They don't have the opposable thumbs necessary to hang tinsel or access to ovens to bake cookies for Santa, but even animals can get in the spirit of the holiday season.

Some artists pursue the creation of a timeless piece future generations will admire. Fans of local mural collective PPRWRK, however, are lucky if they see the same piece six months later.

When she started writing "Boneshaker" in 2008, Cherie Priest was afraid that her most promising novel might also be her last.

At the onset of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," the beloved solitude of hero Bilbo Baggins is interrupted by the unexpected arrival at his home of a baker's dozen of rambunctious dwarfs.

For her first time leading the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera's annual "Home for the Holidays" concert, conductor Kayoko Dan will have plenty of balls to keep in the air.

If you needed another sign that social media has changed the world, look no further than the newest addition to the Twitteratti pantheon: his holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Finding the right gift for the techie in your life doesn't have to mean downgrading your holiday budget.

In the days after Hurricane Sandy ripped across the East Coast, Ooltewah veterinarian Dr. John Mullins was on the phone with a fellow vet on Long Island.

New sponsorships and a combined celebration promise to add some sparkle to the start of this year’s holiday season in downtown Chattanooga.

It's not often a venue hosts a performance by a cartoon band, but tonight, Dethklok, the animated death-metal quintet from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse," will take the stage at Track 29.

According to a 2005 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, the average U.S. marriage lasts about eight years. Music history is full of bands that don't make it to a second anniversary.

Whether you're skydiving, swimming with sharks or watching movies you know will test the absorbency of your underpants, there's something to be said for occasionally getting outside your comfort zone.

As she walked onto the Chattanooga Theatre Centre's MainStage for the opening night of "Hairspray," Brittni Rhodes flashed back to the moment she fell in love with musical theater.

Two of the area's biggest country music stars will take the stage Wednesday to help bring yuletide joy to needy children.

Ever since it was prehistoric man's main deterrent against sabertooth cats and -- as cartoons teach us -- dinosaurs, burning things has been an integral component of communal gatherings.

By the time fans were able to get their hands on Blackberry Smoke's latest album, the band was almost more relieved than proud.

Shortly after Fork & Pie Bar opened on Market Street in June, chef Brandi Siler was asked to craft a side dish that would appeal to children but could sit comfortably alongside the restaurant's savory pie offerings.

"The Sound of Music" teaches that the beginning is a fine place to start for any budding musician.

For many video gamers, there's something about the humble pixel that is pretty powerful.

Even for a missionary, traveling 200,000 miles a year to spread the word of God is a lot to ask.

To hear Amber Fults describe it, prepping to play Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album tonight has been like learning to mountain-climb without oxygen.

From the cuisine to the football games, Thanksgiving calls to mind many things, but exercise is probably not one of them.

The last thing anybody wants to read on Thanksgiving is another column about what the writer is thankful for. So to save everyone the strain of excessive eye-rolling, let's talk about costumes.

For most high school marching bands, the climax of the year is performing in a packed school stadium for the homecoming game. In January, Bradley Central High School senior trombonist Jamey Critchfield will step into a decidedly larger spotlight.

This weekend, "The Blue Bird," the masterwork of a local puppet-theater impresario, will take flight once more at the Mountain Arts Community Center on Signal Mountain.

Growing up, Eliza Rickman fostered a secret desire to be a singer that was fueled by a never-ending series of Disney musicals.

In the 1984 hit film "Karate Kid," Johnny Lawrence is not a likable character.

The bad thing about ruts is that once you realize you're in one, you only have yourself to blame.

Jaime Jorge walked a path strewn with plastic flower petals on his way to becoming a celebrated, world-traveled violinist.

Garrison Clower has always been exceedingly curious, a characteristic that, at times, has spelled trouble for the family appliances.

The video begins with an airplane and a beautiful woman reflected in a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses.

With a benefit concert and art showcase tonight at Barking Legs Theater, a local musician hopes to link Chattanooga into an international network of cities using the arts to enact social change.

On his way to a friend's house the evening of Oct. 11, local rock singer/songwriter Jordan Hallquist's Honda Civic slammed into a pole off Amnicola Highway. When first responders arrived on the scene, the car was on its side, and the speedometer was stuck at 80.

California punk-rock legends at Track 29 on Tuesday

About a week ago in a galaxy pretty much exactly like the one in which you're reading this, a deal went down that is arguably the most important entertainment news of the year.

The moment Colby Howell heard the boos coming from the audience during the curtain call for "Tarzan," he knew he'd done his job well.

King Bowser. Dr. Robotnik. M. Bison. Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde.

There is a sense of rooted personality to the music of Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne, a feeling of place that is tied up in every lyric and note.

When it comes to nightlife, there are some evenings when the stars align in crooked patterns to create unforgettable experiences. Last week, I experienced three in a row.

For an orphan, attracting the notice of potential adopters is crucial, and having a big voice can go a long way. Emmy McKenzie has that in spades.

In the 2008 presidential election, about 20 million voters in the United States cast a ballot for the first time, including millions of young people who had turned 18 years old since 2004.

In the half-century since audiences first tracked his silhouette across the screen through a gun barrel, James Bond has become one of cinema's most enduring and recognizable icons.

From disco roller girl glitz to the hitman twist, Oscar-nominated films "Boogie Nights" and "Pulp Fiction" offer up some of the most memorable scenes and characters from '90s cinema.

In recent years, classes in Zumba have skyrocketed in popularity with more than 14 million weekly participants in 150 countries. Locally, more than 180 courses are available for the Latin dance/fitness activity within 25 miles of downtown.

One of the best things about being an adult is that, except for agents of the government and your boss, almost no one can tell you what to do.

To experience cultures from around the globe could require thousands of dollars and months of travel -- or 45 minutes listening to an album by The Ragbirds.

To some traditional Scottish performers, the whole of music can be summed up as the songs and tunes of England's northern neighbor and "the rest of it." Jamie Laval has a slightly broader perspective.

Watching Hannah Kuhn, 17, perform Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto, it is difficult to imagine the hours of practice and the obstacles she has had to overcome to master it.

To be clear, loving music and being a gorilla are two very different things. Except when they're not.

The origin of Greg Cahill's love of bluegrass is about as textbook as it gets for banjo players.