Book Review: Marrying The Ketchups

Here are the three things the Sullivan family knows to be true: the Chicago Cubs will always be the underdogs; historical progress is inevitable; and their grandfather, Bud, founder of JP Sullivan’s, will always make the best burgers in Oak Park. But when, over the course of three strange months, the Cubs win the World Series, Trump is elected president, and Bud drops dead, suddenly everyone in the family finds themselves doubting all they hold dear.

Take Gretchen for example, lead singer for a ’90s cover band who has been flirting with fame for a decade but is beginning to wonder if she’s too old to be chasing a childish dream. Or Jane, Gretchen’s older sister, who is starting to suspect that her fitness-obsessed husband who hides the screen of his phone isn’t always “working late.” And then there’s Teddy, their steadfast, unfailingly good cousin, nursing heartbreak and confusion because the guy who dumped him keeps showing up for lunch at JP Sullivan’s where Teddy is the manager. How can any of them be expected to make the right decisions when the world feels sideways—and the bartender at JP Sullivan’s makes such strong cocktails?

USA For Africa - We Are the World

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of We Are the World, the compilation album from a collection of artists known as USA For Africa that was released to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. The record was a huge seller the world over; here in the US it debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held that spot for three consecutive weeks. It had an overall run on the Billboard Album chart for twenty-two weeks.

Chicago - Chicago 13

Today (August 13th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Chicago 13, the eleventh studio album and thirteenth overall album (if you include live and compilations) from Chicago. This one spent ten weeks in 1979 on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 21. It also peaked at number 21 in Canada.

Chicago - Chicago 17 (30th anniversary)

Today (May 14th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Chicago 17, the seventeenth studio album from Chicago. It spent seventy-two weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 4.

For my full review, click here.

Two of a Kind (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Matinee Monday.

Today (December 16th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Two of a Kind, the 1983 romantic comedy that re-teamed John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The two played criminally-minded individuals (he an inventor, she a bank teller) bent on protecting the Earth from God’s destruction. Unlike the former film that starred these two (1978’s film-adaptation of the musical Grease), this one was a critical and commercial flop.

Chicago - If You Leave Me Now

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday. This week (the 14th) was also the sixty-eighth birthday of Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the band Chicago.

In late 1982, Chicago had chart resurgence with “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” (which went to number 1) and the follow-up single “Love Me Tomorrow” (which hit number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100). In March of 1983, their label Columbia Record released a compilation album entitled If You Leave Me Now to capitalize on the new found fans.

Chicago - Chicago 16

Thirty years ago, on June 7th of 1982, the American rock band Chicago released their appropriately titled sixteenth studio album Chicago 16. Produced by David Foster and featuring guest musicians from the band Toto, it went to went to number 44 in the UK and spent thirty six weeks on the US Billboard Hot 200, peaking at the number 9 slot.

Chicago - Chicago 17

On May 14th of 1984, the American rock band Chicago released their seventeenth studio album aptly named Chicago 17, a follow up to their comeback album a few years earlier. Composer and keyboardist David Foster was the producer of this multi-Platinum record, which reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200 during its seventy-two weeks on the chart. In the UK, the release reached number 24. It was also the last album for the group that vocalist and bass player Peter Cetera performed on; a year later Cetera quit the group to embark on a solo career.