Thursday, March 28, 2019
Tags: comics , politics , cartoons , Claytoonz , Betsy DeVos , Special Olympics , funding , cuts , Image
The True Cost. This screening, hosted by the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, Fed By Threads and Sustainable UA, is of a documentary about the story of clothing manufacturing. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. This screening also includes a panel discussion Fed by Threads COO Skya Nelson, UA Office of Sustainability Director Trevor Ledbetter, and Academy Award-winning producer Lina Srivastava. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 28. At UA’s ENR2 Building, Room N120. $12.50 to 18.50. Details here.
Poetry Circle. Head to the library for this monthly poetry discussion with docents from the UA Poetry Center. This week, the group is focusing on Naomi Nye, who gives voice to her experience as an Arab-American with her works. She explores topics like greed (“Trees take up the sky. It’s my light, why share it?”), fame (“The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek”), and the childhood (“Grown-ups keep their feet on the ground when they swing. I hate that”) with beautifully simple phrasing that will have you buying up her award-winning works. 1 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28. Oro Valley Public Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive. Free. Details here.
Events compiled by Briannon Wilfong, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.
Tags: things to do , fun in general , daily events , local , Tucson , Thursday , March 28 , Image
Finding inspiration in nihilism, a unique conglomeration of like-minded artists adroit in creating sheets of sonic tension tempered by amorphous release. Shoegazers Slow Crush, Mute Swan, Holy Fawn and Trees Speak summon the Furies. At Club Congress. Details here.
Who will man the decks? One never knows. It’s Wooden Tooth Records DJ Night at Che’s Lounge. Details here.
In a world gone amiss, according to these California pop-punkers, “there was still Adam West.” Get Married are at Owls Club. With Amateur Palm Trees, and Logan Greene. Details here.
Singer-songwriter Natalie Pohanic offers her unique brand of dreamy folk in the bar at Agustin Kitchen. Details here.
Human Behavior: A BJÖRK Tribute is happening at R Bar. DJs Mijito and Vamp Feline preside. Details here.
The carefully curated mixtape that is Miss Olivia and the Interlopers plays on at Tap + Bottle Downtown. Details here.
Suffering from takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome?” Featuring the music of Golden Boots, aerial acrobatics and the stunning visuals of artist Tra Bouscaren, Octopus Heart provides the cure at Mercado San Agustin Annex. (Runs through Sunday, March 31). Details here.
Tags: music , live shows , concert , where to rock , things to do , Thursday , March 28 , Tucson , local , venues , bands , Image
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
That’s how friends and family described the legacy of the late Donald R. Diamond, a prominent Tucson-based real estate developer and philanthropist, during a memorial held on Wednesday afternoon.
Diamond died on Monday, March 25. He was 91.
More than 300 people packed the Catalina Room at the Jewish Community Center Tucson. Although the required garb was dark the tone of the ceremony was playful and light-hearted, keeping in step with Diamond’s temperament.
“My father couldn’t afford a rabbi for the service, so I will be officiating this afternoon,” his eldest daughter Rabbi Jennifer Diamond told the piqued crowd.
She further said Donald Diamond would be pleased to know that he’ll finally recoup for paying for her the five years of rabbinic school.
Both comments sweetened the heavy mood of the day with warm laughter.
After leading a traditional service, Jennifer Diamond offered their personal guests a glimpse into her family’s life.
Diamond was a scrappy preteen, who always returned home to his family’s Park Avenue apartment in ragged condition, she explained. He was eventually relegated to using the service elevator due to his appearance, which didn’t alter his behavior.
“So from an early age it was clear that he was going to go his own way,” she said.
Diamond, a New York native, initially relocated to Tucson in the 1940s to attend Brandes Boarding School, but went to high school in Washington D.C. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II at age 17, lying about his age in order to serve.
He attended the University of Arizona from 1947 to 1949, where he majored in business and met his wife, Joan; the pair began their 64-year marriage in 1952.
Joan Diamond died on Dec. 28, 2016.
Diamond spent the beginning of his professional career as a commodities trader on Wall Street. In 1965, at age 37, he retired from trading and relocated to Tucson with Joan and their three daughters Helaine, Jennifer and Deanne.
After he made Tucson his home, Diamond would become of one of most influential private landowners in Pima County. And in 1988, he founded Diamond Ventures, Inc., a company that aims to engage in high quality real estate investments while considering the environmental impact of land development.
- Wickett
Visit Wickett at HSSA Main Campus at 635 W. Roger Rd or call 520-327-6088, ext. 173 to learn more.
Tags: pets , animals , cats , adoption , Humane Society , HSSA , Wickett , male cat , older cat , forever family , adopt , Image
The comedy world is chock-a-block with women’s issues. All of them arise from its lopsided gender ratio. Tucsonans help mitigate things by supporting a sprinkling of all-women shows throughout the year. The Cactus Flower Comedy Festival is a relative monsoon.
Women will populate 100 percent of the comedy for nine shows in the CFCF, hosted by the Tucson Improv Movement. Now in its third year, the event runs from Thursday, March 28, through Saturday, March 30, at the TIM Comedy Theater. Admission is $5 per show except the Saturday finale, the Best Show Period, which is $10. Since the theater only seats 45, reservations are recommended. Show details and reservations are at tucsonimprov.com/cfcf. The fest is curated for fun throughout. Following are a few highlights.
Tucson’s perennially popular FST (Female Storytellers) kicks things off at 7:30 pm Thursday with a “best of” show featuring fan favorites from their monthly series in 2018. Featured in the 9 p.m. show are the female members of the long-running improv team, Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed. NBOJU is the origin story of the veteran improv company behind Unscrewed Theatre.
Friday’s 6 p.m. show spotlights Unscrewed’s unique From the Top musical improv team. Based on one audience suggestion, they literally create a musical comedy from scratch. The 7:30 and 10:30 pm time slots Friday are devoted to women’s stand-up comedy featuring a baker’s dozen of popular locals and two Phoenicians with national reputations.
At the 7:30 show, Comedienne August O’neal brings a rib-shaking mix of glamour and “anti-feminist-pro-woman” (her motto) attitude. The 10:30 pm. Show features one of Tucson comedy’s favorite Phoenicians, Leslie Barton, in a pro-am mix. The show includes some top students from TIM’s standup comedy course taught by Mo Urban. Urban created the notoriously funny C*nts Being C*nts Talking About C*nts show.
The Best Show Period, the grand finale of the fest, features the leading ladies of Arizona improv in a lineup with Los Angeles improv stars, The Pump. Styling themselves as “8 Boobs, One Heart,” the quartet were a hit in TIM’s Tucson Comedy Arts Festival last November. In 2017, they earned the Del Close award for Best Non-Harold Team. Close was considered the originator of modern improv.
The finale also features Tucson’s longest-running female team, The Riveters; Arizona’s only bilingual team, Como Se Dice; and the venerable JaxN Reed, a duo team from Phoenix’ Torch Theatre that includes the theatre’s co-founder Jacque Arend.
The Best Show Period is at 9 p.m. Saturday, following TIM’s popular weekly short-form show, Throwdown. The show is unusually competitive for improv, with lots of audience participation. In the end, the audience votes for the winning team.
TIM’s CFCF team lead Catherine Bartlett says she takes the most pride in the high praise performers give her crew for their professionalism. Still, nothing beats success like success. “Crazy!” she says. “Multiple sold out shows every night of the fest every year. It shows women have talent and the community is here for it.”
Tags: Tucson Improv Movement , CATcomedy520 , Unscrewed Theatre , TIM Comedy Theatre , Cactus Flower Comedy Festival , Catherine Bartlett , JaxN Reed , Jacque Arend , Stacy Reed , Best Show Period , C*nts Being C*nts Talking About C*nts , Mo Urban , Como Se Dice , Throwdown , short form , improv , Del Close , The Riveters , Comedienne August O;neal , The Pump , Leslie Barton , From the Top , FST , Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed , NBOJU , Image
The opening weekend of the Big Dance saw a lot of chalk, with very few underdogs coming out on top during the week.
That doesn't mean Tucsonans are devoid of teams to root for, with fellow Pac-12 stalwart Oregon making the round of 16, thanks to beating Wisconsin and California-Irvine.
Dana Altman's squad is far from the only team worth rooting for, with several teams sporting storylines that'll keep you hooked in the field.
Without further ado, here's a handy-dandy list of teams you can feel good about rooting for in the Sweet 16.
1. Oregon Ducks (25-12, 12th seed, South region)
Plays top-seed Virginia at 3:59 MST on Thursday (TBS)
The Ducks are the lone double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, thanks to their 10-game win streak that includes a pair of double-digit wins in the first two rounds. Altman's squad embarrassed fifth-seed Wisconsin in the opening round, hitting 54.9 percent of their shots from the field in a 72-54 victory over the Badgers. The Ducks followed that up with a 19-point win over UC-Irvine in the second round, with the Ducks putting on a three-point barrage that was remarkable to watch. Oregon drilled 13 of their 25 shots from three against the Anteaters, with freshman Louis King hitting a team-best four three-pointers on seven attempts. King's performance came into the limelight on Sunday night, when Irvine coach Russell Turner admitted to calling King 'Queen' throughout the game, in a half-assed attempt to rattle the freshman. The tone-deaf attempt at intimidation failed spectacularly, with Turner's squad getting pounded like a two-dollar steak at a truck stop against the Ducks. Oregon now must face top-seed Virginia in Louisville on Thursday, with the winner advancing to play either Purdue or Tennessee in the Elite Eight. Expect the Ducks to be a tough out for Tony Bennett's squad, giving the Pac-12 its best shot at reaching the round of 8 since the Ducks reached the Final Four in 2017.
2. Houston Cougars (33-3, 3rd seed, Midwest region)
Plays second-seed Kentucky at 6:59 MST on Friday (TBS)
Kelvin Sampson's Cougars team continues to defy the odds, beating Georgia State and Ohio State to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 1984. The Cougars face juggernaut Kentucky in the third round, facing long odds at reaching their first Elite 8 since ... well, 1984. The Cougars have one of the nation's fastest offenses, scoring 76.3 points per game this season. Their contest with Kentucky should be a fun one, with the Wildcats averaging 76.4 PPG this year. Houston has a pair of guards, in Corey Davis Jr. and Armoni Brooks, that are a hell of a lot of fun to watch, combining to score 30.3 points per game this year. Watching the pair try to attack the Wildcats' size and speed will be entertaining, with Sampson looking to get the Cougars to the promised land. What's also worth watching is how this team handles the rumor mill surrounding Sampson's future, with the former Indiana and Oklahoma coach rumored to be the top candidate for the University of Arkansas head coaching vacancy. The Cougars are the closest thing to a true underdog in the Sweet 16, so they should be your go-to to cheer for, with no vested interest in anyone else in this darn thing.
Tags: NCAA Tournament , Oregon Ducks , Will Wade , LSU Tigers , Virginia Tech , Gonzaga Bulldogs , Mark Few , Rui Hachimura , Brandon Clarke , Houston Cougars , Kelvin Sampson , Zion Williamson , Image
Tags: comics , politics , cartoons , Claytoonz , exoneration club , exonerated , Trump , Jussie Smollett , OJ , Diet Coke , riff raff , Image
Complexions Contemporary Ballet: Stardust, From Bach to Bowie. You might have heard of this ballet company’s dancers from So You Think You Can Dance or, if you’re into the world of dance companies, because it was founded by former members of Alvin Ailey, Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden. In this tribute to David Bowie, a crew of dancers exuding equal parts talent, charisma and sexual energy dance styles ranging from ballet to hip hop. As the title suggests, the program is set to a wide range of music, all of which encapsulate the world of glitter and glam that Bowie was so much a part of. It’s the type of thing you’ll enjoy if you love technically excellent dancing, but also the type of thing you’ll enjoy if you love music, excitement, sparkles or any fun at all. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. $19 to $80+. Details here.
UA Campus Arboretum Tour. Did you even know that the University of Arizona campus is a national arboretum? And there’s lots to learn about it! Take this opportunity to learn about how this lovely green oasis arose from the sands of the Sonora. Not to mention to spend a nice, March mid-morning walking among a lovely selection of trees and other plants. They say if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. We say if you can’t arbor-etum, then try harder to make time in your schedule, because it’s worth checking out. 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 27. Tour begins at the fountain on the west side of Old Main, 1200 E. University Blvd. (Second Street Garage is the nearest place to park.) Free, but reservations required at visitorcenter.arizona.edu. Details here.
Sullivan’s Travels (Free Screening). For the latest installment of their Widescreen Wednesdays, the faculty from the UA School of Theatre, Film & Television are showing this 1941 comedy. This satirical look at the adventure and comedy genres is free and open to the public, with an introduction by UA assistant professor Kevin Byrne. 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. 1030 N. Olive Road. Free. Details here.
Events compiled by Briannon Wilfong, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.
Tags: fun in general , things to do , local events , cinema , art , trees , dance , nature , UA , mead , drinks , food , Wednesday , March 27 , Image , Video
Promising a saccharine sweet dose of ear candy, Latin indie rockers Tonight’s Sunshine, Diluvio and The Dry River Band are at Club Congress. Details here.
Sub Pop’s abrasive post-punk trio Moaning abrade at Owls Club. Soft Shoulder and Feverfew round out the night. Details here.
Tags: music , where to rock , local , concerts , venues , bands , live music , show , Wednesday , March 27 , Image
