AltWeeklies Wire
Idaho Government Seeks Coverage via News Feeds and Social Networkingnew

What is the affect of media consolidation and changes in the industry on government agencies? What does it mean for agencies if their meetings are not covered? Some have turned to their own forms of outreach, including "Twitter-ganda."
Boise Weekly |
Nathaniel Hoffman |
04-09-2009 |
Media
The 'Boston Globe' Crisis Leaves Times Co. Speechlessnew

The Boston Globe usually buries its own woes deep inside the paper, but it played the current union showdown with front-page, above-the-fold headlines on both Saturday and Sunday.
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
04-09-2009 |
Media
Fetishists Are Flourishing in the Bay Statenew

Massachusetts' notorious Blue laws have chased local fetishists underground, where Spandex and spanking bunnies flourish.
Boston Phoenix |
Sara Faith Alterman |
04-09-2009 |
Culture
Vin Diesel Mopes a Lot As He Returns to the Film Franchise That Made Him a Starnew
Vin Diesel returns to the series that made him a big star with Fast and Furious, a tiresome speedy-car movie. Things have really deteriorated since the fun original.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
04-08-2009 |
Reviews
If You Like Sappy, Cute, Formulaic Films Go See 'The Black Balloon'new
There are some nice things to say about The Black Balloon. I mean, it's sappy and cute and formulaic, and people enjoy that. Who am I to stop them?
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
04-08-2009 |
Reviews
'Best of Contemporary Mexican Fiction' Introduces Readers to Living Writers from Across the Bordernew
Chances are that a recognizable literary talent is already dead. This is the challenge that confronts a book like Best of Contemporary Mexican Fiction. It features 16 writers, all of whom still walk the Earth.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
04-08-2009 |
Fiction
Congress Votes Down a NAFTA-Mandated Trucking Programnew

After years of political shell games on Capitol Hill, yet another push to unleash Mexican trucks across the United States has been quashed.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
04-08-2009 |
International
Act to Save Papersnew
Hey, readers: The future of newspapers is in your hands.
Tucson Weekly |
Irene Messina |
04-08-2009 |
Commentary
Tags: newspaper industry
Chatting Up Dame Ednanew
Dame Edna Everage is surely the most popular and most gifted woman in the world today. Housewife, investigative journalist, social anthropologist, talk-show host, swami, children's-book illustrator, megastar, celebrity spin doctor, and icon.
Boston Phoenix |
Jim Sullivan |
04-08-2009 |
Performance
PBS Puts a Human Face on Native American Historynew
In terms of exposition, inspiration, and cross-cultural outreach, you can think of We Shall Remain as the Native American Eyes on the Prize. Like that landmark documentary, this series reminds us that true glory lies in the honest histories of people, not the manipulated histories of governments.
Boston Phoenix |
Clif Garboden |
04-08-2009 |
TV
Your Guide to Understanding Rap Lyricsnew

Good news for perplexed suburbanites: a new site called UnderstandRap.com lets experienced rap interpreters explain difficult urban slang to hip-hop neophytes.
Boston Phoenix |
David Thorpe |
04-08-2009 |
Music
Barack Obama, Torture Enabler
Why does it take a Spanish prosecutor to enforce American laws against torture?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
04-08-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The Bizarre Case of the People vs. Steve Rocconew
Former Orange Unified School District trustee Steve Rocco claims that a secretive cabal is the real power behind Orange County government. Now he stands accused of stealing a bottle of Heinz ketchup from a Chapman University cafeteria.
The Life and Times Hits the Road with a Joyful New Albumnew

The band proves that three dudes from the Midwest who grew up on Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin can produce music that, while not as commercially successful as their idols', is no less transcendent.
The Pitch |
Jason Harper |
04-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Fifteen Years After Kurt Cobain's Death, Would-Be Nirvanas Share His Broken Crownnew
Ever since Kurt Cobain, Seattle's seminal grunge hero, shot himself in the head, slews of would-be successors to Nirvana's sonic throne have come and gone.
Phoenix New Times |
Niki D'Andrea |
04-08-2009 |
Music