The week's news on arts, books, film and music....

Unlike the recently discussed Westlake mothers driving with one hand and sipping wine with the other, the Austin Wine Festival is making it possible for you to combine the thrill of Texas roads with the taste of wine, all in a safely automobile-free environment. This Sunday night, watch The Wine Roads of Texas, a documentary from KLRU and Wes Marshall that tells the story of Texas wineries in an engaging and informative manner. Beginning in......

FRIDAY [25] party • The Onion's "Summer Fun Blast Blowout Extravaganza!" Party with Clap!Clap!, Crash Gallery, Devil in the Choir, DJ Rubix, Prince Klassen, and a chance to win a scooter from Scooter Revolution at Beauty Bar ($2, 9:30pm) theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) music • Emissions From the Monolith Fest at Emo's music • Voxtrot, Au Revoir Simone, The Black, Zykos at Emo's music......

You look like you need a cupcake, and that is just what you will get tonight when the Austin Parks Foundation and the Alamo Drafthouse bring you Election, the second installment in the spring Movies in the Park series. However, that cupcake will be laced with arsenic icing and a heavy dose of satire extract. When we first saw Election back in the late 90’s, high school was still fresh enough in our minds that......

A prominent official at the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) and his wife were arrested this weekend, after the two were caught trying to make off with paintings from the Fine Arts Festival. Austin Police Commander Michael Jung was on patrol near Republic Square Park early Sunday morning when he found a suspicious-looking Alexandra Sheppard, wife of former AMOA finance and operations director Nathan Sheppard, wandering around the Fine Arts Festival tents. In the process......

THURSDAY [19] benefit/music • Do512 and Direct Events co-host a benefit for Groundwork Music with Tammany Hall, The Boxing Lesson at La Zona Rosa (RSVP for Free Entry, $5 Cover Otherwise) books • "The Art of Travel and Travel Writing" with Lonely Planet writer Alex Hershey and Stephanie Elizondo Griest at Intellectual Property (5:00pm) books • The Texas Monthly Author Series presents Ian Rankin at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • Movies in the Park: "Talladega......

Spank Dance Company is conducting a social experiment on you. Have you noticed? Were you wandering around outside of the Convention Center during SXSW only to see four red clad dancers (and one whimsical ring leader) spontaneously break into dance? Maybe you were enjoying the epic day we had this past Thursday at Republic Square Park and caught a glimpse of them. According to Spank Dance Company's director and choreographer, Ellen Bartel, if you......

The 57th Annual Austin Fine Arts Festival is set to showcase the creative powerhouse of Austin artistry Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15 at Republic Square Park. The festival will shine a light on the work of more than 220 visual artists as well as Grammy award winning musicians. The event will also feature artist demos, local food, and art activities. Tickets are $8, kids 12 and under get in free. Saturday's festivities run......

For those of us who are dying to see Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse, April just isn't coming fast enough. We mean, have you seen the trailer for this thing? Zombies! Carnage! A girl with a gun for a leg! We're foaming at the mouth just thinking about it. Anyhow—to tide us over until April, Mr. Rodriguez has teamed up with SXSW and the Alamo Drafthouse to present a Grindhouse Double Feature at Republic......

Beginning this Saturday, the Saturday Austin Farmer's Market is shimmying from Republic Square park over to Cesar Chavez Street near Austin City Hall. "Why," you may ask, "do they need to be shifting the location of delicious vegetation?" The answer lies in the soon-to-be-blowed-up shell of the Intel building which looms over Republic Square park. We agree that it is good to be able to shop for fresh and delicious produce without beams and......

Sometime this fall, the city is finally going to take steps to demolish that half-assed Intel building. The eyesore has been stagnant for so long, we can't remember what was there before it existed. Probably a Liberty Lunch or Armadillo equivalent that became prey to evergrowing corporate needs to just build something. Intel pulled the plug on construction in 2001 with no intention to complete it. Now we know there were a gajillion cool things......

Local big name Chefs Tyson Cole of Uchi and David Bull of the Driskill Grill will go head-to-head “Iron Chef” style this Saturday during the Healthy Chef Showdown at the Austin Farmers’ Market. Cole, named one of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2005 and Bull, who tried to kick Bobby Flay's ass on the real Iron chef and lost (but still kicks ass if you ask us), will get all Celebrity......

The Alamo Drafthouse, Austin Parks Foundation and AT&T have teamed up to bring us a special series of free entertainment featuring live music, movie screenings and special guest stars. Four Sundays between now and October 7th will feature evening screenings and musical acts for the whole family. So, why sit at home watching football on a Sunday night when you can enjoy a nice cool Texas summer outside among family, friends, bands and legends of......

After all of the hogs have cranked their way out of town on Sunday, you will finally be able to come out of your house and enjoy the town. We suggest you re-acclimate yourself with the outdoors by enjoying live music and a movie in Republic Square Park. For Free. Sunday night will be the first event on the MySpace Presents the Bside Roadshow. The tour will travel the country bringing independent film and......

MONDAY [22] [film] Letters from the Other Side at Congregational Church of Austin (7pm, Free) [link] [film] Hands on a Hard Body at Austin Java (8pm, Free) [link] [film] Jarhead at Cafe Mundi (8pm, Free) [link] [film] True Stories at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) [link] [film] Salt of the Earth at MonkeyWrench Books (8pm, $5) [link] [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm) [link] [tv] 24 Season Finale at Alamo Downtown (7pm, Free) [link]......

FRIDAY [19] [music] Cross Canadian Ragweed w/ Micky & the Motorcars at Stubb's (link) [music] Clint Small Jr. Middle School's Phat Cats Jazz Ensemble at Waterloo Records (Free, 6pm) (link) [music] Moth Fight! at End of an Ear (Free, 7pm) (link) [music] Faceless Werewolves, Hotrails, Tokyo Nites at Beerland (link) [music] Dynah CD release at Red Eyed Fly (link) [music] Wilco Hoot Night with "many, many Austin bands" at Trophy's (link) [music] Pudge Zeppelin with......

This Sunday evening, Austin joins the rest of the world for the 23rd International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service, the world's largest and oldest annual grassroots HIV/AIDS event designed to honor the memory of those lost, show support for those those living with HIV/AIDS, and encourage community involvement in the fight against the disease. Now participating for the seventh year, Austin's memorial service will start with Mayor Will Wynn lighting the first candle and reading a......

Beginning at 9:30am today, Downtown Austin will be wireless. That’s right folks, no more sitting at coffee shops acting like you’re working on your masters thesis when you're really just surfing MySpace or playing Halo. Or whatever the hell it is all of y'all are doing. Now you can do it in Republic Square Park next to a urinating transient in the shade of a lovely tree. In preparation for next week’s World Congress on......

Anyone looking to start their weekend early can head over to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, which is hosting a bevy of special screenings for both discriminating and very-non-discriminating moviegoers. The Shaw Brothers retrospective continues with The Five Deadly Venoms, arguably the pinnacle of 1970s kung-fu mythology, and the legendary Lon Chaney gives a genuinely chilling performance as The Phantom Of The Opera, a silent classic with live creepy-organ-music courtesy of Austin composer Graham......

MONDAY 24[music] TV On the Radio, Celebration, The Cocker Spaniels at Emo's (info) [film] Save Our Springs Alliance presents "Driving Sprawl," A 20-minute documentary about Advanced Micro Devices planned move to the Barton Springs watershed. at Ruta Maya (8pm) (info) [music] Josh Rouse at Cactus Café ($22, Through Tuesday) (info) [film/drinking] FuseBox Happy Hour/Nerve.com Screening at Blue Theater (6pm, $5, FREE beer and wine) (info) [books] Anthony Horowitz presents Ark Angel : An Alex Rider......

There is a lot going on this weekend. And throughout the summer, for that matter. You will be exhausted and needing that loveliest of leisure activities to help you unwind. And soon enough it will be 1,000 degrees outside and you will need something to keep you occupied while you float around at the springs or rest in your pecan tree-shaded hammock. We don't know about you, but our favorite thing to do when......

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)......

MONDAY [10][karaoke] Monday Karaoke at Beerland (Free, 9pm) (link) [film] Monday Movies al fresco, with 'Heavenly Creatures" and "Welcome to the Dollhouse" at Sidebar (link) [comedy/books] David Sedaris at Bass Concert Hall (8pm) (link) [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (Free, 8pm) (link) [film/drinking] FUSEBOX Happy Hour at Blue Theater (6pm, $5, screening of short films by Austin's Zellner Brothers as part of the ongoing FUSEBOX Festival) (link) [theatre] "Durang/Durang" at Mary Mood Northern Theatre (8pm,......

Be sure to check out our extensive theatre coverage and new movie releases. Please let us know about any corrections/suggestions! FRIDAY [31] [music] Reckless Kelly at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Peter & the Wolf, Navajo Radio and more at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] Ghostface Killah, Word Association, DJ Notion at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] The Glass Family w/ Quien es Boom (CD Release) & Brothers and Sisters at The Parish Room (link) [music] Red......

Austinist would generally claim you, dear readers, to be lucky ducks, though today we'll crown you as fortunate as the swans of Town Lake. Here's why: we're loading you up with tons of artdata. People, get ready. The first order of business is this weekend's Austin Fine Arts Festival, or TAFAF, which is fifty years old 'n strong. It was originally conceived in the 1950s by one Miss Peggy Frary, an art lover and......