Math, in its root word form, simply means “learning.” A polymath is a person who excels at or is learned in many fields or subjects. We call these people Renaissance men, after polymathic rock star Leonardo da Vinci. Of course, there are many others, like John James Audubon and Charles…
If you happen to be a musician of a Celtic bent, then this is likely the most wonderful time of the year. Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, which means you’re probably gonna be busy performing at green-beer-fueled celebrations all over town. And if you happen to be…
Spring training, much like spring itself, never seems to last quite long enough in Phoenix. In a few weeks the temperatures will reach unbearable heights, the number of competitive baseball teams will narrow down to a handful, and the spotlight will focus, as always, on Boston and New York. For…
The grueling schedule of this shortened NBA season is clearly wearing down some aging legs, so the All-Star break’s rest days (perennial selection Steve Nash excluded), couldn’t have come at a better time for the Phoenix Suns. The team hopes to turn things around and gain some momentum during the…
The human imagination has no limits when it comes to envisioning advanced machines. From trash-talking C3PO and trash-pushing WALL-E to intelligent robots that change into cars, we’ve seen it all (even if just on-screen).While the dream of having a mechanical maid like the Jetsons may still be light years away,…
It’s often up to young, up-and-coming designers to brighten up the sometimes-tiring world of fashion. With emerging youthful labels such as Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang at the forefront of the ever-changing world of what’s hot, keeping an eye on students creating wearable art probably isn’t a bad idea. Hawk-eyed…
In a recent interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, Meryl Streep commented that once she hit the age of 40 directors, agents, and the film industry in general had no idea what to do with her role-wise – with the exception of casting her as haggard witches. It’s not an uncommon…
Dulce Dance hosts its fifth annual Expresiones Dance Festival as part of PHX:fringe at Playhouse on the Park. Including traditional live dance performances, film presentations, and multi-media pieces from companies such as Verve Dance, Movement Source, and Dulce. Fri., March 9, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., March 10, 7:30 p.m., 2012…
Save some chain grease for that ‘stache. Come Saturday all one needs for the Tempe Bicycle Action Group’s fourth annual Moustache Ride is, well, a little under-the-nose fringe. Beginning at the Tempe Beach Park entrance, this bike/bar crawl celebrates all upper lip furbearing cyclists, including such notables as Thomas Stevens,…
Nuns make perfect athletes. No, really. When you spend your day living sin-free, there’s little room slothful moments in front of the TV, painfully lusting over that latest Ryan Gosling interview. They take the high road. Plus, the no sex thing probably drives a bit of healthy aggression when training…
Many factors contribute to the overall impression of a place. From music and artwork to food and drink, a city’s identity is defined by what its artists create and what its consumers eat up. Held at the Phoenix Art Museum, the Devoured culinary festival harnesses local art, food, and wine…
Pixar’s Up taught us some very important life lessons, including that, with enough balloons, you can fly your house to South America and, perhaps more importantly, that giant, flightless birds don’t make good pets. But you won’t need an airborne home to hang out with nine-foot birds when the 24th…
If you’ve ever seen Busted & Disgusted or Cheaters, you know how heated things can get when girlfriends find out their perfect pairing is actually a ménage à trois. Think black eyes, ripped clothing, and sexual harassment lawsuits. Even the ancient Egyptians weren’t immune to the wrath of the pissed…
Phoenix is fortunate to be home to plenty of awesome poets who are unfamous and, often, nearly jobless — we get to enjoy them while they still have time for us. But when you’re in the mood for a little hoity-toity crème de la crème, you can’t get much creamier…
Minority troops had seen a lot by the time they came home from World War II, and the status quo became a no-go, lighting a fire under the civil rights movement’s ass. The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines also defended their country heroically, sometimes without even being citizens of the…
Last July and November, photographer Bryn Corbett set up his camera at Practical Art and began his video portrait series, “Staring Down Andy.” Each of the 40 volunteer participants had two minutes “to be themselves” in front of Corbett’s video camera in a dark room with a black backdrop and…
Noted grump and literary genius Mark Twain once said, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Local, award-winning playwright Kim Porter would likely agree with the sentiment, as her workshop Writing for the Stage with Kim Porter involves drawing inspiration from life events and searching for truths in those situations. It’s a…
Blame a bad economy, or our own geeky tendencies — in current culture, it’s common to stretch what we have and squeeze every bit of usefulness from it. It is from this resourcefulness — call it MacGyverism — that “economy of means: toward humility in contemporary sculpture” was born. The…
Teller, the usually silent half of magician duo Penn & Teller, recently spilled his thoughts in Smithsonian Magazine on the psychology behind illusions and tricks. Rather than rendering silly the oohs and aahs magic can inspire, his statements bolstered our respect for the badasses who can blow minds with sleight…
The music in Chico & Rita has all the soul its lovers haven’t. The Oscar-nominated animated musical Chico & Rita opens with a jaw-dropping swoop over modern-day Cuba, a well-grimed and bustling island of densely packed buildings that, here, is immaculately detailed and tinted just so, as to make it…
Recording “Les Filles du Crazy,” an anthem that they’ll later lip-synch onstage, half a dozen women — performers at the Crazy Horse, Paris’s classy nudie cabaret — sing of themselves, “They are the soldiers of the erotic army.” The military metaphor proves apt, as Frederick Wiseman’s spellbinding documentary on the…
In the opening scene of Friends With Kids, a conspicuously placed copy of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion on the bedside table of Jason (Adam Scott) marks him as a nonbeliever. His doubt also extends to conjugal matters, for he is unconvinced that married parents could ever be happy. Sharing…
