For Sale: Chicago Landmark

The 26-foot sculpture features clearly visible undies

(AP) - It's safe to say nobody is having their picture taken as much in Chicago right now as Marilyn Monroe. The scene in a plaza along Michigan Avenue resembles a movie premiere, with dozens of people clicking pictures as fast as they could at a 26-foot-tall sculpture of the Blonde Bombshell that was unveiled Friday morning. Monroe is taking the famous pose from the movie The Seven Year Itch, with her skirt billowing as she enjoys the breeze of a subway grate. More»

Randy Michaels expected to resign this week

(USER SUBMITTED) - Weeks after the New York Times detailed the raucous behavior of Tribune CEO Randy Michaels, he is reported to be resigning. The Times article described a boys club atmosphere created by Michaels and his chief innovation officer, Lee Abrams, at the bankrupt newspaper and TV company. Abrams was recently fired, but the Tribune's board, which met yesterday, was apparently not satisfied that enough had been done to right the ship, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

Boss Randy Michaels 'offered $100 to waitress to flash her breasts'

(NEWSER) - The shockingly sexist frat boy hijinks of top managers of the Tribune Company created an alienating workplace and "bankrupt culture" that helped send the financially troubled media firm into a tailspin, reports the New York Times . Just after radio exec Randy Michaels was hired by billionaire owner Sam Zell to help run the company, he allegedly offered $100 to a waitress to flash her breasts for a gathering of senior management at a Chicago hotel, the paper reports. "I have never seen anything like it," said one executive. “Here was this guy, who was responsible for all these people, getting drunk and saying this to a waitress who many of us knew." More»

(USER SUBMITTED) - Here's one way to solve the dearth of advertising for newspapers—just get rid of that pesky stuff altogether and charge readers an extra $5 an issue. This is what the Chicago Tribune may be planning, according to a story in the Chicago Reader, which got its hands on an ad-free dummy copy of the new paper. More»

119 words, phrases go on CEO's naughty list

(NEWSER) - Anchors and reporters at WGN radio in Chicago have a new job requirement: Don't say any of the station's 119 undesirable words and phrases on the air. Randy Michaels, CEO of parent company Tribune Co., wants information delivered in a more down-to-earth manner, without "newsspeak." On the Voldemort list: "vehicle," "seek," "pedestrian," "undisclosed," "at risk," "incarcerated," and "behind bars." More»