Still on the fence about who you want to support in the Tucson Unified School District governing board race? Tonight there's likely a final candidates forum, Monday, Oct. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the YWCA, 525 N. Bonita Ave., co-sponsored by Voices for Education, Menlo Park Neighborhood Association, Brichta Neighborhood Association and Legislative District 3 Democrats.

If you've been paying attention to the back and forth politics involved in the race that David Safier has steadfastly blogged these past few months, like the latest on financial transparency and Michael Hicks' bankruptcy, then perhaps there's a chance this forum could actually be interesting.

Frankly, with so many candidates, most of the time is spent listening to candidates who have to consider either not running again next election season or making a pledge to go to more school board meetings to actually learn something about the district they want to represent. This way they will actually answer questions with more than just "smaller classrooms," and "diversity for everyone."

Besides that, Miguel Cuevas, a former governing board member who wants to return, sent out the following press release calling for TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez's resignation and saying he'll call for it if elected.

IF elected:

Former TUSD Board Member Miguel Cuevas calls for TUSD Superintendent Resignation

After lengthy discussions with current and former TUSD employees and community members, Former TUSD Board Chairperson Miguel Cuevas is calling for action regarding TUSD leadership.

"If I return to the TUSD Board, I will call for Superintendent HT Sanchez' resignation. The majority of the current TUSD Board is not holding Superintendent Sanchez accountable for multiple instances of abuse of power." states Cuevas. "Superintendent Sanchez knowingly recommended hiring the current TUSD Board Chairperson’s mother-in-law without disclosing the relationship prior to the Board vote, he recommended hiring a consultant that he used as a reference in his personal resume and with whom he had multiple discussions prior to the bid being awarded. Dr. Sanchez continues to mismanage TUSD’s budget by overspending despite numerous warnings of the potential grave
consequences by TUSD financial officers. Additionally, there are multiple accusations of mistreatment of TUSD employees by the superintendent."

While Miguel is concerned about the high turnover of TUSD Superintendents, he is more concerned about the stability of the district if Dr. Sanchez continues to lead it. He will recommend policies and procedures to fully investigate the backgrounds of potential Superintendent candidates through additional employee involvement, visitation of the candidates’ current employers and the implementation of a citizens advisory committee. These procedures are not part of the current Superintendent search process.

If you were lucky enough to catch Chilean hip-hop artist and musician Ana Tijoux performing in Tucson this week, then you know how lucky you were to catch her show and understand the beauty and talent of this amazing artist. But wouldn't it be cool to spend some time with her talking about her work and community? Yes, of course it would.

Look, Tucson, I don't mean to get pushy, but if I was your guide tonight, after work, head over to Pico de Gallo for some tacos and love, and then go across the street to the center to meet Tijoux and take in her observations about the border and what is sure to be a great community conversation.

From organizers:

Ana Tijoux-rapper, mother, and activist- will be performing at the Rialto on Wednesday night, and on Thursday will be offering a community conversation about politics, feminism, and the power of music to inspire social change.

The platica will be introduced by Alisha Vazquez and facilitated by Elva De La Torre from KXCI.

Ana Tijoux- cantante de rap, madre, y activista- va a tener un concierto en el Rialto el Miércoles por la noche, y el Jueves va a ofrecer una conversación con la comunidad de Tucson sobre la politica, el feminismo, y el poder de la musica para inspirar una transformación social.

La platica será introducida por Alisha Vazquez y facilitado por Elva De La Torre de KXCI.

We want to thank the following sponsors of the event:

Nos gustaria dar las gracias a las siguientes donantes:

Gender and Women's Studies at Arizona , the UofA Graduate Association of Spanish and Portuguese (GASP), the UofA Center for Latin American Studies, the Earlham Border Studies Program, and the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry

We didn't have room in this week's story to touch on all the great films this weekend at the Loft Film Fest, but one documentary that has caught my eye is I Am Big Bird, featuring Carroll Spinney, who has performed the role of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969.

Zach Breneman tells The Range: "Sesame Street pretty much molded the childhoods of Generation X and the Millennials. What’s great about this documentary is that it traces the history of a cultural touchstone through the eyes of a really good person. You will fall in love with Carroll Spinney like you did with Big Bird."

I Am Big Bird plays at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.

The Loft Film Fest kicks off tonight with an appearance by Larry McMurtry and a screening of The Last Picture Show. The schedule for the whole fest can be found here.

Austin trio Megafauna returns tonight to kick our asses, Tucson, and admit it ... we could really use their prog-rock, garage loudness and what singer Dani Neff brings with her voice and that damn guitar of her's.

Tonight, Thursday, Oct. 16, at Flycatcher, 340 E. 6th St., 9 p.m. with Garboski and Ghostal. $5 cover. Facebook event page.

From Tucson Weekly music writer Eric Swedlund, his May review of the band's Maximalist:

As the title to Austin trio Megafauna’s sophomore album Maximalist might suggest, it’s optimistic, expansive and unabashedly over-the-top; an endeavor to take music to its utmost potential. The band’s supercharged mixture of sounds ranging from prog-rock flash to alt-rock iconoclasm to pithy power-pop and garage rock energy is as infectious as it is inclusive. Megafauna paves their own hook-laden path — much like the Pixies and Queen, who taught the world that even the most unusual pairings of styles can result in unforgettable and eternal classics.

Megafauna singer/guitarist Dani Neff was named Austin’s Best Electric Guitarist by the Austin Chronicle. Although she’s frequently referred to as a “shredder,” one should never mistake her tasteful and clever virtuosity for flagrant flashiness. She’s a woman of many talents: a dancer, musician, painter, feminist, lawyer, reiki practitioner, psychonaut — clearly someone who embodies the maximalist philosophy.

The album kicks off with the driving, time-signature leaping rocker, “Eggs” in which drummer Zack Humphrey, bassist Greg Yancey and Neff shift rhythms on a dime while showcasing exactly what makes Megafauna a band to covet: their expertise at fusing seemingly disparate musical styles. Likewise, “Hug From a Robot” somehow perfectly pairs gliding melodies with hard rock bite, something akin to The Breeders meets Red-era King Crimson. Elsewhere, the perfectly radio-ready track “Time To Go” blasts off with chiming guitar as Neff coos, “When it’s time to go/ It’s time/ Won’t you sail me down to the fields.” Death never sounded so uplifting in a 3-minute rock song. “Haunted Factory” gallops along Humphrey’s syncopated hi-hat/snare interplay as Yancey’s rumbling, distortion-ravaged bass lines cut like fangs across Neff’s swiftly-picked guitar work as her powerful voice soars above the proceedings. Throughout, Maximalist is a truly inspired effort poised to become a touchstone of rock innovation.

All the recent marriage equality decisions and what could happen in the courts soon reversing Arizona anti-same sex marriage law, tonight 6th annual Multifaith Pride Service seems particularly important with the Rev. Debra Peevey, faith outreach director from Why Marriage Matters Arizona, as one of the speakers.

The service, Weaving a Common Sacredness, is 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 225 N. Country Club Road. According to organizers, supportive faith traditions from throughout Tucson will join together in song, prayer and words of praise to honor the love, diversity and blessing of the LGBT community

Highlights:

Service goers are encourged to dress in Pride Spirit! The service will also be archived and availabe for live streaming at the following link: http://www.templeemanueltucson.org/media-galleries/video-player.

The service offering organizers are accepting donations for Mariposas Sin Fronteras, which is an organization that helps LGBTQ migrants and refugees who are in or recently out of our immigration detention center in Florence, Arizona. Information about the organization can be found here: http://mariposassinfronteras.org/about-us/. They ask for donations from the heart to assist the organization with bail funds to help get LGBTQ detainees out of our immigration system and on the track to political asylum here.Checks can be made out to the Rainbow Defense Fund.

Attendees are asked to share their Arizona marriage equality story at the reception. Eight spots are for this. There will be information available at the ushers table and at the reception! Here's a link to Why Marriage Matters Arizona http://whymarriagemattersarizona.org/.

• oneinchpunch / Shutterstock.com

I'm a big fan of the payouts from consumer class action lawsuits. Naked Juice wasn't entirely juice? Thanks for the $8! Rice Krispies wasn't exactly the most nutritious breakfast? I'll take $11 to repair my damaged trust in cereal. Now, Red Bull is the latest company that's paying out a settlement to make up for the fact that people are kind of dumb and believed that the tagline "Red Bull Gives You Wings" implied that you'd be a better athlete or have the ability to fly if they drank the world's most popular energy drink. So, as part of a $13 million payout, anyone who bought a Red Bull in the last ten years (and believed there was some benefit to the product) can apply for either $10 cash or $15 in Red Bull products.

The catch is that this payout is partially determined by how many people apply, and since you don't need really any proof that you actually bought anything (other than electronically signing an affidavit), there will probably be a lot of people trying to get something for nothing.

Still, worth a shot, right? The website is only sporadically working at the moment, but you have until March 2, 2015 to try to get in on the action. Good luck.

Look Tucson, we haven't had this talk. It's been on my mind lately, but with this month's staging of what is sure to be an amazing performance of a mariachi opera from the Arizona Opera company, it's time to stage an intervention. Do not wait, like you usually do to buy tickets. That rude behavior that has everyone trained to be on the edge of their seats until the day before a show opens when you finally make up your mind what you're going to do that night. Stop. Doing. That.

No. Please. You can do this. I believe in you. It starts with the production of "Cruzar la Cara de la Luna." The show opens in Phoenix and there are only two performances scheduled for Tucson: Saturday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. and
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m.

The opera, which features Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, was written by José “Pepe” Martínez and Leonard Foglia and commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera.

From Arizona Opera:

Where is home?
Is it where we are born?
Or where we live most of our lives?
Is it with the family we leave behind or with the new ones we create?

To Cross the Face of the Moon / Cruzar la Cara de la Luna follows three generations of a single family, divided by countries and cultures. As a Mexican/American man deals with the approaching death of his father, he is forced to face these questions about his own place in the world — straddling two cultures — as well as that of his immigrant father and his American daughter. As long-buried secrets are revealed, he finds himself dramatically re-evaluating his own understanding of what makes a family. Like the Monarch butterflies that migrate every year to the birthplace of his father, the members of the Velasquez family must travel both physically and spiritually between Michoacán and Texas and look deep into their hearts before they learn where they truly belong. —Leonard Foglia

Tickets and more info, go to www.azopera.org.

This week's preview of Gone Girl and the upcoming Loft Film Fest seems like plenty at the Loft this month, but the programming staff over there has more fun on tap with "And Now for Something Completely Python," a Monty Python tribute in October.

It kicks off tonight with Monty Python's The Meaning of Life at 7 p.m. The Loft's description of one of our favorite films:

Tired of questioning the meaning of life? Let the twisted minds of Monty Python explain it all to you in what is, without a doubt, the most tasteless and outrageous of the Python feature films - a cinematic miracle in which the cast merrily sing, dance and vomit their way through the mysteries of the universe. In Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (the Grand Jury Prize winner at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival), loyal Pythonites Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin push comedy boundaries to the extreme as they attempt to answer some of life’s most burning questions: Why are we here? What’s it all about? Why do people who don’t speak your language want to hurt you? And why do we all have to bite the dust just when things are getting interesting? Starting with Terry Gilliam’s gorgeously surreal opening short “Crimson Permanent Assurance,” The Meaning of Life whisks through a series of hilarious and shocking vignettes involving everything from a team of National Health doctors who try to claim a healthy liver from a still-living donor to perhaps the greatest musical number about birth control in film history. And of course, who could ever forget what has been called “one of the grossest bits of film comedy ever conceived,” in which the world’s most voracious glutton raises the art of regurgitation to spectacular new heights of horror before his explosive demise? Yes, we all have to die, but who says we can’t enjoy ourselves a little along the way?

The rest of the Python tribute's schedule is here.

The Loft Cinema is back with the fifth annual Loft Film Fest in just a few weeks. In additional to dozens of films over four days—you can find a complete program for the festival here—the Loft will bring a lot of filmmakers to discuss their work between Thursday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 19.

This year's special guests include Bruce Dern, who will receive the Lee Marvin Maverick Award; Stacy Keach, who will receive the Bob Shelton Award; and novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry, who will receive the Lofty Lifetime Achievement Award. McMurtry will be on hand opening night, Thursday, Oct. 16, for a screening of The Last Picture Show, while Keach and Dern will attend a screening of Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 18, and a talk about their careers on Sunday, Oct. 19.

A few that I'm looking forward to include Fort Tilden, an indie flick that took home the Grand Jury Award winner at this year’s SXSW Film Festival; Dinosaur 13, a documentary about the strange legal struggle that followed the discovery of a 65-million-old T Rex fossil discovered in South Dakota; and The Babadook, a low-budget horror flick that has been getting great buzz online. And TW editor Dan Gibson has been talking up The Winding Stream, a documentary about the Carter family's remarkable career in country-western music. Check out the whole list. If you like movies, there's something in there for you. And a big round of applause for the crew at the Loft for giving Tucson this gift every year.

Five teams of architects, designers and engineers go "food can to food can" in the fifth annual Canstruction event as part of Architecture Week 2014 and Hunger Action Month. All the cans used in the building competition at Park Mall, tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 27, will go to the Community Food Bank. The can-tivity takes place at Sears Court, center court and the space beside Abercrombie & Fitch starting at 9 a.m. Judging takes place on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m.

Along side those big guys is the 13th annual Kidstruction, a design/model competition for middle school students from 18 local schools who've made models out of business cards, toothpicks and glue. Their models will be on display at Sears court. Each year the event is organized by the Society for Design Administration, Southern Arizona Chapter. The theme this year is Reinventing the Past, focusing on four architectural structures and how they might look if they were built today. Judging for Kidstruction takes place Saturday, from 8 to 10 a.m.

Tags: Canstruction , Kidstruction , Park Mall , Architecture Week 2014 , Hunger Action Month , Community Food Bank