Folks at home may have seen a celebration of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz when balloons dropped on the final evening of the Democratic National Convention. The balloon crew knew otherwise — this job was personal.

Social media was aflutter Thursday night with speculation that a surprise special guest would appear at the DNC before Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage.

The award-winning singer-songwriter and global pop icon will perform on Thursday evening, the source said, ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris taking the stage for the most significant speech of her political career.

On Tuesday, the Democratic National Convention held a ceremonial roll call to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. As part of the ceremonies, each state and territory was given a special “walk-up song” We have the list. 

“Next Stop: Chicago” is offering a series of public art activations by community-based organizations that address the city’s post-pandemic infrastructure inequity. 

Night 1 of “The Daily Show” in Chicago is in the books. Taping wrapped Monday evening at the Athenaeum Center in Lakeview. The show was hosted by Michael Kosta with appearances by Jordan Klepper and Grace Kuhlenschmidt. Jon Stewart will host live on Thursday night.

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88.

A local husband-and-wife team leads a collective of artists who create monuments to sports stars and heroes of all kinds. Their big break came 30 years ago when the Chicago Bulls commissioned them to make a monument to Michael Jordan. The 15-foot sculpture, titled “The Spirit,” stands inside the United Center.

Not since the Obama years has celebrity enthusiasm been so high, merging the world of pop culture and politics as the race kicks into high gear with this week’s Democratic convention in Chicago.

Latin Restaurant Weeks are back with specials across the Chicago area. It’s an opportunity to sample flavors from across Latin America without leaving Illinois.

After a dramatic announcement two months ago that Riot Fest would be relocating to suburban Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium, the music festival has pulled an about-face and will be returning to Douglass Park Sept. 20-22, pending Park District approval, the Chicago Park District announced Wednesday.

The streaming service has still offered no explanation for the more than one-hour delay in dropping Tuesday night’s episode of “Hard Knocks.” 

Prepare to get all nostalgic for the extremely recent past.

Back in 2008 Eli Bauman was a young campaign organizer for then-candidate Barack Obama. Now, he’s written “44 – THE unOFFICIAL, unSANCTIONED OBAMA MUSICAL.”

For the Illinois agricultural community, along with craft, gardening and baking enthusiasts, the Illinois State Fair is like a combination of Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Olympics and a carnival.

Coach Matt Eberflus said Thursday that the quarterback will start the team’s second preseason game, along with all other starters who are healthy.