Texas Film Hall of Fame awards

Renee Zellweger

Rip Torn

Connie Britton

Kyle Chandler


Britt Daniel of Spoon

Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights

Ted Nugent plays "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Tattoos on Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson's head

Beth Broderick in the crowd

Emcee Wyatt Cenac

Richard Linklater

John Hawkes of Winter's Bone

Robert Rodriguez

Liz Smith

Actor Shiloh Fernandez and director Catherine Hardwicke


Gary Dourdan of CSI

Britt Daniel

Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson

Ted Nugent and John Pierson

Joey Lauren Adams

Ted Nugent, Shemane Nugent and their son

Birds?

Rip Torn, Renee Zellweger, 'Friday Night Light' in Texas Film Hall of Fame

The Texas Film Hall of Fame is a semi-swanky celeb-gazing fest put on by the Austin Film Society that opens the South By Southwest Film Festival every year. The names of honorees are released in drips and drabs in advance of the March 10 event at Austin Studios.

Our first names for 2011 are Rip Torn, Renee Zellweger and the TV show Friday Night Lights (not to be confused with the movie and the book). Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton are accepting and Jesse Plemons, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Brad Leland are in attendance for Lights as it celebrates its swan song.

Along with them, presenters will include usual suspects Catherine Hardwicke, Luke Wilson, Richard Linklater and Thomas Haden Church.

The host is seemingly non-Texan Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show fame. But wait! He grew up in Dallas and attended Jesuit College Preparatory School.

More names will be released soon, I'm sure. My next guess is Owen Wilson. Wanna take odds?

Pix from the 'Bernie' set

Jack Black with Bastrop locals.


Shirley MacLaine arrives on the set and is greeted by Richard Linklater. (Photos from Bastrop Advertiser)

Richard Linklater has been filming Bernie, the story of foppish murderer Bernie Tiede in recent weeks in Bastrop (including a day at Spiderwood Studios) and Carthage--the spot of the murder of an 81-year-old woman whose body was stashed in a freeze for many months.

Interesting note not included in this article, which includes info about Matthew McConaughey shooting a scene: My source says Shirley MacLaine has received a number of letters from Tiede in which he proclaims his innocence. The actress is also said to be very impressed with Jack Black's portrayal of Tiede.

Also, is it true that Rip Torn was fired from the show? Send me your tips from the set...

Matthew McConaughey joins Linklater's 'Bernie'

Yes, Richard Linklater and Matthew McConaughey are reuniting (it would be a lot cooler if they did). Linklater gave McC his big break in Dazed and Confused, now Double M is joining the cast of Linklater's Bernie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

McC's other big early break was as an attorney in A Time to Kill. He's back to lawyering, this time as the district attorney out to nail Jack Black in the title role of Bernie Tiede for the murder of Shirley MacLaine as wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent.

Also joining the cast is Taylor native Rip Torn. The shoot is expected to start next month in East Texas. Wooderson, uh, McConaughey is from Longview.

You can see the real Bernie and Marjorie here.