Technically, Mike Epps is a triple threat. The Indiana native raps, acts, and does stand-up. But the only thing that Epps’ rapping and acting pose are threats to is his chances of becoming a great stand-up comic. Best known for having hosted multiple BET Hip-Hop Awards shows and playing Black…
The Arizona Diamondbacks have the worst bullpen in all of Major League Baseball, easily leading the league in blown saves. That said, skipper Kirk Gibson has somehow managed to turn his club into a formidable bunch of ballers. If — and that’s a capital IF — the bullpen can put…
Occasionally life imitates art, though more often than not art does the imitating. What’s more, it tends to imitate itself, leaving the doldrums of real life out of the loop entirely. Frankly, it’s better that way. Case in point: For several years Future Folk has been performing as an “Alien-Bluegrass”…
If it seems like an eternity since the Arizona Diamondbacks hoisted the coveted commissioners trophy way back in 2001, imagine being a Chicago Cubs fan. The Windy City’s most storied sports franchise has had nothing but unhappy endings for more than a century. In fact, the last time the Cubbies…
So it turns out that Brittney Griner is pretty good. The top pick in the WNBA draft is putting up some impressive numbers in her rookie season for the Phoenix Mercury, building an overwhelming case for rookie of the year honors along the way. But as far as Sunday afternoon’s…
It seems rather befitting that comedian Jim Gaffigan’s last name sounds like “gaffe again,” since the 46-year-old makes a living off of making light of one gaffe after another. Not that the self-deprecating, awkward brand of comedy is anything new; it’s Gaffigan’s circumstances that set him apart from his peers…
The last year or so has been quite the tossup for Valley sports fans. The Suns brought back ol’ Horny to run next year’s squad, and the Cardinals, also under new leadership, wrangled up quasi-legitimate quarterback Carson Palmer. The Yotes hanged their skates up after a disappointing season, and the…
A lot has changed since Andy Warhol first showed his iconic Campbell’s Soup paintings in Eleanor Ward’s Stable Gallery in New York City. In 1962, Andy’s portrayal of something so inherently mundane as art made him the provocateur. Nowadays, that little can of soup is plenty provocative on its own…
Arizona’s seemingly unwavering pursuit of becoming America’s most racist state is only occasionally thwarted by the potential threat of lost revenue, particular in the form of major sporting events. It took losing a Super Bowl before we played nice with MLK Day advocates, then SB 1070 nearly cost us Major…
Sadly, there’s a lot of Phoenix neighborhoods where the sight of people frolicking in the mud would hardly garner a glance from passersby, but when the muddy mayhem goes down in a squeaky clean part of Scottsdale, the necks of passersby get downright rubbery. Consider yourself warned.On Saturday, June 8,…
Trying to find a worthwhile outdoors event in Phoenix this time of year is like trying to offer constructive criticism to Amy’s Baking Company — downright impossible. While many venues simply batten down the hatches, send their event planners on vacay, and write off the scorch fest as a loss,…
When Justin Upton visits Phoenix’s Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street, on May 13, it will mark the first time in his young career that he does so as an Arizona Diamondbacks opponent. And what an opponent he’s shaping up to be. Heading into May, Upton leads the Majors in…
It would be all too easy for outsiders to call us Arizonans out on our apparent hypocrisy in celebrating Cinco De Mayo. After all, we are the “show me your papers” state and have garnered a reputation for being a tad unfriendly to our southern neighbors. Yet here were are,…
If you’ve ever found yourself channel surfing on a routine Thursday night, weary of the nightly news, you’ve likely stumbled upon a little PBS gem called Check, Please! Arizona. It’s hosted by acclaimed chef Robert McGrath, whose idyllic talk show host appearance — picture a bearded blend of James Lipton…
One of the many perks of living in a desert wasteland is that you’re never more than a short drive away from critter-infested quietude beneath a breathtaking canopy of stars. For city folk who would prefer to scratch their celestial itch without venturing into the wild, Arizona State University’s New…
For what seems like an eternity, the Los Angeles Lakers have dominated headlines as they hobble their way to a disappointing and yet uncertain finish line, bruised egos and bloated payroll in tow. Meanwhile, a former Laker has not only purchased the City of Angel’s baseball counterpart, he’s stacked them…
Unlike those dusty, old monoliths in Washington D.C., the divergent world of hip-hop has long since abandoned two-party partisanship. Thanks to the slow, steady ascendancy of the Dirty South in all its guttural glory, East and West Coasters alike have had no choice but to acknowledge the three-party system that…
Though a regular season victory could never avenge the post-season smack down that the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings put on the Phoenix Coyotes last year, it certainly wouldn’t hurt. Considering the fact that the Coyotes are in an airtight race with the Kings to claw down the…
With the exception of one itsy-bitsy bench-clearing, national headline-grabbing, no-holds-barred brawl between Canada and Mexico during a World Baseball Classic game on Sunday, March 10, spring baseball in the Valley has gone off without a hitch. And with Cactus League play winding down, most skippers oughta be just about done…
In a recent interview with USA Today, former Phoenix Sun Steve Nash made it clear that he has no regrets about moving to L.A. The two-time MVP went on to suggest that he could’ve stayed in Phoenix, but would have likely missed the playoffs again. Newsflash, Captain Canada: The Lakers…
With the season officially kaput for the Phoenix Suns it’s becoming apparent that interim head coach Lindsey Hunter is little more than a marionette with GM Lance Blanks tugging the strings whatever direction he sees fit. Unfortunately, Blanks is a crummy puppeteer who’s only managed to knot Planet Orange into…
For a state that sees more annual sunshine than most Norwegians do in their lifetimes, 2012 turned out to be downright gloomy for Arizona sports fans. The Cardinals finished last in their division, the only thing major league about the Diamondbacks was their ability to underperform, and the characteristically stalwart…
