Chicago Checklist

Second City has announced the full lineup of a series of panel discussions to take place December 12-13, in celebration of their fifty years (via). Included will be panels on The Colbert Report, SCTV, 30 Rock, and Saturday Night Live.

MonteChicago's favorite comedy foodie, Monte, was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune, and we are awaiting confirmation on the hot rumor that he will be the 'food guy' for a certain local morning news show. Catch "Off the Eatin' Path" at the Lincoln Lodge TONIGHT.

Hometown pal and former Onion staff writer Andy Ross is staging his one-man show, Melancomedy, for one night only at the Annoyance Theater in Uptown this Sunday, October 25. This show was initially staged to sell out crowds at the People's Improv Theater in NYC this past summer; come see Andy hit it out of the park back home!

Chicago expat-now-Los Angeleno Mike Bridenstine grilled several of Chicago's current scenesters, producers, and fellow comedians to find out who was top of the top in CHI this year. Check out his list, along with photos and clips, of the 20 Top Stand-Up Comedians in Chicago. (Full disclosure: The author was interviewed for this piece. And ten out of thirteen names dropped made the list.)

Hannibal Buress | Photo by Erin NekervisChicago expat-now-New Yorker and current Saturday Night Live staff writer Hannibal Buress was back in town this past Tuesday, and local photographer Erin Nekervis snapped some photos during his Chicago Underground Comedy set. See the rest of her set here, featuring James Fritz, Jeb Cadwell, Jim Fath, Mike & Duane, and Brendan McGowan.

--Kristy Mangel