Slackery News Tidbits, January 6

In New Orleans, January 6 is the first day you can buy a king cake before Mardi Gras ... it's the Feast of Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day. So all I can think about today is cake. Fortunately, I'm distracting myself with a lot of local film news, some of which is really good.

• My favorite news this week: Local filmmaker Kristoffer Aaron Morgan's upcoming film production The Home has been picked up by Dimension Films (the Weinsteins' horror-movie company). Morgan and Eric Vespe wrote the script for this horror movie. Morgan is someone I always see at Alamo Drafthouse movies and film fests (I took the photo of him at right at Fantastic Fest 2009), and lots of you probably know Vespe under his pen name of Quint at Ain't It Cool News. The Home will be shooting in Austin soon, and will star Cloris Leachman, Louise Fletcher, Brian Cox and Ed Asner. Elizabeth Avellan and Elijah Wood are among the film's producers.
• Speaking of Avellan, the Austin American-Statesman has more news on Machete and the state's denial of tax breaks for the film. Apparently the governor's office and Texas Film Commission received more than 500 letters demanding the incentives be denied. Maybe those who want to support incentives for a specific movie need to start bugging the TFC about it?
• Over at Austin 360's Out and About blog, Michael Barnes has been keeping track of a recent spate of movie celebrity sightings in Austin. You may want to keep your eyes open for Johnny Depp, Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds and Drew Barrymore, among others. Somehow I don't think they're hanging out in my neighborhood.
• The Round Rock edition of Community Impact Newspaper reports that a new "Drafthouse-like movie theater" will be opening in Round Rock in May. Unlike the Alamo Drafthouse theaters, Flix Brewhouse will have a brewery attached. I admit the "adjustable tabletops" idea appeals to me; I'm short and in the early days of Alamo, I had to get used to things on the tables getting in my line of sight. As for the rest ... I'm willing to wait and see in person when the theater opens.