Austin’s 24th annual South by Southwest was nothing short of a roaring success. The atmosphere was complete with excessive foot traffic, eclectic garb and the guarantee that, long after the event is over, your ears will ring for days on end.

By Bonnie Berger Reporter Mission Waco’s Jubilee Theatre is hosting Waco’s Got Talent, a communitywide event showcasing local talent through…

AUSTIN – Calling the film “the biggest struggle of my professional career,” Jodie Foster introduced “The Beaver,” her drama starring the troubled Mel Gibson as a depressed father who reinvents himself with the help of a hand puppet, to its first public audience at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival on Wednesday night in Austin.

As he tells it, Bradley Cooper in 1999 is just another awestruck theater student in the audience of James Lipton’s interview show “Inside the Actors Studio.” Then the hunk with the laser-blue eyes seizes the chance to ask a question of Robert De Niro, his idol, his lodestar, the guy who inspired him to be an actor. De Niro tells him it’s a good one. It exceeds Cooper’s wildest dreams.

Zoo Studio, a band on Baylor’s Uproar Record label, launched its pre-order website for its “The Black and White” EP Monday.

Now into its second quarter-century, its rebellious youth largely a memory and its adolescence rapidly receding into the past, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony canonized Neil Diamond, the Alice Cooper band, Tom Waits, Dr. John and Darlene Love as its newest performer honorees on Monday night at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

We can officially enjoy more sunshine thanks to daylight-saving time, and we’re finally free to pack up our snow boots and heavy coats.

Popular Christian authors Anne Lamott and Donald Miller will meet with an audience of students, faculty and the general public to discuss writing as an act of faith at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building.

Watch the skies. They’re coming to get us all. “They,” of course, are aliens. Not from South of the Border. From outer space.

Dr. Lynne Gackle, associate director of choir ensembles, is the first to address a little-known aspect of the music world — female vocal maturation — in her new book, “Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart: Nurturing the Adolescent Female Voice.”

“Rango” is a big, unruly hoot. The first animated effort from director Gore Verbinski is an homage/sendup of cowboy cliches – and about a half dozen other movie genres to boot.

Traditions Plaza heats up today as the fourth annual Salsa Fest kicks off at 6 and lasts until 9 p.m. featuring free food, live music and plenty of salsa. Hosted by Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the flavorful event pits teams of four against one another as they dice, spice and blend their way into the judges’ hearts.

So Charlie Sheen says he is on a drug called Charlie Sheen. Can you imagine how long the commercial would have to be to list all the side effects of that? One of them, apparently, is that those who talk to the “Two and a Half Men” star, whose hit CBS sitcom has shut down production for at least the rest of this season, seem to think they are the only ones doing it.

Baylor’s departments of Music and Jewish Studies teamed up to bring the composer the New York Times has called “our greatest living composer” to Baylor.

The nonprofit organization 100cameras is putting on an all-day music festival on March 26 at Common Grounds with the help of a Baylor student who is working as an intern for the company.

Passion, history and culture combine for an exciting production of Anna in the Tropics, opening at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Jones Theatre.

If you were watching the Oscars on Sunday night, the narrative of “The King’s Speech” beating “The Social Network” played out on several levels. The Tom Hooper film won in four major categories – best picture, director and actor, as well as in one of the two screenplay categories – the first time since “The Silence of the Lambs” 19 years ago that a single movie walked away with that quartet of prizes.

On Sing’s final night, curtain’s close brought many wins, including the overall title to Pi Beta Phi

Adam Buckley, a Sigma Zeta Chi pledge, sits blindfolded in the back of a van. He learns that the final fraternity initiation requires a convenience store robbery.

Ever since my first CD and first concert (it was DCTalk, and yeah, I’ll admit it,) I’ve been a self-prescribed music critic. Whether or not my tastes are good at any point in time is completely subjective, but I’ve heard and seen a lot, maybe just enough to at least know what is pleasing to the ears.

Looking back at our coverage of the Oscar ceremonies, one tradition is painfully clear: Critics make lousy guests.

For the first time, the largest Baptist institution in the world will greet Gloria Gaither, one of the most influential names in Christian music history.

The cool atmosphere, spacious outdoor seating and friendly wait staff are only a few of the reasons for students to stop into the relatively new, Shorty’s Pizza Shack, located in the shopping center at 12th Street and Bagby Avenue.

Miley Cyrus experiences a surge in positive PR, breaking the long streak of negative rapport as a bad influence on America’s youth.

Tom Ford knows how to work the spotlight. During last year’s awards season, the designer-director was riding the success of his first film, “A Single Man.” This time around, he’s introducing his long-awaited women’s collection and new boutique on Rodeo Drive with a star-studded opening party Thursday.

Sing 2011 was filled with awesome sets, great themes and much improvement. We’ve made some observations on each of the acts. They aren’t meant to be rude — they’re meant to highlight the good and point out the areas that need improvement. Thanks to all the performers for their hard work. Our top three picks are Kappa Omega Tau, Alpha Tau Omega and Pi Beta Phi.

It’s that time of year when friends and classmates look more haggard than usual, disappear each night between the hours of 5 and 10 p.m. and are caught breaking into dance routines in odd places around campus.

Looking to further increase the online footprint for their artists, Uproar Records has begun utilizing a new website for artist promotion.

Everyone has at some point, been asked the question: If your house suddenly went up in flames and you could only salvage one item, what would you race to save? The concept for a Baylor photography professor’s most recent book of portraits called “What I Keep” is a lot like this question. Through photographs, Susan Mullally documents underprivileged people and their most valued items.

One moment can change your life forever. This is one of the messages of Alejandro Gomez Monteverde’s critically acclaimed film “Bella.”