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Tonight, John Legend, Cat Power, and Colbie Caillat take the stage at Chicago's Vic Theatre, kicking off the five-city 50th Grammy Celebration Tour presented by T-Mobile Sidekick. After tonight's show, the tour will head to New York's Webster Hall on April 9, then on to Miami (April 16), Dallas (April 23), and Los Angeles (April 30). Each city features a different lineup chosen to fit with the local cultural flavor—Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott headline New York's hip-hop-tinged show, and Kid Rock and a yet-to-be-announced artist fit with a country-rock theme in Dallas.

"The mission of the Recording Academy is to make a connection between music, its makers, and its fans," Branden Chapman, vice president of production and process management at the Recording Academy, said from Chicago today. "This tour is part of the academy's effort to keep our brand in the marketplace and connect with music lovers throughout the U.S. on more than just Grammy night." To create a strong connection between fans and the tour's mix of established and up-and-coming artists, Chapman said, he targeted small venues for the tour's "arena-worthy" acts. MORE >>

Grammys, John Legend, Colbie Caillat, Cat Power

EVENT REPORT 03.31.08 10:00 AM

Common Threads Festival Lures Celebrity Chefs

Chef stations featured elegant food presentations.
Photo: Lee Hoagland

Chef Art Smith has friends in high (or highly gourmet) places. This much was evident at the third annual Common Threads' World Festival, held on March 17 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Attended by food-world celebrities ranging from Padma Lakshmi to Rocco DiSpirito and Paula Deen, the fund-raiser produced some culinary star power.

Founded by Smith four years ago, Common Threads educates underprivileged children about nutrition and international cuisine. The charity’s chef advisory board is made up of names from respected—and ethnically diverse—Chicago restaurants. Once a week, a chef from the board leads an in-classroom cooking demo for children 8 to 12 years old.

When creating a concept for Common Threads’ annual fund-raiser, “We tried to mimic what we do in the classroom by creating this world festival walk-around,” said Common Threads executive director Linda Novick O’Keefe. To that end, she employed staggered food stations. “Each chef is asked to represent a different country through food,” she explained. For its first two years, Common Threads' World Festival was held at the Chicago Cultural Center; this year, it was held at the M.C.A. MORE >>

Common Threads, Top Chef, John Legend

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