Dean Richards

Actors Mary Michael Patterson and Danny Gardner from Marriott Theatre’s Singin’ in the Rain join Dean live at Treetime Christmas Creations in Lake Barrington. They talk about how it has been putting together such a classic, highly-regarded show, and what is different about performing the show in the round, as opposed to on a traditional stage. And of course they talk about the staged rain shower. As Danny says, “Dancing in the rain does something to you.” Then, Mary and Danny both sing […]

Pat Quinn joined Dean Richards live from Treetime Christmas Creations to talk about the Cubs win, the upcoming election and term limit initiative,”Take Charge Chicago.” Chicago is the only big city in America that doesn’t have a limit on how long a mayor can serve. They’re looking for 100,000 names on the petition to put the issue on the ballot. To round things out, Dean and Pat talked Hamilton and took a listen to Chicago’s Hamilton cast singing “Go Cubs […]

Chicago’s very own rockstar Jim Peterick of Survivor and Ides of March joined Dean Richards at Treetime Christmas Creations to share his new Cubs song. He talked with Dean about how the Cubs win inspired him and fellow Ides of March band members to write “It’s Finally Next Year,” a new world series anthem. In the lyrics, they included a little dedication to Jack Brickhouse and Harry Carey by using their catchphrases “Hey-hey” and “Holy Cow.”  He then played a […]

Treetime Christmas Creations owners Laurie and Joe Kane joined Dean Richards on the air to talk about their festive store and its hundreds of Christmas tree masterpieces. From skinny trees to pre-decorated trees to lit trees to little trees to…you guessed it, Cubs trees, they have “everything Christmas.” Each tree is designed to fit every customer’s unique needs and taste. They talk about their mission in the store and also tell Dean about their upcoming free crafty classes. To find […]

This week on Food Time, Dean Richards hears from three favorite Chicagoland restaurants. First, he heard about the moles, exotic ingredients and delicious cuisine from MAGO Grill and Cantina‘s head chef Juan Luis Gonzalez. Then, long time favorite Barrington breakfast place Canteen Restaurant‘s Sam Yagan talked to Dean about their extensive menu and some of the special twists they put on traditional brunch foods. Finally, Jim Kokulas stopped by from Bolingbrook’s McQ’s Bar, famous for their award-winning wings, great burgers and […]

After 6.5 years and one viral video later, Dean met with Mel to talk about his new movie, Hacksaw Ridge. Dean met up with Director, Mel Gibson, Andrew Garfield, and Vince Vaughn to talk about the incredibly vivid  film, and how things we’re a little different this time around…    

John Vincent might go down in history as one of the Cubs National Anthem singers to hold the longest note

Dean Richards is very involved with charities locally and nationally. One that is near and dear to Dean’s heart is the effort to fight Alzheimer Disease, so he is joining up with, “Laughs To Remember“. Pat McGann, Denise Ramsden, and Mary Doyle Brodien will be part of the show to work for a cause that everyone can connect with and help fight. Call the Midwest Conference Center contact located HERE!  

Black Corn Fungus, and Lao Baked Eggs are only a couple of the dishes you’ll see at Chicago’s first Strange Foods Festival where Keng Sisavath will he has compiled more than 15 restaurants to show off their “Strange Foods“. Dean also chatted with Marilyn Alice Tuckman is happy about the world being obsessed with Pumpkin. That’s because Marilyn is the author of For The Love of Pumpkins: A Cookbook. Marilyn gives great ideas about adding simple pumpkin to oatmeal, baked […]

Jack Brickhouse is one of the faces of the historic Cubs organization, but he couldn’t have done it without the help of premier producer Jack “Rosey” Rosenberg, who worked with Brickhouse and many of the other legendary voices in WGN sports broadcasting history. Dean invited Jack on the program to chat about last night’s win as the Cubs have punched their ticket to the 2016 World Series. Jack took the time to thank WGN listeners, Dean, baseball fans, Ron Santo, […]

The official opening of Chicago’s “Hamilton” happened this week and Dean asked the much needed question, “did it live up to the hype?” Dean invited in Kris Vire (Senior Editor and Chief Theater Critic at TimeOut Chicago), Phil Potempa (Entertainment Columnist for The Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana), and Betty Mohr (Editor of Le Bon Travel & Culture) to talk about the results of the opening night.  

Dean was just as excited as the rest of the city after watching the Cubs in the NLCS last night. Dean chatted with Andy Masur (WGN Sports), legendary Jack Rosenberg (Jack Brickhouse’s former producer) Paul Sullivan (Chicago Cubs Beat Writer for The Chicago Tribune), Dave Eanet (WGN Radio Sports Director), and Lauren Comitor (Editor & Writer of The Athletic) to get the take on the game as the sports world prepares for first game in Cleveland on Tuesday October, 25th […]

“Elton Jim” Turano filled in for Dean but he was still in the back of his mind because of an annual Breast Cancer Event Dean is hosting tomorrow with Dina Bair (Midday Anchor of WGN TV). The advancements that have been made in recent years are just as important as the stories behind the people. “Stories of Hope” will air tomorrow on WGN TV at 8:30pm.  

Chicago Ideas Week is the premier Chicago festival of creativity, forward thinking and leadership. Within that realm, food is on the forefront of development. CIW is featuring a handful of learning workshops for the public to attend and “Elton Jim”  had a few of those food leaders in studio to chat about how to make the perfect burger, the basics of baking, and sustainable wine making.  

This weekend you will find no shortage of movies to see in the city. Starting Thursday, the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival gears up featuring hundreds of movies with Dean Hosting the opening night! There will be films shown for the first time, critically acclaimed films, and much more.