This Friday, September 9th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., HGTV will be posting up at the Hyatt Regency Austin on Barton Springs Road in search of Texas' next "Design Star." It seems HGTV is willing to bet that Austin has its fair share of charismatic and accomplished interior designers, architects and overall design personalities. Design Star is HGTV's top-rated reality competition and is returning for its sixth season. The show features 12 competitors and renowned judges from the design world as well as celebrity guests. The finalists must successfully execute innovative design challenges until one wins their own show on HGTV. For more information on Design Star and how to participate visit Design Star's website. more ›

One of the highlights of the yearly festival is the Hands on an Eggplant Sub competition, which pits contestants against one another in a marathon contest to see who can keep their grubby paws on said sandwich for the longest. The winner scores a year of free Home Slice pizza—former champ Seth Mazow went so far as to blog about his experience. This year, they're letting folks sponsor one of the five chosen participants, and with Mazow having relocated to California, it's anyone's guess which of these challengers will end up sticking around the longest. more ›

Our friends at the Alamo Drafthouse had a pretty big announcement last month: the launch of their own distribution arm, Drafthouse Films. Their first release is a British comedy called Four Lions, which received rave reviews after playing earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW. The film is opening locally on Friday, November 5 at the Alamo South Lamar, but Austinist is helping to sponsor a special sneak preview on Thursday, November 4 up at Alamo Drafthouse Village and we have 50 pairs of tickets to give away to Austinist readers! more ›

At the close of this week's "Assasins of Solace" competition, the folks at the Alamo will throw a fancy schmancy Casino Party to celebrate--and you could be there! For one night only, they're turning the old South Lamar Salvation Army into a full-fledged casino, including games, martinis, tuxedos... the whole deal! And after the party, attendees will head over to the Alamo for a late-night screening of the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace. A limited number of party/movie tickets have been made available to the non-game-playing general public, but we'd like to send you for free, courtesy of our friends at the Drafthouse. more ›

Forrest Gump contains some downright fantastic raw material for the folks at Master Pancake Theater, who'll be continuing their wildly popular lampooning of the popular flick this weekend at the Alamo. The Pancake crew had recently put the show on hold to make room for their Halloween gigs, but they're bringing it back for several more performances during the month of November. We haven't seen it yet, but word is it's one of the funniest, most un-P.C. Pancake shows ever. Want to win tickets? more ›

In the space of less than four years, Brighton, England's The Kooks have gone from art students to multi-platinum Britpop stars. The band's name was inspired by a David Bowie lyric, but The Kooks' primary musical allusions lean more toward the mellower end of Supergrass or The Libertines. The band actually made their US debut at SXSW 2006, but have mainly played the coasts since then, making this gig a rare opportunity to catch them in our area. more ›

GOOD is asking readers to create a video tour promoting their hometown. GOOD asks that in your video you answer the question, "What is it that would make someone want to travel to where you are?" The creator of the best entry nets two round-trip domestic tickets to anywhere JetBlue flies. more ›

Tomorrow's screening of Real Genius with John Gries in attendance is totally sold out (*sad face*). But cheer up--you can still enter our contest for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the 9:45pm screening of Napoleon Dynamite AND a pair of pajamas autographed by Laslo Hollyfeld himself! more ›

If you’re an aspiring writer, you might want to find some time between holiday parties this weekend to brush up your best short story. The Austin Chronicle’s sixteenth annual Short Story Contest closes on Monday. Winners split $1,500 and get published. more ›

Flyer from BGirl City Championships Home Slice Pizza celebrates its second anniversary (happy birthday, guys!) with a giant Pizza Carnival—expect pizza tossing acrobats, pizza eating contests, "Great Calzoni the Slice Reader," and more, with proceeds going to benefit Young Texans Against Cancer The 6th annual East Austin Studio Tour returns, featuring more than 200 artists at over 100 studios—ride your bikes this year! VICE Magazine, Gomikitti, and Scion throw a killer free party at Antone's... more ›

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This summer, Austin resident Scott Blackwood received the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Award for his forthcoming novel, We Agreed to Meet Just Here. His collection of short stories, In The Shadow of Our House (2002), received great reviews. In The Shadow of Our House interweaves nine tales of Austin — marriages falling apart, youthful anger erupting into inexplicable violence, sudden tragedy testing family bonds, and adulterers caught between incomplete worlds. Blackwood’s keen sense... more ›

ACL Previews Interview: Ghostland Observatory Previews: The Broken West, Big Sam’s Funky Nation & Rose Hill Drive Previews: Billy Joe Shaver and Fionn Regan Previews: Brandon Rhyder and Ocote Soul Sounds Interview: The Broken West Previews: Sylvia St. James, Jeffrey Steele, and Amy Cook Interview: Bloc Party ACL Fest Updates: Google Mashup, Contests, Eco-Chic Previews: Augustana, Amos Lee Interview: Peter, Bjorn, and John ACL Band Clash, Round 3: Wilco Vs My Morning Jacket Travis... more ›

Unless you have been under a very large boulder, you are well aware that the Original Alamo Drafthouse is closing its Colorado Street doors this Wednesday night. Soon you will see people wandering the downtown streets, suffering from celluloid withdrawal and desperately looking for their next film reel hit. We know it’s hard, we’re suffering too, but the Paramount Theatre knows what you want and they’ve got what you need, as they continue their 32nd... more ›

Neal Kay’s Heavy Metal Soundhouse inspired the first set of air guitarists in London in the late 1970’s and the spectacle has truly evolved into a world wide phenomenon in the last decade. The first World Air Guitar Championships were held in Finland in 1996 (at the Oulu Music Video Festival) and 12 years later, the event is still going strong. Austin is no stranger to the scene, holding regular contests at the Alamo... more ›

With the sweaty season officially in full swing here in Austin, Philadelphia-based First Person Arts has given us good reason to stick around in air-conditioned climes. Yesterday was the official call for entries in the 6th Annual First Person Arts Memoir Writing Competition. Now instead of trudging about in the soup you can spend time inside articulating your inner-most thoughts for a shot at some prestige in print-form. more ›

As we mentioned earlier today, we're very excited about the return of the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, for which we're media sponsors this year. Today we're giving away a pair of tickets to tonight's opening night screening of Francisco Vargas Quevedo’s award-winning drama, El Violín. Another lucky winner will score a CinePass, which will grant him/her access to all festival screenings, plus the parties. You can enter your name for both contests by filling out this form: Congrats, VK and SG! [Festival Website]
[Venue Guide]
[Buy Tickets / Passes] Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
April 19th-26th more ›

Congratulations to the following folks, who won one of our contests from yesterday! Playboy's Rock the Rabbit Party: J. Payne Paolo Nutini ACL Taping: H. Kim, C. Fitzpatrick, K. Johnson, D. Crowe, V. Douroupis Diesel-U-Music: B. Christian NY2LON: S. Chang Albert Hammond, Robbers on High Street Package: D. Dirks Austinist's Gonna Gonna Get, Get Down! 2 Private Balcony: H. Kennedy more ›

We've gotten our hands on a bunch of tickets, guestlist spots, and assorted swag for several excellent parties happening during SXSW, and over the course of today we'll be giving these away. Check back every hour for the newest giveaway contest -- each will only run until the next one is posted, so your chances at winning are pretty damn good. Congrats to the winner of our last contest, who'll be announced at the... more ›

We're just about to head to the grocery store to stock up on champagne and salty snacks for this weekend's award show marathon, but for those of you who like to venture beyond the comfort of your living rooms for these kinds of events, here are some party options: Tomorrow, you can join the Austin Film Society at Ringer's Sports Lounge where they'll be hosting a viewing party for the Independent's Spirit Awards. Two Austinites... more ›

Welcome back kiddos, the year is kicking off with a shotgun bang. Head over to Waterloo or End of an Ear and ask for these albums: as far as we can tell, it's hard to go wrong this week. The Shins Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop) Well, they're definitely stretching, and they're definitely getting more and more familiar with the studio, as "Phantom Limb" demonstrates: James Mercer is still having trouble falling asleep,... more ›

While Austin is around 5,400 miles away from Munich, there's a little bit of Germany headed our way in the coming weeks. No, not Hasselhoff's "Hooked On A Feeling", thankfully. The wonderful pub food, delicious beers, and silly accordian music of Oktoberfest will hit four different Central Texas venues on upcoming weekends, so dig out your lederhosen and start humming "Country Roads" or "Hey Baby" (the most popular songs at the Munich event, bar... more ›

Tomorrow night, The Streets take to the stage at La Zona Rosa. Mike Skinner's third album, The Hardest Way to Make An Easy Living, has drawn many favorable reviews ("twice as good as any album about the price of celebrity has a right to be" -- Guardian UK). Be sure to arrive in time to check out opener Lady Sovereign, easily one of the most entertaining acts we caught at SXSW. If you haven't... more ›

The Founding Dudes are bringing their Lebowski Fest to Austin be enjoyed by all of you captial-area Achievers. Started in Kentucky 2002 as a way to celebrate all things Lebowski, it has continued across the United States and will be in our fair city this weekend. Get your costumes ready and your bowling arm in shape, because it's going to be a lot of fun. Lebowski Fest cannot be contained in only one day,... more ›

Yes kiddies, it's time once again for the annual Eeyore's Birthday Party. What Lloyd Birdwell started as a small picnic for students at the University of Texas has today swelled to a major annual festival with live bands; food vendors; adult beverages; games and whatnot, such as egg tossing and costume contests. This fictional birthday party for our favorite depressed donkey is not about recreational drug use or the "hippie" subculture, it's about the community coming together and experiencing a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark time…that and a bunch of "hippies" spacing out in the park. more ›

Hey, hey Austin – guess what? The black guy from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Ghostbusters, Designing Women and Walker, Texas Ranger is appearing live this weekend! Yes, that’s right, Andre Meadows (also known by his hip-hop alias, Arnie Sykes – big ups A-money!) is headlining at the Velveeta Room this Friday and Saturday night. The club spawned by those comedy rascals over at Esther’s Follies will now host one of Austin’s brightest young stand-up... more ›

A mass of [sometimes unidentifiable] flying objects will be spotted over Zilker Park on Sunday afternoon as the 78th Annual Zilker Park Kite Festival takes to the skies. The festival will include kite workshops, stunts, demonstrations, contests, and a mass kite ascent. Event contests are open to fliers of all ages and is a family friendly event. Contest kites must be homemade, but not necessarily by the person flying them. All other kites are... more ›

Tonight is the last night to catch , a documentary about extraordinary feats of drinking coupled with agony-inducing physical contests, at the Alamo South Lamar, at 10:15 p.m. more ›

We knew there was some devious reason John Mayer’s “Daughters” topped the charts. That song managed to be both cheesy and creepy at the same time. This morning, New York’s illustrious Attorney General Eliot Spitzer subpoenaed nine major radio conglomerates for their role in this crime against music. Buying airplay has been illegal since the 1960, when a federal law was put into place to ban the rampant practice of “payola” (pay plus Victrola,... more ›

We are hurtin' today. We did drink a little last night, but we're not hungover (really, we're just tired). Last night we went to the first ever "The Prize is Tight" night at Flamingo Cantina. We were laughing so hard, we nearly peed ourselves. We don't really know who Matt Bearden is or where he comes from, but he hosts this Game Show, Variety Show, Stand-Up Comedy, musical act and we think he was... more ›