I know April’s halfway over, but there’s still a shitload of stuff to check out at the Drafthouse (but what else is new). Here’s some highlights:

• Fearless Freaks, Starts 4/15 - Village
  If you missed this music documentary about the Flaming Lips during SXSW, now’s your chance to check it out. Highly recommended.
• The Sinus Show: Travoltathon, Starts 4/15 - Downtown
  The Sinus guys are back, this time they’ll be lampooning some choice clips from the distinguished filmography of one John Travolta.
• The Animation Show, Starts 4/15 - South Lamar
  Don Hertzfeldt returns with others in one of the best animated shorts programs around
• The Comedians of Comedy w/ Live Comedy, 4/19 - Downtown
  Another great documentary from SXSW, and by far the funniest. Plus check out some of Austin’s own comedians before the movie.
• The South Park Movie Sing-along, 4/20 - Downtown
  Need I say more?
• The Films of Kim Jong Il: Pulgasari, 4/25 - Downtown
  See some quality North Korean propaganda / Godzilla-esque action. Plus Kim Jong Il live in person (pending state dept. approval). $1 Night!
• The Beaver Trilogy, 4/27 - Downtown
  Some things are just two wierd to describe. Everyone should see this. Crispin Glover’s best performance.
• Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room, Starts 4/29 - South Lamar
  Yet another great SXSW doc. About the fall of Enron.

More on the Drafthouse [Originalalamo.com]

“Simply defined a man date is two heterosexual men socializing without the crutch of business or sports. It is two guys meeting for the kind of outing a straight man might reasonably arrange with a woman. Dining together across a table without the aid of a television is a man date; eating at a bar is not. Taking a walk in the park together is a man date; going for a jog is not. Attending the movie ‘Friday Night Lights’ is a man date, but going to see the Jets play is definitely not.”

What about President Bush’s man date?

The Man Date [NYT]

If you like reggae music and you havn’t checked out Austin’s annual Bob Marley festival, then you must be really really stoned.
The festival is this weekend, April 16 and 17, at Auditorium Shores. Tickets are $7 for one day or $10 for both days. But make sure you bring two cans of food to donate to the Capital Area Food Bank. As usual, there are tons of reggae bands playing, and of course the wonderful smell of pot mixed with B.O.

More Info [austinmarleyfest.com]

More from the 79th session of the Texas legislature today, also known as the longest running April Fools joke of all time, concerning bill HB 789; which, if passed, would make it impossible for municipalities in Texas to start Wi-fi programs in libraries, parks, and other public places. The bill has garnered support from many representatives, including Rep. Phil King (the bill’s sponsor) and wireless broadband provider SBC, who feel that free municipal Wi-fi is directly competing with businesses whose job it is to deliver wireless internet. As Rep. King puts it, “No business should have to compete with public tax dollars.”
The thing is: SBC, although they may think otherwise, does not own the Internet. Nor do they own the radio waves used by wireless internet or the air in which they reside. These things are in fact owned by the people via the government. If offering Wi-fi in public places infringes on SBC’s right to free-market competition then the world must have gone mad without me noticing. To even remotely compete with businesses then the city would have to offer Wi-fi as a for-profit program. Something which no city has ever done or, as far as I know, planned to do.
But they’re still making a big deal about it. Come on guys, the joke’s not funny anymore.

Text of HB 789 [PDF]
Phil King Still Confused [SaveMuniWireless.org]