The ballroom at the Omni Downtown is a small room to contain a lot of genre-defining authors, but this weekend the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America held their annual Nebula Awards there. From a cinematic view, the big win was Guillermo del Toro for his script for Pan's Labyrinth. Even though he couldn't be there, he thanked those he called “Not my peers but my mentors (…) from the bottom of my cholesterol-clogged heart." For the geek-out crowd, the big guest was new SFWA grand master Michael Moorcock (even novel of the year winner Michael Chabon seemed pretty overwhelmed when he found himself between Moorcock and SXSW regular Bruce Sterling). Moorcock's speech concentrated on how often science fiction and fantasy novels, even though they are regularly pillaged for the screen, are regarded as second-tier literature by the critical establishment. As if to prove the point Chabon, whose novel Wonderboys has been adapted for the screen and has another (The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay) on the way, thanked his editors for not realizing that his last novel was "at its dreaming, counterfactual core a work of science fiction." The absence of del Toro possibly meant that one possible argument was avoided: it would have been interesting to see what the ever-feisty Moorcock, possibly the most vociferous critic of J.R.R. Tolkien, would have had to say to the newly-announced director of The Hobbit. Full 2008 Nebula winners' list below the fold

Never let it be said that Tim League is one to fear signing off on reams of liability insurance forms. He's already overtaken the late, great William Castle in the Ballyhoo Department by orders of magnitude (you'll remember his Amityville Horror stunt, the "House of One Million Flies," or, as we like to recall it, the "Ohmygodgetitoffmegetitoffmegetitoffme Shack"), but for yesterday's sold-out local premiere of Jon Favreau's Iron Man, the Alamo Kingpin topped not only himself but also the roof of his theater, literally, when he hired Eric Scott of Denver-based GoFast! Sports and Jet Pack International to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a) mad genius Robert Downey, Jr. isn't the only (formerly) high guy associated with the newly forged Marvel Studios comic book franchise, and b) Motorhead is relatively quiet when compared to a guy in a jet pack hovering 20 feet over your head.

The 11th Annual Cine las Americas International Film Festival (my, that's a mouthful) has wrapped another year – by all accounts a rollicking success. Normally we'd say see you next year, but Cine Las Americas has been transitioning into a year-round presence. So... see you next month, maybe? And get some rest. In what is presumably their last bit of official fest business, Cine just released this year's jury and audience award winners. The full list after the jump.

There's a critic bitchslap going on in the blogosphere, and Austinite Jeff Nichols is caught in the crossfire. It kicked off when NY Press film critic Armond White – who's (in)famous for strong opinions, fighting words, and the occasional certifiableness – umbrella'ed Nichols' widely praised but mostly unseen film Shotgun Stories into a larger screed about the state of film criticism today. White is entirely complimentary of Shotgun Stories (which premiered at last year's Austin Film Festival); in fact, he argues it "should have rocked film culture." He continues: "Being a non-hipster film meant that Shotgun Stories was off established critics’ radar screens. Even I, shamefacedly, only caught up after it had opened; but it’s been the most resonant American movie so far this year." Would he kept it at that.

Femme Film Texas' mission statement reads "teaching filmmaking and media literacy to young women and girls in Austin, Texas," and who can't get behind that? The real question is, how much can you get behind that? They're currently seeking donations for their summer film camps for girls, and every little bit counts. Hey big spender: $975 provides full tuition and housing for one girl at the overnight camp. A bit rich for your blood? Even 10 bucks makes a difference. A handy donation site here details exactly where your contribution will go.

Don't let anybody tell you we don't do important work here at the Chronicle... which is why I spent a good chunk of my morning on a fact-finding mission to resolve the Great Lyric Debate of "Try a Little Tenderness" (check out tomorrow's review of My Blueberry Nights to understand why). Specifically, I needed to know if Otis was talking about a shaggy or a shabby dress. Tim Robbins already memorably mangled the lyrics in Bull Durham, so he was no help, and I clicked off Michael Bublé's singing-automaton version right after he humorlessly changed "young girls" to "women." Eventually, I decided to go straight to the source – archival Otis Redding. Come for the "shaggy," stay for the awesome performance. The overeager snare somewhat defuses the delicious tension of the song, but nonetheless – damn, that man was sexy.

Austinites get a chance for a sneak peek at Iron Man this week, but you're gonna have to work for it. In order to score a ticket to the free Monday night screening (sponsored by Ain't It Cool News and Fantastic Fest), hopefuls will have to send in a photo of themselves dressed up either as Tony Stark or as Iron Man. The 100 best costumes will receive a pair of tickets to the show. But don't junk the homestyled threads – there'll be a costume contest at the screening, along with a demonstration from Mr. Jet Pack International, who plans to fly around the Alamo South Lamar parking lot, then "return to earth to shake hands, hold babies, and sign cleavage." Is he running for office, too? For more info, check out the Alamo blog here.

This one's for my fellas (or the three straight and/or bi ladies who read this. sigh). In the new movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, lead dork-o-hunky everyman Jason Segel shows his wanger no less than 72 times. It's integral to the plot. Really. It's a nice device. (…) I like Jason Segal. He's like Judge Reinhold. Or Albert Brooks. With junk. And less back hair. In poking around the internet for pics of the Seeeg, this manly man site kept popping up. Oooh ahhh ooooh.

With no athletic scholarships to offer and extremely stringent academic requirements for admittance, there really isn't much room for recruiting when it comes to fielding a basketball team at egghead central, aka the California Institute of Technology. If you are the coach of the Caltech Beavers (nature's engineers), your team consists of those who show up for the first practice and dedicate themselves to the team. This is not a minor issue considering the daunting amount of classwork these student/athletes take on. Quantum Hoops: The Caltech Basketball Story follows the Caltech basketball team during the final week of their 2006 season not in an attempt to chronicle a conference championship or any other such athletic accomplishment, but to document a team that has 240 consecutive conference losses. Two hundred and forty games without a victory equals 21 years of continuously losing, usually by about 60 points or more. For most typical athletes, this losing streak would be unbearable, and while it is frustrating for the young men who make up the Caltech squad, the lessons learned on the court, in practice, and from their coaches over the years do much to inform their scientific research, which is also fraught with constant failure until … eureka, success. Do the not-so-mighty brainy Beavers finally break that losing streak? You can find out Thursday, April 24, 7:30pm at the Alamo Lake Creek theatre. Director Rick Greenwald will be in attendance, and a Q&A will take place following the feature. Click here to visit the Quantum Hoops website.