Best Evening Radio Show KFNX/1100 AM 1100kfnx.com/the-bill-brady-show Aching to ogle at Arizona’s craziest candi- dates ahead of November’s general election? Pining for a preview of the Arizona Cardinals’ season debut against the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs? Talk radio veteran Bill Brady says, “Why not both?” The Bill Brady Show airs every weekday afternoon from 5 to 7 p.m. on 1100 AM radio, so tune in on your drive home from work and enrich your day with what he calls “a return to common sense commentary.” His instantly recognizable voice has graced the ears of Valley resi- dents during interviews with everyone from CIA directors to sports greats such as NFL quarterback Johnny Unitas and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Most recently, Brady has taken in-depth dives with the Arizona Wildcats, state candidates including Adrian Fontes, and even New York Governor Mario Cuomo. Best Newscaster BRAHM RESNIK Journalists are used to taking their lumps. Many save hate mail as a badge of honor and a story to swap over beers. GOP guber- natorial nominee Kari Lake’s beef with Brahm Resnik, KPNX-Channel 12’s host of the Sunday Square Off talk show, is some- thing categorically different. It came to a head a year ago when Lake held a rally to stomp on a COVID mask for the cameras. Resnik tried to get a question in; Lake ducked it and called Resnik a traitor and accused him, for the cameras, of refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. After she aired an ad during Sunday Square Off making the same bogus claims, Resnik invited her for a sit-down interview at any time. (He’s still waiting.) Historical note: Many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were publishers, and it’s no coincidence that the first addition to the Bill of Rights estab- lished freedom of the press. In that tradition, Resnik has carried on doing his job, not stooping into the gutter, and calling bullshit on political nonsense in Arizona, of which there is an ample supply. Enemy of democracy? Try guardian of it. Best Place to See a Broadway Musical ASU GAMMAGE 1200 South Forest Avenue, Tempe 480-965-3434 asugammage.com 60 The bright lights of Broadway are about 2,500 miles northeast of here. But we don’t miss the Great White Way so much when we’re sitting in the audience at ASU Gammage. The 3,000-seat auditorium is the last building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright — he based it on a design he made for a Baghdad, Iraq, opera house that was never built. After decades of attending shows there, we’re convinced there’s not a bad seat in the house. ASU Gammage is the only place in town that’s shown the block- buster musical Hamilton, and it’s usually the first one of the local theaters to get Broadway hits such as Come From Away and Frozen when they begin their national tours. Add in tasty themed cocktails for every show, plenty of parking, and great dining options near its Tempe location, and you’ve got a script for a perfect night out at the theater. Best Callup to the Big Leagues americanothemusical.com It’s a scenario most of us can’t even fathom (unless we’re Alexander Hamilton or Carole King): seeing our life story turned into a successful musical. But the life of Tony Valdovinos, an Arizona man who tried to join the Marines and discovered Best Actual Kingdom of Cactuses THE PHOENICIAN CACTUS GARDEN 6000 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale 480-941-8200 thephoenician.com In some ways, The Phoenician is like the modern-day equivalent of some medieval castle. It’s near the base of a mountain in Scottsdale, and it’s meant to cater to a particular tax bracket of locals and tourists alike. Luckily, you don’t have to breach their walls with force, and everyone can access the whimsy of the resort’s cactus garden. This slice of pristine nature isn’t just home to 250 or so succulents and cactuses, but also chuckwallas, road- runners, and other desert creatures. And whether you opt to traipse around yourself, or join the resident horticul- turist for a guided tour, visiting the garden is a chance to explore a microcosm of our rich desert. It’s a highly cultivated, mostly manufac- tured desert, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less compelling. And what better way to understand why people live here — or maybe why you’d want to make the move yourself — than by exploring the understated beauty and downright serenity that comes with accepting and embracing life in the arid Southwest. Plus, when you’re done, just go back to the hotel for a swim or a mojito the size of your face. BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 T HE B IL L B R AD Y SH O W ¡ AM E RI C AN O !
