Hell hath no fury like a wanna-be filmmaker scorned. After being left in financial ruin by a Nashville investment banker nearly 18 years ago, Dan Wilkins dreamed up a multitude of elaborate revenge fantasies to get even with the man who did him wrong, many of which would’ve landed him…
Thu 8/19 Radio drama? These days, there isn’t much, unless Rush Limbaugh’s bout with OxyContin counts as dramatic fare. But there was a time — in the 1930s and ’40s — when live electronic entertainment came solely via radio, with War of the Worlds and Arch Oboler’s Lights Out leading…
Fri 8/20 What if Spider-Man 2 or The Bourne Supremacy had skipped out on Phoenix movie theaters? Madness would take to the streets. Yet fans cope as independent films regularly bypass silver screens around the Valley. Beginning Friday, August 20, one of six indie flicks will premi’re each week exclusively…
Sat 8/14 Things get pretty dead around these parts during the dog days of summer, especially when it comes to nationalistic celebrations. After getting hammered by the one-two punch of July 4 and Bastille Day, patriots and expatriates alike have to wait until the Labor Day weekend for frenetic flag-waving…
Scheduling the Phoenix Mercury’s annual clinic to coincide with the Summer Olympics is a slam-dunk way of cashing in on all the, uh, hoopla surrounding USA Basketball’s expected march to the medal stand. True, a chunk of the WNBA’s roster is already in Athens. But c’mon, is there a better…
8/12-8/31 Jen and Scott Sanders, owners of the Paper Heart, 750 Grand Avenue, pride themselves on providing something for everyone. So any pop-cultural pimp worth his or her weight in Hot Topic gear will find something of interest at the joint, be it Argentinean tango lessons or alt-rock shows. Similar…
Troy Tinker sounds exasperated as he explains why the World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions Tour would be of interest to discerning hipsters. It’s almost as if his horse sense was tingling, anticipating the question before it was asked. “I know where this is going,” says Tinker, the emcee of the show…
Fri 8/6 This is not your typical shake-ya-ass music: “Open your eyes, see eye to eye with me/Righteous lives, that’s how we try to be/No disguise, this isn’t Halloween . . .” And with that, Oddio Audwell isn’t trying to make mamasitas move in slow motion this Friday, August 6,…
7/30-8/1 Don’t hate the players — hate the game. Back in the day, all we needed was Mountain Dew, a few Snickers bars, Super Nintendo, and for our parents to leave us undisturbed for 72 hours. Nowadays, we need a full-blown gaming conference. And for what? So we can puss…
Oppressed smokers of the Valley, cheer up: Dave Attell feels your pain. Whether surviving a smoking ban or forking over a fiver to satisfy a nic fit, the 39-year-old comedian, who lights up the Tempe Improv this weekend, is familiar with the trials and tribulations of tobacco use. “In New…
Wed 7/28 What Zephryn Conte does with a beat is easily defined: anything she wants. To be more precise, Conte, who’s “somewhere between 40 and ageless,” uses her omnipotent rhythmic abilities to channel dance, song and rhyme into one performance — the Zephryn Conte Jazz/Poetry Experience, on Wednesday, July 28,…
Sun 7/25 So much for the pity. The only splash Lollapalooza 2004 made was in the toilet, but The Thrills bounced back instantly from the cancellation, booking a big U.S. tour with fellow Lolla-gaggers and U.K. rockers Gomez. Such good fortune hounds the Dublin band — get a load of…
Sat 7/17 Now that he’s pimped his own ride, Robert Aguilar will be rollin’ with his homies from Mystical Car Club to the first Car & Music Show at Audio Express, 6710 West Camelback, on Saturday, July 17. After touring his custom 2000 Chevy Silverado (pictured) to 25 car shows…
The crossover has always been the mega-event in the comic book kingdom. Fanatics easily spout off titles like Aliens vs. Predator or 1978’s Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (wait — we thought Ali was Superman). But the latest coupling from the realm of superheroes and supervillains doesn’t feature limited-edition, varied-ink chromium…
7/16-7/18 John DiResta’s got a new catchphrase he hopes will grab the nation by the balls: “How’s your cock?” asks the portly comedian and former NYPD flatfoot. So far, response has been mixed. “You’re the second person I’ve asked, seriously. The first one was my wife. She just said, ‘Fine…
Sat 7/10 Alcohol and night golfing — it’s a winning combination. Leave it to the geniuses at the Papago Brewing Company to dream up the best pairing since hops joined forces with barley. Wannabe golf pros can get lit to the gills before heading out to slice and drive at…
Sun 7/11 Say the name Pablo Neruda to the average Joe, and you’ll probably get blank stares in return (or, at best, a slight dawn of recognition). He’s heard Neruda mentioned somewhere, maybe on that rerun of The Simpsons. It’s a shame, since “the Picasso of poetry” penned a few…
7/2-8/6 Since we were mere babes, we’ve tentatively unwrapped each chocolate bar, hoping that famed golden ticket was inside. Alas, we’ve been left only with empty pockets and stern lectures from our dentist. Regardless, we’ll enjoy reliving our cavity-filled childhood at the production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,…
7/1-7/31 The folks at downtown’s Trunk Space Gallery are mining comic value — in the most literal sense. A portion of proceeds from “POW! Comic Book & Sequential Art” — a monthlong exhibition and sale opening Friday, July 2 — benefits the ACTOR Comic Fund, a nonprofit aiding comic book…
6/24-7/9 Local artist Karen Fiorito knows she’s on someone’s — or some government agency’s — list. The question, though, isn’t which one, but, rather, how many? “That’s what my friends have told me,” the recent ASU fine arts grad says, laughing, as she hovers around downtown’s Studio LoDo. “According to…
Black and teal confetti litters the floor of America West Arena as the Arizona Rattlers are mobbed by the press, having just outlasted the Colorado Crush, 45-41, in the semifinals of the Arena Football League playoffs. After an afternoon-long war of attrition, you’d expect the boys to retreat to the…
Nate Adams blasts the engine of his Yamaha YZ 250 motorbike to nearly 10,000 RPMs, assaulting spectators with a machine-gun-like staccato and fresh dirt, which explodes from underneath his tires. He launches himself into a death-defying back flip, wraps his legs around his arms above the handlebars in midair, and…
