We don’t care what the New Age feel-good granola eaters say: Friendly competition never hurt anyone. Hell, even a little unfriendly competition can be a good thing. Take, for example, Cowboy Ciao’s Chef Challenge, which will be held Thursday, December 19, at the Scottsdale eatery. The more that Pig &…
Let’s be honest, everyone coasts this time of year. It’s that special time of the season when the kiddos gorge themselves on goodies and nurture their fledgling, young lust for material possessions, while the grown-ups do, well, basically the same thing. And here in AZ, it’s also the only time…
A brief history lesson, courtesy of the Irish (sort of).During the reign of the Julian calendar — until its replacement by the Gregorian calendar in 1582 — Christmas fell on December 21. These days, the twenty-first represents winter solstice, when the sun is at the lowest point above the horizon…
Remember when a harmless game of spin the bottle progressed into the titillating yet terrifying seven minutes in heaven? Remember the paralyzing fear, the awkward seven minutes that followed, crammed in a too-tiny closet?Or perhaps you were one of the fortunate souls who escaped their formative years without enduring it.Either…
Paula Poundstone sounds she could kick some ass. Maybe it’s because the master of “spontaneous observational comedy” looks like she wouldn’t take shit from anyone, or maybe her gruff voice and challenging tone encased in an acerbic wit with a dry, no-nonsense delivery feel like a blow to the head…
Like a lot of holiday traditions, making gingerbread houses always seems like a great idea. That is until you find yourself scraping frosting off the kitchen counter and digging up gum drops out from under the sofa cushions. This year why not skip the mess and save your energy for…
Give it up to the 170 years of the greatest holiday grump we’ve known. Ebenezer Scrooge gets down in the west Valley with his miserly self Friday, December 20, in Theater Works’ production of A Christmas Carol.Charles Dickens’ classic tale of spiritual turnaround was first conceived in 1843 as a…
Unlike other Christmas tales, Snow Queen includes some truly scary characters: a troll, several witches, robbers, and a mirror that makes your heart freeze over. But the frightening elements haven’t kept the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, first published in 1845, from becoming a part of many Valley residents’ holiday…
The first month of the NBA season often winds up confounding analysts and flummoxing prognosticators. For example, no one in his right mind could have predicted that both the Knicks and the Nets would be floundering far below .500, or furthermore that only two teams in the entire eastern conference…
It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but your Christmas probably has a few constants: watching bratty nieces and nephews throw fits over not getting the presents they wanted, that one weird uncle getting a little too drunk and friendly, and mom overcooking, uh, just about everything…
When Andy Dick’s Damien Santa decides to wage war against Hannukah-celebrating Jews and Kwanzaa-observing African-Americans, the fate of the non-Gentiles is put in the hands of detective Mordechai Jefferson Carver (a.k.a. the main character in Jonathan Kesselman’s The Hebrew Hammer). Described as part man, part street, and 100 percent kosher,…
It takes a talented photographer to capture a landscape that engages its viewer. But longtime Arizona resident Mark Klett, a geographer-turned-fine artist, has captured beautiful and baffling images over the past three decades. Klett works in both color and black-and-white images, creating eerie stills and collages that reveal a sprawling…
Celebrating the holidays in Arizona means having the best of both worlds. While avoiding such winter drawbacks as blizzards, icy roads, and negative temperatures, Phoenix still manages to serve up some of our favorite seasonal pastimes.Once a year, the W Hotel in Scottsdale transforms its rooftop pool into an impressive…
Grab your sunglasses. You’ll need them because Glendale’s mayor and city council — along with Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan — have flipped the switch that lights up 16 blocks of historic downtown Glendale with 1.5 million lights. Known as Glendale Glitters, the display marks the suburb’s traditional start to…
Thanks to a collaboration between Phoenix Airport Museum and the Friends of Mexican Art (FOMA), there are some 60 pieces of art for you to enjoy while you’re waiting to board that plane.“Friends of Mexican Art celebrate 50 Years of Collecting and Giving” features paintings, sculptures and prints from such…
A white Christmas in Phoenix is a near impossibility. Frolicking in packing peanuts or throwing ice cubes at your buddies doesn’t count. Even though we can wear flip-flops throughout all 12 days of Christmas, snow is easier to find than you might think. Here are five places to go to…
If you’re like my family and me, then The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition. The score is as familiar as classic Christmas carols, and the story as well known as a favorite bedtime book. And if you go to Ballet Arizona’s Nutcracker looking to witness the magic of the Nutcracker…
Vara Ayanna hates the mall, doesn’t care about designer clothing, and doesn’t like to shop with other people. However, the 22-year-old fashion designer is beyond “obsessed” with clothes. There’s a method to her madness. Ayanna, dubbed the “Thrift Queen” by her friends, knows how to do things right. “People think…
Fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg has a new reality show in the works. And while few details have been revealed about the upcoming series, including its to-be-announced name, a newly released casting call for it has us simply referring to it as Christmas Come Fucking Early…
Take a good look. Illustrator Kelsey Dake and Moscot have teamed up for a holiday trunk show at Biltmore UNION’s glasses boutique, Framed Ewe, on Thursday, December 19, that’ll be worth a double-take…
Though the story of Frances Smith Cohen’s The Snow Queen isn’t exactly a holiday tale, the local show has become a Christmastime tradition for many Valley families. In it, Cohen turns the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name into a 90-minute performance that includes students from dozens…
There used to be an appliance store way down at the end of South Central Avenue — past Buckeye Road, and across from the police station — called Camp Appliances. And one December, about a decade ago, it briefly became a vintage Christmas decorations store. Piled on and around the…
