The best (and worst) of 2005.

Around Town

Worst guilt-trip perpetrated
by a cultural institutionWe're slowly warming up to the NotebaertNature Museum's 'Climate Chaos' exhibition, on display through April 23 (2430 N Cannon Dr, 773-755-5100). Charts link an increase in greenhouse gases to rising global temperatures, wildfires and tropical storms. To top it off, interactive computer kiosks tell you why these weather patterns are your fault (eek!) and give you ways to use less fossil fuel. Hummers or the apocalypse: The exhibit lets you be the judge, but not without an eyeful of the disturbing consequences.

Best new excuse to visit Chinatown
Go for the dim sum, but stay for the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, which opened in May. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in its personal approach to history. Its single (albeit large) gallery is stocked with photos, antique toys, clothing, furniture and other family heirlooms on loan from members of the Chinese-American community (238 W 23rd St, 312-949-1000).

Worst use of an alderman's time
Earlier this year, local aldermen nabbed headlines by passing legislation to ban handheld cell-phone use among drivers (studies found the ban was ineffective in making streets safer) and proposing a ban on foie gras, a delicacy some City Council members couldn't even pronounce or define. While the movement to ban smoking in public places had more merit, the city couldn't get this important piece of legislation right, allowing bars with air purifiers to keep on puffing. Chicago is the only major city to allow such a loophole. Oh well, at least they managed to ban marijuana-flavored candy.

Best reason to tolerate inner-thigh chafing
No, that throng of people cycling naked through the streets last June wasn't a remake of a Queen video'it was the annual World Naked Bike Ride. Whether you joined in or just watched, you must applaud the ample showing of flesh, which actually had a message: The naked bodies protested oil dependency and car culture.

Most nauseating expo trend
We love to watch the docs on Nip/Tuck boost a gal's confidence by jamming silicone into her chest, but seeing the real deal is a little less appealing. From this fall's plastic-surgery convention at the Ritz to the cosmetic makeover staged at Excalibur nightclub in December, the huge crowds at these things have us worried.

Best controversy that wasn't
The flap surrounding the Museum of Science and Industry's 'Body Worlds' exhibit never got legs here. Early on, show creator Dr. Gunther von Hagens took a beating in the European press after allegations emerged that the plasticized human specimens on display came from homeless Siberians, the mentally ill and Chinese political prisoners. Von Hagens denied the allegations, and the U.S. press didn't push the issue. The show's seven-month run attracted nearly 800,000 visitors, making it the museum's second-most-attended exhibit after 'Titanic.'

Worst case of self-editing
Richard Roeper was so personally offended by Dove's billboard campaign featuring 'plump gals' that he spewed his grievance in the Sun-Times. What's worse: A high-profile columnist who thinks his sexist views deserve our attention? The local media that failed to call him out on it? Or a newspaper that apparently lets a columnist publish whatever passes through his head? You decide. We're stumped.

Best place to get elbowed
Flanked by 'the Bean' and Crown Fountain on one side and a stunning view of the city skyline on the other, it's no surprise that people line up down the block to get a few precious turns on the ice at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park. While the longest line is for skate rental, weekends generally see the rink packed to near-capacity. Our tip: Get there on a weekday or really early on a weekend, if you want to unleash your inner Kristi Yamaguchi without knocking over a wobbling 12-year-old.

Eat out/Drink up

Worst 'new' dessert that won't go away
Chocolate 'molten lava' cake. When Jean-Georges Vongerichten created it a decade ago, it was cool. Now, it's the dessertequivalent of the Awesome Blossom.

Best reinvention of a dying trend
It started innocently enough: A few small-plates spots popped up here and there, aiming to nudge American diners toward Euro-style noshing. But after Avec hit the nail on the head, the small-plates wine-bar trend spread like the bird flu. Some succeeded, others didn't, though impressive new spots like Francesca's Forno (shared dish, above right), Del Toro, bin wine cafe, Haro, Extra Virgin and Quartino prove that the wave shows no sign of slowing.

Best anachronistic eats
This year, we were happy gastronomic time-travelers. We experienced futuristic foods cooked in new ways, and ate them using utensils that looked like they were developed by NASA at Alinea and Moto. Meanwhile Motel and Parlor served up throwbacks like meatloaf and Singapore Slings. If this fad continues, it's anyone's guess which decade we'll find ourselves biting into in 2006.

Best big-flavor eats in a tiny space
The chef-owners of Schwa (above left), the wee sleeper hit that popped up on the edge of Wicker Park (1466 N Ashland Ave, 773-252-1466), can only dole out their amazing contemporary American creations to 28 people at a time. But what a lucky 28 they are.

Worst use of a huge restaurant space
Ever been to a giant wedding with a sit-down dinner? Imagine yourself stuck at a corner table in a 400-person ballroom making your way through tepid plates of food that might be good if they weren't so obviously mass-produced. Add a slick-haired, Viagra-popping, Sopranos wanna-be sending over sweet Cosmos (cause dat's what da ladies like) and you've got the complete Carnivale experience (702 W Fulton Mkt, 312-850-5005).

Worst disappearing act
Wicker Park wine shop Taste closed temporarily earlier this year, promising to reopen bigger, better and with a cheese-and-wine bar. Next thing we knew, the posters were down, the website was gone, and the space was taken over by Akira for Men.

Check Out

Worst fleecing of the fashion flock
Thrifty fashionistas shop sample sales to find deep discounts on designer clothing. But the Billion Dollar Babes sample sales broke the Cardinal Rule of Cheapness by allowing ladies who coughed up $100 to $250 for a 'VIP membership' the privilege of shopping early. The rest of the poor shlubs were stuck with sloppy seconds after waiting in line for an hour.

Laziest clothing trend
Unless your butt resembles a pair of ripe, plump cherries, you should've left thosestretchy gaucho pants on the rack.

Worst display of gross materialism
Shoppers queued for hours to be among the first to buy Stella McCartney's one-off clothing collection for H&M. Once the doors opened, the scene morphed from frantic to bloodthirsty: Women snatched merch out of each other's hands, stripped mannequins and, in one woman's case, abandoned crying toddlers near the escalator.

Worst pandering to female consumers
What better way to recognize the seriousness of violence against women than to market pepper spray as a 'sleek, fashionably designed' red-carpet accessory? The Pepperface.com Edition Palm Defender is available in Prevention Purple and Stunning Steel'and at $35, it's also $14 more than essentially identical Palm Defenders we found online. The only difference: The cheaper versions aren't marketed to women.

Most delusionally titled home-decorating book that we love anyway
In My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, foxy potter Jonathan Adler says that a well-decorated home can boost one's mental health. While we're not going to trade our Wellbutrin for an embroidered pillow anytime soon, Adler's cheerful voice and down-to-earth design ideas remind us that decorating should be fun. (Available at Jonathan Adler, 676 N Wabash Ave, 312-274-9920)

Best reason to become a tree hugger
Here's a nice surprise: Edun, the ecologically sustainable, ethically produced clothing line created by Bono and company, is as stylish as it is socially conscious. Pick these feel-good duds up at Hejfina, Saks, Nordstrom or Barneys New York Co-Op.

Best protest shirt
Thousands were outraged to hear a Chicago staple had been bought by a subpar New Yawk chain. But one online retailer (www.newathens.org) found two simple words to sum up the feelings of Marshall Field's fans everywhere.

Best news for local talent
Designers such as Anna Ehrler and Alicia Tatina now have an easy way to get their work into the hands of shoppers: Habit, a boutique specializing in under-the-radar and student-created clothing and accessories (1951 W Division St, 773-342-0093; www.habitchicago.com).

Best mall makeover
It's always been puzzling that the Century Shopping Centre (2828 N Clark St), with its fab rococo facade and one of the best cinemas in the city (Landmark's Century Centre Cinema), could possess such a dull interior plaza. Finally, the place has gotten a little makeover and a decent eatery with the introduction of eatZi's on the lowest floor.

Chill Out

Best East Coast import
Manhattan-based exhale (945 N State St, 312-753-6500, www.exhalespa.com) opened its doors in August and has been pampering and pumping up Chicagoans ever since. The club's one-hourproprietary Core Fusion fitness classes incorporate Pilates and yoga; its 'relax' fusion massage ($110 for 60 minutes) blends sandalwood, clove, vetiver and jasmine oils.

Best reason to strip for a stranger
Brazilian native and aesthetician extraordinaire Cleise Gomes of Cleise Brazilian Day Spa (1841 N Sheffield, 312-440-1060, www.cleisespa.com) offers three waxing options for your nether regions at her eponymous day spa'regular ($35), flirtatious ($50 and up) and the Carecona ($65 and up), a bare-all bikini bonanza.

Best excuses to have one more cocktail
Drink up and repent in the morning with a rehydrating and body-sculpting Morning After Workout at Crunch Fitness (locations throughout the city, www.crunch.com), which is free for members. Or let somebody else do the work and sign up for a Hangover Herbie Treatment ($215, 105 minutes) at Bliss Spa (W Hotel, 644 N Lake Shore Dr, 312-201-9545, www.blissspa.com), said to purify and revitalize skin and bones though essential oils, oxygen spray and massage.

Worst attempt to save face (and time)
A pox on the minifacial. Nothing about a facial should be quick; save your money and your pores for a full-length session that gives aestheticians enough time to properly clean and treat your skin.

Art & Design

Best use of art in a space
The Dan Flavin retrospective cast the Museum of Contemporary Art in its best light ever. Flavin's work, made with fluorescent tubes, is all about light and space. The cool, white walls and ceilings of the MCA provided a perfect canvas for reflections and reflecting.

Best art-show surprise
We knew the Henri Toulouse-Lautrec show at the Art Institute would pull in the crowds. And it was easy to snicker as we strolled down the museum corridor decorated to resemble a faux Parisian boulevard on the way to the exhibit. Well, 'Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre' turned out to be a splendid show, and we were sorry to see it go.

Stupidest Chicago art-world trick
Roll over and play dead. We used to have the best art fair in North America. Used to. While the art coroner has yet to declare Art Chicago officially flatlined, that's probably only because she is still recuperating from the gigantic early December party that was Art Basel Miami.

Worst lapse in urban planning
Rampant high-rise condo development in the West Loop has meant the leveling of spots like the Victorian building that housed Fat Moe's sandwich place on Adams Street. Repurposing warehouses and factories into housing is a fine thing, but wiping out cool, smaller buildings strips the West Loop of its character.

Best phallic faceoff
The Donald finally broke ground on his Trump International Hotel & Tower on the Sun-Times's former site. His selection of Skidmore Owings & Merrill's Adrian Smith as designer was a savvy bit of diplomacy, and he also assuaged post'September 11 paranoia by shaving the height of his building down to a still lofty 1,131 feet. But then Fordham Company CEO Christopher Carley proposed his Santiago Calatrava'designed Fordham Spire (inset), which will (if built) soar to 1,458 feet at a lakefront site south of Navy Pier. Donald's erection will be bigger in total square footage, but Carley's may have the last word: Some liken its tapered shape to a giant screw.

Books

Worst literary traffic jam
It would be nice if the city had a literary festival that wasn't run by the Trib'one that was perhaps a little more adventurous in its bookings. But the least we could ask for is a better location than within Printers Row. With many of the performance tents stacked near each other and abutting the still-open roadways, we couldn't count how many times readings were interrupted by screeching cars, sirens or overzealous traffic cops.

Best example of Midwestern thriftand ingenuity
The one thing that distinguishes Chicago's literary scene from the coasts' is the lack of money floating around. But that's not stopping more presses from popping up and doing it right, if sometimes on the cheap. Not only did Other Voices launch its imprint this year, but both Punk Planet Books and Agate Publishing put out books that sold well across the country.

Best execution of a questionable idea
In November, Todd Dills, editor of Chicago-based literary magazine THE2NDHAND, organized an antiwar reading at the Hungry Brain tavern in Roscoe Village. It's the kind of event that could easily go sour with too much intrachoir preaching. But the solid and diverse readings peaked when former army interrogator Mike Nowacki shared his fictional tale of a complicated relationship between a prisoner and his inquisitor. One of the most captivating readings we've seen all year, it renewed our hope for political literature.

Clubs

Worst publicity stunt
The idea of a luxury martini'in this case, an orangey concoction that includes Grey Goose and Dom P'rignon'garnished with a one-carat, A-grade ruby is just plain ridiculous on any level. But Reserve's $950 Red Ruby Cocktail pretty much sums up everything absurd about Chicago nightlife in one glass.

Best reason to wear clean undies
Sadly, it's gone now, but DJ Major Taylor's Let's Get Butt-naked and Fuck party briefly established itself as the place to be in 2005's secret world of loft parties'if you wanted to dance with skinny guys wearing big glasses and American Apparel skivvies, that is.

Worst night to bounce with a supervillian
Back in January, clubbers hoping to hear MF Doom at Scion's popular hip-hop night at Sonotheque ended up freezing out on the sidewalk for hours. Many didn't get in, and the DJ finally went on only about a half hour before closing time.

Comedy

Worst excuse for treating an audiencewith utter disdain
After the ImprovOlympic's star-studded 25th-anniversary show crashed and burned (primarily because nobody bothered to do a preshow sound check of the wireless microphones), I.O. owner Charna Halpern and many of the performers said things along the lines of, 'Hey, it's improv! Part of the fun is having to overcome unexpected challenges.' Not quite. Talented improvisers can negotiate a lot of obstacles, but not being heard by 85 percent of their audience shouldn't be one of them.

Worst choice of venue
British 'documentary-comedian' Dave Gorman told the story of his Googlewhack adventure here in September, and he told it brilliantly. (A Googlewhack, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a combination of two words that appear on only one Web page indexed by Google'e.g., 'hoboed brainchilds.') Too bad hardly anybody saw him do it. Chicago audiences stayed home (probably because of the hour-plus drive to Aurora's Paramount Arts Centre), and suburban audiences did, too (probably because, according to Gorman, the theater did absolutely no marketing). Nobody even bothered to put the name of the show on the theater's marquee. Hopefully the experience hasn't soured Gorman on Chicago permanently.

Best evidence that Chicago remainsa fertile comedy training ground
Lorne Michaels was in town auditioning performers for Saturday Night Live this summer. The bad news: Nobody from Chicago was tapped. (Although, really, how bad is it? SNL ain't getting any better.) But locals the Defiant Thomas Brothers and Rebecca Drysdale kicked ass at Aspen's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in the spring, and Dan Bakkedahl started his gig'as the newest Daily Show correspondent'in the fall.

Most heartwarming homecoming
When Comedy Central approached comic and sitcom actor Jim Gaffigan about taping an hour-long stand-up special, he told them he wanted to do it in Chicago, near his hometown of Gary, Indiana. The channel's brass weren't thrilled with the concept. 'It was like I was asking to do it in Afghanistan,' Gaffigan says. Eventually he prevailed, and made his triumphant return at a packed the Vic Theatre for three shows in early October.

Dance

Most graceful leap
Luna Negra Dance Theater and its sponsor, the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, took a huge risk with a single show at the 1,525-seat Harris Theater in October. It paid off. Luna danced a varied program to an appreciative sold-out house, showing off its diverse chops and cinching its rep as Chicago's first major Latino dance institution.

Longest wait for performances to start
Revolutionary choreographer William Forsythe has been making waves internationally with his mind-bending balletic experiments for more than 25 years. This year, Hubbard Street Dance became the first local company to obtain a Forsythe work: his edgy 1989 Enemy in the Figure. And the Mark Morris Dance Group's performance of Morris's 1988 masterpiece, L''Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, at the Harris Theater in August'another Chicago premiere'was an absolute thrill. It was certainly worth waiting for'but for 17 years?

Best gesture by a non-dancer
The Chicago Dance Project, a 13-part television series created by dance fan and longtime dance documentarian Scott Silberstein and his company HMS Media, premiered on WTTW 11 on January 30. The series covered a wide swath of local dance activity, and Silberstein made the well-produced and otherwise expensively obtained video footage available for free to the artists and companies'who have since used it for promotional and creative purposes. Earlier this month the series snagged two Chicago/Midwest Emmys, and there's now talk of a rebroadcast, as well as extended distribution throughout the Midwest.

Film

Best turning of tables
Gay matinee idols from Rudolph Valentino to Rock Hudson have been setting impossibly high standards for straight men since cinema began. So the current trend of hetero actors hogging high-profile gay roles (Brokeback Mountain, above; Capote) is a long- overdue payback.

Worst persistent problem for moviegoers
The dearth of South Side theaters continues to amaze us. Anyone looking at a map of this city can tell you that if you live south of the Loop, you're going to have slimmer pickings. Note to theater chains: A lot of people live on the South Side, and they'll go to movies if you build there.

Best performance by a major star in a movie nobody saw
Daniel Day-Lewis was at his most intense as Camilla Belle's eccentric dad in The Ballad of Jack and Rose. As an island-dwelling former commune leader whose idealism has curdled into misanthropy, the scarecrow-gaunt Day-Lewis was at once a charismatic monster and a pitiable wretch.

Worst performance by a major star in afilm everybody saw
Jane Fonda did some disgraceful mugging in Monster-in-Law. We can forgive Fonda for consorting with the Vietcong, helping to popularize leg warmers and marrying Ted Turner, but not for breaking her 20-year retirement from acting to make this witless piece of crap.

Worst documentary trend
Worshipful rock docs about half-forgotten cult acts (The Nomi Song, New York Doll, Derailroaded, etc.) sprung up everywhere. Not every band that made it out of the garage is worth a feature-length doc.

Best major film that absolutely diedat the box office
We came out of Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist thinking it was going to conquer the world, but Polanski's best film since The Tenant sank without a ripple, taking with it Ben Kingsley's best-ever performance, as Fagin.

Best retrospective redux
In January, the Siskel programmed a retrospective showcasing director Yasujiro Ozu. When it proved a huge success, the Siskel came back for round two in the fall, screening even more of the master's less easily available films.

Gay & Lesbian

Most uncomfortable athletic supporters
The Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously gave the 2006 Gay Games a thumbs-up in June, paving the way for its debut in Chicago next July. One month later, all five Republican members of the 17-person board withdrew their support. ('I must have been out of the room,' said Commissioner Tony Peraica.) We haven't seen flip-flops like this since our last visit to Hollywood Beach.

Best reason to create a 'Queer Chicago Music' playlist on your iPod
The Outmusic Awards were hosted in Chicago in June by comedian Lea DeLaria and local leather rockers Jinx Titanic. Among the winners were singer-songwriter and Homolatt' host (see listings) Scott Free, who picked up two awards, including Outmusician of the Year, and folk desperado Dylan Rice, who won Best Debut Recording by a Male for his album Wandering Eyes. You may never again have to leave Chicago to gauge the pulse of queer music.

Best sugar-coated gentrification that leaves a sour taste in our mouths
The arrival of sexy X/O (3441 N Halsted St, 773-348-9696) signaled a return to good dining on Boystown's main drag, where Firefly was barely holding down the fort. Ditto the transformation of Hearty Boys Catering into date-friendly HB Cafe' (3404 N Halsted St, 773-661-0299) and the Lilliputian living-room tavern Minibar (3341 N Halsted St, 773-871-6227). But does it have to be so expensive? Spots like these cement Boystown's growing reputation as an upscale destination for rich white thirtysomethings.

Kids

Worst case of a big flap over a small sign
The sign at Andersonville's Taste of Heaven stating that CHILDREN OF ALL AGES HAVE TO BEHAVE AND USE THEIR INDOOR VOICES at the bakery/cafe clearly touched a nerve, but did there really need to be such a brouhaha? Parents: No one wants to be around screaming or disruptive kids when they're dining out. Childless diners: Cut parents a bit of slack before you freak out. Restaurant owners: Don't send mixed messages about whether you're child-friendly or not.

Best news for culture-starved parents
Chicago's arts community opened its arms to budding culture vultures with the formation of Chicago Children's Theatre (1464 N Milwaukee Ave, second floor, 773-227-0180, www.chicagochildrenstheatre.org), the city's first major professional company dedicated to kids; the unveiling of the snazzy Children's Garden at the Morton Arboretum (4100 Illinois Rte 53, Lisle, www.mortonarb.org); and a special episode of Check, Please! with kid reviewers.

Best music to your family's ears
Ralph's World, the kiddie-pop alter ego of Ralph Covert, gave hope to Barney-phobic parents by selling out Ravinia, a first for a kids performer.

Worst use of a bully pulpit
The pro-life American Family Association threatened to launch a boycott against American Girl Place because of their affiliation with Girls, Inc., a group that promotes self-esteem in young woman and also supports abortion rights.

Music

Best additions to the Chicago music-festival scene
We can forgive the relatively safe bill (Think a jam band like Widespread Panic would have played the festival ten years ago?) and the fact that the stages were so close together you could hear the other band's music 'Perry Farrell's two-day circus, a.k.a. Lollapalooza, established Chicago as a great city for a (hopefully annual) destination festival. Those with more cultivated tastes got Intonation Festival, hosted by locally based music site Pitchforkmedia.com, which featured top underground acts.

Best quote
Kanye West's tirade on a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims ('President Bush doesn't care about black people') was the best example we've seen of someone acting naturally in front of a TV camera. He wasn't the only person with a point of view on this topic, but no scriptwriter could have penned something so eloquent and inarticulate at the same time.

Most surprising ambush of Amadeus
The New York Philharmonic hit Orchestra Hall with one of the sloppiest performances in recent years. Scratchy violins and no end of ugly sounds in the other sections had us wondering if we were hearing the right orchestra. Summed up one attendee: 'That didn't sound like Mozart.'

Best club reopening
After a year of inactivity, the legendaryCheckerboard Lounge is back with a new space (5201 S Harper Ave) in Hyde Park. Another change: Jazz has joined blues on the bill, though owner L.C. Thurman says he's 'just trying [jazz] out to see how it goes.' Most likely, it'll still be the blues that keeps the joint buzzing after dark.

Worst live show
According to eyewitnesses at a mid-October show at Joe's on Weed Street, headliner Ghostface went on nearly six hours after the doors opened, and opening act Tru Life and his crew hurled full water bottles at the audience when Ghost fans started to show their displeasure. Abusing paying customers? Now that's gangsta.

Best state-themed album
A whole album about us? By someone from Michigan? With Illinois, the Land of Lincoln becomes only the second state singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens has tackled as part of his insanely ambitious 50 states project. Who knew 'Casimir Pulaski' could sound so lovely over a gentle banjo?

Best homage to gods and monsters
All 12 performances of the Lyric Opera's production of Wagner's Ring Cycle sold out, meaning it was heard by 9,000-plus people. Not bad for a composer who's been dead for 122 years.

Weirdest venue
After Daley's midnight dash to bulldoze Meigs Field, we got'an outdoor concert venue in Northerly Island. The idea was a good one in theory, as seeing a concert by the lake is picturesque. But the bands booked were poor choices. Earth, Wind & Fire? The Backstreet Boys? As of now it's simply an odd blip on the Chicago concert radar, as there are no plans for an encore series of shows in 2006.

Worst club shutdown
In the long-standing battle between the CTA and Lakeview's Bottom Lounge, the CTA has finally won. 'They are going to get the property no matter how much we scream and kick,' Brian Elmiger, one of the club's co-owners, told TOC last spring. Fortunately, the club plans to reopen in February in the West Loop at a new, as-yet-undetermined location.

Most impressive comeback
After 2002's cringeworthy film dud Swept Away and 2003's lukewarm American Life, we weren't sure the Madonna had it in her anymore. Would she stick to yoga, Kaballah, writing ill-metered children's books and practicing her faux-Brit accent from now on? Of course not. Confessions on a Dance Floor is yet another triumph of Her Royal Madgesty: Sculpted by masterful English DJ Stuart Price and recorded in a divey West London studio, it returns M to her early '80s dance club rootsand even winks at her past with samples of 'Like a Prayer' and 'Papa Don't Preach.' At 47, she can still steal the show (which she did at the MTV Europe Music Awards), brushing off doubters as she gets into the groove yet again.

Best mix 'n' match
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra went out on a limb and paired Pierre Boulez's gagaku-inspired '"Rituel"' with an authentic gagaku ensemble from Japan. (Gagaku, incidentally, is an ancient form of Japanese imperial court music.) But by having the ensemble play after the orchestra performed 'Rituel,' they let us hear the influences for ourselves.

Best weathering of less-than-ideal conditions
Midway through violinist Christian Tetzlaff's solo with the Grant Park Orchestra, an ambulance roared past Millennium Park with sirens blaring, drowning him out, despite the Pritzker's fine sound-system. But the studious German soldiered on and earned a raving ovation.

Best event no one heard
New-music powerhouse pianist Winston Choi didn't exactly pack 'em into Northwestern's tiny Lutkin Hall, but the handful of people who showed up were treated to some fine pianistic pyrotechnics.

Worst mauling of a classic
Pianist Tzimon Barto stepped up to the plate for Brahms's ridiculously difficult Concerto No. 1 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia in July'and whiffed. He was overly aggressive and ferocious, attacking the keys as if they were fighting back. Hearing him play Brahms was like watching a lion eat pudding: messy, with way too much energy being expended in all the wrong directions. Christoph Eschenbach's conducting followed Barto's every move, so it was fun to watch the expressions on the CSO players' faces turn from puzzled to bemused to horrified.

Sports

Best excuse for rampant littering
It's tough to pick what we loved best about the ''05 White Sox. Sure, their first World Series win since 1917 is pretty high up there. But we were charmed long before then by Ozzie Guillen's omnipresent grin, by the squad's nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic (epitomized by all-star slugger Paul Konerko, pictured below and on our cover), and by the fact that they stayed in first place wire-to-wire, even though they made us chew our fingernails during their miniswoon the last two weeks of the regular season. Who cares if the city was filled with freshly purchased cap'wearing bandwagoneers? It was truly a thrill to see Loop buildings spell out go sox in their windows, and to stand in a blizzard of confetti on LaSalle Street among the screaming hordes as the hometown heroes cruised by atop double-decker buses.

Most exciting new pro-sports franchise
Go ahead and snicker, but we're juiced that Chicago's getting a WNBA team: the Sky. Okay, the name's a little weak (Chicago's known for its skyline, not its sky), but female pro ballers play exciting, old-school basketball that is a blast to watch. The team picked up Kiesha Brown and Stacey Dales-Schuman in the expansion draft, along with local girl Brooke Wyckoff. It's anybody's guess as to how competitive they'll be, but one thing's for sure: There should be plenty of good seats available for home games.

Worst tape-measure job
The springtime Lakeshore Marathon (not to be confused with the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October) has been criticized for its lack of organization for years. But in March, the people in charge outdid even themselves, plotting a course for runners that was 27.2 miles long, instead of the usual 26.2. Everyone knows it's virtuous to 'go the extra mile,' but participants were understandably pissed. Organizer Mark Cihlar has ceded control of the 2006 race, but will anyone sign up?

Closest to the cigar without getting a puff
There was something in the air affecting college and pro teams around Chicago this past year. Nobody knows how far the Bears will go, but it's fairly certain they'll be playing in the postseason. The Fighting Illini amazed us in the spring, dropping only two games (the second one a heartbreaker in the NCAA championship). The Baby Bulls grew up just a little bit, restoring some of the glory to Chicago basketball with a big finish in the regular season. The Chicago Rush and the Chicago Fire (arena football and Major League Soccer, respectively) didn't exactly capture the city's heart, but they each came within a game of their league championships. And the minor league hockey Wolves powered their way to the Calder Cup championship series, only to falter at the last minute. Of course, we all know the fortunes of the White Sox. Save for the Cubs and Blackhawks, 2005 was a truly stellar year for Chicago sports fans.

Theater

Best Brian Sidney Bembridge set of the year
The baby-faced scenic and lighting designer was everywhere this year, designing upwards of 20 shows for companies of every shape and budget. Most dazzling was his transformation of the Chopin Theatre's basement into a one-bedroom apartment for Uma Productions' September 11 comedy Recent Tragic Events (featuring Audrey Francis).

Theater event that reminds us most of globalization
What did it take to get the downtown theater district booming again? A New York mega-hit, of course. Sure, the unprecedented open-run smash Wicked reminds us a little bit of what happens to small towns when Wal-Mart moves in, but don't tell that to the throngs of screaming girls in front of the Oriental Theatre. Thanks to them, we can't even get a ticket.

Biggest mutual blunder of audiences and arts administration
When innovative production organization Performing Arts Chicago got the hook this year, the PAC/edge Festival went down with it, leaving the city's experimental performance artists without a venue. Yeah, a lot of things in the festival were phony-baloney, but the junk was always outweighed by daring and provocative work. Poor attendance from people who 'kept meaning to get over to the Athenaeum' and scattershot administration were the culprits.

Best season by a dead playwright
Samuel Beckett, you crazy mofo: Did you get a new agent this year? Surely someone was working the phones for you, judging from the Court Theatre's smart techno mounting of Endgame, Signal Ensemble's refreshingly unpretentious staging of Waiting for Godot, and, best of all, the Hypocrites' breathtaking triple bill of playlets, including Not I, performed at the PAC/edge Festival.

Most bone-headed theater renovation
Remember how everytime you went upstairs at Steppenwolf, the stage and the audience were configured differently? And how exciting it was when artists like Tina Landau and visiting companies like About Face and Redmoon used it to experiment? Sadly, Steppenwolf has decided that grown-up theater means cushy seats nailed to the floor and a permanent stage. You want adventure? Go hang out in the Garage.

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Best way geekery helps you get where you're going
In January, www.a9.com added photos of many Chicago streets (click through to the 'Maps' feature). In April, Google Maps added satellite views (www.maps.google.com). Never again grapple with a lousy sense of direction: Instead, use Google Maps to plan your route and A9 to see exactly what your trek should look like.

Best way to laugh through your Arrested Development tears
Rumors of the death of sitcoms were greatly exaggerated. The Office, Jake in Progress, My Name Is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris prove offbeat, single-camera shows are here to stay, even if Arrested Development isn''t.

Best good-bye
Six Feet Under had a mediocre fifth season, but the intensely emotional and beautiful finale was an exquisite reminder of the show''s capacity for artistry and impact. Also, for terrific zingers such as, 'What is this? Some Quaker thing? You fuck someone's husband to death and then bring them a quiche?' Ah, Brenda.

Worst trend
Were there any new dramas this fall that didn't feature women being kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered?Close to Home, Killer Instinct and Criminal Minds joined an already crowded procedural field and substituted graphic and sensational violence against women for creativity and drama.