Outlook

How things have changed in three years. It used to be that a Tiger Woods win on the PGA Tour was routine. But until Sunday's victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational - and since that infamous car crash - he hadn't won on the tour since September 2009. He was in a major slump off the course, but apparently he wasn't too busy to - well, we won't go there this time. Instead, we'll mark his achievement by seeing how likely it is Chicago teams will end droughts of their own this season.

Circuit nightclub, a Boystown mainstay for 15 years, has closed and its outlook for reopening is uncertain. Owner Michael Macharello said the club was closed by the landlord after years of arrears in rent. "Just getting through this economy and surviving it has been difficult," he said.  But the landlord for the property, Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, said Macharello is not the leaseholder and that the club's closing resulted from Macharello permanently removing the liquor license from the property.

It's the question on every Bears fan's mind. No, not "Can Jay Cutler throw with his left hand?" The real question is: Can the Bears make the playoffs? Sure they can. If they win a few more games and finish at least 10-6. Will they win a few more games? Time will tell, but a quick look at the Bears' remaining schedule can give us a hint. So, let's do that.   Sunday vs. Kansas City, noon CBS A home game probably will be a little kinder to quarterback Caleb Hanie.

No, your paychecks haven't been getting smaller - and neither has your kitchen. If it seems like it's getting harder to find an affordable, spacious rental in Chicago, that's because it is. Rents are up and vacancies are down as the economy continues to tread water. Net rent prices increased 14 percent from 2005 to 2010 - the latest data available. Meanwhile, about 40 percent of Cook County residents are renters, according to a 2011 study released by the DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies.

When Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL in Saturday's playoff-opening game at the United Center against Philadelphia, sports talking heads were near unanimous in their declaration that the Bulls could not win a championship without their superstar point guard. Fans, while perhaps dubious, pledged their support, believing the Bulls can persevere as they did when they went 18-9 during the 27 games Rose missed during the regular season. Tuesday night began the test of those two competing lines of thought.

Circuit nightclub, a Boystown mainstay for 15 years, has closed and its outlook for reopening is uncertain. Owner Michael Macharello said the club was closed by the landlord after years of arrears in rent. "Just getting through this economy and surviving it has been difficult," he said.  But the landlord for the property, Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, said Macharello is not the leaseholder and that the club's closing resulted from Macharello permanently removing the liquor license from the property.

No, your paychecks haven't been getting smaller - and neither has your kitchen. If it seems like it's getting harder to find an affordable, spacious rental in Chicago, that's because it is. Rents are up and vacancies are down as the economy continues to tread water. Net rent prices increased 14 percent from 2005 to 2010 - the latest data available. Meanwhile, about 40 percent of Cook County residents are renters, according to a 2011 study released by the DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies.

Lucas Neff wants you to tune in to his Fox comedy, "Raising Hope," and he offered an extra incentive to watch the March 13 episode. "You have me getting spanked a lot," he told me Sunday at the Coffee Studio in Andersonville. (Watch the video above.) The Chicago native is back in town helping shepherd to the stage a play he's written, "The Last Duck. " The Jackalope Theatre Company is doing the play, his first to be produced, and will premiere it at the ViaDuct Theatre March 22-23.

** (out of four) I'm no dating expert, but testicular cancer does not seem like a very promising first-date conversation topic. Not that awkward, overweight Abe (Jordan Gelber of “Boardwalk Empire”) and mopey Miranda (Selma Blair) have any potential in the first place. He's all pathetic desperation; she's all exhausted disappointment, barely generating the energy to suggest she sees his advances as worth dignifying. This sort of relationship falls right in line with the worldview of writer-director Todd Solondz (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”)

** (out of 4) Following the success of Adele's widely accessible “21,” Alicia Keys must have been tempted to head into the recording process for “Girl on Fire” with a conservative outlook. Keys, who owns the soulful piano ballad lane, is one of the few artists who can credibly and reliably deliver an album of just-edgy-enough comfort R&B that the music-buying public (aka. moms) can get behind en masse. So the fact that her fifth album shoots for a more modern, adventurous rebranding - it opens with a song called “Brand New Me” - is, in...

When Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL in Saturday's playoff-opening game at the United Center against Philadelphia, sports talking heads were near unanimous in their declaration that the Bulls could not win a championship without their superstar point guard. Fans, while perhaps dubious, pledged their support, believing the Bulls can persevere as they did when they went 18-9 during the 27 games Rose missed during the regular season. Tuesday night began the test of those two competing lines of thought.

How things have changed in three years. It used to be that a Tiger Woods win on the PGA Tour was routine. But until Sunday's victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational - and since that infamous car crash - he hadn't won on the tour since September 2009. He was in a major slump off the course, but apparently he wasn't too busy to - well, we won't go there this time. Instead, we'll mark his achievement by seeing how likely it is Chicago teams will end droughts of their own this season.

It's the question on every Bears fan's mind. No, not "Can Jay Cutler throw with his left hand?" The real question is: Can the Bears make the playoffs? Sure they can. If they win a few more games and finish at least 10-6. Will they win a few more games? Time will tell, but a quick look at the Bears' remaining schedule can give us a hint. So, let's do that.   Sunday vs. Kansas City, noon CBS A home game probably will be a little kinder to quarterback Caleb Hanie.

EAT Reopening Centro Ristorante 6 W. Hubbard St. 312-988-7775 Step back to the future as Rosebud Restaurants revives this '90s supper club featuring its signature neoclassic Italian dishes - in shareable portions - such as double-stuffed ricotta ravioli ($17) and several veal and chicken entrees ($18-$24), which can be prepared vesuvio-, velasco-, oreganato- or cacciatore-style, plus a late night menu. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. 'Night' and 'Day' Menus Grass Fed 1721 N. Damen Ave. 773-342-6000 Spring has sprung in Wicker Park with new menus featuring large and small seasonal plates...