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Adult Entertainment Virtual Convention: Inside the World of Wank-Craft

The main virtual hall​Most conventions are pants-mandatory kinds of affairs -- even those of the adult nature. For the world's first virtual porn convention, however, I'm not wearing any (relax...I'm in my PJs).This past weekend, XBiz and Red Light Center hosted the Adult Entertainment Virtual Convention, porn's first online-exclusive gathering...
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Manic Mondays

We’re not certain why people dread the start of the workweek so much. True, the weekend may be over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the feting and festivities have to stop. Such is the thinking at Zuma Grill, 605 South Mill Avenue in Tempe, which extends the weekend party spirit...
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Cinco de Drinko

¿Habla Español? You probably still won't after attending the ginormous Cinco de Mayo Block Party being put on surrounding this Mill Avenue establishment, although there will be plenty of opportunities to learn a phrase or two. Like "No mas!" ("No more"), which you'll utter after having your share of roasted...
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Greg Esser Takes on the Desert Initiative at the ASU Art Museum

Downtown artist, gallery owner, and contemporary arts advocate Greg Esser is back with another project -- this time, in Tempe. ASU Art Museum announced that Esser will be associate director of the Desert Initiative, which will support artistic and scientific research into desert cultures and environments. Esser's a natural fit...
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Club Candids: UK Thursdays at School of Rock

Dirty dubstep beats, dope dames, and wild times are what you'll find every Thump Day down at School of Rock in Tempe. The Mill Avenue nightspot is filled with plenty of bass-heavy beats courtesy of such DJs as HavocNdeeD, which shake School of Rock to its very foundation. Club Candids...
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The Med Plate from La Bocca

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we're back - with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you'd like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com 98: The...
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Crave Cafe & Hookah Lounge

In Tempe, there are lots of hookah lounges serving the college set, but one of our favorites is Crave Cafe & Lounge on Mill Avenue, right next to Harkins Valley Art Theatre. The best day to visit Crave is Sunday, when there are fewer college students crammed into the lounge...
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A Painted Treasure Hunt in Tempe

One new idea for every day in 2011. We're talking big, small, local, international, in action and on the drawing board. Here's today's -- what's yours? This morning, Tempe-based artist James B. Hunt hid 13 of his newest works along Mill Avenue, between University Drive and Rio Salado Parkway. Hunt,...
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Christine Wisniewski’s Love Potion

​Yesterday we met Christine Wisniewski, bartender and part owner at Mill Avenue's Caffe Boa. Today she shares with us the recipe for the Love Potion -- a name that's quite literal. "The grapes, the fizziness, the elderflower and the floral notes are all part of the aphrodisiac family," Wisniewski says...
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Now Open: Poppa Maize on Mill Avenue

It's been well over a year since Poppa Maize nabbed a year's worth of free rent in the Mill Avenue Retail Competition. Lately, we've been wondering whether the local popcorn purveyor's Tempe branch would ever materialize. That day has finally arrived -- and can we just reiterate how brilliant of an idea it is to put...
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Take a Chilling Look Inside the Baseline Killer Case

That police detective Mike Meislish led the search of suspected serial killer Mark Goudeau's home on October 7, 2006, was a godsend. It could have been homicide detective Mike Polk, now in prison for possessing kiddy porn. Or it might have been David Barnes, another dick later fired after his...
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Bottomless Cocktails Invite Locals to Drink on a Dime

Lately, we've been hearing some buzz about the trend of bottomless cocktails. No, we're not talking about downing a cosmo in your leopard-print thong -- though that could happen after you indulge in one too many of these cocktail specials.Bottomless cocktails are specialty drinks with unlimited refills that have become...
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Coheed and Cambria Bring an Epic Sci-Fi War Soundtrack to Tempe

The term "progressive rock" conjures all sorts of sound bites, good and bad, from the jam meanderings of King Crimson to Geddy Lee's nasally wail in Rush. The music of Coheed and Cambria, playing the Marquee Theatre on Monday, is often labeled progressive rock, but it's really more just rock...
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Gina David at the Rogue Bar

​The tender: Gina David The bar: The Rogue Bar (423 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-947-3580) The pedigree: You may remember Gina David from a few months ago, when we wrote about her late-night scuffle at Riva's Mexican Food in Tempe that left her in intensive care with a skull fracture and prompted...
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Five Marijuana Bashes for 4/20 in Phoenix

In case you haven't checked the calendar lately, tomorrow's April 20 (aka "4/20"), which means a hell of a party for any marijuana lover or connoisseur of cannabis culture.This year, 4-20 takes on an added significance -- Arizona's recently enacted medical marijuana law just went into effect, much to the...
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Grecian Yearns

It’s a little known fact that Perfect Strangers actor Bronson Pinchot based the character of Balki Bartokomous on villagers he encountered while on a Greek vacation. That’s the sort of obscure Greek-related trivia that you’d only hear being discussed over gyros at this year’s A Taste of Greece Festival on...
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Six Cinco De Mayo Celebrations Worth Your Pesos

It's time to set the record straight, cabron: Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day. (That happens in September.) Nor is it considered to be a national holiday for our neighbors to the south.  While the Cinco largely includes plenty of culturally oriented celebrations and fiestas for Hispanics (both...
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Coming Soon: BoSa Donuts in East Phoenix

We were a little worried when the Dunkin' Donuts on Mill Avenue abruptly closed last month after just a few months of dishing out doughy, fried goodness and damn good coffee to the college crowd. If a donut shop can't survive situated right next to a major university filled with...
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American Apparel Closes on Mill Avenue

To the dismay of every nondescript unisex v-neck junkie in Tempe, American Apparel shut its Mill Avenue doors on Sunday. The company reported a loss of $8 million for the third quarter of 2010 and was struggling with workers compensation and harassment lawsuits, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. Store...
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Five Tequila Cocktails for Grown Ups

  Of course we know that real grown-ups drink their tequila straight. From the bottle. Warm.    But hey, what fun is that? Reading over the drink menu for Thursday's "Cinco de Cycle" -- featuring tequilas flavored with everything from chocolate to coconut -- we were inspired to share some...
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American Outlaw

The late Bill Hicks was misunderstood, even long after his premature death from pancreatic cancer. Case in point: In 1993, David Letterman chose not to air a controversial standup segment on The Late Show after caving into pressure from CBS executives unhappy Hicks’ jokes about religion and the handicapped. More...