Chicago - Feb. 11, 2012

Must-See
Parking Wars
A&E
8 p.m.
In the sixth-season opener, angry morning commuters are caught in Detroit; repeat offenders surface in Providence, R.I.; cars are booted at a graduation ceremony in Detroit. (tvguide.com)

Weather Derby
Tribune: 19/9
Sun-Times: 23/10
Weather Channel: 22/11
Natl Weather Svc.: 21/13
BWM*: 99/1

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More of the same.

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No.

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Yours.

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There's no bright side, so you can stop expending energy looking for it.

Ellie
There are few universal conclusions about the effects of divorce versus unhappy marriages; instead, there are individuals, their specific problems and how they handle them.

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Monster Skank/Infectious Grooves

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The Weekend Desk Report

By Natasha Julius

NOW WITH A BONUS WEEKEND DESK SUNDAY OSCAR UPDATE!

It looks like this is going to be an uncapped season after all. Enjoy the ride, everyone, and we'll monitor the key stories for you.

Market Update
In what most view as a positive sign, the focus of economic recovery this week has shifted from job creation to job retention at all friggin' cost.

Oscar Sunday
2010 is supposed to be a year marked by austerity and sacrifice. Yet somehow the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was able to splurge on a bloated slate of ten Best Picture nominees. We try to break down the key races and make a few modest predictions.

Best Actress: At no point in human history would we have thought Sandra Bullock could top Meryl Streep in an acting contest. But these eyes have seen a lot of strange and sinister things this winter and we don't intend to be Blind-Sided again.

Best Actor: It's a two-horse race, really, between Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" and Karl Rove in "Crazy Ass".

Best Picture: After all that expense, it better damn well be the team in Blue walking away with the trophy.

Traffic Management
Finally this week, officials were thrilled to announce a major rail construction project that will ease congestion and create jobs. Of course, failing that, they could just slash the number of trains again.

Bonus Weekend Desk!

What Are They Going to Wear? An Oscar Preview List by Drew Adamek

1. The skins of a small Malaysian boy.

2. A smug sense of self-satisfaction.

3. Dickies, cuz you know, things are tough.

4. Money (James Cameron).

5. The envy of millions of ugly women.

6. Pablum: Hollywood's Favorite Perfume.

7. Some Stupid Fucking Ribbon.

8. Jerry Bruckheimer's Nuts.

9. Old McCain/Palin T-Shirts.

10. Barbara Walters' dignity.