Cover Stories
Keeping the Tradition Alive
The Tucson International Mariachi Conference will celebrate its 31st anniversary this weekend with a three-day conference that spotlights an age-old musical tradition. The conference, established in 1982, began as a way to teach the culture and tradition of mariachi to the younger generation throughout Tucson, said Alfonso Dancil, the conference’s board chairman. While the educational…
The Magic of Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes with Capsula and Chicha Dust 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 30 Club Congress 311 E. Congress St. 622-8848; hotelcongress.com/club Additionally, Hotel Congress is hosting a free screening of Worst Possible Illusion: The Curiosity Cabinet of Vik Muniz, which features the music of Os Mutantes on their patio, Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. Some…
Want to Kick Smoking? Like Mobile Apps? Then Arizona’s College of Medicine Wants You
University of Arizona behavioral psychologist Dr. Judith Gordon is seeking smokers, former smokers and people currently using prescription meds in an attempt to kick the habit for their participation in testing an anti-smoking app. According to a press release, the app is basically an alarm clock, reminding people to take their medication — then later…
A New Reason to Keep Living in Tucson: The Air is Great
Rejoice, Tucsonans! According to the American Lung Association, Tucson is among one of the best places to have lungs in this fair country of ours. In a study released late last month, Tucson placed among the top sixteen cities in the country for both year-round and short-term particle pollution, along with fellow Arizona cities and…
Critter of the Week: Castiel
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Castiel, a 1-year-old, male, Shepherd mixReference No. 744970 Castiel is a gentleman and a scholar! This ambitious Canine College student is at the top of his class and reaching his potential every day. This brilliant boy has mastered a reliable sit, down, shake, crawl, rollover, leave it and…
An Oregon School Ran a Surprise ‘Gunman on Campus’ Drill
Oregon’s Pine Eagle Charter School is in hot water today after running an exercise that featured two gunmen bursting into a meeting on campus, and opening fire on faculty while students were at home on an in-service day. No one was hurt, however — the guns were loaded with blanks. The perpetrators? Faculty at Pine…
The Continuing Saga of Dean Saxton, the “You Deserve Rape” Guy
The “Brother Dean Samuel” controversy on the U of A campus continues, with counter-protests intended to detract from his “You Deserve Rape” sign/message now a regular part of his campus appearances.
Bring a Pet into Your Family This Week
Sara Gromley, public relations coordinator for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, holds Gabi, a special needs FIV-positive cat who recently found her perfect home. This week at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, adopt an animal for a discounted price. Tuesday through Friday, the adoption fee will be waived for select animals. Saturday and…
ASDB Meeting Grows Tense as Board Ignores Calls to Renew Administrator’s Contract
The Tucson Weekly was going to press during today’s Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind board meeting. Look in Thursday’s issue for a story on student demands and staff concerns. The board of directors of the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind decided today to hire an independent investigator to look into…
Live Out the Rest of Your Life on Mars
If you were to watch the above video without any background, you may think it’s a trailer for the latest space disaster movie. But you’d be wrong. Mars One announced last Monday that they will being accepting applications from people 18 years or older to apply for a one-way ticket to Mars. They would depart…
Entry for Kore Press Fiction Contest Ends Tonight
Send Kore Press your poetry! Your prose! Your fiction! Join 55 emerging writers whose careers were launched after publishing with Kore Press, and send in your manuscripts. A prize of $1,000 and a chapbook publication is given annually by Kore Press. Kate Bernheimer, author of novels, stories, children’s books, and essays, will be the judge…
Bad News/Good News: Os Mutantes Show Cancelled, But Club Congress is Making it Up To You Tonight
Straight from the good folks over at Club Congress, it appears that Os Mutantes, featured on our cover last week, is having transportation issues and can’t make it to Tucson in time for the show. But, like Bradley Cooper, Club Congress is finding that silver lining, and offering a show tonight, featuring Capsula and local…
Is 47 Scott’s Stack of Grilled Cheese the Best Cheese Sandwich in the U.S.?
We gave a nod to Esquire’s coverage of 47 Scott’s Stack of Grilled Cheese, as part of their month honoring sandwiches made of cheese-filled sandwiches that have been warmed on a grill, but we neglected to inform you that 47 Scott is among the contestants to earn the title of America’s Most Life-Changing Grilled Cheese,…
Have You Submitted Your Best of Tucson® Ballot Yet?
Hey folks, if you haven’t yet submitted your ballot for the magical Best of Tucson® 2013 yet, what’re you waiting for? Voting ends on May 31, meaning you’ve got one month to tell us what your favorite Tucson hangouts, stores, restaurants and watering holes are. Hit the link below for the ballot — and as…
Canadian College Students Question Sexuality in Ads, Flip the Script
This video comes from a trio of ladies out of the University of Saskatchewan, where Sarah Zelinski, Kayla Hatzel and Dylan Lambi-Raine created this video for their Women and Gender Studies class. In it, they examine the way in which women are sexualizied in advertising media, and question how such ads affect violence against women.…
Rancid, Transplants Announce Rialto Stop
Courtesy, Transplants Punk giants Rancid and Transplants have announced a show at the Rialto Theatre this summer on July 23 after announcing the release of the Transplants’ forthcoming record, In A Warzone, set to drop on June 25. Tim Armstrong, who fronts both bands, will play both sets at each show, backed by Blink-182’s Travis…
A Michigan Mom Thinks the Diary of Anne Frank is Too ‘Pornographic’ For Michigan Teens
A “concerned parent” in Michigan wants a version of The Diary of Anne Frank to be banned because it contains “pornographic” material. In this case, “concerned parent” is shorthand for “complete f—king idiot.” According to Gawker, Gail Horalek of Northville, Mich. filed a complaint with the local school district on behalf of her daughter, who…
Unemployed Tucsonans, Your Job Search Is Over: A Hirsute Man Wants You
Times are still tough out there, folks. Though the local unemployment rate is hovering around 7.3%, we’ve found a gig for an enterprising job hunter: a strange, fairly lucrative job opportunity, paying $30 an hour. The catch? You might have to drive to Sahuarita. Oh, and you have to spend that hour removing a man’s…
Rialto’s Latest Announcement: Geto Boys, Iris DeMent, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Courtesy, Constellation Records The Rialto Theatre recently announced a rather eclectic set of upcoming shows, spanning rap, folk and post-rock. Geto Boys will make a stop in Tucson on June 11 as part of a scattered tour around the U.S. The iconic rap trio hasn’t released a new record since 2005, but has continued to…
47 Scott’s Stack of Grilled Cheese is Joy On Grilled Bread
esquire.com All April long, Esquire’s “Eat Like a Man” food blog has celebrated the joy of grilled cheese sandwiches — in honor of April arbitrarily being named “Grilled Cheese Month” like so many other randomly-decided-upon months of celebration — by reviewing sandwiches from across the country. The requirements are simple: two slices of bread, a…
Local Author Michael Frissore’s Short Story Collection is “Absurdism At Its Best”
Local author Michael Frissore, from Oro Valley, has published a collection of strange short stories dating back to the ’90s. Puppet Shows is a collection of thirteen short stories which Frissore called his “babies,” which he has written throughout his writing career. The oldest of the stories, “Dinner at Wither Port,” was written 20 years…
Add Summer Color to Your Landscape With a Potted Garden
Marylee, Potted Desert Gardener Summer Desert Potted Color Color in the summer in pots! You bet! And some can even be achieved with low water plants such as the potted garden in this picture. Combining purple heart and lantana in a low water pot is terrific! (Now please note — I did not say no…
Obscure Indie-Rock Sergio
We feel like we found the candy house at the end of the breadcrumb trail. It’s called Alarma : nine solo tracks revealing a side of Sergio Mendoza we never knew. Not only is it not big-band cumbia, it’s not the blue jazz Mendoza started out playing before that fateful night he and his band…
A Story on Putting Drugs Up Your Vagina is Very, Well, Disappointing
A blog post in Jezebel about women getting together and putting drugs up their vaginas as an experiment on getting high sounded strangely intriguing at first, but ended up being disappointing. Don’t bother not trying this at home folks. In “Cunt Odyssey: Search for Vaginal Datapoints,” they reported on their experiences and…well, yeah, not much…
Shining Idealist Matt Salmon Drafts Amendment that Would Create Congressional Term Limits
Oh Matt Salmon. You’re one of those strange, rare cases in American politics where someone actually sticks to their word despite how detrimental it may be to their political career — because they don’t view politics as a career. Salmon, who is in his second stint representing Arizona in Congress, last week proposed an amendment…
12-year NBA Veteran Jason Collins Comes Out
In what’s actually fairly important news coming out of the world of professional sports, NBA veteran journeyman Jason Collins came out in a Sports Illustrated cover story hitting newsstands this week, making him the first active, American male professional athlete to come out. From Sports Illustrated: Why am I coming out now? Well, I started…
Flake’s Ratings Take a Dive in Wake of Background-Check Vote
Sen. Jeff Flake has seen his approval numbers plummet in the wake of his vote against legislation that would have required background on firearm sales at gun shows, online marketplaces and other advertised transactions, according to a new poll released today. Public Policy Polling released a survey today that shows: After just 3 months in…
Nothing Says “I Love You” to “Hispanics” Like a Sonoran Hot Dog
According to a press release (which, by the way, is different than an actual story, cultivating sources or an actual submitted opinion column) from the Arizona Diamondbacks, they are now going to offer a Sonoran-style hot dog at home games for seven bucks. Woweee. Seriously, that just doesn’t seem right, offering up bacon-wrapped goodness in…
Tonight: Benefit for Tucson Drummer James Hunt
From 6 to 10 p.m., and most likely a little later, you can take in some great bands for a good reason. Whiskey Tango,140 S Kolb Road, hosts a benefit for AmoSphere drummer James Hunt, who was recently diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Hunt’s news arrived around the same time his mother passed away. To…
Tonight: Benefit for Tucson Drummer James Hunt
From 6 to 10 p.m. (and most likely a little later), you can take in some great bands for a good reason. Whiskey Tango, 140 S. Kolb Road, hosts a benefit for AmoSphere drummer James Hunt, who was recently diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Hunt’s news arrived around the same time his mother passed away.…
Need More Reasons to Support Daniel Buckley’s Kickstarter campaign? How About One Freaking Cool Award
First, let’s offer our congratulations. Over the weekend, filmmaker, writer and former Tucson Citizen staffer Daniel Buckley, was inducted into the Mariachi Hall of Fame by national mariachi conference board president Alfonso Dancil during the 2013 Espectacular Concert on Friday, April 26. In Buckley’s own words Friday night: Profoundly humbled and honored to have been…
NFL Draft Aftermath: Arizona QB Signs With Jacksonville
Following the first NFL Draft without a University of Arizona player drafted since 2005, Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott didn’t have to wait long before securing a free-agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Got a chip on my shoulder I’m coming for someone’s spot #yougonelearntoday #jaguars— Matt Scott (@mscottqb10) April 28, 2013 Scott was projected as…
Cyclovia Redux: The Mid-Town Version Has 120 Things to Do.
Cyclovia clears traffic off five miles of city streets so people can ride their bikes, then offers 120 reasons to dismount and do something else. Here’s a map that shows the route, and what’s happening where along its path. www.cycloviatucson.org_wp-content_uploads_2010_02_Map_28_letter_print.pdf It’s all in the name of fun and community in the season’s second Cyclovia event,…
AZ Illustrated Politics: Senate Tackles Immigration, Background Checks Fallout, Medicaid Expansion Stalemate, 2014 Governor’s Race & More
On AZ Illustrated Politics last night: Host Jim Nintzel, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Lea Marquez-Peterson, former state lawmaker Jonathan Paton and former Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers discussed whether the Boston Marathon bombing would disrupt immigration reform; how the fallout from the Senate’s failure to expand background checks on gun sales…
Go to Retro Game Show Night Saturday, Listen to Me Pick Songs After
You don’t have a ton of opportunities to attend a live game show hosted by someone named “Tempest DuJour” but this Saturday at 7 pm, Retro Game Show Night returns to Club Congress this Saturday night with a likely bawdy take on the classic show, the Match Game. Plus, if this sort of thing interests…
San Diego and Tijuana Make Joint Bid for 2024 Olympics
Courtesy of the International Olympic Committee The 2024 Summer Olympics are over 10 years away, but in a move true to the publicity-mongering fashion of the International Olympic Committee, reports on what cities are bidding on the Games are already surfacing. Of the 10 cities so far that have discussed putting in a bid to…
Curious Camera Exhibition Kicks Off Fifth Year at ArtsEye Gallery
Courtesy of the ArtsEye Gallery website If you have an affinity for photography, or are camera-challenged but inquisitive into how the medium works, the ArtsEye Gallery’s annual Curious Camera Event might be a fitting event for your weekend agenda. Returning for the fifth year on Saturday, the Curious Camera Gallery encourages visitors to “embrace the…
Controversy on UA Campus
Dean Saxton, commonly referred to as “Brother Dean Samuel,” is a junior at UA who known for making bold statements in his messages to the student body as they pass by on the mall. Usually, his messages are suggestive and to some, offensive, but his message this week may have gone to far. “You Deserve…
Could Kids’ PSAs Be the End of Bullying?
Are you a bully, or a bully-ee? Most of us, thankfully, are neither. But a showcase of 30-second PSAs by Tucson kids could make the rest of us the most powerful people of all in bringing about an end to bullying. “Bystander Empowerment” is the theme of a host of PSAs to be shown at…
Take a Look at the Poignant May Cover of ‘Boston’ Magazine
Image Courtesy of Boston Magazine When a cover of a publication is circulating the Internet under headlines touting it as “incredible,” “beautiful” and even“perfect” before the issue is released, it’s a pretty good indication that your designers have done something right. When Boston Magazine released the above image – its May cover – this morning,…
Tucson’s Friend Al Madrigal: ‘Daily Show’ Segment MAS Magical Burritors Highest Viewed
A great interview today in the Huffington Post Latino Voices. While you can read the entire piece here, it isn’t until the end that the Daily Show contributor and comic talks about Tucson, and yes, Mexican-American studies and his (in)famous interview with Tucson Unified School District governing board member Michael Hicks. Here’s what he says…
RIP, George Jones
George Jones, one of the greatest singers in contemporary music history, the man Frank Sinatra referred to as “the second best singer in America,” about whom Waylon Jennings sang “If we all could sound like we wanted to, we’d all sound like George Jones,” has passed away. When musicians die, it seems like there’s an…
Watershed Management Group to Hold Educational Rebate Session
The Watershed Management Group holds several educational sessions throughout the year to help citizens of their community to be smart about their water usage. “Almost every weekend we’re running a workshop for two that’s free and open to the public to come and sit in,” said Catlow Shipek, co-founder and senior program manager with WMG.…
Call to Artists: 1st Annual Piñata and Palito Auction
This is the kind of project that makes me want to put out a list of requests — a call to artists for Where Tradition Shakes Modern Art, the first annual Piñata and Palito Auction. Sponsored by the Tapatio Foundation, a new nonprofit dedicated to providing scholarships to youth, ages 5 to 18, for a…
Tonight: The SONORAN STRANGE
Early last year, Weekly world central interviewed Tucson poet and performance artist Logan Phillips who was one of of five Arizona artists (three from Tucson) to receive a 2012 Artist Project Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Logan’s project is The Sonoran Strange, a multimedia theater work he’s performed in different spaces and…
Midtown Evacuation Due to Suspicious Bag?
Hey Midtowners, are you one of the dearly evacuated today? Reports going around that a suspicious bag was seen in parking lot at HOPE Inc., 1200 N. Country Club Road. Still waiting for an update from Tucson Police Department public information officer Sgt. Chris Widmer, but the center and a nearby school were evacuated. Everyone…
Need a Few More Reasons to Support Chris Summitt’s GoFundMe Campaign?
Last weekend, folks driving through the westside along Speedway Boulevard west of I-10 noticed a protest taking place in front of the Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind. One person who definitely noticed, got out of his car and grabbed his camera is Chris Summitt. Summitt then did what he does best and…
Democrat Fred DuVal: “Arizona Is Facing A Tipping Point”
Jim Nintzel Democrat Fred DuVal. Democrat Fred DuVal made his formal entrance into the 2014 governor’s race yesterday. A native Arizonan who grew up in Tucson, DuVal served in Bruce Babbitt’s gubernatorial administration in the 1980s and in the Clinton White House in the 1990s. In 2002, he made an unsuccessful run for Congress in…
Saturday Night Live to Launch Extensive Digital Archive, If Only for My Amusement
Original Video- More videos at TinyPic This is probably an indicator that I am old and didn’t get out much when I was younger, but Saturday Night Live is a big deal to me. Yes, when I had a DVR and watched episodes on Sunday at some point waiting for something funny to happen, I…
Hi-Tech Bed on Display at the Pima County Fair
After the Ferris wheel rides, eating cotton candy and playing games at the fair, you might want to plop down on a bed for a rest. This year, you are in luck. Reverie (www.reverie.com) introduced its “Made for Mobile” 7S bed and you can “rest-test” it at the fair. The hi-tech bed has an adjustable…
We Have Our Celebrity Showdown Finalists
I have to say I’m somewhat surprised, but Janos Wilder, who might be the one “contestant” in the Tucson Weekly Celebrity Showdown who cares at all about the results, rolls into the finals with a dominating win over Amanda Beard (72% to 28%) to meet Gabrielle Giffords in the final (who dispatched Richard Carmona in…
Delta Gamma [CENSORED] Punts Awesome Email Author to the Curb
Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter from Michael Shannon Delta Gamma really might be the sorority home of “little asswipe[s] that stand in the corners at night” and/or “weird shit[s] that do weird shit during the day,” as they have kicked poet/visionary Rebecca Martinson out of their “so FUCKING boring” University of…
Five Facebook Comments Left on the Photo of George W. Bush Kissing Jan Brewer’s Head
So, this happened: And, of course, when you get two figures of such magnitude in one photo posted on Facebook, big feelings are bound to arise. Here are five of the numerous comments left below the image:
Soundbites
My God, it’s full of festivals — the week’s schedule, that is.
Discreet Dispensary
Rainbow Collective Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m., seven days a week 4695 N. Oracle Road, Suite 117 789-6337;rainbowcollective.com Pluses: Decent prices, convenience, selection (numerous strains) Minuses: No lab numbers, prices steep on top-shelf strains, “Don’t Talk About Rainbow Club” rule. Shhhhh. There’s a dispensary on Oracle Road, right across the street from Tucson Mall. The Rainbow…
No Surprises
Tom Cruise spends most of Oblivion in a goofy, impractical-looking leather spacesuit get-up that clashes with his 2013 hairstyle and recalls Captain EO. It’s silly to notice these things, but Oblivion is the sort of film that causes you to notice such trivial matters, for the movie surrounding that goofy outfit is not very good.…
Downing
During the nearly 40 years that I’ve been in Tucson, I have lived in seven separate locations, all of them between Speedway and Broadway. The farthest west was on the other side of Stone; the farthest east was where I live now, near Rincon High. I can’t explain this territoriality. I didn’t think about it.…
Media Watch
The Occupied Tucson Citizen is out and looking to make waves against big Tucson names, such as Jim Click and Don Diamond.
True TV
You Should Watch It Happy Endings Friday, April 26 (ABC) One-Hour Season Finale: At least what could be Happy Endings’ final season got to play out on real TV: Fellow too-hip-for-the-network comedy Don’t Trust the B in Apt. 23’s unaired last eight episodes will trickle out on ABC.com, Hulu and iTunes on Friday, May 17.…
Ask a Mexican!
The Mexican educates a reader on ranchera music; and another on the use of outdated insults.
Guest Commentary
The job market is getting better, and that’s good. But things are still a lot tougher for some than for others. That’s certainly true for youth. The unemployment rate for youth in this country is disproportionately high. For those age 20 to 24, it’s 13.3 percent—almost twice the national average of 7.6 percent. For teens,…
Top Ten in Music
1. The Resonars Crummy Desert Sound 2. Black Sun Ensemble Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden 3. Jodie Cosmo Staying Power 7″ 45 4. Ty Segall and White Fence Hair 5. Öm Advaitic Songs 6. Iron Lung White Glove Test 7. Stoic Violence Stoic Violence 8. Damned Machine Gun Etiquette 9. 13th…
Police Dispatch
The lessons learned this week: Smoking cigarettes will make you the kind of person who hangs out in laundromats; and taking dance classes at UA gets you repeatedly punched by frat-bro stereotypes.
The Skinny
This week, we round up the candidates for the 2014 race for the governor’s office … HB 2822 aims to change Arizona’s recall rules … and does Ron Barber’s fundraising signal a possible run for re-election?
Nine Questions
A mariachi teacher for 10 years at Pueblo High School and music director of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference for three years, John Contreras has been involved in mariachi since he was 6 years old. The conference’s Espectacular concert is Friday, April 26, and Contreras is excited that Sebastien De La Cruz, a preteen seen…
Re-enactment Risk-taking
Row After Row Presented by Winding Road Theater Ensemble 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday, through Sunday, May 5 Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. Sixth Ave. $17-$20 Runs 80 minutes, with no intermission 401-3626; windingroadtheater.org Although Winding Road Theater Ensemble is a relatively new group among an impressive array of homegrown theaters, its…
Life Behind Bars
Detention Art Exhibition Gallery open 1 to 5 p.m.; closing reception 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 27 Industria Studios, 1441 E. 17th St. (entrance on Vine between 16th and 17th streets) Free 235-0797; paintingbynumbersproject.wordpress.com Thirty percent of proceeds from sales of the art benefits the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, which provides free…
Live
Fans and curiosity-seekers who first sold out the Rialto and then AVA to see this until-recently-anonymous 70-year-old grandfather and construction worker, may have experienced even more than they bargained for at Friday’s concert. Somewhat lost in the legend, the mystery, the Academy-Award winning documentary and the one titillating, drug-drenched song that everyone seems to know,…
Birds and Bugs and Whales, Oh My!
Primavera Dance Concert Performed by ZUZI! Dance Company 7:30 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 26, 27 and 28 ZUZI! Theater in the Historic YWCA, 738 N. Fifth Ave. $20 general; $15 seniors, students and military 629-0237; zuzimoveit.org Tucson Weekly arts editor Margaret Regan reports on the arts twice monthly on The Buckmaster Show, which…
Caitlin Rose: The Stand-In (ATO)
The reason alt-country was able to mount an attack against mainstream country music in the 1990s had everything to do with the putrid sound that characterized Nashville at the time. Alt-country has faded as a trend and Nashville may have righted a bit of the excess of that era, but there’s still a void to…
Top Ten in Books
1. City of Bones Cassandra Clare ($12.99) 2. Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal Mary Roach ($26.95) 3. Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1 George R.R. Martin ($8.99) 4. Clockwork Angel Cassandra Clare ($12.99) 5. Life After Life: A Novel Kate Atkinson ($27.99) 6. The Cold Dish: A Walt Longmire…
Pee Fear
When Republican John Kavanagh presented his strike-everything amendment to the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 20, it wasn’t the first time that Arizona’s transgender community had organized around bathroom issues. The Appropriations Committee chairman’s amendment on who uses what bathroom packed a punch—a criminal charge obviously targeted at trans folks: “A person commits disorderly…
Weekly Wide Web
Earlier this week, I took the time to reflect a bit on Internet monolith Amazon’s attempt at branching out into the world of original video content, reviewing a batch of comedy pilots that they released. As I said, surprisingly, they were generally not-terrible – all had at least some redeeming qualities (though given the production…
Ballot Chase
A pair of bills designed to tighten the rules on the use of early ballots are awaiting a final vote in the Arizona House of Representatives. State Sen. Michelle Reagan, who sponsored the legislation, said the bills are designed to ensure that early ballots are only sent to voters who want them and to prevent…
Pedersen On Sports
>His name is Ka’Deem Carey, and he’s a jerkaholic. This isn’t based on personal experience with the University of Arizona’s star running back—I’ve never covered his games or interviewed him—but rather an opinion formed by following his on- and off-the-field (mostly off) exploits the past few years. Again, let me be clear. This is an…
Danehy
DEAR GUN GUYS: I suppose that, by now, the giddiness of watching the NRA use its Senate lackeys to smack around the parents of those dead first-graders is dying down a bit, but y’all are probably still pretty pleased with yourselves. In the words of Jefferson Smith, your powerful gun lobby reached into that hallowed…
Top Ten in Cinema
top ten 1. Django Unchained 2. Hyde Park on Hudson 3. John Dies at the End 4. Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghost of Georgia 5. Hemingway and Gellhorn 6. The Sorcerer and the White Snake 7. Return to Nim’s Island 8. Meet the Fokkens 9. Sexy Evil Genius 10. Not Suitable for Children
Editor’s Note
I have to admit, when I saw that Al Melvin formed an exploratory committee to run for governor, I failed to manage my glee writing about his potential candidacy on The Range. Melvin has been a source of comic gold for me in the past, plus it seems like an impossibility that he’ll actually get…
Chain of a Different Hue
Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road 265-8629; tobykeithusa.com Open 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday (food served until 11); 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday (food served until midnight) Pluses: Big portions; well-seasoned food Minuses: Loud, loud, loud Just about everything about Toby Keith’s…
City Week
Pan Left bounces back after a hard year; Access Tucson celebrates free speech; the community comes together for the Loft Cinema; and a very gay-friendly wedding expo comes together.
Hiding in Plain Sight
It ain’t exactly The Avengers, but The Company You Keep does bring together a few big-screen heroes to show what they can do while they can still do it. Perhaps a more interesting proposition 10 or 20 years ago, the film features Robert Redford, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott and Julie Christie as former…
Noshing Around
We say hello to Sam-wiches And Such; prepare for the Pie Potluck at Whistle Stop Depot; throw together Star Wars cosplay outfits for May 4 at Hotel Congress; and have thoughts on Pizzeria Bianco!
T Q&A
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona will host its 15th annual Puttin’ on the Dog fundraiser at 6 p.m. Friday, April 26, at the Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort. Sara Gromley, public relations coordinator for the HSSA, spoke with the Weekly about the impact of the event, which includes food, wine, live music…
VietNam, Again
VietNam with Ohioan and Liila 7 p.m., Sunday, April 28 Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Free; 21+ 622-8848; hotelcongress.com/club Appropriately, given its moniker, trouble has followed New York’s VietNam. The ragged band was famously exiled from Vice Records, the record label of the notoriously edgy magazine, after releasing just one EP. Speaking by phone…
Tyler, the Creator: Wolf (Odd Future)
Two things will make Tyler, the Creator—a strong personality and often sharp musician—immeasurably better: first, ditching his overused, synthetically modulated vocal gimmick. And, second, avoiding lame attempts at narrative control that are invariably about his (neither interesting nor novel) split personalities. Fittingly, Tyler’s third album, Wolf, is another maddeningly spotty release. Tyler’s obvious wit and…
More Destruction
Cameras were rolling on April 18 as the so-called Gang of Eight senators unveiled their sweeping immigration bill in the rarified halls of Congress. “The legislation isn’t perfect,” conceded Arizona Sen. John McCain as he leaned into the podium before a bipartisan crowd. But “the legislation we’re offering is a comprehensive and workable solution to…
Am.Are.Is: Amorous (Self-Released)
“Emo” is a terrible word. And “screamo” is even worse. So let’s just say that Am.Are.Is play the kind of rock music that At the Drive-In and Thursday forged at the turn of the century. On their debut album, the Tucson foursome continue in that tradition of alternating brutal outbursts with sensitive introspection, both musically…
