Dukes, Perry and the Other Troublemakers

Nice break for the capitol press corps this morning: A quick field trip to Troublemaker Studios, the movie-making base of Robert Rodriguez, for some film-related hob-nobbing and some celebrity bill-signing.

With the vehicles from Grindhouse as a backdrop, Gov. Rick Perry signed HB 873, the long-awaited reform of the Texas film incentive program. Bill author Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, was there, along Rodriguez and game guru Richard Garriott. From the lege there was bill co-sponsor Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, and Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, who has his own film-related bill, SB 1929 in the works, giving tax incentives for production facilities.

But enough about the lawmaking: What film news was there? NBC has confirmed Friday Night Lights will stay in Austin for "at least two years," Dukes said.

Rodriguez confirmed his upcoming slate: To rapturous applause every time he name-dropped a project, he announced that because of the incentive boost, "I'm going to be able to shoot my upcoming Machete here, a sci-fi action film called Nervewrackers, a re-boot of the Predator series called Predators, and a couple of smaller movies called Sin City 2 and The Jetsons."

Check back later today for footage from the bill signing.