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Chicagoland Equipment & Supply (CES), a portfolio company of Cooper Management, LLC, and a leading supplier of equipment, supplies and service to the food industry, has acquired United Fast Food &…
Chicagoland Equipmen…
Chicagoland Equipment & Supply (CES), a portfolio company of Cooper Management, LLC, and a leading supplier of equipment, supplies and service to the food industry, has acquired United Fast Food & Beverage Service, a leading supplier of equipment and service to convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. The transaction closed on January 5, and an official announcement was made to UFFB’s employees at the company’s Elk Grove headquarters the following day. The acquisition is a continuation of CES’ efforts to expand its equipment offering and service capabilities. Cook M&A (c…
Sean Leary
February 1, 2022
Welcome to the column for all carbon-based life-forms. If you breathe oxygen, this is for you. And if you live on a planet, especially Earth, well, then, you’ve come to the right place. Sorry, but I…
Welcome to the colum…
Welcome to the column for all carbon-based life-forms. If you breathe oxygen, this is for you. And if you live on a planet, especially Earth, well, then, you’ve come to the right place. Sorry, but I’m just following the new trend in advertising: casting as absurdly wide a net as possible. Products used to be advertised to a fairly specialized base. Each ad could be counted on to pander in its own unique way. You’d have your commercials aimed at seniors, in which someone sincere who was on TV when it was still seen only in black-and-white would give a testimonial about the product. Said c…
Sean Leary
February 22, 2021
It’s Monday, and it’s time once again for The Video You Deserve. Now, the past several videos we’ve featured have all been vintage stuff from the ‘80s, which, arguably, is the golden age of vi…
It’s Monday, and i…
It’s Monday, and it’s time once again for The Video You Deserve. Now, the past several videos we’ve featured have all been vintage stuff from the ‘80s, which, arguably, is the golden age of videos. Back then it was the wild west, there were no real rules, and imagination and strangeness ruled. As time went on, videos began to become more cliched and certain elements came up so often that we needed Beavis and Butthead to parody them. And once the reality TV plague set in, and every good-looking moron became a recording star, and MTV pretty much stopped playing videos in lieu of reality …
Sean Leary
February 16, 2021
Mondays can be rough. And so, every Monday, we give you a music video. A fun, funny music video. Something that’ll make you smile, make you laugh, make you reminisce, and make you realize that back …
Mondays can be rough…
Mondays can be rough. And so, every Monday, we give you a music video. A fun, funny music video. Something that’ll make you smile, make you laugh, make you reminisce, and make you realize that back in the day, music video creators were probably either insane or heavily intoxicated. But were also incredibly entertaining. Our latest video is another song that’s been resurrected by the popular app TikTok, although one much fresher than last week’s ’70s obscurity “Rasputin.” It’s a song by a then-newish singer that featured collaborations with some of the bigg…
Sean Leary
February 2, 2021
It’s Monday. Yeah. We feel you. And so, every Monday, we give you a music video. A fun, funny music video. Something that’ll make you smile, make you laugh, make you reminisce, and make you realiz…
It’s Monday. Yeah.…
It’s Monday. Yeah. We feel you. And so, every Monday, we give you a music video. A fun, funny music video. Something that’ll make you smile, make you laugh, make you reminisce, and make you realize that back in the day, music video creators were probably either insane or heavily intoxicated. But were also incredibly entertaining. We call this feature, The Video You Deserve, and you can find it every Monday on your site for fun, free entertainment and features, QuadCities.com. Our latest video is one you’ll certainly remember if you were alive and cognizant in the ’90s, as it wa…
Sean Leary
January 18, 2021
Listen, I’m not going to say that Kanye West dropped out of the race for President of the United States just because I announced I was running. After all, I’m writing this, not reading it out loud…
Listen, I’m not go…
Listen, I’m not going to say that Kanye West dropped out of the race for President of the United States just because I announced I was running. After all, I’m writing this, not reading it out loud. But I do find it coincidental that after I announced I was running for president last Friday, within days, Kanye suddenly dropped his 2020 campaign. Kanye announces his brief run for president before backing out because he’s scared of running against me. Hmmm. Suspicious. Kind of like a lot of other behavior by famous folks lately. Perhaps you’ve been hearing about some of it. Certain bi…
Sean Leary
July 17, 2020
It’s Monday. Yeah. We feel you. And so, we’re debuting a new feature. This feature. And in this feature, every Monday, we’re going to give you a music video. A fun, funny music video…
It’s Monday. Y…
It’s Monday. Yeah. We feel you. And so, we’re debuting a new feature. This feature. And in this feature, every Monday, we’re going to give you a music video. A fun, funny music video. Something that’ll make you smile, make you laugh, make you reminisce, and make you realize that back in the day, music video creators were probably either insane or heavily intoxicated. But were also incredibly entertaining. We call this feature, The Video You Deserve, and you can find it here every Monday! And so, what video did I deign to be appropriate and deserving for our first ever V…
Sean Leary
June 15, 2020
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods aren’t slowing down. The duo, who grew up making indie films since their teen years in Bettendorf, Iowa, and currently reside in Los Angeles, shot to prominence with “A …
Scott Beck and Bryan…
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods aren’t slowing down. The duo, who grew up making indie films since their teen years in Bettendorf, Iowa, and currently reside in Los Angeles, shot to prominence with “A Quiet Place” last year, after over a decade of under-the-radar ups-and-downs in Hollywood. Currently, Beck and Woods are in Canada in pre-production on a new project they’re “not allowed to talk about yet,” that they’re writing and directing. “It should be a fun one,” Wood said. “I wish we could other than we’re still following our heart down the horror genre that path and we thi…
Sean Leary
September 14, 2019
There were few Best Picture nominees at the Oscars this year more divisive than the Queen biography, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Critics, fans of the band and people who like to get irritated on socia…
There were few Best …
There were few Best Picture nominees at the Oscars this year more divisive than the Queen biography, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Critics, fans of the band and people who like to get irritated on social media were brutally torn up over the film, with several of them calling it “problematic.” I couldn’t agree with you more. Having seen “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I likewise found myself offended. I likewise found it very, very problematic. Predominantly for one reason. One main reason. That main reason? THEY DIDN’T INCLUDE ANYTHING ABOUT THE SONG “FLASH” FROM THE MO…
Sean Leary
February 24, 2019
Could “May the Force be with you'' someday be more than a T-shirt slogan? Might it one day become the climactic phrase of a religious ceremony? According to Hollywood lore, when the fir…
Could “May the For…
Could “May the Force be with you'' someday be more than a T-shirt slogan? Might it one day become the climactic phrase of a religious ceremony? According to Hollywood lore, when the first ``Star Wars'' film became an outrageous success, George Lucas' ambitious friend Francis Ford Coppola suggested that Lucas try to turn the philosophies of the “Star Wars'' series into a religion. Lucas laughed it off. However, given recent events, he may have to once more fend off Coppola's insistence. Since Disney bought the franchise, the “Star Wars" films have be…
Sean Leary
October 17, 2018
When it comes to singing, most of us are best served in our quest at vocal immortality by forgiving shower walls. Some bar band and karaoke heroes are a rung up, but we also have the advantage of t…
When it comes to sin…
When it comes to singing, most of us are best served in our quest at vocal immortality by forgiving shower walls. Some bar band and karaoke heroes are a rung up, but we also have the advantage of typically serenading the inebriated. Even in the case of some "professional vocalists" the studio trickery of Pro Tools is what makes them pristine and listenable on record. However, a day may not be too far off when every crooner is perfect. A day when singers are bred, not discovered. No, this isn't about "American Idol." However, it will likely spawn a reality TV show someday. Re…
Sean Leary
September 21, 2018
I'm never going to say anything bad about LeBron James again. This week LeBron announced that he’s donating millions of dollars to help send kids around his native Ohio to a special school, the I…
I'm never going to s…
I'm never going to say anything bad about LeBron James again. This week LeBron announced that he’s donating millions of dollars to help send kids around his native Ohio to a special school, the I Promise School in Akron, he’s creating that will be free, will give them free uniforms, free breakfast lunch and snacks, free books, free transportation, and if they graduate, free tuition to University of Akron. He’ll also pay for their parents to get their GEDs, pay for childcare and pay for them to continue their own educations. It’s an incredible gesture of largesse and return to his…
Sean Leary
August 9, 2018
It's an odd trend in entertainment and pop culture, but strangely, there are a lot of creative, imaginative and unassailably cool creators named John and David. Think about it. …
It's an odd trend in…
It's an odd trend in entertainment and pop culture, but strangely, there are a lot of creative, imaginative and unassailably cool creators named John and David. Think about it. Think of all the popular and/or pop culturally influential Johns. John Lennon. John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten). John Belushi. John Cusack. Johnny Depp. John Steinbeck. John Hiatt. John Waters. Johnny Carson. John Mayer. John Grisham. John Fog…
Sean Leary
July 27, 2018
I’m not sayin’ it was aliens, but… It was certainly unidentified, definitely flying and presumably an object, therefore it, by definition was a UFO, and I, and my son and his friend, saw it s…
I’m not sayin’ i…
I’m not sayin’ it was aliens, but… It was certainly unidentified, definitely flying and presumably an object, therefore it, by definition was a UFO, and I, and my son and his friend, saw it slowly gliding over the Mississippi River and Schwiebert Park going into Rock Island, Illinois. Giorgio Tsaukalos, take notes… It was a warm Monday night, July 9, just after sunset, and we were enjoying the weather and the atmosphere at the park on the river. Schwiebert is just east of the centennial bridge connecting Rock Island to Davenport, Iowa, just to the west of the Rock Island Arsen…
Sean Leary
July 19, 2018
Every week, we provide you with a huge calendar of activities that will take place in the Quad-Cities area over the coming week. Because we love you. And because it's our job ... to love you. (The pre…
Every week, we provi…
Every week, we provide you with a huge calendar of activities that will take place in the Quad-Cities area over the coming week. Because we love you. And because it's our job ... to love you. (The preceding sentence was written in tribute to the late Luther Vandross.) However, some calendar items we receive don't make the list. Some are out of the geographic area. Some aren't really entertainment. And some ... well, some just don't seem to fit in, if you know what I mean. For those of you who don't know what I mean, I thought I'd provide a few examples. Following are listings for a few event…
Sean Leary
July 19, 2018
There’s a scene in Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity” where the lead character, played by John Cusack, asks whether or not it’s fair to judge people largely on their music tastes. So, is it? …
There’s a scene in…
There’s a scene in Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity” where the lead character, played by John Cusack, asks whether or not it’s fair to judge people largely on their music tastes. So, is it? What kind of music do you like? Who are your favorite singers? What's your favorite song? When I was younger, particularly in high school and early college, I was inclined to judge potential friends and girlfriends in large part on their musical and pop-culture tastes. Yes, I was an entertainment snob. Hard to believe, I know. In comparing preferences in music, TV shows, movies…
Sean Leary
June 27, 2018
It’s been a problematic decade for Nicholas Brendan, but the actor and writer seems to be getting his life back together, traveling around the country talking about his battles with depression, whic…
It’s been a proble…
It’s been a problematic decade for Nicholas Brendan, but the actor and writer seems to be getting his life back together, traveling around the country talking about his battles with depression, which have led to alcohol problems and arrests that have tainted his legacy over the past decade. Brendan, best known for playing the wise-cracking Xander Harris on cult TV hit “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” from 1997-2003, and writing for the “Buffy” comic book since 2014, is taking steps to get his life back on track after several arrests over the past few years related to domestic violence a…
Sean Leary
June 25, 2018
Ever wonder what music made by an extraterrestrial might sound like? Apparently, kind of like this: “Let's dance put on your red shoes and dance the blues...'' Which, if you…
Ever wonder what mus…
Ever wonder what music made by an extraterrestrial might sound like? Apparently, kind of like this: “Let's dance put on your red shoes and dance the blues...'' Which, if you play it backwards, sounds like this: “Dance let’s shoes red your on put blues the dance and laser beam cattle rectums. . . ’’ Amazing how that works, isn’t it? And you thought only Selena Gomez wrote about laser beaming cattle rectums, didn’t you? Little did you know . . . Anyway, of course, the song I'm talking about is “Let's Dance,'' by Alf. …
Sean Leary
May 31, 2018
