Merry Chronmas!
On the cover this week is our office dog Hank – also know as Hank the Tripaw, Chrondog Hank, and an Extremely Good Boy, who is semi-famous around town from the car in his likeness that publisher Nick Barbaro drives. In exchange for treats and scritches, we exploit the heck out of Hank: Our annual Hair of the 3-Legged Dog SXSW Party is named after him, we’ve put him on the cover before (see “Dog Days,” July 17, 2015), and we have a foamcore 4-foot-tall version of him the marketing department takes to events for photo ops. Foamcore Hank lives in my office and, on the rare days the real deal doesn’t come to work, the two-dimensional version keeps me good company.
And good company is more or less the idea behind this issue’s special games section. Maybe you’ve been hostessing-the-mostessing and you need decompressing with a crossword puzzle. Maybe you’re happily alone for the holidays and coloring pages are your chill zone. Maybe you’re in a house with different generations of Austinites – our bingo card might spark some laughs. We had a lot of fun putting it together. I hope it brings some cheer to you too.
Happy holidays to all – especially all your dogs.
ONLINE THIS WEEK
Rooster Teeth Cancels RTX 2024: More signs of change at the entertainment hub and home of RWBY and Red vs. Blue.
Free Week Just Got Tastier: Red River restaurants announce discounted menu deals to run alongside the annual free showcase of music that kicks off the new year.
MLS SuperDraft Moves: On Tuesday, Austin FC traded its first-round pick for $250,000 in general allocation money and selected UTRGV forward Bryant Farkarlun in the second round. The 2024 season launches Feb. 24 with a home game against Minnesota United FC.
Toxie Lives! Culture Editor Richard Whittaker rounds up the Top 10 festival films of 2023 coming to screens (hopefully) in 2024, including The Toxic Avenger reboot starring Peter Dinklage, a Fantastic Fest favorite.
Sixth Street Shooting: APD officers shot and killed a man Saturday night when he attempted to illegally enter a bar with a gun; three bystanders were also injured.
Ameripolitan Music Awards Back in Austin: After a three-year residency in Memphis, the honky-tonk, rockabilly, and Western swing showcase returns to Austin for a 10th anniversary event honoring Augie Meyers, Flaco Jiménez, Charlie Robison, Ray Benson, and more.
AISD Makes It Official: Austin ISD voted to name Matias Segura, currently interim superintendent, the lone candidate for the job; the board is expected to offer him a contract early next year.
Seasonal Scares: Director Jenn Wexler and producer Heather Buckley discuss their Christmas-set horror, The Sacrifice Game, now on Shudder.
This article appears in December 22 • 2023.
