Thurday, July 24 This time of year, when temperatures rise to unbearable extremes, some smart aleck inevitably mentions that none of us would be here in the middle of the desert if it weren’t for the invention of air conditioning. Indeed, as we’ve realized during mid-summer power outages, it’s artificial…
The world of Noh theater, Japan’s 600-year-old performance tradition, is rarefied even to the Japanese themselves. And most Americans, who’ve never experienced the refined plays, may not have even heard of Noh — though they’ve likely seen its iconic masks, carved to portray the faces of young beauties, wizened old…
7/25-7/27 Can’t make South Dakota this year? Cheer up: Motorcycle rights organization A.B.A.T.E. (American Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education) presents Plan B — “Too Broke for Sturgis,” a weekend of motorcycle fun, Friday, July 25, through Sunday, July 27, at Mormon Lake. Motor up on your own, or ride with the…
Tue 7/29 “It’s a grudge match,” asserts boxer Leslie Sonnenklar. “She’s going down in 48 seconds flat.” Sonnenklar is being facetious in predicting the outcome of her first non-kickboxing bout, but when she goes up against Chrystal Proctor on Tuesday, July 29, she won’t be in the ring to read…
Fri 7/25 This week, mud draws the masses to Scottsdale, and it has nothing to do with minimizing pores: The guck at Mighty Mud Mania is all about fun. The City of Scottsdale throws open the mud gates Friday, July 25, at Chaparral Park, 5401 North Hayden. While kids ages…
Sat 7/26 The best little Horror house in Phoenix does double duty this weekend, pairing Hedwig & the Angry Inch with The Rocky Horror Picture Show for a gender-blending double feature. Broadway Bound & Gagged, the Valley’s longest-running Rocky Horror shadow cast, screens the films this Saturday, July 26, promising…
With a star-studded roster including George Clinton, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, India.Arie, Kansas, Naughty by Nature, Billy Bob Thornton, and the Village People, it’s either a benefit concert or a Sweeps Week episode of The Simpsons. This weekend, it’s the former, as Off the Hook Productions sponsors a concert benefiting…
If more part-time thespians approached their craft with the skill and imagination of Steven J. Scally, community theater would be a more cheerful place to visit. If Scally launched Awake and Sing Productions — which took its first bows last week with a revival of Michael Cristofer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The…
It’s pronounced “Fuck you,” but Phuhque, Eric Baron’s computer service company, is a warm, fuzzy place. Baron, who prefers to be called Gailand, the name he uses in the make-believe war games that fill up his time when he’s not programming PCs, is a friendly fellow who’s out to prove…
There’s something to be said for a movie that’s honest enough to transcribe dialogue that must have emanated from the director’s mouth, and make it part of the script. “Everybody start shooting at somebody!” yells Detective Mike Lowery (Will Smith) in the midst of a particular situation. Earlier, he gives…
The title Morvern Callar may sound like an Edward Gorey book or a job designation for telephone solicitors, but it’s actually a name — pronounced (roughly) “Mawvin Calla” (like the lily). Although some sources claim that “morvern callar” is Scots for “quieter silence,” the words don’t show up in online…
French director François Ozon doesn’t like to repeat himself. His last film, 8 Women, was a theatrical, rather campy piece of fluff starring la crème de la crème of contemporary Gallic actresses. Before that came Under the Sand, an unsettling drama about a woman (Charlotte Rampling, giving perhaps her finest…
Considering the unexpected amorous complexities of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, perhaps it was auspicious to take a couple of lesbians to see the Disney romp. After all, the last thing you expect from a movie based on a theme park ride is a gender-busting…
Have you heard the one about Vice President Dick Cheney inviting comedian Darrell Hammond to a party? “It was Cheney and his buddies and Republican congressmen,” recalls the Saturday Night Live star and eminent impersonator. “He wanted me to come there as [Bill] Clinton — made up and dressed up…
Thursday, July 17 Kiss at Mickey’s Hangover keeps up the momentum of last month’s fashion show at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art by hosting local designers for trunk shows every Thursday from 8 to 11 p.m. On July 17, the spotlight is on designers Meredith Elliott and Louis Dorman, who…
Within the acting world there is a great dichotomy, one that dictates that the finest actors often are found working within the medium most likely to keep their talents a secret: the theater. While suspect talents are consistently propped up by Hollywood’s media machine, the heavy lifting is left to…
Mon 7/21 “I hadn’t really thought about doing thrillers for adults,” says best-selling children’s author R.L. Stine. He’s speaking of his new book, The Sitter, a creepy summer read aimed at the twentysomething set that grew up reading Stine’s Goosebumps series. “I thought maybe I’d try to grow with my…
7/24-8/21 A small request for rock-climbing aficionados in the Phoenix area: It’s July, and if you’re dead-set on showing up the rest of us with your exploits in verticality, the least you could do is join us in the comfort of the great indoors. Besides, something tells me the competition’s…
Sat 7/19 For those who need more spontaneity in their nightlife, the promoters of Inkblotch are throwing up a staggering slate of DJs and hip-hop talent for an all-night, all-ages bash to open a new club in Phoenix — but they’re not saying where. Inkblotch’s Mike Stanton says the secret…
7/19-8/9 School’s out for summer, but kids still love to learn as long as education is disguised as vacation fun — and there’s no homework. Sizzlin’ Summer Saturdays at the Heard Museum is the perfect example. Every week through August 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the program focuses…
7/18-8/20 Thanks to a Valley pioneer in lace exploration, adventurous theatergoers soon will see London, France and beyond. Beginning Friday, July 18, On the Spot Productions presents Skimpies, a brief treatise on underpants. The cheeky comedy, which swept the Zoni awards after its 1990 première, returns with new music and…
Stan Lee, for better or worse the most recognizable face in the history of the comic book, insists he has no love for rehashing his past. He claims to take no great joy from talking about long-ago yesterdays spent in smoky rooms co-creating the likes of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man,…
