In a movie season worshiped for its CGI-boosted, spiritually bankrupt juvenilia, it’s heartening to know that filmmakers still create — and maybe more significantly, that studios still distribute—summer entertainment for grownups. Not that those buckets of popcorn are going to empty themselves, but who needs to be reminded of yet…
Do the Right Thing’s pizza delivery boy Mookie may make an early cameo, but don’t call Spike Lee’s ambitious, uncompromising, and musically charged return to Brooklyn a sequel. Red Hook Summer, which is set for a limited release on August 10, is about what happens when “fro-hawked” Atlanta teen Flick…
As kids, we (most of us, anyway) denied the oppressive summer heat of Phoenix for the sake of running and jumping. Red faces and pools of sweat were no match for the determination of playing with friends. Besides, no matter how high the mercury rose, there was always a pool…
Longtime Phoenicians (and by longtime, we mean old-time) may recall the International Food Bazaar at Town and Country Shopping Center, the dark warehouse of a food court that allowed your mom to eat Chinese food while your dad pigged out on Mexican. Unless you head to the aisles of Lee…
Rather a lot has been written about beating the heat in summertime Phoenix. After a half-century of contributing to this pointless dialogue, I’m throwing in my tanning towel and offering instead a new suggestion: Lie. Not about the heat — pretending it’s not too hot for real happiness is as…
Even if you’re forced to settle for a staycation this year, it doesn’t mean wasting away poolside. In fact, you can party like they do in L.A. or New York without ever leaving the Valley. Some local joints mimic the sights, sounds, and feel of nightlife found worldwide, whether it’s…
Vaudeville was chic from the Victorian era through the Roaring Twenties. But around the time Prohibition ended, variety shows went the way of disco, shoulder pads, and The Sing-Off. (Too soon? We think not.) Find out what we’ve been missing when The Pretty Things Peepshow shimmies into Phoenix Center for…
On Friday, June 8, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art will be a cool place to see and be seen. The museum will host its annual Summer Opening Celebration, marking the beginning of the season and offering local art lovers a chance to check out the museum’s newest exhibitions, as well…
When there’s finally an uprising of the undead, we’d wager that those zombies are heading straight for the beach. Why? That’s the first place everyone with a deathly pallor heads to soak up some sun. With shore patrons preoccupied with hitting the waves and avoiding sand-kicking muscleheads, they’d be sitting…
If you thought things got heated on the set of Bravo’s popular reality cooking competition show Top Chef, then just wait until the show hits the triple-digit temps in the Valley of the Sun. Bravo takes the foodie fave to the streets for the fifth annual Top Chef: The Tour,…
Author Lewis Carroll envisioned it as a nonsense-filled Victorian satire. Walt Disney, however, transformed it into a harmless comical romp. And Tim Burton depicted the daffy event as a dreamy and messy affair. Pop culture is littered with many an interpretation of the chaotic and colorful Mad Hatter’s Tea Party…
Most terrifying horror movies give you nightmares thanks to plausible story lines. The Exorcist is a prime example. William O’Malley, an actual priest who played Father Dyer says the plot is 80 percent true, with the main differences being that the real story involved a little boy and the vomit…
A day of outdoor sporting sounds utterly English, and, while our minds drift toward the idyllic landscape of Downton Abbey and equestrianism, this summer marks London’s third go-round hosting the Olympic Games. Although upper-crust activities like shooting, bowls, and fox hunting won’t be included in the two weeks of world-class…
One chef will rule them all at Bite Nite, a culinary crusade pitting Valley chef against Valley chef to duke it out for the title of Heavyweight Champion. A dozen local restaurants including Frank and Albert’s and Scottsdale’s Cien Agaves will compete in four different categories — appetizer, entrée, desert,…
Near misses for the Triple Crown are common — only 11 of the 32 horses that placed first in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes have ever gone on to win thoroughbred racing’s most coveted prize. The last horse to take the Triple Crown, Affirmed, did so in…
The founders of The Latin Comedy Jam call it Loco Comedy. Considering the wide mix and backgrounds of the six comedians on the bill, said descriptor is probably apt. Presented by radio stations Power 98.3 and Latino Vibe, Michele Melean and Ernie G. top the bill. Melean has appeared on…
Whether The Life And Times will etch their names into the pantheon of great Kansas City artists remains to be seen. The seemingly innocuous Midwestern hamlet has one of the richest musical histories of any city in the states not named New York or L.A., and has churned out the…
Bob Melvin knows first-hand how rough the job market is. The last time Melvin coached a game at Chase Field (as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ manager) he left the stadium unemployed. Despite being just two years removed from winning the MLB Manager of the Year award, Melvin was unemployed for more…
For rock ‘n’ roll buffs, jetting to Memphis to tour Sun Records is a pilgrimage that makes the bucket list. Standing in rooms where the genre’s innovators and most popular players Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis gathered and recorded is damn near holy. Million Dollar…
Fairy tales teach little girls that handsome guys are desirable and romantic relationships always end in happily ever after. Barf. OJ Simpson and Scott Peterson, on the other hand, taught adults that sometimes the glass slipper comes in the form of a toe tag. Fiction takes a cue from real…
National Theatre Live presents an encore showing of Frankenstein starring Jonny Lee Miller as the Monster and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Frankenstein. Wed., June 13, 2 & 7 p.m., 2012…
Margaret of Anjou ruled. Not only did England’s Queen consort take over the country’s royal duties when her hubby, King Henry VI, suffered from bouts of insanity. She also led her kingdom in civil war battles. And, even though she didn’t exactly win, she’s still enjoyed fame for being a…
