Stories by Marc Vitali

Rob Zombie made a name for himself as a purveyor of monstrous rock ‘n’ roll and scary movies. He also helps create haunted houses around the country. We speak with Zombie on location in west suburban Villa Park, the site of his "Great American Nightmare." 

Television writer and producer Norman Lear took a lighthearted approach to many challenging social and political issues in groundbreaking sitcoms such as “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.” Lear, 93, joins us to reflect on the many adventures of his long life and to discuss the new edition of his memoir "Even This I Get to Experience."

Joshua Bell has been a violin virtuoso since he was teenager in Bloomington, Indiana back in the 1980s. He talks with "Chicago Tonight" about his early years, the greatness of the Stradivarius and his favorite collaborators. He'll also treat us to a live performance with pianist Sam Haywood.

New York-based Condé Nast purchases Chicago’s Pitchfork Media, while Playboy magazine announces it will no longer publish nude photographs starting next year. Crain’s Chicago Business deputy managing editor Ann Dwyer talks about these and other top business headlines of the week. 

Rob Zombie made a name for himself as a purveyor of monstrous rock ‘n’ roll and scary movies. He also helps create haunted houses around the country. We spoke with Zombie on location in west suburban Villa Park, the site of his "Great American Nightmare." 

Art and medicine combine when a local neurologist gets his first art show–featuring his photographs of the palettes of famous Chicago artists.

Teller, the usually silent half of magic duo Penn and Teller, speaks his mind about the new production of "The Tempest" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, in which he weaves stage illusions into the story of an exiled duke who uses the supernatural world to protect his daughter.

Judy Collins recounts her long music career and her political activism, which included testifying in Chicago in 1969 in support of the Chicago Seven. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune walks us through the new designs for the Lucas Museum. Learn about the details of Chinese architect Ma Yansong's revised plan for the potential lakefront museum – and what is missing.

It's that time of year again, when the world comes to Chicago – and Chicago stages a giant temporary art exhibition to welcome the world. With 43 international cities represented, 17 countries and literally thousands of artists participating, this weekend’s Expo Chicago has been anticipated well beyond the city limits. Learn more about the show.

Celebrated actor, singer and dancer Rita Moreno is in Chicago to honor Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street, at an awards ceremony on Wednesday night. Tuesday, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award-winning artist joins Chicago Tonight to share stories from her incredible life and career.

Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is in town to work with veterans of his choreographic style at the Joffrey Ballet and some new kids on the block – the Joffrey recently added 10 dancers to the company. Wheeldon joins us in advance of the Joffrey's 60th anniversary season, kicking off Wednesday with the program Millennials.

Chicago's Alfonso Iannelli was a prolific artist whose work adorns local landmarks such as the Adler Planetarium. He also devoted creative energy toward designing ingenious household appliances such as coffee makers. A new book titled Everyday Modern: The Industrial Design of Alfonso Iannelli documents those efforts. Joining us tonight are the book’s author David Jameson and Chicago cultural historian Tim Samuelson.

It has been a busy season in the world of architecture, from new libraries to new landscapes. Chicago Tribune's Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin joins us to discuss the opening of Northerly Island’s new nature park and the cutting-edge design of the new Chinatown library. He'll also update us on the status of a global search for architects competing to work on the Obama Presidential Center.

Comic actors George Wendt and Tim Kazurinsky appear together in Bruce Graham's new play Funnyman, opening this week at Northlight Theatre in Skokie. The duo joins Chicago Tonight to talk about the world premiere play, recall their days at Second City, and fact-check a couple of Internet rumors about their long careers.

Chicago businessman Julius Rosenwald was also a courageous philathropist and his work resonates to this day. The new documentary Rosenwald opens this Friday in Chicago and Highland Park. Chicago Tonight discusses the film–and the man at the center of it–with filmmaker Aviva Kempner, and Peter Ascoli, a faculty member of the Spertus Institute who is Julius Rosenwald's grandson.

It is a farmers market with a mission. Green City Market in Lincoln Park bills itself as Chicago’s only truly “green” farmers market, linking farmers to chefs and the Chicago community. And even when the seasons are changing, this year-round sustainable market offers a bounty of locally grown foods.

Chicago Sun-Times theater critic Hedy Weiss reviews Kurios – the latest from Cirque du Soleil – and the world premiere musical October Sky, directed by Rachel Rockwell at Marriott Lincolnshire.

Struggling artist Frank Dudley visited the Indiana Dunes 100 years ago and discovered his life's work – painting the fragile and constantly evolving landscape and promoting and preserving the dunes. We look at the enduring impact of Dudley's dramatic oil paintings.

Recent reports in science journals point to a mass extinction currently underway. Field Museum senior conservation ecologist Doug Stotz joins us to discuss the phenomenon and his work in South America with the museum's Science Action Center. He'll also share specimens of extinct birds from the Field collection, including the passenger pigeon and the Carolina parakeet.

A rare survey of the painter Archibald Motley draws to a close later this month at the Cultural Center. Chicago Tonight revisits the brilliantly colorful canvases of this often-overlooked African-American painter, whose variety of subjects and captured the Jazz Age like no one else.

After World War II, many artists broke with traditional methods of creative exploration. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago was one place where independent-minded American artists honed their skills. A new exhibition at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art considers some of the artistic voices that rose in Chicago in the 1950s and '60s. Join us for a closer look.

This fall, the Chicago Architecture Biennial will assess architectural projects and experiments from around the world. We'll get a preview of what to expect and find out the results of a competition to add kiosks to the city's lakefront.

A distinctly American arts movement was born in Chicago in the 1960s and remains influential to this day. We take a closer look at revolutionary experiments in art and music highlighted in "The Freedom Principle,"  a new summer show at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

What is the landmark status of Marina City and other Chicago buildings? And is the Trump sign "classy" or in the words of Chicago Tribune critic Blair Kamin, is it "urban acne"? Kamin joins us on Chicago Tonight for the latest on Chicago architecture.

The watchdog group Citizens Utility Board on Wednesday alerted Chicago customers to upcoming changes to their power bills and offered tips for avoiding bad deals.