Surely what the world needs is a meaningless, nonexistent award from an alternative newsweekly in a medium-size media market ... so welcome to the presentation of the first annual Websters!
The Websters are a little like Nobel Prizes, if Nobel Prizes were decided based on the whims of one Tucsonan writing about the Internet. So, let's get to the winners!
The first Webster goes to the creators of the microblogging platform Tumblr. While Tumblr has been around since 2007, 2010 was when the simplicity of Tumblr was really exploited, making it a great sandbox for half-baked ideas like Gif Party's pages of low-tech animated goodness or a site dedicated to screencaps of excited audience members during Oprah's final season.
The second Webster goes to Mark Lisanti. Mark used to be the editor of the Los Angeles-based Gawker blog Defamer and now does something entertainment-based for Yahoo, but his artistic triumph this year was the Mad Men Power Rankings. There's no good way to encapsulate the genius of the MMPWs, but of all the countless blogs recapping Mad Men episodes, Lisanti's managed to be funny and interesting—thanks in part to the always-helpful Don Draper Fingerbang Threat Level.
Our last Websters go to all of the people who provided amusing YouTube content to pass around during their flashing moment in the proverbial pan, including the "Rent's Too Damn High" and "Double Rainbow" guys, the Gregory Brothers and Antoine Dodson, NMA News and the Old Spice spokesman in a towel.
Thanks for everything. Best of luck with obscurity.
THE WEEK ON THE RANGE
We brought you a report on the struggles of the homeless this holiday season; shared the news that former UA basketball coach Lute Olson accepted an honorary law degree from perennial congressional candidate Joe Sweeney's Alexander Hamilton Evening Law School; and let you know that the latest Census figures signaled that Arizona would be gaining a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
We noted that, as part of a busy week, President Barack Obama signed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; told you that The Daily Show host Jon Stewart's coverage helped shame Republican senators into finally passing a bill paying for the health-care costs of Sept. 11 responders; let you know that Pat Robertson endorsed the decriminalization of marijuana on The 700 Club (only to later walk it back); and shared a New York Times report about the trouble that a Tea Party politician was having in actually governing the Empire State's Nassau County.
We told you that the Just Add Water Café was coming to Campbell Avenue; let you know that Blue Banana Frozen Yogurt is now open in Oro Valley; and shared Amber's tips on how she makes a mas fina margarita at Harvest in the latest installment of our Secrets of Tucson Bartenders series.
We weighed the pros and cons of cannibalism; mused about whether humming was good for your health; brought you snowy photos from Flagstaff; and posted a video from Tucson musical act Apocalypso.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
"While a significant amount of American workers do work between Christmas and New Year's, Kyl confirms he is a lazy asshole, AGAIN."
—TucsonWeekly.com commenter RdCyclist apparently had to work this week ("Colbert on Kyl: 'It's So Easy To Forget That the Week After Christmas Is One of the Two Holiest of Holidays,'" The Range, Dec. 17).
BEST OF WWW
If you have some extra holiday cash sitting around, why not get yourself the tools you need to be a better bartender? Jonas Black of Jasper Food and Mixology goes over the bar equipment he uses everyday and gives some advice on what to look for when buying your own. A little thing like the right juicer can go a long way toward making a great drink.
Also online this week, the UA School of Journalism's Marlena Hamilton takes a look at bicycle safety in Tucson. With a large number of Tucsonans traveling around town on two wheels, it's helpful for those who ride and those who don't to know a little about how to keep everyone on the road safe.
