In her eight years as a reporter and anchor for NBC5, Anna Davlantes has discovered a limitless supply of opinionated and articulate Chicagoans. They are not “experts” or “analysts” such as you find on the current news shows. They’re regular people whose commentary on today’s issues she finds just as interesting and meaningful—and oftentimes more so. So Davlantes has decided to gamble on the real and raw talent here in the city with Rewind, her new show on WTTW–Channel 11.

On Rewind, “a topical talkfest” that started airing on Friday nights at 8:30 in January, anyone can be a guest. A recent installment showcased Hamza Walker, a director at the Renaissance Society, and Sugar Rautbord, a Chicago socialite, along with a whip-smart student from Northwestern. The no-holds-barred Davlantes easily cajoles her guests to wax poetic on one topic (like Chicago’s Olympic potential) before she segues into another (such as how personal relationships are affected by BlackBerries). For longtime Chicago TV viewers, Rewind may hark back to Irv Kupcinet’s pioneering TV talk show. But while Rewind prizes the “lively art of conversation,” as Kup did, Davlantes is passing on the big-name celebs: “For now, we’re about outstanding, outspoken locals.”

Photograph: Ryan Robinson
Stylist: Julie Korman Tallarida  Stylist’s Assistant: Jessica Elmore  Wardrobe: Courtesy Of Maria Pinto, Broadway Antique Market, And D. Brett Benson
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