Austin, TX
Elijah Wood, Michelle Rodriguez, and more celebrate Texas Film Awards
With South by Southwest (SXSW) in full swing, Austinites are keeping an eye out for celebrity sightings around the city. Last week’s Texas Film Awards offered an opportunity to see several celebs gathered in one place. Honoring legends of the Texas film industry, the annual fundraising event inducted new members into the Texas Film Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Austin Film Society (AFS), the milestone year for the Texas Film Hall of Fame welcomed new members Michelle Rodriguez, Tim and Karrie League, and Noah Hawley. Before the event, CultureMap caught up with AFS founder and film director Richard Linklater about the anniversary.
Richard LinklaterPhoto by David Brendan Hall
“It’s very cool,” he said, “Forty years is wild. You can’t help but reflect back to year one. We grew with Austin: as Austin has grown, so have we.”
Sharing the impact of AFS grants on stage during the event, Linklater elaborated further on this symbiotic growth.
“The rising tide of Austin lifted our boat, and we grew when we needed to [without] losing our fundamental film freakiness,” Linklater said. “Forty years in, I know two things to be true: community is everything. Watching movies together connects us and builds that community. And, the love and appreciation of cinema knows no bounds: if you nurture it, it feeds you back ten fold.”Linklater is on a recent awards streak, having been honored with a Texas Medal of Arts Award in late February.
Presenting to Killeen-born and San Antonio-raised Michelle Rodriguez, director Robert Rodriguez spoke about the actress’s “unshakeable swagger” and how he wrote the character of Luz with her in mind after seeing Girl Fight.

He also introduced a surprise guest to the event, Vin Diesel, who co-starred with Rodriguez in the Fast and Furious franchise. Sauntering onto the stage in a black cowboy hat, Diesel shared that he recently discovered his Texan roots and that their Texan identity was one of many things that bind him to Rodriguez as his ride-or-die.

Actor and one-time Austinite Elijah Wood presented the award to Tim and Karrie League, founders of the Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest.

Wood praised the Leagues for their impact not just on the Austin film industry but the wider film community by redefining what a theater could be, “a place that embraces both first-run studio films, independent and international gems, and the most obscure oddities dug from the archives; a place where you can pair dinner with a movie; where themed screenings create memories beyond the film itself.”
On the red carpet before the event, Wood told CultureMap what he most misses about Austin:
“I don’t live here anymore, but it still feels like home,” he shared. “I miss the food, tons of restaurants I love like Emmer & Rye, Loro, pizza from Via 313, Olamaie, Clark’s, Fresa’s.”
For the final award of the night, Atlanta actress Zazie Beetz and Fargo actor David Rysdahl presented the award to writer and producer Noah Hawley, who is currently working on Fargo and Alien: Earth.

Austin, TX
Texas Eats: Spicy ramen bowls in Austin, wok-fired fusion in SA and Houston Barbecue
You can watch “Texas Eats” on Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KSAT 12, KSAT.com, and KSAT Plus, our free streaming app.
This week on Texas Eats:
Ramen Tatsu-Ya
1600 E 6th St., Austin, Texas 78702
Ramen Tatsu-ya is an Austin staple known for serious Japanese ramen, crafted by chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto. Their broths are slow-cooked, complex, and authentic, and their noodle bowls are rich, comforting, and widely praised by locals and critics alike.
Otto’s Ice House
111 Newell Ave., San Antonio, Texas 78212
Otto’s Ice House, located in the Pearl District, mixes the chill vibes of a Texas ice house with upscale touches. From street tacos and bratwurst to creative cocktails and live music, it’s a place to kick back with friends outdoors or by the river. The menu is casual but well-executed, and the owner Levi Goode brings in a reputation for quality and storytelling.
Texas Bistro
1932 S Seguin Avenue #209, New Braunfels, Texas 78130
Texas Bistro is a New American restaurant in New Braunfels that focuses on fresh, thoughtfully prepared dishes in a relaxed but refined environment. It draws praise as one of the area’s standout places for dinner.
Goode Co. BBQ
5109 Kirby Drive, Houston, Texas 77098
Goode Co. Barbeque is a long-standing Houston institution (since 1977) specializing in Texas-style barbecue slow-smoked over mesquite wood. They serve tender brisket, ribs, sausage, and classic sides, often paired with their signature pecan pie. The vibe is down-home, rustic, and welcoming — a place built around tradition, smoked meats, and a sense of genuine Texas BBQ hospitality.
Canje
1914 E 6th St. Ste C, Austin, Texas 78702
Canje is a vibrant Caribbean-inspired restaurant founded by Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph. Located in East Austin, it blends Caribbean and Guyanese traditions with modern techniques, emphasizing fresh, regionally-sourced ingredients and sustainable practices. The atmosphere is lively and colorful, with bold flavors and inventive dishes that reflect the broader diaspora of island cuisines.
Best Quality Daughter
602 Avenue A, San Antonio, Texas 78215
Best Quality Daughter is an Asian-American restaurant in the Pearl, founded by Chef Jennifer Dobbertin. It showcases flavors from her heritage and her travels, offering dishes that blend comfort with creativity in a welcoming space. It’s earned acclaim locally and has become a key part of San Antonio’s emerging food scene.
McAdoo’s Seafood
196 N Castell Ave., New Braunfels, Texas 78130
McAdoo’s is an upscale seafood restaurant in downtown New Braunfels housed in the old post office building. They offer a mix of fresh seafood, authentic Cajun-Creole dishes, and Texas Creole favorites. The setting includes a courtyard and intimate bar, and the menu combines fine dining touches with hearty, flavor-forward preparations.
La Tequila Mexican Restauarnt
90 Crossroads Blvd., Balcones Heights, Texas 78201
La Tequila Jalisco offers auténtica comida mexicana in Balcones Heights with a menu full of Jalisco-style dishes like enchiladas, fried shrimp, and classic tacos. Its warm, family-friendly setting makes it a go-to for locals craving hearty, approachable Mexican food.
Follow Texas Eats and David Elder on Facebook and Instagram for more food info, pictures, videos and giveaways.
Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
Austin, TX
Records in Texas AG Ken Paxton’s divorce case are unsealed
AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) — The records in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce case have been unsealed.
Judge Robert Brotherton, who is presiding over the case, signed an order Friday morning allowing the records to be made public. The decision came after Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, announced that they had come to an agreement late Thursday to unseal the documents.
Tyler Bexley, an attorney for a group of media organizations fighting for the records to be released, celebrated the decision as a win for transparency.
“We’re certainly pleased with the result,” Bexley said after the hearing.
The move was an abrupt about-face for the couple, who had fought to keep the records secret. It’s unclear exactly what brought on the change.
The records were released before noon. They show the Paxtons have entered mediation, and their blind trust had doled out $20,000 to each of them to pay for their attorneys. The documents also show that earlier this month, Angela Paxton asked her husband to produce records pertinent to the case. They also show multiple judges recused themselves from the case before it was given to Brotherton, a visiting judge based in Wichita Falls.
The Texas Newsroom previously published copies of several records — including Paxton’s general denial of his wife’s divorce petition — before they were sealed.
The records did not shed more light on the couple’s financial situation, division of assets or the alleged affair that led to the divorce — but additional filings will be made as the case continues. Bexley said the media organizations agreed to redactions only of personal information like Social Security numbers and home addresses.
State Sen. Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July alleging adultery. Soon after, she asked for the court record to be sealed. A previous judge handling the case agreed and put all of the records under seal. Ken Paxton initially supported the decision, filing a court document that accused the press of attempting to unfairly invade his personal life.
Eight media organizations and a nonpartisan nonprofit opposed the sealing. The media group argued Paxton’s divorce records should be public because he is an elected official running for office who has faced repeated allegations of corruption. The attorney general’s finances, which are a subject of the divorce case, have been central to the misconduct allegations against him. While he has been charged with multiple crimes during his decade in statewide office, Paxton has never been convicted.
Paxton is now challenging John Cornyn in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
Laura Roach, one of Ken Paxton’s lawyers, said after the Friday hearing that the attorney general had always wanted the record to be unsealed.
“Mr. Paxton has always wanted us to actually unseal it,” she said. “Attorneys get on a path and we think that that’s the right way to go and we were finally able to get everybody on the same page.”
When asked why he initially opposed it so strongly, she added, “that’s just legal stuff. … His attorneys said that.”
Angela Paxton had asked the records be sealed because doing so would “not have an adverse affect on the public health or safety.” Her representatives declined to respond on Friday.
Michael Clauw, the communications director for the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability that also sought the release of the records, said he does not believe Ken Paxton actually wanted them to be made public.
“It’s ridiculous to believe that Ken Paxton ‘always wanted’ his divorce record to be unsealed,” he said. “Only when it became apparent he likely would lose in court did he change his tune.”
Roach said she expects the case to be resolved amicably soon. Neither Ken Paxton nor Angela Paxton appeared at the court.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans – and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Austin, TX
Photo of the Week: Texas K-9 care
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