A U.N. première! A Vanessa Redgrave cameo! Zionist hoodlums! Distributors the Weinstein Company and director Julian Schnabel overcome their well-documented aversion to media attention to address the Israel-Palestine question, pleading peace, compromise, and the creation of a self-governing Palestinian state. While Jewish advocacy groups swarm to Schnabel’s bait, it bears…
Anthropomorphizing its animal stars to a borderline-dubious degree, Disneynature’s nonfiction African Cats situates itself in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, where two four-legged mothers valiantly struggle to provide for and protect their young. On the northern side of the river that divides this gorgeous but pitiless land lives aging lioness…
I could have lived happily never having seen downtown Scottsdale’s Soleri Bridge, which was completed and dedicated late last year. I’d put off seeing the bridge not because I don’t like Paolo Soleri’s work, but because, in fact, I’m a fan of the world-famous 91-year-old architect, the creator of “arcology,”…
It’s hard to sit through a 3-hour major motion picture saga in cookie-cutter theaters, especially if you have back problems or a short attention span. It would be much easier to weather a series of original short films, where you could leave for a bathroom break (or check your cell…
Home plate is always loaded with action-packed moments during baseball games, from brutal collisions of runner into catcher to the fan-favorite umpire scrap. That action will look like child’s play compared to the stunts that multi-talented mixed martial artists will pull on the very same playing field at Trilogy Championship…
Life really is a cabaret, old chum – at least, according to Scottsdale Community College adjunct faculty members Polly Chapman and Beth Livingston-Hakes. Four years ago, they brought musical theater to the campus via a cabaret show that’s now a yearly tradition. This spring’s performance, For Better or For Worse:…
Taking care of the earth can really suck. Replacing showerheads, remembering to recycle, and trading your car for a bike might seem like more work than it’s worth. Celebrating Earth Day at a gorgeous resort and spa, on the other hand, is a much more personally appealing way to show…
Long before Calvin Klein and Stella McCartney became household names in fashion, they honed their design skills at school. Here in the Valley, a crop of up-and-coming young designers hope to follow in Klein and McCartney’s famous footsteps, starting with the debut of their latest designs at the East Valley…
When Emily Dickinson wrote, “I cannot dance upon my toes — no man instructed me — but oftentimes, among my mind, a glee possesseth me,” she must’ve been aware of the great irony that her words itself were a dance, practically leaping off and sashaying across the page. Dickinson is…
Lonesome for a time when demented characters like Vampira, Elvira, and Morgus the Magnificent invaded late-night television bearing B-movie frights and cinematic shrieks? Those were the days when a memorable Saturday evening required little more than a ghoulish host and something creepy flickering on a black-and-white screen. The glory days…
Adam Carolla has a big mouth, and it’s served him well. For more than a decade, the outspoken “Ace Man” co-hosted radio’s legendary Loveline, dishing out sex tips and relationship advice between acerbic observations. His caustic quips and penchant for pissing people off also worked well for him on Comedy…
“If you aren’t cute, you may as well be clever,” author David Sedaris said in his bestselling essay collection, Me Talk Pretty One Day. Judging from his success and wit, Sedaris takes his own advice: His published works Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and When You Are…
It’s easy to talk about what Arizona doesn’t have, but sometimes it’s good to focus on the positive. On one hand, Arizona lacks things like salt shops or fall. On the other, the state is blessed with a vibrant professional wrestling community. The crown jewel of that community is Elite…
Chelsea DeNofa isn’t significant enough to merit an entry on Wikipedia, which would undoubtedly surprise the thousands who packed last year’s Xtreme Drift Circuit finals. It was there that the 23-year-old established himself as the current king of drifting by claiming the XDC title after a show-stopping performance in front…
Riding a bicycle with “no hands on” is a remarkable feat, to be sure. The stunt never fails to impress onlookers, can earn one some serious street cred, and allows riders to flip double birds at reckless motorists who get in their way. And at this weekend’s SanTan Wheelie Jam,…
You just don’t hear enough flutes in pop music. Couple that breathy sound with flanged and plucked bass, vintage synths, a sexy beat and an incredibly high falsetto and you’ve got “Orange Blossom” by Santa Barbara band Gardens & Villa. The tune tips its hat to The Talking Heads and…
While indie-rock flavors of the month come and go, it’s important to recognize when a band has stood the test of time and weathered the trend storms and sub-genre downpours. The Radar Bros., founded by former Medicine guitarist Jim Putnam way back in the 90s, is one such band. The…
The Arizona Cardinals superstar is taking a break from hitting the gym and training for next year’s gridiron battles to throw a big-time charity bash benefiting breast cancer research on Saturday. He’s invited some big names to the late night party, including hip-hop legend Biz Markie and the Phunk Junkeez…
The Colt Peacemaker, a .45-caliber single action revolver, is often touted as “the gun that won the West.” At Pravus Gallery’s “Peacemakers” show, however, six local artists have replaced the renowned revolver’s six metallic cartridges and are hell-bent on a shootout of a more artistic nature. Featuring found-object painter Colton…
It’s amazing what ends up in landfills — baby bottles, broken chairs, used condoms, copies of Adam Lambert’s new Glam Nation Live DVD. Tucson-based artist Greg Corman isn’t about to let the best scraps in the junkyard pile go to waste. A landscape designer by day, Corman creates beautiful sculptures…
Perhaps you are a motherless British boy who has traded a pair of boxing gloves for some lovely ballet shoes. Maybe your personal struggle — which involves wanting to dance when everyone you know expects you to act like a boy — is somehow tied to the UK miner’s strike…
The Full Monty done at a dinner theater? Cue some snarky “meat” jokes, stat. Such will be the situation when the grin and bare it (all) musical nominated for nine Tony Awards and based on the 1997 hit British film is staged at Arizona Broadway Theatre, where generous amounts of…
