Two of our actor friends are doing good things right now.
1. Go see Top Girls at Live Bait Theatre. VL's own Abby (you may remember her from all those sexy headshots) is super-awesome in it. She learned two accents with a dialect coach for it, and she somehow makes her characters both hilarious and touching. Also, she is pretty. Time Out Chicago likes it (and her) too.
2. VL friend Neil is a big star in this movie that just came out, Carver. It has nothing to do with Raymond Carver. At all. You should buy it, or at least rent it.