Entertainment Archives - Page 61 of 71

Guide to the 20th Annual Austin Film Festival, Starting This Week

October 22, 2013 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Austin Film Festival screening at The Paramount

October is upon us! Fall is in the air and maybe, just maybe, you can comfortably wear a jacket at night. Most of the world looks forward to the end of October because of Halloween. But in Austin, many of us look forward to the Austin Film Festival!

The Austin Film Festival is an annual film festival and conference that occurs at the end of October at different theaters and venues in downtown Austin. Currently in its 20th year, the event specializes in being the festival for screenwriters. Not only does Austin Film Festival feature many different films from around the world, it also hosts extremely memorable panels, as well as pitch competitions. So if you’re a budding screenwriter (like me) or if you happen to have that one script hiding under your seat, this is the festival to go to. [Read more…]

The Show! Austin Features Locally Grown Film and Comedy Every Month

October 22, 2013 by Dustin Vegas 2 Comments

Enjoying The Show! Austin at Spiderhouse Ballroom (Photo credit: Rudy Ximenez Photography)

The Austinot loves supporting local creatives. We have covered film competitions, art museums, and more live entertainment than you can shake a stick at. Learning about The Show! Austin, however, was a special treat. The Show! is an hub for Austin-only entertainment. If you love film, comedy, or anything in between, then The Show! is a must-see.

You may not know this, but Austin, Texas is home to some of the best entertainers in the country. It makes sense if you think about it. Austin is weird. Austin is creative. Austin is educated. And we’ve still got that Texas “Come and Take It!” spirit. Roll all that up with some cameras and a boom mic, and you get our distinct anti-Hollywood entertainment industry. We create things Los Angeles will not. [Read more…]

The Goodnight in Austin Refines Playground for Adults

October 16, 2013 by Eric Highland 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: As of May 2018, The Goodnight on West Anderson Lane has closed. A new location is planned for West Sixth Street.

The Goodnight in Austin sits an arrow’s flight away from Alamo Drafthouse Village on West Anderson. It’s an adults-only playground (18+ until 9 PM, 21+ after 9 PM) with an upscale menu, massive bar, bowling, ping pong, karaoke, shuffleboard and more.

Just shy of a year ago, our contributing blogger, Laura Darby, made a visit to The Goodnight in Austin. She was searching for a temporary replacement for The Highball, which was undergoing a long-term renovation project. Laura’s article, combined with the mixed comments left by readers, peaked my interest enough to want to check out The Goodnight for myself. [Read more…]

Join in the Big Sing at Blanton Museum of Art

October 14, 2013 by Cris Mueller Leave a Comment

The Blanton Museum of Art (Photo credit: BlantonMuseum.org)

Have you ever been caught singing in public, in your car, in the grocery store, at work? Now’s your chance to belt out melodies in participation with the Austin community, at Big Sing – where the audience is the choir!

Grammy-nominated Conspirare will be hosting this season’s first Big Sing event on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 6:30 PM. The free event will take place at The Blanton Museum of Art, located at 200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Big Sing & Carillon 09 034 - Copy sm man & music fr back

Photo credit: E. Stuart Phillips

Emphasizing the current installment of artwork on display at The Blanton, this edition of the beloved and free Big Sing event invites Austin locals to participate in the singing of songs from the German Renaissance era, featuring Hans Leo Hassler, Johann Walter, and Martin Luther.

There will also be popular music featured from other times and places. In the past, Big Sings have included familiar rounds, spirituals, Beatles songs, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and popular 20th century standards from the Great American Songbook. [Read more…]

A Fantastic Time at Austin’s Fantastic Fest

October 4, 2013 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Fantastic Fest is home to lovers of science fiction, cult and horror films (Photo credit: Jack Plunkett)

This guest blog article is by Robert Luke.

The newest Alamo Drafthouse location lies past the northwest, intersecting highways that precede the Lakeline area. Last week, that theater hosted the infamous Fantastic Fest. For the uninitiated, Fantastic Fest is an annual, ten-day film festival specializing in acclaimed science fiction, cult, and horror films from all over the world.

But the films are only half the fun. When the film geeks, movie stars and film makers are not sitting in a theater, the entire site is one insane, geeky party, featuring debates (with boxing matches), karaoke, and dunking tanks. [Read more…]

The Gents: Folk Rock and Then Some

September 26, 2013 by Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

The Gents (Photo credit: The Gents Facebook page)

This guest blog article is by Joana Ortiz.

I’ve been itching to write about these guys. Two buddies from Richmond, Virginia (Matthew ‘Matty’ Blissard and Kevin Manship, both on vocals/guitar), plus a Texan (Tyler Jordan, bass/vocals), plus a Montanan (Martin McCain, drums) performed their first show as The Gents in mid-2012.

Since then, they’ve been playing all over town and have even been guests at the Do512 Lounge.

Like George Michael Always Said: Jitterbug

I’ve seen The Gents perform in the past, and the best way to describe their show in a nutshell would have to be “jitterbug.” I’m not referring to 1940’s secret dance clubs. I’m talking upbeat tempos that make you move like ants are seeking asylum in your shoes. That’s definitely what you’ll see with Matty, who’s crowned as the shuffler on stage. [Read more…]

Persistence of Vision Documentary at Alamo Drafthouse This Month

September 20, 2013 by Lizzy Newsome 1 Comment

This guest blog article is by Lizzy Newsome.

There are few artistic mediums as accessible as animation. The ideas and concepts are born fully illustrated, and the artist’s vision can be shared with viewers of all ages and backgrounds.

On left, Richard Williams the master animator in his studio

This month, the Alamo Drafthouse is bringing Kevin Schreck’s Persistence of Vision to Austin, a documentary centered on the most ambitious animated feature ever created. Or perhaps it should be “never” created. Master animator Richard Williams spent nearly three decades on his animated masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler, but his dreams for the movie were never realized. The cobbled together film was released in 1993 to little fanfare and resulted in a loss of 24 million dollars. [Read more…]

Journey to Bollywood: Om Shanti Delivers

September 16, 2013 by Matthew Champion 4 Comments

Shanti and Om (Photo credit: Sanjay N Patel)

I took the assignment of Om Shanti: Once Upon a Time in Bollywood on a complete whim. I had never experienced anything like it before. The closest I had come was attending my friends’ Persian wedding last year…and when I saw Slumdog Millionaire.

After repeatedly chanting “BOLLYWOOOOOOD!” on the way to the Long Center, my wife and I made our way to grab our tickets and head inside. We were genuinely excited. Upon looking into it, I discovered that Om Shanti was the first ever regionally-produced, large-scale Bollywood musical to come to Austin. Not only was it new to me, but probably to a few others in attendance as well. [Read more…]

Jose Luis Salon Cooks Up Haute Hair at Annual Fashion Show

September 13, 2013 by Lizzy Newsome Leave a Comment

Extravagant hairstyles highlighted at the Jose Luis Salon Fashion Show

This guest blog article is by Lizzy Newsome.

Not to belittle the recent progress, but the Austin fashion “scene” is still newly emerging. Most of the local fashion energy seems to be directed at boutique trunk shows and the annual fashion week festivities. So the Jose Luis Salon 25th Anniversary Fashion Show glimmered in my calendar, and that is before taking into account that this is a HAIR fashion show.

Often gatherings of the stylistically minded in Austin fall short of the creative reputation maintained by our fair city. I had high hopes of witnessing some wonderfully weird couture at this event, and I was not disappointed. [Read more…]

23rd St. Artists’ Market: For the People, By the People

September 4, 2013 by David Thomas 2 Comments

23rd St. Artists’ Market draws a lot of foot traffic from the Drag, especially when UT classes are in session

A couple of years ago when my fiancé and I were first dating, I took her to the Drag. We ate at Dirty Martin’s and went for a walk. Coming across the 23rd St. Artists’ Market, we perused the booths and went about our day’s adventures. Little did I know, we had actually come across an Austin institution as time honored as Eeyore’s Birthday and Barton Springs Pool.

The Market

23rd St. Artists’ Market was founded way back in 1972 after a citywide vote in 1971 led to a referendum establishing the market. In 1976, vendors were restricted to selling only handmade crafts by local artists, and the market hasn’t been moved or changed since.

This past weekend, my fiancé and I returned to 23rd St. Artists’ Market to check things out. The market is [Read more…]