Y’know, it’s pretty remarkable how many ancient hardcore bands — ones most of us thought were long gone — are still crisscrossing this great land of ours with Econoline vans and U-Haul trailers, playing shows for the faithful: Agent Orange, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, Suicidal Tendencies, and Circle…
These days, it seems like half of Arizona is on its way to pseudo-Tuscan McMansionville. It’s too bad, really, since mid-century modern architecture is found in exactly two places on earth: Palm Springs, California, and the Phoenix area. One local diamond in the rough, the Hotel Valley Ho, was barely…
The Phoenix Suns’ December 5 schooling of the Toronto Raptors on the latter’s home court stretched Phoenix’s winning streak against the birds of prey to seven. The Sunnies try to make it eight straight with a rematch. The game is officially sold out. Try http://teamexchange.ticketmaster.com. Sat., Dec. 22, 7 p.m.,…
Actors Theatre’s A Christmas Carol is — and we say this lovingly — the cockroach of local theater. The sky could be falling, it could be raining nukes, the sun could blow up and the annual holiday extravaganza would go on without pause or fail. Need we tell you –…
The ’07 Atlanta Falcons suck, victims of quarterback Michael Vick’s dog-fighting debacle. But we don’t have to tell you that the Arizona Cardinals historically suck against other teams that suck, and we’ll see if the trend holds true. The game is officially sold out. Try www.ticketmaster.com/trade. Sun., Dec. 23, 2:05…
Eat a deep-fried chimi, then work it off. Hell, eat a dozen, ’cause love handles are an endangered species at the muy picante Latin dance night called Caliente Friday featuring DJs AL3 and Manic Hispanic. Fridays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., 2009…
While our lame ass sits at home reading crime novels and waiting for the phone to ring, somewhere in this city of immolation Susana is carefully choosing a skin-tight outfit to rival any high school bleacher slut for her Travesty Show. She of the golden cowgirl hat, trembling lamé bikini…
Phoenix Suns All-Star forward/center Amaré Stoudemire — a.k.a. Stat — dons Santa gear and makes a surprise visit to deliver food and gifts to children and families in need. Sun., Dec. 23, 2 p.m., 2007…
“Speechless” at Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art: Maybe it’s our monogamous nature, but people love to pair things up. Chips and salsa, peanut butter and chocolate, shoes and socks — these are pairs that make sense. But we may have difficulty understanding the connection of something seemingly random, like horses and flowers…
The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) The final installment in the Bourne-again trilogy is the one in which the CIA assassin’s true identity is revealed. It’s the origin story in reverse — how brilliant. But solving the mystery (and misery, as Jason Bourne’s among the most tormented action heroes of all time)…
There are two momentous performances in the Darwinian horror fable I Am Legend. One is by the movie’s star, Will Smith — but more about him in a minute. The other is by the movie’s visual effects, which render a near-future New York City that has been “ground zero” for…
Beverly Hills 90210: The Third Season (Paramount) Big Love: The Complete Second Season (HBO) Born Killers (Lionsgate) The Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series Collector’s Edition (A&E) The Conscientious Objector (Cinequest) Dave Attell: Captain Miserable (HBO) Dirt: The Complete First Season (Buena Vista) Flight 29 Down: Volume Three (Discovery Kids)…
Juno marks the second film for director Jason Reitman and the first for screenwriter Diablo Cody, author of the Pussy Ranch blog, which has very little to do with baby kittens. Reitman, having made his debut with a swaggering adaptation of Christopher Buckley’s Thank You for Smoking, is said to…
At a Guitar Hero tournament a few months back, one kid complained to me that Expert Mode is “too easy.” Then he demonstrated the game’s secret Hyper Speed mode. My pupils nearly ruptured at the sight of him as he navigated the light-speed stream of colored notes; it looked like…
I’ve made a career out of carping about what an unsightly city we live in, and bitching about our hellish, nine-month-long summers has become my avocation. But in December, I find it hard to be cranky about anything, because the weather here is idyllic and because so many of the…
Chicks dig the long ball. They also be loving some rock ‘n’ rollers. So release that inner Barry Bonds/Rob Halford-wanna-be hybrid during Rock and Jock Night. The weekly event features live DJs and specials for the baseball/softball batting range. Saturdays, 7-11 p.m., 2007…
In his final exhibition for the Heard Museum, curator Joe Baker asked a group of artists to deconstruct their modern American identity, specifically, their mixed heritage. Baker is a mutt himself, as an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians with Dutch and English lineage, and the 15 artists…
Though only half of the Wallace & Ladmo duo is still with us, their legacy lives on. Come celebrate Wallace’s (Bill Thompson) birthday at Changing Hands Bookstore. The shindig will feature appearances by Gerald (Pat McMahon) and Arizona Republic columnist Richard Ruelas. Wed., Dec. 19, 7 p.m., 2007…
Traditional Native American dances, musical performances, and cuisine. Fri., Jan. 18, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 19, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 2008…
Some artists who’ve been touched by the Universe have the ability to make a lovely place look lovelier than it is. Obvious choices would be Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, and, closer to home, painters Ellen Wagener and Ed Mell. Another Arizonan with that special knack is photographer David Muench, who…
Ah, Christmas time. The whole family gets together, gathers around the fireplace, and sings carols while decorating the Christmas tree. What? You don’t have a fireplace? Your family consists entirely of parents who preach the Apocalypse and three neurotic aunts who gnaw on their fingernails until blood colors their teeth?…
Andy Warhol in drag. Macro shots of swelling veins and taut musculature. Photographer Christopher Makos certainly knows how to tune our nipples. After all, Makos is the man Warhol described as “the most modern photographer in America.” Not only did he mingle with the legendary Drella, he also apprenticed under…
