Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” gives new insight and context to Bourdain’s death by following the arc of his life — or, more specially, his second life. After years of working as a chef in New York, Bourdain’s book “Kitchen Confidential” catapulted him to fame in middle age.

NEW YORK — When the filmmaker Morgan Neville began making a documentary on Anthony Bourdain, the late chef and globe-trotting television host, one of the first things he did was comb through every song Bourdain had ever referenced. He came up with a playlist 18½ hours long and called it “Tony.”

Neville, the director of the Fred Rogers portrait “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and the Oscar-winning “20 Feet From Stardom,” was determined to approach Bourdain through a prism other than his death. Music was only a small part of it. But it was a start in making “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” a celebration of Bourdain’s life. Not a forensic inquiry. Not a eulogy.

This was the fall of 2019, when Neville began. Bourdain’s death, in June 2018 by suicide, was still fresh. For many, it still is. “Roadrunner” premiered over the weekend at the Tribeca Festival, (the film will be released theatrically on July 16) days after the three-year anniversary of Bourdain’s death. Just the debut of the film’s trailer prompted an outpouring of emotion — and millions of views within days, a rarity for a documentary — showing how many are still grieving Bourdain’s loss.

“I’ve come to think of the film as an act of therapy for the public,” Neville said in an interview. “I think for people who only know Tony as someone they were a fan of, like me, there was just this giant question mark hanging over his life because of his death. How the (expletive) could Tony Bourdain kill himself? That is still something people are grappling with.”

“Roadrunner,” which Focus Features will release in theaters July 16, goes about answering that question by filling in a fuller portrait of Bourdain. It gives new insight and context to Bourdain’s end by following the arc of his life — or, more specially, his second life. After years of working as a chef in New York, Bourdain’s book “Kitchen Confidential” catapulted him to fame in middle age. In “Parts Unknown” and other far-flung travel shows that feasted on not just indigenous foods but a wide spectrum of culture, history and shared passions, Bourdain became an unlikely, and unusually authentic, television icon.

When Bourdain was found dead at 61 in his hotel room in Strasbourg, France, it was shocking because few seemed so full of hunger for life, or a greater appreciator of all that’s worth savoring. Neville spent the first months on the film not even dealing with Bourdain’s final chapter. When he did finally turn to it, he found no easy answers.

“The way I came to think of it is: Tony was an ultimate searcher and a seeker,” says Neville. “But if you are really always seeking and always curious, then you can get lost. He had this tattoo that he got late in life that said in Greek ‘I am certain of nothing.’ That sounds very Zen, but it’s also a little sad. If you’re truly certain of nothing and always looking for something, it means you’re leaving everything behind at every moment. I think for Tony, that rootless ultimately disconnected him from the things he should be certain about, like the love of people around him.”

The interviews for the film Neville considers the most difficult he’s ever done. Many of those close to Bourdain were talking about his death for the first time.

“There was just this sense of group trauma that people are still dealing with,” said Neville. “I don’t think anyone was looking forward to talking to me, frankly. It’s not like: ‘Oh, great!’ They knew it was going to be hard. Several people said it would be the last time they talk about it. I think there was this sense of: Let me say it once, for the record.”

That includes interviews with Bourdain’s ex-wife, Ottavia Busia, chef friends Éric Ripert and David Chang, TV producers Lydia Tenaglia and Christopher Collins, and musicians John Lurie and Josh Homme. Homme, of Queens of the Stone Age, recorded a song for the film. There’s footage pulled from “Parts Unknown,” revealing outtakes and Bourdain’s own Instagram stories, which gave a small window into his turbulent final year. Neville didn’t speak with a few key figures from that time, including longtime cinematographer Zach Zamboni, whom Bourdain fired in that dark period, and the Italian filmmaker Asia Argento, whose tumultuous two-year relationship with Bourdain has for many loomed over his death.

Neville was more intent on focusing on the choices that Bourdain, himself, made, and the journey that led to his tragic end. To him, a full understanding can only be elusive. But he suspects Bourdain felt increasingly rootless after his split from Busia, that when any semblance of domestic life receded he grew increasingly disconnected from who he was, and what he meant to people — including his daughter. That he was maybe too long on the road.

“When I first sat down with the people close to him — his manager and his production partners — I kind of went on my rant about why he was someone who was a champion for culture and what connects us,” the director says. “And they said, ‘Yeah, that’s true. But he was also an immature 15-year-old boy.’ I thought, OK, that’s interesting. That became the kind of crux of the making of the film — reconciling someone who was both so insightful, but also so blind to some things.”

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Producer SqueakPivot has long been a crucial member of the Chicago hip-hop collective he’s incorporated into his stage name, applying his talents largely to mixes and DJ sets—I’m hard-pressed to think of a Pivot Gang show I’ve seen where Squeak wasn’t behind the turntables. He’s infrequently released his own music, though that began to shift when Pivot dropped the playful 2019 group album You Can’t Sit With Us.…Read More

Chicago White Sox: 3 takeaways from the Tigers series sweep by Ryan Taylor

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Chicago Bulls (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

According to reporters from The Athletic, Luka Doncic is unhappy with the management situation with the Dallas Mavericks. Could the Chicago Bulls swoop in for a trade?

Obviously, trade for one of the league’s best players at 22-years old is highly unlikely. However, if Arturas Karnisovas were to work his magic again, he would be getting one of the NBA’s best.

Doncic was an MVP favorite coming into this season.

This past season, Doncic recorded a 27/8/8 stat line in the regular season. But in the playoff? Doncic upped his play. He averaged 35/7/10 as the Mavericks fell to the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs for the second-straight season.

Doncic has every right to be upset. He is an MVP-caliber player whose team cannot get past the first round of the playoffs in three years of being there.

However, it did not take long for the Mavericks owner to pop into social media to let everyone know the rumors about Doncic and the team are false.

Total bullshit https://t.co/vBpYcZTTkI

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 14, 2021

While things are still uncertain in Dallas, one tends to wonder what next year’s Chicago Bulls would look like with a 22-year old superstar added to the lineup.

Doncic is supposed to be signing a possible extension that would up his payment by plenty, but his rookie contract could save the Bulls from needing to give up larger name players.

Draft picks would be the name of the game, which is tough considering the Bulls gave up two first-rounders to the Orlando Magic to acquire Nikola Vucevic.

Nevertheless, one can dream about a Doncic-LaVine-Vucevic starting lineup.

Next: The Man in the Middle

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For 15 months, the stately Palmer House has been closed, laid low by the pandemic and the precarious state of its ownership. For a lot of places so expensive to maintain, that would mean neglect. Not so for this regal fixture of Chicago.

The Palmer House has been scrubbed, groomed, repaired and renovated while otherwise at rest. It has put plumbers, roofers and tuckpointers to work, giving the landmark its own spa treatment worth more than $4 million.

And now, this highborn citizen of Chicago hospitality and heritage is ready for its closeup. The hotel at 17 E. Monroe St. reopens Thursday, an event that should mark a checkpoint in Chicago’s gradual reopening.

“I never could get used to seeing the Palmer House totally empty,” said General Manager Dean Lane, as he stood on the mezzanine overlooking the grand lobby, usually bustling with reunions, celebrations and business negotiations. He’s looking forward to Thursday, when it will come alive with patrons dining from a small-plate menu and crowding the bar, perhaps toasting the repeal of pandemic restrictions like their forebears handled the end of Prohibition.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

Lane awaits the “cascade effect” of it all. “When we open, restaurants will open, stores will open. When the Palmer House opens in the Loop, State Street starts activating,” he said.

He and a crew of about 50 kept on to manage the place during the suspension used the break to get serious work done. Windows were cleaned, inefficient old light bulbs changed. The ceilings on the Grand and State ballrooms were fixed and, right above them, the hotel arranged for $2.2 million to improve a swimming pool installed in 1963.

Lane said he’s brought back 200 members from a pre-pandemic staff of about 900 and looks forward to more callbacks as business picks up in the fall. The rehires fall under terms negotiated with Local 1 of the hotel workers’ union, Unite Here.

While some hotels have had trouble with restaffing, Lane said the Palmer House has many long-tenured employees eager to return. “It was as if they won the lottery when I would call them. You’d hear them jumping around and telling their loves ones on the phone, ‘I’m going back. I’m going back.'”

Lane said he’d had to remind employees to take it slow. “Many of them haven’t worked for months, and they’ll be tired. So I tell them, ‘Take it easy, check your body, keep hydrated.'” A lot of people don’t realize how physical the work can be,” he said.

Accordingly, the hotel is planning a phased reopening. About half of the 1,641 rooms will be available at the start, and room service will be limited to “grab and go” pickups from a new lobby-level outlet, a nod to the demand for convenience from today’s travelers.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

The owner of the Palmer House, New York-based Thor Equities, was among the most prominent business victims of the pandemic. Thor was accused last year of defaulting on a $333.2 million mortgage on the Palmer House as the shutdown hurt the value of the property. A receiver is handling ownership decisions for the Palmer House, which Hilton operates under a management contract.

Lane said the matter has caused no difficulties for Hilton and that the receiver approved financing for work during the closure. The company has been associated with the Palmer House since Conrad Hilton bought it in 1945, and Lane said he expects the relationship to continue for decades more. Thor, which reports an interest in more than 200 properties, did not return a message seeking comment about the foreclosure.

The Palmer House is the second largest hotel in Chicago, after the Hyatt Regency, and its prosperity depends on conventions and business meetings coming back in abundance. Gene Hare, area director of sales and marketing at Hilton, said the signs of a comeback are strong, with brides who want a wedding in the Palmer House’s Empire Room patiently rescheduling once or twice and tours of the property continuing throughout the shutdown.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

Many hotels see the Chicago Auto Show in July and Lollapalooza later that month kicking off a heavier demand for lodging. Hare said another test will be the Fabtech show for the metalworking industry, an event still on McCormick Place’s September calendar.

Meanwhile, Lane is just glad the hotel can look ahead to its 150^th anniversary on Sept. 26. It marks the date when the first Palmer House opened on the property in 1871, an unfortunate wedding present Potter Palmer devised for his wife, Bertha. The Great Chicago Fire consumed it 13 days later. A replacement opened in 1875 and the current version dates from 1925 in a staged construction that allowed the hotel to operate without interruption.

The Palmer House claimed the title of the nation’s oldest continuously operated hotel, but the COVID-19 closure calls that into question.

To draw leisure travelers, the hotel is quoting rates of about $170 a night. There are cheaper places to stay, but none so layered in Chicago history. The Palmer House includes an archive and museum available for small-group visits.

“It’s not as much about pricing. It’s still about the experience,” Hare said.

Yes, the Palmer House is back, and with some swagger.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

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CHICKEN PICCATA

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: less than 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 chicken breasts (8 to 10 ounces each)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup flour

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock

2 lemons, one juiced, one thinly sliced for garnish

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place chicken on cutting board. Place hand flat on top of breast. Use a sharp knife to slice into one side of breast, starting at thicker end and ending at thin point. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to other side.) Open breast so it looks like a butterfly. Cover breast with plastic wrap and pound with meat pounder or rolling pin to create even thickness. Slice in half lengthwise to create two equal pieces of chicken breast. Repeat with second breast.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Cook breasts 2 to 3 minutes per side, until chicken is browned.

Transfer chicken to plate. (You may have to cook in batches to prevent crowding in skillet.) After removing chicken, add wine and bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan.

When wine has reduced by half, add stock, lemon juice and capers. Return chicken to pan, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Whisk butter and parsley into skillet sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with lemon slices.

Per serving: 325 calories, 26 grams protein, 16 grams fat (44% calories from fat), 5.3 grams saturated fat, 14 grams carbohydrate, 88 milligrams cholesterol, 509 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Carb count: 1.

Baked shrimp, corn and zucchini

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes; standing time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch chunks (about 3 cups)

4 ears corn on the cob, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces

1 pound uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined

8 thin slices lemon

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, thyme and salt. Add zucchini, corn and shrimp; toss. On each of four (14-by-18-inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil, place one-fourth of the shrimp mixture in center. Top with lemon slices. Bring long sides together and fold, leaving room for steam to circulate; seal ends. Place packets in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes; remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before opening. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 295 calories, 27 grams protein, 12 grams fat (36% calories from fat), 1.9 grams saturated fat, 23 grams carbohydrate, 183 milligrams cholesterol, 639 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Carb count: 1.5.

White chili

Makes about 8 cups

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: 9 to 10 hours on low

INGREDIENTS

1 (1-pound) boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Pinch crushed red pepper

2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chilies, drained

1/4 cup minced fresh jalapeno peppers

1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed

5 cups unsalted chicken broth, heated

3/4 cup chopped onion

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

6 ounces cilantro, chopped and divided

In a 4-quart or larger slow cooker, toss the chicken with the flour until evenly coated. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, cumin, oregano and black, white and red peppers; add to slow cooker and mix well. Add the green chilies, jalapeno peppers, beans, hot broth and onion. Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours or until beans are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in half the cilantro. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining cilantro.

Per cup: 296 calories, 26 grams protein, 2 grams fat (8% calories from fat), 0.5 grams saturated fat, 41 grams carbohydrate, 36 milligrams cholesterol, 258 milligrams sodium, 15 grams fiber.

Carb count: 3.

Sloppy Joe pizza

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Cook 1 pound 93% to 95% lean ground beef 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Stir in 1 package sloppy Joe seasoning mix, 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 cup frozen corn (thawed). Place 1 (12-inch) ready-to-heat pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spoon beef mixture over top. Sprinkle with 2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until hot and cheese melts. Serve with celery sticks. Enjoy mangoes for dessert.

Layered enchilada casserole

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 7-by-11-inch baking dish, spoon 1/2 cup fire-roasted diced tomatoes from 1 (28-ounce) can. Arrange three 6-inch corn tortillas (of 10 total) over tomatoes, overlapping slightly. (Tear tortillas to fit dish.) Sprinkle with 1/2 cup (of 2 cups total) shredded Monterey jack cheese; top with one-third of two (15-ounce) cans rinsed reduced-sodium black beans. Spread 1 cup more tomatoes over beans. Repeat layers twice, ending with tomatoes; sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top. Cover loosely with nonstick foil; bake 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Muffuletta panini

Coat both sides of 8 slices rustic or sourdough bread with cooking spray or softened butter. Layer 1 slice provolone or mozzarella cheese over each of 4 of the slices; top with olive spread or tapenade, thinly sliced deli ham, mortadella, Genoa salami and another slice of cheese. Top with remaining 4 slices bread. Cook sandwiches in a preheated panini maker about 3 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

TIP: Sandwiches may be cooked in a preheated ridged grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Place heavy skillet on top of sandwiches to flatten; cook 3 minutes. Turn; continue to cook 3 to 4 minutes or until golden.

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Four people were killed, and forty-three others were wounded in shootings last weekend citywide.

Twenty-one people were shot, three of them fatally, Monday in Chicago, including a man who was killed, and two women who were wounded, in a shooting in Back of the Yards on the South Side.

About 11:05 p.m., they were outside at a party in the 5200 block of South Lowe Street, when shots were fired, Chicago police said. A 24-year-old man was shot in the head and rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. A 25-year-old woman was struck in the leg and a 43-year-old woman was struck in the ankle. They were both taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where they are in good condition.

A person was fatally shot in Roseland on the South Side. Few details were released on the shooting, which happened about 1:25 p.m. in the 11000 block of South Wentworth Avenue, police said. A male, whose age was not immediately known, suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and was pronounced dead at Roseland Community Hospital.

A man was shot and killed while driving in Englewood on the South Side. The man, 42, was shot around 4:20 a.m. and crashed into a fence at Periwinkle Park in the 6500 block of South Perry Avenue, police said. The man, shot five times, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead. His name hasn’t been released. Before he died, the man said a woman he knew had shot him. No one was in custody.

In non-fatal shootings, a man was critically wounded after he was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by in Austin on the West Side. About 11:45 p.m., the 36-year-old was sitting in his parked van in the 300 block of South Cicero Avenue, when someone in a passing Dodge Charger fired shots in his direction, striking him in the head, police said. The man was rushed to Stroger Hospital for treatment. Police believe the person who fired the shots was aiming for a group of people inside a passing black sedan and the 36-year-old was not the intended target. A bullet struck the windshield of a second vehicle, a passing red Toyota, causing it to crash into a light pole. No one was injured.

A 21-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by in Marquette Park on the Southwest Side. About 10:30 p.m., he was driving in the 7300 block of South Mozart Street, when someone inside a black SUV fired shots at him, police said. The man was struck in the left side of his body and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized.

Two people, including a 17-year-old boy, were wounded in a shooting in Englewood on the South Side. The teen boy and a 27-year-old man were sitting in a silver Chrysler van about 8:40 p.m. in the 700 block of West 66th Street when they got into a verbal argument with a group standing near their vehicle, police said. The teen was struck twice in the leg and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where his condition was stable. The man was shot in the hip and shoulder and was transported to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stable.

Twelve others were wounded in shootings citywide.

Four people were killed, and forty-three others were wounded in shootings last weekend citywide.

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A man was critically wounded Monday night after he was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by in Austin on the West Side.

About 11:45 p.m., the 36-year-old was sitting in his parked van in the 300 block of South Cicero Avenue, when someone in a passing Dodge Charger fired shots in his direction, striking him in the head, Chicago police said. The man was rushed to Stroger Hospital for treatment.

Police believe the person who fired the shots was aiming for a group of people inside a passing black sedan and the 36-year-old was not the intended target, police said.

A bullet struck the windshield of a second vehicle, a passing red Toyota, causing it to crash into a light pole, police said. No one was injured.

There is no one in custody as Area Four detectives investigate.

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About 11:05 p.m., they were outside at a party in the 5200 block of South Lowe Street, when shots were fired.

A man was killed, and two women were wounded, in a shooting Monday night in Back of the Yards on the South Side.

About 11:05 p.m., they were outside at a party in the 5200 block of South Lowe Street, when shots were fired, Chicago police said.

A 24-year-old man was shot in the head and rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.

A 25-year-old woman was struck in the leg and a 43-year-old woman was struck in the ankle, police said. They were both taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where they are in good condition.

The circumstances of the shooting remain unknown. Area One detectives are investigating.

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