Tania Katan

When Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art announced it was bringing performer, author, and kickass entertainer Tania Katan on board to mix things up a year ago, we knew we were in for something good.

Almost a year later, we've sat in a sold-out SMoCA Lounge a number of times to experience a number of Katan's programs, including Lit Lounge. The event, billed by Katan as "a little rock'n'roll, a little This American Life," is a monthly opportunity to listen to selected authors and performers from Arizona and across the country. These lineups have shared their stories, paired with live music, to a live audience in the SmoCA Lounge.

And this month, Katan's taking Lit Lounge to a whole new level.

See also:
- Letterpress Type Caster Sky Shipley Talks Tradition and the Importance of Preserving the Art Form in this Week's New Times
- She's Back! Allie Brosh's Webcomic Hyperbole and a Half Returns After a Long Hiatus

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https://www.facebook.com/rupaulsdragrace

Season five of RuPaul's Drag Race is one of the most dramatic seasons to date. Unlike previous seasons, there was no clear winner from the get-go. We had a feeling Sharon Needles and Raja were going to win, and we're still disappointed that Tyra Sanchez beat out Raven and Jujubee in season two.

Jinkx Monsoon seems like a good bet since she excels at comedy and acting challenges. Alaska is another entertaining and funny queen, and Roxxxy Andrews serves up thick and juicy glamour and lots of attitude. We can't wait to see America's Next Drag Superstar get crowned Monday night on Logo. Until then, here's a look at season five's top 10 greatest moments.

See also:
- Five Fierce Films to See Before RuPaul's Drag Race Returns

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http://pacificcoastnews.com/

In this week's reminder of the world's inevitable and fiery end, 45-year-old, shake-and-bake Patricia Krentcil of New Jersey decided it was a good idea to do a topless photo shoot on an unnamed beach.

Fair warning: What you're about to see is a less toasty version of Krentcil, who was under fire (and not just from the sun's surface) for allegedly taking her daughter to a local tanning salon and put her in one of the booths.

"It's like taking your daughter to go food shopping," Krentcil said in 2012. "There's tons of moms that bring their children in."

See also:
- Thanks to New Jersey's Patricia Krentcil: Five Reasons You (and Your 5-Year-Old) Should Stay out of the Tanning Bed

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Michelle Williams and Adesola Osakalumi Photo by Carol Rosegg

Fela Kuti was a man of many hats: Afrobeat pioneer, revolutionary, and outspoken crusader for political justice. Music was his weapon, a driving, pulsating, often hypnotic sound mixing jazz, soul, funk, blues and rock with Nigeria's indigenous rhythms, which moved people spiritually and to action as much as it moved them on the dance floor.

With lyrics pointing out corruption, government mismanagement, and an abusive military, Kuti was frequently subjected to beatings and lengthy prison sentences. The Tony Award-winning musical Fela! begins in Lagos in 1978 at a time when Kuti is contemplating leaving his homeland following another oppressive crackdown against him and his followers. Though a series of flashbacks and "flashes to another realm," Kuti's life dramatically unfolds against a colorful club-like backdrop set to near-constant live music.

See also:
- "Sign Painters" is a Visual Portrait of an American Tradition
-John Barrowman (a.k.a. Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood) Is Coming to Phoenix Comicon

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Space 55

The cast and crew behind downtown's Space 55 first held "A Bitch in Time" two years ago. It was cheap (and semi last minute); no sets or costumes were required and actors had little time for rehearsal. The show sold out, and proceeds benefited the theater's future productions.

A year later, the fundraiser returned, and this Friday and Saturday, one of the theater's most sucessful fundraisers includes a lineup of returning performers and a couple of new faces.

See also:
- Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys from Arizona Theatre Company: Tap-Dancing Toward the Tar Pit
- ASU School of Art Director Adriene Jenik to Screen SPECFLIC 1.9 at SMoCA Lounge This Friday

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Ignite Phoenix

If you have any desire to hear more about why coffee is the new black, what's in your wallet, or how to deal with chicken personality disorder, Ignite Phoenix No. 14 might be a good place to start.

The event, on Friday, April 26, at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, is known to bring in a group of locals to vocalize their passions about anything -- and everything.

This year, there were more than 100 submissions, and 18 locals were chosen to give short presentations, check out the list after the jump.

See also:
- Th [sic] Sense and Arizona Curriculum Theater Move Out, Leaving Soul Invictus Vacant
- Caramelpalooza 2013: Buy Tasting Tickets Now

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Jamie Peachey

If you haven't stopped into The Torch Theatre on Central Avenue in Phoenix for an improv show, you're missing out.

The group, headed up by board members Bill Binder, Jose Gonzalez, Jacque Arend, Sam Haldiman, Nina Miller, Mack Duncan, Shane Shannon, and Tommy Schaeffer , is consistently reinventing itself in front of a live audience -- without a script.

The group was a finalist in our Big Brain Awards last year, and this year, two of Torch's house troupes Galapagos and Umlautilde will be performing at the mecca of improv theatre -- The Chicago Improv Festival.

See also:
- Big Brain 2012 Finalist: The Torch Theatre
- The Torch Theatre Opens in Central Phoenix

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Artwork corrupted by Julie Peterson

Normally, this time of year, our theater pants would be full of PHX:fringe performances, but we're having a much less edgy spring than we'd like. The festival's official website, which went dark in January or February, had featured the same landing page for several months, advising fans to check back for news about 2013 events.

See also:
- The 10 Best Plays I Saw in Metro Phoenix in 2012
- PHX:fringe Opening Weekend: Confessions of a Mormon Boy and Schreibstück

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http://azopera.org/

Il Trovatore director John Hoomes

For centuries, countless productions of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore have been staged around the world. After a 20-year absence from the Arizona stage, the classic love tale will re-invent itself March 1, 2, and 3 at Phoenix Symphony Hall using state-of-the-art, high-tech stage equipment.

Dating back to the early 1800s, Il Trovatore made its signature debut in Rome. The production is based on the Spanish playwright Antonio Garcia Gutierrez work El Trovador, which signifies a timeless interpretation of vengeance, passion, and jealousy.

See also:
- Musical Instrument Museum's "Experience Ireland" Brings Irish Traditions to Phoenix in March
- Five Must-See Arts and Culture Events This Week in Metro Phoenix

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Coco Brown

In the spirit of freedom of space travel for all of mankind, adult film star Coco Brown is scheduled to take one giant leap with the help of space tourism company Space Expedition Corporation (SXC).

In March, 2014, the actress known (in circles) for her roles in Black Panty Chronicles 2, Big Booty Bomb 2, and Sperma Hotel will board the two-person Lynx space plane and shoot 62 miles into space. Ticket price: $95,000.

See also:
- NASA May Soon Announce New Manned Missions to the Moon
- Call for Astronauts: NASA Kicks Off Application Process for a New Class of Space Explorers
- Dutch Company Seeks Human Volunteers to Colonize Mars

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