April 25, 2008

Craig Staggs

Volume 27, Number 34

news

'Chronicle' Endorsements

May 10 municipal elections

BY THE CHRONICLE EDITORIAL BOARD

Early Voting

April 28-May 6

CITY COUNCIL ELECTION PREVIEW

Point Austin: What's at Stake?

There will be blood

BY MICHAEL KING

The Long Shadow of Wal-Mart

Place 1 candidates differ on development, environment

BY LEE NICHOLS

Upcoming Candidate Forums

An Uncertain Hand

A pair of wild cards in Place 3

BY KATHERINE GREGOR

Six-Card Stud

It's a wide-open Place 4 race

BY WELLS DUNBAR

That Girl Can Sing

On the Trail With Gale

BY KIMBERLY REEVES

Partisan Values or Expertise?

ACC board, Place 1 poses an interesting choice for voters

BY LEE NICHOLS

Don't Forget the Children

AISD races and bond proposals

BY RICHARD WHITTAKER

Group Calls for Museum Director's Ouster

Museum director makes girls cry

BY ANDREA GRIMES

Waterfront Agreement Ends Deadlock

Neighbors and developer reach deal on condo project

BY KATHERINE GREGOR

Dildos No Longer a Hard Sell

Anatomically correct and legal, too!

BY JORDAN SMITH

New Rail Plan Rolled Out

The latest line on streetcars

BY KATHERINE GREGOR

Naked City

News briefs from Austin, the region, and elsewhere

Point Austin: What's at Stake?

There will be blood

BY MICHAEL KING

Beside the Point

It's nickel-and-dime time at City Hall

BY WELLS DUNBAR

The Hightower Report

Big-Spending George; and House the Rich

BY JIM HIGHTOWER

food

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Gluten Free Kneads is rolling out gluten-free cookie and pizza doughs

BY KATE THORNBERRY

Food-o-File

The busy life of Cathy Cochran-Lewis, Earth Day, and White Moun­tain Foods founder passes

BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD

Event Menu

April 24-May 1

BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD

Wines of the Week

Big company distributes small wines

BY WES MARSHALL

Food Reviews

Imperia

Imperia confuses Austinites with its delicious and disgusting fancy Asian-food offerings

Vino Vino

A great Hyde Park hub for wine and appetizers
music

WILLIE

Last of a Breed

Veteran Austin music scribe tackles a topic equal to his skill: Willie Nelson

BY DAN OKO

Landmark Willie

BY JOE NICK PATOSKI

Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir

'Austin, 1972,' an excerpt from Joe Nick Patoski's new tome, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life

BY JOE NICK PATOSKI

'Willie Nelson: An Epic Life' Book Review

567 pages might not be enough to cover Willie Nelson's Epic Life

BY DOUG FREEMAN

Austin: 197 ...

Off the Record

The battle for Townes Van Zandt's legacy wages on, Willie and the Doggfather get Half Baked in Amsterdam, and Pinetop Perkins gets his mojo working

BY AUSTIN POWELL

Phases & Stages

Portishead

Third

The Clash

Revolution Rock

The Roots, Braille, Re-Up Gang, Sandman, Cadence Weapon

Rising Down, The IV Edition, We Got It for Cheap, Vol. 3, Philadelphia Ego, Afterparty Babies

The Black Keys

Attack and Release

R.E.M.

Accelerate

Allison Moorer

Mockingbird

Santogold

Santogold

The Dynamics

Version Excursions
screens

The Warped Tour

Tim and Eric of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! perfect the anti-joke

BY AUDRA SCHROEDER

Big in Japan, but What About Austin?

Magnolia Pictures and the Alamo Drafthouse hope to build an audience for a Japanese oddity here in the heart of Texas

BY MARC SAVLOV

A Whale of a Tale Goes 21st Century

The Fuse Box Festival hosts a Herman Melville Hoot Nite

BY KIMBERLEY JONES

Benh Zeitlin Benefit

Helping to defray hospital bills for injured SXSW filmmaker Benh Zeitlin

BY SPENCER PARSONS

Film News

Changing of the guard at SXSW Film, the Alamo Ritz gets boozy, Austin Golden Hour wants nothing to do with its namesake, and more

BY JOE O'CONNELL

TV Eye

Summer hiatus is almost here. 'TV Eye's ready to fall under the thrall of the next new thing.

BY BELINDA ACOSTA

Film Reviews

The Animation Show 4

Mike Judge is back with a brand new collection of short animated films, and it's premiering here in Austin.

Baby Mama

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler skewer motherhood but make sure that nothing gets terribly burnt.

Big Man Japan

Midnight madness doesn't begin to categorize this bizarre Japanese superhero/monster movie.

Chapter 27

Jared Leto gains weight and lets it all hang out as John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, in this fictionalized account of what occurred at the Dakota.

88 Minutes

Al Pacino stars in this dull and formulaic procedural.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Ben Stein uncovers the worldwide plot to unseat scientists, educators, and philosophers who are being fired, ridiculed, and ostracized for supporting the theory of intelligent design.

The Life Before Her Eyes

Although Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood deliver strong performances, this film from the director of House of Sand and Fog is a muddled affront.

My Blueberry Nights

Filmmaker Wong Kar-wai's English-language debut stars the singer Norah Jones in her acting debut, but instead of exuding newness this sensuous film has an also-ran feel.

Tashan

In this highly anticipated new Bollywood film, three people travel across India on a dangerous journey during which no one can be trusted.

The Visitor

The writer/director of The Station Agent is back with another interpersonal drama that is strangely both predictable and unpredictable.
arts & culture

The Electric Exchange

Theatre, dance, music, and film meld and get supercharged in the Fuse Box Festival

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Butler School of Music: For this John Adams, a King

UT honors the Nixon in China composer with an award for his notable musical work and three concerts featuring his compositions

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Austin Arts Hall of Fame: Class of 2008

The seventh group of inductees includes individuals from the fields of architecture, comedy, music, and patronage

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Ladies Are Funny Festival: Are ladies ... funny? Girls Girls Girls insist, 'Yes, yes, yes.'

The second round of the comedy fest spotlighting women adds sketch, stand-up, and more

BY WAYNE ALAN BRENNER

Arts Reviews

Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil

The ProArts/ACC co-production plays out like a Robert Johnson number: strong, sweet, natural, and full of longing

Susannah

The Butler Opera Center production achieves real magic, most notably a triumphant performance in the title role

Carmen

Austin Lyric Opera’s debut in the Long Center serves Bizet’s classic in a clear, uncluttered way that satisfies
columns

Page Two: The Vision Thing

Championing idealism over realism is not inherently good, moral, or noble

BY LOUIS BLACK

Day Trips

Caprock Canyons State Park is a hidden gem of a state park that you won't forget once you've seen it

BY GERALD E. MCLEOD

Playing Through

Realize your long-held rowing dreams at the Texas Rowing Center

BY THOMAS HACKETT

Letters @ 3AM

Globalization isn't only something that's happening to our economy: Globalization is happening to us – to our bodies, our families, and our psyches

BY MICHAEL VENTURA

After a Fashion

Stephen is going to affairs and fundraisers as if his life depends on it. Oh, right.

BY STEPHEN MACMILLAN MOSER

Mr. Smarty Pants Knows

Spaghetti made from coca leaf flour and Bolognese sauce made from llama meat, temperamental Alfred Hitchcock, and more

BY MR. SMARTY PANTS

The Common Law

Deadline for Homestead Exemption?

BY LUKE ELLIS

Luv Doc Recommends: Lone Star State Jam

Waterloo Park, Saturday, April 26, 2008

BY THE LUV DOC

Feedback

Letters to the editor, published daily
sports

Soccer Watch

Austin Aztex announce rooster, and more

BY NICK BARBARO

One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle