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.

unspecified

Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

Getty Images

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

tesla elon musk safety