Pepsi-Cola

Where Is Lil Wayne In the Lyrical Hot Water Hall of Fame?

Proving that it is almost never wise to compare the results of rough sex to Emmett Till's face, Lil Wayne was dropped from his Mountain Dew campaign last week. Emmett Till, for those of you who aren't familiar, was a 14-year-old boy who was beaten to death, shot, and dumped in the river for whistlin ... More >>

Last Night: Suicidal Tendencies and Sick of it All at House of Blues

Suicidal Tendencies, Sick of it All House of Blues May 6, 2013 How will I laugh tomorrow when I can't even smile today? That question served as the title to Suicidal Tendencies' third album, released 25 years ago. But for a while there at their gig at House of Blues on Monday night, the question o ... More >>

The Screwball Economics of Major League Baseball

As another season begins, MLB faces an unsustainable future - and you're picking up the tab.

VIDEO: Beyonce Wows Super Bowl Press Conference Crowd By Singing Anthem Live

Today at New Orleans' Morial Convention Center just blocks from the Superdome, diva Beyonce held court in front of throngs of media, detailing her Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. She stunned the crowd by singing the national anthem live in front of us in the press pool, asking us to please st ... More >>

How Beyoncé Microwaved The News This Week

Here's how a major announcement would roll in the life of Brando: short, quick, brief moments of celebration, smug congratulations and thank-yous from people before the realization that only douches do that sort of thing and I'd be captain of their army. And nobody wants to hitch a ride on that tr ... More >>

First Look at The Burger Guys' New, Swanked-Up Downtown Location

I'll be honest: The first thing I noticed when I walked into The Burger Guys' spiffy new downtown location at 706 Main wasn't the expanded dining room (which seats three times as many guests than its original Westheimer location) nor the artwork and TV screens that hung from the sunflower-yellow wal ... More >>

Hey Kids, Stop Drinking Monster -- You Could Ruin It For Adults

Headlines this past week have been screaming -- OK, raising their voice slightly -- once again about those dastardly energy drinks. Which you could be drinking right now as you read this, depending on the time of day and your occupation. This time it's Monster Energy drinks, those 24-ounce jobs es ... More >>

New Calorie-Displaying Soda Vending Machines: 5 Reasons Why they Won't Significantly Aid America's Obesity

There's just no getting around it: Americans have a love affair with soft drinks. Dr Pepper, Sprite, Coke, Pepsi, Fanta - you name it, we love it. It's a soft drink love fest -- until we remember all the calories that soft drinks contain, and the fact that those sugar- and calorie-filled beverages p ... More >>

1981 and Now

The Top 12 Texas Junk Foods.

Top 5 Off-the-Market Drinks We're Still Thirsty For

We've been taking a look at foods we miss dearly and crave back in our lives. So far, we've decided we can't stand a life without snacks like O'boisies Potato Chips and Fast Food Chicken Dishes like KFC's $.39 Chicken Littles. But all of that junk food has made us thirsty, so this time, we're remini ... More >>

Top 5 Sodas That Aren't Coke or Pepsi

"No Coke...Pepsi!" Belushi's classic SNL skit is actually an homage to The Billy Goat Tavern, a dingy burger place in Chicago where you will be yelled at for your order, where they really do only serve Pepsi, and there are no fries, only chips. I've checked the place out and eaten a burger there - ... More >>

5 Ridiculous/Offensive Memorial Day Commercials

Some businesses are jerks for pimping a junk heap on wheels on Memorial Day. Others are silly for trying to sell sexual innuendo-heavy mattresses ("firm," "spread out," "not squishy") on a day that's supposed to be all about giving it up to American servicemen and women. Then there are these super- ... More >>

Vinyl Gets Another Spin

Showing it has more lives than a cockroach, vinyl has been reborn, resulting in some beautiful music. But sometimes production values in records and turntables are lacking.

Dinner Party Etiquette: Bring Something, Dammit

"The Dinner Party." It's one of Seinfeld's more classic episodes, from a television series in which nearly every show was an instant classic. Maybe because -- at our core -- many of us agonize as George Costanza did about the etiquette of showing up empty-handed to a dinner party. ELAINE: These peo ... More >>

Material Girl: Madonna's Top 10 TV Commercials

They don't call Madonna the Material Girl for nothing. She's definitely a self-promoter when it comes to her music. Better yet, when she does this, it's never the same advertised persona. Take, for example, when she first came onto MTV and performed "Like A Virgin" at the 1985 VMAs versus her perce ... More >>

Trend Alert: 10 Artist/Brand Partnerships We'd Like To See

One of the most notable trends emerging from SXSW earlier this month was the increasing prevalence of financial partnerships between artists and brands. The highest-profile example of this phenomenon came courtesy of Lil Wayne, who taped a Mountain Dew spot from the stage at his Young Money/Cash Mon ... More >>

Michael Berry's Bad Week

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme...And Mint, Marjoram, Oregano, Chervil...

Simon and Garfunkel apparently only had four herbs in their garden, but you should have much more than that in your backyard. It is herb and vegetable planting season in Houston. Our terribly cold winter (haha) has passed, and the weather is perfect for gardening. It's a great time of year to build ... More >>

Here's The Pitch: Top 10 Commercials Starring Musicians

Madonna's infamous "Like a Prayer" Pepsi ad, 1989​Every now and then, name-brand companies need a little extra pizzazz when it comes to advertising, and often they turn to the music world to do this. Either way, it's a win-win situation for both the artist and the company because the artist us ... More >>

Michael Berry: Conservative "Blow the Mosque Up" Radio Host in Gay-Bar Hit-and-Run, Report Says (UPDATED)

KPRC has a report that Houston police are investigating a hit-and-run incident that involves KTRH host Michael Berry at a gay bar. Berry left T.C.'s Show Bar in Montrose around 11 p.m. January 31, drove in reverse for 70 feet and hit a car owned by the club's bouncer, which is always a bad move. I ... More >>

The 10 Must-Haves at Any Super Bowl Party

Leading up to this Sunday's showdown between the Giants and the Patriots (go Big Blue!), we've been offering up recipes and ideas for those of you brave souls who are hosting Super Bowl parties at home. And if you've decided that you don't want to take the easy way out by ordering a party pack of ba ... More >>

Happy 30th, Britney! Maybe Now You Can Finally Put These Performances Behind You

The face that launched a thousand Bob Doles​Where were you in...'81? Rocks Off was in junior high, spending long, solitary afternoons in his bedroom listening to Moving Pictures and Dark Side of the Moon and wondering why no girls seemed to be interested in playing Squad Leader. But 1981 also ... More >>

Special Mexicans Are Racist Edicion

Zigga Zig Ah: 10 Girl-Powered Facts About The Spice Girls

​Today, November 4, marks 15 years since the Spice Girls first album, Spice, was released. Closing out 1996 with a titanic dose of girl power, the album would go on to sell almost 24 million copies and spawn countless imitators like B*Witched, All Saints, and later on, the Pussycat Dolls. Ob ... More >>

Let It Bleed

Hard at work on his eighth novel, Deadwood author Pete Dexter still packs a punch.

Happy World Mental Health Day! 5 Crazy Songs

Delirium is the youngest of the endless. She smells of sweat, sour wines, late nights, old leather. Her realm is close, and can be visited; however, human minds were not made to comprehend her domain, and those few who have made the journey have been incapable of reporting back more than the tiniest ... More >>

A Cooler Coke: Waialua Soda Works Pineapple Natural Soda

Simplicity is a good idea. With simplicity comes focus; with focus comes deliciousness. At least that's the theory. It's certainly what lead me to pick up a bottle of Waialua Soda Works Pineapple Natural Soda the other day. I was milling around the deli area of the Midtown Spec's, trying to grab so ... More >>

The X Factor: Simon Cowell's Softer Side

Fox​Wednesday night, Fox's highly-anticipated The X Factor debuted, and though as of this writing I was unable to find any ratings numbers I have to imagine they were stellar. Not too good - Ed. Simon Cowell has massive appeal, and even if numbers continue to decline throughout the season, I ... More >>

Tanqueray and Tonic. Really?

John Kiely​Gin drinkers, for the most part, are a particular crew. We'll find a gin, perhaps the first one we try, and stake a position, like Coke and Pepsi drinkers. I was no different when I made Bombay Sapphire my house gin. There's nothing distinctive about Sapphire, but as the label dec ... More >>

Montrose Muffled

Residents take sides on bar noise issue.

Food Fight: Store Brand Pretzels

Photos by Matthew DresdenStore brand pretzels from Whole Foods (left) and Trader Joe's (right)​As my friend Sara Dickerman wrote in 2007 in a fascinating piece in Slate, pretzels don't get much love in the snack-food world. When was the last time you saw a television commercial for pretzels? D ... More >>

Comment of the Day

​Today Katharine Shilcutt wrote about Dr Pepper sort of suing itself - that is, parent company Dr Pepper Snapple suing the Dublin Dr Pepper plant for allegedly violating the terms of its franchise agreement. Which led commenter Stuart Reb Donald to present his theory about what's going on: ... More >>

Bill O'Reilly, Battle Rapper: The Blowhard's Illest Beefs

"I got dirt on you, doggy!" ​Pac and Biggie... Nas and Jigga... Bill O'Reilly and every rapper who has had some commercial success. You can't exclude O'Reilly from battle rap, he is a heavy-hitting contender in the hip-hop arena. Remember when he insisted that people boycott Pepsi products be ... More >>

Last Night: Devin The Dude At Warehouse Live

Photos by Rizoh​Devin the Dude Warehouse Live April 20, 2011 Rare is the artist that transcends his purpose as entertainment to become an essential ingredient in a fan's lifestyle. That list is a very short one, and Devin the Dude is on it. For weekend cleaning music, you go to RJD2. For coit ... More >>

The Five Hottest Presidential Daughters

Continuing on with our C-SPANish investigation into White House sex and beauty (five horniest presidents here, five hottest presidential mistresses here), we now take time to examine the five hottest presidential daughters. Once again, time has not been kind to pre-20th Century candidates. Either p ... More >>

Idol Beat: Mona Lisas And Mad Haleys

​Hans Gruber: You are most troublesome, for a security guard. John McClane: Eeeh! Sorry Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change? It's double jeopardy of a sort for the remaining 11 Idol hopefuls, because thanks to the judges' save of Cas ... More >>

The End Of The Ocean: No Singers, No Fear Of Caligula

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. The End of the Ocean on Facebook​Let's be very clear about something. As a singer Rocks Off is not in favor of instrumental rock music. Reb ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Arrrrgh. Must... remember... to eat... before... writing... this column.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we're down to only the one or two mystery pieces filled with truly nasty gunk in our traditional assortment of Valentine's Day chocolates. We started the ... More >>

Comment of the Day

​Today Eating Our Words nation was turned on by the new skinny Pepsi can Lauren Marmaduke wrote about, National Eating Disorder Association be damned. But commenter Ali wasn't letting the svelte soda get to her: Well, it is Pepsi. They've got to drum up some sort of marketing ridiculousness ... More >>

Super Bowl XLV: Livebloggin' the Commercials!

Betty White enjoys a Snickers.​For someone who watches the biggest television event in America strictly for the breaks, last year was a bummer. Betty White's Snicker's ad, and the Kia commercial featuring a posse of partying toys were two standouts in a year of boring, sexist and outright dumb ... More >>

Wrap It Up: Houstonian a Finalist in Wrapping Contest

When in doubt, slap a giant bow on it​When we at Hairballs were just wee tots, we had relatives who liked to do everything early for the holidays. They would have all their Christmas cards mailed before Thanksgiving and their gifts wrapped the day after Black Friday. We were less efficient pre ... More >>

Food Fight: Battle Gummi Bear

​Not all gummi bears are created equal. Some people - including certain unnamed members of my family - do not seem to be aware of this, and blithely purchase generic gummi bears from supermarket bulk bins. While it's hard to get angry at someone who buys you candy, off-brand gummis have a cons ... More >>

Urban Food Legends - Part I: Deadly Pop Rocks, Undead Twinkies and Corrosive Coca-Cola

They didn't blow up Mikey and they won't kill you either.​It would be convenient to say that urban legends and myths can be traced back to some shred of a fact, but the disturbing truth is that some, especially the more entertaining rumors, appear to have no real logical foundation whatsoever ... More >>

Top Five '90s Food Trends

​ We're not really nostalgic for any of these food items--perhaps it hasn't been long enough yet? What 1990s foods do you remember consuming in great quantities (that you're willing to admit)? 5. Fat-Free/Diet Snack Foods All of that playing around in the laboratory led to some pretty sketc ... More >>

Houston Turns Back to Tap Water

That stuff flowing from the faucet is safe, cheap and environmental

Dish

Momma's Girl

Thirty years ago, Lizzy Hargrove left home because she needed her space. Then Mother began trying to fill the emptiness.

Letters

Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Have a Pepsi

Country Joe's still politically correct (sort of)