Calling all Columbia pet-lovers! Send in your pet photos

(Web Exclusive) Are you passionate about your pooch? Is your bird the word? Vox wants to hear from you. In preparation for Vox unleashed, our upcoming pet-centric theme issue, we're calling for your pet pictures, especially if you think your pet will pass muster as Columbia's cutest, ugliest or most owner-resembling pet. Submissions will be run on the site the week of the issue (May 7) and winners will be printed in the magazine.

Blockbuster economy?

The cheapest seat for a weekend game at Busch Stadium is $21. Throw in food and drinks, and that’s one expensive afternoon. In tough economic times such as these, people are flocking to movie theaters for more affordable entertainment. At Columbia theaters, moviegoers can get a large soda, popcorn and ticket all for less than the price of a ticket to a Cardinals baseball game.

Hopelessly devoted to Grease

(Web Exclusive) In case you haven’t heard, Grease is the word. For all the John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John fans out there, it’s time to slick back that hair and pull out those poodle skirts. The Ragtag Cinema singalong event, on the big screen at the Missouri Theatre, swaggers into town May 2.

Movies by the numbers

Check out a lineup of the film industry's most surprising statistics.

Build-a-banjo

Andy Smith’s fingers pluck the classic folk tune “Sally in the Garden” as sound reverberates from the belly of a gourd and drowns out three barking dogs in a closed back room.

Killing them softly

Aside from Axl Rose, Murder by Death might be the dirtiest thing to come out of Indiana. After pouring its whiskey-fueled, saloon-sounding songs into four full-length albums, the band marked a milestone in Ann Arbor, Mich., in April by playing its 1,000th show since the band’s formation in 2001. This moved the band closer to veteran status in the eyes of critics.

Hear This 4.30.09

Album review: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — How Big Can You Get?

(Web Exclusive) Once the embodiment of all things cool in the ’30s, swing music lost its spark and was forced out of the limelight by bop music and the Debbie-Downer Depression. The forgotten genre of swing appeared destined to be remembered only by eccentric music teachers or heard in lame Chips Ahoy commercials. But just like flare pants and the Osmonds, swing is back to haunt you. In a good way.

You WANT, WHERE you should go, WHAT you will get

Domestic partners gain rights

Some simple pleasures in life bring a great deal of happiness: a wedding ring, a matrimonial ceremony, the words “I do.” Whether by choice or by law, not everyone marries, but those who do automatically get privileges such as health care benefits and visitation rights. For Columbians who choose not to marry but are in committed relationships, those rights are no longer out of reach.

Dish of the week: Chilaquiles Mexicanos

Agave Mexican Restaurant and Bar serves incredibly generous portions. With its heaping dishes, don’t challenge anyone to an eating contest. You’ll both get sick.

Once more, with feeling

As a teenager I attended my share of concerts. I am not ashamed to admit that most involved the vocal stylings of pop music’s finest boy bands accompanied by the shrill screams of overly excited teeny-boppers. I still have a drawer in my old bedroom devoted to faded concert T-shirts and disposable camera photos.

The art of the encore

The encore, the big finale, is a musical enigma. It’s the last song a crowd hears and the band’s last chance to make a solid impression. But there are myriad ways to do it. Examples: the classic two-song encore; finishing with a cover song; the debut of an unrecorded track. With all of its grandeur and importance though, there’s no guaranteed method for success. The encore isn’t a science; it’s an art.

Two affairs to remember

Audience members will be the only ones who know exactly who’s sleeping with whom in Columbia Entertainment Company’s production of Marc Camoletti’s Don’t Dress for Dinner, and that’s only if they can keep up.

Art in the ’hood

Larry L’Hote digs through Dumpsters and looks for that perfect piece of scrap metal to add to his collection. Back at his studio, he throws the metal alongside some hangers he found at a recent garage sale. He ponders ways in which he can use his new treasures until an idea comes to him. L’Hote makes metal and wood sculptures in the most environmentally friendly way, with scraps that people around Columbia discard. His work will be shown at the North Village Artists Market on May 9 along with the work of about 22 other local artists.

Finding help in the hype

Only in the self-help section can someone learn how to think like a woman, make a million dollars in a month and learn the secrets of self-hypnosis. With so many options on the shelves, it might be hard to distinguish the books that offer sound advice and those that fill the pages with enough fluff to stuff a pillow. But Columbia’s experts are here to help.

No help at all

(Web Exclusive) The self-help section of your local bookstore has solutions to almost any problem. Have a broken heart that needs mending? Check. Indulged in one too many Krispy Kremes? Got it covered. Just stay away from these titles, or risk further screwing up your life.

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good Mizzou six, Kansas nothing! The 2009 NFL draft will be remembered as a record event for MU, which had six Tigers get drafted. Jeremy Maclin and Ziggy Hood were first-round picks. Apparently the Jayhawks rank lower than Mr. Irrelevant.

Streetside Chatter

Clarence Hayes, 24: “I would name him Samson, and his strength would be in his mane.”

On the job: vending machine operator

Dentists might have a hit out on Mike Zimmerman. The owner of Zim’s Vending and a Snickers enthusiast, Zimmerman has been providing artificially colored concoctions since the ’90s and could be the culprit behind some of the cavities in mouths across Columbia. But Zimmerman has more to offer than just tooth decay: He can provide useful advice about how to finally get that bowling score above 100. He also tells great stories, including one about his friend being the third Blues Brother. So before dropping some change for a bag of Cheetos, get to know the man behind the munchies.

Movie Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

(Web Exclusive) Director Gavin Hood does not waste time in jumping adamantium claws first in the story of Wolverine’s past. This abridged version of the graphic novel it’s based on would have been incredible if the marketing hadn’t given so much away.