The annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade travels through downtown Chicago on State Street from Congress to Randolph, from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Thursday.

It features giant helium balloons, decorative floats, marching bands, celebrities and Santa Claus.

It's free to all ages.

Four shows will be visiting the city next year as part of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater's World Stages series, the ongoing international festival that regularly exposes local audiences to some of the most intriguing productions from around the globe, Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss reports. Included will be productions from Belarus, South Africa, Great Britain and Italy:

† "Minsk, 2011: A Reply to Kathy Acker" (Jan. 30-Feb. 3 in CST's Upstairs Theater): Belarus Free Theatre, the embattled ensemble that thrilled audiences with its 2010 production of "Being Harold Pinter," will return with a show that explores the sexually repressive nature of one of Europe's last surviving dictatorships. (Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright and essayist.)

† "Cadre" (Feb. 15-24, Upstairs Theater): In partnership with the fabled Market Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa, Chicago Shakespeare will present this world premiere -- written by and featuring South African artist Omphile Molusi (the luminous star of "Itoseng," presented at CST in 2010) -- that tells the story of a former soldier in the sub-Saharan African Azanian People's Liberation Army during and after apartheid.

† "Roadkill" (May 11-26): This Olivier Award-winning American premiere, conceived and directed by Cora Bissett with text by Stef Smith, is a site-specific performance for which audience members will be transported by mini-van to an apartment in Chicago. There, they will be confronted with the brutal realities of sex trafficking in a story drawn from the harrowing details of a young Nigerian woman's plight. (The production is the catalyst for the British Council's collaboration with CST and St. Ann's Warehouse in New York City to create a public program that engages local partners in a dialogue on the impact of human trafficking.)

† "Inner Voices" (June 25-29 in CST's Courtyard Theater): This production by the Piccolo Teatro di Milano of a 1948 play by Eduardo De Filippo, one of Italy's most translated writers, investigates perceptions of morality amidst an economically devastated post-World War II landscape. It is being presented in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago to commemorate the Year of Italian Culture in America.

For tickets call: (312) 595-5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com. All tickets for "Minsk, 2011: A Reply to Kathy Acker" and "Cadre" are $20.

Jurors awarded nearly $777,000 Tuesday to a former "The Price is Right" model who claimed she was discriminated against by producers because of her pregnancy, AP reports.

Brandi Cochran, 41, said she was rejected by the game show's producers when she tried to return to work in early 2010 after taking maternity leave.

The Superior Court jury determined her pregnancy was the reason she wasn't rehired and awarded Cochran $776,944 in the suit against producers FremantleMedia North America and The Price is Right Productions.

In their defense, producers said they were satisfied with the five models working on the show at the time Cochran sought to return.

A second phase of the trial will determine whether Cochran should be awarded punitive damages. Cochran's attorneys had asked for more than $8 million, City News Service reported.

Jurors began deliberations Thursday, telling Judge Kevin Brazile several times that they were deadlocked before reaching the verdict.

Women kicked butt last night.

Three women were chosen to go the finals in "Dancing with the Stars."

Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough, Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani, and Kelly Monaco and Valentin Chmerkovskiy will duke it out starting next Monday for the new and improved Mirrorball trophy.

Read all about it here.

Kevin Clash, puppeteer and voice of Elmo, resigned from Sesame Street on Tuesday following a sex scandal that widened to involve claims from a second man who filed a lawsuit alleging that Clash sexually abused him as a youth.

Announcing the decision with what he called a "very heavy heart," Mr. Clash said in a statement, "Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work 'Sesame Street' is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately," New York Times reported.

His statement came at around the same time that a lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York accusing him of "sexual activity" with a 15-year-old. The accuser, Cecil Singleton, is now 24. The suit said that Mr. Singleton "did not become aware that he had suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash's sexual acts and conduct until 2012." It sought $5 million in damages.

The first man that had accused Clash of underage sex, when he was a teen, withdrew that claim, but then said the reason he did so was because he was paid to.

Here's some very recent history: Colby Burnett, 29, AP World History and Regional World History teacher at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, bested 14 of the nation's brainiest K-12 educators to win the JEOPARDY! Teachers Tournament on Tuesday.

Burnett will take home the $100,000 grand prize and he has a guaranteed spot in the upcoming February 2013 JEOPARDY! Tournament of Champions.

From the quiz show's press release:

Claiming victory in the name of Fenwick was particularly poignant for Burnett, who graduated from the private college preparatory school himself in 2001 before earning a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Northwestern University.

"I felt immense pride in representing my school as an employee and as an alumnus and I really turned it on when my students' encouraging send-off was shown at the first commercial break," said Burnett, who currently coaches the school's scholastic bowl team. "Winning the $100,000 means that I set out and achieved what I wanted to do."

Burnett intends to use his winnings to purchase a condominium in Oak Park for his mother, whom he credits with his thirst for knowledge.

"My mom has always supported me and I've wanted to give her a house for quite some time," said Burnett. "She moved back in with her parents once she was divorced; I was raised in my grandparents' house (in Oak Park), which we lost after my grandmother passed away. Truth be told, I didn't know if she would accept my offer!"

The premium cable channel Starz announced Tuesday that it won't air a third season of its critically-acclaimed series "Boss" about fictional Chicago Mayor Tom Kane.

The Kelsey Grammer-starring series recently wrapped its second -- and final -- season.

It's sad news -- if not entirely unexpected -- for the show's fans, of which I'm one. I loved "Boss'" blend of soap opera sudsiness, Shakesperean drama and big-city politics, Chicago-style. Grammer's performance was mesmerizing and same goes for the rest of the cast, many of whom are Chicagoans.

"After much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to not proceed with 'Boss,'" reads the Starz statement. "We remain proud of this award-winning show, its exceptional cast and writers, and are grateful to Kelsey Grammer, Farhad Safinia and our partners at Lionsgate TV."

"Boss" debuted last year with a riveting scene: Mayor Tom Kane in an old slaughterhouse, being told by his doctor that he had a fatal, degenerative disease. Kane tried to keep his illness a secret and continue to rule the city with an iron fist. Nothing could get in his way in his pursuit of power. Nothing, it turns out, except Starz executives.

Starz says there might be a 2-hour "Boss" movie made to give the series a finale, but no deal has been confirmed yet.

That would give viewers some welcome resolution as to Kane's fate. I'd tune in, even though I'd rather be tuning into a season three premiere.

It's that time for Chicago's new Christmas tree to be lit up at Daley Plaza.

Live performances and festive music begin at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, then the tree will be illuminated at 5 p.m.

It's free for all ages and marks the official holiday season. Get more information here.

Sir Patrick Stewart is quite the cut-up lately. In his most famous role, that of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, he wasn't exactly at his goofiest. Ditto the "X-Men" flicks. But over the years this distinguished British thespian has let his hair down considerably (and metaphorically--he's bald) for roles on such wacky animated yukfests as "Family Guy" and "American Dad." And just a couple of months ago he cranked up the looniness for an appearance on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." (http://tinyurl.com/9n25gug)

So it comes as no surprise that Stewart, 72, has agreed to join international opera star Renee Fleming in co-hosting "The Second City Guide to the Opera" on January 5. A joint effort of Lyric Opera of Chicago (where Fleming is creative consultant) and Chicago's venerable comedy bastion Second City, it was reportedly dreamed up by Fleming after she attended a Second City performance on Wells Street. Besides featuring opera-themed comedic sketches (some including the evening's luminous co-emcees), the unlikely mash-up will showcase Fleming's golden pipes as she sings to live accompaniment.

The Second City Guide to the Opera
January 5, 2013
Civic Opera House
20 N. Wacker
312-332-2244
http://tinyurl.com/cpt83x4

Justin Bieber cleaned up at the American Music Awards on Sunday.

His wins included the show's top award, artist of the year. His mom joined him onstage as he collected the trophy, beating out Rihanna, Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Drake.

The 18-year-old also won the honor in 2010. He said it's "hard growing up with everyone watching me" and asked that people continue to believe in him.

Bieber and Nicki Minaj performed together -- and separately -- at the AMAs, and were both multiple winners.

But another collaboration was the night's most colorful performance: Korean rapper PSY and MC Hammer. Hammer joined the buzzed-about pop star for his viral hit "Gangnam Style." PSY rocked traditional "Hammer" pants as they danced to his jam and to Hammer's "Too Legit to Quit."

Get the whole scoop here.

And see the "five biggest jaw droppers," according to E!