A highlight from Wednesday's Tucson Weekly/Access Tucson/Project White House Dark Horse Presidential Candidate Debate '08: Tortillas DeLote poses a puzzler about immigration!

If you missed this historic event, you've got plenty of opportunities to catch a replay this weekend. The program airs at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. tonight* and again at 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on Cox 99 and Comcast 74.

*That's Friday for Karl!

For those of you who have been waiting: Republican presidential candidate Sean "CF" Murphy answers the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club's question: "What is the purpose of government?"

In other Project White House news:

Now is your chance to vote for your favorite Project White House candidate! Voting is underway in the Project White House's Tucson Weekly Readers’ Endorsement.

The final five Democrats: Sandy Whitehouse, Libby “Doctress Neutopia” Hubbard, Leland Montell, Richard Grayson and Michael Oatman.

The final five Republicans: Charles Skelley, John McGrath, Sean “CF” Murphy, Frank McEnulty and Rhett Smith.

Cast your ballot now!

I ran out of space in my Noshing Around column but felt this was perhaps worth a mention:

Benny Hill (he says it's his real name) sent this to me verbatim:

"We're an eclectic mix of transplants and natives who reside in Southern Arizona who like to randomly get together and eat at mostly cheap restaurants in and around the nooks and crannies of the Old Pueblo. Our ideal restaurant is one that appeals to some or all of the senses in some kind of phat way. I do concede that we're a copycat of the Silverlake Dinner Club which over the course of the past ten years has become quite the sub rosa group in Los Angeles."

The SSG's first meeting will be Saturday, Jan. 26, at El Minuto Cafe.

Please arrive between 4:30-5 p.m. Contact bmhill@earthlink.net to inquire about the specifics. 

Here are a few events that were received too late for our Jan. 24 print issue. We recommend calling event organizers to check on last-minute changes in location, price, time, etc.

• Friday, Jan. 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

  Northwest Medical Center

  6200 N. La Cholla Blvd. in classrooms A, B, C and D

  Living With Cancer and Beyond--How Surviors Survive. Medical professionals present a day-long program, featuring personal cancer journeys, coping with change, optimizing survivorship, a wellness formula for healthy living and more. Call ahead for reservations at (866) 694-9355. Lunch and free valet parking will be provided.

• Saturday, Jan. 26 at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

  Sunday, Jan. 27 at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

  Old Town Artisans Courtyard

  186 N. Meyer Ave.

  New Year Celebration. The Salinas family (Nahui Ollin Aztec Dancers) perform a special ceremonial dance, celebrating the Aztec calendar new year. Enjoy red chile; green corn tamales; pumpkin, pineapple and cream empanadas; tortillas and more. Free. Call 623-5787 for information.

• Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.

  Woods Library

  3455 N. First Ave.

  The 2 Percent Solution. Focus the Nation will stream a free, live, interactive webcast called The 2 Percent Solution, dealing with global warming solutions. Visit www.sustainability.arizona.edu or www.focusthenation.org for information.

• Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

  Crowder Hall, UA School of Music

  Southeast corner of Park and Speedway

  Faculty Arist Series Recital. A saxophone recital featuring Timothy McAllister and pianist Tannis Gibson and violinist Mark Rush will take place. Free. Visit www.music.arizona.edu or call 621-2998 for information.

A whole new issue of the Tucson Weekly is online and awaiting its readers to show up and show it some love. Enjoy! Feel free to comment upon it here.

Remember, Citizens: Tonight is the televised Tucson Weekly/Access Tucson/Project White House Dark Horse Presidential Candidate Debate 08! Four candidates who will actually appear on Arizona's Feb. 5 presidential primary ballot will be appearing live in a forum moderated by Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel.

If you'd like to be part of our studio audience, please arrive at Access Tucson, 124 E. Broadway, no later than 7:45 p.m.

If you're watching at home, the one-hour program airs at 8 p.m. on 99 Cox and 74 Comcast.

On the eve of the televised Tucson Weekly/Access Tucson/Project White House Candidate Debate 08, The Tucson Weekly Blog has learned that an electronic glitch in the vote-counting software caused polls in the Tucson Weekly Readers’ Endorsement race to close an hour ahead of schedule.

The so-called DST Bug, which evidently failed to account for Arizona’s refusal to participate in Daylight Savings Time, shut down voting at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning instead of noon.

The precise impact is unknown, but millions of voters nationwide may have been disenfranchised by the malfunction.

The incident comes as communities across the nation are struggling with issues related to computer tabulation of votes.

The problem is compounded by the fact that two Democratic divisions ended in ties. Project White House Polling Central HQ is announcing a run-off election in both the Johnson Division and the Udall Division that will wrap up at noon Friday, Jan. 25.

In the Johnson Division, Leland Montell and Tish Haymer both captured 35 percent of the vote. Squeezed out of the race was Peter "Simon" Bollander, who captured just 30 percent.

In the Udall Division, Michael Oatman and Chuck See both captured 39.1 percent of the vote. Orion Karl Daley came in third with 21.7 percent.

BY KRISTINE PEASHOCK AND STEPHEN SEIGEL

Ladies and gentlemen: The Iron Chef Tucson (not-so) live blog!

On Sunday, Jan. 20, at Desert Diamond Casino, two Tucson chefs met for a battle to determine whose cuisine would reign supreme.

The defending champion of Tucson Iron Chef is Albert Hall, chef and owner of Acacia at St. Philip’s.

His challenger is Michael Brown, corporate chef for Metro Restaurants.

Each chef has two sous chefs to work with, five minutes to plan their menus once the secret ingredient is announced, and 60 minutes to make three dishes that incorporate the secret ingredient, and one that incorporates Beck’s beer, one of the event’s sponsors.

At the end of the hour, the dishes will be tasted by a panel of three judges who will determine the winner. However, the real winner is the organization benefiting from the competition: Café 54, a downtown bistro that provides on-the-job training in a variety of restaurant jobs for adults recovering from mental illness.

5:30 p.m.: Albert Hall is overheard at pre-competition VIP party as saying that he was going to try to get one of the judges drunk.

6:45 p.m.: The chefs are introduced with much fanfare. Albert Hall emerges to the tune of Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing,” while Brown opts for Link Wray’s “Rumble.”

6:51 p.m.: You can feel the tension in the room. The secret ingredient is … white asparagus!? WTF? The crowd is underwhelmed. While the chefs caucus with their sous chefs and plan their courses, the commentators—Jonathan Landeen of Jonathan’s Cork, who was beaten by Hall in last year’s competition, and Marty Bishop of KMXZ FM 94.9, aka Mix FM—fill us in on the details of white asparagus (they’re covered with dirt to block out the production of chlorophyll) and give us a tour of the ingredients via the two giant video screens. They’re pretty.

6:58 p.m.: The planning is over. Allez cuisine! Let the battle begin!

7:02 p.m.: Hall doesn’t seem too stressed. The cooking has begun, and he just wandered over to Brown’s side of the stage to toss out Acacia baseball caps. Grace under pressure, or hubris?

7:04 p.m.: The commentators keep talking over each other. Between that and the confusing culinary humor—did Brown actually just cut himself, or is it merely beet juice?—it’s a bit difficult for the audience to figure out exactly what’s going on. I have newfound respect for the Food Network production now. The giant video screens here are helping, but we could use Alton Brown right about now.

7:09 p.m.: Michael Brown has just admitted that he only cooks with asparagus when it’s cheap, and has rarely worked with white asparagus. Don’t show your cards this early, Brownie! Hall decides it’s best not to discuss his strategy in too much detail and keeps his pie-hole shut. Judge Ramon Delgado, executive chef at Desert Diamond Casino, tells us that white asparagus is difficult to work with, while judge Erin Christiansen of KGUN Channel 9 confesses that she’s never tasted white asparagus.

7:15 p.m.: Brownie is stressed. Hall is not.

7:17 p.m.: Landeen claims you can substitute beer for water in any recipe. Huh? For real? In that case, from now on, it’s Beck’s in the Brita pitcher, 24/7!

7:19 p.m.: Brownie’s sous chef Jon Wirtis is making spinach pasta from scratch and sweating up a storm. Oh, yum: He’s going to make a giant tortellini with the white asparagus as filling. Things are slowly starting to come together.

7:21 p.m.: The commentators are focusing too much on sponsor shout-outs, when they should be telling us what the hell is going on. Landeen is quite the Chatty Cathy.

7:24 p.m.: Hall is apparently working on a roulade with chicken and asparagus. Finally, some information we can use! Oh, hell, someone just mentioned football, and Landeen seems excited to babble about that. Food, people, food!

7:28 p.m.: Interestingly, each chef seems to have his own devotees. Each time one of their names is mentioned (not often enough), cheers erupt.

7:29 p.m.: Battle White Asparagus is half over!

7:31 p.m.: Hall is working with poached beet chips, while Brownie is working on … well, we can’t tell what it is. We’re sure it will be delicious.

7:33 p.m.: Oh, lord, now they’re discussing meteorology with Christiansen. Food, people, not how you represent clouds with computer graphics! Landeen is subtly ripping on Christiansen for not knowing how to cook, though he generously compliments her on her figure. Meanwhile, Hall is working on a beef tenderloin with a red-wine reduction—and asparagus, of course.

7:35 p.m.: Landeen tells us that the competition is tougher this year, as the chefs have to prepare plates for not only the three judges, but also for eight audience members who have won auctions.

7:39 p.m.: Landeen mentions tequila, and the crowd goes wild. He was going on and on about shiraz earlier. And don’t forget the whole beer-for-water thing. Hmm.

7:41 p.m.: Brownie is making a ceviche with white asparagus. He seems vexed whenever the commentators try to talk to him. Meanwhile, Hall is working on some kind of risotto. Landeen asks the crowd how the TV screens are working. They kinda suck; thanks for asking. There have been many long shots of empty cutting boards while the teams are running madly around. The audience is so starved for information about what’s going on that the sound of a sizzling skillet elicits cheers.

7:47 p.m.: Hall finally seems to be a bit stressed. On Brownie’s side, the tortellini looks awesome. He’s also sautéing chicken cubes with white asparagus speared through the center. Hall chugs some Beck’s beer, then dramatically throws the rest of the bottle in a pan. The crowd loves it, though they have no idea what he is making. Something with Belgian endive?

7:50 p.m.: The Beck’s recipes are revealed: It went in the mushroom-and-shrimp dish on Hall’s side, while Brown used it in his ceviche. In other news, we probably shouldn’t be bitching about the production values too much; Landeen just informed us that there weren’t even any video screens last year.

7:53 p.m.: Six minutes to go. Plating has begun in earnest!

7:58 p.m.: One minute to go! The sous chefs are literally running across the stage, working on their finishing touches. Brownie’s fans are chanting, “MCB! MCB!” in a cultish manner.

7:59 p.m.: Time’s up! Brownie tips back a Beck’s.

8 p.m.: Hall gets booed when he announces he will be adding some drizzles on his dishes when they are placed before the judges. Is it legal or not? Ah, the gray area.

The judging begins! Brown will be presenting his dishes first.

Dish 1: Clam ceviche with asparagus poached in clam broth, cilantro, onion, peppers and Beck’s. It’s plated on what looks like a giant glass ashtray. Judge Paul Aragon, of Wild Oats, proclaims it to be cooked perfectly. (Since when is ceviche cooked?)

Dish 2: White asparagus trio: white asparagus vichyssoise, white asparagus risotto and white asparagus mousse served in a spoon. The judges liked this one, too.

Dish 3: The giant tortellini! In addition to the filling, there is a stalk of asparagus stuck in the middle, and it has a tomato coulis.

Dish 4: Pan-seared filet of beef with poached asparagus.

The judges don’t have one negative thing to say about any of the dishes. Either Brownie is untouchable, or this is going to be a very difficult thing to judge.

Marty Bishop slips up and accidentally thanks Casino del Sol. Once the crowd boos him, he realizes the error and changes it to Desert Diamond Casino. As a diversion tactic, he informs us that the New York Giants have just beaten the Packers.

8:20 p.m.: Hall’s dishes are up!

Dish 1: Salad of butter lettuce, poached beets, Belgian endive and poached white asparagus with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar reduction.

Christiansen says this dish is the only time she has ever enjoyed beets. Delgado deems it “perfect.”

We learn white asparagus is crazy expensive—$15 a pound wholesale.

Dish 2: Roulade of chicken filled with roasted red pepper, spinach and white asparagus.

Hall says he is unhappy about the appearance of his second dish, and mentions it is cooler than it should be. No! Always defend the dish, Hall! The judges say the cooler temperature actually improves the dish. Where are the catty judges? Jeffrey Steingarten, I’m looking at you!

Dish 3: Country Italian-style pan-seared tenderloin served over white asparagus risotto. It looks amazing.

Dish 4: Hall’s take on spicy Cajun shrimp: shrimp sautéed in Beck’s with mushroom, onion and white asparagus spiked with Cholula hot sauce. The dish is deemed “genius” by low-talking judge Aragon.

8:35 p.m.: The camera finally gives us a clear look at all of the dishes while the judges tabulate their scores. They all really do look beautiful.

8:45 p.m.: The winner, for the second year in a row, is … Acacia’s Albert Hall! Aww, Brownie looks bummed. (You did a heckuva job, Brownie!)

It’s difficult to know why the scale tipped in Hall’s direction, since the judges didn’t offer any criticism. Did Brownie blunder with his bouillon? Get carried away with his carrots? Rush his risotto? We’ll never know …

Congratulations, Chef Hall!

It was a busy weekend for Project White House candidates. Five of the presidential contenders—Michael Oatman, Doctress Neutopia, Charles Skelley, Chuck See and Peter "Simon" Bollander—met for an impromptu debate and pot luck on Saturday night on Oatman's Access Tucson show, Illegal Knowledge. It was a friendly but frank exchange of ideas ranging from mining in the Santa Rita Mountains to whether humans should be allowed to marry robots.

The debate served as a great warm-up for Wednesday's Tucson Weekly/Access Tucson/Project White House Dark Horse Presidential Candidate Debate ’08.

Elsewhere in PHW this weekend: As seen in the highlight clip above. Sean "CF" Murphy addressed the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club. We'll have more highlights as they become available.

In other Project White House news: Less than 24 hours remain for you to cast an online vote in the Tucson Weekly Readers’ Endorsement elimination round. Be sure to visit Project White House Polling Central Headquarters and make your choice.

Some of the races remain tight, particularly among Democrats in the Johnson Division, where Peter “Simon” Bollander is tied with TW staffer Tish Haymer. Political insiders speculate that Haymer’s campaign has been hampered her lack of a computer. Leland Montell remains within striking distance with 27 percent of the vote.

In the Udall Division, Michael Oatman is leading with 46 percent of the vote, but Chuck See and Orion Karl Daley both remain within striking distance with 27 percent each.

Remember: Your vote could make all the difference!

Can't wait until Wednesday's Tucson Weekly/Access Tucson/Project White House Dark Horse Presidential Debate ’08? Well, if you want an advance look at the Project White House candidates, tune in for tonight's Illegal Knowledge Special Edition: The Unofficial Project White House Debate and Pot Luck.

Michael Oatman, Democratic candidate and producer/host of the Access Tucson program Illegal Knowledge, has been gracious enough to invite his fellow candidates to a forum. Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel will be on hand to moderate.

The show airs at 9 p.m. on 98 Cox and 73 Comcast.