Short Cuts

Your Cheesecake Tastes of Sorrow Dept.: Updating the ongoing debacle out at Regal Cinema's beloved arthouse theatre, the Arbor 7, the news is that property owners Simon Property Group Inc. have bumped up the move-out date to Sunday, March 17, from the originally scheduled date of March 31. No specific reason was given, but a call last week to the SPG offices netted a clueless statement to the effect of "Austin has plenty of other theatres." Thanks, pal. Once the Arbor 7 is moved out, the property is slated to be turned into a Cheesecake Factory, which, according to the restaurant's Web site, will offer a variety of upscale dining choices such as specialty pizzas, steaks, pastas, and -- duh -- cheesecakes. No movies, though. Arbor 7 general manager Kevin Prewitt says that the current staff will not, as initially feared, be out of a job, but will instead be shuffled out to various other Regal theatres in town, while the art films that would normally be playing at the theatre will be split between the Gateway, Westgate, and Metropolitan theatres. Regal is currently in negotiations to purchase the now-defunct Great Hills 8, but no deals had been inked by press time... South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference 2002 (March 8-15) is here. Badges are currently available on a walk-up basis for $250, which gets you into all the screenings and panels, with individual film passes (good for all official screenings, but they won't necessarily guarantee you a seat) available from Waterloo Records (600 N. Lamar) for a flat $50. As always, complete film and panel listings are available online at www.sxsw.com.