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Bobcat Goldthwait's kidding when he says he won't reveal where he lives, suggesting his new movie “God Bless America” will “have a lot of people showing up to kill me.” But behind all jokes, as they say, lies truth. The 49-year old writer-director (who confirms he lives in Los Angeles) will have many people up in arms with his film, which opens May 11. In it, Frank (Wilmette native Joel Murray of “The Artist” and “Mad Men”) decides against suicide in favor of going out to kill people he believes are responsible for making society rude and stupid.

Can you get into shows without the pricey badge? How can I catch a cab? All the hotel rooms are booked--what do I do?   If you're a SXSW newbie or are considering planning ahead for next year, there are a few things you should know before heading down to Austin, Texas, for the annual music fest. RedEye talked to Chicagoans who have made the trek a few times for some tips, advice and background on everything you need to know to survive the week-long adventure.   THE PANEL   Gino Pennacchio, Manager of Chicago bands Gemini Club and Hey Champ Neph Basedow, Music Writer at Houston Press and former Chicagoan Jim Kopeny, Senior Editor A&E at Chicagoist Andy Keil, Head 'Stache at Pop 'stache Veronica Murtagh, Founder and Editor at CreamTeam.TV     TRAVEL   Is it better to drive or fly?

Since tackling more serious material than, say, “Without a Paddle” or “Employee of the Month,” with the excellent indie “The Freebie” and NBC's solid “Parenthood,” Dax Shepard has noticed that critics like him a lot better. But he hasn't seen a change in public opinion. “My most successful movie's still 'Without a Paddle,'” says Shepard, whose latest, “Hit and Run,” opens Wednesday. “It's more successful than 'The Freebie' or any [makes air quotes] quote-'good movies' I've done.

Charles Barkley has it right: Watching the first couple rounds of the NCAA tournament before the switch to a new format wasn't great. "We all take it for granted now but the tournament used to suck [on TV]," Barkley told SI. "It used to be: Why the hell do we gotta watch Duke play? I lived in Alabama and I didn't want to watch Duke or North Carolina play. " But the CBS/Turner partnership, now in Year 3, reformatted the schedule so every single tournament game airs on four networks (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)