We Americans are inured to suffering, but given the history of our civilization, we come by it honestly. Now consider Mexico and her Aztec empire in the year 1521, when Spain’s Hernán Cortés initiated centuries of slave labor. Irish ex-pat Guillen Lombardo kick-started the freedom movement in the 1640s, and…
It was only a matter of time before someone wrote a play about the mess the Catholic Church has gotten itself into the past several years. When it debuted on Broadway in 2004, Doubt, A Parable was whispered about as a theatrical inevitability, and its author, Bronx-born screenwriter John Patrick…
Unlike many of his rap contemporaries, Rashid “Common” Lynn has matured artistically — but he had a head start. Back in 1992 when he released his debut CD, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, under the name Common Sense, he was already sage beyond his age — and since then, his…
Your mama told you lowriders are for hoodlums and nice girls don’t get tattoos. Well, that was before the days of tongue piercings, exposed boxers, and conservative VP candidates with pregnant teenage daughters. Times have changed. In recognition of the new face of America, Mesa Arts Center kicks off its…
Phoenicians leaving downtown face exodus-level gridlock on the freeways. The Light Rail Pirates invite folks to avoid the rush with the weekly Wednesday Night Workout. LRP uses an audience suggestion to create the entire show, serving up laughs and fun alongside the happy-hour drinks and appetizers. “It’s a matter of…
Even though she has barely reached legal drinking age, this Cleveland-born singer-songwriter has accomplished much more than many other troubadours of her generation. In addition to scoring a regular spot on the CW soap One Tree Hill, she also has earned enough respect to be able to share the stage…
If it were any team other than the Arizona Cardinals, we’d say chalk up an automatic W against the Miami Dolphins, who’ll probably still be hapless despite the offseason addition of GM Bill (“Tuna”) Parcells (pictured in a typical pose). But these are, alas, our Cards, and they’ll be lucky…
Jim Gaffigan’s got quite a few things going for him. Or not. He’s bald, he’s eye-numbingly pale, and he’s infinitely unhealthy. Lazy? He’s got 10 minutes on the various merits of different items of furniture, and that’s not even counting all the bits on hammocks. Slightly schizophrenic? His best-known running…
If the Arizona Diamondbacks end up winning the National League West, it’ll be due in large part to a career .247 hitter named Adam Dunn. The big, beefy Texas steer – all 6-foot-6, 275 pounds of him – came to the D-Backs in an August 11 trade with the Cincinnati…
If you’ve ever walked in a public space and thought, “Man, I’m bummed that the trash cans don’t talk back to me,” your interesting thinking pattern has officially become a reality. Andrew Shoben, founder of Greyworld, will talk about his artistic goal of taking back our public spaces. Shoben has…
Patrons can receive a $15 limited tattoo session in honor of the store’s 15-year anniversary. Appointments are first-come-first-served. There will also be performances by DJ Fashen, MCB, and XXXClusive. Proceeds benefit Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Mon., Sept. 15, 9-midnight, 2008…
The annual national vigil for LGBT equality is designed to provide “straight Americans with opportunities to do justice and motivate new allies to stand up and be counted for equal rights.” Tue., Sept. 16, 7-10 p.m., 2008…
John Huston’s noir masterpiece, starring Humphrey Bogart as anti-hero PI Sam Spade, screens in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” salute to Dashiell Hammett’s novel about “the stuff that dreams are made of.” Admission is free, but tickets are required. They’re available at any Phoenix or…
John Huston’s noir masterpiece, starring Humphrey Bogart as anti-hero PI Sam Spade, screens in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” salute to Dashiell Hammett’s novel about “the stuff that dreams are made of.” Admission is free, but tickets are required. They’re available at any Phoenix or…
Artist/performance artist Jo Novelli speaks about how contemporary artists “use their bodies as the message and the means of their art.” Wed., Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m., 2008…
The Ask a Mexican columnist returns to discuss his new book, Orange County: A Personal History, which tracks the Arellano family’s journey to Southern California and deconstructs the myths surrounding that so-called paradise, the O.C. Wed., Sept. 17, 7 p.m., 2008…
Sam Bassett’s documentary casts light on the strange life of New York artist/infamous recluse Bettina Grossman, and the symbiotic relationship that developed between the two during the making of the flick. Tue., Sept. 16, 7 p.m., 2008…
By Benjamin Leatherman Perehelion Arts’ new home at the Artisan Villages complex. Here’s a news tidbit just in time for tonight’s monthly First Friday event: Perehelion Arts has left its long-time home on Grand Avenue and relocated two miles east to Roosevelt Row in the Evans-Churchill neighborhood. The renowned downtown…
Arty Girl, Phoenix Art Museum, Jumpsuit
At first glance, Allison Manch’s work looks quaint, maybe a little fussy. Her delicate, hand-embroidered handkerchiefs recall a prettier era, before someone thought to invent Kleenex; back when no gentleman or lady left home without a clean, pressed hanky tucked into pocket or purse. But a closer look at Manch’s…
Another summer movie season comes to an end, not with a bang but a whimper — what else to call four new releases (Babylon A.D., Bangkok Dangerous, College, and Disaster Movie) in the past 10 days that weren’t screened for critics by their respective distributors? These are, literally and figuratively,…
When asked what new titles are worth buying right now, employees of big chain video game stores can barely muster a sales pitch. “You like sports games? There’s another Madden out. And Mercenaries 2 just launched. It’s a . . . first-person shooter. I hear Too Human is kinda good…
