Russel Simmons is hip-hop’s O.G. mogul — he was running the game before P. Diddy and Master P were outta diapers. Twenty-five years ago, Simmons began his extremely lucrative relationship with rap music, managing, producing, and releasing records by artists like Run-D.M.C. (of which baby brother Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons…
You would think that in a sprawling megatropolis like the Valley of the Sun, with its high concentration of Chicano residents, some elements of modern Chicano popular music — alternative, punk rock, metal — would filter into the public consciousness at least to a nominal degree. Doesn’t seem to be…
With some effort, I remained awake throughout Theater Works’ production of Triumph of Love the other night. The lucky ladies on my left, who snoozed all through Act One, were spared the two head-splitting hours of “entertainment” that have haunted me ever since. Triumph of Love is a translation of…
When this column began at the beginning of 2000, readers and editors scoffed at its occasional subject matter, the comic book. Kids’ stuff, they growled, junk food for adults who still live in their parents’ basements. And maybe they were right back then. The industry was dying; the art form…
Thirty-four years later, Carson has returned to the school to deliver a series of lectures on the power of fable and film as metaphor, and he asked Coppola, whose film was partially inspired by David Holzman, to join him. Carson—who appears in Coppola’s feature debut, CQ, and who helped Roman…
Idon’t know that I’ve seen a show all season that I’ve enjoyed as much as Sophisticated Ladies, which is currently whirling its way flawlessly across Phoenix Theatre’s main stage. I confess to being surprised. I’ve seen more musicals upended on this company’s stage than I care to remember — but…
The bad news for Memento fans is that Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia is far less complex and challenging in form than the backward-edited art-house hit that sparked as much disdain as devotion among moviegoers last year. The good news for Memento haters is that Insomnia is far less complex and challenging…
It’s very tempting to not just dismiss Enough, the latest bill-paying gig by Michael Apted (Enigma) starring Jennifer Lopez, but shred it altogether. Ms. Lopez hasn’t exactly added to her acting credibility with a string of showy, glamorous roles in such mediocre fare as The Wedding Planner and Angel Eyes…
Crowds dance differently at an Israel Vibration performance. Blame it on the spliff smoke or the general state of mimicry into which Jah-praising singers lull their audiences through ceaseless call-and-response routines, but dancers at reggae shows inevitably default to skankin’ like the dreadlocked bandleaders onstage. In the case of Izzy…
A bustling parking lot at sunset glows from hundreds of cars painted in rich, metallic hues. Beyond the dull, growling rumble of engines, one can hear the swaggering Hammond organ of Booker T. & the MGs’ “Green Onions,” punctuated by the screeching roar of a car peeling out down the…
Historical biographies are a tough sell. They must either entertain us with the fascinating story of a famous person, or tell us something new and interesting about someone we think we already know. Moreover, they must make us care about someone whose accomplishments may have exceeded his affability. The hero…
Three years have passed since The Phantom Menace thrilled some and infuriated others, yet the schism in the Church of Lucas remains. Diehard supporters still refuse to admit that Episode I has some truly awful acting and dialogue, and borderline offensive caricatures; and dyed-in-the-wool detractors won’t acknowledge that, despite its…
No longer content to rest on its laurels as “The West’s Most Western Town,” Scottsdale has found new cachet as an oasis of up-and-coming restaurants. Sure, the charms of cowboy culture still get plenty of support, but lately it’s as a culinary frontier that the city is really making a…
Phoenix has long held the title of “speed capital of the West,” though not for reasons that make any of us proud. Thankfully, some people are trying to lend new meaning to that label. Racing sports such as NASCAR, Supercross and motorcycle road-racing are becoming more popular nationwide, even meriting…
About half an hour into the Actors Theatre of Phoenix production of Dinner With Friends, my theater companion leaned over and whispered, “This is great. But what makes it a Pulitzer Prize winner?” I’d been wondering the same thing about Donald Margulies’ perfectly charming, often amusing dramedy about a pair…
To the woman who broke Adrian Lyne’s heart all those years ago: Stop what you’re doing right this minute. Drop everything, pick up the phone and call him. Apologize profusely for cheating on him. Tell him it’s all your fault and you’re a worse person for leaving him. Offer him…
Last month GQ ran a disquietingly flattering profile of Joe Roth, who, in January 2000, quit his gig as Walt Disney Studios chairman to “revolutionize the industry” (GQ’s words) by forming his own studio. With a billion bucks on loan from men with money and bridges to burn — among…
Choreographer Dwight Rhoden’s new work, created for Ballet Arizona, just might alter your perception of ballet. Through eclectic references to various world cultures, Scarlet Symphony defies the conventions of an art form that’s steeped in tradition. A recent chat with Rhoden, former principal dancer for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre…
The future is here — at the Phoenix Art Museum, that is. “New Nomads,” the latest exhibition in the Fashion Design Gallery, is not the usual collection of significant clothing from the past but rather a projection of what will be significant, an inspiring, cutting-edge display that illustrates how technology…
I’m old enough to remember when performance art was considered a new form, back when truly hip people spent weekend nights in renovated warehouses watching would-be actors transform traditional theater arts. If I’ve reached an age at which hipness eludes me, I’m not so old that I can’t still appreciate…
“This is contrary to how we grew up,” Stacy Peralta is saying a few minutes after getting dropped off at a newspaper office by a limo driver. The 45-year-old Peralta, still SoCal handsome and boyish beneath a ball cap and behind a well-trimmed beard, grins long and hard–a real hell-yeah…
Kick a boy enough times, and he’ll become a man. The question is: A man of what sort? In his long-awaited feature portrait of the comic-book hero Spider-Man, director Sam Raimi brings forth a kaleidoscopic answer full of hope and verve. Flashy enough for kids yet insightful enough to engage…
