Cover Story
Insecurity Complex
Security is the watchword as the U.S. Senate takes up the heated debate over comprehensive immigration reform. Republican lawmakers want to see more teeth in the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, the Senate bill that would spend at least $4.5 billion on additional border-security measures; give most of the 11…
M.I.A. Releases New Track, so We Can Continue to Dance
M.I.A. finally has a new album coming out, Matangi, and here’s the first track, “Bring the Noize.” Recommend a listen from her website for the mesmerizing spinning globe:
Critter of the Week: Benson
This week’s spotlighted animal from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona is Benson, a 9-year-old, male, Flat-Coated Retriever Mix. Benson doesn’t act his age. Based on his boundless energy and goofy play style, you would never guess that boisterous Benson is actually 9 years old. Benson didn’t plan on being alone in his Golden Years…
Controversial Gay-Cure App Pulled By Apple, But Not Google
Do you have feelings of impurity or sin, related to your homosexual lifestyle? Do you wish there was a way to free yourself from your thoughts and retrain your mind to become straight?Believe it or not, there’s an app for that. Recently released in March, a new app from Setting Captives Free, a non-denominational ministry,…
State Budget Tidbits: Mental Health First Aid Funding in Budget
The state budget passed by lawmakers last week included $250,000 to help support Mental Health First Aid programs in the state. Republican Rep. Ethan Orr and Democratic Rep. Victoria Steele, both of Tucson’s Legislative District 9, teamed up on a bill to provide $500,000 for the program, but the legislation was killed in the Senate.…
Kidz Bop Butchered Thrift Shop, Threatens to Butcher Your Ears As Well
First off, I wasn’t aware that Kidz Bop was still actually a thing. Secondly, while I’m not surprised that “Thrift Shop” is popular enough to include on here (along with Taylor Swift breakup song “I Knew You Were Trouble,” a few songs by the ever-so-child-friendly Pitbull, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Can’t Hold Us”), it…
Immigration Reform Reax: That CBO Study
The big news in immigration reform yesterday: The Congressional Budget Office report that shows the Gang of Eight’s bill would shave nearly $200 billion off the deficit over 10 years. Ezra Klein calls the numbers “wildly good”: The bill’s overall effect on the overall economy is unambiguously positive: CBO expects real GDP to increase by…
Scott Kilbury Leaves KOLD for Rochester
Long-time KOLD/KMSB news anchor Scott Kilbury has left the station and accepted a position as the main news anchor for WHEC TV in Rochester, New York. While Kilbury considers Southern Arizona home, he has a great deal of familiarity with the Rochester area.“Between the ages of 10 and 15, I lived in upstate New York,”…
Ladies, A Video Game Featuring A Cartoon Vulva Wants To Help You Masturbate Better
Women, do you just not feel that special spark when you’re by yourself, trying to experience spending time with, uh, “yourself”? Well, believe it or not, there’s an app for that. Or at least, it’s coming. HappyPlayTime is an app that’s designed to help women experience the joys of self-love with the help of an…
Serial Grillers Needs Tucson’s Help in Building a Second Truck
Serial Grillers, the truck with the menu of grilled meat sandwiches named after all sorts of fictional slayers, needs some help, Tucson — they’re looking to build out their second food truck, so they’re no longer operating in the back of a trailer. Currently, they seem to be doing pretty decently for themselves, as they…
Councilman Steve Kozachik vs. Metro Chamber Prez Mike Varney
Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik is challenging assertions made by Tucson Metro Chamber President and CEO Mike Varney in a recent commentary regarding Grand Canyon University and the City Council. First up, Varney’s piece: The Tucson City Council has failed its residents again. Leaders of the private Grand Canyon University (GCU) recently expressed interest in…
There’s a Trailer for ‘Anchorman 2’ Now
For what it’s worth, I don’t think there are enough references to Jet magazine in popular culture these days, but it’s possible I’ve just been watching the wrong stuff.
TUSD Board Votes 4-1 for Sanchez
Yes, they need to approve his contract, but by a vote of 4-1 (Stegeman dissenting) H.T. Sanchez was approved as the new superintendent of TUSD after eight days of consideration and one public forum. More in this week’s issue hitting the stands tomorrow and likely on The Range as well.
Is the Vote for TUSD Super Finalist H.T. Sanchez in the Bag Tonight?
This week’s cover story, on stands tomorrow, may not have had the best timing, but we went forward with interviews with people who work with H.T. Sanchez, the Tucson Unified School District finalist from the Ector County Independent School District (ECISD) in Odessa, Texas. TUSD’s governing board decided to present the community only one finalist…
Girl in a Coma
Tucson Weekly photographer C. Eliott captured these snaps at Club Congress, Saturday, June 15. Find more photos after the jump.
Immigration Reform Would Shave $200 Billion From Deficit
Your afternoon immigration-reform update: The Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform bill will cut the deficit by nearly $200 billion over the next 10 years, according the Congressional Budget Office. Talking Points Memo reports: The so-called Senate Gang of Eight immigration reform bill, which includes a path to citizenship for millions of the nation’s undocumented…
Grijalva on GOP Anti-Abortion Bill: “It Is Time To Stop Hurting America’s Woman and Put People Back To Work”
The New York Times breaks down the anti-abortion bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today: The Republican-led House on Tuesday passed a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that conservatives saw as a milestone in their 40-year campaign against legalized abortion and Democrats condemned as yet another example of the GOP war on women. The legislation,…
Who Will Be the Wildcats’ Week One Starter?
There’s one huge question for the Arizona Wildcats coming into the 2013: who will the starting quarterback? Right now, it looks to be a three-man race among senior B.J Denker, junior transfer Jesse Scroggins and incoming freshman Anu Solomon. Currently, things seem pretty even, and we may not have a clear-cut winner for some time…but…
Political Showdown Averted: Former Lawmaker Terri Proud Says She Won’t Challenge State Rep. Ethan Orr
Conservative Republicans are vowing revenge on the GOP lawmakers who crossed party lines to support Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion. The targeted lawmakers include state Rep. Ethan Orr, the only Republican lawmaker in Southern Arizona to vote in favor of the Medicaid expansion. Orr represents Legislative District 9, which includes midtown Tucson, the Catalina Foothills…
State Budget Tidbits: More Money for Arts and Parks
Jim Nintzel Lake Patagonia State Park might get a little repair work done with new state dollars In all the excitement over the Medicaid expansion, there are a whole bunch of overlooked tidbits from the recently completed legislative session that The Range will be gathering in the next few days. For starters, there’s new funding…
Idaho Republican Appears to Have Never Met A Gay Man
In the middle of a state legislature debate regarding local non-discrimination ordinances in Idaho, a Republican politician revealed that he has apparently never actually encountered a gay person in his life: Cornel Rasor, a former Bonner County commissioner and chairman of the Idaho GOP’s resolutions committee, said, “I’d hire a gay guy if I thought…
Boehner: Immigration Bill Will Require Support of GOP House Majority
This week’s cover story focused on how the question of border security was the key topic as lawmakers in Washington debate comprehensive immigration reform, as well as how the politics of immigration play against an effort by the Republican Party to capture a larger percentage of the growing Latino vote. That topic of security came…
Give Your Potted Flowers a Fighting Chance in your Desert Landscape
Marylee, The Potted Desert How many times do we say or hear, “But, it’s a dry heat?” Now that we are in the ‘hot spell’ of the desert valley, albeit for the next four months, we still want our landscape pots filled with flowers and color. I know I do!! This month I will provide…
Capitol Shocker: Brewer Hugs Campbell!
After the jump: AZ Central captures a shocking moment at the Arizona Capitol today: Gov. Jan Brewer hugs state Rep. Chad Campbell at the signing ceremony for the Medicaid expansion. More on the wild end of the session in this week’s print edition.
For Four UA Grads, Tying Shoes Is A Sucker’s Game
Hipsters and frat guys, rejoice! The end to your days of constantly retying the leather laces on your boat shoes is in sight. Four University of Arizona grads have come together to create DockClips. Last year, while enrolled in UA’s Eller College of Management, the creators got a grant from the University for research and…
Tucson Chefs Addam Buzzalini and Janos Wilder Named Among America’s Best
Two Tucson chefs have been included in America’s Best Chefs 2013. Addam Buzzalini and Janos Wilder were voted by their peers for this well-deserved award. Buzzalini is the Executive Chef at Maynards Market & Kitchen, one of my favorite places in Tucson. Addam likes to take classical dishes and then adds his own modern flair.…
Arizona Football: Because We Don’t Want to Confuse People By Acting Like Tucson Is An Actual City
I understand the importance of self-promotion, and that sometimes you’ve gotta get a little cheesy and outside of the box to draw attention. This is especially true for an entity that might not have a built-in fan base, such as a college football program that — other than an odd placement on the cover of…
Foals Have a New Video Featuring a Naked Woman
British indie-rock act (that seems to be a bit too limiting of a description for what the band does, but oh well) Foals are coming to the Rialto on August 7, in the midst of a summer that has them seemingly all the festivals, including Bonnaroo last weekend and Metallica’s Orion Festival the week before.…
Immigration Reform Reax: Wonkblog Examines the Obamacare Wrinkles in Immigration Reform
The Washington Post Wonkblog’s Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas look at the political angle of the push to block undocumented immigrants from getting any kind of Obamacare benefits as part of the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform: But if Republicans are trying to make inroads with the Obamacare-loving Hispanic electorate, they’ve got a funny…
Saint House Rum Bar Has an Opening Date
Not too many details about the new venture from Travis Reese and Nicole Flowers, other than the basics reported by Jim Nintzel in his story about the rise of downtown dining from May… Saint House, which is scheduled to open in August, will feature food from across the Caribbean and anywhere else rum is produced.…
NYT: Illegal Crossings Pushed From AZ Into Texas
The New York Times reports that Texas may be displacing Southern Arizona as the hot spot for illegal border crossings: Now the Rio Grande Valley has displaced the Tucson enforcement zone as the hot spot, with makeshift rafts crossing the river in increasing numbers, high-speed car chases occurring along rural roads and a growing number…
You Should Watch This Short Film About Sixth-Grade Brooklyn Metalheads
You will see this video everywhere on the internet at some point in the near future, but you should watch it now, because it is beautiful and inspiring. Plus, those kids can really play.
The Yacht Rock Party Video Is Here! The Yacht Rock Party Video Is Here!
Complete with a soundtrack of Starbuck’s “Moonlight Feels Right,” the sight of Kenny Stewart in particularly revealing undergarments, and …Music Video?’s Paul Jenkins doing some excellent dancing with his hands, the promo video for Thursday’s Yacht Rock 2013 party at La Cocina is now online for your enjoyment. I don’t know if it’s quite as…
I Guess We’re Going to Phoenix to See Dave Chappelle
While, as a rule, I try to avoid heading to Phoenix for anything, the Oddball Fest, scheduled for September 22 at Desert Sky Pavillion (we’re back to calling it that? I can’t keep track of this stuff), is precisely the sort of thing worth driving up there for. First of all, Dave Chappelle, whose public…
Let’s Check Out An Orchestral Take On Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
As I’ve said before, I’m a big damn fan of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s debut album, The Heist, which I’ll go ahead and say was one of the best albums of 2012. But this arrangement of my favorite song on the album, “Can’t Hold Us,” is just impressive. It’s a damn good, incredibly accurate (compare…
Time’s Running Out For A Local, Historical Documentary
We’ve given Dan Buckley’s “Mariachis Transform Tucson” Kickstarter some love in the past, but now’s as good a time as any to take another look at it: Buckley’s project, which is set to take a look at mariachi programs have affected Tucson in positive ways (because, strangely, giving kids something to do keeps them out…
Immigration Reform Reax: Roundtable Discussion
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy As the first week of debate over the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration-reform bill wrapped up, MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki discussed the politics swirling around the bill with Michelle Bernard, Nixonland author Rick Perlstein, Nation reporter George Zornick and Robert Lovato of Presente.org. The…
AZ Illustrated Politics: Brewer’s Power Play, Rape & Pregnancy, Offensive Tweets & More!
On last night’s AZ Illustrated Politics: Host Jim Nintzel, former Tucson City Council member Carol West, former Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers and GOP strategist Sam Stone expressed amazement at Gov. Jan Brewer’s ability to push through Medicaid expansion and the state budget in a special session this week; talked about budget highlights;…
[UPDATE] Power Outages in Downtown Tucson
Update – This just in from Downtown Tucson Partnership: I have a little more info on the power outage. It’s only west of Stone Avenue. Downtown businesses are open east of Stone. Downtown is still accessible via Congress east of 6th Ave and Broadway, and people who want to access downtown can avoid all of…
We Almost Forgot: It’s Bourbon’s Birthday
Thanks goes out to Alex Balk of the wonderful website The Awl for mentioning that it’s Bourbon Day. According to Wikipedia and seemingly a thousand websites that get their information from Wikipedia, on this date in 1789, Dr. Elijah Craig put his corn-distilled whiskey in charred oak barrels. While the Craig story is generally considered…
Case Closed: UA’s Carey No Longer Facing Domestic Violence Charges
The Tucson city prosecutor’s office announced today it was dropping domestic violence charges against University of Arizona running back Ka’Deem Carey. With less than a month before Carey was set to go to trial, the move seems incredibly curious. The press release provided by the city, explaining why the charges were dropped, only made things…
Tucson, Someone Needs To Make ‘Evil Dead: The Musical’ Happen Here
During a morning-time conversation that meandered from broken equipment to celebrity tournaments to ultimate frisbee, Dan Gibson and I discovered something magical, by way of Oregon’s Willamette Week: the existence of Evil Dead: the Musical. The show, based off of the campy horror classic Evil Dead series (and not the incredibly serious 2012 remake), includes…
Here’s a Letter to the Editor With Many, Many Exclamation Points
It might have been a tactical error on my part to mention in this week’s issue that we don’t receive enough letters to the editor, because now I’m getting stuff like this odd commentary on our May 30 issue: To Mr. Dan Gibson: I looked at and read some of your TucsonWeekly-Seeking Justice and was…
AZ Democratic Party Ties McSally to Rep. Franks’ Comments on Rape and Abortion
The Arizona Democratic Party sent out a bulletin yesterday linking Republican Martha McSally, the former combat pilot who nearly unseated Congressman Ron Barber last year, to Congressman Trent Franks, whose comments about rape and pregnancy made national news this week. Here’s the Democrats’ press release: Congressional candidate Martha McSally should be more careful about the…
AZ Illustrated Politics: Medicaid Expansion, Immigration Reform & Lots More!
On tonight’s edition of AZ Illustrated Politics: It’s been a busy week in politics, what with the special session at the Arizona Legislature leading to Sine Die today; the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive-immigration reform plan surviving its first week of debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate; Arizona Congressman Trent Franks reawakening the whole…
Medicaid Expansion Reax: A Split GOP
After Gov. Jan Brewer pushed Medicaid expansion through the special session earlier this week, reaction from Democrats has been delight. State Rep. Bruce Wheeler, in a fairly typical reaction, said that lawmakers “set aside partisanship and worked with our colleagues across the aisle to create common-sense policy that augments funding for schools, fosters job creation…
Seniors Behaving Badly, Poker Edition
Large collections of people of a certain age coming together for a special event is a sight to see. Anyone who’s been at Fry’s on Senior Wednesdays (1st of the month; you’ve been warned) can attest to this. But it pales in comparison to what will go down today in the Rio Convention Center in…
It’s a Wrap: Legislature Reaches Sine Die
The Arizona Legislature has reached Sine Die and concluded its work for the year. The big story of the session was undoubtedly the Medicaid expansion that Gov. Jan Brewer pushed through yesterday. Also yesterday: A bill that would overhaul election law, including new restrictions on the early-voting, passed the Legislature after initially failing. We’ll have…
Hispanics Leading Minority Growth in AZ
Here’s a reason that Arizona Republicans might want to be less hostile to Latinos: Hispanics now make up 30 percent of the state’s population, while non-Hispanic whites have dropped from 64 percent to 57 percent of the population, according to Jonathan Reid of Cronkite News, who breaks down Arizona’s latest census numbers: WASHINGTON — Arizona’s…
Immigration Reform: Babeu In “Complete the Danged Fence” Camp
In this week’s cover story, I examined how the new border security measures worked in conjunction with putting the undocumented on a path to citizenship. I also looked at how some Republicans were continuing to push the idea that we needed more security than the bill contained, but that other Republicans wanted to see a…
Federal Judge Adopts TUSD Deseg Budget and Special Master Recommendations
Apologies to all people who follow everything Tucson Unified School District (or really everything that has to do with the district’s ongoing desegregation case). We got sidetracked when the district went into superintendent search mode and announced a finalist on Tuesday evening. Remember how we were expecting a decision from U.S. Federal Court Judge David…
Anniversary of Arizona Republic Reporter Don Bolles’ Death
Thirty-seven years ago today, June 13, 1976, Arizona Republic investigative reporter extraordinaire Don Bolles died, 11 days after a bomb exploded beneath his car. From the Republic today: In 1962, Don Bolles landed a job as a reporter at The Arizona Republic and immediately began making a name for himself. He probed the influence of…
Ghost Bike Dedication Tonight for John Akers
According to Tucson Velo, there’s a ghost bike dedication tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Irvington and Mission roads. That’s where Sun Tran driver John Akers was killed biking to work last month. From Velo: According to BICAS board member, Erik Ryberg, many of his Sun Tran colleagues will be in attendance.
Thursdays Doings: Jen’s Open Mic at Riley’s Irish Tavern
There are some great things happening in the Moldy Pueblo tonight, but one highlight is sure to be Jen McDonald’s open mic from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Riley’s Irish Tavern, 5140 N. La Cholla Blvd. Remember Jen? She was the owner of the late Glass Onion Café, a Beatles-themed sandwich shop that cultivated a…
The Chief of the Australian Army is Done Putting Up With Sexual Degradation — What About Our Military?
The Australian Army is done putting up with soldiers treating women terribly. According to the BBC, the Australian Army has recently launched an investigation into allegations that emails containing explicit and derogatory material have been circulating for more than three years: Although details of the emails have not been disclosed, they have been described as…
Brewer: “I Thank the Arizona Legislature for Joining Me in Putting the People of Arizona First”
The special session is a wrapped up with the Arizona Legislature passing a budget and the Medicaid expansion that Gov. Jan Brewer has been fighting for since she delivered her State of the State address. Brewer has issued the following statement: I am grateful to the Arizona lawmakers who have acted with courage and conviction…
Immigration Reform Reax: DREAM Act Kids Freak Out Congressman Steve King
20 brazen self professed illegal aliens have just invaded my DC office. Obama’s lawless order gives them de facto immunity from U.S. law.— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) June 13, 2013 Congressman Steve King, the immigration firebrand from Iowa, got an unexpected visit from DREAM Act kids today. Talking Points Memo reports: The thirty DREAMers who stormed…
The Tucson Tea Party Are Getting Together Again, If That’s Your Thing
Likely upset by the last 48 hours or so up at the Arizona Legislature (I mean seriously, how dare they provide a way for low-income people to receive insured pre-emptive healthcare instead of relying on emergency rooms and not paying the bill? WHAT IS THIS, RUSSIA?), the Tucson Tea Party is back in action, protesting…
TLC Hastens Apocalypse With “Watch and Sniff” Promotion
If it weren’t quite bad enough that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (which as you may have managed to block from your memory, is a spin-off from Toddlers and Tiaras, another show that continues to exist) is returning to assault the minds of Americans on July 17, the twisted minds over at TLC are kicking…
Critter of the Week: Taz
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Taz, a male, 5-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix Reference no: 753555 Sociable, easy-going and an absolute volunteer favorite! Taz is the talk of the Humane Society for so many reasons. This faithful boy is a tried and true sidekick who makes friends everywhere he goes. After losing his…
Defending Congressman Trent Franks’ Comments About Rape and Pregnancy
Congressman Trent Franks came under fire yesterday for a comment regarding rape and pregnancy. Franks clarified his position via an exchange with Talking Points Memo: “Pregnancies from rape that result in abortion after the beginning of the sixth month are very rare,” Franks said in a statement sent to TPM. “This bill does not address…
AZ House Passes Budget, Medicaid Expansion
While most of us were fast asleep, the Arizona House of Representatives passed a budget and Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion. Talking Points Memo reports: After a marathon session that lasted until nearly 4 in the morning on Thursday, the Arizona House approved a plan backed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer to expand Medicaid under…
Immigration Reform Reax: “Congress Is About To Change America in a More Profound, Permanent Way Right Under Your Noses”
As immigration reform makes its way through the Senate this month, The Range will be here to bring you updates and share various perspectives. (BTW: I’ve got a cover story examining the calls for more border security and the political impact of immigration reform in the print edition that’s on the streets today.) Here’s a…
Cool World
Cold Deck By H. Lee Barnes University of Nevada Press $26.95; 216 pagesa H. Lee Barnes’ latest novel opens with a famous real-life disaster, which his protagonist narrowly evades. Sometimes, though, as Cold Deck makes clear, the flames that singe us stem from conflagrations of our design. And as Jude Helms learns, sometimes a losing…
Nine Questions
On Saturday, June 22, the Rialto Theatre will host a “Tucson’s Best” showcase featuring local hardcore bands. Jared Juan is the only remaining founding member of Light Her Up, a local metalcore that will perform at the event. Due to some recent changes within the band, the Rialto show will be the first time some…
Top Ten in Books
1. Yes Is Better Than No Byrd Baylor ($19.95) 2. Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche with Eric Swanson ($15) 3. Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls David Sedaris ($27) 4. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Jonas Jonasson ($15.99) 5. A Short Story About a Big Healing…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Why don’t all TV stations feature Spanish subtitles?
Nearly Excellent Neapolitan
Falora 3000 E. Broadway Blvd. 325-9988; falora.com Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday Pluses: Great food; friendly service; local ingredients Minuses: Limited drink selection; on the expensive side; can take a long time I love good pizza. In fact, a…
Smith Smacks His Head
Over the past year and a half, I’ve skimmed the surface of medical cannabis like a bat snatching bugs off the surface of a Sonoran creek. I’ve swooped down week after week, picking tidbits from the surface but never dipping much below it. There are a lot of reasons for that, one of which is…
Soulless Superman
Seven years ago, director Bryan Singer tried to relaunch Superman by casting a Christopher Reeve clone (Brandon Routh) and a long-dead Marlon Brando, and retaining that majestic John Williams score. I liked Superman Returns but, while it was no bomb, it performed beneath expectations and producers put Supes on ice. With Man of Steel, Warner…
The Skinny
This week in The Skinny: Gov. Brewer busts the legislature for the budget … conservatives once again take aim at Planned Parenthood … a group looks to phase out the city’s pension program … and much more!
Grant Road Rage
In the early hours of Saturday, May 18, Rebecca and Javier Garcia were awoken by a horrific crash outside their young girls’ bedroom. “We were all sleeping and heard a giant crash and we both jumped out of bed and ran straight for the girls’ room to make sure they were OK,” Rebecca says. A…
Until the End of the World
Sweeping privacy breaches by the NSA, tornadoes at every turn, the spawning of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West—maybe this really is the end of the world. If it is, let’s hope we can all find the good humor exhibited by This Is the End, the latest Seth Rogen joint. Several years ago, Rogen and Jay…
Editor’s Note
In the midst of my terribly uninteresting brief feud with James T. Harris last week (my twin conclusions: he’s not really beholden to traditional concepts like “making sense” or “accuracy”; also while he says having me on his show doesn’t “interest” him, he’s probably just not that into viewpoints dissimilar to his own), I heard…
Top Ten in Cinema
1. Identity Thief 2. A Good Day to Die Hard 3. Warm Bodies 4. Side Effects 5. Stand Up Guys 6. Beautiful Creatures 7. Escape From Planet Earth 8. The Last Stand 9. Dark Skies 10. Parker
Danehy
Let’s face it: For a significant segment of the male population, Tom Horne is The Man. He is the ultimate role model for all those people out there who want more than they deserve, who want to lie because it’s easier, and who want to cheat because they can. Now, some males (but not “guys”)…
T Q&A
Kira Dixon-Weinstein is executive director at Mercado San Agustín, Tucson’s only public market and the location of the All Souls Procession finale the past two years. A year ago, she helped start a committee to raise funds for the procession. On Friday, June 14, the committee is hosting its last event to cover the 2012…
Noshing Around
Beer dinners begin at Hotel Congress’s Cup Cafe … a mysterious concept is coming to St. Philip’s Plaza … more word of summer changes … and Jax Kitchen gets a new sister restaurant?
Gargulinski
Never mind the thought of your beau rambling in a big rig through a tornado zone or the fear that truck-stop hookers, known as “lot lizards,” will be swarming around him like maggots. The worst part about being a truck driver’s so-called widow is having Willie Nelson constantly run through your head. “On the road…
True TV
You Should Watch It Magic City Friday, June 14 (Starz) Season Premiere: Sort of a sunnier, cheaper version of period-detail-intense dramas Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, Starz’s Magic City premiered last year to little notice because it was neither Boss (a buzz-y political wonk-fest) nor Spartacus (a swords ‘n’ boobs epic with none of that…
Travel Twist
Tough to imagine, but some folks still frequent our national forests for hushed serenity. A few even exit their vehicles, putting one foot before the other in a quaint pastime known as “walking.” But many more, it seems, can’t bear to ambulate beyond earshot of their internal combustion engines. Which means they routinely subject tranquility…
Blues Explosion!
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with The Resonars 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 18 Club Congress 311 E. Congress St. $18 advance / $20 day of 622-8848; hotelcongress.com Provocation and confrontation are words sometimes associated with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. For more than two decades, they have confused and angered some, while consistently thrilling others. And…
Another Stanza
MORE INFORMATION A celebration to honor Gail Browne and her time as the Poetry Center’s executive director will be held Monday, June 17, beginning with a brief presentation at 7 p.m. in the center’s Rubel Room, 1508 E. Helen St. The presentation will be followed by a dessert and champagne reception. For more information, call…
Maturity in Lo-Fi
Ariel Pink With Kirin J Callinan and Purple Pilgrims 7 p.m., Thursday, June 20 Club Congress 311 E. Congress St. $16 advance; $18 day of All ages 622-8848; hotelcongress.com Emerging from a pizzeria in Cleveland, Ariel Pink has found a light for his Camel cigarette, and we begin our discussion. For approximately an hour, Pink…
Guest Commentary
Although the City Council has abandoned a plan to turn over El Rio Golf Course to Grand Canyon University, the GCU debacle highlighted the contempt Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and council members Regina Romero, Paul Cunningham, Karin Uhlich and Shirley Scott have for the westside—only council members Richard Fimbres and Steve Kozachik stood with the westside.…
Soundbites
This week, we dig Pat Benatar … Steve announces his fandom for Cheap Trick and Rick Nielsen … the Rialto welcomes Iris DeMent … and so much more (especially at Club Congress)!
Media Watch
The Tucson Padres’ play-by-play man Tim Hagerty is the go-to guy for the meanings behind minor league team nicknames.
Surfer Blood: Pythons (Warner Bros.)
The guitars on Surfer Blood’s 2010 debut, Astro Coast, were draped everywhere like alien vines. They were thick, layered and twitching. That is not the sound of Pythons, despite its serpentine title. Here we find the band ditching the Sonic Youth walls of sound and the venomous Superchunk assaults to become a straight-up power-pop band.…
More Than Meets the Eye
In January, the Loft Cinema showed a series of films by Japanese animation master Hayao Miyzaki, tapping into the Tucson’s anime fans, but also reaching children and adults who enjoy whimsy and joy. Following the series, the Loft had many requests from customers to continue to show Miyazaki’s films, as well as other films from…
Candye Kane: Coming Out Swingin’ (Vizztone)
On her 12th album, the always-amazing belter Kane continues her journey through roots rock, blues and swing, singing about the elation and heartbreak of romance, leavening it with hard-won confidence and a sense of self-empowerment. The title track opens the album and sets the tone, a terrific example of jump blues and a clear-eyed testament…
City Week
The Rules of War Humanity in the Midst of War: An Introduction to International Humanitarian Law Workshop Tuesday, June 18, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. American Red Cross 2916 E. Broadway Blvd. RSVP by June 14 to Elissa Maish, 318-6861 or email International.SouthernArizona.AZ@redcross.org After witnessing the aftermath of a battle between French and Austrian armies in…
JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound: Howl (Bloodshot)
This Chicago-based group’s third album continues to challenge traditional soul revivalism, exploring R&B in the context of a world that has experienced post-punk and alternative rock. The result is the band’s most accomplished and cohesive album yet, but one that may surprise fans. As diverse as the band has proved to be in the past,…
Bird Brains
Small Things Considered: 21st Small Works Invitational 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday; through Saturday, June 29 Davis Dominguez Gallery 154 E. Sixth St. Free 629-9759; davisdominguez.com Mike Dominguez claims that 2013 is the Year of the Bird. He may have a point. Hyper as a hummingbird,…
Live
Tucson’s Last Call Brawlers have been pigeonholed into the outrageously silly rockabilly ghetto since they started playing shows almost 14 years ago. It’s both a falsehood and a shame, because they have so much more to offer than revisionist greaser/pin-up fantasies. The quartet has a lot more in common with early 80’s L.A. punks like…
The (New) Play’s the Thing
New Play Reading Series Presented by Tucson Alliance of Dramatic Artists (TADA!) Eighteen Fourteen: 7 p.m., Thursday, June 20; Emmett, Down in My Heart: 7 p.m., Thursday, July 18; Love Conquers: 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15 Hotel Congress’ Copper Hall 311 E. Congress St. Admission is free 722-9553 or (310) 367-5640 One of the more…
Top Ten in Music
1. Queens of the Stone Age Like Clockwork 2. Maine Forever Halloween 3. Daft Punk Random Access Memories 4. Megadeth Super Collider 5. Alice in Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here 6. City and Colour The Hurry and the Harm 7. Portugal the Man Evil Friends 8. Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City 9.…
Brewer: “I Trust That Over the Next 24 Hours or So, a Majority of the House and Senate Will Put an End to the Games”
Gov. Jan Brewer has released a statement on the Special Session on the budget and Medicaid expansion now underway at the Legislature: One of the first things I learned in politics more than 30 years ago was the importance of listening. So, when I began to consider the Medicaid issue last year, I met with…
Chicha Dust Makes a Party Record
Chicha Dust raised a party and got Waterworks Recording’s Jim Waters to record it at Wildcat Storage last Sunday, June 9. More info and a slide show after the jump. Helmed by Gabriel Sullivan and Brian Lopez, Tucson rock’s current favorite dance band delivered two sets and free beer to the gathering, so expect a…
