I didn't make the poster, so don't get any funny ideas. Switch hosts Pauly Casillas and Jacob Breckenridge thought it would be hilarious to superimposed my fat head over Jean Claude Van Damme's statuesque figure. It's an honor to host tonight's monthly improv comedy show at (R.I.P. Plush Tucson) Flycatcher, 340 E. Sixth St.

For those of you that have never heard of The Switch: It's like Nerdist's Setlist comedy show in L.A. except it doesn't take place in the back of a comic book shop.

Aside from the brilliant local comedians, there are some special guests that will make their stand up comedy debuts.

If you're a "geek" that likes to drink at Bumsteds, quiz master J Patrick Ohlde is on the bill. Hopped Up co-host Charles Lynch is another special guest. DJ and Congress promo wizard Joshua James Osten is making a return. And now, last but not least, members of the Tucson Improv Movement Amanda Hurley, Michael "Mikey" Dean, Ben Dietzel and Andrew "DA" Conlogue will open and close the show.

There's no cover charge. Drink specials. Show starts at 9 p.m.

Congrats to Tucson filmmaker Alex Italics, whose JFK assassination-themed music video was picked by comedian John Hodgman as one of the winners of a contest to produce a music video for They Might Be Giants' "Am I Awake." Mighty cool, in the humble opinion of The Range.

Elsewhere on the Alex Italics beat: His short film Sheltered Love is racking up all kinds of awards at festivals around the country. You have a chance to see it tonight at the Loft Cinema's First Friday Shorts—which also happens to be the night that they show the best of the last year's winners, so you won't want to miss it. Show starts at 9 p.m. Get the lowdown here.

After the jump: A trailer for Sheltered Love.

Finally, the Superbowl of short films is here. Red Meat creator Max Cannon will be hosting the ninth annual Golden Gong Awards at 9 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E Speedway Blvd. A dozen filmmakers will battle for the best FFS film of 2013 and the 2014 race will begin after the awards.

From the Loft:

Get ready for full-throttle film action at the First Friday Shorts “Golden Gong” show, our annual year-end showdown (yes, you heard correctly, our year-end showdown is in May ... deal with it!) featuring all the First Friday Shorts films that have won the coveted $200 cash prize over the past 12 months!

All your favorite filmmakers from Year #9 will be on hand as we pit them against one another in a cinematic smackdown from which only one director shall emerge victorious. First Friday Shorts host Max Cannon calls the shots and doles out the comedy as we see who will survive to claim the glorious “Golden Gong” trophy (perfect for home use!), the amazing cash prize of $1,000 and endless bragging rights! Be there to support your favorite, because your votes will make it all happen.

PLUS: Year #10 of First Friday Shorts begins the same night, immediately following the year-end showdown, so bring us your new films as well, because one lucky filmmaker will escape the dreaded “gong” to become our first winner of the new year, walking away with a sweet $200 cash prize!

PLEASE NOTE: We will only be accepting 7 new entries at this show, so please make sure you get your film in early.

Good news for those of you that were disappointed by the Star Wars casting news. Nerd culture has claimed the fourth of May and turned it into a eccentric day of worshiping George Lucas and all things Star Wars. The Surly Wench is hosting a May The 4th party on Sunday, May 4. Typically, the Wench hosts a nerd night every first and third Sunday of the month, so the timing couldn't be better. There will be games, drink specials and the kitchen is open until 1 a.m.

Don't forget to celebrate May 6th Beware of the Sith.

Do you have a favorite pizzeria? Is there a particular marijuana dispensary that satisfies your needs? Is there a local sex toy shop because they get you?

One way to show your support is by nominating your favorite local icons, retailers, musicians, public servants for Best of Tucson®.

Today is the absolute last day for nominations.

The voting process will start on May 15 through June 30.

So, don't waste any more of your precious time and click here to start nominating.

If you’re a fan of horror-movie soundtracks and/or spooky prog rock, you’ll want to be at the Marquee Theater in Tempe this Thursday night. Legendary Italian soundtrack maestros Goblin are playing an ultra-rare gig that you're not likely to witness again. Get ready for some scorching renditions of tunes from the cult classic horror films Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead, Tenebre, Deep Red, and hopefully some numbers from their debut album Roller, one of their few non-soundtrack albums.

Goblin played a few select gigs across the U.S. last year, and now they’re on a brief tour that’ll take them through the southwest. The band has been through several line-ups since their incarnation; this tour features original keyboardist Maurizo Guarini, guitarist Massimo Morante, bass player Fabio Pignatelli and drummer Agostino Marangolo.

Jade Beall's book, The Bodies of Mothers: The Beautiful Body Project, is ready for readers and supporters of the Tucson photographer's body-positive work.

From Weekly contributor Chelo Grubb's interview with Beall in "Body Revolution," (March 20, 2014):

Because she grew up in a small Mexican village without electricity, you'd think that local photographer and dance teacher Jade Beall would have been able to start life without feeling pressured to look like a fashion model. However, weekends in the city were enough to start her thinking about body-image issues when she was just 10 years old.

Beall was confronted by a beauty ideal that she, with her dirty feet and secondhand clothes, simply didn't fit. Things only got worse when she moved to Tucson for high school.

"TV was, like, where the 'important people' sent their messages. My parents told me I was beautiful, my family was incredibly supportive, but media was way more powerful for me. I believed it more," Beall said. "Some people escape from that but a lot of us don't."

As she grew up and started a family, she found the societal pressures becoming even more destructive.

"I gave birth, gained 50 pounds, wasn't able to shed it, and was suffering from postpartum depression," Beall said. "I decided to do some images of myself and they resonated with a lot of women. Women started reaching out and wanting to tell me their stories about giving birth and loathing their bodies. ... It wasn't until I was well into that, that I realized body work could be pretty powerful. Being photographed is empowering."

Her book, A Beautiful Body Project, is a collection of images celebrating mothers' bodies—pregnant, just after birth and years later. Beall credits that work, and the hours she spent poring over the photos, with her ability to accept herself.

"Taking photographs of hundreds of women, strangers most of them, has allowed me to really love myself," Beall said. "Looking at every line, every detail, every roll, every bone, well, you can't deny it. The diversity is amazing and that is the truth. I couldn't have predicted that taking those photographs would be so healing for myself."

The book is due out around Mother's Day. There have been more than 1,000 preorders, and there's a fair amount of interest in international publishing rights. Beall says the reaction to the photos, along with the images themselves, allowed her to see the honest and natural beauty in bodies.

There is a "relentless selling of insecurity by corporations that want to make money off of low self-esteem," Beall said. "You can't sell these things to a woman who is like, 'I like my wrinkles, I'm totally good here,' or a teenager who isn't obsessed with her weight." Beall thinks the culture is moving beyond that. "You don't have to be a prisoner to the scale anymore. You don't have to buy products to help your wrinkles or your acne or all these things you think are unworthy of being on your body. They're signs of life and they're precious."

Beall said that after giving birth, her acceptance of her body was at "an all-time low." Her goal is to show a more honest, less damaging story about motherhood.

"It's about changing how we think about our bodies and how we think about other women. We've been fed this really destructive lie that if we don't bounce back after birth, that we're failures and we're no good," she said. "That needs to change because being a mother is absolutely hard enough."

Beall's talk at the conference will focus on loving your post-birth body, which she says ties into loving your body always. "Your body is precious and worthy of being photographed without Photoshop," she said. "It's about loving one's every molecule."

Beall said that when she looks for beauty in other people, it helps her see it in herself.

"It's not a perfect thing. I have about 20 years of self-loathing to undo so it's not like 'Oh, I love myself. We're good now.'

"It takes practice, and there are bad days. But that's OK and I honor that, too. I allow myself the bad days and really rejoice in my fluctuating body," she said. "Everyone walking down the street has something completely authentic that is irreplaceably beautiful."

One last reminder, Tucson, author Junot Diaz will be at the Tucson Fox Theatre tonight, and I was pleasantly reminded that the evening, while a suggested $15 admission/donation ($25 for special VIP reserved seating), is pay-what-you-can. Hey, not only is this an interesting week at Weekly World Central, but it is technically the week before payday and this reminder is good news.

So ultimately, you have no choice if you know what's good for you, and believe me Diaz is good for you.

I love this interview he did with Bill Moyers. Perhaps, tonight, we'll be treated with such gems and wise perspectives, with Diaz leaving us in better shape then he found us—dear lord I hope so. And big thanks to the Tucson Pima Arts Council and the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry for making it happen (I really, really love those guys, too).

"There is an enormous gap between the way the country presents itself and imagines itself and projects itself and the reality of this country,” Díaz tells Bill. “Whether we’re talking about the Latino community in North Carolina. Whether we’re talking about a very active and I think in some ways very out queer community across the United States. Or whether we’re talking about an enormous body of young voters who are either ignored or sort of pandered to or in some ways, I think that what we’re having is a new country emerging that’s been in the making for a long time.”

Our own version of the Justice League is asking for help renaming a beer served at the Rialto Theatre. The American Friends Service Committee's annual fundraiser, Justice On Tap, is at the Rialto this year, Saturday, May 10.

The theme: Justice on Tap.

Your Mission: The Rialto will rename one of its beers on tap in honor of the occasion and mixologist, Laura Kepner-Adney (member of the Cordials and Rialto bartender), will create a “signature cocktail” for the show. And you, the public, can help name them.

From AFSC:

AFSC is sponsoring a Justice on Tap Beer & Cocktail Naming Contest in the run-up to the event. You can visit AFSC’s webpage or Facebook page to submit your suggestions in the comment section. Or you can email your ideas to: [email protected].

The winners will be chosen by our Panel of Experts: AFSC staff, Ms. Kepner-Adney, and David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Daily Star cartoonist who will be acting as emcee for Justice on Tap.

NOTE: AFSC is a social justice organization that promotes a just, humane, and effective criminal justice system. Please keep your beer/cocktail name suggestions positive, non-violent, and respectful of incarcerated people.

Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 2nd. The winners will be announced the week prior to the event. Winners receive free admission, one free beverage, and major street cred.

WHO: The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Arizona Program
WHAT: Justice on Tap local music benefit concert
WHEN: Saturday, May 10th
6:30pm — Doors open
7:30pm — Cyril Barrett with Thøger Lund and Gabriel Sullivan
8:30pm — Carlos Azarte & the Kind Souls
9:30pm — Chicha Dust
WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701. http://www.rialtotheatre.com/
HOW MUCH: $10 at the door.

CoLab Workspace's next monthly Innovation Talk will be Wednesday, April 23 from 12 to 1 p.m. The topic of discussion will be "innovations in journalism: investigative reporting and transparency in the era of new media." The panel includes the Arizona Daily Star's Tim Steller, Tucson Sentinel's Dylan Smith and the Tucson Weekly's Henry Barajas and Mari Herreras.

From CoLab:

Beginning with each reporter's personal experiences, the panel will look at the changes in journalism affecting investigative reporting, adaptations they have made in their coverage day-to-day, and the future of journalism as a whole.

The talk is free, bring your lunch, but go here to reserve a seat.