But how does Janet Jackson like it?
Chicago-based 3vodka was slick enough: the only vodka in the world distilled from soy, scoring it endorsement from the American Vegetarian Association and the first alcohol to receive government approval in claiming a zero carb count. But then a little over a year ago, somewhere in the Dirty South, rapper/producer/hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri got his hands on a bottle. "JD tried it and just fell in love with it," says 3vodka marketing manager Heather Schneider, who explains that after drinking some 3vodka, Dupri liked it so much that he contacted the company. "We started getting involved with him, sponsoring events he was doing, building a relationship, and after a few months he approached us about becoming a part of the company." Thus is the love story of how So So Def Recordings CEO and Grammy-nominated producer Dupri became a partner in 3 Vodka Distilling Co. in May. It's not surprising that Dupri and other celebrities might enjoy getting tipsy on Chicago's soy-based firewater. But Schneider says Dupri also likes the packaging. "As he always put it, the bottle's sexy," Schneider says.

Putting down the walls
Former Newcity cover subject ThreeWalls, a nonprofit artist's residency and exhibition space at 119 North Peoria in the West Loop, is at the tail end of hosting the first in its quarterly "Salons" series. The series consists of talks taking place on four consecutive Thursday nights, addressing topics in contemporary art and the Chicago art community as well as their current exhibition. "The goal of the series is to bring people together in an open forum," says executive director Jonathan Rhodes. The talks are led by "respondents" rather than panelists, whose duty is participate in the discussion. Past discussions have discussed a recent prevalence of a "1960s and 70s style sunny idealism" in artwork shown in Chicago, and a Q&A with artist-in-residence David Noonan. The final discussion in the series will take place on August 5: "It's an opportunity to continue conversations that might have been left open," Rhodes says. Be forewarned, however; these events are not intended for the passive observer. Rhodes admits that "there's been argument, which is good."

(2004-08-03)

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