Reading this week’s “Stage” column, it’s clear that Robrt L. Pela has a certain amount of contempt for The Dinner Party’s Neil Simon. It’s nice to know, however that he was able to look past one man to find a few things to enjoy about this piece presented by Desert…
Independent filmmaker Tommy Wiseau is as enigmatic as his movies. Several times during our 20-minute phone interview, he says, “I don’t like to talk about myself.” But one thing Wiseau will discuss at length is his movie The Room, which screens at MADCAP Theaters Friday and Saturday, September 3 and…
Looks like there’s a new arts rag in town. Restless is an East Valley arts anthology (we nabbed ours at POOL, in Mesa, and have been told you can also grab a copy at Evermore Nevermore) that just released its first issue. Inside you can expect to find creative writing,…
We all might like to think we’re a bit creative in our own ways. And if you use said creativity in order to make a living, it probably comes with a healthy, daily dose of self-doubt.So what better way to quell your insecurities than to relish in the failure of…
Back before Ghost Rider and Knowing, Nicolas Cage actually stumbled into a few good movies. Really, we checked. One such film was Raising Arizona (given, that was also in 1987), and it’s having a homecoming. The film’s studio, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, is celebrating its 75th anniversary and is…
The more than 20-year-old Scottsdale hot spot AZ 88 serves up martinis just like we like them: ice cold and nearly overflowing. The Saint Germain is citrusy, light, and dangerous, given that noting but booze goes in the mix.
“You’re going back to animation after this, right?” a voice asks over the hammering coming from behind a whimsical house facade on the second floor of the ASU Art Museum.A small neighborhood of white houses lines the three walls of the room; In the center is a darker, more elaborate…
Kara Roschi and Ernesto Moncada would like for you to wear red, and it has nothing to do with a certain local professional sports franchise that’s opening its regular season next week. Rather, it’s time for the inaugural First Friday-centric The Red Dress Tours (Caminando de Rojo). Led by two…
27. Cassandra Coblentz Cassandra Coblentz has a good eye (ok, she has two good eyes) for established and up-and-coming artists whose work she can feature and highlight. She’s currently the associate curator at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) where she’s focused on new ways to engage the community…
Sixteen baristas will compete head-to-head in a bracket-style Latte Art Throwdown at the J.W. Marriot Sept. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of Phoenix Cooks. They’ll be freehand pouring lattes with rosettas, tulips, hearts swans and maybe even a phoenix to compete for the bragging rights of best latte artist in the Valley.
Slick swimming soirees proved to be both potent and plentiful again this summer, but one of the bigger bashes has been rather conspicuous by its absence. Namely, Adult Swim, which arguably helped popularize the hipster hotel pool party trend two years ago but couldn’t quite get off the ground this…
This adventure movie follows Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) as he goes rogue to hunt for WMDs. Wed., Sept. 8, 7 p.m., 2010…
Walk through water (or on it, if you’re magical) during this under-two-mile hike at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Sun., Sept. 5, 8-9:30 a.m., 2010…
Smoke and Feathers, the Austin, Texas, psychedelic rock band that are recording with Chris “Frenchie” Smith, recently plowed through Tempe in August. During that gig, we chewed a couple brownies, gave them a careful listen, and decided that anyone who caught them at the Sail Inn definitely wants to know…
Thanks to Eat Pray Love, leaving it all to travel somewhere exotic is not exactly rooted in betterment-to-society purposes, especially when considering Jonathan Brandstein’s 2005 adventure. For the Los Angeles-based photographer, it all began that summer when he peeped a documentary about blues musicians in Mali. Recalls Brandstein, who has,…
Tommy Wiseau might not be a rock star laying down a killer guitar riff or stage diving, but he has emitted a frontman-worthy primal scream of the line “YOU’RE TEARING ME APART, LISA!” in the 2003 film, The Room. The indie-drama-turned-cult-comedy-classic has put its lead actor, writer, director, and producer…
Last year, the Sci-Fi Channel dropped the “sci-fi” in favor of a rebranding as SyFy, putting fans at odds with the network (at least, briefly) over the seemingly graceless overhaul. CopperCon 30, the Valley’s premiere science fiction convention that’s in its 30th year, throws down the gauntlet by keeping the…
Immigration protests. Foreclosures. Jan Brewer. Phoenix has had a rough year. But according to local spoken word performer Mr. Frip, at least one good thing has come out of the turmoil: a crapload of laughter. “I have noticed that comedy is becoming more popular and more necessary,” he tells New…
Here in the States, the closest thing to a “traditional garment” worn by men, women, and children is a pair of jeans (at best). In Japan, however, the kimono has been a major wardrobe staple of each and every citizen for centuries. As familiar as the kimono is internationally, many…
What’s an “Arizona Bud”? Hardly your home-state BFF, it’s what beer-drinkin’ folk in 1940s Arizona started calling A-1, the popular pilsner that began as a product of the Arizona Brewing Company until the company eventually fell on hard times. (Sadly, the brand vanished in 1985.) Fellow swillers, it’s time to…
Phoenix isn’t exactly a hotbed of spiritual activity — unless you count praying for rain, Sheriff Joe’s resignation, and the permanent demise of photo radar. But local artist Dain Q. Gore found a way to connect this dusty, dry land to something greater for his solo exhibition “Desert Religion.” The…
Phoenix isn’t exactly a hotbed of spiritual activity — unless you count praying for rain, Sheriff Joe’s resignation, and the permanent demise of photo radar. But local artist Dain Q. Gore found a way to connect this dusty, dry land to something greater for his solo exhibition “Desert Religion.” The…
