The new-and-improved Hayden Flour Mill in Tempe.

After months of renovation, the Hayden Flour Mill in Tempe is now more eye candy than eyesore. The iconic Mill Avenue building reopened on Tuesday as an events venue, public space, and museum (of sorts).

The $350,000 makeover, which was funded by the Rio Salado Foundation, upgraded the surrounding property with lush landscaping, verdant greenery, an outdoor concrete stage, and plenty of artistic touches.

And while the historic buildings that make up the mill complex -- which dates back to the 1870s -- are still largely vacant, It's a definite step up from the blight-ridden monolith (and dumping ground for empty beer cans) that the mill had become since its closure in 1998.

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ANTM modeltestant Brittany Brown wants to be on top.

So, first off, yes -- America's Next Top Model is still on television.

The longtime model competition is on the cusp of its 19th season, er, "cycle," and this time around Tyra Banks and her model-coaching accomplices are plucking potential superstars from college campuses.

Valley-based 18-year-old Brittany Brown is in the crop of 30 gangly gals who've made it to the pre-show finalist round.

The aspiring model, who bears a striking resemblance to cycle five winner Nicole Linkletter, is a student at Chandler-Gilbert Community College with an undeclared major and partakes in the Disney College Program. And, per her mini-profile, Brown loves cereal and The Lion King.

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(Photo reconstruction credit: Thomas Geissmann / Fauna & Flora International)

In celebration of long-gone Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist who created modern system of plants and animal names and classifications, The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of scientists from around the world announced its top 10 new species discovered in 2011.

Brace yourself: This year's list includes some of the nastiest and strangest animals, plants, and bugs from Brazil, Myanmar, the Dutch Caribbean, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Spain, Borneo, Nepal, China and Tanzania -- and they're bound to make an impression.

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Every week, writers for Phoenix New Times and our parent company, Village Voice Media, produce elegant magazine-style feature writing -- a gritty portion of which comes in the form of true-crime stories.

VVM has collected some of its best recent true-crime yarns into an ebook: Seven Sins: A True Crime Anthology from Village Voice Media.

Available on Amazon and iTunes, the book features seven stories, including the incredible tale of a young American Muslim woman "honor-killed" by her own father; the odd story of a young San Francisco woman so enamored with serial killers that she became known as America's most prominent "murder groupie"; and a historic murder case in Colorado, in which the golden age of tabloid journalism collided with Erle Stanley Gardner, the larger-than-life creator of the Perry Mason mysteries.

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When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So as we count down to our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we're profiling 100 more. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives .

Irma Sanchez

Irma Sanchez isn't afraid of a little controversy. The visual artist was born and raised in Phoenix -- a city that's inspired much of her work (which you can find on public walls, on stickered surfaces, and, next year, inside the Phoenix Art Museum where she'll show her work alongside her fellow Contemporary Forum winners.

Sanchez is well known for her political artwork -- Arizona postcards, patchwork Mexican and American Flags, and her recent billboard takeover mockups -- as well as the work she created long before Arizona was labeled the SB1070 state and the development of the downtown Phoenix art scene.

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Darby Simon

Last year's Geek Prom during Phoenix Comicon weekend.

Officially, the exhibition hall at Phoenix Comicon this weekend only stays open until around 7 o'clock on Friday and Saturday evening. But that doesn't mean that geeks have to call it a night.

A slew of after-parties, nightlife events, and costume balls (both official and unofficial) are scheduled to take place into the all weekend long at hotels adjacent to the Phoenix Convention Center, as well as local bars and clubs.

Prizes will be available to those in the geekiest threads and luxe libations will be served, which should help ease your aches and pains from spending all day walking around Comicon.

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Beyond Buckskin Boutique

Gem features one standout piece from a local shop. Whether it's a jacket, necklace, or handbag, it's on our have-to-have list.

What: From Native designer and FIDM grad Bethany Yellowtail (who's a member of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne tribes), this sculptural, structured black leather mini dress with an exposed front zipper and lacy neckline shouts high fashion -- echoing shapes used by Tom Ford with a Gaultier-style goth edge.

Where: Yellowtail's dress is available at Dr. Jessica R. Metcalfe's new, all-Native online fashion shop Beyond Buckskin Boutique, an extension of her fashion blog Beyond Buckskin. For more on the shop, see our interview with Metcalfe.

Cost: $400

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Rapha

Sure, the roadways are nearing the temps that melt rubber, but the coolest name in cycling gear is coming to town for a special early evening ride and movie night.

Hosted by Bicycle Haüs in Scottsdale, the Rapha Mobile Cycle Club is setting up shop this Thursday, May 24, fresh from its run at last week's Tour of California.

Part café, part showroom, the battleship grey mobile cycling toy store lovingly named Hennie (after legendary Dutch cyclist Hennie Kuiper) rolls into town for a 5 p.m. ride and 7:30 p.m. movie fest.

The chaps steering Hennie across North America are Rapha Continental racers Ben Lieberson and Ryan Thomson, who will be leading the ride with the Bicycle Haüs crew and brewing up the cappuccinos during a mini-fest of the brand's films.

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Many adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby have seen the silver screen, and this summer director Baz Luhrmann will release his own starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki, and Amitabh Bachchan.

The movie follows the literary story of writer Nick Carraway, who falls into the world of success and wealth (with a big dose of lies, greed and secrets) created and lived by Gatsby in the 1920s.

Luhrrman's film will be in theaters this December. Check out the first trailer, released by Apple, after the jump ...

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Admit it geeks: You'd probably give anything to be like William Shatner. The Canadian actor is world famous for playing as Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek. Outside of his most-famous role, the 81-year-old is equally renowned for his campy acting and even campier music career. And for his penchant for being a badass.

You see, for as much derision as The Shat has gotten over the years for his pause-filled and overly dramatic ham-handed acting style (not to mention his enormously overbearing ego), he fully embraces his faults and is fun to watch, probably because he's a hammy, overbearing, egotist. That includes any of the memorable convention appearances that Shatner makes every year around the country, including his visit to this year's Phoenix Comicon on Saturday.

In honor of Shatner beaming into the Valley, here's our list of nine reasons why we think he's a badass and entertaining to watch.

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