Texas AG: Don’t Fall For the Utility Payment Scam
The Texas Attorney General’s Office is warning folks about yet another identity theft wave that’s been separating people from their money: the so-called utility bill payment scam. The AG’s Office writes that “using in-person solicitations, social media, fliers, phone calls and text messages, scammers are contacting customers and claiming that…
Eerily Familiar: KPRC, KTRK and KHOU Getting Dinged by Same AP Headline
It was a pretty safe bet that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would face what Rodney Dangerfield called a “tough crowd” at the NAACP annual convention being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center this week. Romney’s platform of repealing Obamacare and tax cuts for the “job creators” aren’t…
Whitest Man Alive Tries To Curry Favor With Blacks, Somehow Doesn’t Succeed
Mitt Romney, the whitest Republican presidential nominee since every single Republican presidential nominee before him, informed an auditorium of black people at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People conference in Houston today that he, stilted awkward whiteness aside, knows what’s best for blacks — him. Romney, who’s…
Teresa Ann Kruk: Fiery Fourth Leads to Felony DWI Charge
We’ve said it before, we’re saying it again, and, sadly, we are sure we will have to say it some more down the line: drunk driving is dumb and utterly irresponsible. Drunk driving with a kid aboard is much worse, and doing both of the above with a barbecue pit…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 57, Lone Star Dog at James Coney Island
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…
Natural Wine Becomes a Crime
If you follow along here at Wine Time, you know that we frequently cover Natural wine and the vitriol-fueled debate on Natural wine that often eclipses the wines themselves (and we have written about Natural wine in Texas here). The stakes in the Natural dialectic just got higher. Last month,…
Documentary Will Tell You How Obama Will Destroy the World if Re-elected — Bring Popcorn!
Houston audiences will have a chance Thursday to see what will become of the world if Obama is re-elected, with the premiere of the documentary 2016: Obama’s America. Hint: it’s not good. That’s according to the filmmaker, Dinesh D’Souza, whose bestselling book, The Roots of Obama’s Rage, serves as the…
Laughing & Rhyming: 4 Great Hip Hop/Comedy Crossovers
Fans of Childish Gambino can be split in to two groups: those who like hip hop and appreciate his wordplay, and those who use the phrase “I don’t normally like hip-hop but…” before admitting that they just happen to like the guy from Community a lot. That he’s a strong…
Comment of the Day: Cat Killings Could Signal the Birth of a Serial Killer
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
The Annual Kenney 4th of July BBQ
See more community-barbecue photos in our slideshow. Read Robb Walsh’s feature story on community barbecues in Texas. The barbecue pits behind Kenney Hall are of the old-fashioned open-pit construction. This year, 700 pounds of beef shoulder clods, 650 pounds of pork butt and 400 pounds of mutton were prepared for…
San Diego Comic-Con 2012: Girding My Loins
This Thursday I will be making the 45-minute flight to San Diego, California to attend Comic-Con 2012 (I depart at 10:05 a.m. and arrive at 10:50, which seems more than reasonable for flying halfway across the country). It’ll be my first time checking out what has become the 4th largest…
Kyle Farley, Subverter and Mixed-Media Artist, at Redbud Gallery
Kyle Farley is all about the visual. In “Countenance,” a show of his new work at Redbud Gallery in the Heights, the Texan’s pieces reference seeing through their specific materials and the imagery itself. Most of the eight works are lit, either by a source within, small bulbs on the…
App of the Week: NOAA Hi-Def Radar’s Tracks Rain, Hurricanes and More
App: NOAA Hi-Def Radar Platform: iPhone Website: Apple Store Cost: $1.99 Anyone who knows me or reads my posts on this blog (thanks, mom!) knows I am a bit of a weather nerd and by that I mean I am a serious weather nerd. I’ve ranked and reviewed numerous weather…
The Weirdest Beatles Reference Ever
The Beatles are the greatest rock band of all time. Some people say it’s the Rolling Stones, but those people just think it sounds cool to be wrong. Being an act that was a legitimate worldwide phenomenon, it’s not at all uncommon to find bizarre places that they have inspired…
Creative Pizza and Crafty Pints at That Pizza Place On Ella
I’ll admit that I wouldn’t have been quite as drawn to That Pizza Place On Ella — the subject of this week’s cafe review — were it not for the marquee above, which crows that the pizza joint has the largest beer selection in Oak Forest Larger than Petrol Station?…
Reviews for the Lazy Gamer: Quantum Conundrum
Game: Quantum Conundrum Platform: PC/PSN/XBLA Publisher/Developer: Square Enix/Airtight Games Genre: Puzzler Describe This Game in Three Words: Portal, But Not Plot Synopsis: You are the nephew of the great scientist and inventor Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. Upon arriving for a visit you discover that your uncle has been sucked into a…
What Are We Stuffing? Red Bell Peppers
Summertime cuisine benefits from the plentiful array of fruits and vegetables. As the farmers markets overflow with bright and colorful produce, you start to run out of ideas for cooking it. Simply baking, grilling, boiling and frying vegetables gets old after a while, but what about stuffing them with cheese,…
Inside Rob Gullatte’s Abortion: The Project
Rob Gullatte (formerly known as Kritikal, Beltway Krit and more) is the most interesting rapper with a name change this side of 2 Chainz. Okay, that’s plenty of loaded hyperbole, but the fact remains Gullatte is as obscure a talent as the term can be presently defined. SPIN ran a…
Baltimore Ravens Just Now Finding Out Jacoby Jones Can’t Catch
As fans and media, many of us fancy ourselves to be experts in our sports of choice. When a questionable move is made by the brass for our favorite team (or any team, for that matter), we openly mock the general manager who made the “ludicrous” decision in question, and…
The Circus is in Town, Can PETA Be Far Behind? (No)
At high noon today, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protesters will rally outside Reliant Stadium to speak out against what it says is bad treatment of elephants by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. “Houston residents would run screaming from the big top if they knew…
Get the Fork Out: Our Favorite Utensils
So far in life, I have never had to suffer through a so-called “formal meal.” I’ve never had to know my salad fork from my dessert fork, my soup spoon from my whatever-the-hell-the-other-spoon-is-used-for. Thanks, Mom and Dad. I do, however, have passable table manners, with the possible exception of one…
A.D. Players Bring Victorian Farce to Life in Charley’s Aunt
The setup: Brandon Thomas’s classic and unstoppable Victorian farce Charley’s Aunt, one of theater’s most enduringly funny comedies, positively sparkles in the spit-shine given to it by A.D. Players. Who knew that a guy in a dress could be so endearing? The execution: Obviously, the English. The Victorian Age practically…
Which Mayhem Festival Band Do Parents Hate Most?
The biggest traveling heavy metal festival of the summer rolls into the Woodlands Pavilion tonight. The annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival has stepped its game up significantly in 2012, dropping metal titans Slipknot, Slayer, Anthrax, Motorhead and more onto Houston’s well-groomed northern suburb like so many canisters of napalm…
Bachelor Parody + Five Things I’ve Learned From the Franchise
Somehow, I only recently discovered “Burning Love,” a hilarious, star-packed parody of “The Bachelor.” Produced by Ben Stiller, the Yahoo web series makes spot-on digs at the show, some outrageous and some impressively subtle. The series currently has clueless fireman Mark Orlando (Ken Marino) down to two women, just as…
UPDATED: Man Reaches For a Can of Beer, Shot Dead by Officer Who Thought He Had a Gun:Bayou Body Count No. 96
Update: According to a Houston Chronicle report, witnesses say the dead man, Rufino Lara, did not have his hands in his pockets, but in the air. A witness also said the officers addressed them only in English. An unidentified man was shot to death by a Houston police officer when…
Top 5 Strange Ice Cream Flavors
I’m thrilled that so many ice cream purveyors in Houston offer inventive flavors. Not that there’s anything wrong with good o’ vanilla, but new and interesting is good, right? Let me go on the record and say, “No, not always.” Especially when it comes to ice cream. Here are five…
A King’s Course: Phonetic Spelling With KDOGG
I don’t know how many rappers are on Twitter. A mathematician might guess it somewhere around “A FUCKING LOT.” And plenty of them have been high-fived for any number of things, be it insight, humor or ratchetry. But when it comes to raw poetry, to unfiltered, sweaty swampland Tennessee Williams-levels…
Rich Hopkins Finds Houston Humidity Suits Him
Living most of his adult and professional life in Tuscon, Arizona, former Sidewinders/Sand Rubies front man Rich Hopkins has recently relocated to Houston. For those who don’t remember, Hopkins and his mates in the Sidewinders hit the charts at the tail end of the ’80s with “Witch Doctor” (1989) and…
100 Creatives 2012 Robert Boswell, Book Author, UH Prof
University of Houston professor Robert Boswell always wanted to write, but took some sideways paths along the way to his present acclaim as author of 11 books and the writer of the cyber-punk novel, Virtual Death. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in both psychology and…
Eight is Enough: Rockets Logjam at Power Forward Dissected
As the Rockets head into summer league play with their ultra-young roster, a question has arisen among fans: what exactly are they going to do with eight power forwards? It’s a valid question. They currently have eight guys who play the position — some can split time at other spots,…
Can’t Decide What To Cook? Use MyFridgeFood.com
It’s a weekday night and you’re at a loss as to what to cook for dinner. How many of you have been in this situation? You look at all the food in your refrigerator, pantry, freezer and cabinets, and a combination of ingredients isn’t coming together. What if there was…
Why Shouldn’t the Zombie Apocalypse Have a Playlist?
Yeah, yeah, we all know it’s 2012. Apparently the end of the world is near. The apocalypse is coming. Or better yet, a zombie apocalypse is coming. If you aren’t so in touch as to what the hell a zombie even is, it’s the living dead, and they are scary…
The Wild World Of Estate And Garage Sales In Houston
Local musician Ben Godfrey, who was has most notably fronted local doom-folk group Listen!Listen! for the past few years and his own solo work, has been rummaging through people’s personal effects for treasures and bargains at garage and estate sales since he could remember. “My aunt would take me when…
Life in the Cloud: The Complications and Conveniences of a Connected World
Over the last year or so, I’ve grown increasingly aware of and interested in the idea of life without a hard drive. My existence is, admittedly, a bit unique. I spend a lot of time on my laptop; in fact, it is my main computer. When I’m in my office,…
This Week In Food Blogs: Parcel Pies and Zoos Without Tigers
Weapons Grade: Whether or not this story of a zoo with no tigers is a metaphor for sommelier Justin Vann’s work at Oxheart is beside the point; zoos do need to have fewer tigers, and we need to learn to appreciate the zoos that showcase something other than tigers. Don’t…
Mud Sharks, Satanism and Stairways: The Truth About Zep!
Get Lit: Led Zeppelin FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Hard Rock Band of All Time By George Case 370 pp., $19.99, www.backbeatbooks.com This entry into Backbeat’s exhaustive and incredibly detailed FAQ series tackles the mighty Zep – so there’s plenty of coverage about purported Satanism, musical…
Houston Janitors Call for a City-Wide Strike
Friday’s protestSporadic protests over the past couple months in Houston have escalated into calls for a city-wide strike, as janitors claim their managers illegally threatened and harassed them for participating in protests. Since May, janitors have been protesting to demand a higher wage from the corporations they clean. They went…
NAACP Pledges “Strong Support” For Controversial AG Eric Holder
It was on and then off. When it was back on, it was on. Kind of. Mid-morning Tuesday, United States Attorney General Eric Holder, who had canceled his Monday appearance on account of an airplane delay, addressed the delegates of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People meeting…
Elric Shawn Millner: Allegedly Rapes Teen Girlfriend, Tapes Attack, and then Smiles for Mugshot
When she woke, hungover and sore, around 2 or 3 p.m. on August 4, 2010, the 17-year-old’s boyfriend Elric Shawn Millner said he had something to show her. According to court documents, these were videos he had taken the night before, footage he shot while she was blackout drunk thanks…
Five Ways the Cell Phone Camera Has Changed the Way We Live
When I was a kid, I used to follow my dad around with a Kodak Instamatic he got me from a drugstore. He was the pro in the family, shooting photos for magazines and for himself. Like most shutterbugs, he had an ample collection of lenses and camera bodies. When…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 58, Eggplant Involtini at Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
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…
Crimestoppers Offers $5K Reward to End Ongoing Cat Slaughters in Greater Heights Area
A series of gruesome cat killings in several Inner Loop neighborhoods has gotten the attention of Crimestoppers. The killings, which date back to 2009, have occurred in the River Oaks, Montrose, and the Heights, and the area around Jaycees Park in Lazybrook / Timbergrove is a particular hotspot. In many…
Don’t Fall for the Mystery Shopper Scam!
Like most of the rest of us, Algernon Morehead of Humble could always use a few extra bucks, so he looked online last month for ways to become a mystery shopper — people paid by market research firms to evaluate the shopping experience at a variety of companies (usually retailers)…
Don’t Be a Weiner–Eat One! Celebrate National Hot Dog Month at Happy Fatz
Independence Day has passed, but your craving for hot dogs has not — what’s a weiner-lovin’ foodie to do? Never fear, folks, because July is National Hot Dog Month and today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for half-off ($5 for $10) on joy-inducing Happy Fatz food. Located in…
Upcoming: Garbage, Amanda Palmer, Kenny Rogers, Stars, Mel Tillis, Etc.
Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra: Tue., Sept. 18, 8 p.m., TBA. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Another Run, Square And Compass: Mon., July 23, 11 p.m., Free. Boondocks, 1417 Westheimer, Houston. Asleep At The Wheel: Fri., Aug. 10, 8:30 p.m., $88-$128. Dosey Doe Coffee Company, 25911 I-45 N.,…
Hope Stone Dance Company Announces its 2012-13 Season
A rendition of Mozart’s Requiem entitled Lemonade Stand – WRECK-WE-UMMM (ouch) kicks off the 2012-13 Hope Stone Dance Company season announced today. In all, Hope Stone’s modern dance company plans four productions this upcoming season which begins in August. Besides the Lemonade Stand – WRECK-WE-UMMM; it will be performing squared…
That Purple Bastard: Houston’s Reluctant “Remix King”
“Can I call myself a Remix King when nobody knows who the fuck I am?” –Purple Bastard Purple Bastard has a beard. Or maybe A Beard has a purple bastard? Not sure. No matter. It’s not important. What is is that he stands out, even though it’s the least overwhelming…
Get Some Northern Exposure at Devin Borden, Courtesy of Hilary Wilder
There is something compellingly otherworldly about Hilary Wilder’s work. Geysers, glaciers, high seas — the imagery suggests a chilly northern element, the closest of which we get through intense air conditioning. It’s likely a desired effect, as Wilder plays with notions of what’s real in nature in her new show…
Comment of the Day: Rick Perry Battles Creeping Socialism
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Where Are We Drinking? Clue: Nerd Out
At this popular watering hole, your ales and lagers aren’t served to you by just any old bartenders. Here, you’re presented with pints by patented Beer Goddesses. If that isn’t enough of a clue as to where we’re drinking this week, well…you simply need to get out more and get…
Run-D.M.C. Reuniting at November’s Fun Fun Fun Fest
The surviving members of the Kings of Rock, Run-D.M.C., will headline Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest November 2-4 at Auditorium Shores, the festival announced this morning. The performance will be Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels’ first since DJ/producer and founding member Jam Master Jay’s 2002 murder. DMC will…
HPMA Showcase Daily Deal: Half Off GA & VIP Tickets
The Houston Press is putting the finishing touches on our 2012 Music Awards showcase, scheduled for Sunday, August 5. We expect to announce the lineup and venues (it’s downtown) in the next day or two, but for now we’d like to give a special offer to our readers. As part…
An Intoxicatingly Good Idea: Concepcion
It was ladies’ night. Well, as much of a wild to-do as two moms, an artiste and an idle attorney could muster up the energy for. What started out as a mature, smart evening meal with what should have been extremely profound, intellectually stimulating conversation, resulted in a margarita vacation…
Joe H. Nichols Helped Himself to Money That Was Supposed to Be Helping U.S. Soldiers in Iraq
What was supposed to be a good thing for U.S. soldiers stuck fighting battles in remote locations in Iraq, turned out to be nothing but a fraudulent profit venture by a 46-year-old Houston man. Joe H. Nichols has pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in federal court after…
Queen Theatre Takes Us Down the Rabbit-Hole Again with Alice in Wonderland: the Musical
The set-up: Queen Theatre creates a new version of time-honored classic Alice in Wonderland, this time with some music, and delivered by a cascade of children and a few adults. The execution: This version uses film on a large screen to show Alice at home before the rabbit-hole, then we…
Amy’s Burrito Battle: Oven vs. Microwave Preparation
I have a very serious, very real love affair with Amy’s Kitchen-brand frozen meals. Granted, my foray into the Light & Lean line — via the Spinach Lasagna — was unsuccessful, but on the whole I find the offerings in the Amy’s line of frozen foods to be among the…
Pilot Todd Ewanko Grounded, Sentenced for Child Porn to 151 Months in Prison
A federal judge Monday sentenced former pilot Todd Steven Ewanko, 47, of Humble, to 151 months in prison for distribution and possession of child pornography. The 151-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt is in addition to 120 months on the possession charge, but the sentences are concurrent,…
The Drop! The Drop!: Welcome To Twitter’s Dubstep Island
This past weekend I discovered Dubstep Island, a fantasy Twitter feed where “the stars of EDM go and live together on an island for some reason.” The artists live and explore the island with people like James Blake and Skrillex rubbing bare shoulders, though we cannot imagine either of them…
DVDs & Blu-rays: David Arquette’s Black Limousine, Amy Poehler’s Freak Dance and Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret
Black Limousine stars David Arquette, Bijou Phillips and Nicholas Bishop; Carl Colpaert directs. It’s taken two years for Black Limousine to be released on DVD. And at times, it seems to be taking about that much time for the story to get underway. (Believe it or not, that’s actually not…
Top 10 Best Places to Find the Konami Code
There once was a 2D space shooter called Gradius that was so damned difficult it utterly mocked the concept of fun. Kazuhisa Hashimoto discovered this fact while working on an NES port of the arcade, and since he was basically god of an electronic world he came up with a…
Top 5 Houston Brunch Dishes That Could Double As Dessert
It has long been a personal dream of mine that certain restaurants would offer their weekend brunch menu at night as well. Tucking into a huge meal is a great way to ameliorate a hangover but not particularly helpful if you aim to do anything but nap for the rest…
Frontier Airlines Abandons a Houston Airport
On Wednesday, if you’re driving to Hobby, rushing to make your Frontier Airlines flight, you are in a world of hurt. That’s because you’ll be headed to the wrong airport. Effective July 11 and moving forward (at least until it changes its mind again) Frontier and its planes will be…
7 Music Videos of Ice and Snow to Cool Off With
It’s hot. I mean, it’s very hot. It’s hot like we offended God. Maybe it was the gay-marriage thing, maybe some kids made fun of a bald priest and instead of sending bears to mete out smiting he sent the sun. One of those is in the Bible, but I…
7 Terrible (Movie) Ways To Spend Your Vacation
Summer time means packing up the kids, boarding the dog and heading to what should be a relaxing trip to some not too far off, but far off enough, destination. This is the theory. In reality, vacations are usually sullied by any number of ridiculous reasons: tire blowouts, dirty hotels,…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Healthy “Egg McMuffin”
Having the option to grab breakfast on-the-go makes our lives easier, but it doesn’t necessarily benefit our health. This week on Pinterest, I found a healthy version of McDonald’s Egg McMuffin that you can make ahead of time. I’ll admit that I was skeptical. But these simple substitutions tasted great…
Should Cell Phones and Cameras Be Banned at Concerts?
This past weekend a staffer at NPR music blog All Things Considered went to see M. Ward and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Upon entering the legendary venue, writer Bob Boilen spied a sign on the door with the message “Tonight, no photography or…
Adrian Peterson Decides To Pull Out The Nukes, Hires Rusty Hardin
When the news came down on Saturday afternoon that Minnesota Vikings running back and Houston resident Adrian Peterson had been arrested for resisting arrest at a club at Bayou Place after hours, the Internet did what the Internet does. Half of everyone with an opinion went with the “Spoiled athlete…
Prairie Dogs Become Prairie Gods; Have Humans Working for Them
A colony of black-tailed Prairie Dogs has been moved into a Texas Panhandle park and just to make sure the move would take — local humans clawed through the earth, initiating the deep drilling that would follow. “Park staff pre-drilled several holes to encourage the animals to being making their…
The Diary of an Eight-Year-Old Who Became a Food Critic
The Internet was abuzz this past weekend over the video that a 32-year-old man made in which he “interviewed” his 12-year-old self. It was cute, clever and perfectly edited to make it seem as if the 32-year-old Jeremiah McDonald was actually conversing with the 12-year-old Jeremiah, who was mostly concerned…
New Featherface Album Actual Magic Actually Coming Out September 1
Back in mid-May, Featherface was to release their full-length album Actual Magic at a release show at Fitzgerald’s. The show happened, but the album wasn’t in the house. Instead the band channeled their efforts into a September 1 debut of Magic. They will be debuting the physical album that night…
10 Kristen Wiig characters that will be missed on Saturday Night Live
The 2012 season finale of NBC’s Saturday Night Live was a sad one due to the exiting of seven-year cast member, comedienne Kristen Wiig. She had countless memorable characters from Sue to Gilly. Wiig also had many spot-on famous impressions including Lana Del Ray, Diane Sawyer, and even Taylor Swift…
An Obamacare Playlist You Can Afford
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act has now been almost two weeks ago. If you keep up with national news, or maybe just don’t avoid the Internet machine, well, you have probably observed that people are still noticeably buzzing about the ruling. It does happen to…
City Councilwoman Helena Brown Asks Korean Businessmen For Money For Trip To Seoul
In an attempted violation of city law, and in yet another puzzling move by embattled City Council member Helena Brown, the District A representative solicited money from local Korean businessmen late last month for a trip she took this week to Seoul — though she had already paid for it…
Unidentified Man Shot on West T.C. Jester: Bayou Body Count No. 95
Witnesses leaving an apartment complex found a 29-year-old man found lying in a nearby median at 7200 West T.C. Jester about 2:40 a.m.Sunday. The Houston man — who had been shot — was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released; the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences…
NAACP Focuses on “Outrageous Voter Suppression” at Annual Convention
“We are wading through the greatest wave of legislative assault on the right to vote in more than a century,” shouted National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous into a microphone at an over-air-conditioned exhibit hall at the George R. Brown Convention Center…
Rick Perry Stands Tall Against Socialism, Obamacare and Godless Federal Dollars
Governor Rick Perry has confirmed in a letter today to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that he’s no pal of socialism and as such, must reject two key measures of Obamacare – a state insurance exchange and expanding Medicaid. To embrace a state exchange would mean playing…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 59, Peanut Butter and Jalapeño Jelly Burger at Wicked Whisk
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…
Friday Night: Fat Tony & Friends at Warehouse Live
Fat Tony feat Tom Cruz & 10ille Warehouse Live July 6, 2012 There is a track on Fat Tony’s new Double Dragon named “Good While It Lasted.” It tells the story about a girl that Tony spends a lot of time with in the back seat of her black Jeep…
The Alley’s Black Coffee Is Quite Strong
Read our interview with Alley Artistic Director Gregory Boyd. The set-up: Agatha Christie’s first play, from 1930, Black Coffee, introduced the Belgian crime-solver Hercule Poirot, and the Alley Theatre has brought it to life for the annual Summer Chills tradition of mystery plays. The execution: The set is elegant, decorated…
Top 5 Red Wines to Serve Chilled in Summer
Some are more apt to reach for white than red wine during summer months, and it’s perfectly understandable: White wines are generally served chilled, red wines generally not. But when summertime arrives at our house, I find myself craving earthy red wines to pair with the smoked ribs we are…
Awesome Little League Parent Brawl Between Some Total Losers (w/ VIDEO and Zapruder-Style Breakdown)
When I was a kid, Little League season was a fairly compact slice out of the calendar year. It started in mid April, ended in June, and then after that you were free to play sandlot ball with your buddies as you prepared for Pop Warner football to start. Nowadays,…
Falling Skies: “Love and Other Acts of Courage”
Usually Pete covers Falling Skies but he is taking some time off to have a life/go on vacation, so I am filling in. I know little about this show, save its Wikipedia description, so bear with me as I recreate this week’s episode for you loyal fans. As the show…
True Blood: The World of Dark, the World of Tomorrow
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood — which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. On its surface, the fifth…
The Zoo Story from Edge Theatre: Pure, Electrifying Albee
The set-up: We have to thank Jim Tommaney’s Edge Theatre for giving us the alpha and omega of Edward Albee (Tommaney also covers theater for the Houston Press). Its former production in February was Albee’s latest, Me, Myself and I, while Edge’s current production is Albee’s earliest, the provocative, haunting…
Where Are We Eating? Clue: Wax On
This sushi joint epitomizes the phrase “mom-and-pop restaurant.” Don’t expect to rush through your meal here, either, as it’s only staffed by the mom and pop themselves — and no one else. Know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess below…
Last Night: Crimson ProjeKct at Warehouse Live
Crimson ProjeKct Warehouse Live July 8, 2012 Let’s get one thing straight from the very beginning: King Crimson, by any other name, is still King Crimson. This requires an understanding of the nature of the band, which fans have come to learn over the years. King Crimson is a living,…
Zelda at the Symphony is Truly Legendary
Having covered the last two Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds concerts, it was a treat to see another iconic video game soundtrack get the orchestral treatment in Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. The Koji Kondo themes that make up the 25-year-old series have remained some of the most memorable…
What’s Cooking This Week? Making the Most Out of Kimchi
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Friday Night: Jade Simmons at Jet Lounge
Jade Simmons, Riverlin, Rett Lea Jet Lounge July 6, 2012 When concert pianist Jade Simmons first learned that her computer wouldn’t latch onto Jet Lounge’s sound system Friday night, thereby ruining her chance to introduce to the audience her experimentation in partnering classical songs with hip-hop beats, she shrugged it…
Saturday Night: Vinal Edge Plants Its Flag In The Heights
On Saturday night Vinal Edge threw a grand opening bash at its new 19th Street location, in the heart of the Heights, with beer, music, snacks, and friends of the store young and old coming by to help ring in a new era in VE history. Owner Chuck Roast and…
Video Game Atlas: the Republic of Dave
Once a week Art Attack will offer you a handy little guide to the fictional countries and cities of video game worlds. Name: The Republic of Dave, Fallout series Population: 9 Government: Democracy Located in the most North-eastern corner of the Fallout 3 map, the mighty Republic of Dave stands…
Saturday Night: thelastplaceyoulook at Warehouse Live
thelastplaceyoulook Warehouse Live July 7, 2012 Music is subjective, and when it hits you is oftentimes related to the circumstances under which you hear it. Maybe you’re driving around when a song comes on the radio, and it makes your ears perk up. Something about it — a voice, a…
New Tortas at Ninfa’s Hardly Torturous
…except, I guess, if you ate all three at once. Then, you might be hurting. First, let’s get something straight. I don’t, or didn’t, go to The Original Ninfa’s for burgers. If I venture out to Navigation, it’s for fajitas, tacos al pastor, or maybe the seafood enchiladas. But these…
Comment of the Day: The Glory That Is The Texas GOP Platform
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Second Straight Draw For Dynamo Has Silver Lining
For the second straight match, the Dynamo defense held their opponent scoreless, earning their sixth shutout of the season. For the second straight match, the Dynamo offense was held scoreless, only their fifth time during this 2012 MLS campaign. Not all was bad for the Dynamo on Saturday, who did…
Crucifying America on a Playlist of Gold
In addition to the short list of people that we’ve elected president is an even shorter list of people that by all rights should have been at some point. I’m not talking about Ron Paul or Ralph Nader or Ross Perot but huge figures of statesmanship like Colin Powell or…
TV’s Most Unbelievable Couples
If you’ve been watching the new break out HBO dramedy Girls this past season you’ve seen Lena Dunham’s awkward yet refreshingly real relationship with wannabe actor Adam Sackler (Adam Driver). These two can’t seem to get it right, but their relationship makes sense. She’s a glutton for punishment; he is…
The 5 Sexiest Celebrity Male Chefs
It’s getting hot in the kitchen, and not just from the flames. Check out the Top 5 Hottest Celebrity Male Chefs that make our flames broil: 5. Govind Armstrong Armstrong’s dreamy locks first made our hearts flutter on shows like Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef Masters and the Food…
Welcome to the Jungle: Houston Returns to Rainforest-Like Weather the Next Two Weeks
Hot, wet and steamy could either be the title of a porn movie, the description of a bunch of fat old guys in the steam room at the Y or the description of our weather this July. It could be all three. But, for the kids, let’s stay focused on…
Ten ’90s Films With Technology That Didn’t Age Well
One thing you must love about the movies is they have the ability to make things that are fake look real. Over time, the methods of making this happen become a bit dated because technology changes. Unfortunately for some of these films, the technology used to make the films plot…
The Paleo Diet: So Easy a Caveman Can Do It?
If I had a dollar for every fad diet, I’d be rich. The main reason people grab hold of these diets is because the ads are glamorous and make everyone believe they can lose weight in a snap. It’s interesting that one of the newest diet sensations goes back to…
Got Issues? Ask Rock a Little
Dear Rock A Little, So I am a little upset that you have not called me back and accepted for a fifth date. I was falling in love with you, but I guess you didn’t feel the same way. Why are you avoiding me? Brian Smith Downtown Houston Dear Brian…
Cesar Cedeno And The Astros Career That Could Have Been
I’ve written in the past that I loved watching Jeff Bagwell play baseball. He’s the best all-around player the Astros have ever had; a superb hitter, base runner and a fantastic defensive player. I’ve never seen anybody who was better at turning the 3-6-3 double play and he was fearless…
Coast Guard Seized $100,000 Worth of Illegal Shrimp Last Week
Only a couple of weeks prior to the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season opening, the Coast Guard has been busy seizing thousands of pounds of illegally harvested shrimp in Texas waters. Last Monday, the Coast Guard Cutter Heron caught two shrimping boats hauling up their catches in closed waters…
How Far Can We Get From the Velvet Underground?
Since Rocks Off bought a smartphone this past January, we have downloaded almost 400 songs from iTunes. We know, we need help. But we have become fascinated with the damn thing. One of the features we like the best is “Listeners Also Bought” at the bottom of each album’s page,…
So Long Oscar-Winning, Chronic Masturbator Ernest Borgnine
Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine died on Sunday at the age of 95 of renal failure. The rough and tumble thespian had a wild and varied career, winning an Academy Award in 1955 for his role in Marty, and later spending time on television on McHale’s Navy, Airwolf, and as the…
Slim Thug Tells How To Survive In a Recession
“If he had $10, he’d put $7 aside and try to do what he can with the $3 til he could make some more money.” — Milton Harris, about Slim Thug Slim Thug wrote a book. No kidding. NO KIDDING. Now, if initially that sounds as inviting as “Slim Thug…
Foster’s Vegan Announcement Adds to Texans’ Quirkiness
Officially a vegan now. We’ll see how this goes. But week one down. So far, so good. Feels wonderful.— Arian Foster (@ArianFoster) July 6, 2012 We’ve all known Arian Foster to be a rather unique guy. He’s a bit of a philosopher and poet. He tweets about eastern religion and…
Brick Fiesta: Where LEGO Becomes a Lifestyle
Though I’ve been a LEGO fan since I was a kid, I didn’t really realize just how widespread a community was encompassed by the little plastic bricks until I ran across an unbelievable cityscape that the Texas LEGO User Group (LUG) had on display at the 2011 Comicpalooza. Longer than…
Houstonian Takes Introspective Motorcycle Ride Across America
See pictures from Sean Mcgee’s trip across America. Since June 7, Houston native Sean Mcgee’s been riding an overloaded motorcycle across the U.S. and parts of Canada to retrace a journey laid out by his grandpa about 40 years ago. Along the way, he’s trying to figure out what to…
Beehive from Texas Rep: The Ultimate Jukebox Musical
The setup: From bubble gum to Southern Comfort, the women of ’60s pop had a radical musical transformation. Whether their music exactly mirrored those changing times as easily as Beehive’s creator Larry Gallagher would like us to think is another matter, and, anyway, we really shouldn’t be thinking such deep…
Guess Who Is On the CMJ Home Page Today?
Congratulations to Houston’s the Tontons, who are featured on the home page of new-music trade journal CMJ’s Web site today. They even got the picture. Yes, Rocks Off still gets excited to see a local band make headlines in a national publication, especially one as esteemed as CMJ, which in…
This Week in Deliciousness: Fail to Barrel Up at Your Own Risk
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating…Our Words, where we’ve seen ice cream trucks, carts and bikes, but are still in the design stage on the ice cream motorcycle. Mostly we’re hung up on how to keep the refrigerated sidecar from flying open when the Creamcycle launches itself…
Update: Free for All: Kirk Whalum, Public Poetry and Dan Wells
Former Houstonian Kirk Whalum and his brother Kevin Whalum are in concert on Friday at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Kirk, who went to college at Texas Southern University, is touring in support of Romance Language, released last February. The CD is a re-creation of a 1963 recording session between saxophonist John…
Rockets Invent a New Type of Draft Pick Lottery Protection, So That’s Something, Right?
The Rockets finished the 2011-12 NBA season with perhaps the top point guard combination in the entire league. Kyle Lowry was a borderline All-Star at midseason and one of the top all-around players at the position, not to mention a massive bargain at $5.75 million per year. When Lowry went…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 60, Parrillada at Pampa Grill
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…
Readers Poll: What Are Your Favorite Summer Albums?
You know technically if you live in Houston, summer never really goes away. It just sort of lingers on top of the region, every now and then rousing from slumber to pound us with heat and humidity. Northern parts of the country have a firm line separating the seasons, but…
Congrats, J: 10 Graduation Gift Ideas for Justin Bieber
Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber managed to graduate from high school recently, earning his diploma from St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario, a school that was kind enough to offer him electronic courses uncontaminated by loathsome U.S. politics. Bieber moved to Atlanta with his mother five years ago…
Goode Company Tweets “You Know You’re a Texan If” and Gets a Response
Fill in the blank: You know you’re a Texan if ______. (Spurred from the @houstonpress article!)— Goode Company BBQ (@GoodeCompany) July 3, 2012 This week, with the help of Art Director Monica Fuentes, we listed some of the ways you know you are from Texas. As you might imagine, our…
6 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Young Mammals, Lick Lick, Etc.
It’s the heavy heavy monster sound of Reverberation tonight at Boondocks with DJs King Shing-a-Ling, Mr. Stagger Lee, Psychedelic Sex Panther and King Cobra. Free… and one step beyond! Overcaffeinated Houston indie-rockers Young Mammals return after a hot minute to release the new 7″ single, “Landlady” b/w “Optometrist” at Walter’s…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Erin Smith of Plonk Bistro — The Tasting
Erin Smith Plonk Bistro 1214 West 43rd Street 713-290-1070 www.plonkbistro.com This is the third and final part of a three-part chef chat series. Part 1 and Part 2 ran in this space over the last couple of days. This week, we’ve been chatting with Erin Smith of Plonk, who has…
Peacock: 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…
Phantom Museums: The Short Films of the Quay Brothers Showing This Saturday at 14 Pews
Identical twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay, known popularly as the Quay Brothers, make films that are darkly abstract enough — piano chord clashes, percussive clanging, PG-13 themes — to generate adult interest, yet the characters and objects themselves — puppets, playthings, pictures — are light enough for children to…
Four Earl Campbell SI Covers to Remember His Greatness
Anyone old enough to remember the Luv Ya Blue days of the Houston Oilers (hell, a lot of you probably don’t remember the Houston Oilers!) likely remembers very specific things like Bum Phillips, the rally in the Astrodome, Dan Pastorini and the AFC title games in Pittsburgh. But, above all…
Last Night: Robert Ellis at the Mucky Duck
Robert Ellis McGonigel’s Mucky Duck July 5, 2012 Robert Ellis has a variety of tools. With his clear and nasal voice, he can communicate powerful emotions in just a few words. He is easily a session-caliber guitar player. But his simple language and sometimes skeletal song structures should not be…
A Basque Wine for Slimy Okra
Even in East Texas, where fried okra is to the culinary landscape what George the Gator is to Peggy’s on the Bayou, people simply can’t tell you what okra tastes like. My wife Tracie P, an accomplished gastronome and native of Orange, Texas (where she grew up frying her okra…
Comment of the Day: Stop Hurting Our Feelings, NBA Free Agents
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Video Game High School: Law Ready for This?
Here we are at the end of the first season of Video Game High School, and after nine episodes it remains one of the true gifts the Internet has offered those of us who worship at the joystick altar. It’s a crowdsourcing success, it celebrates the geek, it punishes the…
Old Habits Die Hard: 6 Texas Beers to Try
Texans are a stubborn bunch. Proud and headstrong, we hold our beliefs as closely as just about anyone. Sometimes we do it out of tradition, and other times simply out of habit. What other excuse do we have for still executing the mentally handicapped and eating at Saltgrass Steak House?…
A Feisty Texas Radio Road Trip with the Mike Stinson Band
Lonesome Onry and Mean hasn’t been out on the road with his son, Mike Stinson Band guitarist Lance Smith, in quite a while. But due to a propitious routing that took us to my father’s place in Gatesville for a couple of days, LOM hit the highway with the band…
Five Things You Need to Teach Your Parents/Grandparents About the Internet
On Monday, potentially tens of thousands of people will lose their Internet access thanks to malware that is lurking on their computers. The FBI has been warning people for several months about the crackdown, but not everyone has gotten the message — if you are unsure if you are infected,…
Instagram Ain’t Got Nothing on Rita Bernstein
Painterly photographs never seem to lose their appeal — there’s a reason there are multiple apps that specialize in turning your boring old photographs into neatly framed, beautiful works of art. Rita Bernstein achieves a similar effect in her work, but rather than pushing a button, the Philadelphia photographer spends…
Upcoming Events: Six Texas Spirits and Six Courses of Dessert
Did you know that it’s National Ice Cream Month? You can celebrate by buying yourself a scoop at one of our 10 favorite ice cream shops, or you can let Prince’s Hamburgers buy the ice cream for you. Prince’s wants its guests to chill out this month, and will be…
Week in Photos: 4th of July Graffiti
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…
Meet the Pyro Psychoanalyzed
Valve recently released Meet the Pyro, the final of their “Meet the Team” videos used to cinematically introduce the characters from Team Fortress 2. Using a tool called Source Filmmaker, which in true Valve style they will release to the public for free later this year, the videos bring them…
A Few Things I Learned at Electric Forest
The Best Music of Electric Forest 2012 My story of this past weekend is one to tell. I went to Electric Forest, with no expectations whatosever in my head. I wanted to be open-minded. I just knew there were certain artists that I had to see. To my surprise, it…
Health Department Roundup: Cafe Pita+ Struggles, Tan Tan Stays Clean and More
The mid-week holiday has left us with a lot to catch up on. (Wednesday off? That’s not America. That’s not even Mexico.) So here’s a quick and dirty, Hemmings-and-Jefferson-behind-the-barn-style roundup. Bosnian BYOB Café Pita+ (10890 Westheimer) — a favorite of ours, as well as of stylish, demure Guy Fieri –…
Two Choice Idiocies in the 2012 Texas GOP Platform
The 2012 Texas Republican Platform has been released, and reading briefly through it there is an interesting mixture of solid conservative thought, some common sense points, and at least two of what appears to be a complete and utter disconnect from even manufactured reality. As Houston Press’s resident anal-retentive poker…
100 Creatives 2012: Patrick Turk, Master of Scissors and Glue
Originally from Galveston, Patrick Turk spends ridiculous amounts of hours whittling pieces of paper to smaller pieces of paper, which the artist assembles into left-field patterns and shapes. (Scissor and glue companies must love him.) The smaller images depict everything imaginable, ranging from body parts to sushi. Once put together,…
Where the Chefs Eat: David Cordua, Jonathan Jones, Randy Rucker
This week, we check in with three chefs who worked together five years ago: David Cordua, Jonathan Jones, and Randy Rucker. In 2007, Cordua set up a test kitchen to create new dishes for Americas in The Woodlands. Rucker was hired as executive chef of R & D. Jones was…
Openings & Closings: Ava Becomes Alto, Il Mulino Becomes 024 and Death Becomes Nga
Rumors had been swirling for the past few weeks that Ava Kitchen & Whiskey Bar — one of the restaurants in the two-joint Schiller-Del Grande concept at West Ave — would be closing soon. But instead of closing completely, the restaurant is moving in with its sister restaurant — Alto…
30 Seconds With Fat Tony
Do you know anyone that doesn’t like Houston’s master MC Fat Tony? If you do, they might be a damned lizard person because no hot-blooded human could hate his new album Double Dragon. That album kicks ass like Billy Lee. What could we learn from such a man in 30…
The Buyer’s Guide to Cable Reel Furniture
The giant wooden cable reel is a staple furniture piece of college students, being that it’s durable and you usually have to steal it, which adds to the character. Nonetheless, once we’ve graduated, most of us say goodbye to the cable reel and go to Ikea. A few people, though,…
App of the Week: Google Chrome Finally Available for iPhone
App: Google Chrome Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: App Store Cost: Free With all the upgrades to iOS over the years, one thing that has lagged has been browser technology. The built-in Safari app for iPhone is fine, but has a number of limitations that make it a less than desirable…
Be Pure and Tell the Truth: Our 5 Favorite Musical Buddhists
Today His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns 77. Although he didn’t officially become the temporal head of Tibet until he was 15, he’s made the most of 62 years in the position. He’s won a Nobel Peace Prize, advocated for his country and countrymen, and amassed more than 4 million…
The Best Music of Electric Forest 2012
Electric Forest 2012 Double JJ Ranch, Rothbury, Michigan June 28-July 1, 2012 In 2011, Paste magazine named Electric Forest on its list of “Top 10 Most Intriguing Inaugural Music Festivals,” because it holds several philanthropic endeavors such as a food drive and both art and music classes along with live…
Video: Dynamo Tailgaters Warm Up for Armed Forces Day Game
Tailgating isn’t just for football anymore. It’s also for fútbol. Since the opening of BBVA Compass Stadium (and even when they were still playing at Robertson), fans have swarmed the parking lot before games to eat, drink and generally stir up a ruckus. Taking a cue from the massive tailgate…
Bill Cody Omer: After his Pitbull Dies in Hot Car, Poses For Weird Mugshot
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new clubhouse leader in the Mugshot of the Year sweepstakes, not to mention another entrant in the list of idiots who don’t know that leaving a dog in your car on a Texas summer afternoon is moronic and all-too-often fatal. Meet 23-year-old Bill Cody…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 61, Black Bean Burger at Ziggy’s
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…
Menil’s Damaged Picasso Out of Emergency Surgery
As the Houston Police Department continues to look for Uriel Landeros — the 22-year-old dude who lobbed a sophomoric stencil onto the face of a Pablo Picasso and then bragged about it on the Internet — The Menil Collection’s real-deal conservation department is doctoring Woman in a Red Armchair back…
Unidentified Men Shot in Taco Cabana Parking Lot, Bayou Body Count Nos. 93 & 94
Two unidentified males were fatally wounded when a suspect shot them outside a Taco Cabana at 11305 Clay Road at about 7:50 p.m. Monday night. Witnesses report one of the victims was speaking with an unknown male suspect — described only as a Hispanic male with a fade haircut and…
Rednerrus Feil Dance Company Gets Playful, Then Dramatic, with UNO and Breathless
The creative process is a mysterious one no matter what medium the artist is working in. For choreographers, a new dance might begin with improvisation, preselected music, a set movement motif, an emotion or an exploration of a theme or idea. For Rednerrus Feil Artistic Director Amy Llanes, the creative…
Aggies Invite the Rest of the SEC to Begin Kicking Their Asses Immediately (w/ VIDEO)
Nature fascinates me. Specifically, I love the Discovery Channel-style shows that give a detailed breakdown of a vicious animal predator stalking its target before going in for the kill. Life is Darwinian, and it gets no more Darwinian than that. Literal survival of the fittest. But I have a soft…
Flaming Young: 10 Food-Related Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
We’ve already covered 20 food words you need to stop mispronouncing. And then 20 more words after that, since apparently people still stumble over the fact that there is no “x” in espresso. And espresso is definitely one of those words that people — even people who work in coffee…
Le Promenade Gang Condos to Clean Up Act, According to Temporary Injunction Signed This Week
Harris County’s and the State of Texas’s beef with the Le Promenade condominium complex and its individual owners was temporarily settled in Harris County civil court on Monday morning. A few weeks back, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan filed suit against the complex at 7400 Bissonnet, its homeowners association and…
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: The Space Between
The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s current show is inspired. “Interstitial Spaces” brings together Julia Barello and Beverly Penn in their first collaborative installation, and it’s such a natural pairing that makes for a cohesive, rich, full show — even with only nine pieces. The two artists make skillful, sculptural…
Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 6 Karaoke Bars
Here’s something maybe you didn’t know about karaoke culture: It’s considerably more involved and nuanced than most anyone outside of it knows. For example, were you aware that, same as there are karaoke bars that aim to attract laughably bad singers, there are some that draw stunningly good, as well…
Bourbon, Burgers & Brew Bus: Not Your Average Fourth of July
While others were celebrating the Fourth of July with backyard barbecues and the obligatory Eleanor Tinsley Park fireworks, we went the nontraditional route, stepping onto The Wave, Houston’s hipster-magnet jitney service, which chauffeured us and a mixed bag of revelers around the city’s Inner Loop for “Bourbon, Burgers & Brew…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Erin Smith of Plonk, on What It’s Like to Be a Woman in a Professional Kitchen
Erin Smith Plonk Bistro 1214 West 43rd Street 713-290-1070 www.plonkbistro.com This is the second part of a three-part chef chat series. Read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space on Friday. Yesterday, we chatted with Erin Smith of Plonk about her stint at Thomas Keller’s Per Se…
Re-examining bullying with The Karate Kid
Perhaps no other movie in the past 35 years has been more forward in its portrayal of bullying than 1984’s The Karate Kid. The film portrays bullying in a vivid manner. Johnny is the quintessential bully. He thinks rather highly of himself and that he can do no wrong. He…
Mike Judge Directs An Animated Zac Brown Band Clip
Zac Brown Band’s new album Uncaged hits shelves and the Interwebs next Tuesday, and ahead of that release the band collaborated with film director Mike Judge and animation crew Titmouse to make a clip for lead single “The Wind.” Anyone who is a fan of the work Titmouse has done…
Suspect Arrested In Fatal Shooting That Also Wounded Trae Tha Truth
Trae Tha Truth Releases Statement on Wednesday’s ABN Shooting HPD Releases ABN Shooting Report: Poppa C Was Target Reports: ABN’s Dinky D, Poppa C Shot Dead Outside Strip Club: A Houston Rap-Related Shooting Timeline Houston Police have arrested a suspect in the shooting that killed three people and wounded two…
Ten Movies That Once Ruled the Cable Universe
When I was a kid, my parents bought two things that changed my world and neither was an Atari (though that would come on a Christmas to be named later). The first was a VCR. You may scoff now, but a VCR in 1980 was like a flying car and…
Man Found Covered in Blood While High Off Ass on Bath Salts: No Faces Reportedly Eaten
WikipediaSmoking this may or may not make you hunger for man-flesh.At around 1:30 a.m. last Friday in Coldspring, Patrick Morley called the San Jacinto County police to inform them that a) he was covered in blood, b) he had been smoking bath salts with his girlfriend and c) several unknown…
Comment of the Day: Chron’s Journatic Mistake Criticized
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Happy Birthday RZA!: 5 More Creative Outlets For the Wu-Tang Abbot
The Wu-Tang Clan is full of big personalities we know and love. And while Method Man may have had the most success away from the group, Ghostface Killah is the most fun to parody online, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard is the most beloved, in terms of influence on hip hop…
Bruschetta: More Than Just Tomatoes and Basil
The beauty of Italian cooking is the simple flavors. One of my favorite Italian dishes is an antipasto, bruschetta. Every restaurant in Italy serves bruschetta with classic tomato, basil and olive oil on top. But there are endless varieties of bruschetta. Here are five recipes that you can easily make…
First Look at Disney’s Paperman Short
Walt Disney is releasing, in conjunction with its new animated feature Wreck It Ralph, a lovely-looking black and white short called Paperman about a lonely man who meets a woman on a train he believes to be the woman of his dreams. The short is set in the mid twentieth…
Jeff Luhnow Declares Independence from Carlos Lee
Jeff Luhnow traded Carlos Lee to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. Lee dillydallied and whined about his taxes, so the Dodgers pulled out of the trade. It appeared that the Astros would thus be stuck with Lee for the rest of the season as the Dodgers were really, really,…
Spike Jonze’s Top 9 Music Videos
There’s no doubt that Spike Jonze is an enigma of a director and artist. He’s worked in all types of mediums: he filmed bullriders at the Astrodome, changed the world of skateboard videography, and visually recreated the brilliance of Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are. Plus, he’s made us…
Restaurants and Road Trips: Learning to Settle
On a recent road trip to Chicago, my girlfriend and I wound up eating far more Wendy’s than normal people should. Driving through small towns and with options limited, sometimes fast food is the preferable option to the local truck stop with all the windowless vans parked out back. I…
Dallas: “I’m Taking Back What Should’ve Been Mine in the First Place.”
I can think of few things more patriotic than watching Dallas. At least, that’s what I told myself when I withdrew from Independence Day-related festivities to watch the latest episode, inexplicably airing just as the pyrotechnic-related festivities were getting underway. But it’s cool, really. Because isn’t the story of the…
Throwback Units: Ten Other Vintage Cop Car Designs HPD Should Consider
Everybody wants to go retro. From throwback uniforms in professional sports to ’80s hipster hairdos, everybody is kicking it old school. Cars are not all that different. Dodge reinvented the Charger, the Volkswagen Beetle got reissued a few years back and we assume a reset of the El Camino is…
Gothic Council on Being “Office Goth”
Some goths, like yours truly, are blessed with employment that doesn’t regulate clothing. For instance, I’m not wearing pants as I type this. Others go into real work that involves clipboards and stuff, and places with clipboards are notoriously hard on those of us who like a little dark flamboyance…
Pancakes vs. French Toast: What’s for Breakfast?
When it comes to breakfast, everyone always has a preference, especially when it comes to deciding between pancakes and French toast. I am definitely on team pancakes. Sorry, French toast, but pancakes have stolen my heart. The light and fluffy cakes have endless possibilities that French toast can never live…
Dallas NAACP Wants to Shut Down the Lottery; Odds Measured at 329 Trillion to One
We were kind of amazed to read that the NAACP’s Dallas chapter wants to shut down the Texas Lottery, mostly because we didn’t realize all the other racial injustices on the To Do list had already been checked off. “People oftentimes make decisions not in their best interests,” Chapter President…
Top 5 Frozen Alcoholic Drinks in Houston
Although recent rainshowers have given us a respite from the heat, I’m sure another week of triple-digit temperatures are just around the corner. In such weather, all I’m in the mood for is salad, ice cream and icy, icy booze. Sure, I could make my own frozen drinks at home,…
Rock Me… Gently: How the Singer-Songwriters of the Mellow ’70s Ruled
Hearts of Darkness: James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, and the Unlikely Rise of the Singer-Songwriter By Dave Thompson www.backbeatbooks.com, 336 pp., $27.99 Whether you love their deep introspective, often angst-filled lyrics and laid-back strumming or despise them as weak-ass, spoiled, granola-eating navel gazers, there’s no denying that the singer-songwriter…
KOOZA at Cirque Du Soleil: Acrobats & Mouthy Clowns
When Colin Heath was growing up in Victoria, British Columbia, he was a self-described “reckless kid.” Channeling all that energy for good, he went to circus school in Montreal, where he got the formal training that led him to Cirque Du Soleil in its early, more circus tent-like years. “At…
The 5 Stupidest Video Game Fatalities
Back when John Tobias and Ed Boon were looking for a way to set their Jean-Claude Van Damme action game turned fighting franchise Mortal Kombat apart from Street Fighter II, they hit upon the idea of murder. Originally the idea was to be reserved for the final boss, Shang Tsung,…
Dragic Gone. Is It Time for Linsanity or Just Regular Old Crazy?
According to ESPN, Rockets point guard Goran Dragic has agreed to a deal with the Phoenix Suns worth $34 million over four seasons. The Rockets had reportedly realized last week that Dragic wanted much more than they were willing to offer and decided to pursue other options. Some reports suggest…
Arty Hill: Baltimore Honky-Tonker Hits Blanco’s Tonight
Being a honky-tonker in Baltimore seems as unlikely as finding a communist cell in River Oaks, but Arty Hill is living proof that honky-tonk exists on the Eastern seaboard. With five albums in his briefcase, the most recent 2011’s Another Lost Highway, Hill has been making some inroads in Austin…
What’s Your Signature Cocktail?
Noted food writer and Esquire food critic John Mariani was in Houston recently, only a few months after proclaiming that ours was one of his favorite restaurant cities: “On occasion, when asked what are America’s best restaurant cities,” he wrote on his personal Web site, “I have sometimes surprised people…
A Soulful Christmas In July
I didn’t think I would succumb to sharing with the world how freaking hot I think it is because every time I see one of you complaining about it on Facebook, I envision your head between a Foreman grill. That might be pregnancy hormones speaking, but seriously; it’s July, we’re…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Apparition of a Deer,” “David Aylsworth: The Reverses Wiped Away,” “Lucas Johnson: Original Prints,” “Perry House: Elegance/Violence,” “Rhythm,” “Shifting Transforming: Ideas, Shapes & Materials,” “Tu Eres o No Tu Eres Mi Baby”
“Apparition of a Deer” In this show, Melanie Loew’s paintings come across as highly symbolic and associative. She paints women in the nude, bringing to mind vulnerability, femininity and truth. They’re often depicted with deer or just their antlers, which could connote goddess mythology and power. And they’re painted in…
Wednesday 13
If imitation is the best form of flattery, Marilyn Manson must swoon at the sound of Wednesday 13’s music. Best known for his work in the Murderdolls, Wednesday 13’s comparisons to the 1990s shock-rocker are inescapable — the raspy voice delivered as a half-screech/half-whisper emanating from a pasty-white wraith. Makes…
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival
Don’t let a silly thing like Wednesday stop you from hearing “Caught in a Mosh,” “Raining Blood” or “Ace of Spades” while the rest of your friends are still winding down from the working-day grind. Yes, it’s in the middle of the week, but with a lineup featuring Slipknot, Motörhead,…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Large Animal Games, The Poets, Tell Me on a Sunday, Travelsty
Large Animal Games An upscale lingerie shop serves as a focal point in Steve Yockey’s comedic play about — well, finding out what it’s about is part of the fun, so let’s just say it chronicles the needs, aspirations and foibles of semi-affluent would-be sophisticates in their thirties, give or…
The Eastern Sea
The Eastern Sea’s wispy indie-pop songs seem like they’re always on the verge of floating away in a stiff breeze, but listen a little closer and they’re actually made of sterner stuff. Matt Hines, who started the Eastern Sea in Houston before relocating to Austin around the time of the…
Young Mammals
Young Mammals release a new seven-inch Friday night at Walter’s — the locals’ first new music since 2010’s heavily praised LP Carrots — giving longtime fans a taste of where the group is in 2012. Local custom label Bombs By Mail is putting out the two-song release, which sports vividly…
A Marshall Plan for Mexico?
Dear Mexican, Suppose the United States government and the American public were as progressive and conscious of our country’s true self-interest as are, for example, many European countries; and suppose this had been true in the decades immediately following World War II, when Northern and Western Europe subsidized the development…
Faster Pussycat
Looking back at that self-titled LP, it’s hard to understand why Faster Pussycat’s 1987 debut doesn’t get mentioned in the same breath as similar titles of the era. It was surely as sleazy and lowdown as Mötley Crüe’s Girls, Girls, Girls but rarely gets as much play save for a…
Phone Yawns
Highlights from Hair Balls TECH Phone Yawns The contagion of checking your cell. By Craig Hlavaty A few weeks back I told you about Phantom Cell Phone Vibration Syndrome, the stupefying first-world problem that we social-media addicts suffer from in which our thighs vibrate where phones usually reside in our…
Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man, an inexcusably good reboot-thing from director Marc Webb, celebrates the heartwarming arachno-genetic bar mitzvah in which a boy becomes a spider and a spider becomes a man, a rite of passage last observed in Sam Raimi’s uneven but often pretty great trilogy in the oh’s. And there’s…
1981 and Now
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT Assistant Music Editor Craig Hlavaty recently purchased a 1981 edition of The Genuine Texas Handbook, a guide to all things Texan. It’s an often-tongue-in-cheek look at the people, places, outfits, songs, foods and more that made someone Texan 31 years ago. At the beginning of Handbook’s food section,…
To Rome with Love
In Woody Allen’s new film, To Rome with Love, people — like, really young people — still talk, improbably, about “neuroses.” Horny, middle-age businessmen actually stand around the water cooler and ogle the hot secretary, as in the Playboy cartoons of the ancients. In the Allen Legendarium, Freudian psychiatrists never…
Who’s Behind Helena Brown?
It’s just after 10:30 a.m. inside the cavernous Houston City Council chambers when Council Member Helena Brown, who has held office for only four months, scrunches her small, cherubic features into a scowl and requests the right to speak. The matter before the council involves the construction of a $26-million…
Savages
“Welcome to the recession, boys,” says John Travolta’s DEA-double-agent profiteer in Oliver Stone’s Savages, based on Don Winslow’s novel. Savages is a movie of its moment, though both its good guys and bad guys (if there’s really even a difference) are unquestionably the 1 percent of their industry — that…
America’s Petro-Terrorists
On July 11, 2008, the price of oil rose to $147 per barrel, a record high. Gas stations engaged in hot pursuit as the price of a gallon rocketed past $4. All hell was about to break loose. The country’s largest banks had already begun to implode through arrogance and…
Local Foods True to Its Name
Have a look inside Local Foods’ beautiful open kitchen with our slideshow. Although it’s a deli in every sense of the word, there is no such thing as a plain, boring roast beef, deli-style sandwich at Local Foods, the new Rice Village restaurant from the owners of benjy’s. Sure, you’ll…
Sound M.O.B. Make a Houston Rap Hit
Pyro is late. Ryu is unfazed. “He’s on his way,” says Ryu. “He’ll be here in a minute.” “Pyro” isn’t a government name (duh). Neither is “Ryu.” Both men are now approaching their mid-twenties, and the further away they get from their teenage days, the further away they get from…
Praise Ensemble
You can’t tell a book by its title. Nor a musical. The somber-sounding Sanctified suggests a deep religiosity but delivers a rollicking entertainment certain to delight. The dancing and the laughter in no way undermine any spiritual message, but the narrative brings together 15 characters, each determined to have his…
Potbelly Release Second Album
Cypress-Fairbanks rockers Potbelly are set to release their second album, simply titled Potbelly, this weekend with two shows. More polished and musically diverse than the band’s first release, Turn Off the TV. Go Outside!, the new album owes part of its fully fleshed-out sound to most recent lineup addition Austin…
