Cover Story
Free on Fridays
Hope Redhawk leads a rather unique life for a high school kid. Nearly 6 feet tall with flaming red hair, she’s highly active in her school’s chapter of the Future Farmers of America. She plays volleyball (but not basketball), and a couple of years ago, she won the Class 1A state championship in the long…
Artistic Range: Smells Like Rain
“Smells Like Rain” by Rebecca Wilder is on display in Monsoon! through Aug. 24 at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte.
Artistic Range: Milagros
“Ex-Voto to Santa Muerte” by Martin Quintanilla is on display in Milagros, from Aug. 3, through Aug. 27, at Contreras Gallery, 110 E. 6th St.
Free Dixieland Jazz Concert Saturday!
The only thing better than a summer jazz concert is a free summer jazz concert! Thanks to Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance, you can listen to jazz every other Saturday night at La Encantada’s shopping center courtyard from now until August 27th. Come this Saturday, July 16th, at 7pm., and listen to the River…
Artistic Range: Barbara Jakucki
“Monsoon Messenger” by Barbara Jakucki is on display in Monsoon! through Aug. 24 at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte.
“Kiss Me Deadly” Showing at The Fox
Blood-red kisses! White-hot thrills! Kiss Me Deadly is Robert Aldrich’s 1955 film noir drama—based on Mickey Spillane’s mystery novel of the same name—and it’s showing this weekend at The Fox! Come watch as a “doomed female hitchhiker pulls private eye Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious ‘great whatsit.'” The…
Artistic Range: Higher Forces
“Higher Forces” by Yana Payusova and Joseph Farbrook is on dispaly in A Tale of Two Heads, through Aug. 31 at Josph Gross Gallery, 1031 N. Olive Rd.
Rocket. I’m Taking a Rocket…
…I’m packing my suitcase. I’m heading to Mars!!! Not really, but courtesy of the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab’s HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, I can pretend. Here’s a shot of the Terraced Eastern Wall along the Middle Reach of Ma’adim Vallis. This image was originally suggested as part of the HiRISE Quest…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com: The Sherlock Holmes Scion Society
My favorite thing about this video, shot by Celia Ampel at the Sherlock Holmes Scion Society meeting at La Fuente, are the hats. I realize now that the reason that I haven’t been solving mysteries is my general lack of headwear. I’m not sure why that didn’t occur to me before.
Today in Cool Apps: GIF Shop
We’ve already established that animated GIFs are clearly the most exciting way to present graphics on the internet (“The Ron Swanson in a Tiny Hat Axiom”), so clearly, you’re wondering how you can transform the visual moments of your own life into GIF form. Bask in the wonder of GIF Shop, which for $1.99 will…
The Fat Greek Restaurant Goes Way Local, Way Organic
Want to see the local-food movement in full swing? Check out what the owners of the local The Fat Greek restaurants are up to on their ranch out on Tanque Verde Road. It all started when the Markou family bought a lot of land to build a house on. Then the economy tanked. Then food…
US Women Advance to World Cup Final
After the last minute goal and victory on penalty kicks against Brazil, today’s 3-1 win over France was almost a calm affair, but still that’s enough to move on to play either Sweden or Japan in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday in Frankfurt. Lauren Cheney scored first before the French evened the score,…
The Rhino Pub Is Closed. Again.
The Rhino Pub, a bar and restaurant at 1118 E. Sixth St., has closed. The building has changed hands a number of times in recent years, housing Victory Bar, Belushe’s and Gooch’s Grill before returning as the Rhino Pub—the same name it operated as starting back in the late-’80s—last fall. The building has been repainted,…
So Long, Netflix. Welcome Back, Casa Video
Last year, my buddy Curtis showed me how Netflix’s streaming service worked through my Wii and I thought: Well, that’s cool. You get all those movies on-demand, plus a new one in the mail, all for eight bucks a month (or whatever it was back then). I’d avoided Netflix until then because I’d been a…
Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Lipsync Disney Ballads
This is the sort of thing that will be difficult for this young lady to shake, I suspect. Upside: she’ll probably get to meet Daniel Tosh at some point. [Daily What]
TV Host Hit by Car While Filming ‘Worst Driver’ Show, Dog Works as Wine Tester and More: Rynski Radio at Party934
Update with playlist and download at bottom of post Photo Ryn Gargulinski A TV host filming a Netherlands realty show aimed at finding the worst driver in the region was run over by one of the drivers who was competing for the title. While Orange News did not report if the contestant who mowed down…
Reminder: The Range Comes to KFMA Wednesday Morning
Fook from KFMA’s morning show has been kind enough to invite me back on his program for a third week, so if you’d like to help me continue my very slow conquest of Tucson media, tune in at 8:10 am, either on the radio or online. In case, he conveniently “loses” my theme music again,…
Coming Soon: Union Public House
We finally got our hands on more information about the new restaurant going in at the old Acacia spot at St. Phillip’s Plaza. Union Public House will specialize in American fare made from local and sustainable ingredients, according to the restaurant’s website. They’re also getting in on the fancy-schmancy cocktail craze. We stopped by this…
Hey, Hey, Hey: It’s Bill Cosby’s birthday!
On July 12, 1937, Bill Cosby came into our world. And ever since, he’s been tearing up the TV with hits like I Spy, Fat Albert, and The Cosby Show. Oh, and don’t forget his stint as the J-e-l-l-o spokesman. One of my favorite Bill Cosby moments is his tap-dance-showdown with famous tapper, Sandman Simms,…
RIP, Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz created Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch, and wrote the theme songs for both shows. While both programs have slipped off the syndication radar they used to solidly occupy, that’s still a pretty solid life right there. Sherwood Schwartz was 94.
See How Lucky We Are to Have an Abundance of Breakfast Burritos?
Apparently it’s nearly impossible to find a proper breakfast burrito in Seattle. Christ, the whole city must be starving. If you look in the comments on the blog entry, you’ll find a shout-out to Tucson’s very own Nico’s Taco Shop. Who knew the ubiquitous breakfast burrito was such a rare commodity elsewhere?
Grinnell Will Continue Lobbying for Rosemont Mine While Running for Mayor of Tucson
Republican Rick Grinnell formally filed to run for mayor of Tucson as a write-in candidate earlier today. Grinnell will need to get at least 1,060 Republicans to write his name on their Aug. 30 primary ballots in order for his name to appear on the November general ballot. He tells The Range he will continue…
State Sen. Lori Klein Isn’t Only Bad at Gun Safety. She’s Also a Lousy Liar
We mentioned yesterday that Sen. Lori Klein pointed a pistol at Republic reporter Richard Ruelas’ chest during an interview about guns. Klein has since claimed that Ruelas sat down in front of the laser sight on her gun while a photographer was taking pictures, so it was his fault that she violated basic gun-safety rules.…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]: Bones
Bones, a 2-year-old pit bull mix, is the Emily Post of canine society. Make no bones about it, this is one fantastic dog! Given up through no fault of his own, Bones is an absolute sweetheart with plenty of potential to be your next best friend. Among his many interests, Bones enjoys playing fetch, going…
A Monkey More Jovial Than the Self Photographing One
Photo: Keystone USA / Zuma via Rex Features / The Telegraph While, based on a series of documentaries I once saw, it would appear at some point our descendants will be enslaved by our simian relatives, if it were the apparently camera-loving joyous macaques in charge, it might not be so bad. Look at this…
Essentially Everything You Need to Know About Google+ For Now
Seems about right.
Haven’t We Learned Anything From Science Fiction?
Maybe scientists are just thinking of Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons when they try to make robots more lifelike and not of every frightening instance of when robot technology goes wrong and tries to exterminate the human race. I’m fine without a robot friend that will eventually turn on me, thanks. [NY Times]
Help Bring Back the Drive-In!
If the demise of the DeAnza drive-in theater two years ago left you reeling, now’s your chance to revive it. “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” the last movie the theater showed before shutting down, will play Saturday as part of a fundraiser to bring the drive-in back. The Cactus Drive-In Theater Foundation, taking the…
Penzeys Spices Will Knock Your Socks Off
The best thing about the new Penzeys Spices at 4128 N. Oracle Road is how they put samples in little snuff pots to allow for a full aroma assessment. Some advice: Sniff lightly when checking out the curry and Vietnamese cinnamon. A deep snort nearly crossed my eyes. The store also stocks and amazing assortment…
Good News/Bad News From the Black Eyed Peas
It’s almost certainly a victory for music and Western culture that the Black Eyed Peas are going to enter an “indefinite hiatus” soon, but it’s almost worse. Instead of containing the aesthetic crimes of the group’s member into one endeavor, they’ll be spreading out, likely releasing more music. However, a theory that makes me feel…
A Good Reason Never to Have Sex Again…Super Gonorrhea
This seems bad. I don’t know much about gonorrhea (thankfully), but the idea of any “super STD” immune to our antibiotics is probably an unwelcome development: Scientists have discovered a new strain of gonorrhea-causing bacteria in Japan that is resistant to available treatments. Since the 1940s, the sexually transmitted disease known as “the clap” has…
I Finally Put Up A Noshing Around Facebook Page
I finally put up a Facebook page for the Noshing Around column, a move that is so tragically late that I’m a bit embarrassed to even admit it. Anyway, if you want to see how much I have to eat to pull off covering food in this fine city, be my friend! You’ll also be…
If We Cared About the Earth, We’d Get Rid of the Cats
Disturbing things I learned from this Mother Jones video and accompanying article: 1. One out of three American households have at least one cat.2. Gangs of feral cats are laying waste to our earth.
Tucson Mayoral Write-In Jubilee Continues
Rick Grinnell, who has unsuccessfully run for the Ward 2 City Council seat twice, tells The Range he’ll be filing his paperwork as a write-in candidate for mayor tomorrow. Grinnell needs at least 1,060 votes in the August primary election to get his name on the November ballot so he can face off against Democrat…
Seth Gordon: Please Don’t Screw Up “King of Kong”
Ever since the documentary King of Kong was released, the idea that the movie would be remade in some sort of fictionalized way has been floating around. Johnny Depp was rumored to want to play Donkey Kong champ/hot sauce magnate Billy Mitchell. It’s not like the documentary version was wildly overexposed or anything, so the…
Shoobie’s Shave Ice Is Open
Mondays suck, but they’re better with shave ice! Actually, everything’s better with shave ice, which is why I’m headed over to the new Shoobie’s Shave Ice at 3701 W. Ina Road, Suite 102. We’re a long way from Hawaii, but this shop is bringing a little slice of island life to town with its wide…
In Case You Missed Sunday’s Amazing Goal
Most things in life would be better if called by excitable NCAA basketball announcer Gus Johnson was providing play-by-play, but it could be argued that this one great soccer moment — a goal scored in the very last moments of extra time, after a series of bogus calls by the referee, leading the American women…
Into the Storm
An astonishing video of a massive dust storm in Phoenix has gone viral with more than a million views.
State Sen. Lori Klein Demonstrates Gun Safety—By Pointing Loaded Pistol at Reporter’s Chest
State Sen. Lori Klein demonstrated her understanding of gun safety by pointing a loaded pistol at an Arizona Republic reporter’s chest: “Oh, it’s so cute,” Klein said, as she unzipped the loaded Ruger from its carrying case to show a reporter and photographer. She was sitting on a leather couch in a lounge, just outside…
TucsonWeekly.com: Now With Facebook Logins!
You may have noticed that when you login in TucsonWeekly.com to leave your comment/restaurant review/angry rant that the option to login via Facebook now pops up. While the idea of more Facebook in your life might leave with a mild sense of discomfort (other than visiting our always scintillating page, of course), this is part…
Coming Soon: Tako Burger
A new restaurant called Tako Burger is opening in the old Taco Shop Co. building on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 35th Street. We know absolutely nothing else about the restaurant, but a couple of the employees sitting outside said it will serve Mexican food, and is expected to open Monday, July 11.
Animated GIF’s of the Beer Making Process Are Always Welcome
Animated GIFs, already a wacky, low-tech way to capture a moment, are starting to be used in more interesting ways. Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, who have done interesting things with the format already, were hired by hipster extreme brewers Dogfish Head to create moving images of the brewing process of Tweason’ale, a honey and…
Idiot Boksen – Fall Television Preview (The Bad)
Last week, we covered the impressive potential of the upcoming fall television season. That lineup is impressive, particularly for the broadcast networks. There’s a sense of, if not experimentalism, then at least risk-taking. The more networks filling to follow the HBO drama model, the better. Maybe The Wire or The Sopranos can’t be replicated, but…
The Food Truck Diaries, Volume 19: DaKine Hawaiian Shave Ice
A scorching asphalt lot down in Sahuarita is where a tiny yellow food trailer called DaKine Hawaiian Shave Ice spends its days. The place is an absolute hit with the residents of nearby Rancho Sahuarita, and is quickly gaining a following in Tucson by popping up at events like Second Saturdays and the Tucson Folk…
Artistic Range: Monsoon! at Tohono Chul
“Monsoon Wind,” by Barbara Brandel, is on display in Monsoon! through Aug. 24 at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte.
OMG! Sarah Palin! The Awesomest!
The Undefeated Teaser Trailer from Dain Valverde on Vimeo. The trailer for the Sarah Palin really-long-campaign-video documentary The Undefeated has a very intense feel, with an imposing score and a series of talking heads detailing how Palin fought the establishment. For a minute, I almost forgot that she was only governor for 966 days before…
Summer Saturday Evenings at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
From now through August, you can check out one of the most fascinating places in town, The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, at night! Wait until the temperature cools down and enjoy all the evening activities they have to offer. Admission after 4:00 p.m. is $7; $3 for ages 6-12; FREE for kids 5 and younger. The…
The History of the Space Shuttle in Images
In honor of the launch of the last space shuttle mission today, the Atlantic has a great photographic history of the program, from the initial designs through two tragedies to recent work on the International Space Station.
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com Now the Rillito and Santa Cruz paths connect under the railraod tracks and Interstate 10. The Rillito and Santa Cruz river paths are connected… unofficially. Signs saying the path is closed isn’t stopping people from using it, however. Now cyclists can ride more than 20 miles without getting passed by a car. Check…
Nothing That Fistpumps Lasts Forever
Vinny already left the show and The Situation is apparently in and out of the season 5 (?) house in New Jersey…could this be the end of a show that no one could have possibly expected to still be on in 2011? I can’t lie: I really liked the show at first, mostly because I’ll…
Obama Outbids Kyl on Deficit Reduction
The New York Times reports that Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl backs away from a deal to shave $4 trillion from the deficit because it involves tax hikes: For all the battles over the budget, the meeting on Thursday was, by all accounts, cordial and businesslike. Mr. Obama, seated between Mr. Boehner and the Senate majority…
AZ Capitol Times Offers Live Coverage of Today’s Redistricting Commission Meeting
There’s still plenty of time to log on to the Arizona Capitol Times to watch their live coverage of today’s Independent Redistricting Commission meeting. The Times is using Cover It Live, so you can start from the top when the meeting opened this morning and make your way down as attorneys continue explaining different aspects…
C’mon Tucson, We Could Totally Pull This Off
Imagine, if you will, a Tucson food-truck festival where hot dogs, carne asada, crepes, Hawaiian shave ice, gourmet cheese steaks, raspados and all sorts of other delicious foods danced together while live music filled the air. Other cities are doing it, and the response has been great. One of my personal favorites is the Off…
The Soundtrack to Your Friday, Courtesy of the Tucson Weekly
If you need a distraction today, feel free to stop by the Tucson Weekly House of Funk on Turntable.fm, where for a few hours at least, I’ll be in there playing the wildly random sort of music that I enjoy. If you’d like to jump in and pick some songs as well, even better.
Despite the Borderland Fires, Border-Crossers Keep Coming
Courtesy of Joy and Ray Mendez This photo of the Horseshoe 2 Fire was taken from the back patio of the home of Joy and Ray Mendez, looking west down the canyon toward Portal. Even amid the smoke, the danger and the confusion of the border-area fires, the smugglers don’t let up. We saw that…
July 4 Aftermath: Fireworks Injuries Down in General, Except for Guy Who Blew His Head Off
Photo Ryn Gargulinski Bomb pops are the safest bombs on July 4. July 4 came and went with fanfare and fireworks, but no major fireworks-related injuries throughout Southern Arizona, or at least none that were widely reported. While that doesn’t make it any smarter that Tucson supermarkets and roadside tents still sell fireworks all over…
Dreams Do Come True! Canceled ABC Soaps to Move Online
I’ve grumbled previously about the forthcoming cancellation of All My Children, a soap opera that my wife is a big fan of and that I became mildly obsessed with when I was freelancing for home for three years. The countdown to the show’s final episode has been troubling, but sort of great in that many…
Our Weekly View From Mars
Let’s rocket to Mars, courtesy of the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab’s HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Here’s a shot of Active Gullies in Crater Dune Field, Southern Polar Region. Mmmm, polar. Makes me wish I was eating Klondike bar on Mars right now. These dune gullies are located in an unnamed crater…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]: Yogi
Update: Yogi has been adopted! But don’t cry, friend; there are many more animals at the HSSAZ that would love a home. Yogi, a 6-year-old Labrador Retriever mix, is a gentlemanly fellow with a lot of loyalty to give. Poor Yogi can’t tell us what he’s experienced in the past, but he’s doing everything he…
Great News for Blackout Drunks!
Science at work! It’s possible that you’re not losing brain cells when you drink yourself into oblivion, just erasing your memory of the drinking itself, which might mean someone should start apologizing to the makers of Four Loko: Now, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, neuroscientists have identified the brain cells involved…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com (Audio Edition) – Bronies Are Magic
I’m on KFMA’s morning show with Fook every Wednesday at 8:10 am to discuss whatever comes up. For some reason, this week we talked about Bronies, the adult male fanbase of the HUB network program My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
University of Exeter Shames U of A With Magic Chocolate Machine
Listen, University of Arizona: We run photos from your fancy Mars camera all the time and that’s cool, I guess. But you know what’s cooler than pictures of another planet? A printer that makes chocolates in any shape you want. Score one for the University of Exeter. You can’t eat pictures of Mars. Step up…
Ben Folds’ Seven-City, 14,000-Member A Capella Choir
When Ben Folds toured the Midwest earlier this year, he recorded several of his audiences singing parts of the first track on his new album. All the bits and pieces were edited together to make this video, an a capella performance by 14,000 people. It’s a pretty impressive musical feat — and I’m not just…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com: Talking Comics With Heroes & Villains
The world of comic books can be confusing, with all the titles, characters changing outfits, and multiple universes to deal with. Thankfully, Eric and Arnie of two time Best of Tucson winner Heroes and Villains have offered to provide a regularly scheduled guide to the world of colored ink, paper, and guys in strange underwear.…
Catching Up With jaxKitchen
The name Noel Patterson may not be familiar to many foodies, but he’s one of the key background players in a number of exciting projects around town. A former sommelier for the now-defunct VinTabla, his name chiefly pops up when people start talking about local-foods and gardening, and how restaurants are integrating both into their…
Mysterious Besh-Ba-Gowah
Ancient ruins can be the most personal of artifacts, whispering with the voices of those they once sheltered. But such whispers often spark more questions than answers. Consider Globe’s Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park, where rustic stone ramparts and reconstructed dwellings evoke what archaeologists now call the ancient Salado “phenomenon.” Not long ago, many of those same…
Pick a Pie
Pizza is the perfect food. Problem is, everyone has their own ideas about what makes pizza perfect. We recently visited two pizza parlors that differ on many levels. From the style of pizza to the décor to the vibe, Vito’s Pizza Kitchen and BZ’s Pizza prove that one person’s perfect pizza is another person’s ho-hum…
On the Mend
Ron Barber walked through the door of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ Tucson office to a rousing cheer. “So what’s been happening for the last six months?” he asked with a wide smile. Barber was welcomed back to work as the district director on Tuesday morning, July 5, by a staff that missed him tremendously while he…
History Preserved
On a sweltering June afternoon with a friend in tow, I have a mission: to investigate Fairbank, a historic townsite located 10 miles west of Tombstone along Highway 82. At first glance, there’s not much to this town but a few shabby wooden shacks, some scraggly green brush, dirt, an unforgiving sun and a bunch…
Noshing Around
Mr. K’s getting ready to open by the Tucson Mall; Three and a Half Brothers Cafe; Burgers at the Boondocks; Ryan Clark is your Iron Chef
Mailbag
The Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Party are to blame for Pima County poverty
Big Papa for a Cause
As firefighters continue to battle blazes in Southern Arizona, victims of the fires are recovering and rebuilding. According to the Southern Arizona Red Cross, 58 families have become homeless due to fire damage to their homes. Yet times of hardship often bring out the best in people, including a desire to help others. With so…
Always Got Tonight
While Chris Isaak’s reverb- and romance-laden songs recall the monumental collision of early rock ‘n’ roll and bluesy country of the 1950s and early ’60s, his music always has felt timeless rather than anachronistic. Perhaps this is because when he croons a tortured torch song, it speaks to emotions rather than eras. Since his debut…
Guest Commentary
After a 20-month investigation, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department simultaneously served search warrants at four residences of people who were suspected of possessing items used to distribute and sell illegal drugs. One of the residences was the home of Jose and Vanessa Guerena. Jose bled to death on the floor of his home, in front…
Big School!
The University of Arizona has a total enrollment of approximately 39,000 students today, all but 1,500 of whom attend class on the main Tucson campus. That ranks the UA among the 20 or so largest campuses in the United States. About 35 years ago, UA enrollment was just greater than 21,000, placing it 29th in…
Soundbites
A Pink Floyd tribute act; Karaoke with a real band; Eric Johnson; and much more!
Editor’s Note
Some information worth knowing: • In next week’s issue, we’ll announce this year’s Tucson Area Music Awards (TAMMIES) finalists, and kick off the final round of voting. To recap: In April and May, we held our first round of readers’ choice voting. At the same time, music editor Stephen Seigel polled local music critics, promoters…
City Week
Celebrating the Sonoran Review; West African dance party; A musical review about marriage; Mariachi Idol
Nine Questions
Sarah Cafiero has lived in Tucson for 15 years. She is the mother of two boys, a massage therapist and a jewelry-maker. (Visit www.etsy.com/people/sugarsnapme.) She blogs about it all at sugarsnapme.wordpress.com. What was the first concert you ever saw? I was taken to Billy Joel in the early ’80s, but the first concert I went…
Danehy
I love reading the comments that people post in the online edition of this publication. It’s cool that people have someplace where they can have their say. I will forever hold in great disdain the journalistic Typhoid Mary who, in the dawn of this electronic-media age, decided that people could hide behind fake names, but…
TQ&A
DeeDee Garcia Blase describes her parents as Kennedy Democrats, but she became a Republican during her service in the U.S. Air Force. In 2006, Blase and her family moved to Phoenix, and in reaction to racist views she encountered in the Republican Party, she started Somos Republicans, a national pro-immigration organization for Latino Republicans. However,…
Live
Known in the 1990s as a blues-rockin’ guitar wunderkind, Ian Moore eventually took a left turn down singer-songwriter lane—and he never looked back. His work has been more interesting for it, even though it hasn’t provided the same fame he received early in his career. From Austin by way of Seattle, Moore has maintained an…
Serraglio
By the time you read this—cumulonimbus gods willing—it will have begun raining at your house. The day I sat down to start writing this, I could smell the faintest hint of monsoon moisture, but above my house, I saw only the same bitterly hot blue sky that had persisted for months. Despite a 60 percent…
Theater Is Born
Playwrights need to see their developing plays “on their feet.” It’s not enough for the play to be given a reading, although readings can be helpful. New plays need a stage, a director, actors who are “off-book,” and enough technical embellishment to provide a real sense of how—or if— the plays actually work. Playwrights—unlike poets…
Generationals: Actor-Caster (Park The Van)
The Generationals play throwback pop of the best kind—bouncy and playful, melding a variety of vintage sounds together. The project of New Orleans songwriting duo Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner, who trade instruments and vocals throughout, the Generationals fit in with the quirky talents of current and former Park the Van label-mates like Dr. Dog,…
Laughs Aplenty
The satirical musical The Book of Mormon just won a basketful of Tony Awards, and it’s the hottest ticket on Broadway. However, it will be quite a while before the show makes its way to Tucson. In the meantime, we’ll just have to make do with The Book of Liz, a clever and silly play…
YACHT: Shangri-La (DFA)
YACHT’s latest is more pop, and more of a party album, than 2009’s See Mystery Lights, which was a bit more avant, a bit puckish. It wanted to toy with its audience’s expectations, whereas Shangri-La just wants you to dance. Cue “Paradise Engineering,” “I Walked Alone,” “Utopia” or any one of the 10 tracks on…
Top Ten in Books
1. Go the Fuck to Sleep Adam Mansbach, Akashic ($14.95) 2. Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher, Razorbill ($10.99) 3. The Help Kathryn Stockett, Berkley ($16) 4. Into the Beautiful North Luis Alberto Urrea, Back Bay ($14.99) 5. A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mother Janny Scott, Riverhead ($26.95) 6. 642 Things to…
Various Artists: Persian Funk (Secret Stash)
Persian Funk? Believe it. Whatever you may think about Iran under the Shah, there was a period from the 1950s well into the late ’70s, after which Ayatollah Khomeini and other Islamic fundamentalists took over, that Iran experienced a cultural opening-up of art, music, film, etc. This era included remarkable opportunities for women in the…
Police Dispatch
Adventures in drunken suicide threats; cat hoarding
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Readers: Ever since the Mexican national soccer team thrashed the American side, 4-2, in last month’s Gold Cup final, Know Nothings have railed about how Mexis in the U.S. root for El Tri against the norteamericanos. They’ve invaded the Mexican’s mailbox with preguntas sobre fútbol, so rather than answer them, I’ll just reprint my…
Hike This!
After a high school rafting trip and a few de rigueur strolls across the skywalk, my experience with the Grand Canyon is just as superficial as the visits most people conduct when stopping in for a day. While I can’t write with any authority on the history and geology of this beautiful gorge, I can…
Happy Meltdown
It’s always been a scary notion, but over the past three years, the prospect of losing a job has become even scarier. With the entire financial foundation of the country shaken, and the housing market crashing like an amateur Jackass-like stunt on YouTube, losing your job since 2008 has brought with it the very real…
Incompetent or Ingenious?
In January, a Chandler Republican named Mimi Pryor fired up a grassroots effort to recall Gov. Jan Brewer. In May, that recall campaign ground to an unsuccessful halt. Those two end-points are solid. It’s what happened in between that’s become a matter of furious debate, as some volunteers question Pryor’s intentions—and accuse her of gross…
Michael Bay’s Money
Transformers: Dark of the Moon has the coolest premise and best visuals of the three films in the franchise. There were moments during this movie when I was sucked in by the special effects—and almost enjoying myself. Then somebody in the movie would speak and ruin my buzz. I won’t argue with anybody impressed by…
Weekly Wide Web
The evil of Casey Anthony iPhone apps; The week on The Range; Comment of the Week; and much more!
Top Ten in Music
1. The Tryst Truth be Told (self-released) 2. Rainer with Joey Burns and John Convertino Roll Back the Years (Rainer Music Archive) 3. Bossa Rhythm Project Bossa Rhythm Project (self-released) 4. Stefan George Cloth (self-released) 5. Nossa Bossa Nova Beyond Bossa Nova: A Tribute to Elis Regina (Chef) 6. The Starline Rhythm Boys Live at…
Violent Messages
Jan. 8 changed the playing field. That’s what Roberto Rodriguez keeps telling himself when he thinks about a series of messages left on his UA office voicemail. The assistant professor in the UA’s Department of Mexican American Studies is an outspoken supporter of the Tucson Unified School District’s ethnic-studies classes—which are considered illegal in the…
Top Ten in Movies
1. The Adjustment Bureau Universal 2. True Grit Paramount 3. Sucker Punch Warner 4. Season of the Witch 20th Century Fox 5. Unknown Warner 6. Red Riding Hood Warner 7. Hall Pass Warner 8. The Eagle Focus 9. Battle Los Angeles Sony 10. Cedar Rapids 20th Century Fox
The Skinny
Gabby’s office tries to start a conversation about the debt … Good news if you plan to visit state parks … Jonathan Rothschild raises a lot of money … and much, much more!
The Unfiltered Border
Illegal immigration. Drug-smuggling. SB 1070. The murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Immigration-law reform. All of these news topics have originated in Tucson’s backyard. But a lot of the people involved in border-issues debates have never actually seen the borderlands—and many of those who do go only see the carefully orchestrated press junkets run…
Now Showing at Home
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition (Blu-ray); Brazil (Blu-ray); Jackass 3.5 (Blu-ray)
Media Watch
Vinnie Vinzetta gets ready to move to San Antonio; Lee Enterprises’ stock sinks and sinks
Retroactive Product Placement: I Blame George Lucas
Not that I have any particular affection for the show How I Met Your Mother, but it seems wrong to back into TV episodes and insert advertisements for new products, especially for the talking animal movie Zookeeper. However, this could just be an unfortunate long-term effect of George Lucas’ willingness to edit his movies retroactively…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Alice Rae, Serving Generations of Tucson Women
The owner of lingerie store Alice Rae talks to Samantha Cummings about the store’s long history and its relationship with its customers.
Giant Beer Poster Needs to Be on My Wall
I’ve expressed lustful feelings towards products by the infographic geniuses at Pop Chart Lab before, but this giant beer poster had me reaching for my wallet in minutes. Six square feet of beer nerddom! What more could I ask for? Sure, it’s a little more expensive than the black light ready beer pong poster from…
Critter of the Week [Cat Edition]: Paulina
Update: Paulina has been adopted! But don’t cry, friend; there are many more animals at the HSSAZ that would love a home. Paulina, an 8-year-old domestic shorthair, lost her owner and could use some comfort. Meow, meow, meow! Do you speak cat? If so, then you’ll know that Paulina is trying to convince you that…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – The Man Behind the Gelato
Allegro’s gelato is so good our Adam Borowitz once ate it with his fingers on his way home (and with no regrets). Lydia Stern talks to Ivan Lucchina, who came from Lake Como to bring Tucson delicious frozen treats.
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]: Tommy
Update: Tommy has been adopted! But don’t cry, friend; there are many more animals at the HSSAZ that would love a home. Tommy, a one-year-old shepherd mix, is a sweetheart looking for a loving home. Tommy just adores people and hopes to have one of his very own soon! Sadly, this poor pup was found…
