Photo credit: sniderscion Torontoist spent its week uncovering who was behind mysterious ads for a drug called "Obay" that popped up across the country (Scientology? Frank Shepard Fairey?), first tracing them to an advocacy group called Colleges Ontario and then confirming their suspicions a few days later.Phillyist learned how to put on a puppet show – it's not as easy as you might think!Shanghaiist discovers that the average starting monthly pay for fresh graduates......

This month's Green Drinks is kicking the New Year off with some eat-right type resolutions. Salila Travers, organizer of the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market and owner of Aztec Organic Pest Service for over 25 years, will be on tap to share her passion for organic foods and nutritional expertise with the environmentally aware and sustainability professionals that make up Austin Green Drinks....

Photo not to scaleNow that we're finally settled into the new year, we're on the prowl for a few fine individuals to join our motley crew of writers and photographers. Specifically, we're recruiting contributors in the following areas: Arts & Entertainment Film, Art, Theater, Comedy/Improv News Local/State Politics, GLBT News, Items of an Offbeat/"WTF" Nature, Breaking News, Campus Shenanigans Other Cartoonists, Community and Volunteer Opportunities, Sports (UT) Photography Photo Essays, Special Events If you're interested,......

Photo by smellyknee on flickr Sorry, Kucinich fans: Federal judge rules that he won't be on the Texas ballot. Downtown oil-spill sends 1,500 gallons of oil into Waller Creek, and it is still unclear where the oil came from. City of Hutto signs U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Seven City of Austin employees alter vehicle inspection stickers, get arrested. Search is still on for Lewisville dad who killed his two daughters; on New Year's Eve......

Sunday, 1/13, 10pm at the Alamo Downtown, the big Dick cast and Austin's premiere naughty boy band, Cedar Fever, will thrill and excite you with performances, sing-alongs, and heaven knows what else....

2008 has yet to reveal its true heavy hitters release-wise, and it's just as well: I haven't even had time to absorb a thousand or so top ten lists, my own personal reflections on 2007, and my expectations for the new year. Even so, there is a handful of intriguing things this week, provided you like Various Artists. Typically, I'm into Various Artists only when the compilation features new, unreleased and / or collaborative......

The Blanton Museum's B Scene events happen once a month and celebrate the arts by combining music, drinks and socializing to rejuvenate the sometimes stuffy fine art scene. Their unique approach to reaching out to the public this way includes showcasing local musicians and DJs, and each B Scene event offers a different genre representation from Austin's diverse musical culture. ...

Photos from this year's First Night Austin, which took place last Monday. The family-friendly New Year's Eve festival relies on volunteers and local performers. To find out how you can help with next year's festivities, visit their website. Photos courtesy of Steve Hopson. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Happy New Year, folks....

Besides the wonderful events highlighted by the flyers above, there are a few other shows on New Year's Eve in Austin worth noting: - New Monsoon @ Club 115 - South Austin Jug Band & Dertybird @ Stubb's - Bob Schneider & Two Guy Trio @ Antone's - Dale Watson & Jon Dee Graham @ The Continental Club - The Flametrick Subs & Scott H. Biram @ Emo's Outside - Reckless Kelly @ La......

The Onion (Grand Master Onion)Austinist got a chance to swap sarcasm with Chet Clem, The Onion’s Editorial Manager and one of many fine writers for their newest hard-covered print offering: Our Dumb World: Atlas Of The Planet Earth, which is an atlas bursting with humorously doctored images and witty insights into our little Earth (as it has been politically divided to-date by drunken Brits). We asked Chet about The Atlas, his affinity for dated pop-culture,......

SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others. Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish list. Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC's first bike share program on Governors Island. LAist received a Christmas present in the form of a drunk Santa Claus in a g-string. Bostonist launched......

Chris Rose, or Car Stereo (Wars), will ensure 2008 kicks off right, with a barrage of dance floor ready material that includes a fair share of samples and mash-ups, no doubt. Happy New Year!...

Image courtesy First Night Austin, by 2008 featured artist Alina Byoun Now in its third year, First Night Austin will return to downtown on New Year's Eve. This massive public gathering, intended to ring in the new year through "art, ritual, and festivity," features visual and performing art projects by more than 60 Austin artists. This year's performances and installations will run from Congress Avenue to Cesar Chavez, including Auditorium Shores, City Hall, and......

Spider House and the United States Art Authority, along with yours truly, want to keep you away from downtown this New Year’s Eve. Sure the shenanigans on 6th St. is always stirring but keeping within the cozy confines of the campus area is arguably safer and largely less expensive. Spider House hosts a solid line-up of DJ’s with a couple of live acts thrown in for good measure. Doors are at 8 p.m. and the $12 tickets can be purchased in advance via Front Gate Tickets....

Photo of Moth! Fight! by Aubrey Edwards courtesy of MySpaceIn 2007, Le Diamant Brut sifted through MySpace, show listings and press releases, bringing you a weekly dose of information and advice on all the bands you might have missed. If you missed a week, or want more information on the bands listed here, check out the archives. Happy New Year! AUSTIN BANDS 12/18 - Ringo Deathstarr: Fuzzy, super-loud shoegaze with guitar noise and warm vocals.......

Thirteen years after founding Salvage Vanguard Theater, Artistic Director Jason Neulander is stepping down. Neulander has grown SVT from a crazy little fringe collective to a powerhouse producer of cutting-edge works. No doubt it'll be very exciting to see what he gets into next....

5th Annual Big Reds and BubblesTuesday, November 27Driskill Hotel (604 Brazos St.)6:30-9pm; $75 general admission, $60 for members[info] | [tickets]With Thanksgiving a mere two days away and the holiday season right around the corner, this time of year brings fine wine to all foodie minds. Wine lovers traditionally splurge in December on fancy bottles for both holiday toasts and New Year's Eve celebrations. To welcome this time of year and the wines that complement......

Last New Year’s Eve, experimental film artist Luke Savisky gave us the eye. This Halloween season, he'll create a surreal urban oasis on film at one of Austin’s historic parks. It may be hard to top images of a giant eyeball projected on to a downtown water tower, but Savisky’s latest large-scale film installation promises to be just as imaginative—and maybe just a little less creepy. On Friday night, Savisky will present Film Actions VI:......

Consider Tuesday night another notch in Austin’s bedpost of filmmaking opportunity as the Austin Film Festival debuts its new year-round Conversations in Film series. This first installment “Script to Screen: Making the Short Film” will target the writers among us, but will also be useful to directors and filmmakers who need distribution tips for their shorts. Three Austin area award-winning filmmakers will lead the discussion, as well as screen their most recent/notable shorts:Steve Collins is......

Yesterday, we told you a little bit about the films of gore wizard Herschell Gordon Lewis. But what we didn't tell you is that since his days in the movie business, Lewis has become one of the world's foremost experts on direct marketing. A prolific author, columnist, and all around brilliant guy, Lewis recently took time out of his busy schedule to chat with us about movies, showmanship, and the current state of advertising. Firstly,......

There's really no way to talk about just one of the bands that's playing tonight at Emo's. Though not widely praised in Austin's rock-loving community, we think they're wonderful, each with its own fanciful and individual personality. Come early. Be loud. Stay late. Avoid the bathroom. Headlining the show are locals The Boxing Lesson, whose lo-fi and indie sounds "deserve more of a following" says The Chron. Also, you'll get another chance to see Tussle,......

If you have already failed and re-upped your New Year’s resolutions more times than you can count, take heart – tomorrow is another day (to fail). No, but seriously, we're fortunate to live in a town where there's a whole subculture of masochists who organize events around such activities as running, biking, swimming, and various combinations thereof. Looking for a torturous fun way to get outside and get your body moving? Then why not......

Keith Rowe has been astounding audiences for decades with his unusual style of free-form jazz guitar techniques inspired by early American jazz greats and other less likely influences such as Jackson Pollack and an old art instructor. Rowe took small steps over the years as a guitarist to attempt a completely individual approach to the instrument, embracing free jazz and various prepared guitar techniques (eg. a New Year's resolution to never tune his guitar......

HBMG Foundation is still inviting folks to apply for the 2007 ArtSpark Festival, a twelve-week-long creative festival and competition that pits teams of theatre junkies, video game developers, and visual artists against one another to create awesome new works. At orientation, each team is given a "spark," an object which serves as the catalyst and inspiration to jumpstart the team's creative process. If you'd like to apply but can't find a team to join,......

Just after the start of the new year, we were devastated to learn that Austinist reader and all-around kind soul Heather Haenes was involved in a tragic car accident, of such severity that doctors were forced to remove both of her lower legs. Now, after a succession of complex surgeries, Heather faces months of painful physical and mental therapy and ever-increasing medical bills. Luckily, friends and family have rallied together to form the Heather Haenes......

Jesu - Conqueror Jesu's self-titled debut was a ragged slab of industrial noise that didn't quite manage to transcend its origins as Justin Broadrick's post-Godflesh pet project, but Conqueror proves the art-metal godfather still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Broadrick cements his reputation as an unrivaled sonic architect here, creating a panoramic soundscape of ethereal keyboards, bristling guitars, and towering bottom end rivaling Kevin Shields for sheer aural density. Opener "Conqueror" rides a......

Norman, Oklahoma sounds like a fairly sedate, even mundane blip on the vast plain of Middle America...so of course they churn out psycho rock bands with names like Flaming Lips, Chainsaw Kittens, and latest blog darlings Evangelicals with the consistency of pubescent rabbits. With a full-length out on Austin's own Misra label, Evangelicals are livin' the dream; we talked to bandleader Josh Jones about audience antagonism, fecal pranks, and his cool parents. Share a......

As part of Austinist’s New Year’s Resolutions, we’ve finally tossed that “knockoff or not, it’s still hideous” Murakami and we wouldn’t be caught dead in those leggings and ankle boot get-ups that are just so two seasons ago. And while we feel a great sense of accomplishment, we can’t help but feel like our closets seem a tad empty. Fortunately for us, starting TODAY, Austin’s ever expanding Le Garage Sale is back! If you......

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. Austinist said goodbye to their co-editor (sell-out) and played rumor monger on the SXSW lineup. And when dozens of dead birds littered downtown Austin, it's......