Blogs and staff

Cathalena E. Burch is a music writer at the Daily Star and she uses My Country to write about all things country music.
Find out what the Star's TV junkies - Jeff Commings, Gerald Gay, Levi Long and others - think of your favorite shows including "The Office," "Rescue Me," "Heroes," "Prison Break" and more at Remote Controlled .

A legend in video game circles, Samuel Claiborn is a champion video game player who has been disqualified from several major tournaments. He enjoys video games, writing and rock 'n' roll. Enter the gaming world with Ready Game Fire! .

Gerald M. Gay is a Daily Star music writer who travels the world extensively through his iPod. One minute he is at Rio's Carnival with Brazil's Seu Jorge. The next, he's kicking it in West Australia with Aussie folk trio, The Waifs. A world of music is out there, and Gerald is doing his damndest to hear it all. Journey with him in Planet Tucson .

Adrienne Lake is an LA music biz refugee often described as a "fiery redhead" who has found solace among the tumbleweeds and dive bars in the dusty burg of Tucson. Come fly with her on Subbacultcha as the monkey on her back becomes rabid, surly†and overfed.

The Arizona Daily Star's Brian Pedersen is a mild-mannered sportswriter by day, but by night (and weekend) he is a burgeoning semi-professional poker player. Or at least he thinks so. Meet his weakness in Poker is my mistress .

Photographer Julie Ramsey ventures deep into the Tucson music scene armed only with her trusty camera. She displays her work in The Pictures .

Dan Shapiro is all over the lesser known scene. Like going to shows at 36 Chambers and Vaudeville? Then Confirmation Hearings is a perfect read for you.

Star reporter Kevin Smith is an avid collector of mornings after, enjoys bands in which members wear white belts, and could murder a pint of Stella at this very moment. He can be reached at the northeast corner of Reid Park, between the hours of 1 and 6 a.m. He - and his blog - is Hard To Explain .

Phil Villarreal has worked for the Daily Star since birth, but he's been the movie critic since February 2001. You could say he's a fan of the cinema. Each day he wakes up to a plate of steaming scrambled movies, which he washes down with a glass of movie juice, all while watching a movie. In his free time he plays video games and watches movies. Read his reviews in Philm Guy .

As a neighbors reporter, the Star's Jamar Younger has covered everything from neighborhood improvement projects to Japanese flower arranging workshops. Younger's number one interest, however, is hip-hop music and culture, and he hopes to share this interest with you in What's Really Good?