This past weekend, I flew to Chicopee, Massachusetts, to look at some babies. When my good friends had twins late last year, I immediately started planning to go and stare at them as soon as was humanly possible, because I knew these twins were going to be really cute and…
High school prom was magical for some and less than spectacular for others, but the wonderful women of LUPEC — Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails — want to give everyone a second (or third) chance at the defining teenage moment. This Saturday, January 12, the group is…
Editor’s note: Mustaches are derigeur on uncles, cops and closing pitchers, but they’ve also become a fixture on the upper lips of the young and the hip. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a time since the Civil War when razors were so ignored. But the look can be polarizing,…
More than a year in the making, A Journey of the Human Spirit is a three-part collaborative work built around the regional debut of Viktor Ullmann’s opera, The Emperor of Atlantis. Written by Ullmann and librettist Peter Kien while both were imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1943, the…
Now in its nineteenth year, the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza brings a rich cultural tradition to life as part of the National Western Stock Show. Featuring complex roping artistry, bull fighting and bareback horse riding, the Mexican take on animal husbandry is one of great physical showmanship and festive pageantry. Jerry…
Best known for his Golden Globe-winning work as Kurt Hummel on Glee, Chris Colfer is a 22-year-old who has consistently delivered on his own high ambitions. Author of a New York Times bestseller, the barely-into-adulthood Colfer is also a screenwriter whose first film, Struck by Lightning, opens at the Sie…
A few days ago, a friend asked me via Facebook if I had followed through with my Patrick Nagel tattoo — in November, I had promised myself the reward of getting one of his minimalist pin-ups tattooed on my arm upon successful completion of National Novel Writing Month. I didn’t…
The American Council of the Blind of Colorado’s Million Penny Campaign, which kicks off at the first of the year and runs through March 31, is exactly that — a penny collection drive. The non-profit will also take donations in any other amount, but the penny drive seemed like a…
When TNT Maddox became the first female Harlem Globetrotter since 1993, she wasn’t sure how she’d be received by her fellow players. But the Colorado Springs native says her teammates are now like her brothers, and that she’s had nothing but a positive experience since donning the red, white and…
For the Harlem Globetrotters, basketball is more than just a game; it’s about connecting with a global audience. In 2012, the team went to Afghanistan to play for the troops for the first time in its eighty-year-plus history, and the ballers will play two games today in Colorado, where they’ll…
One of the aspects of Twitter I love more than any other social-networking site is its actual ability to connect you with people with whom you might otherwise not cross paths. (I also like that 140 characters limits the amount of proselytizing one can do at friends and strangers, unlike…
Denver, you’ve got it going on. This year, I was lucky enough to be a part of many incredibly cool events involving local and national artists, musicians and performers. Combing through the past year of Westword stories, I compiled this list of the best (and strangest) arts- and culture-related experiences…
One of my favorite parts of being a reporter is getting to talk to strangers (and sometimes, friends). Even outside of assignments, I find myself interviewing waitresses, vending-machine repairmen and random people who have clearly not chosen to be in line in front of me at the grocery. This year,…
It’s that time of year when we start to let go of what has happened over the last twelve months and look forward to doing things in a better way over the next twelve. Or if you’re like me, it’s just that time before the total hysteria of another year…
The Thin Man Tavern invites you to step through the looking glass and into the upside-down world of the Down the Rabbit Hole Ball on December 31. The bar and its surrounding space are being transformed into a magical landscape of oversized papier-mâché mushrooms and flowers, where guests can enjoy…
To enjoy tonight’s Trapped in the Closet Sing-Along, viewers aren’t required to know, like or even understand the fine art of R. Kelly. But unabashed Kelly lovers and cynics alike are invited to join in on 22 parts of the R&B artist’s 33-chapter (and counting) magnum opus, a story-song in…
When it comes to New Year’s Eve parties, adults, rather than teenagers, are usually the target audience. But tonight’s Black With a Splash of Color 2012: New Year’s Teen Gala was created just for teens, providing a fun, safe environment where they can dance, hang out and enjoy an apple…
Twenty years ago, Long Island teenager Amy Fisher became famous for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco — wife of her much older lover, Joey Buttafuoco — in the face. She served time in prison for the crime and has since attempted several media-attracting life reinventions as an author, porn star, Celebrity…
This past year has been tough for many people, and we’re eager to kiss 2012 goodbye. In hopes that 2013 will turn out to be much luckier for many, we invited some of the town’s cultural tastemakers — entrepreneurs and entertainers we’re lucky to have in Denver — to answer…
This past year has been tough for many people, and we’re eager to kiss 2012 goodbye. In hopes that 2013 will turn out to be much luckier for many, we invited some of the town’s cultural tastemakers — entrepreneurs and entertainers we’re lucky to have in Denver — to answer…
The December 31 Noon Year’s Eve party at the Children’s Museum of Denver gives the traditionally adult-oriented holiday a kid-friendly touch. With a ball drop every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., little ones get to share in the celebration with glitter and confetti — and bubble wrap. Yes,…
When five black and Latino teenagers were charged with the attack and rape of a female jogger in Central Park in 1989 — falsely, it turned out — the mood in New York City was one of deep-seated fear. The Central Park Five, a documentary by Ken and Sarah Burns,…
