A recent study analyzing Arizona's most populous cities has proven what you already knew in your heart, but is now backed up with scientific data: Tucson is a more exciting city than Scottsdale. Using the same per-capita data, however, real estate firm Movoto also found the cities of Tempe and Flagstaff to be more "exciting," based on criteria which factored in the number of restaurants, live music venues and nightlife, while taking into account each city's population density and its citizens' age.

To narrow the field in its latest city-based-clickbait-we-love-to-hate comparison, Movoto broke down Arizona's cities into areas with populations of 10,000 or more, as determined by the 2012 US Census.

Movoto took these 66 cities (that's a lot of mini-Maranas!) and used the follow criteria to measure excitement, because Science:

• Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)


• Live music venues per capita


• Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)


• Arts and Entertainment per capita (movie theaters, festivals, galleries, theaters, etc.)


• Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)


• Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the higher the better)


• Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the better)


• Population density (the higher the better)

Here's how the bigger cities in Pima County ranked:

3. Tucson
9. Casas Adobes (Tied with Phoenix)
15. Flowing Wells
16. Catalina Foothills
17. Vail
34. Sahuarita
38. Oro Valley
40. Green Valley
49. Marana

Regarding the Old Pueblo, Movoto had this to say:

Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona, with over 520,000 residents, so when we tell you that 29.25 percent of this population is between the ages of 18 and 34, you just know that’s a whole lot of young people. It’s the sixth highest amount in the state, actually.

According to our analysis Tucson residents, both young and old, are privy to all sorts of excitement, especially when it comes to arts, nightlife, and active life options. In fact with the Museum of Contemporary Art, galleries galore, bars like Club Congress and the Surly Wench, and more gyms, running clubs, trails, and fitness centers than you can count—the only problem might be figuring out where to start.

Movoto has provided this handy chart of the results, listing the top 50 of the 66 analyzed. Keep in mind these are all based on per-capita data, but are still chock-full of eye-opening fodder for one of Tucsonans' favorite pastimes, endless debates on urban sprawl in the desert.

It's been one hell of a week for the local music scene. Steff and The Articles teased a new track "Call You Mine" earlier this week. The always evolving and maturing four piece indie band debuted the offical music video for "What a Terrible Thing to Do" off the Why It Was So EP.

From Bullett:

“The song revolves around a feeling of guilt derived from not being able to love someone back, but still using their love to fill a certain amount of loneliness,”Koeppen tells me. “More specifically, it speaks of two people experiencing intimacy on different emotional levels. The video reflects this personal experience of mine during the aftermath of a past relationship, as represented by the contemplativeness of my character and the overall disconnect between both characters.”

Lately, I have been looking for an excuse to take a Greyhound up to Anaheim, Calif., and go to the "happiest place on earth." Unfortunately, time and money has prevented me from being happy. So, watching this video of Disney character's face pop off is the next best thing.

Spoiler alert: Elastigirl is really Mickey Mouse.

Plenty of folks from our burg are making the trek to San Diego for Comic-Con (including the Weekly's Henry Barajas) to soak up comics, films, anime, celebrities and more. Comic-Con takes place from July 24 through July 27 at the San Diego Convention Center. In typical PR fashion, a couple of establishments have concocted some special drinks for the occasion. 

At the ALTITUDE Sky Lounge @ Marriott Gaslamp Quarter (sandiegogaslamphotel.com), they will serve "The Superman," which features Stoli vanilla, orange and raspberry vodka, white cranberry and pineapple juice and a splash of grenadine. “Thor’s Hammer” features orange vodka, peach Schnapps and a splash of orange juice mixed and dropped into a glass of red bull. 

Over at RoofTop600 @ Andaz San Diego (sandiego.andaz.hyatt.com), bartenders will honor Star Trek with the “Beam Me Up Scotty” shot, which mixes coffee liqueur, crème de banana and Bailey’s. (Hmm, Scotty didn't seem like a crème de banana kind of guy.) For Mario Bros. fans, there's the “Power Up” cocktail with orange flavored vodka, peach schnapps and Red Bull.

 

State Rep. Adam Kwasman, who made himself a national laughingstock earlier this week when he mistook a bus of YMCA children with, as he put it, "fear on their faces" for a bus of Central American undocumented migrants, reached the top last night when Steven Colbert used him as the final punchline during a segment on the current border crisis.

The timing couldn't be better: Kwasman's new elevated name ID comes as he launches a $35,000 TV ad buy in CD1.

Kwasman's new ad, which features his opposition to Common Core learning standards and the expansion of health-insurance coverage to Arizona's low-income residents as well as his endorsement by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, appears below the jump.

Despite the fact he seemingly hated any segment idea I ever had, I'll miss Fook, the morning show guy at KFMA for the last two years or so, who announced this morning that he and co-host Mishell Livio are leaving the station for a larger market and a more talk-oriented opportunity ("a standard better gig"). The two made it clear that they weren't being kicked off the station and that they weren't actively pursuing another opportunity, but did take a few shots at the standards of the station's management and the quality of the technology they worked with. Today is their last show.

Updates on their replacements and their destination (they're not allowed to discuss it currently, apparently).

As an aside, Fook gave me a weekly opportunity to be on his show nearly since the start of his time on the air and I couldn't be more appreciative of the chance I've had to discuss whatever weird thing has been on my mind, from the Aussie Party fallout to where adults find new friends. He and Mishell put on a solid five mornings of entertainment each week, and while I'm happy they're moving on to something bigger and better. Best of luck, you two.

Thanks to the fine people at the Arizona Capitol Times for bringing disgraced former Maricopa County Attorney/buddy of Joe Arpaio Andrew Thomas' first campaign ad in his ill-advised run for governor to light.

Remember when he was fighting crime in the greater Phoenix area? There weren't all these pesky immigrants around, with their protests and such, that's for sure!

Also, there's something called "The Patton Line", aggressive thumb-pointing and a small bridge in someone's backyard. It's all so hilarious and weird (and frightening, in case something strange happens and he gets past the primary, ohdeargodno).

Enjoy.

I already posted the fundraising message Sheriff Paul Babeu sent out after the Tuesday event he trumped up in Oracle to protest the arrival of immigrant children who never arrived (and may never have been scheduled to arrive). Now a friend sent me a robocall Babeu put out Sunday advertising an event on the Monday night before the protest. (This copy of the robocall is missing the first few words.)

A few things worth noting about the robocall.

The call was "proudly paid for by Paul Babeu for sheriff," meaning this is a political robocall advertising a political event.

Babeu says the children "are being bused right now from Texas to Oracle, compliments of President Obama." He says that with a level of certainty I don't believe I've heard before.

The Monday night event is also a promotion of Christine Jones' campaign for governor.

The political motivation behind the protest in Oracle is clearer than ever.

The protest/counter protest held the morning of Tuesday, July 15 to block/welcome a bus load of Central American children who've crossed the U.S. border seeking refuge at least proved that some Arizonans are as delightful as those wonderful citizens of Murrieta, California.

It was also a wonderful opportunity to continue to show Arizona crazy land, like Republican Adam Kwasman's comments about a bus of children, assuming they were the refugee children when in fact they were YMCA campers. Well, that lovely video and interview found a spot on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show. Thank you Rachel.

There was goodness that came through on Tuesday—morsels of human kindness via social media. We're lucky to have some great photographers involved in different issues who seem to walk around this world with cameras permanently attached to their souls and happen to be there at just the right moment.

One Tucson photographer whose work I've long-admired is that of Joel Smith, a tireless worker for Border Action Network's water station project and other border issues. Over the years Smith has taken some wonderful photos from desert life to migrants while refilling BAN water stations on ranch lands across Southern Arizona to help migrants safely make their way across the desert.

The other pictures are from Bisbee photographer Jimi Giannatti of Pop Narkotic who went to Oracle with friend, Tucson writer Bryan Sanders. They seemed to anger some tea-bagger folk, and I think we're lucky they left in good health and Jimi with his camera in one piece.

Smith's photos captured a Tucson spirit that I know made a lot of people pretty happy, particularly the photos of some Mariachi Luz de Luna members with their fearless leader Ruben Martin Moreno—there in all their mariachi glory.

For more images from Smith and Giannatti go to the jump.

"Weird" Al Yankovic debuted his 14th full length studio album Mandatory Fun earlier this week. I have been listening to it, and I'm pretty impressed that he can still keep us interested after 31 years of parodies. The electic funny man has been debuting daily music videos since the album released.

So, check out the latest video for his parody of Iggy Azalea's "Fancy":