I can't imagine "Thumbs and Ammo" sticks around for long (novelty blogs tend to burst into whatever passes for prominence online, then fade away quickly as the joke gets old), but if you're a fan of film and encouragement, take a moment to peruse the photoshopped images of people giving the thumbs-up signal instead of holding a gun.

The Christian film review site (although the term "review" is somewhat generous) Movieguide is often good for a laugh, not necessarily because they carefully index nearly every American film for profanity, nudity, humanist or socialist worldviews, or the stink of Darwinist thinking, but because their obsessive cataloging can lead to some unintentional (I assume) comedy.

In the case of ABCs of Death, now playing at the Loft, you'd think the site's managers could just skip the film, featuring 26 directors from around the world delving into rather disturbing death fantasies, entirely and leave the summary as a giant "NO" in 45-point type. If you sincerely own a copy of the Purpose-Driven Life and don't own a copy of the Korean horror film Old-Boy on Blu-Ray, it's almost a certainty you will hate this movie.

However, in case you were wondering what you're getting yourself into buying a ticket, here's a selection from the Movieguide summary:

Very strong pagan, self-indulgent horror anthology, with one segment attacking the United States and capitalism; 38 obscenities (mostly “f” words), one strong profanity, one light profanity, plus cartoon feces segment and toilet slaughters people; extreme violence with much blood and gore includes chainsaw murder, man impaled, cat is gruesomely killed, fat woman carves up her body with a chainsaw to look thin, spider bites man then crawls inside him and a bunch of baby spiders come out of his ears, character electrocuted, etc.; extreme sexual content includes depicted fornication, men tied up and forced to watch nude sex acts (including implied pedophilia) while graphically abusing themselves or they will be impaled, nude dancing, female teacher passionately kisses her student, anal fixations, another segment contains references to pedophilia, and a huge phallic device spews rice many times while a woman’s vagina spews vegetables in one segment; extreme nudity includes shots full male and female nudity, rear nudity, and upper female nudity; alcohol use; no smoking but some drug references in one segment; and, men held against their will, illegal fight with a dog, people tease a very overweight girl, moral relativism.

There's an illegal fight with a dog, moral relativism AND a segment attacking capitalism? Loft Cinema, how dare you bring this filth into our community.

...and if Ken Jennings doesn't replace him, you'll be able to hear my cries of impotent rage from here to eternity.

According to the New York Post, Alex Trebek's contract to host Jeopardy! ends in 2016, and he appears to have made the decision to retire when it ends.

The rumored top pick? The Today Show's Matt Lauer.

From the Post:

Lauer is widely reported to be on his way out at the morning show, which has tumbled to No. 2 in the ratings in the last year. He is being blamed for the show’s fall from grace after 16 years on top.

The Post reported this week that Lauer is not expected to re-sign with “Today” when his blockbuster, $25-million-a-year deal expires in 2015.

By coincidence, that’s about the time Trebek is expected to end his three-decade run as the host of the habit-forming game show.

Sony Pictures Television, which owns the hugely profitable show, has quietly been feeling out TV personalities in recent months to see who might be available and willing to take on the role in 2016, sources say.

Trebek — who suffered his second heart attack last summer — said in interviews last year that he was thinking about retiring this season.

But Sony convinced him to sign one final, three-year contract — taking him to age 76 — to give producers enough time to find a next-generation successor.

As someone who has spent either too much or not enough of his life watching TV game shows (there is no in-between), I can say that Lauer doesn't strike me as someone who would be an interesting host for the show. Sure, he's a name but can he bring the same amount of smarm, intelligence and deadpan mocking of contestants that Trebek did? I doubt it.

Why, if anyone should be in consideration for the show, it should be noted Jeopardy! conqueror Ken Jennings, famous for both his 74 game win streak and his hilarious sense of humor.

Me eating this carne asada burrito is rated PG-13 for "some sensuality."

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) March 10, 2013

I've been there too, buddy. Mmmf.

The Arizona Republic's Laurie Roberts posted this update on the effort to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio earlier today, writing that activist group Respect Arizona has run out of money less than two weeks after boasting that they had raised more than 120,000 signatures in their recall effort.

From azcentral.com:

Lilia Alvarez, campaign manager of the Arpaio recall, confirmed the campaign is out of money and can no longer pay petition circulators. Instead, Respect Arizona will rely on volunteers to get to the promised land of 335,317 valid signatures by May 30.

Alvarez remains optimistic that it can be done.

“Money isn’t really the answer,” she said. “It’s whether people are hungry for change or not.”

Others, however, say the lack of cash is a major setback. One Democratic strategist says “recall fatique” has set in among donors and that young Arizonans who campaigned against him last year now have moved on to Phoenix City Council races.

“Joe Arpaio is passé and so is any effort to get him out of office,” said Democratic strategist Mario Diaz.

Interestingly, Arpaio seems to have actually made an effort in recent months to keep himself out of the spotlight (for him at least, considering that he didn't appear to do a victory lap after Maricopa County Sheriff's Office busted a Phoenix-area fast food chain for illegal hiring practices) — though his recent broken arm may have something to do with that.

• Jim Nintzel
• Democrat Fred DuVal was pressing the fllesh at Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild State of the City speech last month.

Democrat Richard Carmona, who narrowly lost a U.S. Senate race to Republican Jeff Flake last year, told reporter Brahm Resnick yesterday that he won't be running for governor next year.

The announcement is a boost for Democrat Fred DuVal, who announced his exploratory campaign for governor last month. At this point (and it's ridiculously early for 2014 speculation), the only other serious Democrat publicly considering a run is state Rep. Chad Campbell, but he can't announce his plans without triggering Arizona's resign-to-run law. (We have a full run-down on the Dems and Republicans jockeying for the race here.)

DuVal, who has worked in the Clinton White House and as an aide in Bruce Babbitt's gubernatorial administration, has been announcing a lot of endorsements lately. Today he got the thumbs-up from three former members of Congress: Harry Mitchell, Karan English and Sam Coppersmith. Last week, it was more than six dozen Democratic officials and former lawmakers around the state, including Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall. The week before that, it was nine current Democratic lawmakers. You can expect more of this in the future as Duval works to sew up support and avoid a contentious and expensive primary race next year.

We give Arizona State University a lot of crap over here — partially because of fierce independence Tucson exhibits against our neighbors in the Valley of the Sun, partially because of the huge in-state college rivalry that attracts national sponsors, and partially because ASU fans get grumpy when we make fun of their school.

But Anthony Robles, the one-legged wrestler who completely conquered his sport en route to an undefeated senior campaign, capped off by a national championship, is one of the better stories to come out of Tempe.

Sports blog Deadspin has a great profile of Robles, delving into his back story, the development of his technique and Robles' potential future in the sport.

From Deadspin:

The critical thing about the scramble is that, at the college level and beyond, it is almost entirely reflexive, moving far too fast to be thought through. Scrambling wrestlers rely on muscle memory, developed through extensive repetition and retained for years. (Hence the theatrics in the audience at many wrestling meets, where former competitors jerk their legs, claw the air, and otherwise try to gesticulate their way free of the fracas before them.) Occasionally, a wrestler exerts some conscious control as he scrambles, deliberately trying something new and counter-instinctual. This is usually the point at which he loses the scramble.

Wrestlers scrambling against Robles regularly reached for the leg that wasn't there, the way people who learned to drive on a manual transmission car sometimes grab for a phantom gear stick in an automatic. This was especially true when opponents tried to "turn the corner" clockwise, or slip past Robles's right side to complete a take-down. With no right ankle to catch hold of, they lacked the anchor they needed to finish their attack. A number of other moves were also literally out of reach, including the navy ride, the western ride, and some cradles. One of the most popular and effective maneuvers for the man on top, known simply as "legs," involves lacing one leg through the bottom man's same-side leg and turning it outward at the hip. Needless to say, there is no "legs" without legs.

Whenever an opponent attempted to gain purchase on a part of Robles that does not exist, muscle memory failed him. It was a bewildering and anxiety-provoking moment. "A lot of the stuff you're used to doing on a more able-bodied wrestler, you can't do," Matthew Snyder, Robles's first-round victim at the 2011 championships, told me. "You're looking for the leg and it's just not there." When this happened repeatedly, as it did for anyone who hadn't trained with a one-legged wrestler before facing Robles, frustration, confusion—and ultimately demoralization—set in. This was a fatal combination. No wrestler can win with despondency in his heart, at least not against a foe as formidable as Robles.

I'm not one to subscribe to the crackpot theories of conspiracy fanatics of any particular political bent — I prefer to come up with my own crackpot theories, thankyouverymuch — but this one seems to have struck a particular chord with me: a theory raising the question as to whether or not the destruction of the Death Star was an inside job, organized by the family of Luke, Leia and Anakin Skywalker.

For those confused, this is an obvious, Star Wars-centric send-up of the Loose Change 9/11 conspiracy video that's floated around the internet in various forms since 2005. And honestly, it's masterfully done, arranging the plot inconsistencies of the Star Wars films (and man, there are plenty), in such a way that you might actually begin to think that George Lucas arranged the movies in such a way as to raise these questions...At least, until you remember that the Star Wars series is a space opera fusion of Westerns and Samurai films that appears to have been planned as thoroughly as a child's first interaction with Lego blocks.

Still, the video is worth a watch, especially if you've dabbled in conspiracy theories a time or two, you dig the hell out of Star Wars, or you want to kill seven minutes listening to a guy talk about a fictional movie universe. Your call.

• Photo from Flickr Creative Commons by Marcin Kargol

The Foster Care Program at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona helps to save thousands of animals lives each year by finding temporary homes for animals that are not yet ready to be adopted.

Underweight, underage, sick or injured animals are placed in a foster home through the volunteers of the Foster Care Program until they are ready to be adopted. Animals involved in ongoing criminal investigations are also sent to a foster home during the process.

If you are interested in helping animals that need a loving home, the HSSA will be hosting a Foster Care Carnival on Monday to give information about the program and how to be a part of it. There will also be refreshments and games, as well as plenty of opportunities to ask questions about the program.

The event will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. tonight at the Companions for Life Center, 3465 E. Kleindale Rd. (right around the corner form the shelter). For more information on the event, click here.

• Marylee, Potted Desert Gardener
• Dianthus Close-up

Colors range from white through the pinks and reds with some variegated options available. Dianthus has also been grown into several different height options from a low grower of six to eight inches to very tall plants up to 20 inches!

Dianthus respond very well to dead-heading meaning that if you remove spent flowers and stems them they will rebud quickly. They also like a regular application of a water-soluble fertilizer, every two weeks.

• Marylee, Potted Desert Gardener
• Winter Dianthus (Red) with Lobelia and Alyssum

Other facts about Dianthus:
-Carnations are in the Dianthus family.
-Commonly called Pinks in age-old gardens due to the serrated flower edge as if cut with pinking shears.
-Also know as Sweet William.
-Multiplies readily
-Fragrant
-Good for cut flowers
-Critter resistant

Have a question? Email Marylee

I've saved you all the trouble, folks: it's a 770-mile drive from McKale Center to the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, where Arizona faces Belmont Thursday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats (25-7) earned a No. 6 seed in the West Region, while Belmont (26-6) earned a No. 11 seed by virtue of winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament last weekend.

For those who know little about Belmont — don't feel bad, most people don't — the Bruins are in the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. The previous five visits were by winning the Atlantic Sun Conference, but this year they moved into the OVC and took it down on the first try.

Belmont's wins this year include ones over Stanford and Oral Roberts (teams Arizona beat this year) and fellow 2013 NCAA qualifiers Middle Tennessee State and South Dakota State.

If Arizona were to get past Belmont on Thursday (game time is 4:20 p.m., and it will be shown on TNT) it is likely the Wildcats would face an old nemesis: New Mexico. The Lobos (29-5) are the No. 3 seed after winning the Mountain West title, and they face No. 14 Harvard on Thursday.

Arizona was one of five Pac-12 Conference teams to make the tourney, but collectively the league got bitch-slapped in terms of seeding. Oregon, which beat UCLA for the conference title Saturday night in Las Vegas, only got a No. 12 seed. That's the same seed that California got — though the Golden Bears amazingly got a near-home game by playing No. 5 UNLV in San Jose — while Colorado got a No. 10 seed and UCLA got a No. 6 seed.

Other seedings and pairings of interest for Tucsonans: Josh Pastner's Memphis team, after winning another Conference USA title, got a No. 6 seed, while UA transfer Momo Jones' Iona Gaels are a No. 15 seed after winning the MAAC championship.

The 68-team tournament gets underway in earnest on Tuesday when a pair of so-called 'First Four' games are held in Dayton: Middle Tennessee State plays St. Mary's and Liberty faces North Carolina A&T.