“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
The Space Center Houston is making the most of its relationship with famed filmmaker George Lucas, who’s a longtime fan of NASA. Last year, the center hosted “The Cinema of George Lucas,” which featured dozens of Star Wars-related items from Lucas’s personal collection of props and movie artifacts as well…
“How Healing Becomes Killing: Eugenics, Euthanasia and Extermination”
The intersection of ethics, politics and medicine is seen in the exhibit “How Healing Becomes Killing: Eugenics, Euthanasia and Extermination.” The exhibit, which focuses on six killing centers active during the Third Reich, includes photos of smoke rising from a crematorium, the inside of gas chambers and Nazi propaganda posters…
Guy Fieri Leaves His Mark
I was recently at T-Bone Tom’s in Kemah eating the amazing house-made smoked sausage and those awesome armadillo eggs, when I noticed that on the wall by our table was a spray-painted stencil of Guy Fieri’s signature, along with a picture of him shaking the owner’s hand. It was funny,…
Ikea’s “69” Ad: Too Racy For Houston?
Music from bad `70s porn and graphics talking about 69 in the bedroom, in the kitchen, in the office, in the bathroom, and how 69 is “the best date ever” — why would anyone think something like that is nasty?(Unless the bathroom is in some bachelor pad stacked with pizza…
Jason’s Deli Introduces a New Muffaletta
I am not afraid to admit that as far as chains go, I love Jason’s Deli. It’s a handy place to get a quick, cheap lunch that you won’t immediately regret eating, plus it has one of the most convenient bathrooms in Rice Village. When I was younger, a perfect…
Little Joe Washington Moved To Private Room At Ben Taub
Rocks Off just received this update on Little Joe Washington’s condition from his friend (and ours) Reg Burns: Just left from seeing Joe. He was been moved out of SICU and is on the same floor, unit 4B, room 7, bed 3. He immediately recognized me and seems more cognizant…
Nude Protest Over Oil: PR Spin Worse Than BP, Dammit
We don’t know much about public relations, but if we sent out a press release titled, “Naked Protesters Bare All Against Dirty Oil,” we’d at least deliver the naked protesters. But maybe that’s not why we’re in public relations, because this afternoon, inside the tiny Lush cosmetics store at Baybrook…
Hungry Man XXL Country Fried Pork Sandwich: 1/2 Pound of Freedom
Eating a Hungry-Man TV dinner is a right of passage, like puberty or masturbation. A man is not complete till he has a night on the couch in his underwear, watching re-runs of the Dukes of Hazzard while eating a Hungry-Man fried chicken dinner. And now we have this, the…
Chamillionaire Addresses Foreclosure In Freestyle
Chamillionaire has recently been getting a lot of media attention from the likes of TMZ and Perez Hilton for the Houston rapper’s so-called “business decision” to let his Houston-area house go into foreclosure – or, more accurately, to take no action to prevent it from being foreclosed on. Who knew…
The Mirage Bowl: Five Reasons Why This 1983 Ad For A UH Game Is The Greatest Promo Ever
You never know what the obsessed guys at the college football blog Every Day Should Be Saturday are going to come up with, and today it was video magic starring our very own Houston Cougars.EDSBS had earlier come up with a mock list of Asian bowl games for shitty new…
Late Night Food Face-Off: Drive-Thru Breakfast Tacos
I was recently craving a breakfast taco when I found myself literally caught in the crossroads between Whataburger and Taco Cabana. So I did what any good food blogger would do and decided to get a potato, egg and cheese breakfast taco from both. My first stop was Whataburger. The…
25 Weird And/Or Hilarious Soccer Chants
Rocks Off spent June 2006 in Salamanca, Spain during the World Cup, and we can tell you it’s difficult to exaggerate what an event this is to pretty much every country in the world but America. (Although the U.S. is reportedly gaining.) While watching the games, we would leave the…
Assault By Mardi Gras Beads: Coming Soon To A Law & Order Near You
A Galveston jury has acquitted a man of the dastardly deed of Assault by Mardi Gras Beads, thus making the world safe for balcony-dwellers everywhere wishing to see a flash or two of drunken boob.Larry Dean Wiseman of Houston was the accused, charged with dropping what the Galveston County Daily…
Stirred and Shaken: Salt’s Tequila Twilight
It was a slow Tuesday at Salt (4216 Washington Avenue, 713-868-5155), so I didn’t feel too guilty asking Sonali to invent a tequila drink for me. It took her a couple minutes to balance the equation, but the result was fine — a little like a Tequila Sunrise, though better…
Welcome To LALA’s Late-Night World, Houston
Anna Laura Gonzalez, 29, known to the hip-hop world as LALA, makes her own luck – straight up and down. And if we’re going to keep it real, straight up and down, she’s really easy on the eyes. The beautiful Latina, born in Monterrey, Mex., and raised in H-Town, had…
Game Time: College Football: The New Pendergast Realignment Strength-O-Meter!
In the third season of The Sopranos, just after Tony’s nephew Christopher becomes a “made guy,” there’s a scene where shortly after getting his stripes officially, Chrissy is in the pizza parlor wearing a brand new $1,000 suit with one of a handful of Soprano family lackeys in tow. A…
World Cup: Get in the Spirit
If you couldn’t care less about the World Cup, that’s fine, because basically the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD is excited, and we’ll make up for your lack of enthusiasm. But should you be looking to get into the World Cup spirit, here’s a brief list of Houston restaurants where…
Trent Reznor Back In (Free) Form On How To Destroy Angels
Trent Reznor is one of those venerable goth elders that we are all so beholden to for years of stellar music that it’s hard sometimes to criticize him without sounding ungrateful. And we are grateful. But it’s clear that over the last several years, Reznor has been struggling to find…
Photo Interns: Where Art Thou?
You looking to get a foot up in the exciting world of photojournalism? With a chance to shoot some of the most compelling events in Houston?Then you need to apply for a photo internship here at the Houston Press.We’re looking for aggressive self-starters; we’ll give you all the support you…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. H Town Chow Down: Albert has breaking news out of The Woodlands,…
Golden Cities Hate All Over The Lion King
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. One of the residual effects of a musical…
Wine of the Week: A Mano Chianti
There are some things you can’t pass up. Half price sales, a good pair of leather boots, Girl Scout cookies, free beer and a random shopping basket full of wine marked down to $2.99…
World Cup In Houston: Where To Get Your Gamewatch On
Two days from now, the world will tune in to Johannesburg, South Africa as the 2010 FIFA World Cup officially kicks off. The first match is a Group A clash between Mexico and South Africa. For all you futbol fanáticos, there are plenty of places to view all the matches…
Nas & Damien Marley Keep It All In The Distant Family
At 36, Nas has been one of hip-hop’s most consistent record makers for the last decade. While his latest offering, Distant Relatives, isn’t stone genius like, say 2001’s Stillmatic, it’s one of his best albums in years. Unfortunately for his place in music history, Nas cut this record with Damian…
Rice’s Anthony Rendon: Start Sucking Even Worse, Astros, In Order To Get This Guy
The Rice Owls were coasting to a pretty easy win Sunday afternoon, leading Louisiana-Lafayette 8-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning. But the Cajuns had two men on and two out when Matt Goulas sent a rocket down the third base line. Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon dove to…
Beaumont Weatherman Busts Rhyme; Ryan Seacrest Approves
Somebody call Swishahouse. Rocks Off has spent a fair amount of time in the Golden Triangle over the years, and the live-music options in the greater Beaumont-Port Arthur area are usually somewhat limited. In the next couple of weeks, for example, if you’re not a fan of Pat Green, hillbilly…
Spotlight On: Mead
When you hear the words “golden delicious,” think mead (not apples!), the drink of choice for various peoples throughout the ages, including ancient Greeks, twelfth-century Slavs, and modern-day Ethiopians. Loosely defined as any beverage made from honey, water and fermented yeast, mead is certainly not a mainstream brew in the…
Houston’s Dan Duncan: First U.S. Billionaire To Die And Pay No Tax Whatsoever On His Estate
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. No U.S. billionaire…
Glee: Long Day’s “Journey” Into Night
Where has the time gone? It seems like just last week that New Directions was contending with Sue Sylvester’s evil schemes and singing Journey songs, and here in the season finale they’re…doing that all over again. Give the show points for consistency, at least. Regionals are upon our faithful glee…
Seagram’s Gin 2011 Calendar: How To Get In It
Attention ladieeeez: do you think you’re hot? Do you like middle-shelf alcohol? Are you at least 25? If you answered “yes” to all of those, not only are you awesome, but you might want to head over to Club Illusions Thursday for your chance to be on Seagram’s 2011 Calendar.According…
Glee: Long Day’s “Journey” Into Night
Where has the time gone? It seems like just last week that New Directions was contending with Sue Sylvester’s evil schemes and singing Journey songs, and here in the season finale they’re…doing that all over again. Give the show points for consistency, at least. Regionals are upon our faithful glee…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #26 Fried Shrimp at Segari’s
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
We Know It’s 8 a.m. Get Some Sleep.
The Houston Press keeps your humble reporter chained to his computer late at night in an attempt to glean from the Internet new and exciting music from the tube of you in order to add a little audiovisual happiness in your life each morning. [Ed. Note: Hey, we offered him…
Bridget Renee Jones, 46, Bayou Body Count No. 147
Still on the runA woman was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher in a robber on the south side.Joel Burt Thompkins, 47, is wanted in the death of Bridget Renee Jones, 46. She was discovered beaten near the door of her apartment in the 5800 block of Sunforest around…
James “Cookie Ray” Anderson: Alleged Copper Thief Accidentally Leads Cops To Home Meth Lab
Connoisseurs of Deep East Texas Redneck misbehavior will love this one. While the actual offenses are pretty run of the mill, this one has a little bit of everything in the way of Piney Woods cliches, from a getaway on a 4-wheeler, to a badass nickname, to that old standby,…
Aquatico: Feds Make An Example Of Sugar Land Company For NOT Hiring An Immigrant
When the Department of Justice puts out a press release about a local employer getting penalized over immigration issues, it’s usually because the company has been hiring illegal aliens.Not so with Sugar Land’s Aquatico Pool Managment: The DOJ announced today they had reached a settlement with the company over complaints…
William George Gammon, Attorney Known For Representing Homeowner’s Associations, Arrested For Child Porn
A lawyer who represents homeowners associations and has testified to the legislature and helped draft bills has been charged with possession of child porn.William George Gammon, 49, who has offices at Greenway Plaza, was arrested June 3 and was ordered held without bond today by a federal magistrate.As if litigious…
The Shameless Chef: Frequently Asked Questions
You wouldn’t think a column as simple, straightforward and, let’s be honest, stupid as mine would get a whole lot of questions, but you’d be wrong. In the – holy hell – almost a year I’ve been doing this, I’ve been asked the same questions quite a bit, so I…
Bally Fitness Tricked Ex-Members Into Renewing, AG Says
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit today claiming Bally Total Fitness had tricked former members into renewing contracts by sending them “past due” notices.More than 1,000 Texans were duped into renewing, Abbott said, after receiving the notices.”Bally’s notices claimed that recipients owed at least one month’s overdue fees -…
Musical Theology With John Coltrane, Robert Johnson
Naxos continues to release episodes from the Masters of American Music documentary series from the ’90s, and here are two from the latest releases (the two others profiling Sarah Vaughan and Count Basie). Not a straight biographical doc or even a chronological one about his album releases, The World According…
Brew Blog: Third Eye Pale Ale
Normally, even if we haven’t made it around to trying a beer from a particular brewery, we’ve heard of the company before. But we admit we’d never heard of Steamworks Brewing Co. of Durango, Colorado before trying the brewery’s Third Eye Pale Ale recently. We even visited the brewery’s Web…
Game Time: Longhorns & Notre Dame — The Last Two Independents
“in·de·pen·dent (nd-pndnt) – adj. Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant”For 123 years, the adjective “independent” has been as intertwined with Notre Dame football as the word “Catholic” has been to describe the university at large. Over the years it’s manifested itself in the form…
Upcoming: Crystal Castles, The Happen-Ins, Jars Of Clay, Pixies, Etc.
AC/Dshe, The Iron Maidens: Fri., Aug. 27. House of Blues. Asking Alexandria, Born Of Osiris, Kittie, Stick To Your Guns, Impending Doom, Evergreen Terrace: Tue., Aug. 3. House of Blues. Baker Hotel: Sat., June 26. Last Concert Cafe. Boyz Noize: Sat., July 3. Stereo Live. Clay Walker: Fri., Sept. 3,…
Brunch at Stella Sola
My poached egg split open at the touch of a fork, drenching the brioche beneath it with a thick, bright splash of yolk. It instantly brightened my dark Sunday morning. Eating brunch at Stella Sola isn’t the cheapest thing you’ll do all week, but it might be the most cheerful…
Tracy Burleson, Pastor Accused Of Murder, Had Previously Been Charged With Child-Beating
[jump] According to KPRC, Harris County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Rev. Tracy Burleson, his son, and his girlfriend today after Burleson’s wife was found shot in the head outside the couple’s home in northeast Houston. Six days before Pauletta Burleson’s death, Tracy Burleson’s First New Mount Calvary Baptist Church burned to the ground…
Samurai Steak and Sushi
I was excited to see that Samurai Steak and Sushi had opened at 5317 Bissonnet. Just the thought of rare steak and wasabi with a cold Asahi beer was getting me all worked up. When we walked in, the hostess greeted us with a big smile and promptly sat us…
F**k You Very Much, Austin
• Talk about buzzkill. During All Time Low’s Bamboozle Roadshow performance at Six Flags in Arlington last week, amusement park security pepper-sprayed a handful of preteens who rushed the stage in a surge of prepubescent hormonal musical bliss. The band gave the security an earful of Fuck You! and as…
Monday Night = Cake Night
There are many reasons to love Empire Café: the sweeping patio, the sensual pin-up paintings decorating the walls, and the convenient location, just to name a few. But none of these are the reason I love it. I go for one reason and one reason only: the cake. I fell…
NASA’s “Face In Space”: Send Porn To The Space Station!!
NASA announced today a “Face in Space” program, where you can upload pictures of yourself that will be transferred to the International Space Station.”Launch your face into space,” the agency says.Why just the face? Why not….other parts?NASA spokesman James Hartsfield tells Hair Balls there really aren’t any safeguards that would…
Adios Summerfest, Until Next Year
Sophomore slumps apparently don’t apply to Summerfest, seeing that Saturday and Sunday they came out swinging all over Eleanor Tinsley Park and Allen Parkway with Girl Talk, Slim Thug and Bun B, and the Flaming Lips, alongside dozens of Houston’s best local bands, including Black Congress, who had the Lips’…
Bill White Releases Tax Forms; Perry Still Won’t Debate
Former Houston Mayor Bill White, after months of getting pounded by Governor Rick Perry on the subject, has released his income tax forms for the time he headed the city.Click here to see the data in all its glory. Bottom line: He makes a lot more money than you do…
Benito Pantoja, 24: Bayou Body Count No. 146
Aussies know what’s up with tipsWould you get killed over a tip jar?Benito Pantoja, 24, did, and it was a tip jar from a taco truck. Which means it was either the world’s most tip-happy bunch of taco fans, or no matter what the amount in the jar, the taco-truck…
Local Spotlight: Jolie Vue Farms
WHAT: Farm-fresh meats, delivered right to your doorstep. That’s right — beef, pork, poultry and eggs. It’s an all-organic, ecologically sound, raised-with-love virtual meat market that arrives as regular as a newborn baby once per month. Honi and Glen Boudreaux have agriculture in their blood. Honi’s father never once bought…
Why You Should Buy an Ice Cream Maker
Ice cream is delicious. This is simply a fact of life, like–birds sing, dogs bark, people who live in the Heights think they’re superior to everyone else, and ice cream is delicious. While there are plenty of places around town to acquire delicious ice cream, if you’re really hard core,…
The Murderabilia Controversy: Does Tupac Count?
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask…
World Cup: Is It Worth It, Rooting For The Americans?
So the FIFA World Cup is only days away, and you have no idea what to make of Team USA’s chances. Sure, they teased us a little last summer with their second-place finish at the Confederations Cup, beating then 1 ranked Spain, then having Brazil on the ropes before eventually…
Dennis Traylor, 44, Bayou Body Count No. 145
Charges have been filed in the case of a man stabbed on the south side on May 8, who lingered in the hospital before dying. Yvonne Coleman, 35, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the fatal stabbing of Dennis Traylor, 44. Traylor was stabbed in the…
Top 10 Places to Eat in the Oak Forest (and Inwood Forest) Area
While the Heights boasts some well-known Houston favorites, those of us here outside the North Loop like to eat too. Here are some of the spots we think deserve a little recognition. 10. Petrol Station (985 Wakefield Drive) Good beer, great burgers (try the lamb), friendly locals and a patio…
MGMT Phones It In, Leaves It Off The Hook
Here are a few things we learned Monday night at MGMT’s show at House of Blues. First off, they are not a “live” band in the grand musical sense of the word. While new album Congratulations is a catchy, odd, fucked-up little sophomore outing, it’s not at all meant for…
Hip Hop Honors Doesn’t Totally Embarrass The South
VH1 honored the Dirty South for the 2010 edition of Hip-Hop Honors. We flew out there and sat in on the taping this past weekend. Or we Tivo’d it while we put our kids to bed and then watched it afterwards. One of those is true. 8:00 p.m.: Oh, good…
Jim Kyle, Young & Recessioned: A Lot Of Compromising Going On
Today’s installment of Young & Recessioned features Jim Kyle, owner of Houston’s Express Employment Professionals, who says today’s job market is all about compromise. It’s been planted in people’s minds that we’re in the middle of a bad time, so they believe that. But jobs are out there. We still…
Wham! Nu-Metal Band Gets What It Deserves
In 1992, Nirvana’s bassist Krist Novoselic pulled one of the great rock and roll blunders ever at the MTV Music Video Awards when he brained himself with his bass. Novoselic was fond of tossing his bass high in the air and catching it, and only dropped it once… in front…
Pop Rocks: Believe It Or Not, There Are Worse Ideas Than Kim Kardashian As Lara Croft
It’s been a rough week: we found out the BP oil spill may spread across the Atlantic Ocean and threaten England’s blessed shores (which, let’s admit it, would be pretty hilarious) and dealt with the campaign in Afghanistan supplanting Vietnam as America’s longest war. And if all that wasn’t enough,…
Aussie Anne McCue Seeking Trumpet, Sax For Volcano Gig
Aussie guitarslinger Anne McCue, now a resident of Nashville, has hung around the edges of the U.S. alt-country and blues-rock scenes for years now. However, her third American release, Broken Promise Land, may finally put the slinky blonde firmly on the map. Beginning with the single “Don’t Go To Texas…
Where Are We Drinking?
A cool cocktail at an even cooler bar. Even though we’re only showing you a tiny portion of the bar itself, this one shouldn’t be too difficult to guess. Does the scene below look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in…
Cesar Hernandez, Bayou Body Count No. 144
A man still on the run has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of a westside man a week ago. Jose Domingo Sanchez, 30, is charged in the death of Cesar Hernandez, no age given. Hernandez suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at Memorial Hermann Southwest…
Rayner Noble Gone After 16 Years As UH Baseball Coach; Who’s Next?
When I wrote my wrap-up of the Houston Cougars baseball season last week, I had a change of heart and didn’t write something that I actually believed. Instead I went with the conventional wisdom that coach Rayner Noble would return for another season because he was in the midst of…
Director Lisa Spirling Talks Of Boeing-Boeing, Farce And Rascally Scamps
Bernard is an American architect living in Paris. He has three fiances whom he keeps separate thanks to their varying schedules; they’re all flight attendants. A friend comes to visit, schedules get rearranged and — since this is not a Greek tragedy — hilarity ensues. Boeing Boeing, the comedy brought…
Maria Aracel Portillo, 45, Bayou Body Count No. 143
Yet another murder-suicide, and yet another kid who is going to grow up scarred. An ex-husband gunned down his former wife in front of their kid Satruday, then turned the gun on himself, police say. About 6:20 p.m. Saturday, Maria Aracel Portillo, 45, went with her son to visit her…
Houston Marathon Goes To A Lottery System, And Not Everyone’s Happy
The Houston Marathon announced today that it will use a lottery system for next year’s race, in an effort to avoid the snafus that have plagued registration in recent years. “Due to the increasing demand for our races, the lottery will provide an equal opportunity for all participants to register…
Chick-fil-A’s New Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Note: the spelling of Chick-fil-A has been corrected in this article. Pop quiz: When do you crave Chick-fil-A the most? On Sundays, of course, the one day of the week when it isn’t open. The Georgia-based chicken shack started the practice long ago to give its über-polite employees a chance…
Demetrie Dixon, Cop Accused Of Sexual Assault, Doesn’t Look Good In the Court Documents
Demetrie Dixon, the Houston police officer arrested last week for sexual assault and “official oppression,” appeared in court earlier today. According to a report from KTRK, Dixon was ordered “to have no contact with victims and stay out of the area where these alleged crimes happened.” That’s probably a good…
Dine Out for The Gulf
From June 10-12, restaurants from all over the U.S. will be participating in Dine Out for the Gulf. Participating restaurants will donate money to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The fund gives emergency grants to nonprofit organizations that are helping the victims…
Summerfest Short Cuts: Mix Master Mike, Kid Sister, Miniature Tigers, Etc.
Spain Colored Orange: Although technical difficulties with one ticket scanner caused an enormous line of hot and restless festival-goers outside one gate, Spain Colored Orange started its set at 2:05 p.m. on the dot – before the gates had even opened. SCO informed the growing mass of people in front…
Unidentified Male, 47, Bayou Body Count No. 142
Being drunk and not wearing a seatbelt is generally not a good idea while driving. And a Houston man faces intoxication manslaughter charges after he crashed his car on the West Loop North early Saturday, killing his passenger. Louis M. Morones, Jr., 51, was driving southbound on the service road…
Downtown Mexican Food: Cielo Mexican Bistro
Although I’m often skeptical of Mexican food that bills itself as “modern,” I recently found myself downtown, hungry and craving fajitas. It was late enough on a Saturday that many of the restaurants were already closed, so I was pleased to discover that the kitchen at Cielo Mexican Bistro (300…
Fat Tony, Uh Huh Her, Slim & Bun Beat The Summerfest Heat
For years, Aftermath has listened to young people complain about Houston’s (supposed) lack of a music scene. He has even been guilty of believing it at times – hey, we were all young once. But over the weekend, Summer Fest hit the spot for both us and the entire Houston…
Raymond Smith, 18, Bayou Body Count No. 141
And 18-year-old was killed in a southwest-side apartment complex early Saturday morning, police say. Raymond Smith, 18, was in the common area of a complex in the 8800 block of South Braeswood when he was was shot several times by one or more suspects, HPD says. The suspects are believed…
Neil Young, Fans Will Never Walk Alone
Neil Young is about to embark on one of the most grizzled and stoic phases of his career, and Houston got its first taste of it on Friday night at Jones Hall. He was loud, he was poignant and every word and note he wrung from his cast of guitars…
How to Make: Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash has been used by dieters for many years to cut calories and carbs in their favorite home-cooked dishes. It’s not the best noodle substitute, but it requires little prep (and no removal of fishy odors). Spaghetti squashes are usually easier to find than other noodle replacements. Don’t try…
Texans Cheerleaders In The Far East: Stuck In An Airport And You Can’t Get Out Of It
The Texans cheerleaders are headed to Japan on an Armed Forces Entertainment tour, because our brave service members want to hear what Matt Schaub is really like. Or maybe they want to look at cheerleaders. Texans cheerleader Lindsay (as always, first names only to deter stalker creeps) will be blogging…
Mud And Dreams At Summerfest: A Personal Reflection
Due to a previous commitment to my Houston 48 Hour Film Project team, I missed Summerfest on Saturday, so it was with eager anticipation that I got into my car and started on the trip from my home in Friendswood to Eleanor Tinsley Park. And that was how I found…
Cute Cats Used For Immoral Musical Purposes
Cats. The Internet. Two unstoppable forces that have gone hand in hand over the years in order to brighten the drudgery of office workers across the English-speaking world. Even when MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other Web sites are blocked by the big brothers of corporate masterhood, most still allow you…
CEP Paid For The Glowing Report HISD Used To Review It
Houston’s League of United Latin Americans chapter is slamming a glowing evaluation of the two Community Education Partners schools conducted by two A&M professors.The professors’ report, which according to an HISD spokesperson was financed by CEP, found that CEP “performed well, relative to expectations.”…
listenlisten, Buxton And B L A C K I E Plant A Pitchfork In Montrose
Summerfest is a Houston festival in every sense of the word, and should remain a Houston festival in every sense of the word. Sunday afternoon made that fact abundantly clear to anyone there. The city is only now beginning to find its own sound meant strictly for young people, and…
Random Ingredient: Hen of the Woods Mushrooms
What is it? These funny-looking fungi are mushrooms known as maitake in Japan. Native to both Japan and North America, they grow in clusters at the base of trees (unless, of course, they’re produced commercially). Other names include Ram’s Head or Sheep’s Head mushrooms. Some clusters, found in the wild,…
Game Time: College Football Realignment: A 2003 History Lesson
To sit down and type up a piece about college football realignment, specifically the (choose one) maintaining of/realignment of/annihilation of the Big 12, knowing that said piece would be set to run nearly 24 hours from now feels almost futile. The bombardment of Tweets and updates about this topic are…
Girl Talk + Toilet Paper + Mash-Ups + Balloons = Party!
Aftermath didn’t think it was possible to up the ante any more at this year’s Summerfest until Girl Talk took the stage Saturday night. In our estimation, it was the biggest and baddest Summerfest party to date. We might even venture to say that achieved the biggest and baddest summer…
Tips from Rick Bayless – with Beer!
We recently headed over to Sam’s Club to pick up some provisions. After our customary Polish Hot Dog Combo for $1.50 plus tax, we headed over to the beer aisle. This place always has a limited beer selection, with a few standards like the 24-pack of Corona 7-ounce bottles or…
Edwina Foster, 43, Bayou Body Count No. 140
A 43-year-old woman was shot dead by a 67-year-old man who then killed himself, police say. Houston police went to the Mainridge Apartments in the 2600 block of Westridge 12:45 p.m. Friday after residents complained of a foul odor. After forcing their way into the apartment they discovered the two…
Mic Skills, Dirty And Defiant At Summerfest
Summerfest’s “Fancy Pants In the Bowl” stage served numerous functions this weekend, providing cover from the unforgiving sun, air-conditioning and cheaper drinks to those wearing the coveted pink wristband. But on Sunday, it served as shelter from the pouring rain and home to Mic Skills’s energetic performance just before sunset…
The Week In TV: Charlie Sheen’s Career Not Hurt By Punching Women
The dog days are here, people keep dying, and there’s plenty of static on the dial. This was the week in TV Land:• When I was very young, my heart and soul were ruled by Thundercats. I even at one point made the regrettable decision to wear a watch featuring…
Top 10 Restaurants in Galveston
I don’t know if it’s the hot weather or the recent atrocity befalling the Gulf of Mexico or what, but lately I’ve found myself taking any and every excuse to make the trek down I-45 to visit our island neighbor to the south. Now, I’m not claiming to be a…
Neil Young, Old Man, Loudly Looks Back At His Life
Even Neil Young, whose lyrics are generally among the most unironic in rock and roll, has to grasp the irony of singing “Old Man” from the other side of the mirror. But as he’s gone from “twenty-four and there’s so much more” to “look at how the time goes past,”…
Will Hip-Hop Ever Get Over Its Homophobia?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (that isn’t a national holiday) Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Homosexuality in hip-hop is a polarizing talking point. So much so, in fact, that several people asked to participate in this…
HISD’s Maintenance Department: Where’s the Can Do?
Houston ISD’s maintenance department, officially known as the Construction and Facility Services Department suffers from low morale, a lack of any kind of plan, and hasn’t had an appraisal review for more than two years. Some “interim managers” have been in “interim” assignments for several years. When the maintenance group…
William Sandoval, 25, Bayou Body Count No. 139
A man was ambushed in an apartment complex parking lot early Saturday morning. William Sandoval, 25, was visiting friends in a complex in the 1200 block of Redford when he borrowed a cell phone and went outside to use it at about 5:30 Saturday morning, police say. His friends eventually…
Where Are We Eating?
Hanging meats, cases of cheese, menus filled with various sandwiches. Okay, so it’s obvious we’re in a deli. But which one? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro
When we spoke with Chef Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro, he recommended an octopus dish called Polipo ai Ferri con Salsa di Peperone. These were skewered cubes of octopus roasted in the wood-burning oven and served with roasted red bell pepper sauce…
Flaming Lips Close Summerfest With Love And Lasers
Houston, you don’t get a spectacle like this but maybe once a year. Last October we had U2 with the Claw inside Reliant Stadium, putting on a show that literally had the building shaking with spirit and goodwill. Sunday night at Eleanor Tinsley Park, the Flaming Lips closed the second…
Anthony Holton, 23, Bayou Body Count No. 138
You really expect don’t much in the way of murder in the area of West U, but that’s what happened early Sunday morning, police said. They offered few details, however, on the incident that occurred at The Village at West University apartment complex at Edloe and Westpark. The luxury apartments…
Longhorns End Rice’s Season
Rice Owls pitcher Mike Ojala had been lobbying coach Wayne Graham to let him pitch a complete game for four years. That lobbying had been excessively hard this season, since Ojala wanted to get at least one in his Rice career.But with his coming off off-season Tommy John surgery, Graham…
Anna Mayo: Another KBR Employee Who Says She Was Raped In Iraq
A Cedar Park woman has filed suit in federal court in Houston against Halliburton and KBR, alleging she was brutally raped while working for the company in Iraq last November.Mayo, 27, says she was raped by a KBR employee who is not named in the suit.The Army confirmed to ABC…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we could have sworn scrambled caviar was gonna be a great idea. They’re just little eggs, right? Just goes to show, you never can tell. We started the week off right with some fine Belgian chow, with nary…
Unidentified Male And Two Unidentified Females, Bayou Body Counts No. 135-137
Police are searching for a man in connection with three dead bodies found in a south Houston home this morning.Richard Glenn Harris, 48, has not been charged in the killings but police say he is wanted for questioning. The picture to the right shows him with facial hair; he’s now…
Lucky Dogs in New Orleans
Lucky Dogs in downtown New Orleans reminds me of the after-clubbing pizza guys that hang out around the Midtown and downtown districts in Houston. You don’t have to be drunk to enjoy one, but they really hit the spot after a night out dancing…
Demetrie Dixon, Houston Cop, Accused Of Sexual Assault On Duty
Demetrie Dixon, a Houston police officer since January of last year, was arrested today on allegations of sexually assaulting two women while he was on patrol. Dixon was charged with four felony counts of sexual assault. Two more victims were “unlawfully detained and searched” by 26-year-old Dixon, according to District…
FAIL: Britain’s Got Talent, Denver Juggalos, Face-Impaling Drummer
English People Apparently Now Ridiculously Easy to Shock: Hard to believe that the once cutting-edge people of England, historically far less prudish than Puritan-descended America, were shocked and appalled by some of the same shit that Britney Spears did years ago, yet here we are. While performing on the show…
Amy’s Ice Cream: Whiskey Guinness
So it was one of those nights when I felt the need to do something unhealthy. Sadly, this happens for me several times a week, usually following an intense gym session, a low-cal, high-fiber meal, or waking up sans hangover. On this particular Thursday night, I was torn between ingesting…
Perez Hilton Strikes Another Houston Rapper
Well, it’s Friday afternoon, and at this point Rocks Off is basically just counting down to 5 p.m. and whatever concert announcement for Dave Matthews, John Mayer or someone else we only marginally care about (and occasionally someone we actually do, like Van Morrison) inevitably shows up in our in-box when we…
Bobby Heugel’s Weekly Cocktail: The Negroni
The most foreign taste to our nation’s collective palate is undoubtedly bitterness. Bitter foods and drinks have fallen out of favor over time as we have become increasingly accustomed to sweeter flavors through our overindulgent consumption of sodas, candies and mass-produced foods. In other countries, bitterness is more revered, and…
The Week In Photos
A scorching hot weekend lies ahead of us, so we’re taking a cooling dip in the Houston Press Flickr pool to find the best photos from the week. Want to see your work featured here? Then dive in and join the pool! As always, for more information about a subject…
The 7 Most Polarizing Albums In Recent Memory
This Monday night, MGMT hits the House Of Blues behind new album Congratulations, which has been getting one of the most tepid responses for a new album by a buzz band in recent media memory. The people that jumped on the bandwagon in 2008 after the Brooklyn-based then-duo released Oracular…
Game Time: Ken Griffey, Jr.: Baseball’s Tracy McGrady?
I’m not sure if the back-burnering of Ken Griffey, Jr.’s sudden retirement yesterday speaks more to the magnitude of the Jim Joyce/Armando Galarraga aborted perfect game fiasco or just how far the perception of Griffey as a sure-fire lock of a future Hall of Famer had drifted into obscurity, and…
Top Five Worst Wedding Hors D’Oeuvres
Ah, June. ‘Tis the season for weddings, which means feckless DJs, lugubrious toasts, and gratis (but questionable) food and drink. Although these days most brides and grooms have gone creative with their cocktail hour comestibles (bleu cheese-stuffed figs wrapped in bacon! miniature lamb burgers! caprese skewers!), some couples still seem…
Mary McBride Finds Home In Prisons, Shelters, Nightclubs
On her current tour in support of her new CD The Way Home, soul/folk singer-songwriter Mary McBride – best known for the touching “No One’s Gonna Love You Like Me” from the of the movie Brokeback Mountain soundtrack – has given herself a challenge: in addition to each club date…
BP Spill: Good News For Texas, Bad News For East Coast?
If there’s anywhere that the majority of Americans are wishing the Deepwater Horizon oil would go to, it’s probably Texas, the U.S. home of BP.BP’s in Houston? Send that oil to Galveston beaches and see how they like it!!It looks, though, like that won’t happen. Here’s one simulation from the…
Happy Hour Scene: Absinthe Brasserie
The Place: Absinthe Brasserie609 Richmond Ave. 713-528-7575www.absinthelounge.comThe Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 5-8 p.m.The Deals: All drinks are $1 cheaper than normal. A beer, for example, is $3. Absinthe and absinthe cocktails are a little more expensive. There’s also food menu — all items are $3 — with things like mini…
Odd Pair: Candoni Prosecco Brut and a Scrambled Egg Sandwich
Time, like money, does not grow on trees, which is why an egg sandwich for dinner is totally acceptable some days. When you pop open a bottle of Costco-bought Prosecco to accompany it, well, it’s still an egg sandwich for dinner, but it feels a little fancier. I was hoping…
Rocks Off Announcing 2010 HPMA Nominees Next Week
Rocks Off ran some numbers this morning, and it appears that almost 70,000 people have filled out either all or part of this year’s Houston Press Music Awards nomination ballot. While we couldn’t be happier with such an overwhelming response, as you might imagine, 70,000 nominations spread out over more…
Texans Cheerleaders In Japan: Armed & Dangerous
They’re cheerleaders, and they’re armedThe Texans cheerleaders are headed to Japan on an Armed Forces Entertainment tour, because our brave service members want to hear what Matt Schaub is really like. Or maybe they want to look at cheerleaders.Texans cheerleader Lindsay (as always, first names only to deter stalker creeps)…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 134
Lord, some kid is going to have nightmares for a long time.An unidentified man was stabbed to death in a west side apartment last night, the result of a love triangle, police said.The man, his girlfriend and her daughter had arrived at his apartment in the 9400 block of Briar…
Trae Supporters Call For Boycott Of 97.9 The Box
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. We’ll incorporate the number five in there somewhere. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thursday night, Trae and his camp hosted a Town Hall Meeting…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #27 Warm Glazed Donuts at Shipley’s on Ella
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Roger Ebert’s Descent Into Twitter Madness
Let it be established for the record that Roger Ebert is a gift to America.Whether you agree with his opinions all the time or not, his movie reviews are gracious, insightful, funny and erudite. His profiles are equally terrific.But we think the guy’s going nuts. Twitter has sent him around…
Heath Dept. Roundup: City Stroll
We’re back to a city-wide stroll this week on HDR, keeping up with all that is gritted and grimed. At Doneraki Dos (7705 Westheimer), inspectors answered a complaint on May 27 and found the moist cloths used for food spills were not being cleaned or stored in cleaning solution between…
Justin Bieber Plays Toyota Center November 6
America’s favorite tow-headed prepubescent pop moppet, Justin Bieber, announced the second leg of dates for his My World summer/fall tour, including a stop at Toyota Center November 6. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 9 in a special presale (see bieberfever.com), and Saturday, June 12 to the general public via…
5 New Pop-Star Sitcoms We’d Like To See
Today marks the 43rd anniversary of The Monkees winning an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, making them the first musical act ever to win that award. 1967 also marked a transitional period for the band, which was moving toward creative freedom on the television show in which they started out…
Mike Ojala And Rice Try To Ignite A Run To The College World Series
So it’s off to Austin Regional that the Rice Owls go, and this afternoon at 1 p.m., the Owls (38-21) will begin their quest to return to another College World Series. The Owls are the number-two seed in the regional, behind the number-one seed Texas Longhorns (46-11). The number-three seed…
Minute Maid Park’s Veggie Menu Gets PETA Love — With A Side Order Of Carlos Lee Smack
The Astros have been dismally unexciting this year — except when they’re playing the equally inept Washington Nationals, it seems — but they’ve got PETA on their side.The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a group whose Venn diagram intersection with Astro fans is probably not huge, gave a…
Goldfrapp Gets “Physical” In Hell
So, Andy Warhol and Kenneth Anger were just chillin’ in Hell (like they do), when suddenly they thought it would be pretty cool to come back and throw a party. So they contacted Olivia Newton-John, who is really a Satanic cult leader with laser-light manipulation abilities, and she raised them…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro
Yesterday, we chatted with Chef Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro about his passion of Italian cooking. Today we delve further into his background. EOW: Tell me about how you went from several places in Europe to Florida to Houston. Ferrara: Well, I met my American wife while working in Italy. After…
Stolen, Huge Samurai Sculpture May Be In Houston; Where To Look?
Anyone seen a $60,000 samurai sculpture? It’s over 10 feet tall — it’d kind of be hard to miss.Authorities believe it’s somewhere in Houston, after being stolen in March from Heirloom Gardens in College Station.The “sculpture was reported missing after a public auction was held” at the site, officials say,…
Montrose Neighborhood Gets Its Message Across
Residents near Mandell Park in Montrose aren’t exactly impressed with the speed of contractors doing some work on side streets off Mandell. “Residents have only had pedestrian access to their homes for months so if it’s raining or 100 degrees, they have to hoof it to their cars parked on…
Barry Walter Bujol Jr. of Hempstead: His Al-Qaeda Career Gets Nipped In The Bud
A Hempstead man who told an undercover FBI officer he wanted “to travel overseas to fight in violent jihad for” Al-Qaeda was indicted today on charges of trying to help a terrorist organization.Barry Walter Bujol, Jr., 29, was arrested as he tried to board a ship here with a panoply…
Food Fight: Battle Hummus
No, this isn’t your average Food Fight. Plenty of great restaurants in town have excellent hummus. This is grocery store Food Fight, if you will. This is a pressed-for-time, oh-my-word-people-are-coming-over-in-half-an-hour, what-the-hell-am-I-going-serve-them Food Fight. And that’s where grocery store hummus comes in. If you’re like most of America, you don’t have…
Chris Stokes, U.S. Marine, Gets His Stolen Medals Back In Memorial Day Miracle (Of Sorts)
A year ago, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Chris Stokes was tubing in New Braunfels. His vehicle, parked at the Landa Park Rec Center, was broken into while he and his wife were on the river.Among the items stolen — Stokes’ Marine honor medals. Bummer of a thing to happen, on…
Beer + Booze: Cervesa Preparada
Internationally famous mixologist Claire Smith was in town last week for a one-night-only cocktail pairing dinner at Reef. If you aren’t familiar with Smith and her unusual approach to cocktails, you can check out her recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien (yes, before it was unceremoniously cancelled)…
Local Spotlight: Revival Meats
WHAT: A local meat company that’s as passionate as it is compassionate. That’s right — Morgan Weber, founder of Revival Meats, says he’s obsessive about great-tasting meat. But as fanatical as he is, he’s also meticulously committed to raising his animals in a sustainable manner, using humane and ecologically sound…
Where Are We Peeing Into A Giant Bowl?
Why can’t we ever stand up straight at this bar on Thursday nights? We usually hit it up to watch an improv group perform and drink dollar cups of Lone Star out of red cups. Hello, frat house. The cups get warm too quick, making you just want to double-fist…
Metro Responds To Our “Train Wreck” Article; We Respond To Their Response
Last week’s cover story didn’t go over too well at Metro; maybe that’s not too surprising since it was entitled “Train Wreck: How Metro and it’s president Frank Wilson got so far off track.”George Smalley, the agency’s head of communications and marketing, responded with a letter listing what he called…
Recipe: Mojitos
Rum and I recently made nice, after a long period of not speaking, following some bad experiences in younger days with the unfortunate combination of Malibu and pineapple juice in excess. Ah, youth. It didn’t seem fair to write off a type of alcohol forever, so a quick trip to…
Rocks Off’s Handy Summerfest Survival Guide
There’s a slim chance you may have already heard that our distinguished competition, Free Press Houston, is throwing a little shindig this weekend, which they have for some reason chosen to call Summerfest. We understand it’s some kind of outdoor festival and a couple of bands from out of town…
Sweet Summer Soirée
If it were a recipe, it would read like this: One giant heaping of dog rescue efforts 40 hungry people Lots of desserts made by Pastry Chef Rebecca Masson A little bit of cheese Maybe a salad Some champagne A couple cocktails Combine all thoroughly on Sunday, June 6, at…
Rick Perry Gets PWNED By Arizona’s Governor
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, Rick Perry.Perry was famously, and surprisingly, critical of Arizona’s controversial law regarding immigrants and demands to see their papers.Arizona governor Jan Brewer became a darling of the right, trumpeting about protecting borders from the onslaught, etc. etc. Perry went mild, saying — not unreasonably…
Remember Drake’s Thank Me Later?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Drake Thank Me Later (Cash Money, 2010) No, Drake isn’t technically from Houston, but he likes to pretend he…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #28 Couchon de Lait at Stella Sola
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Game Time: Jim Joyce Cheats History And Disgarces Fu Manchu Wearers Worldwide
“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the [bleep] out of it….I just cost that kid a perfect game.” — MLB Umpire Jim JoyceI’ll admit, this is new territory for me. I mean, in my nearly nine months of writing here on HoustonPress.com, I’ve done no…
The Best Taco in America?
A few months ago, I was watching TV at a ridiculously late hour when I became hooked on a food network program chronicling Bon Appetit’s Best Dishes in America. I watched as they named the best steak and the best pizza. Finally, they came to the best taco in America…
A Few Bits Of Texas-Related Neil Young Trivia
“Comes a Time,” live at Farm Aid 1986 at Manor Downs racetrack near Austin Both Rocks Off Sr. and Jr. are pretty pumped for tomorrow night’s Neil Young show at Jones Hall, and have the over/under on the number of guitars he uses at eight. We combed the Internet for…
Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count No. 133
A love triangle exploded into gunshots early this morning on the southwest side, resulting in one death and two injuries, police say.An unidentified man was shot and killed in the 6900 block of River Bluff about 1 a.m. Two other unidentified people — a man and a woman — were…
Live From The Local LCD Soundsystem Video Shoot
Wednesday, the Funwunce art collective filmed a video for LCD Soundsystem’s upcoming single “Home” off new LP This Is Happening. The video shoot took them through various locations around Houston, including Dirt Bar off Yale, where Rocks Off caught up with the cast and crew, including a robotic DJ. When…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro
We recently caught up with Chef Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro. We visited with this native of Salerno, Italy to discuss his origins and theories for success as a chef and how he ended up in Houston. Eating Our Words: How did you get into cooking? Ferrara: Growing up, everybody in…
Texans Cheerleaders On Tour: Inspiration From Led Zep And The Air Force
The Texans cheerleaders are headed to Japan on an Armed Forces Entertainment tour, because our brave service members want to hear what Matt Schaub is really like. Or maybe they want to look at cheerleaders.Texans cheerleader Lindsay (as always, first names only to deter stalker creeps) will be blogging about…
Stefani Vara’s Operation Musical Rewrite
Wednesday, just a few minutes shy of 4 p.m., Stefani Vara was driving from Corpus Christi back to her home in Houston after a quick day trip. It had been a while since she heard Tejano music. It’s what she grew up with and she realized she missed it. She…
Chicken on the Bayou Boudin Shop
In the past when we’ve asked friends what makes good boudin, the answer is always simple – “somewhere on the side of the highway.” About 15 miles east of Lafayette on I-10 lies Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, also known as “the crawfish capitol of the world.” And across the street from…
Tom Franklin Cements Ties With Cougars
Houston Cougar fans worried last year when Michael Berry dumped Tom Franklin from the then Sports Animal 790. Franklin was the voice of the Cougars, and 790 was the home station of the Cougars.So fans were worried that someone else would be brought in as the school’s play-by-play voice, especially…
The Top 10 Music-Video Riots
Just like the Stones said, “Summer’s here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy.” Only the best social insurrections and riots happen in the heat of the summer. It makes us wonder why Houston hasn’t had more angry, heat-stoked street scraps, seeing that your testicles melt…
Aggie Prof Gives CEP a Big Wet Kiss
Dr. Roger D. Goddard of Texas A&M has completed his much-delayed investigation of Community Education Partners, the controversial private firm that operates two alternative schools packed with Houston ISD kids, and given it a glowing endorsement.The report, obtained by Hair Balls through a public information request, says both campuses are…
Girl Talk: “Me Wanting To Interact With The Music I Really Like”
A few days before Girl Talk’s Summerfest show this Saturday, Rocks Off took some time to chat with the mash-up maestro – who refuses to call himself a DJ – about his biomedical engineering degree, the much-anticipated follow-up to 2008’s Feed the Animals and Super Happy Fun Land. Rocks Off:…
Unidentified Female, Bayou Body Count No. 132
The body of a woman was found in the backseat of a burned-out car on the far west side early Tuesday morning.The Houston Fire Department was called out for a vehicle fire about 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Mansions of Shadowbriar Apartments in the 12100 block of Overbrook Lane.”Once the…
Pop Rocks: The Passion Of The K-Stew
Much hay is being made of Kristen Stewart’s (“Bella” in the Twilight movies) comments to British Elle magazine about the perils of fame. This one in particular: On the paparazzi: “What you don’t see are the cameras shoved in my face and the bizarre intrusive questions being asked, or the…
Movies That Make Us Hungry
It’s really freaking hot outside, in case you hadn’t noticed. And when it’s really freaking hot, we get really freaking lazy (more so than usual) and we want to watch movies. Lots of them. In succession. Trouble is, movie theaters are crazy-expensive and this summer’s movie lineup looks pretty terrible…
Sell Your Drum Kit. You Will Never Be This Cool.
Sure, there are great theatrical drummers in the world. The late, great Keith Moon for one. Budgie from Siouxsie and the Banshees or Adrian Young from No Doubt are certainly up there in terms of stage presence and watchability. But THE man, the king of all that is awesome in…
Rick Perry To EPA: Stop. Sierra Club To EPA: Hurry The Eff Up
The Environmental Protection Agency is getting hit from both ends for its actions in Texas.The EPA has threatened to take over the permitting process from the Texas Commissin on Environmental Quality if the TCEQ doesn’t get tougher on polluters.Governor Rick Perry was in Deer Park yesterday, once again blasting the…
Annise Parker Appoints Committee To Study Continental Merger; Problem Solved
Continental Airline’s decision to merge with United and base itself out of Chicago wasn’t very good news.But fret not: A committee has been appointed to study the situation.Mayor Annise Parker has announced the economic impact of the merger will be examined by a committee headed by a big-firm lawyer, UH…
Sebastian Junger
Author and now filmmaker Sebastian Junger was recovering from a chainsaw accident when he got an idea – which, surprisingly, was not to avoid dangerous situations for the rest of his life but rather to begin covering dangerous jobs as a journalist. This led to The Perfect Storm, a book…
“Enchanting Taiwan”
Taiwan’s best photographers contributed images to the “Enchanting Taiwan” exhibition currently on display at the O’Kane Gallery. The 30 images that make up the exhibition include portraits of native peoples, lush, rolling landscapes and holiday celebrations. They reveal little-known aspects of Taiwanese culture. There’s an opening reception at noon, June…
Justin Cronin: The Passage
There was lots of buzz for Rice University professor Justin Cronin’s 780-plus-page novel The Passage even before it was finished. According to New York magazine, Ballantine Books paid $3.75 million for the American rights to it and the two planned sequels. Ridley Scott’s production company paid $1.75 million for the…
AIA Sandcastle Competition 2010
Local area engineers, architects, designers and beach enthusiasts face off at the AIA Sandcastle Competition 2010. Sixty-five teams are chasing the contest’s Golden Bucket award this year. The teams will sculpt, pack, shape and carve sand into elaborate, intricately designed castles which judges will grade on originality, artistic execution, carving…
City Of Ships
Florida’s metallic City Of Ships just released their second full-length LP, Look What God Did to Us, late last year. The album was included in Decibel’s end of year best-of list and drew praise from metal mavens of all stripes for its staunch post-hardcore grind. Fans of the like-minded Cave…
Fred Stawitz: Homeboy’s Soul: Pride, Terror and Street Justice in America
Former gang leader Don Armijo recounts his time inside one of Los Angeles’s most brutal street gangs in Homeboy’s Soul: Pride, Terror and Street Justice in America. Co-written with Houston author Fred Stawitz, Homeboy’s Soul is a story of self-destruction, the deadly consequences of misplaced loyalty and, ultimately, redemption. Stawitz…
“Free Press Summerfest 2010” With The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, Slim Thug, Stars, Lucero, Ra Ra Riot, Mix Master Mike, Medeski, Martin & Wood
After a trial run last August (August!) that exceeded even its creators’ expectations, the two-day festival staged by our friendly rivals over at Free Press Houston moves to the slightly more hospitable climes of early June with twice the stages, twice the star power and, yes, twice the expectations. Bank…
Target Free First Sunday: Arts of India: Stories and Symbols
Families will enjoy performances by young dancers from the Anjali Center for Performing Arts during today’s Target Free First Sunday: Arts of India: Stories and Symbols. Also on the schedule are five films that bring Leo Leonni’s well-known animal tales to the big screen, hands-on craft activities and storytelling sessions…
Badlands
On April 27, Janet Napolitano pronounced that the border separating the United States from the Republic of Mexico is more secure than ever. “I say this again as someone who has walked that border,” the former Arizona governor told a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the oversight of the…
Love, According to Tracy Letts
Theatre Southwest describes its production of Bug as a “riveting love tale [that] unfolds out of schizophrenic delusions in a seedy, bug-infested motel room where crack-fueled emotions ignite into a final descent into madness.” So if your interests are more Notebook than Hostel, this play about a woman who gets…
The Artform Group presents Spoken Word Poetic
Hip-hop/spoken-word artist SCEF isn’t afraid to mix it up – on- and off-stage. Maybe that’s why the film The Artform Group Presents Spoken Word Poetic includes music, art and, of course, spoken-word artistry. SCEF, Element 615, Deep Blu See and Poetic Chocolate, among others, make appearances in Spoken Word Poetic,…
Bringing Up Baby
Though Sundance-screened and sporting an upscale cast, writer-director Vincenzo Natali’s Splice has a mad science quality. He has crossbred a self-serious psychodrama and a queasy creature-feature, and unleashed this malformed freak on the world. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are Clive and Elsa, a married couple of “rock star” genetic…
“The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture”
With “The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and Sculpture,” part of the ongoing “American Season” collection of exhibitions, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is showing that it can balance an appreciation for fine art with a taste for whimsy. Russell did not paint overtly funny…
Disney’s My Son Pinocchio, Jr.
Pinocchio isn’t the only one who changes in the action-packed musical Disney’s My Son Pinocchio, Jr. The wooden puppet wants nothing more than to become a real little boy, and he moves closer and closer to his goal as he proves himself worthy of becoming human. His creator, Geppetto, also…
Houston 48 Hour Film Project
More than 1,000 local filmmakers accepted the challenge put to them by the Houston 48 Hour Film Project. Some 70 teams will have just two days to complete a four-to-seven-minute-long film, from start to finish. To make things even more interesting, each team is given an as-yet-unannounced prop, a character…
First Friday: Pablo Miguel Martinez
A poem called At the Pentecostal Baths won Pablo Miguel Martinez the Oscar Wilde Award three years ago. The poem details a businessman’s visit to a glory hole: “A room filled with men, yes / Lightness years away. / He waits for the coming / of the Paraclete…” Martinez, who…
Scared Straight
Listen up all you dopers and petty criminals, Scared Straight is a movie made just for you. Filmed way back in 1978, before Robert Downey Jr. took all the sting out of being called a jailbird, Scared Straight was meant as a cautionary tale – a sort of “these are…
Boeing-Boeing
The Alley Theatre has revived the internationally acclaimed French bedroom farce Boeing-Boeing. The comedy follows Bernard, an American architect juggling three flight attendants (who all think they’re his fiancée) from his Parisian apartment. “It’s [from] the classic era of naughty,” says director Lisa Spirling, discussing the play’s ability to address…
Attica Locke: Black Water Rising
Mayoral candidate Gene Locke was not the only one in the family making headlines last year. His daughter, author and 2010 Edgar Award nominee Attica Locke, was attracting lots of media attention as well. Unlike her father, the younger Locke wasn’t running for office; she was making the rounds promoting…
25th Annual Heights Fun Run
Marmion Park is both the starting and the finishing line for the 25th Heights Fun Run. Presented by the Houston Heights Association, the Run is more of a neighborhood party than a competitive, “wow, I’m glad I’ve been in training for the last six months” race. There’s a 1K for…
Andy Bradley and Roger Wood: House of Hits
It doesn’t matter if you’re a music nerd or neophyte: Andy Bradley and Roger Wood can teach you some fascinating things about Houston’s legendary SugarHill Studios (formerly Gold Star). In their new book, House of Hits, Bradley (SugarHill’s chief engineer for the past 25 years) and Woods (a local educator,…
Jeffery Deaver: The Burning Wire
One of the advantages of writing a mystery series is having a built-in audience for each new release. But only master writers can attract new readers to their fan base and keep loyal fans happy book after book. Jeffery Deaver’s one such author, and he’ll be in town today to…
Tails on the Trails
Today’s Tails on the Trails event might sound like a singles event for hikers, but it’s not. It’s actually a sniff-fest and party for your dog. The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center will provide you and your leashed pooch with water, a doggie bag and a treat before you set…
“Nathaniel Donnett: ‘Black Plastic and tha Paper Bag Kids in tha Soulecistic Playground'”
A 2010 Artadia Award winner, artist Nathaniel Donnett uses brown paper bags as both the material and the message in “Black Plastic and tha Paper Bag Kids in tha Soulecistic Playground,” currently on display at the Colton & Farb Gallery (formerly the Deborah Colton Gallery). Inside the African-American community, brown…
4th Annual KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou
Children can run wild at the 4th Annual KBR Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou. Wetland hikes, pontoon boat rides and a Splish and Splash zone all make good use of the bayou bank setting. Other planned activities include a showcase of bayou critters, a sports zone with skateboarding demonstrations and…
The Complete History of America (Abridged)
Abraham Lincoln and Baghdad have something in common – they both show up in The Complete History of America (Abridged). Created by the same folks who wrote the hilarious The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), this send-up of American history includes convoluted lessons on everything from our long list…
“DINOSAURS! At the Houston Zoo”
The Houston Zoo will have a few unusual visitors this summer at the “Dinosaurs! At the Houston Zoo” exhibit, visitors that haven’t walked the earth for millions of years. The display is populated by ten animatronic re-creations. There’s a nest of tiny Parasaurolophus dinosaurs (well, as tiny as one of…
Panic
Joseph Goodrich’s award-winning theater mystery Panic is set in Paris. It’s the 1960s, and the central character divides his time between making dark films about murder and sitting in swanky Parisian hotels speaking his film ideas into a tape recorder. All is well in Henry Lockwood’s smart, safe life. But…
“Letitia Huckaby: LA 19”
It’s an easy jump from new media artist Letitia Huckaby’s physically piecing together bits of fabric for the works in “LA 19 (Daughters of God)” to her symbolic piecing together of bits of her family history. The works, comprised of fabric scraps imprinted with photographs of women in Huckaby’s extended…
Always, Patsy Cline Extended Run
Travel back to 1962 and meet the first lady of country music in Always, Patsy Cline. The musical by Ted Swindley is based on the true story of Patsy’s friendship with Louise, a Houston housewife. In a moment of serendipity, the two met when Cline came to town for a…
New Faces of Comedy
The New Faces of Comedy has taken up the reins from the Laff Stop’s open-mike night. (If you didn’t get the memo, the legendary club closed last December.) “The comedy scene needs some hope and change,” says Chase Dorousseau, a local open-miker/Houston’s Funniest Person of 2008. And apparently that change…
Sizzling Summer Dance
The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company presents a mixed repertory program with highlights from the last season and two new works in Sizzling Summer Dance. The athletic, energetic dancers of the company will perform Pattie Obey’s Passada and Kiki Lucas’s Semi-Detached, among other cutting-edge works fans enjoyed during the 2009-2010 season…
Tango Meets Art
Three artists working in different mediums come together for Tango Meets Art, a fundraiser for music scholarships. Argentine pianist René Casarsa joins singer Andrea Berri, also from Argentina, and Brazilian-born painter Zoanna DaLuz Maney for two shows today. Casarsa and Berri, who have worked together for more than ten years…
“Paper Runway”
The Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, on the Atlanta campus of Georgia Tech, stores more knowledge of paper and papermaking than the head of The Office’s tenaciously obsessed paper salesman Dwight Schrute. (The museum has more than 2,000 books and countless watermarks, papers, tools, machines and manuscripts.) The Houston Center…
Apollo Travels the Globe
Today’s Apollo Travels the Globe concert by the Apollo Chamber Players features a lost work by Mozart that was discovered in a French library three years ago. The piece will be a highlight of the program, which also includes music by composers from around the world such as France’s Debussy,…
Contemporary African Cinema
“Try to understand what it is,” states the gloriously statuesque Gnapa Béatrice Kombé, describing her modern dance troupe TchéTché from the Ivory Coast. “Don’t say, ‘Ah, this is African dance.’ No, it is not African dance. It’s a new expression.” She might as well be talking about any of the…
“The White Album: Works by Six Artists Interpreting White”
A half dozen painters contributed monochromatic work to the exhibit “The White Album: Works by Six Artists Interpreting White.” Curated by gallery owner Wade Wilson, the show is an exploration of both the limits and the opportunities of using a limited color range to create a painting. Gallery Director Susanna…
MKUltra
Yes, at FrenetiCore’s MKUltra ,a vivid, unique theater experience, you’ll get some actual drugs; no, that isn’t the only reason you should go see it. “Some people have called and said, ‘So what drugs are you handing out?'” Artistic Director Rebecca French says. “This is not a party it’s a…
“Amazing Butterflies”
Hundreds of vibrant, multicolored butterflies will surround visitors at “Amazing Butterflies,” the newest exhibit at Moody Gardens. Both an exhibit and a maze, “Amazing Butterflies” features a caterpillar tunnel entry, interactive games, puzzles and other hands-on activities. Along with the opportunity to view the colorful creatures up close, guests can…
Homeless High
When he was four, his father walked out, overwhelmed by the debt and discord in their home. When he was 14, his mother threw him out, stabbed him in the face with a knife, told him if he ever came back she would kill him. He began sleeping on park…
Down the Rabbit Hole
We park in front of some tennis courts on a narrow street crowded with luxury vehicles before heading in to have breakfast at Tiny Boxwood’s (3614 West Alabama, 713-622-4224). It’s just past 7 a.m. We walk past the garden gates and escape into another world. Untouched by the rigmarole of…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Designated Mourner, Intelligence-Slave, Young Frankenstein,
The Designated Mourner The apocalyptic world of Wallace Shawn’s The Designated Mourner is a place without poetry, art or wisdom. And in Catastrophic Theatre’s production of this dark tale, it is also cloyingly claustrophobic. The group has staged the story in a small living room that holds only a few…
Jonathan’s Grill/Pampanga’s
Maria Canlas and her three brothers, who have always dreamed of owning their own restaurant, have opened Jonathan’s Grill/Pampanga’s (8388 West Sam Houston Pkwy., 281-530-8887) in the food court of the Viet Hoa Center. The family comes from Pampanga, a town in the central Philippines that, according to Maria, “is…
Sex, Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Apatow
There are myriad moments during Get Him to the Greek — the roller-coaster spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall — when it feels as if the thing will jump the rails and smash to the ground in a thousand pieces of what-in-the-fuck. It’s a complete and utter mess from the big-loud-dumb…
Not for Breakfast
The savory omelet known in Japan as okonomiyaki can be made with many different ingredients. “Okonomi” means “what you like” and “yaki” means “grilled” or “cooked,” so the name fits this thick, egg-based dish. The version at Kaneyama (9527 Westheimer, 713-784-5168) appears on the menu under “Japanese Specialties” and is filled…
Don’t Believe the Hype
Spaced City Don’t Believe the Hype Houston’s Five Most Overrated Attractions By Richard Connelly Let’s be honest, there’s one main reason visitors come to Houston — to visit relatives. Or, if they’re from the hinterlands of Texas, to see a major league baseball game (sorry, you’ll have to settle for…
Orange’s Orange Kapiriña
The World Cup is inspiring because it focuses global consciousness in a way usually reserved for natural disasters and war. It’s also inspiring because it often takes place several time zones away and therefore makes it all right for those of us who aren’t nurses, cops or night-shift factory workers…
Seeking Joy
Jill Scott has been a busy girl. Over the past few years, the soul singer has appeared as the overweight and much-abused Sheila in the Tyler Perry movie Why Did I Get Married? and last year’s sequel, starred in the HBO/BBC television series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and…
Funk Brothers
Former Hollisters front man Mike Barfield and Paladins guitar whiz Dave Gonzales seem like an odd musical pairing but, according to both, it’s actually entirely logical. “I met Mike the first time I ever played Houston, around 1982,” says Gonzales. “I was a big fan of his bands the Rounders…
Free Press Summerfest
After a trial run last August (August!) that exceeded even its creators’ expectations, the two-day festival staged by our friendly rivals over at Free Press Houston moves to the slightly more hospitable climes of early June with twice the stages, twice the star power and, yes, twice the expectations. Bank…
The Melvins
The Melvins have never sounded as brutish and beastly as they do now. Since Dale Crover and Buzz Osborne added Big Business boys Coady Willis and Jared Warren to the fold, they’ve upped Melvins’ drum-kit count to two and opened up a new door for the long-running Pacific Northwest sludge…
Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley
Nas and Damian Marley play the roles of motivational speakers on their collaboration, Distant Relatives, an LP that uplifts without inducing yawns and rolled eyes. The wave of hype the legendary MC and the son of a legend rode into the album’s release would’ve been a kiss of death for…
SPECIAL HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATION EDITION
Dear Mexican, I work at a high school where there is a significant number of our students without papers. Two students that I had worked with for four years graduated last June (one from Mexico, the other from Paraguay), and they are now attending community college. They have both read…
Truth & Salvage Co.
Emerging from the singer-songwriter scene at L.A.’s Hotel Café, this six-man collective aims for a true synthesis of country and rock, mixing sweet harmonies with rollicking backbeats suitable for front-porch singalongs (resting dog and Topanga Canyon sunset optional). And they must get along all right, since four of the members…
Rich People Problems
Nicole Holofcener’s fourth feature, Please Give, is a notable rebound from the insufficiently examined self-absorption of her last, Friends with Money. Please Give is not quite Lovely & Amazing — Holofcener’s mordant, quasi-autobiographical “three sisters” spin — but it is, for the most part, witty and engrossing. Kate (Catherine Keener)…
Reverend Horton Heat, Cracker, Legendary Shack Shakers
Ah, the early ’90s, a time when a Nudie suit-clad rockabilly cat out of Deep Ellum could get signed to Sub Pop with songs about steak and marijuana, and a crew of Santa Cruz slackers could top the modern-rock charts with a song demanding a new Frank Sinatra “so I…
No Shoes, No Problem
Question: Besides being cinematic achievements that helped define pop culture for a generation, what do Total Recall, RoboCop, Beverly Hills Cop and Deliverance have in common? Answer: Ronny Cox, who appeared in all four. One of his more famous lines from each: “Those fuckin’ mutants could always sniff us out.”…
Imogen Heap
It’s a bit too easy to write off Britain’s Imogen Heap. Catch her latest single, “First Train Home,” on the radio, and you might assume she’s just another in a long line of wispy, throaty singers with a secret yearning for some far-off place, dulcet words echoing over top-of-the-line electronic…
Tweet, Tweet
Tweet, Tweet Online readers comment on “The Twitterverse,” by Craig Hlavaty, May 20: Great article and outstanding research: I learned a bunch. Wouldn’t Leona Helmsley just spin nonstop in her grave if she knew the “little people” had access to all this knowledge and all these networks via Twitter. I…
Born Identity
In his work as writer-director, Rodrigo García has admirably distinguished himself through his commitment to creating intelligent, complex roles for his heavily distaff casts. Like his debut, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000), and Nine Lives (2005), Mother and Child is a compassionate, multi-threaded tale about…
Corporate Takeover
Angry about the state of the world? You can send infinite e-mails to elected representatives, offending organizations and corporations. You can vote. You can picket and protest (but that will probably only get you coverage if you are, bless your heart, a teabagger). But even if you’re doing all these…
3OH!3
Last summer, every teenager from The Woodlands to Lake Jackson seemed to be bumping 3OH!3’s Helen Keller-repping single “Don’t Trust Me,” and their set at last July’s sweltering Warped Tour stop at Sam Houston Race Park outdrew even punk pioneers Bad Religion. The duo of Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Daniel Heimbinder: Story”, “Hand+Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft”, “Steve Wolfe on Paper”
Capsule reviews by Troy Schulze “Daniel Heimbinder: Story” Cheetos, pink monsters, crystal vases and bell-bottomed pants are the major characters in Houston artist Daniel Heimbinder’s “Story,” presented by cool Montrose house/gallery the Joannex. One marker-on-paper series depicts slews of plaid pants legs and boots slung over the edges of walls,…
Little Boy Blue
If I could stick my pen in my heart And spill it all over the stage Would it satisfy ya, would it slide on by ya Would you think the boy is strange? Ain’t he strange? — Mick Jagger, “It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)” Despite the…
