ACL Previews Austinist Launches Dedicated ACL Page! Preview: Manchester Orchestra and Patterson Hood Preview: Ian Ball and the Little Ones Interview: Paolo Nutini ACL Band Clash, Round 2: The Killers Vs. Björk Weekly Features Tales Of Mere Existence Hots On #9: Sound Off New Release Tuesday: Frisell's Floratone The Argyle Academy New Movie Releases: The Invasion, Superbad, Death at a Funeral, and More Truesday: Friesday The Laurie Show News, Features, and More Travis County......

Only two days remain in this year's National Poetry Slam. This time on Sunday, new team and indy champs will have been crowned...until next year's slam in Madison, WI. The Parish and the 501 Studios Soundstage [map] join Antone's, Ruta Maya, and Dominican Joe as 25 teams face off in the Team Semi-Finals. All venues at 7pm. We won't know the semi-finalists at press time, but you can always check the official NPS site later......

As the days go by, things get more intense at Slam Central. Each night, votes for the team bouts are tallied, and teams and individuals learn where they stand. The scores as of the wee hours of Wednesday morning have been posted, and while it's way too early to start popping the bubbly, we're excited to see Team Ego's in second place! First is Team Killeen (please tell us there's at least one slamming soldier......

Another day, another schedule of packed-to-the-gills programming for the National Poetry Slam. It's extremely tough to pick just one or two things to highlight, but here're the events that most piqued our curiosity. Daytime Programming All daytime programs are FREE, so if you live or work downtown, consider popping in for one of these events. NPS won't be in Austin again for a very long time, so this is something of a one-time chance. It......

The poets have arrived! For the second year in a row, the National Poetry Slam will be held in our highly literate, most-educated city. This five-day competition showcases slam poets from around the U.S. and comes to a head in a fierce battle for team and individual top nods, held at the Paramount Theatre on August 10 and 11. Last year's finals sold out, so consider getting your tickets early! Opening ceremonies are this afternoon......

National Poetry Slam returns with a full schedule of stuff happening all over town this week, culminating in Friday and Saturday's final matches at the Paramount HBMG Foundation presents the 2007 ArtSpark Festival Visual Art Showcase at the Off Center Mayor Will Wynn and director Turk Pipkin screen "Nobelity" and "An Inconvenient Truth" at the Paramount Willie Nelson headlines the Austin Freedom Fest 2007, joined by the likes of Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling......

Forklift Danceworks marks the upcoming anniversary of Elvis’ death with an homage to the King that includes singing, dancing, and guest Elvis cameos from Jim Swift, Sara Hickman, John Kelso, and Mayor Will Wynn Austinist sponsors a big bash at Beauty Bar with the Turbonego cover band Apocalypse Dudes, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist, and Ernest Gonzales 1906 hosts the opening reception for "SeeSaw," their first-ever photography show, featuring landscapes, portraiture, digitally-manipulated images, and......

Some 300 competitors in 75 teams are set to converge upon Austin next week for the 2007 National Poetry Slam, a five-day competition that will feature some of the country's most talented slam artistry. NPS officially runs from August 7 through August 11th, but event organizers are hosting a series of preview events starting today to showcase some of what you can expect to see at the performances. "We're fortunate to be able to again......

Trust your instincts, faithful readers. That is a disturbance you've sensed in the force. For the second year in a row, the nation's finest and funniest poets plan to pummel Austin with their poesy, prose, puns...and all sorts of other p-words we can't mention here. Starting August 7, National Poetry Slam 2007 will transform Austin into the epicenter of all things slammarific, with five days of knock-down, drag-out, no-holds-barred competition to find out who can......

Official Poster of First Night Austin 2007 by Peat Duggins After the tremendous success of last year's inaugural festival, First Night Austin returns to downtown this New Year's Eve with an all-day program full of music, art, theatre, dance, and more. Begun in Boston back in 1976 as a massive public gathering to ring in the new year through "art, ritual, and festivity," First Night events are now held all over the world, from......

Violinist Charles Yang. Photo by Eric Uhlir Three weeks ago, Austin's newest arts organization, strataTX, launched with a successful kickoff gala at the Design Center of Austin. The latest giving group of the Texas Cultural Trust, strataTX brings together enthusiastic young professionals of all industries and backgrounds to help sustain and expand the Lone Star State's arts community. StrataTX Launch Party Attendees. Photo by Eric Uhlir Amidst heavy fanfare, TCT Deputy Director Jennifer Wijangco......

The final event of the National Poetry Slam is Saturday Night, 7-10pm, at the Palmer Events Center. TeamAustin/NeoSoul, in their first NPS ever, handily made it to Finals, so come out and root for our hometown talent to win the Team Championship! Competing teams are: DC-Baltimore Denver CO Miami FL TeamAustin/NeoSoul NYC/LouderARTS Venue and Ticket Info Palmer Events Center 900 Barton Spring Road, 404-4500 $25.50 general admission - purchase online......

FRIDAY [11] [music] Sage Francis, Buddy Wakefield, Jared Paul, Grand Buffet, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist (outside), Those Peabodys, Horse+Donkey, The Carrots (inside) at Emo's [art/party] As Naked As You Wanna Be: Art Show and Celebration with Celesta Danger and Tamara Hoover at Pedernales Lofts Suite 2028 ($10 Suggested Donation, 6-11pm) ® [art/party] After-party for As Naked As You Wanna Be at The Peacock (11pm-2am) ® [film] The Sinus Show: Point Break at Alamo Downtown......

Prelims concluded at the National Poetry Slam last night, and the results are in! After the final round, new kids on the block TeamAustin/NeoSoul placed 2nd, and old hands TeamAustin/Ego's placed 7th. The top 25 bracket is posted here. These 25 teams go on to semi-finals tonight at 6:30pm, taking place in various venues in South Austin. Once again we're wishing our awesome, hometown talent some ass-whoopin' luck as they take on the competition......

Austin's teams finished second and tenth (out of 73 total teams) in last night's first prelim rounds for the National Poetry Slam. To put it in perspective, a perfect score is 90; TeamAustin/NeoSoul (which we've erroneously been calling South Flavas, mea culpa) scored 87.2, and TeamAustin/Ego's scored 80.9. We'd like to point out that NeoSoul is competing in their first nationals ever. Way to kick some ass! We're mighty proud of our local poet......

THURSDAY [10] [music] Harry & The Potters with Draco and the Malfoys at Wooldridge Square Park (6pm) ® [film] Bullitt at Paramount Theatre (7pm) [film] Blanks on a Blank - Group B at Alamo Downtown (7pm) ® [film] Dirty Harry at Paramount Theatre (9:20pm) ® [film] Beastie Boys Rap-along at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $10) ® [film] Terror Thursday: Evils of the Night at Alamo Downtown (11:55pm, Free) [food] Austin Farmers Market at Plaza Saltillo, 5th......

Today at noon the National Poetry Slam officially kicks off with opening ceremonies at City Hall. Mayor Will Winn and 2006 NPS Artistic Director Mike Henry will be there to preside over the ceremonies, hosting an "estimated 500 competitors, coaches, staff members, and volunteers". Dang. That's a lot of poets. And poet friends. Folks with NPS badges get free lunch! There is so much amazing programming for NPS this year, a lot of it......

WEDNESDAY [9] [film] Weird Wednesday: Wild Pussycat at Alamo Downtown (11:55pm, Free) ® [film] By the People at Dobie (5pm) ® [film] Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia at Alamo Downtown (7pm) ® [film] Dirty Harry at Paramount Theatre (7pm) ® [film] Live and Let Die at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) [film] Rolling Roadshow: Monty Python & The Holy Grail at Central Market (8pm, Free) ® [film] Bullitt at Paramount Theatre (9:10pm) [film] Blanks......

May your withdrawals subside now.... We did indeed miss a day of NPS countdown, so today's tips are for tonight and tomorrow night. Choosing from tonight's offerings is tough, but for our top pick we've got to go with the man who introduced us to slam, Big Poppa E. He'll be hosting a Haiku Battle at 8pm tonight on the rooftop at Zen's south location. FREE. (Sheesh, there sure are plenty of First Thursday......

Let's play a word association game. You know how this works. We say apple and you say pie. We say table and you say chair. And so on. We'll start easy. Up. Did you say down? Okay, drag. Did you say worm? How about this one: poet. Did you say invading Austin next week with days and days of action-packed, slammarific insanity? No?? Well where have you been? The National Poetry Slam officially opens......

Adding to the flood of entertainment options available this Saturday, some of Austin's most popular slam poets will be facing off to figure out who gets to represent our fair city at the National Poetry Slam this summer. On the bill for the event are Tony Jackson, Krissi Reeves, Big Poppa E, Zell Miller III, Erin Livingston, Christopher Lee, Genevieve Van Cleve, Da'Shade Moonbeam, Christopher Michael, Shannon Leigh, Andy Buck, and Ohio Jake --......