Hyde Park Theatre brings us Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West. Think of the brilliance of True West, but without the monotonous fuckin' crickets. Th-Sa @8pm through March 29. Tickets online. // Based on Euripides' Trojan Women, Troades at The Vortex explores life for the women of Troy following its decimation at the hands of the Greeks. Th-Su @8pm through March 29. Reservations: 478-LAVA....

Thousands of monkeys are invading government buildings in Delhi, forcing employees to arm themselves with sticks and stones in case they are attacked. David Byrne and Thom Yorke on the Real Value of Music at Wired magazine. Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister, who stars as a schoolgirl in Nickelodeon's popular TV show "Zoey 101," is pregnant. She met the father at church. Reuters photographs of the year The Pirate Bay just launched their new music......

“Then wolves will live in peace with lambs. And leopards will lie down to rest with goats. Calves, lions and young bulls will eat together. And Reverends will profess their love for leather culture.” The above spin on a few verses from the Book of Isaiah pretty much sums up the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival’s stellar opening festivities. As expected, there was a strong sense of community that only increased throughout the......

The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) is all grown up in its 20th year and it shows in tonight’s kickoff festivities. Not only is the inaugural film—Call Me Troy—a world premiere, it is also the first documentary in the festival’s history to serve as an opening night film. The schedule continues to entice with another noteworthy first: the Sapphire MojitoMartini. You can down this “aGLIFF 20 Signature Cocktail” and chat up......

aGLIFF Aferparty Preview Midnight Opening Night Party featuring special guest Rev. Troy Perry, founder of MCC and star of the opening night film, Call Me Troy Friday, September 28th @ Austin City Hall 9pm-Midnight Centerpiece Film Afterparty Saturday, September 29 @ Club de Ville 10pm Art Party Thursday, October 4 @ Arthouse 10pm-Midnight Closing Night Party Saturday, October 6 @ AMoA Downtown 10pm-Midnight The annual Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) is......

*The views expressed in Truesday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole. Thank heavens.* -The Editors I’m all for the co-opting of absolutely horrific tragedies for pet causes. Like using hurricanes to sell Global Warming DVDs. Valentine’s Day for the relationship healing powers of warming lotions. Or cancer to peddle aromatherapy. Go Free Market! You mad-dazzler you! Why, it feels like just yesterday that after hearing of some......

THURSDAY [8] film • Super Happy fun Monkey Bash 5 at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Now That's What I Call a Singalong: Pop Royalty at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Terror Thursday: The Beast Must Die at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown art • Opening Reception for "In My Stairwell" by Mark Seliger at Fielding Lecht Gallery (6-9pm) art • Artistic License: Matthew Day Jackson at The Blanton (6-7pm) art • Public Tour: The Geometry......

Several readers wrote in a while back about the possible demise of Red's Scoot Inn, the venerable East Austin bar built back in 1871. Some speculated that the historic space, where long ago "weary pioneers would roll their wagons in for a jug of beer, rations and perhaps some ice," would fall victim to the latest condo/loft development. Far from it. It turns out that the folks of the Longbranch Inn purchased the space......

This weekend, Jovita’s will play host to a night of Texas blues and rock, featuring Jimmy LaFave, Troy Campbell and Seth Walker. The event will benefit the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP). “We are honored to build a fundraiser around such a great evening of music and such terrific musicians. Folks can support civil rights and have fun doing it,” said Jim Harrington, TCRP Director. In its 16th year, TCRP is among the nation’s most......

Only one more week and I'll be waking up in Austin, ready to put on an entire bottle of sunscreen and head out to Zilker Park for my favorite music festival in the world. I know you guys may have thought I forgot about you - but I've been hard at work on my Austin City Limits Festival Preview Page, trying to wrap up the project before the festival actually starts. From today through......

*Update: The Statesman has reported that deputies unnecessarily used tasers on Tarell Brown and Tyrell Gatewood before their arrest Monday morning. Jamie Balagio, attorney for the players, says that a tape of the arrest should be made public.* Update: Starting cornerback Tarell Brown and reserve safety Tyrell Gatewood, arrested for marijuana and gun possession, will not play against Ohio State on Saturday. The AP released its latest college football poll today, and, after a strong......

This Thursday, as part of their ongoing "Best of the AFF" series, the Austin Film Festival and Chicken Ranch Records are screening "Stomp! Shout! Scream!," the beach-party-rock-and-roll-monster-movie by Jay Edwards, the guy behind Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They're billing it as a beach party screening extravaganza, replete with a beach party-themed menu and a bunch of sweet prizes and giveaways. Chicken Ranch records will be on hand to celebrate the release of the film'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......

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"......

Capital T Theatre, led by Artistic Director Mark Pickell, is getting down to brass tacks. Small, young companies like Capital T – especially in Austin – often suffer from a lack of focus or attention to detail. In his production of A Brief History of Helen of Troy, however, Pickell does a fine job in replicating the kind of aesthetic and professionalism you might find Off-Broadway. The lighting design is intelligent and effective; the......

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......

Elizabeth Cobbe, our esteemed colleague over at the Austin Chronicle, has put together a great article profiling the top ten up-and-comers in Austin's "rebel" theatre scene. As you may have noticed, Austinist has a weak spot for rebellious types, so we were excited to find the new punks on the block listed in one handy, helpful spot. (And to give full disclosure we were indeed pleased the company co-helmed by Austinist's own Jonathon Morgan......

MONDAY [17][music] The High Flyers at Continental Club (10pm) (link) [lecture] Josh Rushing, future host of a show on Al Jazeera International and "accidental media star" in "Control Room," speaks at UT LBJ Auditorium (7pm) (link) [art] Opening Reception for Michael Schliefke's newest works, "What If We Could Get It All Back?" at bolm Studios (6pm-11pm) (link) [film] Oscar-Nominated Documentary shorts at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Anime Movie Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm)......

Our sacrifices to the Muses have worked: Margaret Atwood, the high priestess of literary wit, is back and in fine form, putting the mistake that was Oryx and Crake behind her. Atwood's latest "novel," The Penelopiad, one of the inaugural stories in the Canongate myth series, is a retelling of the Greek classic, The Odyssey, from Penelope’s point of view. According to Greek myth, Penelope was the cousin of the infamous Helen, she who launched......

We know you love living in Austin, where there's always a live music event happening. But the best is when the music benefits a good cause. This weekend, there are a couple of shows that will do just that... All day today, at Threadgill's on Riverside, KGSR will be hosting a drive for Family Eldercare called FanFare Friday! Donations will be accepted until 7pm and go towards the purchase of fans and funds for......