it's michelle, y'all

Former first lady Michelle Obama brings her 'intimate' conversation to Austin

The beloved former first lady will visit Austin in 2019.

Photo courtesy of Live Nation

Following a wildly successful 2018 tour across 10 cities, former first lady Michelle Obama is making a stop in Austin in early 2019. On December 11, Live Nation and Crown Publishing announced new dates for Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama — including two Texas stops.

Obama will appear at the Frank Erwin Center on February 28, 2019. She will follow that with an appearance in Houston on March 2 at the Toyota Center.

The public has been clamoring for tickets to Obama’s tour thanks to her wildly successful book, Becoming. The anticipated memoir sold more than 2 million copies in all formats in North America in its first 15 days, according to Penguin Random House.

"I couldn't be more excited to visit even more cities across the country and around the world," says Obama in a statement. "I've been so humbled by the response to the tour thus far and the overwhelming interest we’ve received from so many communities we weren’t able to visit this year. That’s why I’m thrilled that we’re able to expand our conversations to these new settings and wider audiences. I can’t wait to continue the discussions that have been so meaningful for me and, I hope, for so many others.”

Attendees can expect frank reflections on the experiences and events that have shaped Obama, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an attorney balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her years spent at the most famous address in the world. Each stop will feature a to-be-announced moderator who will appear in conversation with the former first lady.

No word if Obama will dish on her sweet running joke with former President George W. Bush, or her icy handshake with President Donald Trump.

In an effort to get tickets into the hands of real fans, the North American events will utilize Ticketmaster's Verified Fan platform. Fans can register now through 8 pm Wednesday, December 12 CST for the Verified Fan presale. Registered fans who receive a code will have access to purchase tickets for the North American events before the general public on Friday, December 14, from 10 am local time to 10 pm.

Tickets for the new North American 2019 dates will go on sale to the general public beginning 10 am on Saturday, December 15 at BecomingMichelleObama.com. A limited number of VIP meet and greet packages with Obama will also be available.

tours celebrities books

Asteroid City

Space-inspired screenings invade Austin Film Society ahead of Wes Anderson's upcoming release

Courtesy AFS

The special screenings feature three films that inspired Wes Anderson's upcoming film Asteroid City.

Yes, Wes Anderson was born in Houston, but we like to claim the UT graduate as our own here in Austin. With his latest film Asteroid City set for release in just a matter of weeks, the anticipation is high. Thankfully, Austin Film Society (AFS) is helping locals get ready.

On June 9 and 10, AFS will screen a series of three films the Texas director cites as influences on his new project. The series is free and will culminate with a special sneak preview of Asteroid City on June 10 at AFS Cinema.

Set in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, the film follows the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention. Organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition, the convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

In true Wes Anderson form, the large ensemble cast features both previous collaborators (Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Adrien Brody, among others) and newcomers in the Anderson universe such as Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Maya Hawke, and more. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to rave reviews.

The trio of AFS screenings leading up to the sneak peek will include On The Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan, on Friday, June 9, at 5 pm, followed by Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind at 9 pm. The series continues on Saturday, June 10, with John Huston's The Misfits at 5 pm before the Asteroid City preview screening at 8:30 pm.

A new book about the mid-century cinematic influences on Asteroid City will also be available for purchase throughout the weekend series. Edited by Jake Perlin and published by Pushkin Press, Do Not Detonate Without Presidential Approval focuses features essays, photography, and a new conversation between Perlin and Wes Anderson.

This series of films is free, and tickets will be available to the public on Tuesday, May 30. To reserve tickets to these events, click here or visit austinfilm.org.