Doctor Who

Doctor Who: Are You Ready to Trock?

Sadly, your dedicated fanboy has no more episodes of Doctor Who to watch until the 50th anniversary in November, though I am very much looking forward to seeing Frazer Hines this weekend at Comicpalooza. In an effort to stave off the madness of a Who-less existence, today I want to talk to you about ... More >>

The History of The Beatles In Doctor Who

Perhaps no band in the real world has had quite as much of an impact on the world of Doctor Who as the Beatles did. Both were of course fantastic products of England in the '60s, but some of the connections go far deeper than a contemporary complementary pop-culture acknowledgment. Almost every si ... More >>

10 of Our Favorite Parody Songs to Celebrate the Day They Became Fair Use

On this day in 1994 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that parodies, commercial or non-commercial, do not violate copyright law. 2 Live Crew had applied for permission to parody Roy Orbinson's "Oh Pretty Woman," but were refused. They made the song anyway, and after a quarter of a million ... More >>

The 10 Most Bizarre David Bowie-Themed Items on Etsy

Somehow I became an expert in messed-up offerings on Etsy at this job, and today I'm hear to show you what dedicated, and slightly lunatic, fans of the Thin White Duke are handmaking just for you. Necklace It's not that this necklace is bad, necessarily. The setting is nice and the quote from Labyr ... More >>

Happy Birthday, Proclaimers! 5 Songs That AREN'T "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"

It's likely that all you know of The Proclaimers is their single American hit, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)." Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. After all, that song is completely awesome, and if it's good enough to send off David Tennant from Doctor Who, then it is good enough for the likes of ... More >>

We Scare Coyotes: Ambient Chupacabra Lies

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. Normally if you hand me a bunch of instrumental music I will respond with some variation on the famous Cave Johnson Lemon Speech except that I wi ... More >>

OMG, You Guys, Five Things We Can Totally Do at MainStreet America, the Most Boring Theme Park EVER

Hey, kids, guess what? Oh, man, this is so freaking awesome, you are totally gonna die. So, many of you don't remember Astroworld. It was so cool. It was like Six Flags in Dallas, but cooler. And now I'm reading this story on CultureMap about a new theme park in Houston out on 45 near 1960. FINALLY, ... More >>

Negative Utopia Gets All Self-Determinist Up In Here

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're working hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. Negative Utopia is only six months old as a band, so I'm not sure exactly what they'll be when they grow up. Their sound has some cowpunk influe ... More >>

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

With this week's news that meat magnates Ronnie Killen of Killen's Steakhouse and Ricky Craig of Hubcap Grill are teaming up to create a mega-steakhouse, Wonder Twins-style, it seems as good a time as any to examine the steakhouse scene here in Houston. (It should also serve as succor for those carn ... More >>

Dear Obama, I Don't Really Want to Have Dinner With Beyonce. How About These 5 Celebs?

A while back I made a vow that rather than getting upset and arguing over radical rightwing posts on Facebook, I would instead donate $5 to the Obama campaign. It's a lot more proactive, and cuts down on the number of bullshit screamfests that have probably cut years off my lifespan. There was a sid ... More >>

Exterminate: 5 Songs For the Daleks

Note to my fellow Whovians: This is being written in the past, so I have no idea how much then-me will have enjoyed the first episode of the season (now). If you want to read what I will have thought you can see that at this link, but please pop back over here and let then me know in the comments wh ... More >>

Gothic Council Starts Gothic Book Club

Your friendly neighborhood goth is going on a little vacation next week to a magical place where deadlines don't exist, bands answer their emails promptly, and where hopefully I'll stop having that dream where Clippy beats me with a comma. Yes, I know I'm the guy they pay to play video games and jud ... More >>

Top 5 Musical Tributes to Doctor Who on YouTube

The new season of the indescribably awesome Doctor Who returns this month, with another year of the Eleventh Doctor, the departure of Amy and Rory, the return of the Daleks, a new companion and dinosaurs. With the 50th anniversary of the show looming, rumors abound about surprises to come, including ... More >>

Like That Chain Restaurant?

Try this local one instead.

The Diary of an Eight-Year-Old Who Became a Food Critic

The Internet was abuzz this past weekend over the video that a 32-year-old man made in which he "interviewed" his 12-year-old self. It was cute, clever and perfectly edited to make it seem as if the 32-year-old Jeremiah McDonald was actually conversing with the 12-year-old Jeremiah, who was mostly c ... More >>

ApolloCon 2012

Years of Refusal: 8 More '80s Icons Who Should Follow Morrissey Into Retirement

Morrissey announced this week that he plans to retire in two years. That's tragic news in some circles, but we think it's a good move. In 2014, he'll turn 55, and the Smiths thing is never happening. How much longer is he supposed to do this? Another ten years 'til he's 65? He's Morrissey, not a Chi ... More >>

Star Wars Invades War’Hous!

5 Franchises You Didn't Know Had Video Game Adaptations

To be clear, turning franchises into video games is a scam to get people to buy them as presents. "Oh, you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Here's the game they made about it. Happy Christmas." That sort of thing. For the most part the game designers are on a rushed deadline, and they generally resen ... More >>

Best Comics in December: KISS, Sex with Crystals, and Godzilla Bin Laden

Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. This month we're going to abstain from our regular series in an attempt to give some other books space and also so this doesn't become a monthly column entitled: "Why Red Hood I ... More >>

Pop Rocks: We Don't Need Another Star Wars

You ain't seen nothing yet.​If you're one of those wondering what the delay is with the planned live-action Star Wars TV show, wonder no longer: George Lucas has said that he has 50 hours worth of a new Star Wars TV series ready, but is waiting for a new technological breakthrough before it c ... More >>

All Your Protein Bars Are Belong to Us

Nothing like guarana and essential vitamins to help you kick ass at Halo.​Nerds don't tend to eat well. Whether you are watching an epic Dr. Who marathon or trying to vanquish your mortal enemy (i.e. Kenny in accounting) in World of Warcraft, it's tough to take your hand off the controls or ... More >>

Before Networking Was Social: Ten Early Social Websites That Are Dead or Dying

Who needs Classmates.com when we have Facebook?​Social networking today is a foregone conclusion. Many of us wake up and check Twitter on our smart phones or pull up Facebook on our laptops. We surf YouTube videos in our spare time, find dates on Match.com and spend hours reading music, politi ... More >>

Invaders to Mars

Web exclusive!

Bond in a Bikini

Angst à la Mode

How I became my own personal Jesus

Our top DVD picks for the week of March 28

Annus Horribilis

The El Orbits' David Beebe comes back from the near-dead

Local Rotation

Bamboo Crisis