http://alibi.com Top Stories from the Alibi en-us http://alibi.com/rss PHP webmonkeys@alibi.com (Web Meisters) Glory be! They promised last year was the beginning of an annual event, and so it was. Impressive international talent stocks the 10 days of the second-ever New Mexico Jazz Festival. Trinity House workers believe full bellies mean less desperation, but APD counters that large, regular gatherings like the weekly feedings spur drug crimes. Cozy up to the debate. Also, take our new news quiz. Move over Jonson (Gallery) a new Johnson (Foundation) is moving in. Local artists condemn the relocation of UNM's historic Jonson Gallery. Learn a little something about delicious roasted meats and the meaning of the word huarache at Lupe’s Antojitos and Mexican Food. There is no point in reviewing anything Harry Potter. But if you've seen it, engage in a post-film chat with critic O'Leary about the fifth wizard flick. The papers said they were the next big thing and Warner Brothers had come a courtin'. Sounds like time to break up, right? All hail the GoMotorCar reunion. More than 200 people turned out for a hearing on the Desert Rock coal plant, which critics say is being supported by a faulty impact report. Read up on the territory alternative artists and art supporters are carving out in Burque. Tea makes its American premiere at the Santa Fe Opera. Not your typical opera, water, sheets of paper and stones become part of the orchestra. Tawan Thai Cuisine serves up much better Thai food than Wal-Mart. Filmmaker Werner Herzog is like his characters: obsessive and out to conquer. He even got Christian Bale to eat maggots in his latest, Rescue Dawn . Longtime employees at Charley's 33s & CDs (formerly Records & Tapes) up and bought the joint, revamping its record collection. They also ripped out the malt shop and replaced it with vintage clothing. Artists or criminals? Bernalillo County can't seem to make up its mind about graffiti muralists. Science fiction authors look to the stars with feet planted firmly in the New Mexico desert. We've got the mythic Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and other oddities of the culinary universe right here. The Boss of It All deconstructs office humor for devilish fun in this Danish satire. How sweet it is! The Foxx releases a new album and The Rondelles reunite. Albuquerque's first 24-hour gallery opens Downtown. After weathering last semester's APS grade change scandal, teacher Anita Forte is heading back to the classroom. In an Alibi exclusive, she speaks out on what happened at Rio Grande High School and how our educational system is failing our kids. America's "green car" market is red hot, and we've got the top five models right here. This week in art, Noam Chomsky makes a case for Interventions , while a new theater company blurs the line between stage and classroom. At Big Texas BBQ, the sauce is mesquite, the servers are neat and the peach cobbler is sweet. Killer of Sheep is a killer indie doc about working-class '70s America. Unlike Becoming Jane, in which Anne Hathaway turns Jane Austen into a romantic comedy prop. St. Vincent lets us scramble her brain and Santa Fe gets even funkier. And what's the deal with that dude that wanders all over town with an electric guitar? Find out who killed Brad Will, an independent American journalist killed in Oaxaca, Mexico, and why his murderers have gone free in our online exclusive feature, "Who Killed Brad Will?" The 2007 Best of Burque Restaurants poll is finally here! Get stuffed and vote for your favorite local places—just don't stuff the ballot. Plus, a how-to for surviving disasters without sacrificing taste. Alibi photographer Xavier Mascareñas points his camera at the old and future UNM Children’s Hospitals in Cradle to Cradle. Our film and TV editor pits “Man vs. Wild” against “Survivorman" in an idiot box cage match. Who's left standing after the static clears? Fatten your brain with this week's news section! Learn who's responsible for scooping the poop of Albuquerque's homeless population. Three, two, one, album: The 2bers get live in the 505! It takes heart, guts and a good amount of brains to survive this place called Albuquerque. Just ask the zombies. Mel Minter reviews the best new discs from the Big Easy, each one an affirmation that the city will get back on its feet. Is Rowan Atkinson's alter ego a has-Bean? Plus, the SWFC rolls out a killer season. What kind of Tandoori bread are you? Find out at the Bombay Grill, where the garlic nan is nearly as good as the service. They've never won a game and they're tired of hearing about "heart." The New Mexico Burn is ready to put a 1 in the "W" column. Also, our staff writer makes a fool of herself at practice. King Lear 's as gruesome as ever, if a little inexperienced. And read the Noam Chomsky essays the major U.S. daily papers wouldn't run. Michael Moore's not the only one worried about the health care system in this country. Take heart—these mainstream and traditional healers can help patch you up without plunging you into financial ruin. A gang of cryptids have taken over Downtown—and they're not leaving until somebody plays "Stairway to Heaven." This week in film: The 11 th Hour attempts to get all enviro-sexy with Leo DiCaprio while chanteuse Édith Piaf's life is laid bare in La Vie En Rose. This week in news: New Mexico’s online political journalist spills his virtual beans, city councilors squabble and the South Valley steps closer to becoming its own city. This week in food: Nebbiolo grapes make us quiver almost as much as the foie gras at Marcello’s Chophouse. This week in art: Woody Allen is somewhat hilarious while Doubt is reassuringly good. This week in music: Atmosphere drops his ninth Sad Clown Bad Summer mixtape, and Okkervil River makes novel music and rockstars behave badly. What's "noise"? Hell, baby, what's music? Microlabel Sicksicksick puts up a 10-act showcase of disparate noisemakers at The Curio. Some things just go well together. Like the word "yeah" and Rob Zombie. Also, wine and cheese. Savoy Bar and Grill takes the last two seriously, and it shows. Hatchet remembers what horror flicks are all about—piles of rubber entrails and a victim or two with a nice rack. Who can run for office? Just rich people with good connections? Not anymore. Albuquerque is one of a handful in the nation to bankroll any candidate's campaign with tax dollars. Find out how our trial run is going so far. Art don't just sit quiet and look purty anymore. Plus, On the Road reaches its 50 th birthday. One youth group works to erase decades of black tar heroine culture from Chimayo. Plus, water use is up in Burque. Road life beats on a touring cowboy, punk rockers resist the "revivalist" label and the Potty Mouth Sherry's ride off into the sunset with their weird apostrophe. O'Leary makes predictions about TV's fall lineup: "Bionic Woman" will kick heinie and should be pretty hot. "Cavemen," based on the Geico commercials, has always been a bad idea. La Quiche Parisienne Bistro is the real thing in a sea of preservative-laden baked goods. Plus, learn how to drink tequila. Be sure to partake in an entire haikued Chowtown. 5-7-5: It's <br>not just the new area <br>code in the Southwest. It's also the right <br>number of syllables in <br>a haiku. Creepy, right? Right? Never mind.<br>Enjoy the contest winners<br>anyway, comrades. Crack, self-inflicted wounds, what more can you want from live theater? Hooray for the NC-17 play Bug at the Vortex Theatre. Publicly financed candidates may not be aware of all the rules surrounding their campaigns. It is the maiden voyage of the system, after all. Plus, the debut of "Asshat of the Week." Yeah, we're really into that word. A festival of discovery! The third-annual ¡Globalquerque! lets you travel without discomfort or much of a budget. Plus, the songwriter from The New Pornographers spills his guts. Shot in New Mexico, In the Valley of Elah starring Tommy Lee Jones, is a war-weary mystery sure to stir up controversy. There's something to be said for a little old-school kindness and top-notch customer service, like the kind you'll find at Oak Tree Café. From the first sassy 12-page black-and-white issue in 1992 to this week's 72-page behemoth, the Alibi 's been putting type to page for 15 years. We've got our dress all laid out for our Quinceañera. Say goodbye to Editor Steven Robert Allen as he joins the ranks of other former staffers in our "Where Are They Now?" Ah, art photography, the tacit way for aristocrats to look at naked people. Twenty photographers examine Rose in 1x20 at the Downtown Contemporary Arts Center. The Church of Scientology sets its sights on a big building Downtown. Only dirt stands between Albuquerque and radioactive waste. (P.S. Your regularly scheduled letters section will return next week. Peruse the Hall of Fame here instead.) How did the New Mexico Department of Health lose $4.3 million in children's vaccines? What the heck is a Mexican jumping bean, anyway? And how Rupert Murdoch could help spread the freedom of information. In Steven Robert Allen's absence, the arts section has been taken over by children ... children's books, that is. Interviews with award winners Alice Walker and Jon Scieszka give insight into why children's lit isn't for the infantile. Get thee to the polls! We know you forgot, but Oct. 2 is Election Day, and we have all the obsessive, nitty-gritty details you need to make thoughtful decisions about your next city councilors. Plus, find out the meaning of the "Heinrich manuever." Jennifer James is back and serving up luscious confections at Chef du Jour (get the chocolate burrito, trust us). And Villa Del Mar may be the only place in town where you can get shark and alligator served up right. The Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival turns five, while "Kid Nation" is about as dangerous as an episode of "Bug Juice." Fast Heart Mart traveled 4,000 miles on nothing but vegetable oil. Here's a simpler way you and your electronics can help the environment, too. And be sure to check out five songs of 2007 that help put politics back in our playlists. Dust off your oscillators for this weekend's nonconformist electronic music festival. And They Might Be Giants tells us about 25 years of brilliant songwriting. What do you get when you combine highbrow sex with nude romps in the rain? Actually, a tame Lady Chatterley . And on a slapstick note, the bros behind There's Something About Mary use Neil Simon for inspiration. Get your dim sum , gold paint, dragons and big red lanterns at Ming Dynasty. Plus, New Mexicans who craft cheese—without Kraft. When graffiti hits the gallery, do you still call it graffiti? Also, come out, come out and watch 100 acts-worth of drag royalty! Hot-air balloons so fanciful they'll provide a lift to your heart—especially if you like 40s and ninjas. Our women's football team folds after too many knockouts and broken bones, but another's forming from the debris. And will the latest Clear Channel maneuver accidently end the days of radio consolidation? The Friends of the Tribune search for a way to keep Albuquerque's daily afternoon paper alive, men strut their stuff in stilettos to fight sexual violence and councilors tell you what's up now that you've elected them. You voted (or a few of you did, at least). Now sit back and enjoy as the Alibi presents a piping-hot plate of Best of Burque Restaurants. From the best Frito pie to the best place to pile your plate, the winners are all inside. Amy Dalness takes a walk through America's culinary culture. Plus, John Freeman reviews a book of essays recounting the worst years of our lives. Twin Peaks might be your new favorite “breastaurant.” And take a peek at a pickling recipe that can't be beat. Michael Clayton is a character drama that sparks with Oscar gold. Meanwhile, Los Desaparecidos Latin American Art Festival gets underway. Simian Mobile Disco has the new soundtrack to your next kegger or car ride, and The Avengers were punk before you were. Plus, Nick Luca battles Type 1 diabetes and lives to rock another day. Safer trains or quiet trains? Or both? And our derby girls will do battle to be crowned queen of the rink in the championship match this weekend. Get rid of those frosty beers and chilling margaritas. It's time for fall, and that means mulled wine and sweaters, baby. Juliette Lewis, one of few actors who can actually pull off the whole music thing, tells us what makes her Licks tick. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford won't deliver six-gun shootouts or a shirtless Brad Pitt, but it is a brilliantly acted epitaph to the era of the Old West. It's OK to be a grown-up and gorge on comic books these days. O'Leary's got the scoop on a local group of DIY comic-makers. What happens when a group of poker buddies plot to steal a dude's coin collection? Mamet's American Buffalo scores with prolific, poetic cursing. An environmental group has troubling news for New Mexico water drinkers, city councilors aren't sure if the red-light cameras increase or decrease traffic accidents and Village Voice executives get sent to the slammer. Alibi staffers thumb their noses at the dark spirits and risk their souls for readers' entertainment with a series of harrowing horror dares. Plus, searching for spirits in Santa Fe and a chat with Alice Cooper. Get the inside scoop on Albuquerque's haunted theaters, and Anne Enright's new novel The Gathering kicks the blarney out of Irish wakes. Snack pundits debate the value of candy corn. Meanwhile, our restaurant reviewer is all aglow after dining at the Sunshine Café and sipping the New Mexico Tea Company's wares. What they lack in clever costume ideas, experimental indie rock outfit Minus the Bear more than makes up for in musical proficiency. Hear what the New Mexico contingent in the band has to say about touring and leaving the Land of Enchantment. Lake of Fire examines both sides of the abortion issue while Dan in Real Life finds the romance in realism. It's the Alibi's second Quiz and Puzzle issue and we've got answers to several age-old questions, including: Are you a genie? Are you going to die? And, of course, are you on fire? Be warned, the results might surprise you. Plus, draw the body on one of our favorite local celebrities for a chance to win while searching for naughty words. A new study suggests it's easier to become homeless in Albuquerque than you might think, Ortiz y Pino examines the search for a new APS superintendent and Orlando Law Enforcement slaps the cuffs on sex ad sellers. And don't miss the Alibi 's first-ever news crossword puzzle! Ha Jin's A Free Life tells the story of one family's journey to the U.S. while David Scharf makes a big statement with tiny art. See if you can guess the subjects of his scintillatingly small pieces. Zea Rotisserie & Grill serves up plates of poultry that are more than finger-lickin' good. Plus, never suffer from "I'm hungry but don't know what I want" syndrome again with our cut-and-fold fortune teller! See if you can guess what Albuquerque's rock 'n' roll pinup models do to earn a living, and test your musical acuity with our mystery Sonic Reducer. Play "Know your Zombies!" And Martian Child is as real, earnest and phony as a million-dollar bill. Albuquerque's own MySpace Glenn Danzig interviews the real Glenn Danzig. If Dixie Witch were named after its drug of choice, it wouldn't be classified as "stoner" rock. Rod Lacy comes home and comes back to music. Understand the Writers Guild of America strike and glean tips on how to live through it without gnawing and regnawing on the bones of your favorite reruns. Kokoro isn't the little Japanese restaurant that could. It's the tiny restaurant that delivers in a big way. Stylized violence powers The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Cell Theatre. Think smarter but equally sadistic "South Park." Are you too thrifty/unusual/New Mexican/vegetarian to fully enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving? Don't worry. We're here for you. Ace animal shelter reporter Christie Chisholm grills the two new people in charge of the renamed Animal Welfare Department. Rahim Alhaj chronicles his 2004 visit to his home country, Iraq. The Royal Dead bleeds gory psychobilly. Isaac Brock scoffs at softball interview questions. The Coen brothers cut loose a thriller, No Country for Old Men , that ranks among the best films of the year. Plus, Punk's Not Dead doesn't pretend to be the definitive punk documentary. Rival Tattoo Studios stocks fine art with its biannual show Black and White . Plus, John Freeman helps navigate the most personal of holiday gifts: a good book. Just try the escargots at La Brasserie Provence. The sauce is perfect and it pairs nicely with one of the lovely French wines offered at this laid-back establishment. An Italian carafe for the sensual Taurus; a heart rate monitor for the energetic Aries; suede slippers for sensible Capricorn—consider your loved one's placement on the zodiac as you shop this season. Ben Radford investigates the remains of a "chupacabra." Plus, one group works to bring chess to the forefront of the city's consciousness. An asphalt plant's stench has workers fuming, Democrats are a little late hitching a ride on the anti-war bandwagon and some hopeful news for print journalism. From musical slashers to animated biopics, we'll fuel your winter film obsession with our Holiday Film Guide. Plus, the Alibi talks with the Coen brothers and the stars of their latest release about filming in the 505. SITE Santa Fe's Los Desaparecidos/The Disappeared draws inspiration from the lives lost under dictatorships. The ugly, sturdy running shoe of cooking guides jogs alongside the cult of food celebrity. I'm Not There is a fragmented look at six different versions of Bob Dylan. And The Mist gives viewers a chance to wash down their Thanksgiving turkey with severed limbs and extradimensional monsters. You never know quite what you'll get at a house show. Plus, a new study says head-banging is actually good for kids. Capt. Alex E. Limkin relives a mortar attack to tell us about Iraq, V8 juice and the nature of "coconuts." A search engine for bleeding hearts, why the North Golf Course still isn't safe and a look at why teens don't trust the media. A bunch of good parts don't add up to a satisfying whole in Belladonna at Theatre X. Plus, Courtney Love misses a chance to bare all in her new book, Dirty Blonde . Rasoi is the new place to go in the University area for tasty, inexpensive Indian fair in a vibrant, colorful atmosphere. Plus, the hottest pepper on the planet gets twice as fiery. The Pornotopia film festival offers an alternative to fake nails and fake orgasms with independent, emotionally inspired erotic cinema. The Action Design rises from the ashes of punk outfit Tsunami Bomb while there's not a whole lot Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano can't do. Mei Long celebrates electricity—and the release of a CD. Wallow in the absorbing melancholy that is Iron & Wine. The women of Suspended are all under 5-foot-1, but that doesn't mean they can't punch you in the neck. Maybe it's time to ignore TV and surf the Interwebs for quality comedy. Then dip into the simmering pot of Freudian psycho-sexual repression that is Guy Maddin's mad vision. Warm up at Lee's Bakery, a Vietnamese shop of sandwiches and coconut-based desserts. Plus, learn how to shop for the best gift bestowed on casual acquaintances: wine. The city gets its hands on Pornotopia. Richardson won't take the Political Courage Test. It's the 10 th anniversary of the Kyoto Accord, so how's your thermometer lately? How did we become a nation of debtors? How can we find our way out? UNM Professor Nathalie Martin gives us the secret. You're not done with Vietnam novels; Tree of Smoke would be plenty comfortable on a shelf next to Tim O'Brien. See the winning entry and a selection of our favorite runners-up. Financial advice on credit and debt from UNM finance professor Emmanuel Morales-Camargo. Agonize along to Michael Bolton's latest Christmas release. Local Greg Ruggiero moved to Brooklyn's school of musical hard knocks, but he came out the other side with a new album. Atonement is an unabashedly sweeping romantic drama. King Corn takes bites out of the industry, row by row. You've got your pick of Vietnamese restaurants in Albuquerque. If you want something middle-of-the-road, go to Phở Nguyen. Get jaded with Ross Kelly's interpretation of The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris. On the 12 th day of Xmas my true love gave to me a Southwest writer in a pear tree ... looking uncomfortable. You (by which we mean "we") haven't started holiday shopping yet and now you're stuck doing the stressed-out winter dance of the credit-card fairies to get it done. Have no fear! The Alibi is here with ideas for affordable, unique gifts from locally owned shops based on their proximity to your neighborhood. An Albuquerque institution reopens its doors. The media hearts Huckabee even though it shouldn't. Hey consumer! Protect yourself before you wreck yourself; our series on debt continues. The SouthWest Organizing Project isn't welcome at Albuquerque High. A Santa Fe business dreams of a water-powered car. And could our media choices become miniscule? From catastrophic national disasters to unheralded prosperity, it looks like 2008 will take some strange twists and turns. The Alibi got the lowdown on the year ahead from local psychics. Expect the unexpected! The homeless set up shop at the Lobo Theater. Plus, the newest local children's book releases. Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro? How novel! Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story offers jokes and occasional laughs, while What Would Jesus Buy fails miserably. Father of the Flood breaks the dam and DJs Brandon and Ethan go out with a bang (and a new CD). How last week's FCC ruling affects your life. Plus, thugs make a change in the South Valley. Repress your brain cells in style this New Year's Eve—before you have to use them to choose your next president. Don't gawk at the freaks but feel free to stare openly at colorful banners from years when such behavior was OK. Step right up at the Albuquerque Museum. A guy named Tony works at Tony's Pizza. That's not something you'll find at sauce-slinging chains. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are nearly pitch-perfect in Sweeney Todd . Teen-pregnancy comedy Juno is easily one of the best films of the year. What's going on with that all-ages space at the Ice House? The Big Spank rides a Gypsy Rug Burn into the sunset. Take a peek back at some national and local media snafus from '07 and look ahead to a few stories that should unfold in the coming year. Plus, what's up with White History Week? It was the best of years, it was the worst of years. We've compiled a staggering list of the good and the bad from 2007 for our annual Best and Worst issue. Scope out the top 10 local art happenings and read up on the top 10 books of the year. Slate Street Café is a place where you can wolf down a PB and J with your elbows on the table and still feel like a grown-up. Plus, gorge on the biggest food stories of 2007. The CDs to snag and the ones to burn. And The Zou's artsy prog-rock works for snobs and slobs alike. The best and worst films of the year and the bullets, ballots and booze in Charlie Wilson's War . High levels of silica could pose a danger to Rio Rancho residents. The "Worker Files" finds folks with interesting jobs--this inaugural edition takes a closer look at the people who cleaned up your New Year's Eve mess. Plus, see what's in store for this year's Legislative Session. Mexican gray wolves find themselves at the center of one of the state's most contentious debates. John Dougherty examines all sides of the lobo dilemma. Revolutions makes its rounds. And New Mexico poets get pushy. Mariscos La Playa brings the Mexican seaside to Albuquerque at a reasonable price. The UnderSkatement Film Festival ollies into town, Spanish spooker The Orphanage shows American horror filmmakers how it's done, and gloomy biopic Control fits its subject matter like a custom-tailored T-shirt. Six Organs of Admittance defines "Weird New American" music, and Botnix records its debut CD during a snowstorm. It's a frequency free-for-all as big business radio and mom 'n' pop stations battle over the airwaves. Stay tuned for the history of radio restrictions and learn who owns FM in Burque. Put a cork in it and drive your wine home. Plus, learn why your next trip to the doctor may not cost as much, and say adios to antennas. Travel up El Camino Real to the Open Space Visitor Center then take a trip around the world at 516 Arts. Hurricane Katrina blew restaurateur Sam Drouillard to New Mexico, where he opened Hot Diggity, a top-notch hamburger and hot dog joint. Watch out, Oscars! Daniel Day-Lewis is headed for that little golden statue with There Will Be Blood . And, suprise suprise, 27 Dresses is a not-so-new take on Hollywood's wedding-themed romcoms. Mac Lethal loves to grub but has never tried green chile. Death Cab For Cutie Guitarist Chris Walla is making it on his own with Field Manual . New Mexico's GIs can give their new hotline a ring, the king of rock 'n' roll teaches English, and why visit haunted houses when you can haunt your own? Stop pretending a new year will bring a new you and start loving yourself, hideous flaws and all. Our Resolutions Issue will teach you how to embrace the beautiful art that is failure, and show you a few things that are worth resolving. Learn how to create your own art collection in the new year. Plus, local photographer Cary Herz' new book captures the lives of New Mexico's crypto-Jews. Vernon’s Hidden Valley Steakhouse is the top-secret locale for fine dining. Meanwhile, even cowardly bachelors can overcome their fears of French cooking in 2008. We've got the scoop on how to break into the state's movie biz. Plus, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is beautiful but frustrating. Magnetic Fields' new release harnesses various styles with cheeky grace and self-deprecating sophistication. Become a rockstar without deserving a cent! After arson destroyed its offices, an abortion clinic is getting back on its feet. A Houston-based oil company is dead set on drilling for oil on Albuquerque's Southwest Mesa. And a task force says the Duke City should fix problems with the red-light cameras or pull the plug. From art spaces to museums and a brand-new film festival, we've got the skinny on all the goings-on during Black History Month. A young artist explores his cultural background and makes a splash in the art world before even graduating high school. Plus, Santa Fe-based author George R.R. Martin tells us about sci-fi by committee. Porky's Pride has a fire pit brimming with blazing barbecue while Chef Boy Ari explains why even one bad apple can spoil the batch. Black history is about more than riots, marches and political struggles--celebrate the next 29 days through some of the best of Black film. Plus, Untraceable proves that movies about computers, even when they involve torture porn, are painfully dull. Wynton Marsalis visits with the Alibi before he and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra roll through town. Plus, Roman Numerals bring indie dance grooves with a breadbasket work ethic. Diné CARE uncovers job-creating alternatives to the Desert Rock coal-fired power plant. Did you miss your weekly news quiz in the paper? Get your geek on here instead. Little Women—the Brooklyn punky jazz quartet you almost got to see in Albuquerque. Haven't seen the Pajama Men's improv run at The Stove yet? What are you waiting for? Read all about it in an exclusive by Steven Robert Allen. Cigar bars bring smokers out of the cold, but are they legal? The clock is ticking on ethics reform bills and the sick get a visit from hairy healers. A doctored ham leads the way in the sea of glue, glitter and love that is the Alibi's Fifth Annual Valentine's Day Card Contest. Oprah's leadership academy for girls and a curbside view of a demolition derby highlight the "Rookies" art exhibit at the Richard Levy Gallery. Plus, a profile of foreign correspondent-turned-novelist Geraldine Brooks. Athens Eclectic Greek is quietly redefining the stale image of Greek-American food. Plus, a recipe for an exotic dinner in a flash. Eva Longoria Parker's liberal use of bronzer can't save the corpse-like rom-com Over Her Dead Body . Psychobilly icons Tiger Army can't wait to get back to the Duke City. And you won't believe what Donovan's been up to. Take a trip aboard an otherworldly cruise ship with this acid-inspired photo essay. Albuquerque's animal shelters have some 'splaining to do. A New Mexico skeptics group has believers fuming. And what, exactly, is a caucus? The Alibi penetrates the world of multi-partner relationships and gets the scoop on the Duke City's polyamorous community. After its first year in the theater scene, a look at how the Aux Dog began. Plus, the best books of the season. Papa Nachos specializes in Mexican food with American accoutrements. And find out which truffles will ruffle your feathers. Jumper is a slickly packaged sci-fi thriller and The Spiderwick Chronicles is a kids movie that tikes, teens and adults can all get behind. Le Chat Lunatique's new CD gets reviewed while Liars realizes its Bugs Bunny-based dreams. Can't get enough? Read more about the tricks of the psychic trade in this extended online edition. There's more of your favorite gypsy jazz/western swing/classic jazz band here than you could ever hope for in the paper. Plus, log on and, in 100 words or less within this article's comment box, tell us about the first time you saw Le Chat Lunatique. He or she who tells the best tale wins a copy of Demonic Lovely . Is there a difference between cacao and cocoa? What's "chocolate liquor" ... and will it get me drunk? The Ghirardelli choco-glossary lays it all our for us. Plus, click over to the Alibi Food Calendar for tasty events you won't find in the paper! The Alibi has had it up to here with unproductive Legislative Sessions. We look at the bills that could have been as well as a few that actually made it to the governor's desk. Plus, the media's role in mass shootings. With the Writers Guild strike finally over, it's time to roll out the red carpet for the Academy Awards. We look at the damage done by the strike and take a look at the films fighting for Mr. Oscar. Madagascar braids history, fantasy and deception into a narrative strand that will rope in playgoers. And Kurt Vonnegut meets Philip Roth in Dagoberto Gilb's new book, The Flowers . Jasmine Thai and Sushi House brings tears of joy to our eyes. And find the best places to grab a bite before catching a flick. Albuquerque author Steven Gould tells us what it was like to watch his novel Jumper morph into a multimillion-dollar film. And Vantage Point is the latest movie to rip off Akira Kurosawa’s vision. Bud Melvin shows South by Southwest what a banjo and a Game Boy can do while Colourmusic gets inspiration from its namesake. Plus, spend your Sundays at the Church of Beethoven. Read an extended version of our interview with Steven Gould. Definitely, Maybe paints an honest, if slightly skewed picture of love and romance. A court case shines a spotlight on the murky waters surrounding New Mexico's medical marijuana law. Martha's Body Bueno says goodbye and could the Albuquerque Tribune's demise lead to a new cooperatively owned newspaper? We look beyond Diane Denish's frameless glasses to find out what really makes our lieutenant governor Diane Denish tick. Life During War Time features great performances that help make up for the overly moralistic script, and author Peter Godwin talks about the pain in his homeland of Zimbabwe. Wimpy's serves burgers with loads of local flair. Discover your tongue's love/hate relationship with Black Flag Imperial Stout. Plus, set your mouth ablaze at this year's National Fiery-Foods and Barbecue Show. City of Men covers much of the same ground as its pseudo-predecessor City of God , but it's just not as good. VxPxC revels in myth and psychedelia on overdrive while Jonathan Meiburg's music is for the birds (and that's a good thing). Plus, The Everybodyfields bring cathartic country to Albuquerque. Missed your weekly news quiz? Get your geek on here instead. How to attract birds, bees and butterflies to your backyard. Multimillion-dollar slaves. And "To Catch a Predator" on trial. It wasn't easy, but the Alibi's Christie Chisholm spent an entire winter week eating only locally grown foods and lived to tell about it. The Global DanceFest shrinks our planet, while author Natalie Goldberg, founder of the "Just Write" movement, sits down for a chat. We sample everything Saratori’s di Tully and Cupcakeology bakeries have to offer, and UNM teams up with local farmers for a fresh approach to scholastic food options. Semi-Pro doesn't tinker with Will Ferrell's winning gameplan. And 2004's Double Dare covers the lives and careers of two legendary Hollywood stuntwomen. Musicians reflect on the loss of the burned-down Golden West Saloon and we look at what the future holds for the fixture of the Downtown music scene. Plus, fireworks, bikinis and an all-drum sonic seizure. Find out with an exclusive interview with renowned grass farmer Joel Salatin. A view from the Rail Runner reveals prosperity and poverty, modernity and the pastoral. Why did the governor say nay to a new way of selecting the state's Chief Public Defender? Plus, the media buys Hillary Clinton's criticisms hook, line and sinker. The entries for the Alibi's fifth annual Photo Contest blew our minds--we think they'll blow yours, too. For the Greater Good at UNM Art Museum bears the fruits of America's greatest investment in the arts. Meanwhile, Tony Earley's new book, The Blue Star , is filled with humor and tenderness, but it's nothing like its predecessor. Empire Burritos and Santa Fe Peppers might remind you of a national chain, but the freshly prepared ingredients and chipotle-roasted chicken will wash any bad taste out of your mouth. Plus, fine French wine gets a hand from the Irish. The Rape of Europa is a mesmerizing, astonishing, highly emotional film about Adolf Hitler’s systematic campaign to steal and/or destroy Europe’s great works of art. And Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! may not be great, but at least it spares Jim Carrey from big, rubber ears. The aftermath of the Golden West fire reveals two different strategies for coping with disaster. Plus, Ravi Coltrane brings his confident and distinctively lush sound to Albuquerque. Test your regional news knowledge here. Read the extended interview with The English Beat's Dave Wakeling, watch a couple of the band's music videos and familiarize yourself with fourth-wave ska. Take a look at Marisa Demarco's photos of the wreckage at the Golden West Saloon. See five fantastic reader photographs we couldn't fit in the paper. Where did the bodies in the "Bodies Human" exhibit come from? A downtown Albuquerque store calls it quits after more than 80 years. Plus, is the Iraq War numbers game boring readers? On the five-year anniversary of the Iraq War, Army Capt. Alex E. Limkin sends a letter to his deceased colonel. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is just a tad smutty, and it’s strange enough to satisfy those eager for something different. Meanwhile, The Death of the Critic by Rónán McDonald performs an autopsy on the field of literary criticism. Pacific Rim Asian Bistro and Buddha Lounge doles out classic Asian delicacies with a dab of Viagra salad ... if you're up for it. Under the Same Moon spins a rosy and well-meaning, but ultimately simplistic, portrait of America’s immigration crisis. And the award-winning Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days tells a harrowing tail of abortion under Communism. Singer/songwriter John Ralston talks about his nightmarish experience with a major label, “loudness wars” and flattering comparisons. Meanwhile, Ultraviolet Sound gets ready to unleash its female-fronted electro-cock-rock. North Valley residents are furious that a cement transfer station wants to spew more pollution. A humanitarian photographer discusses his life's work, and Comcast pays passersby to take up space at a public hearing. In the debut of the Alibi's "Martial Arts" section, we uncover the truth about improv comedians' secret ninja backgrounds, and sci-fi author and black belt Walter Jon Williams teaches you how to defend yourself from monsters. More than one-and-a-half centuries later, Explorer Ignacio Maximo de Chavez' dairy is unearthed. Behold his harrowing and mule-filled last days searching for the legendary Crystal Canyon. Our new "Boxcar" section has all kinds of tips for eating and drinking on the outrageously cheap. From street fare to hooch, learn to live like hobo royalty. 21 provides yet another Vegas-bound drama for people who've watched “Celebrity Poker Showdown” once or twice and can sing at least the chorus to Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.” Saul Williams models his new line of knuckle-and neck-accessories. Meanwhile, the Alibi's foray into spring fashion reveals hipster trends from across the region. Our first-ever "Soap" section will have you feeling clean as a whistle with a new caffeine-infused body cleanser and an in-depth analysis of which cleaner is king: Bar or liquid soap? Our city is a lady that loves her dog but doesn't care much for others; eats badly, but exercises regularly; and lives in a violent part of the country, but doesn't let that discourage her from going out on the town. Plus, swimming with the fishes. And is the cover of this week's Vogue implicitly racist? Where's the best place to see your favorite band? Which newscaster has the best hair configuration? Who's the sportiest local athlete, and where should you take your car to get fixed? See how Albuquerque voted inside this year's Best of Burque Issue. The College National Poetry Slam finds warmer weather in Albuquerque. And Ceridwen Dovey’s Blood Kin shines a bright light on a ritual worship of power. Amadeo's Pizza and Subs bakes up pizza with no frills or fancy footwork—just the way we like it. Plus, find the best wine to dance to. Taxi to the Dark Side has the elegance of an argument that is formed by logic and shaped by empathy. And Stop-Loss ' message fails to enrapture the masses. Kate Mann returns to the land that influenced her music and her back tattoo while Andy Milne and Dapp Theory blend jazz, rock, hip-hop and spoken word elements into an innovative, socially conscious mix that grooves. Health care for urban Native Americans needs a checkup. Plus, making the city more bike-friendly, and President Bush takes a leak—on freedom. All Star Wrestling slams into the Albuquerque scene and gives fans a chance to see pro-style bouts every weekend. The Odyssey at the Filling Station puts the fabled hero in an INS detention center. And two-time Booker Prize winner Peter Carey finds his life at a crossroads. Chef Jim White's Café brings quality, homemade food to an unlikely part of town. And the perfect brew for a spring fling, indoors or out. An intelligent script and a fine cast conspire to make Smart People a sharper-than-average, if somewhat cliché, slice of indie satire. Megadeth passes the torch while proving it can still thrash-out with the best of them. Meanwhile, the DIY performance space Stove turns one year old. Bureaucracy makes accessing quality Native American health care a tough task. The city is flooded with bowlers, and is it time to stop bemoaning the death of newspapers? The battle to save our planet begins with helping the disadvantaged. Plus, read up on this year's local Earth Day activities, all in the Alibi's annual Earth Day issue. King Lear can be a tough play to put on, but the Vortex Theatre's production is a rewarding one. And for Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Schultz, failure is not a pejorative but a state of being. The Whole Enchilada takes its slogan, "It's time for something different," to heart. And a boyfriend's incessant cuisine questions are well-meaning. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the latest romantic comedy to get the Judd Apatow seal of approval. Zakir Hussain brings Eastern sounds to Western ears. Meanwhile, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks turn friendship into guitar-churned indie-rock. Major obstacles keep getting in the way of the Launchpad reopening. How do delegates get to their party's national conventions, and who are they? And an online newspaper with a New Mexico tilt hits the Web. Rock the 9 lures Native American musicians from the Southwest and Canada to the Duke City for one huge night of eclectic rock 'n' roll, smack dab in the middle of Gathering of Nations. Hidden Stories tells artist Deborah A. Jojola's tale via giant lithographs. Plus, the history of slam poetry in Albuquerque, and middle schoolers who hope to add to said history. Pacific Paradise Tropical Grill and Sushi Bar serves up the diverse cuisine from all around the Ring of Fire, Asia and Hawaii. Plus, egg-centric eating habits. Jackie Chan and Jet Li square off in The Forbidden Kingdom , and Bomb It gives a colorful lesson on the world's graffiti scene. Hip-Hop Congress is in session. Meanwhile, We Were Born As Ghosts comes out of the shadows for its CD Release Party. See the complete list of delegates representing New Mexico at the Democratic National Convention in August. Read a web-extended version of this week's installment of "The Radford Files." Could the South Valley become its own municipality? New Mexico movie extras try to organize, and the mainstream "green" craze is watering down environmentalism. Former Evening Standard editor and devout man of science Charles Langley tells of his eye-opening journeys with Navajo medicine men. Patrocinio Barela and Edward Gonzales redefine the image of Hispanic culture from within in Caminos Distintos . Plus, Tim Parks' agitated, engaging new novel, Cleaver , and Jhumpa Lahiri's mournful and deeply satisfying collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth . Boring barbecue gets the ax at Mad Max's. And figuring out which foods won't kill you is no small task. Baby Mama pops with energy, intelligence and humor, while Jellyfish is a half-dreamy drama about three very different Tel Aviv women whose intersecting lives highlight their long-unspoken sadness. Jivin' Scientists brings brotherly love to hip-hop, and AGL is mellowing with age. Native American readers vent their unfavorable reactions to last week's feature, and its author and subject respond. What does it take to end up on the New Mexico top delinquent taxpayers list? And the reason why hundreds of faculty members have a bone to pick with UNM President David Schmidly. Weed the word "bored" from your vocabulary as the Alibi 's Summer Guide fills your planner with 100 of the best things to see, hear, eat, play and plan for before the summer's up. Ready and ... go! As It Is in Heaven at the Desert Rose Playhouse is a melodious portrait of 19 th century Shakers. Amy Dalness fires the starting pistol for entering our Ridiculously Short Fiction Contest. And Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Steve Coll tackles the bin Laden family. Lotus Café closes in on curry perfection. Learn the secrets of heady little cherry tartlets. And this Mother's Day, raise your glass to the women of wine. The film adaptation of Marvel's Iron Man is solidly built, and Redbelt is anything but a straightforward martial arts flick. Former-Ant Farmer Jon Forrest Little returns to Albuquerque with a van full of kick-ass El Paso bands. Strung Out is still way more popular than your band. Plus, more Launchpad-Brand Linseed Oil shirts, all-ages music venues and neo-soul CDs than you can shake a rolled-up Alibi at. Refer to our updated guide for all of your karaoke needs. Take your weekly news quiz here. A Senate committee is making the first steps to do battle with the Federal Communications Commission's decision to relax media ownership regulations. The Duke City Derby is home-hunting. A woman accused of sedition gets an award. And the governor selects a new Chief Public Defender. To celebrate the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this year's Summer Film Guide links all the season's movies to the immortal Harrison Ford—in six degrees or less. Cowboys Are My Weakness at Rodey Theatre takes the short stories of Pam Houston and performs them, exquisitely, with more show than tell. Plus, Dead in Desemboque is the historieta of its author's dreams. Le Crêpe Pierre rolls quality crepes. Plus, chefs who fudge their credentials. Old folks rock out in Young@Heart , and Speed Racer is pure, psychedelic, high-speed techno-bliss. Local noise act cobra//group turns out the lights. Plus, The Roots still can't seem to make a bad album. There are new rules to follow before you become an inker or piercer in New Mexico. The California Supreme Court's decision to override a ban on gay marriage could have national ramifications. And a biker with one leg treks to Telluride. The National Video Game Championships spawn in Burque, the shifting frontiers of "emergent play" and Brenda answers all your gaming inquiries in this year's Video Game Issue. The June Music Festival branches out. Plus, prolific novelist Louise Erdrich listens to her inner voices. Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery has dishes that are fun to say and a joy to consume. Plus, a local website with the down low on Albuquerque eats. Whimsical British import Son of Rambow shows the power of cinema through children's eyes. Plus, Devin D. O'Leary's review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ! The Dresden Dolls invite you to their punkish cabaret. And Steel Tigers of Death says you can either laugh or go screw yourself. Emergence in video games—hypertextualzed with choice links, images and moving pictures. We googled so you don't have to! Many Albuquerque legislators are being challenged by political newbies—the candidates lobby for your vote. And some New Mexicans running for national office have their political courage questioned. The war. Health care reform. The Economy. Find out where the primary candidates stand on the issues that matter most. Plus, see which ones earned our recommendation. It's our endorsement guide, primary style. David Leigh urges art-buyers to snatch up local work before its crafters become household names. And book critics list their favorite reads of spring. Taming the food crisis. Plus, remembering America's pre-eminent winemaker, Robert Mondavi. The crappiest toys inspired by this year's summer blockbusters. Plus, CJ7 is aimed squarely at kids, families and adults with easily triggered tear ducts. It comes complete with an alien pet. The sudden stardom of Balkan brass-inspired Beirut. And nearly three-dozen metal bands tear Albuquerque a new one at the Gathering of the Sick festival. New technology allows the city to put boots on the cars of parking scofflaws. Go out on the town with a couple local pick-up artists. And the North Valley's train crossings go quiet. There's a lot more to beer than meets the tongue, so let the foam-filled education process begin! Albuquerque's Dukes of Ale wants to stamp out ill-informed beer-loving. Plus, the various types of brew and the diary of a man who makes them. SPAMalot brings star-power on top of classic Monty Python one-liners and catapulted cows. The Cradle Project pays tribute to the 48 million children who've lost their parents to poverty and disease. And why The National Book Critics Circle Awards got it right. Mimmo’s is a spot-on family restaurant for Italian food lovers with a lust for sauce. Plus, behold the hoppy goodness of Marble Brewery. Girls Rock! proves just that. And Kung Fu Panda —a seemingly rote “cute animal” parody of your standard chop-socky pic—comes damnably close to treating itself like a real movie with a tight script, good actors and a unique look. Sweetness waxes poetic while doling out the ear candy. Plus, Al Green teams up with a member of The Roots to make an album with a timeless sound. Web-enhanced with a mess of pixelated Python vids. Right on! Do Bigfoot really live in New Mexico? Find out in an extended version of this week's Radford Files. A condo project in the University area raises controversy. Scientologists say the city is being discriminatory. And UNM Hospital puts a leash on prescription drug representatives. From a club guide to a three-day, foam-filled party-palooza at the Fairfield Marriot, we've got all the Pride Weekend goings-on inside. Plus, Indigo Girl Emily Saliers talks about the Gay Pride movement and the band's new CD. Yellow Cab at the Adobe Theater weaves together romantic cabbie tales. And Here Comes Everybody posits that new communication tools are making forms of group action possible where they weren’t before. A triple-shot of locally owned coffee shops. And Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama talks food. Mister Lonely is a puzzling freak show. And The Incredible Hulk smashes into theaters. Hip-hop duo God-des and She tells you to "Lick It." And The Age of Rockets records a pseudo-orchestra on a budget. "Alternative Radio" host David Barsamian says the media is a weapon of mass distraction. City councilors and local youth look into green-collar jobs. Plus, the city comes to a decision on the controversial 2000 Gold condo project. The Seven: Something Left Unsaid gives playwrights 10 minutes to tell a story. And Author Marianne Wiggins talks writing, photography and living in the 21 st -century West. Taj Palace lives up to high Indian food expectations with moist meats and superb service. And the New Mexico Symphony orchestra combines wine, music and altruism at the Vintage Albuquerque Fine Wine and Art Auction. The Talking Stick Film Festival provides a platform for Native voices. Albuquerque-based tender-metal band Hit By A Bus will plug in anywhere with an outlet. And N.E.R.D.'s Seeing Sounds is the soundtrack to your next house party. When David Sedaris hits the road on a book tour, he brings mini-bottles of conditioner for teenagers who come to see him. One reader awarded the author's generosity by giving him a stuffed pheasant. It's all in a day's work for the award-winning essayist. Those who care for the homeless in Albuquerque are feeling the crunch of the slumping economy. Environmentally friendly coffins, and the Albuquerque Journal doesn't pay much mind to the Albuquerque Pride Parade. We gave you a tiny word count, and you gave us more than 119 mini-stories. The Alibi sorted through the entries until we strained out this year's winners of the Ridiculously Short Fiction Contest. Feel the literary might inside! Santa Fe Opera General Director Richard Gaddes speaks on introducing ordinary New Mexicans into the odd, but oddly satisfying, high-strata subculture of opera. We speak with the man who helped blow the lid off of Blackwater. And gossip-queen Chelsea Handler talks dirty. The bar steals the show at Nob Hill Bar and Grill. Plus, Downtown Gourmet is forced to say farewell. Graphic novel-inspired Wanted is likely to find a solid foothold among average, non-inkstained viewers eager to get blissed-out on pure summertime action. And the beautiful-yet-visceral Kazakhstani film Mongol is fighting for independent cinema. Santa Fe's first-rate all-ages venue, Warehouse 21, is back in business. And Wolf Parade's new album grows on you like an implausible freaking beanstalk. Read even more ridiculously short fiction culled from our finalist pool. An Albuquerque gay couple travels to California to get married, but how will their union be viewed in the eyes of New Mexico law? Doctors struggle with a perplexing brain disease. And is The New York Times being subtly racist? As our nation becomes another year older, Native Americans have made progress on making their voices heard, but they still have a long way to go. SITE Santa Fe's Lucky Number Seven offers a journey back to the playground. And The Selected Essays of Gore Vidal reminds us that when it comes to the battles of his day, Vidal hit back as hard as Norman Mailer, often harder. The contemporary cuisine at Jennifer James 101 proves James is a chef among chefs. Plus, the Alibi's summer wine recommendations. Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of adorability that is WALL-E . And Hancock is better with booze. Ours is a major label epic-rock band with an underdog mentality. And the Starving Artists Tour brings hungry hip-hop acts to the Duke City. How is the sluggish economy affecting Albuquerque businesses? With less than four months before Election Day, the state's Bureau of Elections is without two key officials. And New Mexico joins the common-sense bandwagon and says "no thanks" to abstinence-only funding. Are fast-food joints an easy scapegoat for our nation's addiction to fatty foods? What if the real culprit is America's long-standing tradition of overeating? I Hate Hamlet and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) gaze into Shakespeare's world through a less-than-original lens, and both do it with a touch of humor. Plus, sink your teeth into the graphic novel Life Sucks. The Old House Gastropub goes beyond the usual watering-hole fare and grills up buffalo, yak, ostrich and kangaroo. It's all served in a wonderfully homey atmosphere. And why not grab a can of Dale's Pale Ale and "porch it"? Journey to the Center of the Earth's rock-strewn sets don't look half-bad. Meanwhile, the mushy weeper And When Did You Last See Your Father? is a sap-filled guilty pleasure. After several months, the Launchpad is finally up and running. Find out what it took to get the venue back on its feet. CSS is charmingly tacky. Plus, Tom McDermott is one of the most fluid, inventive and technically robust pianists on the 88s today. Residents sue the city over a BMX stadium in their backyard. A look at Albuquerque's green-collar sector, and the EPA isn't concerned about silica in Rio Rancho's groundwater. Albuquerque's theater scene is bustling, but there could be more folks taking advantage of it. The Albuquerque Theatre Guild is out to put butts in seats. Inception at SCA Contemporary Art lets artists make their mark. Plus, Salman Rushdie's magical and engrossing new novel, The Enchantress of Florence . Learn to harness the power of "the spice of angels" known as fennel pollen. Plus, a triple scoop of local ice cream parlors. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is one of those rare occasions where the sequel outperforms the original. And Constantine's Sword looks at the marginalization, oppression and death a merged church and state produces. You can't turn a musical corner without running into the influence of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and New Mexico Jazz Festival performer Allen Toussaint. Plus, the mad Hungarian-fronted Zoltán Orkestar releases a new CD. And Unit 7 Drain's LoveCraft captures lightning in a bottle—again. The first jail-based charter school in the country will open its doors in New Mexico. Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson talks with the Alibi about her new book and her move to New Mexico. Plus, how is the city handling a homicide-filled week? And do Albuquerque residents think their city is safe? Marisa Demarco roars into the fast lane of the city's drag racing community. Buckle your seat belt, and come along for the ride. The Madness of King Georgie Bush takes aim at our administration and lets 'er rip, putting the reality of our political situation on stage in a Shakespearean way. And Uwem Akpan's Series of Shorts transports you into the lives of Africa's disadvantaged children. Just Muffin Around gives you two choices: Gorge yourself on fresh-baked muffins or order a lunch mom would be proud of. Plus, guzzle a strong and piney Indian Pale Ale—from a can. The Dark Knight exceeds lofty expectations and Mamma Mia! isn't as cringetastic as we thought it would be. Reedman Paquito D’Rivera is equally at home with classical, Latin and jazz music, while The Life and Times is a snarling, chimey guitar- and Rhodes keyboard-fed pit bull. Record store workers give their take on the recent Krazy Kat Music raid. America as Imperial Rome and Jesus for president. Plus, the first lawsuit grappling with the state's new medical marijuana law ends with a settlement. Can a film be made in less than two days, and, if so, can it be good? Find out as the Alibi goes inside the 48 Hour Film Project. The Bad Seed is the ultimate kind of drag performance. And an interview with harsh literary critic James Wood. Getting sloshed in style, and reinvigorating stir-fry. The French are si bon at putting their own special twist on horror movies, and that's what makes Frontier(s) such an engrossing watch. Plus, the Duke City Shootout wraps up this year's race in style. Patti Littlefield brings her bottle-rattling, temperature-raising voice to the Outpost. Plus, an Albuquerque high school teacher dresses like a Viking for the Air Guitar Championships. Take your weekly news quiz. A bill demanding equal insurance coverage for those with mental illness struggles to get through Congress. Swing dancing and politics merge. And the importance of making sure journalists' sources stay protected. Three years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still trying to get back on its feet. But stories and camaraderie still abound in one of the nation's most distinctive cities. Adriana Mater at the Santa Fe Opera evokes, in a way, Star Wars . And the Mother Road Theatre's first-ever Young Playwrights Festival gives youth the chance to see their words on stage. A look at some of the New Orleans restaurants that took a lickin' and kept on serving. Plus, get the most out of your wine tasting experience. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is schlocky, shallow and deliberately pointless. It's also shockingly enjoyable. And Kicking It tells the heartwarming story of the Homeless World Cup. With a firm foothold on the West Coast, Or, the Whale looks to conquer Santa Fe. Meanwhile, soulful singer Bonnie Watts brings a little Chicago to the Land of Enchantment. Bonus photography from New Orleans. Questions and answers we couldn't squeeze into the paper. Hear some of the music from Soul Sister's playlist. A bike ride powered by cards, laughs and legs. Looking at the governor's tax rebate plan. And Rep. Steve Pearce is a hippy hater. Farmers, Senators and bus drivers: Our 2008 Survival Guide puts all of Burque's key players within easy reach. Plus, we show off photos from the biggest Alibi Scavenger Hunt in history! What to do when life gives you radioactive lemons. Sizing up imaginary fights for the ages. Plus, artscrawl mania! A guide to classy cold cuts, cheese and wine that won't have you remembering lunches on the playground. The Rocker is the world's largest commercial dedicated to launching the career of a young, talented singer-songwriter. On Marc's Guitar Center's 30 th anniversary, Marc Foman reveals his favorite guitar lick and his secret to competing with the music store Goliaths. And Jamey Johnson's That Lonesome Song provides an antidote to the fads and fashions of neo-country. Does Mayor Martin Chavez want a ban on booze at all-ages shows? Depends on what day you ask. The presidential candidates and their surrogates descend on New Mexico. And the Albuquerque Journal calls Sen. Hillary Clinton a cheerleader. Expired clichés: The Alibi recounts Albuquerqueisms that should take the next Rapid Ride out of here. Rabbit Hole paints a realistic picture of a parent's worst nightmare. And Bubonicon draws about 500 science-fiction, fantasy and horror enthusiasts rarin’ to meet authors, try cereals named after movies or dress up like a Sith Lord. When it comes to following the well-established American sushi formula, Sushi Hana doesn't stray from what's expected. And Bottle Shock is a wine film that's basted in controversy. Encounters at the End of the World is a rumination on the world’s harshest embodiment of Mother Nature: the Antarctic. This time, it’s personal. Plus, a triple shot of horror classics from the ’80s. The weilder of the whammy bar, Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, talks to the Alibi about what it takes to be a rock idol. Meanwhile, violinist, Rock and Rhythm Band founder and former shy kid Robb Janov talks about life through music. Could a decision by the secretary of state cause politically minded nonprofits to zip their lips? The inventors in the Idea Propulsion Lab have the best solar-powered fighting robots in town. And the City Council tinkers with the labor-management balance. With world oil prices climbing, electric cars have been thrust into the spotlight. The problem is, battery technology isn't good enough to make electro-cars a viable option. Solving this quandary could be the key to making alternative energy mainstream. The pieces in Take Back at THE LAND/gallery draw inspiration from the New Mexico landscape and poetry from afar. Meanwhile, Unisex features the world premiere of The Politics of Hair by Lou Clark and David Schein's Out Comes Butch . For straight-up New Mexican comfort food that will have you licking your plate clean, head to Marlene's. And pistachio hummus is perfect for a midday snack or as a component for a clever canapé. Traitor crafts an honest and clear-eyed look inside the modern-day world of Muslim terrorism. And My Winnipeg director Guy Maddin finds himself emotionally stuck in his Manitoba hometown, posing the question, What if I filmed my way out of here? Folksy shoegaze duo Wye Oak has chemistry that could only be spawned by a romantic couple. Plus, the chill-hop effused from The 2Bers’ new record is never in a rush and always understated. Doctors and nurses from New Mexico travel to the Democratic National Convention to talk about America's ailing health care system. A memorial honoring soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan makes a visual link to 9/11. And, in our first edition of "Also on the Ballot," the Alibi spends the day with Ralph Nader. What's the best haiku about the "Q"? Can you really write a haiku about poo? And what's the poetic angle on rectangles? The answers to these and many other haiku quandaries await you in our annual Haiku Issue. The whole city reads The Adventures of Tom Sawyer during The Big Read. The Pearl Fantasy leaps from a cassette tape to the stage. And Zombie Haiku recounts Chris Lynch's foul and gruesome encounters as an infected zombie through the traditional Japanese poetic form. From open plains to woodlands, even in sandy deserts, mushrooms lie underfoot. Maren Tarro takes a look into our fungus-filled world. As the fall rolls in, we list the cash cows and whimpering washouts of the Summer movie season. Tim Finn talks about his successful nephew, saving old theaters and his 35 years of songwriting. Plus, Japan's Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re can't wait to meet you. Answer Me This! You want more haiku? Click here for satisfaction. Poetry awaits... Learn more about mushroom identification right here. Should the state provide medical marijuana to those who qualify? A nonprofit organization wakes up to a puzzling headline, and the Bureau of Elections is still without a director. Plus, a list of words that plague the journalistic world. In its second year, the Duke City Improv Festival doles out two weekends' worth of improv, with 14 performances by local and national troupes and three intensive workshops. We ask the troupes a series of hard-hitting, sidesplitting questions. The STIR festival celebrates “the profound connections between words and the world." And Colosseum is full of self-conscious occlusions, far-reaching links and some oracular, beautiful lines. Greenside Café cooks up stick-to-your-ribs cuisine with a chill Cedar Crest attitude. And leftover tomatoes can be used in most anything you're cooking. Man on Wire tells the story of tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s illegal 1974 attempt to perform a high-wire act between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Local label owner Zac Webb chats about the record biz and his baby, Vinyl Countdown. And experimental electro artist Reba Hasko flies across the ocean and lands in the desert. Read the extended interview, enjoy entertaining videos. Why some people choose not to vote. If you are not going to vote this is your last chance to tell us about it. Albuquerque's about to start drinking river water. A good-natured midway worker tells us what it's like to be employed at the State Fair. And John McCain picks a fight with the media. Maren Tarro braves mud and horror stories to find the enigmatic mesa; a place where living off the grid leaves plenty of time for self-growth and calling your own shots—as long as you have enough water to survive. Three new exhibits speak to the guts and idealism of youth. And Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz takes the Alibi's call from his hotel bathroom. A trip to Northern New Mexico yields bear omelet and roasted lamb heads. At long last, Santa Fe has a Metaphysical Film Festival. And the locally produced TV pilot "Legal Hawks" hits the KiMo. 17 Hippies stumps iTunes' genre-classification system at ¡Globalquerque! Plus, a faux-interview with Ani DiFranco. And, Action: The state's first media arts school is set to train New Mexico's future screenwriters, producers and directors. Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr wants to slash government spending. Plus, getting burned-out on election coverage. Why aren't some people going to vote this November? The Alibi speaks with the much-ignored category of Americans known as nonvoters. The Homecoming is like an episode of "Jerry Springer" that challenges the performers and the audience. Plus, Philip Roth's Indignation recalls the sexual repression of the '50s. Western View Diner & Steakhouse is exactly the breed of restaurant that's slowly being replaced by sterilized, nostalgic imitations. Plus, the benefits of illegally plucked fruit. The sixth annual Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival gains viewers every year. This time around, eyeballs will be especially pleased. And Nights in Rodanthe is the newest cinematic adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ quickly digested romances. Tilly and the Wall taps its way to the top. RTX's JJ Got Live RATX is tight-pants-wearing rock that keeps it real and very loud. The unemployment rate in New Mexico is climbing. The first openly gay person to run for office visits Albuquerque for National Coming Out Day. And does the McCain Campaign want some cheese with that whine? Hop into the gondola with Phil Thompson, owner and founder of Lindstrand Balloons USA. Plus, don't miss a minute of mass ascension with our full schedule of the 2008 Balloon Fiesta. It's all part of this year's Unofficial Balloon Fiesta Guide. The Weir is a booze-heavy Irish play with tight, well-executed performances and a set that puts you right in the action. And Eternal Enemies by Adam Zagajewski gives us stunning, imagistic remembrances of childhood, elegies to poets and glancing snapshots of life on the move. Mayan Cuisine: Recipes from the Yucatan Region blooms with brilliantly colored photos and equally vibrant descriptions of this provocative cuisine. Plus, do you really need all that sugar in homemade jam? Blindness is a hopelessly self-important, cluelessly tone-deaf sci-fi parable. And Flash of Genius is a biopic about the guy who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Excited yet? Soul singer Eli "Paperboy" Reed has a howling voice from yesteryear. And Tony Bennett says Chiara Civello is “the best jazz singer of her generation." You can hear her for yourself when the Outpost Performance Space opens its 20 th season. It's the Pan!c CD release. See its rad flyer here. Meet the new director of the Bureau of Elections. Two months after it was raided, there are still no charges filed against Krazy Kat Records. And Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin wants to bring jobs back to America. It's time to chow down on the winners of this year's Best of Burque Restaurants. Who's got the best bacon? What about the best green chile cheeseburger? Best tofu? Best ice cream? The readers have spoken, and their answers are revealed. China Luck is another stop on the underground egg roll railroad. And the nutty pink paste of walnuts and charred bell peppers known as muhammara gets better when it sits. DiCaprio and Crowe are a sharp pair in the sophisticated espionage drama Body of Lies . And "Chocolate News" has David Alan Grier back on the boob tube doing what he does best—sketch comedy. The artists in Cautionary Tales: A Visual Dystopia trade in ruin and decline, while Finding a Pulse offers hope. Plus, UNM's production of Frankenstein looks straight into the mind of a monster's creator. Reggae-rock act Pepper has a Hawaiian state of mind. And a local software developer wants you to craft adventurous tracks with odd time signatures. Canvassers helped get thousands registered to vote in Bernalillo County. "The NewsHour" 's Ray Suarez tries to capture the essence of Albuquerque. Plus, our annual review of Albuquerque the Magazine's "Hot Singles of Albuquerque" issue. Santa Fe's Theater Grottesco presents an evening of wonderment that should not be missed. Find out why in this online exclusive review. For those who feel like they've been swimming in political ads, the Alibi throws a life preserver. Our panel dissects the commercials that invaded living rooms during this election season. Electoral Dysfunctions tackles America's high-stakes political climate from eight different angles. And the Eyegasm Erotic Art Show provides an outlet for artists who aren't afraid to offend. Who you calling chicken? Locavore city-dwellers get farm-fresh eggs from their own backyards. Happy-Go-Lucky director Mike Leigh talks about his fascination with the mundane. Plus, I Served the King of England is an irresistible bit of Slovakian whimsy. You've heard it on the boob tube, now catch the garage-rock of Locksley at the Launchpad. And Noah and the Whale's Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down walks the line between effortless and forced. How did an 88 year-old dementia patient register to vote? The Duke City Derby is kicking ass. Gov. Sarah Palin's photo goes untouched. And find out what Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney is all about. A full investigation into whether the KiMo ghost truly exists has never been performed. Benjamin Radford and Mike Smith set the record straight. Albuquerque Little Theatre's splendid production of Roald Dahl's The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is a visually stunning play for every age. And The Dead Travel Fast attempts to sort out the peculiar grip vampires hold on modern culture. Charlie's Front and Back Door dispenses New Mexican food in a dimly lit dive where old friends and young families converge. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to make kimchi. It’s Alive is everything a horror flick from the ’70s should be. Plus, an American take on the British cult classic TV series “Life on Mars.” Can your brain keep up with Gypsy jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel? And the members of post-rock supergroup Jaguar Love creep out of the shadows of their old projects. Seen Tricklock's new production, Melancholy Play ? We implore you to log in and post a mini-review. Listen to the seminal Earwig playlist winner here. Got questions about where, when and how to vote? We've got answers. Fighting for religious freedom in the military can be dangerous. And those found guilty of Driving Under the Influence get their mug shots in the Journal . Ready to vote? From the presidential race to bond requests, the Alibi's Election Guide dishes on the candidates and issues that matter most; then we tell you which lever we'd pull. The newly opened Wooden Cow Gallery covers every square foot with art from a multitude of mediums. And National Novel Writing Month challenges authors to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Café Giuseppe makes good on its promise to bring real caffe Italiano to the States. And Alex Brown and Evan George dare to age hop-heavy beers. A handful of spooky election flicks. Plus, satisfy your appetite for fright with Halloween around the dial. Eva Ave and Carlosaur combine their one-person bands to form an unstoppable, pirate-inspired allegiance. And Ray LaMontagne's blooming pop-folk reaches for a promised land where Stephen Stills and Van Morrison once stood. The short version for your voting pleasure. Community college students struggling to pay for gas, food and rent get help from their schools. And what happened to the Republican Party? Prepare your peepers for superspies, vampires, talking mice, Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and a superhero or two in this year's Holiday Film Guide. The ArcTisTics combine the talents of those with and without developmental disabilities for a performance that dissolves stereotypes. Paul Auster's Man in the Dark punctures disbelief and pulls readers into a new reality. Sakura Sushi has chicken curry, monkey balls, soft-shell crab and spicy drunken noodles. Oh, and sushi. Also, it's a great time to plant garlic. The straightforward buddy comedy Role Models is packed with enough big laughs to amuse a wide range of audience members. And director Jonathan Demme returns to his small-budget indie film roots with the low-key dramedy Rachel Getting Married . Bellemah laughs, cries and talks about Tom Waits. Plus, John Hollenbeck’s texturally rich, rhythmically compelling and continually shape-shifting jazz breaks ground. A lawsuit against several nonprofits gets thrown out. And test your knowledge of this year's top stories with a news crossword. What kind of crazy are you? How many Blake's Lotaburgers are there in New Mexico? What color is produced at 5,500 Angstroms? Find the answers to these and other brain busters in the Alibi's annual Quiz and Puzzle issue. Things get comedic, tragic and wacky in All in the Timing. A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Rio Grande Bosque will help you decide if that snake in the garden is a venomous Western diamondback rattlesnake or harmless Western hognose. Plus, test your knowledge of the presidency with a "Quiz to the White House." Cooking with Johnny Vee: International Cuisine with a Modern Flair teaches amateurs how to cook without killing themselves. And how well do you know Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire? Bone up on Bond with the "James Bond Primer." And catch the so-stupid-it’s-genius television show "Human Wrecking Balls." One of hip-hop's hardest workers takes a four-week breather from touring to make an album, then gets back on the road. Meanwhile, the Melismatics go all-out no matter who's watching. Crime rings, fires, human remains and the clink this week on Answer Me This. Find out about film world happenings and goings on right here. Bonus! Hot links and cool trivia-related clips. A dating website for the mentally ill. A used-clothing boutique that employs women with harsh histories. And progressives take solace in a fake New York Times . To get fresh pasta in New Mexico, you've got to go off the beaten path. And an Italian family comes together over bagna cauda —what about yours? The Guerilla Girls hide behind their mask-ulinity. Plus, 12 books for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa that keep giving throughout the year. Don't let the holidays become a hassle—go shopping with this year's Holiday Gift Guide. We've combed the mom and pop stores of Albuquerque and Santa Fe to find everything you need and all the stuff you want. The sunny-side up character study A Man Named Pearl shows the impact one man can have on the world around him. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network does an admirable job of translating our "Maakies" comic strip into the realm of moving animation in “The Drinky Crow Show.” At the Drive-In guitarist Jim Ward spends seven years making an Americana record. And The Knux's Remind Me in 3 Days is what happens when hip-hop becomes less insular and lets a grab bag of influences go to work. Listen to our second Earwig winner here! Before pollutants get thrown in the air, the city's Air Quality Division wants you to know about it. But is it doing enough to keep you informed? And a local sci-fi novelist gets to talk with a real-life space commander. How did wine from New Mexico end up in the pages of the New York Times ? Should we worry about terroir ? And what vino does Rudolfo Anaya drink on the first day of Christmas? Find out in our Holiday Wine Guide. Graphic novelist Maureen Burdock fights the powers that be. Michael Cooperman, the director of education for Southern Wine and Spirits in New Mexico, helps dissolve the stereotype that wine experts are snobs. Plus, take a day trip to the region's ultra-hip wine-tasting locales. If you’re into loud, frantic and aggressively unsubtle cinema, Transporter 3 is the bomb. And the Sci-Fi Channel's identity crisis deepens with new reality-game shows “Estate of Panic” and “Cha$e.” Singer-songwriter Shara Worden uses her penetrating insight to dissect the epic, cultured, dark and beautiful My Brightest Diamond. And The Killers' Day & Age keeps the magic of pop music alive. Your weekly news quiz (where the right answer isn't always C). An interview with Amy Costello, who was nominated for an Emmy for her reporting on Darfur. The city wants to expand recycling in Albuquerque with a new recycling transfer facility. Spend the night with an emergency vet. And how much does our state pollute? It depends on who you ask. Amateur fighter Jason Quintana emerges from a five-year prison term with a renewed desire to become a professional kickboxer. Designer's Lounge is out to prove sewing isn't antiquated. Meanwhile, best-selling author Haruki Murakami's career is based on the answers to two questions: What if I tried to write a novel? And what if I went for a jog? Buck the seasonal trend and enjoy a cup of Itsa Italian Ice. And Oskar Blues' "Ten Fidy" is Colorado's snow-scorched earth in a can. Sean Penn has another Academy Award nomination locked up for his exceptional work in the biopic Milk . Plus, Charlie Kaufman's latest existential experiment Synecdoche offers up a dose of pure, undiluted Kaufmania. With his mask on, NOBUNNY is a boozed-up, fearless wrecking ball. Without it, he's an ultra-shy singer-songwriter. And Girl Talk's frenetic mashup Feed the Animals is a super-condensed "up yours" to copyright law. PC Magazine says New Mexico has the slowest Internet in the country. The Huffington Post is worth more than many newspaper companies. And three years after returning from Iraq, Army officer Alex E. Limkin still struggles to cope with the memories of combat. There's no need to travel all over town to find holiday gifts in a hurry. The Last-Minute Gift Guide is your key to walkable, stress-free shopping. Christmas at the Yucca Vista is a holiday satire in drag that takes on religion, hypocrisy, class and our obsession with voyeuristic entertainment. And even art might need a bailout. The Pueblo Harvest Café and Bakery specializes in Native American dishes with a continental twist. And for the love of God, don't cook with beer or wine you wouldn't enjoy drinking. The Edge of Heaven is a hyperlink drama that's doggedly undramatic. And is it time to give up on "Heroes"? Resonance's self-titled release proves you can make a ton of music with only a voice, a tuba and a little percussion. Meanwhile, Charmed takes on the darkness and finds the light with Bitter Suite 7 . Plus, folk-country band Olin and the Moon brings heart to Los Angeles. Find out what to expect when you take the Rail Runner to Santa Fe. And a doctor who sued the city after he was arrested during a war protest walks away empty-handed. Local radio icon TJ Trout helps us pick the winner of the Alibi's "Draw the Head on the TJ Trout" sweepstakes. Reward the naughty and nice bibliophiles in your life with books that satisfy bad girls, good boys, grandmas and everyone else. Tamales by Daniel Hoyer encourages cooks to host their own tamale-making parties. Recipes included. Devin D. O’Leary will believe we're getting a state-of-the-art IMAX theater when he walks through its doors. As its artistic director, renowned trumpeter Bobby Shew makes sure the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra plays with more punch, power and nuance than ever. Plus, Common's eighth album gets weighed down by a bunch of club bangers with no bite. Pour yourself a glass of the Rio Grande. And just how many calls is the state's unemployment office bombarded with every day? Financial turmoil, unprecedented bailouts, the extinction of our biggest corporate brands and lipstick-wearing pit bulls were just a few of the memories from 2008. Now it's time to forget it all and party your face off. Get the drop on what's popping off in our annual New Year's Party Guide. Find out why STOVE is closing its doors, and who's moving in after it shuts down. Farina Pizzeria and Wine Bar is the sexy, punked-up younger sibling of jazzy Artichoke Café. Plus, when faced with impending financial doom, drink beer that's strong, dark and cheap. Celebrated couch-jumper Tom Cruise is poorly cast in the historical action drama Valkyrie. Meanwhile, cradle-to-grave romance The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is grounded in heavy emotional truth. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies never was a pure swing band, but the group's live sets are filled with the stuff. Plus, on its fourth album, Fall Out Boy sticks with catchy, fast-paced choruses and occasional clapping. The record will satisfy the faithful, but probably won't bring anyone new into the fold. Who doesn't love a good list? Well, how about a bad one? The 17 th annual P.U.-litzer Prizes recap 2008's most flatulent of American media stinkers. Oscar-worthy performances, tsunami-sized political waves, fire damage and police states—from the looks of our sprawling best and worst compilation, New Mexico downed a handful of uppers in '08. Former Alibi Arts Editor Amy Dalness returns to run down 2008's pretty and provoking things. And current Alibi Arts Editor Erin Adair-Hodges beckons you to browse through this year's New Mexico Book Awards winners. Food dominated the headlines in 2008—we picked 10 of the most tantalizing stories. Plus, 3,000 years of chocolate-covered history and a Mayan drinking chocolate recipe that doesn't require too much sacrifice. The best and worst of the big screen—movie theaters saw a parade of beauties and a flock of turkeys pass through their turnstiles in 2008. When we finished flipping through our 2008 music archives, the number of locally produced albums rattling around inside awed us. And, because Albuquerque isn't the center of the universe, a quick-and-dirty glance at the major-label records that left an impression. Two former air quality board members say there isn't enough being done to keep our air clean. And Tom Bender suspects the spirit of Christmas has been throttled in its sleep. What will 2009 bring for the economy, the war in Iraq, the environment and celebrities? Two psychics, a medicine man, a tarot reader and a couple of folks from the street give us the answers in our annual Psychic Predictions issue. Help yourself in 2009 with this guide to self improvement guides. Obama's choice for secretary of agriculture is a fan of biotech and ethanol. But he also palled around with Monsanto executives, and he may be pro-cow cloning. I've Loved You So Long tells the chilling story of a quiet, gentle woman who's a convicted murderer. And will "Doctor Who" start courting tweens? Reggae artist Pato Banton escaped a violence-plagued home to achieve stardom in the U.K. Then he used his popularity to make where he grew up a better place. Ka-HOOTZ Theatre Company brings new work by living playwrights to Albuquerque. Its next production, The True History of Coca-Cola in Mexico, explores the corrosive influence of American capitalism on Mexican culture. Psychic bios! Extended readings! Sarah M. Kramer delves into the accuracy of last year's psychics. Tricklock tries to keep us from falling into the great abyss of global discord with its ninth annual Revolutions International Theatre Festival. Find out what to expect during this year's amalgamation of theater from around the world. Getting medical marijuana to more patients may require suing the feds. The domestic partnership bill gets another chance to succeed during this year's legislative session. And the Albuquerque Journal lays off employees. Chicana Badgirls: Las Hociconas sees contemporary Chicana art as part of a conversation that began with the civil rights and feminist movements. Meanwhile, Levi Romero's A Poetry of Remembrance: New and Rejected Works includes an extended riff on lowriders from an insider's point of view. El Norteño rises from the ashes in a new Northeast Heights space to satisfy all your mole and ceviche cravings. And the best way to make baby food in a blender. The Wrestler follows aging pro wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson, whose fame and fortune is disintegrating in post-millennial America. Plus, the meet-and-greet romance Last Chance Harvey asks: Why can't Baby Boomers delay their midlife crises until at least 50? Newgrass royalty Sam Bush may be one of the best mandolin pickers around, but he's still learning how to play. And Kevin Rudolf's In the City proves Cash Money Records finally picked up an artist that shines without all the jewelry. Get your weekly news quiz here! No one escapes the quick-witted wrath of Sen. Eric Griego's Roundhouse Comedy Revue. And keep an eye on some eyebrow-raising bills coming up during the legislative session. Are you tired of seeing New Mexico in the national headlines because of massive corruption scandals? Ethics reform can save our state from continual humiliation by making sure politicians play fair. Find out what bills are being introduced this legislative session to fix the problem, and learn how you can help get them passed. The Pins and Needles Tour brings Albuquerque's tattoo community together. And Nancy Benson’s New Mexico Colcha Club: Spanish Colonial Embroidery documents the history of a stitch in time. Namaste throws Nepalese offerings in with traditional Indian cuisine, and no dish disappoints. Plus, turn soggy, greasy peppercorns into booze-cured accompaniments to salads, soups and fresh cheeses. Sam Mendes ( American Beauty ) directs Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in a soul-crushing dissection of the American Dream in Revolutionary Road. Meanwhile, “Look Around You” may not be animated, but it's perfectly suited for Cartoon Network's block of mature, late-night weirdness known as Adult Swim. Former 16 Horsepower frontman David Eugene Edwards explains why people lust after alt.country. And Franz Ferdinand procures the next batch of radio-friendly acid trips on Tonight: Franz Ferdinand . David Eugene Edwards discusses touring and the relationship of Christianity and art in an extended version of this interview, available for your reading pleasure right here. Get your weekly news quiz right here, folks. Could the death penalty get the ax in New Mexico? And Councilor Michael Cadigan spars with the mayor's right-hand men over the city's red-light cameras. Find out how to prepare for the conversion to DTV happing on Feb. 17. The new format means more free channels, but it also spells the end for static. Pulling Strings: The Marionettes and Art of Gustave Baumann offers a glimpse into New Mexico’s past through the work of an old European art form. Plus, The Nation: Guide to the Nation provides a list of places where like-minded progressives can eat, drink and be Commies. Plus, we want to hear your creative ideas for disposing of your old TV sets. The Alibi takes TV dinners to task and separates the inedible crap from the edible crap. And add some color to your Super Bowl party with watermelon radish bites. The animated import Fear(s) of the Dark runs though a gamut of common phobias, including insects, needles, dogs and fire. Meanwhile, after languishing on studio shelves for more than a year, Inkheart brings Cornelia Funke’s beloved juvenile fantasy series to the big screen. And discover the perils of cheering for the underdog in our Super Bowl preview. Fucked Up frontman Damian Abraham admits he's scared about being a father and a hardcore punker hell-bent on hurting himself. And Two Tongues' self-titled release combines the talents of emo all-star outfits Saves the Day and Say Anything. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for the TV playlist. We got your weekly news quiz right here. Find out what the Legislature's grinding out. Listen to "I'm The Slime," 13 TV-related tracks. New Mexico trivia experts annihilate the competition in the Geek Bowl. And should federal stimulus money be used to put a streetcar on Central? Gene Grant examines what it means to be black in Albuquerque in a post-Obama world. Topdog/Underdog at The Vortex shows how the past bucks up like a wave to impact our present. Plus, Jeff Gordinier's X Saves the World explains how Generation X makes the planet a less sucky place. Cast Iron Café serves mom's home cooking from all over the country but runs into some conceptual problems along the way. And raising hens for their eggs in a tiny backyard may be more complicated than you think. The dark-yet-juvenile fantasy flick Coraline follows its title character into an alternate universe. Plus, catch 10 Oscar nominated films in two jam-packed showcases. The nefarious dudes in The Supervillains hate new ska, but they're all for crossbreeding it with reggae and punk. Meanwhile, Warehouse 508 cranks out the all-ages culture. What do you know about last week? Meat tubes! Get your meat tubes! And laws. Get your album reviews here. A landlord evicts a couple expecting a baby. And can legislators breath life into domestic partnership legislation? You love us! You really love us! Find out which cards struck a chord with the Alibi staff in this year's Valentine's Card Contest. Performer Vivienne VaVoom speaks about the changing culture of burlesque. And pit bull defenders put out a pinup. The Strauss/Warschauer Klezmer Duo headlines the weekend of music, dance and instruction that is Klezmerquerque. Plus, with President's Day fast approaching, we play Do, Date or Dump with America's commanders-in-chief. In an area weighed down by chains and big brands, Blue Cactus Grill rekindles the love affair between New Mexicans and New Mexican food. And sticky-sweet fried baby beets will get your sweetheart's blood pumping. Following the year of the vampire, we take a look at a gem from the golden era of Blaxploitation: Blacula . Meanwhile, there’s no avoiding the cultural impact of the Snuggie. The theatrical, meaty Americana of Murder by Death plots the perfect crime at the Launchpad. And Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta releases Old Money , a psychedelic barrage of Latin and funk-based roots. Get your weekly news quiz right here. What's going on at the Roundhouse? Funds could be yanked from UNM's ethnic centers. And the Somos Primos campaign brings native Hispanic New Mexicans and Latino immigrants together. Heath Ledger and Slumdog Millionaire are heavy favorites as the tussle for Oscar gold gets underway. Will there be any surprises when the Academy Awards curtain opens? Devin D. O'Leary provides his analysis. Pizza 9 may not sling authentic Chicago-style pie, but judged on its own merits, the slices satisfy. And find out where to get the best spuds for your spring garden. The Route 66 Revelers turn Fat Tuesday into a huge party. Plus, Let There Be Night illuminates the dangers of light pollution. Financial companies become the new go-to villains in The International . Meanwhile, Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived asks whether one man can effectively dictate national policy. If James Brown jammed with Steve Reich, Johann Sebastian Bach and Duke Ellington, the sessions would sound like jazz quartet Thrascher. Plus, Albuquerque's Dirt City Radio's Old Country Blues puts forth the kind of country you can sway to while swilling whiskey on your back porch. Quiz yourself on last week's news. State legislative action at the Roundhouse. Listen to the indie pop-tastic Hi ... Story mix. Young, fresh art. A tale of guilt and ghosts. And political persecution. A promoter has to scramble to find a new venue after his fetish performance gets cancelled by the city. Warehouse 508 secures most of the funding it was promised. And the media describes a woman's gruesome death as an "honor killing." Marisa Demarco goes one-on-one with the real-life superhero Green Scorpion; a vigilante crime fighter who patrols New Mexico and Arizona looking for bad guys. Divinely tangy margaritas, pork-stuffed grilled avocados and enormous Tacos de camarón make Sabroso's a hot spot for Northern New Mexican eats. Inmates in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center tell their stories of unrelenting resourcefulness in Writing From Within. The 81st annual Academy Awards were a class act and a good foundation on which future Oscar shows can grow. Albuquerque's Ends !n Tragedy touts a punk rock all-star squad, and a new EP. The writers of the Bernalillo County jail He's the quiet type. Meet another crusader stalking Burque's dark streets. We got your weekly news quiz right here. Are mixed-martial arts the same as cockfighting? One legislator thinks so. Read up on the Roundhouse. The domestic partnership bill falls in the state Senate, but advocates cling to the hope that it will eventually pass. And UNM's faculty says the university spends too much on administrative salaries. Amy Dalness learns how to fall, fight and get hit by a car Hollywood style during her week-long trip to film stunt school. International contemporary dance companies sashay into the North Fourth Art Center during Global DanceFest 2009. Plus, Women & Creativity 2009 highlights the innovative impact of women. It's tough to get a bead on Zohra Ethnic Foods' diverse menu, but patient diners are rewarded with chicken worth crowing about. Meanwhile, find out how to prepare your garden for the apocalypse. Waltz With Bashir mixes techniques of documentary, investigative journalism and personal reminiscence and relates them in a comic strip style of animation. And comedian Russell Brand tries to convert his fame in England into American stardom. Saxophonist David Sánchez blends the rigor and freedom of post-bop jazz with an African/Caribbean sensibility. Plus, We Should Be Dead moves from Ireland to L.A. to let its power-pop shine. Creationism? What's the Legislature up to now? Chug down a sweet cup of your weekly news quiz. UNM students who want child care on campus have to contend with a mile-long waiting list. And is the media coverage of the 13 bodies found on the Mesa insensitive? We sit down with the author of Forgotten Albuquerque to discuss the city's history and Albuquerque's schizophrenic attitude toward its past. Low-rider culture and imperialism blur in the de la Torre Brothers’ Meso-Americhanics . And ArtStreet strives to foster a creativity-centered cooperation for those with and without homes. Is APS' cheese sandwich policy ethical? Plus, find out how bad prisoners have it by making your own "Nutraloaf." Watching the brutal, sexually charged, deeply humanist, neon-noir epic that is Watchmen is enough to convince us that nothing could have prepared viewers for this experience. Meanwhile, Fanboys is a genial love letter to Star Wars geekdom disguised as a mildly raunchy road movie. Experimental punk duo No Age engineers chaos and rocks bridges at 3 a.m. And O+S' self-titled album gets ruined by clanking cans and barking dogs. Read the full Foxx-y interview with a Burque band that's headed to SXSW. And this just in—South by NewMex! New pipes on the block: Mac-Tire of Skye makes Celtic waves in Albuquerque. Plus, we link to a rainbow of St. Paddy’s events. Want to bring your concealed firearm to T.G.I. Friday's to knock back a couple cold ones? The Senate's right there with you. Take your weekly news quiz here. A peace group runs into trouble with the Environment Department for dishing out food without a permit. And the trash media looks up the metaphorical skirts of bailout companies. The busy streets of Juárez have been quieted by drug wars, corruption and mass-exodus. Businesses struggle to survive in the brutally silent city. Tricklock's one-man show The Velocity of Gary (not his real name) relies on the engulfing performance of local star Chad Brummett. And instead of focusing on teachers' performance, the best way to reform our education system is by funding the arts. The Hispanic foods grocery store Pro's Ranch Market serves any kind of meat you could possibly want, including to-die-for carnitas. And embark on your own salsa verde fantasy. Wendy and Lucy explores the connection between a rambling woman and her loyal pooch. Meanwhile, check out the star-studded TV pilots that could be headed to your living room. Prog-metal band These Arms are Snakes says the only way to survive is to tour like it’s the cure for cancer. And Thunderheist's self-titled release highlights the strengths and weaknesses of rave-rap. Over 20 years, the Outpost has cultivated an international reputation as a top-drawer venue. This year, performers pitch in to help keep the music playing. Plus, pop-punk alien outfit Peelander-Z touches down in Albuquerque to harvest your smile. Petland responds to animal rights groups that say the store is selling puppy mill dogs to canine lovers in Rio Rancho. Plus, where were the death penalty, domestic partnerships and ethics reform when this year's legislative session ended? Even though DNA evidence cleared his name, a developmentally delayed man spent three years in jail. Now he's suing the system that kept him locked up. What do you want to eat fresh from the garden? And what do you hope to eat from your garden all year long? The garden you grow hangs in the balance. A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America's Relations with the Muslim World looks at conflicts in the Middle East from multiple vantage points. And author Gloria Zamora says she wrote Sweet Neta to keep the stories of her family alive. The offbeat dramedy Sunshine Cleaning has a dysfunctional family ethic, a maudlin sense of humor and more than a titular noun in common with Little Miss Sunshine . Meanwhile, we revisit "men on a mission" WWII flick Inglorious Bastards from back in 1978. Real or fake: A TV show called "Is That Poop?" Get to know your art galleries. Find out what happened to your favorite bills in this extended wrap-up of the legislative session. Check back for updates. An illegal immigrant stays afloat by selling homemade burritos. Plus, notice anything different about your paycheck? Alibi readers voted on their favorite bars, movies, charities, musicians and more. Find out who climbed to the top of the list in this year's Best of Burque issue. The death row drama Coyote on a Fence avoids becoming polemic and instead focuses on human connection and dignity. And much of UNM's public art is hidden in plain sight. Brave the inevitable bad breath and order a slice of garlicky, New York-style cheese pizza from Pete's of Brooklyn. And a a bouquet of fresh rosemary will drive you nuts for pecans. Che Part One chronicles Che Guevara’s all-star Socialist team-up with Fidel Castro to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Part Two is more of a downer. And Adventureland jostles between bleak characters and childish boner jokes. The unusually instrumented jazz quartet Fantastic Merlins summons the freedom of a jazz combo and the daring of an avant-garde aggregation. And Marianne Dissard turns heartache into a cathartic Americana record with big gulps of French lyrics. Get to know your galleries. How many correct answers do you average on our weekly news quiz? Take a look at our other favorite finalists. Will there be iambic pentameter at the ABQ Grand Slam? Find out here. An environmental interest group says Sandia Labs' Mixed Waste Landfill could be putting our drinking water at risk. And America's running out of time to gain its energy independence. The Alibi's sixth annual photo contest helped us discover the things our readers love—specifically sunsets, babies and the BioPark. See which pictures shot to the top of the pile. New Mexico foodies who proudly display their love of lunch by tattooing it on their skin. We've got the photos to prove it. Larry Bob Phillips discusses the mural he scrawled in Atomic Cantina's bathroom: It's exploding with bombs, pasta and sex. Plus, the 2009 ABQ Grand Slam puts poets to the test. Bizarro filmmaker Craig Baldwin talks saucers and rockets. Meanwhile, Alien Trespass probes fans of Z-grade sci-fi flicks. Get your clumsy pens ready for the Morrissey Singles Album Art Challenge. And sunny prog rock band The Smile Ease battles an Alaskan volcano. Albuquerque's roller derby is back on track with a new rink and fresh players. Plus, one state representative works to uphold a level playing field for athletes, regardless of gender. Inside Strong City: From January to March 2009, Wayne Bent's controversial church gave Alibi correspondent Maren Tarro unprecedented access to its members. Are the factory farm bills going through Congress as scary as you think? Ari Lavaux tells it like it is. Amy Goodman talks to the Alibi about the heroes among us. And can you match the dead poet to his or her demise? Find out in our interactive "Dead Poets Society," honoring National Poetry Month. An encyclopedia of body swap comedies welcomes another reincarnation into the world. And Crips and Bloods: Made in America will make you look at L.A.'s gangs in a whole new light. Ex-Minuteman Mike Watt practices an opera for you on stage. Plus, Lionel Loueke graces us with simple, beautiful African melodies and a deep groove. Let's get quizzical. Is it hot in this Gallery Box, or is it just me? The largest powwow in North America is once again coalescing in Albuquerque. What's hip-hop got to do with Gathering of Nations? Plus, our Powwow Guide helps you navigate all the art openings, markets and parties going down this weekend in the Duke City. Black Butterfly, Jaguar Girl, Piñata Woman and Other Superhero Girls, Like Me delves into the tumultuous world of teenage girls. And comedians James and Ernie send their audience into a frenzy with jokes that, one way or another, relate to fry bread. Independence Grill's Kobe beef hamburgers are moist and huge in flavor. Plus, if Jesus were in the kitchen this spring, he'd make curry quinoa salad. Earth spends a year in the life of the planet—specifically, watching animal species as they raise their young, hunt for food and migrate across the face of the globe. Meanwhile, The Informers focuses on a group of wealthy young people who do a lot of drugs and have sex with one another in various gender combinations, all to the tune of Wang Chung. The new wave spy-rock group International Espionage! wants you to come to its show dressed incognito. And on its sophomore release, Swoon by Silversun Pickups adds depth to what already works. Native Americans ask President Obama to establish legal protections for sacred sites. Plus, the City Council and Mayor Martin Chavez trade barbs over whose pet projects will be voted on by the public. Music on the Arena Floor and Stage 49 Who will be mayor? This Gallery Box is as beautiful as a butterfly. Palestinian journalist Ziad Abbas shines light on an American blind spot. Selling like hotcakes: Thanks to a South Valley business incubator, entrepreneurs are thriving in an area where economic growth has been locked in a standstill. A former Alibi staffer wins a Pulitzer. The Duke City Derby season starts with a smash. And a cement company wants to ratchet up pollution in a North Valley neighborhood. Even though he left the Albuquerque Journal , Jim Belshaw still sees potential columns in the people he meets. And hometown boys The Pajama Men take home the prestigious Barry Award. Hurley's adds some Irish flare to its menu by hitching Celtic designations to its breakfast and lunch offerings. Plus, make a hot-ass batch of Mexican wedding cookies even if you won't be tying the knot anytime soon. The underwhelming Battle for Terra can't harness the magic of animated triumphs like WALL•E . And “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is a blatant attempt to make the runaway success of the Iron Man live-action movie appeal to the tween crowd. DJ Forest Green's been digging for records since she was 13 years old: That's when her love for electronic music first blossomed. Plus, discover whose playlist got the nod in this month's Earwig competition. Missed the derby bout? No worries. We've got shots of all the bruise-making action. Gallery Box looks at Bright Rain Gallery. The proposed Desert Rock coal-fired power plant might get its permit yanked by the EPA. Albuquerque's brand-new Encantada TV channel brings local arts, film, food and sports programs to your television. And everyone should relax about swine flu. Maren Tarro grabs a carton of Camels and hits the open road to see what lies beyond the boundaries of Albuquerque. (She finds gypsum, nuts, a chimp named Ham and reminders of New Mexico's volcanic past.) Plus, the Alibi's Recession-Proof Summer Guide bubbles over with a season's worth of cheap thrills. Best-selling author Michael Datcher speaks about laying himself bare in his autobiography Raising Fences: A Black Man's Love Story. Plus, the Minotaur, armless cats and a devil are on display at Cirq Art Gallery and Boutique. Victory gardens are thriving for the first time since WWII; but if you want to save money with a backyard recession patch of your own, you've got to invest time and sweat. X-Men Origins: Wolverine isn’t an awful movie. It’s just completely mediocre in every way. And the indie comedy Gigantic is filled with terrific good humor and charming characters. Hip-hop a cappella artist Zack Freeman uses his voice to touch souls. Meanwhile, Super Furry Animals' Dark Days/Light Years bounces from funk to hippie jams to sunshine-folk and never stops to ask for directions, instead reveling in getting lost. Photography and painting and porcelain, oh my! Residents and business owners in a South Valley neighborhood wrestle to make the area less industrial without bruising businesses. And Gene Grant suggests improvements to Albuquerque's local cable access. Slather on the sunblock and prepare for Terminators, Transformers, romantic comedies and another parody movie with a boatload of Wayans brothers. The Summer Film Guide drops it like it's hot. The former gallery director at the College of Santa Fe says goodbye to the school that will go dormant later this month. Plus, Jan MacKell's Red Light Women of the Rocky Mountains goes where few historians have dared, and her look behind the brothel doors provides a titillating alternative history. Ezra's Place has a few quirks, but the tender and rich grilled salmon, fried calamari and tangy Margaritas roll a strike inside a North Valley bowling alley. And Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek is a Kodak moment in a 750-milliliter beer bottle. The dramedy Rudo y Cursi is a modest, unabashedly crowd-pleasing and occasionally corny parable about family, soccer, sibling rivalry, soccer and national identity—but mostly soccer. Meanwhile, Devin D. O’Leary wonders if science fiction can survive on TV. Conscious MC Abstract Rude reunites with the rest of the Haiku D’Etat crew to prove there are people in South Central Los Angeles that think for a living. And Fischerspooner's Entertainment spews 10-cent rhymes and precious production that's just too cheesy. Alibi staff photographer Eric Williams documents the industrial side of the South Valley. A truly professional and multidimensional arts space. Take your weekly news quiz here, nerd. Plus, check out Gene Grant's Top 10 Community Cable Programming Ideas. A report says global warming threatens corn crops, but can wind power save America from a corn catastrophe? And Duke City Derby's all-star team can't quite trap the Rat City Rollergirls. Feminist icon Judy Chicago discusses the convergence of identity, place and art and also explains why she chooses to live in Belen. Judy Chicago's K-12 Dinner Party Curriculum highlights the oft-ignored contributions of women. And a group of art tourists come to New Mexico to discover the folk art treasures the Land of Enchantment harbors. All aboard! Feast on Rail Runner snack stops south of Albuquerque. Devin D. O'Leary breaks down Terminator Salvation . Plus, Absurdistan is an inordinately enjoyable throwback to '90s cinema, when the foreign/art house environment was filled with films that were cute, charming, exotic and slightly naughty. Albuquerque's The Oktober People tinkered with Explore The Sky Too for five years—and it shows. Meanwhile, The Maccabees' Wall of Arms gets drowned in a sea of "Wa-ows." Derby brutes battle it out before your very eyes. The Center for Peace and Justice celebrates 25 years in the activism business. And Jerry Ortiz y Pino explains why you should vote in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District elections. Mark Rudd was one of the leaders of the Weather Underground—an organization that fought to bring down the US government using violence. He's also Staff Writer Simon McCormack's stepdad. The friction in Life During Wartime is between hope and fear. Plus Ayelet Waldman's Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace includes d etails of the beaming bliss of becoming a mother, but they're balanced by a healthy dose of poop. Cravin' Cookies ... and More! bakes a cocoa cookie with a spicy punch. And follow the five steps to becoming a grilled cheese champion. The Glass House offers an honest, frustrating look at real life in modern-day Iran. Meanwhile, “Jesse James is a Dead Man” stars a bona fide badass. Geologist of the indie experimental outfit Animal Collective talks about keeping songs fresh and worrying about a creativity blackout. Plus, mewithoutYou releases an album of inspired Christian campfire songs that don't offend despite the God talk. Now that's a gallery. Sick New Mexicans aren't just fighting illness, they're battling the medical debt that treatment racks up. Is the cure is worse than the disease? Plus, our state is the least prepared in the country for the impending digital TV conversion. Are you ready? Scrambling through out-of-bounds areas may not be legal or safe, but urban explorers are smitten with local history—they just can't keep their hands off of crumbling, abandoned buildings. Get a feel for the differing styles that exist within the realm of contemporary dance at the Wild Dancing West festival. And Los Fantasticos’ Days of Future Past at South Broadway Cultural Center shows off the vanguard of Albuquerque's painting powerhouses. Globe-trotting food writer Ari LeVaux straps in as the Alibi's new restaurant critic: He's thrilled that Mai Thai is his first stop in Albuquerque. Plus, that L.A. taco truck staple of pickled carrot, jalapeño and white onion gets the squeeze bottle treatment. The Hangover follows the goofy, male-nudity-laced footwork of this generation's "dude film" tradition. And UP offers another example of why Pixar is the movie studio to beat when it comes to animated features. Hobbs singer-songwriter Jasper Brown writes music about murder and lives to tell the tale. Meanwhile, the Alibi's first-ever Pride party takes place in space. Read about one of the first non-toxic printmaking shops in the country. The Duke City Derby's Muñecas Muertas tanned the hides of the Dallas Derby Devils. A high school LGBT activist engenders pride in fellow youth. And why you shouldn't just toss your old TV into a landfill. In this year's Pride issue, find a complete schedule of Pride events both on and off the fairgrounds. Then hear what the creator of the LGBT rainbow flag has to say. Yjastros Flamenco Repertory Company shows off its entire catalogue in Blanco, Rojo y Negro. Plus, must-read LGBT books. Blades Bistro in Placitas offers roasted beats bathed in balsamic vinegar, a robust French onion soup and salads for people who don't like salad. The stark historical drama Hunger is interested in details, turning the smallest of gestures, actions and words into moments of soul-rattling import. Meanwhile, you'd better get ready for even more hospital-based drama on the tube. Two Women's Voices concerts feature divas devoid of the vain, self-absorbed, autocratic airs the title implies. And Albuquerque's own BrokeNCYDE catapults to nationwide popularity with its critically despised hybrid of crunk and screamo. Nerd up on your news knowledge right here! Action shots from the game. If you're lucky, you could win a North Valley home for a hundred bucks. The New Mexico Coalition for Literacy teaches adults how to read. And John Bear shows you how to go totally insane. Flash fiction boils the elements of plot, character and theme down to the pure essence of storytelling. We pluck the best examples of the art form brewed in brevity: The result is this year's Flash Fiction Contest. Albuquerque artists reflect on how the Duke City continues to shape their work in Duke Sweet Duke. Plus, slam poets compete to find out who's quickest with the verbal pistol in the Southwest Shootout. Seafood is not only king at the South Valley's Las Islitas, it's the only thing on the menu. And go cherry picking in the teensy New Mexico town of High Rolls. Away We Go is the self-conscious opposite of a showy Hollywood blockbuster. Meanwhile, The Proposal is composed entirely of recycled elements. Kannaroo 3: Killith Fair brings a bunch of bands who play music for music's sake to the middle of nowhere. And it's free. Plus, Iraqi oud-master Rahim AlHaj and Indian sarod-master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan make music to bring about peace. Palette's a gallery that will appeal to your palate. All the interesting news items that can be remolded like chicken nuggets into tasty quiz form. See glam-tastic photos from Alibi's first ever pre-Pride party. Abortion clinic demonstrators test the patience of neighborhood residents. The Duke City Derby postpones its season while skaters scramble to find a new venue. And the city won't let Joy Junction use the old Westside jail to house Albuquerque's homeless. Ari LeVaux climbs in the cage with the world's best mixed martial arts fighters. They're right here in Albuquerque. LAND/ART is as big as the Earth is round and just as gorgeous. Plus, technology and creativity collide at dorkbot. Paisano’s homemade pasta nails the sweet spot between supple and firm. And just add a pair of farmers' market eggs for a hearty breakfast with nature's fake steak: king trumpet mushrooms. Two documentaries at Guild Cinema take an artful but layman-friendly look at the ways art is defined. Plus, "Man vs. Cartoon" picks up the explosive science-as-entertainment thread started by “MythBusters” and runs it off a cliff (literally). Cal Haines has played with Diahann Carroll, Al Greene and Clark Terry, but perhaps the jazz drummer's most impressive credential is his latest CD, The Bright Side . Meanwhile, after getting married, the gothic new-wave act Post Honeymoon finds out what it's like to make music as a twosome. Rock out with your news bits out. The guv breaks ground on galactic tourism. See Jane knock in Spot's teeth. American Cement gets a verbal thrashing from its North Valley neighbors. And a mixed martial arts fighter tells us how she keeps her cool. For the first-ever Freedom of Speech issue, we turn the mic over to our readers: What does the First Amendment mean to you ? China's farming industry goes organic in a big way, leaving American growers and consumers in the lurch. Anvil! The Story of Anvil follows demigods of Canadian metal you've never heard of. Meanwhile, we pay tribute to recently deceased pitchman Billy Mays. How did Angry Samoans co-founder Gregg Turner end up in Santa Fe? And NOFX's Coaster proves the band hasn't changed a bit after 25 years of skate-punkery. We've got Michael's best moments right here. Place your own memories, rants, videos, animated GIFs and comments at the foot of the Virtual Shine. Dreamy art abounds at Dreamscapes Gallery. One of the best writers of the Victorian Era goes to court in Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde . Plus, all your marriage-themed events for the week. A geologist claims WIPP isn't as safe as Sandia Labs says it is. And is Congress missing a golden opportunity to pursue an overhaul of health care? Corporations have hijacked the word "local" and nearly rendered it meaningless. Will their efforts have positive or negative effects on real local business? Newly crowned Albuquerque Slam Poet Laureate Danny Solis won't talk about his new special powers, but he's less secretive about his desire to spread literacy. And shop for art from 46 countries at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. The question—red or green?—applies to almost every menu item at Monica’s El Portal. Plus, polish off a cold one and grab a handful of smoked beer nuts. The sci-fi miniature Moon is filled with profound sadness, deep humanism and aching beauty. And Johnny Depp becomes a bank robber people can root for in Public Enemies . Snoop Dogg answers the Alibi's e-mail and tells us why, no matter how big he gets, he'll always be tied into the streets. Meanwhile, The Willowz' garage rock got a boost when the band's lead singer injured his hand. America's health care system is struggling for breath—New Mexicans explain how they would fix it. And John Bear encounters a bleak job market for newspaper writers in the Land of Enchantment. Maren Tarro braves thunderstorms, ceaseless drumming and tear-producing body odor to bring us an insider's view of the Rainbow Gathering. The Pajama Men return from charming the pants off crowds in Europe and Australia to discuss the resurgence of placenta eating. Meanwhile, craft creators get into the collective spirit at the Midsummer's Craft Crawl. The toothsome meat at Dahlia’s Central Mexican Cuisine is "all-natural," and the cooks know how to prepare it. Plus, what exactly is oyster sauce? Documentarian Kirby Dick sets off on a quest to "out" closeted right-wing politicians in Outrage . And, Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder gets his own sitcom on Comedy Central. Bassist Matt Brewer brings a new generation of jazz musicians to the Outpost Performance Space. And The 2bers' Bles Infinite releases a solo album with the help of his partner in rap. No landscape art here. What do you know about last week? Albuquerque's transgender community reacts to a string of killings—and the media's coverage. Plus, the mayor announces Downtown bar owners can keep their doors open later. Eight one-person pieces get put in the spotlight during Summer Sol-0 Fest. Meanwhile, the Santa Fe Opera gets a new director—and he's actually from New Mexico! If a trip to Paris isn't feasible, try Café Jean Pierre instead. And summer means it's time for gazpacho. Underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu moves to the Land of Enchantment. And we revisit the gloriously goofy, blatantly racist piece of cinematic trash known as The Big Alligator River. Indie-folk project Balthrop, Alabama writes small-town music about death and taxi cab make-out sessions. Plus, New Mexico singer-songwriter Bud Melvin blends banjo and 8-bit Nintendo into something that's pretty darn original. Take me down to pixel-dise city. Challenge your news nostrils. The South Valley could be home to yet another polluter. Plus, teens learn how to take action and educate others on social and political causes. John Bear lives the life of an average American for one week. Working Classroom’s Arte En Todas Partes gives young people a voice in the arts. And Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Thing Around Your Neck is unflinching, eschewing metaphor for the simple power of calling a thing as it is. Pepper's Ole' Fashion BBQ serves high-end backyard food, reminiscent of the kind of fare found at family reunions in the South. And the minimal scramble is the best way to cook high-quality eggs. Food, Inc. uncovers the truth about why Americans eat so poorly. Plus, Discovery's “The Colony” finds out if a family can survive a postapocalyptic house. The Roost provides a place for musical explorers to hang out and enjoy the process of discovery. And Portugal. The Man's The Satanic Satanist is richly textured, finely tuned and gorgeously orchestrated. Green chile and a lawsuit calling out the mayor in this week's news quiz. An Albuquerque lawyer takes the cases of two Guantánamo prisoners. Plus, the media's been giving single-payer health care the shaft. Most folks are shocked to discover their home or business is one of the top water-guzzlers in the city. Find out who made the list and what you can do to stay water-wise. Passenger on the Ship of Fools documents Katherine Anne Porter's decades-long struggle to write her first novel. Meanwhile, Donna Loraine Contractor: Mentor and Apprentices is a modern foray into the ancient art of weaving. Beet generation: harnessing flavor-power from the versatile beet. You got your talking gerbils in G-Force , now how about some endangered dolphins in The Cove ? Plus, Albuquerque finally has a mainstream film festival to call its own. Crescent City spectacular! Tom McDermott is one of today’s bona fide New Orleans professors—even if he is originally from St Louis. And New Orleans' Quintron and Miss Pussycat bring the "Drum Buddy" and a bunch of murderous puppets to New Mexico. News quiz! Get your hot news quiz! With his campaign in full-swing, Mayor Martin Chavez digests some tough questions from the Alibi and spits out his answers. And Benjamin Radford examines the "power" of prayer. So you're going to college in Albuquerque? We'll tell you what to avoid, ways to save cash and the comparative merits of majors. Then we'll take you on a field trip through Burque's neighborhoods—and you don't even need a permission slip. Albuquerque Little Theatre's rendition of High School Musical 2 has as much whimsy and unrealistic amounts of joy as its cinematic counterpart. And Jenifer Rae Vernon's Rock Candy is populated by the kinds of characters who stew in alcohol and silence. Everything about One Up Elevated Lounge seems designed to inebriate. Plus, pour a glass of pine needle limeade. Despite its micro budget, Sleep Dealer is an experiment in south-of-the-border cyberpunk with some definite high notes. Meanwhile, "At The Movies" says goodbye to Ben Lyons, and Devin D. O'Leary's pretty happy about it. Welsh indie rock act Los Campesinos! is embarrassed by its success, but it's well deserved. Plus, Interpol's lead singer-songwriter breaks out of his band's boxed-in style with Julian Plenti Is Skyscraper . Why did one man get 18 felony charges? Find out in this week's news quiz. Our hour-long chat with Mayor Martin Chavez didn't fit in the paper. Here's what you didn't see on dead tree. After the city set aside millions for improvements, what's the state of Albuquerque's animal shelters? And American Cement will probably get its permit for increased pollution ... but with strings attached. Alex E. Limkin sits down with Congressional candidate and fellow Iraq War veteran Adam Kokesh. The characters in Four are pushed and pulled by their desires, but the production seems strangely passionless. Plus, Mountainair’s Poets and Writers Picnic has become an anticipated treat for city slicker wordsmiths. The chile at La Casita might tear your head off (in a good way). And what's wrong with gluggling on the olive oil for frying? Shorts is another one of director Robert Rodriguez' juvenile fantasies aimed at the filmmaker’s five kids—and seemingly no one else. Meanwhile, “Being Human” discovers what happens when a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf share a flat. Jazzy, low-key folk quartet The Grownup Noise is 61 percent joy and 49 percent sobering truth. Plus, a tribute to guitar king Les Paul. This week's news quiz brings us pink slips and oh-so-many felony charges. Protesters and health care reform advocates clash at Rep. Martin Heinrich's packed town hall meeting. And mayoral candidate R.J. Berry pledges to stamp out government expansion. Gene Grant mourns the loss of the greatest progressive opportunity in two generations—single-payer health care. Fashion and visual art get to know each other in The Art of Fashion . And 14 local and national acts concoct humor on the fly at the Duke City Improv Festival. Pupuseria y Restaurant Salvadoreño doesn't serve its tamales with red or green chile. Instead, they're filled with olives, potatoes, capers and shredded chicken. Plus, munch some chocolate chip cookies with a hefty pinch of smoked salt. Taking Woodstock is a lighthearted, laid-back hippie-era biopic about the kid who helped get the most famous concert in history off the ground. Meanwhile, a reality star becomes a murder suspect and then hangs himself, prompting us to wonder what kind of vetting process these shows have. Charlie Z takes off his headset after 31 years of hosting the "Hot Lix" oldies show on KUNM. Plus, Hollywood will attempt to harvest the ripe sonic fruit of New Mexico's tax incentive-supported loins with the Music in Film Summit. The Party Patrol's effect on your weekly news quiz. Here's what the Republican mayoral candidate had to say about: the City Council, alternative energy, the arena, the modern streetcar, LGBT issues, recycling and red-light cameras. CNM's Visual Individuals at Harwood Art Center brings community college faculty and staff together in an artful way. And The Dolls perform Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest the way it should be performed—in drag. John Bear fought the law: A guide to being a lefty journalist in Oklahoma. Ween gets ready to paint the town brown ... except it's already brown. And for the third year, Monolith Festival at Red Rocks brings the beats, environmentally. The Garden documents the dramatic grassroots fight to go green. Plus 2009 was the highest grossing summer movie season ever—we evaluate this year's box office crop/crap. Quesada's New Mexican Restaurant is magically delicious. Also, whilst in the midst of tomato season, a few thoughts on the BLT. Guerrilla Queer Bar, an online community designed to fill our burg's big gay void, descends on Albuquerque watering holes. And not all senior citizens are afraid of health care reform. Here come the giant puppets at the We Art the People Folk Art Festival. Plus, a review of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo's latest work. Mayor, mayor, mayor: An interview with mayoral contender Richard Romero, Gene Grant ponders the municipal election and, wait, there's an election? Alibi Haiku<br>Contest winners are found here<br>Click below to see 9 is a serious treat for the eyes—but the animated sci-fi film stops there. An interview with Dandy Warhols guitarist Peter Holmström, and The Thermals conduct indie heat. Plus, the Alibi's Nautical Dance Party. Persian Market is a magic carpet ride for your mouth, and Ari dishes about aluminum cookware. Mayoral candidate Richard Romero chats with the Alibi about term limits, red-light cameras, LGBT issues, public financing, all-ages shows and, of course, Martin Chavez. Taste the fall flavor with farmer, Jesse Daves, and a guide to finding this season's bountiful local harvest. Would the city recycle more if it were easier? And vote early in the municipal election, but bring your ID. Plus, traffic slows down in Nob Hill. Winning works of art from the State Fair, and the father of the atomic bomb takes the stage in an ambitious Mother Road Theatre Company production. A tale of brooding hens in Ari Levaux's back yard chicken coop. Plus, it's the last week to vote in Best of Burque Restaurants! True-life character study finds humor in the corporate price-fixing of amino acids, and a kiddy flick cooks up harmless, high-flying fun. Psychedelic rock outfit is wet with sweat. Also, sign up for the Music in Film Summit, apply for SXSW and sample some deep-fried jams at the State Fair. See more art from the State Fair. Ready, set, vote! The Alibi's Election Guide tells you everything you need to know about the Tuesday, Oct. 6 election, from who your next mayor should be to why you should approve bond requests. Get your voting needs satisfied. Bicyclists ride to honor their fallen friends. And are Albuquerque streets safe for two wheels? Downtown's GO! Arts Festival his the streets while Dispersal/Return at the UNM Museum demonstrates a collective psyche that reveres and revels in nature. Casa de Benavidez does Old New Mexico right. And who ever thought peaches and tomatoes were a match made in culinary heaven? PBS comes to ABQ. Plus, "Titan Maximum" continues in the spirit of "Robot Chicken," drawing heavily from the pantheon of '80s kid TV. Maria de Barros brings her beguiling sea breeze of a voice to ¡Globalquerque! And Felix da Housecat proves you can't have one foot in the music snob closet and the other on the nonexclusive dance floor. The short version for your voting pleasure We decode the proposition jargon on the ballot so you know what you're voting for. Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese kittyboy who thinks he’s a chihuahua. The author of the wildly popular children's series answers our call of the wild. Read candidates' responses to our exclusive questionnaires, only on alibi.com. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is upon us. Beyond the links below lies our complete guide to where to go and what to do during this time of 18 th -century flight technology. Buy art, save animals: what's happening at Watermelon Ranch's Furball 2009. And artist Evan Dent's take on Albuquerque. An interview with Full Moon founder Charles Band. Plus, English poet John Keats finds himself on the silver screen in Bright Star . Locovores come together on the web and find the backyard produce of their dreams. And— this just in—tacos are delicious. An interview with alto saxophonist David Binney, and A Hawk And A Hacksaw pays Albuquerque a Eastern European folk-type visit. The little guys running for office in the municipal election this week. Plus, Warehouse 508 is finally here—see the photographic evidence. Who should be mayor? Who will represent you on the City Council? Everything you need to know for the Oct. 6 municipal election all in once place. Discover nearly 100 lip-smacking categories of the best food in Albuquerque, selected through thousands of votes cast by Alibi readers. Addresses, hours and other searchable information included! Two spooky plays by Mac Wellman swoop into Carlisle Performance Space. Plus, poet and professor Dana Levin is living the vida loca . The seventh annual Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival opens this week with fabulous screenings and parties. And, horror comedy Zombieland proves there's still life in the old genre. Ari LeVaux makes an honest burger out of grass-fed beef and homemade ketchup, and shows you how to do the same. England's mid-'80s chart-toppers New Model Army bring legendary left-wing punk rock to town. Plus, Merge Records and The Velvet Underground come to you in paperback and hardcover. Discord within The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and Gene Grant on the government's affinity for broadband deployment. Last year's scavenger hunt winner wins again! Find out what she scavenged and how she scavenged it. New stage production at Aux Dog kills its father and sleeps with its mother. Plus, Sherman Alexie's latest collection of short stories explores manhood in the 21 st century. Five years in the making, fearless fantasy Where The Wild Things Are finally appears on the silver screen. Plus, earthy documentary chronicles the environmental movement. Delight in deliciously irreverent sushi in the northeast heights. Stefon Harris and Blackout claim jazz for the new generation. And, The Universal's DJ Eve hangs up her headphones. Maren Tarro reports from the gay rights march on Washington. And, a local beer will soon see national distribution. An interview with composer, writer, turntabalist and conceptual artist Paul D. Miller, better known as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid. Impressions of Cuban culture via contemporary visual art. Plus, southern Africa comes to Albuquerque for the Global DanceFest. In the Americanized version, Japan's favorite robot kid flies, but doesn't soar. And, the pressures of being the 3-year-old reincarnation of a Buddhist master. Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café keeps the ayurvedic karma flowing in the North Valley. Plus, hot to make a hot chip. Chilling, thrilling, hardcore clown rap. And, the Michael Anthony trio celebrates a new configuration and the release of a CD. There's something in the water—drugs and feces. Plus, why Richard Berry won the mayoral race. And, find out what your City Council is up to. How to keep feces, pharmies and chemicals out of our drinking water supply. Happy Slut-o-ween! Play the Alibi's Costume Cliché Bingo and find things that go skank in the night. The Albuquerque Museum illuminates live, local artists. Plus, David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries in review. Biopic takes a fashionable look at the life of Coco Chanel. Plus, a dark indie comedy explores the crazy side of fandom. Nob Hill's Cosmo Tapas joins the bite-sized, intercontinental revolution. Chilean alto Claudia Acuña sings at the National Hispanic Cultural Center this week and covets Mel Minter's black Lab mix. Mikey Weinstein, a local military religious freedom activist, was nominated for a 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. And, see photos from the World Gay Rodeo Finals. No boys allowed: Warehouse 508 hosts Revolution From Within: A Kick-Ass Female Art Show. Plus, short story author Lori Ostlund battles procrastination as she pens her first novel. The holiday season is upon us, and so are a barrage of films. Find out what's in store with our handy annual guide. The dramatization of a pivotal moment in mid-century English sports history. Plus, the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol receives an update (chase scenes, explosions, elaborate stunts) fit for a video game. Life's a beach at La Isla. And, Evan and Alex explain how to make chanterelle duxelles. Christian glam metal band Stryper continues to exact the yellow-and-black attack 25 years later. Plus, take the Punky Cinema quiz. Tristan Taormino reconciles feminism and adult films: Catch her at Pornotopia, Burque's dirty film festival. Plus, Councilor Cadigan is fed up with forced acronyms in city government. Canadian poet and novelist Margaret Atwood speaks at UNM's Woodward Hall this week. And, the Words Afire Festival sees its 10 th year. As the feds are ordered to back off medical marijuana-friendly states, the Alibi examines what that means for New Mexico. World's Greatest Dad is a pretty great indie black comedy. And, Thursday nights continue to be a television bloodbath. Pho Viet offers comforting and fragrant Vietnamese food. Plus, how to make Jewish chicken soup that will fight your schmutz . A Hawk & A Hacksaw and Death Convention Singers play The Guild Cinema's Film Score night. And, a local homage to living jazz great Wayne Shorter. One man takes the International District's re-beautification project into his own aerosol paint-wielding hands. And, will journalism undergo reincarnation with a new business model? In this year's holiday gift guide we deck the halls with locally made goods. An Education evaluates a slightly scandalous mid-century affair set in Britain. Plus, TromaDance 2009 has arrived. Thailand crashes Thanksgiving and brings pumpkin custard. Plus, sweet, edible gifts made in New Mexico. Also, wintertime chicken care. Dweezil Zappa on the best Christmas gift he ever received. Plus, the ins and outs of music licensing and publishing. Former Gov. Gary Johnson talks about the war on drugs, city councilors say goodbye and Gene Grant discusses the green. Transmissions from the Twitterverse. Fay Ku’s Double Entendre imagines humans, fish and birds in provocative situations. And psychiatric center nurses ask the UNM art department for help in calming their patients down. Raise a glass in good health and cheer, the Alibi's Holiday Wine Guide is here! Casa Vieja uses New Mexico as a base for exploring the outer limits of culinary creativity. Alibi restaurant reviewer Ari LeVaux runs out of wows. Devin O'Leary chats with indie auteur/director Wes Anderson, then reviews his equally fascinating film Fantastic Mr. Fox . A Dear John letter addressed to the Albuquerque goth scene. Plus, we play Song Roulette with Ross Source, Keeper of the Jukebox at Anodyne. Miss Diagnosis dissects the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act here in the U.S., while Albuquerque doctors travel to Kenya to fix health care in the hinterlands of Africa. Where's the service around here? One man's Swine Flu adventure in all its death-defying glory. A decade of independent film duels with an upstart festival this weekend in The City Different. The Russian Mafia would kill for this meal. Dameon Lee of the Lowlights gives bandmate Noelan Ramirez a crystal beaded medicine bag for his birthday. Then he gives the rest of us a new album. Albuquerque's homeless can stay out of the cold ... in what used to be the Westside clink. Plus, how humans and other viruses (like H1N1) have colonized the Earth via senseless reproduction. A Tricklockian take on the Bard with humorous results. A discussion with Demetria Martinez, New Mexican poet, author and former Albuquerque Journal religion editor. There's only two weeks until Christmas, do you know where your presents are? Steven Seagal gets his own cop reality show, what? Getting "chili" at one of the funkiest eateries in town. Captain America explains why he cut off his hippie hair. A new mayor and fresh city council convene for the first time. Our resident nurse offers a few talking points to help you achieve a naughty roll in the manger this holiday season. What author is a Hindu, and who's into the Wicca? Take the quiz. And, on the trail of an anonymous local artist. Welcome to the fourth annual Quiz and Puzzle Issue—beyond these links you'll find music, metaphysics, geeks and more. Chinese director John Woo re-creates an eastern cultural touchstone. And, eau du celebrity: Match the fragrance to its famous peddler. Are those soft tacos Mex, New-Mex, Tex-Mex or Cal-Mex? Fast Heart Mart performs with a flock of seagulls. Plus, a special AC/DC Sonic Reducer giveaway and quiz. Our resident nurse quizzes Congressman Heinrich on health care reform. Plus, the return of Answer Me This. Special web bonus by Eric The Jewish Viking, Albuquerque Quizmaster Aggressive new fire department enforcement and cobbled-together codes could force Burque theaters into a blackout. El Pollo Real serves up the dishes of Colombia and Mexico in addition to a mighty fine bird. Take a gander at New Mexico's newest live music venue, Low Spirits. The fact that Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are the hot and sexy heroes of Sherlock Holmes is enough to get us in theater seats. But whaddayaknow, Devin O'Leary says this flick is damn entertaining to boot. Skeptics vs. psychics: Benjamin Radford lays out the soothsayers' track record for 2009. Then he peers into his own crystal ball for the year ahead. The Humane Society declared our city-run animal shelters inhumane and abusive in 2000. Ten years later, what can we expect now that Barbara Bruin is taking the reins as Animal Welfare Department director? An interview with polyamory pioneer Dossie Eaton, co-author of The Ethical Slut . The Alibi's first-ever Odds & Ends Awards salutes 2009's stupidest news. In the coming year what treasures await viewers at ye olde cineplex? Gaze into Devin D. O'Leary's crystal ball and see ... Marmaduke ? Hunting and the appendix: totally useless or required for optimal function? Ari LeVaux sorts out the importance of the two archaic establishments. Better venues, musicians who get paid, the rise of the independent record label, freedom—our sonic comrades share musical hopes and dreams for the coming decade. The trials and tribulations faced by one couple using in vitro fertilization. An incomplete list of notable events, exhibits, people and organizations of 2009, and predictions about arts to come in 2010. What do 10 years of residue from our day-to-day lives say about us? Well, we like action movies, have questionable taste in music and heavily favor the name Jacob. "Not Avatar " is included in Devin D. O'Leary's favorite movies of 2009. Find out what he means, alongside films that got his full-throated praise (and disapproval). 2009 saw a continuation of clashing food paradigms—big (factory farms, biotech) and small (ecology-based agriculture, locavores). Ari LeVaux discusses where the gastronomical world now stands. From Queens B-boy battles to reinterpreting Ludwig Beethoven, DJ Rob Swift wants to expose folks to music everyone can relate to. King Chavez was demoted and the death penalty was repealed, but there were plenty of political scandals and drugs in the water. What were the best and worst news events of 2009? Read on to find out. The decade’s best graphic novels Ten years after its inception, the Revolutions International Theatre Festival is still dispensing world-class performances and unscripted magic. On Albuquerque's stages this time around: Canada, Colombia, Poland and Israel ... for starters. Honest-to-goodness Chinese cuisine next to Thai spring rolls? When globe-trotting food writer Ari LeVaux went to Best Lee's, in the Far Northeast Heights of Albuquerque, he was in for a surprise. Spanish national treasure Pedro Almodóvar is back with Penélope Cruz and his most grownup film to date. Sprung from the ashes of one of the most relentless Albuquerque rock bands of all time, The World on Fyre takes our music section hostage with a shiv made from its new album. New Mexico is home to free-roaming horses most people thought were extinct. Meet the man who's working to keep them alive and in the wild. The Women’s Design Collective transforms lives and spins straw into gold. Womensworx brings ladies' night to the stage at The Vortex Theatre. Trying to quit smoking this year? Attempting to stop not calling your grandma? Want to avoid shoving extra cheesy burritos into your face every day? Miss Diagnosis deconstructs the science of behavioral change and New Year's resolutions. At age 10, Michael Stephenson scored the lead role in Troll 2 , a film later deemed "the best worst movie ever made." Twenty years into cult film infamy Stephenson presents a documentary titled Best Worst Movie . Lucia, located in Downtown's newly opened Hotel Andaluz, grills up obsession-worthy oysters. The restaurant's other fare is almost equally as delightful. Seth Bogart—stage name Hunx—comes to town this week with The Punkettes. He discusses gay bubblegum, rock 'n' roll, fashion and not being a lazy fuck. Albuquerque veterans talk post-traumatic stress disorder after a soldier's suicide. Elizabeth Gilbert finds herself hitched in her follow-up to the wildly popular, Oprah-approved Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia . The King of Weather: Channel 4 weatherman Steve Stucker talks about Albuquerque views and Groundhog Day. Tigers with switchblades? Sharks with lasers? Angels with machine guns? In the case of Legion , awesomeness squared isn't so awesome. The intoxicating (yet booze-less) Siam Café is the keeper of the best red curry and green booths in Albuquerque. In a web exclusive interview, Béla Fleck discusses Africa and the history of the Banjo. As New Mexico struggles to prosecute under its 2008 human trafficking law, the Attorney General's Office says it has long believed human slavery is an issue the state faces. Read the interview here! The UNM Art Museum gets a rare visit from a mind-bending genius in Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens . May Hong packs an arsenal of soups—not just pho—into a menu that's unusually manageable for a Vietnamese joint. Sneaky politicians, torch-wielding vigilantes and the embattled future of Albuquerque—will the history of Old Town repeat itself in the South Valley? Who is The Radio Alchemist? Mouth musician Hakim Bellamy clues us in. The filmmaker behind American Job , American Movie, Home Movie and The Yes Men offers up a minimalist portrait-cum-lecture on the end of life as we know it. Treatment instead of jail time for drug-users—a House bill introduced this legislative session is trying to make that a reality for New Mexico. Was it Republican ire? Or just plain old sexism? An interview with acrylic and encaustic Albuquerque painter Angela Berkson. The Valentine's Day card creators in this year's contest must be colossal geniuses because the majority of the entries stymied us, perplexed us and plain freaked us out. Star-packed rom-com Valentine’s Day exploits the time of year when you can’t be too mushy, too cheesy or too cliché. Antojitos Lupe in Bernalillo is largely satisfying for little cravings. Exene Cervanka of X discusses the declining quality of garbage and how to not fail as an artist. One life ends and another begins on the night shift in the Labor and Delivery department. More homemade valentine deliciousness. A look at Albuquerque's place in the strange and adorable world of art toys. Conservative Paul Gessing, President of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation, on how the liberal left doesn't get it. Devin D. O'Leary dissects why nobody will be watching the XXI Winter Olympic Games. The red chile at Cecilia’s Café will make you weak in the knees. And it's nationally syndicated. Ex-Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty summed up in 140 characters of less. The Hispanic Education Act, meant to address New Mexico's Hispanic achievement gap, was a touchy subject at the Roundhouse last week. Warehouse 508 and 515 ARTS team up to put artistically inclined kids to work beautifying the alleyways of downtown. New Mexico tries its hand at drug policy reform, domestic partnerships, ethics, a Hispanic Education Act and concealed gun legislation. Oh, and did we mention the estimated $600 million budget shortfall? The Last Station is a window into Tolstoy's conflict-filled world through the eyes of naive young intellectual Valentin Bulgakov. Ari Levaux summons the cajones to try tripitas at Rio Grande Tacos y Salsas, ultimately finding them dreamily delicious. Captain America remembers the Tejano garage punk of long-lost El Paso-Ciudad Juárez-Albuquerque band The Chinese Love Beads. Years after the ugly March 2003 clash between police and Iraq War protesters in the UNM area, some civilians who claim their civil and constitutional rights were violated are finally having their cases heard. A clickable list for your nerdy, politics-loving self Fujiyama revives the old New Chinatown building with creative sushi and Korean barbecue. Kyle Gass of metal/comedy rock band Tenacious D fries up Southern rock and dips it in his special Trainwreck gravy. The NHCC's Women and Creativity 2010 festival brings world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz to New Mexico and so much more. Oscar battle royale! James Cameron’s Avatar vs. Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker : Who will wake up the next morning with a tiny naked gold man by their side? The Academy Awards is the most glamourous night in Hollywood—who'll win and what'll they wear? You'll have to tune in on Sunday to find out. First, take a spin around the Oscars with our 82 nd Annual Academy Awards Nominees Pullout Spectacular. Black Maria, Suspended, End to End and Roñoso tear Albuquerque a new asshole on Friday, March 5. Unfolding at Albuquerque's Iraq War protest trial: A police officer present at the 2003 protest takes the stand, followed by a police expert witness. Their conclusions about what happened that March day seven years ago couldn't be more different. More than 5,000 miles from Amsterdam and 65 years after the Holocaust, Anne Frank's experiences still resonate. The tables are turned as ¡Ask a Mexican! columnist Gustavo Arellano asks New Mexican Joseph Baca what it means to be from the Land of Enchantment. Sweetgrass is less of a documentary and more of a visual tone poem, patiently recording the waning days of independent, open-range sheepherding in the Big Sky Country of Montana. Truffle-potato pot pie, bacon-walnut Brussels sprouts, roasted-garlic-port-glaze ... and that's just what comes with the beef filet at Seasons. How long has it been since a band has not only hit Burque but hit it over the head, and taken it hapless prisoner in a trashed garage, subjecting its collective ears to hip-swivel rock? Haptic technology is to our sense of touch what graphics are to our sense of sight—how one local video game company is arousing players in new ways. Seven years into the Iraq War, and more than eight since the invasion of Afghanistan, the one thing that has become inarguably clear is how much we did not know. Not just about WMDs and yellowcake uranium, but about tactics. This is part of the premise of Lorraine Adams' The Room and the Chair , a novel that follows the players of the modern global war on terror. When people hear about nurses serving in war, they probably picture a woman in white tending to wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Modern American military nursing, however, goes beyond providing comfort to our uniformed service people. One New Mexico nurse discusses her experience in Iraq. When the very term “reality” seems to be dictated entirely by drunken Hollywood debutantes and rich housewives, it’s something of a relief to see an actual documentary film hitting movie theaters. And if one film is a relief, then the Burning Fuse Film Festival—a touring collection of a half-dozen until-now undistributed documentaries—is a quenching deluge of authenticity. If you need a reminder that there’s more to Juárez than disheartening headlines, look no further than El Sabor de Juarez. The sunny little place on Gibson near Carlisle serves Juárez-style Mexican food under the care of owner Jesus Mata Sr. and his son Marcos. Carefully avoiding the loaded term “unplugged,” the latest in a six-year-old series originally known as The Acoustic Showcase takes place at Low Spirits this weekend. A dusty office space on the University of New Mexico campus could soon get a splash of rainbow colors as two students have secured funding for a Queer Resource Center. q-Staff’s With Bright Spines is a whole-bodied sensory experience. Well, shoot ... it's Alibi’s Seventh Annual Photo Contest! Canada does have an edge; it’s just clean and very well-maintained. Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson and Atom Egoyan show us how in the erotic thriller Chloe . Ari LeVaux explains how to make modern day barbacoa —that's beef cheeks to English speakers . What happens when an Iraqi oudist, an American guitarist and an American violist walk onto a stage together? The Baghdad/Seattle Suite . At-risk youth build an open source computer lab in the South Valley. An impetuous dive into rock art turns into a small industry for Jeremy Montoya and Jon “Jonito” Sanchez. Gardening made easy: Our guide to taming the plant kingdom. Clash of the Titans , originally made in 1981 with stop-motion animation effects, gets a 3-D computer animation retooling. Ari LeVaux examines J.J.'s Pizza, and the deeply personal nature of pizza appreciation. Creative Soundspace ventures out to the edges of the musical universe to see what various pioneers in improvised music are up to. Liz Chávez Villarino, daughter of the famed labor activist César Chávez, exposes school children to backbreaking farm work. The readers have spoken: Best of Burque 2010 distills everything that's great about this place we call Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hallenbrick Brewery is a one-stop shop for the best draft beers in the state. Zoe Boekbinder makes music for people who like to wear sequins to the library. Delivering bad news makes for good drama in quietly powerful indie The Messenger. One of only three productions Mother Road Theatre Company undertakes each year, The Beauty Queen of Leenane proves that quantity trumps quality in the Albuquerque theater community. National tensions put a local abortion clinic on high alert. More from our interview with someone who had a hand in crafting the bill Though T.S. Eliot dubbed April “the cruelest month,” since 1996, it’s also National Poetry Month. This year local poets share their work and discuss the process. Devin D. O'Leary evaluates The Perfect Game in all of its inspirational sports drama glory. A New Mexican tries American food in Paris and discovers odd and disappointing Dorito pairings. Cuban pianist, marimbist and composer Omar Sosa discusses his affinities for Thelonious Monk and Erik Satie, and the importance of having fun. Westside city councilor Dan Lewis is a family man who runs two business. As the pastor of Soul Rio Church, he's also the only religious leader to be elected to Albuquerque City Council. Downtown's Fab Lab ABQ is developing a digital process to replicate priceless artifacts without doing them harm. The fight for the Queer Resource Center and a glammy variety show. A history of the poetry scene in Albuquerque Maren Tarro accompanies her Libertarian father to the Tax Day Tea Party in Washington D.C. and finds the masses scared of a Sean Hannity- and Rush Limbaugh-constructed bogeymen. The Art of the Steal details modern methods in multimillion-dollar museum heists (but is sadly void of leather catsuits and handheld suction cups). Messages from famous D.C. tea partiers to Alibi readers. Albuquerque is an emerging crossroads for nontraditional Native American artists—see the evidence beginning this weekend at 3 rd Street Arts and Black Market Goods. The Fox and Hound serves energy drink-based cocktails with names like Cougar Juice and O-Face, but the sports bar also has a Bible-length menu full of ambitious dishes. The Gathering of Nations has arrived—use our comprehensive powwow guide to prepare yourself for a weekend of nonstop Native music. (And hopefully nonstop Navajo tacos, too.) Nancy Hollander—a local attorney who represents two Guantánamo Bay detainees—discusses America's system of justice and her involvement in these high profile cases. The Alibi honors of Cinco de Mayo, by giving you a smattering of historical and cultural tidbits dealing with America's celebration of a small Mexican victory against the French in 1862. A Cold War-era warhead emptied of explosives, filled with poems and dubbed the Poetry Bomb will detonate in Albuquerque this weekend. As Hollywood runs out of A-list comic book characters to exploit, it turns to obscure properties like the The Losers , which deals with a colorful band of CIA agents and a Bolivian drug lord. Disguised in a little red metal roofed A-frame on Central near Washington, Thai Cuisine II is the sequel to deliciousness. Black Maria, Albuquerque's heavy ambassador of love, goodwill, happiness and good fucking times, finally releases a record. In the first article of a series, Christie Chisholm reports on increasing cases of rape and sexual assault in Albuquerque, and how the city is coping with the problem. Black Maria imparts pieces of wisdom on family, brotherhood, motivation, success and life in general. Motherly love—midwifery in New Mexico leads the nation. The Arizona Legislature tramples U.S. civil liberties, New Mexicans pound the pavement in protest. Chris Jonas’ immersive Garden Chapter 1 , “Night” is music for more than the ears. Banana blossom salad, pickled mustard greens with squid and other exotic flavor trips at Saigon Far East. Aux Dog fights to keep its doors open with Wonder of the World, "one of the biggest, funniest shows we’ve ever put together." Celebrate Mother's Day with Babies. Summertime and the living's easy ... especially when you know the location of every pool in town. That, and so much more awaits you in our 2010 Summer Guide. Beat summer's oncoming heat by escaping into one of Albuquerque's many air-conditioned museums. A comprehensive list of the region's art, science, nature, history and technology repositories gets you prepared. Austrian auteur Michael Haneke's latest, double Oscar-nominated mystery drama The White Ribbon , delves into a pre World War I German village in high contrast black and white. It's American Craft Beer Week and the ever-frothy Abq Beer Geek provides tips for a hoppy holiday. Albuquerque thrash metal band Anesthesia releases its self-titled second album, and remains unfuckwithable. Spring has sprung and summer is nigh on high—time to take the old bike out for a spin. Before you do, Betty Sprocket gives a lesson in cycling etiquette. Roll down memory lane with derby coverage from years past. Read all about our anti-Hispanic neighbor, Arizona, and try to make cabezas or colas of the state's troubling new legislation. In her final review as the Alibi's arts and literature editor, Erin Adair-Hodges goes on and on about one of her favorite writers of all history of Earth: Anton Pavovich Chekhov. A piece of popular folklore since the 1400s, Robin Hood and his Merry Men get thrown into the Hollywood remake machine. Budai Gourmet Chinese is a small eatery full of familiar and unusual Taiwanese and Chinese dishes, where traditional street food hides on a seeecret menu, away from the yang gui zi . Experimenting with tambourines and banjos, local electro-pop purveyors Leiahdorus releases Ode to the Builders . Hot Rod Rumble at the Albuquerque Dragway encourages people to get that antique queen off of the trailer and take her for a spin. Summer is almost here, and so is your guide to the season's onslaught of cinema. Find out what sizzles, what stinks and what's in 3D, all the while puzzling over why they made a Marmaduke movie. Monet is better paired with dream pop than booty jams—An overview of The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History's Turner to Cézanne exhibition. Ridiculous fashions, shopping sequences, lots and lots of cocktails and a surprise wedding: Sex and the City 2 is all a middle-aged woman who dreams of being a young gay man (and vice versa) could hope for. South Valley newcomer El Rodeo serves up pork ribs with nopales , fried whole tilapia, mole Poblano enchiladas and corn tortillas made to order. In the evenings, one North Valley steakhouse becomes a high-class little jazz joint, reminiscent of a prohibition-era Chicago back room. Last week New Mexico GOP gubernatorial candidates weighed in on immigration, ethics and business at the Associated Builders and Contractors hall in Albuquerque. Fifty-year-old Albuquerque institution Musical Theatre Southwest burned to the ground. Find out how the company is coping with the rubble and its production of Thoroughly Modern Millie . MarchFourth Marching Band is more musical circus than geeky school band ... take part in the commotion on June 7 at the El Rey Theater. Low-budget, Peter Bratt-directed / Benjamin Bratt-starring indie drama La Mission portrays the grit and culture of San Francisco's Mission District with accuracy. Hidden in a small Juan Tabo strip mall, Sushiya teems with Chinese and Japanese classics, vegetarian options, and twists. Good as Dead's Sam Blankenship played Song Roulette this week, and he definitely didn't cheat. How do we know? Ask Goofy. Local, African-born marathon runner creates a positive symbiosis between American obesity and Kenyan poverty. An interview with photographer, model and TV personality Mike Ruiz, this year's Grand Marshal of the Albuquerque Pride Parade. Albuquerque Pride is here and so is the gayest issue of they city's gayest newspaper: Read interviews with the people behind the festivities, and get a complete schedule of events unfolding this week and beyond. In the remake of The Karate Kid , the kid is taught kung fu by Jackie Chan in China ... so there's really no karate involved. Ari Levaux travels to Argentina, demystifies a culinary idiom and shares a chimichurri recipe. The New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus on musicals, cat herding and the importance of celebrating Pride. The country's first gay male sheriff's candidate ran on the democratic primary ballot right here in Bernalillo County. Where do New Mexico's five congressmen stand on repealing the policy? A guide to gifts your father might like to receive—sorta like throwing a frat party for your parent. An ordinary train trip to Santa Fe turns into a cultural experience on Saturdays this summer with performances of "Shakespeare on the Rail." In honor of Father's Day, Devin D. O'Leary provides a bumbling, half-macho run-down of Hollywood's worst fathers. Ari LeVaux evaluates Albuquerque's favorite Southeast Heights strip mall: 2000 Vietnam Restaurant, which shares a wall with Saigon Express Emissions Testing. Relentless post-'80s Portland band the Prids counts New Mexico as one of its favorite tour stops and returns Burt's this weekend. Bikes, bikes, bikes: Ghost bikes remember the fallen, bike trails you might like, plus find out what body parts you can't expose while biking. Alibi staffer Ilene Style took a six-week sabbatical to volunteer in an extremely poor part of Lima, Peru. She shares her travel journal here. The Paolo Soleri Amphitheater in Santa Fe is soon to be razed, marking another lame turn in the City pseudo-Different's treatment of anything fun and, well, different. An interview with witty and weird Gummo writer/director Harmony Korine on his latest work, Trash Humpers . Barry's Oasis is an idiosyncratic, Mediterranean escape from the outside world's sweltering, concrete reality. And it comes with a skillet of paella. Kenta Henmi, formerly of Albuquerque bands such as The Jonny Cats, The Blastamattos and The T-Lords, brings his cowpunky, Johnny Thunders-style lead guitar to a new outfit: Suicide Lanes. "Less Gas, More Ass": Santa Fe cyclists test the city's nudity ordinance in New Mexico's first World Naked Bike Ride. Miss the bout this weekend? We've got a recap and an extensive slideshow. Independence Day is here again and so is the Alibi's annual Freedom Issue. This year we're learning all about the civil liberties guaranteed to every American, and what to do if those liberties are violated by the fuzz. New Mexico's African American Legacy , on exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, teaches you things you didn't know you wanted to know. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary about street artists and their quasi-legal mixture of art and vandalism. But is it an actual Banksy-directed film or just another one of his pop cultural pranks? Downtown's bright blue P'tit Louis Bistro not only looks like it was plucked out of turn-of-the-century Paris, it tastes like it too. Peter Case is a revered power pop guitarist who in the mid-'70s helped found the L.A. punk scene. For the last quarter century, though, his musical work has lived in the realm of folk rock. We chat with Case about the transition. A lawsuit has been filed against a trust that directed investors to fallen local real estate broker Doug Vaughan. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution in their original form. It's the man-tastic Men's Health Issue: Hot tips on staying healthy and living longer for the more testosterone-y of the sexes from the Alibi's resident nurse Whitny Doyle. Together at last! This weekend The Filling Station unites 13 one-man shows for the second annual Solofest. This week Universal Pictures tosses its hat into the CGI-animated ring with Despicable Me, a PG-rated adventure about a supervillain who wants to steal the moon. Northeast Heights Korean restaurant Fu Yuang takes taste buds to interesting new places—places like taegigogi kimchee jiege , bulkalbi , chapch'ae and Eubank . This year the New Mexico Jazz Festival is the most interesting to date due to the imaginative variety of events. Mel Minter provides a guide to what's going on and what to be extra jazzed about. Find out the correlation between New Mexico's burst housing bubble and recession unemployment among Hispanics. Just to be thorough, here you can explore Nurse Whitny's citations of all studies referenced. The Alibi's resident skeptic Benjamin Radford goes to Scotland and happens upon the world's only full-time Loch Ness monster researcher. We're all going to die. While we're stuck in this life, why not make artistic interpretations of what happens when that fateful day finally arrives? Christopher Nolan, writer/director of Memento and some Batman movies, gives us his latest mind-bender, the sci-fi action thriller Inception . Havana Restaurant serves rich and mild Cuban food with a salsa soundtrack and a large selection of shakes (the kind you drink). Tennessee Williams, bounce rappers and a tire shop all find their way into an article about New Orleans musicians Quintron and Miss Pussycat. In an effort counteract the polarizing, political debate on immigration, a lefty artist and a more right wing border patrol agent navigate the line between the U.S. and Mexico. Bonus interviews and videos here. Sarah Montgomery, founder an director of The Garden's Edge, is promoting biodiversity one seed at a time. Find out about her seed saving program, and how to save your own. The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival brings its world-class concerts to metal-loving Albuquerque. The Girl Who Played With Fire , the second film in Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, is gloomy, grisly, smart and sleazy. Ari Levaux explains how to create two meat salads that, unlike most commercial salads, balance animal products with a good pile of greens. While it may seem evil on the surface, Burque crustcore band Roñoso is just a few friendly guys who write about the evils of society. English teacher Trinidad Vasquez struggles to educate in narco war-torn Juárez, where, since 2008, around 5,770 people have died due to the violence. Yoga in the Western world—demystified. Meditate on the practice here and now; Patricia Sauthoff penned a bendy preview. Listen to authors Stephanie Syman and Mark Singelton discuss the cultural history of yoga with the Alibi. After a devastating fire, Musical Theatre Southwest is renewed with Thoroughly Modern Millie . A gory urban legend about an abandoned hospital becomes real in horror documentary Cropsey . Owned by a pair of New Orleans transplants, Noah’s Ark Café delivers secret Cajun, Creole and soul food in a heavenly environment. The Saltine Ramblers releases Arroyo Borealis , an album of colorful cornpone twang, fiddle-driven ditties and slow, sentimental ballads about New Mexico. Immigration agents in the Prisoner Transport Center may silence domestic violence victims, advocates say. Read tiny tales written by the winners of the Alibi's annual Flash Fiction Contest. A vicious joke adds a little anarchy to the world in the Santa Fe Opera's production of Albert Herring . Despite a heapin' helpin' of sex and violence, the newest adaptation of Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me doesn't hit the spot. Which New Mexican IPA reigns supreme? ABQ Beer Geek reveals the winner, but not before spinning a boozy, self-deprecating yarn. Composer, teacher and installation artist Raven Chacon uncovers embedded local sound mythologies through noise music. After a monthlong hiatus, the Albuquerque City Council gets back to business, tackling grass, parking lots and public art. Just for you, dear web readers, more short fiction to feed your voracious appetites! Art or vandalism? An interview with the man responsible for decorating Albuquerque buildings with rainbow drippings. An undocumented graduate student discusses the personal consequences of her immigration status. Meet grandfatherly bibliophile Bradley and his 1,000 secondhand books housed inside Winning Coffee Co. three days-a-week. On the corner of Mountain and 12 th Street, Cocina Azul is fast becoming a hotspot for chile and local big shots. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a comic-turned-movie that makes for a kick-ass romance. Fashionable and charitable, Craft Punk brings Albuquerque designers and musicians together in an effort to make the city more creative. Where do New Mexico's congressmen stand? Estevan Rael-Gálvez, director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, on Arizona, Latino identity and poverty in New Mexico. The Pajama Men, internationally lauded comedians and Albuquerque's corniest natives, perform The Last Stand to Reason for one night only. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a comic-turned-movie that makes for a kick-ass romance. The fragrant qualities of Salathai, serving Thai cuisine in Nob Hill. Joe West, leader of The Santa Fe All-Stars and the Joe West Situation, is Xoë Fitzgerald: Time-Traveling Transvestite (which is also a rock opera, glam band and the title of his forthcoming album). A dull Council meeting gets festive when a priest calls Albuquerque “the abortion capital of the nation,” and another person calls the disgraced Manny Aragon “the most successful state senator in New Mexico history.” Five years after Katrina, the Gulf Coast is drowning in BP oil. Patrick Lohmann reports from the slick seashore of south Louisiana. Photos from the shores of Grand Isle, La. Betty Sprocket bids her Trail-a-Week column adieu with a tale of trying to penetrate the impenetrable Kirtland Air Force Base. Find out how the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System is dealing with the overtake of electronic books. Ari Levaux explains the subtle art of ordering the best dish on any menu. The second annual Albuquerque Film Festival and upon us, and we've got an interview with guest of honor, indie icon Monte Hellman. Prop master, garage rock guitarist and celebrated New Orleans DJ Matt Uhlman shares some of his favorite Louisiana-made tracks. Welcome to Albuquerque. Beyond this portal lies a guide for, among other things, locating our public servants, navigating our neighborhoods and finding a secondhand crushed velvet couch that gleams like the fires of hell. Adobe Theater's production of Mamet's A Life in the Theater takes real actors and makes them play fake actors. Going the Distance , a new romcom starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, is the kind of C-grade material you'd expect this time of year. Ex-Drag Keith Herrera makes up one half of the infant psych punk duo The Kill Spectors. One physician is pushing for a dedicated adolescent health clinic in New Mexico because teens can spot a phony a mile away. Get a whiff of that? It's chile season in New Mexico—the spiciest, most wonderful time of the year. UNMH's teen health expert talks contraception and media influence William Gibson is the author of foundational cyberpunk text Neuromancer . He discusses his new book, Zero History , and what some see as his technological prophecies. Beyond this portal, find heroes of our yearly contest in haiku. A movie by any other name would be as cringe-inducing: Life During Wartime is a bleakly humorous new film by Todd Solondz (and a quasi-remake of his 1998 release Happiness ). Ari LeVaux composes an ode to, and a stew of, the tomatillo—a Meso-American delicacy and outcast of growers' markets. Santa Fe's Stepbridge Studios wants New Mexico musicians to use its state-of-the-art equipment, and it's forking over cash to make it happen. John Bear reports on the plight of the humble Albuquerque Segway cop. More on the struggle to install ghost bike memorials for riders killed by automobiles Amid a spate of officer-involved shootings in Albuquerque this year, citizens are forming groups to observe and record police activity. An interview with APD's director of training about de-escalation, officer-involved shootings and handling onlookers. City Council tackles undisclosed swipe fees, electronic billboards and gray areas in the law against driving while talking on a cell phone. Mother Road Theater Company takes on a whale of a tale in a Julian Rad-adapted, Hilary Adams-directed production of the American classic Moby Dick . Iraqi eatery Babylon Café makes up for what it lacks in service with food that's exotic, consistently good and bargain-priced. The Town is a spot-on, Boston-baked crime drama starring and masterminded by Ben Affleck. Wha? The Center For Grooviness invites local and international musicians to play adventurous music ... and maybe perform some surya namaskara poses. Demonstrators are calling for APD to resume digging and for more advertising of a $100,000 reward. The bodies in Bodies ... The Exhibition are as creepy, dubious and dead as ever. The sixth annual ¡Globalquerque! brings a world of music to Albuquerque. Animated fantasy Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole soars for 3D flights of fancy, crashes and burns for originality. Bailey's on the Beach is a desert oasis serving salads, burgers, fish tacos, pasta and more—just don't park in the Taco Bell lot. Non Stop Bhangra brings the excitement of time-warped Indian music and dance to ¡Globalquerque! this weekend. Once a proponent of the war on drugs, Judge James Gray had a change of heart. He discusses it here in an interview and at UNM next week. It's the 2010 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta! Get informed before you get "high" with our unofficial guide to all things round, colorful and airborne. What docs can't tell your parents. Saffron Tiger looks like an airport café ... but if you play the menu right, it tastes like Nirvana. Alibi film critic Devin D. O’Leary says Facebook-focused The Social Network is like Citizen Kane for the Internet age. And that’s not just the hyperbole talking. STREET ARTS: A Celebration of Hip Hop Culture and Free Expression at 516 keeps it real with Shepard Fairey, Chaz Bojórquez and other local, national and international heavyweights of the genre. A Valencia County animal shelter worker saves stray animals by driving them to no-kill shelters in nearby states. Spoon, CocoRosie and Beach House create an epic cyclone of indie excellence that's hitting Albuquerque this week. Food, glorious food! Find out which restaurants were chosen by our readers as the most delicious in Albuquerque. The Southwest's premiere showcase for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender cinema screens films as diverse as its audience. A gift from the Corn Maiden leads Ari Levaux on a cool journey of corn discovery. Disaporic feedback from Ghana can be heard this weekend when Nii Otoo Annan and friends play a little palm wine at the Outpost Performance Space. Albuquerque City Council changes the city's food sanitation ordinance and the scope of a Southeast Heights neighborhood. Grizzly bears like moose guts, plus other fun facts in Slim Randles' outdoorsy memoir Sweetgrass Mornings . New Mexico's true colors are red and blue: During this year's election cycle, the land of enchantment has the worst record for inclusiveness of independent candidates and third parties. Laurie Finnegan brings a country music legend back to life at Rodey Theatre in the production A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline . Action comedy Red is a comic book adaptation carried by an aging, but still kick-ass, ensemble cast. StreetFood Asia will soon offer steaming plates of dim sum, satay, noodles and more inside the comfort of a Nob Hill storefront. Cracks in the Sidewalk, Starsky and Elephant make up the local rock reunion of the year—maybe the decade. Gene Grant draws Carter/Reagan parallels between the Denish/Martinez campaigns looming over the New Mexico governor's office. The ABQ Beer Geek reports from the Great American Beer Festival. A litany of reasons why The Official High Times Pot Smoker's Activity Book is a waste of trees Hereafter , Clint Eastwood's latest effort, spins a complicated yarn that takes a great deal of patience to unravel. Doc & Eddy's supplies its clientele with delicious burgers, red chile cheese fries and televised ass-kickery. Find out how the Squash Blossom Boys went from jazz to reggae and finally found a home in bluegrass. Heroin killed more people than swine flu in New Mexico—but you didn't see that on the news. An extended version of our interview with longtime political journalist, PBS' Gwen Ifill Albuquerque sticks red tape all over Pornotopia's tasteful T and A, shutting down this year's festival. The Killer of Little Shepherds is a fabulously disturbing true crime story set in France at the turn of the 20 th century. Caustic campaign rhetoric be damned—the Alibi provides New Mexico voters with a fact-filled, slander-free guide to the 2010 mid-term elections. A guide to monster movies—designed for people who've seen The Lost Boys a dozen times. It's not the fake meat that makes Thai Vegan amazing; rather its power is derived from competent cooks and quality ingredients. With cajones, Tierney Sutton sings from the Great American Songbook as the voice of God. A behind-the-scenes look at the candidates in action For all your voting needs What does Hollywood have in store for us at the box office this Thanksgiving / Hanukkah / Christmas / Festivus season? STREET ARTS: A Celebration of Hip Hop Culture & Free Expression delivers the rhyming component of its program this week. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis run their bromance Due Date off of the road. Columnist Ari LeVaux unearths the tastiest morsels to be coaxed from the land at the Slow Food convention in Turin, Italy. Rock out and get your Lambretta repaired simultaneously: Voodoo Scooters doubles as a UNM-area music venue. Maren Tarro reports from the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington D.C. Lt. Col. Steve Loomis, president of the regional chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights, discusses Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The Talking Fountain Gallery & Boutique allows artists to be who they are—and make a little more coin. Alex Cox directed Repo Man, Sid & Nancy and other cult antiestablishment flicks. He hits Guild Cinema in person this week with a "remix" of 1987's punk rock spaghetti Western Straight to Hell , starring anti-folk-heroes Joe Strummer and The Pogues. One man aims to create meaningful relationships between food, retailers and customers in the inner city. Bad Religion has 30 years of hardcore punk and some graduate degrees under its studded belt. The Endorphin Power Company helps recovering addicts stay sober by replacing substances with exercise. Local Makers 2010—your handcrafted, Albuquerque-centric holiday gift guide. Albuquerque native and magician's assistant Stacey Suarez discusses Hollywood, secrecy agreements, the international magic community and Neil Patrick Harris. Gaspar Noé's eye-popping, Tokyo-set thriller Enter The Void is not for casual moviegoers. Mina Yamashita tells you where to go before exchanging gifts with a chef or serious foodie. Dutch jazz man Benjamin Herman will play anything as long as you have a good time and dance. A 1926 hospital building in East Downtown comes back to life as a boutique hotel—behold the conversion in photos. The third installment in the Alibi's series of art galleries that double as local clothing and gift boutiques. This week on the radar: Panda Robot. Bone up on New Mexico's fruit of the vine—Maren Tarro directs you to the best tasting rooms and holiday bottles the Land of Enchantment has to offer. Former Alibi editor Michael Henningsen returns with a black metal review and some random tunes from his MP3 collection. Congress is voting on the most significant piece of food legislation ever passed. What does it mean for small farms and food safety? Burlesque is basically a PG-13 remake of Showgirls starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. The majority of FCC commissioners are in favor of net neutrality regulations—so why haven't any passed yet? Albuquerque scavengers had 72 hours to locate more than 100 items—find out the victors in this year's hunt. In Raped: Memories of a Catholic Altar Boy , former Alibi editor Dennis Domrzalski and Larry Monte, Jr. take a hard look at Monte's abuse as a teenager. James Franco stars in Howl , a biopic (or is it?) about Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg. The cuisine at Asian Grill is informed by flavors found at ports of call throughout the Eastern Hemisphere. Local labels and musicians revive the cassette tape format. Affordable housing isn't so affordable in New Mexico as thousands are finding themselves on the verge of homelessness. Leslie Marmon Silko's memoir The Turquoise Ledge speed walks toward metaphysical horizons. Christmas is nigh—do you know where your presents are? The Alibi provides a detailed guide to lassoing gifts last-minute, from local vendors, without having to cover the entire expanse of Albuquerque. Buying for a cinephile? Devin D. O’Leary details the best of this year's boxed sets. Brew kits: The gift that keeps on giving ... and getting you drunk. ABQ Beer Geek tells you where to find one. Vinyl X-Mas: Where to shop if you need a respite from Mariah Carey's maddening holiday tunage. UNM alumnus and weapons of mass destruction disarmament specialist Michael Spies talks about the theatrical and the Sisyphean aspects of negotiating. The Normal Gallery is anything but average in an exhibition of of four arresting figures. Video evidence released by the city raises more questions about a July traffic stop that resulted in two immigrants' expulsion from the country. ¡Lucha libre lives! The Alibi is ringside as Mexican wrestling shoves Albuquerque into the national spotlight. Mexican markets can be a delectable symbiosis between butcher shop and restaurant. El Mezquite Market shows us how it's done. Black Swan could be one of the best films of the year—but will audiences know what to make of a "ballet thriller”? Q: What do Western swing, Pluto, dinosaurs and ukuleles have in common? A: The wonderfully sick mind of Jared Putnam. The 2010 Odds & Ends awards honors this year's weirdest and stupidest news. After dozens of appearances on national television and more than 15 years working as a comedian, a Podcast called "WTF With Marc Maron" is doing more for the joker's notoriety than anything else ever has. Due to its overtly homosexual content, I Love You Phillip Morris will probably not be appreciated by the American mainstream. Pho #1 is a delectable, Vietnamese alternative to the traditionally Chinese options for the Jewish Christmas meal. Local third-wave ska legend Giant Steps reunites and will be skanking into the Launchpad this week. Businesses and residents on Lead and Coal weren't prepared for the massive renovation along the one-way thoroughfares, but the city says the project has been in the works since 1989. The City Council contended with political shifts and a new mayor this year—here's a rundown of the most notable policy changes that came to pass. ROYGBIV graffiti splattered on a half-built Downtown eyesore wasn't the only exciting thing that happened in our art scene this year—David Leigh breaks it down. Just because it flopped in the box office doesn't mean it didn't make Devin D. O'Leary's top 10 films of 2010. Eating 2010—a year of safety restrictions, novelty sandwiches, sick bees and contentious seeds. Music-minded community members share their most memorable moments of the year. Now say that 10 times fast! Benjamin Radford—resident Alibi skeptic—evaluates last year's forecast and makes a new round of "psychic" predictions for 2011. The dark depths of winter are upon us and so is Tricklock Company's 11 th annual Revolutions International Theater Festival—a ray of creative light shining throughout the city for the rest of January. French filmmaker Claire Denis examines war-torn modern Africa and the death rattle of European colonialism in her latest film White Material . Ari LeVaux and the Pink Princess investigate the fare and televised violence at Westside sports bar Knuckleheads. What's in store for the New Mexico music scene in 2011? Laura Marrich and Jessica Cassyle Carr share their Nostradamical premonitions ... How many tablespoons are in a third of a cup? This and a collection of other weird questions fielded by 311, Albuquerque's information hotline. Tiny's Restaurant & Lounge tastes and sounds like old Santa Fe. In the wake of her brother's death, a veteran's sister works to beef up crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers. Authentically Asian, I Love Sushi brims with raw and deep-fried delicacies—and they know how to party. Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams is an achingly real romance that doesn't believe in happy endings. Happy New Year: Here's a guide to attaining health, wealth and happiness in 2011. And you don't have to pay three installments of $29.95 to read it. The Albuquerque Comic Con is the city's first “full-blown comic book convention” in more than a decade. Organizer Jim Burleson tells us all about it. Frederico Vigil’s fresco “Mundos de Mestizaje” occupies 4,000 square feet of wall on the National Hispanic Cultural Center campus—and offers its viewers 3,000 years of history. New Mexico's percentage of lady legislators is higher than the national average, but, due to fewer women running for office, there's still a gender gap. Brazilian modern artist Vik Muniz is the subject of Waste Land , a moving documentary about art, sociology, economy and the environment. You may have to wait a while, but the Vietnamese cuisine at Pho Saigon comes from a worthy kitchen that will make the bellies of both meat eaters and vegetarians happy. After two years of writing and recording in a home studio, Albuquerque's Of God And Science releases a second album and stages a rare live performance. As soon as she was sworn into office, Gov. Susana Martinez ordered the suspension of environmental rules. And now she's getting sued. John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World —a story set at the turn of the last century in small town Ireland and staged at The Adobe Theater—is fascinated with extremes. APS and CNM leadership hinges on your vote Tuesday, Feb. 1. The Alibi spoke with all of the candidates running for the APS School Board and CNM Governing Board. Biutiful , a new film by Alejandro González Iñárritu ( Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel ), finds the director telling a smaller, more intimate story. Desert Fish takes diners out of the arid Southwest and into the wet, salty Pacific Northwest with sincere decor and super fresh seafood. Lousy Robot, local purveyor of power pop extraordinaire, releases its John Dufilho-produced (The Deathray Davies and The Apples In Stereo) third album Hail The Conquering Fool . CNM English faculty member Erin Adair-Hodges explains the potential consequences of Governor Martinez's proposed 17.7 percent reduction in state funding for the community college. Oz-based musical Wicked may be bright and sparkly and big on delivering a high moral message, but it’s also subversive, hilarious and crisp as a freshly minted dollar bill. Albuquerque has perhaps the highest density of professional cage-fighters per capita, and many of these Mixed Martial Artists choose to live here because of Jackson’s MMA Academy. The Alibi takes a look at the world-class gym. In her debut film Tiny Furniture , twentysomething writer-director-actress Lena Dunham is authentic, honest and believable, and makes not attempts to be cool or ironically uncool. Ari LeVaux's guide to yielding an edible garden amidst the clutches of winter. New Mexico musicians talk about the dishes and places that whet their rock and roll appetites. Toxic waste lurks under 10 acres of land near Four Hills in Albuquerque, the result of a military and aerospace electronics plant that operated in Tijeras Canyon from the mid- '50s through the '70s. Now the New Mexico Environment Department is preparing to seek federal Superfund classification for site. Find out which expressions of love won our hearts in the Alibi's eighth annual Valentine's Day card contest. Arif Khan, Tamarind Institute gallery director, discusses the lithography workshop's newest, forward-thinking exhibit. Based on a script by French silent film icon Jacques Tati, The Illusionist is Sylvain Chomet's long-awaited animated follow up to 2003's Jazz Age whirligig The Triplets of Belleville. For some reason the Alibi never reviewed old Vietnamese favorite Saigon Restaurant. Here we give credit where credit is due. Sabertooth Cavity's debut album En Lak Ech is a psychedelic noise freak-out that's puro New Mexico. Super Bowl Sunday at the SCI—that's the Veterans Affairs hospital's spinal cord injury unit. U.S. army veteran Toby Smith takes us inside the medical center. The latest exhibition at 516 ARTS explores visual imagery in Latino art—including subversive twists in papel picado . Health reform opponents say the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and expensive. Here's why they're wrong. With his lumpy figure and naturalistic acting skills, Paul Giamatti isn’t exactly the model of a leading man. But Barney’s Version proves he continues to take on title roles with mesmerizing results. Alfalfa and beet seed deregulation means it’s a matter of when—not if—genetically modified DNA starts showing up in organic dairy cow feed. KlezmerQuerque is a three-day extravaganza of workshops and parties that celebrate a music style rooted in the Jewish cultures of Eastern Europe. With new Republican leadership in New Mexico's governor’s mansion, an abundance of conservative measures are making their way through the Roundhouse. An interview with pre-eminent pissed-off comedian and Grammy winner Lewis Black. The 2011 Academy Awards are upon us—Devin D. O’Leary lays out the silver-screen scuttlebutt and predicts this year's winners. The Housemaid, a remake of the original 1960 South Korean film, is an erotic thriller that mirrors an older, more elegant Asian film tradition. Bad Ass Brewery is one of the newest additions to Burque's beer scene, and while the interior decor may be reminiscent of a Spencer's, the congenial bartenders and selection of homestyle brews has potential for mass appeal. Los Angeles-based underground MC Busdriver approaches hip-hop the same spontaneous way improvisers approach jazz. For UNM-area entrepreneurs, the construction projects along Lead and Coal, and a new project along Yale, are causing business demolition. The Alibi's resident skeptic Benjamin Radford sheds light on the elusive chupacabra with a semi-scientific quiz. How much do you know about the goatsucking hell beast? Nob Hill's Aux Dog Theatre steps up its game with a production of Shakespeare tragedy Othello . The Adjustment Bureau , starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, is a mainstream Hollywood feature based loosely on a 1954 short story by sci-fi weirdo Philip K. Dick. Rather than simply pointing out what's wrong with mainstream food culture, the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive is creating solutions. With Fat Tuesday around the corner on March 8, the Alibi's Group Hug is throwing a Mardi Gras Dance Party that touts free food, cake and photos (so you can document the debauchery). At 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds, Burqueño business owner Joseph Cordova is one of the best arm wrestlers in the world. Global DanceFest stomps onto the stage of VSA North Fourth Art Center for its 11 th installation. The Alibi interviews bassist Mike Watt on his half-century-long musical process, the key to improv and what punk isn't. Cedar Rapids follows in the post-'90s tradition of more adult-oriented comedy films that feature sad-sack characters, uncomfortable situations and a healthy undercurrent of R-rated raunch. At AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi you'll find Chinese and Japanese food living in delicious harmony under one roof. Bands passing through the Land of Enchantment on their way to Austin's SXSW are making an abundance of live music this month right here at home. A closer look at APD's crisis training and the shooting of a veteran with PTSD. An interview with Albuquerque writer ej Morgan who, in her novel A Kindred Spirit , finds a fictionalized version of herself running into shamans, UFO contactees and sci-fi guru Philip K. Dick. At 85, Rita Maldonado is a great-great grandmother and a Winchester .30-30-toting big game hunter. Debauched extraterrestrial Paul is the title character in a buddy road trip movie designed for sci-fi nerds, but not anyone else. CelebrateSeedNM, a citywide seed exchange, is helping urban gardeners amass an arsenal for growing delicious organic produce free of Monsanto's GMO contamination. Former teacher and student Arlen Asher and Paul Gonzales find straight-ahead harmony in their quintet, performing this weekend at the Outpost. One company is being fishy about its plans for 16.7 billion gallons of water located beneath Catron County—residents want to know how it would affect the environment, wildlife and their livelihoods. This year's 60-day New Mexico legislative session wrapped up late last Saturday—Marisa Demarco and Christie Chisholm round up the major bills and their fates. No one stuck their head in an oven after competing in the Alibi's first-ever Villanelle Contest. Nature documentary The Last Lions , released under the National Geographic Entertainment banner, recalls Disney's '50s-era True-Life Adventures. Despite New Mexico being coastally challenged, its inhabitants can still access the viscous aphrodisiac that is the oyster. Special all Q and A music section—read interviews with jazz legend Jim Hall, MEN front woman JD Samson and New Mexico trash-noise supergroup Tenderizor. Albuquerque got a little more bicycle friendly this week after the City Council voted to allow bikes on some limited-access roads including Tramway. Gaze upon the winning images in the Alibi' s eighth annual Photo Contest. Two glassy guys run the Boro Gallery, which specializes in super-cooled molten sand. Legendary Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira directs romantic fantasy The Strange Case of Angélica. Daring West Side restaurant Thai Cuisine is yummy despite its special, weird-tasting soup. Captain America looks back on UNM student ghetto pirate radio station Rebel Radio. The immigrant detention center in southern New Mexico faces criticism—we interview Emily Carey, program coordinator for that Las Cruces-based ACLU-NM office. The readers voted, we tallied the results, now find out who and what was voted Best of Burque 2011. April is National Poetry Month—find out what kinds of imaginative, rhythmic and lyrical events are happening around town. Paul Giamatti stars in Win Win , a comedy about a family that adopts a troubled yet sporty high schooler. Early spring has a special meaning among locavores in places where winter interrupts the growing season: food swapping. Need some motivation at the gym? We've crafted a mix that will whip your ass into shape (or be the soundtrack to your next dance party). PNM and public advocates wage war over proposed rate hikes for electricity. Plus, the searing sun of summer in New Mexico is upon us. Find out what the FDA won't tell you about sunscreen. Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino talks touring, maturing and head wear. Staffed mostly by volunteer graduate students at UNM since 1989, nonprofit literary compilation Blue Mesa Review celebrates its annual issue. True-life historical drama The Conspirator highlights a forgotten—but terribly important—piece of jurisprudence in an unfortunately boring manner. Located in Uptown Albuquerque, Japanese Kitchen does sustainable sushi. With London-based Welsh rock band The Joy Formidable, music imitates the landscape of it's native country. Remembering Joey Limas—a local prizefighter who was a tough as a cactus. The Alibi examines the politics of planet saving on local, state and federal levels. The University of New Mexico's Words Afire Festival features new plays by up-and-coming writers. Atlas Shrugged —Ayn Rand's 1957 epic ode to free-market capitalism—gets a slipshod, low-budget theatrical adaptation. In an effort to maximize his garden's yields, Ari LeVaux develops a technique called "tossing seeds randomly" and learns that carrots and garlic don't mind one another. Adam Hurt is considered one of the best clawhammer banjo pickers in the world. This weekend he brings his astonishing music—and his gourd banjo—to Albuquerque. Tera Cordova Chavez died in October of 2007 at the age of 26. Earlier this month, her husband Levi Chavez was indicted in her death. Learn more about Tera's life—her family shares her story. Gathering of Nations performance coordinator Melissa Sanchez discusses the Grammys' decision to forgo Native American music awards. Taos novelist Summer Wood discusses literature and her deferred dream of being a baller. Devin D. O'Leary interviews James Gunn, writer/director of the heroic new film Super . Spring weather means a season of new brews from local beer-makers. In its fourth year, Rock The 9 Native Music Festival is more rockin'—and funnier—than ever. A New Mexico Tech symposium is pitching mini nuclear reactors in the Land of Enchantment. Rhythm queen Saywut?! listens to the beat of her heart as she steps into the international spotlight. The young cats of Humoso make surprisingly mature sounds. Hit the jazz album release this week at The Outpost. A Mother’s Day brunch menu without asparagus is like a tailgate party without beer. Un-American, that is. HBO's “Game of Thrones” and Starz' “Camelot” are both medieval fantasies with a manly appreciation for swinging swords and topless maidens. But which comes out on top in this royal rumble? It's a great week for live theater: Two new offerings from Mother Road and FUSION are can't-miss productions. PBS President Paula Kerger talks about narrowly avoiding the ax for public broadcasting funds. The student editor of the CHS Purple Press pens a report on the fight for a Gay-Straight Alliance at his high school. Behold, the 7 Wonders of New Mexico! The Alibi brain trust presents the definitive list of all the monumental, majestic and mystifying things that make this land of ours so damn enchanting. While you're exploring the state this summer, be sure to wet your whistle at some N.M.'s most infamous dive bars. Bottoms up! Mogwai's heavily accented frontman spills the beans on his band's hypnotizing new album. Albuquerque culture stalwart Summer Olsson takes over as Alibi Arts & Lit editor! ... So how's about you write her a short story for the upcoming Flash Fiction Contest? Will Ferrell does commendable work in the glum, seriocomic fable of Everything Must Go. Abandoned mines, violent cults, the plague ... Ty Bannerman explains how quickly The Land of Enchantment can become The Land That Will Frigging Kill You. Urbanites are rediscovering the most fundamental level of eating local: growing your own food—be it through bees, goats, chickens or a classic patch of vegetables. A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls —running at The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History until late August—illuminates the hidden mastermind behind the famous art nouveau lamps. In 2011, the New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase—a four-day, nonjuried festival of local cinema—goes for quality, not quantity. Ari LeVaux explains how to make coq au vin out of tough old roosters—or spoon-tender, store-bought birds—without committing crimes against gastronomy. Skalbuquerque supergroup The Blue Hornets releases its first album this week—we chat with the leader of this nine-member, vintage Jamaica-inspired band. Under republican leadership, New Mexico takes another shot at environmental regulations—this time it's energy-efficient building requirements. Your guide to the super, cinematic summer of 2012. Devin D. O'Leary details what to watch and what to avoid like snakes on a plane. Wild Dancing West, presented by VSA North Fourth Art Center, returns for its sixth year homing in on new work being created in the Southwest. An interview with the most titanic champion of men in capes and women in tights—and the man responsible for this summer's explosion of superhero movies—Stan Lee. Food critic Ari LeVaux turns his gaze down upon the earth beneath our feet, toward local food and the sources of its ingredients. Japanese garage punk band Guitar Wolf's take on American rock and roll is frenzied, frenetic and awash in feedback and Budweiser. Firefighter Sunbear Vierra, an engine crew captain with the Forest Service, discusses what looks to be one of the worst fire seasons on record. Downtown Albuquerque's historic KiMo Theatre is returned its neon sign after more than 30 years of rehabilitation. Say You Love Satan , a new production by Blackout Theater, explores romantic love on the dark side. Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-nominated French Canadian drama Incendies sheds light on conflicts in the Middle East. Five Star Burgers takes the mystery out of its meat, and offers a menu that's delicious and well-conceived. With Albuquerque Pride in tow, the Alibi Group Hug's party mobile rolls into Casa Esencia for the Pre-Pride Glam Dance Party. Medicaid funding for round-the-clock, inpatient treatment for pregnant women with substance abuse disorders comes to an end on July 1. Find out what this means for New Mexico's children. It's Pride week in Albuquerque—we've got your guide to the plentiful, rainbow-colored events happening around town. The Vortex Theatre stages a postapocalyptic Romeo and Juliet as part of Will Power! Summer Shakespeare Festival. Summer Olsson gives a play by play of her frenzied foray into the 48 Hour Film Project. Downtown's Cafe Green offers creative seasonal cuisine and plenty of vegetarian options. David Johansen, frontman for legendary proto-punk/glam band the New York Dolls, talks about song writing and being an artist. An interview with oil industry-thwarting climate activist, Tim DeChristoper, who will be speaking in Santa Fe on Monday night. Read the teeny, tiny winning entries in our annual Flash Fiction Contest. The 2011 Southwest Shoot Out, a regional poetry slam, is locked and loaded in Albuquerque this weekend. The Tree of Life —the fifth film by acclaimed director Terrence Malick—is a languid, ruminative, very Malickian drama. The 13 th annual Albuquerque Folk Fest offers dozens of performances and a plethora of workshops and other activities. The lowly yet mighty sardine may pose a solution to negative environmental, ethical, economic and health implications associated with seafood. After being harassed while stationed in Afghanistan with New Mexico's National Guard, Spc. Adam Jarell filed a racism complaint against his superiors. Pow! The Albuquerque Comic Expo brings three days of mutants, jedis and aliens to Downtown Burque. Tucked away in Nob Hill, Stranger Factory—owned and operated by Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas—is curio full of fine art, toys and cool, salvaged stuff. This week the City of Albuquerque paid $1 million to a magazine salesman after he spent 15 months in jail and faced the death penalty for murders he didn't commit. Cars 2 may not be the best Pixar film out there, but the cars talk ! Jo's Place—created by Dennis Apodaca of Sophia's Place and Ezra's Place fame—has a small menu that's deep on flavor. Wayne Shrubsall is a walking, talking banjo library who can play almost every style that's ever been played throughout the instrument's lengthy history. Families with children—most of them headed by single moms—are the fastest-growing group to experience homelessness. Cuidando los Niños is working to help them become safe and stabilized. For six years, one artist has been capturing a single cactus in Old Town. Meet the painter and his prickly obsession. Web-only interviews with Jakob Insane of 12 Step Rebels and Matthew Ezzard of Cowboys and Indian Despite its exotic country of origin, Viva Riva! —from the Democratic Republic of the Congo—takes the same tone as some of cinema's most iconic gangster tales. The Hot Rod Hop and the Rockabilly Blowout are 10 hours of cars, fast women and hot licks in Downtown Albuquerque—make the scene! Ari LeVaux stalks the fresh produce and other sundries offered at two growers' markets in the North Valley. Gov. Susana Martinez' newly appointed Game Commission votes to defund the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program. Lone actors take the stage at The Filling Station over the next couple of weeks for Solofest. Artisans from far reaches of the globe converge for The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. Transformers: Dark of the Moon will kill your brain cells, but, for the most part, is actually kind of fun to watch. From carrot greens to spinach bottoms, Ari LeVaux explains how to cook overlooked "plant offal." Pistol Star , the third album from Albuquerque's SuperGiant is mystical, heavy and bitchin.' Dry weather and wind have contributed to one of the most intense and unpredictable fire seasons on record. Arts news explosion: exhibiting velocipedes, flying Mexicans, ogling Gronk and TED talks in Albuquerque. The Alibi is infested with bugs—get grossed out and engrossed by all the things that go “zzzz” in the night. Comic ringers Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development”), Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Jason Sudeikis (“Saturday Night Live”) conspire to bump off their evil employers in Horrible Bosses. Not content to merely have the best damn loaf of bread in town, Golden Crown Panadería is growing its business with just-picked salads and hand-crafted pizzas. One-man band The Slow Poisoner will debut a new roots rock opera in Albuquerque—that is, if he doesn't get sidetracked by a weird roadside pilgrimage on the way here. We were in Florida for Atlantis' final lift off at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, July 8. The steampunking movement brings a mesh of Victorian style, Industrial Revolution technology and science fiction concepts to the modern day. Performances in stand-up, morbid solo theater and tangled period-piece romance. Page One: Inside the New York Times goes behind the scenes to investigate the Gray Lady in an era where the future of print journalism is in jeopardy. New Mexico activists board a 22-country protest fleet in search of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Young veteran Christian McBride brings the funk and classical to the New Mexico Jazz Fest. Delightful yak and Korean bulgogi burgers at bRgR, Chef Claus Hjortkjaer takes the reins at La Provence The Alibi's summer reading is hot enough to make you want to rip off your shirt, and those of others. Two lady artists concentrate on the female figurative style in Picosa , a joint art show opening at Por Vida Tattoo this week. Funny, sad, sexy and touching, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is more than your average rom-com. A landmark deal struck between United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States could lead to dramatically increased animal welfare standards in egg farms. New Mexico the band is from San Diego ... naturally, we New Mexicans had a few questions for the trio. In a sad sign of the times, a UNM-area periodical store closes its doors after 30 years in business. "Breaking Bad's" creator and cast members talk about the gritty hit show's main character—Albuquerque. Alternative shelters and communities are the subjects of two shows running concurrently through August at 516 Arts. Suffering takes center stage in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan , an Asian-flavored romantic mystery directed by Wayne Wang (of The Joy Luck Club notoriety). Our School at Blair Grocery is growing produce and alternative educations in New Orleans' fragile Lower Ninth Ward. Canadian hip-hop artist Buck 65 loves Albuquerque—he even wrote an album about it. One of a kind in the state of New Mexico, Dar a Luz Birth & Health Center is a North Valley nonprofit devoted to the art of baby-catching. The Weekly Alibi takes the silly global phenomenon of planking to an even more ridiculous level. Club Beethoven is the late afternoon, booze-infused counterpart to Sunday morning's long-running Church of Beethoven. A grisly true crime story is fodder for slapstick hilarity in 30 Minutes or Less . Little Cuba, N.M. is growing a cornucopia of produce, much to its resident's delight. Wheelchair Sports Camp's self-taught MC Kalyn Heffernan talks about her disability and exploring other genres of music. Cycles of Life is a nonprofit that helps Native American teens learn about their heritage through bicycles. In hopes that you'll survive this bright and dusty realm, Alibi cartographers created a map that details Albuquerque's most dangerous zones. Former C.I.A. agent E.B. Held discusses clandestine activities that took place before and during the Cold War in his new book A Spy's Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque . The third annual Albuquerque Film Festival promises an eclectic melange of cinema, and delivers. The Zengs—owners of Chow's Chinese Bistros in Santa Fe and Albuquerque—create a new generation of fresh Asian cuisine in historic Nob Hill. Before its frontman begins a Peace Corps assignment in Central America, Burqueño reggae-rock band ¡Revìva! releases a debut album. Benjamin Radford explains how to avoid wilderness disasters after a hike in the beautiful and otherworldly Bisti Badlands. A grieving mother attends this week's Council Meeting to discuss her son's death and fighting teen addiction. We salute the Albuquerque artists who lent their creative genius to snappy new Alibi distribution boxes, now placed along the Central corridor. One Million Bones is an art installation that recognizes victims and survivors of genocide in Sudan, Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other places in conflict. Award-winning German art-house film Vincent Wants to Sea combines an eccentric cast, gorgeous scenery and a lighthearted look at dark subjects. UNM Hospitals’ weekly Farm Fresh on the Plaza is a micro-growers' market aimed at exposing hospital employees, patients and visitors to healthy, locally produced foods. Minneapolis rapper Slug (aka Sean Daley) discusses death, growing up and becoming a family man, and his 20-plus year career with Atmosphere. Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico's co-founder on finding his voice as a trans man. A hip-hop radio DJ's Thousand Kites project reaches out to inmates and their families, breaking the silence around America’s prisons. The ACLU calls out the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department for holding its cadet graduation in the Lord’s house. This city needs an ongoing, consistent, reliably funny improv show. The Show—featuring The Box Performance Space veterans under the direction of a Second City alum—just might be it. Since the growing season is ripe as a late-summer peach, food critic Ari LeVaux is eating his way through the Bernalillo and San Felipe harvest markets. Head back to school with an Alibi mix tape of academically inspired tunes. Devin D. O’Leary consults his patented Idiot Box Oracle™ for what's around the corner for TV programming in the fall. Native activists protest a ski resort’s wastewater pipeline. Winning poems in the Weekly Alibi's 19 th annual Haiku Contest revealed in all of their brief, enlightening, 5-7-5 glory. The Wikkeling , a kids' novel by Steven Arntson that's spooky reading for adults too, is coming to get you. Quirky-brilliant indie film auteur John Sayles directs a fictional account of rarely dramatized Philippine-American war. Does Albuquerque have enough craft beer drinkers to support its aspirations toward becoming a beer heaven with more breweries than you can count on two hands? Bobby Shew and John Proulx aim to make jazz accessible by harnessing the power of Disney at Music in Corrales' 25 th anniversary season. On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, we offer an range of perspectives—from a former Manhattanite, a senator, Army veterans and others—in memory of the event. Albuquerque gets intercontinental this weekend as ¡Globalquerque!—New Mexico’s annual celebration of world music and culture—takes center stage at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. J.P. Rodman's futuristic, welded, stainless steel arm cuffs and furniture, on display now at Ace Barber Shop, makes you feel like you're in Blade Runner . Vera Farmiga directs and stars in her first indie feature, the intelligent spiritual drama Higher Ground , based on a memoir about born-again life in an evangelical Christian church. The students of Escuela del Sol at the Harwood Art Center have it good—inside their cafeteria is Robin's Kitchen which sells affordable, wholesome, locally grown food to them, and the public too. Burque hip-hop stalwart Zoology releases its first album, the soulful, funky and precise Krush Love . The Albuquerque City Council fails to overturn Mayor Berry's veto on a bill asking the feds to investigate APD after a rash of officer-involved shootings, inappropriate social media postings and other allegations of bad behavior. A four-decade retrospective on display at Exhibit/208 shows Bruce Lowney—rock star of the printmaking world, master of the tri-tone lithograph. On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Albuquerque voters will take to the polls to pick city councilors, decide whether to approve bonds and make their feelings about red-light cameras known. As always, the Alibi has interviewed every candidate and mulled over every bond—here's what we found. French musician, lover and iconoclast Serge Gainsbourg finally gets the biopic he so richly deserves in Joann Sfar's Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life . Mitigating abundances of corn and basil is not as daunting when handled via New Mexican chicos and Mediterranean-style basil. Elizabeth W. Hughes skips town for a chilly evening on the mountain in Telluride with micro brews and The Flaming Lips. One CEO wants to build an uninhabited city in the middle of the desert where his company, Pegasus Global Holdings, can test emerging technologies like geothermal power, water purification, broadband efficiency, self-driving vehicles and security systems. Dozens of local zinesters—and counting—are coming out of the woodwork to share their stories, drawings and rantings at the inaugural ABQ Zine Fest. The 39 th Albuquerque International Balloon Festival is on the horizon in all of its colorful, gassy glory. We've devised an easy-to-navigate guide for rising to the occasion. In 50/50 , a team of funnymen try to squeeze laughter and heartwarming sentiment out of a case of spinal cancer. Even near the end of the season, local growers are rich in large, delicious New Mexico peaches. Mina seizes the day with a peach upside-down cake, and you can too. The onomatopoetically named Brooklyn duo Boom Chick melds lo-fi electric blues and rockabilly, accented by surf reverb and frenetic punk—a sonic amalgam that sets heads bobbing and asses shaking. Get a peek into the Downtown @ 700-2nd apartments on the southeast corner of Lomas and Second Street—a mixed use, mixed income complex in the heart of the city. Elsa Menéndez' one woman show Cloud Cover —a Tricklock Theater production—is an honest and relatable collection of autobiography that ultimately makes the audience happy. Feast upon the Alibi's annual Best of Burque Restaurants—a reader-selected guide to the best food in town. Contentious political times such as these, when the public is constantly bombarded with 24-hour news and punditry, may not be the most advantageous for releasing a heavily political drama like The Ides of March. Los Poblanos Inn & Cultural Center is a 25-acre CSA farm that functions as a market, art gallery, petting zoo, lavender products lab, teaching institution, bed and breakfast, and purveyor of ultra fresh fine dining. On the heels of the release of The Rip Tide, native son Zach Condon returns home for two Beirut shows in Santa Fe—one of which benefits Warehouse 21 where young Condon cut his precocious teenage teeth. Albuquerque was occupied on on Oct. 1, when demonstrators gathered on Central, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protest that’s been ongoing in Manhattan since Sept. 17. A show at New Grounds Print Workshop & Gallery features avian subjects as muse and protagonist depicted via multilayered gravure plates. It's been 10 years since the war in Afghanistan began, making it the longest war in American history. See the names of those killed in action. Attorney and producer-director Susan Saladoff discusses Hot Coffee— a documentary about an infamous lawsuit against McDonald’s and how it was manipulated to promote limitations on consumers’ ability to sue corporations. Despite overwhelming support for labeling foods that contain genetically modified organisms, and the fact that it's done in more than 50 other nations, the FDA denies Americans the right to know what we're eating. But that may soon change. They may not have smoke and mirrors, but Albuquerque’s A Hawk & A Hacksaw, Minneapolis’ Dark Dark Dark, and Chicago’s Pillars and Tongues do have an unusual collection of instruments, two vans and the ability to reshape time. Following the Oct. 4 municipal elections, the Albuquerque City Council is comprised of the same faces, this week tackling the electronic sign ordinance, red light cameras and the city's legal fees. The Dolls' production of Satan's School for Girls: The Reunion is beautifully coifed and full of dirty jokes. The Occupy Wall Street movement is a dynamic revolution much unlike previous forms of activism. The Alibi explores Albuquerque's occupation. Father and son Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez team up for The Way , a spiritual indie drama that treks across Spain's ancient Camino de Santiago. Devin D. O'Leary chats with Sheen and Estevez about the film. Despite the privileged hippie vibe, Santa Fe cafe/gym/boutique Body offers largely raw, organic, vegetarian, local foodstuffs that make you feel better than you did before you ate. SXSW will not change your life, but it will make you think about being on time, improving your marketing skills and making better art. The detective who investigated Tera Chavez’ death—and was then removed from the case—speaks out. Vampires like sinking their teeth into organs, and organists have proven to be quite adept at impressing their creative chops on vampires. A screening and live score of the 1922 classic silent film Nosferatu proves that point this Halloween weekend. Everything is coming up hop flowers in the world of craft beer in 2011. ABQ Beer Geek guides us through the year in beer and towards Burque breweries. Meditative neo-Western Blackthorn may long for the nostalgic romanticism of early cowboy cinema, but its boots are firmly planted in the hard caliche of today’s cynical revisionism. Mint Tulip dispels rumors about the bland, cardboard-like qualities of vegan food, and proves that it can be comforting and filling. A connoisseur of creepy and kooky music, Samantha Anne Scott has culled a Halloween compilation from genres including garage, lounge, psychedelic, punk, shoegaze, classic rock and more. The Werner-Gilchrist house is a 103-year-old University Heights landmark and the first suburban development in Albuquerque. Now the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, faces demolition. Last month, after 30 years of service, Quote ... Unquote, Inc.—operator of public access channel 27 and Encantada channel 26— lost its contract with the City of Albuquerque. Inspired by Judy Chicago's collaboration with hundreds of artists in "The Dinner Party," Donovan Richards handed out 130 ceramic skulls for a Dia de los Muertos-themed project now showing at the Boro Gallery. A picture is worth a thousand words, and some are also worth 100 points. Behold the results of the Alibi's sixth annual scavenger hunt. Anonymous , a self-described "controversial" new period drama, settles any debate about who really penned Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . Ariana Halal Market and Café offers foods allowed under Muslim Shariah law—that means meats produced according to the highest, cleanest, most ethical standards available. While underground Albuquerque experiences a resurgence of zines and community-oriented retailers, Captain America remembers the DIY culture emporiums of yore. In El Museo, Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company’s newest production, a janitor who spends his life working in an art museum develops relationships with the people and places that adorn the art. Welcome to the holiday movie season. For the next couple of months, Hollywood studios will execute a carpet-bombing campaign of computer-animated, 3D cartoons and Oscar contenders. Devin D. O'Leary tells you what to expect on the cineplex front. In psychosexual Spanish drama The Skin I Live In , the newest film by camp provocateur Pedro Almodóvar, you'll find Antonio Banderas staring as a demented plastic surgeon. Café Lush—with its quiet, Downtown location, thoughtful menu and use of quality ingredients—is like some future hybrid of Europe and Albuquerque. Captain Lionel Gearpunk's Steam-Powered Ball brings you antique futurism and a smoldering lineup of music and performance. Albuquerque's water utility says its Drinking Water Project was launched to relieve an overtaxed aquifer, but now the multimillion dollar project is overtaxed too. Have yourself a very local Christmas: The Weekly Alibi has found some of the region's best artists, crafters, and goods creators and, with that precious information, devised a guide to a greener holiday. After living in an Uptown commercial strip for three years, this summer all-ages venue Amped Performance Center relocated Downtown and celebrates its grand reopening this weekend. In 2009, a report about the Albuquerque Police Department was created for the incoming mayor. It pointed to corruption, fear of retaliation on the force, criticisms from the public and problems with APD's leadership. But Mayor Richard Berry may have never seen that version of the report. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Chris Hedges’ timely and frightening polemical tome Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle depicts Americans as functionally illiterate and blissfully unaware of our own reality. New Zealand writer-director Niki Caro and actress / fellow Kiwi Keisha Castle (of Whale Rider fame) reunite after nine years in the making of The Vintner’s Luck , a film about Winemaking in early-1800s rural France. Winter squash—along with turkey, eggnog and perhaps your crazy aunt Bertha—reserves a place at most holiday tables. Ari LeVaux offers a few squash dishes you'll eat with joy. A quick jaunt to the nearest chain store reveals a vast universe of vampire fiction. Heather Brewer’s First Kill adds to the supremely popular hormonal vampire sub genre. A grape revolution has made wine accessible to the middle class. It’s also made vintners of some rock stars. Joseph Baca looks at who has taken up this Bacchanalian indulgence. The Alibi interviews Dr. Byron Wall—Albuquerque wine ambassador and unwavering promoter of liquid Land of Enchantment. Award-winning writer-director Alexander Payne ( Sideways ) returns with emotional dramedy The Descendants , a Hawaii-based film about a workaholic dad learning to raise his two young girls. A punk rock Shiraz or a misfit blend is just the thing to inject a little insolence into your evening, and at less than $20 a bottle, a quartet of premium, Australian cold-weather wines hitting the New Mexico market for the first time are a great value. For four decades The Frontier has served sweet rolls, western style hash browns and fiesta burgers to a whole cross section of humanity—from celebrities to pantsless bandits. Albuquerque folk art hero Steve White—the man behind thousands of beautifully augmented Pez dispensers—opens his Folk Farm for the holidays. Casita de Milagros—New Mexico's only residential treatment center for drug addicted, expectant mothers—remains closed while its funding is debated. Melancholia—the latest by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier—is a luminous yet incomprehensible story about the end of the world. Santa Fe's Jambo Café is infused with the culinary traditions of Africa, Arabia and India—a reflection of owner Ahmed Obo's native Lamu. "NiX Comics Quarterly" takes a tongue-in-cheek look at record collecting, underground music, monsters, and heroes, and is brought to you by one of the overlords of GaragePunk.com. Proposed changes to rules regarding Albuquerque's drought management strategy cause strife between the water utility and river activists. Blackout Theatre take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol with haunting live music and creative puppetry. Radio personality TJ Trout retires from 94 Rock after 25 years of crude, lewd and influential morning banter. Forty years after the first printing of the breakthrough feminist health reference Our Bodies, Ourselves , its executive director Judy Norsigian discusses current politics surrounding the female body. In an interview, documentarian Chris Metzler discusses his new, madcap, punk rock film Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone . Flying Star Café—with its menu that ranges from health to comfort food; made with local, organic, humane, fair trade ingredients; available at nine locations from Albuquerque to Santa Fe—is like an old friend we've come to trust. Lone Star state raconteur and troubadour Kinky Friedman stops in Santa Fe on his 14-city Hanukkah Tour. In an interview, he discusses the importance of satire and the interpersonal skills required to be a Wal-Mart greeter. Father and veteran zinester Tomas Moniz provides an alternative to traditional parenting books with his essay anthology "Rad Dad." It's two weeks until Christmas, do you know where your presents are? Your friends here at the Weekly Alibi have compiled a hassle-free, neighborhood-based guide for local, last minute Christmas shopping. Director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, the duo who brought us Juno , team up again for the drama-laced, cynical comedy Young Adult . Alt.country band The Porter Draw is part of a small but prolific Americana movement that has bubbled up in Albuquerque during the past five years. Marked by an unusual amount of camaraderie, the handful of bands within it are friends who are mutually dedicated to making music in and for this town. The Santa Fe Farmers' Market—the state's largest, oldest and maybe best—teems with New Mexico's agricultural gifts, even in the dead of winter. The San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project has been helping to replenish the aquifer, but the New Mexico Court of Appeals just ruled that Bernalillo County doesn't have rights to a key component—the Rio Grande. With only a handful of days until the new year, Mother Road's The Memory of Water may be the best theater production to come out of Albuquerque in 2011. It's not just for college students. Monte Vista Fire Station stays up late with blues, booze and New Mexico beef. Finally, a Christmas playlist that won't rot your teeth. Music writer Samantha Anne Scott curates the eclectic mix. Working like a sweaty elf in Santa’s factory, Steven Spielberg delivers not one but two feature films for Christmas: T he Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. Tattoos represent painful histories of gangs, abuse and sexual assault for some women. One South Valley laser removal clinic is helping them move on, one letter at a time. Whizzing in court, ridiculous lawsuits, petrified poop and more than one synthetic-marijuana-fueled "zombie" attack: We select the weirdest bits from our weekly Odds & Ends column, a treasure trove idiotic news. The Alibi reviews the year in arts, food, TV, film and news! The most eye-poppin' art of 2011. The films that delighted and reviled in 2011. The year's most newsworthy news from around the city, state and country. A feast of culinary hot topics from 2011. The tuneage your eardrums danced to during the last 365. Tricklock Theatre Company is back with its 12 th annual Revolutions International Theatre Festival and three weeks of shows from Spain, Switzerland, France, Mexico, Israel and right here at home. Alibi skeptic Benjamin Radford takes on the myth of 2012 and looks a variety of other doomsday predictions. What trends can movie-goers expect over the next year? Devin D. O'Leary looks at the horror, action, reinterpretation and three-dimensionally of cinema in 2012. Over the past couple of years, Northeast Heights French/Italian restaurant Chez Bob has transformed into an source for dishes concocted from organic and local ingredients. A new generation of hip-hop artists across the nation are lyrically tackling alternative energy, food justice, organic gardening and other environmental issues. Albuquerque's eco-friendly building standards—once a frontrunner for energy efficiency in the nation—were repealed last month when the City Council voted to adopt the state's more lax energy code. Samantha Martin knows how to heard cats—her Amazing Acro-Cats are traveling circus featuring felines who jump through hoops, roll barrels and play guitar. In honor of the Land of Enchantment's centennial year, the Celebrating New Mexico Statehood website was created as a vastly comprehensive public historical archive. Despite its all-star cast and direction by Roman Polanski, Carnage —a story about trespassing the boundaries of polite society—doesn't quite translate from stage to screen. Santa Fe's Tune-Up Café, located in a small adobe building on the outskirts of the Plaza, is a classy bohemian melange of delicious dishes originating from disparate locales. Bob Seger is recognized for the mainstream rock he made in 1976 and beyond, but his little known artistic achievements in the '60s will get fans of early punk excited. After a 13-year battle, the approval of a discrimination lawsuit claiming Anglo farmers received federal funding while Native American applications were denied will benefit New Mexicans. Eugene O’Neill 1923 Conneticut-based play A Moon for the Misbegotten might just make you rethink your unhealthy obsessions. Despite Dengue Fever’s inspiration being an obscure but distinct form of music—’60s Cambodian rock—the mixture of East and West / surf and psych / then and now is unparalleled. The new year grants a symbolic opportunity to examine yourself, to figure out if there’s anything that could be discarded or improved upon. A more balanced, peaceful, organized you awaits. Cinematically, Steven Soderbergh can do whatever he wants. His newest project Haywire is a low-budget, digital video action flick starring a first-time actor. Mina Yamashita explores the new underground dinner clubs that are popping up around Albuquerque. Like 56 percent of college students in New Mexico, Alibi intern Elise Kaplan took out student loans to finance her education. After a lot of legwork she's able to break down what Obama’s student loan proposal means. Set in 1984 with references Orwell's classic, Haruki Murakami's new novel 1Q84 is a nearly thousand page saga named after the imaginary year that the disoriented main character thinks she lives in. Her descent into madness makes for creepy, unsettling reading. Over the course of five years in the early ’90s, Dr. Rick Strassman dosed 400 volunteers with DMT at the University of New Mexico. He spoke with us about his study, the Old Testament and alien abduction, among other things. Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements takes viewers on a trip with friends and fans who loved and still love the pioneering Minneapolis alternative rockers. Yashoda Naidoo has a photographic memory. Recalling the kinds of Ayurvedic dishes her family made while she was growing up, she was able to open Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café only 18 months after she started teaching herself to cook. There's never been a more accessible time for music, which is great for the fan/collector, good for the musician and bad for the shops that sell it. Case in point: Natural Sound, Albuquerque's oldest independent record shop, is closing this week. Classically trained French horn quartet Velvet Barbie plays concerts of classical-pop crossover music, transforming fun yet trite compositions such as "Thong Song" into highbrow works of art. Married 17 years, Santa Fe residents Jon Moritsugu and Amy Davis are a band, a filmmaking team, and, after directing a video for TV on the Radio, Grammy nominees. Finnish writer-director Aki Kaurismäki's latest effort, the alternately gritty and whimsical modern fairy tale Le Havre , plays out like a politically minded remake of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid . Kasbah Mediterranean Cuisine—the fourth Albuquerque restaurant helmed by Ridha Bouajila of Marrakech and Mediterranean Café notoriety—brings diners moussaka, halal and the famous Moroccan dish king's bastilla . Artistic team Todd Ryan White and Jack Wesley Schneider show their appreciation for metal subculture with a music series / exhibit of new work entitled DAMNED IF YOU DOOM . If a Republican-backed plan for City Council redistricting comes to fruition, Isaac Benton's District 3—which encompasses Downtown, Barelas, the University area and a slice of the Westside—will be eliminated and dispersed into North Valley and Nob Hill districts. View the lovey dovey winners of the Alibi's ninth annual Valentine’s Day Card Contest. Listen to an eclectic soundtrack that ranges from torch songs to tortured ballads—raunch, romance and resentment are all represented in this sonic valentine To celebrate Valentine's Day, we’ve chosen 10 of the darkest romantic films we could think of. See amorous emotions manifest themselves in drugs, alcoholism, suicide and the occasional mass murder. Between labor issues and deforestation chocolate production, like love, is sometimes a bittersweet undertaking. But it can also be empowering to farmers and relatively healthy for the environment. The guv stuffs even brief sessions with contention: 2012 brings us relentless hammering on driver's licenses, an embattled education secretary, abortion, medical marijuana, bullying and prescription pills. Joel Baca's mixed media art conveys themes that any Burqueño would recognize—marigolds, skeletons and Catholic icons pop up in colorful tableaus. It's what Baca call the New Mexico style. This weekend, an extravaganza of costumes, music, dance, stilt walkers and more—moves into the National Hispanic Cultural Center to celebrate Caribbean, Brazilian and Louisianan traditions of Carnaval. In Pina , German auteur Wim Wenders ( Wings of Desire, Until the End of the World ) has created a 3D documentary about avant garde dance choreographer Pina Bausch. Many “fusion” restaurants serve a diversity of dishes representing a range of cuisines, but the dishes themselves remain boilerplate versions of classics. Not so at Pasión Latin Fusion. Legislation that aimed to curb New Mexico's epidemic rates of opioid abuse and overdose deaths became a hot-button issue during the 30-day legislative session. Albuquerque's inaugural Southwest Irish Theater Festival appears in town this weekend. MC Gift of Gab, of Bay Area duo Blackalicious, talks about categories, solo careers and his next album. The 84 th annual Academy Awards take place this Sunday—here's your guide to the ceremony with a complete list of nominees and a rundown of this year's surprises and letdowns. Given the continuing success of vocal talent competitions like “American Idol” and “The Voice," Americans are obviously obsessed with people who can carry a tune. So far, though, Hollywood hasn’t been able to translate that into anything other than “let’s all vote on America’s next pop star.” Is NBC's "Smash" anything different? Liberace’s sticky buns. That’s Frank DeCaro’s favorite recipe in his freshly published Dead Celebrity Cookbook , and the reason has nothing to do with taste—although DeCaro says the packaged crescent rolls doused in rum, butter and enough seasoning to spice a pumpkin pie are dangerously delicious. Rio Rancho’s waste is being wasted. The same is true for most cities, which treat their sewage well enough to be used for gray water purposes but then send it downriver. Due to the plight of the desert and a rapidly growing population, Rio Rancho no longer wants to send off its sewage—they want to put it back into the aquifer. Even if you weren’t a redheaded orphan girl brought up on a farm near the turn of the 20 th century, Anne of Green Gables will likely remind you of your childhood—of best friends, the realm of make believe and accidental drunkenness. Jamalski is an internationally known MC who helped pioneer the reggae/hip-hop crossover genre both as a member of the Boogie Down Productions crew and as a prolific solo artist with hits such as “Jump, Spread Out.” After a decade living in France, he's back in NYC and makes his second home in New Mexico. Lynette, the star of the “Shit Burqueños (New Mexicans) Say” videos, put up on YouTube by Blackout Theatre Company. talks about how she's all bad and stuff. Cuban-born cartoon Chico & Rita explores music, dance, Havana's heyday and the bumpy road to love. In lieu of opening a restaurant, Chef Kimberley Calvo revved up The Seasonal Palate, a food truck that parks in Placitas. With the Sandia Mountains as a backdrop and a steady stream of commuters passing by, she’s developing a niche for her revolving menu of victuals. The Albuquerque City Council voted to do away with District 3 which covered the city's urban core, extended the moratorium on impact fees and made it a bit easier to prevent historic buildings from being demolished. Global DanceFest is in its 12 th year and also its last. Never fear, though, it's being replaced by twice as much festival. A historic Bernalillo saloon—opened by a bootlegger the year prohibition ended—is up for sale. John Carter is a perfectly good action adventure. Unfortunately, it’s probably not good enough to revive a nearly 100-year-old franchise that’s had little success breaking out of its literary roots. Across the country, and in many parts of the world, chicken-first approaches are supplanting the simple quest to create the cheapest eggs possible. Deep into a second decade of making music, Deerhoof continues to introduce avant anachronisms to the world of pop music. Rudolfo Anaya—author of the landmark Chicano novel Bless Me, Ultima —talks about censorship. German writer Ferdinand von Schirach's Guilt boldly examines the obfuscated line between good and evil, moral justice, and legal justice. Photographer Pete McBride's Chasing Water —an award-winning 18-minute documentary screening in Albuquerque this week as part of the Banff Mountain Film Festival—follows the heavily diverted progression of the Colorado River. Hollywood's latest plundering of ancient airwaves for cinematic inspiration results in the super-hip, acid-washed, late '80s teenage cop show "21Jump Street" being transmuted into a raunchy buddy comedy. Vegetarians and omnivores alike have heavenly options at Bliss Sandwich Spot-N-More. Vocalists César Bauvallet and Jackie Zamora want to be clear about this: They will not be held responsible for any child conceived on the evening of their Cuban boleros concert by anyone in the audience. The Navajo Nation filed suit in New Mexico in late February against Urban Outfitters for using the tribe's name to peddle panties, flasks, earrings and more. Marisa Demarco interviews Shane Hendren—artist, board member and past president of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association—about native trends in mainstream culture and the long history of rip-off art. A typical art publication made by teenagers comes off a Xerox machine and is bound by a Swingline—two Amy Biehl High School students aim for a more professional and focused aesthetic with Fraise . Amidst a labyrinth of insurance pitfalls, technical jargon, invasive tests, expensive treatments and difficult decisions, First Choice Community Healthcare Clinics makes it easier for patients to navigate an often difficult system. While Perfect Sense has a grand premise involving a terrifying epidemic, it's pretty much a shoddy collection just sex scenes and montages. Ari LeVaux explains how braising—a powerful and under-appreciated cooking technique—can transform the toughest cuts of meat into soft puddles of flavor. Immerse yourself in a range of New Mexico-connected music at UNM's John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium. After a series of polluting industrial neighbors, one North Valley community is concerned about a coming recycling plant. After painstakingly whittling down a bevy of excellent entries, we give you the winners of the Alibi ’s ninth annual Photo Contest. Although active for only a year and a half in its original 1964 permutation, The Skatalites is an institution, its musicians having formed the backbone of ska. The band's manager and occasional keyboard player discusses the origins of that genre and keeping The Skatalites alive. The latest in law-professor-turned-filmmaker Frederick Wiseman's (40-odd) films is Crazy Horse , a coolly artistic examination of a sexually provocative cabaret that has operated in Paris since 1951. Meet Soon tofu—a spicy Korean soup loaded with curdles of extra-silky tofu and meat. Lawyers shed light on a policy that results in folks being deported to Mexico without their belongings. If you lived in Burque during the past decade, you may have seen Justin Mitschelen around town—he played keyboard in two laudable local bands, Karen and Manhole. Now the relocated experimenter is back for a visit with his noisy, synth-driven solo project Tiny Victim. Ciudad Juárez is a place to be avoided at all costs, says the U.S. State Department, which has issued stern warnings against travel to the city. But Sister Rene Weeks travels there every day to work at Centro Santa Catalina. Through the efforts of the Public Art Urban Enhancement Program, which is responsible for overseeing the city’s public art collection, hundreds of works will soon be viewable on your smartphone via an interactive mechanism called Museum Without Walls. Discover the best in local arts, entertainment, food, politics and culture in the Alibi's 19 th annual Best of Burque. Writer-director-actress Valérie Donzelli takes a number of unexpected paths with her involving feature about a terminally ill child, Declaration of War . Beautiful inside and out, the North Valley's Farm & Table is finally open and diners can expect excellent food that walks the walk and is reasonably priced for what you get. The 12 th annual Words Afire! festival offers audiences a chance to glimpse a new generation of playwrights, and playwrights a chance to flesh out their work. ¡Ask a Mexican! columnist Gustavo Arellano discusses his new book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America , with Alibi restaurant critic Ari LeVaux. Action flick The Raid is the first Indonesian film to get widespread release in America—probably because it's so accessible: The story is simple, light on the dialogue and doesn’t waste a lot of time before kicking into martial arts. James Beard award-winning chef Mark Kiffin is the creator of new Nob Hill tequila bar and fancy fish taco eatery Zacatecas. Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost of Albuquerque band A Hawk & A Hacksaw present to the world The Boone-Tolliver Recordings —two out-of-print, '50s, living room-recorded EPS by Kentucky musician John Jacob Niles . The statute on the books makes it a fourth-degree felony to help someone take his or her life. A lawsuit brought by two doctors argues that the law doesn't apply to a licensed physician providing aid to a dying person who's mentally competent. World-renowned pianist Lara Downes brings her energetic rendition of a more than 250-year-old classic Bach piece to The Church of Beethoven. Colonized by military and industry since the World War II era, New Mexico—once a health center—now lives with a legacy of pollution. Meet the eco warriors who are out to reclaim their air, water and soil. French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung bravely takes on popular Japanese author Haruki Murakami's mope-tacular 1987 coming-of-age tale Norwegian Wood. Ruby’s Tortilleria in Bernalillo has that south of the border spirit you'll find in small towns up and down the middle Rio Grande—and it has Mexican barbacoa. Charming Albuquerque indiegrass songstress Sage Harrington releases her album Maybe with the help of Squash Blossom Boys. Democratic Albuquerque City Councilors said Mayor Richard Berry should talk to them if he has something to say, not go running to the media to send them a message. The flyer for Josh Jones' Injunuity art show depicts a head-dressed Native American cartoon character gleefully gassing an undersized hotrod beneath the tagline "Start your Injuns!" A throwback to the comically bizarre work of Ed Roth and R. Crumb, the illustration is indicative of the unhinged spirit of the event Jones has been assembling for four years during Gathering of Nations. In a time when the substance of old-school hip-hop storytelling has been replaced with materialism, MC Lakota Jonez is the real deal, spreading hip-hop’s gospel with her low-toned, staccato delivery. The Five-Year Engagement has the benefit of a solid cast and a credible bunch of people behind the camera, but it’s still a lazy cut-and-paste job, combining elements of every nuptial-based rom-com that came before it. Now seems like a good time to point out how easy it is to grind your own burger in the food processor. Grill season is starting, pink slime is everywhere and, for once, wouldn't it be nice to have a burger that isn't basically mystery meat? Now in its fifth year, Gathering of Nations Pow Wow spin-off event Rock the 9 Native Music Festival includes three nights of guitar-powered rock and roll, showcasing bands from all over the continent. Debbie Coburn's nonprofit Four Corners Equine Rescue , which takes in horses from any sort of "perilous situation," experienced a sudden surge in growth following a New York Times expose on the ills of horse racing, particularly in New Mexico. Set in a quintessential dusty Western town, the Adobe Theater's production of The Rainmaker saturates dirt and desire. Barry Manilow has produced some of the softest music known to man. And this Saturday, Sandia Casino will host one of his live performances. We should be thankful. Ironically named skeptic Damon Orion searches for a reason to find deep, metaphysical meaning in the stars. Gigantic summer blockbuster though it may be, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers may be the greatest superhero movie Hollywood has ever made. JohnDhi’s BBQ, on Rio Grande and Griegos, manages to keep the formula for the iconic Albuquerque turkey sandwich pared down while hitting its few essential notes with feeling. Every day, fumes, traffic snarls and tanker trucks aggravate neighbors of the Smith's gas station on Constitution and Carlisle. And with a permit for the station to sell more fuel, the situation isn’t going to get any easier. UNM area mainstay Casa de Piñatas creates those vibrant, beautiful, confection-filled papier-mâché vessels designed to be smashed to pieces with a broom handle. Eliot Michael's Rumble Seat Music showroom, located on Central Ave. in Albuquerque's Upper Nob Hill neighborhood, contains a collection of the most hotly coveted vintage instruments, gear and motorcycles in the world. Everybody knows that it's cooler in the mountains. The Alibi's 2012 Summer Guide leads the way up to the higher points in New Mexico. U.K. director Lynne Ramsay takes the evil children genre in an arty, esoteric direction with her darkly unnerving but deeply flawed domestic nightmare We Need To Talk About Kevin. The IVB Canteen, part of the ever-expanding Il Vicino empire, offers not pizza in a hip neighborhood, but fresh-brewed beer, sandwiches and live music in what is usually an industrial zone. During her time in office, pioneering state legislator Danice Picraux lobbied for abortion rights and made domestic violence a crime for the first time in the state’s history. Albuquerque drag troupe The Dolls endow Miranda, Samantha, Carrie and Charlotte with a little something extra in Sex in the Burque. Who are the politicians determining where your tax money is invested, whether you’re charged with a felony or if a megaplex shopping center gets built in that field down the way? Read our rigorously devised 2012 primary election guide to find out. Ralph Fiennes gets no points for giving the annoyingly commonplace modern slant to his Shakespeare-derived directorial debut. He does, however, get credit for choosing what is arguably the Bard's most obscure play, the militant revenge saga Coriolanus. Hollandaise is one of the most decadent sauces out there. It's rich without being greasy, and it’s tart with citrus and vinegar. Served warm, it improves the flavor of whatever it touches. Here's a lesson in creating the tricky sauce. The first day of summer officially arrives on June 20. But with school being out and temperatures reaching into the upper ’80s, it’s as good as here. Listen our summer playlist—a mix of 15 hot seasonal tracks. You don't talk about sexual assault when you're in the service, says Yvette McClelland. But sometimes you can just see it in someone's face. Like pretty much everything else she's written, Toni Morrison's most recent novel Home is a work of historical fiction deeply ingrained in social injustices. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, movie studios will be sending their best fighters to duke it out at your local theater. It's hard to reconcile Richard Linklater, the young-turk auteur who gave us 1991’s Gen-X manifesto Slacker, with Richard Linklater, the movie industry vet responsible for Jack Black's latest movie, a pleasantly quirky crime comedy called Bernie. Hidden, organic crêpes with a lighter-than-air béchamel await deep inside a Downtown Albuquerque flea market. Recess Records mastermind Todd Congelliere talks making albums, punks who go folk and nebulous band members. The Navajo Nation outlawed uranium mining and processing in 2005 in response to high cancer rates. Yet now members of the tribe are fighting plans to mine uranium from an aquifer. Arts collective Postcommodity explores the nature of borders and not being wanted in the third and most ambitious installation in its Repellent Eye series. The De Anza Motor Lodge was once a lively outpost of the golden age of Route 66. Now, thanks to neighbors, the city and some rare works of Zuni art, the Upper Nob Hill motel is about to be salvaged. After a long absence, Elliott’s Ramblers, one of the most beloved bluegrass acts in New Mexico history, is returning to Albuquerque for a show. Cult-based indie Sound of My Voice is a speculative, dialogue-heavy sci-fi drama that may not sit well with everyone, but proves writer-producer-star Brit Marling to be a voice and a vision worth paying attention to. While upscale burger parlor Holy Cow clearly treats the ground beef sandwiches as a deity, the Huning Highland restaurant has a few non-burgerly tricks up its sleeve. Preserving the past within Downtown neighborhoods is what residents had in mind when they started asking the city to take a critical look at their sector plan—last updated in 1976. A new plan aims to keep offices out of residential areas. Al Park, a lawyer and candidate for PRC, failed to mention $600,000 his law firm made off a state contract during his endorsement interview. Ian Harvie is living proof that comedy and catharsis go hand in hand. Billed as the world's first female-to-male transgender comic, Harvie routinely uses his experiences with discovering gender identity as the basis of his stand-up act. Yes, he played the badass, cape-wearing, friend-betraying, Empire-double-crossing con man we all know and love in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , but actor Billy Dee Williams has a long and distinguished career without the guy. The Alibi chatted with him before his appearance at the 2012 Albuquerque Comic Expo. Hollywood, in one of those industrywide moments of serendipity, has suddenly realized that fairy tales are public domain and can be exploited for free, hence their explosion on TV and the silver screen. Its latest offering is S now White and the Huntsman. Garlic flowers are a byproduct of the crop's cultivation, and some growers see them as more nuisance than bonus. But savvy farmers are savvy realize that garlic flowers are not only delicious, they're an extra something they can harvest and sell when pickings are slim. One passionate Gram Parsons super fan shows us where she communes with the late '60s-era, star-crossed, cosmic Americana musician. The photo scandal involving Michael Wiener may have been useful to the commissioner, training the spotlight on him during election season. But Fields Avenue, the red-light district of Angeles City in the Philippines, remains a dark place. Born and bred in Albuquerque, dancer Cissy King spent more than a decade on "The Lawrence Welk Show." Back home now, she's been trying her hand at acting and appears in Albuquerque Little Theater's production of Singin' in the Rain . Escape, if ever so briefly, into the tiny tales penned by readers for the Alibi's annual Flash Fiction Contest. As the city tries to cope with growing colonies of feral cats, its trap-neuter-return operations are causing tensions. Hysteria , a medical history and romantic comedy set in 1880s England, cheekily tells the story of the electric vibrator's invention. Jamon's Frybread Cabana offers pan-American cuisine that fuses Brazilian and New Mexican staples like churrasco and chile. This year New Mexico observes its statehood centennial, and this weekend Albuquerque is marking the occasion with multiple outdoor stages, expositions and sundries throughout Downtown, amounting to the biggest party the city has ever thrown. Acclaimed, 88-year-old Western writer and Duke City dweller Max Evans talks about famous friendships, growing up in Lea County and how nobody cares about cowboys. Felix y los Gatos makes gritty, low-down, bottom-of-the-bottle blues and rock and roll that mixes the flavors of South Louisiana and the South Valley. The Alibi travels back in time to revisit a 1999 interview with the late, great sci-fi author Ray Bradbury. Disney and Pixar have stamped their names on a project that plays to the strengths of both companies—the glorious family fantasy Brave. Despite its hip, candy-coated veneer, Tía Betty Blue’s offers serious food that's simple but thoughtful, and different—as in blue corn waffle boat with fruit and lavender whipped cream different. Nursing homes can mean the loss of familiar comforts, routines, social connections and independence. So why was a plan to help increase the number of people moving into independent living situations axed by the state without warning? For 20 years, the stories of women and girls killed in Ciudad Juárez have been silenced in their own country and largely ignored by the world. In Río de Lágrimas ( River of Tears ), the women of Albuquerque-based collective Las Meganenas nobly attempt to tell the victims’ stories. When rock and roll trailblazers Alan Freed and Dick Clark were called to testify about payola in 1960, it ended one man’s career and managed to boost the other’s. The Transgender Resource Center has established itself as one of the first safe spaces of its kind in the country—and that's just one of many steps toward a more accepting culture taken in the U.S. this year. Under state law, no one can ban fireworks completely, even during times of extreme fire danger. This year municipalities are once again urging the legislature to change the policy to the objection of small fireworks vendors. Kale is succeeding where spinach and other green things have consistently failed: getting swallowed by children. The key is to bake the kale into crispy chips. In Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson’s madly inventive crime comedy Sound of Noise, Amadeus Warnebring is a tone-deaf cop in a family of musical geniuses, resigned to black sheep status until a peculiar case lands in his lap. In observance of Independence Day, 1776 combines musical theater, American history and the Founding Fathers dancing around in colonial garb. Running for president as a Libertarian, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is pitching himself as the candidate who's more right than the right when it comes to money, more left than the left on social issues. Johnson spoke with the Alibi about his bid for the White House. Jack Tatum's Wild Nothing swims in indie pop's wake, unapologetically harkening the twinkling melancholy of the genre while modernizing the decades-old sound. Even after Jenna Montoya was placed in one of the state's most high-needs categories, her mom says she’s concerned that alterations in the waiver program on Oct. 1 will mean big cuts to the therapy her daughter receives. Nob Hill snack shack The Last Call will give you carne asada fries at midnight—now that's a reason to party. To Rome With Love , Woody Allen's latest European export, is a forgettable ensemble comedy that finds Woody, as expected, in sunny Italy waxing rhapsodic about love, sex, marriage and infidelity. Carsten Stroud's Niceville is damn-good poolside reading. And, to be fair, it even makes a go at tackling that whole literary merit thing. In Where Do We Go Now? Nadine Labaki and her host of collaborators create a rural Middle Eastern town sheltered from world or religious strife. Skarsgard Farms, CSA formerly known as Los Poblanos Organics, revs up a fleet of Harvest Trucks that serve concoctions crafted from fine, local ingredients. Regina Carter's Reverse Thread is a spirited celebration of traditional and contemporary folk music from Africa that honors its source material while using jazz to dig in deeper. Professor Deleso Alford shines a light on horrors suffered for science. She tells these stories to create better doctors for the future. Downtown's Boro Gallery is transformed into a large, mind-bending visual assemblage of tattoo culture. Despite its many charms, the Land of Enchantment is having a hard time keeping water around, and farmers are paying the price. Beasts of the Southern Wild , a Louisiana-based, postapocalyptic environmental fantasy tale, is an unpolished gem. The Locavore's Dilemma: In Praise of the 10,000-Mile Diet takes a step back, painting locovores a Luddites and cheering on mass-produced food. Gangs have infiltrated tribal nations, recruiting young people who seek identity. But activists say traditions can heal. In 1977 the Dirty Dozen Brass Band brought club music—bebop, swing and blues, that is—to streets in New Orleans that were previously filled with repertoires of hymns and proto-jazz. The band is still vibrating on a different level 35 years later. The dinosaurs rule Mexico once again as Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party returns to power. Take a late-19 th century German play about school children. Adapt it as a rock musical with a score by a ’90s folk-rock one-hit wonder. Mix generously with explicit themes of adolescent sexuality, and the result is going to to be highly unorthodox. Ty Bannerman thought he could poke around abandoned Downtown high rise the Anasazi without getting caught. The building's developer, who was eventually charged with fraud, was probably thinking something similar. Despite the hype (plus all the other stuff swirling around it), The Dark Knight Rises is a sensational, super-sized series-ender. Restaurant owner Ben Michael is the salty embodiment of the highest ideals of the slow food and locavore movements—he's a pragmatist, rather than a trend-chaser, and he knows how to take his time. Pierre Bourdieu's The Food Space—a diagram of foods as they relate to class and education—as applied to rock and roll. Albuquerque is seeking someone to take a sharp-eyed look at complaints against the police department, but the national hunt to replace the city’s independent review officer comes at a rocky time for law enforcement. Rusita Avila says she knows a simple way to keep people out of prison: Let them talk on the phone. The media justice organizer with the Media Literacy Project says that though the plan is simple, due to inflated rates, it isn’t always easy. In August last year, Rick Reese, his wife, Terri, and their two sons, Ryin and Remington were all arrested on multiple counts of conspiracy, false statements, gun smuggling and money laundering. Their case sheds light on America's ongoing struggles with Second Amendment rights. Based on a Ronald Wright best seller, Surviving Progress is a heavy-duty think piece of a documentary that tackles the future integrity of our civilization. On Tuesday afternoons the Albuquerque Northeast Farmers' & Artisans' Market plants itself on the Albuquerque Academy campus, offering raw produce, meat and prepared food options, as well as gourmet dog food, skin care products and various folksy crafts. You're not likely to hear any of them on the radio, but you can catch adventurous musicians playing both familiar and bizarre instruments at the fourth annual installment of The Roost, a concert series devoted to emergent music. It's been 10 months since a groundswell of discontent engulfed the country, and Occupy Wall Street and Bank Transfer Day emerged. But did people really cash out of corporate coffers? Once again, we’re in the middle of two sad American cycles: senseless, lethal violence and the slew of specious arguments that inevitably follow, flying hither and yon like, well, bullets that never quite hit the mark. In the popular telling, Delta blues musicians were tragic figures, singing out for personal solace. Though romantic, this story ignores the spirit of the bluesman himself, and the commercial and technological advances of the early 1900s. With the rise of unfettered political groups in our state and country, we got to wondering where the unlimited amounts of election cash is coming from. In the first installment of this series, New Mexico’s top PACs in the 2012 elections are explored. In the popular telling, Delta blues musicians were tragic figures, singing out for personal solace. Though romantic, this story ignores the spirit of the bluesman himself, and the commercial and technological advances of the early 1900s. The guy who invented Rhapsody is now a novelist. His first book, Year Zero , concerns aliens who’ve stumbled upon Earth music, an event that causes their civilization to come to a complete halt because they’re so hooked. The husband-and-wife duo behind Little Miss Sunshine have returned with a follow-up film, the magical-realist romance Ruby Sparks . The Alibi chatted with them about the long road beginning in music videos to their second feature film. Letting food sit at room temperature and become colonized by airborne microorganisms runs counter to everything we're taught about food safety. But without this guided decomposition that we call fermentation there would be no bread, cheese, tequila or kimchee . As part of our PAC Manual, we've dug through the country's big political money. The 18 th International Symposium on Electronic Art is set to draw a worldwide audience to Albuquerque next month. And in a style true to our scrappy dirt city, a loose collective of locals wants to be sure that the full diversity of homegrown creative work doesn’t get left out of the conversation. Deep inside the Alibi vaults we uncovered images of some of the bands that inhabited Burque in the '90s. In the spring primary election season, state political action committees spent nearly $4 million. It’s only reasonable to expect that the funding game will intensify during the looming general election. Albuquerque meat abstainers can now chow down at Loving Vegan. The restaurant, owned by Sushi King, has recently tossed its hat into the serving of wannabe animal proteins—wannabe fish, specifically. Canadian director Panos Cosmatos digs three decades deep for his first writing-directing effort, the brain-twisting, eye-bending, ’80s-inspired, horror/sci-fi head trip Beyond the Black Rainbow . We’re commemorating our thousandth issue with a retrospective guide to getting by in Albuquerque. Culled from two decades' worth of invaluable insights found in past Survival Guides, these are our favorite crash courses on Burque New Mexico has made the perfect setting for plenty of great stories, but when writing about New Mexico, it's easy to overdo it. Case in point: Jo-Ann Mapson's latest effort, Finding Casey . Canada's Academy Award nominee Monsieur Lazhar is a quiet, unadorned live-and-learn drama set in a public middle school in Montreal. Imprisoned Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot is reminding us of something we have to relearn every decade or so: It's OK to be about something. And it's OK to mean it. These convictions are as crucial artistically as they are politically. In 2010 PACs emerged as a major force in elections. There’s no limit on what they can spend to get a candidate elected. During the primaries, super PACs blew more on candidates than the major campaigns did. But what’s bigger than big? Nonprofits. The Philippines' dynamic influences combined with ingredients available in a tropical paradise, has resulted is a cuisine as complex as the jungle, as colorful as a coral reef and full of surprises. Find them at Filipino Kitchen in Upper Nob Hill here in Albuquerque. “Little Red Riding Hood” becomes an allegory for death and change in Tricklock’s latest original effort. In Celeste and Jesse Forever , a broken up perfect couple has been together so long, they don’t know how to exist without each other. Food writer Ari LeVaux discovers the joy of a chaotic garden. Steve Hammond leaves town for Old Mexico. In doing so he's (temporarily) squashing the existence of Retard Slave, Tenderizor, Knife City, and the beloved country thrash band Leeches of Lore. Russell Sype, a political unknown from Albuquerque, has launched his campaign—for president. Stream a sampling of tracks from Steve Hammond's bands. The thoughtful and adventurous avant-garde quartet Slumgum makes the listener feel at home with beautiful melodies and familiar elements from diverse musical traditions—classical, jazz, ambient, world. Meet one of the winning artists from the Alibi's second Operation Artbox contest. Now that summer is over, cinematically speaking, who triumphed and what got marked as a tragedy in the dog days of 2012? Adorned with marling and dolphin sculptures, and seat backs that are carved into scalloped sunburst patterns, mariscos joint El Zarandeado serves Sinaloense-style seafood, as well as a few token non-seafood items. Ninety-year-old sisters recall a North Valley from back in the day. Ex-Angry Samoan and Creem Magazine record reviewer Gregg Turner ended up teaching math in New Mexico and playing in a garage psych band called the Blood Drained Cows. Now he's releasing his first solo album. If you can look past political short circuits, The Sleeper is a fun, quirky little ditty, but it's not the post-9/11 social satire it wants to be. We here at the Alibi are nothing if not champions of bastard art forms, and really, bastards in general. So, with that we present to you the winners of the 20th annual Haiku Contest. Despite the rise of the blockbuster and the decline of the independent film in recent years, Compliance, the scary and controversial drama from first-time writer-director Craig Zobel, has stirred up quite a bit of noise. Shimmering pitchers of syrup, gleaming glasses of orange juice and milk, a pie case aglow with golden crusts, haloed meringues and stage-lit creams. It’s like paradise. Katherine Pierce is moving past the night a man broke into her house and murdered her husband. She filed a lawsuit questioning whether APD could have caught the killer before it happened. An extended interview with entomophag Daniella Martin Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at UNM's Theatre X Fusion Theatre Company tackles weighty philosophical questions. Home mixologists and bartenders are turning their attention toward pumpkin ales, bourbons and scotches.