Email Author Olivia Flores Alvarez

2013 Stories by Olivia Flores Alvarez

• Houston Actor Chandler Canterbury Stars in Stephenie Meyer's The Host

  published Mar 29, 2013

  According to young Houston actor Chandler Canterbury, getting the role of Jamie in the sci fi flick The Host wasn't all that difficult. "I sent a tape to the casting director. The casting director sen... More >>

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  Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Dance Salad 2013, the Roscoe Mitchell Quartet, Misha Penton: Selkie, a sea tale, Dave Attell and Anime Matsuri

  published Mar 29, 2013

  Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's curated version of In Transit by the Compania Nacional de Danza/National Ballet of Spain is just one of a slew of premieres seen at Dance Salad Festival 2013, which runs Friday... More >>

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  The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Dog Parks

  published Mar 28, 2013

  Houston has several dog parks, from tiny, private "for residents use only" parks in gated communities to huge sections of wooded acreage. In deciding what makes a good dog park, we looked at amenities... More >>

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  Absurdist Filmmaker Quentin Dupieux Likes Doing Things the Wrong Way

  published Mar 27, 2013

  On its surface, Quentin Dupieux's new film Wrong seems to be about a man who's looking for his lost dog. In fact, it's actually about ... well, we don't quite know what it's actually about, and that's... More >>

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  Dance Salad 2013 Transforms Houston into the Center of the Dance Universe

  published Mar 27, 2013

  The world of dance comes to Houston with the 18th annual Dance Salad Festival, bringing with it a slew of premieres. Nancy Henderek, the festival's artistic director, travels around the globe in searc... More >>

• MasterMind Award Winner Opera in the Heights Announces its 2013-2014 Season

  published Mar 26, 2013

  Opera in the Heights (Oh!) brings four of the most popular operas ever to its stage. Winners of a MasterMind 2013 Award, Oh! is led by Artistic Director Enrique Carreon-Robledo. Verdi's La Traviata, a... More >>

• Today's DVDs & Blu-rays: Steamy A Royal Affair, Epic The Day of the Falcon and Sassy Miss Fisher's Mysteries

  published Mar 26, 2013

  A young queen, a mentally ill king and an idealistic physician form an unlikely love triangle in A Royal Affair, nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe as Best Foreign Language Film. Alicia Vi... More >>

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  Filmmaker Andrew Weiner on The Frankenstein Theory

  published Mar 25, 2013

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  Batman loves Barbier Holy Marketing Strategy!

  published Mar 25, 2013

  Mattel is making the most of its product rights to the 1966 Batman television series and introducing the caped crusader to its superstar cash cow, Barbie. In June, Mattel will release a Barbie and Ke... More >>

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  Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Waiting for Godot, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, Bayou City Arts Festival and More

  published Mar 22, 2013

  Samuel Beckett's most famous work, Waiting for Godot, opens in The Catastrophic Theatre's new space on Friday and tickets are going fast. The show is directed by Jason Nodler, artistic director of the... More >>

• Author Harlan Coben Is a Social Media Anomaly

  published Mar 22, 2013

  Best-selling author Harlan Coben defies the current marketing logic and says Twitter and Facebook don't really affect his ability to sell books. He uses both both social media platforms (you can find ... More >>

• 100 Creatives 2013: Dean James, New York Times Bestselling Mystery Novelist

  published Mar 22, 2013

  Readers have a complaint about Miranda James's popular Cat in the Stacks series of cozy mysteries -- they have to wait too long between installments. Dean James, the male writer behind the Miranda Ja... More >>

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  The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Downtown Buildings (the Skyscraper Edition)

  published Mar 21, 2013

  Houston's downtown area is filled with spectacular skyscrapers and several of the tallest buildings in Texas are in the city's skyline. There's a real diversity to the architectural style used, from... More >>

• Out of the Dark: Shadow People Director Matthew Arnold Talks about His Debut Feature

  published Mar 20, 2013

  First time feature director Matthew Arnold has a lofty goal: "I want to believe that my movie's going to do for sleeping what Jaws did for swimming." Currently being released on DVD, Arnold's psycholo... More >>

• Today's DVDs & Blu-rays: A Les Miserables DVD Give-away and Reviews of The Other Son, The Big Picture and Lost Angels

  published Mar 19, 2013

  UPDATE: Congratulations to John K, the winner of our Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy combo of Les Miserables. Enjoy! Admittedly Les Miserables was a vehicle for Hugh Jackman (who played Jean Valjean... More >>

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  The Top Five Seven Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Grupo Corpo, Thread, The ABCs of Death, Buffalo Bayou Regatta and More

  published Mar 15, 2013

  Friday is the second night of a two-day run by Grupo Corpo. In 1988, choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras had a career-defining moment: "I started thinking about what it would be like to make a dance tha... More >>

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  The Rest of the Best: Top 10 Parks in Houston

  published Mar 14, 2013

  The drought over the last few years has devastated many parts of Houston's parks and green spaces, but thankfully, there are still plenty of beautiful spots to enjoy. We're listing the best of them he... More >>

• Today's DVDs & Blu-rays: Life of Pi, Hitchcock, Tristana and This Is Not a Film

  published Mar 12, 2013

  Life of Pi stars Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan; Ang Lee directs. Thanks to Ang Lee's strong storytelling skills, his Oscar winning film Life of Pi is more than just another Disney-esque movie. We se... More >>

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  An Open Letter to Stanton Welch: Please Create More Ballets (We have Some Suggestions)

  published Mar 12, 2013

  We've had several magical experiences courtesy of Stanton Welch and the Houston Ballet. We count his Marie, Madam Butterfly, the recent La Bayadere and the current production of The Rite of Spring as ... More >>

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  Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: 2013 French Cultures Festival, Kerouac Fest 2013, The Rite of Spring and More

  published Mar 08, 2013

  On Friday the 2013 French Cultures Festival, the sixth annual celebration of all things French across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas kicks off with a free outdoor concert downtown. The French indie grou... More >>

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  The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Museums

  published Mar 07, 2013

  Houston's Museum District is a favorite destination for both locals and tourists. But choice museum offerings aren't limited to that one location. And while we have several world-class museums (the Mu... More >>

• 100 Creatives 2013: Danielle Burns, Art Curator

  published Mar 06, 2013

  Art curator and professor Danielle Burns says she has the best of both worlds at the Houston Public Library where she coordinates exhibits using art and artifacts to tell stories about culture and hi... More >>

• Today's DVDs & Blu-rays: The Intouchables, Lay the Favorite, Ultramarines and a Duck Dynasty Season 2 Giveaway

  published Mar 05, 2013

  Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano's The Intouchables is a feel-good film with its heart in the right place, even if it covers very familiar territory. Based on a true story, the film follows an elderl... More >>

• Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Bless the Orange Show, C. Robert Cargill, "Guitar Art" by Pen Morrison and More

  published Mar 01, 2013

  The Orange Show's media and marketing guru, Jonathan Beitler, explains the annual Bless the Orange Show performance, one of our choices for Friday, this way: "It's a way for the Orange Show to cleanse... More >>

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  The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Movie Theaters (With and Without Dinner)

  published Feb 28, 2013

  Before we start the list, we want to make a few things clear. Our concept of "best" isn't just the fanciest or the most plush. We're evaluating the overall movie-going experience, not the building. We... More >>