2013 Big Brain Awards Winners Announced

The results are in, and we’re proud to present the recipients of Phoenix New Times’ 2013 Big Brain Awards. The winners in five categories were announced Saturday night at New Times’ Artopia, and each received $500. Awards and recipients after the jump … See also: – Announcing the 2013 Big…

Big Brain Awards 2013: Meet the Finalists and Check out the Illustrated Guide to Artopia (VIDEO)

OO.ready(function() { OO.Player.create(‘ooyalaplayer’, ’44ampnbjoJX9dwzKQtJGoQsmJOx5k3um’); });Please enable Javascript to watch this videoLeading up to the Big Brain Awards announcement at Artopia Chow Bella and Jackalope Ranch we’ve profiled each finalist in visual art, performing art, craft, design, online, and culinary art. On Saturday, April 27, we’ll celebrate the finalists and crown…

A Mystery Jackalope Ranch Sticker Giveaway

We have a birthday to celebrate. This week, Jackalope Ranch is three years old, and in celebration of the creatives who continue to shape this community and those who’ve contributed to our exhibitions, projects, and coverage for the last three years, we’re bringing out our reserve of limited-edition jackalope stickers…

Top 5 Things to Do in Phoenix This Weekend

In search of weekend plans? Look no further. Here are your best bets for getting out and about in and around Phoenix. “Scream Queens” After-party @ FilmBar David Miller’s photography exhibition “Scream Queens” explores via parody the stereotypical female characters found in horror and sci-fi films — think femme fatale,…

Southwest Shakespeare’s She Stoops to Conquer in Mesa Is Tedious and Good-Looking — Think Richard Gere’s Private Life

The setup: Like pretty much every other theater with “Shakespeare” in its name, Mesa’s Southwest Shakespeare Company peppers each season with plays written by other people. They’re usually referred to as “classical.” Some companies also present newer shows that are Shakespeare-related or -inspired, and SSC has been doing quite a…

The Lena Denim (Yes, Denim) Dress

If you’ve been experiencing withdrawals from Lena Dunham’s HBO television series Girls, you’re not alone. Every Sunday we’ve been racing to a friend’s house or hacking into someone else’s HBO Go account to watch the latest awkward drama unfold between Dunham’s characters, or gawk at the latest outfit Jessa is…

10 Must-See Events at Phoenix Comicon 2013

Exactly one month from now, 40,000 people will invade downtown Phoenix for one reason: to geek out as hard as possible during Phoenix Comicon. During the annual Memorial Day weekend (Thursday, May 23, to Sunday, May 25) convergence of pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy, and (of course) comic books, there are…

Cinco de Mayo 2013 Guide

Special Events Chandler Public Library 22 S. Delaware St., Chandler Pint-size pups both speedy and swanky will be celebrated during Chandler’s Cinco de Mayo Festival on Saturday, May 4. The event’s tradition of Chihuahua races and beauty pageant once again will serve as its main attraction and offer the chance…

Michael Bay Injects Potent Absurdity Into Pain & Gain

Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) believes life has cheated him. Doesn’t America promise riches and luxury to people who deserve it? He’s worked hard to build his body into a hulking knot of muscles; success should follow. But Lugo (the lead in Michael Bay’s neon-noir ode to Miami, muscle tone, and…

Shane Carruth Built Upstream Color; Now You Figure it Out

There’s a thin line between what’s truly mysterious and what’s totally bogus. A movie that leaves you feeling unclear about what’s happening isn’t necessarily mysterious — it may just be inept. In other words, the problem may be it, not you. Shane Carruth’s second feature, Upstream Color, a dystopian romance…

Tom Cruise Can Still Be Great — Why Aren’t His Movies?

Though he’s long been among the most recognizable celebrities in the world, Tom Cruise has always seemed vaguely irritating, like the popular kid at school everybody secretly dislikes. His is an odd sort of fame: Globally recognized but rarely acclaimed, he remains more reliably bankable than nearly any other actor…

Watching The Client List with a Real Sex Worker

In The Client List, Lifetime’s pseudo-steamy take on the world of sensual massage, Jennifer Love Hewitt plays a struggling housewife who takes a rub-down side job in order to support her kids after her husband disappears. The show, which jumps from scenes of Hewitt pleasuring executives to her dancing with…

Witty Committee

No one sees the world quite like David Sedaris. The American best-selling author, humorist, and master of satire keeps a notebook on him at all times (seriously, all times) that holds notes, quotes, and scenery from his travels and everyday life.Sedaris draws from the everyday — including his personal life…

Swag It Out

We don’t ask much of you, Phoenix Coyotes. It’s neither the chance of catching a T-shirt shot from a cannon nor the guarantee of a bobblehead that keeps us coming back to the ice den to watch your games. We don’t need stuff to feel appreciated. The only thing a…