Even if you haven’t seen Lords of Dogtown or its documentary-style precursor, Dogtown and Z-Boys, it isn’t hard to imagine the enormous progress made in the world of skateboarding since the early days. Back then, street skating was something to do when the parks were closed, and freestyle was for…

FAU, again FRI 6/24 Who knew the King of Pop could inspire classic theater? “Michael Jackson goes to court and everybody pays attention,” says Richard Gamble, artistic director of Florida Atlantic University’s 2005 Festival Repertory Theatre. In hopes of drawing some attention himself, Gamble chose a whodunit called The Hollow…

Boca’s got the je ne sais quoi WED 6/29 Invited to gawp at the surreal boulevards of gay Paree through the lusty lens of a brilliant photographer, you see it as an opportunity to fantasize about sipping absinthe with your ex-patriate Jazz Age friends. But, alas, you’re no Hemingway –…

By now, the story of the Dead Kennedys’ bitter legal battle with former vocalist Jello Biafra is old news (Biafra’s label, Alternative Tentacles, was ordered to pay the band $200 G’s for damages resulting from unpaid royalties). So it was no surprise that, when punk rock’s legendary troublemakers re-formed in…

Get “Down and Dirty” in Boca FRI 6/17 You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when Thea Vidale takes the stage. And God help you if you’re a “bony bitch” — you’ll be the target of Vidale’s merciless ridicule. The plus-sized comedian (whose breasts alone could comfortably house the Olsen…

AIFL teacher maps out an exhibit THU 6/16 When Mimi Botscheller took her first job at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale — working as a clerk at the student store — the school wasn’t much more than a few rooms in a Holiday Inn. That was 1974. By the…

It’s a rock ‘n’ roll double standard: a band like My Chemical Romance can dress up like the bastard sons of Dracula, write eerily death-obsessed “love” songs, and be taken seriously. But when a group like the Aquabats dresses like villains from a Batman movie and puts on a real…

Swamp soul slithers into the Alley SAT 6/11 Did you use all your vacation time anticipating, watching, and debating Star Wars Episode III and now find yourself stranded in South Florida? Don’t let your light saber go limp, young Jedi! Kilmo and the crew down at Alligator Alley (1321 E…

Variety’s key at CSMART THU 6/9 If you venture into the Coral Springs Museum of Art (2855 Coral Springs Dr., Coral Springs), don’t be frightened by the coven of witches staring back at you — they’re as safe as paper tigers. Or is that paper roosters? This is, after all,…

Talk trash — and pick some up too SAT 6/11 What would you do if Shamu busted into your house and dumped raw sewage in your living room? Or if SpongeBob SquarePants got drunk, scattered a case of empty beer cans in your front yard, and started doing donuts on…

No script, no prob for Mod 27 SAT 6/4 In the hierarchy of all things comedic, improvisational comedy fits somewhere between Rodney Dangerfield movies and mimes — neither gets much respect. There are dental procedures that are more fun to watch than improv at its worst. Watching a bad comedian…

How many vacation days do you get? SAT 6/4 Tourists and cameras. They go together like hairy Europeans and teeny man-bikinis. But it wasn’t always so. Once upon a time, pirates could describe the beauty of French Polynesia to their families in England only by sketching a picture. Pioneers who…

The New York Times calls it “ugly overkill.” The Boston Globe says its author can “dream up truly retch-worthy scenarios” but “reveals too much.” But if you ask said author, Fight Club creator Chuck Palahniuk, he’ll tell you what you’d rather not believe — that his new book, Haunted, is…

Art in your eye THU 5/26 The Broward Art Guild has never been in the business of dumbing down its exhibits to suit the overly sensitive or intellectually bankrupt. But when the guild rolls out its annual taboo-testing exhibit “Controversy,” the envelope is not just pushed — it’s run through…

Memorialize your weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel SAT 5/28 There’s something for everyone at the Memorial Day weekend celebration held by the Seminole Paradise, the block of shops, bars, and restaurants at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (1 Seminole Way, Hollywood). For the kids, bounce houses and…

Eddie’s big brother is a big hit FRI 5/20 When Chappelle’s Show first hit Comedy Central in 2003, it was an instant hit, but it wasn’t until the show’s second season that it truly became a cultural phenomenon. All of a sudden, the streets of suburbia from Albuquerque, New Mexico,…

Best of the best at AIFL THU 5/19 Here’s a prescription for disaster: It’s 8:30 in the morning, and you’re late for work. You’re done with breakfast but still have to shave, brush your teeth, and phone in to tell your boss about having “car trouble.” Attempting all three things…

Summertime is upon us again, and we know what to expect — thunderstorms, power outages, more thunderstorms, and getting your legs stuck to the car seat. And, of course, enormous star-filled concerts like the Y-100.7 Summer Splash. While the show’s musical fare leaves something to be desired — it’s Top…

One former VJ makes you love him THU 5/12 Bill Bellamy continues to do the unthinkable. As the former host of MTV Jams, he continues to have a flourishing career — thus disproving the notion that video jocks are destined for nothing more than commentary on VH1’s Best Week Ever…

Art for reality’s sake FRI 5/13 Alexandra Nechita has spent the past 17 years eating, sleeping, and breathing art. So one might estimate, assuming she started in grade school, that the Los Angeles-based artist is about 30 or so. Er! Wrong! She’s only 19 — and she already has a…

The Gore Gore Girls know a woman’s work is never done FRI 5/6 A milling clash of attendees piled into the dark, littered space, holding cigarettes over their heads to avoid burning others. A line of fans stretched around the length of the plaza’s closed storefronts, waiting impatiently to fork…