Cover: Contents Under Pressure
When some former taggers picked a long-vandalized stretch of wall in Watsonville to spray-paint a mural that stretched over more than a tenth of a mile, it generated some buzz and also some controversy. But when the city was pressured into whitewashing it, that same wall became a blank slate for a debate over graffiti and public art.

Clean Slate: As the incident in Watsonville shows, it's not always easy for taggers to go legit when they try to elevate their work from vandalism to art.

Nüz: Unlucky 13.

NeXt Generation: 'X2' is a look backward but a leap forward for comic-book films.

Casual 'X': 'XX/XY' is a sex flick that really gets around.

Nothing's Shocking: In 'Better Luck Tomorrow,' Asian American teens cheat, steal and even commit murder, just to get into a good college. Shocking and immoral? Yes. Necessary? Hell, yes.

Grandma's Boy: 'Raising Victor Vargas' cruises the streets of the Lower East Side with unfaked charm.

Rodeo Free Europe: Business-savvy cowboys John Cirillo and GhosTown are flooding Europe's airwaves with country rock from Santa Cruz, making miracles happen with a little help from a Killer Klown.

Havana Secret: Despite his devotion to traditional Cuban music, the leader of the Afro-Cuban All Stars and co-creator of the Buena Vista Social Club still has room in his heart for Christina Aguilera.

The Rock Show: The Mother Truckers.

Insane in the Brain: In May, the Reading Railroad becomes a crazy train of lit events around Santa Cruz .

Sustain Yourself: Garden-fresh produce will change your whole approach to summer dining, as the enviro-maestros of UCSC will be happy to prove.

Please don't forget to write! Metro Santa Cruz welcomes letters. Like any great work of art, they should be originals -- not copies of letters sent elsewhere. Include address and daytime phone (for verification purposes only). Letters may be edited for length and clarity or to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Postal: Metro Santa Cruz Letters, 115 Cooper St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Fax: 831/457-5828. Email:

JavaScript must be enabled to display this email address.