Thank your lucky stars that, while television is a highly visual medium, it's customary for the production staff to stay behind the scenes-- because if we were on camera right now, you'd be subjected to the ocular horror of seeing the AtAT staff performing our patented (and banned in twelve states) Spontaneous Funky Victory Butt-Dance of Joy and Exultance™. And while we imagine that the mere mention that such a thing exists may prompt some of our more obsessive and intrepid fans to demand actual video footage of the SFVBDJE™, please be aware that any such requests will be summarily denied for the sake of public safety and in the interests of mental health. Let's put it this way: you'd be begging for Ballmer instead.

But at least we can tell you why we're dancing for joy with the curtains pulled: there's a whole lotta Apple retail action churning across this great land. For example, MacNN dug up an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which reveals that a renovated mall called West County Center will be reopening this September-- and that Apple is numbered among its tenants. Furthermore, MacNN also recently reported that additional Apple stores are coming to The Grove in L.A. and the Knox-Henderson Avenue area of Dallas. And Apple's own list of retail job opportunities lists plenty of otherwise-unannounced stores in Edina, Minnesota; Garden City, New York; Denver, Colorado; and many more. They're sproutin' up like weeds, folks, and for us, that's reason enough to shake our booties in unbridled jubilation.

Well, almost, anyway. Actually, what really pushed us over the edge and prompted our joyful terpsichorean indulgences was the fact that Apple's retail page once more has a "Coming Soon" section-- and the next store slated to throw open its doors is none other than the one at Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, Arizona. Not that we have any particular reason to celebrate the arrival of an Apple store in a city a couple of thousand miles away from the AtAT Compound, mind you, but regular viewers will recall that a couple of weeks ago, we here at AtAT made a prediction that the Biltmore store would indeed be the next one to throw a grand opening shindig-- and we were completely, totally, and utterly correct. Hence, the Butt-Dance.

Of course, we'd have still more reason to be gettin' down and funky with our bad selves if there had been some kind of office pool or something providing some sort of financial reward for our perspicacity, but unfortunately we'll just have to be happy with a smug sense of predictive infallibility in all matters retail. Meanwhile, all of you Phoenix-area Mac fans should start gearing up for next Saturday (that's the 30th)'s big throwdown-- especially if you missed the Chandler opening, you slackers. And when you file into the store to the funky beat of "Love Shack," feel free to do a butt-dance of your own.