Cover Story
Abuse Of Our Elders
T he eyes of Delia Orduno dance around this bright room, perhaps seeking refuge from memory. For 32 years, she lived with a husband who called her an idiot, who said she was crazy, who told her she should hurry up and die. But she did not die. For 17 of those 32 years, Orduno…
‘Tucson’s Heart and Soul’: El Casino Ballroom Re-Debuts ‘Fiesta El Casino’
If you missed the debut of Tucson writer and filmmaker Daniel Buckley’s Tucson’s Heart and Soul: El Casino Ballroom, thank the Tucson gawds you’ve been given a chance to redeem yourself. The documentary on the life, times, destruction and rebuilding of Tucson iconic performance and celebration venue first premiered to a full-house at the Fox…
You Could Be Staring at Girls and Pretending to Care About Literacy Right Now
From the Sexy Lady Bookworms Facebook page Apologies for the late notice, but you have another three hours or so (as of this post’s publication) to head to Heroes & Villains Comics for their Sexy Lady Bookworms events. The group’s mission is simple, raise money for literacy causes by taking sexy photos of all varieties…
The Sweet Charity Results, and a Blogger’s Lament
Recently Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance presented Sweet Charity, a dessert-based fundraiser for the arts on Friday, Nov. 16. Drooling over the list of sweets they had on hand from awesome local restaurants (more than 20 different ones, including Feast, RA Sushi and Busy B’s Bakery who were among the winners), and signature dessert…
Fiscal Cliff Danger! Did Raul Grijalva Nearly Crash The Stock Market Yesterday?
During an appearance on CNBC yesterday, Congressman Raul Grijalva said he’d rather go over the dreaded “fiscal cliff” than make a deal that dramatically cuts back on Medicare and Social Security benefits, which led to one of the most absurd questions The Range has ever heard from a professional TV journalist. Host Michelle Caruso-Cabrera informed…
9Q+1: Sara Mohr
Sara Mohr was born in North Dakota and has lived in Tucson since she was 4. She started playing piano at 5 and is a piano and music instructor for the School House of Rock. She is also the keyboardist and singer for the new project Sorry About the Garden. A bartender at Plush since…
Meet Santa for Breakfast at Pasco Kitchen and Lounge
Chef Ramiro and the guys at Pasco Kitchen and Lounge have pulled a few strings and have wrangled a visit from old St. Nick. On Saturday, December 1, Santa will be enjoying breakfast, and the whole family can join him! Bring your gift wishes and make sure you don’t do anything to be on the…
Time Is Running Out to Be a Part of This Year’s Parade of Lights
The Downtown Parade of Lights is one of my favorite Tucson events, largely because it’s equally strange and sincere in its execution. Local “celebrities” rolling down the street in classic cars accessorized with a few strands of lights? Sure! Star Wars enthusiasts in costume? Absolutely! A church-sponsored float asking that Christ be put back in…
Snapshots from Special TUSD School Closure Meeting 11/27
Hundreds of parents, students, teachers and community members filled the Catalina Magnet High School Auditorium for Tucson Unified School District’s special Governing Board meeting concerning potential school closures. Many held signs bearing messages of support and almost 50 people spoke during the two hour call to the audience. Here are a few images from the…
Jeff Biggers Interviews Sean Arce on Deseg Proposal and MAS Future
State Out of the Union author and former Tucsonan Jeff Biggers recently interviewed former Tucson Unified School District Mexican-American studies co-founder and former director Sean Arce about the district’s desegregation proposal and the future of MAS and the program’s former teachers. You can read the entire post here. Snippet: Jeff Biggers: According to the proposed…
Representative Ron Barber Recovering In Tucson Following Minor Surgery
Rep. Ron Barber is currently in Tucson, recovering from a minor surgery that will keep him from attending votes this week in Washington. From Barber’s office: TUCSON — The office of U.S. Rep. Ron Barber today announced that Barber will remain in Tucson during votes in Washington this week after undergoing minor surgery on Monday.…
Outgoing Senator Jon Kyl Introduces Act That’s Like DREAM Act But Isn’t
Today, Senator Jon Kyl’s office announced that he, in partnership with Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, introduced legislation that would give young, undocumented residents of the United States, brought here as children, a path to citizenship. But, just in case you thought it might be, it’s not the DREAM Act. After all, that provides a…
DJ BL3ND Is Coming to Tucson
DJ BL3ND (or a preview of my nightmares tonight) It’s hard to even know what anyone means when they say they’re a DJ these days…Rolling Stone ran a traffic-baiting list of the “25 DJs that rule the world” and Daft Punk were at number 25. This is somewhat strange as Daft Punk, while great, aren’t…
Tonight’s TUSD Special Meeting on School Closures Moved to Catalina High
When the Range covered last week’s Tucson Unified School District’s governing board special meeting on school closures, TUSD used the Catalina Magnet High School auditorium. Yesterday, TUSD sent out a press release that a continuance of that meeting scheduled for today, Tuesday, Nov. 27, would not be held in the governing board room at the…
Carnival Cruises Fixes Their Earlier Drag Queen Related Error
Earlier today as part of a terrible PR move, Carnival Cruise Lines sent out a letter cracking down on customers who might choose to sail the seas fabulously in drag, claiming that they’re aimed to preserve “a family friendly atmosphere”. Sending out a letter threatening to kick anyone off a cruise for dressing in drag…
Another Tucson Show Cancellation: Wovenhand
As we reported yesterday, the Maybach Music Group Tour concert featuring Rick Ross and others, scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the TCC Arena, was canceled due to “scheduling conflicts.” Former Weekly Web Guy and future Weekly editor has graciously provided alternate options for those planning on attending the show. And now, Club Congress…
In a Hypothetical Battle of the States, Everybody Loses, Writes Marine
Quora is a question and answer site that I have never heard of before, but find fascinating. Apparently, it’s a discussion site, not unlike the often-maligned Yahoo! Answers, where users ask each other questions and are encouraged to answer one another in often entertaining ways. That said, in the hypothetical battles section of Quora—which makes…
Three Things You Can Do Tonight to Fill the Void Left by the MMG Cancellation
Understandably, you’re probably taking the cancellation of tonight’s Maybach Music Group show, starring former-prison-guard/luxury-rapper Rick Ross, poorly, since Tucson rarely gets those sort of hip-hop mega-concerts, but somehow we need to find the strength to go on. So, here are a few ideas to return meaning to our temporarily concert-less lives. 1. Get some lemon…
Homeland Security Employees Don’t Know How To Use Their Radios
A stunning report Department of Homeland Security report, uncovered by ProPublica.org, has turned out news that Homeland Security employees nationwide have not been trained in how to properly communicate with each other via radios that are supposed to be tuned to a particular, common channel. Somehow, that isn’t a surprise. What is, however, is the…
Aaron Paul Ruined My Day
I just finished reading the first episode of the final season of Breaking Bad and words can not express what I just experienced. Holy shit.— Aaron Paul (@aaronpaul_8) November 27, 2012 I had largely managed to shove thoughts of Breaking Bad out of my head for now, knowing that the series’ final eight episodes won’t…
Sad News Out Of Reid Park Zoo: DJ the Mandrill Has Died
Reid Park Zoo DJ the mandrill, a 21-year resident of the Reid Park Zoo, born there in August of 1991, has died. He was euthanized by zoo staff yesterday, after they determined that it was “clear he would no longer have a reasonable quality of life.” Despite numerous health issues over the years, DJ’s lifespan…
This Is a Post About ’90s R&B
TucsonWeekly.com commenter AZ/DC wrote yesterday that he believes “readers will all benefit” if, as part as my second stint here at the Weekly, I stop writing about Insane Clown Posse or “mostly obscure 90’s (sic) R&B acts.” Sincerity can be difficult to read over the internet, but I can’t imagine anyone would actually have a…
Apple Annie’s Swag All Year Long!
One of my favorite day trips with the family is to Apple Annie’s Orchard in Willcox. The sad part is that all of the great things were only available for a short window, generally through the summer, but that looks like that is going to change. Come this spring, all those pies, preserves, and other…
City Councilwoman Regina Romero Has Opinions on Education, Particularly TUSD’s Deseg Plan
If you’ve got feelings about Tucson Unified School District’s deseg plan, known as the Unitary Status Plan, know that you’re not alone: Ward 1 City Councilwoman Regina Romero has all sorts of feelings about them, which she made clear in a release sent out this evening, and she urges you to take your feelings and…
You Should Consider Listening to an Australian Radio Station
Nothing against our own lovable public broadcasters, KXCI, but one of my favorite things about the broadband internet era is the opportunity to listen to radio stations from around the world. In my previous stint here at the Weekly, I mentioned my love of Montgomery, Ala.’s Yo 107.1 (still a great station, especially now that…
Apparently, Americans Don’t Move Much Anymore
Here’s something terrifying to consider in the wake of Thanksgiving weekend: Apparently 40 percent of Americans never exercise. From the New York Times: About 40 percent of Americans report that they never exercise, a figure that has remained steady for decades. They will not even do the easy stuff. In studies of moderate exercise to…
Maybach Music Group Tour at TCC Arena Is Cancelled
Well, apparently something is holding Rick Ross back — from performing in Tucson tomorrow night, that is. The Maybach Music Group Tour — better known as the MMG Tour — scheduled for tomorrow night, Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the TCC Arena, has been canceled. This afternoon, Live Nation, which was promoting the show, sent out…
Andrew W.K. Announces That He Will Be ‘Cultural Ambassador’; State Department Disagrees
Andrew W.K., noted rocker and extoller of the virtues of partying hard, made an interesting claim on his website last week—namely, that the U.S. State Department invited him to Bahrain in an effort to “promote partying and positive power.” In response to the surprising (to say the least) announcement, W.K. had this to say on…
The Enemy Has a Name, And It Is ‘Two and a Half Men’
Sometimes I miss the good old days of television, when my TV stars were only in the news for bad reasons when they flipped a car (sorry to see Boss go, Kelsey Grammer) or for a group-wide contract holdout, a la Friends or the people on CSI that nobody cared about. No longer. Now, being…
Dan Gibson, Former ‘Weekly’ Web Producer, Named New ‘Weekly’ Editor
The replacement for current Tucson Weekly editor Jimmy Boegle has been announced, and his name might be familiar to Weekly readers: Dan Gibson, former web producer for Tucson Weekly and Weekly sister paper Inside Tucson Business. Dan Gibson, former web producer at Territorial Newspapers, will take over as editor of the Tucson Weekly on Jan.…
Apparently, They Actually Kinda Destroyed A Football Field in The Dark Knight Rises
Sure, they didn’t completely tear apart Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field for one of the largest special effects sequences in The Dark Knight Rises (though as a bitter Arizona Cardinals fan, I wouldn’t have been that upset,) but it appears that the film’s special effects team actually used practical special effects in the scene where a Gotham…
Take This Job And…: Two News Anchors Quit On Air
Last week was an eventful one for the folks at Maine’s WVII and WFVX: Two anchors at the Maine TV stations resigned together on the air. At the end of the 6 p.m. newscast, Cindy Michaels and Tony Consiglio thanked viewers and said that departing together was the best alternative because of some “recent developments.”…
Delicate Steve Tonight at Plush
Tonight’s must-see show is at Plush, with New Jersey’s Delicate Steve headlining. Cy Dune, the new side project from Akron/Family’s Seth Olinsky, and Discos play in support. Doors at 8:30, $6. The Weekly talked with Steve Marion of Delicate Steve. Delicate Steve has gone from a conspiracy to a collective. What began in guitarist Steve…
Out With the Orange, In With the Red! Holiday Potted Gardens in the Desert
Halloween and Thanksgiving have now become sweet memories. If you have not already started, it is time to think of your pots as your holiday decor. Pots at your front door and you key view points around your home, can be dressed up to enhance your holiday spirit! Red Cyclamen A favorite flowering plant to…
Political Roundtable: Latino Politics, Lessons from the Election and a Legislative Preview
On Arizona Public Media’s Political Roundtable this week: Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries, Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers and Republican strategist Sam Stone talked about some of the lessons of the 2012 election and kicked around ideas about how the GOP should be address its growing problem…
Arizona Week: What’s the Forecast for Immigration Politics in AZ?
Arizona Week host Michael Chihak dug into the politics on immigration last night. It’s going to be an interesting legislative session as Republicans try to figure out how to quit alienating Latinos while holding onto their base, isn’t it?
Elmogate Update: Kevin Clash Has Resigned Following Second Accusation
My faith in humanity has now been dashed, folks. Kevin Clash, famous for being the puppeteer behind “Sesame Street”‘s Elmo, has resigned after a second accusation of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a young boy has come to light. From the website of the second accuser’s lawyer, hermanlaw.com: · When CECIL SINGLETON, the victim in…
Mexico Plans To Change Its Name—To Mexico
As one of the final acts of his Presidency, Mexico’s Felipe Calderon has introduced legislation to finally make the official name of Mexico, uh…”Mexico.” According to this story from CNN.com, and history books in general, Mexico has officially gone by the name of the “United Mexican States” since originally winning its independence from Spain in…
If You’re Looking For A New Friend, Pima Animal Care Has You Covered
If you’re looking to add a little something (or someone) special to your family this weekend during your shopping adventures, consider heading out to Pima Animal Care, where they’re offering a special $10 adoption fee for all animals, which includes microchips, sterilization and vaccination. According to PAC, licensing for dogs older than three months of…
Big Meridox – Knuckle Rap, Song By Song
Tucson MC Big Meridox celebrates the release of his new album Knuckle Rap tonight at Club Congress. The cover is $5 and the first 50 people get a free copy of the album. The show kicks off at 9 p.m. The Weekly talked to Ox about what he calls his opus for this week’s music…
Black Friday Is A Terrible Thing, With Video Proof
Now, I didn’t experience this level of chaos and obnoxiousness last night as I ventured out with my family for Black Friday/Darkest Timeline Thursday shopping—the Walmart that I spent too much of my life at last night didn’t get all that violent last night, for instance—but from what I’ve seen, there’s been a fair amount…
Attention Human Beings: Chevy Chase Has Quit ‘Community’
The hits just keep on coming for fans of NBC’s “Community.” First, the show was postponed by the network shortly before its original Oct. 19 season premiere, initially indefinitely, resulting in this fantastic video explaining the postponement—and why its fans shouldn’t be so heartbroken: Well, there’s something new for Greendaleans to be upset about—maybe, kinda.…
The Food Truck Diaries, Volume 33: Chef’s Kitchen and Catering
From the Chef’s Kitchen and Catering Facebook page. Two chefs are ready to roll into Tucson’s vibrant food truck scene with a menu that ranges from sautéed mussels to shawarma sandwiches. The food truck Chef’s Kitchen and Catering makes its debut next Friday, Nov. 30, outside the Tucson Federal Credit Union on the corner of…
Time Is On Our Side: The Wait for Ten Fifty-Five Brewing
We have been following the “nanobrewery”, Ten Fifty-Five, for a while now patiently waiting to see what they brew up. Well per their Facebook page they are finishing up brewing some test batches, and have received their Certificate of Occupancy to boot. I spoke with them on the phone and told me they are planning…
Was TUSD’s Special Meeting Legal?
Tuesday afternoon, Sylvia Campoy warned the Tucson Unified School District board members by e-mail that their special meeting that evening at Catalina Magnet High School to decide what schools to consider for closure and consolidation was in “clear violation of Arizona Open Meeting Law as well a violation of TUSD policies.” Campoy is concerned because…
Dralion Comes to Tucson (Video)
Video shot and edited by Rogelio Garcia Harmony. Grace. Beauty. Words to describe Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion and so much more. The oftentimes jaw-dropping show features a melding of Chinese traditional dance and martial arts with Cirque’s trademark Avant-garde style of acrobatics. “We took 3,000 years of Chinese acrobatic tradition,” Artistic director Sean McKeown said,…
Behind the Scenes at the Circus
John de Dios House Troupe performers Xia Bin, left, Zhang Delong, Yin Yupeng, Chang Wenfeng and Luo Shaohua rehearse the Dralion sequence where one of the dragons jump onto a giant ball. The performers, 26 in all, are from Shandong, China. Seventeen nationalities are represented in Dralion. Take a look behind the scenes of Cirque’s…
Richard Fridena: ‘We Must Continue to Insist That [Marty Cortez] and the Other Trustees, Represent Our Best Interests’
With the votes counted, Pima Community College Board of Governors District 5 candidate Richard Fridena sent this to his supporters: Dear Friends and Supporters, With the delay in counting votes in Pima County and the low public profile regarding the Pima Community College Board of Governors District 5 race, I bet you are wondering about…
TUSD School Closures: ‘We’re Going to Have to Band Together As Parents, Teachers and Students’
The Tucson Unified School District’s governing board heard pleas from dozens of parents, students and educators on why their school shouldn’t be on the proposal list for school closures and consolidations — made public for the first time on Monday evening. The meeting started at 6 p.m. and ended around 11:30 p.m. Held at Catalina…
Happy Thanksgiving, Rangers!
Just a heads-up, folks: We’re going to be taking things a bit slow today, what with the food to feast upon and the football to watch in near-vegetative states, but you’ll be hearing from us a bit throughout the day. Don’t worry though. We’ll be picking back up tomorrow, though if we’re a bit on…
Simply Sucks
I haven’t liked any of the Twilight movies. I have, in fact, had a bitter hatred toward most of them that is unhealthy and more than likely illegal in some states. That said, I almost liked 2011’s Breaking Dawn—Part 1, a sometimes twisted film that, while mostly stinky, did show some promise. It ended with…
Now Showing at Home
The Amazing Spider-Man (Blu-ray) SONY MOVIE C+ SPECIAL FEATURES B BLU-RAY GEEK FACTOR 5.25 (OUT OF 10) I consider this one of the year’s bigger disappointments—not only because we got this instead of a fourth film directed by Sam Raimi (he quit when the producers tried to force a villain for the pic on him,…
Separate and Unequal
For the past six years, many English-language-learner students in Tucson Unified School District schools have been segregated from other students for most of the school day, and have been prevented from participating in the core-curriculum classes that all students need in order to learn and graduate. For TUSD educator Salvador Gabaldón, it’s been especially frustrating…
Sit ‘n’ Steep
The word “tearoom” conjures images of tiny, sedate places trimmed out in lace, with classical music playing quietly in the background, and stale scones sitting under a glass-domed cake plate. Well, welcome to the 21st century and the Scented Leaf Tea House and Lounge. Located on bustling University Boulevard just outside of the UA’s Main…
Noshing Around
Public Brew House and Coffee Shop was Kickstarted; Borderlands is expanding; Fatdogs is coming to Tucson Mall; and Rex’s Perogies should be given your consideration.
Police Dispatch
A woman ice cream binge at the University of Arizona; a man’s car winds up on blocks in a UA parking garage.
An Opus Album
For Big Meridox, Knuckle Rap is an album about growth. But even though it’s a set of “grown-man” songs that touch on religion, giving up old habits and the daily struggles to do what’s right, don’t expect Knuckle Rap to sound like anything but raw, classic hip-hop. “What Knuckle Rap is to me is pulling…
Weekly Wide Web
Internet petitions have become worth less than the paper on which they’re not printed. Three days after Election Day, a Texas man created a petition on WhiteHouse.gov’s “We the People” petition-raising page, calling for the federal government to allow Texas to secede. While this isn’t particularly out of character for Texas or Texans, they weren’t…
Soundbites
Ms. Lauryn Hill comes to the Rialto; Bela Fleck will be at the Fox; Black Cherry Burlesque has a new show; and more!
Unexplained Homicide
Benjamin Klemann was a successful small-business owner who, through a series of bad choices and unfortunate circumstances, ended up an ex-convict without a career. The 29-year-old Tucsonan did his time in jail after being convicted for drug possession, and then he set forth on finding a better path. This included a part-time job within walking…
Top Ten in Music
1. Y la Orkesta Mambo Mexicano! (Cosmica) 2. 17th Street Band Positively 17th Street (17th Street) 3. Holmes-Levinson Group Holmes-Levinson Group (self-released) 4. Last Call Girls Never Too Late to Get Lucky (self-released) 5. Heather Hardy Get Out of the Road (Lil’ Mama) 6. Ron Doering The Balladeer (self-released) 7. Grams and Krieger No, You!…
Editor’s Note
Thanksgiving columns about things for which people are thankful are clichéd, I will concede, but I am thankful for a lot right now. So, on with the thanks-giving! • I am thankful for the Tucson Weekly’s fantastic bunch of writers. We’re blessed to have some of the very best critics, columnists and reporters throughout the…
High-Flying Elements
Watch the aerial artistry of Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion at TCC, on Thursday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 25.
Nine Questions
Julie Reed is the creator of TucsonMama.com and co-publishes (with Mike McKisson of TucsonVelo.com) TucsonInStyle.com. She describes herself as a “terrible but enthusiastic” singer. She’s also an occasional Tucson Weekly contributor. What was the first concert you ever saw? Rick Springfield at the Concord (Calif.) Pavilion. I bought a souvenir baseball shirt, of course. What…
Danehy
Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. It’s not nearly as great as Christmas or New Year’s. Labor Day is awesome, because it’s the start of football season. Easter is cool, because it marks the end of my Lenten fast (plus there’s that whole resurrection-of-Jesus-Christ thing). Halloween used to be way cool until it became an…
City Week
Celebrating quality people; swinging at Crowder Hall; the hidden treasures of Ted DeGrazia; and celebrating southwestern heritage at Old Tucson.
Live
Steve Winwood’s music career has spanned nearly 50 years and has explored the nexus at which blues, R&B, funk, pop, jazz-fusion and psychedelic rock meet. He’s been playing jam-band music since long before the term was invented. The 64-year-old British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and onetime wunderkind played a jaw-droppingly good concert this past Sunday night, where…
Serraglio
When the nice little elderly lady at the polling place smiled beatifically and handed me an “I Voted” sticker on Election Day, I took it home and added “even though they tried to stop me” before slapping it on. So, how was your voting experience? I realize that’s a loaded question, and the answer depends…
T Q&A
Melo Dominguez is an East Los Angeles muralist who moved to Tucson in 2007. After a near-death incident landed her in the hospital for almost eight weeks, Dominguez made a conscious effort to produce more art and to work with local youths, and to bridge the two as an activist focusing on Arizona politics and…
Whitehorse: The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss (Six Shooter)
This Canadian husband-and-wife duo trade in a rootsy form of Americana that is informed by a bluesy grittiness and a palpable sense of pop melody. Their second album together is a triumph—haunting here, tender there. Singer-songwriters Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland often trade verses in classic pop-duet style—such as on the leadoff track “Achilles’ Desire,”…
Mailbag
This week, we read a lengthy disagreement with our review of John Fogerty’s recent concert at AVA.
Short and Sweet
To call a show a “feel good” play seems like a backhanded compliment. “Feel good” can imply the saccharine, simplistic or silly. Yet Invisible Theatre’s Mesa is a feel-good show, in the best sense of the term: It’s funny and sweet, and its tinge of melancholy gives its comedy depth. Doug Curtis’ two-man play has…
Baba Marimba: Tango de los Muertos (Self-Released)
This group could be teaching graduate-level courses in African, jazz and world music. That’s how varied and deep the group’s collective musical experience is. Nine of these 12 compositions stand strong as originals, while most of them are also collaborative efforts, a key ingredient in the unique personality each tune embodies. Those lucky enough to…
Guest Commentary
In college, I turned down a Tucson Weekly internship. As a result, five years later, I became a paperboy in Barcelona. Fortunately, that half-decade in between wasn’t filled with regret-fueled bouts of depression or desperate emails begging for a second chance. I somehow managed to avoid that slippery slope and work my way into an…
Bodies on Display
When I first saw Tiffiney Yazzie’s large-scale photographs on the wall at Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery last week, I wrote three words in my notebook: Exciting. Wonderful. New. Just 27 years old, Tempe photographer Yazzie makes a momentous Tucson debut with six beautifully lit color photos of a human figure—or parts thereof—placed against lush white…
Crystal Castles (III) (Casablanca)
Crystal Castles’ second eponymous album was one of the best of 2010, and while (III) is a spirited successor, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its forebears. Castles brainchild Ethan Kath has gone on record as saying that they enacted a strict “no computers in the studio” policy for this third effort in order…
Important Architecture
The grace of this building on Broadway Boulevard belies the workaday traffic roaring past. Designed by architect Howard Peck in 1966, and expanded under his hand five years later, it’s a modernist jewel of post-World War II design. It’s also entangled in a current roadway tug of war. Few drivers notice the building’s opulent touches—a…
Animal Issues
It’s not surprising that when Lydia Millet’s latest central character enters an unfamiliar house and feels around to turn on lights, she touches not a switch, but fur and a bulbous glass eye. Nor that, when she can finally see into the space, she finds a hall festooned with deer heads. This book, after all,…
Ask a Mexican!
The Mexican tackles questions of Hispanic childhood shame; Danny Trejo; and education!
The Skinny
Tucson voters back the road bonds—just barely … John McCain is on another rampage in Washington, D.C. … Gov. Jan Brewer punts on creating a health-insurance exchange … and so very much more!
Top Ten in Books
1. Flight Behavior: A Novel Barbara Kingsolver, HarperCollins ($28.99) 2. Life of Pi Yann Martel, Mariner ($15.95) 3. Cloud Atlas: A Novel David Mitchell, Random House ($15) 4. The Casual Vacancy J.K. Rowling, Little, Brown ($35) 5. The Mark of Athena: The Heroes of Olympus, Book 3 Rick Riordan, Hyperion ($19.99) 6. The Perks of…
Almost Open
Back in the day, when hope was afoot, and the gleam in Arizona’s collective medical-marijuana eye was bright, it seemed like dispensaries were coming soon. The gleam slowly faded as the state’s 30,000-plus cannabis patients were left waiting … then waiting … then waiting some more. But last week, in the hallowed halls of the…
Media Watch
Lee investors are getting nervous thanks to Warren Buffett; John C. Scott gets more airtime; Chris “The Ego” is taking the reins at KFMA; and journos have deemed Tubac historic.
Deliberately Delightful
What’s that old equation? Tragedy plus time equals comedy? Based on his career, filmmaker David O. Russell missed that math class. He has an open-season rule for just about anything, and it seems as though the more he can push the envelope, the more he tries to wring every last drop of absurdity out of…
A Close Shave
In a campaign office packed with nearly 200 supporters, U.S. Rep. Ron Barber declared victory on Saturday, Nov. 17. “It’s been a long wait, but here we are,” Barber told the rowdy crowd. “I want to thank you all for coming out and helping us celebrate today.” An hour earlier across town, Republican challenger Martha…
Top Ten in Cinema
1. Brave Disney/Pixar 2. Savages Universal 3. The Amazing Spider-Man Sony 4. The Watch 20th Century Fox 5. The Campaign Warner Bros. 6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 20th Century Fox 7. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Universal 8. Magic Mike Warner Bros. 9. Take This Waltz Magnolia 10. Safety Not Guaranteed…
Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion a Breathtaking, Thanksgiving Family Affair
John de Dios Dante Adela melds martial arts and ballet in his interpretation of Yao, the representation of Fire. John de Dios Jonathan Morin plays Kala, a time-keeper of sorts, that performs in the unique Crossed Wheel that he invented specifically for Cirque. Morin joined the stage opening night with more than 50 other acrobats…
