Catching up with Rep. Donna Howard on Friday, and the Austin Dem was excited. One of her bills is finally making it to committee this session, which puts her ahead of much of the Lege. House Bill 772, which she co-authored with Eddie Rodriguez and which would put State Board of Education meetings on the internet, comes up for public hearing before the House Public Education committee on Tuesday. That's handy for Rodriguez because HB 552, the bill he co-authored to stop at-risk students with discipline problems from dropping out, is on the same agenda. They're not the first local reps to have their bills heard this session (Mark Strama's HB 271, relating to enterprise projects, was heard in his Technology, Economic Development & Workforce committee this morning.) That said, it's a big week for the Travis County delegation. On Wednesday, Elliott Naishtat gets HB 821, the e-waste recycling bill he co-authored with David Leibowitz, D-San Antonio, heard before Environmental Regulation. On the same day, Dawnna Dukes has HB 873, her film incentive reform bill, up in Culture, Recreation & Tourism.

Are you an out-of-towner coming in for SXSW, not knowing the first thing about the venues, the bus system, the ins and outs and insider info about Austin? Or are you a local who’s not looking to buy a badge but still wants to enjoy a slice of that tasty SXSW pie? Either way, we can't recommend enough the guides put out by our friends at Slackerwood. (Okay, we’ve actually never met, but Jette and I did swap emails about our, er, disgruntlement about certain votes cast by our fellow members of the Austin Film Critics Association. Beer ya at South by?) In addition to updating its venue guide, with pros and cons of each of the participating theatres, Slackerwood has also just published a guide for locals thinking about buying film passes or tickets. It’s good stuff. Check out the venue guide here and the how-to for locals here.

The third time "Yellow Submarine" played between sets, it started to get old, but the live music last Saturday afternoon at the Parish did not. It was the SchoolJam Texas finals, sponsored by NAMM, and it ROCKED. Okay, it did a little more than that when Arlington’s tenpiece El Mariachi Tejano de Sam Houston performed a glorious medley of tunes that saw Gregorio Chavez walk away with Best Vocalist and trumpeter/singer Marissa Ocampo win the Judges’ Prize for her terrific turn at the microphone. No surprise that Austin’s Carson Brock Group took first place: the youthful bluesman Carson is the son of Kyle Brock, Eric Johnson’s longtime bassist. Drummer Victor Ziolkowski won Best Drummer, no surprise there either as his father is Chaparral bassist Vic Gerard, another scene veteran. Victor was not only a four-time winner of Best Teen Band at the Austin Music Awards, playing for Misspent Youth, he also drums for the red-hot Fireants and with adult bands such as 3 Balls of Fire. And if the trio’s bassist Jacob Draper doesn’t have that sort of bloodline, he’s still a monster on bass, matching Carson’s whiz-kid lead guitar and Victor’s tough bottom for style and confidence.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Feb. 25 told reporters that President Barack Obama's campaign promise to end raids of medi-pot patients and dispensaries in state's where use is legal is, in fact, U.S. policy. In response to a reporter's question about the raids, which picked up again under the Drug Enforcement Administration leadership of acting administrator Michele Leonhart in the days just following Obama's inauguration, Holder said that promises will be kept: "What the president said during the campaign, you'll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we'll be doing here in law enforcement," he said. "He was my boss during the campaign … [and he] is formally and technically and by law my boss now. So what he said during the campaign … is now American policy." The press conference, aired on C-SPAN, was actually a joint presser with none other than the DEA's Leonhart, who was there to announce the results of a 21-month joint law enforcement investigation (called Operation Xcellerator) aimed at crippling the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. How Leonhart reacted to Holder's comments on the medi-pot issue, unfortunately, can't be seen in the C-SPAN video.

Lesbian Vampire Killers opens in UK theaters on March 20, and not since Daughters of Darkness has there been a more horrific and stultifying treatise on lesbian vampires. I can't decide whether this film should be more like Vampyros Lesbos or like Charles Busch's Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. Actually, I get the feeling that this could be the analogue of Snakes on a Plane, except lesbians are the snakes? What do you think? Trailer below… The hype is building in England, but the film isn't set for release in the states… yet. Mwahahahah!

Teens have it rough when it comes to sex. In fact, teens in our own state are subject to the misdirection of abstinence-only sex education classes, when there is sex ed at all. Not to mention, Texas' third-place ranking in live birth rates for teens. Embarrassing! Dangerous! What's a horny teen to do? Well, lucky for teens everywhere, there is Scarleteen.com, an online hub of open, honest sexual information for teens. Teens should have access to this quality information. And if you feel the same way, you can head over to Double Dollar Valentines at Scarleteen.com and make a donation that will be worth twice the metaphorical bang for your buck. Donate before March 15, and one of their regular donors will match it up to $350 per donor or up to $3,000 total. Pretty sweet deal if you can put your money where your mouth is.

Is Obama the new Brangelina/Jen? What will the Obama tabloid headlines of the future be? Leave your thoughts in a comment below!

There’s no easier way to sample the sounds of South by Southwest than a stop at Waterloo Records. The store has another stellar batch of local and national artists stopping by this year. Peep the full schedule below and plan accordingly. Thursday, March 19
Department of Eagles (2pm), Raul Malo (3pm), Jason Isbell (4pm), Howe Gelb of Giant Sand (5pm), Ian McLagan (6pm) Friday, March 20
Vetiver (2pm), Heartless Bastards (3pm), Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears (4pm), Telepathe (5pm), Handsome Furs (6pm) Saturday, March 21
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (1pm), Tombs (2pm), Suckers (3pm), Cause Co-Motion (4pm), the Knux (5pm), the Bird & the Bee (6pm)

It's been two months since the Texas Rollergirls had their last home bout, and three times that since the end of the 2008 regular season. But mercifully the wait is over as the 2009 season begins on Sunday, March 1. Last year, the opener was championship rematches, so this year's Rock-n-Round Robin Rumble changes everything. All four teams – Hustlers, Hell Marys, Honky Tonk Heartbreakers and 2008 champs the Hotrod Honeys – will face off against each other in rapid-fire periods, meaning six bouts in total (throw in DJ sets from Grommitt and Sedonya Face, plus a live halftime set from Amplified Heat.) It'll be interesting to see how much this early bouting shapes strategies later in the season. The action starts Sunday, March 1 at 7pm (doors 6.30pm) at Playland Skate Center (8822 McCann), tickets $12 advance, $15 on the door, or $10 if you buy direct from a skater. Plus if you still have energy left, the traditional after-party will be at The Jackalope (404 E. Sixth).