Latest news with #Shameless'
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
New Elgin School of Rock to celebrate grand opening with music lessons, concert
It may not be the 'Rock 'n' Roll High School,' but Tommy Evans hopes students who check out Elgin's new School of Rock get the same kick from music that he did when he first heard groups like the Ramones. The music school's newest franchise at 355 S. Randall Road will celebrate its grand opening from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 7, by offering a free music lessons and a concert by Elgin School of Rock's 101 program students. Evans, a St. Charles resident who's been playing guitar since he was a teen, opened the school with his mother, Meg. He remembers the thrill he felt when he first got into music, he said. 'My friends introduced me to bands like Nirvana and the Ramones, and I became infatuated with the sound of the guitar and the process of creating music,' Evans said. He went on to get his bachelor's degree in audio production and design from Columbia College in Chicago in 2012 and has played with bands in the Chicago area, including one he formed called Secret Colours. The band's name is a nod to a Beatles song, its sound inspired by '90s Britpop acts like Oasis, Blur and Pulp. 'My (late) father (Jim Evans) listened to a lot of those bands in that scene,' Evans said. 'Something about the sound of that time and place will always make me feel nostalgic. It had such raw energy and aspiration behind it. I think it will always influence my songwriting in one way or another.' Secret Colours' music has been featured in YouTube videos, the 2015 horror movie 'Wind Walkers,' and TV shows including Showtime's 'Shameless' and 'Californication,' CW's 'The Vampire Diaries' and Hulu's 'Difficult People.' Still, like many musicians, Evans needed a full-time job to pay his bills and started working for School of Rock in 2013. Since then he has played various roles with the organization, most recently as general manager of the location in Naperville. After gaining experience, Evans said he realized it was time to open a School of Rock franchise of his own. 'I love the mission of School of Rock,' he said. 'It does so much more than teach music. It helps people learn how to work together, encouraging each other toward a common goal, building confidence and having great experiences in rehearsals and at venues,' Elgin's is the 401st School of Rock in the country; more than 20 of those are located in Illinois. Evans opened and operates the business with his mother, Meg, who lives in Geneva. 'My husband, Jim, passed away unexpectedly in 2021, just six weeks after I retired from a 35-year sales career with Johnson & Johnson,' Meg Evans said. 'When Tommy came to me with the desire to get involved and open his own school, it helped give me some purpose back. Jim would have loved it. He supported Tommy in everything Tommy ever did.' In addition to the free lessons and performance, the grand opening celebration will feature a ribbon-cutting, food, beverages and tours. The students who will be performing are among the 40 who have come on board since the school's soft opening two months ago. They already have eight adult students, and 'as soon as we get six or more adults, we will be able to form a band with them,' Meg Evans said. 'At the end of each three- to four-month term, they will play at a local venue.' School of Rock teaches guitar, bass, keyboard, drums and vocals. Students have a 45-minute, one-on-one lesson every week followed by a 90-minute band rehearsal lesson, Evans said. The school is offering a variety of summer camps as well, she said. They've also has been getting involved in the Elgin community. They offered free lessons earlier this month at the Elgin Public Museum, and will be doing events at Lords Park Zoo and Elgin Downtown Market, conducting a kids interactive musical experience before the June 20 screening of 'Soul' in Wing Park, marching in Elgin's Fourth of July Parade, and sponsoring the summer outdoor concert series at Panton Mill Park in South Elgin. 'And when we have our own house band, we will be out playing wherever the community would need us,' Meg Evans said.
Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Chicago Cubs beat the hapless Colorado Rockies 3-1 to kick off a must-win series at Wrigley Field
The Chicago Cubs met the newest 'worst team in baseball history' Monday at Wrigley Field, and not surprisingly, it turned out to be a good day to play the Colorado Rockies. Despite managing only four hits, the Cubs beat the Rockies 3-1 before a Memorial Day crowd of 40,171, riding the arm of starter Jameson Taillon and the bullpen on an unseasonably cool but sunny afternoon. 'We're finding a way to win different types of games,' Taillon said. 'We can win the slugfest, we can win the small ball game … It's good right now. Obviously a lot of year ahead, but it's a nice mix. We can win in a lot of different ways, which is important.' Taillon (4-3) allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings, and four relievers finished it off, with Daniel Palencia registering his third save. This is a must-win series for the Cubs, though only because the Rockies have yet to win a series in their first 17 attempts, and it would be somewhat embarrassing to be their first victim. The Rockies are 9-45 after Monday's loss, leaving them on pace to finish 27-135, which would obliterate the 2024 White Sox's record of 121 losses — one more than the 1962 New York Mets. The Rockies are now 2-16 in series openers, 0-6 on Mondays and have lost 25 of their last 28 games. They can lose in any kind of weather, and at any altitude. The Cubs, meanwhile, have gone in the opposite direction, which suggests a series sweep should be the real goal. They're 10-3 in their 21-game stretch of facing sub-.500 teams, doing what good teams do. Memorial Day is the first real milepost of the six-month regular season, and in Chicago it also serves as the unofficial start of tourist season at Wrigley Field. Jason Bateman, Austin Butler, Jeremy Allen White and David Harbour were among the tourists on hand Monday, though White has probably earned honorary Chicagoan status by now from 'Shameless' and 'The Bear.' Thanks to fans who just want to go to Wrigley, a mediocre Cubs team can draw well any summer. But a very good Cubs team will see packed houses every game from Memorial Day through September, and this team is trending toward the latter, with a 33-21 record and one of the game's top offenses so far. Imagine if the wind starts blowing out once in a while, which it typically does in the summer. It was blowing in at Wrigley on Monday for the 16th time in 24 games, and has blown out on only four occasions. The Cubs are 4-0 in those games. 'When you've got a lot of guys producing at a really good level, it's tough to get through parts of our lineup for sure,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'And we're making it tough in a lot of innings for teams, and you're going to get results eventually by that. And you see that by lack of strikeouts, of runners on base, etc.' While the Cubs came in averaging over 6 runs per game and faced a pitcher in Carson Palmquist with an 11.88 ERA, a stiff in-blowing wind on a cool, 56-degree afternoon turned out to be the equalizer. The Cubs scratched across a first-inning run on Dansby Swanson's RBI groundout, and Taillon held the Rockies without a baserunner until two outs in the fifth, when Mickey Moniak hit a game-tying, 399-foot home run to right. In the bottom of the fourth, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a similar shot, but it was a tad too high and was held in by the wind, landing in the glove of Moniak for a routine out. But Kyle Tucker's run-scoring single in the fifth put the Cubs ahead again, and Taillon got out of a jam in the sixth, aided by Nico Hoerner nailing a runner at the plate on a fielder's choice grounder. Counsell removed Taillon with one out in the seventh after only 82 pitches, and turned it over to his bullpen, which had a 1.25 ERA over its previous 10 games, seeming to solve the team's most glaring weakness. Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Pressly and Drew Pomeranz — the thirtysomething trio of middle relievers — have helped Counsell's blood pressure of late. Palencia, who has a closer's mentality and a 101 mph fastball, looks like a bona fide homegrown stopper, something the Cubs haven't had in years, except for a few months of Adbert Alzolay closing in '23. Tucker added a sacrifice fly in the seventh on a hit to left fielder Jordan Beck, originally ruled a dropped ball that turned into a double play. But the umpires converged and decided Beck had caught the ball and dropped it while transferring it out of the glove, negating the double play and making it 3-1. 'It's not a one-man show,' Taillon said of Tucker. 'But it definitely helps to have that guy.' Photos: Chicago Cubs defeat the Colorado Rockies 3-1 at Wrigley Field on Memorial DayThe Rockies play two more games against the Cubs this series on their road to nowhere. Entering Monday's game, the winning percentage disparity between the Cubs (.611) and Rockies (.167) was minus-.444. Admittedly, I've never heard of a stat called winning percentage disparity before. But it turns out the Rockies' win over the New York Yankees on Friday tied for the second-largest winning percentage disparity (minus-.452) for a team at least 50 games into a season in the expansion era. Beating the Cubs would be close to that monumental achievement. Those of us who haven't blotted the '24 Sox out of our membranes can attest that the Rockies are substantially worse for one big reason — there is no Garrett Crochet on the staff to save them every fifth day. But before the '25 Rockies can officially wipe the '24 Sox out of the record books, they still have to play the games. This unique baseball record must be earned on the field, as the Sox did so ably last year. The Rockies look like they have it in them to do it, but some bad luck obviously is needed, as the '24 Sox proved. Trading their best player, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, might be the one move that puts the Rockies over the top. But no matter how the season unfolds, the Cubs and Rockies will be back Tuesday night, where Cubs rookie Cade Horton will be seeking his third win. The Rockies are 0-6 on Tuesdays … just in case you were wondering.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rangers and their shameless manager hunt is like getting Frank when you wanted Liam Gallagher
Monday night's bombshell saw reports that Davide Ancelotti is in the running to become the next manager of Rangers. And the verdict on potential? Utterly shameless! The 35-year-old has worked as number two to his legendary father Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid but if he does land the gig in Govan will become a manager in his own right for the first time. And while the rookie could get strong financial backing of incoming Gers owners 49ers Enterprises one punter has drawn up a comparison with one ill-fated Rangers boss from recent memory. Willie Mercer, Dumfries, wrote: "If it is reported that Ancelotti Jnr is the next manager of Rangers, then I fear that we are getting another (Michael) Beale. "Someone who is good on the training pitch but who has zero management experience. Add to this the fact that he has no knowledge or understanding of the dynamics of Scottish football, further adds to the concerns. Given Rangers lack of success over the last decade, and Celtics dominance, now is not the time for the club to be experimenting or taking risks on a rookie manager." Robert Livingstone, Palm Beach said: If it's a done deal then that's quite an amazing choice for the 49ers to hire an assistant manager. I'd say his father (who's won every European trophy several times over ) had a say in the transactions. "It's not the outcome fans would want, but in North America, Real Madrid with Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most famous soccer teams in the world and in the 49ers front office up to Jed York know about Real Madrid's European cup and cl pedigree. "(It's) certainly it seems a very unusual move to make and also does come with risks as he'd know nothing about the Scottish game." However, Gordon Ashley, Ayr, firmly believes Gers hierarchy wouldn't be naïve enough to appoint someone with no managerial experience. He added: "Fans should take this news of the new rangers manager with a pinch of salt because I believe it is a bluff. "There is no way these guys who work for big companies are going to be daft enough to employ someone with zero managerial or even playing experience as a manager just because of his name. Even Steven Gerard had playing and some coaching experience." The prospect of Ancelotti Jr rocking up at Ibrox has seen a few chuckles from other Hotline callers. Laurie McCall, Carntyne, said: "Ancelotti for Ibrox? Not Carlo but his son Davide! That's a bit like buying tickets for Oasis and Frank Gallagher from 'Shameless' appearing on stage instead of Liam and Noel. Robert McEwan, Glasgow, added: "That's a brave move by Rangers going for Ancelotti Jnr. I heard he's the brains behind Real Madrid's success, who would have thought." Neil Renton, Leith, wrote: "If I was Davide Ancelotti I'd ask my old man if he needs a hand with the Brazil national team before I'd take a job with Rangers as it would be an easier gig. One of them involves trying to get a tune out of a bunch of underperforming Prima Donna's, while the other would find you on the beaches of Rio." Elsewhere, Derek McInnes' decision to swap the Killie dugout for Hearts at the end of the season has not gone down too well with one caller of a Rugby Park persuasion. Jim McClean, Rothesay, said: "This manager business is a shambles both by Billy Bowie and the timing of Hearts approach. "Their contact has been out of order, it should have waited till the season was completely finished. "It's farcical and reminds me of the Ibrox shambles of the past year."
Daily Mirror
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Shameless cast now - Coronation Street, rehab and 'difficult' costar divorce
More than 10 years on since Shameless' dramatic finale episode aired on Channel 4, we take a look at what the likes of Debbie, Ian, Lip and Frank are up to now... It's been over a decade since viewers said goodbye to Shameless, Channel 4 's unforgettable dramedy set on the fictional Chatsworth estate in Manchester. Bursting onto screens in 2004, Shameless quickly cemented itself as a standout series of the 2000s, kickstarting several major acting careers along the way. Created by Burnley's own Paul Abbott, the show was a raw, hilarious, and often shocking portrayal of working-class life in Britain. Its impact wasn't limited to the UK either — the American adaptation also found major success. Since The Jockey poured its last pint, the world has changed dramatically — and so have the lives of the cast who made Chatsworth come alive. The Mirror catches up with the former residents of Chatsworth, revealing where they've ended up — from Hollywood red carpets to reality TV showdowns... Frank Gallagher - David Threlfall He was the alcoholic, chain-smoking, feckless father of the pack who abandoned his five kids to move in with his neurotic sex fiend of a girlfriend, Sheila Jackson. Often found quoting Shakespeare in between wetting himself, Frank's go-to pose was propping up the bar at The Jockey in his infamous parka. Off-screen, however, actor David Threlfall, now 71, couldn't be more different. A far cry from his chaotic alter ego, David is a classically trained actor with an impressive resume. He's appeared in major films like Patriot Games alongside Harrison Ford, and had roles in acclaimed series such as Cutting It and Spooks. A frequent performer with the Royal Shakespeare Company, David's talents shine brightest on the stage. Most recently, David played George Parker in Funny Woman, where he starred alongside Gemma Arterton in the adaptation of the book by Nick Hornby. The story follows a beauty queen leaving Blackpool to make a name for herself on TV in London during the swinging sixties Away from the world of television, David has two children with wife and fellow actor Brana Bajic. Intriguingly, non-smoker David has also previously told the Mirror he has nothing in common with his Shameless alter-ego. Highlighting one key difference during the 2010 interview, he explained: "I can't imagine getting up in the morning and taking a drink. My body doesn't take more than four pints. I was doing a scene yesterday where he was drinking cough medicine. He's lost.' Fiona Gallagher - Anne-Marie Duff Fiona was Frank's long-suffering eldest daughter who he left in charge of raising her siblings after their mum Monica ran off with another woman. But the part-time teaching assistant got her Cinderella story when hunky posh boy Steve McBride (James McAvoy) fell head over heels for her at a nightclub. Unfortunately, the fairy tale came to a crushing end in series two when Steve's secret side gig as a car thief and heroin dealer came to light, forcing him to flee the estate. He eventually returned for Fiona and convinced her to start a new life in Amsterdam where they got hitched. And in real life, Anne-Marie, 54, and James, 46, also fell in love, marrying in secret in 2006 and welcoming son Brandon in 2010. But six years later they announced their divorce, with actress Anne-Marie branding it a 'profound, difficult experience.' James has since married his second wife Lisa Liberati, who he met on the set of psychological horror film Split Although their romantic relationship has now ended, Anne-Marie has insisted: "There's a lot of goodwill between us." "And we do still laugh all the time. I cannot imagine a time in my life when he doesn't make me belly laugh," she told the Telegraph. "We love being parents and he's someone I'll respect, always." After quitting Shameless in series two, Anne-Marie's star continued to rise. She went on to star in Nowhere Boy, Suffragette, and Before I Go to Sleep alongside Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. Anne-Marie has worked on some of the most talked-about TV shows of the past few years, including Sex Education, The Salisbury Poisonings, and Bad Sisters, which earned her a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress in 2023. Steve McBride - James McAvoy Hailing from a rich family of medical professionals, Steve was also set to become a doctor but quit medical school two years in. After bowing out with Fiona in series two, actor James' career blew up with lead roles in blockbusters such as Atonement, X-Men, and The Last King of Scotland. Following his divorce from Anne-Marie, Scottish-born James embarked on a relationship with production assistant Lisa, who he married privately, confirming the wedding had taken place during a 2022 interview with The Guardian. Last month, James was recognised for his outstanding contribution to cinema by his home city. The actor was presented with the Cinema City Honorary Award by the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) in March 2025. Speaking outside the GFT, he said: 'It's humbling, it's a massive honour. I never thought for a second when I started acting at the age of 16 that I would even get another job, let alone be here, 29 years later, getting a lovely award from my home city. So yeah, massively humbling, and it's quite sentimental as well.' Debbie Gallagher - Rebecca Ryan Debbie – in Frank's words - was sent by God but you've got to check your change. Like her big sister Fiona, Debbie was saddled with mother duties before leaving the estate to join the army in series six. Rebecca, 33, went on to star in the BBC drama Doctors and more recently played Gem Dean in Casualty but quit in 2018. In 2021, Manchester-born Rebecca joined the cast of Coronation Street as Underworld PA Lydia Chambers. After causing plenty of trouble between Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) and Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) - including shoving Adam off a balcony - Lydia left the cobbles in 2022. In January 2025, revealed she is pregnant with her second child with her husband Dan Acraman in a sweet Instagram post. Her news comes nearly two years after she welcomed her first baby. Phillip 'Lip' Gallagher - Jody Latham Never referred to by his actual name on account of being 'a bit of a gobsh*te', Lip had a baby with Mandy McGuire before heading off to university to embrace his studious side. After leaving Shameless behind, Jody, 42, joined co-star Rebecca Ryan in Waterloo Road before moving on to The Tudors, Hollyoaks, Holby City, and Doctors. In 2009 he was the first person to be kicked off reality show Hell's Kitchen after a series of barneys with the other contestants. Jody has embarked upon a very different career path in recent years, and now works in his family construction business. It would seem that his new direction has been very lucrative, as he previously showed off his lime green £200K Lamborghini on Instagram. In 2020, the actor-turned-entrepreneur opened up about his mental health struggles during an appearance on James English's Anything Goes podcast. He revealed: "I did a stint in rehab - I've never spoken about this publicly. It wasn't for me - but I learned a lot from it. "My substance abuse is minimal, I do drink sometimes, not every day and not a lot, but because I was going through anxiety and business worries, there was an opportunity to go and refresh. "It was exhaustion as well. I took a week out, it was going to be a month, but I took a week." Ian Gallagher - Gerard Kearns Ian led a secret double life as the underage lover of married corner shop owner Kash Karib (Chris Bisson) - who also happened to be his boss. It later emerged he wasn't actually Frank's child but rather the result of one of Monica's affairs, and he made a swift exit after accidentally killing Joe Pritchard in series seven. Gerard, 39, has since starred in the BAFTA-winning The Mark of Cain and the crime drama Trespass Against Us, also starring Michael Fassbender. He has been married to wife Sarah since December 2017 and they have two sons, Aiden James Kearns and James Aiden Kearns. Veronica Fisher - Maxine Peake As Fiona's feisty best mate, Veronica was a regular in the Gallaghers' kitchen - when she wasn't getting hot and heavy with her other half, Kev. But their constant lovemaking took on a more serious tone when it emerged they were struggling to conceive. And life cruelly imitated art, with Maxine, 50, and her art director partner Pawlo Wintoniuk suffering three rounds of IVF and two miscarriages before deciding enough was enough. "I had three rounds but that was enough for me, I was done. It was so difficult physically and emotionally," she previously told Radio 4. "You are absolutely pumped full of hormones, you're tired, and I was working at the same time. "You don't have that luxury of taking time off. You have to find places where you can inject when you're on a night shoot. In a grubby portable toilet, panicking that you're going to infect yourself." The actress has since played Myra Hindley in See No Evil: The Moors Murders and starred in The Theory of Everything, Dinnerladies, and Black Mirror. Kev Ball - Dean Lennox Kelly Barman Kev and his randy wife Veronica were famed for their steamy scenes, but for actor Dean, lying naked and spread-eagled on leopardskin sheets was a low point. He told the Argus: "That was definitely the most embarrassing moment. It was a very cold day and there were five people in the room, all of them men. "There was another bad episode at the start of the second series when Kev had a crush on his reading teacher and I had to pretend to masturbate a few times on camera. "That was really embarrassing because it was a female director and she was kind of giving me notes about what my position should be like. Trust me, lady, I'm doing it right." Dean, 49, went on to star in Frankie, Jamestown, and Married, Single, Other. You might also remember him as William Shakespeare in a 2007 episode of Doctor Who. More recently, Dean has worked on shows such as Brassic and Shadow and Bone. He has two children with his folk singer and writer wife Eugenie. Sheila Jackson - Maggie O'Neill Frank's girlfriend Sheila buried her first husband in her back garden after years of domestic abuse. Agoraphobic, anxious, and with a penchant for sex toys - for reasons unknown she was devoted to her beer-swilling boyfriend. Before joining the show Maggie O'Neill, 62, was already a big star having appeared in Hollywood blockbuster Gorillas in the Mist and the music video for Simply Red's Holding Back the Years. She went on to play Max and Jack Branning's sister Suzy in EastEnders in 2008 before leaving after six months amid rumours of a feud with co-star Samantha Womack. Neither have ever commented on the claims. More recently, Maggie has made appearances in Call The Midwife, Casualty, and Two Doors Down. Karen Jackson - Rebecca Atkinson Sheila's wayward daughter Karen infamously performed a sex act on Lip and his brother Ian under the kitchen table before embarking on a forbidden affair with Frank. Eventually, Karen calmed down and took over The Jockey with her new husband, Jamie Maguire. And off-screen she found love with her co-star Ben Bratt, who played Joe Pritchard, with the couple welcoming a child in 2016. Now 41, Rebecca has starred in a wide variety of TV shows including Life on Mars, Holby City, Coronation Street, and Doctors. But it is Karen who will always hold the biggest place in her heart. 'It was such a huge part of my life, I grew up on that show. I was there for part of my teens and all through my 20s," she told the Sunday Post. 'It's definitely part of what's made me what I am. There's a part of Karen in me. It was an amazing time in my life and I met Ben on the show too so I wouldn't have my little boy either if it wasn't for Shameless.'
