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Austin, Pop Culture

Tucker Max is a Douchey Douche

Did you hear about this bologna yesterday? According to Gothamist, author, douche bag extraordinaire and fellow Austinite (blech!), Tucker Max, had a hissy fit because Planned Parenthood wouldn’t take $500,000 from him. In fact, he had such a fit that he got his friend/media spinner, 25 year-old (!) Ryan Holiday, to slam Planned Parenthood on Forbes. In short, Holiday told Tucker that in order to ease his high tax burden, it would look good if he donated to Planned Parenthood (an organization that Tucker has made fun of on Twitter before). He even suggested that PP would maybe even “name a clinic after him”. Can you imagine stepping foot into a clinic named after a dude who uses women and generally doesn’t give a shit about anyone other than himself?

I posted the Austinist version of this article on my social media profiles and got a wide range of responses from friends and strangers. Everyone agreed that Tucker is the reigning king of douchism, but some  said, “money is money” and (more…)

April 5, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

Have You Been to Austin? I Can’t Tell if the Locals are Rednecks or Junkies (Video)

This year, Geoff and I got to be a part of making official bumpers for SXSW. He directed them and I helped produce them (I also co-wrote one about furries beating up annoying badge holders). They played before screenings at SXSW Film along with bumpers made by local filmmaker Joe Nicolosi (you might remember him from last year’s mega hit  “Mario”), Zach Anner and New York-based filmmaker Lauren Wolkstein.

SXSW just made one of the bumpers by Nicolosi available on Youtube. It happens to star a favorite someone of mine (Geoff) and putting favoritism aside, I do think it’s pretty f’ing funny. Nicolosi has a real talent for comedy. Check out his Youtube channel here. The bumper pokes fun at a subject matter I talk frequently about- people from LA moving to Austin. I swear I didn’t grow a beard that long when I first moved here.

 

March 23, 2012 by
Austin, Writing

Blogging Bootcamp 101: Interested in Learning More About Blogging?

I’ve had Hipstercrite for over three years now.

I’ve watched it go from 10 visits PER WEEK to 10 visits every five minutes. Though my traffic is not in the big leagues just yet, it still boggles my mind that as many people read it as they do.

My blog was initially read by one friend and my parents (secretly). After I moved to Austin, the wonderful artists/thinkers/writers/social media stars took me with open arms and got my name out there. I won the Austin Blogger Awards’ “Blogger of the Year” title and have been offered a lot of freelance local (and non-local) writing work. Because of this, my blog grew. Since Austin is so closely connected to LA and NYC and I don’t solely write about Austin, half of my demographic is non-Austinites. During SXSW it completely blew me away when I introduced myself to strangers from out of town and they heard of my blog. I never imagined in a million years my writing would be read by people other than my parents.

I’m not saying this to toot my (more…)

March 20, 2012 by
Austin, Fashion/Design

Lovely Austin: Dressing Like Jackie O For Cheap

I’m not a fashionista, but I’ve always liked dressing nicely.

I don’t really care for the frowny-face, pigeon-toed, slumpy-shoulder hot mess look that is popular in fashion these days. I like streamline, sleek, well-made and classy.

Diane Keaton is my fashion icon and spirit animal.

I grew up in a family-owned clothing store, so wearing well-made clothing has always been a priority. Unfortunately, I’m at a point in my life where affording well-made clothing is not an option. I’m poor. And weak.

This is why I fell in love with boutique store, Lovely Austin.

Lovely Austin is a luxury vintage label consignment shop located on South 1st at Monroe in a darling converted 100 year-old home.

The second I walked into the store and spotted a James Coviello tailored ladies vest (which I later bought), I knew I would be spending hours in there. The vest fit me perfectly and it reminded me how wonderful high-end clothing is- they’re made to look good on you!

What makes this store (more…)

March 20, 2012 by
Austin, Hipstercrite Life

The Death of Austin, Texas

source

A scary realization came to me the other night while I was driving around looking for parking east of Interstate 35 to catch a screening downtown. East of I-35 (East Austin) is typically where I park if I go anywhere downtown; it’s much easier than fighting for or paying for parking.

As I parked deeper than I normally would on the eastside due to the chaos that is SXSW, the realization that parking on the eastside could one day no longer be free hit me like a ton of bricks. Flashbacks of paying hundreds of dollars a year in parking meters, permits and parking tickets in Los Angeles came flooding back.

This may sound like a trivial concern, but it lead to the larger question that had been dancing in my brain while I battled thousands of people through the streets, sidewalks, events and stores as I wandered through SXSW- how much is Austin changing and is it for the better or worse?

I overheard a few rumblings from locals during the film and interactive portion of SXSW that (more…)

March 15, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture

Does SXSW Give You Anxiety?!

Does SXSW give you ragin’ anxiety like it does for me?

I have something to clear off my flat chest.

After all this talk of blogging about SXSW- I can’t do it.

You know why?

Because I’ve already fizzled out.

My little motor has died and I already buried it in the backyard along with the feral cats of East Austin.

I don’t care enough about the hottest app, movie, party or show and scrambling back to regurgitate it all to you. I pretended like I cared a lot, but I’m realizing I don’t. Maybe that makes me a bad blogger, journalist or social media whore, but so be it.

When you live in Austin and work in or around the creative industries, you feel as though you’re supposed to squeeze SXSW by the nuts and get every last drop out of ’em. As a writer, screenwriter and social media nerd, it would be silly for me not to take full advantage of the festival, right? To go on 3 hours sleep every night, be drunk most of the time and trying to nudge my way into the hottest parties, (more…)

March 12, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Pop Culture

SXSW Film Begins! What to Watch Friday, March 9th

SXSW is here…and it’s rainy as shit! Unfortunately, I have to work tonight so I won’t be seeing any films, but Geoff got up early to get his express passes for Josh Whedon’s Cabin the Woods at the Paramount. If I were able to see films tonight, I’d skip out on Cabin in the Woods and check out the narrative Electrick Children (State Theater) by New York filmmaker Rebecca Thomas.

If you’re attending SXSW Film this year, I’ll be at the opening party at Buffalo Billiard’s tonight. Hope to see you there!

Here are my list of go-to screenings tonight. I starred the ones you should make priority.

Cabin in the Woods– 7PM @ Paramount

Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, a mind blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out.

Produced by Whedon and directed by Goddard from a script by both, the film stars Kristen Connolly, (more…)

March 9, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Music, Pop Culture, Writing

The #1 Thing Austinites Want To Achieve At SXSW 2012

SXSW kicks off tomorrow and it got me thinking, “What is the #1 thing I want to achieve at the festival this year?”

My goal is to watch Dave Foley piss on the side of a building again. Or if I’m really lucky, it will be a tag-team of Dave Foley AND Willem Dafoe peeing all over 6th Street.

I asked some of my fave Austin bloggers and movers & shakers what their goals are for this year’s SXSW.

Take a look at their tips below!

Cathy Benavides/Found of Austin Slave to Fashion: “I am most looking forward to meeting and chatting with people in the fashion community for Style X. Last year was a great kick off for Style X and they have lined up some great speakers and designers for this year. Fashion is invading SXSW and it warms my cold black heart!”

Chris Apollo Lynn/Founder of Republic of Austin: “During SX, people want to achieve everything from seeing a set number of bands to imbibing hella free booze. I’ve found that setting expectations can either lead to long lines or (more…)

March 8, 2012 by
Austin, Hipstercrite Life, Music, Pop Culture, Writing

The Other 2012 SXSW Parties You Should Attend

You see, I could give a crap about RSVPing to all the hot SXSW parties this year and standing in line for hours on end in my only pair of stylish shoes that I pull out once or twice a year because they give me knee pains and being crammed into a small area with hundreds of drunk scenesters that step on my said only pair of stylish shoes which forces me to go all Hulk-like on everyone and tell them to “BACK THE FUCK ON UP!”, but in reality I actually won’t, so I become a shell of a person, completely despondent to all that is around me.

Instead, I’m checking out the other parties. The parties that I know won’t be overcrowded, or if they are, at least I can learn a thing or two about a cool new app, business venture or meet some neat-o folks.

Check out this list of parties if you’re hoping not to get your pinky toes murdered.

Who: The Warby Parker Citzen’s Circus
When: March 12-14th starting at 1PM
Where: French Legation Museum
Why: Cause who doesn’t want to hobnob with this (more…)

March 7, 2012 by
Austin, Pop Culture

SXSW Is Coming…

SXSW is fast approaching and everyone is talkin’ about their plans.

I haven’t RSVP’d for a single party.

This time of year equally attracts me and repels me. The prospects of running into old friends, seeing informative films, meeting interesting folks and watching Dave Foley piss on a wall make me giddy. The knowing that thousands upon thousands of assholes will also be piling into town, causing traffic, taking our parking spots and playing shitty music SCARES THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME.

I don’t know how I feel right now.

All I know is this…

double entendre

 

February 27, 2012 by