Cover Story
Local Heroes!
CESAR AGUIRRE Sitting in the back of the Casa Maria soup kitchen in South Tucson, Cesar Aguirre discusses his work for the Catholic social justice organization and how he became a fighter for his daughters, their education and Tucson Unified School District schools. Thinking back on the July cafecito he hosted at the John Valenzuela…
Winnie Needs a Home
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Winnie, a female, 6-year-old, domestic short hair Reference no. 760638 “Compliment me all you want but, please, don’t touch the fur.” Winnie is an audacious princess who’s all tortitude. This cunning kitty knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Winnie is happy to spend time…
Someone Leaked Miley Cyrus’ ‘Adore You’ Video a Day Early
Miley Cyrus’ latest Adore You video isn’t as smashing as Wrecking Ball, but I’m going to watch it anyway. The video is full of Miley biting some bed sheets, thumb sucking, touching herself, video selfies and there’s a tub and shower scene at the end. The twerking queen is wearing see through lingerie the whole…
Former UA Gymastics Star Dead at 36
Arizona Daily Wildcat archives Sad news out of the Phoenix area, as an obituary that ran in today’s Arizona Republic shows former Arizona gymnastics champion Heidi Hornbeek passed away over the weekend at age 36. Hornbeek was a six-time All-American for the Wildcats between 1996 and 2000, winning the NCAA title in the floor exercise…
Travis Barker is Writing a Memoir
Photo from shutterstock.com Travis Barker performing with Blink 182 at the Molson Amphitheater on August 17, 2011 in Toronto. Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer, announced that he is currently writing a memoir. The 38 year-old musician originally played for The Aquabats, toured the world with Blink-182, collaborated with some of the best in the music industry,…
‘The Powerpuff Girls’ Are Coming Back in January 2014
One of the best cartoons and female superhero teams since Josie and The Pussy Cats are back. Cartoon Network is resurrecting the Powerpuff Girls with an all new look and animation style. The cast contains all the original voice actors, but the only new addition is legendary drummer Ringo Starr. Honestly, The Powerpuff Girls are…
Check Out Edward Snowden’s Icy ‘Alternative Christmas Message’
Yesterday former NSA contractor Edward Snowden delivered Channel 4 UK’s annual “Alternative Christmas Message” in response to Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas address. Snowden’s icy message comes two days after his latest interview with Washington Post; where he declared “mission accomplished.” The video was filmed by a Russian journalist and collaborator Laura Poitras at a undisclosed…
Someone Shot Santa While D.C. News Crew Was Filming
Someone shot Santa in the back while a Washington, D.C. news station was covering a toy giveaway. The poor Santa Claus was just waving and shouting “Ho Ho Ho” when someone nailed Santa with a pellet gun, according to ABC7 reporter Kris Van Cleave’s tweets. The Grinch didn’t do it this time. The Grinch is…
Track Santa’s Every Move, NSA Style
Photo from shutterstock.com You can show your kids Santa delivering presents and pieces of coal to all the little boys and girls of the world in real time. NORAD Santa Tracker shows you how many presents have been delivered, where the sleigh was last seen and where St. Nicholas is heading to next. It shouldn’t…
Arizona Men’s Basketeball Team and Cheerleaders Cover Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Here’s a video of the Arizona Wildcats performing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The number one men’s college basketball team knows how to hit the backboard, but they can’t hit a note to save their lives. It’s heart-warming and really hard to watch at the same time. Enjoy!
X-mas Concert with Dream Sick and Porka Torta at Hotel Congress
Local bands Dream Sick, The Pork Torta and Union Pacific’s Zach Vito are playing a free Christmas show at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Image courtesy of the Facebook event page. Honestly, what else do you have to do tomorrow? Everything is closed. You know your family members are going to slip into food…
Hermitage No-Kill Shelter Has Free Cat, Dog Food for Owners in Need
Hermitage No- Kill Cat Shelter just announced that through the Food for People’s Pets program, it can provide pet food assistance to seniors, low-income or unemployed pet owners who can’t afford food or cat litter. Right now, knowing how people are stretching those budgets and love their beasts, too, this sounds like a great ideas.…
Wash. Legislator Calls Arizona A “Racist Wasteland” After His Football Team Lost
The Arizona Cardinals (that professional football team up in Phoenix that Tucsonans generally ignore, because it’s Phoenix, bleugh) beat the Seattle Seahawks in what was a thrilling clash of the best defenses in professional football last Sunday. Washington State legislator Joe Fitzgibbon was a bit peeved about the whole thing, as most football fans are…
Comedy Roast at Plush Tonight
Local comedian David Claire Parsons was one of the many that graduated from the University of Arizona last weekend. Parsons is going back to the Midwest at the end of this month, and he will be missed (by few). You might be asking yourself, “Is this the same David Claire Parsons that wrote and drew…
Porn and Death: A Pre-Christmas Crime Story
Two people apparently robbed the oddly placed M Passion Adult Boutique next to Picacho Peak early this morning, then following a high speed chase with Pinal County sheriffs, one of the alleged robbers was killed and the other wounded. Numerous media outlets have reported on the incident, which began around 6:30 a.m. when the suspects…
Macaulay Culkin’s Pizza Underground Band is Coming to Tucson
We just received word that The Pizza Underground, Macaulay Culkin’s new band, will be making an appearance on Monday, March 10 at 191 Toole (the space that once hosted the latest location for Skrappy’s), 191 E. Toole Ave. Photo courtesy of the Stateside Tucson Presents Facebook event page. The band hasn’t released an album or…
Let’s Start with a Little Kindness this Holiday Season
Today, my over-coffee-morning conversation with my special someone was about how difficult the holidays are for many of us. Sometimes in the middle of the post Thanksgiving frenzy of making tamales and special work deadlines, we forget why invitations are difficult for some or why invitations are needed for others. Not everyone, for a variety…
¡Adelante! Order Southside Worker Center Tamales
My mom’s tamales … not offered by Southside, but equally delish. Hug your mom. If you didn’t make tamales this year, forgot to order some or want to support a great group of people in our city, I suggest you order them now from the Southside Presbyterian Church’s Southside Worker Center. Email your order southsidecentro@gmail.com…
South Tucson Video Postcard
We love this Primavera Foundation video on South Tucson that is making its way over the internets this morning. One of the featured Southsiders is Cesar Aguirre. Aguirre was one of the local heroes that was highlighted in last week’s cover story. Enjoy!
Are You Tough Enough for the Ms. PAC-MAN Tournament?
Do you have four quarters and know how to operate a joystick? There will be a Ms. PAC-MAN tournament from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Generation Cool, 404 N. Fourth Ave. The Facebook event page says the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be rewarded with gift cards and prizes.…
Z Gallerie Closes Its Tucson Location
Photo by Henry Barajas Z Gallerie closes its location at the Park Place Mall, 5870 E Broadway Blvd. Z Gallerie is closing its stylish doors at the Park Place Mall, 5870 E. Broadway Blvd. We spoke with Z Gallerie manager Joel Hathaway on the phone about the unfortunate news. The store manager has been employed…
Happy Holidays from your Potted Desert
Email Marylee with your questions and comments. Follow The Potted Desert on Facebook! Happy Holidays!
AZ Illustrated Politics: Year in Review
In the final AZ Illustrated Politics episode of 2013, former lawmaker Jonathan Paton, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Lea Marquez-Peterson and attorney Jeff Rogers look back at the biggest political stories of 2013, including the battle over immigration reform, Gov. Jan Brewer’s successful fight against her own Republican Party to expand Medicaid to low-income…
Semi-Nude Tucson PETA Activist Bares for the Naked Truth (NSFW)
PETA activists staged an alluring protest in the heart of downtown Tucson earlier this afternoon. The animal rights organization rounded up some local members to encourage Tucsonans to stop eating meat and “Go Vegan” in the most visually attractive way possible. What’s the best way to get people to stop eating animal products? Using half…
The Parish Bar to Reopen Tonight – UPDATE
The Parish logo courtesy of The Parish Facebook page. The Parish will finally reopen its doors today at 5 p.m. The fusion gastropub has been closed since Dec. 1 for renovations and expansion. There will be a limited dining menu, but the bar will be fully stocked, according to the Parish Facebook page. (function(d, s,…
Luis Needs a Home
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Luis, a 3-year-old, Shepherd MixReference no.: 769083 If it’s a cheerful go-getter you’re looking for, Luis may be the dog for you! This spunky sweetheart has a warm personality, loyalty, courage and smarts galore. He enjoys being close to his favorite people and performing tricks in exchange for…
New Mexico Becomes The 17th State To Legalize Gay Marriage
Photo from shutterstock.com Today marks another win for civil equality and humanity. New Mexico is officially the 17th state plus the District of Columbia to allow same sex marriage. The New Mexico Supreme Court declared it is unconstitutional to deny a marriage license to gay and lesbian couples. There were eight counties issuing marriage licenses…
Pussy Riot Members Granted Amnesty and Freed From Prison
Photo from shutterstock.com A supporter shows her message written on her helmet during a protest rally organized to free “pussy riot” on August 17 2012 in Toronto, Canada. Finally, the members of Pussy Riot were given amnesty and released three months earlier than expected. The feminist punk rockers were wrongfully arrested for performing Punk Prayer:…
Things We Don’t Like: John C. Scott Out at KVOI
Unfortunate news from the world of local talk radio as John C. Scott will be off KVOI after his show Friday, with no plan to return to local airwaves. From our neighboring publication, Inside Tucson Business: Scott said KVOI president and manager Doug Martin told him Tuesday his show was incompatible with the conservative vision…
With Demand Down, First Jobs Tougher to Come by for New Nurses in Arizona
Nursing from Cronkite News on Vimeo. By KAY MILLER TEMPLE Cronkite News Service PHOENIX – Getting top grades, serving as president of her student nursing association and networking with professionals didn’t get Chloe Burtcher the nursing job she knew was her calling when she received an associate degree from Yavapai College in 2012. “We were…
Cynthia and Bobby are ‘Forever Evil’ This Week
<img src="https://media2.fdncms.com/tucsonweekly/imager/bobby-and-cynthia-reporting-from-heroes-and-villains/u/original/3930613/1387475314-img_5550.jpg" alt="Bobby and Cynthia reporting from Heroes and Villains." title="Bobby and Cynthia holding up copies of Forever Evil #1 written by Geoff Johns and art by David Finch and Richard Friend.” width=”500″ height=”333″ /> Bobby and Cynthia holding up copies of Forever Evil #1 written by Geoff Johns and art by David Finch and…
Is An Arts Magnet School Still An Arts Magnet Without Its Trademark Murals
Utterback Magnet Middle School students were given a letter from principal Cindy Mady last Friday, Dec. 13, to let parents know that the dozens of murals painted throughout the school’s hallways “will no longer be present.” Here’s a copy of the letter:utterback_letter.pdf “Utterback’s halls will be repainted, which means the mural art that has decorated…
Cinema Showdown: Cats And Hallucinations
Due to the holidays, film events are a tad slow this week, but there’s still enough special programming to give you an excuse to ditch out on any awkward Christmas parties. Consider this your pass not to wear any ugly reindeer and snowflake sweaters if you don’t feel like it. And who would want to…
Word Odyssey: Opening Pandora’s Box
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock To feed your inner nerd, today I’m going to open up Pandora’s box. I’ve been boning up on well worn expressions, so today’s theme is the stories behind some of these sayings. If you have a bone to pick with this show, put a sock in it. That phrase originated with…
Mail Bag
Send letters to P. O. Box 27087, Tucson, AZ 85726. Or e-mail to mailbag@tucsonweekly.com. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number. Letters must include signature. We reserve the right to edit letters. Please limit letters to 250 words. REP. BARBER DISAGREES WITH WEEKLY COLUMNIST I am writing to set the record straight regarding…
Nine Questions
Stephen Thomas Erlewine One of pop music’s most knowledgeable critics, Stephen Thomas Erlewine has been involved with Allmusic since its inception, editing and writing a series of record guides in the ’90s and 2000s, and is a senior editor for Rovi. Erlewine has also written liner notes for Raven Records and Sony/Legacy. He currently lives…
Electric Feel
Tucson has no shortage of quirky and creative holiday celebrations, such as the Winterhaven Festival of Lights, the All Souls Procession and the ceremonial breaking of the ice on the Santa Cruz River (hey, hitting 100 degrees for the first time counts around here). One of the city’s signature holiday events returns on Saturday, Dec.…
Live
THE SADIE HAWKS, PINK EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY, BLIND MAN DEAF BOY, MARRISA. AND MICAH, LOGAN GREENE TLMS Sunday, Dec. 15 It seems like I can’t leave my house these days without bumping into an acoustic guitar-slinging troubadour. But for the most part, I’m happy to report that the days of James Taylor and…
City Week
Laughter Battle Tucson Improv Movement Cage Match Finals 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 Red Barn Theater948 N. Main Ave. 314-7299;tucsonimprov.com Two teams will enter; only one will emerge victorious. But no matter who wins, we all will laugh. Upstart improvisation troupe Tucson Improv Movement has found a way to turn ad-libbed comedy and off-the-cuff humor…
M.I.A.: Matangi
A pop artist’s fourth record is by definition fraught. Does she keep on doing what she’s been doing? Throw everything out and start from scratch? Go po-mo, make an album that winkingly comments upon the earlier three? In 1989, both Madonna and Janet Jackson released follow-up albums to the ones that made them superstars, the…
T Q & A
For 64 years, a little neighborhood in central Tucson has been dazzling people with gorgeous, often large-scale, displays of Christmas lights. The Winterhaven Festival of Lights also serves as a fundraiser for the Tucson Community Food Bank. Last year, more than $20,000 and 33,000 pounds of food were donated by festivalgoers. On Sunday, Dec. 22,…
Magik Markers: Surrender to the Fantasy
Elisa Ambrogio comes right out of the gate, repeating the line “Everything around me FEELS SO FREE!” on the droney, garage stomper “Crebs.” It’s the perfect way to open her band’s new record. It’s also an apropos declaration, given the band’s history. Singer/guitarist Ambrogio, drummer Pete Nolan, and former bassist Leah Quimby began playing messy…
Editor’s Note
Most years, Jim Nintzel uses part of his space in the Skinny to plug Arizona’s Charitable Tax Credit program, but he ran out of room or forgot, so I’m stealing it. How the credit works, as far as I understand as a person who sucks at money management, who probably shouldn’t be allowed to give…
Danehy
We can obviously tell a lot about a person by the way he/she responds in a stressful situation. But you can also tell a lot about how they handle themselves in times when a certain measure of decorum is called for. Do they pause to reflect and then choose their words carefully or are they…
Nick Lowe: Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family
Nick Lowe’s take on a Christmas album is refreshing and unique, with a shot of personality and an eye for what truly animates the season. Those who love “Fairytale of New York” have a new round of Christmas songs to cheer. In a genre so saccharine, overwrought and predictable, Lowe’s touch as a songwriter and…
Serraglio
If there’s one thing that American drivers claim as a fundamental, inalienable right, it’s a parking space. In our cars-über-alles culture, parking is perceived as some sort of elemental natural resource, like water from the tap—no matter where you drive or when you get there, there ought to be a perfectly placed parking space waiting…
Medical MJ
I won a mountain bike once. They were giving it away at McDonald’s for Christmas, so I filled out an entry slip while I was waiting for my McDoubles, and I got a call a week or so later. It was pretty cool to win a free bike. It was a cheap bike, though, and…
Moby Dick and Dance
Herman Melville knew from water, literal, metaphorical and otherwise. So it’s not a surprise to find the author of the ocean-drenched Moby Dick lionized in a dance concert called The Poetry of Water at ZUZI. One work in the show this weekend, “In What Rapt Ether,” takes its title from watery lines by Melville at…
DVD Roundup
Adventures in the Sin Bin A shy teen virgin (Michael Seater) lends out his van, the “Sin Bin,” to his pals for sex, all the while dreaming of being with Suzie (Emily Meade). Meanwhile, the director dreams of being Wes Anderson, and Jeff Garlin just hangs out. (Phase 4) The Big C: Season 4 The…
Media Watch
FESTIVAL OF BOOKS STANDS AS HUMENIK’S TOP CONTRIBUTION With last week’s announcement that John Humenik, president and publisher of the Arizona Daily Star, is leaving to become publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, his eight-year run in two management roles with the paper will likely pale in comparison to a singular contribution to…
True TV
20 for ’14 December—and 2013, really—is D-U-N done. Here’s a handful of what The Only TV Column That Matters™ recommends you look forward to in January 2014: Community (NBC; Thursday, Jan. 2) Season 5 Premiere: The Greendale gang returns to save NBC Thursdays. And while we’re being overly optimistic: Six seasons and a movie! Killer…
Shepherds and Dancers and Carols, Oh My!
Milta Ortiz started her writing life as a spoken-word poet belting out verses at open mics and poetry slams in San Francisco. Then she co-founded HyPE Theater Troupe and made a “transition from spoken word to theater,” she says. Next, she wrote three plays, including a one-woman play that she performed; picked up an MFA…
Fourth Avenue Forever
It’s 1973. Secretariat wins the Triple Crown, Skylab is launched and Roe v. Wade becomes the law of the land. Monica Lewinsky and Heidi Klum are born. Lyndon Johnson and Bruce Lee die. The nation is mesmerized by some hearings called Watergate on TV. The World Trade Center opens, Laugh-In turns out the lights and…
Thighs Like Us
I had no expectations upon picking up UA professor of Italian Ron Terpening’s latest thriller Cloud Cover. Sure, I noticed it had been published by a local outfit called Cliff Edge. But I didn’t let the author’s lack of a New York editor (or publicist) bias me. At a time when novelists are producing, in…
Bad Haircuts and Wide Collars
There’s definitely a pulse to American Hustle, but a heartbeat might be another matter. Epically cool and boiling over with the manic energy that has become the hallmark of director David O. Russell, the follow-up to Silver Linings Playbook lacks an organic pull to any of its characters, leaving one of the year’s most anticipated…
Time’s Up at Toxic
When Bill Sassenberger locks the doors to Toxic Ranch Records on Dec. 31, he won’t be coming to unlock them again. After 25 years in Tucson, 22 of them at its current location on Sixth Street, Toxic Ranch Records as a physical store will likely be a thing of the past (though a new location…
Fuel’s Errand
Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry has unhappy news for those who are distressed by the state of Pima County streets. “Santa isn’t bringing us new roads for Christmas and the Grinch stole our HURF money,” Huckelberry says. So Huckelberry has persuaded the Pima County Board of Supervisors to support one of those things politicians hate…
A Cat and a Song
The 1961 Greenwich Village folk music scene is the rich setting for the latest Coen brothers triumph, the brilliant Inside Llewyn Davis. Featuring a knockout performance from Oscar Isaac as the title character, and the usual top-notch writing and directing from brothers Joel and Ethan, it’s easily one of the year’s best films. The movie,…
Soundbites
BAD FUN Venues specifically designed to be all-ages are cursed. The very ideals that inspire them – no alcohol, for example—are the same things that end up burying them. It’s a tough model to sustain. While there are plenty of venues that welcome those of all ages—the Rialto Theatre, Solar Culture, the casinos, certain shows…
The Skinny
DEAL OR NO DEAL? It appears Congress may be on track to pass a budget this week, provided that all goes according to plan in the U.S. Senate. The spending plan, hammered out by Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), is far from the long-sought grand bargain that significantly reforms the federal…
Every Little Bit
Around this time of year, and sometimes even later into the next, it isn’t unusual to hear All Souls Procession organizers put the word out that it needs help tackling debt from the previous procession. This year, there’s debt, but at close to $8,000, it’s a record low compared to past years where the Procession…
Police Dispatch
BLEEDING MAN OUT FOR BLOOD FOOTHILLS AREANOV. 18, 3:29 P.M. A heavily tattooed man ran around the Foothills Mall and surrounding stores shirtless while bleeding profusely, acting violently and generally horrifying incredulous holiday shoppers, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report. Deputies responded to a call from an Applebee’s restaurant near the mall, where…
Noshing Around
Prep & Pastry Coming Amelia Grey’s Café, 3073 N. Campbell Ave., is scheduled to reopen by January as Prep & Pastry. The owners have linked with local purveyors such as Native Seeds/SEARCH, Maya Tea Co. and Exo coffee roasters to bring “a level of service and quality of food that we feel has been overlooked,…
Sports
I don’t get much reader mail. I didn’t realize this until the other day, when I actually did get an email from someone who cited something I’ve written about, so I guess that counts. It got me thinking: If I did get mail—for instance, if I wrote about things our readers cared about enough to…
Kitty Katt McKinley and Katy Gierlach Reenact Bowie and Crosby’s ‘Little Drummer Boy’
Kitty Katt McKinley is up to his old tricks: singing, dancing and making hilarious YouTube videos. Kitty Katt and local model Katy Gierlach double as David Bowie and Bing Crosby to reenact the Little Drummer Boy duet in a deranged and hilarious fashion: Beth King’s ability to make Gierlach look so decrepit and unrecognizable can’t go unnoticed.…
