It’s no secret that late Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis was a devout Christian. But rather than stoop to the level of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, he allowed his characters to subtly pimp religion without resorting to name-calling or bigotry. See for yourself when The Screwtape Letters blazes…

Theatrical superstition holds that if a cast member utters the name “Macbeth” outside of Shakespeare’s scripted lines, the production will suffer everything from dropped lines to on-stage accidents. But there are some who believe the curse is more hype than horror. “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says James Porter, who directs…

A few hundred years ago, girls had just two choices: get married or become a nun. Today, not only can women skip marriage and pursue careers, they can also write the world’s biggest bestseller, own a TV network, or almost land the vice presidency — despite a complete lack of…

Men may gripe about members of the so-called fairer sex spending endless hours gossiping with friends, but let’s face it: most dudes would give their right nut to find out what goes on when chicks get together (and not just because they suspect their ladies are comparing notes). “I’d buy…

In an opera, everything is larger than life: the sets are outrageous, the costumes opulent, and the waistlines bulging. But there are some productions in which art imitates real life. Because the protagonist of Puccini’s Tosca is an opera diva, singers stepping into the role automatically share a commonality with…

Martin Luther King Jr. may have had the most famous dream of all time, but it was his widow, Coretta Scott King, who helped make it a reality. When she passed away in 2006, more than 15,000 people came to pay tribute to the woman who was the face of…

The stereotype of geeks as mousy, shy wallflowers is total crap. Sci-fi and fantasy conventions can be as cutthroat as political debates, with quibbling Republicans and Democrats replaced by gamers, steampunks, and Trekkers. Forget healthcare and the economy: the important issue is who’s a better captain, Picard or Kirk? The…

Shakespeare really had his shit going on. Long before the age of lightning-scarred teenage wizards and sparkly vampires, dude penned a story of young lovers that solicits more tears than the breakup of Ashton and Demi. “We cry because of their lost love, their hope to end that it will…

Pop quiz: Name three opera stars other than The Three Tenors. If you’re like most of us, you’re struggling to remember the names of that blind guy and the chick from Repo: The Genetic Opera who was married to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Meanwhile, you can probably name the America’s Got…

You’ve heard the story before: Poor little orphan girl is whisked away by a rich benefactor who lavishes her with gifts, fine clothes, and an upper-class education. They grow to love one another — in a strictly father-daughter way, of course, since this isn’t a Woody Allen musical. But what…

There’s no shame in using household items for something other than their intended purpose. Perhaps you sing in the shower with a hairbrush subbing for a microphone or strum an air guitar broom. Or, if you’re gunning for a Darwin award, use screwdrivers to extract stuck bread from your toaster…

Imitation may be the sincerest form of artistic flattery, but a copy is always better when it’s adulterated. Take Warhol’s eye-popping print of 30 fluorescent-colored Mona Lisas or the tasty bacon version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night found on a popular DIY website. Yum. This type of creativity – minus…

Modern forensic technology may have helped to exonerate the West Memphis Three and send the Baseline Killer to Death Row, but there are limits to what the lab can do. Perhaps that’s why Tami Hoag prefers to set her mystery novels in the decades before Law & Order and CSI…

Thanks to The Cable Guy, the public’s idea of a medieval feast involves gnawing greasy turkey legs and using the gross leftover skin to do your best Hannibal Lecter impression. Rest assured such etiquette won’t be allowed at the Arts Council of the North Valley’s Renaissance Yuletide Feaste at Anthem…

Blackmail may have been effective in the days of Hitchcock and J. Edgar Hoover, but in the age of people blogging their sexcapades and posting colonoscopy videos on Facebook, it doesn’t pay. Cases in point: David Letterman, David Boreanaz, and Cameron Diaz screwed over potential extortionists by publicly airing their…

Though each version of the traditional Hispanic pastorela is unique, there are a couple of things you can always expect to see: shepherds, angels, farm animals. Somehow, Sheriff Joe and ousted senator Russell Pearce don’t fit into that scenario. But there’s always room for politicians among the pigs in New…

Listing Monopoly and mahjong among your favorite tabletop games while at next February’s Vul-Con would be a death sentence for a gaming noob. Seriously, you might as well paint a target on your head and wait for the assault of Warhammer miniatures. Avoid the RISK while bolstering your gaming prowess…

Gay kids have it tough enough without mommy-bloggers outing their 5-year-olds and phone apps that determine kids’ sexual preferences. No wonder Justin Bieber looked so damn relieved when that chick publicly claimed he got her preggo. If you think Bieber had it bad, check out Joshua Conkel’s MilkMilkLemonade at Tempe…

Nothing is sacred these days, not even nativity scenes. There are South Park parodies, nativity beer steins, and even holiday pranks that have resulted in churches putting GPS trackers inside nativity statues. (For example, Marilyn Manson admits to having once swapped the Baby Jesus for a ham in a life-sized…

Modern-day parents have their hands full, what with elementary school kids quoting True Blood and teens huffing refrigerator coolant. But the ‘rents haven’t always been on their best behavior, either. Remember the moms who brawled over Elmo dolls and the one dude who pummeled a fellow hockey dad to death?…

The German poet Goethe said that, “science arose from poetry… when times change the two can meet again on a higher level as friends.” Times apparently haven’t changed much. Chemistry and biology are like the popular kids, rewarded with front page headlines and million-dollar research grants, while poor poetry languishes…

When recently questioned about two nude self-portraits on his personal website, New York politician Stephen Eckel argued that “they’re art.” Pity that defense didn’t work for Anthony Weiner or Senator Robert Arango, who resigned after getting caught with his pants literally down on gay hookup site Grindr. The political debate…