Short Cuts

Adrenaline O.D. Dept.: I mentioned a few weeks back that local animator and former (current?) Gals Panic frontman Lance "Fever" Myers had been tapped by local don't-call-them-emo, hyper-adrenalized punk rawkers the Riddlin' Kids to animate the video for the initial single from the band's forthcoming Universal debut Hurry Up and Wait. Well, the wait's almost over. Myers and a team of six crack animators from Austin animation/multimedia houses Horseback Salad and Powerhouse Animation labored literally around the clock (presumably taking time out only to rock, and possibly to ingest more "coffee") for 21 days after receiving the go-ahead from Universal; the final product, 35 glorious seconds of 24/fps animation, features the band members in an homage to late-Eighties Patrick Dempsey sex comedy Loverboy, with various, uh, members vying for the attentions of sundry pizza-craving sexpots. No word yet on any Vic Tayback or Kirstie Alley cameos, and sadly, Myers notes the label nixed the all-important gratuitous nudity that was the common thread in late-Eighties pizza-delivery-boy-cum-gigolo comedies. "It was insane," related a feverish Myers from an unnamed Hill Country convalescence retreat. "Fifteen-hour days, at least, for all of us was the rule, which is not something I'd want to do every day." With the (hopefully) breakout video completed, Myers appears to be well on his to way to becoming the Hill Country counterpart to Derek "Dr. Death-- Riggs of Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie fame. (He's already got the rock & roll nickname part down cold.) Universal has yet to announce the date for the vid's MTV debut, but seeing as how both album and video are now locked, it'll likely be soon. More on that when Universal returns my calls... Pennies from heaven -- 5,800,000 million of 'em -- will be given away to Texas filmmakers this year as part of the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund, and if you want in on the action (or if, like me, you just like fantasizing about shiny copper discs pelting people on the noggin) you'd do well to attend the next Association of Independent and Video Filmmakers' Austin Salon, Wednesday, May 22, 7pm, at the Hideout (617 Congress Ave.) where Austin Film Society Director of Services Elizabeth Sikes will explain how to get your mitts on da mad loot, yo. Questions regarding the salon? E-mail [email protected]. Questions regarding the cash flow? E-mail [email protected] or www.austinfilm.org.