With the onslaught of Oscar contenders that debuted last November, there’s a good chance that a little-seen indie gem, “Starlet,” managed to fall off your radar during its short, theatrical run. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 SXSW film festival, “Starlet” explores the unlikely friendship between a cheerful, aspiring actress (played by the winsome Dree Hemingway) and a cantankerous, elderly widow (the late Besedka Johnson).

Seven-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident Ava Loew has a need for speed.

Monday was the deadline for another column, and so right now I should be polishing up 500 words or so about why women do more housekeeping than men and bundling it off to the Ahwatukee Foothills News.

While Thursday's opening day at Country Thunder was the shortest day concert-wise, there was no disappointment in the four acts that took the stage – especially not when it came to headliner Brantley Gilbert.

The decision to postpone college for a year has worked out just fine for Robbie Mathers.

He is Risen, Indeed!

During his first track and field meet, Ahwatukee eighth-grader Joshua Bowden drew cheers and support from the crowd earlier this month.

I, for one, appreciate the guest commentaries that the AFN has published written by Ahwatukee Foothills resident Don Kennedy. He has a love for our country and a good understanding of history and of our Constitution. When we forget history and our Constitution, we lose our liberties. Some people can see it happening before others, and I believe Mr. Kennedy is one of those precious visionary individuals. He loves our country. How can he not speak up?

Don Kennedy’s inane rantings (“A nation divided,” AFN, March 3) contain one notably provocative (but slovenly stated) claim: “The Judeo-Christian ethic is being persecuted more than it was since the time of Christ.” Is Kennedy referring to the Roman practice of feeding Christians to the lions?

Stephanie Ann Kuells went to be with our angels on Wednesday, Feb. 20. She was born on Aug. 3, 1988, to Jennifer and Keith Kuells at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. This happened to be her father’s 30th birthday. What a beautiful gift! Stephanie had many challenges in her short life, but she tackled each one with determination, beauty and grace.

“A Good Day to Die Hard” marks the fifth entry to the “Die Hard” franchise and the third film to come out in the last two months about a butt-kicking senior citizen. The original “Die Hard” is a definitive action picture that can still make audiences cheer even after multiple viewings. Whether you love or hate “Die Hard 2” and “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” pretty much everyone can agree that John McClane made a welcome return in the sensational “Live Free or Die Hard” a few years ago. The previous “Die Hard” got just about everything right from the absurdly insane stunts, to the humorous dialog, to Bruce Willis’ committed performance. “A Good Day to Die Hard” has just enough fun moments for die-hard fans to take a gander. Regrettably, it remains the least impressive outing of this series.

Judged by his charge that gun-control legislation is Communist-inspired (“When the Communist Party USA cheers..., AFN, Feb. 8), Don Kennedy doesn’t realize that Sen. Joe McCarthy’s anti-Communist racket was rejected nearly 60 years ago, when the Senate censured that pathological liar and sent him to an alcoholic grave at age 46.

To Mr. Don Kennedy and your Communist Party USA rants (“When the Communist Party USA cheers..., AFN, Feb. 8): Throughout your entire word salad about the so-called Communist machine at work to take our guns away, you never once mentioned the murders of the 26 people in Newtown, Conn. The 20 children who were gunned down; some of them hit multiple times.

“A Good Day to Die Hard” marks the fifth entry to the “Die Hard” franchise and the third film to come out in the last two months about an ass kicking senior citizen. The original “Die Hard” is a definitive action picture that can still make audiences cheer even after multiple viewings. Whether you love or hate “Die Hard 2” and “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” pretty much everyone can agree that John McClane made a welcome return in the sensational “Live Free or Die Hard” a few years ago. The previous “Die Hard” got just about everything right from the absurdly insane stunts, to the humorous dialog, to Bruce Willis’ committed performance. “A Good Day to Die Hard” has just enough fun moments for die-hard fans to take a gander. Regrettably, it remains the least impressive outing of this series.

At Silver Star Playhouse, Broadway shows and popular musicals are remade with a splash of comedy — including funny songs, amusing characters and a delightful smattering of local humor.

If the Desert Vista High School student body knows one thing, it’s an undying support for each other.