[New Austinist contributor Eric Seufert will be covering the Out of Bounds festival all week! -Ed.] Today marks the start of the sixth Out of Bounds festival—a nationally-acclaimed improv festival taking place right here in Austin. One of the acts performing in the inaugural show at The Hideout tonight is veteran sketch-troupe Hoover’s Blanket. We were able to catch up with Chris Allen, Andy Pereira, and Bryan Roberts after a rehearsal to discuss their show.......

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......

Last week, we told you a little bit about the 2007 Femme Film Texas Festival, featuring short films from female filmmakers around the globe. Centered on the themes of identity, perception, and reality, the festival is designed to demonstrate how we can all experience the same events differently, and what the variations in our experience mean. The festival takes place this Saturday, July 28, at The Hideout downtown. After the jump, we've included the full......

In addition to the wrap up of Fuse Box all over town, this weekend marks the first annual Ladies Are Funny Festival (LAFF) at the Hideout. Produced by local comedic powerhouses Girls, Girls, Girls, LAFF will bring together comic talent from Texas and beyond including performers from ensembles such as Massive (Houston), SuperOvum (Tulsa, OK) and Parallelogramophonograph (Austin). Opening night festivities include an afterparty featuring local glam band the Platforms. LAFF Schedule All shows......

FRIDAY [13] fashion • RARE Magazine Spring Fling Fashion Show at The Belmont Hi-Lo (Moved due to rain) art/music • Take That!, a show of new images by Lance McMahan, plus music by Amanda Jones, Connie Ball, & Teddy and Marge at The Opera House (7-10pm) art • Hot and Cold: The Best of Canadian Contemporary Art at Art on 5th, 1501 W 5th (10am-6pm) art • Opening Reception for abstract paintings and encaustics......

The Austin Film Festival announced its jury award winners on Sunday. Check out the list below, including when you can catch them for a second time. Narrative Feature Jury Award Winner: Chalk Screens 9:30 p.m. Monday @ the Dobie and 7 p.m. Tuesday @ the Arbor. Narrative Short Jury Award Winner: When Elvis Came to Visit Documentary Feature Winner: Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story Screens 7pm Wed. @ the IMAX Theatre Honorable Mention Documentary......

FRIDAY [1] music • Tacks, The Boy Disaster w. The Channel, Golden Bear at The Parish Room ® books • Jacqueline Winspear presents Messenger of Truth at BookPeople (7pm) film • Chuck Norris Martial Arts Movie Mania with Chuck Norris in Person: Sidekicks at Alamo Downtown (6pm, $10) film • Lawrence of Arabia at Paramount Theatre (7:30pm) film • Chuck Norris Martial Arts Movie Mania with Chuck Norris in Person: Code of Silence at......

THURSDAY [31] happyhour • BlogBurst and Austinist present the Blogger Meetup Happy Hour -- first folks to show up get free beer, courtesy BlogBurst -- at Club de Ville (6-8pm) ® food • Austin Farmers Market at Plaza Saltillo (5th and Comal) (4-7pm) books • William Manchee presents Cactus Island at Barnes & Noble Westlake (7pm) books • Texas Monthly Author Series presents Ben Fountain to discuss Brief Encounters with Che Guevera: Stories at......

WEDNESDAY [30] music • Odyssey: The Journey Cover Band with special arena rock/hair metal DJ sets by Car Stereo (Wars) at Whisky Bar (10:30pm-2am, Free, Odyssey at 11:30pm) ® music • Thor, Zolar X, The Ends at Emo's music • X, Rollins Band at Stubb's music • Giant Squid, Lions of Tsavo, Slo-Bula, High Cost of Living at Beerland music • Wax Wednesdays (BYO vinyl) at Ruta Maya (8pm) music • Summer Wardrobe, Vacation......

Continuing our weekly series on all things sketch and improv in Atown, the Austinist previews some of the shows that have tickled our fancy playing in next week's Out of Bounds festival. Additionally, we list shows around the city, for those looking to support your home team comedy this weekend. Out of Bounds Tip of the Week Double Feature The final show of this year's Out of Bounds festival is (surprisingly) not the headliner show......

Continuing our weekly series on sketch and improvisation happening within Austin (in the lead up to the 5th year of the annual Out of Bounds Festival), Austinist continues to profile some of the sketch comedy and improvisation groups around town. This weekend's recommendation (and, coincidentally) our Out of Bounds Tip of the Week Latino Comedy Project, a group of 10 actors (of which we are personally unfamiliar...that's krunk, right?) are holding court at Esther's......

Kazillionaire* is psycho-pseudosketch duo Madeline Malka and Jeremy Lamb. In this sketch show, they create the Kazillionaire* world - an Earth-like planet created by Mother Earth (Malka) and Father Time (Lamb) - created as a sort of side project to entertain the deities during their courtship. The history of Kazillionaire* and its other-worldly customs is humorously described by a creative use of video clips (ala Discovery channel), voiceover and Eastern hip hop rituals. Portraying most......

MONDAY [8] [music] Art Brut, Birdmonster, The Robocop Kraus at Emo's (link) [music] She Wants Revenge and OKGO at Stubb's (link) [music] The Lashes at Waterloo (Free, 5pm) (link) [film] Amelie (with FREE crème brulee) at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] L.A. Confidential at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm, FREE) (link) [film] Wet Hot American Summer at Rounders Pizzeria (6pm, FREE) (link) [film] School of Rock at......

Happen to be working on the Next Great American Comedy? Want to share it with the public, and pull in a little dough to boot? Our esteemed colleagues at the Austin American Statesman will put their money where your mouth is...or something like that. They're hosting the XL Funnywriter Contest, for which you can win $500 for writing the funniest "600-word scenario or dialogue script — on political, musical or evergreen subjects." Semi-finalists will......

We are big fans of improv when it's done well. When it's bad it's one of the worst beatings imaginable. Watching people who think they are funny awkwardly fumble through trite lines, using contrived standard-use accents, etc kill us. Dead. We have not seen much good Improv in Austin in recent years. Maybe we have been too spoiled by strong Improv in bigger cities, but from the smattering of shows we've seen in the......

FRIDAY [3] [music] Ariel Pink, Belong, Weird Weeds and Ralph White at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] What Made Milwaukee Famous, Deathray Davis, AUX at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables and Bedouin Soundclash at Stubb's (link) [music] Bucketheard and Kid Beyond at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Dirty Hearts at End of an Ear (Free, 6pm) (link) [DJ] Whee!Explode! By Learning Secrets and DJ Ian Orth at The Peacock (10pm-2am) (link) [fashion] ATX......

There is a movement afoot in Austin. They call it…improv. It seems like you can’t spit these days without hitting some group of youngsters creating extemporaneous comedy. How can you, the everyday performance-enthusiast, protect your funny-bone from unwanted advances as you strive to get your laugh on hard core? Well, for starters, you might want to check out the Austin Improv Collective . Starting this Saturday, they’re beginning an improv journey that’s, quite frankly,......

M O N D A Y [20] [art] Sex Workers' Art Show comes to UT-Austin at Texas Union Showroom (RM. 2.208) at UT-Austin (Free, 7pm) (link) [music] Tammany Hall Machine, Impossible Shapes, and Red Hunter at Stubb's (link) [film] "The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat and Beers" at Alamo South (Monday-Thursday, 10:05pm) (link) [film] "Penitentiary" at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] "930 F" (a documentary about DC's 9:30 Club) at Alamo Downtown ($1, 9:45pm) (link) [film] "The......

Last summer, Salvage Vanguard (the bacchanalistas behind the Dionysium) produced a live performance of "The Intergalactic Nemesis: Twin Infinity," the last in a trilogy of science-fiction radio serials. The run enjoyed considerable success, and as such they've decided to put on the entire trilogy this June. But tonight - and tonight only - they're doing a special performance of the first part at The Hideout Theatre. From their press release: Follow Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter......

M O N D A Y [5] music · MF Doom, Count Bass D, John Robinson at La Zona Rosa music · Saves the Day, Senses Fall, Emmanuel, Early November at Emo's film · "Shaun Of The Dead" spinoffs at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [link] T U E S D A Y [6] music · Red Leaves at CRL Art Gallery film · AFS screens "The Singing Blacksmith" at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [link]......

Thursday night we took in the preview of Violet Crown Radio Players' lost and restored Lux Radio Theater adaptation of KING KONG, at the Hideout Theatre. First, a little full disclosure: we won a book during intermission called Mouth Sounds, authored by none other than Fred Newman! He's the guy who does all the cool sounds on Prairie Home Companion. Yes, we're excited. Yes, we're geeks. But do you know how to do a......

We spent last Sunday afternoon the way we usually spend Sundays, at the movies…alone. But last Sunday offered a variation on the theme, as we watched a documentary at The Hideout as part of the Austin Film Festival. The documentary in question was “Muskrat Lovely,” an entertaining look into the lives of the people of Dorchester County, Maryland and their annual Outdoors Festival. The Outdoors Festival is a unique cultural oddity that is part......

* new! and improved! * : : FRIDAY : : [music] Book of Shadows & Devil Bat, 6pm @ End of an Ear - Free! [charity/music] Benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina with Attic Ted, The Vivian Girls, 8pm @ Monkeywrench Books [music] Zykos, Phosphorescent, Canoe, 9pm @ Emo's OUTSIDE - Free! [music] Voxtrot, Loxsly, Belaire, 9pm @ Emo's INSIDE - Free [charity/music] Crescent City Soul and R&B 45's by Waxploitation! DJs, 6-8pm......

If you’re looking to have your funny bone tickled this weekend and you can’t get us on our cell phone, head on over to The Hideout Theater for the Out-of-Bounds Comedy Festival. We checked it out last night, and as you would expect, some groups were stronger than others. Both the upstairs and downstairs stages run acts simultaneously. Last night there was improv upstairs and sketch comedy downstairs. The absurd and cute Rat Girl......

: : FRIDAY : : [music] Nic Armstrong and the Thieves & Ian Moore @ The Parish, 9:30pm [in-store] Happy Families @ End of an Ear, 6pm [comedy] The Sinus Show's "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" @ Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, 7pm & 9:45 also Saturday [theatre] The Vortex Repertory presents "La Femme: The BareBones New Works Festival," 8pm [comedy] The Austin Improv Co-op presents "The Womb of the Pagan" and "Hoover's Blanket"......

Are you wondering where you will get your sketch comedy funny now that the Chappelle show is on “hold”? How about by supporting your local Latino Comedy Project ensemble. The LCP is performing two shows a night Thursday – Saturday at 8PM and 10:30PM over at The Hideout Theatre downtown. We caught the early show of "Citizen Quién?" last night and we laughed and cried laughed the whole night. "Citizen Quién?" takes the audience......