Here’s a category idea for bar trivia: Collect one-sentence plot summaries of young-adult novel series and R-rated horror films, and see who can distinguish which from which. The one where the kids kill each other for sport is approved by school districts for extra-credit reading, as is the one where…
If variety’s the spice of life, then a big-box gym rat’s existence must be oh-so-bland. In fact, training yourself to a treadmill day in and day out is downright dull — especially when so many other options are available. Personalizing and diversifying a workout routine is easier than ever, thanks…
My introduction to food of different cultures came at the time when it does for many an impressionable Midwest suburban white young adult: college. The further removed I was from home, the further my journey took me from the foods I was so familiar with at the family table: meat…
Nothing beats a cool escape — whether it takes you a few hours from home or halfway around the globe. There are a handful of spots to outrun heat, boredom, or cell phone reception in the Valley — and, of course, hundreds worldwide — but we’re keeping it to five…
With spring cleaning said and done and the endless summer upon us, we can’t think of a better use for your time than converting your newly cleaned space into a fresh look. Like anything trendy — food, fashion, phrases, and even pets — home décor has its share of fad…
After completing five months of principal photography on The Avengers, Joss Whedon flew back to Los Angeles and threw himself a welcome-home party. As the guests circled his pool, he asked friends like Firefly’s Nathan Fillion, Angel’s Amy Acker, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Alexis Denisof if they were busy…
Now Open After Earth: While it’s not being advertised as “An M. Night Shyamalan Film,” this big-budget science fiction flick was helmed and co-written by the once-promising filmmaker. Will Smith and son Jaden co-star as space-age foragers on a post-human Earth. The ads suggests this is a Karate Kid-like vanity project…
If you find yourself with a Jack and Coke in hand this summer, you’re not doing it right. In the wonderful world of cocktails, weird is the way to go. Whether that means you stumble into the back-alley entrance of a speakeasy or you take your drink muddled, shaken, and…
Summer is the perfect time for cool hunting in Phoenix. The streets are empty, the days are long, the nights even longer — unless you know what to fill them with. Don’t worry, we’ve got plans for you. Keep cocktails weird and track down our food critic’s favorite ethnic eats…
George R. R. Martin took a break from killing Starks today to send us this list of the notes he would send to the producers of TV shows if he were put in charge of them. [NOTE: We made this up.] Here’s what he dashed off for us, in between…
Anyone trying to run a civilized country should know that throwing musicians in jail for making music is always a bad idea. That didn’t stop Vladimir Putin’s government from arresting three members of the punk collective Pussy Riot, after the group stormed the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the…
Superman is an idea. OK, fine. Technically he’s an intellectual property—a set of data points slammed together by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the 1930s, sold for $130 to National Allied Publications (later DC Comics/TimeWarner), and subsequently transformed into a nugget of multivariously exploitable content that has netted entertainment…
Eager young people can’t find jobs; qualified older people can’t find jobs. There’s nothing funny about that, which is exactly why someone ought to be making comedies about it. The Internship, in which downtrodden old-school salespeople Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson enter the 21st century and land internships at Google,…
Local boutique Frances, a favorite of fashion lovers and craft seekers alike, continues its monthly workshop series this week with a “Basics of Sewing” tutorial. Under the instruction of local artist Karyn Miracle, whose Etsy shop is filled with hand-stitched, repurposed vintage items like bags and pillows, students will beautify…
It’s a downright shame that just as The Western opened up on the edge of downtown Scottsdale, George Jones gave up the ghost and passed on. We could see The Possum chilling in the rustic confines of Tucker Woodbury and Charlie Levy’s Scottsdale roadhouse. The beat lives on there with…
A few years ago, no one could have predicted the level of success in Marc Maron’s late-blooming stardom — not even Maron. The lifelong comedian reframed his image in the entertainment world when he converted his Los Angeles garage into the studio for WTF with Marc Maron. On of the…
With every new technology we invent, the Star Trek universe seems more and more realistic. Tons of futuristic technologies (tablets, Skype, Blueetooth) are now just mundane parts of our daily lives. On the other hand, we’re nowhere remotely close to interstellar travel, and the fact that we’ve never observed any…
As a young dancer Travis Wall dreamed of having a company of his own. Since those days, his work on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars has rocketed him to the top of the dance world and finally he’s been able to see his childhood…
Oh, the clown conundrum. You either love them, hate them, or simply can’t understand the point of them. From Barnum and Bailey Circus to Stephen King’s IT, the clown has fallen on all points of the spectrum as friend, foe, and absolute freak show.This month, New Times contributor Robrt L…
The Glendale Watermelon Festival isn’t about finding out who’s got the best melons. It’s a time-honored Glendale tradition that dates back to 1949, when local melon growers got together to celebrate their achievements. Once upon a time, the event drew thousands of people who served up some 80,000 pounds of…
Despite its Middle English definition as the time when printers eat a stubbly goose, a modern-day wayzgoose is more like a letterpress celebration. So all you Audubon aficionados getting amped for Phoenix Wayzgoose can go ahead and scratch it off your bird-brained to-do lists.Chandler’s Letterpress Central hosts the majority of…
Party provocateur and promoter Jen Deveroux admittedly has a certain penchant for branding her nightlife and fashion events with some scandalous titles, as evidenced by such previous events as Spank Factory, Royal Filth, and Ape Shit. “Yeah, that’s sorta been my thing,” she says, laughing. True to form, Deveroux’s latest…
