Cover Story
They Hear America Singing!
Grammy-nominated Conspirare brings together 600 voices in search of our national sound
‘Juiced’: Monday Monday With Bags, the Captain, Wood, Turnin’ Lane, and More
Astros fans, you know you’ve always wanted to see if Jeff Bagwell is an Ozarka or Dasani man, ask Woody Williams if he’s got his Kissimmee living arrangements in order – pitchers and catchers report Feb. 15, aka two weeks from today(!) – or demand Tim Purpura explain why on earth he has so much…
St. Ed.’s Taylor Mullenax Named Heartland Conference Player of the Week
Sophomore basketball forward Taylor Mullenax won Conference Player of the Week honors this past week for his excellent play in helping the Hilltoppers to victories over UT-Permian Basin and Panhandle State (Okla.). Trailing by 7 vs. UT Permian-Basin with 30 seconds remaining, the Hilltoppers rallied with Mullenax scoring the game-winner at the buzzer. He had…
Glow for Molly
A remembrance of Molly Ivins will be held tonight at City Hall.
New Technology, Old Bad Habits
How will students deal with the dorm of the future, and how will they afford it?
Seaholm in the Shitter
Doing less with so much more.
U.S. Women Win the Four Nations Cup and More
The U.S. Women won the Four Nations Cup on Tuesday in China, beating the hosts, 2-0, after draws against England and top-ranked Germany. The U.S., without many of its veterans, got good results from several youngsters who’ll need to play a part in the World Cup later this year (also in China). The U.S. Men…
A Tale of Two Cities Being Flipped Off
Where Boston sees terrorists, Austin sees aliens advertising a movie.
More Ivins Reaction
Reaction from around the state and world
Obituary for Molly Ivins
Ivins’ obit from the Texas Observer
Big Box Ordinance Postponed?
BBO postponed, most likely
‘Smokin’ Hot: A Texas High School Football Story’
‘Smokin’ Hot: A Texas High School Football Story’ Book Review
If at First (and Second, and Third) You Don’t Succeed…
Rep. Carl Issett is re-introducing a tax bill that has failed three times before. But does he have more powerful allies to shove it through this time?
Molly Ivins, 1944-2007
Molly Ivins has died at 62.
The ‘A’ Word (Updated)
Joe Biden’s sinking presidential hopes.
They’re Baaack: DEA Stealing from the Sick in Los Angeles
DEA back to bogartin’ the stash in L.A.
Earl Campbell Signs ‘The Tyler Rose’ Friday at BookPeople
Former Longhorn, Heisman Trophy winner, and Houston Oiler battering ram Earl Campbell will appear in person this Friday, Feb. 2 from noon to 3pm to sign copies of his biography, The Tyler Rose: The Earl Campbell Story, written by Paddy Joe Miller. The location for this signing is the BookPeople inside the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport…
Kickin’ in Vancouver
Vancouver’s mayor has a plan to help his city’s chronic coke and meth heads kick for good
Rudy, You Got some ‘Splainin’ to Do!
Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani will be in Texas tomorrow fundraising, but could America’s Mayor be hamstrung by Iraq?
Wranglers Training Camp Opens Sunday
Off the heels of their most successful season ever, including their first playoff appearance, the Austin Wranglers of the venerable Arena Football League open training camp this Sunday, Feb. 4. Competition will be fierce for most positions, with the Wranglers inviting 37 players to camp. The roster will eventually be thinned down to 24. Returning…
The Kim Pile-On Continues
Jennifer Kim’s woes continue.
Clean-Up on Aisle Five
A family-sized Wal-Mart round-up from all corners of the intertubes.
Carrion Crisis in Comal County
Think Austin’s grackles are a problem? Try a hundred vultures instead.
Vice President Hutchison?
Much like her compatriot Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s name is now being bandied as VP material.
Kim Press Conference Cancelled
In the Kim controversy, the medium is infinitely more important than the message.
Mascot Mania Continues on Mascot Night at the Bat Cave This Saturday
The Austin Toros’ Da Bull got things rolling with his controversial early celebration last week and received a two-game suspension plus 50 hours community service. This Saturday at the Bat Cave there should be far less controversy but at least triple the fun as the Ice Bats host Mascot Night featuring such events as a…
Jennifer Kim Press Conference at 2pm
The Place 3 City Council member will be in City Hall’s news conference room at 2pm to speak on “airport security issues.” We are so there. UPDATE: And we’re not. Conference canceled.
Gategate: Day 4 (We Think)
More on the most important local controversy of last weekend.
Battle Lines on Town Lake
SaveTownLake.org has retained heavy hitter law firm Brown McCarroll, to ensure that the City of Austin takes its concerns seriously. On Monday the advocacy group — recently formed to oppose waterfront development on protected land along the Town Lake Corridor — hand-delivered to City Manager Toby Futrell a letter prepared by attorney Nikelle Meade. The…
“Small Steps – Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood” and Movies of Color Black South Cinema: A Portrait of Independent African-American Filmmaking
“Small Steps – Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood” and Movies of Color Black South Cinema: A Portrait of Independent African-American Filmmaking NR, 218 min. Narrated by Louis Gossett Jr.. The first film (1998, 56 min.) is a TV documentary made by AMC, which combines archival footage, contemporary interviews, and clips from studio films…
‘Chronicle’ Weeps for Barbaro
And after such a successful career.
Just Seen on News 8
Spotting council aides on the teevee.
The Old He Said, He Said
Did Speaker Craddick really snub Rep. Jim Pitts in committee selections?
Chestnut Reigns Supreme at the 2007 World French-Fry-Eating Championship
The 2007 World French-Fry-Eating Championship at Bikinis Bar & Grill started off smooth enough. As a Neil Diamond song drifted from the speakers into a healthy crowd, the competitors were announced, as were the many foods they have ingested competitively: beans, hot dogs, Krystal burgers, chicken wings, waffles, meatballs, grilled cheese, Spam, and, inexplicably, deep-fried…
Pitonyak Found Guilty
Pitonyak popped!
‘Statesman’ Hopes You Die
Elsewhere in the Statesman this weekend, editorial guru Arnold Garcia wandered in off the links long enough to pen an op-ed attacking the lowest of the low – his readers – and praying for their death. Attaining levels of douchebaggery previously thought impossible, even by Garcia’s astronomical standards, he sniffs that Southern Methodist University’s competition…
Jennifer Kim’s Gategate
But the question is, did the dog go through security?
Call him Chairman Patrick
After his pro-Craddick speech during the speaker debate, how has Rep. Patrick Rose done in the new committee listings?
Here’s Your Committees … See Ya!
Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick has finally announced his committee selection: but which Austin-area reps got what?
Defensive Driving: Baghdad Edition
Riding through the Iraq capital
Bats Pound Odessa 5-2 on the Road Friday Night
Three important facts about the Ice Bats 5-2 victory over the Jackalopes in Odessa tonight: 1) they converted two of their four power-play attempts; 2) defenseman Chris Ovington (recently sent down from the AHL’s Houston Aeros) scored two goals in the first three minutes of Friday’s second period; and 3) new goalie Tony Quesada (also…
Mess With Da Bull, You Get the Horns
It’s the oldest, truest, and most recognizable adage in all of professional sport, burned onto the brains of athletes throughout the world : “If your mascot is suspended for two games after coming onto the court during the run of play, and has been placed in a cage in the lobby as punishment, best to…
Birth of a (Sorta) Environmentalist
State rep. Phil King denies he opposes all emissions regulation. Just whatever may cause global warming.
Ice Ice Craddick
Top 10 reasons Craddick can’t announce his committee appointments.
Colton Pitonyak on the Stand
Turn to Court TV, channel 57, right now, to see Pitonyak testify. UPDATE: I’m always one to give credit where credit is due, so here goes: Pitonyak is a great proponent of shopping locally. The last place he remembers eating at before the murder is Jazz on Sixth Street. And moreover, did he go to…
Surging to Iran
This time, they swear we’ll be greeted as liberators.
The Bridge
An emotional and aesthetic whirlpool of horror, fascination, beauty, and resignation gives Eric Steel’s Golden Gate Bridge suicide documentary an eerie power.
Readings
Sarah Katherine Lewis visited BookWoman Wednesday and will be at BookPeople tonight, Friday, Jan. 26
Texas Platters
Tammany Hall MachineAmateur Saw Two years in the making, Tammany Hall Machine’s second album reaffirms their penchant for full-bodied pop songs that evoke the delightful wooze of nostalgia. Though a large part of the Austin quartet’s ability to connect comes from their yeomanly homage to forbears like the Beatles, Raspberries, and Pulp, the Machine has…
Report Calls for Texas Death Penalty Reform
And people in hell want ice water
The Hitcher
This remake of Robert Harmon’s original 1986 horror semiclassic serves as a primer in how not to generate suspense.
Page Two: Gutbucket Politics
The deadly consequences of following Bush’s instincts
Texas Platters
The Dirty Hearts The Dirty Hearts are either good at being bad or bad at being good, but good luck divining a definitive answer from their naughty New Wave. The local quartet’s debut strikes such an alluring balance between contentment and catastrophe it’s almost impossible not to get swept along, and its breakneck pace renders…
Innocence Commission Back in Lege
Ellis renews quest to create independent commission to examine wrongful conviction cases
Catch and Release
An archetypal date movie with a good heart, Catch and Release is the lightweight story of a widow (Jennifer Garner) who discovers that you never really know a person.
After a Fashion
Stephen has to go all the way to Seattle and Tijuana just to appreciate Austin style
Texas Platters
Hit Space(Verb) (Bunkhaus) Like a sample dish served with the chef’s compliments at a fancy restaurant, Hit Space’s six-song debut EP is a fleeting bite that goes a long way toward cementing fealty for their languid, fuzz-tinged flavor. During the Nineties, vocalist/guitarist Carrie Clark and bassist Jeff Copas shared stage space in Sixteen Deluxe. Hit…
No End in Sight for Hurricane-Housing Limbo
FEMA once again extends cutoff deadline for hurricane evacuees still receiving housing assistance in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas
Smokin’ Aces
A person could have a reasonably good time with this confusing, Tarantinoid actioner starring Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven, and Alicia Keys, but there’s not actually much tension in the movie.
Day Trips
A replica of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas is the centerpiece of the Mission Tejas State Park north of Crockett
Texas Platters
Matt the ElectricianOne Thing Right This homey collection of love songs, directed largely at Matt “the Electrican” Sever’s wife and kids and to the thrills of domesticity itself, will notch one up with the hearts of grownups who’ve become parents but still like to get it on. The track listing reads like a laundry list…
On the Lege
Austin’s freshman senator picks up plum assignments
Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love
Bollywood meets Richard Curtis’ Love Actually in this Hindi breakout.
Soccer Watch
MLS scours Europe for talent, and more
Texas Platters
Mandy MercierRun Out of Darkness (Wild Cantinas) Mandy Mercier imagines herself as a blues chanteuse on the order of Maria Muldaur or Lou Ann Barton, someone who can belt one out or purr through the night. Unfortunately, her voice, the main instrument throughout her third album, Run Out of Darkness, isn’t quite up to the…
Point Austin: Compared to What?
Crisis at Kealing the latest chapter in a too-long story
Seraphim Falls
A morality play without the morality, Seraphim Falls demands its protagonists (Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Anjelica Huston) resign themselves to their loneliness and brutality.
My Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine 1981, R, 91 min. Directed by George Mihalka, Starring Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight. The survivor of a mining accident seeks bloody revenge on the anniversary of the disaster, on the day of the town’s annual Valentine’s Day dance.
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The Sabbath-Jethro connection, and the drunkest city in America
Texas Platters
David Chenu QuintetTwo David Chenu makes a bold statement with the release of his second album, Two. Unlike all-too-many young musicians who are eager to show off their chops with fanciful displays of speed, dexterity, and bravado, this Austin saxophonist has opted, instead, for a deliberate and contemplative set of original ballads that effectively captures…
Beside the Point
Wynn is leading the way in cities’ efforts to curb greenhouse gases
Venus
Peter O’Toole, in an Oscar-caliber and -nominated performance, pulls off the tricky May-December relationship at the heart of Venus with colossal panache and sublime craft.
TCB
Ted Nugent livens up Rick Perry’s inaugural ball, the literary side of the Texas Rollergirls, more parking needed on the Eastside, and a redheaded stranger comes to Coachella
The Common Law
Options when injured in an auto accident
No Real Alternative
In the name of “promoting childbirth,” the state finds yet another way to deny health care to thousands of Texas women
The Hightower Report
What Hath George Wrought in Iraq?; and Cheating on Oil Royalties
Bocaditos
Tom’s Tabooley Mediterranean Platter
Abortion Alternatives, by the Numbers
A financial comparison of TPCN and more traditional women’s health care providers
Strategy and Strategery
Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel on Darkon and the real-world implications of role players at war
Crossing the Divide: The concerts
Concert Showcase IFriday, Jan. 26, 6:30pm St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 8134 Mesa Featuring 25-minute programs from the Texas Tech University Choir (Lubbock), Texas State Chorale (San Marcos), and Judson High School (San Antonio). Tickets: $10. Concert Showcase IISaturday, Jan. 27, 2pm St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 8134 Mesa Featuring 25-minute programs from the UT Concert Chorale…
Spirited Suggestions
Tezón Tequila
TPCN: Ask Us No Questions
An organization funded entirely by tax dollars insists it is a “private business” free from public scrutiny
The Gate Escape
Eric Steel on The Bridge
Uniters, Not Dividers
Craig Hella Johnson has assembled a distinguished panel of presenters and composers for the festival. Here’s what makes them exceptional, in his words: Rob Kapilow, composer, founder of the Lincoln Center What Makes It Great? series: “Inspired musician, great composer. One of the most inspired teachers, just a sparkling teacher. He’s really carrying the next-generation…
Maru Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
I have previously praised sushi that, in retrospect, was merely acceptable. My standards have been redefined.
Real Alternatives: The Pennsylvania Connection
Texas’ “abortion alternative” has roots in the Keystone State
Four for the Weekend
E-mail Angelina Jolie, support Screen Door and Reel Woman, or experience the effects of Hurricane Katrina in IMAX
‘El Automóvil Gris’: Making an old silent film speak today
Mexican theatre company Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes brings a silent film from Mexican cinema into the 21st century, using a 19th century Japanese performance technique
Shandeez Grill
About four years ago, Mehdi and Farah Meschi were persuaded by friends and family to move to Austin, and they opened Shandeez Grill last year.
More Big-Box Brawling
Battle brewing in Lakeway over putting big-box store on city-owned land
In Play
Star Trek: Legacy
Cheryl Bentyne: Transfer to the solo line
Cheryl Bentyne, the willowy soprano of the Manhattan Transfer who also has a solo career, talks about the difference between singing with a group and singing alone
Food-o-File
Local artisan food producers should have a big 2007
Peacock Politics in Western Travis County
Handful of holdout ranchers expected to sell their family spreads in name of what some see as suburban sprawl
DVD Watch
Though it was mostly noted for its cult performers and scenester ambience, the film’s Criterion edition positions it firmly amid the commercial groundswell of independent cinema
365 Days/365 Plays: Week 12
The yearlong festival of plays by Suzan-Lori Parks continues with seven plays performed by company members of the Austin Shakespeare Festival
Event Menu
Jan. 26-Feb. 1
Supremes Hear Texas Death Penalty Cases
Supreme Court grapples once again with whether Texas death penalty scheme – and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ interpretation of its role in deciding death penalty cases – meets constitutional requirements
TV Eye
For once, Ellen Pompeo is spared Belinda Acosta’s wrath while she goes after … America Ferrera?
Arts Review
The novel dose of the now offered by the FronteraFest Short Fringe was on view Jan. 19, notably in “Bliss,” a verse drama of dangerous beauty, and David Hendler’s poems of Jewish identity
All My Love
C-Side Records’ family values
Naked City
Headlines and happenings from Austin and beyond
Inland Empire
Not reviewed at press time. David Lynch’s latest mindfuck pits Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) and Devon Berk (Justin Theroux) against the characters they’re playing in a cursed fictional film.
Arts Review
Austin Lyric Opera’s American premiere of Waiting for the Barbarians speaks powerfully to life in a time of terror and oppression, sounding a wake-up call to our humanity
Texas Platters
Ghostland ObservatoryHogg Auditorium, Jan. 19 Two minutes to midnight, Ghostland Observatory’s long-awaited, sold-out evening at the opera quickly turned into an all-out panic at the disco. Acting as both caped phantom and “Angel of Music,” Thomas Turner’s beats from behind the drum kit and drum machine made even the uppermost row in the balcony seem…
Austin Energy’s Coal Considerations Smoked Out?
Council to be asked to consider authorizing city manager to negotiate land agreement for future “clean coal” plant
The Aura
A sure winner for arthouse audiences with crossover appeal, Fabián Bielinsky’s The Aura spins a purely enjoyable web of intrigue within a meditative, dreamlike setting.
Arts Review
When a painting can make you seasick – as the ones in Christopher Schade’s Islands series can – you have a work that’s worth a look and a look again
Texas Platters
Foot Foot, Clap! Clap!Independence Brewery, Jan. 20 It was, as Clap! Clap! singer Joshua Mills put it, like a deleted scene from Strange Brew. With the crowd quickly swelling for Saturday evening’s show at the Independence Brewery, Austin’s foundational axiom was proved once again: People will come out on a night straight out of a…
Shedding Light on Prisoners’ Rights
HIV/AIDS awareness group trying to make case for prisoners’ right to condom access
WCL Championships or, Is It Manly to Cry If Chuck Norris Breaks Your Heart?
OK Chuck, I can take a hint. It really seemed like we hit it off when I interviewed you last week. You even said you’d see me at the WCL Championship Saturday. But when I got there, where were you? About 20 rows ahead, that’s where, sitting next to Wynonna Judd. I spent last week…
Luv Doc Recommends: Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation
Holy shit, it’s winter! Of course, that doesn’t mean you should try and pitch an ice fishing tent on Town Lake, but it does mean you finally have a quasi-legitimate excuse to rock some socks with your Crocs. Note to sloth: There is no legitimate excuse, so don’t get cocky, crock jockey. Just because in…
