The annual South by Southwest film and music festival kicks off on Friday. Held in Austin, TX, SXSW will showcase 150 feature films and 130 shorts, including the regional premieres of such hotly anticipated films as "V for Vendetta" and Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion."

In addition, notables like "Thank You For Smoking," "The Notorious Bettie Page," "Friends with Money," and "Don't Come Knocking" will be playing, along with many quirky, lower-budget indies and music documentaries. Rotten Tomatoes will be filing reports from deep in the heart of Texas, so be sure to check the news section during the festival, which runs from March 10 to 19. For information on SXSW, go to 2006.sxsw.com.