Cover Story
Garden Revolution!
If you stand on “A” Mountain and look down its eastern slope, you’ll see a walled garden taking shape. It sprawls over land where agriculture has taken place for thousands of years, and is being designed to preserve that agricultural past. If our eyes were sharper, we could look down from the same vantage point…
Here’s the Big List of Thanksgiving Meals Tucson Originals Sends Every Year
This is by no means an exhaustive list of good things to eat in Tucson around Thanksgiving time, but it is a good jumping-off point. All of the restaurants on the list belong to Tucson Originals, the alliance of local and independently owned restaurants that sends this out every year. Acacia, Real Food & Cocktails…
There Are Right and Wrong Ways to Use Escalators
Occasionally, I find myself in a two-story shopping establishment and I wonder if it’s just easier to try to scale the down escalator instead of walking a hundred or so feet to the up escalator. This woman, filmed in a New York mall, could have been a bold pioneer if the move worked out, but…
All the Trucks Sold Out of Food at Tucson’s First Food Truck Festival
If there was ever any doubt that a local food-truck festival might work, Monday’s Tucson Food-Truck Roundup settled the matter. Organizers of the event were expecting a hundred or so people to show up, but many more did. The lines were long, all the trucks sold out of food and pretty much everybody I’ve spoken…
Will the Super Committee Fail?
CNN say the Super Committee charged with finding ways to balance the nation’s books—a committee on which Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl sits—has reached a critical juncture: Wednesday could prove to be the pivotal day for the congressional deficit reduction super committee as it struggles to reach a deal with only one week to go before…
Talking Comics: “Avenging Spider-Man”
I appreciate the Harvey Pekar reference, guys, I really do. This week, Eric and Arnie from Heroes and Villains discuss “Avenging Spider-Man,” which is worth checking out for the art by Joe Mad, who came from the video game world. Also, there is a conversation about body image near the end.
Celebrity Happy Hour Tonight for Casa de los Niños
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails continues with its series of Celebrity Happy Hours tonight, and this time the local Yelp.com coordinator and the executive director of Casa de los Niños will be serving the drinks. So go have a few drinks between 4:30 and 6 p.m. tonight and lay down some big tips for Corey Dane…
Glenn Beck: Possibly Fully Detached From Reality Now
Once Glenn Beck left Fox, he sort of also left the landscape of media personalities I pay attention to. Not that I assumed his radio show was somehow the model of sensible political conversation that his TV never was, but it’s hard to keep up with all the crazy people on the radio everyday. However,…
Herman Cain Starts Measuring Drapes for Cain Presidential Library
Reading real stories about Herman Cain is more and more like reading The Onion: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spent a day aboard Herman Cain’s campaign bus and came away with several noteworthy quotations from the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO. “I’m not supposed to know anything about foreign policy,” Cain said. “I want to talk to…
There’s a Trailer for the New Pixar Film
I’m just thankful for a Pixar movie with a female lead, that isn’t a sequel, and that might be a better pop culture touch-point for my four year old daughter than a princess waiting for someone to rescue her. Plus, based on this, Brave just looks like fun. Brave is scheduled to be released on…
Redistricting: Date With Supreme Court Tomorrow
Arizona’s redistricting battle hits the Arizona Supreme Court tomorrow afternoon. If you’ve been following this one, you know that Gov. Jan Brewer, with an assist from the GOP caucus in the state Senate, bounced chairwoman Colleen Mathis from the Independent Redistricting Commission on Nov. 1. Mathis and the IRC, which has the highly political job…
Mark Kelly on “The Daily Show” Last Night
The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook You probably should go ahead and just watch the entire episode of The Daily Show last night, but in case you missed Jon Stewart’s interview with Mark Kelly, here it is.
Update: KOLD Will Get Paid to Produce KMSB-Branded Newscasts
KMSB Channel 11 and KOLD Channel 13 have reached an agreement: KMSB is dissolving its news department and will transfer production responsibilities to KOLD, but KMSB will keep the advertising revenue its sales staff can generate from the local news product that will be broadcast on Channel 11 from 7 to 9 a.m. and at…
Denny’s Rolls Out New Menu Featuring Disgusting Crap
I don’t know who proposed the unholy idea of fusing cookies and pancakes or who thought of whatever “Pancake Puppies®” are supposed to be, but they should be forced to apologize to America: · For a sweet treat to be enjoyed at any time, Denny’s new Red Velvet Pancake Puppies® with Cream Cheese Icing offer…
You Should Go See “Being Elmo” Tonight
I’ve hit my cap on the number of words I’m allowed to write about Being Elmo (see my two previous posts here and here), but I feel like I should at least provide a reminder to all Tucsonans that what looks to be among the most delightful movies ever will show tonight at the Loft…
Save Ethnic Studies Attorney Files Injunction
According to a press release from Save Ethnic Studies today, Richard Martinez, attorney for the TUSD ethnic studies teachers suing the state on the constitutionality of the state’s anti-ethnic studies law, filed a preliminary injunction motion yesterday asking the court to halt “further enforcement action under HB 2281 against the Tucson Unified School District. If…
Rick Perry’s Mad About That “60 Minutes” Report Too
Yesterday, I grumbled about members of Congress and their ability to make investment decisions based on insider information, and it turns out that presidential candidate Rick Perry shares my anger! That’s something I wouldn’t have expected, although his new go-for-broke plan to win the Republican nomination, which includes a plan to term limit Supreme Court…
Roger Craig, Human King of “Jeopardy!”
Roger Craig is pretty good at the game show Jeopardy!, nailing two “true Daily Doubles” in a row yesterday, but at the end of the day, he knows there’s a IBM computer out there ready to humiliate and destroy him. And that’s what he has to live with. Sad, really.
Win Some Cool Skiing Stuff From Warren Miller
Warren Miller’s 62nd film, “…Like There’s No Tomorrow” screens at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Saturday, December 3rd at 8:00 pm and to celebrate this annual kick-off to the ski season, we have a GoPro Helmet HERO camera (worth $239!) to give away to one lucky entrant. Ten second prize winners will receive a DVD…
KMSB Hands Over Their Newscast to KOLD
Fox affiliate KMSB Channel 11 will abandon the in-house production of its nightly newscast on Feb. 1—but that doesn’t mean news will vacate the 9 p.m. timeslot. Instead, KMSB’s 9 p.m. newscast will originate from KOLD Channel 13’s studios. KMSB on-air and production staff members were told about the changes during a meeting on Tuesday,…
Get to Know Lee “Scratch” Perry, Genius/Crazy Person
Ever since the Rialto announced that Lee “Scratch” Perry is coming to town with the Wailers next month, I keep meaning to post something about what a strange and outstanding occasion this show is. However, it’s a little difficult to capture what’s special about the guy in a blog post. Sure, he might have invented…
NBC Ready to Break My Heart by Messing With “Community”
While it’s no particular surprise considering the show is the worst rated comedy on network TV (I BLAME ALL OF YOU), but NBC is pulling Community off the Thursday night schedule at midseason in order to make space for the return of 30 Rock. Apparently, the show isn’t cancelled and the remainder of the third…
Rep. Giffords’ Message for Southern Arizona
A Message from Rep. Gabrielle Giffords by RepGiffords In case you missed it earlier, here’s a message from Rep. Giffords, as posted on her Soundcloud page. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in a message recorded to her Southern Arizona constituents, says that she is getting better and is anxious to get back to work representing them.…
Zen Hens and the Backyard Chicken Coop Tour
Heard of the Tucson egg business Zen Hens? Its eggs and composted chicken manure fertilizer can be found at a couple of farmers’ markets around town. Every time I hear of the company’s name it brings to mind a chicken in deep meditation, which makes me happy. In other chicken news, Food Conspiracy Co-op is…
Regina Romero on Occupy Tucson: ‘Calling for a Moratorium on Issuing Citations’
Earlier today, Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero sent this out to Ward 1 constituents and posted this on her Facebook page: Dear Tucson Constituents and Friends, My fellow colleagues and I have been receiving lots of input from the community regarding the Occupy Tucson protestors that have been camping in Downtown Tucson. I have read…
Dear PETA: Please Stop
When you find yourself protesting a magical outfit a character wears in a video game, it’s time to rethink your strategy: PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – is known for taking some wild stands against various forms of entertainment. But its most recent target is a rather surprising one – everyone’s…
Investment Advice of the Day: Become a Congressperson
Not that anyone needs another reason to dislike Congress and how it works, but Steve Kroft provides one, looking at how members of Congress on both sides of the aisle appear to profit from legislation they have a hand in. If your level of indignant fury isn’t quite high enough after watching that segment, feel…
McCain: “Waterboarding Is Torture”
In a tweet, Sen. John McCain pushes back against the 2012 GOP presidential candidates who supported waterboarding in last week’s presidential debate. Bloomberg rounds up the candidates’ positions: Republican presidential candidates differed on whether waterboarding should be used as an interrogation technique in fighting terrorism as they debated national security ahead of the early nominating…
Mark Kelly: Esquire “American of the Year”
Esquire names Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as an American of the Year: Somewhere along the way, astronauts diverge from the rest of us. The pilots, especially, become something different. Their standards of “ordinary” change, particularly after they’ve traveled into space, and Kelly had gone up three times already. He was…
Earth Seems Less Terrible From Space
Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo. German video artist Michael Konig created this time-lapse video from footage taken from the International Space Station over a three month period, and while I don’t always have the greatest opinion of this particular planet, maybe it just…
Let’s Listen to Another Michael Kiwanuka Song
Back in June, I posted a video by British acoustic-soul singer Michael Kiwanuka, who reminds me more and more of a R&B version of Nick Drake, and while the wait for his 2012 full length release still seems unfair, he has a new song out on YouTube previewing an EP coming on in England on…
Republicans Apparently Like Newt Gingrich Again
There are certainly some problems with taking a national poll in November seriously in trying to determine which Republican will run against Barack Obama next year, considering the primary process is a state-by-state affair and anything can happen between now and January, but still it’s somewhat interesting to see the conservative voter-base try to settle…
New York Magazine’s Profile of Rep. Giffords is Online
There’s going to be an avalanche of information about Gabrielle Giffords this week, from the 20/20 interview tonight to tomorrow’s release of Mark Kelly’s memoir Gabby, but Steve Fishman’s feature in the November 21st issue of New York magazine (but online now) jumps out for me personally, partially because it discusses Giffords’ internal conflict over…
Loft Film Fest Continues: Arizona Short Film Showcase & “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”
The Loft Film Fest continues tonight with a showcase of shorts by Arizona filmmakers and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, which is described on the Loft’s site as: A group of men, including lawyers, gravediggers, police, government officials and a confessed killer, drive through the night looking for a body. The killer agreed to…
There’s a Trailer for The Hunger Games Movie
I don’t honestly know much about The Hunger Games other than that my wife and all of her friends read the series, that Entertainment Weekly seems to find a reason to write about the forthcoming movies every week, and that it seems to suck less than Twilight. So, here’s the trailer.
Giffords: “Better. Working Hard”
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player A preview of tonight’s ABC News special on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ recovery with the help of her husband, Mark Kelly: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has always been a fighter. For years, she fought for her causes in Congress, she fought her way through 10-mile-hikes and runs with her friends in Tucson,…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]
Beautiful Cocoa, a 2-year-old shepard mix, needs a loving home to show her that there is nothing to be afraid of anymore. Found near the highway and rescued by a kind person, Cocoa is still a little apprehensive in new situations but is blossoming with the help of her new friends. Thanks to her valuable…
For The Starbucks-Loving Gambler With No Time To Spare, Your Prayers Have Been Answered.
Nothing says convenience and special accommodation like designated parking spots. It’s available in spades for handicapped drivers and passengers, while many shopping centers offer specific spaces for expectant mothers. Now, too, there’s love being given to overpriced coffee addicts. Casino del Sol’s new hotel complex, way out on Valencia Road southwest of town, has designated…
It’s a Tiny Bake-able Representation of a Pig
I feel like there are a lot of questions left unanswered by the DeliToYouDirect.com page for the “Banguet, Mini Piglet, Approx. 8Lb” item they have for sale, including what exactly the pig-shaped product is actually made of. I’m into any sort of molded food product, but the page’s tactic of telling the “piglet”‘s story in…
Loft Film Fest Continues: “We Need To Talk About Kevin”
The Loft Film Fest continues this weekend, with some of the year’s best—and most overlooked—films getting a chance on the big screen here in Tucson. We’re intrigued by We Need To Talk About Kevin, which look particularly harrowing. And we don’t see any reason to miss director Kirby Dick showing a few of his short…
Political Roundtable: City Election Wrap, Russell’s Recall Fallout, Redistricting Recap & More!
In case you missed last night’s Political Roundtable on Arizona Illustrated: Here’s your chance to watch it online! Jonathan Paton, Paul Eckerstrom, Christopher Conover and I recap the week in politics, including the mayor’s race, the impact of the recall of Senate President Russell Pearce, Richard Carmona’s announcement that he’s running for U.S. Senate, the…
Idiot Boksen – A Few of My Favorite Things
Maybe it’s last week’s column on criticism, or maybe it’s because I’m able to write, gloriously alone, at Cartel Coffee in downtown Phoenix, without the ever present threat of my daughter waking up from her nap, but for this week at least, I’m an optimist. I’m cheery and well-fed, and I’ve got caffeine careening through…
What to Listen to This Week: Friday Edition
In the second part of our twice weekly music recommendation service, our writers (and some blogger) suggest songs by the Beach Boys, Blitzen Trapper, X, and the Dartmouthaires. Michael PetittiBeach Boys, “Heroes and Villains” Like many music obsessives, I have recently been poring over the official release of the Beach Boys’ ‘Smile’ sessions. If you…
Crunching Numbers in the City Election: Turnout About Average for Competitive Mayoral Race, But Nearly a Record-Breaker in Sheer Numbers
With all but about 50 votes counted in the 2011 Tucson election, we know now that turnout was about 31 percent. That comes as a surprise to The Range, which was predicting record turnout based on the number of vote-by-mail ballots that were returned in the mail. What we didn’t realize, when we were analyzing…
A Critic Admits to Liking “Jack and Jill”
If it wasn’t bad enough that Adam Sandler was part of the production team that forced Bucky Larson on the world earlier this year, he’s back today with Jack and Jill, which heads to the Eddie Murphy’s un-funny years school of comedy that if you like an actor, you’ll love that guy dressed up in…
The Food Truck Diaries, Volume 26: Pin-Up Pastries
Pin-Up Pastries has been open for about three months now, selling whoopie pies, cupcakes, cake-pops and other desserts at events all over the state. It will be one of the half-dozen or so food trucks at next week’s Tucson Food-Truck Roundup, and will hopefully have a semi-permanent location in Tucson in the coming months. I…
Up With People Concert at the Fox
“Up With People: A Song for the World” concert takes place on Saturday, Nov. 12, at Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. Tickets are $10. At 5:30 p.m., an international costume and flag procession takes place on Congress Street. At 6 p.m., doors open at the Fox.At 7 p.m., the concert begins. Here’s a…
You Should Listen to This Betty Wright Song
Betty Wright & The Roots: Grapes On A Vine ft. Lil’ Wayne by S-CurveRecords Betty Wright is one of those female singers who had a few hits, but maybe never quite got her due (even though bits of her songs show up frequently as samples in hip-hop and R&B tracks), although she’s proven to be…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com Bikes are a great way to see and participate in the All Souls Procession. Check out some of people on bikes at this year’s procession. The City Council and Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee are discussing a ban on text messaging. Check out what the proposed ban says and see what the BAC…
Political Roundtable: Election Wrap, Russell’s Recall, Redistricting Court Battle, Carmona’s Senate Run & More!
Tonight on Arizona Illustrated’s Political Roundtable: GOP strategist Jonathan Paton and former Democrat Party county chairman Paul Ecksterstrom join Christopher Conover and me to unpack the results of Tucson’s mayoral race, the Pearce recall, Richard Carmona’s Senate run, the legal fight over the redistricting commission and more. Tune in at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 6,…
Casino Del Sol’s New Hotel Gets All Numerological For Its Granding Opening
When our forefathers created Veterans Day many decades ago, I don’t think they envisioned it as a day to honor one’s hope of hitting a penny slot jackpot. Nevertheless, because of the numerical significance of this year’s holiday (11/11/11), it also coincides with the grand opening of Casino del Sol’s long-in-the-works hotel complex on West…
Smoking Warnings Snuffed Out by Judge: No Dead People on Cigarette Packs
Illustration Ryn Gargulinski Smokers will be missing out on a number of gorgeous images that were set to be plastered on every pack of cigarettes in America. Dang. We were really looking forward to a dead smoker with chest staples perched atop the autopsy table, a guy exhaling his smoke through a hole in his…
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords: “It’s Difficult. Difficult.”
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player ABC News brings us a preview of the upcoming news special about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, which airs at 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, on ABC-TV, Channel 9: When Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords woke up in a rehab hospital in Houston weeks after she was shot by her attacker, Giffords stared off…
From Battlegrounds to Studios: Dealing with PTSD
Josh Morgan Miguel Folch, a veteran Pararescue Jumper, sits in front of strobe spotlights at a photo studio in the Lost Bario in Tucson, Ariz. as he waits for his model to change her wardrobe. Folch finds solice in photography and chose to pursue his passion to escape the stresses associated with being a Tucson…
Scott Wins Ward 4 Seat
The final votes are counted and Councilwoman Shirley Scott is the winner of the Ward 4 race. Scott squeaked by with a 1,862-vote margin over Republican Tyler Vogt. Check the results yourself here. We’ll do some crunching of the numbers over the next few days. ETA: Assistant City Clerk Suzanne Mesich tells us there are…
When Riding a Bus to Wisconsin for Sex Goes Wrong
On the surface, the idea of riding a bus from Phoenix to Milwaukee to meet up with a woman you met on the internet for a threesome she organized seems like a great idea, but for one 18 year old it ended with two days tied to a bed and three hundred knife wounds: A…
Loft Film Fest: Tyrannosaur
The Loft Film Fest kicks off tonight with a party on the Loft Patio at 6 p.m. followed by a screening of Lars von Trier’s Melancholia at 7:30. I’m thinking Tyrannosaur, showing tomorrow night, looks pretty tasty, although it would mean missing Donny Darko on that awesome big screen downstairs, with an appearance by director…
What to Listen to This Week: Thursday Edition
In part one of twice weekly collection of song recommendations from our music writers, tracks by Mates of State, Barkmarket, William Burroughs, and Foxes in Fiction. Eric SwedlundMates of State, “Palomino” After spending the last couple weeks soaking in Mountaintops, the new album from Mates of State, and seeing the band tear it up at…
Dave Sitton “Exploring” Congressional Run
Josh Morgan Dave Sitton While it’s still unclear where the lines will be for any of the state’s congressional districts, the clock is ticking towards next year’s election, so potential candidates are starting to emerge, even if they’re not exactly sure what they’re running for or who they’re running against. Dave Sitton, currently the Global…
Occupy Tucson to Try Showing Some Skin for Attention
Well, this is certainly a strategy, and although I’m not entirely sure what it will accomplish if you want to see Occupy Tucson go Wild(ish), head down to the downtown Bank of America on Saturday at 4:00 pm. It probably is worth noting that the branch will be closed on Saturday, but maybe I’m misunderstanding…
Steve Pierce Elected Senate President
The Republicans of the Arizona Senate have picked a new leader in the wake of Russell Pearce’s ouster, and that man is Prescott resident, University of Arizona graduate, and rancher Steve Pierce, who beat out sweepstakes winner Andy Biggs by one vote: Leadership positions typically go to veteran legislators. But Pierce proved to be a…
Finally, Someone Is Asking the Big Questions
Seriously, why? I like coconuts, but drinking coconut water makes me think of sipping watery boogers. And not in a good way: In fact, the successful arrival of coconut water on these shores has more to do with yoga than you might think. The wellness trend has inspired several profitable beverage launches—inspiring massive bottled water…
Richard Carmona Enters the Senate Fray
Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who has been considering a run for Senate for a few months, has decided to run for the seat set to be vacated by Jon Kyl, according to the AP: The 61-year-old Carmona moved back to Tucson after his surgeon general stint. He says he believes that Washington is broken…
Rep. Joe Walsh Is Having a Bad Month
If it wasn’t quite bad enough that Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh was criticized for receiving a pro-family award while owing over a hundred thousand dollars in child support, now he’s on YouTube yelling at constituents who seem to be talking to him in a generally civilized manner. Probably not the most dignified way to hold…
Rick Perry’s “Jan Brewer Moment”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a mental meltdown in last night’s presidential debate. It’s horrifying to watch, but really, he handled it better than Jan Brewer handled her meltdown against Democrat Terry Goddard, and look where Brewer is today. So who knows? Arizona voters are certainly very forgiving. We suggest that Perry just find some…
Vote Counting Scheduled for 3 p.m. Today
Assistant City Clerk Suzanne Mesich tells The Range that the city will count the remaining 8,000 or so votes in this year’s city election at 3 p.m. today. She expects it will take several hours to complete the process. And at that point, we should have a winner in the Ward 4 race between Councilwoman…
Real Estate: Days (Domino)
The fact that Days is an autumnal release creates perfect symmetry. The songs sparkle with the season’s auburn glow right from the happy/sad guitar that opens the album on “Easy.” The album’s attitude seems to be that fall is all the sweeter because, as the days grow shorter, the afternoons seem more ephemeral. The lyrics…
Cozy and Dozy
Once again, a Tucson theater company has surprised me with its ability to use the cozy (read: small) space of the Cabaret Theater at the Temple of Music and Art in a way that suggests the wide open spaces of the American road. Arizona Onstage’s production of Brad Alexander and Adam Mathias’ off-Broadway musical See…
Golf ‘n’ Grub
A friend of mine recently told me that sports bars are “killing the dining culture in America.” On one hand, I understand his point. The food at a lot of sports bars is terrible; it’s basic, unimaginative fare designed solely to keep sports fans and drinkers in their seats. On the other hand, some sports…
Das Racist: Relax (Greedhead)
Cynically, I was ready to be disappointed when Das Racist released its first physical CD after the intellectual jokester hip-hop trio captured widespread acclaim with a pair of free, download-only albums in 2010. But the first single from Relax, “Michael Jackson,” is as artistically radical and sarcastically insightful as anything from last year’s Sit Down,…
Kore Values
Could be you’ve already seen Emily Dickinson around town. Inside a Sun Tran bus, perhaps, or projected onto a downtown building at night. Maybe you noticed a high school student painting her portrait. Or a local pastry chef presented you with a “poetry-inspired” recipe. Perhaps you scratched your head as you observed someone (a crazy…
Noshing Around
Chimichangas for State Food; Frozen desserts via bicycle; Union Public House and more!
Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther Sounds)
Despite an oeuvre that is dedicated to heartache, Girls’ mastermind Christopher Owens has released some of the most-spiritual pop music of this young century. Like Van Morrison before him, Owens stretches a word or phrase on Father, Son, Holy Ghost over endless incantations, shaping its meaning from transitory to revelatory. Everything from the album’s title…
Top Ten in Books
1. Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson, Simon and Schuster ($35) 2. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 3. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand, Random House ($27) 4. The Prague Cemetery Umberto Eco, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ($27) 5. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire,…
Timeless Tales
The music of The Sword makes me feel as if I’m 13 years old again, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. This band’s brand of primal rock uses head-banging riffs to stir up the ooze of unsettled adolescent energy, melodic hooks to focus that energy, and songs of Nordic mythology and science…
Mailbag
One reader isn’t a fan of Occupy Tucson; A correction
Financial Fiasco
Do you think Bernie Madoff is sorry? Is he remorseful over the billions and billions of dollars he stole from people? Whatever he may say about it these days, the smart money—which at the time would have included cash that people invested with Madoff—says that if he hadn’t been caught, he’d still be defrauding anyone…
French Bastards
When the bass player quit, The Inspector Cluzo marched onward as a two-piece. All the advice they received said otherwise, and the precedent said otherwise, but Mathieu Jourdain and Laurent Lacrouts felt they could play funk music as a duo. With no bass. “We started with a bass player, but he wasn’t good enough, and…
Guest Commentary
As a substitute teacher, I’m privileged to experience the best of Tucson’s schools—and the worst of Tucson’s schools. On a recent Thursday, I was teaching at one of the city’s best schools, in the Catalina Foothills School District. The next day, I was working in the Sunnyside Unified School District. What I saw convinced me…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Crazy, Stupid, Love. Warner Bros. 2. Horrible Bosses Warner Bros. 3. Captain America: The First Avenger Paramount 4. Water for Elephants 20th Century Fox 5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Disney 6. Bad Teacher Sony 7. Cars 2 Disney/Pixar 8. Green Lantern Warner Bros. 9. The Tree of Life 20th Century Fox…
Top Ten in Music
1. Greg Morton When Pigs Fly (self-released) 2. Stefan George and Tom Walbank My Old Friend the Blues (self-released) 3. The Carnivaleros Happy Homestead (RootaVega) 4. Más o Menos String Band Scratches in the Wax (self-released) 5. The Modeens Take a Ride With the Modeens (self-released) 6. Silver Thread Trio Silver Thread Trio (Old Bisbee)…
Meet the New Bosses
Republicans were holding out faint hopes for an upset win Tuesday night as the race between Democratic City Councilwoman Shirley Scott and GOP challenger Tyler Vogt remained too close to call. Otherwise, Election Day brought a decisive Democratic sweep. With an unknown number of votes left to count, Vogt trailed Scott by just 1,754 votes…
Sex, Drugs and Doogie
A franchise regains its footing with A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas. While not as consistently funny as the first H&K movie, it’s a significant improvement over the second. It’s goofy; it’s nasty; and it’s a great exercise in 3-D fun. This one picks up several years after the conclusion of the dour and…
Nine Questions
A Tucsonan for most of her 21 years, Jessica Famighetti performs songs on her ukulele under the moniker iwrestledacatonce, and you can catch her on an all-ages bill with Mega Bog, Kusikia, Run-On Sunshine, Hip Don’t Dance, and Strip Tantrum at 7 p.m., next Thursday, Nov. 17, at The Boxing Gym, 1080 N. Contzen Ave.…
The Skinny
The latest from and about the Independent Redistricting Committee; What does the Arizona Constitution say?; Here come the lawyers
Now Showing at Home
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Blu-ray); Trespass (Blu-ray); Tabloid
Movies Galore
More than two dozen films will be showcased at the Loft Cinema over eight days during the second annual Loft Film Fest. “We go to Sundance and South by Southwest (among other film festivals) and try to get the best films we saw,” said Jeff Yanc, program director at the Loft Cinema. “We want to…
Police Dispatch
Psychics and princes; Adventures in binge drinking
City Week
Tucson’s version of The Daily Show; Cell phone photos; Salsa, the dance; Bicycle scavenger hunt
Weekly Wide Web
The New York Times last week published an article about comedians on Twitter, mentioning that some have used the microblogging service as a way to launch careers, while others who are more established use tweets to work on their material. I approve of comedians getting on Twitter, mostly because I tend to look at Twitter…
Danehy
At the most recent count, there are 18 more Republican presidential debates to be held. Yes, 18 more opportunities to watch Texas Gov. Rick Perry do his Porky Pig imitation, to hear Rick Santorum swear that he’s really running for the nomination, and to hear Herman Cain explain how he, as a black man attending…
Live
The pairing of Mates of State and Generationals guarantees hooks and harmony galore—an abundant display of how to make pop songs shine. Both bands are built around a duo and the ever-present interplay between musical counterparts. In Mates of State, it’s husband-wife duo Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, while Generationals offer Grant Widmer and Ted…
What’s the Rush?
This has been a scorching year for the Coronado National Forest. First, some of its premier Southern Arizona highlands were ravaged by summer infernos. Now the Forest Service’s long-awaited draft environmental report on a proposed copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains is drawing fire left and right. But critics say the Coronado’s own bumbling…
Impressive Performances
When the lights go up, we see several folks lying still on the floor of what seems to be a classroom of some sort. “One,” we hear. “Two,” says another. “Three,” comes next. Then we hear “four” in stereo, uttered by two folks at the same time. The others manage a collective groan. They must…
Media Watch
Clear Channel and Cumulus layoffs; A new voice for Wildcat hockey
Birthplace Battle
When Josefina Cardenas describes the desert between the Santa Cruz River and the base of Sentinel Peak (“A” Mountain), she links her hands together and rocks them as if she’s cradling a baby. From the east side of the riverbed, at Verdugo Park, Cardenas looks at the land and describes it as a cuna, because…
Editor’s Note
Last weekend, I joined Mari Herreras, Linda Ray and 40 or so other altweekly journalists from around the country at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s annual writers’ workshop in Las Vegas. While the seminars (and the post-seminar excursions) were productive and/or enjoyable, the most-memorable aspect of the weekend was seeing how depressed the Las Vegas…
Examining the Exam
When Arizona voters passed the Medical Marijuana Act, I was a happy camper. Finally, after the better part of two decades here, I would be living in a state with some sense about something. Finally, the nation’s eyes were on us for something good, not for our wacky Legislature or goofy governor. I decided to…
Wanted: Justice
Denise Savastano remembers the day she called her father’s home to check on his well-being, only to have her call answered by a Pima County sheriff’s deputy. “That’s how I found out my uncle and father had been killed,” Savastano said, recalling a moment more than 19 years ago. Mort Custer and his brother Howard…
Downing
Years ago, I read a poem in which imagined aliens peered down at a freeway and, seeing the streams of cars whooshing along, assumed that cars were the dominant life-form on Earth. Perceiving shadowy soft forms inside, the aliens wondered whether what they were glimpsing through the windshields were the cars’ brains, or their guts.…
Soundbites
11/11/11 madness; Casino del Sol and Cheap Trick; Pink Martini and more!
TQ&A
If you pay attention to local theater, you’ve probably noticed 18-year-old actress Lucille Petty. She fell in love with theater at Amphi Middle School and realized it was her life’s calling while taking youth classes at Live Theatre Workshop. You can see Petty in the Invisible Theatre production of Circle Mirror Transformation, which closes Sunday,…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I am an Anglo intruder in New Mexico. When I moved to Albuquerque from Virginia, I fell in love with Mexican culture. I was impressed at what I called “Southwestern hospitality.” I have had so many second dinners when I visit people’s homes that I’ve gained a few pounds within the first few…
Invoking Emily
One year into our deadly Civil War, the literary critic Thomas Wentworth Higginson published an article exhorting writers to “charge your style with life.” He soon received an oddly poetic letter from a reader. Enclosing copies of four of her poems, she asked him whether they met his standard for vitality. “Mr Higginson,” the letter…
When Mike Tyson Calls You Crazy…
Herman Cainâs Campaign Promises with Mike Tyson from Mike Tyson Mike Tyson’s second/third/eighteenth career as a comedian makes me so happy, but it might be a mistake to give Republicans the idea that a computer simulation of Ronald Reagan could be vice president. [HT: ShortFormBlog]
A Look at the Asteroid That Nearly Brought Us Armegeddon Yesterday
Armageddon was narrowly averted yesterday when a giant asteroid skimmed past the planet. The UA News Service has details on the Tucson connection: Discovered by a University of Arizona astronomer six years ago, a city-block-sized space rock will race past the Earth closer than the moon in what will be the closest encounter of an…
Loft Film Fest Starts Tomorrow!
The Loft Film Fest launches tomorrow with Lars von Trier’s Meloncholia. The week’s line-up of outstanding cinema is wide-ranging and fab—check it out here—and the party starts at 6 p.m. tomorrow. Be there!
