SXSW started as a music fest first, so it's kind of a no-brainer that SXSW Film would make room for movies about music. Hey, you know who makes music and is in a new movie? The White Stripes.

This morning SXSW Film announced its opening night film: comic book adaptation Kick-Ass, about a high school wannabe superhero who figures if he dresses the part, the rest will fall into place. Don’t be surprised if you see some homespun tights, capes, and codpieces at the screening; turns out Austinites like to play dress up.

So what does an irreverent former Austinite and underground comic artist have in common with an Oscar-winning Argentine composers who could water a lawn or two from the tears shed to his music? Four little letters: SXSW.

It may be seem like an eternity of tinnitus and day parties ago, but during the interactive component of SXSW, the annual ScreenBurn Arcade had some serious buzz moments. There was a lot of player interest in the Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision system, which uses the built-in depth information in games to create a stereoscopic 3D image (How good is it? Well, it's sure no Virtual Boy.) SXSWi even had its own little Metallica moment, with a hands-on demo of Bionic Commando, developer GRIN's reboot of the classic Capcom franchise from the '80s. The game, being developed for PC, XBox 360 and PS3, doesn't ship until May, but the multi-player deathmatch mode demoed was smooth and intuitive. [video-1]

The secret surprise guests? The Indigo Girls. Perez's party is packed – sundresses, great music, and fag hags as far as the eye could see – but there's still room for YOU (if you RSVP'd).

Last night when Margaret Cho took the stage at the Velveeta Room, we thought were ready, but honestly, we weren't ready! Although the set was unnaturally clipped, the folks at the Velveeta Room were movin' the acts through, Cho played three songs and did some traditional stand-up as well. Our favorite moment? A sex-text message sent, by accident, to her mom. Lots of jokes on the multiple meanings of "come" ensued. Enjoy one of the selections Margaret Cho played "Eat Shit and Die" below*

We spoke with Atlanta artist (and really, that should have a CAPITAL "A" on it) Janelle Monae. We apologize for how loud the background noise gets, with sirens adding a soundtrack to her explanation of the runaway androids that populate her musical Metropolis. Plus, she is very soft-spoken, but please have a listen. The sound improves about halfway through, as Ms. Monae explains why she felt it important to support Black Pride in Atlanta this past September by paying them a surprise visit. (And if you live in the South, you know how cool this is.) Click below for video.

Although SXSW Interactive is over, the smell in Exhibit Hall 2 still lingers. That's because EH2 played host to the free-to-all arcade known as Screenburn. It took me back, as my father was (and still is) a gamer. When I was a kid my brother, father, and I played co-operative shoot-em-up games, shouting such gems as "In your face!" and "Dead! Dead! You're Dead!" at each other, while never taking our fingers off of the keyboard. But honestly, I got nothing on the kids who were playing in the Screenburn Arcade. You could tell they had been playing for hours on end, perhaps because their tech-dweeb parents were attending panels in other areas of the convention hall. So why is this in the GP?

I just know when I use words like "transcendent," you dear readers must roll your eyes. But truly, like Booji Boy on a bungie, my experience at Devo at the Austin Music Hall SXSW 2009 hovered above all others. I'll leave the reviews to the music section, but will share this: