The week's news on arts, books, film and music....

Zach Scott is getting national attention for its run of Porgy and Bess at the newly remodeled Austin Music Hall. The show runs two weekends only, and wraps up this Sunday. // Jaston Williams had great success with his autobiographical, one-man show, I'm Not Lying—and now he's back with more. This weekend only, Cowboy Noises further explores Williams' fascinating life with humor and, we expect, unflinching honesty. // We're mighty fond of local playwright Max Langert, and his current play, You're Happier Than You Think: Recalibrating Your Emotional Scale, at Frontera Short Fringe sounds like a charmer. Saturday @6:15pm, and Sunday @noon....

Now in its sixth week, the Writers Guild of America strike is still going strong. And despite Alec Baldwin's hilarious/bizarre advice and Michael Eisner's name-calling, WGA members show few signs of giving in any time soon. Though the effects of the strike are most evident in places like Los Angeles and New York City, you may be surprised to learn that there are around 100 WGA members living here in Austin....

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......

Okay--so there are a bunch cool things happening at the Austin Film Festival tonight, and a we wanted to let you know about a few last-minute tidbits and screening changes. *The Rebel is now playing at 9:45pm at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, NOT at the 9:30 Paramount slot we'd previously told you about. *The awesome narrative feature and 2007 AFF "Film Jury Narrative Feature Winner" Shotgun Stories is now playing at 9:45pm......

Reservation Road I Dir. Terry George Friday, October 12th, 7:30pm Paramount Theatre It could happen to any of us. Running late and in a dizzied hurry, distracted by cell phones, radios, possibly a conversation that we had earlier in the day, and unexpectedly a single moment changes the course of our lives. In his adaptation of the John Burnham Schwartz novel Reservation Road, Writer/Director Terry George dissects the lives of two men whose destinies are......

The Austin Film Festival is right around the corner, and this year's Marquee programming is some of the best in the festival's history. With a wide variety of stellar comedies, dramas, and documentaries (not to mention several strong Oscar contenders) announced, there's something for everyone in the 2007 Marquee category. To help you plan out your festival schedule, we've put together a list of best bets for this year's program. The whole program looks excellent......

From his beginnings in youth flicks like Explorers and Dead Poets Society to his modern-day gigs with Rick Linklater and Sidney Lumet, Austin native Ethan Hawke has done his fair share of acting. Now he's jumped behind the camera to direct an adaptation of his novel The Hottest State, a story most believe is based on Hawke's 90's fling with singer Lisa Loeb. Regardless of the truth of that rumor, the story centers around......

Say that five times fast. Then go see the (inter)stellar films the Paramount Theatre has lined up for you this week. From outer space to the ocean to the desert, you'll be led on some unforgettable cinematic journeys this weekend. Best of all, this week's films will be shown in glorious 70mm, twice the width of your normal 35mm film strip, for the ultimate viewing experience. Hike on over to the Paramount to realize your......

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......

Mayor Will Wynn and writer/actor/director Turk Pipkin will tackle a hot topic (this one, not that one) this coming Monday as they host a special "Global Warming Q&A Session" between screenings of Pipkin's Nobelity and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth at the Paramount Theatre. Mayor Wynn loves talkin' climate change (he's a key member of the U.S. Mayors Council on Climate Protection, and in January, he trained with Al Gore to deliver the slideshow Gore......

Tonight and tomorrow night, the Paramount's Summer Classic Film Series gives you a double dose of the man who once singlehandedly freaked out some radio listeners so much that they ran out on the streets, shooting at menacing water towers and searching for meteorites: the corpulent and magnetic Orson Welles. First, enjoy 1958's border story Touch of Evil, recently restored and also featuring Charlton Heston; then, regardez-vous the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane......

In this week's edition of the IST List: AIDS Services of Austin hosts its annual Viva! Las Vegas faux-casino soiree at La Zona Rosa, replete with top-notch catering and silent auction Transmission Entertainment's back at it again with another special guest at The Mohawk. Our lips are sealed, but the comments section certainly isn't! London's electro-dance-punk wizardess Dandi Wind works her magic at the Beauty Bar The final installment of the Harry Potter series......

We talked about Ryan Adams' latest full-length, Easy Tiger , just recently: The album is truly an Adams Tex-Mex combo meal: an entrée of Heartbreaker, Gold, and Cold Roses with a side of Rock’N’Roll ... Fans will really like this record, while newcomers might ask someone to recommend the five best tracks to download (we’d start with “These Girls,” “Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.,” and “Everybody Knows.”) If you're an old school fan or......

Friday, July 6artB Scene - Too Darn Hot! at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5-$10) booksAlan Porter presents Before They Were Beatles, with Beatles cover band Daytripper at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedyJohn O’Connell with Jesse Pangelinian at Cap City Comedy Club comedyPunchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) comedyLovey and Lovey at ColdTowne Theater (8pm) comedyWeekly Improv Cage Match! at ColdTowne Theater (11:30) film"Bonnie & Clyde" and "White Heat" at The......

Local children's show stars The Biscuit Brothers are celebrating the Fourth of July with a special concert at the Paramount Theatre. The performance is their biggest ever, and will be filmed for a DVD. All profits go towards funding the duo's third season of family-friendly, music-centric (not to mention Emmy Award-winning) programming on KLRU/PBS. If you'd like to win a free family pack to the show, fill out the form below! This contest is......

It just doesn't get darker than this. The Paramount Theatre's summer classic film series continues this week with some rough 'n tumble gangsta films and crime classics, featuring stars from Marilyn Monroe to Warren Beatty to Barbara Stanwyck to Al Pacino. People may say our society's been getting more violent, but you'll definitely be shaking in your seat at these old-school thrillers. Want to win tickets to Scarface? Or to the White Heat / Bonnie......

Monday, July 2film"Clash By Night" and "The Asphalt Jungle" at The Paramount Theatre filmLast day of "Labyrinth" at Dobie Theatre film/awesomeRobosaurus Live with "Transformers" at Alamo South Lamar foodCentral Market Cooking Class: Empanada Workshop at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($65, 6:30-9:30pm)musicCanada, Our Solar System, Ryan Anderson at Emo’s musicBurning Brides, Strange Boys, Black Earth, Blackmarket at Emo’s musicBurning Brides at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm)......

Today sucks. Our house is quickly being annexed by Waller Creek, all of the tickets are sold out to the last night at the Alamo and our ‘Stros can’t buy a win. We could use a stiff drink* and a good laugh. Lucky for us, and you, the Onion AV Club and Rio Rita have prescribed a sweet salve to cure our burning wounds as they present Robert Altman’s satirical snarkfest OC & Stiggs. O.C.......

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......

THURSDAY [31] music • Scion Live Metro presents GZA, Fyre Department at The Parish Room (FREE, RSVP before 5pm!) art • Opening Reception: George Krause: The Elizabeth Portraits & Other Works at d berman gallery, 1701 Guadalupe St (6-8pm) books • Douglas Brinkley presents The Reagan Diaries at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • Russ Nagel, "America's Funniest Biker," with Trey Galyon at Cap City Comedy Club film • "Notorious" at The Paramount Theatre film •......

WEDNESDAY [30] booze • "Sir Chris" and "Lord Gates" from Car Stereo Wars and Learning Secrets guest bartend at The Mohawk (5-8pm) music • Locals @ La Zona Showcase Two wih AM Syndicate, The Drawing Board, Jets Under Fire at La Zona Rosa music • Hawnay Troof, Best Fwends, The Carrots at Emo's music • Pompeii, Ryan Lindsey, Gazelles, The Heirs at Emo's music • Tribute to Sublime with Badfish, Indofin, Under the Gun at......

A gagillion cities have performance spaces named The Paramount Theatre: Oakland, Charlottesville, Seattle, hell, even Shreveport had a theatre named the Paramount at one point. But ours is the only one that is hosting its first EVER Poster Sale and Silent Auction this Saturday! Harumph! After its renovation in the mid 70’s, the Paramount began squirreling away classic movie and theatre posters—as well as signed memorabilia from performers such as BB King, Ravi Shankar, and......

FRIDAY [18] festival • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebrations at Palmer Events Center (11:30am-1pm) party • Nightster Launch Party with Riverboat Gamblers at Scoot Inn (Free Bud 8-9pm, Show at 10pm, 21+) art • Closing Reception: The Puppet Show - Puppets and portraits of Mexican artists by fourth-grade students at Sanchez Elementary at Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, 211 Congress (4:30-6pm) books • Milton Burton presents The Sweet and the Dead at BookPeople (7:00pm)......

THURSDAY [17] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) art • Opening Reception: Denise Prince Martin: Things I Never Told You at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm, the artist will discuss her work at 6:30pm) art • Downtown Art Night at Participating Galleries (6-9pm) art • Artist Talk: Ann Connor at Flatbed Press, 2830 E. MLK (6pm) art • Art Fix: Printmaking at The......

The Paramount is celebrating their 32nd year of showing classic movies in the summer. What better way is there to beat the sticky summer heat of Austin but by escaping into the cool theatre and the world of classic film? The films will start next Thursday May 24th and show through September. We've put together some handsome printable schedules for May and June (you can hang them on your fridge!), and following is a list......

The final guest speaker in KLRU's "Spark" Engaging Speaker Series is novelist Anne Lamott, whose brutally honest but altogether hilarious stories are rooted in heavy and sometimes dark themes, like alcoholism, faith, and Republicanism. "The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth," explains Lamott in Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. "We are a species......

FRIDAY [4] party/bikes • Yellow Bike Project's Second Annual Bike Art Show with music by DJ Orion, DJ Katherine at Gallery 1906 (Free, 7pm-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: memoria/memoir: Carol Flax at Volitant Gallery, 320 Congress Ave., Ste 100 (6-9pm) art • B Scene at the Blanton Museum of Art 1st Anniversary Celebration at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5 members, $10