A group of Tucson artists bands together to survive--and perhaps thrive--during the recession
by MARI HERRERAS
Steven Derks seems irritated as he looks down at the ringing cell phone clasped tightly in his hand. "I'm sorry; I have to take this," he tells me. He talks into the phone. "Yes, that...
A group of Shakespearean women gather to decide the fate of Juliet in the wonderful 'Immortal Longings'
by JAMES REEL
Last year, choreographer Mark Morris revived the 1935 original version of the Soviet ballet treatment of Romeo and Juliet by composer Sergei Prokofiev and dramatist Sergei Radlov. Not Shakespeare's original version, but Prokofiev's original version:...
State Senate leadership talks up government openness--and then gives the press the boot
by HANK STEPHENSON
At a Sunshine Week press conference on March 16, state Senate President Bob Burns, R-Peoria, talked about all the great things the Legislature has done to make government more transparent. Then he threw the journalists...
This weekend's Armory Park Home Tour spotlights Tucson architecture and helps residents assist their neighbors in need
by TIM VANDERPOOL
In the tidy kitchen of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, the Rev. Jefferson Bailey is placing a sprig of parsley just so. His prep area is a checkerboard of little boxed lunches--potato, broccoli, roast beef--precisely arranged...
Rio Nuevo remains alive at the Legislature, but the City Council's plans may be jeopardizing its survival
by JIM NINTZEL
When it comes to Rio Nuevo, it sometimes seems as if the Tucson City Council can't do anything right. The latest dust-up came last week, when the morning daily featured a brief report noting that...
Sixty-three miners who lost their lives at the Pasta de Conchos coal mine in Coahuila, Mexico, are still buried under the debris following an explosion in 2006. "I couldn't remember in my lifetime a bigger...
The Smell, a dingy music club in downtown Los Angeles, earned mainstream prominence a couple of years back when it was featured in The New Yorker. The article, a feature on The Smell standouts No...
'Two Lovers' is a great New York movie that feels both classic and contemporary
by JAMES DIGIOVANNA
Director James Gray must have watched every old movie that took place in New York, because he swipes scenes from about half of them in his strange new drama, Two Lovers. There's a little West...
Nicolas Cage finally stops his suck streak in 'Knowing'
by BOB GRIMM
With Knowing, Nicolas Cage ends a rather dreadful movie streak that started with the maudlin World Trade Center in 2006. Since then, he's starred in five bad movies, losing a large amount of credibility as...
Posted
by Jim Nintzel
on Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 2:25 PM
Ladies and gentlemen: It is time to rock the Tucson City Council.
If the council does not act this Tuesday, July 7, to save the Rialto Theatre from the developers who are taking the first steps to driving it out of business, then the theatre could be facing the final curtain.
We here at the Tucson Weekly say this cannot be allowed to happen.
In the last week, developers Scott Stiteler and Don Martin have made it abundantly clear that they do not care about the future of the Rialto Theatre, which is one of the few elements of Rio Nuevo that can be called a success. They’ve informed the Rialto Foundation that they plan to evict the non-profit organization from space surrounding the city-owned theatre that the foundation has been using as a green room for performers and as an administrative office and storage space.
You can find the details of how we’ve gotten to this sorry state of affairs here, but the bottom line is this: Martin and Stiteler are furious with the Rialto Foundation because attorneys for the foundation stood up and protested a deal that would have delivered $4 million in property and control of much of the eastern end of downtown to Martin and Stiteler. The council asked for another two weeks to examine the deal; the developers, in turn, walked away and are now intent on destroying the Rialto.
Councilman Steve Leal has stepped up and asked the City Council to consider condemning the property that the Rialto needs to continue operating. Why should the city step in? Because the city owns the theatre and the council needs to protect its asset. And besides that, the Rialto has proven itself to be the economic engine of the downtown arts and entertainment district. Over the last four years, it has brought hundreds of thousands of people downtown for hundreds of shows.
We do not casually advise the City Council to use the power of eminent domain, but in this case, we see no other choice. The Rialto stands out as the success story of downtown redevelopment. We cannot allow a pair of greedheaded developers to destroy it.
What can you do? Contact the mayor and council offices to let them know you support the Rialto Theatre. After you’ve done that, show up at the City Council meeting at 2 p.m. this Tuesday, July 7.
We must win this fight. And it is your voice that will make the difference.
Say it with me: Save the Rialto!
To contact the mayor and council:
Karin Uhlich, 791-4711, ward3@tucsonaz.gov Regina Romero, 791-4040, regina.romero@tucsonaz.gov Steve Leal, 791-4231, steve.leal@tucsonaz.gov Shirley Scott, 791-3100, ward4@tucsonaz.gov Nina Trasoff, 791-4601, nina.trasoff@tucsonaz.gov Rodney Glassman, 791-4687, ward2@tucsonaz.gov Mayor Walkup, 791-4201, mcweb@tucsonaz.gov
Posted
by Mari Herreras
on Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 4:48 PM
What could be better than the usual July 4th shtick of brats and beer?
Watching Venus and Serena Williams in their fourth sister-vs.-sister Wimbledon final in eight years, that's what.
Sit back with a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream, and start taking bets. Serena won in 2002 and 2003, while Venus won in 2008. Perhaps she's due another win, although Serena has a 6-5 advantage in Grand Slam meetings, including five wins against the seven she's faced against her sister in finals.
Sitting on the couch in the middle of the summer, celebrating our nation's independence watching the Williams sisters play their hearts out in England—that's just fantastic.
One of Torino’s ex-owners, Daniela Borella, dropped me an e-mail this week to announce that she is combining her adjoined restaurants, Spice Bistro and Caffe Torino (10325 N. La Cañada Drive), into one eatery that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
Borella — who was born in Italy and knows a thing or two about her native cuisine — says the new eatery should open around the end of July.
Posted
by Mari Herreras
on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 11:12 AM
The Supreme Court of Minnesota has ruled that Al Franken is now Senator Al Franken. Here are five reasons we should all be happy Franken starts midsession from change.org.
In its final line of the ruling, the state Supreme Court said Franken is “entitled” under Minnesota law to “receive the certificate election as United States senator from the state of Minnesota.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans to sign the certification today, clearing the way for Franken to be sworn in early next week when the Senate returns from its weeklong recess.
“The Supreme Court of Minnesota has spoken, and I respect its decision and will abide by the result,” Coleman said. “It’s time for Minnesota to come together under the leaders it has chosen and move forward. I join all Minnesotans in congratulating our newest United States senator: Al Franken.”
Franken, in remarks outside his Minneapolis home about an hour after Coleman’s concession, said he expected to be seated early next week. Franken has already been told that he’s been named to two key committees — Health, Education and Labor and Pensions and Judiciary.
“It is time to bring the whole state together,” Franken said. “Over the past eight months, … Minnesotans have earned the right to take pride in the transparency and thoroughness of our election process.”
Posted
by Mari Herreras
on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Artist Howard Salmon just finished a comic series on legendary Tucson rocker Al Perry.
Salmon, no stranger to the Tucson music scene, was drummer for the legendary Phantom Limbs on the band's first two albums, and has played with Al Perry and the Cattle, as well as Rainer and Das Combo. From 1980 to 1983, Salmon wrote and published Slit, a fanzine about Tucson's early punk scene.
Al Perry Comix is a 24-page tribute to Perry following a series of interviews Salmon did with the guitar hero. Read Salmon's own description of the comic after the jump.
Posted
by Mari Herreras
on Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 5:06 PM
In case you want a break from watching Michael Jackson tribute shows or updates on his funeral arrangements, try the Arizona State Legislature's live media service at azleg.gov. Look to the left, and click on Live Proceedings to see if our hardworking legislators are working on the budget. After all, they have until midnight to decide our future, so why not watch and see if any wrestling occurs.?
I'm hoping for a few headlocks. Is that too much to ask?
The lastest from the Arizona Daily Star's Daniel Scarpinato:
With only hours left until the end of the fiscal year, the likelihood of the Legislature passing a budget tonight that Gov. Jan Brewer will sign is still uncertain.
Republicans are openly criticizing the plan in the Capitol hallways. An important Senate committee knocked-down a key element of the package Tuesday morning. And Democrats, having been shut out of the process until now, are turning down efforts to jump onboard.
The compromise was dealt a blow Tuesday morning when the Senate Rules Committee rejected the portion that would have asked voters this fall to support a temporary one-cent sales tax increase. That’s after lawmakers spent all of Monday trying to keep it alive.
This is latest episode in the Republicans’ troubled efforts to pass a budget that Brewer will sign.
Brewer met with House Speaker Kirk Adams Tuesday afternoon, summoning in Democrats for support.
None appeared moved.
Asked if he’d be onboard when leaving the meeting, Rep. Cloves Campbell, D-Phoenix, responded: “What do you think?”
Surrounded by reporters in the stairwell while exiting the building, Brewer would not entertain the scenario of a government shutdown.
Her message to Arizonans: “I’m very hopefully that when they wake up Wednesday morning that we have a budget and that everything is good.”
In case you're wondering what's happening with some other bills, here's the latest report from Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr:
Here is the longest update yet - there is a pretty comprehensive list of key bills we are following at the end. If you do not see a bill and you are wondering about it, just send me an email. As of this evening, the plan at the Legislature is for the House to finish doing the budget trailer bills on Monday and for the Senate to also do them on Monday. All of this could change depending on where the votes are. The trailer bills generally amend the budget the Legislature already passed and then they add in some significant tax changes. It is unclear if they have the votes. They are trying to convince the Democrats to vote for the sales tax referral, but it would make no sense for them to do that, especially in light of how god-awful the rest of the budget is and as the Governor has made no attempt to negotiate with them.
Here are a few of the things they are proposing in these budget trailer bills. In the strike everything amendment on HCR2037, they are proposing to refer to the ballot a one percent increase in the sales tax with most of the revenues directed to education and health and human services. This does not increase funding for those programs, but just helps to
Posted
by Adam Borowitz
on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 1:09 PM
If your name is Dave or David, I've got a hot tip that'll get you a free meal tomorrow.
Famous Dave's barbecue restaurant at 4565 N. Oracle Road is giving away a free entrée to all Daves from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday, June 30. All you have to do to claim the special is prove your Daveness with a photo ID.
There is a catch: All Daves planning to take advantage of the special must be accompanied by a paying non-Dave customer.
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