Cover Story
Get Out of Town!
It’s become a local holiday tradition, just like Santa Claus, Hanukkah candles and massive traffic messes near Tucson Mall: our annual Get Out of Town! issue. For the uninitiated, here’s what this is all about: Tucson Weekly staff and contributors huddle over a warm yule-log-fueled fire, sip some bourbon-infused holiday nog, and compile a naughty…
Ah Yes, the Radical Homosexual Agenda
Finally, U.S. Congressman Barney Frank comes clean about that there Radical Homosexual Agenda. Frank said the gay agenda is “to be protected against violent crimes driven by bigotry, it’s to be able to get married, it’s to be able to get a job, and it’s to be able to fight for our country. For those…
New in Oro Valley: Blue Banana Frozen Yogurt
There really are blue bananas. Mike Brady, owner of the new Blue Banana Frozen Yogurt in Oro Valley, says they grow in only four places on earth, taste like vanilla ice cream and would be available at the store if he could get a case through customs. One gets the feeling early on that frozen…
Christmas Themed YouTube Video of the Day
Merry Christmas from a Dutch ad agency called CAKE.
Jon Stewart Wins: 9/11 Healthcare Bill Compromise Reached
When Shepard Smith and Jon Stewart team up to get something done, apparently it happens. The New York Times has the news: Under the new agreement, the bill provides $4.3 billion over five years for health coverage to the 9/11 workers, instead of the original $7.4 billion over eight years. In a joint statement issued…
In the Interest of Equal Time: A Vegan Epic Meal
I appreciate vegans embracing humor and gluttony to make their point, but the end product here ranks somewhere between the Epic Meal Time’s Worst Pizza Ever and The Greasiest Sandwich Ever near the bottom of the edibility range.
Obama Signs the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
There are days where I think President Obama is on a personal mission to make me regret voting for him, and then there are days like today when I’m reminded why I did. From his remarks this morning before signing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010: Sixty-six years ago, in the dense,…
Santa Robs Yacht Club; Electric Eel Powers Holiday Lights; and More: Rynski Radio
UPDATED with playlist and download at bottom of postAt least one Santa had a skewed version of the Christmas spirit when he pulled out a gun to rob a Rhode Island yacht club last week. Guess he felt it better to receive than to give. Illustration Ryn Gargulinski Happy holiday javelina That story and more…
Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm for Your Health
According to a New York Times story here, humming isn’t just entertaining, but it could be good for you: In a study in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers examined this by comparing airflow in people when they hummed and when they quietly exhaled. Specifically, they looked to see if humming…
‘Tis the Season for Cannibalism
The holiday season on cable TV has been nice to put me in the mood for (and prepare me for) future apocalyptic holiday seasons with screenings of The Road and Book of Eli. The only shows missing, besides a good marathon of Planet of the Apes, is the 1973 science fiction classic Soylent Green also…
Hey, Bike and Art People: ARTCRANK Coming to Tucson
ARTCRANK 2010 Poster Show Minneapolis from red23films on Vimeo. Making its way through the art files from Nathan Saxton of Borealis Arts, ARTCRANK, a show of bicycle-inspired poster artwork that introduces local artists, is coming to Tucson in late March. The show exhibits one bike-themed piece each from 30 local artists. Here are some basic…
Epic Meal Time Celebrate a Very Meaty Christmas
It’s a gingerbread house, minus the gingerbread, but adding a lot of meat, mashed potatoes, and processed cheese.
FCC Net Neutrality: Watch It Live
Save the Internet.com Coalition has a live feed on the Federal Communications Commission deliberations on Net Neutrality rules. There’s also a Cover It Live blog feed. Go here. Will the FCC Protect the Open Internet?After more than a year of deliberations, the Federal Communications Commission is voting on Net Neutrality rules. Millions of Americans have…
If You Chose Sleep Over Astronomy Last Night…
Here’s what you missed last night, synced up with a Debussy piece that makes the event seem a little more important than it probably was. Classical music classes us any online video, I suppose.
It’s More or Less Official: Arizona Gains a House Seat
From the Washington Post blog, The Fix: The westward movement of the U.S. population means eight districts in states that went for Obama will shift to states that went for McCain — a small but significant shift that could help a GOP presidential candidate in 2012, provided they can hold those states for the party.…
The Blog Post You Must Read Today (If You Enjoy Laughter)
Few people do “angry about everything” quite like Deadspin’s Drew Magary, so when he takes on the more painful aspects of the Christmas season, just enjoy the ride: 9. Ribbons On GiftsSay, this is a nice gift I’ve wrapped for my Dad. You know what would make it even nicer? If I cinched it up…
The Air Force’s (Incredibly Classy) Response to the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
While some former members of the military seem willing to destroy whatever credibility they once had over DADT, it’s nice to know that based on this email sent out today, General Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff for the Air Force, is planning to respond to this news the same way they would to any news:…
Chef Ramiro Scavo Brings Urban-Farm Fare to UA Area
Chef Ramiro Scavo – the former executive chef for the management group that runs Harvest Restaurant, the Grill at Hacienda del Sol and both Zona 78 locations – is opening a restaurant by the UA that will specialize in “urban farm food.” Pasco Kitchen and Lounge will serve “traditional comfort food and drinks, approached with…
The Final Roundtable
We look back on 2010 during the very last Friday Roundtable on KUAT-TV’s Arizona Illustrated. For the last 15 years or so, I’ve had the privilege and honor to appear on the show to interview guests and talk about the week in review. I’d like to say thanks to the crew and staff at Arizona…
Supervisor Ray Carroll: The Last Guest on the Friday Roundtable
Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll was our last guest on the Friday Roundtable. After hearing his answer, I’m still not sure why he thinks it’s a good idea to spend more money building the new sewer plant by having a private company finance it instead of having it done with public bonds.
Lute Olson Receives Honorary Degree From Joe Sweeney’s Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School
Joe Sweeney, Dean of the Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School Former UA basketball coach Lute Olson stopped by the annual Christmas party of the Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School to receive an honorary law degree on Saturday, Dec. 18. The Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School is an unorthodox legal institution created and run by Joe…
John McCain’s Ongoing Erosion: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Edition
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post examines Sen. John McCain’s furious and unsuccessful efforts to thwart the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: McCain’s statement on the floor was roughly one part argument, four parts tantrum. “So here we are about six weeks after an election that repudiated the agenda of the other side,” he…
Listen to a Priest Make Distinctions Between God and an “Imaginary Friend”
From Fox News yesterday, Father Morris (who I think is supposed to be offering a hip perspective on Catholicism on the network, but usually ends up babbling on like an insane person) likes a recent study when it says it’s good to pray, doesn’t like it quite so much when it suggests that talking to…
Tonight!: The Annual Downtown Parade of Lights
Tonight, bright lights and floats from groups all over Tucson will be dazzling everyone along Stone Avenue. The annual Downtown Parade of Lights is in its 16th year now, and begins again tonight at 6:30. The event is fun, family-friendly and free. Bring your kids and join in on the holiday spirit. For a full…
No Special City Council Meeting To Approve Triple-A Baseball Deal for Hi Corbett
It appears that plans to have a Triple-A baseball team play at Hi Corbett Field have hit a snag. The city of Tucson announced earlier this afternoon that “contractual commitments” prevented them from renting Hi Corbett out to the Tucson Padres. We understand that “contractual commitments” have to do with Jay Zucker’s Golden League Baseball…
Three Smokie Kings, and a Baby ‘Lil Smokie
“We three kings of Bacon are / Bearing gifts we roasted afar.” Source here.
I Told You So: Kanye’s Album Pitchfork’s No. 1
When you write about music (or maybe anything, I suppose), there’s a desire to try to step outside of the maelstrom of popular opinion. After all, if people are already interested in and buying the best music out there, what purpose do critics have? A few places asked for my top pick or picks of…
AZ: Ready To Lend a Hand When Lives Are At Stake
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c <td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'Tiny Triumphs – Lethal Drug Shortage www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog March to Keep Fear Alive Colbert notes that Arizona was able to help out California—by providing them with the drug they needed to execute a…
The Last Daily Show Episode of the Year Was Probably the Best
Jon Stewart dedicated the entire episode last night to the delay in passing the Zadroga Bill, which would provide health-care benefits to Sept. 11 first responders. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c <td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'Worst Responders www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog…
East Coast Zinburger, An del Sol, Drinking With Bears, New Year’s Revelry and More!
Zinburger is opening a location on the East Coast. Here’s The New York Times story about it. Mr. An opens his new restaurant at Casino del Sol on Sunday, Dec. 19. An del Sol will specialize in Chinese and Japanese food, and will have a sushi bar. More information here. Thunder Canyon Brewery has its…
Your Entertaining and Informative YouTube Clip of the Day
If you’ve been wondering how many African Americans had speaking parts during the 10 seasons of Friends, a rapping computer drops the knowledge on you via YouTube today (spoiler alert: 24). Mildly NSFW, although I think the educational nature of the presentation makes up for the profanity.
Colbert on Kyl: “It’s So Easy To Forget That the Week After Christmas Is One of the Two Holiest of Holidays”
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c <td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'Christmas Holy Week www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> March to Keep Fear Alive Colbert mocks Kyl’s ridiculous assertion that senators shouldn’t have to work on the week after Christmas. Meanwhile, here’s what MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough had…
These 14 Minutes of Video Might Ruin Your Week
Do you lack genital confidence? Welcome to the dark, dark world of the Tajazzle informercial.
Terrence Malick: Probably Better at Filmmaking Than Everyone Else
I’m not entirely sure what the new Terrence Malick film is about. I just know that based on the trailer and the poster, the 7:40 p.m. showing of The Other Guys at Century Gateway has lost whatever meager appeal it might have once had.
Biden: Kyl Needs To Quit Crying About Working During the Christmas Holiday
Vice President Joe Biden dismisses Sen. Jon Kyl’s latest complaints about possibly having to work around Christmas. BTW: Did anyone else notice that even Pat Buchanan thinks the Senate should ratify the New START treaty? Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona is holding up the treaty until he gets more assurances that the administration will do…
Finally, the Urinal Industry Embraces Video Game Technology
When I was a kid and got an Sears knockoff of the Atari 2600 for Christmas, I never dreamed of this glorious age when I could have a digitally animated samurai yelling at me while playing a urine-powered video game. Thank you, Japan.
O.C. Restaurant Rips Off Tucson’s (Actual and Photographed) Hot Dogs
Despite having the “the hottest entertainment spot in the country” in our downtown, Tucson only has so many cultural items to hang our hat on, so we can be a little defensive when people mess with our hot dogs. We had to call out Wienerschnitzel in our cover story this week, but the scam that…
AHCCCS Denied, Con’t: Giffords and Grijalva Call on Brewer To Fund Transplants
The Arizona GOP’s decision to cut funding for transplants remains a national story. TW has covered it here and here. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Congressman Raul Grijalva jump in today with a letter urging Gov. Jan Brewer to restore funding: We write to you today to bring to your immediate attention a life-threatening crisis facing…
Drawing The Lines, Updated
After I wrapped this week’s Skinny, the Independent Redistricting Commission saga had a few new developments. Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic rounds them up: Commissioner Louis Araneta, who questioned Gleason’s ability to separate his spiritual views from his civic duties, resigned from the commission Tuesday. In a statement, Araneta, a retired Maricopa County…
Coming to Downtown: Medusa Kabob House
This morning, I was driving down Fourth Avenue—and marveling at the number of new dining and drinking joints that have opened downtown—when I noticed yet another new eatery called Medusa Kabob House setting up in the old Casbah Tea House location at 628 N. Fourth Ave. Downtown has welcomed Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, Empire Pizza…
Top Ten in Music
Toxic Ranch Records’ top sales for the week ending Dec. 10, 2010
City Week
Old Time Radio Theatre special with Mayor Bob Walkup; Big Band Bash with guest artist Rob Hecht; “Holiday of Lights” Planetarium and Laser Music Shows; Maitreya Project Heart Shine Relic Tour
Cabbies With Concerns
As the setting sun cast a glorious red glow across the city’s skyline, a taxi parked at downtown’s Greyhound bus station. That’s a common practice elsewhere—but in Tucson, it’s unusual and illegal. Because of disputes involving cab drivers—some of which turned to fisticuffs—about four years ago, the city of Tucson banned taxis from parking at…
TQ&A
Therese Perreault
Hammy Haymakers
With Christian Bale, sometimes you aren’t sure whether you’re watching great acting or overacting. In The Fighter, Bale’s adherence to method acting is certainly pronounced, and it nearly blows the rest of the picture out of the water. Very loosely based on the real-life family drama of boxer Micky Ward and his brother, a former…
Nine Questions
James Muñoz
Bring in the Light
Some 5,000 years ago, the ancient Irish built a mound tomb at Newgrange, in the Boyne Valley, a couple of hours north of today’s Dublin. From the outside, the giant structure looks like a green hill, a grass-covered hillock rising up from the broad valley. But it’s manmade. Inside, long-ago craftsmen dug out a long…
My Christmas Wish List
This week, I’ve decided to use this space to share a couple of items on my Christmas wish list, since a lot of you have asked me what I want for the holidays. OK, none of you have asked. But still … • Grammar and spelling lessons for racists. I’ve discussed this before in reference…
Nuisance and Hysteria
If you’re a critter, you’d best steer clear of Varmint Al. Hailing from Bethel Island, Calif., the self-proclaimed “coyote hunter” runs a website crammed with pictures of the snarling creatures and spiced by lurid accounts of these wild but often urban-dwelling canines attacking humans. “A New Brunswick woman who wrestled with a coyote Wednesday was…
Tradition With a Twist
Can a Christmas play containing references to the Tea Party, Betty White, Avatar and Gov. Jan Brewer be considered folklore? Absolutely, according to renowned Tucson folklorist Jim Griffith. “Folklore is innovative in spirit,” Griffith says. “A tradition proceeds from its roots, but it dies if it doesn’t continue to put out new shoots.” This year,…
Now Showing at Home
Lennon NYC; Despicable Me; Cronos (Blu-ray)
Live
The annual charity event for which local bands leave their own set lists at home and instead perform short sets of cover songs by a particular artist this year lived up to its name. In the words of one Facebook commenter: “Wow. That was pretty damn amazing. The Great Cover-Up was truly great this year.”…
Pirate Elves!
This time of year is all about the kids. I suppose it’s because the Christmas thing is focused on a baby being born to bring hope to the woeful world, so by extension, all children represent hope—and thus should be given great gobs of gifts. But it’s hard to keep all of this in mind…
Danehy
A long, long time ago, I actually helped coach a future Heisman Trophy winner in high school football. USC’s Charles White, who is still the Pac-10’s all-time-leader in rushing yards some 30 years later, was in his first year of high school ball and wasn’t even on the varsity team. Clearly far more talented than…
Media Watch
KUAT ends Roundtable, adds Chihak program; KMSB hires Morgan replacements; Cooney to leave KOLD; KWFM holds weekend rock reunion; Rivera opens Arizona basketball ‘vault’
Enhanced Legends
Poor Cinderella. She’s still dangerously charming—mixing up everybody’s allegiances and making lesser women petty, jealous and mean—but these days, she’s stuck in a toxic relationship with an outlaw biker, under whose often-violent direction she cooks up some of the best methamphetamine in town. Tucson-based author Stacey Richter’s unforgettable re-imagining of Charles Perrault’s fairy tale is…
Messina
Riding around town in my sensible sedan, I’m bound to see them on picture-perfect days when the temps are bearable. Leather-clad with boots to match, they sit on sleek and shiny machines that make just the right rumble. Motorcyclists—they just look cool. Even cooler are the female bikers; they exude confidence and an air of…
Honoring History
Salomón R. Baldenegro is considered a legend in the local Chicano movement—and luckily, he’s still around to set the record straight about what happened on Aug. 15, 1970, when a group of Chicano activists took over the city-run El Rio Golf Course. Baldenegro says it was Sacramento Rodriguez, a grandmother, who led everyone on the…
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books’ best-sellers for the week ending Dec. 10, 2010
Fantastic Flavors
Lodge on the Desert has always seemed like one of those hidden Tucson gems that natives like to keep in their pocket, showing it off to visitors on special occasions and holidays—though we rarely venture there by ourselves. The kitchen and hotel underwent a massive $15 million renovation in 2009—and the kitchen was the subject…
Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer (Elektra)
Cee Lo Green delivers a solo triumph on The Lady Killer, an instant classic of neo-soul—funky, catchy, dance-y and, above all, an eccentric and brilliant batch of songs. The album is an enthusiastic mix of strings, horns and backup singers on top of fantastic drum beats, head-bopping bass lines, skittering guitar accents and slinky piano…
Bad Ballerina
Natalie Portman will break your heart and freak you out as Nina, the unhinged ballerina striving a little too hard for perfection in Darren Aronofsky’s harrowing and hallucinatory Black Swan. Portman tears into this role with such raw power that you’ll wonder whether she will have anything left in the tank for future films. Considering…
Guest Commentary
With the opening of their holding pens 12 years ago, wolves stepped into their historic home in the Southwestern desert for the first time in more than 50 years. So began the reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf into Southern Arizona and New Mexico. It was a culminating moment for the state and federal agencies…
Bryan Ferry: Olympia (Astralwerks)
From its first track, it’s clear that with his latest disc, Bryan Ferry is intent on re-creating the intoxicating sound and love-hangover mood of Avalon, the last studio album by Roxy Music. The percolating synthesizer groove that courses through “You Can Dance” is a pumped-up version of the motif that kicks off “True to Life”…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week ending Dec. 12, 2010
Spice Is Not Nice
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has banned five “fake pot” chemicals, usually sold as incense, that people are using to get high. The DEA announced on Nov. 24 that the emergency ban would take effect within 30 days of that announcement. The ban will be in effect for at least a year while the federal…
Various Artists: Angola Soundtrack: The Unique Sounds of Luanda 1968-1976 (Analog Africa)
The “soundtrack” of the title here represents the musical soundtrack of Luanda, the capital city of Angola in Southwest Africa. These 18 tracks by 15 acts (Os Bongos, Dimba Diangola and Jovens Do Prenda weigh in with two tracks each) provide a highly combustible set of dance-floor scorchers in a variety of styles. The common…
Noshing Around
Mama’s Hawaiian Barbecue; Café Desta; Frogs Organic Bakery; Whiskey Weekend
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Someone wrote you a while back wondering why Mexicans have made a mess of their beautiful country. You got all bent out of shape because he called Mexico a Third World country instead of a “bottom-tier” First World country. I think you missed the point of the argument: Mexico should be much better…
Albums in Your Stocking
Like it or not, it’s that time of the year, folks—time for me to evaluate the Christmas albums that landed in my mailbox this year, to provide you with a highly subjective guide of what to listen to while you’re carving that Christmas ham. Though I don’t celebrate Christmas (I’m a heretical Jew), I do…
The Skinny
Big controversy over the commission that draws the lines for legislative districts … The Pima County Republican Party has a new chairman … What are Bruce Ash and Rodney Glassman up to? … and so much more!
Police Dispatch
The gang is his family; Waste not, want not
Soundbites
Going nowhere as fast as we can; Here’s to self-sufficiency; A decade of La Cerca; And now, about those holiday shows …; On the bandwagon
Weekly Wide Web
Get Off the Internet!; The week on The Range; Comment of the week; Best of WWW; and more!
Open to Experimentation
On any given weekend, art-starved Tucsonans dabble in the city’s offerings of art shows, concerts and literary readings. However, our starvation is not a symptom of a lack of beauty, emotion or things to do in our dry, sandy town. We’re starved, because we are little desert sponges who can’t seem to get enough of…
Wingspan: Last Anti-Bullying Rally for 2010
Oscar Jimenez, Wingspan’s anti-violence program manager, has been organizing rallies near Tucson schools to raise awareness about anti-gay bullying and violence. T he last rally of the year is near Amphi High School. If you want to join up, meet at the southeast corner of Stone and Yavapai, this Thursday, the 16th, from 7 to…
