“Getting older makes me a better artist,” says playwright Monica Palacios, with absolutely no irony. “The stories I’m telling now I couldn’t have told 20 years ago.” Palacios’ latest story, Clock, is about to open at Teatro Bravo. Directed by ASU’s Marivel Danielson, Clock tells the story of a Latina…
That Bible miniseries, originally aired on the History Channel, won notoriety by casting an actor who resembles Barack Obama in the crowd-pleasing role of Satan. The producers — Roma Downey, who plays Mary here, and Mark Burnett, who pioneered the watch-skinny-people-suffer genre with Survivor — insisted that this was a…
Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix recently gained a new member in the form of Curious Nature Fine Natural History Emporium, a gift shop for nature lovers and curiosity collectors. The shop carries animal skulls, bones, vintage taxidermy, preserved plant and animal specimens, exotic plants, and much more, says owner Mason…
Meat Market Vintage owner Ben Funke announced via Facebook on Saturday, March 1, that his shop, known for its cheeky throwback T-shirts and offbeat casual style, will shutter its Mill Avenue storefront where it’s operated for the past two years. While Meat Market will say farewell to its first-ever brick-and-mortar…
Arizona is in the running to be the home of Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory,” a $4 to $5 billion lithium battery plant that would employ roughly 6,500 people. The high-end electric car company has narrowed down its list of potential locations for the plant to four states including Texas, Nevada, and…
For those short on cash but itching for excitement, we at Jackalope Ranch have put together our top three picks for free Valley entertainment this week. With upcoming carnivals, festivals, and nature excursions, this week’s events are too cheap to pass up…
If you’re one of those procrastinator types who works best when time is of the essence, we’ve got some good news. Today is your deadline to nominate up-and-coming Phoenix creatives for the 2014 Big Brain Awards…
Have a hankering to update your wardrobe this season? Whether you need a wedding dress or a pair of perfectly distressed jeans, Phoenix has a fashionable resource for this, that, and most everything in between. Here are the seven best locally owned boutiques this city has to offer. Frances For…
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Angels at Salt River Fields So, not only are you scratching your head wondering where the first two months of 2014 have gone, but now your fingers are glistening with salty, foreboding little beads of sweat, gently reminding you that the mercury is once again…
Welcome to the Phoenix Bucket List. Robrt Pela and Amy Silverman — two New Times contributors and longtime Phoenicians — have put together a list of 100 things to do in this city before you die. Each week we’re presenting another 10; in March we’ll wrap it all up in…
Pencils up, downtown creatives. Phoenix Center for the Arts has just announced that it will launching its first ever la Phoenikera Writer’s Guild. The writing program, which will start during the Center’s 2014 summer trimester, will be a collaborative effort hosted by local writers and professional instructors. Before you begin…
Last night, the Almost Famous Film Festival, a local nonprofit, presented short films made by 20 different teams. The three- to seven-minute shorts ranged from funny and campy to dramatic and suspenseful, showcasing Phoenix-area up-and-coming filmmakers’ skills. While there was a fair amount of out-of-focus shots, corny dialog, and awkward…
Consider your parade officially rained on. Citing The Weather Channel’s forecast of a 100 percent chance of rain in Phoenix on Saturday, March 1, organizers have canceled the fourth annual Downtown Phoenix Mardi Gras Parade and Festival. But the news isn’t all bad, Mardi party animals…
We’d like to think Jay-Z would be pleased with the name of Phoenix’s newest local press. Art Problems, the brainchild of photographer Mo Neuharth, “aims to provide the creative platform for visual artists to transform their art into printed material,” according to the press’ lovely website…
Disheartening. There really isn’t another word to describe the feeling of walking in through the back entrance of UNION at the Biltmore. The last weeks of February have been warm, and unseasonably so — the kind of weather conducive to leisurely patio lunches and coffee catch-ups that morph into all-afternoon…
Love and Air Sex at FilmBar Even though the people who go to see the première of Love and Air Sex at FilmBar on Friday, February 28, will get to meet the film’s writer, Steven Walters and former air sex competitor “Bill F@*king Binder,” we can’t recommend it. We would,…
Bikers, get ready to show off your skills on wheels. CycloMesa, formerly known as The Great Arizona Bicycle Festival, is returning to the East Valley Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5. And, in addition to the racers, vendors, beer garden, and live music, the two-day festival has announced it’s…
There’s more to the UFO community than tales of lights in the sky and little green men.In this week’s New Times cover story, Jason P. Woodbury examines the parts that make up the International UFO Congress, which is held outside Phoenix…
What’s better than yoga in Phoenix? Yoga on a far-off, beautiful beach, where your biggest concern, of course, is what to do between your morning and afternoon yoga sessions. Yoga retreats have been on the rise over the past few years, and it’s no surprise, given the surge in people…
It was sad — Jay Leno’s 22 years hosting The Tonight Show ended with all the excitement of a guy farting at the mall. We all talked about his joke stealing and his talk-show stealing and how he’d played to the middle, threw away his talent. We were happy to…
The setup: Since 2014 began, it seems we theatergoers have faced down an awful lot of family dysfunction depicted on Valley stages — especially if you count The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth, which one probably should. You ought to hang in there for one more real masterpiece, though…
Courting Disaster is Jackalope Ranch’s weekly column of dating horror stories, observations, how-tos, and more by Katie Johnson. Names of ex-boyfriends, past hookups, and bad blind dates have been changed to protect the guilty. Sorry, Beyoncé. But hardly any women just woke up like dis. And the ones who do…
