Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Rocky Bobby
Before Sasha Baron Cohen duped former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio into saying he’d accept oral sex from President Donald Trump, he was shaking up the world of NASCAR in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Rocky Bobby. The button-pushing comedian plays French racecar driver Jean Girard, the foil to Will Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby. This quotable comedy, which features performances by John C. Reilly, Amy Adams, and Elvis Costello, gave birth to the catchphrase, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Get ready to shake and bake at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Chandler, 4955 South Arizona Avenue. Tickets are $11.32, which includes props to help you ride with the fear. For more information, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website. Jason Keil
Thursday Wine Flights
Wind down from a hectic week with wine and food pairings at The Farm at South Mountain’s Quiessence, 6106 South 32nd Street. It’s a farm-to-table restaurant where you can join fellow wine connoisseurs for the latest take on Thursday Wine Flights from 5 to 8 p.m. on August 23. This Thursday’s theme is “Farmers, Friends, and Friuli,” which means you should expect to enjoy wine from the lovely wine country in northeastern Italy. For $40, you’ll get a curated flight of wines, along with a trio of tapas and ambiance galore. Never fear if you’re a wine novice: all taste buds are welcome. But if you happen to speak a little Italian, it might be fun to throw that out there and see what happens. Visit the Quiessence website. Lynn Trimble
Maz Jobrani
Maz Jobrani is a founding member of the Axis of Evil. Not that Axis of Evil, silly —
Hell City Tattoo Festival
Thinking about getting some ink? You’re not alone. According to Statista, a majority of folks either have a tattoo or eagerly want one. If you fall into the latter
More than 200 artists from throughout the Valley and around the world will transform blank skin into living masterpieces during the three-day event, which runs from Friday, August 24, to Sunday, August 26.
Organized by Ohio-born tattoo guru Durb Morrison, Hell City events have taken place in the Valley for more than a decade and celebrate the best artists working in the field today. This year’s festival is no
BlakTina Dance Festival
Shifting identities, pop culture, and social justice — they’re all part of this year’s BlakTina Dance Festival, happening Friday, August 24, at Phoenix Center for the Arts, 1202 North Third Street. Licia Perea created BlakTina Dance Festival in L.A. in 2013, then worked with Phoenix-based choreographer and dancer Liliana Gomez-Dieckman to launch the Phoenix festival last year. This year’s lineup includes eight dance works by Arizona-based choreographers, plus two by choreographers based in California. They’ll explore a wide range of themes, including immigrants struggling to achieve the American Dream, systemic barriers to health care, the intersection of queer identity with politics and pop culture, female leadership, and more.
Tickets are $20. Fair warning: The festival has mature content and language, and tickets went fast last year. Visit the BlakTina Dance Festival website. Lynn Trimble
The Fantasy Footballers Podcast
Are you looking for an edge in your fantasy league’s upcoming draft? Need the right player to sub in for your star wide receiver’s bye week? Here is your chance to get solid advice on putting together your team roster from Jason Moore, Mike Wright, and Andy Holloway, the hosts of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast. The award-winning program sets itself apart from your typical sports network podcasts with its focus on strategy over stats, the camaraderie between the hosts, their humorous take on the NFL, and, most of all, being right most of the time. Make 2018 the year you ascend from your division’s basement to being the proud recipient of your league’s trophy. It all goes down at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 24, at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue. Tickets are $15-20. For more information, visit the Crescent Ballroom website. Jason Keil
Arizona Diamondbacks v. Seattle Mariners
The Fourth of July fireworks at Chase Field almost didn’t happen on the Fourth at all. That’s because the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals went on so long, the real show didn’t get started until well after 11 p.m. The visitors lit up the home team’s bullpen, resulting in a D-backs wipeout that lasted more than four hours. If you wimped out and left early that night, here’s another chance at free fireworks with a game ticket when the D-backs host the Seattle Mariners at Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street, on Friday, August 24. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m., and let’s hope the D-backs pitch a little better this time so we don’t have to stay up so late. Tickets start at $19 at the Diamondbacks website. Stuart Warner
Get jazzy.
Courtesy of The Nash
Jazz fans will get a double dose of some of the best Phoenix has to offer as local singers Dennis Rowland and Diana Lee will perform together at The Nash, 110 East Roosevelt Street, on Saturday, August 25. Rowland, a native of Detroit who now lives in Phoenix, sang for the Count Basie Orchestra from 1977 to 1984, performing with legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Williams, and Tony Bennett. More recently, he’s been featured at jazz festivals around the world and at the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Lee grew up in Phoenix, the daughter of music store owners. But she’s also toured the world, sharing the stage with superstars like Reba McEntire, Sister Sledge, and Diana Ross. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, and $10 for students with ID. Visit The Nash website. Stuart Warner
Top Rank Boxing
When local boxer Ray Beltrán steps into the ring in Glendale this weekend, it’ll arguably be the biggest fight of his 19-year career. The 37-year-old Valley resident and WBO lightweight champion will defend his title against challenger Jose Pedraza on Saturday, August 25, during the co-main event of Top Rank Boxing at Gila River Arena, 9400 West Maryland Avenue in Glendale. If Beltrán triumphs, the Mexican-born boxer will earn his 38th win overall, as well as a possible unification match against fellow lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko later this year. The other headlining bout of the event, which will be broadcast live on ESPN, will see undefeated WBO super bantamweight champ Isaac Dogboe taking on challenger Hidenori Otake in an action-packed contest. Bell time is 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $25-$125. See the Gila River Arena website. Benjamin Leatherman
Retro Game Show Night: Wheel of Misfortune
Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race are no stranger to Tempest DuJour. One of 14 queens competing on the show’s seventh season, she gained new fans by showing off her comedy chops and acting skills before getting eliminated. The Tucson performer — a.k.a. The Delicate Flower of the Desert — is live and in person this time, when she brings the long-running Retro Game Show Night: Wheel of Misfortune to town. Armed with her wicked wit, DuJour guides “celebrity” guests
Laura Spalding Best
You might not get famous, but you’ll learn some great skills when Phoenix-based artist Laura Spalding Best, whose work is currently exhibited at Phoenix Art Museum and Tucson Museum of Art, teaches a painting class at Practical Art, 5070 North Central Avenue. It’s happening from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 25. While you’re there, check out Best’s “Vanity” exhibit with more than 200 oil paintings on found objects, including ironing boards and
Best will teach participants of all skill levels how to paint with oils on metal, and everyone who signs up will go home with three landscapes they’ve painted on miniature brass medallions, plus their own painting created with a vintage found object. The $30 cost includes materials. Visit the Practical Art website. Lynn Trimble
Play Date: Big Mess
Adults of a certain age watched Nickelodeon shows like Double Dare with the hopes of one day getting slimed themselves. Now comes your chance to have that childhood fantasy play out. Children’s Museum of Phoenix wants you to put on a poncho and get sloppy at Play Date: Big Mess. In addition to running around in all the foam, paint, and slime you can handle, this event will also feature DJ Miss Mixx spinning the soundtrack of your sticky evening. There will also be games, food trucks, and giant and retro games. This wild rumpus is for those of legal drinking age. The goop flows from 7 to 11 p.m. at 215 North Seventh Street. Tickets are $15 per person with a $50 VIP option. For more information, visit the Children’s Museum of Phoenix website. Jason Keil
The Hot Chicken Throw Down
High & Rye, the new modern Southern restaurant at 5310 East High Street in Desert Ridge, will be hosting a serious event from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 26. The Hot Chicken Throw Down will exalt one of the most beloved meal to come west out of Dixie: Nashville-style hot chicken, a fried bird with a tongue-searing chile jolt. This event’s roster boasts some primo names: The Larder + the Delta, Starlite BBQ, and host High & Rye. Nine chefs will be sizzling and spicing birds. Tickets cost $25, and each scores you five chicken samples and a drink, maybe a brew from sponsor Helton Brewing Company. Chris Malloy
Sky Music Full Moon Walk
Angela Ellsworth, a Tempe-based artist who co-founded the Museum of Walking, is leading a
Big Night
Big Night is a masterpiece of food porn. The film, directed by actors Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci, revolves around two brothers in the restaurant business. Chef Primo, played by Tony Shalhoub, is passionate about the food he makes, but he often butts heads with his brother Secondo, who is trying to keep their dream alive. Even though FilmBar will pair the movie with a food and beverage, don’t come with an empty stomach.
The film begins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, August 27, at 815 North Second Street. Tickets are $12. For more information, visit the FilmBar website. Jason Keil
“From Tap to Source — The Art of Water”
See more than two dozen artworks from the city’s collection inside The Gallery @ City Hall, 200 West Washington Street, where a free exhibition titled “From Tap to Source — The Art of Water” explores the many ways water intersects with our lives. The exhibit includes several photographs and lithographs, plus works in other media from drawing to woodblock print. Check it out between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, August 28. You’ll see Cliff Fragua’s (Jemez Pueblo) Prayer of the Corn Maiden sculpture, Joe Abate’s Woman with Blue Bikini photograph, and Nicola Lopez’s Excerpts from the Flood lithograph. Visit the city of Phoenix website. Lynn Trimble
Phoenix Pride Job Fair
Pride month may be over, but the local nonprofit Phoenix Pride continues to host events designed to empower the Valley’s LGBTQ+ community. On Wednesday, August 29, for the first time ever, Phoenix Pride will host a job fair at the Parsons Center for Health and Wellness, 1101 North Central Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to Phoenix Pride, supportive companies and organizations — including SRP, Target, and the Arizona Diamondbacks — will be there to talk about job opportunities. Attendees can also take advantage of mock interviews and resume reviews. Phoenix Pride recommends that you bring a resume and wear business attire if you’re hoping to land your next career opportunity. For more information, visit the Phoenix Pride website. Joe Flaherty
