Last night, Austin's theatre denizens gathered at Zach Scott Theater for the annual B. Iden Payne Awards ceremony. A function of Austin Circle of Theaters, every fall the BIPpies recognize outstanding work on Austin's stages. This year's ballot was chock full of amazing talent—undoubtedly the voting public had some difficult choices to make. With a fabulous ceremony helmed by Andrea Skola and the women of Shrewd Productions, and featuring commentary from the always-funny Buzz......

And they're off.... The nominations for this year's B. Iden Payne Awards have been announced. We received 'em this morning, straight from the offices of the Austin Circle of Theatres. If you want to get in on the action, ballots will be available starting this Thursday, September 21, at ACoT (701 Tillery Street) & AusTIX (kiosk at the Austin Visitors Center, 209 E. 6th Street). You must be an ACoT member to vote, but......

FRIDAY [14] [music] Downtown Loft Party featuring Jethro (NY), Brainboxing (NY), Nalepa (LA), and Lila's Medicine (Austin) at Neches St between 5th and 6th (See flyer) (link) [music] Shearwater, the Court and Spark, Chris Flemmons (Baptist Generals), Michael Kingcaid at Emo's (link) [music] NAM Artshow and Music Party at Emo's Lounge (link) [music] Stayton Bonner, Bryce Clifford, Slow Train, Beaver Nelson at Hole in the Wall ($5, 8pm) (link) [music] Misprint Magazine issue release party......

THURSDAY [13] [art] Opening reception for new work by Jeffrey Dell and Marjorie Moore at d berman gallery (Free, 6-8pm) (link) [music] The Paper Chase, Billy Nayer Show, Hello Lovers, the Snake Trap at Emo's (link) [music] Powerman 5000 and Powderburn at the Parish (link) [music] Yellowman at Flamingo Cantina (link) [music] Butch Hancock at Cactus Café (Through Thursday) (link) [music] Goodbye Stranger, Manager's Choice, Surrender Avenue at Trophy's ($4, 9pm) (link) [art] Luke Savisky......

MONDAY [10] [music] Rancid, Street Dogs, Complete Control at Emo's (link) [music/party] End of an Ear and XL Recordings presents a special midnight sale and listening party for Thom Yorke’s The Eraser, with loads of giveaways! Plus, hear new albums from Peaches, Sufjan Stevens and others at Emo's Lounge (Free, 10pm-1am) (link) [music] Girls' Tribute to Clifford Antone with Marcia Ball, Angela Strehil, Lou Ann Barton, Toni Price, Carolyn Wonderland, and Eve Monsee at Antone's......

Monarch Breaks Ground [07.07 in Urban Development] Yarrr…Pirates' Oversell Shipping Screw-Up Stymies Excited Fans [07.07 in Movies] They Don't Call It Gastronomic fer Nuthin' [07.07 in Food] Back on Track: This Week in Theatre! [07.07 in Theatre] Stay Cool, Honeybunny [07.07 in Rankings] Best of the Austin Blogs: Week of July 3 [07.07 in Special] Austinist Interview: Loaded Gun Theory [07.07 in Interview] The Bikini Turns 60 (or, 3,607) [07.07 in Fashion+Style] Le Tour......

A slew. A smorgasboard. A swarm. A bunch. A lot. All right, people. After a little bit of a lull last weekend, we’re back on form here in theatre-land. Dance, drama, debate, big cheesy musical adaptations of classic MGM films – it’s all here, and it’s all waiting. For you. Always for you. That being said, big ups to our Austinist Pick of the Week, Kathy Dunn Hamrick’s And Then There Were Twelve. Every......

FRIDAY [7] [film] Patton at Paramount Theatre (7:30pm) (link) [film] Sinus Show: Footloose at Alamo Downtown (7pm & 10pm, $12.50) (link) [books] Robert Sullivan presents Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America ... at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [theatre] Capital T Theatre presents "A Brief History of Helen of Troy" at Hyde Park Theatre (8pm, $10-$20) (link) [theatre] "The Hollow" at Vortex (8pm, $10-$30) (link) [theatre] "In On It"......

There's such as thing as damning with faint praise. To avoid being charged with doing just that, we want to make this clear: Different Stages' production of Agatha Christie's The Hollow, running until July 15 at the Vortex, is a thoroughly enjoyable night of theatre. The eclectic, brainy group of folks at DS (who in the past have brought Austin such varied works as Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba, Christopher Durang's Betty's......

THURSDAY [6] [film] Hanging Tough: The Boy Band Sing Along at Alamo Downtown (7pm, Sold Out) (link) [film] Patton at Paramount Theatre (7:30pm) (link) [music] We Will Rock You: The Queen Sing Along at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $10) (link) [film] Terror Thursdays: Parents at Alamo Downtown (11:50pm, FREE) (link) [books] Helen Thomas presents Watchdogs of Democracy at Austin Marriott at the Capitol (6pm, $5 in advance or at the door) (link) [books] Sheila Kohler and......

MONDAY [3] [film] Sergeant York at Paramount Theatre (7pm) (link) [film] Hands on a Hard Body at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Swingers at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill at Café Mundi (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Pride of the Yankees at Paramount Theatre (9:20pm) (link) [music] Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Pong, Harry Merry at Emo's (link) [music] Mendoza Line at Hole in the Wall (link) [music] Black Crowes......

As we scourged all the theatre listings this week, endlessly digging for all the dirt on all the shows in all the venues from all the companies in all of Central Texas, we realized…there is no spoon. There’s also practically nothing opening this weekend. But never fear, dear theatre goer, there’s plenty, plenty of shows that are still running from previous weeks that – if you haven’t already seen them – will forever haunt......

As we enter into another weekend of hard nosed thespianic action, we remember being 15. Everyone told us we were worthless and ugly, so we turned to a life of porn – that’d show ‘um, bastards. It’s a familiar story. So familiar in fact, that it’s the focus of our Austinist Pick of the Week: A Brief History of Helen of Troy. You know those posters around town where the young-looking girl is sucking......