Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Chi-town native who is now on the world stage as our U.S. ambassador to Japan, has found a new way to battle nostalgia.
It’s called watching Hulu’s “The Bear” with his wife.
“Amy and I have been watching and just finished ‘The Bear’ to deal with our Chicago homesickness,” said Rahm, who now lives in Tokyo.
“Great show!
“It’s got the L sound.
“Shots of the city. (Sneed notes: He was not referring to gunshots.)
“It gives us a Chicago home nostalgia fix.
“The show gets lots of buzz. Really good.”
So Sneed did what any seasoned reporter would do. I checked it out!
Whoaaaa! The result: Getting hooked streaming all eight episodes in a row as Chicago’s dynamic energy was thrown into your face one plate at a time!
Filmed in Chicago in February and March, the series is about “food, family, the grind and a sense of urgency in the process of transforming the owner of The Original Beef of Chicagoland shop,” according to the series website.
And bingo! Who knew? The list of show credits, which includes a 95% Chicago relay crew, is also co-produced by Chicago’s Carrie Holt de Lama, a very close family friend whose husband is former Chicago Tribune Managing Editor George de Lama. Whoa!
“Mike, did you know l put an old photo of George as a young Trib reporter (er … when he looked like a mustachioed protest icon) on the wall of friends in the Bear’s kitchen?” Carrie chuckled.
“It was immensely gratifying to work with such a talented cast and crew on a show that was so authentically, truly, salt-of-the-earth Chicago,” she told me. “I’m proud to have gotten to be part of it,” she said.
Argh. How did I NOT know? Their pre-wedding reception was held at my home. Yikes!
Look who showed up in Tokyo! World-famous artist Theaster Gates. His art education started in Japan and now he’s back with a great show! A socially-engaged Chicago artist connecting worlds. Building bridges of appreciation. pic.twitter.com/allv94IV9x
— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) August 4, 2022
Now back to Rahm.
Family nostalgia is so intense, Rahm also chose to insert a little something special in a birthday tweet to Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whom he sent a Chicago Cubs shirt bearing the number 100 as Japan’s 100th prime minister. It came with a gift wish: a home run from Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who is from the prime minister’s hometown, Hiroshima, and had played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team.
The tweet, which went viral, stated: “Happy Birthday, Mr/ Prime Minister! My birthday wishes for you: a Carp victory and @susuki _seiya _sb home run.”
But Rahm’s nostalgia tour wasn’t finished; he sent a Tokyo screenshot of the Emanuels with a Chicago visitor: “World Famous artist Theaster Gates,” texted Rahm. “His art collection started in Japan and now he’s back with a great show! A socially engaging Chicago artist connecting worlds. Building bridges of appreciation.”
OK. OK. But a final note from Sneed to Rahm. “Psssst! Sneed hears rumbles the next season of ‘The Bear’ will be upped from eight to 10 segments.”
Yay!
Deja vu, whooooo?
A case of mistaken identity.
On the eve of his wedding recently, Chicago attorney James Murphy, 32, received a call from a rep from Fox commentator Tucker Carlson requesting an interview.
• To wit: Sneed is told Carlson wanted to chat about the angry resignation letter of Cook County prosecutor James Murphy, which blistered his boss, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx via the way her office dealt with crime.
Same name. Wrong man.
Turns out the lawyer contacted by Fox is in private practice, nearly two decades younger than the prosecutor and on the eve of getting married to his bride, Alexa Haider.
• To wit: Last year a major New York paper incorrectly posted a picture of Murphy. The paper had also misidentified him as the assistant state’s attorney, this time in connection with his involvement in the case of Ruben Roman, who was with 13-year-old Adam Toledo the night he was killed by a Chicago police officer.
Wrong man. Same name.
Call it classic Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
“I threatened to sue the paper, but I would have loved to have been on Tucker Carlson’s show just to chat,” said the younger Murphy. “We could have talked about fake news!”
Argh!
He is now in Bora Bora on his honeymoon.
Good thing.
Sneedlings …
Condolences to attorney Bill Coulsen on the death of his beloved mother, Rose, who died Sunday at the age of 104. Still selling her water colors and regularly winning at Scrabble, Rose Coulsen survived the 1918 Spanish flu; the Great Depression; World War II; raising three Boomer kids; a husband’s career in politics; breast cancer at age 94 and the COVID epidemic. Truly a remarkable journey through life. ... Saturday birthdays: Actress Vera Farmiga, 49; Sally Daly, ageless. Sunday birthdays: Charlize Theron, 47; David Duchovny, 62. And a belated birthday to Dan Kirk, 51 and priceless.
