Cover Story
It’s a Dirty Job …
New arts tsar Vincent Kitch rolls up his sleeves to give Austin arts funding a clean start
Gorgo
Gorgo 1961, NR, 78 min. Directed by Eugène Lourié, Starring Bill Travers, William Sylvester, Vincent Winter, Christopher Rhodes. Trouble breaks out in this British science fiction flick when the parent of a baby sea monster who has been rescued by the circus comes to retrieve its offspring.
Exhibitionism
Using inventive props, puppets, costumes, and live music, the gang at Esther’s Follies stuffs fast-paced skits, political satire, and illusions into a tightly compacted show
Phases and Stages
The DarknessStubb’s, April 13 Verily, some scoffed at the Darkness’ over-the-top Stubb’s show, likening it to Monty Python as heavy metal. Yet the overwhelming force of their 75-minute assault, and their steadfast belief in a thing called love, quieted even the staunchest naysayers and roused the spirits of 1,600 faithful Central Texans who were, in…
Canchola, McNeill Triumph
Canchola, McNeill Triumph
Fables of the Reconstruction
A confidential internal U.S. memo describes a Coalition / Iraqi administration sinking into chaos
Exhibitionism
There are three things worth noting about Gypsy Baby Productions’ premiere of this ostensible comedy by Lindsay Kayser, and that’s all
Phases and Stages
Live, no holds barred. Like U2’s 03 stocking stuffer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers DVD their current pinnacle Live at Slane Castle (Warner Bros.), Meath, Ireland, in an ocean of Emerald Islanders. The opening verses of starter “By the Way” from those 80,000 shames every American audience since Washington sailed the Potomac. The four Angelinos,…
Justice for HPD Lab Victim?
Josiah Sutton waits on state leaders to clear his name
Gathering Up the Wanderers
The Austin International Poetry Festival
Phases and Stages
Mindy SmithOne Moment More (Vanguard) The music Mindy Smith makes can’t quite be pigeonholed, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any competition. One Moment More, the Nashville transplant’s debut, evokes names like Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, and Kasey Chambers. Like those artists, Smith crafts crystalline country/folk/bluegrass/pop music. Unfortunately, most of…
Jim Bob, Gettin’ Paid Again
Times may change, but Moffett’s gargantuan salary remains a constant
The Girl Next Door
Surprise! The girl next door is an ex-porn star.
Page Two
Overreaction to the Ozomatli incident ignores years of outstanding police performance during SXSW
Phases and Stages
Nellie McKayGet Away From Me (Columbia) Nellie McKay wants to be Cole Porter and Avril Lavigne – all at once. Somewhere between cute and cunning, the worlds of Tin Pan Alley pop and Midwest hip-hop collide on the British-born, Harlem-raised piano diva’s major label debut. Pre-release buzz for McKay has latched onto this “novel” idea…
Scalia’s Dirty Little Secrets
The justice’s favorite kind of government is one you can’t see
The Punisher
Strictly from the so-bad-it’s-good school of entertainment.
After a Fashion
This week, your Style Avatar’s cup runneth over, as he gusheth and gusheth about one of Austin’s premiere fashion extravaganzas, The Style Cup.
Phases and Stages
Modest MouseGood News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic) Good news for people who worried that the departure of drummer Jeremiah Green would torpedo Modest Mouse’s sound: You can rest easy. While replacement Benjamin Weikel is less busy than Green, he injects a distinct personality into his simpler, sinewy timekeeping. The Washington staters also…
Demographic Change Shapes AISD Bond Debate
Is the district really growing? And will $420 million be spent in the right place?
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Revenge is a dish best served bold – and deliciously, by Quentin and Uma.
Second Helpings: Indian, Part II
Bismillah Restaurant 6929 Airport #199, 420-8837 Daily, 11:30am-10:30pm The restaurant is a predominantly Sufi Pakistani cafe that’s huge on flavor and low on price. Everything from the kitchen is first-rate and spiced with a delirious complexity. All of the halal meat dishes are so tender they literally melt in your mouth. Buffet at lunch daily…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Sartre’s psychosis, small servings, and soiled soldier seals
Phases and Stages
Madvillain Madvillainy (Stones Throw) A vibraphone sample morphed into shards, drum kicks smeared across cinematic memories, and clanging guitar patterned in its conjecture all coalesce as Metal Face quips “you heard it on the radio, tape it, play it in your stereo, your crew will go ape-shit.” Madlib and MF Doom split personalities with the…
Tax Laws? What Tax Laws?
Corporations still get very gentle treatment from the IRS
Dogville
Lars von Trier’s new film is both masterful and misanthropic.
Pick-Me-Up Hoedown
The 17th annual Old Settler’s Music Festival: no waterfall, but a cascade of acoustic and bluegrass music nonetheless
Soccer Watch
The Posse prepares to ride east; and galactic woes in Spain
Will Shill for Nukes
At UT and elsewhere, academic scientists are only too happy to lend their names and reputations to the nuclear power industry
Texas to World: Drop Dead!
The world court sides with Mexican nationals on death row
The United States of Leland
Kevin Spacey-produced indie drama plays like The OC‘s more intellectual, older sibling.
TCB
Spring is here and there are more music festivals than bluebonnets
The Common Law
I don’t want this car
From the Desk of … Big Nuke
Tracing the daisy chain of nuclear PR recycling
UT Bus Battle Turns Nasty
Shuttle drivers fired after taking part in student solidarity protest
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Gundam toy animé.
All-Terrain Vehicles
The seventh annual Cine Las Americas Festival
To Your Health
Is acupuncture safe and helpful when treating back pain?
The Return of ‘The Ozo 3’
Andy Langer interviews Ozomatli bassist on band’s arrest during SXSW, and its aftermath
Perry Makes the Call
The long-awaited special session on school finance begins this week
About AIDS
The Women Rising Project is having its spring garage sale on Saturday, May 8, and they need your usable, salable items
New Questions Raised in Owens Shooting
DNA tests and an eyewitness account seem to not match the official story
Austin @ Large: Sense of the Census
The new census numbers reflect
Cultural Arts Program
Tracking the recent history and redevelopment of Austin’s Cultural Arts Program
Day Trips
If you are looking to relax, do some fishing, or maybe some bird watching, the Spoonville RV Park and Lodge might be right for you
Glasgow: ‘Planting’ Criminals Deters Crime
The APD officer’s death-penalty views raise eyebrows
Tits for Tots
The governor rolls out his school finance plan, starring smoking, gambling, Desirée, and Ecstasy
Cultural Shifts
The basic mechanism for funding artists will look the same, but the city of Austin’s cultural contracts program will undergo some significant changes in structure
Letters at 3AM
Americans and Iraqis are dying for Bush’s pride and his hopes of re-election
Anti-Choice Activist Casts a Wider Net
Chris Danze ramps up his campaign against Planned Parenthood
The Hightower Report
Democracy confronts Karl Rove, and CEOs tout offshoring
Six-String Singularity
Adam Holzman, the man largely responsible for Austin’s burgeoning classical guitar scene, gives a rare recital off the UT campus
Every Missed Bite a Heartbreak
Why Pacific Blue is one of the best new restaurants in Austin
Naked City
Headlines and happenings from Austin and beyond
Five-Year Reunion
‘Freaks and Geeks’ comes back in a big way – on DVD
Welcome, Cambiaso
A 450-year-old work of art by Genoese artist Luca Cambiaso that was recently acquired by the Blanton Museum of Art has been hung in its second-floor galleries
El Zuzal Restaurant
El Z. specializes in El Salvadoran cuisine, though they do have some standard Mexican dishes for those with no sense of adventure
Bitter Buzzing in Bee Cave
Local politicos, enviros sting each other over controversial mall project
Blog Justice on the Wild Web
Is danah boyd a racist or just a woman trying to find her purse?
Articulations
New plans for the Long Center are unveiled, and a big push is made to get it built, plus Al Hirschfeld’s widow and daughter speak about The Line King
Liquid Assets
Favorites from the ‘Saveur’ Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival
Tomstown Suits Go Forward
A Travis Co. judge declines TRMPAC’s motions for summary judgment
TV Eye
Altering the recipe for Iron Chef’s success is inviting failure, isn’t it?
Exhibitionism
Heyd Fontenot’s Eileen With Deer Wallpaper in the Studio 107 show “Is a Theme Necessary?” is a happy, cozy memory, accessible and cute as heck
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood introduces you to the new folks in town and updates you on all of the news around town
Which Austin Congressman?
Which Austin Congressman?
Short Cuts
Robert Rodriguez vs. the DGA and Paramount
Luv Doc Recommends: Salvage Vanguard Cinema
Just give up. No, that’s not a funny bumper sticker or one of those sarcastic faux inspirational plaques you can buy on the Internet, it’s sound advice. There is no way in hell you can make every cool event in Austin this weekend, even if you try. Unless you’re a fuck buddy to disappointment or…
