Armed with pens, notepads and, most motivating, the sense I'm well in over my head even before the trip to SXSW 2013 – thousands of bands, at dozens of venues, sprawling over six days and only a few square miles – the pure sense of Austin as Elysium is crossed with the inherent need to stay abreast of it all.

Carrot, the titular canine in Daniel Damiano's "Day of the Dog," the world premiere of which is being presented by St. Louis Actors' Studio, is a German Shepherd mix and the family pet of accountant Paul and interior designer Julianne. He never appears on stage, but his presence--and his problem--are obvious as soon as the lights go up and Paul enters with heavily bandaged arms and hands.

Judah Friedlander -- donning a custom, Aurebesh-script "World Champion" hat -- brought both his laid-back brand of stand-up and an old-school Imo's pizza party to the Firebird for a rare winter performance.

The National British Theater presents "The Magistrate" by Jove. It is currently on the boards of the Olivier Theater in London, but the Victorian farce was made available for viewing in movie theaters across America this winter as part of the digitally recorded series called National Theater Live.

This movie should be so much better. It squats solidly at the mediocre level, but, mercy! It should have been so much better, what with the proven actor, Dustin Hoffman, serving as director, and a roster of stars that should have sparkled all over the place.

Maybe if "Hyde Park on Hudson" had stuck with one main story, it would have succeeded, but in trying to tell two stories, and not telling either with clarity or purpose, the film becomes seriously flawed, although not less worthy of discussion as a film and history, albeit plastic.

Debbie and Pete were the secondary characters in "Knocked Up." Debbie served as the older, married sister to the character who became preggers after a one-night stand. Now, Debbie and Pete, and their two irrepressible daughters, are the main characters of "This Is 40," another film by Judd Apatow.

We all know Gone with the Wind, that epic movie of a burning city, a tragic love triangle, a gown made from drapes, and a dramatic hillside silhouette with upraised fist underscored by a sweeping theme. Oh, yeah, it was also about a war.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri St. Louis recently hosted a performance by The Improv Shop troupe. The Improv Shop is a “St. Louis-based improvisational comedy theater and school.”

At the Old Rock House on Friday night, instead of an opening act, we were treated to almost two hours of Squidbillies, the dark, absurdist "Adult Swim" cartoon in which Unknown Hinson voices Early Cuyler, an Appalachian Mud Squid with a low IQ, an alcohol problem and a penchant for trucker caps with trashy phrases on them.