This August, supporters of LGBTQ equality will embark on a pilgrimage across the state to raise awareness about unequal civil rights. While that’s a more than worthy cause, don’t think it signifies that the local queer scene has forgotten how to party. The Valley’s own order of in-drag nuns, a.k.a…
Geek gatherings used to be regarded like the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope — full of weirdos and hostile to outsiders. In a post-AOL world, people unleashed their inner nerds and with them, comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming in all its forms freely flooded into pop culture’s…
Living so close to Mexico, it’s easy to see the Latino influence on day-to-day life here in Arizona — from street names to fashion. And although a few certain contentious state laws enacted might have you believe that that influence goes unappreciated, even downright unaccepted. Sometimes that positive influence needs…
Everyone loves a good beatdown, don’t they? The Arizona Rattlers are again rolling — as of this writing, our boys are sitting on a 7-3 record, just half a game back from the Western conference-leading San Jose Sabercats. The Pittsburgh Power, in contrast, have been less than electric, recently extending…
Ira Glass’ nasally, comforting voice leisurely moving through our speakers on a Saturday afternoon means one thing: WBEZ Chicago’s This American Life is on. Well, okay, two things; it’s also laundry day. But when the show’s This American Life Live! episode screens at Phoenix Art Museum, we’ll leave the mountains…
“See the music, hear the dance,” renowned choreographer George Balanchine once said. The co-founder and ballet master of the New York City Ballet was big into music (also marrying ballerinas — he wed a total of five), and he extensively collaborated with composer Igor Stravinsky. So it’s no coincidence that…
If past performance could be trusted, the Phoenix Mercury would have nothing to worry about this weekend. In the last two seasons, the Tulsa Shock has exactly as many wins against the Mercury as your niece’s youth-league team does. It’s not just that Shock failed to win; they usually struggled…
Describing something as “twice in a lifetime” doesn’t have quite the romantic ring that “once in a lifetime” carries. But when it comes to cosmic events, the transit of Venus makes for an astronomically must-see occurrence. Every 243 years the planet named for the goddess of love (and, interestingly, the…
Part of the ongoing Grand Opera Cinema series, the San Francisco Opera presents a taped-live version of the renowned tragedy- and romance-infused La Bohème. Wed., June 6, 7 p.m., 2012…
Officially, Major League Baseball has taken a hardline stance against bullying in our nation’s schools, vehemently condemning any form of intimidation and harassment whatsoever. Ironically enough, however, said stance doesn’t seem to apply to the game of baseball itself. To wit: The Los Angeles Dodgers have become the bullies of…
Roots, the epic miniseries about an African man abducted and sold into slavery, made quite an impact on 1970s America. These days, the only roots most Phoenicians are concerned with are the dark ones encroaching on their bleached blond heads. Hopefully, that will change when Dominique Johnson and Allison Reese…
KID ROCK Which long-running TV show featured a cynical clown who despised children? If you answered The Simpsons, you’re either jailbait or a transplant. Decades before Krusty slurred his first “Hey, Hey, Hey,” actor Pat McMahon was doing a similar shtick on Phoenix airwaves. “It was an incredibly unusual kids’…
Paul Wilson’s on a mission to redefine Lee Harvey Oswald — yes, the Oswald famed (or framed) for assassinating President John F. Kennedy. “I want him to be innocent,” Wilson says. “In my reinvention of the man I have chosen to depict him as he might have been, had he…
If ever there was a perfect example of pure, fresh, classical simplicity unnecessarily trodden under with complications, it is Snow White and the Huntsman. Had it trusted by the native charm of its cast and the sensory seduction of its often-astonishing images to humbly, naively retell its story, this Snow…
The school year’s (finally) over, and candidates of the Masters of Fine Arts program at Arizona State University can breathe a heavy sigh of relief — as soon as they finish installing their annual MFA Summer Exhibition. This year’s collection of 20 works by 17 artists features the best work…
“Extraordinary Animals Revisited” anthropomorphizes animals and their relationship to the world through paper, paintings, photography and sculpture from Native artists. But that’s less simple than it sounds. For example, Darren Vigil Gray’s “Mystery Framework #4” features an elk-like animal in what appears to be a hunting jacket, while Rich Barstow’s…
Anyone hoping to impress Howard Stern would probably need some combination of scantilly-clad women and sordid tales involving sex or scandalous behavior. Local daredevil performer Jeremy Kinison and a few of his fellow freaks, however, needed only some broken glass, an ordinary chair, and a couple of swords to astonish…
When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So as we count down to our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives . Christine…
Podcasts are a cool alternative to hearing the latest classic from Nickleback or another rant from Limbaugh on the radio. They’re free, available on smartphones and MP3 players, and there are enough good ones to last anyone an entire week. Comedians picked up on the fad a couple of years…
Gem features one standout piece from a local shop. Whether it’s a jacket, necklace, or handbag, it’s on our have-to-have list. What: Hankies are happening, people. Whether knotted around the neck or peeking out of a pocket, this is one summer trend we can get behind (unlike these seven that…
Plans to place a Bicycle Cellar bike station in the long vacant ground floor of the historic Security Building now appear to be all but dead despite gaining initial approval from the Maricopa County Facilities Resource Panel back in January.”Unfortunately, the Bike Cellar project has in fact been cancelled,” said…
Just days before the Tempe Improv is set to disappear from the Valley’s comedy scene, the club’s longtime owner has gone missing. Mark Anderson, who has run the club for more than 23 years, reportedly has been missing for the past two weeks. News broke within the past 24 hours…
