th century. He was unstoppable, a blur of frenzied creativity chronicling American culture for 60 years.

Robert Rauschenberg: Razzmatazz in Grand Rapids

If artists were Looney Tunes, Robert Rauschenberg was the Tazmanian Devil.

Chicago Flower & Garden Show takes fashionista turn

As the "Hort Couture" theme suggests, the 10-day petal-rama, running through March 18 at Navy Pier, reflects the inspiration of fashion on gardening.

Chicago Flower & Garden Show takes fashionista turn

Mother Nature sashays down the runway at the 18th Chicago Flower and Garden Show. As the "Hort Couture" theme suggests, the 10-day petal-rama, previewing Friday and based through March 18 at Navy Pier, reflects the inspiration of fashion on gardening.

A new exhibit at MCA explores the polarizing '80s

Life was a pop-culture playground in the '80s, with up-and-coming artists seesawing between fluffy froth and grim realities, an imbalance evidenced by a new exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.

New exhibit at MCA explores polarizing ’80s

Like, the 1980s were totally awesome. We wanted our MTV. We tuned into "Three's Company" and "Diff'rent Strokes" and forked over $3 to see "Porky's" at the movies.

Bug-studded menus: One diner's yuck is another's yum

The new culinary buzzword: Bugs.

Mother-daughter duo bring domestic caviar to the masses

The Caviar Queen of the Great Lakes does not stand on ceremony. Just side by side with burly fish-cutters with long sharp knives.

Chocolate-themed spa treatments seduce body and soul

The luxurious decadence of chocolate spa treatments is a draw, an indulgence reinforced by scent. The fudgy fragrance of chocolate triggers a shift in emotions.

Chocolate-themed spa treatments seduce body and soul

One of Chicago's swankiest spas goes chocolate for Valentine's Day.

Women go to bat with extreme lashes

Lillian Evans has the walk of a queen and the eyes of Hollywood royalty.

Peter Billingsley targets 'Christmas Story' for Broadway

After ducking "Christmas Story"-related projects for more than 25 years, Billingsley is embracing his signature role as Jean Shepherd's youthful alter ego. The original Ralphie is serving as producer of "A Christmas Story, The Musical!"

Peter Billingsley targets 'Christmas Story' for Broadway

He still has those baby blues. Take that, you'll-shoot-your-eye-out worrywarts. Don't get Peter Billingsley, aka Ralphie in "A Christmas Story," started on his peepers. The former child star, 40, admits his eyesight is so bad he'd miss a target the size of Higbee's.

Ogden Dunes native pens book about Chicago Cubs

Ogden Dunes native Carson Cunningham goes to bat for the Cubbies in his new book. Which may rile his mom.

The big chill: Surviving the not-so-great indoors

Jennifer Trainer Thompson's no stranger to cabin fever. As a girl, she weathered frigid winters in Indianapolis. As an adult, she braces for record snowfalls in the mountains of western Massachusetts. "I regularly shovel twelve inches of snow off my roof at least twice a year," says the New …

Cater to snowbirds, and they will come

Food is the top priority for snowbirds, bird-watchers say. Feed them and non-migrating species will flock, adding a welcome splash of color and chirps to your yard.

Cater to snowbirds, and they will come

Food is the top priority for snowbirds, bird-watchers say. Feed them and non-migrating species will flock, adding a welcome splash of color and chirps to your yard.

The great pumpkin rises again

Sugar pumpkins are ripe with potential. Turn them into delicious entrees, pastas and desserts now through Christmas.

Chicago actor steps into Shepherd's shoes, past in 'Christmas Story' musical

The scene is Christmas Eve in the mid-1970s. A solitary disc jockey at WOR radio in New York draws late-night fans into the dear, distant past. Growing up in Indiana in the 1940s, his entire kid-year hinged on glorious, beautiful Christmas ....

LaPorte barbershop goes back in time

Adam Wilson bowed his 1920s-inspired barbershop in May in downtown LaPorte. Now manly men--geezers to young bucks--line up for hot-towel shaves and razor cuts.

Buddy act: Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari get familiar with West Michigan

Drop a low-key Oscar nominee and a fast-talking comic in West Michigan. Stuff them in a rusty Mustang. Expose to petty thugs, a bomb and a flamethrower.

Man Up in the Post-Millennium

Vanity, thy name was male from 1995 to 2005.

NWICA not one to blow its own horn (but should)

Members of the Northwest Indiana Concert Association boast a track record that would turn entertainment giant Live Nation pea-green.

Chicago Jazz Festival headliner Orbert Davis trumpets the cause

Name a working jazz or R&B great. Chicago trumpeter Orbert Davis has jammed or recorded with them: Kurt Elling, Gladys Knight, Ramsey Lewis, Wynton Marsalis, T.S. Monk, The Temptations, Grover Washington Jr., Ernie Watts.

Landscape architects angle for respect

In space, comes grace. The old Scottish proverb holds true for landscape architects, who design and plan outdoor spaces for private or public use. But the concept is sometimes a little hard for the average person to grasp.

Serious Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg not clowning around

Classic mom line when kids complain they're bored: "Sorry, I sent my clown suit to the cleaners."

Photographer Marc Hauser in spotlight in annual South Shore exhibit

He's burly, bearded and radiates larger–than–life gusto.

Bug-busting bats are needlessly maligned

Chuck Roth has gone to bat for bats for 20 years. He regards the mouse-sized flying mammals as free pest exterminators.

NWICA not one to blow its own horn (but should)

Talk about small-scale concert promoters.

LaPorte native compiles scores for big-name fireworks displays

Jonathan Gesse's music blows you away. Not that the LaPorte native earns royalties. He's the soundtrack producer at Melrose Pyrotechnics in Kingsbury, Ind., one of the nation's top fireworks firms. The low-key Gesse, 32, compiles those ear-popping scores for eye-popping sky shows at Taste of…

Easel does it: Art auction to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana

Picture this: An art gallery popping up overnight, a showcase of paintings, photos, sculptures, pottery and objets d'art.

Chefs go to bat for charity during Crosstown Classic

The Crosstown Classic is a rite of summer. As the Sox and Cubs square off at home, their major-league rivalry explodes likes Bill Veeck's scoreboard.

He Likes That Boom Boom Pow

Jonathan Gesse's music blows you away.

Parrotheads to flock to Navy Pier

Chicago's No. 1 tourist attraction is ready to welcome the ultimate tourist-trap restaurant.

Gary lands new movie on fight card

GARY | The city of Gary is going another round in the movie biz.

Bone up on pet first aid

When Roxy overeats, she goes whole hog.

CHICAGO SCENE: Local bands dominated Bluesfest lineup

The 28th Chicago Blues Festival opens today and runs through Sunday in Grant Park. The four stages are extra-light on headliners (Lonnie Brooks, Shemekia Copeland) and heavy on local faves (guitarist Carl Weathersby, boogie-woogie mama Katherine Davis, harp master Billy Branch). Factor in ta…

Holy cow! Belly up to these gut-busting specialties

A slab of steak. A killer cheeseburger. Chicken wings that sting the lips and numb the tongue. Nothing separates a cast-iron gut from a frail tum-tum like a food challenge.

Alligator Records spinning -- not singing -- the blues at 40

Back in 1971, a Delmark Records shipping clerk asked his boss to sign his favorite act, Hound Dog Taylor. When Bob Koester declined, the upstart struck out on his own.

CHICAGO SCENE: O, my! Relive Oprah's farewell

If you missed Oprah's teary May 25 finale, the talk-show queen has posted the entire transcript of the last "Oprah Winfrey Show" online at her website ( http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Oprah-Winfrey-Show-Finale_1/1).

Deploy 'good' insects for garden pest control

Unleash Mother Nature's little helpers on your garden for natural pest control. Good-guy insects gobble bad-guy bugs like popcorn while others pollinate like pros.

CHICAGO SCENE: 'Christmas Story' musical comes to Chicago

The pink bunny suit. The triple-dog-dare. A boy's dream of a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.

Sweeten bill of fare to woo hummingbirds

A flash of scarlet, a blur of vibrating wings, a quick dart at a trumpet vine. The region's tiniest tourists are back for the season. Despite the wet spring, the first ruby-throated hummingbirds arrived on schedule May 6 in the Calumet area, avian expert Kenneth Brock said.