http://poll.suntimes.com/columnists/index.html http://poll.suntimes.com/images/cst_logo_300.gif http://poll.suntimes.com/news/index.html Copyright 2009 Digital Chicago Today's Columnists en-us When it comes to vampires and shape-shifters, and romance between humans and otherworldly creatures, give me the gory, violent, sexy, grown-up madness of "True Blood" over the relatively tame "Twilight" series any time.

]]> RICHARD ROEPER Sun-Times Columnist]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009 WASHINGTON -- A day after the Senate ethics committee handed him a stinging rebuke, Sen. Roland Burris on Saturday voted to advance the Democratic health-care bill to the Senate floor and then departed for an official visit to Iraq.

]]> LYNN SWEET blogs.suntimes.com/sweet ]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009 'Are the Ministers Meddling?" blared the headline on a local cable TV talk show. An investigation into the controversial death of Michael Scott has morphed into a political opportunity for political opportunists.

]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009 The Cubs will announce today that Wally Hayward has been named executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, a new position within the baseball organization and one of the team's first major hires since the Ricketts family took control of the Cubs. Hayward will report to Cubs President Crane Kenney.

]]> LEWIS LAZARE Media & Marketing Columnist ]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009 Ted Pincus: Chicago's likeliest big beneficiary of President Obama's stimulus package? Would you imagine that it might be an obscure, mundane and relatively new public company that is emerging as a leading force in electrifying America? ]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009 Just when it looked like the sustained mediocrity of the NFL was going to keep the Bears in the playoff race, the 2009 season took yet another disappointing turn on Sunday night with an unremarkable 24-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

]]> MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan@suntimes.com ]]> 12:01 AM, Nov 23, 2009 Three field goals in the first half, when at least two of them should've been touchdowns?

]]> RICK TELANDER rtelander@suntimes.com ]]> 12:01 AM, Nov 23, 2009 Jim DeRogatis: For all the talk of an edgier, angrier and more mature new Rihanna, it's hard to buy the re-emergent dance-pop singer as a towering pillar of feminine strength akin to Patti Smith, Courtney Love, Queen Latifah or Mary J. Blige. Nevertheless, "Rated R," the new album recorded in the wake of Rihanna's altercation with former boyfriend Chris Brown and arriving in stores today, is by far the best, most layered and most heartfelt effort of the 21-year-old artist's career.]]> JIM DeROGATIS Pop Music Critic / jimdero@jimdero.com ]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009 Hedy Weiss: Hershey Felder is an altogether remarkable polymath -- an exceptional actor, writer, pianist, singer and teacher. And all his prodigious talents are on grand display in his latest work, "Beethoven, As I Knew Him," now in a hypnotic production at the intimate Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place.]]> HEDY WEISS Theater Critic / hweiss@suntimes.com ]]> 4:00 AM, Nov 23, 2009