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The Hideout Empty Bottle Finalists: Lincoln Hall, Metro

Anne Petersen Suicide food If you’ve attended any of the previous six Baconfests, you might be forgiven for viewing it as a wanton orgy of shameless gluttony. Even if the idea of a fat-slicked horde gorging on bacon while Rome is burning is something you revel in, you might take some small pride in the fact that over four years Baconfest has donated almost $220,000 and a little over 14,000 pounds of food to the Greater Chicago Food Depository....

Alfredo Nogueira of Analogue Runner-Up: Marcos Campos of Black Bull

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. If that’s the case, then Monica Ortiz should be almost invulnerable. Ortiz contracted COVID “around the beginning of April, and I had no symptoms at all,” she relates. “The only reason I decided to stay home was because the patient I was taking care of had just [tested] positive; I was the only nurse taking care of her. Something told me to just stay home and wait for my test results—and it turned out I had it....

In 2014 Angel Elmore quit a job selling high-end lingerie that she’d held for seven years, cashed out a 401(k) worth nearly $10,000, and moved into a coach house in Greater Grand Crossing. She was 34 years old, and she wanted to take a year to pursue a dream she’d nurtured ever since her first piano lesson at age 12: to become a musician. Throughout her 20s, that dream had seemed out of reach....

There are plenty of shows, films, and concerts happening this weekend. Here’s some of what we recommend. Fri 7/6-Sun 7/8: Growing up furry on Avenue Q. “With perky songs, video sequences, and Muppet-style puppets portraying most of the characters, this Sesame Street spoof illustrates such grown-up life lessons,” writes the Reader’s, Albert Williams. Fri 8 PM, Sat 5 and 8:30 PM, Sun 3 PM, Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport, 773-325-1700, mercurytheaterchicago....

Smoque BBQ Green Street Smoked Meats Finalists: Lem’s BBQ, Funkenhausen, Flat & Point

“Big Sexy Slide” by DJ Maine @maineofficial In late 2013, bop kings Dlow and Lil Kemo combined their wild, euphoric dancing with the sort of party rap that’s made for it, releasing songs of their own with videos designed to teach you their moves. “The Dlow Shuffle” and “Kemo Step” were both regional hits, but Dlow’s track blew up bigger, helping him land a deal with Atlantic Records and spawning loads of imitations and homages....

Chicago Musical Improv Festival Chicago SummerDance Finalists: Rhinofest, Paragon Play Festival, Genre-Thon

Soup Box various locations, 312-951-5900, soupbox.com Runner-Up: Taste of Lebanon

It’s tough enough to go through a breakup without being in the midst of a pandemic, but now partnerships are being tested, some are going virtual, and others are even dissolving. In the time BC (before coronavirus) getting over a breakup may have included going out, surrounding yourself with friends, distracting your thoughts, or even having a one-night stand. Nothing better than getting over someone by getting under someone, right?...

Editor’s Note, July 20: After this column was published, it was called to our attention that the Random Acts of Theater show has the same title and imagery as an earlier piece by Stephanie Diaz. We regret not catching that similarity at the time and apologize to Diaz and the other creators involved with that work. We asked Jessica Thebus and Stephanie Diaz for comment. Thebus responded: “Random Acts of Theater would like to publicly apologize to Stephanie Diaz for the appropriation of the title and central image of her show Mariposa Nocturna: A Puppet Tryptich....

Having finally got around to listening to Mayor Lightfoot’s recent interview with Kara Swisher of the New York Times, I’ve come to the rather obvious conclusion that she’ll probably get reelected. The rich get richer, and the poor get press conferences where the mayor brags about what a great job she’s doing. Mayor Rahm is “a full human being, rich and fertile from the inside out.” Which probably makes more sense if you read it backwards....

London-based Danish alto saxophonist Julie Kjær performed in Chicago last summer as a member of Paal Nilssen-Love’s sprawling Large Unit, a raucous, high-octane free-jazz orchestra. I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t remember her playing from the concert, but that’s actually the case with most of the individuals in the band—they’re all strong musicians, fueling the combo with extensive improvisation, but what I remember is the way the woolly, gut-punching sound of the ensemble as a whole....

Q: I’m committed to my male partner and he’s committed to me. (I’m a woman.) But we both understand we need to flirt and that we will both want to sleep with someone else at some point. We live together, we have a dog, and neither of us believes in marriage. We plan to purchase a house in the coming months. Here’s the issue: He met a woman at work. He’s not sexually attracted to her at all....

On Saturday the Inner-City Muslim Action Network hosts an event called “The Fiercest Urgency of Now” at the Harold Washington Cultural Center. The centerpiece of the evening is a concert featuring local hip-hop heavies Mick Jenkins and Rhymefest. Minneapolis rapper and Rhymesayers standard-bearer Brother Ali headlines, which is a pretty great excuse to revisit his most recent album, 2012’s Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color. “Just Fine,” today’s 12 O’Clock Track, appears only on the full-length’s deluxe edition, and its carefree air helps it end on an uplifting note....

Gene J. Puskar/AP Photos Bad boy beer Marketing is like a chess game. The marketer advances a poisoned pawn. Whether eagerly or reluctantly, the opposition bites and takes it. “Oh, my goodness, did we make a humdinger of a mistake!” the marketer then squeals, moving up more pieces to consolidate a winning position. “The official beer of rape culture,” tweeted a John Overholt. “In this spirit,” the statement continued, “we created more than 140 different scroll messages intended to encourage brand engagement....