Promoters announced this week that Billy Joel and Elton John will co-headline a concert at Wrigley Field on July 21. They may be graying a bit, but they still bring some serious star power to the North Side. So what perks do a pair of pop icons need to perform at the Friendly Confines? RedEye imagines their contract demands.
ELTON JOHN
* One assistant coach’s office to house collection of stylish glasses
* Four personal assistants to run wardrobe shopping errands on Magnificent Mile
* One ice bath for arthritic fingers after performance
* Twenty stuffed animals from “The Lion King” seated at visiting team lockers
* One 48-inch HDTV and Wii console cued up with Wii Fit
* Thirty minutes with Gary Pressy to learn how to play stadium organ
BILLY JOEL
* Three lockers in home team locker room (Carlos Zambrano’s, Ryan Theriot’s and whichever locker Kerry Wood used to use)
* Two pep talks by Cubs manager Lou Piniella (one before performance, one before encore)
* Four bags of cotton candy, four Wrigley dogs and two Diet Cokes (no ice)
* One replica Cubs jersey (No. 6 to represent Grammy wins) with “Billy” stitched on the back
* Ten tickets to July 21 matinee of Blue Man Group
* Two invitations to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in 2009
Heat index
RedEye takes the temperature of current events (from hot to cold)
February heat wave
Can we make it cooler in August?
Jennifer Hudson
Two awards in one week. Welcome back, J-Hud!
Economic stimulus
Whatever it takes.
Chris Brown and Rihanna
Say it ain’t so.
Chicago Auto Show
We’ll take the bus there.
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bad week/worse week
It was a bad week to be …
Pete Hoekstra. The top Republican on the House intelligence committee drew criticism after using Twitter to indicate his precise whereabouts while traveling through Afghanistan and Iraq. The revelation prompted a Pentagon review.
It was a worse week to be …
Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees slugger admitted to ESPN that he took steroids during the three-year period he played for the Texas Rangers from 2001-03. SI.com broke the story by reporting that A-Rod tested positive for two banned substances.
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Breakfast ‘Bucks
It was a busy week for Starbucks. On Monday, the coffee chain announced preliminary details of its breakfast value meals, which it said will provide customers an average of $1.20 in savings. Then on Wednesday, Starbucks announced it will unveil a new instant coffee that has been in the works for two decades.
