In yet another giant metaphorical leap for all of humankind, scientists landed the Mars science rover Curiosity in the Gale Crate early Monday morning. Since then, there have been a lot of science terms and fuzzy, black-and-white Martian photos floating around the Internet. See also: NASA Releases Curiosity’s First “True…
Since the ASU Art Museum announced local artist and arts advocate Greg Esser would take on the Desert Initiative this fall, the arts and science communities have been all ears waiting to hear more about the artistic and science-based initiative aimed at desert cultures and environments. See also: Greg Esser…
To compete in the Olympic Games, which wrap up on Sunday night, one needs to possess significant amounts of strength, athletic prowess, and determination in order to quest for the gold. To participate in the Dos Gringos Bar Olympics this weekend, however, all you’ll need is a keen eye, good…
For those of you who haven’t joined out on social media’s black hole meets eye candy pin board called Pinterest, founders have very good news: Everyone can join. For the first few years of business, the folks at Pinterest operated on an invite-only model. But business picked up in the…
The Campaign begins with an on-screen quote attributed to Ross Perot: “War has rules. Mud wrestling has rules. Politics has no rules.” The Texas billionaire/private-campaign-financing pioneer dropped this truism not during his historic third-party run for the presidency in 1992, but in the midst of his far less-successful 1996 campaign…
The Bourne films have more than just overstayed their welcome and outlasted the Ludlum books — they’ve been Van Halenized, with an abrupt change of frontman and a resulting dip in personality. The only big-ass popcorn franchise of the past decade not to have been spawned on computers, the series…
Chinese artist, activist, and antagonist Ai Weiwei became a worldwide cause célèbre last April when he was arrested by authorities at the Beijing Airport, detained in an undisclosed location for nearly three months, and released after allegedly confessing to tax evasion. The Sundance-feted documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry concludes shortly…
“I don’t want to give you lessons in self-denial and social responsibility,” an art dealer tells her billionaire boy client in Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis, by way of refusing to entertain his demand to buy the Rothko Chapel. “Because I don’t believe for a second you’re as crude as you sound.”…
Just because it made loads of money, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, and features a three-titted mutant doesn’t mean Total Recall isn’t ruggedly individualistic art. Just look at its outsider pedigree: Total Recall was loosely based on a 1966 short story from the flushed mind of Philip K. Dick, produced by the…
The very creative and quirky minds at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art have announced a new grant that is community generated and in support of “innovative art makers, wise-crackers, and trailblazers based in Arizona.” Five proposals from the local arts community will be chosen and select artists will present their…
If you’re unsure about the Arizona Diamondbacks being legitimate playoff contenders, you’re not alone. Kevin Towers doesn’t know either. Last month, the D-Backs GM couldn’t seem to decide whether to buy or sell. At first, Towers was selling (third baseman Ryan Roberts to Tampa Bay for some prospects) then he…
Question: What do Larry Bird, Rocky Balboa, and Avril Lavigne all have in common? Answer: All have sported Chuck Taylors at one point. The versatile, minimalist sneakers have made their way from standard basketball footwear to punk rocker must-have over the past few decades. And they’re changed stylistically, too. Originally…
People-watching can be fun in the Valley, but you’re really limited by the variety of folks you’ll find. You’ve got your Scottsdale cougars, your college-age bros, your hipsters — the repetition gets old pretty quick. With the variety of wild life found at Estrella Mountain Regional Park, however, you’re guaranteed…
On Saturday, August 11, a team of local artists will add some fresh paint to downtown Phoenix for a good cause. Presented by Harder Development, The Great Paint Escape is an art project, live mural painting, and silent auction to benefit Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona. From 6…
The Avengers kicked on-screen ass earlier this summer, but if you’re the kind of sadist who’d love to pummel Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk, then Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 might be more your thing. The latest edition of the fighting-focused video game series is of the three…
Just as the characters of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night escaped the fury of the waves to land safely on the shores of Illyria, Brelby Theatre Company’s endured a few seasons of scampering from venue to venue before finding harbor at its own space in historic downtown Glendale. So that comedy of…
The internet has ruined us. As far as fetishes go, once freaky-deaky bedroom fun that included whips, chains, and body suspension have begun to look tame when compared to the likes of 2 Girls 1 Cup. But if the classic kinks are what you dig, there’s totally something your speed…
To write America, You Sexy Bitch, conservative bombshell Meghan McCain and liberal goof-off Michael Ian Black traveled around the country for a month in a stinky, run-down trailer. During their trip, the twosome interviewed exotic dancers in Las Vegas, a Muslim Michigander, rockers in New Orleans, and a slew of…
Though the term “indie rock” has grown amorphous enough to envelop almost every guitar player in its gooey path, it’s still difficult to categorize Brooklyn-based band Fang Island as such. Simply titled Major, it’s fair to speculate that the band’s most recent LP was named as more than a casual…
The typical beauty pageant normally consists of pounds of makeup, poofy, bedazzled dresses, and dental flippers. The lucky lady who manages to combine these essential components to look her best is awarded a shiny sash and sparkly crown. That is, unless you’re in Phoenix. Then the competition comes down to…
With the abundance of TV channels on the ever-expanding dial, it’s no surprise that plenty of fledgling sitcoms don’t make a bleep on the average viewer’s must-watch radar. And unfortunately, having too many options results in great shows getting canceled. (Yeah, we’re still a little bitter about Better Off Ted.)…
Not everyone’s life-altering experience makes for an entertaining story, but Herberger Lunch Time Theater audiences tend to get lucky with respect to true tales of transformation — most recently, with the richly musical, sometimes funny and/or embarrassing She Knows from Nothing/De Nada Sabe. In it, professional musician Ruth Lara Vichules…
