Top 5 Things to Do in Phoenix This Weekend

Stop searching. Here are your weekend plans. Frank Caliendo @ Tempe Improv East Valley laugh-seekers, get ready. The Tempe Improv is back. And comedian Frank Caliendo rechristens the club with a weekend of his spot-on impressions. See also: – Legendary Comedy Club Tempe Improv to Reopen Its Doors in April…

Brandon Boetto: 2013 Big Brain Awards Finalist, Craft

You submitted nominations for awards given to the Valley’s emerging creatives and the results are in. Introducing our Big Brain 2013 Finalists. Leading up to the Big Brain Award awards announcement and celebration on April 27, Chow Bella and Jackalope Ranch will introduce the finalists. Up today: Brandon Boetto Brandon…

Annie Boomer Vintage Opens in Downtown Phoenix

GROWop Boutique and Cellar Door Vintage recently welcomed new-ish neighbor Annie Boomer Vintage to Sixth Street’s downtown shopping enclave south of Roosevelt Row. We say new-ish because Annie Boomer’s owner, Andrea Engelsberg, formerly ran the shop out of the back of Nostra Style House’s old location on Sixth. That was…

Day Dress Traders

Just how far along are you in your spring-cleaning endeavors — on a scale of filth to Martha? Mm-hm, thought so. Instead of jamming everything on the floor into the unseeable back of the closet, grab some garb and bring it to CO-OPhx’s Spring Swap on Sunday, April 21.Wrangle up…

Concrete Details

Though she recently left Phoenix for Portland, Blooming Rock Development founder Taz Loomans hasn’t written off this Valley entirely. Case in point: Loomans leads the Modern Phoenix Superlite Block Plant Tour on Friday, April 19.Loomans will discuss the types of blocks Superlite manufactured (and continues to make), as well as…

Miles to Go’s Moby Dick Shirt

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: With this year’s Big Brains nominees on our minds (and Artopia just around the corner), we got to thinking about 2012’s nominees. With his literary shirt company, Miles…

Top 5 Things to Do in Phoenix This Weekend

Working for the weekend? Never heard of it. Take a much-needed break from those TPS reports and head to a pool party, movie, or marketplace. For more guidance, read on. Pool Celebration @ Vista Del Sol Suit up, coeds. The folks behind the annual ASU Undie Run are hosting a…

Five Must-Attend Lectures in Phoenix This April

Dearest poindexter, please remove your nose from that book and do some intellectual exploring this April. Here are five must-attend lectures that’ll get your neurons firing. Pascal Cotte @ Arizona Science Center In conjunction with the Arizona Science Center’s ongoing exhibit “Da Vinci – The Genius,” French engineer Pascal Cotte…

Drink and Thrive

If you’re under the impression that botany’s boring, perhaps author Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist ($19.95) will get you thinking (and drinking) differently. In it, the Fine Gardening editor dishes the down-low on trees, flowers, and fungi with the potential to make you feel very, very entertained.It’s not Stewart’s first…

Backstroke

You might expect someone with the name Lisa Starry to have an artistic obsession with celestial bodies, but based on the modern dance choreographer’s latest work, Dreaming in Water, it’s fair to say Scorpius Dance Theatre’s director has more of a yen for aqua than NASA.The new production is a…

The Sopranos

Though the Phoenix run of Arizona Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro has wrapped, those who missed out on the opulent comedy (and don’t wish to trek to Tucson this weekend) still can get an earful of operatic tuneage when the leads from the production’s two casts perform at the Musical…

Infinity Scarf from Regenerous Designs

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: The time has come, Arizonans, for shuffling between the warm outdoors and ice-cold buildings. Scarves are the solution: light enough to wear outside (or cram into a purse)…

Top 5 Things to Do in Phoenix This Weekend

Get your weekend on with these five must-attend events in and around Phoenix. Phoenix Film Festival @ Harkins Scottsdale 101 Certainly, Phoenix isn’t the biggest of movie towns, but Bird City has served as shooting grounds for such notable flicks as Psycho, Everything Must Go, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent…

Five Must-See Movies in Phoenix This April

Pass the popcorn. Here are five movies you’ve gotta see this month. Kiss of the Damned @ Harkins Scottsdale 101 There are a few reasons Kiss of the Damned is on our must-see list. It’s directed by Xan Cassavetes, daughter of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. Milo Ventimiglia (a.k.a. Rory…

Sweeter Things

Dentists be damned; Chow Bella and Smeeks’ Caramelpalooza is back. In its fourth year, the sweets-centric showdown features wrapped-up goodies from 20 local confectioners. Among a slew of notable names presenting sugary delights at the bonbon bonanza are Muñeca Mexicana’s Minerva Orduño Rincón (who blogs for Chow Bella when she…

Camera Ready

Certainly, Phoenix isn’t the biggest of movie towns, but Bird City has served as shooting grounds for such notable flicks as Psycho, Everything Must Go, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Couple its silver screen history with the annual Phoenix Film Festival, and there’s plenty of fodder for local film…

A Ruse By Any Other Name

The foreigner in Larry Shue’s The Foreigner isn’t exactly foreign. Well, at least not in the alluring, exotic sense. Dude’s from England, his name’s Charlie, and he edits sci-fi for a living. But for the sake of preserving an old-lady innkeeper’s feelings and because his friend Froggy fibs (never trust…

February Son’s Neptune T-Shirt

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: Graphic designer Brandon Charles brings his flair for imagery to T-shirts with his clothing company February Son. Our favorite among his wearable offerings is a Captain Neptune shirt,…

Top 5 Things to Do in Phoenix This Weekend

Here they are, weekend warrior, your best bets for a good time out and about over the next few days. Ballet Arizona Presents Director’s Choice @ Orpheum Theatre From comedic timing to sentence construction and artwork, the rule of three/thirds makes works more satisfying to audiences, readers, and viewers. (See…

Triple Threat

From comedic timing to sentence construction and artwork, the rule of three/thirds makes works more satisfying to audiences, readers, and viewers. (See what we did there?) Provided the notion holds true, those attending Ballet Arizona’s Director’s Choice are in for an entirely enjoyable evening.The program runs through Sunday, March 31,…

Quick Study

If high school history class had included live performances of notable events and featured characters dressed in full regalia, maybe we would’ve fared better on our AP test. (At least, we probably would’ve taken better notes.) Although we’ve missed our chance to score a four, we do have the opportunity…