Not so long ago, there was a certain image associated with being vegetarian. It usually involved Birkenstocks, lentil loaf and an agenda.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Grace Potter & The Nocturnals know a little something about summer festivals after using the circuit to build their following.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Coachella is over and Lollapalooza is sold out. Bonnaroo's nearly there, too. But eager fans need only be patient: Wait a few years and chances are you'll have a star-studded music festival of your own within driving distance.

You may better know her sister, Dakota, from box-office smashes like “War of the Worlds” and “The Twilight Saga,” but 14-year-old Elle Fanning has already made quite a name for herself among the arthouse set, appearing in such acclaimed works as “Babel,” “Somewhere” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” This month, she takes center stage in a new drama from writer/director Sally Potter entitled “Ginger & Rosa” – a coming-of-age tale set in 1962 London as the threat of the Cuban missile crisis looms overhead.

Johnny Carson asked the financial guru, Andrew Tobias, “If you only have $1,000 to invest, what would be your best investment?” The answer made the audience laugh. They laughed!

Get in the mood for spring with Great Arizona Puppet Theater’s re-telling of Beatrix Potter’s beloved tale of a naughty rabbit who gets caught in Mr. McGregor’s garden. The story is set entirely to music without any spoken narration. It is appropriate for children from preschool to third grade.

Potted Potter — The Unauthorized Harry Experience — A Parody by Dan and Jeff: Take a fly-over of the seven Harry Potter books in this funny retelling of the popular fantasy series, featuring the main characters, a fire breathing dragon and a game of Quidditch.

For the hungry in our community, an empty bowl signifies a lack of food. At the Tempe Empty Bowls event (www.tempeemptybowls.org), it signifies a chance for the local community to help fight hunger in Tempe. With the $10 purchase of a handmade bowl, Whole Foods Market will offer a simple meal of soup and bread, symbolic of the caloric intake that must sustain many in our community for an entire day.

A Greenland glacier receded eight miles over the course of 100 years, only to retreat a staggering nine during the first decade of the 21st century. If appalling facts such as these don’t turn a few heads, then the alarming images of “Chasing Ice” certainly will.

Dustin Hoffman's directing bow at 75 finds a perfect match in the well-heeled subject of "Quartet," a charming tale of aging musicians whose passion for life continues undiminished in a stately English manor filled with humor, caring and of course great music.

The joy of home entertaining at the holidays often comes with a challenge: How do you provide enough seating for a roomful of holiday revelers with just a sofa and a few chairs? Are there creative options besides resorting to folding chairs?

Here are The Associated Press’ reviews of selected holiday albums:

A very odd assortment of mythical childhood figures, some of them afflicted with severe emotional insecurities and inferiority complexes, are thrown together as an unlikely set of action heroes in "The Rise of the Guardians," an attractively designed but overly busy and derivative mishmash of kid-friendly elements.

This is it people, the long awaited day that Stephanie Meyer’s asinine chronicle of lame vampires, talking CGI werewolves, and the single worst female protagonist in all of fiction comes to a close. While the fandom may live on for decades, at least we’ll never have to suffer through one of these movies again. Of course Meyer’s could always write another novel and cash in. But maybe I’m speaking too soon. Perhaps “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2” will be the rare sequel that finally delivers on all the hype, at the very least working as a light guilty pleasure along the lines of “True Blood.”

This is it people, the long awaited day that Stephanie Meyer’s asinine chronicle of lame vampires, talking CGI werewolves, and the single worst female protagonist in all of fiction comes to a close. While the fandom may live on for decades, at least we’ll never have to suffer through one of these movies again.

Team Jacob and Team Edward: it's time to unite! “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” hits theaters in less than a week.

Spending hours a day for weeks fighting, kicking and lifting himself with rubber bands, Stephen Amell has come to a conclusion. "There's no faking it for this show," he says.

Actor James Purefoy promises “blood will flow” in his new film, “Solomon Kane”, which hits Valley theaters this weekend. While it may be fresh fare for stateside audiences, “Kane” was actually released throughout Europe in 2009 but only became available on-demand in the United States this past August.

Although Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” was published in 1999, it remains a popular sensation amongst the high school crowd to this day. A semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age tale, “Perks” follows a teenage boy as he navigates the tumultuous waters that are high school.