Everyone has played video games at least once — be it old school Pong or Ms. PacMan, the über-popular Angry Birds or Call of Duty. Somehow, no one is immune to the allure of playing. But what of the people behind the scenes, the makers, distributors, and visionaries of these…
It takes a lotta moxie to be a baseball fan these days. The Biogenesis scandal has been hogging the headlines as if those were the last steroid needles on earth. Meanwhile, thanks to the lack of a salary cap, the Dodgers have been demonstrating — quite convincingly — that the…
Whether it’s the big hitters like Thanksgiving and Christmas or the minor ones like Independence Day and the Super Bowl, some of the most American holidays are all about eating. And this Labor Day, the Queen Creek Olive Mill is doing what it does best with its fifth installment of…
Über-fans of Japanese pop culture have just the right mix of creativity and weirdness. Coming up with the perfect Zelda or Final Fantasy cosplay (a portmanteau of costume play) is pretty cool, but seeing folks wearing ears and tails can be strange. The sixth annual Saboten Con has a little…
Maybe Hair and The Who’s Tommy set the bar way high, or else rock musicals are simply challenging — they didn’t really ignite as a genre on the live stage before Jonathan Larson’s 1996 Rent. Perfectly set on Manhattan’s Lower East Side as the 1980s blurred into the 1990s, featuring…
If Phoenix Fashion Week 2013 is giving you flashes of déjà vu, you’re not alone. You’re not hallucinating either. The annual string of fashion shows featuring burgeoning and established designers dipped into its pool of past participants to make up a fair chunk of its 2013 lineup. Six of the…
Kevin McDonald has a face and voice that are practically built for comedy. The Canadian funny man is gifted with a unique and rubber-faced countenance that he’s adroitly twisted into wild, unusual, and comical expressions aplenty. Paired with McDonald’s often shrill and manic-sounding vocal talents, he’s always brought a sorta…
It’s been called “the defining decade,” and we believe it. Across the board — and the country — your 20s are the tumultuous time when immaturity and responsibility collide. From college to career, car ownership to home ownership — and of course, that devastating moment when you realize your miracle…
With our series Personal Space, Jackalope Ranch gets an inside look at the homes and studios of some of Phoenix’s most interesting folks, like artists, designers, shop owners, and entrepreneurs. Here’s a look back at some of our favorites we’ve visited (so far). Mary Shindell’s Dynamic Dual Studios Mary Shindell…
If both Jackass and Double Dare hold a special place in your heart, then we have just the event for you. The ROC 5K (a.k.a. Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge) is coming to Phoenix on November 2, and slots are filling up quickly. With the world’s largest inflatable water slide and world’s…
Designer and reality TV star Jillian Harris came to the Valley almost two weeks ago to spice up one homeowner Ricci Rivera’s feline-troubled home, where Harris spent a day creating a cat-friendly corner. We caught up with her to talk about how she got into the design world and how…
Don’t let those roof rats eat all the citrus or throw away that near-expired milk, beauty buff. Those are valuable acids that can be used to make your face shine. These naturally acidic home remedies can brighten, tighten, smooth — and they’re probably already in your kitchen or backyard. Here…
To splurge or not to splurge. While others might urge you to sleep on a big purchase, researchers at Brigham Young University are encouraging you stand on it — preferably with one leg. In a new study featured in the most recent issue of the Journal of Marketing Research, authors…
The Girls of Hell City Tattoo Fest 2013 The Hell City Tattoo Festival returned to Phoenix for a weekend of fun for those who enjoy the beauty of a customized body. Here’s a glimpse of the fairer sex found at Hell City at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa…
It’s last call, folks. All month long, Jackalope Ranch has been bringing you free bingo from the Crescent Ballroom stage. Callings out letters, numbers, expletives, and more have been local celebrity emcees including Arizona hipstorian Marshall Shore, author/performer Tania Katan, and the talented troupe of improv artists from the Torch…
We’ve got to be getting close to finally finding out who will take the lead roles in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey movie. And with the film set to hit the big screen on August 1, 2014, the rampant casting rumors are getting more and more serious. Most recently,…
Phoenix, entertainment and good times await. Here’s how to spend your off-time this week. WWE Monday Night RAW @ US Airways Center It’s only been eight days since SummerSlam, the WWE’s marquee dog-days pay-per-view showdown, but the fed’ll be shifting gears from the event’s aftermath to ramping up for September’s…
From the updates regarding people you couldn’t care less about to the overload of tweets, likes, pins, and comments, there comes a point in social media membership when enough is enough. But, as anyone who’s ever tried to deactivate their accounts can tell you, signing out isn’t nearly as easy…
If ASU’s Manzanita Hall can come back looking better than ever, your ability to rebound from recent couch potato status is looking pretty good. And lucky for your soon-to-be out and about self, there’s plenty to keep you busy this weekend in the Valley of the Sun. New Times Back…
Empty storefronts are about to get a whole lot more exciting again, thanks to local public arts organization IN FLUX. For the the fourth year in a row, IN FLUX is working to bring a series of temporary installations to vacant spaces across the Valley. But the spaces don’t fill…
On August 19, Governor Jan Brewer named writer Alberto Rios the state’s first Poet Laureate. According to the press release from the governor’s office, the official purpose of the position is “to commemorate Arizona literary artists whose work and service best represent Arizona’s values, independence and unique Western history and…
The setup: Great Arizona Puppet Theater, an outstanding cultural resource since 1983, is currently presenting a revival of one of its most popular original shows, The Princess, the Unicorn, and the Smelly Foot Troll. (Preschool audiences age out of shows within a few years, while another mini-generation has reached toddlerhood…
