Cover Story
Don’t Everybody Panic, but Online Sketch Troupe Backpack Picnic Has Definitely Gone What They Call ‘Viral’ and Is Also About to Contaminate the Alamo Drafthouse
Online sketch troupe Backpack Picnic has definitely gone viral
Will Joel Osteen Meet With Lezzie Moms?
The Soulforces are strong with these ones…
Explosive Charge Against Ignite Consulting
“Your neighbor Lisa” just the beginning of Kim campaign manager’s problems, says Public Utility Commission
Everything Is Illuminated
Loretta Fischer’s Tarrytown shed is totally famous.
A Tale of Two Halves
From the opening whistle, the Wranglers took the game to the South Georgia Wildcats in every aspect. The Wranglers scored touchdowns with ease, only allowing the Wildcats to score once, as they took a 21-7 lead. Then, as the second quarter got under way, the Wildcats took the momentum and powered back to tie the…
Stop the Place 3 Race, I Wanna Get Off!
Randi Shade/Jennifer Kim outrage-o-rama sending Newsdesk to the fainting couch
Warm Leatherette
Ballet Austin’s Oko Jumu
‘Jungle’ Boogie
Feminist blogger Amanda Marcotte to read at BookWoman and MonkeyWrench
Ott Taps More Fort Worth Talent
Anthony Snipes named city chief of staff
Calling Down the Fury
Retribution Gospel Choir’s LOUDquietLOUD
The Amazing Adventures of Michael Chabon in Austin
Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon in Austin tonight
Fred and Ginger, Librarian and Book Cart
Local librarians defy all stereotypes
Another Series Win for UT Baseball
Texas baseball has come back to life as they won this past weekend’s series over Baylor, making it two series wins in a row. There were several key pitching performances that propelled the Horns into the win column. Chance Ruffin pitched a complete game in game one, giving up one run on seven hits to…
Kids for Strama
Rep. Strama to run summer campaign camp again
That’s Mister Austin, to You
Have you got what it takes to be Mr. Austin?
Electric Eye
Judas Priest
Where Are They Now, G-ville Edition
In 1992, Freedy Johnston released one of my all-time favorite albums. Can You Fly (Bar/None) remains a watermark of his career with its blend of guitar jangle, exhilarating melodies, and vivid, if slightly obscure, lyrics. He never quite repeated that brilliance, although his major label debut, 1994’s This Perfect World (Elektra), comes close. Except for…
No Goals No Problem
Stoke City, Austin’s partner team in England, got their biggest result in a quarter-century on Sunday, as a 0-0 home draw against Leicester City guaranteed the Potters a second-place finish in the English League Championship, and their first-ever promotion to the English Premier League next season. Overall, Stoke have a storied past, dating back to…
Los Angeles: Totally Crushing on Austin
A couple of homegrown films hit the L.A. Film Festival
UPDATE: Early Voting Done, Down From 2005
Turnout slow but sped up after weekend
‘These Guys Make Dead Prez Look Like Soulja Boy’
Soul and hip-hop slingshot into the Eastside this weekend
Kuruvi
Kuruvi 2008, NR, 168 min. Directed by Dharani, Starring Vijay, Trisha Krishnan, Suman, Vivek. Tamil-language musical and action film from the same team that released Ghilli in 2004.
Got Harvey?
The first look at Van Sant’s new Milk biopic.
Bloch’d Investigation
Special Counsel and super-special homophobe Scott Bloch under investigation.
Villa Muse Finds the Phone
The studio project ain’t got no home
Good Wife Hunting
Wife-bound and down. 10-4, good buddy!
Ice Bats Looking for a New Cave
In a move that comes as little surprise to hardcore Austin Ice Bats fans, team owner and president Randy Sanders announced today that the Bats will no longer call the Chaparral Ice Arena their home rink. The venue was too small to be profitable and lacked the atmosphere conducive to draw in and sustain new…
Keyes Keeps Going
Alan Keyes: officially independent, and he has the party to prove it
Boom Boom Yeah, Brad Neely
Brand-new nutterness from Brad Neely
Dewhurst Jumps Into Local Politics
Lite Guv gives to Austin Community College candidate
Early Voting Up Monday
Over 2,600 voters turn out Monday for local races
Robocalls!
How much more Place 3 race can we take?
Night of the Difference Makers
Hustlers get their hustle back over Green Country 129-65, Hell Marys take Honky Tonk Heartbreakers 61-43
New Leffingwell Ad
If you’re friends with Lee, then you’re friends with … Mike Martinez, apparently.
Villa Muse: Don’t Go Away Mad
Proposed studio breaks off good faith negotiations with poor etiquette
Today Is Last Day of Early Voting
One more chance before the May 10 election day
Larry Craig: Hand & Foot Model
I just can’t seem to flush Larry Craig out of my system!
Benson Busted
Former UT great and current NFL flop in the making Cedric Benson was arrested last Saturday (May 3) on Lake Travis and was charged with operating a boat while intoxicated and resisting arrest. Dude had to be pepper-sprayed by the po-po. For more, click here.
Early Voting: Seven Days Down, Two to Go
Voting slow Saturday, almost non-existent Sunday
Lasting Impressions
American Beat Records mines soul gold
Perry TXDoT Appointment Causes GOP Rift
Sen. Hegar calls Perry’s appointment to TXDot oversight board “wasted opportunity”, Delisi “political ‘yes man'”
Noriega Is for Real – and Texas Is in Play?
Rasmussen polls show that Democratic hopes may be more than fantasy
Breaking: Villa Muse Officially Kaput. For Reals.
Controversial planned compelx breaks off negotiations with the city
‘ SPEED RACER’ Anime at UNITED STATES ART AUTHORITY!
Who among us didn’t like the 60’s? Ok so a number of us weren’t around but those times did contribute a lot to modern cutlure. When I say culture I mean cartoons. Specifically SPEED RACER paved the way for the import of Japanese cartoons (or Anime, or Japanimation, or whatever you want to call it)…
Day Five of Early Voting
Number of ballots cast takes upturn before weekend
Cowpokes in Their Underpants, and Their Ladies
You don’t have to put their clothes on to have a good time.
Matt Stone Visits Austin Via South Park
Matt Stone of South Park visits UT
GLO Chief Versus Federal Law
GLO chief makes wrong statements, possible admission of breaking federal gun law
Outlaws Shutout North Texas Fury
The Outlaws wasted no time setting the tone for their game last Saturday against the North Texas Fury. In the first drive of the first series, defensive linewoman Diane Cardile and linebacker Bridgette Brown sacked Dallas’ quarterback for the first of six total sacks. Possession soon changed, and the offense followed suit. This left Dallas…
Day Four of Early Voting
Turnout remains solid, slow
Reefer Madness: No Cite-and-Release in Austin
Just got the word from the Austin Police Dept. that they have decided they will not be embracing the legal changes enacted by the Lege last year when it comes to making minor pot possession a cite-and-release offense. To refresh: Legislators last year passed H.B. 2391 (by Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, and carried by Sen.…
Two in a Row for the Wranglers
After a bit of a rough start, the Wranglers have hit their stride. On April 20, Austin got their first win over the Rio Grande Valley Dorados. This past weekend, the Wranglers showed what they are capable of by demolishing the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, 57-27. The previously vulnerable Wranglers defense was the story of…
Urban Myths Debunked
There is no constitutional amendment on the May 10 ballot, despite what teh intertubes might tell you.
The Wild Combination of Arthur Russell
An avant icon gets another look
She’s a Roadrunner!
Shut Up wants to be just like Maya Arulpragasam when she grows up
Complaint in Place Tres Race
Kim calls fouls on Shade’s contributions, but ethics complaint looks more like PR push
If That Ain’t Street Cred …
30 Rock namechecks SXSW
Austin Pot-Law Reformers Unite!
On Saturday (May 3) Austin reformers will join with like-minded tokers in 230 cities around the world for the ninth Global Marijuana March to protest pot prohibition.
Restaurant Review
Deep-fried happiness
Asia Fest Mini Film Fest
Watching movies at this weekend’s Asia Fest
Playing Through
Pitching Chico and Johnny Save the World
Happenings
May 1-8
Miss Understood
Carolyn Wonderland through the looking glass
TV Eye
It’s spring-cleaning at “TV Eye,” and we’re clearing out the inbox
Soccer Watch
Austin Aztex play their first game ever, and more
Former Rep. Lena Guerrero Dies of Cancer
Former Austin Rep. Lena Guerrero strode fearlessly into the Texas House in 1985 and showed the boys how a woman gets it done. She was young, 27, and only the second Hispanic woman sent to the floor, following the Valley’s Irma Rangel. Guerrero died April 24, at the age of 50, after a long battle…
Ruins of the Realm
Talking turkey with James McMurtry
DVD Watch
Former French marine and Sinatra-esque tough guy Alain Delon burned froid et chaud with the best of them
Developing Stories: Council holds line on TODs and affordable housing
Council holds line on TODs and affordable housing
The Return of Bike Month
It’s time again for that annual bonanza of bicycling known as Austin Bike Month. With gas prices gone wild and climate crisis at critical mass, there’s no better time to curb the car. Organized by the Austin Cycling Association, Bike Month includes opportunities for the inexperienced to try bike commuting, join recreational group rides, and…
Reissues
Mission of Burma Signals, Calls, and Marches (Matador) Mission of Burma Vs. (Matador) Mission of Burma The Horrible Truth About Burma (Matador) The second coming of Mission of Burma’s Vs. goes down this summer at the Pitchfork Music Festival. The Boston quartet – guitarist Roger Miller, bassist Clint Conley, drummer Peter Prescott, and sound manipulator…
Arts Review
Zach Theatre’s production constantly escalates in tension as gripping scene follows gripping scene
Reefer Madness
The dope on Clinton, Obama, and McCain
Council Gets Bike Happy
Just in time for Austin Bike Month to kick off, City Council took three decidedly pro-bicycle actions last Thursday. With a landmark project under way to update the city’s 10-year-old Bicycle Plan (intended to institutionalize bicycling as a viable transportation mode), council showed its support by passing a resolution calling for efforts to elevate Austin’s…
Reissues
The Replacements Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (Twin\Tone/Rykodisc/Rhino) The Replacements Stink (Twin\Tone/Rykodisc/Rhino) The Replacements Hootenanny (Twin\Tone/Rykodisc/Rhino) The Replacements Let It Be (Twin\Tone/Rykodisc/Rhino) Generations have passed since the Replacements mattered, so it’s difficult getting across to those who didn’t have firsthand experience of the Minneapolis quartet’s inebriated teenage angst and murky tenderness what…
Arts Review
This museum-within-a-museum’s miniature works are less engaging and absorbing than the large works by the same artists
Point Austin: The Way We Were
In Austin’s politics of nostalgia, the truth is a frequent casualty
Open Letter
A brief transcript of Shade’s remarks in response to a question from Kim
Reissues
The George Mitchell Collection: Volumes 1-45 (Fat Possum) As a high school senior in 1962, George Mitchell began wandering Memphis back alleys and the rural roads of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi in search of the blues. He found them all right, as evidenced by this 7-CD collection of recordings spanning 20 years and including a…
Arts Review
Five artists let the paper do the talking in this intimate show at the Blanton Museum of Art
Beside the Point
With shrinking sales tax receipts, so much for shopping ourselves outta recession
Your Library Wants These Bad
How do we recommend these books highly enough? What miracles of precision can be created with pen-and-ink?
Reissues
Otis Redding Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (Collector’s Edition) (ATCO/Rhino) Lynyrd Skynyrd Street Survivors (Deluxe Edition 30th Anniversary) (Geffen) Whiskeytown Strangers Almanac (Deluxe Edition) (Geffen) Southern by birth, studio, and soul, these three musical institutions won’t roll over upon having crucial chapters of their recorded legacies exhumed on respective 2-CD deluxe editions, but Dixie already…
Karen Kuykendall Tribute: More bouquets for the missing diva
Zach Theatre hosts a memorial tribute to the beloved performer, patron, and local legend
‘Chronicle’ Endorsements
May 10 municipal elections
Off the Record
Tim O’Connor closes the Backyard, Grupo Fantasma spice things up for Latino Music Month, and Hacienda strikes a chord with the Black Keys
ACC Dance Department: The joys of discovery
ACC’s dance program is noteworthy for its strong faculty and the way they help young choreographers find their voice
Place 1: Who’s on first … and who’s paying for it?
Think Austin politics is weird? Here’s the genuine article
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Everyone’s favorite stoner pals are back; this time running from the law after being mistaken for terrorists.
Living Maya
Austin becomes a hotbed of past and future Maya knowledge
Arts on Real: Theatre under threat
Escalating property values may cause the Eastside’s classiest warehouse theatre to close its doors for good
Grading the Campaign Ads
These ads aren’t exactly Super Bowl material
Deception
In this so-called erotic thriller, busy New York City power brokers partake in a decadent sex club that eventually proves fatal.
First, Free Comic Book Day, and Then – Ka-Baam!!
Comic books and comedy improv go hand in hand, sometimes with repulsor rays
About the Maya
The Maya first began establishing their own artistic, linguistic, and religious identities some 2,000 years before the birth of Christ, but they’re best known for their spectacular cities that dotted the present-day countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras during what is known as their Classic Period, about AD250 to 900. During this time, the…
‘Mildred Pierce’ Pie Social
Local restaurants and caterers provide a feast of pies to benefit Stephen Moser
Austin Interfaith Pins Down Candidates
Fight against poverty at top of agenda
Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr.’s sly take on Marvel Comics’ cold warrior elevates everything about this film.
Bloggers in Print
Political bloggers pick up the pen.
Filming the Code-Breakers
The more-than-centurylong struggle to decipher the Maya hieroglyphs is a fascinating story of clashing egos, missteps, and brilliant discoveries – all captured in Michael Coe’s 1992 book, Breaking the Maya Code. Much of the book covers the roles of Linda Schele and David Stuart and others associated with the University of Texas, along with accounts…
Event Menu
May 3-7
Place 3: Sour grapes?
That depends on your definition of “developer”
Made of Honor
Heart-on-the-sleeve sweets mix with pure raunch as Dr. McDreamy stars in this mean-spirited and uncomfortably blue romantic comedy.
Poetry Roundup
Coffee House Press celebrates National Poetry Month with six new titles.
The Hightower Report
Authorizing Torture; and Fencing Off Our Democracy
Food-o-File
Cookies, cupcakes, and ice creams – oh, my!
Billboard Battle Continues
Does keeping Austin scenic mean keeping the billboards right where they are?
Meet Bill
Aaron Eckhart stars in this middle-aged wake-up call whose message – trust yourself and find your inner child – is tired but expressed with a whole lot of enthusiasm.
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Ben and Jerry take a $5 ice cream making class, a tasty treat can double a python’s liver size, and more
Tarrytown Farmers’ Market
Talulah Bleu Tarrytown Florist hosts the West Austin Tarrytown Farmers’ Market on Saturdays
Urban Coyotes: Meet the neighbors
Keeping coyotes at bay without messing with the ecosystem
Graduation
This high school bank-heist caper flunks out.
After a Fashion
Stephen lines up some fat rails of white powder for deserving fundraisers
René Pinnell: Direct(or) to Video
Well, these videos don’t just direct themselves, you know
Page Two: The Immersion Method
Dream double bills and the great and simple pleasure of film viewing
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and elsewhere
Priceless
Amélie‘s ingratiating Audrey Tautou co-stars as a gold-digging gamine on the make in the south of France.
The Common Law
Fifi Becomes Cujo – Responsibility to Render Aid or Stop Attack?
Exit Music for a Film Fest Producer
Sending off South by Southwest’s Matt Dentler
Your Library Wants These Bad
How do we recommend these books highly enough? What miracles of precision can be created with pen-and-ink?
What About That 2004 Bond Election?
An update on bond proposals approved in 2004
Restaurant Review
Downtown Austin’s wine bar business is surging; come have a Taste
Salute Your Undershorts
The secret Hollywood history behind No Pants Day
Day Trips
Frank Buck’s Zoo in Gainesville may not be as well known as its larger-than-life namesake, but it is impressive nonetheless
Streetcar Blow-Up
Splitting rails over the latest transit plan
Luv Doc Recommends: B Scene
To say that Texans have a bit of a cultural chip on their shoulders is a gross understatement – sort of like saying there’s not much fresh air in outer space or that the KKK is racially insensitive. The ugly truth is that the folks who settled Texas were pretty much riff-raff: Immigrants, opportunists, criminals,…
