Brian Downing: Alleged Alabama Teabagger Pleads Not Guilty (w/ VIDEO)
On the evening of January 9, 2012, the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the LSU Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game. They beat them like a drum to the tune of 21-0. The game was so lopsided that LSU amassed a grand total of 92 yards in total offense, five…
Domingo Quezada-Hernandez: Tries to Cross into U.S. with $610K in Spare Tire
Travel books tell you to take some extra cash for emergencies when making a trip, but try telling that to the Customs and Border Protection officers in Brownsville. Domingo Quezada-Hernandez was coming across from Mexico to visit our fair land and — no doubt hearing we are a backward country…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 92, Hot Dog at Tacos D.F.
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
The End of the Road: Digital Mourning in 2012
At the Houston Press office, I am usually the first person who finds out when a celebrity or musician dies, usually from a wire or, these days, the fine folks at TMZ. Hell, sometimes even when I am away from my desk I have to be the bearer of bad…
STRAITS: A Fine Dining Establishment or a Place to See and Be Seen?
The trendiness of CityCentre, where STRAITS is located, is becoming just about untenable. The first few times I visited, years ago, it seemed like the big multistory parking garage would be able to take care of all the visitors in perpetuity. When I visited last week for a media event,…
Fifty Shades of Grey — The Houston Public Library’s Dirty Dozen
You’re going to have a bit of a wait if you’re hoping to check out a copy of the erotic best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey at the Houston Public Library. There are only 12 hard copies of the book, five e-books and five audio-books for the entire 42-branch library system,…
The Jersey Shore People Are Looking for (Stereotypical) Latinas
Not content with the sociological experiment that is Jersey Shore, producers are on the hunt for women who want to take part in a reality series called Living Latina Loco. How “real” will the reality be? The casting Web site says you’ll be considered if “you have perfectly arched eyebrows,…
Stock Your Freezer with Omaha Steaks, or Let Angus Grill Brazilian Steakhouse Do All the Work for Half the Price
Enjoy big savings on prime cuts of steak with today’s Voice Daily Deal. $69 gets you $208 worth of steak — two 5-ounce Filet Mignons, two 5-ounce Top Sirloins, four 4-ounce boneless pork chops, six 4-ounce Omaha Steaks burgers, eight 3-ounce Gourmet Jumbo Franks, eight potatoes au gratin, and six…
Sproing! 10 Musicians Who Should Have Their Own Comic Books
Ahhh, comic books! A place where you can escape into another realm. Most artists have somewhat cartoonish onstage personalities, but some have so much that they deserve their own comic book or graphic novel. Like these…
Forget Reagan’s Blood: 5 Other Presidential Fluids That Should Be Auctioned
A European auction company says it plans to sell a vial of Ronald Reagan’s blood, taken on the day of his attempted assassination. While any number of Republicans might like to own the fetishistic object in order to aid their rituals which banish from memory all the things Reagan did…
Upcoming: Guided By Voices, English Beat, Gaslight Anthem, Yanni, Cave Singers, Etc.
3 Doors Down: Sat., June 23, 7 p.m., $35-$65. Bayou Music Center, 520 Texas, Houston. Big Pokey, Lil Flip, ESG, Lil Keke, Yungster: Wed., June 27, 8 p.m., $25/$30. Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, Houston. The Cave Singers: Sun., June 10, 8 p.m., $8. Continental Club, 3700 Main, Houston. Citizen…
5 Essential Shoes Every Woman Should Own w/ Video
Shoes are perhaps the most necessary fashion item; you may or may not own the latest designer dress or don the dandiest hat, but shoes, be they in-season or out-of-season, are something that we all must own. Unless going barefoot is your thing. For women, however, owning one pair is…
Where the Chefs Eat, Latin Edition: Castre, Guerrero, Ortega
Last week, we told you where chefs Ryan Hildebrand, Michael Pellegrino and Kaz Edwards like to eat when they’re not in the kitchen. Today, we bring you three Latin chefs’ perspective when we chat with Roberto Castre, David Guerrero and Hugo Ortega. Roberto Castre Executive Chef and Owner, Latin Bites…
James Roland Dial: When You Name Your Fake Company “Grifco,” You’re Not Even Trying
Houston businessman James Roland Dial was sentenced to five years in prison this morning for defrauding investors who put money in his oilfield business named “Grifco.” Grifco? Hasn’t anyone heard the term grifter? Or seen the movie? Dial, 56, admitted that he and a partner had issued press releases containing…
Top 10 Things to Expect at ACL Fest This Year
The Austin City Limits Music Festival burned the midnight oil overnight, announcing the 2012 lineup at precisely 12:01 a.m. Mercifully, all the rumor-spreading and speculation is now at an end and people can either go about the business of buying $200 three-day passes or shutting the hell up about Radiohead…
Trailer Park: Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master Gets a-Teasin’ Us
Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master is a long-gestating project about a church with more than a passing resemblance to the Church of Scientology. This week the first official teaser trailer for the film was released, helping at least to set the tone for the ’50s epic, which stars Philip…
Where Are We Drinking? Clue: This Isn’t English Tea Service
When you think of “tea service,” you probably think of high English or afternoon tea. But at this newly opened place in the heart of Chinatown, you’ll find something other than crumpets or cucumber sandwiches to take with your tea service. This spot is open until 2 a.m. serving everything…
Robert Hedrick: Airline Owner’s Child-Porn Defense Rejected by Jury, Ridiculed by Feds
Robert Hedrick was the guy who convinced some Brownsville residents he would make the city an international destination through his Pan Am Airlines: flights from Brownsville to Johannesburg! All that came crumbling down when he was arrested for child porn. A jury convicted him yesterday in less than three hours,…
What’s Missing? Acid and Texture Tips
Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of texture and acidity in food. More than almost anything else, save maybe basic seasoning (salt), these are the components I look for in a dish. All too often, I find myself searching for and not finding them, frequently in dishes…
References to the Real World: An Exhibition of Figurative Art Turns Eye Center into Space Housing Female Imagery
This past weekend’s References to the Real World: An Exhibition of Figurative Art, benefiting the Houston Area Women’s Center, turned the Museum District Eye Center into a collection of expressionist paintings, with walls that dripped with nearly every facet of the female experience. Set at the most distant end of…
Is Minute Maid Park (Finally) Going to Lose Tal’s Hill?
There were basically two people who loved Tal’s Hill, the gimmicky hill in Minute Maid Park’s centerfield, and one of them was named Tal. The other was former owner Drayton McLane, who installed the hill, which has no other reason for existence, because his buddy Tal Smith remembered some old…
Why Restaurants Matter (and Why You Should Tip Generously)
Last week’s post Corkage: A Privilege, Not a Right generated a heated comment thread. “Are you f’n kidding me?” asked “Corkage Smorkage” rhetorically. “Offer your server a taste of your wine.” ???? I’m already paying them a BS “fee” to open it. What’s next, offering them a taste of my…
’90s TV Stars We’d Rather See Strip Than Joey Lawrence
It’s official. The world has just jumped the shark. In an effort to remain relevant (?), Joey Lawrence of Blossom fame will be taking it all off for Chippendales at the Rio in Las Vegas. The actor will swing his thing around from June 7 through June 24, if you…
Houston Scores Big-Time in Latest Edition of Encyclopedia of Country Music: Part 7
Three former Houstonians who have been included in the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Country Music defy all odds. To call Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett or Steve Earle “country songwriters” or “country singers” is the grossest simplification. All three have a huge streak of the folk tradition in them,…
Comment of the Day: Dominique Sachse As Cinderella
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…
Pop Rocks: Six Movies for Your Memorial Day Disco Marathon
This coming Monday is Memorial Day, when we honor the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces. You may already be planning your family barbecue, followed by your choice of stirring war movies airing on many channels throughout the weekend. The recent deaths of Donna Summer…
Desserts in Disguise: Carl’s Jr. Testing New Ice Cream Burger + Top 5 Frosty Food Fakers
Wait, no, it’s not an ice cream burger. It’s a Brrrger. BRRRger. Jesus Christ. Carl’s Jr. is testing this confection in a few California locations and yes, it looks ridiculous, but I also think I’m…jealous. I’d like to try it. I mean, I like a good ice cream sandwich just…
Theogil Cuttler: 73-Year-Old Offered $5 To Blow 15-Year-Old
Whatever you think about 73-year-old Theogil Cuttler — and if what cops say is true, you won’t think much of him — he knows how to hold onto a dollar. When a 15-year-old neighborhood boy asked the Webster man if he had any odd jobs for him, Cuttler said he…
Bad Beef: 4 Examples of Musical Feuds Gone Wrong
Competition is a good thing. It pushes people to work harder and be more creative. That drive to prove to the world that they’re the best has led musicians to some incredible heights. After all, competition gave us Pet Sounds and “Ether.” Yet in the ’10s, that competitive spirit has…
Federal Lawsuit Filed in Corpus Christi Over Lobster Baked Potato
It’s the clash of the Longhorn Steakhouse titans down south in Corpus Christi, where a local chain of steakhouses with a name similar to the national LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants has filed a federal lawsuit over a lobster baked potato. It’s more complicated than that, of course, but the lobster baked…
Rock Musical Next to Normal at Stages Repertory Theatre: A Hit That Will Break Your Heart
Read our interview with director Melissa Anderson. The setup: The regional premiere of the rock musical Next to Normal has opened at Stages Repertory Theatre, and with innovative staging, superb casting and a production dusted with magic, gives us a vehicle of pure entertainment that will break your heart as…
The 7 Best-Looking High Schools in Houston
The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and for seniors it means they’ll never have to step inside their high schools again if they don’t want to. Most high schools, especially ones built fairly recently, are generic and blah. But Houston has some that can make you appreciate…
Video Game High School: Welcome to Me
There’s a scene in Sixteen Candles where Anthony Michael Hall talks Molly Ringwald out of her panties so he can use them to win floppy disks in a bet. Now, I ‘m perfectly aware that if you’re under 30, less than a quarter of that sentence made even the slightest…
10 Things Musicians Have Been Buried With
Everyone dies eventually, even rock stars, and when they go it’s not uncommon for them to take beloved personal items with them, or to have such things placed there by grieving friends and family. That is, of course, unless they’re cremated and have their ashes snorted or smoked. For those…
Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012 Lineup Includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Iggy & The Stooges, Black Keys, Jack White, Etc.
Moments ago, the Austin City Limits Music Festival announced its lineup for its eleventh edition, set for October 12-14 in Austin’s Zilker Park. A partial lineup was telegraphed and leaked by the fest’s “lineup lottery” last week, which they began doing last year to build up anticipation for their tenth…
NightCulture Acquires Stereo Live
NightCulture, the EDM promoter that produces shows in Houston and elsewhere in Texas as well as Oklahoma, announced this afternoon it has acquired one of Houston’s top dance clubs, Stereo Live — a place where it had already promoted several shows, including dubstep duo Knife Party (above). “We are excited…
Dude Who Stole $3K English Bulldog Barks for Media
A man and woman have been accused of stealing a $3,000 English bulldog from a pet store, and if their perp walks are any indication, they have no regrets. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office won’t release their names or mugs until they are formally charged, but their performance in front…
Rocky Hill: Ballad of a Lone Star Legend
The late Rocky Hill was a handful. Even his widow, Joy, told the small but attentive Saturday-afternoon crowd celebrating the (very) belated release of Hill’s album Lone Star Legend at Cactus Music’s Record Ranch that being his bride was “like being married to a tornado.” Hill was a man of…
Darwin Roberson, 51, Bayou Body Count No. 65
Maybe walking to convenience stores isn’t such a good idea — for the second time over the weekend, a man was shot and killed while walking to one. Darwin Roberson, 51, was on his way to a store on the northside about 1:30 a.m. Sunday when he was confronted by…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 93, Breakfast Tacos at Sunrise Taquito
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
UPDATED: The Houston Web Awards Party at Half the Cost in Our Daily Deal
Update: Now everyone has until midnight Wednesday to take advantage of this deal. As part of getting ready for the upcoming Houston Web Awards sponsored by the Houston Press, readers have a chance to cash in on our Deal of the Day to buy tickets at half off the $30…
Disco Sucks, Long Live Disco: Your Essential Disco Playlist
Disco, that uniquely ’70s, coke-laden, soulful, brash and flamboyant genre, was Public Enemy #1 for rockers and punks in the latter half of the Me Decade. Hippies and suburbanites cut their hair, stuffed their noses and took to the dance floors, tripping the light fantastic in their best polyester until…
Unidentified Male, 22, Bayou Body Count No. 64
A man walking through his westside apartment complex Sunday night was shot to death, Houston police said. The victim, whose identity has not been released, was walking to a convenience store about 9:30 p.m. when he was shot in the head by someone who then fled on foot, police say…
OIMBY Returns After a Two-Year Break
Outstanding in the Field dinners — meals which feature a tour of a local farm and food prepared by a master chef on the farm itself — are famously fabulous, but also notoriously expensive. And two years ago, a few Houston food lovers decided to do something about it: start…
Mad Men: Hare Harry
There were several odd turns of events over at old Sterling Cooper Draper Price during last night’s episode, titled “Christmas Waltz.” Some of the plot points that emerged from the episode were telling and foreshadowing, and then there was the “what the hell was that all about?” The episode opens…
Cops Say 4-Year-Old Boy Dies When Two Drunk Drivers, Including His Dad, Crash: Bayou Body Count No. 63
A four-year-old boy was killed when his father was driving a malfunctioning vehicle without lights slowly on the South Loop Sunday night and was rammed by another driver. Both drivers were drunk, police say. The boy, whose name has not been released, was with his father, Jamal Green, 38, on…
Twelve Angry Men: A Strong Ensemble Showing at UpStage Theatre
The setup: A much loved and admired jury-room drama, Twelve Angry Men, is brought to exciting life at UpStage Theatre as skilled actors find its suspense, its humor and its humanity. The execution: Reginald Rose’s drama Twelve Angry Men won three television Emmys in 1954, and Sidney Lumet’s use of…
Red, White and Orange: More and More Orange Wines in Houston
“Old man piss.” I hate to say it, but it’s the best descriptor to use to describe the color of many of the “orange” wines that are finding their way to our market these days. As you can see from the color of the wine in the glass above, orange…
Rap Round Table: The Most Ridiculous Rap-Related Crimes of All
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Mac, Kiotti, D-Risha, Brad Gilmore Not Invited: The guys behind those World’s Dumbest Criminals TV shows. This Week’s Prompt: Lil Wayne (allegedly) mollywhopped…
Jennifer Lynette McKinley, 28: Does Her Boyfriend a Favor and He Kills Her, Cops Say, Bayou Body Count No. 62
A woman who did a favor for her boyfriend ended up dead, Houston police say. Jennifer Lynette McKinley, 28, had been called Friday night by her boyfriend, who asked her to give him a ride home from a bar because he was too drunk to drive, HPD said. She took…
Borgias: Philosophy and Gina McKee’s Labia
I’m not sure if it’s a sign of age, maturity or just plain old going soft, but I would trade half an hour of sex and war for five minutes’ worth of dialogue between Cesare Borgia and Niccolò Machiavelli. Those odds might actually be accurate judging by episode seven of…
A Taste of Reality: Top 5 Food Documentaries
Tommy Lee Jones once didn’t do a film because there was a scene in which he was supposed to eat on camera. Tommy Lee Jones doesn’t eat on camera. Ever. That film was Man of the House, and it’s a good thing that the producers caved to his demands, for…
Jim Rome Smack-Off 2012: The Party’s Over
In entertainment, everything has a logical arc. Whether we’re talking about a television series, a radio show or a particular personality, they all have a shelf life as to how long they can remain compelling, a shelf life with a beginning, a middle and an end. The end is rarely…
Natural Acts in Artificial Water: A Real Beauty
Choreographers find inspiration in a number of places, people, times and emotions. For renowned choreographer Stephan Koplowitz, inspiration comes from the architecture of a specific region, city or state. Koplowitz and his initiative TaskForce choose a region based on its architecture, history, culture and ecology and create a collaborative dance…
YouTube Launching Its Own Food Channel: “The Cooking Show on Television Is Almost Dead”
I was excited enough when YouTube announced it was launching “Geek and Sundry” in April, a new channel devoted to all things geek and featuring shows by such geek icons as Felicia Day. But then the video Web site had to go and up the ante. Today, YouTube announced that…
Friday Night: Ferry Corsten at Rich’s
Ferry Corsten, Lawrence & Celauro Rich’s May 18, 2012 What better way to start your weekend than with the Ferry Corsten WKND tour? Corsten may have fallen in the ranks of DJ Magazine’s yearly Top 100 DJ Poll, from No. 7 in 2009 to 18 in 2011, but that didn’t…
Comment of the Day: Nazi Role-Play in High School
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…
Reviews for the Lazy Gamer: Mario Tennis Open
The Game: Mario Tennis Open Platform: 3DS Developer: Camelot Genre: Sports Describe This Game in Three Words: Like Playing Simon Plot Synopsis: The Mario crew gets together for a game of tennis. There’s not really much to add, so I’ll just repeat that sentence to pad the paragraph. The Mario…
What’s Cooking This Week? Pork Chops, Teriyaki Burgers & More
I love homemade meals with my fiancé, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t have a game plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I HATE wasting food). Enter…
Friday Night: Dave Matthews Band at The Woodlands
Dave Matthews Band Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion May 18, 2012 On the way to Friday’s Dave Matthews Band show, the question was raised as to the difference between what Radiohead is doing now — the improvised jams that were birthed this past year — and what the DMB does on…
Game of Thrones: “The Prince of Winterfell”
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Theon Greyjoy is screwed. The eponymous “Prince” of this week’s episode started out with the best of intentions: seeking to win back his father’s favor after Balon declared himself King of the Iron Islands, he naturally — and foolishly –…
Heimlich Maneuver for Drowning Victims: Progress in Ending It?
We’ve written before about the Heimlich maneuver being pushed as an aid to drowning victims, and the problems a lot of people have with that. It makes things worse rather than better, critics argue. Leading the charge is Peter Heimlich, son of Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, who the maneuver is…
Dominique Sachse’s Wedding: Filed Under “Things We Need to Not Hear About So Much”
DID YOU HEAR?!?!?!? KPRC anchorwoman Dominique Sachse got married!!!!!! OMG!!!!! In case you missed the Channel 2 ads, Sachse was one of — if not the — hardest-working single moms out there. That’s a remark which, if we were churlish, we would find incredibly insulting to all the single moms…
8th Dimension Owner Cameos in Scarlet Spider
There’s a reason why once a month we partner with the staff at 8th Dimension Comics to put together a review of the best comic book releases of the month. It’s because they have an in-depth knowledge and amazing propensity for steering a reader to just the right book. The…
Friday Night: Stryper at House of Blues
Stryper House of Blues May 18, 2012 A dedicated legion of Stryper fans cheered on Friday night to bang their heads to the band’s greatest hits along with a few excellent covers. Stryper came out in full yellow-and-black attire while lead singer and guitarist Michael Sweet crooned a version of…
Happy Birthday, Mr. T! A Foolish Playlist for You to Pity
I have a hard time explaining the 1980s to my daughter. Mostly because she’s, you know, two years old. Still, I imagine that even when she reaches an age where she’s more willing to endure a conversation that doesn’t involve strawberries and Dora the Explorer, I won’t be able to…
Bob Davidson: Wow, MLB Actually Suspended an Umpire for Being a Jerk
I have a good friend who was a minor league umpire, so I tend to have a bit more of a sympathetic eye toward their foibles than do others. I see them as human, and I think they’re doing the best job they can, most of the time. I don’t…
Where Are We Eating? Clue: It Offers More Than Just Sandwiches
If you think this place only does sandwiches, salads and soups, think again. Nightly dinner specials range from a veggie lasagna and tomato bisque to these lamb skewers with kale and Israeli couscous and yogurt shown below. Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess below…
Badass: The Not-So-Secret World of Mancrushes
Jon Hamm, in character as Don Draper from Mad Men, was sitting in the passenger seat of my car as we drove through some sort of mountainous region — maybe Tennessee? He was puffing away on cigarettes, one after the other. He made weird asides about the car, sometimes rolling…
Five Fun Things for Kids to Do in Houston in 1972 That Don’t Seem Fun at All
With school winding down, you might be wondering how you are going to amuse your idle whippersnappers all summer long. While it is no easy feat, you, the parents of 2012, should count yourselves lucky. Your own parents were in even more of a bind back in those pre-Internet, pre-water…
Auditions for Gothic Slipstream Film This Week
If you’re goth in Houston, then Remi Award-winning director Henry Grevemberg wants you to meet him this week for a chance to be in his latest film. It’s called SAPI3N, and it’s a Harlan Ellison-esque journey of genetic manipulation. The script is available online, as is a brief novelization. Frankly,…
RIP Robin Gibb: 10 Essential Bee Gees Classics
Bee Gees superstar Robin Gibb passed away Sunday afternoon after battling cancer and pneumonia, according to NPR News. He was 62. Gibb, alongside twin brother Maurice and older brother Barry, rocketed to global fame in the ’70s as the Bee Gees became synonymous with disco. Three of the funkiest blue-eyed…
Killen’s Steakhouse Opening Second Location In Recently Vacated Stella Sola Space in the Heights
Almost as quickly as Bryan Caswell closed Stella Sola’s doors, Chef Ronnie Killen is opening them up again as Killen’s Steakhouse. Caswell and Killen battled each other as grill masters at the Walmart Choice Steak Challenge a couple weeks ago, with Killen winning the grand prize trip to New York…
This Week in Deliciousness: A Crash-Diet Trend, Sandra Lee & More
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating…Our Words, where sometimes we’ll throw rice, noodles and tofu in a pot together for dinner with no seasoning or sauce whatsoever. Anti-Flavor Stew is filling and has a nice consistency, but tastes austere and empty, a flavor profile reminiscent of the…
Joshua Matthew Pierce: Con Man’s Short, High-Flying Career Over
Though his actions were sleazy in the extreme and hurt a lot of people, including some he was ostensibly close to, you’ve just got to hand it to Joshua Matthew Pierce. In a Waco federal court yesterday, Pierce, of Houston, pleaded guilty to defrauding a Waco bank, his own son-in-law…
Upcoming Events: Of Book Signings and Beer Tastings
The barely three-month-old Underbelly is coming out of the gate strong, and is now ready to host its first beer dinner. Chef Chris Shepherd is joining forces with Austin-based brewery Jester King to create a five-course menu of what Shepherd calls his “traditional Houston-inspired food.” Beer pairings from Hay Merchant’s…
7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Prom Night, Rocky Hill, Yann Tiersen, Etc.
Sorry we’re late this week, but the good ol’ Allen Oldies Band wants to help you start your weekend by rocking your socks off this evening at Natachee’s Supper & Punch. Also, it’s Prom Night down the street at the Continental Club. Boondocks is promising “Nu Disco, Italo, Cosmic Synth,…
Unidentified Store Clerk, Shot Either by Robbers or Man with Concealed Handgun, Bayou Body Count No. 61
A clerk at the Dollar General store in the 6900 block of Bellfort was shot and killed last night, and police say they are unsure if the fatal shot came from robbers or the customer with a Concealed Handgun License who also opened fire. The store was just closing at…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 94, Potatoes at Money Cat Brunch
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Community: Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne
NBC’s clumsy handling of Community’s third season came to a head during last night’s three-episode dump, including the season finale. By itself, the first of the three (“Digital Estate Management”) would have made for a fine standalone episode, and easily one of the best of the season. This is probably…
Sorry, Mark Zuckerberg: 10 Reasons Why I’m Not Spending $40 to Buy a Facebook Share
Here’s a scoop: Facebook is having an IPO today. This under-the-radar stock sale will make billions for investors. Although everyone is keeping things on the down-low, the IPO means — I’m guessing here, Wall Street is really not my forte — that you can buy a share of Facebook stock,…
Akinyele Puts His Money in Lollypops: This Week in the Music Biz
A great week for chest-thumping and big moneymaking. Pop the hood for the goods. RACKS ON RACKS ON RACKS In news likely to make you hate your job, ’90s also-ran Akinyele says he’s bagging millions from his new strip club joint. Akinyele is famous for the potty-mouthed anthem “Put it…
Dr. Robert Spitzer: “I Owe the Gay Community an Apology” for “Gay Cure” Study
Eleven years after his profoundly flawed study of “reparative therapy” to “cure” gay people of their rampant gayness, psychiatrist Robert Spitzer has written a letter apologizing to the gay community. Spitzer had already distanced himself from the study in 2004, when we interviewed Houston-area men who’d gone through reparative therapy,…
Houston Bartenders Shine on a National Level
A few years ago, a bar in Houston was just a place to get a drink and the people who worked there were just part of the service industry. Chefs were rock stars and everyone else was fairly invisible. In the last few months, there have been multiple bartenders who…
Mad Women: Jane Maas’s Memoir Sheds Light on Women Living in the Mad Men Era
People often ask Jane Maas, pioneering ’60s and ’70s “ad girl” and author of “Mad Men” myth-busting book Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the Sixties and Beyond, three questions whenever they meet her. “Were women really treated like second-class citizens back in the ’60s…
Shot In The Dark 2012: My, How Things Have Changed
At Shot In the Dark Thursday night, it got back to me that the sister of a local musician who passed away a few years ago was there, and asking if someone at the paper had taken any photos of her brother onstage. Nine photographers were displaying pictures they had…
The Anchorman 2 Teaser Trailer: It’s Jean-Creaming Time!
This week, attached to prints of The Dictator came the teaser trailer for Anchorman 2, with the original cast of boys spouting off their trademark borderline profanity from out of the holes where their moustaches lay. When production of this sequel was announced, the social media world — I guess…
Openings & Closings: Two Houston Classics Plan to Expand
The big news this past week was that two Houston classics are about to get even bigger, starting with word from CultureMap that Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Kirby — the original location of the chain — is set to expand for the first time in 25 years. Carrabba’s will be…
Welcome…: The Week in Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
10 Suggestions for Improving the Poorly Ranked Astros Radio Broadcasts
The Astros have one of the worst-ranked radio broadcasts in baseballBaseball blog and stats-geek delight Fangraphs did a little post over the weekend ranking the radio broadcasts of the 30 major league teams (h/t to Crawfish Boxes). There’s nothing really shocking in the rankings, unless you count the Astros radio…
Occam’s Razor: A Drinking Game
Spare me your opinion on the accuracy of the attribution, or the exact translation of, “Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity,” and indulge me in my slightly unwarranted perversion of the spirit of the statement, but, when you get right down to it, Occam’s Razor is essentially the Reinheitsgebot…
Last Night: M83 at House of Blues
M83, I Break Horses House of Blues May 17, 2012 It’s slightly weird seeing a band knowing they’ve already booked another show in town later in the year. That weirdness is amplified when the second show is booked for a bigger venue. That kind of booking move leads to questions…
Strait Bonin’ Turns Our Beloved Icon into King of Porn Country
Of course you all know that today is George Strait’s 60th birthday, and the King of Country just announced that he is coming back to RodeoHouston next spring for a March 17 date with Martina McBride and the Randy Rogers Band. What a great end that will be to a…
WTF? Student Sues Over Texas High School’s “Nazi Day,” Says He Was Injured Portraying a Jew
A former Texas high school student has filed a federal lawsuit saying he was injured while portraying a Jew during a Panhandle school’s traditional day of Nazi role play. Perryton High — located just south of the Oklahoma border — has an annual “Red Ribbon Day” in which half the…
Person of Interest: The “Firewall” Comes Down
So it’s come to this. Slowly but surely, the prehistory of Mr. Finch’s (Michael Emerson) Machine has come into focus, as well as that of his muscle/partner Mr. Reese (Jim Caviezel). Unfortunately, the noose is tightening around them both, because even though the CIA has backed off for now, the…
Last Night: Drake at Toyota Center
Drake Toyota Center May 17, 2012 6:57 p.m.: Well, the plan was to be at Toyota Center by now to see opening act 2 Chainz, who has basically become the human form of an Internet meme. However, the school where I teach is having our athletic banquet tonight and I’m…
Healthcare for Homeless Head Meets Michelle Obama, Gets Big Surprise Check
As founder and president of Healthcare for the Homeless — Houston (HHH), Dr. David Buck is a busy man. So busy, in fact, he was taken aback when his office got a voice message from U.S. Representative Gene Green’s wife Helen saying that she would like Dr. Buck to attend…
At MFA, These Contemporary Ceramics Don’t Just Hang on the Walls
In 2007, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston acquired the Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio Collection — a private collection of contemporary ceramics that amounts to a whopping 475 works spanning more than 50 years. In Shifting Paradigms in Contemporary Ceramics, an exhibition of the collection currently on view,…
Health Department Roundup: Keep on Truckin’
We imagine the Health Department really appreciated the Eating…Our Words-sponsored Haute Wheels food-truck festival. Where else could they check out 20 otherwise elusive mobile units in one place? Inspectors managed to get to that number on Saturday alone, the first day of the two-day event at the West Loop HCC…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Battleship
Title: Battleshit You’ve Got a Typo in Your Title There: No, I don’t. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: Half a lobotomy icepick out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Invasion by dumb aliens repelled by attractive sailors. Tagline: “The battle for Earth begins at sea.” Better Tagline: “For…
The 4 Most Ridiculous Lies Rock Music Ever Told Me
I’m part of the MTV generation, which means from the moment I was born I not only heard rock and roll, I also saw it in all its glory. It was complete sensory inundation on multiple fronts, and with an attack that powerful there is just no defense against the…
Trailer Park: Is This The Worst Trailer Ever Made?
I recently saw (dealt with? suffered?) the Step Up Revolution trailer attached to the front of the middling Jason Segel forward slash Emily Blunt rom-com The Five-Year Engagement, while on date night with the missus. Shuddup. That was one engagement that lasted two hours and four minutes too long! Zing!…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Ronnie Killen, from the White House to the James Beard House and Beyond
Ronnie Killen Killen’s Steakhouse 2804 South Main St., Pearland 281-485-0844 www.killenssteakhouse.com This is the third of a three-part chef chat series. Click here to read part one and two. Chef Killen has done a lot to change the dining scene in Pearland, having first transformed himself, and is now looking…
Week in Photos: Vatican
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. We’re looking for pictures that represent the best of Houston, from food to art to events, to secret hidden spots of beauty. Just drop them in our Flickr…
Dr. Khaled Jabboury: Incredible Story of a Proven Cancer Doctor Getting Steamrolled by the Insurance Giants
It’s a Thursday afternoon and Dr. Khaled Jabboury greets a patient in the waiting room of his office at the West Houston Medical Center. The woman, though it’s not immediately noticeable, is facing the toughest challenge of her life. As Dr. Jabboury has proven, she has come to the right…
These Toys Are 20 Years Old: Remember the Battle Troll?
I recently purchased a gift for a seven-year-old and was aghast at the selection of toys currently on the market. When you don’t have children and you are no longer 12, keeping up with the latest Hasbros is not No. 1 on your list. So my search was quite revealing…
Stryper’s Michael Sweet: “We Stick to Our Guns”
See more with Michael Sweet in this week’s issue of the Houston Press. In the 1980s, contemporary Christian music was on the cusp of accepting a nice little jolt of electricity for headbangers everywhere. That jolt of electricity, my friends, was Stryper. They burst onto the scene and have since…
The Sports Hall of Shame, an Idea Long Overdue
A week or so ago, you may remember, I wrote a post about the auction for Bobby Petrino’s crash-damaged motorcycle. The majority of the post was an outline of my idea to turn the crumpled-up love machine into a profit center by selling photo opportunities for fans to pose on…
100 Creatives 2012: Jerry Ochoa, Violinist, Filmmaker & He Scored a Comedy Central Web Site
What He Does: Two Star Symphony is an enduring Houston institution, and one of the city’s true musical success stories. The last time I checked in with violinist Jerry Ochoa, it was to review their soundtrack for the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater’s ballet Titus Andronicus, a bloody and stellar release…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 5 Chicken Soups
For the next 20 weeks, we’ll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year’s winner is no easy task. We’ll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants…
New Featherface LP Conjures Some Actual Magic
It’s been more than two years since Houston’s Featherface has released a new record, though that doesn’t mean that they were short on actively contributing to the local scene. Since the release of their last EP, It Comes Electric, they’ve performed many shows and have been steadily growing in popularity…
Texan Energy-Industry Job-Seekers Swamp Australian Job Fair
The Australian government and energy companies from Down Under have set up a job fair for Texas workers this weekend, and they won’t have to worry about not being busy. They’ve already hit the limit of 3,000 attendees and have had to cut off accepting any more applications, the Australia…
Do You Hate Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory? You Aren’t Alone
There are a lot of people to hate in the cast of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The bratty kids, the arrogant and maniacal Wonka, the ineffectual parents, maybe even the whiny and frail Charlie Bucket, who wastes his time trying to win a ticket to a chocolate factory…
Happy Birthday Dusty Hill: ZZ Top’s Bottom-End Boogie Man
ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill turns 63 years old on Sunday, but who’s counting? The Dust and his bandmates have been around pretty much forever, with more than four decades of sold-out shows around the world under their belts. If Hill spends another 43 years playing his Fender bass in perfect…
Scenes from Today’s Andrew Blomberg Trial Demonstration
About 30 protesters and dozens of spectators lined the steps of the Harris County Criminal Justice building this afternoon, calling for new charges to be brought against Andrew Blomberg, the former Houston police officer recently acquitted on charges of kicking a 15-year-old burglary suspect. Members of the National Black United…
HPD Seeking Man Who Shot Guy Who Followed His Orders
Two men emerged from Dreams Gentlemen’s Club about 4:30 in the morning April 8. They were approached by two men, one with a gun. The armed man “pointed [the gun] at the two men and ordered them to raise their hands,” Houston police say. “The second man told his friend…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 95, Farmer’s MKT Pizza at Phoenicia’s MKT Bar
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Steven Cox: This Close to Not Getting Busted with 30 Pounds of Weed
Steven Cox used to be a jailer for Galveston County, but left that job for the greener pastures of working for a Dollar General store. He’s back in the jail business now, but on the other side of the bars. He was arrested for possession of 30 pounds of marijuana…
Twin Peaks: Breast in Show
“Hi, I’m Carla. I’m a Twin Peaks Girl at Twin Peaks Houston. I hope to see you real soon at Twin Peaks for our awesome hearty man food, ice cold beer and all the sports you can handle. It’s why we are the best sports bar in Houston! And, of…
The Albert Pujols Schadenfreude Post
To understand the magnitude of Albert Pujols’s six-week slump to start the 2012 season (and I’m not going to lie, calling it a “slump” feels like a VERY lazy understatement), you have to remember the starting point from whence he came when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels this…
Veronica of Reserve 101 Has Been Featured in Playboy, Is a Sucker for ’80s Hair Metal and Wouldn’t Mind a Shot of Jack When She’s Done with Her Shift
When you walk into Reserve 101, you’re immediately greeted by a wall of whiskey bottles. Like, so many whiskey bottles. I grabbed a spot at the bar and ordered one of their house signature cocktails, the Hemingway, because honestly that wall o’ whiskey was kind of intimidating. Behind the bar…
Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams: The Best & Weirdest Profiles from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Premiering in syndication in 1984, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous was one of the most popular shows of the decadent ’80s, showcasing the spoils of being successful and/or born filthy stinking rich. The very voice of host Robin Leach became synonymous with excess and guilded banisters, and his tagline…
50 Questions About Drake
Drake is in concert in Houston tonight. I’m covering the show. And I’ve been thinking about him a lot. So, 50 questions about Drake: Is Drake for real? Or did he just never stop acting? Is there anything that can be written about Drake that hasn’t been written already? Did…
Suspect Arrested in May 4 Rap Shooting
Jordan Wilson, the former member of the Alief-area rap group FDAB charged with murder in the May 4 shooting death of his ex-bandmate Toyurean “T.O.Y.” Young, has been arrested, the Houston Police Department said this morning. According to HPD, Wilson, who had reportedly been feuding with Young on Twitter for…
Facebook’s Top Recipients of Campaign Donations Includes…Ted Cruz?
With Facebook in the news for all types of political and financial reasons, different groups are looking at where the social-media giant spends its campaign cash. According to influenceexplorer.com, the top recipient of campaign funds from individuals connected to Facebook is Barack Obama, not surprising since 83 percent of such…
Chef Chat Part 2: Ronnie Killen — He’s Just a Big, Sensitive Guy
Ronnie Killen Killen’s Steakhouse 2804 South Main, Pearland 281-485-0844 www.killenssteakhouse.com This is the second of a three-part chef chat series. Click here to read parts one and three. As I talked more with Chef Ronnie Killen, a picture emerged of a man who is humble, soft-spoken and sensitive, with high…
Rap’s Top 5 Motorcycle Videos
Life may begin at 30, but it doesn’t get real interesting until about 150. — Author Unknown One hundred fifty miles per hour, that is. It’s true. The feeling of an open road and an open throttle is unmatched. Rocks Off loves motorcycles. At one point, we owned three, until…
What We’re Up Against: A Tough Day at the Office
Check out our interview with director Scott Schwartz. The setup: You’ve come a long way, baby (that would be playwright Theresa Rebeck), especially if you want to prove that you, too, can write like David Mamet, scouring the wallpaper off the Alley’s Neuhaus Stage with a tsunami of profanity while…
Bun B, Murs Guest on Fat Tony’s New Double Dragon LP
Double Dragon, rapper Fat Tony’s sophomore album, hits the streets on June 1, with help from Tecla, Bun B, Murs and others. The disc will be released on the brand-new imprint Young One Records, based out of Brooklyn. The youthful Young One label is an offshoot of Partisan Records, home…
City, County Move to Shut Down Treasures, the Strip Club
The city and county have filed a suit seeking to shut down the strip club Treasures, calling it a public nuisance. They’ve been threatening to do this, most recently at a state hearing where dancers tearfully pleaded with officials not to close it down. “The Houston Police Department has made…
Is Mission Burrito Trying to Compete with Torchy’s Tacos?
I get the feeling that Mission Burrito is suddenly trying to compete with newcomer Torchy’s Tacos, the Austin import that features tacos with fillings like fried chicken and names like the Dirty Sanchez or the Trailer Park. Why? Because the Houston-based burrito chain has now introduced a new line of…
RIP Donna Summer: Disco Queen Dies at 63
Donna Summer, the disco queen whose salacious songs sometimes clashed with her traditional values, has died of cancer at age 63, TMZ is reporting. Boston native Summer, born LaDonna Andre Gaines, sang in her church choir as a teenager before winning five Grammys and becoming one of the top-selling female…
Free for All: J.R. Helton, Barber of Seville and the Insight/Out Festival
J. R. Helton appears at Brazos Bookstore on Friday to discuss and sign his latest novel, Drugs. When it comes to making art about drugs, there is one crucial factor that divides the truly great works from the rest, and that is honesty. Over-sensationalize, and you risk the unintentional hilarity…
4-Month-Old Girl Dies in Bizarre Accident
A four-month-old girl was killed in a bizarre accident yesterday morning, police say. The child was being carried by her mother, who was walking towards the gated entrance of the Casa del Sol Apartmens at 9501 South Sam Houston Parkway. She was bringing an access card to the gate to…
Where the Chefs Eat: Hildebrand, Pellegrino and Edwards
I am always asking people where they like to eat. I’ll go anywhere. A $1 fried chicken place in a gas station, a hole-in-the-wall strip mall affair on the west side, a hot dog stand on the sidewalk underneath a freeway — if it’s good, I’m totally game. And generally…
Girls, Girls, Girls At 25: Anatomy of a Strip-Club Classic
Mötley Crüe, those depraved kings of ’80s sleaze, took a major step toward strip-club immortality 25 years ago this week when the band released its fourth album, Girls, Girls, Girls. Glossy, debauched heavy metal ruled the charts in the summer of 1987 — Whitesnake, Ozzy, Bon Jovi and Poison all…
Rappers on Gay Marriage: “Only an Issue to a Simpleton”
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Not Invited: Manny Pacquiao This Week’s Prompt: On Bun B’s most recent segment on TV show NewsFix, he had the audacity to imply that gays and…
40 Years of HJ Bott and Displacement-of-Volume System
Houston artist HJ Bott has been exploring his so-called “displacement-of-volume system” for 40 years now. And he’s celebrating with an exhibition of his newest works at Anya Tish Gallery. It says something that after 40 years, Bott hasn’t gotten bored with his self-developed technique, which explores lines and geometric shapes…
Corkage: A Privilege, Not a Right
In the wake of last week’s post on The Wine Lover’s Bill of Rights, I wanted to turn the tables (no pun intended) and address one of the wine lover’s responsibilities in the unique social compact that is sealed when you sit down for a meal in a restaurant. In…
Comment of the Day: She Got Her Mother’s Day Gift
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…
Artist Suggestions for a New Saturday Morning Tribute CD
One of the few CDs I still listen to in this amazing digital age is Saturday Morning: Cartoon’s Greatest Hits. The album, which is still not available on iTunes, was a tribute to all the best cartoon theme songs of the ’60s and ’70s. Things like Scooby Doo and Sigmund…
Pop Rocks: So Far, Universal’s 100th Anniversary Is…a Bit Underwhelming
Universal Pictures (a Comcast company!) turned 100 years old on April 30. Overall, it’s been a decent century, from their classic horror films of the ’30s and ’40s through postwar abundance to the subsequent focus on television production. Sure, Universal’s released its share of dogs (how many freaking Francis the…
Update: Marshall Middle School Mom’s Shoot-‘Em-Up Threat Not Surprising, Says Former Employee
A former employee tells Hair Balls that the incident involving a mom who threatened to shoot up Marshall Middle School is just the tip of the iceberg at the “troubled and confused” institution. “When I was there, there were a lot of pissed-off parents coming in every day and the…
The Nine Dirtiest Baseball Terms
Face it, major league baseball isn’t exactly lighting Houston on fire these days. Still, the weather’s getting warmer, and that means it’s baseball time whether you like it or not. So if the on-field action at Minute Maid doesn’t keep your attention, keep yourself amused by considering the filthy terms…
The Mannequin Hands Manicure: The Grossest-Sounding, Office-Appropriate Manicure You Can Get
Beauty and fashion blogs have a language all their own. When I first started reading I had to Google so many terms, I felt like I was translating Shakespearean English or something. A few of my favorite examples: • MLBB: “My lips, but better.” A shorthand description of a balm,…
Nabi Debuts New Korean Side of a Trimmed-Down Menu
Nabi has quickly turned into my favorite neighborhood restaurant. It’s the answer to the question Where do I want to eat tonight? when I’m not dining out for work and instead want to relax over good food with good friends. It’s inexpensive — especially during happy hour — and offers…
Umpin’ Ain’t Easy! Carlos Lee Steamrolls an Umpire (w/VIDEO)
On the surface, the occupation of Major League Baseball umpire would appear to be a dream job for anyone who likes baseball but wasn’t good enough to continue playing beyond, say, American Legion ball at the high school level. Six-figure salary, luxury accommodations, ample vacation time. I mean…hell, you’re umping…
What Is the Next Vampire/Pirate/Ninja/Zombie Pop-Culture Figure?
Houston has a zombie bar crawl at least every other weekend, with the ghastly undead walking amongst us, running up monstrous tabs. Teen girls are now just finally putting down their Twilight books. Wizards and warlocks were Potter-ed to death the past decade, leaving just the withered husks of Daniel…
Senze: Local R&B Loverman Lays It on Smooth
Each week, 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? E-mail their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. You know what you can never have enough…
Barber of Seville
Figaro can’t help it — he causes madcap mayhem wherever he goes. In Houston Grand Opera’s The Barber of Seville, being presented at Miller Outdoor Theatre, he’s at it again, causing uproarious trouble as he sets out to help two young lovers, Rosina and Count Almaviva. There’s love, mistaken identity,…
Pasadena Strawberry Festival
Strawberries aren’t really berries. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s true. They are actually flowering plants from the rose family genus Fragaria. But The Fragaria Festival doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, so fans celebrate all things sweet, plump and red at the annual Pasadena Strawberry Festival instead. In addition to a…
Insight/Out Festival: Seven in the Third
The folks behind the Insight/Out Festival are interested in the impact of art and performance on our interpretation of public spaces. “We believe that doing live performance in a space can totally transform one’s view of that space permanently,” says Karen Farber, director of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for…
Buzz Bissinger: Father’s Day
Writer Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights) has a rare gift for storytelling, but is he strong enough to convey his own nightmare as the father of a savant? The answer, as seen in his new novel Father’s Day, is an overwhelming yes. The memoir follows Bissinger and his son Zach on…
Kristin Chenoweth
The tiny Kristin Chenoweth stands just four-foot-11, but she’s one of the biggest talents to hit Broadway in the last decade. Now she’s taking her show on the road for the first time ever. Tunes from her third album, Some Lessons Learned, which was released last September, as well as…
Entertaining Mr. Sloan
When it opened on Broadway in 1965, The New York Times called Joe Orton’s pitch-black comedy Entertaining Mr. Sloane “vulgar.” But times change; today the idea of a hot, young, sexually amorphous predator who meets his match in a hungry middle-aged woman and her slimy, misogynist brother is the stuff…
”STUCK UP”
It’s a small collection of new works that make up “STUCK UP,” the exhibit that, as its tag line indicates, is a poster show for the poster movie that’s about the poster scene, in Houston. The film in question is Alex Luster’s Stick ’Em Up!, now available on DVD. Michael…
“Uncorked and Uncovered: Felipe Lopez”
Most artists study techniques and styles; Felipe Lopez studies neurology. The Houston-based artist is showing new work examining the brain at the exhibit “Uncorked and Uncovered: Felipe Lopez.” The works, in several mediums, feature repeated screened images of a brain. “I don’t just paint. I also produce installations, video art…
Next to Normal
Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, nominated for 11 Tony awards and winner of three — best score, orchestration and leading actress — the rock musical Next to Normal arrives at Stages Repertory Theatre, telling what its director Melissa Anderson calls “a story about finding your humanness and trying to…
Alternate Tracks
The importance of the proper soundtrack to a film can’t be overstated. What would that first shark attack in Jaws be without John Williams’s famous brooding cello piece that signals the horror to come, or the transformation of Eric Draven into the Crow character without the Cure’s “Burn”? One of…
J.R. Helton: Drugs
When it comes to making art about drugs, there is one crucial factor that divides the truly great works from the rest, and that is honesty. Over-sensationalize, and you risk the unintentional hilarity of Reefer Madness or, worse, glorifying the lifestyle. Understate the situation, and you wander into Stupor-land. Simple,…
Stryper
The world of 80’s glam metal was about as excessive and decadent a time as the music world has ever seen (see any Mötley Crüe video for reference). Deviating from the “party/girls/booze all the time” platform of the moment would’ve been a death knell for most bands, but somehow, the…
UCLA Festival of Preservation: Cry Danger
Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Rocky (Dick Powell) finds himself suddenly set free after five years when a stranger comes forward with an alibi. The alibi is a lie, of course, but Rocky doesn’t care. He wants to hunt down the real criminals, and he can’t do that…
Grady Gaines, the Upsetter
Grady Gaines, who in a few years would be playing in the most important rock and roll band on the planet, was 12 years old throwing newspapers when he got the idea he wanted to play saxophone. “There was no air conditioning, so the windows were open and I kept…
Danny Lyon’s Out of “This World”
Danny Lyon was the first photographer for the 1960s civil rights group the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He documented and joined the Chicago Outlaws motorcycle club for his classic 1967 book The Bikeriders. He wrangled permission to photograph inside the Texas prison system, which resulted in his 1971 book Conversations…
Stryper: Christian-Metal Kings
No other band within modern-day Contemporary Christian music has been more legendary in the metal scene than Stryper. For a secular metal band, though, they are markedly different from others, using both their lyrics and their style to promote their faith. Stryper’s faith is undeniably at the forefront of their…
Capsule Art reviews: “Elegance and Refinement: The Still-Life Paintings of Willem van Aelst,” “Endearing the Line,” “Five Houses,” “The Graphic Arts of Hans Erni,” “Round 36”
“Elegance and Refinement: The Still-Life Paintings of Willem van Aelst” Willem van Aelst made a career out of painting still-lifes of fine goods — furs, precious metals, feathers. In other words, items that would have appealed to his wealthy clientele. To think of it another way, it’s like a modern-day…
M83
Big shit poppin’: L.A.-based Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez follows up Thursday’s House of Blues show with another Houston show October 10 at the much bigger Bayou Music Center. (So if you didn’t get your tickets early…) And that’s after the numerous 2011 year-end honors bestowed upon Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, Gonzalez’s…
“Duck Taco” Lawsuit
COURTS “Duck Taco” Lawsuit Deputy endured forced motorboating, suit says By Richard Connelly A former deputy to Galveston County Constable Pam Matranga has sued her, claiming she sexually harassed him by, among other things, pulling his head under her shirt and into her cleavage. Forced motorboating!! Other allegations involve farts…
Blanco’s: The Time Machine
“Hello walls, how’d things go for you today? Hello window, well, I see that you’re still here Hello ceiling. I’m gonna stare at you a while” — Willie Nelson, “Hello Walls” Blanco’s, the timeless Texas honky-tonk with a major city built up around it, has existed for 30 years. Thirty…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Beams Are Creaking, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, The Foreigner, Magdalene, One Kiss: The Music of Sigmund Romberg, Travelsty
The Beams Are Creaking The life of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who opposed Hitler and paid for his resistance with his life, is so full of drama that his story should be a natural for the theater. Just the basic facts would fill a play threefold: an international man of…
Dave Matthews Band
After a brief touring sabbatical, the Dave Matthews Band hits the road again for another round of hot fun in the summertime, slinging hashy jams for preppies, middle-aged heshers and confused hipsters alike. The band turned 20 years old in 2011, and is still working on new material for a…
Local H
Each Local H tour has a cool gimmick to keep the touring grind fresh for the band and fans alike, whether it’s playing only the songs they released as singles or one of the six discs from their lengthy career straight through. This time through Houston, the Chicago duo is…
Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator
In his third collaboration with director Larry Charles, Sacha Baron Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen, the young, dumb dictator of fictional North African nation Wadiya. Under Aladeen’s rule, oil-producing, uranium-enriching Wadiya is a hostile threat to global peace and capitalism. And yet, Aladeen himself is so attracted to Western culture…
College Dreams and The Name Game
LAST CALL TO BUY TACO USA! Gentle cabrones, my much-promised Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America has finally hit bookstores! Place your order with your favorite local bookstore, your finer online retailers, your craftier piratas, but place it. My libro editor has already promised to deport me from the…
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Even though it doesn’t have a story, characters, or setting, Heidi Murkoff’s mega-bestselling, 28-year-old pregnancy manual, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, actually makes perfect sense as a vehicle for a contemporary Hollywood ensemble comedy. For an industry banked on bathroom humor, what could be more suitable than this vomit-,…
Liberty Kitchen Sink
Have at look inside the charming Liberty Kitchen via our slideshow. There is a bowl of gumbo at Liberty Kitchen with your name on it. And it’s utterly unlike any other gumbo in town. It’s served in a bowl nearly the size of a washtub, and it’s topped not only…
Buckwheat Zydeco
The best performers of all time combine a mastery of their chosen style with the kind of charisma that makes the specific type of music they are playing almost (but not quite) irrelevant. So it has been with Buckwheat Zydeco, once Stanley Dural Jr., who has literally become synonymous with…
Battleship
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that’s so utterly shameless that it achieves a certain grandeur. Peter Berg’s Battleship, which I swear to God is described in its Wikipedia entry as an “American science fiction action naval war film,” is one such movie. Over the past few…
Loretta Lynn
Say what you will about Nutty Jerry’s proximity to Houston, owner Jerry Nelson and his staff have been bringing in some marquee, legendary acts well worth the drive east to his arena way out in Winnie. Already, Chuck Berry, Merle Haggard and Jerry Lee Lewis dot the venue’s short history,…
Morgan Spurlock’s Mansome
“I think that men are having an identity crisis, but they don’t really know it.” So says “biological anthropologist” Helen Fisher, speaking in Mansome, Morgan Spurlock’s anecdotal pop documentary about masculine self-presentation in the 21st century, which allegedly attempts to define that crisis. Mansome is divided into chapters — “The…
Houston’s Babies Play Vintage Baseball
It’s a sweltering Cinco de Mayo in Katy’s City Park, and on a dusty baseball diamond, Larry Joe “Long Ball” Miggins steps up to the plate with two men on and two outs and the score tied at six runs apiece. The Babies need a big hit and Miggins is…
Vintage Baseball: The Wanderers
The most colorful and certainly most obscure of Houston’s baseball eras would come to an end in 1905, when competition would move to West End Park, which stood on the site of today’s Allen Center in southwestern downtown. From that point onward, more or less, the team would be known…
Vintage Baseball: Covering All the Bases
You never know what might happen when you go to cover a vintage base ball game. Early in the second game of the Babies’ two-game slate, one of the “cranks” (fans) rooting for the Houston team was overwhelmed by the day’s crushing heat, causing one of the players to leave…
