If you ask us, "bling obsession" has long been commercial hip-hop's most shameful component (though we're totally down with the Bling! barbershop quartet). At one time, conspicuous consumption by a historically poor culture might have seemed like powerful social commentary--but now that hip hop is the music industry's cash cow, doesn't a $100,000 necklace just seem completely ridiculous? And is obnoxious ornamentation really worth the cost--not only monetarily, but socially and politically? Next week, as......

*The views expressed in Truesday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole. Thank heavens.* -The Editors Bro-dawgs, huddle around the Axe Body Wash fountain and check this out: There’s a new lounge opening up where that freakshow movie place used to be, and it’s gonna be sweet bangin’ with more honeys than we’ll be able to drug in a single night, and more lesser bro-hams than we’ll be......

New Yorker Leona ("Queen of Mean") Helmsley seals her fate as a heartless biatch by leaving $12 million, the majority of her will, to her dog. Lindsay Lohan checklist: Coke possession. Check. Arrested. Check. Sex Scene? Check! With his last official day of work approaching this Friday, Karl Rove's car got Saran Wrapped and slapped with an I Heart Obama sticker. Straight out of the 18th century--drug dealer gets tarred, feathered while holding a......

If there was a memo about sporting black-tie attire to the Runway to Heaven fashion show, we didn't get it. We dressed way down (think just-got-out-of-the-pool-and-threw-on-some-jeans) compared to the high-heeled and coiffed attendees—so we jokingly told the charming and stylish gawkers sitting next to us in the "media" seats that we were with Vice Magazine. Friday's event at the UT Alumni Center showcased creations from emerging local designers and raised money for charity at......

Chances are pretty good that you’ve heard of The MisShapes – New York's party-throwing trio and current It-kids. Last fall, the New York Times wrote about “the phenomenon known as the MisShapes” and their 15 minutes of fame. They've been in countless pop culture magazines, most of which reference the one time that Madonna dropped in on their weekly residency at Don Hill’s in SoHo. They've been on ads for those Eastport backpacks that kids......

Black Nasty Feed From Me It's hard not to start by saying "This music is totally offensive, completely cringe-worthy, and absolutely not appropriate in almost any situation you can imagine." There, we didn't start by saying that. Feed From Me is a maxi single (not an EP, CD or regular single, these are different times, folks) with ten songs that push the boundaries of what most normal people consider music. Influenced by the olden days......

Peyton’s Place is celebrating its grand opening tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be complimentary drinks, in-store makeovers (courtesy of Sage Salon), and a trunk show by jewelry designer Joani White. Peyton’s Place is on 215 Lavaca. Re- is going out of business! Voted Best Recycled Goods by Austin Chronicle, this little South Austin vintage store is calling it quits after over two years. Owner Chris Walker said he and his wife......

For those of you who saw Teen Wolf Too, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights or Ocean’s Twelve, you are apparently not averse to watching extremely bad sequels. We aren’t either, as long as they are accompanied by oversized pints of booze, but “bad” is not what the Alamo Drafthouse and the Fantastic Fest had in mind when they announced their Unnecessary Sequels contest last month. Tonight and tomorrow night, the rotten eggs will finally hatch and......

Tonight, Alamo Music Mondays presents Times Square, Allan Moyle's two-against-the-world teen drama set in the grimy, x-rated heart of late 1970s Manhattan. Featuring music by Gary Numan, XTC, Roxy Music, The Ruts, Patti Smith, the Ramones, and the Talking Heads, the film follows two teenage girls who escape from a psychiatric hospital, take up residence in an abandoned warehouse and form an underground punk band called "The Sleez Sisters". With the help of a hip......

Who among us hasn’t stood half-naked in front of a full-length mirror, knees bent, head back, one arm extended toward the heavens, the other windmilling furiously to the stomping rhythm of “Uptown Girl”? Okay, okay—maybe you’d pick something that actually has guitar in it, but that’s your hang up, not ours. Commie. Anyway, for those of us who dream of rock stardom, but don’t have the time or the inclination to learn an instrument,......

The rumors, it turns out, are true: the Sinus Show, Austin's beloved institution of comedy paired with really cheesy films, is calling it quits after six extraordinary years. Citing personal issues, the trio will perform their last shows--Diehard, ironically--tonight and tomorrow evening at the Drafthouse Downtown. In more bad news, all remaining performances are already sold out. From the Sinus Show guys: "After six incredibly fun years the Sinus Show is performing its last......

Almost two years ago I joined a motley crew of a couple dozen folks looking to enhance the entertainment landscape of Austin and help explode Austinist onto the scene via the wonders of the internets. Since that time, many of the names and faces have changed, but the desire to provide fun, entertaining and informative content to Austinites (and former Austinites) has remained the same. Therefore, it is with a mixture of sadness and excitement......

We’d never asperse someone just because he's rich and famous. Or just because he likes to go shirtless at all times and do push-ups on the beach in Malibu. Or just because he's an actor who seems to think he has an authoritative opinion about baseball. Or just because he appears in the Monday Night Football booth to promote his new film and attempts to sound like a West Texas Buddha. We wouldn’t do that.......

Tenacious D in 'The Pick of Destiny' Marquee Screenings Screening Info: 7:45pm October 26th at Paramount Regional Premiere. The legend of the fabled "Pick of Destiny" infuses every page of rock history. This is no ordinary pick, my friends, its sheer power could shake the pillars of Algernon. It is a thing of lore . . . a thing of magic. Since the dark ages, this supernatural pick has been passed down through many......

Just kidding. We don't think this is the kind of party where they'll appreciate sloppy dancing, slurred apologies, and that story you like to repeat when you're blinding-ass-drunk. In fact, with Blue Lapis Light at the helm, it'll probably be a very classy affair. The shindig features local and national celebrities, including Blue Lapis Light Artistic Director Sally Jaques and Oscar-nominated film director Kimberlee Acquaro. You'll also get a little snippet from the wildly......

Tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse the Flicker Film Festival celebrates the creativity, passion and art of short filmmaking. The Flicker Fest is a a great way for nascent filmmakers to get their works screened. All of the movies in competition are shorts that run no longer than 15 minutes and must have originally been shot on film. “Flicker is a totally Austin experience. It’s fun, it’s cheap, it’s independent, and it’s creative,” explains Matthew......

A lot of folks have been talking about this past Wednesday's Oprah Show which put a spotlight on just a few of the atrocities occurring in Africa. It was an amazing show and what we saw haunts us still. Like many, we have the desire to do something, but feel a little powerless. After all, most of us aren't rich and powerful celebrities. And most of us don't have the resources to make a documentary......

For anyone who still hasn’t made it out to see Decameron Day 7: REVENGE, even though we loved it, the Statesman loved it, and the Chronicle loved it, you’ve now got six more chances to check out the faux soap masterpiece. The show was originally meant to close this Saturday, but after public outcry, massive demonstrations at the theatre, and pleas for clemency from celebrities on both coasts, the Rude Mechs decided to cave......

Time to link to our favorite local reads this week: Eileen from In the Pink Texas goes after Congressman Henry Bonilla and his bizarre statements on immigration. lize's Tivo situation is out of control at prematurely grey. The Austin Outsider has an update on the AMD/SOS situation. "WHAT'S THE DEALIO, ROMEO?" The Apartment Food Hobos aren't pleased with Romeo's. Cinematical is a nationwide film blog, but Jette usually does a Friday post on upcoming......

"I saw Kenny Rogers outside Time Square Studios this morning at 9ish. He was sitting in his black SUV and telling his fans that he would take care of them 'next time.' He looked exactly like he's had a ridiculous amount of work done." Who gives a damn?! Don't you people have jobs? Or hobbies? Or something? Gawker.com one of the leaders in celebrity gossip on the internet for the past two years has......

Torontoist throws down the gauntlet and challenges all comers: pillow fight, bitch. They also stand up for a fellow blogger taking heat from the TTC and welcome city-wide WiFi. SFist can finally admit it: It's possible that Bary Bonds juiced. Is Bay Area artist (tempted to put quotes around that) Thomas Kinkaid "kinda crappy" or "explosively crappy" or does he just like marking territory? SFist wonders. Technology comes in the form of new Mac goodness......

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will look into Anna Nicole Smith's estate soap opera. It's all about money (of course). Smith says that her rich Texas oilman late husband left a trust in her name and that his son (her step-son) destroyed the papers. The state court in Texas and the federal court in California came to different decisions regarding any money being left to Ms. Smith, so now the Supremes get to decide if......

The Houston Texans exercised their buy-back option on David Carr's contract- implying a pass on Vince Young. We're raking in the celebrities here in Travis County, into our civil courts sytem, including that super-hunk Jason Patric. The gambling industry is vying for some action in Texas (but who isn't?). LaMarcus Aldridge consistently impresses coaches, peers and NBA scouts; he has very real possibilty of being an NBA overall draft pick. What has been coined......

So, like, you guys, guess WHAT? Tara Reid is totally in Austin right now! OMG! She’s like, BFF with Paris Hilton! No shit! Like, she got into town yesterday, and she’s just chillin’ with some of her girlfriends for a while. Yeah, like, she was hanging out at Six last night. Seriously! Our friend Aimee’s ex-boyfriend Brad like, TOTALLY tried to hit on her. He is such a tool. OMG y’all, maybe she’ll like,......

Steve Carrell was funny. Geena Davis was actually pretty damn funny. Chris Rock was funny. Our comments while watching the Globes were funny. Dennis Quaid was not! The notorious (alleged) coke-head and booze-hound had the opportunity to present the vignette nominating Brokeback Mountain as best picture. Instead of being simple and to-the-point, Quaid decided he'd try a little shtick. After honoring the film, the seemingly drunk (or at least very nervous) Quaid said that......

The man suspected of outrunning police and firing shots at them after being pulled over for a defective tail light on Friday was arrested Sunday. He is charged with attempted capital murder and could spend up to 99 years or life in prison. What's up with West Campus? A twenty-something's body was found in a frat house on Saturday afternoon. The boys had a party Friday night, and an autopsy will prove if the......

We realize Paris Hilton is an easy target, in every sense of the word. Under normal circumstances we would respect her penchant for privacy. Nevertheless… In addition to her celebutanting activities and awe-inspiring acting skills, Paris can now add prolific author to her resume. Her 2004 debut, Confessions of an Heiress, truly stunned the literati. She has followed it up with the tear-jerking Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me. “Life is a......

Back in the day, Dr. J (Julius Erving) was The Man. He reinvented the game. His graceful scoops, his flights of acrobatic fancy, his nasty afro, the super-high tube socks, the illegitimate child(ren). He was the most popular man in American sports. Well, apparently times have changed, and the good Doctor’s star has fallen a bit. Check that, A LOT. We initially heard this story on the radio and a google search directed us......

In their quest to provide the ultimate caffeine buzz, Coca Cola has created Coke Blak. This coffee-infused soda will be distributed throughout France in January. Americans will have to wait until mid-2006 to experience what is sure to be a delicious heart palpitation in a can. Speaking of coke, we would like to remind you that not all white powder is appropriate for snorting. If it is, say, queso fresco, we don’t recommend hiring......

-Austinites can help raise government bred labs who will grow up to become bomb sniffers. They foot all the bills, but you've got to give the dog back when it's 14 months. -UT gets a new President. -Rice says the definition of torture is relative. -And your parents thought you had problems. -Brad Pitt is adopting Angelina's children. -Britney kicked Kevin out because the "weedman" showed up at their house again, also firing two......