Banks falling like dominoes. OMG sign of the judgment bleargh! Oh, crap. Bush to Israel: I'd hit that shit. But maybe you better. Mediterranean Union created. Luxurious! Democratic leadership also wants to cut someone's nuts out. Brangelina buns no longer in oven. Is it still a scandal if no one is surprised? Also scary: ‘I’m Learning To Get Online Myself, And I’ll Have That Down Fairly Soon’...

Intelligence reports now reveal that Iran is *not* making a nuclear bomb. Remains to be seen whether this will make a difference to Bush, who just doesn't like the cut of their jib. Damn! What is it with the Senate and thirteen-year-old boys? Brad Pitt, perhaps in a contest with Angie to see who can adopt the most people, takes the entire Lower Ninth Ward under his wing. Two popular musicians were recently murdered......

Another Friday means another round of fresh outta the box movies. With summer's end possibly mere weeks away, these are our last days to indulge in the pastime of escaping Austin's scorching good vibes to sit in distracted air-conditioned comfort. And in some parts of the country it's already fall, which means there's a bumper crop of new movies out! The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: On one hand, this period......

Technically, Fantastic Fest doesn't start until Thursday. But for badgeholders who get into town early (or, you know, live here), the fun will begin on Wednesday night as Casey Affleck hosts a free sneak screening of his new film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. We've been huge Affleck fans since his criminally under appreciated role in Good Will Hunting. And with The Assassination and Gone Baby Gone (both of which......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

Oh, the humanity! Welcome to the one weekend a year where you can see a biker mama on every block sporting a midriff baring halter top and leather chaps; however, this woman will bear a striking resemblance to the woman who birthed you . Pair that with inhaling noxious greenhouse-effect-inducing fumes and having your eardrums wailed on like a red-headed step-child and suddenly paying $8.25 to sit in a cold, dark box doesn't seem......

We're moving quickly into the holiday season, but this week there are no holiday-themed movies. Rejoice! Because there will be. Dear God, there will be. *Stranger Than Fiction We love seeing talented "funny guys" attempt less-over-the-top acting, especially when they do it well (see: Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Freddie Prinze, Jr. - oh wait, he's neither funny nor talented). We commend you, Mr. Ferrell. Please be our friend? *Babel Multicultural interconnection, global complexity, blah......

Considered the “great film” of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, an early indicator of its Oscar potential, Babel is a film which shares notable characteristics with recent successful indies capable of garnering the full attention of Hollywood. Looking like Syriana in its scope, feeling like an international version of Crash, Babel is the interweaving of stories about people in crisis – their crises arising from misunderstandings and failed communication – culminating in a......

The lineup for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival has been announced, and Austinite Richard Linklater will have the distinction of being the first director to ever show films in the main competition and Un Certain Regard (the competition which grants money to the winner to enable French distribution). Linklater’s Fast Food Nation, based on the book by Eric Schlosser and starring Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and Kris Kristofferson, will appear in the main competition.......

The Austin Center for FEMA Disaster Relief closed yesterday The New Pantheon shortlist nominees have been announced, and they are: Animal Collective, Antony and the Johnsons, Fiona Apple, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon, M.I.A., and Sufjan Stevens So there's evidently a species of rare African clawed frogs that, when injected with urine from a pregnant woman, will ovulate. There's also a story about how they're dying......

-Austinites can help raise government bred labs who will grow up to become bomb sniffers. They foot all the bills, but you've got to give the dog back when it's 14 months. -UT gets a new President. -Rice says the definition of torture is relative. -And your parents thought you had problems. -Brad Pitt is adopting Angelina's children. -Britney kicked Kevin out because the "weedman" showed up at their house again, also firing two......

So ends the time of the year where hipsters everywhere take notice of our uncanny little city/big town, and it becomes the focus of all the world for a short time. We will have to wait a whole year for a particularly disgusting New York VICE magazine to insult our beautiful Austin, mine it for drugs, and pretend they own the town. Too bad. However, not all New Yorkers suck, not by a long shot.......