SXSW Look Ahead

Celeb spotting: The stars we'll be scouting during SXSW

Editor in Chief, Caitlin Ryan:

Vanessa Hudgens: Because I have this perverse fantasy of seeing a Disney darling intoxicated. No class here.

Olivia Wilde: Sure, she's pretty, but she's funny and cool enough to have, just this week, Tweeted Justin Bieber, saying "put your f--king shirt on."

Managing Editor, Arden Ward:

Stevie Nicks. "Just like the white winged dove..." Oh, Stevie. When I was a mere 12, I didn't understand your ribboned tambourines that seemed to overshadow the pre-recorded Fleetwood Mac concert that played frequently on my VCR. But it didn't take long for me to grow, to understand that your music and style are the kindred spirit to all young women learning to be free, learning to pick themselves up. Nicks will sit down for a SXSW Music interview on Thursday, March 13.

Fred Armisen. So many perfect vignettes exist in Austin for the Portlandia star. Will he have a midday cocktail at the Yellow Jacket? Enjoy an afternoon segway tour? Chill side stage at Mohawk? The possibilities are endless.

Listings Editor, Aleksander Chan:

Justin Timberlake. I'm political about the former boy bander: I prefer him as an actor who sings as opposed to a singer that acts. Not that I don't enjoy his tunes (I think we can all agree that "My Love" is a jam in the greatest sense of the word), I just think he's funnier than he is musical. But he's truly at his best when his talents mix — see any of his Saturday Night Live hosting gigs (including this Saturday) for ample proof. He'll probably be in Austin to promote MySpace, the social network he, bizarrely, co-owns.

Joss Whedon. The Avengers didn't really do it for me. What an ordeal, watching buildings blow up for three hours while Robert Downey Jr. tosses off pithy retorts. No, I'm excited to run into Whedon because he pioneered the idea that television could have auteurist visions (his Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly being the premier examples), that a creator of TV show can be just as closely associated (and thusly praised) as a director is to a film. Plus, he's staged a promising-looking adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, which is screening at the fest.

Jake Johnson. Or Nick on New Girl. He's played other raffish slacker-types in Safety Not Guaranteed and 21 Jump Street, and he's co-starring in Drinking Buddies with Anna Kendrick, but he's at his best opposite Zooey Deschanel. Slapstick is hard to do right (as the cast of Seinfeld can attest) and Johnson contorts his body in ways heretofore unseen. But the best way to explain, really, is to see for yourself.

Writer, Ryan Lakich:

Ken Marino. Possibly my favorite comedic actor for some time now, Marino is a hilarious workhorse plugging away at his craft since his early days on The State. Often overshadowed in cult comedy hits Party Down and Children’s Hospital, he’s now getting the chance to take the lead in Burning Love on E! and even in a feature film, Milo, that will receive its premiere at SXSW. Mainly, I want to meet the man so I can annoy him until he repeats his classic catchphrase from The State.

Danny Boyle. I’ll never forget the last time I got to see Danny Boyle in person. Way back in 2008 as a recent transfer to UT, I volunteered at the Austin Film Festival, and when passing through the Driskill Bar I looked over to see the Academy Award-winning director chatting it up with someone at a nearby table. He is my first official celebrity siting in Austin, but now, with a film degree under my belt, I want to be the other person sitting across from him as we discuss film art over a few drinks.

Tarder Sauce, a.k.a. “Grumpy Cat.” Hearing the news of Grumpy Cat coming to town for SXSW made me jump out of my seat. I couldn’t be luckier to live in a city that has all of these exceptionally talented artists visiting for the next week, but I realize that I am a member of the first Internet generation, and a cat that is forever frowning is just as much of a hero to me as any of these other celebrities. If I can get a photo with Tard, I will never have to change my Facebook and Twitter profile pic ever again.

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Hop On the News Bus

Autin's public transit provider CapMetro keeps lowering budget

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Still, CapMetro's plans for improvement continue on.

Austin’s public transit provider, CapMetro, plans to cut its budget by about 20 percent for next year.

The decision comes as the agency faces a downturn in sales tax revenue.

CapMetro's proposed budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year is $704.8 million. However, for the last few years, CapMetro's budget has declined. For 2023-24, the board of directors approved a budget of $871 million, and in 2022-23, they approved a $902.8 million budget.

“We’re in good financial position,” said CapMetro Deputy CFO Kevin Conlan during a September 11 board meeting. “I’m very optimistic for next year, but we remain very guarded as well, with a downturn in sales tax.”

In this proposed budget, they are expecting a sales tax revenue of $402.8 million. Despite a lower budget, CapMetro said it still plans to bring some large projects online.

Their capital improvement budget, at $229.8 million, makes up for the largest of their expenses. The largest chunk of that budget, $149.1 million over five years, will go toward a North Demand Response Facility and their new headquarters build-out.

More improvements include $15 million for CapMetro Pickup, the on-demand ride share shuttle that picks people up right in their neighborhoods, and $2.4 million toward BikeShare operations and expansions. Earlier this year, CapMetro started replacing all of the city bikes with fully electric ones.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

public transportation bus