As a kid growing up in Glenwood, the South Suburban village that nine out of 10 people living in Chicago have never heard of, my little buddies and I would spend vast amounts of time combing places like Sweet Woods in search of beer cans for our awesome collection. The obsession lasted a few summers, and I'm really glad I outgrew it (to this day I have no idea what 007 James Bond Special Blend beer actually tastes like). But some people plan to carry their beer can obsession to their graves. People like Glenwood Village administrator Bill Bramanti, for instance. According to this Associated Press story, the 67-year-old Bramanti has made plans to be buried in a casket custom-built with the shades of a PBR can. PBR? Are you kidding? It's been a long time since I went beer can collecting, but I'd pass right over blah PBR cans. Besides, wouldn't it be cheaper to be cremated and have your ashes stuffed into a life-sized can? In any case, since Bramanti doesn't plan to kick the --- um, can-- any time soon, he filled the casket with ice and beer then threw a party, which apparently is enough for the AP to move a story. I just hope they bury Bramanti very deep, I'd hate for some poor beer can- collecting kid of the future to discover his remains.

I want to love Looptopia, the all-night eating, drinking, mulit-venue party held in the Loop for the second time this weekend. Sadly, I can’t, and it’s not just because of this weekend's weather. This year’s enthusiastic showers trumped the freezing wind of last year, adding cancellation confusion to the mix. Here’s how my adventure went down Friday night:

6:20 p.m.: I'm in the Loop. I scan the streets for spectacle. My first sighting: An MCA artist is stacking red books in a Macy's window on State Street. The books are stacked pretty high. I wonder what she'll do when the window is full: restack? A guy shuffles past and shakes his head. “Lame…” he pronounces.

6:30 p.m.: Heading to Daley Plaza. On State Street, a woman dressed in white and covered in clear plastic is plucking petals off a white flower while dismembered plastic babies writhe on the floor of her platform. Neat. I hope she's part of the show.

6:45 p.m.: I arrive in Daley Plaza where a small crowd is watching the Bethany Pickers Trio. I wait for friends to arrive. I study my official map and realize that I've already missed several artists I wanted to see. The Cirque du Soleil-trained “Kooza” kids breeze in with kites. A few are on stilts. Now it’s my turn to shake my head: Lame.

7:15 p.m.: I trot over to the Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist (55 E. Wacker Drive) to see the Brickheadz perform at 7:30 p.m., but the breakdancing crew has cancelled due to rain. I’m soaked. An ominous, amplified voice announces that tornadoes are expected in 30 minutes and the venue is closing. I grit my teeth and head back to Daley Plaza.

7:40 p.m.: Back at Daley Plaza. Nothing is going on, save for spectators dodging raindrops. I'm frustrated and my shoes are squishy. I’m about to leave when my friends finally arrive. We decide to eat at Emerald Loop. Alcohol should lift my sprits.

7:50 p.m.: Is Chicago on fire? No, it's performance group Blaze, juggling, eating and dancing with flames along the Riverwalk. This is the first spectacular act I’ve seen all night.

8:20 p.m.: Emerald Loop is full, so we grab a table outside and eat. The weather is finally cooperating.

10 p.m.: Midnight Circus is performing in Daley Plaza. At least, I think they are. The stage is just short enough that the performers are mostly invisible. We crane our necks for longer than we should. I study the backs of people's heads.

11 p.m.: Palmer House Hilton. Broadway in Chicago is hosting cabaret performances. We marvel at the packed, decadent space and duck into the hotel's new lounge Potter's. My friend cringes while singers from "SHOUT! The Mod Musical” entertain the crowds. I didn’t know he hates cabaret.

11:20 p.m.: We hop into a cab and head to Greektown bar Dugan's where we spend the next two hours not discussing Looptopia.

>>> DID YOU GO TO LOOPTOPIA? WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Now that's how you start the summer off right. The smart, satisfying comic book flick "Iron Man" destroyed its competition over the weekend, earning $101 million (and an extra $3 million Thursday night) to top the box office and make some history in the process. The whopping total was the 10th-best three-day opening of all time and the No. 2 debut for a non-sequel. (Behind "Spider-Man," which debuted with $114.8 million.)

Great numbers for a good movie, neither of which can be said for the terrible romantic comedy "Made of Honor," which landed at No. 2 with a perfectly respectable, if not surprising, $15.5 million. It shows that the chick flick was effective counter-programming to "Iron Man," even if audiences didn't exactly turn out equally for both. (Now that would have been shocking.)

Can next week's "Speed Racer" take down "Iron Man"? Will "What Happens in Vegas" top "Made of Honor"?

 

 

 

 

Hey, who pays for music these days anyway? That's why you can forget the last Nine Inch Nails' record, the instrumental double-disc "Ghosts I-IV," which was released via the Internet with a variety of pricing options (ranging from a partial version for free to a limited edition package for $300). NIN's new album, "The Slip," is available now at nin.com as a free download. And like "Ghosts" and the band's previous record "Year Zero," "The Slip" allows listeners to create their own remixes/reinterpretations of the files, which can then be shared with other NIN fans without any restrictions or threat of copyright infringement.

At a time when some in the record industry are so worried about falling sales, it certainly feels good to have musicians giving back to the fans and not worrying about the bottom line. (Singer Trent Reznor remarks in a press release, "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years. This one's on me.") Of course, that's easier to do when you've been around for more than a decade and don't need radio-friendly hits to maintain your audience.

What do you think of bands releasing music for free on the Internet? Does it help the industry or hurt already-declining CD sales? Will "The Slip" make you even more excited to see NIN at Lollapalooza?