In the midst of a kidney-punching divorce and a morale-deflating demotion at work, this eternally disenfranchised man, played by David Zellner, who also wrote and directed Goliath, lives in the malaise of mediocrity. Everything he does is a menial, unrewarding task, even watching porn. He is constantly muffling the words and actions that would pull him out of his droning, joyless life, storing up a pressure cooker of rage, passion and ill-advised tirades that could, and do, blow without warning. His one respite from the daily spirit beat down was the knowledge that a tiny, beating, feline heart needed him. Once that fur ball is no longer leaving deposits in the old catbox, this nameless man goes completely and utterly berserk....

"I was initially drawn to Crawford, because I'd been effectively duped. I didn't know that Bush wasn't from Crawford."...

Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely follows the adventures of an American Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) who meets a charming Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton) on the streets of Paris. Together, they travel to a commune populated exclusively by celebrity impersonators--a Neverlandesque place where everyone is famous, and the spotlight never fades....

In case you're still curious about where to vote on Tuesday, we've reprinted the official list from the Travis County Clerk web site as of Monday evening. For up-to-date information, you might want to double-check the Office of the Registrar's database To find out which precint you're in, use their handy Voter Verification form. From the Elections Divison: Registered voters can vote with a voter registration card, driver’s license or any official photo ID,......

In Intimidad, documentarians Ashley Sabin and David Redmon follow the lives of Cecy and Camilo, a young couple living in Reynosa, Mexico. Cecy and Camilo both work for minimum wage in maquiladoras, trying to save money to buy land, build themselves a house, and bring their daughter Loida back to live with them....

Half Japanese formed in the mid-seventies, and the band, which initially consisted of just brothers Jad and David Fair, would go on to have an musical impact on par with fellow primitive rock and roll ideologues Beat Happening and forebears The Shaggs. Kurt Cobain and Penn Jillette both championed their qualities to a larger audience, and their early history is even chronicled in a film entitled Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King by The Devil and Daniel Johnston director Jeff Feurezeig. Even after David left Half Japanese to pursue other things, Jad kept the love lights glowing by recording both under the band’s name and his own, collaborating with many other musicians along the way. ...

Eric Elbogen formed Say Hi To Your Mom in 2000, eventually also founding Euphobia Records to release his indie-pop ditties. He tweaked the act’s moniker to simply Say Hi before the release of 2008’s The Wishes And The Glitch (Purchase it here). The album features Say Hi’s trademark catchy synth-powered melodies along with Elbogen’s always entertaining lyricism. A classic D.I.Y. project, Elbogen handles the entire recording process and is responsible for the majority of the sounds you hear on Say Hi’s catalog, sans the occasional guest contribution. We caught up with the man himself recently over email and received some insightful responses to our quickfire questions....

If you love booze and cinema, well, have we got a deal for you. Cine Las Americas, Austin's own multicultural, non-profit media arts center, will be holding Chicha 56, a combo happy hour and after party fundraiser to benefit this year's programming. The event comes a mere 56 days before the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival kicks off....

In the tradition of house/venues like the departed Jesse’s Bed and Breakfast and Natrix Natrix (a label as well as a venue, who are also co-presenting this show), the up-and-coming Rancho Relaxo is poised to take its part to promote music in residential spaces in Austin, at least until the neighbors call the cops. The venue has already played host to Sir Richard Bishop and Yellow Fever, and will hopefully continue to sponsor creative performances for some time to come....

Visually the production delivered. The elaborate, creamy, period-inspired costumes by Costume Designer Buffy Manners were fantastic. Their light colors, lacy froth and gold accents made us think of lavishly gilded meringues. But the show...ouch! The acting was stiffer than the boned bodices of the period outfits. There was lots of declamation, but little interaction. The play dragged more than a heavily footnoted account of the taxation structure of pre-revolutionary France. ...

Thru 2/23, St Idiots Collective's You Are Pretty is about sex workers' struggles to find love within the harsh environs of a legal brothel. The yap about YAP is the megawatt heft behind it—the production is chock full of local luminaries. [tickets] // Thru 2/17, roving new kids NxNW Theatre are staging "wickedly funny" Five Women Wearing the Same Dress downtown at the Hideout. The titular characters do a little cussin' here, a little pot smokin' there, and cover topics with plenty of chops (religion, sexuality, AIDS). [tickets] ...

While this presentation of the show— put on by Zach Scott Theater Center and directed by Dave Steakley (also the Artistic Director of ZSTC)— features sets, language and costumes true to the original show, there is heartbreaking scene during which, without actually speaking to a change in time and geography, Steakley evokes Katrina-battered New Orleans. He manages this by stranding those characters that survive a brutal storm on rooftops, clinging to each other and praying for help while a dry-ice fog rolls out into the spacious music hall, enveloping the audience and breaking down the fourth wall....

David Berman, the head honcho behind the massively influential Silver Jews, made a turnaround these past couple of years that has both shocked and delighted his many loyal fans. While Berman became renowned through Silver Jews releases like The Natural Bridge and American Water, not to mention a turn at poetry with 1999’s Actual Air, he more recently experienced a religious rebirth and crawled out of his “hell-hole life,” as he described it, discovering an only hinted-at passion for Judaism as well as a renewed appreciation for everyday life....

This might not technically be theatre, but it made for some great comedy. On Saturday's show [listen], the Car Talk guys repeated the name of Austinite and Puzzler-winner Quentin Fennessy eight times in a row.......

Playwright and filmmaker David Mamet will appear at UT's Hogg Auditorium on Monday, February 4th for a discussion of his work with the Austin Chronicle's Robert Faires. The event is the first of several appearances by Mamet at UT in conjunction with the acquisition of his archives by the Harry Ransom Center....

Artists, take note: When in doubt about how to price your work, go high. ...

Even after the sketch comedy gem The State was grounded prematurely (and where’s that DVD already?) it hasn’t stopped Michael Showalter or Ian Black from bounding into many more comedic projects in the ensuing years....

This year's SXSW Music lineup seems to be taking shape a bit more quickly than last year, as bands have taken it upon themselves to announce showcases publicly before the official list release by SX organizers. This is a departure from prior years, but since festival officials aren't complaining, we assume they're happy to let the hype build as the acts trickle in. This week's top twelve additions:...

With all due respect, It's easy to get lost in the scuffed gloss of Austin's rather self-aware indie-rock scene. Take it from us, and we honestly love the damned thing, in all of its shabby hipster glory. We just sometimes need a change of pace to keep a healthy perspective on all the different pockets of music in this crazy burg. This evening, we encourage you, if you're so inclined, to join us for an evening of solid, unconventional artistry in a scene that is thriving and gaining Austin national recognition for something other than our hallowed go-to bands. ...

Sunday, 1/13, 10pm at the Alamo Downtown, the big Dick cast and Austin's premiere naughty boy band, Cedar Fever, will thrill and excite you with performances, sing-alongs, and heaven knows what else....

J. M. Coetzee is probably the only Nobel Prize winner for Literature with a degree from UT. He spent several years in Austin in the 1960’s, playing intramural cricket, protesting the Vietnam War in the pages of the Daily Texan, and writing a dissertation on Sam Beckett’s novels. A few years later, he returned to South Africa, the country of his birth, and started writing one amazing book after another. (He hasn’t really stopped since then.) He’s visited Austin a few times since then, including a stint in 1995 as a visiting professor at UT....

As Christmas approaches, good shows tend to get sporadic and good friends tend to leave town, but the promise of Emo’s Free Week will carry us into the empty canvas that is 2008. Still, we have ten days or so to find that one last good moment of 2007....

At the Vortex, Rob Nash continues the saga of the Smiths in the holiday edition of his Holy Cross series, 12 Steps to a More Disfunctional Family. Nash is a wonder to behold as he switches characters, and you don't have to be familiar with the storyline to enjoy the current installation....

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......

An Evening With Todd RundgrenDecember 4, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.Antones (213 W 5th St)$23-$25[info] | [tickets] There is this entire world of brilliant artists that produced oodles of fantastic work in the '70s that most of us know because of a standout hit here or there that makes its way into a more mainstream outlet, or an association with some more widely known entity. Vince Guaraldi's jazz piano works introduced us to a career's......

The Austin Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Austin: Handel’s MessiahDecember 4, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.4214 N. Capitol of Texas Highway (4214 N. Capitol of Texas Highway)Riverbend Centre[info] | [tickets] Sir Thomas Beecham wrote of Handel in his memoirs, "Since his time mankind has heard no music written for voices which can even feebly rival his for grandeur of build and tone, nobility and tenderness of melody, scholastic skill and ingenuity and inexhaustible variety of effect…Handel…is......

Photo by my favorite yarn on flickr Sgt. Michael Olsen is appealing his firing by APD. While the housing market everywhere else is on the decline, Austin still a place to buy, according to real estate expert. David Letterman in Austin for a Habitat build. Someone is going door-to-door claiming to be raising money for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Video: Bobby Knight's neighbor isn't happy about how close Knight is shooting to his property. New, more......

Elizabeth Berkley is Nomi Malone.... Showgirls 2.0 with David Schmader LiveThursday, November 29thAlamo LakeCreek (13729 Research Blvd)$12, 7:30PM[info] | [tickets]The holiday season really is the most wonderful time of year, a time where we think about family and togetherness, and most importantly, psychotic strippers. As always, the Alamo Drafthouse really understands what will make our season bright and are reaching into their magical holiday gift bag to pull out a screening of Showgirls for us,......

Image by David Clearly from Myspace The Swell Season with Martha WainwrightThursday, November 15Stubbs (801 Red River)$23, doors at 6:30 p.m.[info]If you loved the romantic indie musical Once, head to Stubb’s early tonight to see the movie recreated live by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. In the film, Hansard, Irish frontman of The Frames, and Irglová, a Czech singer and pianist, played two musicians that fall for each other in song. As The Swell Season,......

Several dozen employees at Dell Financial in North Austin were exposed to what authorities believe was pepper spray earlier today. From the Blotter: Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services is reporting that 40 Dell employees have been exposed to a toxic chemical, believed to be pepper spray discharged in an enclosed area at 12234 N. Interstate 35. One person with a history of asthma was taken to St. David’s Hospital. All others refused treatment, according to......