Love is in the air

The Intergalactic Nemesis invited to spend Valentine's Day with Conan O'Brien

The wily and adventerous crew of Austin's own The Intergalactic Nemesis is ready to head to new heights of awesome this month with a Valentine's Day television premeire on Conan.

Nemesis Producer and Director Jason Neulander excitedly announced to the show's fans on Facebook Friday evening that the team would head to O'Brien's studio for a taping of a segment of the show that will include O'Brien himself, along with comedy partner Andy Richter.

This exciting news comes hot off the national press the Nemesis team received after an extended national tour across the country and a killer story from NPR correspondent Margot Adler — who caught the show at New York — on NPR's All Things Considered. Neulander, foley artist Buzz Moran and voice actor Chris Gibson were all in attendance to explain and hype the live action graphic novel, which reimagines the nostalgia of previous forms of storytelling.

For those Austinites who have seen the staged version of the comic book/radio show, you already know the humor and the creativity that makes this prouduction so special. From Tim Doyle's classic comic book artwork to Graham Reynold's dramatic scoring to Moran's live sound effects work, the show is a multimedia spectacle like nothing else.

Now you throw in a living comedy icon like O'Brien into a segment of the show, and it truly warrants Neulander's comment last night: "State of disbelief? Yes."

Audiences across the country have now experienced Book One: Target Earth, which is only the first installment of the story of journalist Molly Sloan, her assistant Timmy Mendez and librarian Ben Wilcott as they encounter the mysterious Zygonians. On June 8, the Nemesis team premieres Book Two: Robot Planet Rising at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. You better believe it's only going to get more epic and more spectacular.

If you can't wait that long for your next Intergalactic Nemesis fix, you can pick up the graphic novels and the cast recording CDs from their website. And be sure to see the cast performing with Conan on his show on the 14th, and fall in love with the show all over again.

New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Elisabet Ney Museum Austin

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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