Okay, sweetietarts. It's time once again to put out for our local lovely. Austin's own Glamazon Simone Riviera, 2008 Empress of the United Court and all around gorgeously great gal NEEDS your vote right now to get on RuPaul's Drag Race! It takes just a minute of your time! Come on, y'all, let's have some A-Tex represented on this season's RDR! You know our gal has the UMPH! to go all the way. Do I have to say it again? VOTE FOR SIMONE! And when you do, bookmark the page. You can vote once every 24 hours! Vote early; vote often! Don't make us remind you! Here is an off-the-cuff vid I shot of Simone years ago at a Kings N Things show. (Sure, I may need help as a cameraperson, but Simone doesn't lack for anything but your vote! GO VOTE!)

The Chrontourage is the Austin Chronicle's promotions street team.
Chrontourager Lauren made her way down to The Ritz this weekend to celebrate the life of the late great Michael Jackson. Here is what she had to say! "I never cared for Michael Jackson either way before he passed away last Thursday, June 25th, 2009. However, when I learned that the Alamo Drafthouse was having a memorial sing-along to the King of Pop, I felt like I had to go. I suddenly had this inescapable urge to sing and dance dance dance to the man's music. I knew that being at a place like The Ritz, with the audio and visual of MJ, and a room full of people who felt the same way would be something close to heavenly. And it was. Not a soul sat as we watched epic music video after music video. The entire crowd danced and sang and got up on stage and butchered every dance step to "Thriller". It was beautiful. After coming down from my high of the evening, I thought to myself, "If only when we all die the entire world got up and danced." Thoughts & Photos by Lauren Modery
www.hipstercrite.blogspot.com

Everyone knows the plan for the special session: Gavel in at 10am on July 1, pass three bills, gavel out July 3. But as lawmakers gather in Austin, the details of those three bills are starting to raise some questions. Allaying some fears was why there was an information session Tuesday afternoon for House members and their staff. Reps. Donna Howard and Valinda Bolton from the Travis County delegation were joined by around 20 other legislators, including Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, Diana Maldonado, D-Round Rock, and Jim Jackson, R-Dallas, to be walked through the bills. There was little need to go over the Sunset bill, or the enabling legislation for the Texas Department of Transportation Prop. 12 bonds. But there was a long round of questions about the rest of the call, especially the establishment of the Texas Transportation Revolving Fund. Bolton summed up House members' concerns. "If you know anything about it," she said, "you know more about it than we do."

Oregon is poised to join the growing number of states that have reauthorized industrial hemp farming -- the environmentally-friendly, non-narcotic cousin of marijuana. On Monday, lawmakers there overwhelmingly voted in favor of the legalization measure, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Ted Kulongoski. If signed, Oregon would become the ninth state to remove legal barriers to its production. Reefer Madness has written extensively about the growing movement to reintroduce hemp farming, once a staple of the American agricultural landscape, so I won't go over and over the virtues of the crop again here. Still, it is worth revisiting several key points -- including the fact that the only reason -- only, only, only reason -- the crop is illegal to grow in the U.S. is that the Drug Enforcement Administration stands steadfast in maintaining that because hemp is the same plant as marijuana, it must be dope, and dope, as you know, is illegal. Alternately, they argue that allowing farmers to plant hemp would help pot growers hide their crop -- this argument is just bull; because of cross-pollination, any pot grown amid a sea of hemp would become completely useless as a drug.

On Friday, July 26, the Brentwood Donkeys entered their matchup with the BookPeople Filthy Animals sporting a dismal 0-6 record. BookPeople was struggling as well, having won only two games out of the six they have played after competing for the 2008 ASL championship, where they fell short to The Austin Chronicle. What transpired Friday night – a stunning 23-22 BW walk-off victory – would seem impossible to some of the league's faithful. But we have footage to prove it. Enjoy this video shot by Mike Bartnett of the historic ninth inning …[video-1]

There's a running joke amongst education writers that hell will freeze over before an education union chief says something nice about their superintendent. Break out the parkas and scarves, it's about to get chilly in here. Talking to Education Austin President Louis Malfaro, the issue of outgoing Superintendent Pat Forgione came up, and his old union nemesis had this to say. "To give him his due, Pat Forgione put Austin on the map. His tenure was a positive one." With the district's head honcho heading out the door for the last time today, to be replaced in the morning by Superintendent Meria Carstarphen, Malfaro had some thoughts about his tenure. "He cut a high profile nationally because he'd come from a national position. He wasn't a parochial guy who'd worked through one district," he said.

Studio 6A in the communications building at the University of Texas, the site for Austin City Limits, is hands down the best place in town to catch a show, if you’re lucky enough to get through the doors. Several esteemed locals have now gotten a shot on the big stage thanks to ACL’s Stage Left, and the results thus far are expectedly impeccable. Simply put, no other music-based web series can match ACL’s production, lighting, and sound quality. Here are two fine examples, Brazos’ solo retread of “Mary Jo” and Leatherbag’s “On Down the Line.” [video-1] [video-2]

Although former national drug czar John Walters liked to say – often with a smirk on his face – that no one in America goes to jail for marijuana possession, the truth is that they do – routinely. And, sometimes, they die there. That was the case earlier this month in Harris County, when 29-year-old Theresa Anthony who was in jail for two-and-a-half weeks on a minor pot possession charge, died in custody.

Equality Texas is calling for a full investigation into what eyewitnesses are calling a "brutal" raid on Fort Worth gay bar, the Rainbow Lounge. Our ever vigilant pals at ET have launched a page to encourage supporters to get active and send letters to Fort Worth's mayor and council. The ET Take Action page features sample letters and easy ways for you to make your voice heard in this struggle. DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT