ChiIL November Highlights, Huge Holidaze Giveaways & ChiIL Picks Gift List Details & More

Things have been hoppin' here in Chi, IL.   The weather may be getting chilly, but you can still chiIL out with ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama this fall & winter.   We're all over the local theatre & music scene, events and giveaways.  Our HUGE annual ChiIL Holidaze Giveaways & ChiIL Picks Gift List will go live November 15th-December 15th with LOADS of great goodie to win and our ChiIL Picks List for unique gifts for all ages.   

Spread the word for more entries and enter like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often!

Disclaimer:   Thanks to all the generous musicians, toy companies, distributors and PR firms that send us products for our giveaways and for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.

Highlights:
Here's what we've been up to, what's already posted, what you can look forward to seeing right here in the near future, and so much more. 

Read me at:  ChiIL Mama, ChiIL Live Shows, CNN, 

The Local Tourist,Technorati, Green Parent Chicago, Dug Sound, 

ChiIL Travel Kids, CBS

ChiIL Mama's Channel YouTube

Facebook:  ChiIL Live Shows & ChiIL Mama

Twitter:  ChiIL Live Shows & ChiIL Mama

Pinterest   

Instagram

Keep up with the latest:    

Fam Friendly photo & video features, giveaways, recaps & reviews will be at ChiIL Mama.  

Theatre, music, art,  giveaways, events, & reviews for adults will be at ChiIL Live Shows.

November:
We gave away a sweet 3d Willis Tower Puzzle, Pacific Rim Blu-Ray & loads of local concert tickets & our huge holidaze giveaways begin the 10th.  

We're also back again for the 3rd year as press sponsor for Beat Kitchen's popular weekly Sunday noon Concerts for Kids, which means we give away free tickets EVERY week.  We also have free kindie tickets for shows at Schubas like the award winning Mister G, Baby Loves Disco at Lincoln Hall & more.

**Highlight:  

 

Yes there IS a SANTA CLAUS!!   ChiIL Mama was elated to be invited to The Annual Kenmore Blogger Summit with 24 top bloggers flown in from all over the country.   It was a fun filled, informative weekend and we'll have a full photo recap up soon.   

During the Kenmore Blogger Summit, here's an actual Tweet I sent out:

10/26  Dear santa.. I've been really good this year.  Your cookies n milk would look rockin' awesome in a new grab n go @kenmore fridge #testedtales 

Within a half hour I WON a $2,500 Kenmore French Door Fridge/Bottom Freezer in a blind gift grab bag!!  This has been a high point of my fall for sure.   

Even better... the rules were you could pick 1 from under the tree or snag one from someone else & the final 10 seconds were a swapping free for all.   I had a different bag, that had been stolen from others several times before, and at the last second another blogger snagged it from me and swapped in a sweater print box.   What I lost?...A garlic press!



What I won:

SANTA LIVES!!!!   Don't tell me there's no such thing as holiday magic.

The other blogger was a good sport about it.   I hugged her and thanked her profusely. 

**Upcoming Special Features: 

• Kenmore Blogger Summit where I WON a $2500 FRIDGE!!!!   If you follow us on FB/Twitter you're already aware of my rockin' awesome win.   If not, you'll hear the whole story shortly... complete with humorous anecdotes, photos and holiday miracle

• Blueman Group photo recap press event--unveiling of garden art/artist video interviews

• Lyle Cogen-feature/CD review/original interview with NYC's own nationally acclaimed Bullying Prevention Maven.   We wrapped up anti-bullying month with an great phone interview with Lyle which we're presently editing for a full feature.

• Hamming it up with Hemmert--CircEsteem Circ Soiree Benefit Show with MC Terri Hemmert from WXRT--full video footage coming/photo recap up already

• Breakfast with Bayless--THE RETURN OF RICK BAYLESS IN CASCABEL--our original photo & video Frontera breakfast press conference recap.

LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE, FRONTERA GRILL AND SILVERGUY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT
THE RETURN OF RICK BAYLESS IN CASCABEL 

DINNER – DARING – DESIRE

WITH NEW MENU ELEMENTS IN A NEW VENUE

Four week limited run in the Goodman Theatre’s Owen Bruner Theatre

July 30 – August 24, 2014

*November 15-17 Win 6 tickets to Aquatic Experience Chicago traveling shark show/aquarium show-6 ticket giveaway/advance press/ photo recap

*Opening November 21 Illumination at Morton Arboretum-ticket giveaway/photo recap

*last weekend:

Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Circus Present Built to Amaze--full photo recap coming/advance features & discount ticket code still posted/4 ticket giveaway (ended)

Redmoon-Boneshaker--behind the scenes photo feature up/full photo recap coming

Redmoon Skelebration (fam friendly)--full photo recap coming

Chicago International Children's Film Festival--video footage, recap & reviews coming

Holiday Inn/photo tour/travel feature

FREE Birds Movie Advanced Sneak Peek/Review


ACT OUT:
Fall Theatre Reviews For

• That's Weird Chicago-Barrel of Monkeys
• 7th Love-Harris Theatre
• Lord of the Flies at Steppenwolf
• Once Upon a Dream (Rascals)-Cadillac Palace Broadway in Chicago
• We will Rock You (Queen Musical)-Cadillac Palace Broadway in Chicago
• Midnight Circus
• Smokefall--Goodman
• The Table (puppetry)--Chicago Shakespeare
• Wrecks-Profiles
• Once-Oriental Theatre Broadway in Chicago
• Cyrano--Chicago Shakespeare
• A Year With Frog & Toad at Chicago Children's Theatre
• Old Jews Telling Jokes--Royal George
• North China Lover-Lookingglass

ACT OUT OPENING:
Upcoming Theatre Reviews 

• Port Authority-Writers Theatre (we'll be reviewing at the press opening tonight) 11/6
• Kate & Sam are not Breaking Up-Collaboraction
• Appropriate-Victory Gardens
• Actor's Gym Youth Circus--A'musing Myths
• Hellcab at Profiles
• A Christmas Carol-Goodman
• An Iliad Theatre
• Mikado-Hypocrites (at Steppenwolf)
• Dead Prince-DCASE
• ATC-It's a Wonderful Life
• A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol
• ONCE UPON A PEOPLE: A DANCESICAL
• The Nutcracker-House Theatre
• Trevor-Red Orchid

and more!   We'll be adding more to this stellar show list as the month progresses.

Game & Toy Related:

**Activision Family Games Summit (this Thurs 11/7) open to the public on line**

• PopCap Plants Vs. Zombies 2--press party

• November 21-24 ChiTAG-Chicago Toy and Game Fair (open to the public)

Foodie Fun:

• Chicago food swap at the Chopping Block
• Pinstripes Restaurant Review
• Plum Market photo feature

Music: 

• PigPen band (alt folk-of Old Man and The Old Moon fame) at Schubas-4 show residency/multiple live shows photo features & ticket giveaways to all shows. *Final show November 18th (21+). 

• Monster Magnet at Bottom Lounge 11/16
• Yakuza at Beat Kitchen 11/22
• Misfits at Concord(live show photo feature)
• Dumpstaphunk at Concord (live show photo feature)
• Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg and Andrew W. K. at Double Door  (live show photo feature)
• Revocation (photo feature/original video interview)

November Movies On Our Radar:

The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire

Thor The Dark World

The Book Thief

That Awkward Moment

Frozen

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

The Punk Singer

Bettie Page Reveals All

CIMMfest-call for entries/special screenings

Music Box highlights

Facets features

Prizes/Ticket Giveaways:  As always, our free tickets and events listings are Chicago centered but our giveaways & reviews are for Chi, IL and beyond (nationwide & sometimes Canada too).   We'll have all past winnings coming from us shipped out before the 10th, so if you're still eagerly awaiting CDs, books, toys, etc. thanks for your patience and we've got you covered.   

Some of our prizes come directly from the musicians/distributor/PR peeps etc. and in that case, please wait a month and if you still have not gotten your winnings, shoot us an e-mail and we'll do everything possible to expedite things and get an ETA from them.   Unfortunately we can not replace anything lost in the mail.   It has never happened yet, that I'm aware of, but a few things have gone missing in the lovely Chi-town mail enroute TO me.

Disclaimer:   Thanks to all the generous musicians, toy companies, distributors and PR firms that send us products for our giveaways and for review purposes. As always, all opinions are our own.

Dig Dragons? Win 4 Free Tickets to Ringling Bro. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Dragons #giveaway #ChiRingling

All of our readers are winners.   Enter the code MOM for discount tickets.   

We're circus freaks.  Our kids have been performing with CircEsteem for two years now, learning everything from aerial arts and juggling, to clowning, Spanish Web, Chinese Pole and more!   So our family live and breaths circus, and we freak out and get super excited when the pros come to town.   


What's better than circus?   DRAGON themed circus!!!!    Oh yeah.  We seriously can NOT wait to see them bring it for 2012--Year of the Dragon.  It's a lucky year for the Chinese and lucky for us, too, cause we've seen some amazing dragon themed shows already...with more to come.


What's better than DRAGON themed circus?   Winning free tickets from ChiIL Mama!  Enter through midnight 10/21.


Once again, we'll be giving away a family 4 pack of tickets to one of our lucky readers.   Winner can pick 4 tickets to either opening night at Allstate Arena Thursday Nov. 1 at 7:00pm, or Friday Nov. 2 at 10:30am at Allstate Arena, or Friday Nov. 14 at 7pm at United Center.


*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title or "a Rafflecopter giveaway link" and it should pop right up).   Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to FELD for once again providing us with review tickets, special pre-show opportunities & 4 tickets for our give away.


Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents DRAGONS is a once in a
millennium event that honors The Year of the Dragon. Circus performers
from the farthest reaches of the earth have assembled for Ringling
Bros.® Presents Dragons to showcase their astounding acts of bravery and
astonishing athleticism. Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Johnathan Lee
Iverson presides over this fantastical celebratory tournament of circus
champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with authentic circus
feats. Dragons is a never-before-seen blend of renowned spiritual and
real life legends that can be found only at The Greatest Show On
Earth®! 

Ringling Bros® and Barnum & Bailey Presents DRAGONS

Allstate Arena: Nov. 1-11, 2012

Prices: 

Circus Celebrity - $90 

Front Row – weekend =$60 / weekday = $50

VIP - $40

P1 – $25

P2 – $19

P3 - $13

•  Purchasing Link - http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/i89mql

**Circus Celebrity seats sell out early, with 20+ minutes where you and your family become a part of the show on the Arena floor.   Act fast if that's of interest.

Schedule: 

Thursday – 7:00

Friday – 10:30, 7:00

Saturday – 11:30, 3:30, 7:30

Sunday – 1:00, 5:00

Wednesday thru Friday – 7:00

Saturday – 11:30, 3:30, 7:30

Sunday - 1:00, 5:00

	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
	NOV. 1	NOV. 2	NOV. 3	NOV. 4
		10:30 AM	11:30 AM
			3:30 PM	1:00 PM
	7:00 PM	7:00 PM	7:30 PM	5:00 PM
Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
NOV. 7	NOV. 8	NOV. 9	NOV. 10	NOV. 11
			11:30 AM
			3:30 PM	1:00 PM
7:00 PM	7:00 PM	7:00 PM	7:30 PM	5:00 PM

United Center:  Nov. 14-25, 2012

Prices: 

Circus Celebrity - $90

Front Row – weekend =$60 / weekday = $50

VIP - $40

P1 – $25

P2 – $19

P3 - $13

•  Purchasing Link - http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/i89mql

Schedule: 

Wednesday – 7:00

Thursday & Friday – 10:30, 7:00

Saturday – 11:30, 3:30, 7:30

Sunday – 1:00, 5:00

Tuesday – 7:00

Wednesday –2:00, 7:00

Friday  & Saturday – 11:30, 3:30, 7:30

Sunday - 1:00, 5:00

	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun
	NOV. 14	NOV. 15	NOV. 16	NOV. 17	NOV. 18
		10:30 AM	10:30 AM	11:30 AM
				3:30 PM	1:00 PM
	7:00 PM	7:00 PM	7:00 PM	7:30 PM	5:00 PM
Tues.	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
NOV. 20	NOV. 21	NOV. 22	NOV. 23	NOV. 24	NOV. 25
	2:00 PM		11:30 AM	11:30 AM
			3:30 PM	3:30 PM	1:00 PM
7:00 PM	7:00 PM		7:00 PM	7:30 PM	5:00 PM

• Doors open an hour prior to each performance ALL tickets holders are invited down to the arena floor for the FREE ALL ACCESS PRE-SHOW Power Up Party!!  Arrive early and bring your cameras for a chance to meet your favorite performers and animals.

The anticipation builds throughout Ringling Bros. Presents DRAGONS as Children Of All Ages bear witness to one phenomenal Ringling Bros. circus act after another, from Shaolin Kung Fu Warriors, charging Cossack riders, magnificent Asian elephants, fierce tigers to the frenzied Globe of Steel. As the audience observes these and even more real world displays that pay tribute to the dragon, their continued excitement will bring glimpses of the elusive beast. But, the big question remains; what will it take to lure a true dragon from its golden lair? 

Ringling Bros. Presents DRAGONS opens with the All Access Pre-show available to all ticket holders. Families can join Pre-show Host Andre McClain and participate in interactive experiences such as learning juggling and balancing skills, get performer autographs, see one of Ringling Bros. majestic Asian elephant’s paint a one-of-a-kind masterpiece and meet the Ringling Bros. Clowns, whose side-splitting spoofs, absurd antics and comical parody are guaranteed to keep audiences roaring with laughter!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey searched far and wide, from north to south and east to west, to bring audiences spellbinding acts, including:

•  The Shaolin Warriors, from China, eintense and fearless Kung Fu martial arts dating back to the 5th Century. Trained at an early age to become masters of their discipline, the Shaolin Warriors demonstrate powerful concentration and skill by using rapid movements and the sheer strength of their own bodies to twist eight foot long metal rods; break six foot long wooden poles in one precise strike; or be lifted seven feet in the air on the points of five handheld spears. Not even 16 steel blades rotating within a metal ring of fire can unnerve the steady mind of a Shaolin Warrior as he jumps through the razor-sharp blaze blindfolded!

•  The Riders of the Wind, a dozen of the most deftly-balancing Cossack riders, charge into the ring on their thoroughbred horses, displaying great strength and amazing dexterity. The equestrian acrobat riders perform intricate maneuvers on horseback, including a double-man pyramid that builds to a remarkable Roman riding five-man high pyramid, all while the horses are galloping at full speed!

•  The Globe of Steel features the Torres Family who will shatter all records by putting eightfamily members on specialized motorcycles. Once locked inside a 16-foot steel globe, all together they will orbit at an unprecedented 65 miles per hour within inches of each other.

•  Hailing from Great Britain and appearing in the United States for the first time, Alexander Lacey, trainer and award winning presenter, along with his big cats including tigers and lions, summons brazen bravadoand valor in one mixed cat display. Lacey’s fearless command of the big cats’ agility and strength demonstrates unconditional respect between man and predator.

•  Featured in a dazzling aerial display, Viktoriya Medeiros and Widny Neves, the Hair Hang Heroines ascend 35-feet in the air from just the strands of their long dark hair. Relying on the pure strength of their hair, they juggle, flip and even spiral down a silk chiffon!  

•  The Flying Caceres,with their double decker high trapeze specifically for Ringling Bros., will soar elegantly through the air at The Greatest Show On Earth. will present the wildly difficult forward triple somersault and in the first worldwide attempt, troupe leader George Caceres will undertake a full twisting double bar-to-bar somersault.

Lions....and tigers....and DRAGONS?!   OH MY!

•  A whimsical, heartwarming and awe inspiring display of showmanship brings an animal menagerie from 10 pounds to 10,000 pounds only found at Ringling Bros. DRAGONS. Treasured Ringling Bros. Asian elephants, the largest herd of any circus in North America, are presented in an incredible spectacle of majestic wonder and strength. Andre McClainpresents a charming display of mixed hoofstock including horses,ponies, mini-donkeys, goats; Hans Klose his ten high-energy rescue dogsdisplay their animal athleticism by high jumping, hurdling, back flipping, walking on their hind legs and even diving from 16 feet up in the air; and, Mayyaand Andriy Panfilovamaze as their troupe of performing domestic felinesscale a “kitty low wire,” balance on top of balls, jump through hula hoops and walk across parallel bars only using their front paws.

•  In a friendly tournament of Russian Bar Renegades and Teeterboard Titans, two amazing acrobatic troupes attempt to outdo one another as they vault from a 12-foot-long, six-inch-wide Russian bar showcasing an overwhelming series of flips, twists and somersaults sequences. These athletes will astonish as they ramp it up by securing themselves to six-foot-tall stilts before being launched from the teeterboard, executing not a just single, not even a double, but an unbelievable triple somersault!

 Roaring through the arena sky is the dueling double motorcycle high-wire!  Hearts will pound as two daredevil riders race their motorcycles on specially designed high-wires suspended 30 feet over the audience. Precariously poised from each bike are beautiful aerialists who feed the flames of excitement with flips and spins all while on the moving bikes!

All Access Pre-show Descriptions:

Don’t miss DRAGONS, all-new circus entertainment from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®! Arrive an hour early and meet our animals and performers at the All Access Pre-show Power-up Party – free with your ticket!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® DRAGONS! goers can meet some of Ringling Bros.majestic animals, see a pachyderm paint a portrait and learn more about Ringling Bros. commitment to elephant conservation at the All Access Pre-show―Free with your ticket! Playing Allstate Arena Nov. 1-11 and united Center Nov. 14-25.  Get your tickets today at Ringling.com.

An hour before show time, audiences can join Ringling Bros.talented performers and learn new circus skillsthe All Access Pre-show, FREE with your ticket! Audience members can get up close and personal with Ringling Bros. performers to take photos, get autographs and learn circus skills at the All Access Pre-show. 

Playing Allstate Arena Nov. 1-11 and united Center Nov. 14-25.  Get your tickets today at Ringling.com.

Click here for sweet show videos, behind the scenes fun and more details.     





I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre -Show events.  


Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine