Cover Story
2013: The Year in Review
As December draws to a close, many newspapers engage in the time-honored tradition of reminding readers of the stories they should not forget from the year gone by. Here at the Weekly, we have a different tradition, inspired by the much missed Dubious Achievement Awards once presented by Esquire: We’ve scoured the papers, watched the…
Tune Into The UA Hoops Game Tonight To See a Really Freakin’ Big New Scoreboard
The top-ranked Arizona men’s basketball team begins Pac-12 Conference play tonight when it hosts Washington State at 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network, a.k.a. the channel not good enough for DirecTV. While the first chance to watch the 13-0 Wildcats in action in nearly two weeks is a good reason to tune in, the team…
Toxic Ranch to Reopen at a New Location on Jan. 15
Punk rock will never die, but it will relocate. Toxic Ranch Records closed out their Sixth Street location on New Year’s Eve with style, but it was just the beginning of a new chapter for Bill Sassenberger and company. According to James Hudson’s Facebook post, the record store will reopening on Jan. 15 in a…
Cinema Showdown: Blonde Fetish Edition
It’s a brand new year and there’s a plethora of great film screening in town this week. Let’s get down to the nitty. The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd, is kicking off a fantastic new series this month. Hitchcock Blondes showcases the films from the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock. Not just any of…
Word Odyssey: Two-Faced Janus and the Other Months
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock It’s time to feed your inner nerd. It’s the new year, so it’s a good time to talk about time, and when eggheads start talking about time, they can get really worked up. St. Augustine asked: “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know: if I wish to…
Happy New Year, Everyone!
There will be little to no blogging today unless something really awesome or super tragic happens. All your favorite Weekly writers will be back in the office tomorrow. Everyone at The Range would like to wish you a prosperous New Year.
NYE Party at Plush
Image courtesy of the Facebook event page. Dan Hernandez has the night off, so he got some friends together and decided to throw a New Year’s Eve party at Plush, 340 East Sixth St. Hernandez and four of Tucson DJs are going to mix the night away. The party starts at 9 p.m. with the…
Top 5 DC Roles The Rock Should Play in 2014
Photo courtesy of the Rock’s Twitter account. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed that he had a meeting with Warner Bros. during his #RockTalk Twitter conversation today. Johnson said that he’s going to team up with DC Comics in 2014, but he didn’t give any details. This is exciting news considering the bipolar responses regarding the…
My Top 5 Films of 2013
1. Behind the Candelabra The best movie of the year didn’t play in theaters. Rather, this biopic on legendary flamboyant schmaltz-entertainer Liberace premiered on HBO back in May. Fitting in a year when television — conventional (cable) or otherwise (Netflix) — kicked film’s ass with quality series’ such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, House…
Catch The Lonely Hearts Club then Monty Python and the Holy Grail at The Loft
Tucson is the most cost effective place to party this New Years Eve. I’m grateful that I don’t have to sink as low as paying $375 to attend a NYE bash at Applebee’s. Thankfully, The Loft Cinema is infinitely more cooler than the chain restaurant because they are hosting a free NYE preparty at 9…
Three Local Bands, One Final Show at Toxic Ranch
Nothing lasts forever. Tonight is the last in-store concert at 7 p.m. at Toxic Ranch Records, 424 East Sixth Street. There will be a live performance by Lenguas Largas, The Resonars and Discos. $3 cover for this all ages show. Toxic is offering 30% off all non-local discs through Jan. 6. I walked in to…
Video: Retrospect Six-months After the Yarnell Hill Wildfire
(AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, David Kadlubowski) “A wildfire burns homes in Yarnell, AZ, on June 30, 2013.” It’s been six months since 19 brave firefighters were taken in the horrific wildfire in Yarnell Hill. The Weather Channel® and weather.com published an original documentary and long-form article called “America Burning: The Yarnell Hill Tragedy and the…
Doug Stanhope Crowdfunded $126k for Atheist Tornado Victim to Annoy Christians
Everyone knows Doug Stanhope for his offensive comedy, history of drug abuse and medical problems. But underneath all that is a man with a gold heart that gets off on pissing off Christians. Stanhope was inspired to raise money for Rebecca Vitsmun after confessing she was an atheist during her interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer…
Win Tickets to the NYE Burlesque Bash at Playground
Photo courtesy of the Facebook event page. Today is the last day to get $5 off your ticket for the NYE Burlesque Bash that is taking place at Playground Bar and Lounge, 278 East Congress St. Pisa Cake and eight of Arizona’s finest burlesque entertainers are hosting two shows in one night. The headliner is…
Georgia Man Sets New ‘Spoon’ Record
We are all excel at something, but Etibar Elchyev “sticks” to what he’s good at. The 41 year-old former Georgia kick-boxing coach set a new world record on Saturday by using his ability to attract metal substances to his skin. Elchyev broke his previous record by sticking 53 spoons to his chest and back. The…
10 Youtube Videos You Made Popular in 2013
Youtube released the top ten most trendiest videos of 2013, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. How this video managed to get 311,380,107 views in three months is beyond me. 1. Ylvis – The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) The “Harlem Shake” has to be the shortest lived internet meme of…
Happy New Year to All!
What is your gardening resolution for 2014? Mine is to continue to supply you with container gardening tips that will help you grow successful desert potted gardens all year long! Have a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2014! Email Marylee with your questions and comments. Follow The Potted Desert on Facebook! Happy…
The Settlement Smokehouse Isn’t Closed
Photo courtesy of The Settlement Facebook page Earlier today Annie McGinnis announced that The Settlement Smokehouse was officially closed on the restaurant’s Facebook page and website. From Facebook: To our dear friends, It is with great regret that we inform you that The Settlement has closed as of December 26th. We were unable to resolve…
Win Battleme Merch!
We are giving away Battleme merchandise because it’s Friday. You can win a medium shirt, CD, LP and Battleme sticker if you are the first person to email us after reading this post. You have to come down to the Tucson Weekly HQ to claim your prize or you can’t win. This is for locals…
90 Movies You Need to Watch Before They Disappear from Netflix
Photo from shutterstock.com According to /Flim, Netflix will lose the rights to stream a lot of your favorite movies after the new year. Content from Warner Bros., MGM, and Universal will become unavailable after the first of the year. According to Business Insider: While most of these titles will vanish between January 1 and January…
Sun Bones and Bogan Via at Plush Tonight
Looking for something to do tonight? Photo courtesy of the Facebook event page. Phoenix electronic-folk band Bogan Via and Sun Bones are performing tonight at Plush Tucson, 340 E. Sixth St. This is Sun Bones’ first show before they embark on their tour through Texas and Oklahoma. The magic starts at 9 p.m. $5 tickets…
Take The New York Times Year in Questions Quiz
Photo from shutterstock.com New York Times columnist Ben Schott crafted this brilliant Year in Questions quiz that will take you down memory lane. Do you remember who killed Travis Alexander? Can you recall who purchased the Washington Post? There’s a “Match the Apology to the Apologizer” and 81 questions that sums up how bizarre, beautiful…
Best Internet Buy of the Day: Pizza Sounds Good Dough
The Internet has found another way to get me to buy more clothing I don’t need. My wardrobe is comprised of obscure internet t-shirts from Threadless and Six Dollar shirts. My Internet-friend Spencer got this Pizza Sounds Good Dough shirt that’s inspired by Wu-Tang Clan’s C.R.E.A.M. lyrics. The front shows PSGD over the Wu-Tang logo…
Alabama State Senator Says ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Should be “Considered a Hero”
Alabama state Sen. Jerry Fielding (R-Sylacauga) feels that Duck Commander Phil Robertson has been wronged by the media for his anti-gay and racist remarks that were published in a GQ magazine interview. The Senator plans to introduce legislation in support of the Duck Dynasty reality star, according to the Daily Home. Robertson has been temporarily…
Talking Comics Holiday Edition!
Photo from Heroes and Villains Jenny and Cynthia review Image Comics’ latest title PRETTY DEADLY # 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios. For some reason Jenny is wearing a bear skull cap and Cynthia allowed that to happen. The lovely nerdy ladies give their thoughts on the new funny book and what is…
Now Showing at Home
CBGB The story of Hilly Kristal (played by Alan Rickman) and the legendary ’70s punk club that launched thousands of bands. Also starring Taylor Hawkins as the worst Iggy Pop ever, and Opie from Sons of Anarchy as, natch, a biker. (Xlrator) Don Jon Porn aficionado Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and rom-com lover Barbara (Scarlett…
Editor’s Note
It’s been a strange year, although I’m hesitant to even write that, since it’s the 22nd as I type this and I feel like I’m probably dooming myself to further weirdness through some sort of jinx. But, hey, what else could happen in a year that rushing to a finish with a military action in…
2013 in Food
If you were going by the Tucson Weekly’s Internet presence at least, this year in Tucson food didn’t get off to a great start. The second food related post on our blog, The Range, in 2013 was an announcement that the Mexican chain Big Juan’s had closed. The third? That the Greek Taverna on Swan…
Danehy
These are some of my favorite things from 2013. I’m not presumptuous enough to say that they’re the best; just my favorites. Favorite Movie: I’m in my 10th year of seeing as few movies as possible in the theaters, what with all the annoying phone bitches (and the females with phones as well). I saw…
That Was That Year That Was
What a year it was for the Tucson food scene! So many new restaurants (and quite a few closures). This job requires a lot of eating out, and because I don’t cook as much as I used to, we eat plenty of non-work-related meals in restaurants as well. Off the top of my head, I…
Safier
Education is the civil rights issue of our generation, or so say today’s conservative “education reformers.” I suppose this retired schoolteacher should feel flattered to be told members of my profession hold the country’s social and economic future in our hands. But I’m not. The pet education slogan of the right is wrong—and dangerously misleading.…
Gluten-Free Goodness
What happens when you outgrow a business six weeks into it? CakeLab, a bakery dedicated to gluten-free products that is run by two of the most enthusiastic siblings you could find, is looking for larger space after less than two months in operation. The bakery, which started in a tiny, two-room space at 402 E.…
Media Watch
In that unmistakably bombastic tone, John C. Scott touted his daily radio offering as “the most talked to, talked about, listened-to talk show in Southern Arizona.” Was it? Almost certainly not. No ratings book, regardless of how primitive and inconsistent the system, would back up that claim. But while the John C. Scott Show was…
Soundbites
THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE HERE FOR You would think that the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve would be one of the slowest music weeks of the year … and you’d be right. There are, of course, tons of options for ways to usher in the new year, but ignoring all that, here are some…
Wingspan ‘splain
Going through a staff turn-around twice in one year has been challenging enough for Tucson’s 25-year-old LGBT community center, but now the agency is working hard to make sure that a long-time support group for transgender people remains part of the Wingspan family. In May, the Tucson Weekly talked to Wingspan’s current executive director Carol…
Noshing Around
Say So Long to 2013 in Style For your dining and drinking pleasure, some of the spots where you can celebrate the start of a fresh year: •The Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort and Spa, 245 E. Ina Road, is featuring a four-course dinner and amuse bouche at the Gold restaurant, including items such as…
Police Dispatch
ONE CRANKY SENIOR CITIZEN NORTH PANORAMA DRIVE NOV. 18, 7:30 A.M. A woman said she was repeatedly delayed in getting to work by a senior citizen who kept jumping in front of her car and screaming and waving his cane at her as she left her house, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report.…
Daft Punk and Beyond
Gene Armstrong (in alphabetical order) Arcade Fire, Reflektor (Merge) The Grammy-winning Montreal-based band further explores ennui and alienation, as well as the quest for connection and redemption, in modern life. Frontman Win Butler and his crew subversively inject art-school tendencies and chilly disco grooves (echoes of late-model Roxy Music) into mainstream pop-rock. LCD Soundsystem’s James…
Pedersen on Sports
Me and the sun, we don’t have that great a relationship. Chalk it up to the reddish hair, the pale complexion that can get sunburned at night in a room with no windows, the overactive sweat glands. Whatever the case, outdoor activity that doesn’t include plentiful shade isn’t usually high on my list. And yet,…
Nine Questions
Bassist Nick Cashman is currently putting the finishing touches on his excellent band Ocean Void’s debut EP. When he’s not conducting the noise symphonies Ocean Void is known for, he’s minding the cash register over at Toxic Ranch Records during its last days. What was the first concert you attended? The Animals at the Pima…
Islands: Ski Mask
Divorce informed Islands’ previous release, A Sleep & a Forgetting, so insistently that the act of listening felt intimate and a bit indecent. Perhaps as an attempt to exorcise the demons of his divorce, frontman Nick Thorburn provides an ebullient flourish to the dark pop tracks beginning the group’s uneven fifth album, Ski Mask. The…
Ringing in the New Year
NYC/NYE at Hotel Congress. The venerable hotel (311 E. Congress St.) is transformed into New York City for the night, complete with a NY-style hot dog truck, a Talking Heads cover band, a CBGB-like rock club on the Club Congress stage, appearances by Rockettes dancers and a Frank Sinatra impersonator, as well as a gigantic…
Paul McCartney: New
New, the title of Paul McCartney’s latest album, is a gag, you see—it should be framed in quotation marks. Arriving at what could be considered the final phase of his recording career, and sounding every bit like a compilation of past tricks (pastoral folk, skittering electronica, stately pop), McCartney means the title to be ironic.…
City Week for December 26, 2013 through January 1, 2014
Kitschy Clips and Such Charles Phoenix Retro Holiday Slide Show 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 27 The Loft Cinema 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. 322-5638; loftcinema.com There are few things more uncomfortable to sit through than looking at someone else’s holiday or vacation pictures. Putting them into slide form and projecting them onto the living room wall…
Luscious Jackson: Magic Hour
You know that band Betty? The group that did that “living, laughing, fucking, breathing” theme song over The L Word’s opening credits? If we’re really being honest with ourselves, Luscious Jackson has always been a (mostly) cooler version of that band. The speak-singing? The anthemic lyrics? The overly groovy bass lines that feel like they’re…
TQ&A
On the day after Thanksgiving, multimedia performance artist Laura Milkins stood on a corner in her South Tucson neighborhood and offered passers-by free hugs. Since then, she’s been doing it every Friday. Her mission? It’s as simple as extending kindness in a neighborhood that could use a little. Can you explain the Free Hugs Project?…
Colorado: Land of Dreams
In a couple of weeks, a childhood dream of mine will come true for about 6 million people in Colorado. I started wishing for legal cannabis when I was about 15, shortly after the first time I tried it. I suppose I might have hoped for it before that, out of some vague camaraderie with…
End-of-Year Excitement
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is almost as festive as the two big days themselves, and most of the downtown galleries are open at least a few days to catch art-loving merrymakers. We here at the Weekly have put together an end-of-the-year tour of the arts spaces around Sixth and Sixth and all…
Ask a Mexican
Dear Readers: Since it’s the end of the year and the Mexican is on his 18th tamale (made by the mujeres in his family, of course), behold some letters from angry readers (and one fan), along with my answers. Enjoy your champurrado, gracias for a great 2013, and may your 2014 involve more cousins smuggled…
Now on Shelves
A Big Sky Christmas By William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone Pinnacle $7.50; 411 pages; Western You’ve got your naive wagon train folks, your rich lecher, your bad guys, your Indians, your worse guys, your cowboys, your oncoming winter and your frontier hero, along with a couple of mountain men and your folksy narrator’s…
2013 in Film
COLIN BOYD’S BEST OF 2013 It was a year of socially conscious movies (and superheroes and Katnisses). And while a heavy tone definitely hung in the air, even the most unrelenting of the films on this list is approachable and addictively watchable. All in all, 2013 proved to be a solid year for the movies—though…
True TV
Arrow (The CW) The comic-book superhero series that got it right in its first year has been on fire in Season 2, jacking up the action to thrillingly visceral levels as well as giving both our hero’s allies (love that Felicity) and enemies (hate that Malcolm) generous chunks of screen time. Oh, and the Flash!…
