The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission wrapped up their work late Tuesday night with congressional and legislative districts (tentatively) decided, and the chairwoman on the verge of tears.

But the commission’s independent chairwoman, Colleen Mathis, wasn’t holding back tears of frustration or anger after casting her final vote of the night (which might be expected, judging by how the state's electeds have treated and trashed her). She was fighting off tears of joy and gratitude while praising her colleagues and the few hardcore members of the public still hanging around the Tempe hotel conference room at 10 p.m.

The commission approved the congressional maps on a 3-2 vote, with the chairwoman joining the two Democrats to approve a political landscape of four safe Republican districts, two solid Democratic districts, and three districts that were deemed competitive, including the new ninth district that the state picked up due to population growth.

The legislative district map also passed 3-2, but earned bipartisan support when Republican commissioner Richard Stertz joined Democratic commissioner Linda McNulty and chairwoman Mathis in support.

We’ll post some geeky statistics and map stuff for you to play with in the next few days, and we’ll give you more info in the print edition when space permits, but the basic takeaway points are that the current congressional districts 7 and 8 more or less retained their shapes and boundaries in the Tucson area. Congressman Raul Grijalva’s district is now called CD3, while Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ district, now called CD2, is now more or less evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, with independent voters making up the deciding force in future elections.

Since I'm neither female nor does my age start with a one, I'm not really supposed to understand the appeal of Justin Bieber, but at some point someone's going to tell the kid he can't rap, right? I understand that he's really rich and might just end up buying Canada in a year or so, but someone has to have the guts to tell him that he shouldn't be freestyling anywhere, ever.

At least I can cross "Watch a YouTube video in which Justin Bieber raps poorly while wearing a Christmas apron" off my bucket list now, so that's something.

I like the idea of movies, but I rarely actually get out of my house to see them, so I'm going to assume that all of the films selected by the staff of the Loft Cinema as part of their best of 2011 list are amazing. By this time next year, perhaps I will have seen at least half of them. Remind me then and I'll tell you what I thought.

1. Melancholia
2. Take Shelter
3. Marwencol
4. Attack the Block
5. The Interrupters
6. Incendies
7. The Last Circus
8. Bill Cunningham New York
9. Meek's Cutoff
10. TIE Drive and The Tree of Life

For more than 40 years, the Cerreta Candy Company has been a fixture in Arizona. Patriarch James Cerreta, 84, is still going strong at the head of the company that has seen every member of his family be a part of the business.

Cerreta and his sons, each leading a section of production on the company floor, and his granddaughter talk about what keeps them coming back for more.

Cerreta Candy Company is located in Glendale, Ariz., and is a fixture in many city-related events and provides VIP and general tours for the public.

For the last three weeks, I've been picking some unappreciated holiday songs for your listening enjoyment on KFMA's morning show with Fook. In case you wanted to hear more of my selections, here they are in YouTube form for your enjoyment, starting with Rancid's "Xmas Eve (She Got Up And Left Me)" above.

Three more are below the cut.

Of course her next single features Pitbull. Of course it does.

Hat tip to music photographer Elliott for sharing this video of Tucson band Roll Acosta's holiday adventure at Tucson Mall. The trio set out to video themselves singing that wonderful heart-warming carol "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Well, the obvious exception is the security guard and people who don't like wandering minstrels in holiday sweaters.

Seriously folks. Couldn't you just ask them to take the sweaters off? Geesh.

Apparently it can be very difficult for people who aren't fancy chef-types to get one of these Spanish Mangalitsa hams, so that must mean it's crazy delicious, right? Clearly, I can't afford to pay $438.99 (plus shipping) for a thirteen pound bone-in ham (with carving stand), but if you all pass the hat, it'll nearly seem reasonable when split among a group of like-minded readers of The Range who would like to make me happy. As a bonus, if I get this magnificent ham, I will invite five readers to the office to taste a slice. A really thin slice, obviously, but a slice nonetheless. Deal?

One of my high school friends died from diabetes-related complications, so if you happen to be at the Western Look this holiday season, consider donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Westward Look Resort is lending a helping hand to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) this holiday season. Throughout most of December, Westward Look will be collecting donations that will be used to help prevent, treat, and ultimately find the cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Donations will be accepted through Christmas Day at multiple areas throughout the resort.

Guests staying at Westward Look, as well as the community that surrounds the resort and spa, will be given the opportunity to donate to the cause. Informational flyers and donation forms will be available for those who wish to donate at the resort’s front desk, the award-winning GOLD restaurant, the Lookout Bar & Grille, the Resort Gift Shop, and the Sonoran Spa. Those donating may select the amount they wish to contribute and that amount will be added to their bill.

Not that any human being should be watching Next Great Baker on TLC, which is a reality contest connected to a reality show about a guy making cakes, but if you were watching last night, you were in for an unpleasant surprise at the end of the show. Turns out the guy who was eliminated, Wesley Durden, committed suicide back in October.

So, TLC, seemingly because they didn't want to scrap a season of the show or otherwise acknowledge in any way that their program was heading towards a very dark and terrible place, ran promos featuring a guy who had already committed suicide. They did throw a card up at the end, but this still seems like a series of bad decisions to me and wildly insensitive to the guy's family and friends, but maybe we're still all supposed to be upset that the same network runs a show about Muslims or something.

And this isn't the first time even this year that a cable network has had to deal with a reality show suicide. Bravo's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills possibly managed to show a bit more delicacy with the death of Russell Armstrong, the husband of one of the "housewives", at least acknowledging what happened at the beginning of the season, but every other episode or so, there's Russell discussing his personal woes. It's almost like the people in charge of the show were secretly happy that the suicide could eventually become the end of season cliffhanger.

I understand that a lot goes into putting these shows together, but there has to be a better way to deal with actual reality when it creeps into our reality programs.