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Five things to do in Chicago, from the obvious to the absurd.

Wednesday Sep 02, 2009.     By Centerstage Chicago Staff

Lifestyle Feed

Rod Blagojevich Superstar!
Through Sunday at Navy Pier, $25
After eight bleeping golden months at Navy Pier, Second City's schmaltzy musical send-up of our felonious guv finally closes the curtain on Sunday. The show exploits a lucky confluence between the bombast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" and the Blag's self-dramatizing messiah complex, with enough Chicago references to keep locals rolling in the aisles along with out-of-towners.

Chicago Luxury Ice Cream Festival
7-10 p.m. Friday at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, $25
Only in Chicago could we have an entire festival centered around ice cream. But this is no ordinary two-scoops-and-a-cone deal. "Culinary artisans" like Dimitri & Keli Fayard (Vanille Patisserie), Ina Pinkney (Ina's), Michael Lachowicz (Michael) and Geno Bahena (Los Moles) will offer some seriously decadent treats. The evening includes the Great Chicago Brain Freeze - a chef competition where everyone gets the chance to vote for the winners and taste the results.

African Festival of the Arts
All day Friday-Monday, Washington Park (51st and Cottage Grove), $5-10 or $30 for a weekend pass
The 20th installment of this immensely popular South Side festival finishes with a bang as the "Godfather of Funk" himself, George Clinton, headlines on Monday. Leading up to that, check out acts like The Pharcyde and Booker T. Jones (Saturday), Ahmad Jamaal and the Soukous Stars (Sunday). There's also a kids tent and a food court with traditional African fare.

Chicago Jazz Festival
11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday at Grant Park, free
One of the most popular events fests of the season returns as Grant Park's free music festival schedule winds down for the year. This year's lineup runs the gamut of entertainment, from local high school and college jazz bands to Chicago legends such as Jeff Parker (with the Jeff Parker Quartet, 5 p.m. Friday) and national stars like Dave Holland Big Band (8 p.m. Saturday). Check out our top picks for this year's Jazz Fest.

Lingerie Football League: Chicago Bliss vs. Miami Caliente
9 p.m. Friday at the Sears Centre, $20 You're either incredibly intrigued or incredibly offended by the newest pro football league, this one a full-contact game played by chicks in skimpy outfits. Whether you're going to protest or to whistle in approval, you better get your tickets fast: The game (one of only two in Chicago this season) is expected to sell out. Tailgating starts at 3 p.m. in the Sears Centre parking lot.

Just missed the cut: Bash on Wabash, Irish Days, Taste of Polonia, Tanya Morgan