Star-Studded Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards March 12

If you love film and you love Texas (we do both here at Austinist), then you no doubt know all about the Texas Film Hall of Fame. Why, it’s packed with A-list film stars like Robert Duvall, Mike Judge, Marcia Gay Harden, Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid, Matthew McConaughey, and of course, Richard Linklater. And that’s just to name a few. So you will no doubt shiver with excitement at the following news: Karl “French Fried Potaters” Childress is joining them.

Thursday, March 12 (we’re giving you a bit of heads-up so you have time to make rezzies), Billy Bob Thornton will be inducted as an honorary Texan. If you thought he was already in the Texas Film Hall of Fame because you thought one of the pioneer mannequins in the Bob Bullock Museum looked kinda like him, think again (turns out most pioneers kinda looked that way).

In fact the Oscar-winning actor, writer, and musician was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas (do they have hot springs there, or is it a total misnomer like Bath, England?), but is actually being honored for his “quintessential Southern ‘bad boy’ image,” which really, when you think about it, a “Southern bad boy image” is so Texan we might as well have invented the damn thing. And don’t forget he played Davy Crockett in The Alamo. On top of THAT, he has worked with many other Hall of Famers, like Linklater, Duvall, and Ethan Hawke, who apparently managed to talk his way in somehow. Mr. Quaid will present the award at the Hall of Fame’s ninth annual celebration.

As if that weren’t enough star power, the whole thing is hosted by Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider Man 3 but really we all know him as Lowell from “Wings”), and Catherine Hardwicke (director of Thirteen and Twilight, perhaps you’ve heard of it?) will be inducted by…wait for it…John FREAKIN’ Cusack!

We know, right? Who doesn’t love Lloyd “I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen” Dobbler? Who hasn’t been obsessed to an unhealthy degree with this awkward man-boy/teen idol as he has matured into a great actor and all-around likable fellow? If you don’t want to get a beer with this guy, well then you probably just don’t drink. Ever.

Also, Keith Carradine will be inducted by Powers Boothe, and Larry Hagman (aka J.R. Ewing) will be inducted by Linda Gray (aka Sue Ellen Ewing). That’s TV history right there.

So if you love Texas film (and you have to REALLY love it; tables cost from $5,000 to $25,000), come down, wish Billy Bob well, see if Dennis is as hot in person as he seems in the movies, and try and brush against Rob Gordon from High Fidelity. We know you'll be there just to breathe the same air as they are, cause you’re obsessive film nerds. Or…are we just projecting?