Houston Symphony Announces 2013-14 Season; Here’s What’s Not to Miss
Although some say that metropolitan orchestras are on the decline with symphonies including Philadelphia and Louisville declaring bankruptcy over the past decade, the Houston Symphony is going full steam ahead as it announces its lineup for its action-packed centennial season. Here are the concerts not to miss as the symphony…
Michael Brown: Feds Accuse Former Hand Surgeon of Choking Flight Attendants, Threatening to Show His Wang (UPDATED)
Update: Harris County Family Court Judge Sheri Dean issued a bench warrant for Brown’s arrest Thursday after he failed to appear at a hearing over his divorce from estranged wife Rachel Brown. But hey, maybe the judge should’ve just chalked it up to jetlag. We’re sure that, by now, everyone’s…
Rain of Threes: Rockets Bury Warriors, Bogut Drops C-Bomb on Twitter
When it rains, it pours. The Rockets took on the surprising Golden State Warriors Tuesday night in Toyota Center without three-point specialist Carlos Delfino who was out with a sore elbow. Clearly, it didn’t matter. The Rockets absolutely poured it on the Warriors in the form of a three-point barrage…
Lithe But A Lightweight: Sugar-Free Mixers Get You Drunk Faster
Well, there goes one of my most time-honored strategies. Although I am not particularly concerned with losing weight, I had made it a habit to opt for diet sodas, flavored sparkling water, and reduced calorie juices when making my own casual mixed drinks. (When going out, however, I always go…
100 Favorite Dishes: Our Love Letter to Houston Food
Over at our food blog, Eating…Our Words, we count down our 100 Favorite Dishes in Houston each year for your gustatory pleasure. And in this week’s cover story “Eating Our Hearts Out,” we’ve once again rounded up all of those dishes from the prior year in one convenient spot –…
LA Bar: A Cajun Restaurant with an Italian Heritage
One of the biggest surprises I found in the course of dining at LA Bar — the subject of this week’s cafe review — wasn’t how expensive the Gulf oysters on the half-shell were ($12 a dozen) nor how much better those oysters tasted when topped with garlic butter and…
Sally Edmundson Makes Her Directing Debut in The Language Archives at Stages
George is a very smart man. He’s a linguist, speaks countless languages and specializes in preserving dying ones. He’s on the verge of making a great professional breakthrough. Alas, however, in playwright Julia Cho’s The Language Archive (a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner) about to have its regional premiere at…
Final Video Game Atlas Entry: Narshe
Houston Press has thoroughly enjoyed bringing you our regular guidebook to video game worlds, but your humble traveler is reporting from his final destination. Thanks for reading, and for more video game maps visit VGMaps. Name: Narshe, Final Fantasy series Population: 234 Government: Autonomous capitalist collective run by an elder…
Reality Bites: The Vanilla Ice Project
If I were Rob “Vanilla Ice” Van Winkle (if only!), I’d be a little insulted the DIY Network hasn’t done more to promote my program, The Vanilla Ice Project. I’ve been doing this reality show thing for a while now and I had no idea the VIP even existed. And…
College Football: National Signing Day 2013, A Decade Of Cautionary Tales
Beginning bright and early Wednesday morning, 18-year-old football players far and wide will finalize in writing their plans on where they will ply their trade for the next three to five years, causing high blood pressure in adults three times their age coast to coast and dragging the fax machine…
A Love Letter to Houston Food (and a Map to Guide You)
In this week’s cover story “Eating Our Hearts Out,” we’ve once again rounded up all of the 100 Favorite Dishes from the prior year in one convenient spot — dishes which exemplify Houston’s status as “the South’s new Creole city,” “Mutt City,” or whichever moniker you choose to apply to…
The Trailer For the Al Pacino/Phil Spector Movie Looks Pretty Great
On March 24, HBO premieres Phil Spector, a biopic centered around the years leading up to the legendary producer and madman’s 2009 murder conviction. Al Pacino steps into the shoes of Spector, whose production credits read like the Rosetta Stone of modern pop music. Judging by the trailer — released…
ReelAbilities: Houston Disabilities Film Festival Starts Today and Lasts Until February 13
Four injured Iraq War veterans set out to become Olympians. A television star and lothario suffers a brain injury and tries to put his life back together again. A group of wheelchair-bound women redefine standards of beauty. Two singles have a crush on each other; both are deaf, but neither…
Charetta Kemp: Charges Dropped Against Gun-Toting HISD Tutor
The District Attorney;s office has dropped charges against Charetta Kemp, the HISD tutor arrested February 1 for having a gun on campus. The gun, a 9 mm Taurus pistol, was in the glove compartment of Kemp’s car, and therefore was allowed under Texas law, DA spokesperson Sara Marie Kinney tells…
Charity Saloon Gets a Shout-Out on The Colbert Report
Almost everyone in the service industry enjoys receiving media accolades and mentions in the press. Anything from a positive visit by a critic to a passing mention usually bodes well for business. One honor ranks higher than all others however. And that honor is a passing mention by political satirist…
Inspector Owl and the Bloody World of Underground Hungry Hungry Hippo Bouts
It’s been awhile since my main dealer of great indie-rock music videos, Mick Cullen of Subterranean Radio, managed to connect. Either his wares were not quite to my taste, or they were and the bands never responded. This time, though, he sent me some local (for him) heroes in the…
Wilo Vargas’s Psychedelic “Magic Eyes” at G Gallery
What makes an image of a man no longer just a man, but Buddha? How do people see the visage of Jesus on bread or in a tree, and why is it such a big deal when they do? When does an elephant stop being an ordinary elephant, but a…
Catch Me If You Can: Everybody’s Hustling But the Story is Thin
The set-up: The pedigree for the musical Catch Me If You Can, based on the somewhat fictionalized biography of Frank Abagnale, Jr., security and fraud guru extraordinaire, which in turn was the basis for the Steven Spielberg movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, is unrivaled. The production team for…
App of the Week: City of Houston 311 App Has Promise, but Needs Work
App: City of Houston 311 Platform: iPhone, Android Website: iPhone Site Cost: Free The city’s 311 hotline is one of the easiest ways to circumvent the hassle of city government. The idea originally was to route non-emergency problems away from 911 and create a first line of defense against the…
An Animal Roars Again: The Eric Burdon Interview, Part 1
As lead vocalist for the ’60s British Invasion band the Animals, Eric Burdon fronted what was perhaps the toughest R&B-influenced group from the era (sorry, Stones fans), and had a second incarnation exploring psychedelic music. In his collaborations with War, Burdon pushed the boundaries of improvisational jamming and started the…
Project Runway Season 11: All Teams, All the Time
So, thanks for the head’s up guys–Project Runway has been on for two weeks and no one told me! Last weekend I popped open a bottle of wine and settled in catch up on all the action–a mere four hours of PR: two 90-minute episodes, plus the one-hour Road to…
This Week In Food Blogs: You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide from MSG
Robb Walsh: In case you missed the news when it was first announced back in early December, Robb Walsh will be taking up the food critic reins again at the upcoming Houstonia Magazine. Walsh has posted the full press release at his website along with a link to the magazine’s…
Cactus Music Wants You to Help Pick “Houston’s Playlist”
In honor of “Social Media Week,” which is a real thing nowadays, the good folks at Cactus Music are asking their customers (and our readers) to nominate one song either about Houston or from a Houston artist to help create what they are calling the “first-ever community-curated playlist inspired by…
New Book Convinces You That You Have A Career in Public Speaking, Which You Don’t
Do you think you have what it takes to be a motivational speaker and make a lot of money at it? Well Judy Carter does, and her new book The Message of You is a self-help book, of sorts, for those that want to self-help other people. Judy Carter is…
Donnie Glenn Raymond, Jr.: Busted for eBay Sale Gone Wrong
There was trouble afoot in Van Alstyne, Texas, a tiny community northeast of Dallas I didn’t even know existed until I read a report about how a man there got shafted when he tried to buy a motorcycle from an East Texas man. Donnie Glenn Raymond, Jr. of Lufkin (where…
Coco Brown: Porn Star Will Blast Into Space, And We Find NASA Mission Names For The Ensuing X-Rated Film
Coco Brown, a porn actress we’ve heard of even though she’s the star of such films as Bomb Ass Pussy 2 and Sperma Hotel, is headed for space. According to media reports which we have a hard time believing, Brown is paying $100,000 to be taken up by private Dutch…
So, Who Should Play the Super Bowl Halftime Show Next Year?
This past weekend, I was honored to cover the Super Bowl XLVII festivities and game in New Orleans for the Houston Press and local TV outlet KIAH (Channel 39). Great fun, if not for locals in NOLA, who were ravaged by drunken football fanatics puking onto their 49ers and Ravens…
An At-Home Romantic Valentine’s Dinner: Steak and Chocolate Cake
For those of you who don’t enjoy having a “romantic” dinner in a crowded restaurant on Valentine’s Day, or for those of you who have yet to make reservations, have no fear. You can make a delectable, upscale and romantic meal at home. The key to making a restaurant-worthy meal…
VIDEO: Futurama Returns To Comedy Central This Summer With New Episodes
Comedy Central Futurama’s Planet Express crew returns with 13 new episodes this summer on Comedy Central. Last summer’s run of episodes ended in August 2012. This new season is actually the second-half of seven season. If last year’s schedule is any indication, the new episodes should begin premiering in late…
Possibly Coming to a Texas High-School Football Field Near You: Only One Full-Contact Practice Per Week
Last Thursday, State Representative Eddie Lucio III, a Democrat from Brownsville, filed House Bill 887. If enacted, the law would limit middle-school and high-school football programs to one full-contact practice per week. “Like most people, I’m influenced by the stories I read and the news I see…and how little we’re…
100 Creatives 2013: Michele Brangwen, Choreographer and Dancer
There is a moment in Michele Brangwen’s short dance film What I’ll Tell Her Later Tonight when three dancers are halted in their choreographed tracks by a trumpet player. The trumpeter moves forward, causing the dancers to move backwards almost as if they are being pushed by the brass sound…
Burger King Italian Chicken Sandwich: Chicken Parm On-the-Go
Chicken parmesan has never been my favorite dish mostly because I find that — unlike sex or pizza — when done poorly, it’s really no good at all. As a result, I never order chicken parm at an Italian restaurant because I am almost always disappointed. I know where to…
Upcoming: Riff Raff, Father John Misty, Wavves, Surfer Blood, the Killers, Etc.
10 Years: With thelastplaceyoulook, Lost Element, A Midnight in Chicago., Sat., March 16, 8 p.m., $21/$25. Scout Bar, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. Adrenaline Mob: With Nothing More., Fri., March 22, 8 p.m., $16/$20. Scout Bar, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. Allah-Las: Mon., April 1, 8 p.m., $8/$11. Fitzgerald’s, 2706…
Jacoby Jones’ Revenge Tour 2013 Continues With A Sports Illustrated Cover
Oftentimes in football when things go inexplicably right, and virtually every time things go horribly wrong for one’s football team, we like to credit/blame the “football gods,” mythical, karmic beings who can go from savior to grim reaper faster than you can say “Kubiak.” Well, if the “football gods” do…
Whimseybox: Creativity Delivered To Your Doorstep Monthly
A Houston company is making DIY projects and crafting easier than ever with a subscription service that delivers a grab-bag of instructions and supplies to your doorstep each and every month. Whimseybox is the brainchild of Alicia DiRago, founder of the crafting blog Dismount Creative. The company is just over…
Eat Noodles…Without the Noodles: A Tale of Two Squashes
Oh my gosh, you guys. Up until last week, I never knew my life was missing something. I’ve found a new love; a real love. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and fills me with…joy. It’s really the only thing that makes sense anymore. It’s spaghetti squash. I first…
10 Great Versions of “Wild Thing”
“Wild Thing” may not be most-recorded song in history, but it’s got to be up there. (It’s not even in the Top 10, though, according to the UK’s The Independent.) But when the version by the Troggs, whose singer Reg Presley died of cancer late Monday night, became a hit…
Parker Restores Library Hours Cut In Budget Crunch
Libraries whose hours have been reduced for4 budgetary reasons will go back to their normal operational schedule, Mayor Annise Parker will announce tomorrow. The city plans to to restore “library hours cut during [a] tough recession two years ago,” according to a release from the mayor’s office. Many of the…
UPDATED: KTSU DJ Myron Anderson on Life Support Following Brain Aneurysm
UPDATE (February 8, 11:30 a.m.): Anderson passed away Thursday evening. See the full obituary here. February 5, 11:15 p.m. “The account of Myron’s unfortunate health episode was not quoted to you accurately,” writes Myron Anderson’s publicist Danye’ Roland. “Here are the facts as we know them.” “Myron was having a…
Weekly Weather: It Might Feel Like Spring, But It’s Not Here Just Yet
February, despite recent evidence to the contrary, can be one of the colder months of the year for Houston. A couple years back, we had snow and temperatures in the 20s, but not this year. This year, our friends post pictures of themselves online wearing t-shirts and sipping margaritas on…
Rick Perry Has An International Ally For His (Possible) Secession Plan: The Brutal, Civil-Rights-Crushing Government Of Belarus
The campaign to have Texas secede from the U.S. has been a long struggle with little to show for it so far beyond helping to torpedo Rick Perry’s presidential hopes, and as it turned out Perry was entirely capable of doing that himself without any secessionist torpedoing. But now –…
Tenacious D Debut Album Getting Deluxe Reissue Treatment
Tenacious D’s self-titled 2001 effort, the album that soundtracked a million bong sessions and made Dio cool all over again, is getting the deluxe reissue treatment on vinyl on March 5. The comedy duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass brought in a star-studded team for their first album, building…
Not Buzzworthy? Rockets Winning Games, but Not Hearts and Minds
Tuesday morning, a friend of mine asked a question on Facebook: “Which championship do you most want to see next in Houston, football, basketball or baseball?” Not surprisingly, for most the answer was simple: football. The Houston Rockets are a young, dynamic, offensive-minded team. They have one of the best…
Half-off at Cavatore, Kolache Factory Party Trays, Strata and More
Pasta lovers will delight in this week’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal, good for half-off ($20 for $40) at Cavatore Italian Restaurant. This 2007 Best of Houston winner (Best Family Restaurant) has been family-owned and operated in the Heights for over 30 years, and boasts a unique charm that, combined…
The Day The Muzak Brand Died
Muzak is dying. Long live Muzak. That great musical mainstay of elevators, shopping centers, and other hellish waiting places is getting consolidated by its owner Mood Media, melding inside their own longstanding multi-sensory brand simply called Mood. By far my favorite Muzak tune was Lionel Richie’s “Stuck On You”. It…
Denise Pratt: Family Court Judge Issues Blanket Gag Order, Because it Sucks When the Public Knows What’s Going On
We’ve heard of judges issuing gag orders in especially sensitive cases, but until now, we’ve never heard of a judge issuing a blanket gag order: Harris County Family Court Judge Denise Pratt on January 23 sent a motion to attorneys in her court involved with SAPCR cases — suits affecting…
Greg Miller Brings The Outside In At Peveto Gallery
Greg Miller often gets grouped with the Shepard Faireys and Banksys of the art world, though what the post-pop artist does is quite the opposite of the famed street artists. Miller doesn’t go out and tag walls (he considers himself “something of an environmentalist” he says as way of explanation…
Camaraderie Pairs Well with Muscadet at Philippe on Post Oak
As vibrant as its food scene may be, Houston isn’t exactly known for a shared camaraderie or general collegiality among restaurant professionals. Of all the major U.S. cities where I’ve lived and worked (including New York and Los Angeles), Houston has always struck this adoptive Texan as falling short in…
Your Guide to the Bajillion New Guided By Voices Releases
Boy, Guided by Voices has released a lot of albums lately, huh? Since their reunion, Bob Pollard’s classic indie-rock band has been producing almost nonstop, releasing three albums — Let’s Go Eat the Factory, Class Clown Spots a UFO and The Bears for Lunch — in 2012, and an EP…
Apple Maps is Not Ready to Let Go of Astroworld
Our friend Alex Luster, who was the subject of a cover story in 2011, posted something intriguing to his Facebook page on Monday. According to him, Apple Maps, the app that took the place of Google Maps in the iPhone’s OS 6 upgrade and has been much maligned, apparently still…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: Flight, Alex Cross and Deadfall
Denzel Washington should have known that playing a character with a name like Whip Whitaker was going to be tricky. Whip, a commercial pilot, is at the center of Flight. When a flight goes horribly wrong, he saves the day and crash lands the plane. But in the aftermath of…
Roosh Williams Preps Houston Rap Full-Court Press On Deja Roo
Last week, Roosh Williams, one of the demigods among the current class of underrated Houston rappers, released a new track with Bubba Sparxxx, “Fraudulent”. That’s right, Bubba Sparxxx. The track is a Southern-fried delicacy that Roosh calmly executes with his aggressive double-time slick talk and Sparxxx showing he hasn’t lost…
Giving Last Concert Cafe One Last Chance
Although I live within walking distance of Last Concert Cafe, I’ve avoided it like that creepy quasi-homeless dude on my street who calls me “Ladybug” since I first moved into the Warehouse District this past summer. Make no mistake: I love my eclectic, colorful neighborhood and its unpredictable nature. I…
They’re Back: The New Moon Tower Inn Has More Beer, Faster Dogs
“What took so long?” asked a recent commenter regarding Moon Tower Inn’s almost 18-month absence, pointing out that the East End hot dog stand looks — at first glance — largely unchanged. Here, still, is the canteen-style window that doubles as counter service and bar. The patio too is largely…
RIP Reg Presley: “Wild Thing” Singer, With the Troggs, Was 71
Reg Presley, singer of the Troggs and the voice on one of the true rock and roll anthems, 1966’s “Wild Thing,” passed away late Monday night at age 71. Friend and publicist Keith Altham told Fox News that Presley, who fronted the Troggs until retiring in January 2012, had been…
Five Pencil Skirts That Are Nearly As Nice as J.Crew’s $1,800 Version
Let it be said here, pencil skirts are the best. Tall, short, skinny, curvy–there is a pencil skirt that will look gorgeous on you. You can add volume at the hem or the waist to balance curves in other places, or pick something super-slim to keep things sleek. Not only…
Single Women, You Have It Made In Houston
Hey, another somewhat scientific survey that includes Houston!! Let’s dig in!! In this case, a website no one has ever heard of called Nerd Wallet has put together various stats to determine which American cities are the best places to live in for single men and single women. You’re a…
Pop Rocks: J.J. Abrams Is Directing The 7th Film In That Racist Star Wars Franchise
Need to catch up on a couple of recent news items related to that far, far away galaxy. First up, you’ve probably already heard Lost co-creator and Star Trek reboot director J.J. Abrams will be helming the next Star Wars movie: If for some reason you haven’t heard, it was…
Stolen Food Truck’s Wild Ride: A Fence-Smashing, Median-Jumping, Cop-Hitting Episode On The Southwest Side
After one of their food trucks was burglarized a second time, the owners of Healthy Lunch Box Catering decided to take action. They may have got more than they bargained for. After setting up surveillance of their parking lot Saturday night, they were witnesses to a wild episode that only…
The Eating…Our Words 100: Renatta Lindsey, The Taste Contestant and Houston Home Cook
Who she is: A self-identified “home cook” from Houston, Texas who will compete on the comfort food episode of ABC’s The Taste (airing tonight at 7 p.m. CST). Lindsey’s stellar Dijon chicken with mashed potatoes garnered her a coveted spot on the team mentored by British food writer Nigella Lawson…
The Rocks Off 100: Alyssa Rubich, Angel of Instability
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Singer-songwriter Alyssa Rubich made…
Things You Should Know About The Astros Trade (Including: Yes, The Astros Still Exist)
The baseball world was rocked to its core yesterday by a five-player trade between the Houston Astros and the Oakland A’s. While the definition of “rocked to its core” may vary among baseball fans — and “barely took notice” would be an acceptable, indeed unassailably factual, equivalent — the trade…
Goro & Gun, Houston’s First Ramen Shop, Opening Soon Downtown
Goro and Gun are the two main characters in Tampopo, a 1985 Japanese cult classic that’s often referred to as the “first ramen Western” (a play on the old spaghetti westerns such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). It’s fitting, then, that Joshua Martinez’s upcoming downtown restaurant would…
10 Most Bizarre Valentine’s Gifts on Etsy
Valentine’s Day is pretty tame in the House With One F. Just a card, stuffed animal, chocolates, wine, and maybe a small present. But some people like to go above and beyond on the day, and for that Etsy has just the thing… provided that in addition to having a…
Testament’s Dark Roots of Thrash Run Deep
If classic thrash metal’s “Big Four” (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer) ever decided to expand to a “Big Five,” then that slot would certainly be taken by California’s Testament (sorry, Exodus fans…). And while seemingly every band of a certain longevity will proclaim their latest record “just as good” as their…
Ash Rowell: Questions, Rumors, and Innuendo Surround Montrose Murder of Big Man In Local Craft Beer Scene
The 1800 block of Portsmouth, a leafy patch cornered between Shepherd and Richmond, is quiet. The yellow tape and the blue suits and the voices jangled with nerves — the noises that rolled over the block on Friday evening — are gone, shuttered in houses and shuttled off to work…
Top 10 Restaurants in Westchase
Westchase — for its relatively small boundaries — is a poster child for the breadth of ethnic cuisines available in Houston. Far from simply an area saturated with mid-rise office buildings and chain restaurant’s, it’s also a microcosm of the Bayou City. The neighborhood offers Cajun, Persian, Bosnian, Argentinean, French,…
Top 10 Goth(ish) Songs By Non-Goth Artists
I am an egalitarian goth myself. I like to include all manners of acts under the banner as long as I feel their music in some way is in lockstep with gothic themes. That why I’ll happily declare Johnny Cash goth, and Stevie Nicks as well. But some acts came…
Bret Easton Ellis, Neil Gaiman & More Novel Ideas For Hollywood
With constant blogs swarming the Internet about the latest book series like Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and Fifty Shades of Grey, being transferred to the big screen… I got to thinking about a few novels that have yet to be mentioned, but would make a great addition to this “novel…
Judge Tosses Out Texas’ Method Of Funding Schools, Saying It’s Unfair
A state district judge ruled today the method Texas uses to fund its schools is unconstitutional and unfair and must be overhauled. Ruling in a suit brought by the Houston school district and other districts, Judge John Dietz said the state has not met the basic requirements of fairness in…
Rick Perry Calls For California To Move To Texas
Governor Rick Perry, apparently abandoning his idea of seceding from the U.S., has another plan — if you can’t take the Texas out of America, you can bring the America into Texas. Or something like that. Perrryesque logic can be tough to decipher sometimes. Perry’s office has announced it’s purchasing…
Saturday Night: The Tontons, Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals, etc. at Walters
Tontons, Wild Moccasins, Young Mammals, Featherface Walters February 2, 2013 Well, Tontons… You lured me in to Walters, mesmerizing me with your siren song that has drowned many sailors before me, and it seems you’ve won. I’m crushin’ on ya…
PEDs: On The Differing Treatment of A-Rod and Ray Ray
There were two major non-Super Bowl related sports stories last week. They both involved big name athletes using PEDs. There was the story from our sister paper Miami New Timesinvolving Alex Rodriguez and numerous other baseball players. And there was the bizarre story with Ray Lewis and deer antler spray…
MKT Bar: Tale of an Unexpected Hotspot, Act 5 (Finale)
CHARACTERS The Manichean; apparently intoxicated gentleman; our narrator; assorted children up past their bedtime SCENE 1 A breezy Saturday. 8:55 p.m. Tonight, we’re told, is MKT’s “Vinyl Night,” sponsored by Heights Vinyl. This week’s vinyl group is Justice Tirapelli-Jamail and Cory Sinclair of The Manichean, a “progressive rock band” with…
UPDATE: We Have a Winner – Pssst, We’ve Got a Couple of Lily Tomlin Tickets to Give Away
We have a winner for the two Lily Tomlin tickets, courtesy of the Houston Press and Society for the Performing Arts. Congratulations, Jorge C! Everyone else, thanks for your entry and keep reading Art Attack, more giveaways are coming up soon. Snag a couple of tickets to comedian/actor/writer/producer Lily Tomlin’s…
The “Bad” Table
It doesn’t matter what restaurant you visit; there will always be the “bad table.” You know which one I’m talking about. The one by the bathroom, by the service/bussing station, by the swinging kitchen door or the one in the corner where the restaurant’s atmosphere is nonexistent. Don’t let restaurants…
Catch Me If You Can: Fast Talking and Fast Action
If you thought the 2002 movie version of Catch Me if You Can was exhausting with all those times con man Frank Abagnale Jr. was running like hell to escape his dedicated pursuer, Carl Hanratty, and then imagine a musical (whose leading man on Broadway won a Tony Award and…
God Pondering What To Do Now That Ray Lewis Has Retired
No longer shackled with the burden of managing Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis’ Super Bowl run, God the Almighty is looking for a new gig. “I may never find something as important as my Ray Lewis Project, but I’m hoping the Middle East can keep me occupied, God said. Other…
Knock Me a Kiss: A Family Drama of a Very Famous Family
The set-up: The social apex of the Harlem Renaissance was the marriage in 1928 of the poet Countee Cullen to Yolande Du Bois, daughter of W.E.B. Du Bois, educator and leader in establishing new respect for the America Negro. But the marriage was not all it appeared to be, and…
Close Your Eyes and It’s Almost Like Carrot Cake (Almost)
Every few months I go through the same ritual: I collect all of the fitness/yoga/health magazines I’ve picked up at airports or the check-out line at the grocery store, cut out all the recipes and workouts I want to try, and then head to the recycling center to dump the…
Saturday Night: Girl In a Coma at Fitzgerald’s
Girl In a Coma Fitzgerald’s February 2, 2013 In the same way that Girl In a Coma’s hometown of San Antonio is both beautiful and haunted, the band’s aesthetic sound and presence lingers in your mind long after you push play. With rich tones and a confident demeanor, this attitude…
Reward Upped for John Enard, Violent Sex Offender Who Has Vowed to Rape Again — and Who Walked Out of a Houston Halfway House With a History of Escapes
State authorities have increased an award for information leading to the capture of a “sexually violent predator” who walked out of a Houston halfway house that has a habit of just letting these dudes walk off. John Michael Enard, 58, removed his ankle monitor and strolled out of the Southeast…
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal Dances the Classic and the Folk
The Set-Up: On February 1 and 2, Houston Ballet presented Les Grands Ballets Canadiens De Montréal at the Wortham Theater Center as part of its Cullen Series. The company, which made its second Houston appearance this past weekend, performed two works choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti. The Execution: The verve and…
Friday Night: Sum 41 at Warehouse Live
Sum 41 Warehouse Live February 1, 2013 At 10:45, the crowd at Warehouse Live began to grow restless. Sum 41 had yet to take the stage, and the audience clamored for their emergence from behind the proverbial curtain. Twenty-five minutes later, as half the crowd sang and shouted along to…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Stacked Nutella, Strawberry and Mascarpone Stuffed Heart-Shaped French Toast
Valentine’s Day is one of the only days in the year where anything you eat can come shaped as a heart and be uberly sweet. Before you begin a sweet-filled day with boxes of chocolate, chocolate-covered strawberries and packages of conversation hearts, take a whack at this dessert French toast…
Surviving The Great Blackout Of Super Bowl XLVII
Last night’s Super Bowl blackout in New Orleans went something like this. At first, the lights dimmed in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome after Jacoby Jones’ 100-something yard kick return. Just like they had done in preparation for Beyonce’s pyro-laden halftime show. Then, the screaming scoreboards and screens that dotted the stadium…
Friday Night: Smokey Robinson at Jones Hall
Smokey Robinson Jones Hall February 1, 2013 “You short circuit all my nerves/ Promising electric things/ You touch me, and suddenly there’s rainbow rings/ Quiet storm” — Smokey Robinson, “Quiet Storm” Legends do it better. Only Smokey Robinson — singer, septuagenarian, shaper of the equally legendary Motown Records and songwriter…
FotoFest’s Crónicas: Beautiful, Yet Bleak Look at Mexico
Friday night, FotoFest opened its latest exhibition Crónicas, which is a multi-media group show featuring seven Mexican artists. Each of the artists’ work examines the culture of violence that has been so prevalent in Mexico over the past few years. The exhibition runs through March 9 and is on display…
Justin Burrow Heads Downtown: New Cocktail Bar Planned for Main Street
The downtown block that already contains classic bars Warren’s Inn, Char Bar, Dean’s Credit Clothing and Notsuoh is about to get one more watering hole when bartender Justin Burrow opens his new bar in late March. The bar doesn’t have a name yet, but Burrow and his partners — Brad…
Let’s Recap [Most Of] Super Bowl XLVII’s Commercials
If companies spending $4 million for 30 seconds of Super Bowl LXVII airtime seems grotesque to you, well, that’s because it is. But the fact remains, the NFL’s championship game is still viewed by some 100 million people across the nation. And in what may be shocking news to some,…
Beyonce Stoops to Conquer Toyota Center July 15
Hot off the heels of her electrifying Super Bowl halftime performance, which some believe had something to do with the mysterious blackout at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome shortly into the game’s third quarter, Beyonce announced after the game that she will hit the road later this year for her first world…
How To Eat Your Weatherman: Groundhog Stew
Even though I grew up in central Pennsylvania and have a spot for Punxsutawney Phil, I still get annoyed that we give credence to meteorological predictions made by buck-toothed rodents. When I lived in Massachusetts, I used to get downright angry at these woodchuck forecasts, especially when they involved many…
Charetta Kemp, HISD Tutor, Busted For Bringing Gun On Campus Like Every Right-Winger Thinks She Should
We’re not going to go so far as to call Charetta Kemp the Rosa Parks of HISD — mainly because that would be ridiculous on so many levels — but you have to admit a whole lot of Texas legislators and Tea Party activists would no doubt consider her a…
Joel Osteen’s Mega-Watt Grin Can’t Keep Houston Within the Bible Belt, Survey Says
Every week, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church sermons reach over seven million viewers across the world. The Second Baptist Church Houston, the largest Baptist church in the largest Baptist nation, hosts a weekly attendance pushing 25,000. The Woodlands Church — pulling those from Humble, Katy, and Tomball — boasts one of…
Trailer Park: Controversial Novel Bless Me, Ultima Heads To The Big Screen
The film adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s controversial supernatural novel Bless Me, Ultima is heading to the big screen in limited release on February 22. This is big news since the film — which finished production over two years back — hasn’t had a firm release date. The book, first published…
What’s Cooking This Week? Tuna Melts & More
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 ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Grading XXL’s Past 5 “Freshman 10” Classes
Apparently there are still rappers who want to make the XXL Freshman 10 class this year. Take Riff Raff, for example. He wants it so badly that he has been following everyone on Twitter who votes for him in the contest. The magazine began running its annual list of noteworthy,…
No MVP? Jacoby Jones Wuz Robbed!
The extremely disappointing ending to the Houston Texans’ season, which saw them toss away games and play poorly after an impressive start to 2012, triggered some extreme reactions in fans. Some — pushing for changes in the front office and head-coaching positions — no doubt would have liked to have…
New York City as a Barbecue Capital? According to the Village Voice, It Is
There’s no denying that New York City has a slate of truly terrific barbecue joints — moreso, certainly than Houston itself — including spots such as Mighty Quinn’s from Texan pitmaster Hugh Mangum and Hill Country Barbecue Market, which seeks to emulate Central Texas-style brisket and ribs as closely one…
Why Electric Daisy Carnival Texas Should Be In Houston
The largest music festival in the United States in terms of attendance is not Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, or Austin City Limits. While each sees thousands of music fans pass through the gates every year, the real attendance champ is Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas. The 2012 version of the event…
Top 5 One-Night Stand Movies
One night stands have come up a lot in my life lately, not the way you think. Last week across the nation Fathom Events presented a cinematic behind-the-scenes look at musical theater that was created in 24 hours and titled One Night Stand. The concept is intriguing, although not original…
Super Bowl XLVII: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
“Ain’t about redemption. Ain’t about that. It’s a business. The Texans gave me my chance out of Lane College, and now I’m a champion.” — Jacoby Jones On a night where the only thing standing between Jacoby Jones and the Super Bowl MVP award being a yeoman’s performance from Joe…
The Buyer’s Guide to Geek Parodies of Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon has captivated and led children into slumber for more than half a century. It’s a great book, but for the modern geek there are plenty of other options than the standard text to read to your children. As the Houston Press’ resident geomancer, ultrasound tech,…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week
Toro Y Moi Fitzgerald’s, February 4 Chaz Bundick, aka Toro Y Moi, has just released Anything In Return, another set of chilly bedroom anthems that nestles in nicely among his lengthy discography. Call it chillwave, R&B, indie-pop, whatever, just don’t call it slap-dash. Bundick is creating timeless moodscapes like his…
The 2013 Burger Bracket Is Nigh: Make Your Voice Heard
The third annual Burger Bracket is coming up soon, and although we’re still finding the perfect venue for you — our readers — to come and judge Houston’s best burgers, we’ve already compiled the brackets themselves. But we need your help. If you didn’t like the line-up on last year’s…
Beyonce Blows ‘Em Away In Wham-Bam Super Bowl Halftime
An army of Beyonces. Can you handle it? The power circuits of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans might not have been able to. Sticking to a few high-kicking dance moves, bringing out a gaggle of dancers dressed exactly like her — and then former Destiny’s Child mates Kelly Rowland…
Chris Kyle: Famous Sniper Murdered, and the Internet Blows Up
You might never have heard of Chris Kyle until this weekend, but he was known as America’s deadliest sniper for his work in Iraq and wrote a book titled American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. The 38-year-old former Navy SEAL had more than…
Craft Beer Community Reacts to Death of Ash Rowell, Former Owner of Duff Beer Distribution
Ashley “Ash” Rowell — former owner of Duff Beer Distribution and beloved figure in Houston’s craft beer community — was shot and killed at his Montrose home this past Friday evening. Rowell answered a knock at his door around 7:45 p.m. on Friday and was shot in the doorway. According…
The Parking Ordinance Battle Has Just Begun
There’s something quaintly likable about the small-town vibe of Houston City Council meetings. The Art Deco chambers on the second floor of City Hall can only hold about 250 people, most of whom seem to know each other in that typically close-knit Houston way. This past Wednesday, Councilwoman Wanda Adams…
Texans Owner Bob McNair: “We Need to Party More”
This week while talking to the NFL press, Texans owner Bob McNair was asked about Houston hosting another Super Bowl, and he lamented that Houston doesn’t have the same party atmosphere that New Orleans has. Yes, it’s true that Montrose isn’t exactly the French Quarter, I can admit. Most promising,…
Last Night: Eli Young Band at House of Blues
Eli Young Band House of Blues January 31, 2013 They say Texans have lost our twang. Most Texans don’t seem to be all that balled up about it. Rather, the some 1,500 Texan Eli Young Band fans who crammed into House of Blues for the first of two sold-out shows…
MKT Bar: Tale of an Unexpected Hot Spot, Acts 3-4
CHARACTERS Katy (the server); our narrator ACT 3, SCENE 1 Outside. 9:15 p.m. As we pass the lineup of chairs placed outside MKT’s front doors, we realize: It’s quiet. Too quiet. The quiet doesn’t stop once we get inside; there are only a few evening eaters, and the Christmas/Kwanzaa setup…
The 10th Anniversary of the Shuttle Columbia Disaster: Worst Hoax Ever
Today is the tenth anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia, which blew apart as it was gliding across Texas to a Florida landing. All seven crew members died, and Texans were poking around the Piney Woods for weeks looking for debris. NASA is keeping a low profile…
Aimee Bobruk Is “Two of a Kind” All By Herself
Austin’s singer-songwriter darling Aimee Bobruk will be in town at Anderson Fair this weekend, and to herald her arrival, she recently recorded a fantastic music video for her tune “Two of a Kind.” It’s a simple yet fetching throwback to the days of silent film, with Bobruk playing both her…
Super Bowl Beat: Geeking Out at Radio Row, Running into Bob McNair
On Thursday afternoon, I shook Houston Texans owner Bob McNair’s hand here near Radio Row inside the convention center. I sorta remember saying something about being here from Houston and thanking him for everything. What “everything” means, I do not know. Later on, during an interview with local Houston radio…
Macbeth From Opera in the Heights: Don’t Miss This Production
The set-up: Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth (1847; revised for Paris, 1865) is his first true masterpiece. While his earlier operas have stirring passages (Nabucco’s choral “Va pensiero,” which practically became Italy’s national anthem, is a highlight of what he called his “galley years” as a composer), this adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy…
Annise Parker Finds the Silver Lining in an Attempted Burglary of Her Car
Follow-up question: Do you know what’s the not-so-best thing about Houston and its people? Getting your car broken into at 2 a.m. Mayor Annise Parker used Twitter to put a smiley face on the attempted burglary of her daughter’s car in Montrose early Friday. (The tweet just went up today,…
Depleted Owls Stun Cougars
Rice’s Ben Braun looks upward, seeking a little help from the skies.The Rice Owls defeating the Houston Cougars 79-69 on Wednesday night wasn’t surprising. Or rather it shouldn’t have been surprising. Not to anybody who has actually watched both teams play this season. The Cougars are the more talented team…
Minute Maid Panorama: 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…
NBC’s The Voice Holding Houston Auditions Next Saturday
This just came in over the transom. Popular NBC singing show The Voice will hold auditions for its upcoming season next Saturday at Reliant Center next Saturday, February 9. All musical styles are being sought, so all you polka-loving kids, now’s your chance! Further details, per the NBC Universal release:…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Chris Kinjo of MF Sushi and What He’ll Give You If You Order the Omakase
This is the 3rd part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed the previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This week, we chatted with Chris Kinjo of MF Sushi, a chef who has worked in countless restaurants, owned a few of his…
Person of Interest: Day of the “Dead Reckoning”
That’s how you come back from a hiatus. Just like that, Person of Interest pushes a very loud reset button on Reese’s back story and introduces what looks to be the next Big Bad. And all this one episode after reintroducing Kara Stanton, who killed Agent Donnelly and absconded with…
A Private Suite for Super Bowl XLVII Only Costs $136,380 — Wanna Go Halfsies?
Yes, with just two days before the big game on Sunday evening, plenty of Super Bowl tickets can be had. For a price. A steep price. A price that few of you reading this can afford. Perhaps your boss can, if you have one of them fancy suit jobs where…
Houston’s Top 10 Dance Clubs
10. CLUB TROPICANA If the word alone makes you thirsty, you can quench that parched palate at Tropicana every weekend. Now’s your chance to try out those dance moves you learned in Zumba class, or coax your quiet friend into shaking her “bum bum.” Tropicana is known for its great…
Easy Super Bowl Dinner: Baked Potato Bar
Serving food in a buffet style is always efficient and easy when you’re hosting a bunch of people over for dinner. With the Super Bowl game this Sunday, everyone wants to watch the game and have a good time with friends, not slave away in the kitchen. You’ll be happy,…
Top Five Things to Do This Weekend in Houston: Les Grands Ballets, Mardi Gras! Galveston, Soul Nite 2013 and More
It’s been almost five years since Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal visited Houston and contemporary dance lovers have anxiously been awaiting its return ever since. The Houston Ballet presents the company on Friday and Saturday as part of the Cullen Series. Under Artistic Director Gradimir Pankov, the company is…
Actor/Director and Now Playwright Robert Wuhl Speaks About the Genesis of Hit-Lit at UH
Check out our review of Hit-Lit. The great thing about theater, says actor/writer/director Robert Wuhl (Good Morning Vietnam, Bull Durham and HBO’s Arli$$), “is you can use imagination more.” “With a movie it’s a much more naturalistic medium. If you have a scene that takes place on a ferris wheel,…
The Fast and the Foolish: Spendora Teen Christian Raines Leads Cops on Chase, Terrifies Passengers, Brags About Previous Exploits on Facebook
Christian Raines, 17, had a fast car. Now he doesn’t. Apparently, Raines decided that his hopped-up sled could go Dukes of Hazzard on Montgomery County constables, and believed it so fervently, he bragged about outrunning cops on previous occasions. Unfortunately for Raines, this will probably be his last high-speed pursuit…
Upcoming Events: The Year of the Snake and Mardi Gras in Galveston
Chinese New Year is fast approaching, and Houston has no shortage of places to celebrate. Straits Asian Bistro in CityCentre is offering special menu items this weekend (February 8 through 10), including Singapore Yu Sheng Hamachi with avocado spun radish and spicy yuzu dressing; Braised Pork Belly & Long Life…
Houston Rockers Pitch In to Help Some Ukrainian Kids Learn English
Houston native/musician Drew Ireland is currently volunteering in Kryzhopil, a small village in the Ukraine, teaching young kids English as a second language. Ireland is need of updated supplies, and some of his friends here in the Bayou City are putting on a show to help him out. The benefit…
Best Comics of January Part 2: The Joker Tops Caligula
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. Caligula: Heart of Rome #2 At the expense of sounding like a killjoy, a lot of the “shocking” things we know about the Ceasers is about…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Warm Bodies
Title: Warm Bodies Are We Over Zombies Yet? Not quite. And you still have World War Z to look forward to in July. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Four John Waites out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Zombie meets girl, zombie eats girl’s boyfriend’s brains to get…
Super Bowl XLVII: Five Prop Bets And Game Prediction
We are about there now, that time of the week leading up to the Super Bowl where everybody is getting antsy and we all just want the game to get here. I’ve been on Radio Row in New Orleans the better part of the last three days (humblebrag alert!), and…
And We Still Got the Shaft: Self-Righteous Tipper Gets Waitress Fired After Being Outed on the Internet
Any healthy adult will tell you that the proper response to being called out on a self-admitted mistake is to have the dignity and wherewithal to own the mistake and work toward improvement in the future. That sounds like a lot of work, though, and apparently Pastor Alois Bell thought…
Five Tips to Help You Survive the February 10 Prabal Gurung for Target Release
Another day, another capsule collection for Target. Prabal Gurung for Target launches Sunday, February 10 at Target stores around the country and, of course, at Target.com. Now that I have a few capsule collections under my belt (Missoni and Jason Wu, specifically) my gut instinct to get excited is tempered…
Last Night: Lady Gaga at Toyota Center
Check out Gaga’s Little Monsters in our slideshow. Lady Gaga Toyota Center January 31, 2K13 Lady Gaga knows what the people want, and she gives it to them. She knows that some people just come for the spectacle, so she brings along a giant gothic castle and a variety of…
Texas In 2016: Hillary Beats Rick Perry?
At some point, Texas will give up its status as a GOP guarantee. That seems the consensus, at least. A burgeoning Hispanic population, increasing transplants from California and New York, and a youth bubble surpassed by only Utah — all signs point toward an eventual purpling of this putative Republican…
Top 5 Brownies in Houston
Brownies, like chocolate chip cookies, seem so simple – yet why is it that so many places screw them up? There are mediocre brownies aplenty in H-town (believe me, I’ve done my research) but truly excellent brownies are few and far between. Here are five that make the cut: 5…
It’s a No-Pants Party With the White Ghost Shivers
Listen up, fellow ruckus lovers…we’re goin’ on a road trip. Follow me back in time, to a place where acoustic instruments reigned supreme, and the kazoo was safe to harmonize alongside the jug, and skirt-lifting had little to do with video hos. It is there, dear ruckus lovers, that you…
New Movie Trailers Coming to the Small Screen on Super Bowl Sunday
Your Super Bowl Sunday commercial offerings won’t just be boob-y supermodels and talking babies, there are also a number of big movie trailers debuting amidst the beer and car ads. World War Z, Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Man Of Steel will all be vying for eyes…
Someone Help This Nun Get Into The Super Bowl — She’ll Make It Worth Your While
Sister Mary Tarcisius from Lafayette has a problem. The spunky nun from just down I-10 needs a ticket to the Super Bowl. She went in 2009, but would like to go again this year. I encountered Sister Mary at the NFL Fan Experience on Thursday evening, chatting with a group…
The Destiny’s Child Compilation Beyoncé Doesn’t Want You to Hear
With all the excitement buzzing around the rumored Destiny’s Child reunion during Beyoncé’s Super Bowl Halftime set on Sunday, one could be forgiven for picking up a copy of the iconic girl group’s latest compilation album, the imaginatively titled Love Songs. After all, it includes a whole stack of DC’s…
Health Department Roundup: Swagger, Kenny & Ziggy’s, AKA Sushi and More
Swagger (3839 Southwest Fwy.) is a strange case. Some Yelp reviewers characterize the lounge as “hood,” but it’s located in Greenway, far from anything else fitting that description. (And it’s good enough for Isiah Carey). The bar’s name suggests something fresh and fashionable, but Shakespeare actually coined the word more…
100 Creatives 2013: Kristin Warren, Actress and Choreographer
What She Does: Kristin Warren is a professional actress and choreographer with a host of credits both regional and national under her belt, but she is also the associate artistic director of the Wildfish Theatre. The Wildfish is dedicated to helping kids learn theater arts by producing full Broadway shows…
Randy Moss’ And Chris Culliver’s Nuclear Trolling Of San Francisco
As an NFL player playing in the biggest football game known to the free world, the last thing you want to do during Super Bowl week is give your opponent any bulletin board material. Trash talk is not highly recommended. This year, perhaps because (more likely, in spite of) the…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend
North Mississippi Allstars Last Concert Cafe, February 1 Sons of the late Jim Dickinson, the legendary Memphis producer and sometime Rolling Stones sideman, Luther and Cody Dickinson grew up on punk but couldn’t help absorbing the abundant rootsy sounds around them. Logically, their band North Mississippi Allstars infused the music…
Google + Facebook = World Domination
Since the soft launch of Facebook’s “Graph” search engine, there is more and more speculation about what this tool may or may not do. The Facebook Graph Search allows users to look up their individual friends to see what they are up to, what they like, what pictures of food…
January 2013 in Openings & Closings: The Heights Heats Up
The eerily silent Shepherd Plaza near Highway 59 is now even dimmer this week after longtime tenant Le Peep closed up shop and vacated its space next to Amy’s Ice Cream. Branches of the brunch spot are still open in Rice Village and the Galleria, according to a sign out…
VIDEO: Beyoncé Wows Super Bowl Press Conference Crowd By Singing Anthem Live
Today at New Orleans’ Morial Convention Center just blocks from the Superdome, diva Beyonce held court in front of throngs of media, detailing her Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. She stunned the crowd by singing the national anthem live in front of us in the press pool, asking us…
Opening for Houston Press Web Editor
The Houston Press has an immediate opening for a full-time web editor. This position combines journalism with social media marketing and analytical data management to increase the audience for the Press on its desktop and mobile applications. The web editor assigns and edits photo slideshows, manages a weekly budget, and…
Annise Parker Running From Her Promise To Increase Spay-Neuter Programs, Critics Say (UPDATED)
(Updated with a statement from BARC on the jump).Three Houston animal rescue groups are accusing Mayor Annise Parker of going against a plan to tackle animal overpopulation she came up with in 2007, when she was still the city’s controller. Calling themselves Unity for a Solution, the groups — Corridor…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Chris Kinjo of MF Sushi, on Working in More Than 30 Restaurants, the Problem with Fake Fish and Old-School Japanese Sushi
This is part 2 of a three-part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here if you missed it. Look for Part 3 in this same space Friday. EOW: What was your first job as a sushi chef? CK: My first was at Sushi Muto in Santa Ana, California…
Meet Gaga’s Opening Act, French EDM Wunderkind Madeon
Whether you’re a casual fan looking for a night of spectacle or one of the above little monsters who camped out to be first to get inside, we all know that the main attraction of tonight’s show at the Toyota Center is Lady Gaga. That said, there’s no reason you…
J.J. Watt Gets a “Pretend Wife,” Makes 6-Year-Old Girl’s Day
J.J. Watt’s publicity-heavy trip to the Super Bowl has notched up another episode. First, Axe flew him to New York to get a faux-hawk, because nothing says “Axe” like a faux-hawk. Then he got on Deadspin with the touching story of a six-year-old girl who was all upset because she…
30 Seconds With IAmDynamite
Chris Martin and Chris Phillips as IAmDynamite is one of the great modern duo-bands that manages to make two guys sound like an army, easily putting them up there with acts like Chromeo and our own Morgue City. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Supermegafantastic f…
Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. Celebrates One Year in the Bayou City
Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co., Houston’s youngest fully operational brewery, celebrated its one-year anniversary this past Saturday with a few hundred of its closest friends. The party was held on-site at Buffalo Bayou’s warehouse location near Shepherd and I-10, featuring exclusive beers, live music and food from local food truck Phamily…
The Americans: “This Place Doesn’t Turn Out Socialists.”
The obvious parallel for The Americans, FX’s new series about Soviet sleeper agents up to no good in 1980s USA, is Homeland. Minor differences aside (unlike Brody, the Jennings have no POW background) both shows focus on seemingly everyday folk tasked with attacking the United States from the inside and…
The NFL Experience Lands In New Orleans
On Wednesday, the The Super Bowl 47 NFL Experience opened to fans at the Morial Convention Center. Featuring a mind-boggling amount of merchandise, GMC automobiles, and chances to exercise your crazed fandom, the 850,000-square-foot fan fest is a feast for the eyes and a strain on the muscles. Seriously though,…
Free for All: Wheel of Everyday Life , Dean “Miranda” James and “2013 NCECA Biennial”
Our suggestion for Friday, Swedish artist Gunilla Klingberg’s newly installed Wheel of Everyday Life, is at the Rice University Art Gallery. For more than a decade, Klingberg has been exploring the relationship between the commercial and the spiritual by borrowing designs from supermarket, big-box store and fast food restaurant logos…
First Look at Simply Pho, Midtown’s Newest Pho Joint with a Surprising Shrimp Soup
Time marches ever on, especially in Houston, where entire neighborhoods rise and fall in the time it takes to refill the gas tank in your SUV. And while Midtown is often cited as a prime example of the type of gentrification that wipes entire ethnic enclaves off the map, the…
The Real Fame Monster: How Much Evil Could One Pop Star Do?
Consider the following hypothetical scenario: over the past five years you, through a combination of talent and charisma, have managed to scale the music industry summit to become a pop icon with millions of fans worldwide, including 30+ million followers on Twitter; among the millions are a group of hardcore…
Five-Tool Player: Why JJ Watt Has the Skills to Be a Legitimate Superstar
In any competitive field, having aptitude for your work will help you get by. Throw in a handful of other characteristics, and you could be valued by your organization and excel at your career. But, to be one of the true greats in anything, it requires quite a bit more…
Texas Blues Hero Jimmie Vaughan Recovering After Heart Attack
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and one of the nation’s leading solo blues artists, has been discharged from a California hospital after being treated for a heart attack, according to a statement from his management Thursday morning. Gretchen Barber, Executive Director of the Luther Wolf…
Discovering How Damian’s Cucina Italiana Has Made It to the 30-Year Mark
There are so many factors that contribute to a restaurant’s success: quality of food, enjoyable ambience, attentive service, convenient location, decent drink selection — the list could go on and on. And while a solid combination of these qualities can make any restaurant successful for a year, or two or…
Best Comics of January Part 1: The Red Skull With Professor X Mind-Powers… We’re So @#$%-ed!
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. Chew #31 Tony Chu is an FDA agent who has the ability to get psychic impressions by consuming things, including pieces of corpses. He’s like Ned…
Jose Cabrera-Pastor: Swims Across Ship Channel With 98 Pounds of Pot Strapped to His Back
Maybe Jose Guadalupe Cabrera-Pastor of Matamoros, Mexico misinterpreted the meaning of “wet marijuana,” which stoners sometimes call straight off the plant/not dried pot. At approximately 10 p.m. Saturday night, the 47-year-old man was detained by the United States Border Patrol for possessing 98.9 pounds of weed after the man tried…
Gulf Appellation Oysters Have Arrived at Tommy’s Oyster Bar
As promised, Gulf appellation oysters have arrived — albeit a little later in the season than usual. Tommy’s Oyster Bar in Clear Lake, not too far from where the oysters are pulled out of such bays as Ladies Pass or Pepper Grove, has plenty on hand right now and is…
Last Night: Wale at House of Blues
Wale House of Blues January 30, 2012 Ralph Victor Folarin, known to his hip-hop fan base by pen name Wale, has just released a mixtape, titled after his surname: Folarin. Reviewers praise the new effort, saying it rounds the bend toward coming full circle back to Wale’s lyrically quirky early…
Hit-Lit: A Delight to Watch and Not to Be Taken Seriously
Check out our interview with actor/playwriter/director Robert Wuhl. The set-up: In the first public viewing of Hit-Lit, the first play by Robert Wuhl, Emmy Award-winning actor and television writer, an upward-striving female editor at a second-tier publishing house desperate for a best-seller sees what she thinks is a brutal slaying,…
Thieves Prepare for Summer Early by Plundering A/C Unit
After living in Houston for almost my entire life, I have accepted the fact that this city is gets too damn hot for too damn long. But, like everybody else, I just bitch and moan, until I finally accept it and I grab a cold beer and call it a…
Pop Rocks: The Entourage Movie — HBO’s Answer to a Question No One Asked
Somebody out there is probably excited about this news, I just can’t imagine who. Warner Bros. has given the green light to a movie version of the hit HBO show that ran from 2004-2011. On Tuesday night, “Entourage” main actor Adrian Grenier tweeted the exciting news, writing “It’s on!” with…
The Eating…Our Words 100: Enrique Bravo of Pollo Bravo on How Selling Chicken Helped Him Realize His American Dream
Who he is: Ask Enrique Bravo who he is, and he’ll tell you, “I’m just a guy from Puebla, Mexico.” Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that he’s much more than that. He’s a restaurateur who’s made it against all odds — a guy who made a reality of…
The Rocks Off 100: Alphonso “Fonz” Lovelace, Righteous Drummer
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? All of the greats…
Sex Slaves, Bio-Programming, and Christ Incarnate — Now Near Laredo!
There were some that said it couldn’t be done. There were some that said that Jonestown – after the cyanide and the suicide and the doctor from Houston who helped provide both – had turned cults passé, and tired, and pointless. Cults had had their time. They flamed out, in…
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Album-Cover “Controversy” Bores Me
The release of the “controversial” cover art for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ forthcoming album, Mosquito, has managed to stir up quite a bit of buzz. (Leave me alone. I like puns.) If you’ve somehow managed to escape the album-cover hype, I’ll let you in on a little secret: you’re not…
Jim Nabors Marries a Man. Of course, ‘Gomer’ Is Gay. He Lives in Gayberry
The world resounded with a predictable Gol-ol-olllll-leeeee! at yesterday’s news that Jim Nabors had gay-married his long-term partner, Stan Cadwallader. Nabors, who played Gomer Pyle in both 1960s-era television series The Andy Griffith Show and its spin-off, Gomer Pyle, USMC (pre-Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, we guess), announced the two had…
A Month of Chocolate: 28 Ways to Indulge
We did it last year, and this year we’re doing it again. It’s almost February, which means in addition to fleeting resolutions, it’s all about the chocolate, baby. From Bacon & Chocolate Waffles to a piping cold cup of Frozen Hot Chocolate, here are 28 Ways to Indulge: Friday, February…
A Whole Lotta Harbaugh: Super Bowl XLVII BATTLE-DRINK Is Here!
Super Bowl Sunday will be upon us soon. I have the good fortune of being able to cover the game in New Orleans this year, and from the bottom of my heart let me say that I wish I could bring each and every one of you with me. I…
Houston’s 10 Most Romantic Restaurants: Start Planning Your Valentine’s Day Dinner Now
In case you hadn’t heard, Valentine’s Day falls on a Thursday this year. And in next week’s print edition, our own Christina Uticone will have a round-up of all the Valentine’s Day dinner deals and special menus you can shake a dozen roses at. This is not that round-up. There…
5 Photos That Prove Doctor Who Is Real
If you ever want to have a real good time, hide on a rooftop somewhere and blast the sound of the TARDIS landing from a set of powerful speakers. I promise you that you will see at least a couple of people come tearing out of their homes looking for…
5 Bands Studies Show Make You a Bad Person
We’ve been hearing for years that rock music makes us bad people. We’ve heard it from our parents, from teachers, from those goody-goody kids at school. AC/DC has probably written at least 100 songs about the subject. But what if I told you that scientists in the Netherlands have proved…
Jonestown’s Medicine Man
UPDATE September 16, 2014, 11:30 a.m.: Officials are seeking relatives of two Texas women whose ashes were among cremains discovered in a Delaware funeral home in August 2014 and identified as victims of the 1978 Jonestown massacre. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any…
Line & Lariat Goes from Surf to Turf
Check out Line & Lariat’s gorgeous, sunny dining room for yourself in this week’s slideshow. Sometimes you visit a restaurant so good and so criminally unappreciated that you want to plant your flag and set up camp, waving down people in the streets as they walk by and encouraging them…
Clybourne Park at the Alley
‘If we could all just sit down together at one big table and…” Eisenhower-era housewife Bev (Elizabeth Bunch) doesn’t finish her thought at the end of the first act of Bruce Norris’s unflinching — and immensely funny — headlong dive into the thorny issue of America’s race problem, Clybourne Park…
Hansel & Gretel Too Much Candy
Steven Spielberg and his jaunty little apologue about the 16th President of the United States aside, it’s no longer enough in movies for a historical figure or literary character to do simple stuff like abolish slavery or find a man of intelligence and character. Abraham Lincoln is reduced to slaying…
Hamlet Goes to College
Martin Luther, the radical father of the Protestant reformation, taught theology at Wittenberg University, Germany’s most prestigious institute of higher learning. Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe placed his quasi-mythical Doctor Faustus, who sells his soul to the devil, inside the school’s hallowed halls as teacher of philosophy. Shakespeare put Hamlet here…
Oscar’s Feast of Appetizers
There’s scant dialogue but plenty of eloquent storytelling in the five animated short films up for a 2013 Oscar, all of which — along with their live-action and documentary counterparts — will get a pre-award show release at the IFC Center beginning February 1. Save for a five-minute Simpsons segment…
Aw, Nuts
Being a lucky guy, I’ve only been kicked in the balls once. How did it rate on the comedy scale? Well, it was funnier than a monologue by Chelsea Handler, but not quite as hilarious as my last screening for colorectal cancer. Yet despite the fact that this act hurts…
Kings of the Stone Age
Here’s something you don’t get to say too often: It’s a shame when Paul McCartney turns up. Before McCartney arrives, rasping, puppy-eyed, and eager to have a go at the hot new grunge sound of 1993, Dave Grohl’s Sound City is an exciting, sometime illuminating documentary about how a squad…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Claes Oldenburg: Strange Eggs,” “Common Objects,” “Ewan Gibbs: Arlington National Cemetery,” “Maggie Taylor: No Ordinary Days,”
“Claes Oldenburg: Strange Eggs” The name Claes Oldenburg may bring to mind sculptures of giant lipsticks, ice cream cones and shuttlecocks. Today, the esteemed 83-year-old artist is known for his playful, larger-than-life public art installations of ordinary objects. This conversation between art and the everyday is one Oldenburg’s been having…
Survival Skills
Social Distortion The National Labor Relations Board, through a series of new rules governing small business and social media, has provided greater protections for employees who speak out against employers online. Expanding existing rules, the NLRB said, “Workers have a right to discuss work conditions freely and without fear of…
Ass Kicking, Plato-Style
‘It’s hard to get these things started,” says Walter Hill, the dean of the American action movie, speaking to me from Los Angeles. “Action films are by their very nature more expensive than what are sometimes called, in the independent world, ‘relationship films.’ But I despise these categories. I’ve never…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Broadway at the Box, Camelot, Don Giovanni, Fishing, The Lion in Winter, The Mountaintop, Showboat
Broadway at the Box The Music Box Theater is a repertory group of three women and two men — they sing, they dance, they act, they reminisce about their childhoods, they do solos and they do ensemble numbers, all this with such a sense of togetherness, of fun, of personal…
Eastbound and Downtown
TOP 10 So you’re not comfortable with the EaDo sobriquet. I don’t care. The thing has stuck. It’s short, easy and to the point. Accept it and move on. EaDo is drawing people east for the first time in a long while, and I’m going to embrace that change. Besides…
No Requests
Rather than slowly work my way up to my point, I’m going to cut to the chase: Over the next few hundred words, I’m going to make a case for why EDM shows are better than rock concerts. This statement will be viewed as heretical by many of you, especially…
Grammar, Television and Geography
Dear Mexican: Grammar question/rant. If Spanglish is a legitimate dialect/language, why do you feel the need to italicize every instance of code switching? I seriously doubt that when you speak you emphasize every puta palabra (emphasis intended here), but that’s what your article reads like. We all know that you…
