Alfred Jacob Miller: “Romancing the West”
In 1837, Alfred Jacob Miller set off west, sketchpad in hand, to study life on the exotic frontier. The art exhibit “Romancing the West,” currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, presents 30 of Miller’s works on paper, mainly watercolors depicting the lives of Native Americans. In…
“Answers to Questions: John Wood & Paul Harrison”
Houstonians may be forgiven for assuming that performance/conceptual art duos are commonplace in the art world, spoiled as we are by the creative longevity of our own hometown Art Guys. Doesn’t every city have such a pair? Not so, says Toby Kamps. “These collaborative duos are pretty rare in art,…
“F Stop in Black & Color”
In his exhibit “F Stop in Black & Color,” Egyptian photographer Fikry Botros captures the ordinary — the everyday scenes, objects and people we often overlook as we run around with our busy lives — and he does it with no expectation from his viewers. “I can’t say I’m hoping…
Crimes of the Heart
A lawyer shouldn’t fall for his client, especially when that client is guilty of shooting her husband in the belly. But ethics and common sense don’t count for much when it comes to the Magrath sisters in the over-the-top comedy Crimes of the Heart. The three women come together to…
Always…Patsy Cline
Classic country tunes, including “Sweet Dreams,” “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “Crazy,” make up the score to Always…Patsy Cline. Based on the true story of the unexpected friendship between the music legend and a Houston housewife, Louise Seger, Always mixes comedy, music and nostalgia. The play starts with Seger hearing the…
My Dog Tulip
The film My Dog Tulip, adapted from J.R. Ackerley’s memoir, tells the story of a lonely man and his relationship with his rescued dog. The bond between the pair is one of growing devotion, as the two develop a love and understanding for each other. Directed and animated by Paul…
Paradise Hotel
Paradise Hotel, written by Richard Foreman in 1998 and receiving its Houston premiere, revolves around four people trying to get to the fabled Hotel Fuck (for obvious reasons). And yet, obstruction after obstruction, frustration after frustration, keeps them from ever arriving. At times, they are lured away by the ever…
2010 Academy Award Nominated Short Films
Be in the know when the Oscar winners for best short film are announced this year by attending the 2010 Academy Award Nominated Short Films screenings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The films are divided into three programs — live action, animated and documentary. Among the animated films…
Houston’s Worst Delinquents for Fines and Fees: An Appraisal
Mayor Annise Parker announced today a coming crackdown on the almost $1 billion in fees and fines owed to the City of Houston by various business entities and people. So pay up if you owe. They’re talking about suing, slapping boots on cars, etc. The city also released a list…
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 to…
Health Department Roundup
One of the most revealing things about writing the Health Department Roundup has been realizing that, outside of rat droppings in the saucepans or children’s fingers in some dish that doesn’t call for them, there are very few violations that will really deter us from places. In fact, eating at…
“Bad Project” Creators Will Hold a Public Q&A
Today, non-profit microcinema 14 Pews announced that on Tuesday, Feb. 22nd, 7 p.m., it will host Baylor students David Shim and Mary Wiese for a screening of their Lady Gaga parody “Bad Project.” The creators will introduce the video, discuss the process of making it and take questions from the…
Houston Bids on 2014 NBA All-Star Game (and 4th Annual Dwight Howard Booty Fest)
It took four years, but it appears that NBA All-Star weekends are finally starting to feel safe again. No longer fearful that the volatile combination of Pac Man Jones, strip clubs and firearms is a threat, the city of Houston and the Rockets submitted a proposal last year to the…
Hitler’s Desk: Houstonian Still Trying to Sell It
When last we talked to Houston lawyer Jack McConn, he was eagerly looking forward to selling Hitler’s desk, which he had acquired while being part of an Army unit that was guarding the Führer’s Munich headquarters. Apparently the market for Hitler desks isn’t as lively as it used to be,…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes
Candace Nelson, creator of boutique cupcake emporium Sprinkles, has gone from financier to cupcake-craze initiator to Food Network judge. With Sprinkles locations all over the world, including our own little Highland Village outpost, we tracked down the in-demand young industrialist and got the back-story. Eating Our Words: Let’s begin today…
European Travel Tips For First-Time Bands
Local favorites the Wild Moccasins embark on a six-week European tour this weekend. Rocks Off knows how daunting international travel can be, especially when you’re on a multi-country blitzkrieg that exposes you to numerous languages and many differing cultural mores in a relatively short period of time. Rocks Off wants…
There’s a New Ghost Town In Texas
The Setup: A Fertle Farewell chronicles the demise of the hamlet of Dumpster, Texas, population 12, a distant relative of Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon, but most definitely on the other side of the railroad tracks. But the chance of revival may be in the works when an executive from Brenham…
HPD with New Anti-DWI Initiative: You’ve Been Warned
Law enforcement agencies like the DA’s office always like to tout new anti-DWI drives, usually tied to a holiday. The Houston Police Department got in on the game today, holding a press conference with MADD to let the public know they’ll be cracking down with some heightened enforcement. They’ll team…
Could Kindle Self-Publishing Spark A Zine Revival?
Almost the first story we wrote for Rocks Off was a nostalgic trip through the old word of zine publishing, those wonderfully Xeroxed newsletters you used to see in music stores published by fans and usually costing about a dollar. We don’t know anyone who ever made money off his…
App of the Week: How Evernote Organized My Life
App: Evernote Platforms: iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm, desktop apps also available for Mac and PC Web site: Evernote.com Cost: Free ($5 monthly or $45 annually for premium service) I’m a note taker. Over the years, my desktop, both actual and virtual, has been littered with pieces of paper containing…
A Mean Mexican Breakfast at Tacos del Julio
Tacos del Julio — the subject of this week’s cafe review — is near and dear to my heart, and not just because I spent many a happy lunch there back in my old days of working for a Mexican-owned cement company. It’s also the spot of many delicious breakfasts…
Birthday Boy Kim Jong-Il Looks at Things: The Ten Best Examples
Happy Birthday greetings are in order for Kim Jong-Il, who is either 69 or 70 years old today, depending on what foreign superpower you choose to believe. Soviet records say that he was born on February 16, 1941, while for some reason the North Koreans have him being birthed a…
Boz Scaggs: Your Mom Loved Him… And Still Does
These days, it’s good to be the Wizard of Boz. In recent times, Boz Scaggs has been recording and touring as he pleases, including a highly successful road jaunt with Donald Fagen of Steely Dan and ex-Doobie Brother Michael McDonald as “The Dukes of September.” Outside of music, he’s got…
The Vesper at the Queen Vic Pub
Having arrived early for a birthday dinner at the Queen Vic Pub, I grabbed the last remaining stool at the bar and proceeded to scan the drink menu. My general policy when dining in a large group is to order my drink early, before the waitstaff gets bogged down attending…
Come and Bake It: Cooks Talk About Banning the Sale of Homemade Food
This week’s cover story, by our old pal Robb Walsh, is “Come and Bake It,” a look at how national scares over food safety have led to an increasing crackdown on home cooks selling their wares at bake sales or other events. Bake sales and homemade tamales are only two…
Breakfast Pork Chop at El Tiempo
Having visited El Tiempo many times, at a recent Valentine’s Day brunch I decided to change up my usual order of eggs and enchiladas with pecan pancakes and try something different. I spotted pork chops on the breakfast back page and suspected I’d found a winner. The chops didn’t disappoint…
Who’s Vroomin’ Who: Top 10 Songs With Motorcycle Sounds
Craig’s Hlist has been on a Motley Crue kick for the past few months. We may have just finished reading The Dirt for the fourth time, and we really enjoyed Nikki Sixx’s Heroin Diaries book, which tells the story of how he spent 1987 mired in a haze of junk…
We Announce the Winners in Our Crazy-Roommate-Stories Contest (Second Place)
Earlier this month, we asked readers to submit their craziest roommate stories for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, along with official promotional items for the film The Roommate, which is currently in theaters. You sent them and we’ve chosen the winners. Today we bring you the…
Honoring Barbara Jordan’s 75th Birthday: Five Video Clips
Starting tomorrow, Texas Southern University will begin a year-long celebration of what would be the 75th birthday of alumna Barbara Jordan. Jordan was steeped in Houston, a Wheatley High grad who represented the Fifth Ward in Congress throughout the ’70s. Here are five video clips of her career: 5. Democratic…
Controversy Fizzing Over New Diet Pepsi “Skinny Can” Campaign
Diet soda in a thinner can. A visual reflection of the body you’re working towards or looking to maintain by cutting out empty calories. Hey, it makes sense. So why is there so much controversy surrounding Diet Pepsi’s new “Skinny Can”? Well, for one, that’s not exactly the marketing pitch…
Graphic: When Festival Booking Goes Too Far
Every spring, New Orleans puts on something called the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. But as Jazz Fest has grown more and more popular, the headlining acts have had less and less to do with jazz or New Orleans heritage; this year, headliners include Kid Rock, Bon Jovi, Jimmy…
Compagnie La Baraka: Dance You Can Feel Free to Hate
French Algerian dancer and choreographer Abou Lagraa doesn’t mind if you hate his work, especially if you hate it for not telling a story in the manner of classical ballet. In a 2008 interview with a Czech arts website, he said, “People want to understand things but sometimes it’s nice…
Restaurant Reviews You Don’t Have to Read
I randomly stumbled onto the YouTube channel belonging to “TexasFoodGuru” while searching for an old restaurant commercial. The guru, also known as Rourke, has begun earnestly compiling restaurant reviews in video form for the last week and has three videos up on the site so far. As far as production…
Mexico Military Invasion Bravely Repulsed, We Guess
DayPortPlayer.newPlayer({articleID:”173040″,bannerAdConDefID:”15″,videoAdObjectID:”14″,videoAdConDefID:”6″,accPos:”CCTVI.NEWS.LOCAL”,accSite:”KRGV”,playVideoAds:”true”,isDevMode:”false”,idmMarkerID:”292f2247-e4de-4c0d-ba4b-b2516bf9dd4b”,categoryID:”3″,playerInstanceID:”2FEDF5B0-666D-E33B-4664-7F2802B64D41″,domain:”krgv.web.entriq.net”});Ronald Reagan famously warned America that unless the Contras won in Nicaragua, the U.S. would face a growing threat of a Communist invasion from Mexico. That ominous scenario has now played out. We can only suggest you stock up on bottled water, ammunition and begin to learn Spanish. The Drudge…
Jesse Dayton’s “Fans”: Singer Is “Faggy,” “Douchebag”
Jesse Dayton is learning the joys of Facebook. The ex-Houston honky-tonker and Rob Zombie rockabilly muse, who plays the Armadillo Palace February 26 and Conroe’s Texas Independence Day Festival March 5, took to YouTube Tuesday to explain why he had to start a new fan page. Not only had his…
Jason Babin, Flying Over Hungry Gators
The Bayou blog has dug up video of former Houston Texan and current Tennessee Titan Jason Babin zip-lining over a pack of hungry, hungry gators at a Beaumont-area alligator farm. This apparently happened last year when Babin took his kids, who are fans of CMT’s Gator 911 show (and who…
Wine of the Week: Santiago Queirolo Vino de la Magdalena Reservado
This Peruvian wine with a big, important-sounding name is one of the first semi-sweet red wines I’ve ever liked. And I liked it a lot. Despite its massive title, the wine is completely approachable. Getting past the preconceived notion of the “semi-sweet” description was the most difficult part of the…
Your Meme of the Week: Come At Me Bro
What are you looking at, bitch? You reading this Meme Of The Week or something? You think you’re better than me? What, you too good to also share and like this for Facebook? You can’t retweet this? Come at me bro, or brosephina, whichever’s the case. Two seasons ago on…
The True Value Packs Serious Independent Hardware
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 introducingliston@gmail.com. Here’s the one thing we knew about rock…
Food Fight: Chicken Sandwich
My last attempt at a Food Fight sparked racial tension. There was also a plea to transform these “fights” into “battles.” I guess there’s just something about fried finger foods that brings out the worst in people. What comments will the boring, old grilled chicken sandwich get? I guess we…
Comment of the Day: Right-Wing Talk Radio at Its Worst
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Dear Recording Academy, What About Music Made by Animals?
The 2011 Grammy Awards are over. Among the nominees, many and various genres of music were represented, often via recordings on small independent labels. In the wake of Arcade Fire’s album-of-the-year win, now is the time to bang the drum as loudly as we can for music produced outside of…
Football Legend Eddie Robinson: A Biography Wasted
Eddie Robinson was one of the greatest head coaches in the history of college football. He overcame the misfortune of being born a black man in the Deep South during the worst years of Jim Crow to produce at Grambling one of the great programs in all of football history…
Five Sure-Fire Ways To Have A Hit Rap Video
If you’re in the entertainment industry, you’re no stranger to music videos. But if you don’t follow a few basic rules, your videos can turn into a legal nightmare. Just ask Jim Jones, who last week got sued by two Texas women over their unintentional (and topless) cameos. Follow these…
Houston History: Finding Camp Logan Ruins at Memorial Park
A hidden part of Houston history resides in the underbrush at Memorial Park, and every year a group of amateur urban archeologists sets out to see as much of it as they can find. Yesterday, the group, led by Louis Aulbach, found the foundation of latrines and bathhouses built in…
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. Eatocracy: CNN’s food blog has partnered with Food & Wine to announce…
Ten Charmingly Strange Old Postcards from Galveston, Beaumont and Baytown
Last month we shared with you ten charmingly strange old postcards from Houston. Now it’s time to give equal love to the places that surround Houston. As always, Card Cow is the place to go for your vintage-postcard needs. 10. Beaumont: Plenty of Parking! The Beaumont Village Shopping Center features…
Sheyla Hershey: Brit Tabloid Reports Woman Famous for Huge Breast Implants Is in a Coma
Sheyla Hershey, the local woman whose very odd and sad obsession with getting huge breast implants has been chronicled widely, is in a coma after a suicide attempt, a British tabloid is reporting. But The Sun’s story is alarmingly vague and contains no details on where the incident allegedly happened…
Comment of the Day
Man, you guys are unpredictable. Last week, the comments on Calliope’s in a post by Katharine Shilcutt were all positive, which inspired Kevin Shalin to drop by for a fried oyster po-boy. But today, y’all aren’t so into Calliope’s. As an example, SirRon’s response: I had the worst oyster po-boy…
400-Pound Shoplifting Woman Tased (My NFL/NBA Lockout Practice Post)
The potential for a lockout in both the NFL and the NBA is starting to feel very real. With news that NFL collective bargaining talks started off contentiously and then earlier this week were unceremoniously broken off, it looks like labor peace is not happening any time soon. Some players…
Is It Right To Ask Fans To Pitch In For Health Care?
The current economic environment has made times a bit rougher for artists in America, particularly musicians. Take DJ Kool Herc. The pioneering hip-hop DJ, who created the music’s breakbeat foundation by switching back and forth between the breakdown section of two different funk sides, was hospitalized for kidney stones last…
George Greanias, CEO of Metro: Metro Out to Prove It’s Not “Evil and Stupid”
When Metro trains are broken, they chug into the rail operating center on West Bellfort to be fixed. But today inside the vast concrete warehouse, repairs of a different sort were first on Metro’s mind. Metro president and CEO George Greanias is on a mission to mend the company’s wrecked…
The Top 10 Coffee Houses in Houston
Last week’s First Look at Black Hole Cafe prompted some interesting discussions in the comments section, namely a lively debate about the merits of weighing a just-opened coffee house against other, more established locations. Said commenter “guest” (clever name) about the write-up: This isn’t a review, but a comparison which…
Houston Bidding for 2014 NBA All-Star Game
Is the NBA All-Star Game that big a deal anymore? The game itself is a joke, the competitions attached to it, like the dunk contests, are shadows of their former selves…..oh, but the parties. The parties surrounding an NBA All-Star game can be epic, and Houston wants to be in…
We Announce the Winners in Our Crazy-Roommate-Stories Contest
Earlier this month, we asked readers to submit their craziest roommate stories for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, along with official promotional items for the film The Roommate, which is currently in theaters. You sent them and we’ve chosen the winners. Today we bring you the…
Off the Wall: Now That’s a Po-Boy
Last week, Katharine Shilcutt wrote about her experience at Zimm’s Little Deck. In it, she mentioned her fondness for Calliope’s Po-Boy, and the commenters agreed. TonyC had this to say: “I can’t recommend Calliope’s enough. A little bit of Louisiana right here in Houston.” I’m sold…
Houston to Lead the Way, Sort of, in Plug-In Electric Vehicles
A new study of projected sales of plug-in electric vehicles shows Houston to be among the leading “early adopters” in the country, but far below places like California and New York. The study by Pike Research examined demographics, planned manufacturer rollout schedules of the cars and attitudes towards the fancy-schmancy…
15 Gets You 20: Rock & Roll Jailbait Through The Years
Friday night, The Pretty Reckless (above) pulls into town for a gig at House of Blues. The band, led by Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen, is known largely for the 17-year-old singer’s penchant for wearing something resembling lingerie, chain-smoking and basically being a teen badass. Like that Tori Scott girl…
Underberg
Despite the fact that my metabolism has been steadily slowing over the past few years, I still overeat. I’ve been known to close down one all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, drive around all night looking for another, and finally wind up fishing. It’s a sickness. Thank God for Underberg. I was first…
Today’s Cop-Beating Video Comes to You from the Harris County Sheriff’s Department
Caught on Tape: Woman Says Deputy Used Excessive Force: MyFoxHOUSTON.comHoustonians just can’t get enough of surveillance video of cops getting physical with the public, so here’s today’s episode. Fox 26 reports that the woman in the video has filed a federal suit over the incident, which happened at a Target…
Ellen DeGeneres’ Trespasser Used to Work for Local Investigation Firm
“We have not sent any spies to Ellen’s house,” says Bobbi Bacha with the Webster, Tx.-based Blue Moon Investigations Security and Protection. Last Thursday, former Houston resident Karen Grace Sjoden was arrested trespassing at the Beverly Hills home of Ellen DeGeneres. Yesterday, Sjoden pleaded not-guilty and also told a judge…
For Rappers, How Commercial Is Too Commercial?
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. Something you always wanted to…
Brugal Rum Saves the V-Day
I was offered an opportunity to attend a Plain White T’s concert at the House of Blues . One of the sponsors was Brugal Rum. I accepted the assignment in about a millisecond–for a couple of reasons. One, I like rum. Two, I’m in my thirties, married, and have two…
YouTube’s First Year: Eight Examples of What People Were Uploading in 2005
Six years ago this week, three dudes we’re totally not jealous of registered the domain name www.Youtube.com. A little over a year later, Google bought the site for $1.65 billion. Sure, that totally makes sense now, but when Hair Balls decided to travel all the way back to 2005 to…
Video: Frederica von Stade Gives Her Final Operatic Performance in Houston
Last week, Art Attack was fortunate enough to see Houston Grand Opera’s final performance of Dead Man Walking. The opera, which debuted in 2000, is based on the book by Nobel Laureate Sister Helen Prejean and tells the story of a nun who develops a pen-pal relationship with a man…
Soul City: The Amazing Jazz Crusaders
Black History Month is always a great time to recall some of Houston’s greatest musical innovators and leaders. Rocks Off will highlight some of them during the remainder of February. “Hey, let’s get back to that down-and-dirty old-school chicken-shack sound” While Houston has produced its share of jazz and noted…
Life in Prison With No Parole for Man Who Impregnated His 11-Year-Old Stepdaughter
A sentence has come down in the case of a Brazoria County man who impregnated his 11-year-old stepdaughter, and it’s a steep one: Life in prison with no chance of parole. KTRK, which broke the story and has been following it, says a judge handed down the sentence recently. They…
First Look at ERA
The bar area on the main floor isn’t quite finished yet, nor has all the art been hung from the eggshell-white walls at ERA (809 Congress, 713-225-1066), but the four pizzas that arrived at our table last night looked as if they’d come from a long-open kitchen staffed with old…
“Zen Chill” Smoothie at Berripop Frozen Yogurt
I’m in the mood for milkshakes even in chilly weather and would probably drink them every day if they didn’t contain so much pesky saturated fat. I’ve tried Coldstone’s low-fat “sinless” shake, but won’t make that mistake again as white-out probably has a more pleasant taste than that concoction. Although…
Gabrielle Giffords’s Set List: A Critical Appraisal
It’s difficult to imagine anyone not happy with the progress being made at the Texas Medical Center by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She’s walking, talking and, according to an e-mail from her mother obtained by the Houston Chronicle, she’s playing to the hilt her role of “Little Miss Overachiever.” She’s also…
L.A. Rapper Gets Signed, Eats A Roach
The members of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All – or Odd Future, if you’re into the whole brevity thing – have been on the online radar since last summer, and have already managed to make the Coachella cut and late-night talk-show circuits in 2011. At the outset, however,…
Stairway to Paradise Is a Glimpse at Gershwin’s Early Genius
The Setup: Before George Gershwin became George Gershwin, what did he sound like? That’s the question that gets rhapsodically answered in the latest cabaret from Bayou City Concert Musicals. A prodigy, as a kid he astonished his non-musical family by sitting down and playing the piano when it was ordered…
Upcoming: Erykah Badu, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Etc.
Apocalyptica: Wed., March 23. House of Blues. Blu, J*Davey, The Niceguys: Tue., March 15. Groundhall. Deep Dark Robot: Mon., April 4. Rudyard’s. Erykah Badu: Sat., May 21. Arena Theatre. Frontline Assembly, Die Krupps: Sat., June 4. Numbers. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic: Fri., April 8. Arena Theatre. Los Lonely Boys:…
Chris Baker Comes to KSEV: Another Attempt to Preach to Houston’s Talk-Radio Choir
Chris Baker, who was Houston’s Glenn Beck before Glenn Beck really took off, is coming back to the local airwaves. Yet again. Baker, a superficial blowhard who in many ways — none of them good — epitimozes right-wing talk radio, will have a show on State Senator Dan Patrick’s KSEV,…
Recipe: The Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Pot Roast
There’s something about Sundays that makes me want to roast a large animal and serve it Norman Rockwell-style to a table filled with friends. And I guess if I were more confident in my culinary skills, this fantasy would become reality, maybe even routine. But, alas, I’ve always been a…
Crescent City Beignets
Sometimes, nothing satisfies quite like a plate full of hot dough, fat, and sugar. I’m speaking, of course, of beignets. When the mood strikes, these pillowy confections simply can’t be replaced. People may try to ply you with Indian fry bread, funnel cakes, or perhaps even sopapillas. The particularly unscrupulous…
Last Night: Clay Aiken At Jones Hall
Clay Aiken Jones Hall February 14, 2011 Ask, and thou shalt receive. Our commenters requested a Clay Aiken slideshow, so here it is. While most people celebrated Valentine’s Day last night, we headed to Jones Hall to see former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken. While it wasn’t necessarily our ideal…
New On DVD: Unstoppable, Waiting for Superman, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
(Capsule reviews by Melissa Anderson, Brian Miller and Ella Taylor) Unstoppable In Unstoppable, an unmanned runaway freight train, laden with toxic waste, is careening across Pennsylvania! There’s another train with innocent schoolchildren on the same tracks! Who will save them? Denzel Washington and Star Trek’s Chris Pine–that’s who–under the direction…
Comment of the Day: The Tea Party and Secession
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Superstar? Jesus Christ…
There’s a scene in Penelope Spheeris’s excellent documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years where she interviews a number of struggling musicians about their career prospects and their fallback options should they fail. Almost to a man* (and woman), these hopefuls respond with fierce conviction that…
You’re Not Special
There’s a scene in Penelope Spheeris’ excellent documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years where she interviews a number of struggling musicians about their career prospects and their fallback options should they fail. Almost to a man* (and woman), these hopefuls respond with fierce conviction that…
Raising Goth Kids In Today’s Disney Society
Gothtopia is currently sitting on an advance copy of the Girls Rock Camp Houston DVD, which was filmed at Walter’s and showcased several bands of young girls performing their original compositions. We are currently waiting for a firm release date on the disc before bringing you our take on it,…
Meet Anthony Rendon, Rice Baseball’s Newest Whiz Kid
John RoyalMeet Anthony RendonHis name is Anthony Rendon. You might have heard of him if you’re a fan of Rice Owls baseball, or if you follow college baseball. You might also have heard of him if you’re one of those people who follow Houston-area high school baseball. If you’re a…
Where Are We Drinking?
This nicely mixed Hemingway daiquiri could have been a little heavier on the booze…but it was a business lunch. Perhaps the pours are stronger in the evenings at this classy joint. Think you know where we’re drinking? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Five Video Games More Tasteless Than Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Even though the Mexican Drug War continues unabated a few hundred miles down the Southwest Freeway, this news that there is a South of the Border-themed Grand Theft Auto video game in the works somehow seems predictable. According to manufacturer Ubisoft, first-person shooter Call of Juarez: The Cartel will offer…
Weezer, Ween, Sharon Jones, Bun B Head Summer Fest Lineup
UPDATE: Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears have been added to the lineup. “I’m gonna pull out some shit on stage that will make the Flaming Lips cry and possibly retire in awe.” – Hayes Carll, via @hprocksoff Weezer, Ween, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Yeasayer and Houston rappers Z-Ro…
Friday Night: Joe Ely Band At Rockefeller Hall
Joe Ely Band Rockefeller Hall February 11, 2011 Saturday night, almost exactly 24 hours after the Joe Ely Band’s triumphant return to Rockefeller’s Rockefeller Hall, Aftermath and a friend were chatting on Facebook about Houston’s current bumper crop of up-and-coming indie bands. Some people around town seem to have convinced…
Five NBA Love Stories (For Valentine’s Day)
Let me be the millionth to say that I hate Valentine’s Day. It’s a sham. It’s a farce. It’s a fabrication designed to stimulate the economy and jump-start jewelry, flower, restaurant and sex toy business for a random day in the dead period of February. And yet, as a species,…
Comment of the Day
Katharine Shilcutt reported on which Houston restaurants have opened and which have closed, including three Cajun joints. Which led commenter Tim to reflect on Creole and Cajun, New Orleans and Lafayette: Forgive me for I am about to nitpick: ‘Three separate Cajun places went to that big Crescent City in…
The Unexpected Freebie
Recently, I stopped by Sugarbaby’s Cupcake Boutique on a Saturday in the hopes of trying a Caramel Delight cupcake. Unsurprisingly, one hour before closing they were out of Caramel Delight and almost all other flavors, so I revised my plan and selected a St. Arnold’s Stout cupcake for my better…
Catastrophic’s Paradise Hotel Is a Flawless Mess
The Setup: Catastrophic Theatre takes on playwright Richard Foreman’s wayward and terribly unfunny dissection of sex. The Execution: Foreman, the darling of underground New York theater, is an acquired taste, but this dank, existential sex farce — loosely inspired by the wittier, less obnoxious originals of Georges Feydeau — is…
Five Last-Second Valentine’s Day Gifts: Their Real Meaning
Almost done with the workday and it’s time to head home. But of course you can’t come home empty-handed on this day of all days. So like a lot of guys, you’ll be making a stop on the way home to pick up a little something. What you pick up…
Ingredient of the Week: Swiss Chard
What is it? I’d heard of it, seen it at the grocery store and read about how delicious and healthy it is, but I’d never tried Swiss chard until last week, when I was looking for a leafy green to serve with dinner. It was much less bitter than I…
Saturday Night: Amos Lee At House Of Blues
Ed Note: Due to a misunderstanding, we were unable to take any photos of Amos Lee. See what he looks like here. Amos Lee, Vusi Mahlasela House of Blues February 12, 2011 House of Blues was packed with more upper-crust, middle-aged people than a summer Dave Matthews Band concert in…
The 20 Best Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Covers
Tonight on The Late Show With David Letterman, this year’s cover of the long-running Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will be unveiled, as everyone’s Valentine’s Day comes to its climax. Hopefully. Unless you’re a stupid loser. The cover model has yet to be announced, but the big money seems to be…
Linkin Park Cancels Houston Show On Doctor’s Orders
UPDATE: The show has been rescheduled for March 3, promoter Live Nation said in a press release Tuesday. Sad news for folks holding tickets to tomorrow night’s Linkin Park/The Prodigy gig at Toyota Center. Due to an illness, lead singer Chester Bennington has been sidelined from performing by doctor’s orders,…
Freedom to Marry Marchers: No More Mr. Nice Gay
Photos by Bradley BaskerSee pics from yesterday’s “Big Gay Wedding,” the largest and longest-running commitment ceremony in Houston, also organized by the Foundation for Family and Marriage Equality. Members of the Foundation for Family and Marriage Equality, along with a crowd of protesters, shouted “congratulations!” at a heterosexual couple entering…
What a Crock: Breakfast Cobbler
I like breakfast. I like cobbler. I should like breakfast cobbler. It’s got to be good, right? In search of a breakfast crock pot recipe, I hoped the new one I found would top this one. The rundown I’ve been trying my best to mix things up for this weekly…
Metro Wuvs Us, This We Know / For This Cookie Tells Us So
When we looked askance last week at Metro’s plans to declare its undying Valentine’s Day love for its passengers, little did we know how darkly, bitterly cynical they were. THE NEW METRO !!!!!! (pat. pending), instead of sending tedious e-mails purporting to rebut line-by-line our premise, sent….a cookie. The bastards!!!!…
Local Radio Legend Recycles Former Career Into Art
David Sadof is one of the most influential names in Houston radio. His show, Lunar Rotation, introduced the city to pretty much every top alternative act when he helmed the mike at KTBZ. But there’s a side of Sadof we were completely unaware of–his abilities as a visual artist; particularly…
Houston on the Horizon: Rising Stars Named by StarChefs.com
I vacillate back and forth between craving attention for our city’s culinary efforts and then finding myself annoyed with the attention we do get. Call it the heartburn that comes with having your cake and eating it, too. This morning, I received a press release announcing the winners of the…
Rhode Island Wants a Medical Center Like Ours
Lincoln Chafee, the former senator from Rhode Island who is now the (barely a) state’s governor, announced today he wants to build a presumably mini-version of the Texas Medical Center. A “knowledge center” would be developed on land in Providence formerly known as the Jewelry District, combining local universities and…
Lack Of Social Safety Net Tying Many Musicians To Day Jobs
“I fantasize sometimes that my musical career would hit gold and help us escape these grim realities, but it’s not something I really expect to happen.” There are few issues in the current political climate more fraught with contention than whether or not the U.S. government will take a more…
A Valentine’s Brinner
What does everyone love on Valentine’s? Either chocolate or a substitute for chocolate — power, sex, hallucinogens, puppy dogs (please don’t mix those all at once). Now, what does everyone love, anytime? Breakfast for dinner: “brinner.” If you didn’t get in gear and make reservations for a fab dinner for…
Shanoop and Sandra Kothari: Alcohol Swabs with Bacteria Killed Our Child, Lawsuit Says
Alcohol swabs trigger federal suitThe parents of a two-year-old Houston boy who died after coming into contact with contaminated antiseptic swabs are suing the manufacturer of the swabs, which have been subject to a recall. In a federal wrongful death suit filed Sunday against the Triad Group, Shanoop and Sandra Kothari…
Almost Perfect Risotto di Funghi at Fred’s Italian Corner
There is something immensely comforting about a bowl of risotto at Fred’s Italian Corner (2278 West Holcombe, 713-665-7506), the arborio rice nice and plump in its own creamy sauce, sending up visible waves of steam on a cold night last week. That’s an overused term these days: comfort food. I…
Saturday Night: Robin Thicke At Arena Theatre
Robin Thicke Arena Theatre February 12, 2011 Is describing a show as an aural roofie politically incorrect? Because Saturday night’s Robin Thicke show at the Arena Theatre seemed to put all the women in the crowd into a sexy soul-fog with a syrupy thicke-ness. We even stocked up on some…
Urban Market Finally Gets Urban
The Urban Market used to be held in a field adjacent to a suburban neighborhood, north of the Heights and outside the loop. The scene: hundreds of women, often in Wellies following freak spring rainstorms, tromping through the miniature Round Top hunting shabby-chic, French-country, modern-industrial, and a smattering of mid-century…
Sweets for the Sweet at Perry’s
Perry’s has introduced some new dessert items that took over a year to conceptualize, tweak, taste, tweak again and, finally, present to the public just in time for Valentine’s Day – although, ironically, these desserts will NOT be available today, because Perry’s is only offering a pre-fixe menu for Valentine’s…
State Rep. Leo Berman Sponsoring Secession Rally
State Rep. Leo Berman of Tyler has already gained notoriety for introducing a birther bill in the legislature, but he’s not done yet. Now he’s sponsoring a rally on the capitol steps that is calling for Texas to secede from the United States. The announcement of the rally begins: South…
Haut Chocolat: A Sweet Boutique
If Linda Cunningham wasn’t a couture designer with two atelier locations (one in Jacksonville Florida and the other right here in Houston), she’d be a marine biologist. (And it’s no surprise that the successful designer and business owner would have the brains to take on an industry filled with uncertainty…
Saturday Night: Wild Moccasins Tour Kickoff At Fitzgerald’s
Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals Fitzgerald’s February 12, 2011 See pics from the Wild Moccs’ tour kickoff in our slideshow. Houston has seen Wild Moccasins plenty of times before, but that doesn’t stop the throngs of fans from packing out show after show to see the band’s catchy brand of indie…
Toby the Red Panda Digs His Valentine’s Day Gift: A Guide to Help You Score, Too
Now that’s the kind of satisfied and excited look you want in the face of whoever gets your Valentine’s Day gift this year. Toby, a red panda at the Houston Zoo, is allegedly enjoying some fruit here, but we think it looks more like a pair of sexy granny panties…
Freedom to Marry: Gays Marching Through Downtown Today
Apparently eager to be forced to buy last-second Valentine’s Day gifts to people they’ve been married to for years, gays and lesbians will have a march through downtown later this morning. They’ll try to get marriage licenses at the courthouse, and after being refused will walk to City Hall. “Many…
A Super Bowl of Potato Salad
Super Bowl Sunday arrived before I’d adequately pondered my Super Bowl Party contribution. It had to go well with barbecue and fried turkey. It had to be easy to make in mass quantities. And, it had to be easily portable. Then it hit me. Super Bowl Sunday occurs during Carnival…
Is Stealing Another Rapper’s Lyrics Ever OK?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Eskabel, Renzo, O.N.E., Brad Gilmore, D-Risha, K.A.B. Not Invited: Carlos Mencia This Week’s Prompt: Recently, rapper Consequence got mad at Pusha T because…
Late-’70s Rock Musical War of the Worlds Crash Lands on East Side
Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest bulletin from Houston Press’ blog Art Attack. Professor Morse from the observatory room at Rice University reports observing a total of three explosions on the planet Mars, between the hours of 7:45 p.m. and 9:20 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Now comes a special…
An Egg a Day Is Now Okay
I love eggs. I would eat them in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse, here, there, and everywhere – if they weren’t loaded with cholesterol. But earlier this week the USDA released surprising findings from a recent nutritional re-evaluation, reporting that modern-day eggs are healthier…
Friday Night: Holy Fiction, Finnegan & The Shallows At Fitz
The Canvas Waiting, Holy Fiction, Finnegan, The Shallows Fitzgerald’s February 11, 2011 We’re probably preaching to the choir, but were you at Fitzgerald’s Friday? What a show… Oh, you were upstairs? Well, you missed out on a diverse consortium of musicians from around town that rocked our faces off. But…
Comment of the Day: Moon Missions Were Surrounded by UFOs, Dammit
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
The Week In TV
The sun finally came out, but there was plenty of TV to watch, especially for fans of FBI agent Bert Macklin. This was the week in TV Land: • It’s only been a few weeks since Keith Olbermann left MSNBC, but he’s already got himself a new gig: he’s been…
James Dickey Ignores His Gut, Cougars Get the Win
John RoyalZamal Nixon works the offense in the second half against TulaneHouston Cougars head coach James Dickey tends to coach by his gut. And when point guard Zamal Nixon tried to hit forward Maurice McNeil for the alley-oop late in the second half on Saturday afternoon, Dickey’s gut told him…
Dead Bang DJs Take The Party Off The Dance Floor
Rocks Off has spent more time at Numbers than is probably wise to admit, and through those hazy, vodka-clouded years we have always thoroughly enjoyed the main dance floor DJ sets of DJ Mina, DJ Nick Night, and all the other darkwave masters of spin who ensure the pale gyrations…
David Davila, 27, Bayou Body Count No. 17
A man was shout outside a southeast side bar early Sunday morning, Houston police say. The shooting happened about 4:30 a.m. after a fight that began inside Joe’s Texas Pub in the 11000 block of Fuqua, the station said. The altercation continued outside the bar, and one man pulled a…
Where Are We Eating?
A plate of fried pickles may not seem like much to go on, but this restaurant does them fairly uniquely, with crinkle-cut dill pickles in a seasoned batter that is always crunchy, never soggy, and adheres to the pickles with insane staying power. Think you know where we’re eating this…
R.I.P. Mickey Dunlap, Former Pasadena Student Who Seemed Like He Might Buck Long Odds
In 2000 we did a cover story on “the strange, savage and sweet life” of Mickey Dunlap, a kid from Pasadena who’d been abandoned by druggie parents and was being helped by some caring people in school and the police department. Despite some tough obstacles, things were looking good: He’s…
The Woodlands, Arcade Fire Win Album Of The Year Grammy
Congratulations to The Woodlands, that emotionally icy burb up I-45, for helping Arcade Fire win this year’s Album of the Year Grammy at Sunday night’s awards show for their sprawling The Suburbs LP. The band, led by former Woodlands residents Win and William Butler, won over a highly-touted Eminem comeback…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where instead of eating those Valentine’s conversation candy hearts, we’re just gonna go ahead and wolf down a big ol’ handful of chalk. Not as romantic, but significantly less sugar. Laid up in the hospital? Going to visit someone…
Comments of the Day
Today, we learned a few things. First, in the comments to Lennie Ambrose’s post about El Perico Agave Spirit, we acquired some new slang, courtesy of Ted Stickles: Hah, that’s funny, ‘perico’ is slang for cocaine… We did not know that! And the comments of Katharine Shilcutt’s post on suggestive…
MCM: More Local Music News Than Parties In Cairo
Welcome back to yet another installment of our semi-famous Magnolia City Mixtape. Rocks Off works hard to scrape every barnacle of local music news from our ship that sails the high seas of the Internet – or something like that. Slim Thug welcomed everyone back to Texas for the Super…
Robert Wade Prince: A-Hole Passenger Gets Six Months
A year ago we told you about Robert Wade Prince, an Alabama man arrested at Bush Intercontinental after getting drunk and disorderly on a Continental flight home from Amsterdam. Prince not only hassled female flight attendants and passengers with inappropriate touching, he messed with an air marshal and threw a…
Yelapa Is Back on Track
Over a spicy jalapeno-infused margarita and a bowl full of the chunky “real guacamole” last night, I looked around the busy bar at Yelapa Playa Mexicana (2303 Richmond, 281-501-0391) and felt a wave of relief wash over me. I admit to being very nervous about the restaurant’s lifespan when it…
New Houston Salon Azur West Is the First of Its Kind in the Nation
Every girl we’ve ever met has made her bathroom or corner mirror into her own private hair-and-makeup sanctuary (even when the bathroom and corner mirror are not-so-private, and the products could burn a hole through a car door but miraculously keep a big puffball of hair in place). If dangerous…
Traffic Fun: Forget About the North Loop This Weekend
If you live around the North Loop, get ready for a weekend of hassles. Major, major roadwork is scheduled, and it likely won’t be pretty getting around it. From I-10 in the west to the Eastex Freeway, entire sides of the Loop will be closed down for long stretches. For…
Video: Mayor Annise Parker Talks Candidly About Growing Up Gay
This week, ImFromDriftwood.com, a website that focuses on the lives of everyday gays, features Houston mayor Annise Parker. On camera, mayor Parker beautifully describes her experiences as a young lesbian and struggling to go on dates. In her trademark honest delivery Parker tells us about being 15, falling in love…
Bartender Chat: Kallie Weyland of Byzantio
After braving the icy winds this week in search of a worthy Bartender Chat candidate, I was very pleased to meet Kallie Weyland at Byzantio. Not only was the place warmly lit and inviting, she also had some great stories to share over samples of her signature Ginger Pomegranate Martini…
Annise Parker Talks About Her First Love
I’m From Driftwood, a Web site dedicated to real-life stories from gays and lesbians, has posted an interview with Mayor Annise Parker talking about her first love and a college romance. Parker remains quietly analytical, of course, but still, in recounting how heartsick she was when her girlfriend’s parents broke…
Openings & Closings
First things first, for anyone who might be heading out to Skewers (3991 Richmond, 713-599-1444) for its grand reopening: Don’t. At least, not yet. The restaurant’s PR team emailed us an explanation for the delay this week: Skewers is not going to make its opening this Saturday. Got the word…
RIP Guitar Hero: 10 Songs The Game Gave New Life
Thursday, Activision killed the musical video game Guitar Hero after six years of turning young ears into heshers, glammers, and classic-rock devotees. The debt that older bands like the Ramones, Poison, Black Sabbath and Rush owe to the game is immense. True, the kids (and drunk adults), were hearing cover…
Tangerine: Yacht Rock, Golden Triangle-Style
Ahh, Yacht Rock… Yacht Rock…Back in 2006, when we were still the music editor here, this unlikeliest of pop revivals filled our tattered sails with it’s magical zephyr: The raw power of really smooth music. While those days now seem as long ago as Jim Messina’s relevance on the national…
Texas Is Getting Dumber, Study Says
Once again blazing a trail best left unblazed, Texas is one of the nation’s top states in terms of how fast it’s getting dumber, a study says. The website 24/7WallSt looked at trends in population growth and the percentage of people with various levels of education, and has ranked Texas…
Houston, We Have a “Splasher” – Obama Mural Defaced
Whether it’s the work of a copycat street artist or a political vigilante, the paint splatters we noticed this morning on the Obama “Hope” mural (at Alabama & Travis) resemble the ones that cropped up in New York City in 2007, defacing the works of prominent street artists like Shepard…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Randy Evans of Haven
In this week’s chef chat, we caught up with Randy Evans of Haven (see our conversations here and here. After listening to him talk about all the local ingredients being incorporated into the menu, I was dying to sink my teeth into a few of them. Before we got started,…
Justin Bieber Movie Reveals Pop Star Shaves, Has Hot Mom
“OMG you can reach and touch his face” Thursday night, Rocks Off went to the first midnight screening of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, in 3D no less. Yes we had a chaperone, but the late hour and the theater’s location wasn’t conducive to masses of screaming girls. The location…
The Sexy Side of Bayou Bend
Quick, think of the sexiest place in Houston. Okay, now imagine yourself enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon there the day before Valentine’s Day. Y’all all thought of Bayou Bend, right? We thought so. This Sunday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Museum of Fine Arts-owned residence of the legendary…
Obama Mural Defaced; Political Statement or the Work of a Hipster Wannabe?
Since 2008, commuters coming off the Southwest Freeway have been met by a large mural version of Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” poster of Barack Obama. It adorns a shop, across the street from the Breakfast Klub, that served as the Obama campaign’s Houston headquarters. For at least the second time since…
Brioche Blaster! elBulli at the Office
About a month ago, Top Chef Michael Voltaggio started talking about his technique for microwave brioche, posting YouTube videos and splattering Twitter with his tales of rich, buttery goodness, à la minute — a clever, savory riff on the microwave sponge cakes the Ferran Adrià and his pastry chef brother…
It’s Just Brittany, Bitch, Houston Rap’s New First Lady
At 11 p.m. Thursday night, the balance of power among Houston’s female rappers (and all rappers, a little) shifted markedly, because that is precisely when Just Brittany’s first proper EP, the unexpectedly polished and ambidextrous More Than Just a Pretty Face, was officially released. Brittany most recently made news when…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Just Go With It
Title: Just Go With It Starring: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston Wasn’t She Married To Somebody Famous Once? Yeah, I think I heard that too. Is Rob Schneider In This? If he was, I couldn’t spot him. You do get Dave Matthews, though. I’ll leave it to you whether that’s…
Lea Michele: Glee Star’s Cosmo Cover Too Hot for East Texas
Who knew East Texans were big fans of burkhas? They apparently want Glee star Lea Michele to wear one. The Brookshire’s grocery chain has removed the Cosmo magazine pictured on the right from its shelves because…because….because it shows about as much skin as a prom dress? A spokesman told TV…
Leave It To Bieber: The Lost Pilot Episode
Fade in on a darkened Bieber household living room. The porch light snaps on outside, and the door opens slowly and silently. JUSTIN BIEBER sneaks into the house in filthy clothes, carrying a baseball bat and glove. He silently shuts the door and starts walking, tracking mud inside the house…
Local Spotlight: El Perico from Eagle Point Distillery
When local rum expert and distiller Kelly Railean decided to venture into other types of spirits, she knew exactly where she wanted to go next. The problem was, what to call her new venture? There are “Texas tequilas” cropping up all over the state right now, but most are not…
Idol Beat: Battle Los Angeles
You know, I had my misgivings about covering Season 10 of American Idol. I’ve already mentioned my concerns that, contrary to what David Hasselhof would have us believe, America doesn’t necessarily have talent. At least, not enough to fill 10 seasons worth of programming. I also feared the show was…
Famous Grouse: Liquor Truck, Meet Seawall
We’re told, by the Galveston County Daily News, that the driver of this liquor truck “forgot to set the parking brake” when he stopped at a convenience store on Seawall Boulevard. The truck then rolled across five lanes of traffic and ended up teetering on the seawall itself. Click on…
Lucinda Williams, Spearhead, Kronos Quartet Headed To iFest
The Houston International Festival, better known as iFest, announced its 2011 lineup late Thursday night. Here are some of the highlights: FRIDAY, APRIL 29 World Stage: Kronos Quartet feat. Homayun Sakhi; Houston Youth Symphony String Quartet; Houston Grand Opera SATURDAY, APRIL 30 World Stage: Mayapuris; Kora Konnection; Rootz Underground; Jimmie…
The French Impressionists, Actual-Size
It’s your dorm-room mantlepiece come to life this month, when the French Impressionists exhibit comes to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The show, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces, is on loan to the MFAH while their permanent home in Washington D.C.’s National Gallery is under construction. Opening February 20 and…
Transgendered Woman Jenifer Rene Pool Announces Her City Council Candidacy
City council hopeful Jenifer Rene Pool, clad in a black blazer with a hint of a hot pink blouse peeking out from under it, conversed with a supporter upstairs at One’s A Meal in Montrose yesterday afternoon. The subject: how much they both love Glee, especially Pool. “I’ve always thought…
Ali Nazik at Istanbul Grill & Deli
I’ve passed by Istanbul Grill & Deli often during dinner hour but never stopped as the parking situation always made me a bit nervous. However, after hearing a Turkish colleague of mine praise the place, I stopped the car, put on my flashers, and dashed in for some takeout. Some…
Apollo 20 Picks Up 11 Elementaries, But Not Without a Fight
It took three sets of votes, but in the end Houston ISD trustees in a 5-4 vote gave Superintendent Terry Grier the go-ahead on his proposal to expand the Apollo 20 program to 11 elementary schools next year. The debate was long, with passionate arguments on either side, and had…
Odd Pair: Heart-Shaped Cheese Pizza & Argiolas Costamolino
While it is a fact that shaping the pizza like a heart will not alter its taste one bit, it certainly does make it cheesier. Puns aside, I have a dreadfully wonderful tradition of ordering cheap, heart-shaped pizza on Valentine’s Day. This year, I wanted to find a wine that…
Idol Beat: Say Goodbye To Hollywood
You know, I had my misgivings about covering Season 10 of American Idol. I’ve already mentioned my concerns that, contrary to what David Hasselhof would have us believe, American doesn’t necessarily have talent. At least, not enough to fill ten seasons worth of programming. I also feared the show was…
Comment of the Day: Alternatives to Arming School Board Members
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Community: The Valentine’s Episode
The thing that makes Community work is that it knows how to balance its sillier, more amped-up moments with the kind of relatability that makes the characters feel real. The show gets away with a variety of sight gags and punch lines that wouldn’t make sense in the real world…
February 5-11: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. If you’ve got Houston-related photos, be they landscapes, events or street art, we want to see them. Just drop them in our photo group right here. As always,…
30 Seconds With Avant
Rocks Off hooked up with R&B supervoice Avant (no, not like that) to see we could find out about the man behind hits like “Separated” and “My First Love” in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Avant: “Thong Song” – it’s amazing that someone…
One Guy’s 20 Suggestions for Improving Astros Attendance
Drayton, sex sellsThe Astros have completed the new HD video screen/scoreboard, and if you thought the seasons past have been filled with earsplitting nonsense, just wait until they start playing with this new thing. Now the powers-that-be with the Astros have stated that the primary reason for this new screen…
Upcoming Events
It’ll still be brisk this coming Saturday, making the fact that hundreds of people will be dressed in Snuggies along Washington Avenue at least a little less bizarre. The 1st annual Snuggie Pub Crawl is getting its start at Pearl Bar at 2 p.m. and will hit four other bars…
App of the Week: Waze
App: Waze Platforms: iPhone, Android, BlackBerry (beta only, Windows Mobile) Web site: Waze.com Cost: Free Houstonians know their traffic like Seattleites know their heroin coffee or heaved aquatic animals. In other words, we are used to driving and doing it in a mess of mangled, crushingly slow suburbanites. There are…
New HPD Beating Video: Cop Beatings Ain’t What They Used to Be
Quanell X and other community leaders released a new video today of Houston police arresting a man with some degree of physicality. The incident — which happened two years ago — was captured on a hospital security cam. If you’re expecting a big beatdown, you won’t see it…
Elicio Moctezuma-Cisneros: Shootout with Fake ICE Cop Reveals Smuggling Ring; Gets Four Years
Elicio Moctezuma-Cisneros was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for smuggling aliens, kidnapping, returning to the U.S. after he’d been deported, all kinds of things. If it seems a crowded career, you haven’t heard the oddest part: His shootout with a couple of guys dressed up as federal…
Comment of the Day
Surely, Matthew Dresden knew he was poking at a snake pit when he spoke ill of Shipley’s Do-Nuts in today’s Food Fight. Commenter Trisch responded to him with a veritable blog post of her own: “Maybe, just maybe, if I’d eaten them warm, this piece might have read more like…
A Real Boyfriend for Eliza Kruger (w/Best Trick Shot Video EVER)
I’ve never been a 17-year-old high school female before, so I’m not speaking from experience when I say that “I can see why Eliza Kruger would chase Mark Sanchez.” I can only assume it’s the allure of fame, power and money (perhaps sprinkled with a bit of a Latino thing)…
Suggestive Restaurants to Get You in the Mood This Valentine’s Day
On the way to Jimmy Changas a few weeks ago, my dining companion and I passed a country-cute little restaurant in Deer Park called Jug and Muffin. Aside from reminding me that I still want to open a pub some day called The Honk and Jiggle, we couldn’t stop giggling…
Listening Back: KTSU DJ Marks 30 Years On The Air
Friday marks Houston radio personality Myron Anderson’s 30th anniversary at KTSU (90.9 FM). Best known for his Friday-morning show, “Listening Back With Myron Anderson,” Anderson joined the Texas Southern University station as a student in 1981. That same year, the then-telecommunications major was given the opportunity to take over “Listening…
New York Newpapers Tout Houston Grand Opera
Both the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal published stories this week on Houston Grand Opera, praising the company’s quality work and touting its initiatives in audience development. The Times noted that since HGO’s former general director David Gockley’s departure in 2005, the company’s media profile has slipped…
Feds Sue Kinder Morgan for $1 Million in Unpaid Overtime
The Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Houston’s Kinder Morgan that seeks more than $1 million in what it says is unpaid overtime owed to “4,500 current and former operators, technicians, maintenance workers, laborers and administrative nonexempt employees.” Kinder Morgan provides services to the oilfield industry and the…
Love Songs For The Romantically Challenged
The original idea for this hlist was going to be Craig’s Hlist rattling off ten female artists with whom we want to be intimate (read: sleep with). Blah blah blah, tall hair and boobs, we get it. That all seemed like old hat and wholly expected, considering we all know…
Whole Foods Market Putting Salad Bars in Schools
According to a 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 1 percent of adolescents ate as many servings of fruit and vegetables as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It sounds shocking, but then again, I’m fairly certain I could stand to eat a…
Metro’s Epic Plan to Hand Out Valentine’s Day Cards
You know what THE NEW METRO!!!!! does that the old Metro didn’t? Love its customers. To prove it, TNM!!!! will be…handing out Valentine’s Day cards to riders Monday. From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., Metro CEO George Greanias will be joined by the agency’s bus driver of the year and…
Ginger-Butternut Squash Bisque at Azuma
Yesterday’s cold snap got me thinking about last Friday and how — during the unfulfilled threat of Snowpocalypse 2011 — I ended up eating at Azuma (909 Texas, 713-223-0909) as a measure of last resort, and how much I unexpectedly enjoyed my meal. And it was all because of the…
Wild Moccasins Ready For Whataburger-Free Euro Tour
Saturday night, newly minted New West signees Wild Moccasins play their last show in the States until April, as they prepare to embark on their first European tour. Sharing the Fitzgerald’s bill are Young Mammals and Wicked Poseur. The Moccasins’ maiden Old World trek is an extensive one, taking them…
Houston: Least-Generous City (When it Comes to Free Stuff on Craigslist)
Houston is many things, but one thing it apparently isn’t is one of those hippie, commune-type places where people dig the vibe of being generous with things they no longer want. In short, we are not Portland or Seattle. Or Detroit, for that matter. Author Dan Ariely, a Duke University…
Snow Peas and a Pudding Sandwich for Breakfast
Walking into Super H Mart is always an adventure. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been or how many exotic ingredients I’ve garnered the courage to buy and try, there’s always something exciting, only this time it was in the food court instead of the actual grocery store. Hitting…
Straight-To-DVD Music Sequels Soon To Come
If you’re a struggling writer, musician or filmmaker trying to work up the nerve to kill yourself, have we ever got good news for you! Your morale may have been damaged or even crippled by seeing bad music, bad movies and bad stories dominating the upper echelons of their respective…
Chef Chat, Part II: Randy Evans of Haven
Yesterday, we spoke with Haven Chef Randy Evans about his past. Today, we’ll take a look at how things are going at Haven, the “Going Green” concept, and some seasonal ingredients that may be showing up on the menu. EOW: Texas Monthly just recognized Haven as one of the restaurants…
Your Meme of the Week: Ham Face Girl Eats Her Own Face
If there was ever a reason for me to want to have kids, it’s this video of a little girl eating a ham mask off her face. I have been tip-toeing around the idea of knocking someone up in a bar bathroom, and the promise of having a child of…
The United States of Murder: A Map
Serial killers and famous murderers have existed almost as long as mankind, we’re sure. But as in so many things, the United States may just have perfected the thing. Each state has its own infamous episode, some very well-known, others obscure. Three things we learned while putting together this United…
Food Fight: Battle Glazed Raised Donut
Was it Alexis de Tocqueville or Jonathan Gold who said, “Every city gets the donuts it deserves”? Either way, you have to wonder what Houston did to deserve Shipley Do-Nuts. The Shipleys may be lovely people, and the corporation gets much respect for being active in the community and maintaining…
Juan & Bruno Gonzales: It’s Not Cockfighting, It’s “Sparring”
Just sparring, your honorNote to D-bags who get caught cockfighting: telling the judge your blood-covered chickens were just “sparring” is not a slam-dunk defense. That’s what Angelina County father and son Juan and Bruno Gonzales found out Wednesday when State District Judge Paul White found them guilty of cruelty to…
The Last Five Years Flawed by Structure, Bland Characters
The Setup: Directed by Jimmy Phillips with pace and deftness, and presented by Mildred’s Umbrella Theater, The Last Five Years is an ambitious two-character musical that combines some original staging with a narrative device that threatens to sink the ship. It’s a love story where boy meets girl, and then, as…
(UPDATE) The Art Guys’ Response to Morgan Spurlock: “It Boils Down to Recognition”
Update: Thursday, February 10, 11:30am – Todd Oldham, designer of the Art Guys’ SUITS, sent us a comment. See it after the jump. Wednesday, Art Attack talked to the Art Guys (Jack Massing and Michael Galbreth) about Super Size Me! director Morgan Spurlock’s claim that he hadn’t heard of the…
Bee Gees’ Comeback Is No Jive Talkin’
The Bee Gees In Our Own Time Eagle Vision, 116 minutes, $14.98. When you think of musical “comebacks,” perhaps the greatest one belongs to the Bee Gees. Think about it: In their mid-20s, the Manchester, England-born Brothers Gibb had already had success as children/teens in Australia (whence the family had…
Alejandro Gonzalez: Firefighter Canned After Workplace Tryst Wants Job Back
Say what you will about Mission firefighter Alejandro “Alex” Gonzalez: that he thinks with his dick, that he was perhaps overly consumed by the Valentine’s Day spirit to the detriment of the community he served, or that he perhaps took George Strait’s “The Fireman” too closely to heart. One thing…
Idol Beat: Hate & Aspergers
The surest way to piss off Steven Tyler – apart from being Joe Perry – is to butcher a Beatles song, which is the sin Dave Combs committed last night in the San Francisco auditions. But let’s be honest, he didn’t do *that* horrible a job. The former(?) Aerosmith front…
Brunch at Mia Bella: Houston’s Best-Kept Secret
I’ve never been good at keeping secrets. I have a mouth like a sieve. I laugh when I try to lie. And this is no lie: Mia Bella’s weekend brunch at its Main Street location is one of Houston’s best-kept secrets. How did this happen? Perhaps because no one ventures…
Remember Simple Success’ Smash and Dash EP?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Simple Success opens up for Mac Miller tonight at Warehouse Live. They play from 9 to 9:20 p.m. Purchase…
Ice Storm II, The Re-Pain in the Assing: One Day More
Houston escaped a horrific commute last night and this morning, as precipitation stayed away. So Ice Storm II: The Re-Pain in the Assing turned out to be somewhat of a flop, as a lot of sequels are. We’re just about out of the woods — it’s cold, and we’ll have…
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood at Petrol Station
Is it just me, or is Petrol Station Oak Forest’s best kept secret? A confluence of events revolving around unruly children, the need for beer, and a chance Twitter conversation landed me at the converted service station on a recent Sunday night. Nestled between houses on a quiet residential street,…
Houston By The Book: Sedition Books
Billed as “Houston’s Only Anarchist Infoshop,” Sedition Books is also likely our city’s most unorthodox bookstore. Located at 901 Richmond, next to the late, great Proletariat space, the small shop has been providing a resource for the radical community for two and a half years – although this is the…
Idol Beat: If You’re Going To San Francisco, Try Not To Be A Beardo In A Sports Coat
The surest way to piss off Steven Tyler – apart from being Joe Perry – is to butcher a Beatles song, which is the sin Dave Combs committed last night. But let’s be honest, he didn’t do *that* horrible a job. The former(?) Aerosmith front man is just a lot…
“The Wedge” at Beaver’s
“Who comes here and orders a salad?” my friend once commented as she was deciding between the burger and the chickwich at Beaver’s. I did. I don’t usually go to Beaver’s with greens in mind, often ordering the po-boy and “wet” mac & cheese. Last weekend, however, I realized that…
Comment of the Day: A Truly Romantic Valentine’s Day
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
The Axiston of Evil
If it’s a month with an “r” in it, there must be another Jennifer Aniston movie coming out. Sure enough, the airwaves are littered with commercials for her latest, Just Go With It, and she’s dutifully hitting the talk show circuit (Ellen, Conan) and also making the rounds of the…
Hollywood’s New Platonic Power Couple
If it’s a month with an ‘r’ in it, there must be another Jennifer Aniston movie coming out. Sure enough, the airwaves are littered with commercials for her latest, Just Go With It and she’s dutifully hitting the talk show circuit (Ellen, Conan) and also making the rounds of the…
The Irrepressibles Stage A Mirror Mirror Spectacle
Last year, Rocks Off was completely caught off guard by the sheer, unholy awesomness of The Irrepressibles. Director Roy Raz set their then-unreleased song “In This Shirt” to one of the most amazing and innovative music videos ever in a short film he called The Lady is Dead. The video,…
Scam Alert: Shady “Baseball Players” Looking for Tix to Hawaii
So I just happened to be working from home yesterday afternoon when, a little before 3 p.m., there was a loud knock at the door followed by an insistent ring. I got up to answer, and the caller seemed to be shocked to see me, and not a woman, answering…
Off the Wall: An Anonymous Apple Pie a la Cheese
There were many inspiring comments from last week, but none better than the one from the ever popular and nameless Anonymous, in regards to Joanna O’Leary’s post “Kraft Singles, Not Cool-Whip, On Pie.” “I’ve never tried it, but my Grandfather from Chicago used to say ‘apple pie without cheese is…
What Texas Needs: Armed School Board Members
Last December, a man named Clay Duke achieved brief national fame for video footage of him pointing a gun at the members of a Florida school board. The pantywaists up north might not know what the solution is to such a problem, but here in Texas at least one legislator…
The Magician’s Nephew
In Main Street Theater’s newest family production, The Magician’s Nephew, a pair of magic rings transport two British schoolkids to a wondrous land. There they meet the powerful King Aslan and evil Queen Jadis. If all that sounds familiar, that’s because it was written by C.S. Lewis as a prequel…
The Dark Side of Chocolate
See the sour side to the sweet industry in the 2010 documentary by Miki Mistrati and U. Roberto Romano, The Dark Side of Chocolate, hosted by Houston Rescue & Restore Coalition. The film examines the industry’s little known history of using child labor to process cocoa beans. Hidden cameras capture…
Baroque and Tango Music: A Match Made in Heaven
Argentina’s most well-known and influential composer of tango music, Astor Piazzolla, was also a Baroque fan. “Piazzolla was introduced to Bach at an early age while living in New York,” says Antoine Plante, artistic director for Mercury Baroque, in press materials. “Through his formal studies … he became very well…
Donna Grant: Wicked Highlander
If you like your heroines with windswept hair and come-hither lips, defiantly caught in the embrace of a muscular, roughish lover, spend Valentine’s Day with Texas romance novelist Donna Grant. While fans enjoy a complimentary brunch, Grant will discuss and sign her newest release Wicked Highlander. Part of the Dark…
Lisa McMann: Cryer’s Cross
Young-adult author Lisa McMann creates a fully fleshed-out protagonist, Kendall, for her latest horror/suspense novel, Cryer’s Cross. A freshman who struggles with OCD, Kendall leads readers into a world of trapped souls and evil spirits. After two fellow students go missing, she starts to hear their voices and see messages…
Wedding Vow Renewal
Be among the hundreds of couples to revisit the Hotel Galvez & Spa during this weekend’s Wedding Vow Renewal. The hotel, a longtime Galveston landmark, invites anyone who was married or honeymooned at the seaside resort to return for a mass renewal ceremony. A Galveston Justice of the Peace will…
David Ellis: Breach of Trust
Chicago-based attorney and novelist David Ellis discusses and signs his newest release, Breach of Trust, at Murder by the Book today. The story, the latest in his Jason Kolarich series, follows the young attorney as he struggles to recover from the deaths of his wife and baby daughter while investigating…
Houston Symphony: Ravel’s Spain
The trickiest part about attending the Houston Symphony’s performance of Ravel’s Spain might be staying in your seat. Hans Graf leads the ensemble and mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer through a collection of the French composer’s high-energy, Spanish-flavored melodies, including L’Heure Espagnole, Rapsodie Espagnole and the Chanson Espagnole. These, however, are just…
Second Course: Winter Mixed Repertory
For Dominic Walsh, two is often better than one. “When you find like-minded people working together, what you can create is more interesting than what you can do alone,” he says. That’s evident in Second Course: Winter Mixed Repertory, which includes Walsh’s Victor Frankenstein, a piece he created in collaboration…
Love Through the (St)ages
Paul McCartney once sang, “You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs,” but amore has always been a lyricist’s go-to subject. And at today’s Love Through the (St)ages Valentine’s Day concert, cabaret vocalist Glennie Scott will tackle the Great American Songbook’s better known romantic songs, like…
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenaged Blockhead
Playwright Bert V. Royal’s satire, Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenaged Blockhead, is about Charlie Brown and his friends, just not the same Charlie Brown you’ve read about in the Peanuts comic strip. This time the characters are teenagers indulging in drugs, sex and rock and roll, not to…
Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison’s Valentine’s Day Concert
Texas singer/songwriters Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison are not only partnered on stage – off-stage they’re married and have four children. The pair will celebrate love and romance with a special Valentine’s Day concert. Expect smoochable material from their back catalogs, most recent releases (Translated From Love for Willis, His…
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra: Conductorless Concert
How hard can it be to conduct an orchestra? Come on, waving a wand and making dramatic faces – even Bugs Bunny has done it! Now, how hard is it for an orchestra to perform without a conductor? Ah, that’s a different question. (Sorry, we have no cartoon reference for…
New Faces of Comedy
Think you can be America’s next great comic? The Improv’s New Faces of Comedy showcase might give you your first break. It’s an open-mike, with all the non-pros getting three minutes onstage. Contact openmicimprov@gmail.com for entry details. (Translation: No, you can’t just show up and expect to get on stage.)…
The Love Tunnel
Dating, flirting and loving get a going-over in The Love Tunnel, A Comedic Journey through Relationships by the Pendulum Theatre Company. The compilation of comedic scenes from various plays, selected by Pendulum Artistic Director Holly Vogt Wilkison, portrays the follies of young love — awkward first dates included. Some of…
Legion of Doom
The Eagle is a thunderous boys’ adventure of the old-school type — there’s not a female speaking part in the entire movie. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, the film is adapted from Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth, a bestselling tale of second-century Roman legions and youthful…
Professor Trill
“Don’t you think this is a bit much?” Bun B inquires in his baritone voice. It’s 71 degrees in Houston and a throng of journalists is jostling for position inside Rice University’s Duncan Hall, all waiting to pick the brain of Distinguished Lecturer Bernard Freeman, known to most as Bun…
Getting Past the Bouncer
Imani Rose is a seasoned party and event planner and general Houston nightlife veteran. She’s worked as a personal assistant for famous people and lived in the “cool” parts of the United States. Rose is young but not too young, trendy but not too trendy, thin but not too thin,…
Great Minds
Great Minds Nameless nuance: I’m thrilled for Nameless Sound to be recognized with a MasterMind Award [“2011 Masterminds,” by Paul Knight, January 27]. Nameless Sound is an organization truly unique to Houston, and an organization whose development is directly connected to its city’s culture. I’m very proud of the contributions…
Useless Report
EDUCATION Useless Report Study of Teach For America’s worth says little By Margaret Downing Anyone who’s been holding his breath waiting for the Texas Education Agency to release its evaluation of the Teach For America program in the state can let it out now — along with a sigh of…
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
For only three men, Chicago’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble brings a wealth of history, variety and versatility to the stage. Founder and percussion genius Kahil El Zabar can play just about anything with a membrane, specializing in African instruments such as shekere, kalimba and talking drums, helping keep the beat for…
Joe Ely Band, Mike Stinson
It’s been said over and over and over and over, so what’s one more time? If Joe Ely is Texas’s own Bruce Springsteen, seeing him at Rockefeller Hall is the next best thing to a date with the E Street Band at their early Jersey Shore stomping grounds, the Stone…
Big Freedia
Aside from being an unfunny overplayed joke, the term “no homo,” as used by Lil Wayne, is hip-hop’s admission of homophobia. When Lil Wayne says, “Tevin Campbell, No Homo, Black Rambo” in “Feel Me,” he really needs us to know he is not gay. He mans it up a little…
Robin Thicke
Alan Thicke made his money with the ’80s ABC sitcom Growing Pains. His son Robin Thicke makes his dough singing about groin pains, and he does a pretty good job. We have been working on that pun since we first heard Robin’s breakthrough album, 2006’s The Evolution of Robin Thicke;…
Wild Moccasins
Houston’s Wild Moccasins are going on a European vacation this month to spread the gospel of H-Town indie-pop, and throwing a going-away party at Fitzgerald’s before they pack their bags and head across the pond. You’d better come out, too, because from looking at the Euro tour’s itinerary, the band…
Nobunny
Want to entrust your Wednesday night to a sludge of cassette-beholden garage bands hawking their “sleazy art” — especially if they’re led by a freak in a bunny mask who makes the late Jay Reatard look like one of the Shins? Of course you do. For better or worse, Justin…
Man on a Mission
It’s easy to get hung up on Amos Lee’s prodigious vocal talent. His pitch-perfect voice has just enough snarl matched with dollops of delicacy to make any song he’s a part of sound good. Lee reaches deep down for those introspective moments, pummels you with glam-metalesque bravado when necessary and…
In the Spotlight
For 12 years, Spotlight Karaoke has operated without interruption in its Galleria-area strip center, sandwiched between a rotating lineup of cafes, medical specialists and whatnot. Yet despite being a large venue that holds around 250 people, the club has never had to rely on any type of advertising to fill…
Oh The Humanity
Oh, the Humanity and other exclamations begins with a disorienting bang. A disheveled and nervous-looking Coach (Philip Lehl) walks out onto the blandly neutral set — a table and microphone, set up for a press conference — then turns to the audience and says, “Let’s get started.” At first, I…
Special Refried Edicion
Dear Readers, Although many of you have loved and/or loathed my columna for years, the Mexican still finds new readers every week in the unlikeliest of spots (hola, Chattanooga! See you in August, inshallah!). As a result, I sometimes receive questions about the methodology of the column, questions all of…
Capsule Art Reviews: “flickerlounge: Short Films by John Herschend, Ben Peters and Lily Sparks,” “A Matter of Wit,” “Plenitude,” “Pteridomania,” “Timothy Greenfield-Sanders: Injured Soldiers and Marines,” “Tony Smith: Drawings”
“flickerlounge: Short Films by John Herschend, Ben Peters and Lily Sparks” Art of Painting 3, by Lily Sparks, is a four-minute 30-second video styled as a Bob Ross-eque painting show – which makes hostess/instructor Spark’s blunt and profane commentary on art all that more entertaining. Part of this edition of…
For Richer or Poorer
There are many things to love about Zimm’s Little Deck. Oddly — for a Cajun restaurant with an executive chef from Louisiana — the po-boys aren’t one of them. Perhaps the fact that Zimm’s employs an executive chef who’s rarely seen on premises is one of the problems. Chef Jeramie…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Bus Stop, Gee’s Bend, Triple Focus, Weekend with Pablo Picasso
Bus Stop In the 1950s, William Inge was lauded along with Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller as one of the three great American playwrights. His four seminal plays — Come Back, Little Sheba (1950), Picnic (1953), Bus Stop (1955) and Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957) — were…
