Urban AZ’s first Spoken Word Showcase brings together a range of poetic performers, along with R&B artists Dwele and Bilal with a band, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.

After 20 years, life-long runner and local coach David Allison returned to his alma mater recently to compete in the Penn Relays.

Did you catch The Rev. Jesse Jackson the other night on CNN demanding a Senate hearing into why regulators never cracked down on that gruesome abortion clinic in Philadelphia?

The latest release from Philadelphia guitarist- songwriter Kurt Vile is a 69-minute double LP of lengthy, languid meditations on the everyday and beyond. The songs unwind slowly, their charms leaving imprints on the way back around.

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.

"42” is far from the first movie to explore racial tensions in sports. We’ve seen this subject depicted in other good films like “Remember the Titans” and “Glory Road.” There are plenty of recognizable figures on display here, such as the underdog nobody believed in, the one man willing to take a chance on that underdog, and the ignorant antagonists that wish to see that underdog fail. Familiarity aside, though, “42” executes just about everything wonderfully. This is a good-hearted picture, carried by sincere performances and passionate direction. Not only is it an inspiring story about overcoming prejudice, but an all around rousing baseball movie too.

Jackie Robinson was the ideal class act to break the barrier and become the first black player in Major League Baseball.

One arrived before Rudy Valee and the other a year before The Beatles, but together they made beautiful music in nurturing a piece of Ahwatukee that spanned the decades between the roaring ‘20s and this year’s cold winter rains.

Using nothing more than the soot from a wood burning stove mixed with his own saliva, deaf artist James Castle used this homemade ink to communicate with the world.

“Fifty Shades of Grey.”

The area baseball teams are looking for the extended stay program this year.

Created by Arizona native Timothy Reckart, “Head Over Heels” puts an imaginative, whimsical twist on the tale of a married couple grown apart – he lives on the floor while she lives on the ceiling.

For puppies and kittens, size really does matter.

With Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton having proclaimed September as “Hunger Action Month” in the city of Phoenix, the tallest and brightest representation of the hunger issue in Arizona began Sept. 4 when the 40-story Chase Tower started glowing orange.

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health education to the public, announced that Bradley J. Sandvik, DMD, MAGD, of Phoenix, received the association’s 2012 Mastership Award during the AGD 2012 Annual Meeting and Exhibits June 21-24 in Philadelphia.

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health education to the public, announced that Bradley J. Sandvik, DMD, MAGD, of Phoenix, received the association’s 2012 Mastership Award during the AGD 2012 Annual Meeting and Exhibits June 21-24 in Philadelphia.

The girls volleyball season in Ahwatukee had an empty feeling to it.

Cork is celebrating Foie Gras every Friday. The East Valley’s fine-dining destination is offering a unique, approachable foie dish from the mind of Chef Brian Peterson for $15 every Friday evening.

The 64th Annual Primetime Emmy nominees are to be announced on July 19. As a memo to Emmy voters, here are my personal selections for the 10 best drama and comedy series of the past television season.

The 64th Annual Primetime Emmy nominees are to be announced on July 19. As a memo to Emmy voters, here are my personal selections for the 10 best drama and comedy series of the past television season.

In May I had quite an interesting experience flying back to Arizona from Philadelphia.

Charlie Sheen can be the life of the party, but he also knows how to steal focus.

Charlie Sheen can be the life of the party, but he also knows how to steal focus.

It used to be that baseball fans would head for the concourse to grab a beer between innings, a cold one as much a part of America’s pastime as hot dogs and Cracker Jack.

It used to be that baseball fans would head for the concourse to grab a beer between innings, a cold one as much a part of America’s pastime as hot dogs and Cracker Jack.