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.