When Queen’s Freddie Mercury penned the line “I want to ride my bicycle,” it’s doubtful he intended it to be a double-entendre. But don’t tell that to Reverend Phil Sano, the ordained minister of the Church of Bicycle Jesus, mainstay of the Portland bike scene, and the man who is…
By Lilia Menconi Disclaimer: I tell Betty Friedan to “suck it” in this blog. I don’t really mean that. It’s a joke, everybody. Impressed? You should be. Spaceboy by Julie Duschack is all fabric, folks. Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate the second wave feminist movement, I really do…
One of SeeSaw’s adorable cards. Aaaw! By Lilia Menconi I think I may have found a blog that’s better than Arty Girl. Impossible you say? Oh, shut your mouth! You’re so sweet! But, honestly, this one is pretty damn good. Local design firm, SeeSaw Designs, not only has a beautiful…
By Joseph Golfen On Saturday morning, thousands of walkers turned up at Papago Park out to raise money to help fight Multiple Sclerosis during the “MS Walk on the Wild Side.” Little did participants know that waiting for them was a battalion full of scum and villainy. The Empire’s troop…
By Lilia Menconi About a year ago, I saw this: and this: So I totally freaked out and wrote this. Both pieces are by local artist, Denise Yaghmourian. I spied Hook Cube (top) and Label, Jumpsuits (bottom) – or, at least, works very similar to them – at the Tempe…
By Steve Jansen (Image courtesy of the ASU Herberger College of the Arts) I grew up in Tempe and far east Mesa (yeah, yeah, don’t hold it against me, especially the latter) so pretty displays of public tagging were basically non-existent to my eyes. And if some lucky spray paint…
Paul Rudd wears the constant look of glazed-eye amusement; everything seems to tickle him, even that which annoys or frustrates or disappoints him. He’s frat-boy handsome and, therefore, almost anonymous when he stands in a movie-star lineup; in Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things (2003), Rudd received a supposedly extreme…
If the dream of every comic is to have his humor live on long after he’s left the stage, then the late Bernie Mac has exited this world on a high note. Soul Men, a comedy completed shortly before Mac’s untimely death in August, is no classic, but the comedian,…
The Guitar Hero series has finally hit a sour note. The fake rock rampart — which started out as a goofy way to live vicariously through Jimi Hendrix, and ended up being the most improbable cultural phenomenon since the spawn of Billy Ray Cyrus — has been comfortably picking and…
In the whiny author’s notes printed in the program for Richard Dresser’s A View of the Harbor, the playwright carps about how hard it is to write plays. Because this commentary is punctuated with several sour jabs at theater critics, I was hoping I’d like his new play more than…
SEE YOU ON THE RUNWAY Scottsdale’s got style year-round, from the shiny-shirted boys at the clubs to the girls holding Sprinkles cupcakes. (Have you ever seen a woman in these parts actually take a bite? We think not!) If you happen to be reading this during Fashion Week — November…
BREAKFAST CLUB • ORANGE TABLE • SCRATCH PASTRIES After a hard night’s partying at the clubs, Scottsdale’s young and pretty refuel on pancakes and coffee at The Breakfast Club, while the bohemian crowd indulges in killer corned beef hash at The Orange Table, next door to the Scottsdale Center for…
SCENE One of the trendiest places to see and be seen undoubtedly is the W Scottsdale, an utterly opulent destination catering to a well-heeled crowd, or anyone else who can gain access through the purple velvet ropes guarding the front door of the hotel. Within this palace of pampering are…
ART ONE Kraig Foote, who runs this student gallery showcasing the works of high school and college-age artists, believes art really is for everybody — not just the elite. Here, you can score an affordable, gallery-worthy piece by budding artists, such as former exhibitors Steven Yazzie and Jeff Cochran, before…
IN THE MIX If L.A.’s Fred Segal came to Scottsdale, he’d head straight for The Mix. This Segal-inspired group of shops has a lot more bling than Segal, but the idea’s the same: Wander from store to store without realizing you’ve hit several boutiques, with everything from haute couture to…
By Lilia Menconi Scottsdale ARTWALK is getting all up in some international shit this Thursday. I already wrote about Lisa Sette’s Chinese art show. And just across Marshall Way, you can see two amazing Cuban artists at Bentley Gallery. Sombra hacia el sur by Acosta. Gustavo Acosta’s “Temporary Current” is…
By Lilia Menconi Hiding in the City #46: Whole Happy Family 2 by Liu Bolin, color photograph So it’s the beginning of the month and I’m drowning in press releases. But this time is always fun for me. When planning for the upcoming weekend, I feel like I have my…
Halloween Check out the costumed craziness direct from Halloween in Scottsdale and on Mill Avenue. Concert Review: The Faint at Marquee Theatre on Nov. 1 If you want to judge a concert based on how far back the crowd is dancing – and I think it’s a pretty fair way…
By Lilia Menconi Awww…this little symbol of death is just too cute. Hey, guess what? You’re going to die. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll die too. And so will everyone else. Sure, this concept is nothing new. But it’s easily forgotten. We buzz around everyday – working, eating, joking around with…
By Kelly Wilson
Is Casey Moore’s really haunted? Most of the staff at the Tempe neighborhood bar – located off Ninth and Ash – have personal ghost stories, some that are sure to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. And many swear up and down that something unearthly stalks this Cheers-like haunt (no pun intended).
By Martin Cizmar
Final Destination III
Arizona Avenue and Frye Road
Chandler
The good: Impressive acting, great props.
The bad: Not as thought provoking as it could be, nor as controversial.
The ugly: Long and slow line, too much time spent crammed together on dark and steep stairs.
Ostensibly, Zack and Miri Make a Porno should be money-shot Kevin Smith: Pals make a porn to pay the bills and, in the process of gettin’ it on for the video cam, cum to realize their years-in-the-making friendship is really a love affair. Awwwww, how sweet. In other words, it’s…
