William Gibson, who died recently at the age of 94, is best known for his play The Miracle Worker, and for making a star of the luminous Anne Bancroft, who played the lead on Broadway and later in the movie. The play tells the story of Annie Sullivan, a young…
I saw the Broadway version of The Producers when the touring company came to Denver four years ago. It was one of those shows you knew you had to praise: The New York critics were so excited about it that dissenting would make you sound like a bad-tempered provincial. And…
First, a key spoiler: Cadillac Records is not the story of Chess Records, the blues label started in Chicago in 1950 by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess that featured among its stable of artists Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Etta James, plus many others who birthed…
It really shouldn’t have been so hard to make a decent Punisher movie. The Marvel Comics character, who shot to prominence in the late ’80s after Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns proved there was an appetite for psychotic and homicidal superheroes, is basically Death Wish’s Paul Kersey on steroids…
Although Denver was just a short drive from my childhood home in Arvada, my regular cultural exposure came from the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, which grew as I grew from a simple suburban theater to an all-purpose facility complete with studio space and an outdoor amphitheater. My…
What did everybody think of Across the Universe? Personally, I loved it — enough that I bought it on DVD and watch it fairly regularly — but I have a problem: It’s damn near impossible for me to sit through the whole movie without bursting into song along with Jude,…
Whether you like it or not, all hell seems to break loose the minute Thanksgiving is over, and unless you live in Bedford Falls, circa 1946, it’s almost impossible to avoid. The holidays come with expectations: The kids all have visions of Nintendo games dancing in their heads, and here…
The string quartet has traditionally been a vehicle for classical music, but for almost 25 years, the Turtle Island String Quartet has taken the form to a completely different place. The group frequently improvises when delving into the jazz realm, as evidenced on its latest effort, the outstanding A Love…
From singing catchy, nonsensical lyrics about a girl who uses Vaseline on her toast (1993’s “She Don’t Use Jelly”) to encouraging fans to dress as giant fuzzy animals and dance with them on stage, the Flaming Lips have always pushed their music toward strange and psychedelic places. Now frontman Wayne…
Every fifteen seconds, a kid is forced into prostitution. Child sex trafficking is a $26 million-a-day industry — that’s $18,000 a minute, $300 a second. Who are these children? Who are their customers? Who are the pimps, the perpetrators? Child prostitution is a sordid, disturbingly profitable aspect of modern times,…
I don’t have kids, so the closest I can get to understanding the childhood joy of Christmas morning are my own memories — and my dog, Marshall. He just loves tearing the wrapping paper off of presents (I usually let him help with mine, too), and this year, I’m going…
With the hustle and bustle of its shops and restaurants all lit up by holiday lights, Old South Pearl Street is a beautiful stretch to walk along any evening this time of year. But for holiday cheer that fairly oozes onto the street and sidewalks, Winterfest is the time to…
Music cuts to the core of what makes us similar — and human. “It’s a direct channel to the heart,” says Shaul Gabbay, director of the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East. “I think that art in general speaks to part of us as human beings…
What’s it like watching Santa, Mrs. Claus and one of their special elves fly into Aurora via helicopter? “It’s like a mob scene,” says Pam Wilson, executive director of the Northern Aurora Business Association. “Once Santa gets out of the helicopter, all the kids run up to him and they…
Think your holiday sweater is more ridiculous than my holiday sweater? Put your money where your mouth is! Pull yours on and head down to Lakewood’s Belmar for Dated Holiday Sweater Night, an evening of ice-skating, contests and a warm-clothing drive to benefit the Jeffco Action Center. “Everyone can relate…
We’re all familiar with the concept of re-gifting, which in this day and age of creeping recession has begun to make more sense than ever. But this afternoon’s Holiday Eco-Barter Market at the Mercury Cafe takes the idea of giving gifts that are new to the recipient, if not the…
Westword readers have long been familiar with local-band-makes-good the Fray. Music editor Dave Herrera gave its first full-length album, Reason, a positive review back in 2003, when the group was with an independent record label and still struggling to get local stations to play its singles. Now a new single,…
Last year, my wife wanted to stay at a downtown hotel with our kids to watch the annual Parade of Lights, so she looked for an overnight package deal. She never found one, so we ended up creating our own fun by packing hot chocolate (with Baileys for the adults),…
Ever wonder why Santa’s sleigh is pulled by reindeer instead of, say, polar bears? There’s no real way to tell, but Jungian analyst Linda Leonard thinks the reindeer symbol might tie into certain Arctic-area tribes and their reindeer goddess. “These people believe that they were put on Earth to take…
Forget the hype: The AFC West deciding meeting between the underachieving Broncos and Chargers is likely to be disappointing no matter who wins. The real season-ending match-up to get excited about is tonight’s Rocky Mountain Rollergirls vs. the San Diego Derby Dolls bout. An all-star team made up of members…
Habitat for Humanity is all about putting a roof over the heads of folks who might not otherwise enjoy that luxury; so is a man-made birdhouse, albeit on a much tinier level. As if to top off that metaphorical comparison with a story that’s almost too good to be true,…
Most pet lovers have heard of the bestselling novel by journalist John Grogan, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog. Hollywood couldn’t wait to get its hands on the story: A mere three years after the book was published, 20th Century Fox is releasing the film…
