Forbes Media LLC

Houston Ranked No. 3 on Happiest Cities for Recent College Grads List

I think it is fair to say Houstonians are a friendly lot. We say "hi" to people on the street whether we know them or not. We take in hurricane victims and wave at our neighbors. Syndicated sports talk show host Travis Rogers once explained to me how confused he was when a total stranger started up ... More >>

Assault on Wall Street

Uwe Boll's solution to the crash? Bloodshed.

How Many Freaking Clicks Does It Take To Read A Forbes Listicle? You'll Be Amazed

You see it on Twitter -- a Huffington Post tweet saying Forbes has released yet another click-bait list, this time of the "best cities for young professionals." You know you shouldn't, but you click just to check quickly to see if your city is included. You soon learn you are dealing with Forbes, ... More >>

Houston Press Voice Daily Deals at breakfast klub, Rioja

This week we are just THROWING money at you guys! (We were going to say food, but throwing food is mean. And messy.) First we offered you half-off at Rioja to help you celebrate National Paella Day in style, and today our Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is going to save you fifty percent ($10 for $20 ... More >>

Wonders Never Cease

Houston promotes its present-day music scene to the national media.

Reaching Critical Mass

Suddenly fashionable Houston shows off its contemporary arts scene along Main Street in and around the Isabella Court building.

Houston Makes Great Strides In Selling Its Own Music Scene

A few months ago, Rocks Off wrote an article expressing our surprise and disappointment at the paucity of musical content on the City of Houston's tourism site, visithoustontexas.com, the Texas-friendly smiling face it offically presents to the Web and thus the world. There wasn't much at all, just ... More >>

The Art of War

The Cronicas exhibit, highlighted by Fernando Brito's photos, offers strong indictments of drug-related violence.

Maribel Vasquez: Low-Rent Beer Entrepreneur With Big Dreams Gets Busted, Not Applauded

Fill a need -- that's what they tell you in business school. (We assume, anyway, since we escaped from a business major about two courses into it.) Fill a need and you can charge a premium to folks who can't get what you're selling anywhere else. It's a sophisticated plan, although the word "sophis ... More >>

Austin, Houston and Dallas Top Three in Fastest Growing Cities in America

I'm pretty sure everyone outside of Texas hates the phrase "everything's big in Texas" about as much as every person in Houston hates the phrase "Houston, we have a problem." But, I'm about to drop it on you one more time because, according to Forbes, the top three fastest growing cities in America ... More >>

The Dan Marino Restaurants

The 13 restaurants that nearly made our 30 essential Texas restaurants list.

The 30 Essential Texas Restaurants: Nearly Made It (a.k.a. the Dan Marino Restaurants)

If you've read this week's feature -- "Eat Here: The 30 Essential Texas Restaurants to Visit Before You Die" -- then you've no doubt already asked why X, Y or Z restaurant didn't make the list. Maybe you've asked this question angrily to your computer, or rhetorically to a coworker who actually trie ... More >>

2013 Food Trend: Daily Prix Fixe Menus

Now that 2013 is here, more chefs, corporations and restaurants are making their predictions for food industry trends for the next year. A common theme among them all is the regular occurrence of

Why You Shouldn't Apply For That New EDM Reality Show

Dear Rocks Off: Have you heard about this EDM reality show that some TV producers are trying to put together? I heard about it online but when I told my friends I wanted to enter they told me it was a really bad idea. I bet they're just being haters, but before I fill out this application can you t ... More >>

Zapruder Analysis Of Shirtless Guy (Presumably) On Bath Salts Wandering Onto Football Field

Most of the time, when fans inject themselves into a sporting event by trespassing onto the field, the motives are pretty clear. The perpetrator either (a) is looking to wind up on television, (b) trying to steal a memento of some sort (ball, piece of turf, wtc), or (c) responding to a drunken dare ... More >>

Eating D.C.: Dining Dispatches from the Capital

As of this writing, I am still comfortably ensconced in the Hotel Palomar in our nation's capital. There is a Negroni at my side, compliments of the hotel, which was waiting for me in the room after I returned from walking off a Shake Shack burger at lunch. That's service. Both the Shake Shack and ... More >>

Let's Get Ahead Of Ourselves: Romney Wins, Dies, And Paul Ryan Takes Over? Introducing Paul Ryan's America

For a moment, let's talk fantasy. Let's say Mitt Romney somehow overcomes all of his apparent weakness -- Bain Capital rapaciousness, tax-record speculation, rich-guy aloofness -- and somehow ekes past President Obama in November in one of the narrowest victories in recent American politics. Democra ... More >>

Houston Theater Awards

From actors to designers, directors to technicians, the city's brightest talent gets its due.

The Coolest and Uncoolest Songs About America's Coolest City (Us)

Above is Dean Martin doing "Houston" on his television show. Epic fail, but nice outfit. As you may have read, Forbes magazine recently determined that, by their measurement criteria, Houston is now America's coolest/hippest city. Of course, while the rest of the world has looked down its nose for ... More >>

DJ Fail: When Co-Opting a Culture Goes Wrong

Christmas has come early this year for those us who love a good bit of bad advertising. It appears that in an effort to prove just how "with it" they are, Smirnoff has released the above ad in hopes of proving that their nightlife is the best nightlife. Other than, as my partner in crime explains t ... More >>

Welcome Back, Hot and Dry. How Long Will It Last?

So, the rain, did you enjoy it? I think after the record-breaking drought of 2011, most Houstonians were open to some days filled with more than just the occasional pop-up thunderstorm and we got them. Virtually every day for the last three weeks, we've had some rain in the area and, as a result, ve ... More >>

Houston Is Hot: Forbes Names Houston the Coolest City in America (Duh)

We saw the headline late yesterday afternoon on Forbes.com:

Comment of the Day: The Glory That Is The Texas GOP Platform

We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula i ... More >>

Houston Officially Great For Businesses & Careers, If You Believe Forbes (And Who Shouldn't?)

The Forbes magazine item touting Houston as one of the 20 best U.S. cities for businesses and careers has finally gone online, available for maximum touting by the folks who tout such things. Tout away, Mayor Annise Parker: It's great for our city to have national recognition for something Houston ... More >>

50 Rad Things Now on the Sig's Lagoon Walls

Within the past month, the walls of Sig's Lagoon have been transformed into a sprawling pop-culture collage of posters, photos, newspaper clippings, magazine covers, picture discs and cardboard cutouts courtesy of former Sundance Records owner Bobby Barnard. Since the longtime San Marcos music stor ... More >>

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Who's Got the Power?: The Musicians On Forbes's Most Powerful Celebrities List

Fame and fortune might not be the ultimate goal for every person to ever write a song or learn an instrument, but it is for a lot of people out there. It would be lovely to believe that music is done 100% of the time for the "right" reasons, but most of us are cynical enough to know otherwise. Some ... More >>

Pop Rocks: George, We'll Always Have The Star Wars Holiday Special

After much soul searching and agonizing (and in no way an attempt to drum up publicity in advance of his new movie), George Lucas has decided to retire from big budget movies: George Lucas's cinematic tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails, opens in theaters on Friday, and it might be the last ... More >>

Rejected Dejected: Astros Waiting Around For MLB To Do Something About Jim Crane

Somebody finalize this deal already​It's known as the Rejected/Dejected shot. The camera focusing on the batter as he walks back to the dugout after having just struck out, usually on a called strike. It's one of those shots that best captures the emotion of the game and helps to bring the v ... More >>

Joel Kotkin Says Houston & Gulf Coast Poised To Soar

Panama Canal expansion will bring boon​Urban expert Joel Kotkin has always been bullish on Houston, and now he's not even more bullish, he's spreading the love. Kotkin has a piece on the Forbes magazine blog saying the U.S. Gulf Coast -- including, of course, Houston -- is ready to soar, and ... More >>

So You Want to Own a Baseball Team? Baseball Financing 101

​There are a lot of stories coming out about how the Astros are going to face a long climb to respectability. About how all of the team's problems can't be solved by spending money. About how we're just going to have to be patient while Jim Crane's baseball people rebuild the mess left behin ... More >>

Five Terrible Rap Acts Who Will Never Crack the "Diddy List"

The Super Broker Shuffle: Your eyes and ears will never forgive you​I'm a sucker for lists, I've said that before. If it makes me a less cerebral person, so be it. I'm not apologizing. For a "list addict" like myself, Forbes magazine is like a big plate of list cocaine. They'll come up with a ... More >>

What Kind Of Music Stresses You Out The Most?

​Recently, Forbes magazine released a list of America's most stressful, and stressed-out, cities. Houston came in third, behind Las Vegas and Los Angeles. We know, we thought it would be higher, too. Forbes based its calculations on six factors that are either causes or effects of stress, and ... More >>

Forbes Says Houston Is The Best City For Young Professionals, So It Must Be, Right?

Better than Boston or San Francisco!​The online Forbes empire never tires of putting together lists that rank American cities in any number of categories, all in the vain hope that media in the city named number one will write about -- DAMN! Fell for it again!!Okay, we'll give them an item, since ... More >>

Houston's Dan Duncan: First U.S. Billionaire To Die And Pay No Tax Whatsoever On His Estate

One exquisitely well-timed death​The New York Times today examines the strange case of Dan Duncan, the low-key but fabulously rich Houstonian who died earlier this year.Because of politics and a resulting quirk in the law, it's possible his heirs will get his estate and pay absolutely no tax on it ... More >>

Drayton Keeps On Raking In The Dough, Even As The Team Goes Nowhere

​Here's a little something to remember the next time you venture out to Minute Maid Park. The Houston Astros are the 11th most valuable franchise in major league baseball. In fact, the team's franchise value increased over its value from last season, despite dropping attendance and awful play.S ... More >>

Teen Porn 101

If they're taking their laptops and cell phones to bed with them, it's probably not to do homework.

Houston One Of Safest Cities In The Country, If You Look At It A Certain (Wrong, Houston Proud) Way

Photo courtesy GHCVB​Houston may be fat, polluted, sprawling and ugly, but it's got one thing going for it, according to Forbes magazine -- it's one of the safest cities in the country.Say what? Don't they read our Bayou Body Count? What, you go ten days without a murder and all of a sudden you're ... More >>

The World Salivates At The Thought Of How Bad The New Dallas Cowboys Theme Song Might Be

The Dallas Cowboys will start the NFL season not only with a new stadium worth over a billion dollars, but with a new theme song we're betting will be worth decidedly less. We can only hope it is as offensively shitty as the team itself.Forbes magazine reports that the team has contracted with a spo ... More >>

Only Four Cities Are More Miserable For Sports Fans Than Us, Respected Financial Magazine Somehow Reports

Forbes magazine, which does stellar work examining the value of sports franchises, is branching out to assay the psyche of sports fans across the US.It's put together a list of the 10 Most Miserable Sports Cities, no doubt using highly sophisticated criteria that would please the most exacting scien ... More >>

The Rise and Fall of the Stanford Financial Group

Castles and corruption lead to criminal charges.

The Abattoir

Goring another of music's sacred cows

Tax Cuts for Some

Bugged about property taxes? Buy a skyscraper.

Diva of the Deal

How Enron's high temptress turned massive projects into a $2 billion wet dream for the company -- and an estimated $100 million profit for herself

Conventional Wisdom

Houston media hit the GOP convention

Sporting News

Astros losing more than just games

Stadia Watch

Sacrifice Flies

Do Not Go Gentle

Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby fights on for better, more diverse education in Texas

What Did He Do To Deserve This?

Attorney John O'quinn says his big-business enemies are out to do him in. But the real source of his troubles may be closer to home.

Adams Family Values

Why do we hate Bud so? Maybe we never understood him, or those... Adams Family Values