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The Sun
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The Bear grows up
A progression on almost all fronts, The Bear 's fourth season moves away from its early years of chefs engaging in shouting matches over trivial matters and having their issues simmer unnecessarily long in the pot, as show creator Christopher Storer finally moves the series and its characters towards an overdue adult form. Following the mixed review by The Chicago Tribune, The Bear's crew find their existing problem of keeping the business afloat being made harder after investor Jimmy Kalinowski (Oliver Platt) gives them a two-month deadline to turn the business around or face being shut down due to operational costs exceeding generated revenue. With a literal timer counting down in the restaurant's back of house, Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) hedge their bets on saving The Bear by not only tightening the operation and menu, but also by chasing their first Michelin star. Back to basics The Bear 's fourth outing fixes a lot of the problems from the third season. It is hard to say whether Storer intentionally went overboard with certain ingredients when he cooked up the previous season just so he could pivot and save the meal with the fourth season. The excessive amount of the comedy from the Fak family, along with the distracting cameos by Hollywood A-listers have been dialled back. Instead of having them in every single episode, Storer – more or less – shoves them into the seventh episode Bears. However, rather than being bogged down by the cameos, Bears quickly positions itself as the one of the best episodes of the season for an entirely different reason: character development. It also serves as a turning point for the series, with subsequent episodes also serving as vehicles to develop not just Carmen, but also co-main leads Sydney and Richard Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). These episodes – Bears, Tonnato and Goodbye – are critical in not only expanding Carmen, Sydney and Richard's characters beyond who they were for the past three seasons, but they will play a role in the actors' oeuvre as their strongest performances to date, especially for the next Emmy Awards. Risky ending However, it is not all smooth sailing for the season, as The Bear ends the season with Goodbye, an episode that will no doubt be the most divisive among fans and critics. Initially, there was no word on whether FX would renew their mega hit comedy-drama for a fifth season. It seemed as though The Bear was over for good, with Goodbye seeing its three main leads arguing in an alley before abruptly ending without a sense of closure. Thankfully, a week after the fourth season was released in bulk, FX announced a fifth season would be coming next year. If this season had turned out to be the last for The Bear, with Goodbye being the series finale, it would have left a sour taste in most viewers' mouths and gone down in television history as one of the most divisive endings ever.
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
From the Farm: Carmelite Monastery includes a celestial nod with grotto celebration
Our family comes from a devout Polish Catholic faith foundation. Being so, Catholic teachings denounce horoscopes and astrology as a contradiction of the First Commandment, with the reasoning 'astrology and horoscopes are seen as attempts to seek knowledge or to influence events through means other than God, thus violating the First Commandment's call to worship God alone.' In conflict, in our identity as a devoted newspaper family, we also admit we love to read the daily syndicated horoscope features in all of the Northwest Indiana and Chicago newspapers, at least for 'entertainment purposes.' I adopt the philosophy taught to me by journalist mentor and church catechism teacher Stanley Pieza, who passed at age 88 in 1994. He was a retired religion reporter for The Chicago Daily American, and later The Chicago Tribune. Pieza cited to his Sunday school students examples of how celestial maps and charting of the stars remain as undeniable evidence that the bible details stars in the skies as important guide references in verses and passages. A notable example is in the birth of Moses, and later, Jesus' birth. When Pharaoh ordered all of the newborn males of his kingdom and surrounding area to be killed, as explained in the Book of Exodus, his trusted advisors warned him of a foretelling prophecy in the stars that a newborn Hebrew male would stifle the power of Pharaoh. Similarly, in the Gospel of Matthew, King Herod ordered all male infants under age two in Bethlehem to be killed after the three visiting Magi (astrologers) told him of 'the birth of a new king.' The Magi 'were 'guided by a star in the north to find the newborn and pay him homage.' Often mistakenly referenced, 'shepherds in their fields' did not follow the star of Bethlehem to find Jesus. The shepherds were visited by an angel and guided to the infant king. Today, the history of stars, the heavens and astrology is still a tightly woven and colorful tapestry. At 5 p.m. Thursday, July 19, Diocese of Gary Bishop Robert J. McClory will be in Munster at the Carmelite Monastery and Grotto to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Carmelite Fathers making Northwest Indiana their pilgrimage worship home. I've always been in awe of the sunken gardens and grotto located on this property along 1628 Ridge Road in Munster. Among the priceless artifacts, shining stones and granite and quartz pieces gathered from around the world, there is an intact meteorite embedded in one of the wall crevasses at an undisclosed (and protected) location. I'm told the meteorite ('shooting star') fell in the wilderness of Siberia and was gathered and transported to be included at the shrine with the grotto as a new home. Thursday's celebration begins at 5 p.m., with the bishop conducting mass, followed by 6 p.m. outdoor fellowship, food and choral music and capped by 7:30 p.m. outdoor eucharistic adoration and worship. For more information, visit The beautiful and inspiring grounds at the Shrine and Monastery property are comprised of the Marian Grotto, the Stations of the Cross (of which the 14th Station, the Grotto of the Lord's Tomb, deserves and receives special attention), the monastery church that has the miraculous figure of Our Lady of Ludźmierz, Queen of the Polish Highlanders, the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, and the Highlanders' Chapel. Nestled among the trees in the quiet of the garden are figures of Polish saints and others associated with Carmel, including St. Therese of the Child Jesus and St. Louis Martin, her father, St. Raphael Kalinowski, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. John Paul II. The statue of St. Raphael Kalinowski (whom the Polish School on the monastery grounds is named for) was unveiled in 2007 in memory of the victims of the Katyn Massacre during WWII. There is an urn inside the Polish eagle at St. Raphael's feet containing soil from the Katyn Forest. At the base of this hauntingly beautiful memorial are 'skulls' with 'bullet holes' in the back of their heads, representing the thousands of victims (which included soldiers, clergy, educators, doctors) who were executed and buried in mass graves. A small Eastern Redbud tree named 'Rafalek' was planted near the statue of St. Raphael Kalinowski on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the school in November 2023. I'm told 'to emphasize the inexpressible spiritual beauty of God's mercy, extra attention is devoted' to the many statues created with Italian Carrara marble in grottos and chapels. These statues, sculpted by Italian artists, are decorated with the many unusual minerals, crystals, and rock formations, some translucent to glow in the dark, as well as the rare and unique meteorite, which is really a 12-inch-long 'piece' of a larger meteorite that landed on the grounds of the Carmelite Fathers' monastery in Siberia decades ago. The Discalced Carmelite Fathers Monastery in Munster was founded in 1952 by a group of Polish Discalced Carmelite friars who came to America after World War II to devote themselves to the pastoral care of their countrymen. I'm told it is for this same reason, so many parts of the shrine are devoted for visitors to become better acquainted with Polish tradition and history. The shrine has been designated as a pilgrimage site in the Diocese of Gary's observance of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. One of my most memorable visits to this powerful and impactful landscape was in spring 2023 when a visiting troupe of performers presented a production of 'The Passion of Christ.' Director Cecylia Jablonska heads the non-profit Live Theater Production Company, based in Chicago, which hosts the run of the seasonal stage telling reaching audiences of all ages for more than 35 years since the company launched in Poland, based at Michelle Zaborowski of Elmwood Park, Illinois, starred as 'Claudia,' the wife of Pontius Pilate, in the live performance I saw two years ago. Michelle participated in the Polish Walking Marian Pilgrimage connecting Chicago, Munster and Merrillville on the trek and sang with the praise choir during the recent event. She is sharing her mother's heirloom recipe for a traditional Polish mushroom soup with readers for today's column. 1 heaping cup dried mushrooms 2 carrots, chopped 1 parsley root, chopped 1/2 celery root, chopped 1 leek, chopped 1 tablespoon butter, divided use 1 onion, chopped Salt and pepper 4 tablespoons chopped parsley Directions: Wash the mushrooms and soak them in water for a few hours. Cook mushrooms in the same water in which they were soaked for 8 to 10 minutes or until soft and tender. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the water broth. Peel, wash, and dice the vegetables, and add them to the pot. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter to pot, season contents with salt and pepper and simmer lightly. Stir while simmering, being careful not to burn the vegetables. Once soup has lightly simmered for 20-30 minutes, pour some added boiling water into pot to create desired consistency and bring the broth to a boil. Cook for another 30 minutes. Strain the cooked vegetable broth and add it to the mushroom broth. Finely chop the drained mushrooms and add them to the soup. Season the soup with more salt and pepper to taste, add additional butter and parsley as desired. Serve with lazanki (a cabbage and noodles mix) or pasta.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Chicago abortion clinic opens offering controversial third-trimester abortions
An abortion clinic in Chicago is now offering controversial third trimester abortion services to pregnant women. Abortion provider Hope Clinic, in Granite City, opened a second location in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood on June 2, advertising that it now offers "all-trimester" abortions. "Hope Clinic is now open in Chicago, IL, expanding our care through all trimesters! (And OMG we couldn't be more excited)," the clinic posted on Instagram. "Everyone deserves access to abortion care, whenever they need it. Because deciding and acting on what's best for you shouldn't be on anyone else's timeline." The clinic explains on its website that it offers surgical abortion procedures to women up to 34 weeks into their pregnancy. According to a report by The Chicago Tribune, the clinic is "the only standalone clinic in the Midwest to offer often-controversial terminations in the third trimester and among only a handful that do so nationwide." Under Illinois law, women can get an abortion for any reason up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks. Abortions are allowed later in pregnancy if the mother's health or well-being, "including, but not limited to, physical, emotional, psychological, and familial health and age," is considered threatened by the pregnancy, according to the state's Reproductive Health Act. The clinic's website explained in a social media post some of the reasons why women might want to get "later abortions." Some women "don't know" they are pregnant until further along, while others "learn new information," such as a fetal anomaly diagnosis. Some women aren't able to "access care" earlier in their pregnancy, according to the post. Lastly, it says, some women "just don't want to be pregnant." "You get to change your mind and make decisions that are right for you. And they don't have to be on anyone else's timeline," the clinic's post reads. Dr. Erin King, Hope Clinic chief medical officer, told the Tribune that they would be following the law while ensuring as many people can access abortion as possible. "I want people to know that we are absolutely following the law, but that we make a really careful determination," she said. "And we want to provide access to as many people as we can within the law." At 34 weeks, a baby can weigh around 5 lbs and the pregnancy is considered "near-term." Over 90% of babies born after 28 weeks, the beginning of the third trimester, typically survive outside the womb, according to one 2022 study. According to a 2023 Gallup poll, majorities of Americans oppose legal abortion in the second (55%) and third (70%) trimesters. A local pro-life activist told the Tribune that he appreciated the clinic's transparency but believed that most people would consider abortions at this stage "brutality." "Almost everyone recognizes the brutality of an abortion that late in pregnancy," Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, told the paper. "I think it's a common ground area we have with a lot of people. As alarming as it is for someone like me who cares about fetal life, life in the womb, and who cares about the fate of women who participate in the demise of their child, on another level I appreciate the honesty and openness. Because it allows us to have a frank conversation about what late-term abortion really is." Anne O'Connor, VP of Legal Affairs at pro-life organization The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, told Fox News Digital that babies in the third trimester are "fully formed, unique human beings" and called abortions at this stage "especially gruesome and unnecessary." "This is a shameful situation and ironic that it is happening at a place called 'Hope.' There is no hope in that ghastly chamber - just despair and destruction," she told Fox News Digital. "The sad thing is that it is legal because the United States is one of the few countries in the world that does not put any limits on late term abortions. We are joined by the likes of China, Vietnam and South Korea in destroying human beings in this horrific and appalling manner. The network of pregnancy centers in the U.S. is enormous and ready to help these women who feel abortion is their best option." Hope Clinic defended their services in a comment to Fox News Digital: "Hope Clinic provides compassionate abortion care throughout pregnancy, in full accordance with Illinois law. We need to ensure that people who experience health complications during pregnancy have access to a full range of treatment options. With abortion bans around the country forcing more people to delay their care and travel longer distances, expanding access to later abortion care is even more important. All people deserve access to high-quality health care throughout pregnancy without arbitrary restrictions, and we are committed to providing this care so our patients can make the best decisions for themselves and their families."
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Bear' Season 4: ‘A big improvement' or ‘aimless and boring'? Critics dish on the latest course
Season 4 of The Bear premiered on Hulu on June 25, delivering a mixed plate of praise and ridicule from critics. While the series isn't exactly serving Michelin-worthy storytelling this time around, it does have its moments. The premiere opens with a flashback of Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) pitching the idea of opening a restaurant to Mikey (Jon Bernthal), who is revealed to have come up with the name The Bear. Fast-forwarding to the present day, The Chicago Tribune dishes out a review praising the food but knocking the restaurant's chaotic atmosphere and inconsistent menu — a conflict that mirrors the series itself. More from Gold Derby Paul Giamatti, Stephen Graham, Cooper Koch, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actor interviews 'The Penguin' star Colin Farrell would be the latest Batman villain to win a major award After dominating the Emmy Awards with 21 wins across its first two seasons, including Best Comedy Series in 2023, the FX series has experienced a noticeable dip in momentum after its divisive third season. While its raw energy and high-intensity storytelling initially earned The Bear a reputation as one of television's most compelling comedies, it's now facing criticism for being "unfunny" and lacking the cohesive brilliance that propelled its earlier success. Critics are divided on whether Season 4 rectifies the missteps of Season 3. Allison Herman of Variety writes, "The good news is that Season 4 marks an improvement over its predecessor... But just like a restaurant that goes from losing money hand over fist to barely breaking even, 'better' isn't quite the same as 'enough to make the payoff worth the slog.'" Meanwhile, Chris Bennion of The Daily Telegraph UK offers a harsher take: "Most of the ingredients that made the first two seasons such thrilling television are still there, but sadly so are most of the ones that made the third season so aimless, pompous, and, quite frankly, boring." SEE 'The Bear' Emmy odds: How many nominations will the series get? While critical reception for Season 4 hasn't been glowing, it hasn't sunk entirely either. The Rotten Tomatoes score currently sits at a respectable 75 percent, and the Metacritic consensus registers a "generally favorable" score 69 based on 22 reviews. Despite criticisms of inconsistency, fans of the show may still find enough to savor in its latest offering — it's just that the meal doesn't quite live up to the standards set by earlier courses. Chris Evangelista (Slashfilm) calls it "a big improvement over Season 3," while Kristen Baldwin from Entertainment Weekly notes, "Though not quite at the level of the sublime second season, the new episodes put Carmen and company back on track by allowing them to confront, at long last, 'the f---ing elephant in the f---ing restaurant.'" Other critics were more enthusiastic about The Bear's latest offering. Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) hails Season 4 as "a masterpiece," describing it as "a wonderfully nuanced and touching portrait of combatting loneliness, self-destructive rage, and bitterness and resentment through calm, trust, and compassion." Similarly, Dave Nemetz (TV Line) praises the season as "an absolute triumph, right up there with Season 2 in terms of quality, shaking off the doldrums by tapping into a powerful emotional resonance and rediscovering what made this show so great in the first place." Perhaps if viewers approach Season 4 with tempered expectations, they might appreciate The Bear for what it still offers. Ben Travers (IndieWire) calls it "still pretty fun; an emotionally rich restaurant drama with great food, a few laughs, and lots of heart." Meanwhile, Carla Meyer (The San Francisco Chronicle) suggests, "Maybe it's time to acknowledge The Bear not for what it promised — a TV classic — but for what it is: a small, pandemic-era miracle not built for longevity." All 10 episodes of The Bear's fourth season are currently streaming on Hulu. Best of Gold Derby Paul Giamatti, Stephen Graham, Cooper Koch, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actor interviews Lee Jung-jae, Adam Scott, Noah Wyle, and the best of our Emmy Drama Actor interviews Kathy Bates, Minha Kim, Elisabeth Moss, and the best of our Emmy Drama Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.
Metro
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
What happened at the end of The Bear season 3? Ending explained
It's time to get back in the kitchen, because The Bear returns in just a matter of hours. The fourth season of the Disney Plus awards darling arrives on Thursday (June 26) with all episodes streaming just in time for a weekend binge. The last we saw of the Chicago sandwich joint it had been wholly gutted to create a haute cuisine restaurant coincidentally called The Bear. One of the best things going for the show is that it's always returned year in, year out despite the vanishing TV dependability elsewhere. But after two first seasons that made stars of its cast and had everyone saying 'yes chef!', the third installment was met with a more divisive reaction from viewers. This was largely because it was a slower and more sedate affair, with a batch of episodes that largely cast minds back to the past and didn't do much to progress the plot in the present. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Here's your quick refresher on season three just in time to pick up with season four, which has some high expectations upon it after a more 'meh' outing last year. The Bear season 3 spoilers follow. The fact that there isn't a whole bunch to recap from season three might indicate some flaws, but where we did leave off was with a lot at the restaurant hanging in the balance. In the final episode, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) was invited to the last supper at hotshot Michelin locale Ever. What unfolded was essentially a long reminiscing conversation about what the business of cheffing up really means. It was here that he finally confronted his longtime head chef tormentor (Joel McHale) – who would often feature in panicked flashbacks – but the whole thing left him unsatisfied when Carmy was hit with a Mad Men-style 'I never think about you at all' type response. In the last scene of season three, he received The Chicago Tribune review of the restaurant – but we never saw what it said. Dun, dun, dun. More Trending Another loose end from season three was what Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) will decide to do with her career, stay at The Bear or go elsewhere with another offer on the table? Plus, will Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) properly come knocking for his investment in the restaurant? And will Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) get his mojo back after a soul-sucking stint at The Bear under tyrannical Carmy? These are all questions that were left unanswered. We'll have to tune in to find out. Perhaps it will also get into something I've long wondered: wouldn't the people of Chicago be annoyed that a cheap, banging sandwich place shut down and became a pricey fine dining set-up? I'd be livid. View More » The Bear season 4 is available to stream on Disney Plus from June 26. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: TV fans hooked on 'banging' sci-fi series after bingeing first 3 episodes MORE: Classic 80s sci-fi thriller removed from Disney Plus over 'unacceptable' scene MORE: Controversial Snow White remake finally hits Disney+ and fans are split
