You might have thought that our former governor and current President was too busy defending his stance on Iran yesterday to do much else. But you would think wrong! Dubya made time to talk to daughter Jenna as she recorded her appearance on Ellen Degeneres' show (the show will air today). It seems strange that at a time when his approval numbers are so low the audience would be so excited to hear from him.......

Photo from ImageAfter Starting today, we'll be publishing a weekly roundup of various arts & entertainment news that we've come across. Most of these developments, whether national or international, have a direct relationship with something local, whether it be an organization, individual, or our collective culture. In any case, it's a nice chance to broaden our world view -- a definite bonus (or necessity, some might argue) for a city that revels in creativity! --......

Image from nbc.comAustin's favorite high-school football drama, Friday Night Lights, could be changing networks. Radar is reporting that ESPN is in talks to bring the critically-acclaimed, but little-watched, show into its lineup of original programming. Friday Night Lights, which follows the lives of the fictional Dillon High School Panthers, films in and around Austin. Despite winning critical awards and having a loyal following, the show has moved time slots three times and has struggled in......

Flood waters threaten thousands in southern Mexico. Hurricane Noel will bring heavy rainfall to the East Coast. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice begs U.S. Diplomats to serve overseas. NASA plans a risky spacewalk to save a ripped solar wing at the international space station. Hollywood writers are set to declare a strike sometime today. Get ready for a reality television blitz! NBC Anchor Brian Williams is hosting SNL this week. The reunion show......

Rock y Roll Dia’s second annual Dia de los Muertos concert takes place at 7 p.m. this Friday at La Zona Rosa. Hosted by VJ Paul Saucido (Sonido Boombox on ME Television), last year’s bash was marked by an appropriately eerie atmosphere, a sharp dressed Paul, and international and local musical talent. This year the event is a two day extravaganza, with music from Austin acts such as Boombox and Kanko, and out of state......

After strong lobbying from AT&T and Verizon, the FCC is expected to announce this week that cable companies won't have monopolies on certain apartment communities anymore. No longer will you be required to use a cable company that your complex signed a contract with if you want to get your Nip/Tuck or Burn Notice fix; such a contract between cable companies and apartment communities will no longer be allowed. Phone companies are happy because this......

Smarter than Tyler Florence and cuter than Mario Batali, the thinking foodie's older man crush — Anthony Bourdain — chatted with a sold out audience at the Paramount last Saturday. At once charming and challenging, cynical and optimistic about the state of food and travel, the audience was walked through "The World According to Tony Bourdain" for an hour an a half - and he didn't disappoint. Bourdain on stage is no different than his......

Austin writer, journalist and musician Lance Hahn died Sunday afternoon. He had been in a coma since collapsing during dialysis treatment on Friday, October 12th. Lance was 40. His contributions to the punk scene both in Austin and internationally are too many to list. He was the creative force behind Cringer and the prolific, self-described "anarcho-situationist pop-punk" band, J-Church. His chops on the guitar eventually landed him the job as Beck's guitarist in 1994. He......

Hard-Fi - Once Upon A Time In The West (Atlantic): Not all rock music has to be serious. Our first thought was that this album was slickly overproduced to the point where it was impossible to be objective. But this was followed by the notion that it would sound great in the car. Trying again there, we found an album that jumps out of the speakers with beats pilfered from 90's Manchester bands, guitars straight......

Connie Britton, of Friday Night Lights fame, appeared earlier this week on the Late Show with David Letterman. Dave brought up filming in Austin and she discussed Keeping Austin Weird. They also had a lengthy conversation about Leslie, whom she couldn't recall by name, as well as her interactions with our actual mayor.......

As our friend The M.O. reported, Ghostland Observatory are set to perform on Late Night with Conan O'Brien tomorrow evening. It will be their first nationally televised performance, and they're expected to play a tune from delete.delete.i.eat.meat.... GLO recently recorded a set for Austin City Limits, and we can expect that episode to air on KLRU sometime in December. Known for their energy-packed live sets, GLO are wrapping up a very exciting year that saw......

A quiet night in Austin was deafened by something in between a bad lineup for prime time television and a hope for a great Halloween: Jesu and USSA performing at the Mohawk. Photos courtesy Nash Cook A slideshow of the above photos appears after the jump.......

Unfortunately for the frogs, Japanese scientists have made them transparent. Transcript: What Clinton actually said about 24-Bauer-style torture. Every upcoming VW model is scheduled to have a hybrid option, with some models hybrid-ready as early as next year. By raising tons of money from his dedicated supporters, Ron Paul becomes harder for Republicans to ignore. There is a new world record for ear lifting, folks. It's exactly what you think it is. Well, mostly.......

The Health Alliance For Austin Musicians (or HAAM) provides local artists with low-cost health care and other related services. This year’s HAAM Benefit Day is here (today), and the organization is presenting numerous shows all over town this evening, along with a Telethon on ME Television. One can offer their assistance in funds by donating online as well. The HAAM Benefit Day is presented with support from a number of entities, including Whole Foods......

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......

Henry Rollins is tearing across the country on the "Provoked" spoken word tour, billed as "An evening of quintessentially American opinionated editorializing and storytelling." With over a dozen spoken word albums under his belt, Rollins has definitely proven his skill as a storyteller and cultural commenter, particularly on works like Black Coffee Blues and Get in the Van. He's also done some brilliant television work. For example, check out the potentially misogynistic letter to Ann......

Austin's PBS affiliate KLRU-TV received a record 21 Emmy nominations from the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The awards dinner will take place in Dallas on Saturday, October 27th. The complete list of KLRU honors includes: KLRU producer Elena Ramirez (Public/Current/Community Affairs Feature Segment category), for her story "Getting By in Austin." This documentary, which aired on Austin Now, focused on the difficulty of families making minimum wage......

The start of the fall season on network television used to be a bigger deal before cable's summer original fare became so juicy and good. We admit we still get a little excited when we read about original ideas heading our way on the big networks. The crop of new shows starting this fall seems like more of the same (sadly), but there are some that don't follow type and deserve recommendation. Pushing Daisies, ABC,......

The number of people injured by the (now extinguished) propane tank fire at ACL Fest has risen to 4, one of them seriously burned. Power is slowly being restored to the areas affected by Humberto. Tire slashings becoming more prevalent in Hyde Park area. Woman's body found in fountain of North Austin apartment complex. Bill Clinton was at BookPeople this morning. Texas high school football games shown on national television? UT hasn't been reporting......

Excuse us while we step into the blogger battlefield compost bin. This isn't an attack; it’s just our new media way of recycling – turning lies into truth, melding age-old stereotypes into something a little more flattering. Al Gore is coming to town in October, people. It’s time to set things straight. Daisy Whitney runs a blog called “Trial and Error” over at TelevisionWeek where she keeps tabs on the ever-changing medium that is......

It seems Chuck Woolery is back from the dead, chillin' at the beach out at Horseshoe Bay. While he's there, he's making ends meet by selling time shares home sites (at lease we think he's selling home sites - we're having a hard time figuring out exactly what is for sale). The commercials have been running on television in California and offering airfare and hotels to potential buyers, leading some Austinites to cry "Californication!" If......

ME Television is looking for someone who can be themselves—they want someone who is confident, likes music, has a strong knowledge of Austin, and isn’t afraid to smile. At least that’s what the judges for The Next VeeJay told hundreds of hopefuls who turned out for yesterday's first round of open call auditions at Midnight Rodeo. "This is a cheap knockoff of American Idol,” said Kevin Connor, Vice President of Music and Artist Relations......