Have you been missing out on NBC's Friday Night Lights? Did last season's Wednesday night showing time not gel with your schedule? Well, we're going to give you five reasons why you should make time to watch this award-winning, but low rated, show. 1. The show is filmed in Austin. Local landmarks show up on the show, from EZ's in the opening credits to the Dairy Queen on Manor (where Matt works) to Brackenridge Hospital...
You Should Be Watching Friday Night Lights
Last Week in -IST
All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried a...
Disappearing Austin: Rainey Street
About half of the land around Rainey Street near downtown is up for sale by Perry Lorenz, Robert Knight and the Knight Real Estate Corp. The area is already home to the Milago condos. The MACC and the Shore are under construction. Construction of the Legacy Apartments is expected to start soon. Despite that, except for one modern interloper, Rainey Street between Driskill Street and River Street probably has the best collection of unaltered...
Friday Night Lights to Light Away from Austin?
It looks like NBC might move the locally-filmed drama Friday Night Lights out of Austin to save money. It might be possible to use rural east New Mexico (we're thinking the Las Cruces area), but Louisiana for West Texas? Nah. Such a move is being forced on the show to save $100,000 an episode, and the network is considering these states. The city and Texas state lawmakers (even Gov. Perry) are trying to provide enough...
Welcome to Guitartown
The self-proclaimed live music capital of the world will be the site for some music-themed public art starting Tuesday. Much like the now-heavily merchandised Cow Parade event, "Guitartown" will feature oversized six strings all been decked out by Texas artists, and, when the display ends next fall, the modified musical instruments will be auctioned off to benefit charity. KVUE reports that the display will include 35 artworks, which will be placed at local landmarks...
Austin Ex-pat Spreads Gospel of Texas BBQ, One Plate At a Time
That dish to the right looks pretty damn amazing, but you're not gonna find this particular establishment anywhere near Town Lake: Bubba's Texas-Style Bar-B-Que & Saloon just opened last month in Shanghai, China, and our intrepid brethren at Shanghaiist went over to have a looksee.
Elsewhere in the Ist-averse
DCist is screwed in the event of an oil crisis. Not that we're not all screwed in the event of an oil crisis, just D.C. is more screwed. Don't sell your car yet, District resident, a cabbie can kick you to the curb if he doesn't like your address. Not even Metro can save you now.
Austin Backdrop in New Urban Outfitters Catalogue
We were flipping through the pages of the Spring 2006 Urban Outfitters Catalogue when this creepy deja vu feeling came over us. Wasn't that us, just the other day, standing in front of Antone's Records looking sassy in our striped watermelon tank top and gigantic heart-shaped earrings? Or we could swear it was us, lounging across the back of that convertible parked outside the Broken Spoke with that come-hither look in our eyes. Then we...
News Bits!
Austin is getting a new public Art Installation. Today at 11am, Mayor Will Wynn and Gibson Guitars will be part of a ceremony kicking-off the project in front of City Hall. Austin GuitarTown is going to feature guitars scattered around the city, placed in front of landmarks and significant businesses, that are painted by local musicians and artisans. NASA is planning to bomb the moon in order to study dust particles that come from...

