Frozen drinks, fireworks, and the inevitable hordes of Phoenicians (who hopefully packed some sunscreen) may make it easy for anyone to avoid flocking to one of the Independence Day hotspots, but in celebration of this Fourth of July, just try saying no to a sweet deal at many of our…
Between First Friday and Third Thursday, the alliteration-focused arts events are aplenty in Phoenix, and this month, you can add Final Friday to your must-attend list…
For more than 80 years, the Arizona Biltmore has been one of Arizona’s most popular historic landmarks. And with its Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design (the actual architect of record is Albert Chase McArthur), its long list of old-school celebrity guests, and prime Central Phoenix location, the Great Gatsby-esque hotel attracts…
If you’re an artist or filmmaker whose head happens to be filled funny situations or freaky visions there happen to be a few opportunities for you to channel your creativity and show it to the public. For instance, the producers of comedy showcase First Friday Night Live are getting ready…
Those late afternoon kids’ TV specials of the 80s and 90s about Really Important Stuff left their mark on comics artist Dave Kiersh. So much so, that his new book, Kiersh’s first full-length graphic novella, is titled Afterschool Special. Growing up on Long Island, Kiersh found the topic-driven shows on…
Summer’s a bad time for video games. Christmas is too far away for any major releases, and Xbox’s summer of arcade is vastly underwhelming. But the recent announcement of Watch Dogs streams a ray of light across the games industry: A high-budget game that values both narrative and creativity. Players…
“Wear Art” is the tagline of Scottsdale’s Jewelry by Gauthier, which recently launched an online store full of its sparkly wares and, come August, will have another physical outpost in Santa Barbara. “Sign us up,” we thought as we entered the arts district store for a tour of Scott Gauthier’s…
Welcome to the Morning Buzz, a catch-up on interesting happenings around the city and country and a quick guide to what (and who) to keep your eyes on. We’ll be here, first thing every weekday, to get you going. Here’s what’s buzzing this morning:Because the geek wars will never end,…
For some reason, ’80s kids have never wanted to grow up. Then again, why would they? They got to experience the adventures of the Goonies, take in the sweet smell of Cabbage Patch Kids, and be there at the dawn of the home video gaming console. Mario, bitches. That’s what…
Anthony Velasquez grew up surrounded by well-worn trinkets and décor in his mom’s antique shop in Avondale. He never did well in a school setting; he recalls spending most of his time in class doodling and sketching the pictures in his textbooks, eventually dropping out of high school because he…
We recall, in a low-level college English class, one cretin’s inquiry as to whether we were related to famed misogynistic, alcoholic poet Charles Bukowski. Thinking it was a joke (as our surnames are obviously different), we scoffed, only to look up at an earnest classmate’s face. And we vowed to…
Haters are gonna hate and things that go bump in the night are gonna bump. Do you crawl deeper under the covers or do you grab a flashlight and fire up the Mystery Machine? If you ain’t afraid of no ghosts, then A Midsummer Night’s Scare is right up your…
When Facebook went public back in May, the giddy geeks were all too eager to buy up some shares. That is, until the stock fell flat and shareholders filed a suit against Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild and a bunch of Wall Street suits. Perhaps that poked at the beginning of the…
It’s the family pool party, and you’re drunk. Then, your uncle strips down to his tighty-whities, and quickly you’re both uncomfortable and drunk. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” you think. Soon, you’re in the pool in your underwear too, managing to humiliate every teenager within a ten block…
A pair of New York pranksters got the cool kids chuckling last year when photos surfaced online of the various cardboard “hipster traps” they scattered around Gotham, each containing Pabst Blue Ribbon, American Spirits, and Wayfarers. Local party promoters Jared Alan, Craig Citizen, and Jen Deveroux have concocted a similar…
Zombies aren’t the only scary creatures grabbing headlines in 2012. The astrological Year of the Dragon has thrust the scaly, fire-breathing reptiles into the limelight, whether painted on the hood of an $850,000 Ferrari or suckling Emilia Clarke’s teat on Game of Thrones. Now Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey…
Though we supported the French Revolution, perhaps the Reign of Terror didn’t have to cut off absolutely every one of those aristocrats’ heads. The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy Blakeney, achieved Spider-Man-like acclaim by helping many of the endangered nobility sneak out of France — a less bloody compromise. Blakeney concealed…
Something must be seriously wrong with Chase Field’s feng shui. Short of bad luck, this is just about the only explanation we can think of as to how the Diamondbacks have managed to play better while on the road for the first half of this season. The D-Backs woes at…
Continuing Phoenix Art Museum’s ongoing film series with PBS is an inspirational documentary about a group of senior citizens who have greeted more than 900,000 homewardbound troops arriving in Maine. Wed., July 4, noon, 2012…
As always, we’re dreaming about making a run to Vegas for the Fourth of July weekend. Because nothing says “I love America” like pretending your week’s earnings are Monopoly money, bottomless you-call-it’s for the ladies, and boobs. Lots of boobs. But alas, not all of us have the PTO to…
Batman fans will flock to Tempe Marketplace to catch a glimpse of the bat-pod and high-tech tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises, the upcoming final installment in the winged warrior’s latest film franchise. Wed., July 4, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 2012…
When hypothetically choosing a career, it’s no surprise that kids pick the path of a private detective over that of a newspaper reporter. After all, it’s not too likely that youngsters pick up dailies. And those who do read sites like TMZ know that those writers are more like secret…
