Cover Story
An the Move
Local restaurateur Kwang C. An walked out of retirement and into what quickly became one of the busiest chapters of his long and storied life. An, better known to generations of Tucson diners as Mr. An thanks to his more than 30 years in the local restaurant business—and a long-running advertising campaign with his “No.…
Twelve-Mile-Tall Dust Devil on the Surface of Mars
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona The UA Lunar and Planetary Lab’s HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures an astonishing snapshot of a dust devil that’s 12 miles tall on the Martian surface.The details: A dust devil the size of a terrestrial tornado towers above the Martian surface in this late springtime afternoon image of Amazonis…
Now Open: Bing’s Boba Tea
If you’re a fan of drinks with balls of chewy stuff in them – which I most certainly am – you’ll want to check out the new Bing’s Boba Tea located in the same shopping center as Lee Lee International Supermarket at 1990 W. Orange Grove Road. We know so frightfully little about boba tea,…
Here’s Your Chance to Destroy the New York Times, One Page at a Time
The New York Times published a fascinating article today on silly, simple, time-wasting games that have become absurdly popular in the smartphone toting, hand-held gaming world we live in today — think Tetris, Angry Birds, and Fruit Ninja. But the best part for those who are as easily distracted as I am (cursed Internet!) is…
TPM Introduces the Nation to the “Most Feared Politician” in AZ
Nick Martin of Talking Points Memo introduces the nation to the “most feared politician in the state.” Guess who it is?
Oh, Morrissey’s Coming Back to Tucson!
It’s been a few years since Morrissey has brought his traveling spectacle of adoration to Tucson, but good news for Smiths fetishists and his parade of Latino fans, since he’s coming to the TCC Music Hall on Wednesday, May 23rd. If you want to get the best seats, you might want to check with KFMA,…
Billy Elliott Talks About His New Restaurant Elliott’s on Congress
Billy Elliott wants to feed you bacon, burgers and vodka. We met with Billy Elliott yesterday, one of the newest people getting in on the ever-growing downtown restaurant scene with Elliott’s on Congress, which is going in where A Steak in the Neighborhood used to be at 135 E. Congress St. Elliott, who is opening…
You Need Tropical Remixes of 90’s Urban Hits
It’s coming up on the half of the year we just give up and call “summertime” here in Tucson, so it’s time to get your poolside soundtrack ready (or in my case, try to figure out what organism has taken over my pool and discover a plan of action to destroy it, then come up…
Stupid Little Pots
We often collect small (10 inches or less) flower pots. We get them as gifts, when we buy a small plant or flower somewhere or when we see something that just catches our eye as a wonderful art piece. Additionally, small pots are often cute and easy to carry home. When I visit people’s homes,…
The Great Easter Beer Hunts of 2012
HUB Restaurant and Ice Creamery and the nearby Playground Bar and Lounge are holding an Easter egg hunt this coming weekend. The best part? Inside each egg there will be a slip of paper entitling the finder to a beer for a penny. Owner Kade Mislinski says 100 eggs will be hidden at HUB and…
Three Sonorans Post Pulled After Patterson Threatens Lawsuit
Although it’s no longer Daniel Patterson Monday at Weekly World Central, we bring you another, albeit small part, in the ongoing Patterson saga — this one involving a local blogger, a Gannett blog once though impervious to litigation threats and yes, Daniel Patterson. Three Sonoran’s David Abie Morales shared with the Range that he was…
Daniel Patterson “Suspending” Seemingly Futile Campaign
I’m suspending my reelection campaign & likely will not run for AZ House in 2012. I want focus on family, break from politics. #Tucson — Daniel R. Patterson (@RepPatterson) April 3, 2012 It’s like he lives in another universe. Oh, you’re probably not running in a race you’d be almost certain to lose? That’s quite…
Patterson Survives Today’s House Session, Faces Ethics Hearing Next Week
Citing a damning report from an ethics investigation, House Democrats attempted to toss Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, out of the House of Representatives today, only to have the measure blocked by House Republicans—twice. After the report was released Monday claiming Patterson harassed, threatened and creeped-out a wide collection of lawmakers, legislative staff and lobbyists at…
TwitterFight! Legislators at Odds Over Patterson’s Non-Expulsion
So, in case you haven’t yet heard, Daniel Patterson has a week to respond to the House Ethics report that has him looking like a big ol’ jerk. This is based on a 42-13 standing vote by the House that decided to adjourn, resisting two motions by Democrats to expel Patterson. Rep. Chad Campbell is…
Michael Hicks: ‘Daily Show Opted to Amuse Rather Then Inform’
Pima County Democratic Party volunteer Curtis Dutiel called Michael Hicks out today on the Tucson Unified School District governing board member’s Daily Show “performance,” while at the same time calling out board members Mark Stegeman and Miguel Cuevas for supporting the guy. Fun and politics with Facebook:
More Highlights From the Patterson Ethics Report
The ethics report calling for the expulsion of Rep. Daniel Patterson has a lot of highlights and lowlights. Here are some of our favorite so far: On LobbyistsLobbyists generally avoid Rep Patterson because of his reputation for being difficult, unpredictable, combative and untruthful. Worse yet, lobbyists who dare oppose Rep. Patterson are often harassed to…
Michael Hicks, Not Really Helping His Cause
The website Latino Rebels has an emailed response from Michael Hicks regarding his extremely embarrassing appearance on last night’s episode of The Daily Show. A note for Mr. Hicks: if you didn’t want to have your idiotic, ill-informed comments amplified to a national audience, don’t do an interview with The Daily Show. I would actually…
Well, Which Is It, Rep. Patterson?
I’m thankful for another beautiful day in #Arizona. I’m excused from capitol today due to familiy responsibility in #Tucson.— Daniel R. Patterson (@RepPatterson) April 3, 2012 Meantime, @RepPatterson has hearing right now in #Tucson on his motion to quash ex-wife’s latest order of protection. #PattersonVote— BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) April 3, 2012 I guess a court hearing…
Terri Proud Wants Patterson Out
Today Democrats filed a Motion to expel Rep. Patterson after a 298 page report of evidence;Republicans voted against it. SO DISAPPOINTED!— Terri Proud (@TerriProud) April 3, 2012 Don’t worry, Rep. Proud. The day isn’t over yet, and it really looks like Chad Campbell wants Patterson out sooner rather than later. Update: Nope. Rep. Campbell’s second…
Arizona House Moves Patterson Process Up a Week
Our man at the Capitol, Hank Stephenson, tells The Range that state Rep. Steve Farley has made a motion to adopt the recommendations in the ethics report on Rep. Daniel Patterson and expel him from Arizona Legislature. House Minority Leader Chad Campbell has seconded the motion. Update: Well, that was fast. The House has instead…
New National Anthem Rule, Thanks to The Fray
In case you didn’t see a flood of Facebook and Twitter comments early last night (ex. “Didn’t anyone see The Fray rehearse that version of the anthem and go, “Uhh, guys? Maybe not a good idea?”), Denver Christian-rock-adjacent band The Fray performed an “interesting” take on the National Anthem. It’s not a huge deal that…
Great, Another Arizona Appearance on ‘The Daily Show’
The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook Michael Hicks did himself no favors whatsoever last night on The Daily Show. I don’t know if he realizes that basing your ideas and theories on “hearsay” is generally considered a bad thing. I’m personally so…
Daniel Patterson, Terrible Co-Worker
The ethics report into Rep. Daniel Patterson also includes a handy little timeline of Patterson’s problems with his coworkers, starting in his freshman year. 2009Rep. Patterson engaged in harassing and inappropriate actions towards lobbyists, which was reported to Democratic leadership. 2010 Patterson had an aggressive, inappropriate, and unprofessional exchange with Rep. David Gowan.He impugned former…
Tell Us About Your Texting Tickets
This past Sunday was when Tucson’s texting-while-driving ban went into effect. No, this wasn’t a April Fool’s Day joke, though it would have been a cool one. If spotted texting (or anything that looks like texting) while behind the wheel, and your vehicle is in motion, Tucson police can pull you over, cite you and…
The Best 2012 Election-Related Tweet So Far
Emily Friedman, you win election coverage for the day.
Arizona AG Facing Campaign-Finance Allegations
Trouble for Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, according to the Arizona Capitol Times: Federal authorities are investigating Attorney General Tom Horne over allegations that he illegally collaborated with an independent expenditure committee that spent more than a half-million dollars on negative ads against his Democratic opponent in 2010, the Arizona Capitol Times has learned. A…
Patterson: “When the Going Gets Tough at the Capitol, I’m Going To ‘Bear Down’ and Stand Up”
The ethics investigation into Rep. Daniel Patterson has culminated in a lengthy and damning report (complete with extensive footnotes) recommending Patterson’s expulsion from the House of Representatives. The expulsion recommendation in the report, prepared by Stinson Moris Hecker LLP and delivered to the Ethics Committee and Patterson over the weekend and made public today, is…
Patterson Ethics Report: Threats, Intimidation, and Marijuana
The House Ethics Report report on Daniel Patterson was released this morning. Turns out the committee’s investigators looked beyond domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend and ex-wife. It reads like a tale out of an Arizona version of Reefer Madness, or in this case, what happens to state lawmakers who allegedly smoke too much…
Today in Really Stupid Bills in the Arizona Legislature
While I personally like the idea of sending in the authorities anytime one of you pesky profanity-using denizens of the comment section “annoy” me, I suppose the argument could be made that I might be accused of the same (potentially) illegal behavior under HB 2549, which looks to make the use of “any obscene, lewd…
Daniel Patterson: Definitely an Independent, Probably Not a Legislator Much Longer
It’s another Monday, so Daniel Patterson is obligated to make some sort of news, apparently. So, Brahm Resnick is reporting that the House Ethics Committee report is going to recommend that Patterson be sent home from the Legislature in shame: However, just to try to be interesting in some way, Daniel Patterson is going rogue,…
Guest Opinion: Say No to HB 2780
The cattle industry already has numerous exemptions under Arizona’s animal cruelty laws. Do they really need another one? A bill that would exempt ranch dogs from local animal cruelty laws is close to passing the Arizona Legislature, despite the fact it is overly broad and could cause significant problems for animal cruelty enforcement. The bill…
Just In Time for Easter: A Burger Named After a Rabbit’s Private Parts
I often wonder about the creative process Lindy’s on Fourth uses to create its burgers of the month. One envisions co-owner Lindy Reilly barricaded in a dark room, sweat beads dotting his creased forehead, until the newest twisted burger creation springs forth from his rather sizable skull. Or maybe it’s far weirder than that. This…
Political Roundtable: Health Care, Street Troubles, Bus Fares, Contraception Legislation & More
On tonight’s Political Roundtable, Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers and Republican strategist Sam Stone talked about health-care politics in the state and the latest at the Arizona Legislature, as well as the challenges that the city of Tucson and Pima County face in fixing streets and funding mass transit. There’s a little bit…
If You Have Nothing Better to Do, the Democratic Caucus Is Tomorrow
Quick quiz! Which weekend contest is more scripted to pick a certain winner? Saturday’s Democratic caucus to determine which presidential candidate will get the state’s delegates or the match between The Rock and John Cena Sunday at Wrestlemania 28? I’m still a Republican, so I’m not invited, but if you’re up for a pep rally,…
City Hall to Turn Off Lights Tomorrow Night
Tucson, it’s time to turn the lights off. As part of the World Wildlife Fund’s global “Earth Hour Celebration,” Tucson was chosen to star in the annual event aimed at supporting climate change. To do this, city officials will switch off Tucson’s City Hall lights on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. for one hour. The celebration…
Russell Pearce Embarks on a New Stupid Quest
Russell Pearce and his former pal, JT Ready Full disclosure: I work for an alt-weekly, and I occasionally write for the Phoenix New Times, so I’m generally predisposed to root for my independent media brethren. However, I feel relatively safe saying that I would have thought Russell Pearce’s attempt to hurt the New Times by…
You Should Download a Free (Giant) Giant Sand Track
You’ll have to wait until June 11th to hear Howe Gelb’s latest creation, this time under the name Giant Giant Sand, “Tucson” in full, but thankfully RollingStone.com has a free track “Forever and a Day” to download. Go get it.
Finally, a Hip Hop Game Show
As a long time fan of game shows, I welcome any new offerings in the genre, even if the concept for Hip Hop Squares seems directly ripped off from a series of not-terribly-funny sketches from In Living Color: MTV’s sibling MTV2 network has greenlighted a reboot of veteran game show Hollywood Squares. Titled Hip Hop…
Hollywood Prepared to Insult Your Intelligence Again
Yesterday, the Pitbull song (sigh) from the soundtrack of Men in Black 3 (double sigh) came on the radio and I said to my wife, “Did anyone ask for this movie to exist…was anyone actively wondering what magical events were left unseen after the second movie?” I take it back MiB3. Compared to Triplets, a…
Political Roundtable: Healthcare Politics, US Senate Race, Bus Fares, Sorry Streets & More!
Tonight on Arizona Illustrated’s Political Roundtable: Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Rogers and Republican strategist Sam Stone join Arizona Public Media reporter Andrea Kelly and host Jim Nintzel to talk about the politics of healthcare in Arizona, the latest on the U.S. Senate race to replace the retiring Jon Kyl, a proposal to raise…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
A mother and son participate in the San Luis Obispo Kidical Mass. Photo by SLO County Bicycle Coalition The first ever Tucson Kidical Mass will hit Tucson streets on Saturday morning. Find out what Kidical Mass is and how you can join the ride. Cyclovia Tucson organizers hoped to put together a second event in…
Aboud Bows Out of CD2 Race
A few weeks after Democrat Ron Barber announced that he would seek the Congressional District 2 in the fall as well as the running to finish the rest of Gabrielle Giffords’ term in Congressional District 8, state Sen. Paula Aboud is giving up her congressional ambitions and endorsing Barber. Aboud’s decision leaves just state Rep.…
TUSD Rules Force Cesar Chavez March to New Kick-Off Location
For the past 11 years the annual César Chavez March has kicked off from Pueblo High School — an organizing point for everyone involved in the march that commemorates the United Farm Workers Union founder on his birthday (born in Yuma, Arizona, March 31, 1927), bringing together community groups, labor folks, youth groups and programs,…
It Is Your Duty as an Arizonan to Buy Mega Millions Tickets
Friday’s Mega Millions’ jackpot is estimated at $540,000,000, which has already sent both the average citizen with dreams and subpar math skills into a wishful frenzy, but is there another angle? One not explored by the news media obsessed with interviewing “lottery experts” who suggest there’s some strategy to an event designed to be random…
Promo Video for Downtown Tucson Actually Looks Like Downtown Tucson
While anyone who has been around this city for awhile might instantly have a sour taste in their mouth when the words “promotional film for Tucson” get kicked around, the Downtown Tucson Partnership has a new video directed by John Sears online that really puts the area in a great light, between the entertainment, culture,…
Great Advances in Beer Technology: Bottoms Up Beer Available at Padres Games This Year!
With opening day just a week away, we talked with Tucson Padres General Manager Mike Feder about the upcoming AAA Baseball club’s season. He’s excited about a lot of things, but he made a point of mentioned that this year’s Thirsty Thursdays (co-sponsored by your friends here at Tucson Weekly) will feature this astounding technology…
Santorum’s New Bowling-Based Strategy
Rick Santorum still stands basically zero chance of becoming the Republican nominee for President, much less of beating Barack Obama in November, so why not just start challenging his rivals to bowl-offs? On Wednesday, Santorum issued a challenge to Mitt Romney: a “bowl-off” in advance of next week’s Wisconsin primary. What exactly would be at…
Talking Comics: Thief of Thieves Edition
If your car is missing, you might want to check the lot in front of Heroes & Villains, since Eric seems really excited about the information in Thief of Thieves about how to steal a vehicle. A little too excited, if you catch my drift.
Brewer Vetoes Electronic Billboard Bill
If you were among The Range readers who called Gov. Jan Brewer to request that she veto the bill that would allow for electronic billboards on Arizona highways, congrats! You made a difference. Brewer vetoed House Bill 2757 yesterday, saying that she was mindful “of Arizona’s unique position as a national leader in astronomy and…
“The Daily Show” Buries Pink Slime
The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook Recently, the writing on The Daily Show has been so smart and on point that I could probably post a video the day after every new episode, but I try to keep my fanaticism down to…
It Has Been a Fun Winter for Our Potted Gardens
Photo and plant care by Martha winter 2011-2012 Flowers in this photo include Calendula, Allysum, Petunias, Pansies and Dusty Miller. The grass in the back pot is Purple Fountain Grass that our client did not want us to cut back. It is usually cut back in January. With the somewhat mild winter in the Old…
Finally, Some Dignity Comes to Fast Food Roast Beef
While this isn’t the Downton Abbey parody I personally was envisioning, it might replace a decade old reference from The Simpsons as the pop-culture reference that comes to mind when I think of Arby’s:
A Delectable Journey
Before moving to Tucson, Donna DiFiore was a probation officer living in Massachusetts. A friend told her about plans to go on a 2 1/2-month-long trip around the country—ending in Tucson. “I just said, ‘You know what? I don’t like my job. I’m going to come with you for the journey, hang out in Tucson…
Soundbites
RIP, Bill Wooldridge; Todd Rundgren hits town; Concerts for causes; and more!
Police Dispatch
Doughnuts and beer; St. Patrick’s Day goes too far
The Word Is ‘Local’
The 3-year-old River Road Gardens at the Tucson Waldorf School’s River Bend Campus takes up only an acre. It’s too small to be considered a farm, although it’s a lot larger than the typical backyard garden. But the operation, run by the husband-and-wife team of Jon McNamara and Emily Mabry, has become a staple of…
Downing
Last August was the low point of the fortunes of President Obama and the Democrats. I say this with scientific precision, based on two things. One: A friend of mine, who for years has been a loyal foot soldier in the local Democratic Party, suddenly wrote on her Facebook page that the party had better…
Call and Response
Fifteen years of shuttling between Pennsylvania and Tucson is about to end for Jim and Janette Willenbecher, as retirement takes hold and they become permanent Tucson residents. One of the final pieces in their relocation plan fell into place earlier this month when the Willenbechers’ modest home on three acres in rural Pima County became…
Noshing Around
Bunz on Fourth Avenue; New eastside coffee spot; A name change and a grand opening
Mailbag
Ties and short skirts are part of the same world of aesthetics; Tucson Weekly, occasionally not a piece of shit!
Weekly Wide Web
Every few months or so, I’ll see some sort of petition on Facebook to bring a “dislike” button to the site—an attempt by proponents to bring some balance to the ever-popular “like” button that defines so much of our online-sharing culture. Mostly because I don’t care to see a parade of “dislikes” from the conservatives…
Celebrating Centennial
Ben Vereen said that the first time he received a Tony nomination, he wondered who Tony was. “I was so touched that my peers recognized that I had something there, so I was quite honored,” he said. With more than 40 years in show business, Vereen, 65, is perhaps best-known for his role as Chicken…
Nine Questions
Rachel Wilson, 40, is an attorney specializing in immigration law and workers’ rights. She has a master’s degree in Russian linguistics and a doctorate in cognitive psychology. Among her proudest achievements is baking the winning pie in the 2011 Eat More Pie contest. What was the first concert you ever saw? It was the Captain…
The Long Journey
Security was tight early in the predawn darkness of Aug. 22, 2003, as seven wild African elephants were trucked to the San Diego Zoo. Their arrival was the culmination of a long, rancorous journey, which began with a $2 million chartered flight from their homeland, and was marked by lawsuits and protests as animal-rights groups…
City Week
People in shopping carts; Fun at San Augustin; Thanks, veterans; Old Tucson looks back
Live
Settling into one of the only available chairs with my $6 lemonade, I arrived in time to catch the last couple of songs by Tucson’s Kaia Chesney, who played a solo acoustic set that served as mere background music for those gorging on grub at nearby picnic tables and, unfortunately, not many others. Which was…
TQ&A
José Esteban Muñoz is a professor of performance studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He’ll be giving the UA Institute for LGBT Studies’ 2012 Miranda Joseph Endowed Lecture on the topic “The Brown Commons: The Sense of Wildness,” at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 4, in the UA’s Manuel Pacheco Integrated Learning…
Guest Commentary
Much has been written lately about the mysterious “Latino vote” and how to capture it. Pundits all want to know how to nab the highly prized and coveted Latino vote, especially in Arizona. Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel recently linked to a Washington Post article about the importance of the Latino vote in Arizona…
Revenge or Justice?
Will the deeply entrenched human drive for revenge always trump humanity’s aspiration for justice? Are there some wounds so deep that they don’t just injure the soul, but kill it? Live Theatre Workshop is giving us an opportunity to consider these questions as we witness the dramatic puzzle of Ariel Dorfman’s 1990 play, Death and…
White Rabbits: Milk Famous (TBD)
It’s tough to blame White Rabbits for sounding a bit jumpy on their third record. Critical acclaim for the band’s 2009 breakthrough, It’s Frightening, came saddled with Spoon comparisons, for the production work of Britt Daniel as much as the catchy and rhythmic indie-rock. Now, taking the leap to darker, skittering sounds, they’re dragging former…
Emotional and Visual
When choreographer Yvonne Montoya was working on a master’s in Mexican-American studies at the UA, professor Lydia Otero hired her to compile oral histories in the community. Otero was researching the destruction of Tucson’s oldest Mexican-American barrio in the urban-renewal projects of the 1960s, and Montoya interviewed an elderly woman who vividly described the home…
Conservative Agenda
As they rush to complete the legislative session and get back out on the campaign trail, state lawmakers are advancing a variety of bills designed to advance a conservative agenda while Republicans still hold a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Legislature. The Arizona Senate was on the verge of passing a bill to…
Waste Not
In the United States, more than a quarter of our edible food supply goes to waste each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And recent reports say that 37 million Americans receive emergency food assistance. In Arizona, one in five adults struggles with hunger—and the statistic is even more dire for children: one…
Light, Air and Water
In the summer of 2010, Joe Forkan landed in the rugged northwest of Ireland. He was in County Mayo, doing an arts residency in the village of Ballycastle, a remote outpost facing north onto the Atlantic. Nearby, at Céide Fields, steep cliffs drop down hundreds of feet to crashing waves. The big skies over the…
The Shins: Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia)
James Mercer took the Shins on a big left turn with Wincing the Night Away, a record more experimental than indie-pop. And though it’s been five years since that album, lo and behold, Mercer has followed the path of that wide turn ever since. That difficult third album has stood as a question mark since…
Editor’s Note
Fun-fact time: Did you know that Tucson is actually a hub for alternative-newsweekly Web publishing? It’s true. Located in a nondescript business center off Tucson Boulevard is the company DesertNet; about three- dozen alternative newsweeklies use their software/Web publishing platforms—including, of course, the Tucson Weekly. The Weekly actually has been with DesertNet since 1995. (Back…
Thoughtless Choices
About midway through James Carlos Blake’s saga of the New England-born Wolfe twins and the violent generations they spawn in Porfirio Diaz’s Mexico, John Roger Wolfe—sick with grief and drunk on Veracruz mescal—contemplates suicide. “Take out all but one bullet and it was Russian Roulette. In Mexican Roulette, as he’d heard it defined, you took…
The Skinny
Tell Gov. Brewer to kill the electronic-billboard bill and save astronomy in Arizona … The Republicans who want Gabby’s seat really hate the idea of gay marriage … Daniel Patterson’s ex-girlfriend now says he never abused her … and more!
Danehy
Having gone this far in my life without ever striking another human being in anger, I’d like to keep that going. Maybe that could supplant the currently planned “He Never Wore Sandals” on my tombstone. But every now and then, something pops up, and I feel myself slowly, almost involuntarily, balling my hand into a…
Top Ten in Books
1. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 2. Outlander: A Novel Diana Gabaldon, Dell ($8.99) 3. Raylan: A Novel Elmore Leonard, William Morrow ($26.99) 4. Dreams of Joy: A Novel Lisa See, Random House ($15) 5. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 6. The Dovekeepers Alice Hoffman, Scribner ($27.99) 7. The Scottish Prisoner: A…
Islands: A Sleep and a Forgetting (ANTI-)
Only a heartless pustule or jaundiced cynic would actively cheer for heartbreak. Still, the history of popular music teaches that albums inspired by heartbreak are often a prickly sort of brilliant. Recording in the immediate shadows of a breakup, Nick Thorburn sutures his grief and quirky pop tendencies onto the breakup-album format. The result, A…
True Horrors
You would think it would be hard to hide a group of serial killers in a town of 400 people. But beginning in 1992 and continuing for nearly seven years, John Bunting and his accomplices murdered a dozen people in and around Snowtown, South Australia. Making matters more bizarre, Bunting and his young assistants knew…
Media Watch
RIP, Ted Konski; Paywall coming to the Star?; KGUN replaces Silver; Oser Communications under fire
Top Ten in Movies
1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Sony 2. The Descendants 20th Century Fox 3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Universal 4. The Sitter 20th Century Fox 5. Immortals Universal 6. The Muppets Disney 7. Hugo Paramount 8. My Week With Marilyn Anchor Bay 9. The Adventures of Tintin Paramount 10. Melancholia Magnolia
Good Cops
The story isn’t anything new. A few ne’er-do-wells put on (masks, costumes, fake police uniforms) and burst into a (house, apartment, condominium) where residents are growing marijuana; the ne’er-do-wells wave some (guns, knives, assault rifles) around, and demand money and drugs. They force the residents to the floor at gunpoint, grab the goods and split.…
Familiar Failure
How is it that author Suzanne Collins has no lawsuits pending against her for plagiarizing Battle Royale? The author of The Hunger Games says she’s never heard of Battle Royale, the Japanese novel about kids pitted against each other in a death match; it was made into a great but controversial movie back in 2000.…
Top Ten in Music
1. The Shins Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia) 2. Odd Future The Of Tape Vol. 2 (self-released) 3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (DVD) Sony 4. Battle Royale: The Complete Collection (DVD) Anchor Bay 5. The Sitter (DVD) 20th Century Fox 6. Tyga Careless World: Rise of the Last King (Universal Republic) 7. fun.…
Sweet Gig!
The rosy fingers of dawn have just begun to reach over the Santa Catalinas, and Dianne Trinque is already hard at work in her meticulously ordered kitchen. She hangs utensils on strategically placed hooks. She wipes down the table that sits squarely in the middle of the room. And then she gets down to business.…
Now Showing at Home
A Night to Remember (Blu-ray); The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Blu-ray); Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Blu-ray)
Morals Before Profit
When Alma Hernandez and a friend were detained after a routine traffic stop in June 2010 because they were undocumented, they were sent to a Corrections Corporation of America facility in Eloy, and then transferred to a CCA prison in El Paso, Texas. Then they were transferred yet again, to a CCA facility in Louisiana.…
The Third Wave
First, there was Folgers and its diner-coffee brethren: ubiquitous, simple and bottomless. Then came Starbucks, spreading espresso and Italian styling far and wide. Now there’s the rise of American artisanal coffee—also known as the “third wave” movement, which has taken the concept of specialty coffee and run with it. Tucson has several standout artisan coffee…
Pure Rock ‘n’ Roll
Erika Wennerstrom, leader of the powerhouse rock-band Heartless Bastards, has been praised for her singing, songwriting and guitar-playing. When recently asked which talent is her strongest, she pondered the question for a second—a little hesitant to sound arrogant, but intrigued. She finally opted to focus on which of her skills is the most gratifying. “I…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Stop using Spanish in your column. I like reading your column, but when every other word is in Spanish, I don’t know what in the hell is going on. It makes you sound like that nerdy kid who uses big words to try to sound impressive. Don’t be lazy, and just write a…
I Would Like to See This Charming Movie
Safety Not Guaranteed is based on a semi-famous classified ad from a Copenhagen newspaper, which doesn’t exactly seem like the richest source material, but at least based on this first trailer, it reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in its weirdness, low-key humor and tenderness and I loved Eternal Sunshine…, so I’m…
Festival en el Barrio: Get Your Tickets Today!
Joey Burns of Calexico—the local indie-rock collective which is wrapping up a new album over at Wavelab Studios these days—stopped by Arizona Illustrated last night to talk about the upcoming Festival en el Barrio, which is moving this year to the streets of El Presidio Neighborhood, which falls inside the birthplace of Tucson way back…
