B-boys battle at Skrappy's

Pop and lock, fool! This isn't "Flashdance"; this is the real thing. On Saturday night at 7, Skrappy's will host Off Beats, an honest-to-God break-dancing tournament and exhibition.

This is the first time Tucson has ever hosted a break-dancing event of this caliber, Nate Camacho, co-organizer said.

Some of the best crews from California, Colorado, Utah, Texas and Arizona are coming to Tucson to participate in the event. [Read article]

Local Tucson artists Michael Cajero and Alice Leora Briggs combined their individual art to create a common vision of a 21st century purgatory.

"Purgatorio" is their expansive mixed media installation currently showing at the Joseph Gross Gallery.

The product of this joint effort is a piece that highlights the socio-economic problems of the working class. Cajero, a former janitor, identifies with the working class and used that inspiration to develop his concept of "Purgatorio." [Read article]

Think you have it bad because you're on campus from noon to 3.p.m on Tuesdays?

Justin Quandt, a dance senior studying modern jazz and ballet, doesn't want to hear about it.

Unlike many UA students, who go home after class to enjoy afternoon snacks and bad television, when Quandt is finished with classes, he's off to rehearsals until late at night.

"It can get pretty intense," said Quandt about rehearsals. "It's all day. I'm usually on campus from 8 or 9 a.m. to 10 at night." [Read article]

In spite of their searing name, the Fiery Furnaces carry all the hallmarks of an exceedingly cool band.

The brother/sister combo of Matt and Eleanor Friedberger was picked up by the undeniably cool Rough Trade Records. It spent the first part of its current national tour opening for Ted Leo, who is pretty much the paradigm of indie rock cool. Not to mention the fact that the pair just finished the Pacific leg of their tour, and the Pacific Coast is nothing if not cool. The two drive a van, which presumably has air conditioning. Cool. [Read article]

I heard the news the night before, but I didn't truly understand the gravity of the situation. The next morning, it hit me.

I could barely lift my head up off the pillow and roll out of bed. A single tear streamed down my face as I walked, my eyes lowered to the computer.

I struck the keys: cnn.com. But alas, the front page only confirmed my greatest fears ÷ J. Lo and Ben were done.

A romance for the ages, Bennifer (such a clever moniker) meant so much to me, my friends and the troops fighting overseas. [Read article]

My jaded view of Ashton Kutcher was put to the test when I went to see "The Butterfly Effect." Coming in, I hated the way Kutcher reminded me of the anonymous guy who gets the last scone, with his goofy grin and mocking laugh. I sure would like to slap Ashton around for a while.

It's for this reason that it genuinely pains me to say that I enjoyed "The Butterfly Effect." Congrats, Ashton.You kept me in the seat for those 113 minutes, when I could have easily spent the time color-coding my Nintendo games. [Read article]

Louis Bayard's newest novel answers with wit and skill a question no one in the last two centuries has seriously bothered to ask. Whatever happened to Tiny Tim?

I mean, after Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" ends ÷ what happens to Tim? I know no one asked because no one cared, but now is finally the time to care and the time to ask. The answer rests in the prettily faux-antiqued pages of "Mr. Timothy." [Read article]

What do you get when you mix a Jew, a bar, and a prostitute? An excruciating movie with uncomfortable sex scenes, no plot and a cast of unknown actors who should stay that way.

"Holy Land" had no movement; it stayed in the same place the whole two hours. And let me say, that place was incredibly boring.

OK, here's what it was supposed to be: a coming of age story mixed in with a love story between Mendy (Oren Rehany), a rabbinical student, and Sasha (Tchelet Semel), a Russian prostitute. [Read article]

Dizzee Rascal

Sounds Like: Dirty Bastard having a panic attack.

See Also: Ghostface Killah, Tricky

Boy in Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal, the 19-year-old rapper and breakout star of the UK's up-and-coming Street Garage sound, is being hailed by music critics as the 50 Cent of Britain. This comparison should not fool listeners into thinking Dizzee's debut album Boy in Da Corner will offer anything akin to Fiddy's fun, danceable Spring Break hits. Boy in Da Corner is instead a frantic, frustratingly scattered, mix of pirated samples and beats constructed of video game sound effects and ringtones. While Dizzee Rascal is difficult to digest, he is refreshingly indefinable. [Read article]

Primary-colored tables and chairs and a knowledgeable and accommodating staff welcome customers to The Pita Pit. But it's not much of a pit at all. Cartoon illustrations of vegetables and other foods decorate the walls, making the eatery as upbeat and user-friendly as a kindergarten classroom.

Bright colors aside, Pita Pit offers a menu not quite like the others. You won't find a choice of 6-inch, foot-long, white or wheat. Pita Pit's sandwiches come on pita bread, a Middle Eastern bread that, when cut open, forms a pocket. Customers can choose their main sandwich elements and then mosey on down the counter to the fixins, where a pita pocket artist customizes their meals. [Read article]

Today

Book Sale ÷ El Con Mall, 3601 E. Broadway Blvd., Store 118. The Friends of UA Library annual book sale fund-raiser starts today and goes until Sunday. 9 a.m. ÷ 4 p.m. Average price is $2. 621-6431

Poetry Lecture ÷ Himmel Park Library, 1035 N. Treat Ave. Michael Palmer will present his lecture "The Persons of the Poem," analyzing diverse voices in contemporary poetry. 4 p.m. 626-3765 [Read article]