Cover Story
Summer At The Cineplex
Yes, I know. A couple of the big summer movies have hit screens already, and I’m a little late to the preview party. There was this whole thing with the dog being sick, and I lost my favorite fork. … I’m just a little behind and out of sorts. Please accept my apologies. To you,…
You Should Cheer on FC Tucson Tonight
I don’t know if there’s a clear American sports parallel for what’s happening tonight at 5:30 in Houston as our own FC Tucson take on Major League Soccer’s Dynamo in the third round of the US Open Cup. If the Tucson Padres were matched up against a major league team, that wouldn’t be the same,…
Critter of the Week: James
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents James, a 2-year-old, male, domestic short hair. Reference no: 752962 Do you have a spare sunny spot in your house? James would love to turn it into his favorite nap station. This stunning sweetheart has good looks, a great personality and endless resilience. Found as a stray with…
Testing the Power of the NRA: Is There a Real Shift in Gun-Violence Politics?
The New Republic’s Alec MacGillis examines whether changing attitudes about gun violence present an opening for groups such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly’s Americans for Responsible Solutions: The NRA, of course, has real clout. Like many other groups, it lobbies in Washington and state…
Here’s a Terrible Op-Ed Someone Sent Us
Neftali / Shutterstock.com Presented in its entirety, here is an op-ed entitled “R.I.P., Boy Scouts of America” by Matt Barber, who can be found on Twitter @jmattbarber. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36) It’s a sad day for both Scouting and for freedom. Indeed,…
Chris Black and Chamber Lab: One Year Down and a Wide-Open Future for Chamber Music in Popular Culture
Spicy, sweet, hot, funny, giddy — the rich and happy mood of chattering diners clustered with friends could be felt almost upon opening the door to Café Desta, packed as it was with fans of avant indie chamber music on the verge of a historic event. Chris Black’s original Tucson vision, Chamberlab, was turning one…
Chris Black and Chamberlab: One Year Down and a Wide-Open Future for Chamber Music in Popular Culture
Spicy, sweet, hot, funny, giddy — the rich and happy mood of chattering diners clustered with friends could be felt almost upon opening the door to Café Desta, packed as it was with fans of avant indie chamber music on the verge of a historic event. Chris Black’s original Tucson vision, Chamberlab, was turning one…
The Latest Buzz: Mosquitoes, And How You Can Prevent Becoming Lunch
With summer and monsoon season fast-approaching, the familiar buzzing of pesky mosquitoes will only get louder…and if you’re like me, you’ve already been dealing with annoying bites for the last month. What’s even worse than waking up with chomped-on toes and itchy ankles — especially when someone in the same household as you never gets…
Hotel Congress Honors Tiger On His 80th Birthday
On Tuesday, Hotel Congress was buzzing with friends, family and staff as they celebrated Tom “Tiger” Ziegler’s 80th birthday. Ziegler has been working at Hotel Congress as a bartender inside the Tap Room for over 54 years. In honor of Ziegler’s birthday Hotel Congress renamed the Tap Room as Tiger’s Tap Room and gave him…
Weird Craigslist Ad Is Proof That Everything Terrible Comes From Scottsdale
Parenting is hard, from what I understand. Kids are, from time to time, tremendous assholes. Whiny, entitled, spoiled and picky as hell — trust me, I was at least one of those things at any given time for much of my adolescent life. But my parents had the good sense to, y’know, parent me, as…
Spectacular ‘Arrested Development’ Gag Has The Internet Fooled
Arrested Development has almost (but not quite) enveloped our lives here lately — a number of the nerds around the office have grown to love the show, and may or may not have devoted many hours this weekend to watching (and re-watching, and re-re-watching…) the newest episodes, which went live on Netflix on Sunday. But…
If You’re Looking To Fill A Few Hours This Friday, Why Not Play Poker?
Fridays can be dull — the office empties out early, things are slow and people are generally just dragging on ’til they can hit Happy Hour and start the weekend off with a buzz. Thus, we recommend a bit of fun for those who love to take their chances playing cards: making new friends at…
Regina Romero to Pull Support of the El Rio/Grand Canyon University Proposal
In case you were wondering how this whole “El Rio/Grand Canyon University” thing was going…well, it’s still a clusterf—k. But it’s the kind of clusterf—k that appears to have overwhelming opposition from one side — so much so that it’s turning supporters into opponents, such as Ward 1 Councilwoman Regina Romero, who is jumping into…
The New Weird Beauty Trend: Breast Slapping
It appears that there’s a new way for women to have larger, fuller breasts: having them repeatedly slapped by trained professionals. Before you start accusing me of playing into the whims of the corporate minds at BIG FETISH or whatever (we at Tucson Weekly do not judge you for your fetishes, big or otherwise —…
Prepare to Spend the Next 13 Hours on Netflix: ‘Arrested Development’ is Back
On Sunday, Netflix released a beautiful gift into the world: an entire new season of Arrested Development. In the first episodes of the series, we get a glimpse of what happened to the characters after the end of the third season. A quick refresher: When the series left off, George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) was using…
AZ Illustrated Politics: Is Downtown Revitalization Finally Here?
On this week’s AZ Illustrated Politics: Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Rio Nuevo Board Chairman Fletcher McCusker and Hotel Congress Entertainment Director David Slutes join host Jim Nintzel to discuss downtown Tucson’s growing restaurant scene, the possibilities of a new hotel, the future of the Ronstadt Transit Center and more.
Warning: You Have One Week to Submit Your Best of Tucson Ballot
So, let’s rap. Today is Friday, May 24. Next Friday, one week from today, is the last day of the month, May 31. On that day, we’re closing voting for this year’s Best of Tucson®. Therefore, you have ONE WEEK to get your ballots in regarding the absolute best that Tucson has to offer —…
’90s Band Hanson Is Selling Beer Now Called — Wait For It — Mmmhops
beerpulse.com Yeah, they went there. You can’t make this stuff up. Apparently Hanson, the band of mop-topped brothers from the mid-’90s that all of the girls I went to elementary school with cooed about, has shifted priorities a bit. They’ve gone from focusing directly on music (and families and whatever) to, uh….beer. From Beer Pulse:…
U.S. District Judge Finds That Joe Arpaio’s Department Engages in Racial Profiling
Looks like Joe Arpaio, who calls himself “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” will have to stand down for a little while now. U.S. District Judge Murray Snow issued a ruling today, upholding claims that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office targets Hispanic drivers based on their race, a violation of their constitutional rights. From the Arizona Republic: Dan…
Your 3D Printed Gun Might Blow Up In Your Hands
NSW Police This doesn’t look like it works anymore. Remember the Liberator? The single-shot plastic gun, made with fairly cheap materials, fabricated with 3D printers? The one whose blueprints were pulled down by the State Department, but not before they were downloaded more than 100,000 times and distributed countless more times? Well, if you happen…
Let’s All Celebrate the 80th Birthday of a Tucson Institution: Tiger, of Hotel Congress’s Tap Room!
If you’ve spent any of your time and money at Hotel Congress’s Tap Room, you’ve surely encountered Tom “Tiger” Ziegler , the long-beloved bartender who has prowled behind the bar at HoCo for 54 years. Well, Tiger is turning 80 this year, prompting the good folks at Hotel Congress to throw him a spectacular birthday…
Of Course It Exists: Here’s the Trailer for Jodi Arias’ Lifetime Movie
Coming to your television screen sooner rather than later (unlike the story of Jodi Arias, which is constantly on the edge of any television viewer’s consciousness): Lifetime presents Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret. The synopsis, via Movienews.com: Based on the disturbing murder trial that has captivated the nation, “Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret” tells the…
A SpudBoy Picks His 10 Favorite Devo Songs
It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Devo. In anticipation of their show at the Rialto on Friday night, I though’t I’d share my 10 favorite Devo tracks. 10. Space Junk/Q:Are We Not Men? A:We Are Devo! A fragmented and paranoid tale of falling space debris and a particularly unlucky girl named Sally. Skylab…
A SpudBoy Picks His 10 Favorite Devo Songs
It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Devo. In anticipation of their show at the Rialto tonight (tickets still available!), I though’t I’d share my 10 favorite Devo tracks. 10. Space Junk/Q:Are We Not Men? A:We Are Devo! A fragmented and paranoid tale of falling space debris and a particularly unlucky girl named Sally.…
The Boy Scouts of America To Admit Openly Gay Scouts
Big, big news out of Texas, where the Boy Scouts of America have lifted the ban on membership based on sexual orientation, allowing for openly gay scouts to join for the first time in the organization’s history. According to CNN, the vote maintains a ban on gay adult leaders. From CNN.com: “The resolution also reinforces…
Brewer Wasn’t Kidding, Vetoes All the Non-Budget Bills
If Senate President Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, was wondering whether or not Gov. Jan Brewer was bluffing about her bill moratorium he got his answer. Brewer vetoed five bills the Senate sent to her desk Thursday. Two weeks ago she said didn’t want to see any more bills until the Legislature resolved the budget and the…
Critter of the Week: Lucas
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents Lucas, a 4-year-old, male, Pit Bull mix. Reference no: 750009 Lucas is a ray of sunshine! This peppy high achiever is learning new tricks and honing his skills in the Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s Canine College program. We’re so impressed with his progress and know that you…
Look, It’s Tucson’s Brian Lopez (oh, and KT Tunstall)!
Here’s a sweet, sweet video of a new tune by KT Tunstall. Its beautiful, but it’s also beautiful to see Tucson’s Brian Lopez singing along and the entire moment taking place in Tucson’s Wavelab Recording Studios.
Oh Hey, the University of Arizona Was Knocked by Family Guy
In what I can only assume is some sort of retaliatory shot at our fair city for celebrating the cancellation of The Cleveland Show, the folks at Family Guy dropped another insult on Tucson, this time mocking the young minds being molded at the University of Arizona: Ooooh, man. That…that one stung. I’m not certain…
POW! Time for Comicon, Arizona!
Alright, nerds: Phoenix Comicon starts today. Notable guests include Jewel Staite (Kaylee, from Firefly), Walter Koenig (Chekov, of Star Trek), Grant Imihara (Mythbusters host and Star Trek Continues cast member) and Wil Wheaton (from the Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Big Bang Theory, and the Internet in general). A handful of Tucsonans will also…
Atheist State Rep’s Secular Invocation Done Over ‘In Repentance’ By Christian State Rep.
On Tuesday, Arizona’s District 26 Rep. Juan Mendez made national headlines for delivering a secular invocation at the beginning of the day’s floor session. Yesterday, District 11 Rep. Steve Smith, apparently, didn’t appreciate that at all. From the Associated Press: Republican Rep. Steve Smith on Wednesday said the prayer offered by Democratic Rep. Juan Mendez…
Dance Film Sets Out to Claim Rosemont
Rosemont Mine? No, actually, according to local activists, it’s Rosemont Ours. You probably heard about it during election season. A Canadian mining company is looking to build a 14,000 acre open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita mountains southeast of Tucson. Rosemont Ours is a collaboration between NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre and artist/filmmaker Ben Johnson.…
Winery Roadtrip
It’s easy to spend an entire day at Arizona Hops and Vines, a winery just off state Highway 82 in Sonoita. Whether you’re of drinking age or a kid just along for the ride with your parents, there is something for you to do. Adults, of course, try the wine in the comfortable tasting room,…
T Q&A
Lacie Mattox, who moved to Tucson from Los Angeles two years ago, is a single mom of four kids ages 3 to 14. To help pay the bills, a corner of her house is reserved for creating what she describes as “hippie” clothes out of cloth scraps and old clothes she buys by the pound,…
The Men Who Still Make the Music
Devo 8 p.m., Friday, May 24 Rialto Theatre 318 E. Congress St. $52 general admission floor in advance, $56 day of; $61 reserved balcony seats in advance, $66 day of; all ages 740-1000, rialtotheatre.com 1. Wear gaudy colors or avoid display. 2. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. 3. The fittest shall…
Top Ten in Books
1. The Painted Girls Cathy Marie Buchanan 2. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald 3. Inferno Dan Brown 4. Beautiful Redemption Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 5. Dead Ever After Charlaine Harris 6. Fly Away Kristin Hannah 7. The Fault in Our Stars John Green 8. Still Life Louise Penny 9. A Feast of Crows…
Watch the Skies!
Whether you’re a veteran space cowboy or just curious about the people who go where no man has gone before, you’ll want to transport yourself to Spacefest V this weekend. You’ll be able to meet men who walked on the moon, find out about the latest from those robot probes flying around the solar system,…
Live
Contrary to the opinions of some naysayers to whom I spoke in the days before the show, Tony Bennett’s concert Sunday night at the Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheatre did not offer the opportunity to lament his lost range. Instead, it was a celebration on how much of his amazing voice that Bennett, at 86, retains.…
Nothing to Relish
Relish Kitchen & Wine Bar 4660 E. Camp Lowell Road 300-4529; relishkitchenandwinebar.com Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday and Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday Pluses: Good intentions Minuses: Nearly everything from atmosphere to false expectations and execution A restaurant’s website is meant…
City Week
This week, we examine American Culture … watch ChamberLab blow out a candle … scream, cheer and chant while Germans kick a ball … and get in touch with our younger selves!
Nine Questions
Rock photographer Elliott may love old cars and music almost equally. But her passion to capture that one sliver of light and magic that tells the whole story of a rock show has driven her further. She’s become the official concert photographer for the Tucson Weekly, Rhythm & Roots and all shows booked by the…
Noshing Around
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails takes your tastebuds on a culinary trip … the Surly Wench has reopened its kitchen … It’s again time to find out who Tucson’s Iron Chef is … and more!
Progress Rolls Forward
There’s a video game called Katamari Damacy that lets you roll a tiny adhesive ball around on the screen, picking up anything you roll over. You start by picking up tiny things, like pens or pencils or silverware. Eventually you are picking up bigger and bigger things, like trees, houses, office buildings and stadiums, then…
Top Ten in Music
1. Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City 2. Dillinger Escape Plan One of Us Is the Killer 3. The Great Gatsby soundtrack 4. She & Him Volume 3 5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis The Heist 6. Kendrick Lamar Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City 7. Escape the Fate Ungrateful 8. Wonder Years The Greatest Generation 9.…
The Reboot Returns
When director J.J. Abrams created the alternate timeline for his brilliant 2009 Star Trek reboot, it gave the franchise a chance to construct all-new adventures for Kirk and Spock. It also gave Abrams the opportunity to mess around with variations on characters and adventures we have already seen. Such is the case with the exhilarating…
Downing
Many things keep getting worse—carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Congress and, oh, hey, that new coronavirus with the 30 percent mortality rate percolating in the Middle East. These are substantial things, worthy of our concern, and the morbid among us do think about them. (Except maybe for Congress, which is too depressing to contemplate. News…
Savages: Silence Yourself (Matador)
Savages’ debut is like a violent summer storm — humid, noisy, thrilling, a bit frightening. It’s perhaps the most exciting dispatch of British art-punk since PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me back in 1993 — the 2-minute-long soundblast of “Hit Me” rivals “Me-Jane” for lean ferociousness. Like Harvey’s classic album, Silence Yourself has a sheen of…
Cold Blood and Bodies
You can watch extended interviews with Richard Kuklinski online, in which he discusses—rather clinically—his life of crime. Hearing him talk about murder is like listening to Ted Williams describe waiting for the right pitch. Before he died in prison a few years ago, Kuklinski claimed that he killed more than 100 people, or maybe it…
Ask a Mexican!
The Mexican talks guns!
Police Dispatch
A convenience store theft goes bad for Coconut Joe … and quarrelsome lovers get into it after not getting it on.
Soundbites
This week, it’s celebration time (come on!) around Tucson.
The Metamorphosis of the Bug Man
Ascending to the fourth floor of the Forbes Building at the UA, you are transported into a world where plants and insects outnumber people exponentially. At the end of the hall and along a corridor of the Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is the office of associate curator Carl…
Media Watch
Baja Arizonans takes home their share at Arizona Press Club Awards … Wick CEO takes off after 12 years … and someone from TNI takes aim at Dan Gibson!
Back to the Future
Contrary to broad opinion, irony is not dead. It has simply been snoozing for some 23 years. Consider the Rocking K Ranch, owned by the company of legendary land speculator Don Diamond. Back in 1990, Diamond won a huge and bitter battle against conservationists to rezone his rural, eastside property for massive development. Today, he…
Meeting the Mountains
A Natural History of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, With an Introduction to the Madrean Sky Islands By Richard C. Brusca and Wendy Moore Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press $24.95; 232 pages Team an invigorated invertebrate zoologist with an avid arthropodist, a pair of inquisitive minds whose studies border on legendary, with a quest to know…
The Skinny
Gov. Brewer’s Medicaid expansion passed, but not everyone is pleased … and a look at two potential Tucson City Council showdowns!
Summer Tube!
Just because it’s hot and the broadcast networks have (mostly) given up on the summer doesn’t mean you have to: If you have cable, satellite, an Internet connection or just a working knowledge of how to splice into your neighbor’s hookup—hey, it takes a village—there are plenty of reasons to stay inside. Here’s a big-ass…
Pedersen On Sports
When did University of Arizona softball become just another team? When did the program that was such a staple at the Women’s College World Series suddenly become just one of the 291 schools participating in Division I softball? When did the Wildcats become irrelevant in the game they helped pioneer as the go-to sport for…
Tom Walbank: Blues in Dub (Self-Released)
Like a whole generation of Brits, expat local bluesman Tom Walbank grew up with roots reggae and dub ringing in his ears, along with the punk rock of the time. He’s now taken the fractured, cut-up technology and studio chicanery of dub, drained out most of the reggae and blended it with his calling-card stripped…
Giant Robots & Other Art
At MOCA this Saturday night, artist Chico MacMurtrie’s giant Chrysalis will come to life. “The opening will be very dramatic,” says the Brooklyn-based artist, a Bisbee native and UA art grad. “The great doors will open. And it will look like it has invaded the Great Hall.” The “it” of which MacMurtrie speaks is a…
Hands: Synesthesia (Kill Rock Stars)
L.A. synth-pop quartet Hands have crafted a dynamite little debut. Synesthesia—the term means interconnected sense impressions—is party music on its surface what with the club-thumping drum beats and ’80s-era, spiky, single-note guitar lines. But the album also evokes dreamy, powerful, melancholy settings. And the hype, which includes being named a Band You Don’t Know (But…
True TV
You Should DVR It Save Me Thursday, May 23 (NBC) Series Debut: Anne Heche (Hung) stars as a Midwest housewife who has a near-death experience after choking on a sandwich (product-placement opportunity alert, Jimmy John’s). Upon awakening, she realizes that she can talk to God, much to the skepticism/dismay of her husband (Michael Landes) and…
Danehy
A few items to clear up (like spring cleaning) before we hit Memorial Day weekend and disappear into the heat: • Reason No. 8,376 for Not Wanting to Live in Los Angeles—The Los Angeles Unified School District board voted 5-2 to ban “willful defiance” as a reason for suspension from school. The district gives as…
Top Ten in Cinema
1. Cloud Atlas 2. Silver Linings Playbook 3. Jack Reacher 4. Mama 5. Broken City 6. The Guilt Trip 7. Safe Haven 8. Texas Chainsaw 9. The Oranges 10. Beware of Mr. Baker
Editor’s Note
Saturday night, I got to participate in my first Arizona Press Club awards as editor of the Tucson Weekly at hipster Phoenix nightclub The Duce. While it would have been nice if some of the free food had made its way to our area (I blame the Arizona Republic … they love their brisket sliders…
