Arts & Culture

Thomas Vanek (pictured) and the Sabres continue their Western swing with a stop at Jobing against the Coyotes. Sat., Jan. 31, 7 p.m., 2009…

As the Phoenix Suns continue their season-making-or-breaking playoff push, the Sacramento Kings recently clinched something as well: our award for 2008-09 NBA masters of sucktitude. Along with the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and L.A. Clippers, the Kings have spent the entire season toiling in the league’s cellar. What makes Suckramento…

Ben Gordon, Drew Gooden, and Derrick Rose (pictured) of the big, bad Chicago Bulls take on the Phoenix Suns. Sat., Jan. 31, 7 p.m., 2009…

“Torture the women!” So said the 19th-century French playwright Sardou, when asked for advice on success in the theater. Phoenix Metropolitan Opera, the upstart kid on the Valley’s fat-lady-sings block, has taken this strategy to heart. Having launched its sophomore season with Puccini’s Tosca (based on Sardou’s play), the company,…

The Ranch will simulcast the Super Bowl on 20 HD plasmas and offer drink specials. Participants in the Half Time Challenge will vie for various prizes, including autographed Cardinals memorabilia, a Nintendo Wii, and Suns tickets. DJ Kid Vicious spins after the game. Reservations are recommended. Sun., Feb. 1, noon-2…

Enjoy food and drink specials, prize giveaways, and other fun while cheering the Cardinals on to victory. Sun., Feb. 1, 1 p.m., 2009…

Get your groove on, and find some groove-adelic vinyl, at this always hopping affair. Sat., March 28, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 2009…

The martial arts competition features five divisions: Taiji Quan solo for men and women, Taiji Sword for men and women, and group Taiji Quan/Taiji Sword (three to six people per group). Sat., Jan. 31, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 2009…

While the dudes watch the game, chicks can celebrate with free polish changes and personalized beauty “coaching” from the techs at the W spa. RSVP required. Sun., Feb. 1, 3-6 p.m., 2009…

It’ll cost ya — from $1,500 up to $25,000 — but this event, held annually the day after FBR final-round play, allows amateurs to play the TPC in tournament-ready condition, the way the pros do. And hey, it is for a good cause. This year’s beneficiary is Desert Voices, a…

While there’s been much talk about the changing Phoenix area, Tempe is the part of town perhaps the most under siege. Long-timers remember the days when Mill Avenue was a cool place to be – when mom-and-pop businesses and live-music venues lined the street. Now . . . not so…

View the big game on various flat-screens (including a 92-inch HDTV) while munching on the complimentary buffet. A raffle will benefit HomeBase Youth Services. An after-party beginning at 8 p.m. features host Eddie Johnson and DJ Ced Ceballos. Sun., Feb. 1, 2 p.m., 2009…

Murder. Scandal. Black-ops. Military profiteering. Fraud. Bribery. Beltway blackmail. Hmmm, you’d think author Len Downie Jr. had written a secret history of the past two presidential administrations in his debut novel, The Rules of the Game. In a way, he has. The gripping read is an end product of the…

Documentary spoof of evolutionary dunderheads by marine biologist turned Hollywood filmmaker Randy Olson, who will be present for the screening and a discussion. Wed., Feb. 4, 5:30-8 p.m., 2009…

They labored in isolation in Prescott, yet the work that Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, and Frederick Sommer created in the middle of the 20th century has gone on to international acclaim. The three self-taught photographers, toiling together in solitude, began the transformation of classic mid-century photography from flat journalism into…

Recent studies show that cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete, with later generations adding to the original pictures. Iconic ’80s pop artist and AIDS activist Keith Haring took his cue from prehistoric man, making chalk “cave paintings” of crawling babies on blank New York subway ad signs…

Recent studies show that cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete, with later generations adding to the original pictures. Iconic ’80s pop artist and AIDS activist Keith Haring took his cue from prehistoric man, making chalk “cave paintings” of crawling babies on blank New York subway ad signs…

Generally speaking, we frown on guided hikes. The Sonoran Desert is not the Louvre, and true hikers hardly need to have someone spell out its (fairly obvious) magnificence. The extraordinary exception is the Elephant Mountain Fortress Hike. The relatively difficult seven-miler takes participants into the park’s achingly beautiful backcountry for…

The three-mile, Year of the Ox trek on the Baseline Trail features info about the Chinese zodiac, the history of the Chinese people in Arizona, and a pre-hike Chinese Moon Cake tasting. Fri., Jan. 30, 10 a.m.-noon, 2009…

The 1.6-miler ventures to the largest concentration of Hohokam/Yavapai petroglyphs in the Valley. Fri., Jan. 30, 10 a.m.-noon, 2009…

The Torch Theatre puts on this high-octane improv duel featuing three-person comedy teams from all over the Valley competing against one another. Fri., Jan. 30, 7 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 31, 8 p.m., 2009…

Artist Linda Connor, an ex-pupil of famed shutterbugs Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, and Frederick Sommer, talks about how these three heavy-hitting photographers — whose work is currently on display in the “At the Crossroads of American Photography: Callahan, Siskind, Sommer” exhibit at SMoCA — influenced her art. Sun., Feb. 1,…