Looks like James Franco didn't get hired by Stephen Colbert to be his full-time art director. The Oscar-nominated actor is looking for his Ph.D., and he's been accepted into the University of Houston program for literature and creative writing. The exclusive program only admits 20 folks each year, and Franco is scheduled to begin in September 2012. more ›

We were strolling through West Campus this morning when we came across a gaggle of cops, endless yellow Police Line tape and, of all things, the bomb squad. Rio Grande between 22nd and 24th streets had been sealed off. Word was that some residences had been evacuated as well. Minutes earlier, the ubiquitous post-9/11 "suspicious package" reared its ugly head and was reported to the police. We stuck around, alongside the small crowd of bleary-eyed... more ›

As you make those New Year's resolutions, you may wonder how to get more involved in the Austin community for 2007. January is National Mentoring Month, and one way to mentor here in Austin is through a volunteer teaching position at Citizen Schools. The Boston-based nonprofit arrived in Austin last year, and helps children in lower-income middle schools to prepare for the rigors of high school and college. They've already won 2006 and 2007 Fast... more ›

It's good to see that at least one former radio DJ understands the spirit of giving. Stephen Aechternacht has pledged to donate 13,000 CDs to Georgetown’s Southwestern University. A mix of classical, rock and jazz, the gift will quadruple the university’s music collection. Of course the original plan was to bequeath the lot to his alma mater, Southern Methodist University, but the Dallas school wasn’t enthusiastic enough. No ticker tape parade, no tapes. Sufficient ass kissing ensured SWU won out over SMU. more ›

We are not sadists, per se, but every year around this time we enjoy the somewhat perverse pleasure of watching soon-to-be (possibly) lawyers try and break the internet as they await the results from their State Bar exams. Now, before you deride us for being insensitive or judgmental or snarky, etc, just relax…this site was shown to us by a few friends who are lawyers and suffered through the same grueling process as the kids today. If you know any law students, you know that a large majority of them are extreme type-A personalities, and many of their hopes and dreams are tied to whether they pass this test or not. more ›

For those of you who have been on the edge of your seats since last April, unclench: UT and those assholes at the Perry-Castaneda Library have no taste. The Espresso Yourself Contest has been decided and the name of the new coffee shop, which will be somewhere in that big concrete building, will be called Prufrock's. more ›

Sometimes the Austinist gets a little somewhat mind-numbingly lazy, especially during the hot hot heat of the summer months. We've been known to lock ourselves into our apartment, crank up the A/C, close the blinds, order in, and watch back-to-back episodes of The West Wing on DVD. And while we luuurve The West Wing, it’s not really the most productive way to spend our days. We know this. Thus, we have to find stuff to occupy our time, and (gasp!) maybe we should learn a little something, too. more ›

The Austinist is sad to report that there is an art thief somewhere on the UT Austin campus. more ›