Cover Story
The Year in Film
The year 2009 was about as good for movies as it was for job-hunting. There was hardly a single big-budget or highly promoted film that will be remembered in five years. (The exception is probably Avatar, but only because it created exactly the kind of world that fantasy nerds love: one composed largely of tits…
A Trip Through the Best of Tucson
Reader John Nemerovski recently sent us this delightful e-mail: John “Nemo” Nemerovski’s BEST OF TUCSON(R) Photo Essay, featuring Nemo’s daughter Sheba, visiting from Chicago. We studied Tucson Weekly’s 2009 BEST OF TUCSON(R) special section three times through, choosing places to visit that were interesting and reasonably convenient during Sheba’s three day trip to Tucson. FANTASY…
New At TWTV: Sen. Jack Harper’s Near-Gay Experience!
Sen. Jack Harper (R-District 4) explains his opposition to repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” with a story from his military days. Jack nearly had to share a room with a pot-smoking gay soldier who eventually got kicked out of the service—and the soldier who did share a room with the homo soldier ended up HIV-positive!…
A Glimpse At Arizona’s Future
Here’s what budget cuts have done to Colorado Springs, Colo.: This tax-averse city is about to learn what it looks and feels like when budget cuts slash services most Americans consider part of the urban fabric. More than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark Monday. The police helicopters are for…
Farley Report: “When People Find Out That We’re Taking a Meat-Axe to the State Even AFTER Raising Taxes, I Think Folks Will Be Angry.”
Here’s the latest bulletin from Rep. Steve Farley: Howdy, Friends O’Farley… Remember the classic Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day? Where he keeps re-living the same day over and over again, and eventually starts trying to change his behavior to end the cycle? His attempts never work until he finally decides to do the right thing…
State Senate President on Latest Budget Plan: “I Wouldn’t Put in The ‘Good, Fiscally Responsible Plan’ Category”
The Senate has managed to pass the Brewer budget package in the special session. Asked about why it’s a good idea to essentially borrow $750 million and push another $450 million in expenses into next year’s budget, Senate President Bob Burns said: “I wouldn’t put in the good, fiscally responsible plan category. I think there…
McCain Proves He’s Ready to be Mothballed
US Senator John McCain in 2006 on MSNBC: MCCAIN: We have to have the most effective and professional military that we can possibly obtain. I listen to people like General Colin Powell, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and literally every military leader that I know. And they testified before Congress that they…
State Budget Update: Special Session Underway; A Top-Secret Alternative Budget On The Horizon?
The Arizona Senate is working on the Special Session budget proposal that Gov. Jan Brewer laid out yesterday. From what we hear, there’s general bipartisan agreement on the proposal in the Senate, which is necessary because so many Republicans don’t want to be on record as supporting a tax increase. But we also hear there…
Surprise, Surprise!
While on assignment in the Bay Area last week, I had a chance to meet Andrew Clark, a producer with the Current network, which carries infoMania, a sort of Daily Show that only runs once a week. Here’s a great clip:
Pima County Board of Supervisors Nixes 2010 Bond Election
Citing the lousy economy, the Pima County Board of Supervisors has voted 4-1 to scrap the idea of a bond election this November. Supervisor Richard Elias was the lone vote against the motion, arguing that the county needed additional dollars for community amenities. BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: In other business, the board has unanimously named Supervisor…
Thrifty=Nifty
©KISH’10 It’s a busy, busy, busy time of year. Events, openings and galas abound, which means you may have come face-to-face with our local fashion euphemism: “Tucson casual.” This nebulous term has explained many phenomena over the years, like when our mayor wore a bolo and jeans to meet the president. Lately, the phrase “Tucson…
Clean Elections Survives Another Near-Death Moment
The matching-funds provision in the Clean Elections system remains viable. Howie has the details: Arizona’s system of public financing of elections remains in place, at least for the time being. In a 2-1 ruling late Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to allow the state to continue to give extra matching funds…
Muchos Mariarchis
From tomorrow’s Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting agenda: Presentation by Tim Escobedo and/or Celestino Fernandez to highlight the annual Mariachi Conference to be held in April and request that Pima County designate an official witness for the local event in an attempt to break its own “Guinness World Record” for assembling the most Mariachi…
So Very Special: Lawmakers Meet On Sales-Tax Proposal & Other Budget Tricks
Gov. Jan Brewer has given up hope of getting lawmakers temporarily increase the sales tax by one penny. She’s now back to asking them to put it on the ballot next year. Brewer called a special session this afternoon to use the few tricks the state still has in its pocket, including: • Raising income…
Green Valley News: Antenori Pursuing Senate Seat “With All the Class of an Amsterdam Hooker”
Dan Shearer, editor of the Green Valley News and Sun and an occasional colleague on Arizona Illustrated’s Friday Roundtable, weighs in on state Rep. Frank Antenori’s push for an appointment to state Sen. Jonathan Paton’s soon-to-be-vacant seat: After Paton made it official, Antenori started lobbying for the appointment to the remainder of Paton’s term in…
Espresso Pundit: The End Is Near!
Greg predicts the state will financially collapse sometime around the end of September: My best guess is that the state finally runs out of cash, gimmicks and borrowing capacity on September 30th of this year. That’s the date of a major payment to schools and at our current pace, it seems unlikely that we will…
We’d Hate To Have To Stand Before the Arizona Legislature’s Death Panels to Determine Whether We Could Get Hospice Care If We Were Terminally Ill
The morning daily brings us this news: State legislators, in an attempt to balance the budget, have cut care options for some terminally ill Arizonans, and hospices may have to repay the state for services already provided. A footnote in the Legislature’s 2007 General Appropriation Act allowed the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to…
Antenori Chases D30 State Senate Seat While McClure Resets Aim On August Primary
The morning daily’s Rhonda Bodfield, in today’s political notebook, picked up the story we broke last week in The Skinny about Rep. Frank Antenori’s meetings with members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors in his pursuit of the state Senate seat now held by state Sen. Jonathan Paton. (Paton is stepping down later this…
‘This Party Is a Fucking Joke’
undefined Funny or Die’s Will Ferrell and gang are taking their Internet delights to the other system of wires and tubes with a new HBO series that starts next month on Fridays starting Feb. 19. Until then, keep going to funnyordie.com for your fix. Below when Pee Wee gets his own iPad. Pee-wee Gets An…
AZ Financial Freefall Continues
More bad news on the state’s financial front: We still have not hit bottom. For the 17th consecutive month, the amount of taxes collected has dropped by double digits compared to the same month one year earlier. In December 2009, the tax take was 12 percent below December 2008. We’ll fill in more details as…
OK, Death, That’s Enough Now
I wonder if Maurice, Howard and JD are having some interesting talks someplace? I’m also wondering who takes Maurice and Howard’s place? Who’s ready for a little civil disobedience?
Arizona Budget Coalition Reax To House Tax Cuts: Package Will “Cost Arizona Jobs”
Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives, without the support of Democrats, have addressed the state budget deficit by passing a massive collection of future tax cuts.Reaction from the Arizona Budget Coalition: The Arizona Budget Coalition (ABC), representing more than 50 organizations around the state standing for jobs, education, and health and human services, decries…
Glitter Ball Tonight!
Get your glam on at the Rialto Theatre tonight: Glittter, glam and trash. T-Rex, Bowie, Gary Glitter, Sparks, Roxy Music, and much more of the excesses of the 70s. Gender expansion, space invasion, and rocking fucking music are all promised. As usual with a Powhaus Production, there will be lots of music, lots of dancing,…
Sierra Club: Tell Lawmakers To Save The State Parks!
The latest bulletin from Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr: Hi everyone! Don’t forget Environmental Day – Rally for Parks at the Capitol on Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will have a brief program on the House Lawn. Speakers will focus on parks and environmental programs and let us know how we can…
Arizona Illustrated Examines the Economy
The gang at Arizona Illustrated is airing a one-hour special examining the economy tonight. My Friday Roundtable colleagues, Linda Valdez of the Arizona Republic and Mark Evans of TucsonCitizen.com, will be joining Arizona illustrated anchor Bill Buckmaster to interview UA economists Marshall Vest and Jerry Swanson. (I would have joined them, but I was on…
No Access Tucson
After the Tucson City Council voted to cut $379,368 from Access Tucson, the public access TV station announced Thursday that it would close its doors for a month beginning in early February. Here’s the release: During last night’s Access Tucson Board of Directors meeting, the Board decided to shut down Access Tucson for four weeks…
Burning Media Question of the Day
Why in the hell is the top story on azstarnet.com, as of this writing, “Who serves the best cheesecake in town?” I am out of town at this second at—of all things—a Web/media conference. Is it THAT slow of a news day back in Tucson?
An Afternoon at El Coqui
El Coqui, the new Puerto Rican restaurant at 5443 E. 22nd St., is open for business. We just stopped in for a Malta India, some tostones rellenos (yummy stuffed and fried plantains) and a little private chair dancing to some wonderful hip-shaking music that had a few other heads in the place bobbing along too.…
Artistic Range: Rand Carlson at Bohemia
“Avoid Tension” by Rand Carlson, whose work is on display at Bohemia: An Artistans Emporium, 2920 E. Broadway.
City Budget Troubles = Higher Water Bills?
Dave Devine brings us a bulletin from yesterday’s meeting of the finance subcommittee of the Citizens’ Water Advisory Committee: Tucson Water customers—including those who live outside the city limits—may soon see a bump in their water bills to help bail out City Hall’s financially strapped general fund. As an enterprise utility, Tucson Water must generate…
The Latest Buz
Howie Fischer helps Owen Buz Mills make his media debut with a brief profile. Like fellow GOP contenders John Munger and Dean Martin, Mills says there’s no need for a tax increase in Arizona: In an interview with Capitol Media Services, Mills specifically panned Brewer’s idea of a temporary 1-cent hike in state sales taxes,…
An Incredible Fusion
Suspended in the air by long strands of seemingly fragile silk, Christine Van Loo performs mind-boggling aerial feats that bedazzle audiences. Van Loo, a seven-time national champion in acrobatics, will make her Tucson debut with Cirque de la Symphonie. A new production designed to meld the excitement of the circus with the enchanting melodies of…
Beach House: Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
One could accuse Baltimore’s Beach House of being a one-trick pony, retreading the same ground on every album, producing monotonous material that doesn’t waver from its single aesthetic principle, and being fronted by a mannish-sounding French-born chanteuse. On all of these points, I can see where one would be coming from. But, oh, how wrong…
Boring Apocalypse
The Bible is a pretty sick book, especially the ultra-nasty Book of Revelation. Crazy shit goes down in that chapter, and I’ve always wished somebody in Hollywood (other than Kirk Cameron) would take a faithful cinematic shot at the biblical apocalypse. When I saw the previews for Legion, I thought maybe—just maybe—somebody was going to…
Frank Klepacki: Viratia (Self-Released)
As audio director at Petroglyph in Las Vegas, Frank Klepacki is industry-renowned for composing music that powers popular, acclaimed games like Command and Conquer, Star Wars: Empire at War and, most recently, Panzer General: Allied Assault. In his spare time (that is, when he’s not crafting an overture for, say, an all-out orc war), Klepacki…
Welcoming Beacons
When Stephen Van Kuiken looks back at his life in Cincinnati, he does so with a mix of sadness and disappointment—but he never uses the word “regret.” For 20 years, Van Kuiken was a Presbyterian minister. In 2003, church officials noticed that he was performing same-sex marriages and ordaining LGBT members in the lay ministry—in…
Landlocked Miracle
Thanks to the miracle of same-day ocean-to-doorstep fish delivery, those of us in landlocked states can enjoy sushi. But should we? Aside from the consideration of the carbon-emission-intense process it takes to deliver ocean fish to middle America, and the overfishing and sustainability issues, there is also a flavor issue. Sure, this fish can be…
Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring (Arts and Crafts)
Romance Is Boring, the third album by Welsh septet Los Campesinos! in less than two years, shows marked maturity and development from the ramshackle ebullience of their previous two albums. An expansive, charming album of steely pessimism and unbridled experimentation, Romance Is Boring corrals an impressive array of ideas and sounds. Gareth, the group’s frontman…
So Long, Hap
“They named me Hap. I have a tattoo that says ‘Hap’ right here,” Maurice Grossman said, pointing to his left shoulder. “I was the happy guy.” The artist and LGBT activist, who died on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 82, got that tattoo when he served in the U.S. Navy, and the nickname came from the…
Mailbag
What If Liberals Had Showed Up to Bush Events With Guns? Your “Comment of the Week” (Weekly Wide Web, Jan. 14) from Edward Biebel sucked, big-time. Boo-hoo, right-wingers are being called names. I’m surprised George W. Bush didn’t have an official “enemies list” like Nixon boasted about, which he used as bait for IRS and…
Golden Steps
Barbea Williams is bringing African dance to the Dunbar Cultural Center, a building that was once Tucson’s black school. Journeys, to be staged on Friday and Saturday nights, “will be traditional African dance and traditional African music.” The live djembe orchestra will feature two musicians on African drums—Williams’ son, Beyah Rasool, and Roosevelt “Ski” Smith.…
Inner-City Blues
In many ways, time has been kind to the Dunbar/Spring Neighborhood. Reaching north from downtown to Speedway Boulevard, the eclectic mix of bungalows, warehouses, businesses and bohemia has enjoyed a resurgence since the 1990s, when it was plagued by abandoned houses and petty crime. Recent years have seen old homes rejuvenated as younger residents moved…
Absolutely Faygeleh
Faygeleh, a Yiddish word, literally translates to “little bird.” Since the period immediately before World War II, however, it’s mostly been used as a slang term for a gay person. But what does a word like that really mean? And how can we get people to look past it—and every other label, title and superficial…
Nine Questions
Charlie Faye
Proposals, Please
Plans to rehabilitate and re-occupy the historic Steinfeld Warehouse are back on track after a brief derailment. But once restored, will the building be affordable for artist tenants? Last October, the City Council approved requests for proposals (RFPs) on four buildings in Tucson’s downtown Warehouse District: the Steinfeld building; the Citizens Transfer warehouse across west…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week
Soundbites
HELPING HAITI Even in the worst economy in years, people have been more generous than ever in donating to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. That star-studded Hope for Haiti Now telethon—regardless of what you thought of it—raised an initial $58 million, a record amount for a disaster-relief telethon. And that amount doesn’t include…
Nowhere to Turn
Mackenzie McAlister says her boyfriend of three months took hold of her throat one night—in front of her 6-month-old son—and choked her so hard that she passed out. When she woke up, McAlister, 29, left with her son, even though she didn’t have anyone to turn to for help. She says her boyfriend had forced…
Police Dispatch
TAKES BALLS WEST ALVARO ROAD DEC. 31, 7:06 P.M. A woman was busted with an eight ball in her purse—literally—according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report. The reporting deputy arrived at the Lazy V Saloon and found a woman dressed in red screaming at customers. As he forcefully escorted her out of the establishment,…
Ask a Mexican!
Why do so many Mexicans work for Taco Bell and El Pollo Loco? Don’t they know they only add a false credence to the belief that this is Mexican cuisine? The bastardizing of the truly great and diverse food of Mexico by the money-hungry corporations of the United States contributes to the overall misconception about…
Clean Sweep
Last week was rough for supporters of the state’s beleaguered Clean Elections system. First came a vote in the state Senate Judiciary Committee that advanced a bill that would ask voters to essentially cripple Clean Elections, which provides public funds for candidates for state office. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1009, sponsored by committee chairman Jonathan Paton…
City Week
An Evening With John Zerzan; Sweet Love; Santa Cruz River Band; Helen Serras-Herman’s Copper Trails
The Skinny
STIMULATING DEBATE Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was out touting the use of stimulus dollars to build a new federal courthouse in Yuma earlier this week. Giffords said the new courthouse—which will cost $28 million—will relieve pressure on the federal courthouse in downtown Tucson, which is struggling to handle the increased burden of prosecuting illegal immigrants who…
Weekly Wide Web
As we’ve said before, one great thing about YouTube is you can find live performances of just about any band. Thanks to the advancements in technology since bootlegs had a bad name, anyone can put together a DIY decent video of a live show (assuming it’s OK with the band first). Most bands don’t mind…
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books best-sellers for the week
Media Watch
Mojo is back—sort of;Hour-long advertorial show on tap for KGUN;The weather outside is frightful. No, really. It is.
Top Ten in Music
The 17th Street Guitar and World Music Store top sales for the week
Danehy
I was watching the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race results come in last week, and I realized that in President Obama’s first year in office, he burned through political capital with nothing to show for it. It was like Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions. I decided that I had to take action, so I grabbed my…
Light and Love
Kate Breakey had lived in the Sonoran Desert for only six months when a bark scorpion attacked her in the middle of the night. It crawled across her shoulder in the dark. Breakey woke up and tried to flick it off, and the unseen creature took the opportunity to sting her not once, but twice:…
Messina
As burning Kuwait oil fields spewed smoke during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, David Kriete was there. When troops landed for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Kriete was among them. As soldiers have been sent to various locales around the globe, Kriete has answered the call. Today, Kriete is in Phoenix. He doesn’t have a job,…
The Results of Ideas
For almost 40 years, The Residents have been at the vanguard of American avant-garde music, willfully obscure and flying under the radar while attracting a passionate cult-like following. Their work spans the realms of electronica, symphonic and chamber music, jazz, pop, rock, noise, country and R&B, as well as the worlds of theater, dance, film…
Pride T Q&A
Evan Deaubl
Guest Opinion
No matter what I do, I’ll never be able to look like THAT!” While speaking to the middle-age woman across from me, I gestured toward the attractive young lady who was walking by. Tall and slim with blonde hair, she exuded a confidence that belied the struggles she must have gone through to be where…
Live
Exene Cervenka, Gabriel Sullivan, Brian Lopez
Brilliant Blurbs
I often use this space to babble about the big things that we do—the cover stories, the special issues, etc. This week, I’d like to focus on some of the little stuff we do—namely, blurbs. In features like City Week, Soundbites, Media Watch, Police Dispatch and (most notoriously) The Skinny, we regularly bring you powerful…
Better and Better
It’s a good idea to go into life’s ventures with low expectations. For example, being a teenager is nowhere near as appealing as vampire fiction would have you believe, and if you think otherwise, you’ll be disappointed when you reach 17 without ever getting a glimpse of immortal crotch. That said, I somehow went into…
Noshing Around
Travel Channel Returns to Tucson The Travel Channel is coming to Tucson to tape a show focusing on Sonoran hot dogs, says Martha Menocal of El Güero Canelo. Tucsonans are invited to attend a taping at El Güero Canelo’s original location at 5201 S. 12th Ave. on Friday, Jan. 29. The public is also encouraged…
Now Showing at Home
Moon (Blu-Ray); The Brothers Bloom (Blu-Ray); Surrogates
Atlas of Death
A local writer I know keeps a candle burning on his back porch day and night. The idea, he explained, is that as long as the candle stays lit, then whatever god you happen to pray to will hopefully keep the thousands of poor Mexicans safe and alive on their journey through the dry hell…
Remembering Maurice Grossman
In our Sept. 6, 2007, issue, Margaret Regan wrote a story on Maurice Grossman, who died last week at the age of 82. Here it is in its entirety. ——————————————————————— Maurice Grossman, Tucson’s Mr. Ceramics, never intended to be a potter. The founder of the UA’s ceramics program way back in 1955, Grossman started out…
