It ain't over till the fat lady sings. But for most UA students, "it," the experience of opera, has yet to begin.

However, "La Canterina" or "The Budding Soprano," a short comedic opera by Joseph Haydn, offers a perfect introduction to the world of opera.

Director and music professor Charles Roe emphasizes the ease in understanding the opera through its use of English, in addition to its brevity, simplicity and straightforward plot. He explains that because of these reasons, "La Canterina" "is a good entrŽe to opera." [Read article]

Cowboys, bandits and other rootin' tootin' gunslinging outlaws no doubt epitomized Tucson's Wild West attitude, but does anyone really care these days? Well, quite a few folks in Tucson, and around the nation, still flock to the Tucson Rodeo and Parade every year, so there must be a good reason to do so.

The weeklong rodeo event begins Saturday and lasts until Feb. 29.

Some native Tucsonans currently attending the UA have attended the rodeo and parade in the past. [Read article]

When I was handed an ad from the Tucson Weekly as a suggestion for the "What Not to Do in Tucson" column, I thought it was a setup.

"Dress-to-sweat barefoot boogie on a sprung Marley floor takes place every Friday. Plenty of room for freestyle, trance-robics, hip-hype, extreme dancing, contact improvisation, rhythmastics and physio-rolling. First Friday of the month is the Drum Circle."

What the fuck are trance-robics? [Read article]

I went to "Dancing at Lughnasa" expecting something saccharine, something a bit melodramatic and ÷ honestly ÷ something a lonely old maid would watch on Lifetime Television while eating yogurt and snuggling her cat or man doll.

Well, I happily admit, I was mostly wrong. The story wasn't saccharine, and the drama was subtle. The thing is, I still think that same lonely lady is probably close to what the target audience would be for "Dancing." [Read article]

"Ask for rubbers in your prayers. They are doubles but are they brothers." For most, these lines by Jackson MacLow do not evoke the word "poetry." For some, though, they contain the very essence of language.

It's about the sounds. It's about how the words interact with each other.

The upcoming class "Circling and Center: L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E and Its Peripheries," focuses on a certain mode of poetry sometimes called "language poetry." So what the hell does that mean? Charles Alexander, local poet, founder and executive director of Chax Press, and the instructor of the class, tries to explain. [Read article]

Most likely, Dr. Paul Gahlinger knows more than you do about drugs. With a focus on education, Gahlinger has written "Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to Their History, Chemistry, Use and Abuse."

I know what you're thinking: "I did crack last night and I was fine! What's a fancy book gonna tell me that I won't find out from a rock or two?"

Well, did you know that each inhalation of crack inspires growth in the tailbone? Every time you suck that glass, you're one step closer to a circus sideshow. [Read article]

The day before Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is scheduled to hit theaters, Tucson will get a musical dose of Christianity's central figure when Broadway's classic rock opera"Jesus Christ Superstar" hits Centennial Hall.

"Superstar," with musical score by Andrew Lloyd Weber and lyrics by Tim Rice, chronicles the last seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

At first only released as a record because producers were afraid to chance such a daring production, the musical is now considered a theatrical legend. "Superstar" is the epic retelling of Jesus' last days as seen through the eyes of one apostle, Judas Iscariot, who is disillusioned with Jesus. [Read article]

Poor misguided Adam Sandler. The turn of the century appears to be the turning point of Sandler's career. He moved from making movies that are funny to · well, not.

With the exception of "Punch-Drunk Love," which is a profound cinematic achievement, he has consistently disappointed audiences all over America. I was hoping this movie would be different. I was hoping this would be the movie that would let him start over. [Read article]

When you hear "animated movie," what do you imagine?

Aladdin and Jasmine falling in love, the fairy godmother helping Cinderella to the ball, and Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti together? Yeah, me too.

But times are definitely changing. Disney isn't dominating the market anymore; it's being trumped by Pixar and original foreign cartoons, like "The Triplets of Belleville."

The characters are no longer beautiful women with perfect bodies and long hair. Instead, writer and director Sylvain Chomet decided strangely distorted figures would be better for his film, which was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film for this year's Oscars. [Read article]

Were you starting to think indie music had turned into a sick little kitten who always craps on everything? The crap is usually indie's latest sound, but you're always there, fetching paper towels to clean up.

Me too, until I heard Your Enemies Friends layin' it down right. The band plays with enough force to prematurely knock a fetus out of the womb. Your Enemies Friends writes songs that are heavy with accusation, anger and frenetic keyboards and guitars. [Read article]

Today

DJ Dance Party ÷ Skrappy's, 201 E. Broadway Blvd. Featuring live music by New York new wavers Cr�me Blush, Bark! Bark! Bark!, Matt McCoy and Datwop. 7 p.m. $5. 358-4287

DJ Keoki ÷ City Limits, 6350 E. Tanque Verde Rd. Former Club Kid and current spinner brings all his records to Tucson. $15 for 18+ and $10 for 21+. 7 p.m. 733-6262.

"Dancing at Lughnasa" ÷ Laboratory Theatre. The Arizona Repertory Theatre presents this Tony Award-winning play set in the Irish countryside. 7:30 p.m. $22 general admission, $15 for students. 621-1162. [Read article]

The Black Watch

Sounds Like: Mary Beth

See Also: The Cure, The Refreshements

Very Mary Beth

When I first looked at the cover photo of Lisa Loeb on The Black Watch's Very Mary Beth, I instinctively threw the CD down and ran out of the newsroom crying. After someone coaxed me back in by wrapping the CD in bacon, I gave it a second look and realized that it is, in fact, not Lisa Loeb on the cover, but just someone who looks like her. Fine, The Black Watch, you got me. Then you guys slyly recorded tracks like "Beautiful" and "The Girl of My Dreams," which sound just like the Gin Blossoms with your lead singer disguising his voice to sound like Robert Smith's to preserve some scrap of a quasi-indie status. Got me again! I thought that the album's last song, "Magic Shoes," would redeem the whole 1994-esque experience and transport me to a land of unicorns and tap dancers, but instead they just gave me corns. [Read article]