Monday, August 7, 2017
The date he booked is Saturday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. The bill includes local favorites Nancy Stanley, who co-hosts the popular Estrogen Hour benefits, Matt Ziemak., Rory Monserrat, Cindell Hanson and Charles Ludwig. The theater is next to Macy’s and across from the container store. It’s operated by the Arizona Rose Theatre, which uses the space for kids’ education programs and stage productions.
“I was really impressed by the intimacy of the room,” Benjamin says. "My intention was to see how well it draws a crowd and see if I can continue to do something like every month to give Tucson another spot to go to.”
He sees a model in area shows produced by Randy and Stephanie Jenkins of Marana Laughs Clean Comedy, for whom he’s performed in Safford and Vail as well as Marana. Having produced successful shows in both Tucson and Vail, Benjamin thinks the mall space might be ideal for attracting retirees and families from Tucson’s northern reaches to his brand of clean comedy.
And just what is “clean comedy”? “My definition would be no profanity, no vulgarity or sexual innuendo," Benjamin says. “Material that everybody everyone can be a part of, even kids.”
Benjamin says he’s always been a comedian – a hit as the class clown and in school-sponsored comedy shows in his Miami, FL hometown. But a school employee, who perhaps should have known better, nearly ended the promising comic’s career by taking him to an adult-oriented open mic. “I tried this stuff that I did in high school,” Benjamin says, “and I was heckled and pretty much booed off the stage. I wasn't ready for it and I was, like, ‘I'm done with comedy. I can't do it.”
A year or so later, though, work colleagues got him back up at an open mic. “I did my 5-minute set, I killed and then all of a sudden I got that feeling, like it's a high.” Benjamin says. “I decided to work hard and never let that thing happen to me again because … I have a heart for comedy.”
Tags: Monte Benjamin , Nancy Stanley , Rory Monserrat , Cindell Hanson , Charles Ludwig , clean comedy , Arizona Rose Theatre , Tucson Mall , pop-up comedy , comedy birthday , whose birthday is it , anyway? , to talk sexy or not?
Ori Parnaby, organizer of a YouCaring crowd funding campaign to benefit the Bhatti's, turned over a check for $1,540 to the restaurateurs Tuesday, Aug. 1. Fundraising efforts continue to stream in from across Tucson, though much of the damage to the home remains. Organizers of fundraising efforts ask community members to continue lending their support to the Bhattis on their road to recovery.
In the coming weeks, consider dining at the India Oven (2727 N. Campbell Ave.) or donating to Parnaby’s campaign and showing the Bhattis your support.
Related: Tucson Restaurateurs Victimized in Home Burglary, Community Unites to Support India Oven
Hi, I’m Magic!
I am an amazing 7-years-young female Australian Shepherd mix looking for a fur-ever home! I am very smart and already know sit, down, and shake! I have very good leash manors and love to go for walks. I will need a patient home that will give me ample time to adjust to a new routine and home environment. Once I get comfortable I promise to be the sweetest!
Come fall in love with me at HSSA Main Campus at 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd., or give an adoptions counselor a call at 520-327-6088 x173 for more information.
Barks and Wags,
Magic (843031)
Quick! Put “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys on repeat, because the Kingfisher Summer Road Trip is taking diners to California and Hawaii, with Chef Fred Harris behind the wheel. This marks the fifth leg of the road trip, with a menu that will keep you hanging loose through Aug. 16.
The entrée offerings include lamb sirloin with an orange-tarragon glaze ($17.50), a San Francisco-style seafood stew ($27), baked stuffed sole with potatoes and veggies ($22), and a poke-style marlin with soy sauce and seaweed ($26). Dessert will be nectarine blackberry crisp ($8.25) or a macadamia coconut tart ($7.50). Wash it all down with some California beer or wine, or a fun cocktail, like the Tropic Thunder, with pineapple vinegar, red bean paste and rum ($10.50).
Tags: Kingfisher , Hawaii , California , poke , pineapple , avocado , lamb sirloid , fried oysters , California roll , dude , tropic thunder , baller , hella , Wally World , good vibrations , the Griswolds , aloha
Friday, August 4, 2017
The Tucson Sentinel has two columns about Strong Start Tucson, one for and one against the initiative. Both of them are informative and well written. If you're interested, they're worth your time.
Let me cut to the chase. My answer is yes, Tucson should vote for Strong Start Tucson. Now, let's discuss.
The argument for Strong Start Tucson is direct and straightforward. Most Tucson children don't have the opportunity to attend a quality preschool. The programs are very expensive, out of the reach of most families. Yet the vast majority of research agrees that the benefits of early childhood education starts when the child enters school and continues into adulthood. Comparing similar children, especially low income children, who attended a preschool with a strong educational foundation (basic daycare doesn't count, it's a different thing altogether) and children who didn't, studies conclude that the children with a strong preschool experience graduate high school with greater frequency, are less likely to need government assistance, earn more money as adults, are more likely to have stable families and are less likely to get in trouble with the law.
That's a heady list of positive effects with significant personal and economic consequences. People who went to preschool are more likely to have stable, fulfilling lives and less likely to be social and economic burdens on society. With most educational programs, the long term benefits outweigh the short term costs. It may be the preschool experience has the biggest bang for the buck.
Tags: Strong Start Tucson , Preschool , TUSD , Tucson City Council
If he were in middle school today, his blog and you-tube feed might have millions of followers. Instead, his early improvised sketches and “radio shows,” recorded on cassette and the family video cam, are lost to history.
Cut to the present and we find Clark appearing on Conan, CBS’s Late Late Show, The Bob & Tom Radio Show and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. He’s performed in the New Faces show at Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and on the Main Stage at The Capetown Comedy Festival in South Africa. Some may recognize him from his acting roles in NBC’s Outsourced, TNT’s The Closer and the Drew Barrymore movie, Big Miracle.
“I always wanted to make people laugh,” says Clark, “I never thought I was funny. I never really thought I would do comedy for a living. When I was 23, I took a comedy class in (his hometown) Milwaukee. I really didn’t know what the process was. I just kept doing comedy (until I) figured it out.
“After five or six years of doing it, it was just fun. I didn't have late hours. I was building audiences, and doing something I always wanted, and I loved learning how to do it.”
As he was figuring things out, he put his college degree to work as a social worker. “I helped disabled people find jobs and worked with emotionally disturbed kids,” Clark says. But he would go to open mics every week and eventually had his own. “There weren't a lot of comics so I I'd have to go up for 30 minutes. That forced me to get better,” he says. When he scored a slot in the Chicago Comedy Festival in 2001, he picked up a manager. It was she who encouraged him to move to L.A. in 2004.
Now he tours regularly and is set to release his own, self-produced comedy special this fall via social media. And, with his comedian wife Stephanie, he maintains a YouTube vlog called “The Clarks,” a sort-of Midwestern working-class Portlandia.
Clark performs at 8 and 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4 and 5. Admission is $12.50, 17.50 for preferred seating, plus a two-item minimum. Make reservations at laffstucson.com.
Tags: Tom Clark , Stephanie Clark , Laff's Comedy Caffe , Milwaukee comedy , Chicago Comedy Festival , the grind , social worker comedian
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Family Friendly
Cool Summer Nights Full Moon Festival. Visit this fest in pairs, so that one of you can keep watch for werewolves while the other partakes in the Desert Museum’s hands-on art activities. You can also enjoy the music of local band Haboob and the astrophysical orations of UA postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kevin Hainline. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 2021 N. Kinney Rd., Tucson AZ 85743. $15.50-$20.50.Model Airplane Make ‘n’ Take. Children ages 5 and up (accompanied by an adult) are invited to explore the cross-curricular world of model airplane building in this STEM program event. Kids—and adults new to the craft—will learn about all of the different disciplines that go into creating accurate scale models, from mathematics to historical research to, of course, patience. 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 Space Gallery Large Classroom at the Pima Air & Space Museum 6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85706. Free with admission to the museum ($9-$15.50).
Summer Safari Nights: Scales and Feathers. Visit the last safari night of the summer at the Reid Park Zoo, which honors all things scaly and feathery. Kids can get their faces painted, explore artifact stations, see special animal features, and even ride a camel. Adults can enjoy a picnic concert by Tucson’s mighty blue grass combo Run Boy Run, chat with animal keepers, wander through the vendor fair and munch on barbecue pulled pork and coleslaw. 6 to 8 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 4. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. $3-$9.
Full Moon Hike. The great outdoors really are, um, great, but melting into a puddle of sandy sweat, less so. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sonoran under cover of night in this guided two-hour trek. The length of the hike depends on the weather, but it will go up the Ridge View Trail off the Camino Loma Alta trailhead. Capacity is set for 16 and reservations are required, so if you want to take your shot at being a creature of the night, call 733-5153 to reserve your spot. 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6. Saguaro National Park East: Rincon Mountain District, 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail. Free with park admission.
Return of the Mermaids 2017. Celebrate monsoon season and the annual Return of the Mermaids to the temporarily warmer, wetter Tucson area at this all-day event. Festivities kick off at Antigone Books (411 N. 4th Ave.) at 10 a.m., where mermaid raffles will be held all day. It ends at 2 a.m. the next day with a dance party at Surly Wench Pub (424 N. 4th Ave). The kid-friendly portion of the day ends around 10 p.m. after the mermaid parade (costumes, or accompaniment of a costumed child, required) and the Mermaid Fashion Art Market. In between, there’s everything from a costume contest to live music, belly dancing and a show by Tucson Improv. At the end of the day, will you side with Sebastian or Ariel on the “under the sea” vs. the “up where they walk, up where they run” debate? Saturday, Aug. 12. 10 a.m. Downtown Tucson and 4th Ave. Free, but individual event costs may vary.
Drinks
4th Annual Tucson Michelada Challenge. Join bartenders from around the city at this michelada event of Olympic proportions. With the salt-rimmed attitude of a margarita, the refreshing coldness of a beer and the nutritional value of an organic salad (it has tomato juice in it, so it must be good for you, right?) the michelada has been a Southwest staple since its inception, at which we can only presume is the beginning of time. Up to 40 bartenders can compete with their signature mixes, and attendees can sample them all and vote on their favorites. Last year, first through third place was awarded for both peoples’ and judges’ choices. 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. Tucson Convention Center, 260 South Church Ave. $25 GA, $65 VIP admission.Tags: Cool summer nights full moon festival , Haboob , Dr. Kevin Hainline , Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum , Model Airplane make ‘n’ take , model aiprlanes , Pima Air & Space Museum , Summer Safari Night , Reid Park Zoo , Run Boy Run , Full moon hike , Saguaro National Park East , saguaro , hike , Return of the Mermaids , mermaids , Antigone Books , Surly Wench , Michelada challenge , Michelada , Tucson Convention Center , Tucson Hop Shop , Sip & Sketch , drawing and drinking , Mead & Bacon Pairing , mead , bacon , achin’ for bacon , need for mead , 1912 Brewing , Somali Cooking Class , Tucson J , Chef Samiro , gluten free , gluten-free , gluten free tasting expo & health fair , Natural Grocers , Dedicated , rootin’ tootin’ hold the gluten , Butterflies! Plant Nite Tucson , Plate Decorating Workshop , Bob De Armond , plates , antiques crafts and small business fair , Cochise Crafters , craft fair , the mall at sierra vista , annual summer sidewalk sale & Christmas bazaar , Madaras Gallery , Dancing With the Stars , DWTS , Dancing with the stars live! , Jittercat Jive , Movement Culture dance studio , Odyssey storytelling , odyssey storytelling potluck , comedy night , variety comedy show , comedy temple , the screening room , southeast Arizona birding festival , Paul Bannick , birds , bird is the word , music , The Mastersons , Rialto theatre , Luke Elliot , Zen Mother , The Touchies
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
For more information, visit tucsonmichelada.com.
A young woman (Abby Quinn) discovers that her dad, Alan (John Turturro), might be having an affair after spying some strange poetry on their desktop in the mid-nineties.
Director Gillian Robespierre also reunites with her Obvious Child star Jenny Slate who plays Turturro’s older daughter, having relationship problems of her own with Ben (Jay Duplass). Edie Falco rounds out the family dynamic as Pat, Alan’s generally annoyed (and very entertaining) wife.
Robespierre might be working with some Hollywood clichés here within the realm of fidelity and teen angst, but she and the cast make it all seem fresh. The film uses its nineties setting in a subtle way that qualifies it as a period piece (floppy discs, trench coats) without hitting you over the head with details.
All of the cast is good, but it’s Slate that really shines, continuing showing the world that Saturday Night Live made a big mistake dismissing her after one season due to that single curse word during her series debut. She’s an actress of great range, and Robespierre has now gotten two terrific performances out of her. Turturro and Falco are the old pros, and they make for a convincing, troubled yet in love couple. Relative newcomer Quinn holds her own with the group, playing a teen intelligent beyond her years, yet pretty stupid at the same time.
When the movie ends, you find yourself missing the characters, the mark of a truly good ensemble piece.
Toulouse and Bordeaux, France.
Cooperation, sacrifice, and The Hang.
Being in a band, is as Don Henley says, "is like being in a marriage. In our case, amplify that by five." I don't quote him, too often, but... he's right. But, it's not that simple. Human beings are fascinating. Sit quietly and watch one. It's never boring.
In all the time spent on and off the road, playing in bands, you get to witness many things, bizarre and ordinary. We're out here, on the other side of world, making the best music we know how to.
We have a little gang, and each member is a specialist. Those roles unveiled themselves along the way; the harder we worked, the tighter we got. We are also human, with all that entails.
You can use your imagination.
There are some basic things one needs to know, when you're out here, far, far from home.
—Do your effing job. That's why you're here and other guy isn't.
—The Hang. Being good on your instrument isn't enough; your little world is back at home, as soon you leave your house. It's important as a band member to be aware of this simple fact. Everyone is different, but we all have faults and proclivities; and there's love and anger and anything else in the human soup. The road magnifies all of it. There is very little quarter, let alone privacy. When you play locally, you go home and sleep in your bed. Not the case out here. You lay your head down, where thousands of others before you have. This is not for everyone. You are going have the occasional bad day. You are human.
—Failure, in the field, is not an option. You get one chance to make a first impression. You leave your baggage at the stage door. The stage to me is sacred—it is, to me, the pulpit of universal communication. I consider it blasphemy to take whatever triflings one has to the stage. Period. You can finish the fight, after the show. Hahahaha.
—Finally, enjoy what you do out here. Your band is counting on you, so are the good people who are coming just to see you. These pictures are small portion of what you will see when you are as lucky as we are; friends making music, all over the world.
Stay tuned.
—WW
Tags: XIXA , Winston Watson , Gabriel Sullivan
