Cover Story
Fall Arts Preview
The slow days of summer are coming to an end—abruptly. On Sept. 1, Tucson’s arts scene will ignite, with a nearly uncountable number of plays, concerts, art exhibitions and readings blazing into arts venues. The happiest arts news is that the city will be blessed with a host of genre-jumping collaborations. Tucson Rocks rolls out…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Talking Comics With Heroes & Villains
This week, Eric and Arnie discuss “Spider Island: Cloak & Dagger #1”, featuring a crime-fighting duo with dubious origins.
Well Done, Flagstaff Sign Tamperer
Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun It’s probably morally wrong to mess with the message displayed on highway signs, and maybe drivers were confused briefly, but just typing “rogue panda” made me chuckle: Fort Valley Road is no panda express. Local drivers making their morning commute Monday were greeted by an electronic sign along the busy stretch…
Let Me Save You the Confusion I Just Experienced
If you happen to see the above post at Pop Culture Brain, a solid site aggregating TV, movie, whatever news, let me make a (unrequested) clarification on that site’s behalf. In that sentence: a) “Paris Hilton” means what you think. The minimally talented heiress/person who doesn’t know when to go away.b) “Oxygen” is referring to…
Let’s Watch the Village People Sing About Milk
I think this is from Can’t Stop the Music, which was the Cool As Ice of its day, a movie counting on the continued success of a musical act that sadly dissipated in the time it takes to make the aforementioned movie. Maybe the rest of the movie is a powerful look into the life…
My Country Has Failed Me
Maybe government officials think I’m joking when I say this state needs an official state food. Maybe that’s why they won’t respond to my e-mails, or, when they do, they say the message has been forwarded and I never hear from them again. It’s almost like this state — which even has an official neckwear,…
What to Listen to Wednesday
If you’re at all like me, one of the most vexing moments of any work day is trying to figure out what to listen to. I usually have really good intentions, wanting to tune into something different and exciting, but then I end up listening to Europe’s greatest hits again. This actually happened to me…
Because Women Deserve More Recognition
Some like to act like gender equality is here and now, but we’re not there yet. Despite a lot of improvement, women still make less and deal with more hurdles to success and recognition than the average man. How do I know this? Because nobody needs to hold a man-themed cooking competition or wine-tasting to…
Let’s Just Go Ahead and Calm Down, Drivers
Listen, I understand that people are terrible drivers. We seem to be surrounded by them, even if somehow we’re the one person who understands the rules of the road at any given time. As my son will remind nearly anyone he talks to (sigh), I’m not above giving someone the finger, but next time, I’ll…
Wilco + Nick Lowe = Musical Goodness
Just because I loved Nick Lowe when I was growing up, and I love Wilco today: Wilco covering Lowe’s “I Love My Label.” Wilco releases The Whole Love on Sept. 27. [Pitchfork]
New Music From Oddisee For Your Listening Pleasure
Rock Creek Park by Oddisee I wish I had more time to keep up with indie hip-hop since there seems to be a lot of great stuff out there, so the music of DC rapper/producer Oddisee was new to me, but his new largely instrumental album Rock Creek Park is a really enjoyable listen, especially…
Science Moves Downtown
The Range got a chance to mingle some of the UA College of Science’s upcoming talent at a reception at Etherton Gallery last night. We hope to tell you more about the scientists—who are studying everything from how our memory works to the measurement of atoms—in the upcoming weeks, but we wanted to share a…
Predictably, Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison Doc Looks Great
To be honest, you probably could slap “Here Comes the Sun” in the background of nearly any movie trailer and I’d get a little watery-eyed (note to the people who make movie trailers: please don’t), but when Martin Scorsese spends four years on a documentary on the life of George Harrison, I’m already clearing out…
Show Us Your Pitch! Go See the Padres!
Samantha Sais There’s still time to enter Tucson Weekly’s first-ever “Show Us Your Pitch” competition, where you can win the chance to throw out the first pitch at Thursday night’s Tucson Padres game! Details here. Speaking of the Padres: Our beloved Triple-A club is in its final homestand at Kino Stadium this week. We’ve got…
I’m Sorry for Even Mentioning Charlie Sheen at This Point
Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen You’re not helping your cause here, Charlie Sheen, with the Dr. Strangelove reference. I’d probably watch the Comedy Central roast in his “honor” if I could be promised a full mental breakdown on stage in the midst of the parade of second rate comedians mocking him, but I suspect…
Coffee News: Café Desta Will Soon Roast Its Own
Café Desta, the Ethiopian eatery at 758 S. Stone Ave., will soon be roasting its own coffee. Telahoun Molla tells us the roaster is already in place and that he hopes to be turning out fair-trade coffee imported from Ethiopia by December. The coffee will be available by the cup and by the bag. “We’re…
Sonora Review Release Party and Benefit
Sonora Review, University of Arizona’s graduate-student-run literary journal, is celebrating the release of their 60th issue at The Poetry Center this Thursday, August 25th, at 8pm. Come on out and help them celebrate! A suggested donation of $5 is appreciated. More from Sonora Review: Sonora Review 60 is coming at you with its tongue wagging…
Finally, the Lisa Frank Biopic You’ve Been Waiting For
Lisa Frank UCBcomedy.com Watch more comedy videos from the twisted minds of the UCB Theatre at UCBcomedy.com The Upright Citizens Brigade left out the part about Lisa Frank’s company being regularly called one of the worst places to work in Tucson, but I guess that doesn’t fit the narrative arc. [HT: Jezebel]
The All-Caps Comment of the Week
This harrowing, emphatically told story comes from commenter “fromnh46” on my post suggesting that you take some time off work tomorrow to grab a drink. I had to pull the comment because our rules prohibit posting in all caps, but the combination of personal tragedy, evangelical message and internet-shouting anger seemed worth some sort of…
Why Haven’t You Entered Our First Pitch Contest?
Remember this post on Friday? The one announcing our really awesome and fun First Pitch contest? What happened, Tucson? I expected to come to work today to an inbox full of YouTube links, but no, none of you had the energy or ambition to shoot a video. This made me very sad. So sad that…
Stegeman’s Defense: ‘I Believe That I Have Done Some Good as President of the Board’
Tucson Unified School District governing board president Mark Stegeman e-mailed a (really long) constituent letter out today discussing everything from board meetings to Mexican American Studies: August 21, 2011 Dear correspondents and supporters, My first constituent letter, last September, covered numerous issues important to TUSD. The May and June letters were much narrower: they focused…
It’s a Trip
I’ve been meaning to see this movie for weeks now. So I was happy to hear that The Loft is screening it until this Thursday (with a possibility of further extending its showing there). But let me backtrack. This movie’s called The Trip, starring British comedian Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, fellow comedian and impressionist.…
Sleeping on a Jet Plane
How do you sleep on a plane? Do you recline back, way back, doin’ the rockaway? Do you deck yourself out in neck donuts and sleeping masks? Or do you tend toward the oh-so-charming open-mouthed, snoring thing (like me)? Do you ever wonder what’s the best way to sleep on a plane? The New York…
Our Most Important National Observance Is This Thursday
Sure, National Duck Out For A Drink Day is a made up holiday, but aren’t they all, in a way? It’s nearly the end of a summer that hasn’t really been good for anyone that I know of, so any excuse to grab a drink is a good one. I personally won’t be participating, because…
Cutie Alert: Reid Park Zoo Welcomes Baby Tamandua
The Reid Park Zoo has a itty-bitty baby tamandua in the house: Reid Park Zoo is pleased to announce another significant birth. A tamandua (pronounced tuh-MAN-deh-wah), or lesser anteater, was born on August 10th. Keepers were anticipating the birth as the pregnancy had been confirmed by ultrasound. Keepers discovered the offspring first thing in the…
Let’s Take a Moment to Appreciate Jaime J.
© Lisa Jo Roden I don’t know exactly how to describe what it is that Jaime J. does as a performer exactly…he has some demos available on his Facebook fan page, however, when I saw him perform at the Fort Lowell Records showcase a while ago, he was removing his clothes then doing the splits…
McCain: For Qaddafi Before He Was Against Qaddafi
Steve Benen of Washington Monthly takes issue with U.S. Sen. John McCain’s complaints that the Obama administration didn’t do more to topple Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi: Here are three things I’d encourage McCain and Graham to keep in mind. First, complaining about getting the outcome they wanted is just cheap. When the fear of Obama…
The New York Magazine Article on Placentas Freaks Me Out
Maybe I’m being a stereotypical male here, grossed out by the birth process and anything related to it, but the trend piece in New York magazine about women eating their own placentas has me wishing the whole thing is a hoax. Turn away if you’re eating anything right now: Mayer then picks up the placenta,…
Rock, Paper…Bull?
Thanks to artist Christoph Niemann, via New York Times Abstract Sunday blog, we now have a handful of additional gestures to add to the Rock, Paper, Scissors game. Although, as Niemann points out, these gestures are geared more towards politicians in Washington than school kids. In addition to the Double Dip Recession gesture, get a…
Tender Meat and Lots of It: Bubb’s Grub
People often lament the number and quality of barbecue joints in Tucson, a problem that should be largely fixed by the opening of the new Mr. K’s, the new Brushfire BBQ, the new goings on at Hog Pit Smokehouse and the new place the cooks from the original Mr. K’s on South Sixth Avenue are…
New Restaurants on UA Campus
Attention Wildcats, et al: The UA Student Unions—The Student Union Memorial Center and Park Student Union—both have some new restaurants, opening on or before August 22. From Sabor, a Mexican restaurant, to the The Mesa Room, dubbed as UA’s only upscale restaurant, there are plenty of places over at The Student Union Memorial Center that…
Thanks for Ruining Chocolate for Me, Hershey’s
I’ve had trouble with mass-produced chocolate for awhile, ever since I heard a presentation about the extent that child slavery is a part of cocoa harvesting in West Africa, but Hershey is apparently trying to scare me away from the delicious stuff forever: For 400 foreign students, working at a Hershey’s chocolate packing plant in…
Buckley For Mayor: Because It’s That Kind of Year
Details to follow.
Name the Zinburger Cow and Win Free Lunch for a Year
Zinburger wants to give its cow icon a name, and needs your help. If they pick your suggestion, you could win free lunch for a year. From Valerie Vinyard, the former Arizona Daily Star writer who now handles public relations for Zinburger and other local eateries: Zinburger Wine and Burger Bar just opened its second…
Day One (Part One) of the Ethnic Studies Appeal: Stegeman Describes Classes’ as Cult-Like
Four witnesses testified during the first day of the three-part administrative hearing on the Tucson Unified School District’s appeal of Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal’s findings that the district’s Mexican American Studies classes defy the state’s anti-ethnic studies law. However, it was the testimony of TUSD board president Mark Stegeman that offered another perspective…
Want to Throw Out the First Pitch?
Head’s up, sports fans! Ever wanted to throw out the first pitch at a Tucson Padres game? Hopefully, you’ll fare a little better than Mariah Carey does above, but regardless, the Tucson Weekly will award one lucky reader the chance to do just that at the final Thirsty Thursday of the season—and all you have…
You’re No Rosie the Riveter, Jan Brewer
Gov. Jan Brewer is such a rebel! She’s over on her Facebook page sticking it the man – well, Facebook at least – for taking down the picture she posted depicting her as Rosie the Riveter in some sort of theatrical protest to President Obama’s plan to let some illegal immigrants stay in the country.…
Idiot Boksen: TELEVISION WILL KILL YOU DEAD
Flickr These children are dying. And you can’t do a damned thing about it. Some time in the mid-’90s, universally-beloved AM radio personality Rush Limbaugh had an ongoing bit regarding SUVs. Essentially, Limbaugh would read, word-for-word, an article from the Marxist lamestream media about how a sport utility vehicle drove off a cliff, or ran…
Coming Soon to Fourth Avenue: Bacon and Craeggs
Breakfast from midnight to noon baby. A breakfast restaurant called Bacon and Craeggs is opening at 601 N. Fourth Ave., right next to Magpie’s Gourmet Pizza. Anais Weeks, who owns the restaurant with Leonard Kisto, says the restaurant is relocating from its current spot on Stone Avenue. Up until now, it has only offered delivery.…
Why the Rich Should Pay More in Taxes
Warren Buffet has come under considerable criticism this week for his notion that the rich should pay more in taxes in this country. One popular critique from the conservatives: Why doesn’t Buffet just pay more himself and leave the rest of the put-upon wealthy Americans alone? The Arizona Republic chimed on that very point today…
The Tucson Weekly Has a Really Nice Rack
Seriously, it does. Check out this little number outside Café Passe on Fourth Avenue. Hipster belt buckle and all.
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Talking (Severely Muscular) Comics
This week, Arnie and Eric look at Robert Kirkman and Rob Liefeld’s collaboration, The Infinite, a time travel story with a number of twists and unique perspectives.
Jon Huntsman Is on a Roll
Apparently, the media machine has decided that the Republican nomination either has to go to a religious zealot with disturbing ideas about modern society or to the hyperpolished Mitt Romney, so Jon Huntsman isn’t going to actually be taken seriously or get coverage. Since he apparently doesn’t just want to give up, he’s turned to…
New Pit Master and Award-Winning Grub at the Hog Pit Smokehouse
The Hog Pit Smokehouse Bar and Grill brought home a first-place trophy this month for their brisket, which was sort of a high point in a period that’s included some big changes for the restaurant. Chef and kitchen manager Charles Kidd says he and the crew earned the trophy at the Golden Acorn Barbecue competition…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Ian Abbott created his BMX park after the city denied access to bikes at local skate parks. Frustrated that the City of Tucson banned bikes from skate parks wouldn’t build a one for BMX bikes, a local man built his own indoor park for the bike community. Check it out. The city officially responds to…
RIP Gracie: When Ugly Things Happen to Beautiful Tucsonans (and Their Dog)
Photo Rodney F. White RIP Gracie, who was killed in an Aug. 14 fire. Crawling away to hide is not an option — at least not for Tucsonan Rodney F. White. He refuses to give up even though his house burned down and he lost much of what he owned. Even though the fire killed…
Planned Parenthood Cuts Abortion Services Outside of Tucson and Phoenix
We mentioned in this week’s Skinny column that Planned Parenthood would be revealing how new abortion restrictions would affect the organization’s services. Today, Planned Parenthood CEO Bryan Howard laid out the changes: At two press conferences today, Bryan Howard, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Arizona talked about how Arizona woman are being affected by abortion…
Finally, Next Level Dodgeball
While I think dodgeball has always been 3-D (even in the normal school yard version, it’s not like you’re rolling the ball, after all), any excuse for adults to jump on trampolines is one I’ll gladly take. Mostly, this version of dodgeball reminds me of Slamball, which was on TV for a little while, which…
Selections From Pop Culture Crosswording
No particular reason for embedding this particular video, other than I enjoy crosswords and get excited when I see people on TV filling them out. It makes me feel like a cool kid for a moment. [NYMag]
Bachmann: An Hombre-ette That Will Give AZ a Border Fence
Along with screwing up Elvis’ birthdate and attacking Warren Buffet, new GOP presidential darling Michelle Bachmann has promised Arizona a fence along every inch of the border. That has been challenging, what with sovereign Native American nations, environmental concerns and geographic problems. But costs be damned! Bachmann said lax enforcement of immigration laws was a…
The (Almost) Unstoppable Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco
Cardboard Shell stalking her prey. The first time I heard of Michelle Lesco was an account of an eating challenge near Phoenix. It said she stopped just shy of finishing to make little houses out of her remaining fries to mock the men who had fallen far behind. She, of course, won the competition, despite…
Finally, a Spy Drama Without the Sex and Interesting Stuff
Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger Full-Length Trailer 1 from NDFilmmaker on Vimeo. Introducing Jimmy Valiant, the hero of a TV pilot bringing some of the ideas from the Bourne series of films, but shoehorning the PG parts into a Christian-friendly theme. Are you tired of seeing James Bond have so much fun, drinking, gambling, and…
Two of the West Memphis 3 to Be Released
Crazy, unexpected and thoroughly welcome news: WREG-TV has learned an agreement has been reached to release two of the West Memphis 3. Multiple sources, including the father of one of the victims, have confirmed this will be announced at a special hearing Friday. That hearing is scheduled to be held in Jonesboro, AR.Damien Echols was…
Six Weeks Till Release of “Lost” Seuss Stories!
I meant what I said and I said what I meant: A Seuss fan is faithful, one hundred percent. That’s why I can’t wait for seven “lost” Dr. Seuss stories to be released Sep. 27. The stories were published in Redbook Magazine in the early ’50s and will be compiled into a book for the…
Let’s Stop Messing With “Blade Runner”
Other than George Lucas and his constant work-in-progress tinkering with the Star Wars films, has there been a movie presented in as many versions than Blade Runner? Wikipedia lists seven, but it seems like there have been hundreds. Well, guess what? While there isn’t a lot of information out there yet, it looks like Scott…
The Best Political Ad in Years
I don’t know what my favorite aspect of this ad that ran in the Austin Chronicle today, but there are a number of contenders. a) The Star Wars font.b) That the guy who paid for the ad claims to have knowledge of Rick Perry’s infidelity because he is “a patron of Austin strip clubs” who…
Going Way Way Back With the Wu-Tang Clan
The audio from this clip is wildly NSFW, but it’s crazy to see Ol’ Dirty Bastard and RZA kicking a freestyle from the pre-WuTang days, possibly in a high school cafeteria or something. I guess there’s not really much holding the old crew together these days, but watching this video reminds me just how mindblowingly…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]: Scooter
Scooter, a 2-year-old Shar Pei mix, is one fun little dude. Scooter wants you to scoot on over to the Humane Society! This perfect companion has all the right qualities to become your new best friend. Scooter is an absolute gentleman who is fully housetrained, loves playing with toys and gets along beautifully with other…
Forty Years Later
This Saturday, you can be transported back to a year of musical magic. Community radio station KXCI FM 91.3 will be transforming the Rialto Theatre into a 1971 time capsule of sorts, where 10 local bands will cover 10 different albums by 10 different bands. Tickets are—you guessed it—$10, and all proceeds will go toward…
Top Ten in Music
1. Rainer with Joey Burns and John Convertino Roll Back the Years (Rainer Music Archive) 2. Bossa Rhythm Project Bossa Rhythm Project (self-released) 3. Grams and Krieger No, You! (Firesweep) 4. The Carnivaleros Happy Homestead (RootaVega) 5. Batucaxé The Blessing of the Beat (self-released) 6. Stefan George Cloth (self-released) 7. Nowhere Man and a Whiskey…
City Week
Local comedy; Writing about war; Local film makers unite and take over!; Hypnotism with an edge
Live
It wasn’t pretentious or pedantic, but Duke Robillard delivered an authoritative seminar in expert blues guitar-playing this past weekend. A founding member of Roomful of Blues in the 1960s, guitarist for the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the 1990s and a constantly touring bandleader, the 62-year-old Robillard also is a busy teacher, marketing DVDs and online lessons.…
Editor’s Note
Dear Arts Organizations of Tucson, Hey there. Jimmy Boegle here. I edit the Tucson Weekly, and … well, we need to have a talk. Here’s the deal: A lot of you really need to learn how to promote yourselves better. Frankly, when it comes to getting the word out … some of you really, really…
TQ&A
Jared McKinley (aka Kitty Kat) is a co-founder of Powhaus Productions, an organization responsible for some of the biggest and boldest events in Tucson. In only two years, McKinley has made his mark, producing not only events, but also videos, a TV show and a live magazine. The latest project is “Tulle: A Tribute to…
Nekromantix: What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell (Hellcat)
On their new album—the title, of course, alludes to the famous Las Vegas tourism slogan—Danish-American psychobilly trio Nekromantix seem content to create music with a tongue-in-cheek horror shtick. Sexy new drummer Lux, a YouTube sensation known for her technical prowess and the fact that she plays the kit in high heels, brings a precise, forceful…
Danehy
Back in the 1980s, my brother-in-law, Jesse, had as his best friend the only black kid in the entire town of Douglas. The kid’s name was Leroy, and he was a good guy, although his taste in music pretty much blew. He’d listen to reggae-lite like The Police and Men at Work, and some heavier…
Good Drama
When Tom Hanks collected his Best Actor Oscar for Philadelphia, he said, “I would not be standing here if it weren’t for … Mr. Rawley Farnsworth, who was my high school drama teacher.” My old schoolmate Kathy Bates—we went to White Station High School in Memphis, Tenn.—has made it a point to offer gratitude publicly…
The Horrors: Skying (XL)
What would happen if Wednesday Addams unraveled her braids, exchanged her black dress for a spry Jenny Packham shift, and applied some lip gloss? What if she found herself at gallery openings and strange after-parties in the Hollywood Hills, where she’d kick off her nude clogs to dip her feet in the pool? The Horrors…
Downing
The 100th anniversary of Lucille Ball’s birth prompted a huge outpouring of affection—up to and including an elaborate Google doodle. That people love her so much always surprises me. I watched reruns of her show—a lot—when I was a little kid back in the early ’60s. I Love Lucy was one of the few things…
Things Get Weird
In Julia Elliott’s pleasurably unsettling story “The Wilds,” a young girl, decked out in her mother’s chiffon evening dress and a bird-bone-bejeweled Burger King crown, is caught spying on the neighbor boys. The boys capture and drag her to their hideout, where they confiscate her Crown Royal pouch of magical things—”lipsticks, notebook, (a) voodoo doll…
Her Space Holiday: Her Space Holiday (No More Good Ideas)
For 15 years, indietronica wizard Marc Bianchi has been quietly—perhaps too quietly—crafting bedroom pop for intelligent and sensitive shut-ins. Now, with a self-released and self-titled album of lush, baroque indie rock, Bianchi puts to rest the commercially un-ambitious but artistically influential project he started in 1996. Indeed, it wasn’t that long ago that Her Space…
Mailbag
Two takes on Tom Danehy’s word choice regarding the president and a correction.
Top Ten in Books
1. The Help Kathryn Stockett, Berkley ($16) 2. One Amazing Thing Chitra Divakaruni, Voice ($13.99) 3. Fidelity: How to Create a Loving Relationship That Lasts Thich Nhat Hanh, Parallax ($12.95) 4. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, Harper ($14.99) 5. Miss Peregrine’s Home for…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Readers: Your faithful Mexican is putting the final touches on his coming magnum opus, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America (out in April 2012) and is thus at the rancho, getting handmade tortillas made by his chica in pigtails while I work on rewrites. But instead of a “best of” columna, I’ve decided…
Guest Commentary
Irene Ortiz endured an abusive marriage for 15 years. Ortiz was an undocumented immigrant. Armed with only a sixth-grade education, Ortiz married at 18 and moved to Douglas with her new husband. After five children, other women and many years of abuse, her alcoholic husband refused to help her get her papers. Battered immigrant women…
Worlds Collide
Another Earth is being marketed as a science-fiction film, and that could sell some extra tickets. However, the film shouldn’t need the help, and while it’s true that there is one major element of the movie that is sci-fi, that is not the engine that drives this low-budget affair. More than anything, this is a…
Voting for Change
They walk out of prisons and back into our lives by the thousands each year. But as released felons come home, those returns are laced with overpowering contradictions. Such as the fact that people who’ve done their time are expected to swan-dive back into life as upstanding citizens, only to find the pond half-empty. They…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Rio 20th Century Fox 2. Limitless Relativity 3. Paul Universal 4. Your Highness Universal 5. Source Code Summit 6. Super MPI 7. Soul Surfer Sony 8. Mars Needs Moms Disney 9. Take Me Home Tonight Relativity 10. Jumping the Broom Sony
The Skinny
Sen. Jon Kyl: Super Man? … Gov. Jan Brewer’s plan to cut health care for poor Arizonans wins a round in court … Getting an abortion in Arizona is going to become more difficult … and so much more!
Failed Delivery
Remember that poor sap Brian Douglas Wells, the pizza deliveryman who robbed a bank eight years ago with a bomb strapped to his neck? The bomb eventually detonated and killed Wells—an event that was decidedly unfunny. Apparently, director Ruben Fleischer and his screenwriters remember Wells, because they have made a comedy about a fictional pizza…
Media Watch
A new voice at AZPM; Dave Devine leaves the Tucson Weekly; Ryan Recker expands his empire; KZLZ gets stronger
Now Showing at Home
Cul-de-sac (Blu-ray); Better Off Dead (Blu-ray); Eastbound and Down: The Complete Second Season
Limited Appeal
On Friday, Aug. 19, lawyers representing the Tucson Unified School District will be in Phoenix for the first portion of a three-part administrative hearing that may determine the future of the district’s Mexican-American studies classes. The point of the hearing is to ask the state for clarification regarding John Huppenthal’s findings that the classes violate…
In New Digs
While downtown Tucson’s restaurant scene is growing in both abundance and diversity, it’s severely lacking in patio and green space. V Fine Thai Dining, formerly Vila Thai, is filling that void with their new digs in the space that used to house Chileverde and Centro. The new incarnation of V Thai is nearly triple the…
Police Dispatch
Drive-by Pointing; Getting medical help for man’s best friend
Noshing Around
Steaks by students; Sparkroot opens; Mr. K’s takes over for Chili’s; and more!
Weekly Wide Web
Dan Gibson isn’t going to let Klout run his life; The week on The Range…and more!
Out With the Old
The operative word for HAIRSPRAYFIREANDGIRLS is different. When the band formed two years ago—with members from well-regarded Tucson bands Red Switch, Bombs for the Bored and Chango Malo—nobody wanted a simple retread. HAIRSPRAYFIREANDGIRLS was to be an entirely new adventure. “I didn’t want it to sound like any other band any of us had been…
Loan Star
Democratic City Council candidate Joe Flores stood in front of Pima County Democratic Party headquarters on a warm morning last week and demanded the resignation of county party chairman Jeff Rogers. “Jeff Rogers and executive committee members, who have become dictators, need to let the Democratic voters decide who to vote for,” said Flores, who…
Soundbites
The Bled break up; Even more benefit shows; Lisa Otey and her friends; Powhaus returns; and more!
Where to Spend?
A May 3 article in The New York Times touted a new television deal for the Pac-12 Conference with Fox and ESPN that will bring in about $3 billion over 12 years. The announcement undoubtedly led to smiles within the UA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. However, will that money lead anybody on the UA’s academic…
Wild and Crazy Banjo
If any modern artist in the pop-culture pantheon deserves to be bestowed with the title “Renaissance Man,” it is Steve Martin. Not only is he an author of novels and novellas, screenplays and short humor pieces; he is also a playwright, an actor, a magician, an art collector, a juggler, a singer, a songwriter and…
Nine Questions
Ned Garn, 45, grew up in Northeast Ohio and now lives in Tucson with his family. He is an attorney who handles matters involving wrongful termination of employment, legal malpractice and other civil litigation. He enjoys hiking, reading, recording with GarageBand and puttering around the house. What was the first concert you ever saw? Chick…
Allen’s Organics Brings More Organic Veggies to the Masses
Nancy Dudney of Allen’s Organics says the best day to visit the store at 741 S. Campbell Ave. is Sunday. That’s when her brother busts out the Weber to grill up samples of the huge variety of local vegetables the store specializes in. The operation started last November with the goal of making more local…
Antenori Takes First Step Toward Running for Giffords’ Congressional Seat
Frank Antenori State Sen. Frank Antenori is officially testing the waters for a campaign to win the Congressional District 8 seat now held by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, who is recovering after being shot in the head on Jan. 8, has not yet said whether she will seek reelection next year. Antenori, who has built…
Pub Grubbing: Surly Wench Pub
This is the first in a new blog series about bar food and the people who cook it. It is another attempt to look at aspects of food culture that slip through the cracks. God help us all. Dave Carroll is tough. His cheese steaks are not. The Surly Wench Pub is a bar at…
Win Tickets to See Amos Lee With Calexico!
Amos Lee, whose most recent album Mission Bell was produced by Joey Burns, will be recording an episode of the PBS series Live at the Artists Den here at the Fox Theatre with Calexico on August 23rd. The show is invite-only, but if you hurry (the deadline to enter is tomorrow has been extended until…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]: Amus
Update: Amus has been adopted! But don’t cry, friend; there are many more animals at the HSSAZ that would love a home. Amus, an 11-month-old shepherd mix, wants you to become a familiar face. Amazing Amus is a smart and appreciative dog with the joyful innocence of a puppy and the loyalty of an old…
