If you've been following the intense competition among local comics taking place on Thursday nights at Laff's, be aware that everyone's taking the night off to get schooled.

YouTube's star comic satirist and Tonight Show frequent giest Chris Bliss is in town for four shows, Friday and Saturday and 8 and 10:30 p.m. But tonight, he's doing a special show at 8, and you can only get in by making a reservation by calling 34-funny or filling in the blanks at the Laff's website: http://www.laffstucson.com/

(Pssst: It's FREE.)

Friday and Saturday tickets and more information are also available at the Laff's site. Those tickets range from $10 to $15.

It shouldn't be hard for Mexican poet Javier Sicilia to convince US citizens that there's something wrong with our country's war on drugs—a war that has claimed the lives of more than 50,000 Mexicans. It shouldn't be hard, but Sicilia has spent more than a year leading a movement in his country to bring changes to his own country's policies and shedding light on U.S. culpability in a disaster that has hurt our neighbor.

Here's hoping that the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity will help further the message Scilia and other victim's of this failed drug war are bringing to this side of the border.

The poet lost his son Juanelo more than a year ago, a loss that sparked the movement that inspired many in his country to demand reforms and is inspiring many in this country to ask the US to change policies that continue to contribute the deaths of Mexican citizens.

The Caravan, which left San Diego last weekend, arrives in Tucson today at 2:30 p.m. from a stop in Phoenix. First Tucson stop is a welcoming ceremony at 2:30 p.m. at the U.S. Federal Building, 300 W. Congress St., followed by a 3 p.m. press conference. Southside Presbyterian Church, 317 W. 23rd St., will host a dinner at 4:30 p.m., followed by a community forum from 6 to 9 p.m. Worth every bit of your time.

Waging Nonviolence's Marta Molina wrote about the caravan and has written about the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity the past year. You can read her entire story on the caravan here, but here's a snippet:

The first caravan, called the Caravan of Solace, left on June 4, 2011, and ran from Cuernavaca, Morelos, to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, then crossed the northern border to conclude in El Paso, Texas. Over the course of 10 days, it united victims of the drug war, who began to turn their pain into organizing, while showing the world that they were not simply statistics or collateral damage. Rather, they were Mexicans seeking dignity.

Those were the first steps taken by members of the MPJD. During their first dialogue with Mexican President Felipe Calderón on June 23, 2011, they demanded justice for the victims of violence and a halt to the War on Drugs. Afterward, they organized a second caravan in September 2011. This caravan, called the Caravan of Peace, passed through Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas before reaching Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala. With those two caravans in 2011, the movement managed to bring together victims of the War on Drugs — and of the structural violence found throughout the country — as well as organizations and social movements in the north and south.

In doing, it reinforced alliances with those who already had long organizing histories, such as with Las Abejas de Acteal, in Los Altos de Chenalhó, Chiapas, whose members shared lessons from their long history of nonviolent struggle, beginning in 1997 with the massacre of 45 indigenous tzotziles. Representatives from indigenous communities in Chiapas, from the Consejo de Pueblos, or Council of Villages, in Morelos, and members of the Wixárica (Huichol) community, among others, will be accompanying the caravan to the United States.

After a year of working and learning, the MPJD continues improving its strategies and strengthening its national and international networks of support. Organizers decided to embark on the Caravan for Peace in order to unite and draw attention to victims of violence on the northern side of the border — migrants forced to flee their homes by violence or economic need, those who are threatened for defending human rights or those left unprotected by Mexico’s failed state.

Many who have been affected by the War on Drugs are no longer afraid. They have realized that they are no longer alone and continue to work to strengthen their organization. They are no longer fighting to find their parents or children, or to seek justice for their loved ones, but instead they are fighting for all parents and children of the disappeared.

This just in, from some Tucson Weekly readers. Note the gratutious kiss-up effort at the end:

WHO: All Short Film Fans!

WHAT: Short Film (20 min) by local director Rio Finnegan and Donny Tran

WHEN: 7 p.m., Friday August 17th

WHERE: Temple of Music and Art

Talented up and coming local filmmakers Rio Finnegan and Producer Donny Tran will premiere their 20 minute short film titled Pinata on Friday August 17th at the Temple of Music and Art at 7pm. The film was shot in Tucson, Arizona including Barrio Anita using local actors Mike Miller and Tanya Aksamentova and music by local musicians Eli Roepke and Ruben Moreno from the mariachi band Luz de Luna. The plot focuses on a man who brings the body of a murdered woman into his house. The mystery of the body becomes a catalyst to his mental breakdown. Rio recently won at the Loft’s “First Friday Shorts” for his short film My Life Has Stood A Loaded Gun. The filmmakers are thankful that the Temple of Music and Arts proudly supports their art and offered a venue dedicated to promoting local talent.

Following the film, Rio Finnegan, the movie’s director will host a Q&A session. The film will be screened at the Temple of Music and Art at 330 South Scott Avenue. There will be snack and refreshments afterwards.

*adult themes/situations PG-13

Rio Finnegan is a recent City High Graduate. Donny Tran taught documentary arts at VOICES Community Stories, which had numerous stories in the Tucson Weekly ... THE BEST PAPER EVER!

Rocco's Little Chicago image by Will Ferguson

The closure of The Safehouse last week is just the latest in a line of popular, somewhat-beloved local places suddenly shuttering up. In the last year, we've lost Grill, Zachary's, Colors and Cactus Moon, among others.

Each has their share of mourners, but let's be honest: We can only grieve for so long. I say that it's time to take some action, Tucson: We need to be finding locally owned replacements giving those our business before they follow in the steps of those who have disappeared.

Take Zachary's, for instance: The building, located just south of the University of Arizona campus, was muggy inside during monsoon season; the tables and chairs were nothing to write home about; and the service wasn't always spectacular. But the pizza was tremendous (often in both taste and size), and the beer selection left little to be desired. So what else is there to take its place?

Rocco's Little Chicago, now the pre-eminent deep-dish pizza in Central Tucson and Best of Tucson Staff Pick, is the obvious choice, though it's a bit far away for students to stumble to.

In Main Gate Square, there's two potential competitors, joints right next to each other: No Anchovies, practitioners of a New York-meets-California-gourmet style; and Frog and Firkin, a British-esque pub whose deep-dish pizzas share menu space with a number of sandwich and salad options. Both are great options for lounging about and enjoying beer in the afternoon; if you don't have a thin-versus-deep-dish preference, it regularly comes down to whether or not you prefer table service (Frog) to grabbing a slice at the counter (Anchovies).

1702 seems to be the next-closest possible successor, with its casual atmosphere, huge slices and great beer—unfortunately, the current construction on Speedway makes it a bit of a struggle to slip in and out with ease.

So what do you think, Tucson? Leave your comments, suggestions, and verbal abuse (for leaving off your favorites) at the bottom.

I can't say that the preview video below is work-safe; I can't say that I understand how they're going to squeeze their act onto the Proscenium stage of Club Congress; and I can't say that I've had that much interest in going to burlesque before tonight.

But The Body Show, from Super Happy Funtime Burlesque, looks like some damn dirty fun, with a quality sounding band backing the be-pastied ladies and a large, mostly-naked man.

Here's the description, lifted from the Hotel Congress site:

"The SHFB body show follows the story of burlesque dancer Marcella La Salsa who, during a black tie fist fuck party, gets sucked up into a burlesque dancers’ cavernous ass. Lost in an anus, she meets a wacky mad scientist, his sexy assistant, and a half eaten pickle. Together the team decide to go on an amazing adventure throughout the interior of the body, learning about all its crazy functions and spending a particular amount of focus on the ass and titties."

With a description like that, how could you NOT go?

The 21 and over show starts at 8 p.m., with tickets at $10.

Video is below the jump for those of you who can't watch mostly-naked people at work.

Want to watch a bunch of high school football players try to eat way more than they should? If so, the Tucson Hunger Games event taking place this Sunday, Aug. 19, might be right up your alley.

From the press release announcing the event:

Shlomo & Vito’s New York Delicatessen and Pizza Kitchen will host “Tucson Hunger Games” in the Courtyard of Plaza Colonial on Sun. August 19 at 6 p.m. The Ultimate Man vs. Food Competition is part of their celebration of their Grand Re-Opening efforts.

Local high school football teams will compete for their chance to win $500. Players from each school will compete in 4 Quarters with four rounds of food.

Round 1: Matzoballs
Round 2: Hotdogs
Round 3: Shlomo & Vito’s NY Style Pizza
Round 4: Keylime Pie
Overtime: Shlomo & Vito’s Cheese Fries (if there is a tie breaker)

The High School Football Player who eats the most in the competition will win $500 for his school’s football program.

The event is open to the public and admission is free. Plaza Colonial is located at 2870 E. Skyline Drive.

I remember the first time I saw Chris Summitt at a Tucson Unified School District board meeting. It was April 26, 2011, and a group of students from UNIDOS had just taken over the dais and prevented the school board meeting from continuing. It was standing room only, and the crowd that filled the board room went into the lobby and out the front doors of the the district's administration building.

Inside, students and a few MAS supporters took up most of the very front seating area of the board room, while community members packed into the rest of the room — many forced to stand on chairs and on tables in the back in order to see what was taking place. That's when I saw Summitt — his hair was long and a bit wild at the time and he sported a beard, which only made it more interesting to watch him jump over chairs for every angle he could get in that room.

Those pictures ended up being some of the best documentation of what took place that night, and if Summitt was working for a publication at the time, easy Pulitzer nomination.

• Chris Summitt
• UNIDOS students after taking over the dais during the April 26, 2011 TUSD school board meeting.

Summitt wasn't alone taking photos at school board meetings and other MAS actions. Diana Uribe has been there, too, most often sitting quietly waiting for those perfect opportunities that present themselves to a photographer. She took wonderful photos of the late Judy Burns, one in particular we featured in our cover story about her untimely passing is a story itself.

• Diana Uribe
• TUSD board members Mark Stegeman, left, and Alexandre Sugiyama, having a "discussion" during a board meeting.

This summer, Summitt and Uribe decided to create an exhibit that goes back to the early stages of the movement as a way to show support for the dismantled classes and program, and call attention to other photographers they've seen at school board meetings and MAS actions. Other photographers featured in the show include Charley Dejolie, Sarah Gonzales, Wesley Narro-Castro, Marla Pacheco, and Jose Carlos Lopez.

The show opens Saturday, Aug. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Fluxx Gallery off Fourth Avenue at 414 East 9th St. Donations collected at the opening go to Save Ethnic Studies and the Raza Defense Fund, but it's also a chance to see some beautiful photography that tell an amazing story from local photographers who continue to document history. The show opens with a welcome and introduction of the work by the photographers, followed by a panel discussion with MAS teachers and students Maria Federico-Brummer, Lorenzo Lopez, Juliana Leon, and Lupita Blancart.

Continue reading after the jump for an interview with Uribe and Summitt.

Newish Sonoita winery Hops and Vines is holding the best drinking and/or eating event we've heard of lately. It happens at 4 p.m., Friday, Aug. 10. From the winery's website:

Beer Bacon Wine Chocolate Cheese!
A great night full of Bad Decisions! Bacon cupcakes, chocolate fountain, artisan cheese, craft beer, amazing wine! Did I mention The Fluffer?

Call out from work, skip the gym! Come down to beautiful Sonoita 45 minutes south of Tucson. Bisbee Brew will be there! Call up your craziest friends, get a sitter, do what you gotta do, but don't miss Arizona Hops and Vines 1st Annual Bad Decisions!

Might I also add that it's a full 10 degrees cooler down in Sonoita? Oh, and The Fluffer is a wine, if you were wondering. Tickets are $10, and we're pretty sure that includes access to the tether-ball and horseshoe courts.

We know we mentioned a few days ago that NASA's Curiosity rover will be landing on Mars tonight, but our not-so-inner space geek couldn't resist posting this video briefing on the mission narrated by Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Nice get there, NASA! You can read more about the mission at Space.com (where you'll also find a video narrated by Wesley Crusher). And don't forget: There's a party at Fourth Avenue's Sky Bar tonight where they'll be watching the whole thing live—or as live as you can get with a 14-minute delay as the signal travels between here and Mars.

Meanwhile, Daniel Stolte of UA news brings us the local angle:

Mars rover Curiosity is the closest thing to a real geologist landing on Mars. It will explore the composition of rocks with the help of the world's largest reference database of minerals, housed at the University of Arizona in Tucson

On Aug. 5, at about 10:30 p.m., an already busy summer will kick into overdrive for University of Arizona geosciences professor Bob Downs and one of his graduate students, Shaunna Morrison. At that time ­ provided everything goes as planned ­ Curiosity, the most sophisticated exploration vehicle ever sent to another planet, will parachute toward the Martian surface faster than the speed of sound after a nine-month journey through space. And as soon as it sinks its six wheels into the red dust, the two scientists specializing in mineralogy will have not one, but two planets to deal with.

As "primary data downlink leaders" designated by NASA, Downs and Morrison are part of a team of scientists tasked with the identification of rocks that Curiosity will encounter during its two-year expedition across the floor of Gale Crater near the Martian equator.

"The Curiosity rover is the next best thing to sending a geologist to Mars," said Downs. "It carries all the necessary equipment that we would use here on Earth when we study rocks and minerals."

It's a beautiful Tucson Sunday that's certainly worth a morning hike, but later today as the desert heats up there are two activities I suggest that celebrate Tucson (with air conditioning):

The Heart and Soul of Tucson is a documentary tribute to Tucson's El Casino Ballroom by Daniel Buckley and produced by Ralph Gonzales and Julie Gallego. If it's like any of this trio's past documentaries on Barrio Viejo, El Cine Plaza, and Barrio Hollywood, I suspect you'll hear a combination of cheers and tears inside the Fox Tucson Theatre.

Worth your time.

The show starts at 2 p.m. at the 17 W. Congress St. theater. Admission is a suggested $3 donation. The ballroom celebrates it's 65th anniversary and there's a restoration effort to help finish repairs on the building from the 1991 storm that blew off the landmark's roof.

From our City Week Pick this week:

In honor of the 65th anniversary of Tucson's landmark ballroom, and to help raise money to finish its restoration, documentary filmmaker Daniel Buckley has created The Heart and Soul of Tucson—El Casino Ballroom.

"The series features different historical aspects of Hispanic culture in Tucson, and mainly Mexican-American culture," Buckley said. "... It really intrigued me that El Casino has served the total community for 65 years."

...

Buckley has been working on his 60-minute documentary for the past year, collecting stories from people who have been going to El Casino since its early days.

"There are fantastic stories here, stories about how people went through times of racism, as well as the musical stories," Buckley said. "... It's been one of the most-joyful experiences in my career as a documentary filmmaker."

After the documentary, go grab something yummy to share for the next Tucson Freedom Summer encuentro potluck at 5 p.m. at the John Valenzuela Youth Center. The program series is free and everyone is welcome.

Award-winning teacher Curtis Acosta, a former Chicano literature teacher who continues to teach at Tucson High Magnet School, will teach a Chicano/Latino literature class today at the South Tucson center, 1550 S. 6th St. Acosta promises a chance to experience what a real Mexican-American studies class is like, so expect to be challenged and bring some paper and a pencil.

Happy Sunday, Tucson.