The buzz has been around all summer about the filming of Top Chef: Texas, the multi-city ninth season of the hit chef competition. The show announced today that the season premiere will be shown on Wednesday, November 2nd - and also listed the 29-chef field of participants...who will be trimmed to a group of 16 during the first couple of episodes. more ›

Her hand-sewn, saliva-marked, grass-stained outfits were reality show ratings gold, but after six episodes former Austinite and University of Texas graduate Elisa Jimenez took the dive on last night's episode of Bravo's Project Runway. more ›

Image from Clap!Clap!’s MySpace Clap!Clap! final showSaturday, December 8Emos (603 Red River St)$5 | Doors 8 p.m. | Outside[info]Local act Clap!Clap! has furnished enough dance parties around town with their brand of energetic electro-pop to command endearment and respect alike. However, last month they surprised a good amount of us with news of their demise. Needless to say we were fairly intrigued about the reasons for this culmination and also their plans for the future.... more ›

Highlights for this week: The Royal Family bids adieu to the east side with a giant Halloween bash, featuring DJ sets by Stay Gold, a costume contest, and a whopping 75% off the entire store inventory The Blanton Museum of Art opens up afterhours on Friday for its monthly B scene, with art from the American West and music by the Unfortunate Heads and DJ Spooky Texas Fun Fun Fun Fest takes over Waterloo Park... more ›

We haven't made it to Project Runway at Moxie and the Compound, yet, but we've heard it's fun. Last week's winner Malissa Long sent us a picture of her creation (see right); the challenge was to design a piece only using a white knit fabric. This week the challenge is to design a dress for the Shiki customer. The Moxie version of Project Runway is similar to the Bravo show, although there's a local twist... more ›

We are pleasantly surprised to hear that former UT alum Elisa Jimenez is a contestant for the upcoming season of Bravo’s Project Runway. We chatted up this uber-creative lady earlier this year at an in-store fashion-show/performance during SXSW at Factory People, where she sold several hand-stitched jersey dresses and tops. Trained as a sculptor and with a background in making large-scale marionettes, Elisa became an “accidental" fashion designer after someone discovered her at a... more ›

Peyton’s Place is celebrating its grand opening tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be complimentary drinks, in-store makeovers (courtesy of Sage Salon), and a trunk show by jewelry designer Joani White. Peyton’s Place is on 215 Lavaca. Re- is going out of business! Voted Best Recycled Goods by Austin Chronicle, this little South Austin vintage store is calling it quits after over two years. Owner Chris Walker said he and his wife... more ›

We went back to The Domain, Austin’s new consumer wet-dream, to attend "Fashion Live!" The, err, creatively named fashion show was a marketing campaign celebrating the Macy’s opening. How could we resist? The host was Michael Knight, a “fan favorite” designer on Bravo’s Project Runway. more ›

If you watched the State of the Union last night (we tried to, but ended up choosing the guilty pleasure that is Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" over it), you heard our Fearless Leader not mention a hurricane starting with K or the region affected by it plug his plan for Iraq. This weekend, various national organizations are sponsoring a peace march in D.C. against the war. Local peace organizations are eager... more ›

There's been plenty of buzz about a couple of today's new releases (anyone noticed the abundance of commercials for diamonds lately? It ain't just the holiday season), but you might be able to pick out a few gems from the list. Depending on what you consider a "gem," of course. Us, well, we're just happy when someone else buys our movie ticket and a drink (or several) afterwards so we can go home and... more ›

Tonight, author and journalist Jan Reid, who's written for Texas Monthly forever and who's penned a stunningly diverse variety of books (including The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, The Bullet Meant for Me, and an upcoming book about the history of the song "Layla") will give a talk entitled "Rio Grande, Rio Bravo: History, Celebration and Punishment of a Border Stream." This man might know more about Austin (and Texas, and boxing, and music, and... more ›

Is it Heidi Klum's cute way of saying auf wiedersehen? Tim Gunn's adorable, yet stern mentoring? Or, perhaps it is the mix of personality disorders present among the designers in this most entertaining of shows. Whatever it is, it works. And it rules. Bravo execs should be getting raises anytime now because last Wednesday's episode of Project Runway was the #1 rated show in Bravo history. Take that Queer Eye. It was also, amazingly, the... more ›

Or, better yet, high fashion and hard alcohol. You’ll find it all at the new Jo’s on 2nd Street this Saturday night (August 5). Stop by at 9 to grab a drink, listen to some tunes, and check out the unique and sure-to-be-popular silent auction items which will include: Night on The Town at Hotel San Jose, dinners for two, all kinds of bike related gear, parts, helmets, Discovery and other pro kits, National... more ›

While our usual appointment television shows are on summer hiatus, we thought that we wouldn’t be watching much television this season. But that was not to be the case! We have been sitting on our couch in the A/C this summer watching these guilty pleasures: Project Runway, Weds @ 9pm, Bravo. No other show would make us turn on the Miss Universe pageant to see if a contestant was wearing the right gown. We... more ›

If you're like us people we know, you sat glued to your TV last night for the season premiere of Bravo's Project Runway. And while this year's cast can't hold a candle to last year's hotties, you've doubtless already started picking favorites among the Season 3 designers. more ›

Another Austin writer has made good. Attorney and novelist Mark Falkin has written a coming-of-age story about a man coming to terms with his life after losing his mother to cancer. (Aside: All of the proceeds from the book will go to the American Cancer Society. Bravo, Mr. Falkin.) Told in a modified stream of consciousness style, Days of Grace portrays a young man's confusion and anxiety as he sets out on a humorous and touching journey of self-discovery, performing, as he states, "a series of anthropological experiments of sorts. However, the control group is me and in the end it is me who is also the lab rat." more ›

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Austinist unofficially kicked off our SXSW festivities with "Gonna Gonna Get, Get Down!", our day party over at new indie rock club Red 7, just east of Red River at 7th Street. We started a bit late, owing to some unfortunate sound issues (the new PA had been installed less than an hour before our show), but once these were resolved we jumped right into the thick of things. Including, as you can see to... more ›

Here's just a small sampling of the artists playing our day party next Wednesday at Red 7: [mp3] Ghostland Observatory - "Candy Rider" [mp3] Asobi Seksu - "I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me " [mp3] Asobi Seksu - "Sooner" [mp3] Asobi Seksu - "Walk On the Moon" [mp3] Asobi Seksu - "Let Them Wait" [mp3] The Ark - "Rock City Wankers" (From Aurgasm) [mp3] Levy - "On the Dance Floor" [mp3] Levy - "Rotten... more ›

Hot on the heels of our afterparty annoucement earlier today, we're thrilled to let you know about "Gonna Gonna Get, Get Down!", the free day party we're throwing on Wednesday March 15th, from Noon-11pm at Austin's newest indie/hipster joint, Red 7 (across the street from Sidebar, in back of Plush Lounge, and sharing an alleyway with Emo's and True Blue) more ›

Last night we caught Project Jay on Bravo and last season's Project Runway winner was looking at wee apartments in Brooklyn for $2000 or more. We laughed because our rent is almost half that for a house here in Austin. Well, we may have laughed too soon . . . News8Austin reports that Austin "is experiencing the hottest rental market in five years, and the rates continue to climb, even outside the city." Yikes! Thanks to multiple factors, including the Katrina evacuees who came to love Austin too much to leave (and can you blame them?), supply is running a little lower than it has been and demand is much higher. People love Austin so much that they will pay these higher rents even when their funds are still as skimpy as usual. more ›

SXSW.com released an updated lineup for this year's SXSW Music Festival earlier today, and it's one hell of a list. The SXSW committee hastens to note that "This is a partial list of performers confirmed to appear at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival. This list is current as of 1/13/06. All of this information is subject to change." International acts include: Masahiro Nitta, DMBQ, Ellegarden, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, PE'Z, The Emeralds (Japan)... more ›

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And it was good. In fact, yes, it did live up to its legend. We kept hearing about this LIttle Deli place hidden amidst barber shops and neighborhood pharmacies (well, okay, one barber shop and one pharmacy and a dry cleaners, too) in the Crestview neighborhood. A reader even wrote us to encourage our going there and be sure to try the vegetarian sandwich, she said. So we went already and we got that... more ›

We've been mentioning the Drafthouse's latest theatre a lot lately because it, like the other locations, has a lot going for it. And while writing about special events and showings is always fun, we thought it was time to write about the location and its merits. more ›