Arts & Culture

The Mercury, who have been kicking butt this summer following a lackadaisical 2008 campaign, host the athletic Alana Beard (pictured) and the so-so Mystics of the Eastern Conference. Fri., Aug. 21, 7 p.m., 2009…

The fan-friendly affair features a televised breakdown of the night’s Diamondbacks road game against the Philadelphia Phillies, along with giveaways, drink specials at nearby bars like Cadillac Ranch and Dave & Buster’s, and more. Thu., Aug. 20, 7 p.m., 2009…

It’ll take more than a sprained knee and a “low-grade malignant tumor” to keep Depeche Mode from spreading their time-tested brand of brooding synthpop across America this summer. Consider the band’s many personal tribulations: lead singer Dave Gahan’s heroin addiction, lead songwriter Martin Gore’s seizures, and lead wallflower Andy Fletcher’s…

The all-chick league opens its fourth postseason (and first in the “Madhouse on McDowell”) with matches pitting the Runaway Brides versus the Schoolyard Scrappers and and the Brutal Beauties against the Coffin Draggers. The halftime show, which sounds almost as good as the bloody main course, features Drag Races (drag…

Today’s ’80s bill of fare includes Weird Science, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Sixteen Candles. See the Web site for showtimes. Thu., Aug. 20, 2009…

The offbeat and more than mildly twisted graphic novelist signs Tales from Wonderland, the fantastical third entry in Gregory’s contemporary update of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (Note: Gregory is scheduled to appear at Atomic Comics’ store at 2815 West Peoria Avenue in Phoenix earlier in the day, from…

As anyone who consumes calories knows, 50 bucks don’t go very far these days, but they will at this throwback Scottsdale mixer. Five measly sawbucks’ll get you six bar-food courses handcrafted by Digestif’s Chef Payton plus six paired (and equally hand-mixed) cocktails along the lines of the Brazil 66, the…

The traveling DIY-fest examines increasingly significant urban issues, including sustainable housing, community building projects, cooperative ownership models, and community food sharing. Film titles include We Own It, We Need Food Not Bombs, and PUSHing People Power: Rebuilding Buffalo’s West Side. Sat., Aug. 15, 6 p.m., 2009…

The genius of Oreos Double Stuf cream sandwich cookies is that they give people more of what they want. Austin post-punkers When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth take nearly the same approach with double the vocals, double the guitars, and double the drums. George Dishner and Jesse Hodges ravage their vocal…

If one of your friends ever allows this phrase to purse his or her lips – “The Phoenix music scene sucks” – we suggest defriending the dude or dudette. From MySpace. From Facebook. From the planet. Why? Because they’re just yapping about something that they don’t jack poop about. For…

How much do you love Twilight? Did you get misty-eyed when Edward Cullen broke up with Bella Swan and left her emotionally comatose in the woods? Or how about when Jacob Black went wolf AWOL before Bella’s wedding? And did you chuckle when little Renesmee uttered her first precocious words?…

Hey princess, your lumberjack prefers camping and shooting targets to your expensive dinners and satin gloves, but still makes time to pull out your chair? Well, love is a two-way street, sister, so adjust your tiara and sign up for the “Introduction to the Great Outdoors – Diva Style” event…

The Phoenix resident and best-selling mystery/thriller author will be present at the national launch party for his third book, The Venona Cable. Tue., Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m., 2009…

The University of Arizona (we won’t hold that against him, promise) law professor signs Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It. Thu., Aug. 13, 7 p.m., 2009…

Now in her 50th year, Barbie, festooned in all kinds of lavish outfits, has had more special editions than Star Wars. In comparison, Munny is the hard-scrabble kid from the wrong side of the tracks, as bare as the day the eight-inch vinyl figure was created by toy juggernaut Kid…