STANGER: I’M WITH CUPID
Local matchmaker on TV, thanks to ‘ Millionaire’ star
From the moment you meet “Million Dollar Matchmaker” star Patti Stanger and Chicago matchmaker Lisa Galos, you can understand why the two dynamos clicked. Stanger whirled into town the other day to chat about both her own series and “Love Blows,” the new WEtv series ( debuting at 9 p. m. Friday). During our interview, the two women were so much in sync, they often finished each other’s sentences.
“Love Blows,” which airs after “Million Dollar Matchmaker,” chronicles the Chicago- based matchmaking service that also includes Galos’ ex- husband Jim, their son and daughter, plus Jim’s former mistress ( who snared him away from her former best friend Galos, who still works for the company). Got all that? “I know,” said Galos with a laugh, as Stanger guffawed in the background. “Pretty crazy, huh?
Stanger, executive producer of the six initial “Love Blows” episodes, also will appear on the new series, just to add a big more spice.
“I’mmore about the sex. More about the physical attraction, which Lisa can overlook if there’s a strong financial situation there,” Stanger said. “For example, if they guy is loaded, she’ll say go for it. But Lisa and I— despite our very different philosophies about dating — get on together in a great way. We’re like sisters who do argue a lot, but at the end of the day, really get each other”
A literary tour for kids
Kathleen Dragan may not be a native Chicagoan, but the South Loop resident has created a very special guide to her adopted city— a children’s book focusing on a number of important neighborhoods, with their key details colorfully illustrated by artist Ed Koehler.
“When I moved to Chicago I knew one person in town. I came here with such a hunger to learn about my surroundings,” said the author, who grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Now, I have two kids here, so it’s about passing that new knowledge down to them.”
The initial move in 2009 resulted from Dragan’s husband attending business school at the University of Chicago. Then “he was offered a job here, and we had already fallen in love with the city, so it was a natural thing for us to stay.”
Dragan’s children— now 8 and5— were a big help as she researched “Rickshaw Reggie.”
“As an adult you may think some things are interesting, but this is a children’s book, so I wanted their input. When a kid really latches on to something, you know, ‘ This is good! This is going into the book!’”
The biggest challenge for Dragan was limiting the number of neighborhoods she could include. “I would love to do another one. Maybe, ‘ Rickshaw Reggie Rides Again,’ ” Dragan said with a laugh. “Or maybe he’ll have a wife, and ‘ Rickshaw Regina’ can take us to other Chicago neighborhoods.”
State St. not Kate’s street
A 20- year career on film sets around the world has resulted in few Chicago memories for Kate Beckinsale.
“My only trips to Chicago were to do Oprah Winfrey’s show over the years, promoting my films,” the English actress said. “It’s always been frustrating for me, because people were always telling me how terrible the weather is in Chicago — of course in thewinter, but winter, summer, spring or fall, I never experienced that! Each time I came to Chicago, the weather was lovely, and it made me want to get out and explore your city, which I’ve never been privileged to do!”
That’s not the case with Chicago- born Albert Berger, the Oscar- winning producer of her new film, “The Only Living Boy in New York.” Berger, who along with longtime producing partner Ron Yerxa has brought us such acclaimed films as “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Nebraska,” is particularly pleased with this one, also starring Pierce Brosnan, Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Nixon, Kiersey Clemons and Callum Turner.
“We have been very lucky in most of our films with great ensembles,” Berger said. “Yet, with this great group, we had the perfect mix all along.”