UPDATED Bicyclist Dies Three Days After Hit-and-Run in the Montrose
We hope someone comes forward with information.UPDATE: The victim has been identified by her boyfriend as Chelsea Norman. He tells us Norman clocked out of work at Whole Foods at 10:17 pm Dec. 1, and was likely hit between 10:20 and 10:35 p.m., while riding home. She was found lying…
Let’s Just Rename Houston Doughnutville: Krispy Kreme Is Returning to Our Fair City
Remember back in August when we relayed the Chronicle’s initial report that Dunkin’ Donuts was planning to open 60 stores in Houston during the next five years? Well, the doughnut craze is still going strong. This week, the Chronicle reported that Krispy Kreme is making a Houston comeback. The chain…
The Houston Texans Are Not (Mathematically) Dead Yet!
Are you ready for two semi-obscure, “guilty pleasure” television references in one day? I hope so. Earlier today, as you may have read, in what I’m sure sent the Pulitzer folks scrambling to reevaluate 2013, I compared Rex Ryan and Ed Reed to Lowell Mather and Big Strong Man, respectively,…
Sony’s Christmas Music + Elderly Cat Lady = Internet Win
This is not something you expect a major record label to ever do. It’s also a little horrifying. Over the years hundreds of artists have recorded for Columbia, CBS, Epic and the other labels (past and present) now under the Sony umbrella. Most of them have recorded at least one…
Houston ‘s Darkest Nightmare Is Laid Bare by One Dedicated Filmmaker
In the early 1970s Houston was haunted by evil in the form of a man named Dean Corll. The prominent and well-liked candy-maker showed a genial face to the city, but in reality was a murderous and sadistic rapist who claimed the lives of at least 28 young boys and…
This Week’s Cafe Review: Bellissimo Cibo at Unassuming Ciao Bello
There are white tablecloths at Ciao Bello, and personable albeit highly professional waiters. There’s an extensive wine list covering most of the world, but with a clear emphasis on Italy. There’s an air of sophistication permeating the dining room, even during the day, when well-dressed businessmen and ladies who lunch…
Rockets Power Dominatrixes? Dance Squad’s Calendar Promo Photo Suggests a Skintight, Air-Brushed 2014
NBA dance teams have always been more provocative than their counterpart cheerleaders in the NFL. This is partly because they are, after all, dancers, and their moves on the floor tend to go beyond just shaking their pom poms…ahem. Still, there have been times when even I was tempted to…
Reality Bites: Naked Vegas
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Our celebration of unscripted nudity continues with SyFy’s Naked Vegas, in which we join the crew at the eponymous Las Vegas body painting company as they create “amazing displays of…
Urban Harvest, Diners Benefit From Travaasa Farm to Table Dinner
Wine dinners are a great opportunity to enjoy many different wines paired with food. The same goes for beer dinners. Now imagine a beer and wine dinner, where one of each is paired with every course. That’s like the pairing dinner of the pairing dinner world. Travaasa Austin did just…
CSN Houston and Jim Crane’s Long, Strange Trip to Nowhere
No sports fan in Houston really cares why the Rockets and Astros still aren’t on TV. They don’t care about the money behind the deals, the accusations of fraud, the back-room negotiations, per-subscriber rates, the posturing and the lawsuits. The only thing that they want is for their teams to…
Cheap & Good Eats: Top 5 Budget Lunch Spots in the Washington Corridor
We’ve been rounding up our favorite budget lunch spots in different neighborhoods around town (See the complete list at the end of the post). Today, we’re moving onto the bar-and-restaurant-packed Washington Corridor. With favorites like BRC Gastropub, Coppa Ristorante and Max’s Wine Dive, there are plenty of great dining options…
Monster Magnet at Fitzgerald’s, 12/3/2013
Monster Magnet, Royal Thunder, Anti-Mortem, Venomous Maximus Fitzgerald’s December 3, 2013 Tuesday night rock shows are always a dicey proposition. Staying up late and partying on a work night sounds like a good idea in theory, but in practice, fans are often too hesitant to really cut loose when they…
App of the Week: Coin Combines Payment Cards, Cures Exploding Wallet Syndrome
Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the dreaded I Hate Myself Tuesday have come and gone, but Christmas is still weeks away and there is still shopping left to be done for most of us. As we race around to stores and browse through websites, the wallet comes out over and…
This Week in Food Blogs: Thanksgiving Recaps, a Look at Foodgasm and Christmas Recipes Galore
Urban Swank: The ladies at Urban Swank attended the Southern Star Beer Dinner at Fusion Taco with Southern Star Brewing Company and feasted on five courses with beer-taco pairings. They loved the wonton shell taco with tuna tartare and avocado paired with the Grisette, as well as the barbecue pork…
Justin Timberlake’s Top 10 Collaborations
Justin Timberlake, the former *NSYNC member, Mouseketeer, and Mr. Britney Spears, will grace H-Town with this dreamy blue eyes and Jacksonesque dance moves as he hits the Toyota Center stage tomorrow. Although JT has always been a star, shining bright as the de facto leader of the world’s most popular…
Could We Have Our First Real Hard Freeze Next Week?
Never say the weather around here isn’t interesting. Early this week, we’ve been getting into the upper 70s to near 80 degrees with high humidity and morning fog. By Tuesday, it could be more than 50 degrees colder. The National Weather Service is closely monitoring a blast of Arctic air…
Refashioning an Old Fashioned With Knob Creek Maple Bourbon (for Wendy Davis)
Sometimes the best way to cool down is with a warm drink. Such was the case this past week when I got rather hot under the collar while waiting in very long pre-Thanksgiving line at the grocery store. Long story short: I was listening to two completely misinformed fools discuss…
50 Shades! The Musical: A Parody With Singing and Dancing of That Book
A ladies book club meets to discuss and dissect the erotic desire novel Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James while portions of the novel are sung and danced to on stage. That’s the plotline for the musical parody 50 Shades! The Musical now coming to Houston courtesy of TUTS…
Selling Sex: Women React Differently Than Men
Many of us like to think we’re not persuaded by advertising. Not me, I’m far too sophisticated for those marketers facile manipulations, you say on your way to buy the new iPhone 5S. (Apple sold over 9 million phones the weekend the iPhone 5 was released). Sorry, you too, have…
Chef Chat: German Mosquera (He’s Vegan!) of Colombe d’Or’s Restaurant Cinq
This is the first part of a two-part Chef Chat interview. Please visit us tomorrow to read Part 2. Cinq’s German Mosquera is a vegan, but he cooks some mean meat and seafood. Sitting in the stately, refined dining room at Restaurant Cinq at La Colombe d’Or hotel, you would…
100 Creatives 2013: Matt Adams, Digital Artist and Independent Curator
If you’re looking for a fight on who qualifies as a “real” art curator, you won’t find one with Matt Adams. That’s not because he doesn’t have any thoughts on the issue, he does. He just doesn’t think the debate is worth the effort. “There’s been a lot of talk…
Ed Reed Update: Rex Ryan’s “Big Strong Man”
If you watched the sitcom Wings back in the mid-’90s, you probably remember the episode with Big Strong Man. (NOTE: Wings still gets my vote for “most underrated sitcom.” If you look, it shared virtually the same chronological footprint as Seinfeld, the duration of the ’90s, on the same network…
Rest of the Best 2013: The Top 10 Late-Night Restaurants in Houston
Our 2013 Best of Houston® winners have been announced, but in many cases picking the best item in any category was no easy task. In order to show off all the culinary greatness Houston has to offer, we’ll be rounding up the “rest of the best” in some of our…
5 Memorable Fashion Moments From Holiday Classics
The holiday season is in full swing and now comes the avalanche of new and old holiday movies. Everyone has a favorite with memorable moments that tug at our heartstrings or make us laugh out loud. My favorite moments tend to center around the clothes, go figure. Here is my…
Jimi Hendrix Vault Spews Forth New CD and Documentary
Though he only released three studio and one concert album while alive, Jimi Hendrix was one prolific motherfucker in his 27 years. After his 1970 death, the Hendrix vaults have spewed forth plenty more music and video, especially in the last few years under the keen stewardship of his estate…
Houston Rap: The Disappearing Neighborhoods That Shaped a Scene
One of the most remarkable things about the new Houston Rap book by photographer Peter Beste and writer Lance Scott Walker is that it captures not just the men and women who produced the city’s syrupy sound, but the day-to-day environment that produced them. It’s safe to say that no…
Toyota Center Preps for a December to Remember
For a venue celebrating its tenth year of operation, Toyota Center may have never experienced such high-caliber occupancy as it will this month. In late autumn, the murmurs from inside the venue’s marketing department could be heard all the way across the street at the George R. Brown Convention Center…
Did the Great Recession of 2008 Create a Generation of Progressives?
Before Nixon exposed the cracks and Reagan finally broke the back of the “New Deal Coalition” — the voting groups that comprised the Democrats’ electoral advantage for over a generation: big city machines, labor unions, minorities (racial, ethnic and religious), liberal farm groups, intellectuals, and white Southerners — the Democrats…
Vapor Conflict: E-Cigarettes Ignite Debate About Smoking in Bars and Restaurants
I couldn’t get anyone I know to speak on the record for this story. The only regular smokers I know are in the restaurant industry, and in spite of the fact that anyone can see them smoking outside between shifts, no one wanted to admit to smoking e-cigarettes. “Is it…
UPDATED It’s Almost Here — The Great Bull(shit) Run of Baytown!
UPDATE: The run has been rescheduled for January 25, due to weather concerns. (The weekend forecast calls for an unpleasant 39 degrees and sleet). Promoter Rob Dickens tells us in an email that “all tickets are valid for the new event date; there’s no action required on the part of…
How To: Make Cookie Butter at Home
Looking for the perfect foodie gift for friends and family this year? Spread holiday cheer with cookie butter. (No, I’m not talking about buying the Speculoos Cookie Butter from Trader Joe’s — don’t bank on the store having a full stock; there could be a shortage, or employees could limit…
While We’re at It, Let’s Kill Off a Few More TV Characters
Not having watched Family Guy in some time, I was nevertheless surprised to read last week that they’d killed off Brian in the November 24 episode. Fox’s The Simpsons may have been the one to generate buzz earlier this season with news that it would kill off a character, but…
Five Reasons Cyber Monday Is Greater Than Black Friday
Each year since the advent of e-commerce, online sales have slowly grown and begun to outpace in-store purchases at the holidays. Some people prefer the hectic nature of buying at a store on Black Friday. I’ve known people who actually enjoy getting up at 4 a.m. and standing in line…
The Best Comics in November: Gail Simone at Her Finest Yet
Each month the staff at 8th Dimension Comics picks out the best book to review. Look for Part 2 tomorrow. Leaving Megalopolis: Gail Simone is one of those comic writers whose shopping list I would read if she published it… particularly if it was drawn by someone as stellar and…
Lady Gaga Throwing a Houston artRAVE July 16
Another week, another ginormous pop tour. Actually, this one doesn’t look quite as epic as One Direction’s Reliant Stadium takeover in August, but we can almost guarantee you the costumes will be way better. This morning Live Nation announced that Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga, will bring her artRAVE: The…
Adair Kitchen’s Fall Menu Is a Taste of Home During the Holidays
If you’re missing your mother’s cooking during the fall/winter season, then head to Adair Kitchen during the next several weeks and order the fall seasonal menu. Adair Kitchen’s regular menu is filled with items inspired by the mother of the owners, Nick Adair and Katie Adair Barnhart, and the seasonal…
Weather Week: The Roller Coaster Continues
Last week, as Eric Berger over at the Chron pointed out, brought some of the coldest temperatures recorded in the month of November in more than a decade. It made for a rather festive Thanksgiving holiday, but that will be erased the first part of this week as temperatures head…
Third Eye Blind at House of Blues, 12/2/2013
Third Eye Blind House of Blues December 2, 2013 Nearly an hour into their performance at House of Blues Monday night, Third Eye Blind finally got the crowd’s attention. “Miss Jones taught me English, but I think I just shot her son,” Stephan Jenkins crooned as fans sang along, “’cause…
Fashion Trucks, Like Food Trucks, Are on the Move in Houston
As one woman pored over a winter selection of boots, blazers and beanies, it was clear she was very happy. “Wow,” she said. “What a novel idea. There’s no overhead, except for the cost of gas.” On Black Friday, November 29, instead of jostling for discounted flat-screen TVs, Houston shoppers…
The Top 5 Alternatives to Wedding Cakes
Say good-bye to the traditional white wedding cake decorated with flowers, piped frosting and other simple, elegant designs. It seems more and more brides and grooms are opting for other dessert options and forgoing the cake. I recently attended a wedding at which the couple elected to have apple pie…
Another Reason Ted Cruz or Rand Paul Won’t Win the GOP Primary in 2016
It’s long been known by political scientists that the longer a party has been out of power — that is, has not held the presidency — the more likely it is to nominate a moderate. This is one reason, out of many, that we can expect Chris Christie to emerge…
The Rocks Off 200: Odd Hours and Back to Back’s Hank Doyle
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, 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 previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? At one…
Pop Rocks: Sharkeisha, the Viral Sensation Surrounding a Sucker Puncher from Houston
Update: According to a press release from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the girl in the video known as “Sharkeisha” has been charged with Assault with Bodily Injury as a result of the video. She was taken into custody on this class A misdemeanor Thursday morning and is being held…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 63, Bánh Mì at Les Givral’s Sandwich & Cafe
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
City Council Runoff Election Early Voting Starts Wednesday: Will Helena Brown Keep Her Seat?
Early voting for the Houston city council runoff races starts Wednesday. Two years ago, this was the arena where Helena Brown managed to unseat her incumbent rival, and the upcoming runoff is pretty much a blast from the past when it comes to the District A seat. The turnout for…
Top 5 Girl Scout Cookie Knockoffs
I have always found it rather puzzling that the Girl Scouts do not sell their famous baked goods in the late fall. The holidays are so synonymous with cookies that you’d think they would make a killing by providing Samoas, Tagalongs and their other varieties to hungry but lazy consumers…
UPDATED: Look for Celebration in the Music and the Actors in A Civil War Christmas at Main Street
The set-up: In A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration it’s very earnest down by the banks of the Potomac on Christmas Eve, 1864. Extremely earnest. In this musical from Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) and Daryl Waters, who arranged the numerous period carols, war…
Patriots-Texans Epilogue: How to Lose a Game in 10 Plays
It’s often said the difference between a 6-10 and 10-6 team in the NFL is a small handful of plays. Sitting at 2-10 on the season, the Houston Texans’ problems certainly transcend more than just a play here and a play there. That much is obvious. But at 2-7 in…
Films for Foodies: Big Night Takes Italian Cuisine to Cinematic Heights
Movie studios scramble to have big-name stars headline their films, but in many of my favorite movies food is the star. Few things are better than pairing a foodie film with a great meal so we can enjoy ourselves just as much as the folks onscreen are enjoying their own…
5 Things You Didn’t Know About the “War on Christmas”
Welcome once again to the most wonderful time of the year. Here in Houston the air is cool, the streets in River Oaks and Upper Kirby are festive as festive can be, gingerbread and peppermint-flavored everything adorns local drink menus, and the giant, soul-eating kraken that lives underneath the Galleria…
Upcoming: 30FootFALL, Grouplove, One Direction, Neko Case, Those Darlins, Y&T, etc.
30FootFALL: Wed., December 25, 7 p.m., $12. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston, 713-862-3838. ’80s New Years Eve featuring Christopher Anton: With DJ Hans 242, Debora Gaynor., Tue., December 31, 8:30 p.m., $15 to $35. Concert Pub (North), 2470 F.M. 1960, Houston, 281-583-8111. Bastille: Wed., April 23, 8 p.m., $20. House…
Ray Davies’s American Journey Had Its Share of Kinks
Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road — The Story By Ray Davies Sterling Publishing, 320 pp., $24.95 While the sounds coming from the British Invasion bands were mostly distinct — the Beatles didn’t sound like the Yardbirds who didn’t sound like Herman’s Hermits who didn’t sound like the Zombies…
Hey, Millennials: You’re Partying All Wrong. Here’s How.
Ian WitlenThe stage is THAT way. Jeez. Millennials, you still do all the drugs and have all the sex, but I have to break it to you — #realtalk — you do not know how to party. And it’s bringing me down. Heading over to what’s supposed to be the…
We Suck Again! A Revised Houston Texans Tailgating Mix
Back in the summer, I advocated for new, improved songs that Houston Texans fans could play at their 2013 tailgates. My suggestions were optimistic, confident selections reflective of the high hopes we had for the team. Now, on the verge of the worst season in franchise history, it might be…
Rocksgiving: Rockets on Six-Game Roll, Finish November 13-5
In the month of November, the Rockets won three more games than the Texans have lost in their entire season…so far. Such is the distinction between a team bottoming out and one clearly on the rise. The most recent evidence of both being a loss to the Patriots for the…
Extreme Fusion: School Lunch Meets Japanese at Kubo’s
No matter how refined my palate becomes, eating in the wonderful and diverse restaurants of Houston, I can still count on keeping a few of the unsophisticated tastes of childhood. The one of which I am least proud is Salisbury steak, as this was a well-executed dish by the lunch…
Zapruder Analysis of Gary Patterson’s Rant on Art Briles’s Being Classless
There was a time not all that long ago when beef between TCU and Baylor would have been the functional equivalent of a lower mid card bout on a WWE pay per view, with the relative level of care being confined to close friends, family, ardent alums and maybe “Mean”…
What’s Cooking This Week? Matzoh Balls, Zucchini Latkes & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and planning meals for us, but cooking for two often 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…
Fred Astaire’s The Early Years at RKO Is a Celebration of Bygone Talent
Fred Astaire is remembered and revered today as one of the most transcendent popular singers and gifted dancers of any generation. Born in 1899, he was performing regularly on the vaudeville stage with his older sister Adele by the age of five. He went solo in 1932, when Adele retired,…
Alejandro Fernandez at Toyota Center, 11/30/2013
Alejandro Fernandez Toyota Center November 30, 2013 Alejandro Fernandez has had a long and varied career, moving from singing rancheras like his famous dad to singing lush ballads to singing Spanish pop to singing — gasp! — in English to becoming a sort of Mexican music Everyman. It was that…
The Houston Texans Are on the Clock…
“The Houston Texans are on the clock…” — Roger Goodell, as of now, at the beginning of the 2014 NFL Draft It begins not long after the previous season ends. The countless hours spent lifting weights, getting treatment, sometimes even getting surgery. You work out just to be ready for…
Book Check: Days of Blood and Starlight, by Laini Taylor
Title: Days of Blood and Starlight Tell Me About the Author: Laini Taylor is the pink-haired, pixie-esque mastermind behind the bestselling Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. It was the first book in the young adult fantasy series that brought her national acclaim, but she was already well-tuned in the…
DEFCON Dinner and a Movie: Hash Browns Require Etiquette, and a Glass of Water
My first summer in Houston was pretty much spent at the Dollar Cinema. We moved in July, and hadn’t had the chance to make any friends yet, and our mom was scandalized by the price of, well, pretty much everything. Moving from a small city to a large one can…
Riff Raff at Warehouse Live, 12/1/2013
Riff Raff Warehouse Live December 1, 2013 Just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday night, the modest crowd at Warehouse Live began to grow restless. An hour had passed since a rapper had graced the stage, and grumbles began to be exchanged. Luckily, Houston’s own Edgar “DjChop-e” Miranda was able to placate…
Corporations Are People, My Friend, But Can They Have Religious Beliefs Too?
Dang ApricotDoes Hobby Lobby Have Religious Beliefs?Mitt Romney caught a lot of flak for saying “corporations are people, my friend” when responding to a heckler on the campaign trail last year. Many people — mostly liberals — were incensed, noting that this showed Romney’s solicitude for big business over the…
Hamlet Goes Steampunk With the Trebuchet Players
The set-up: The fledgling troupe Trebuchet Players, opened 16 months ago with a production of William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, and now tackles Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a tragedy famously difficult but, perhaps for that reason, a lodestone to actors. Since Hamlet has been produced so often, many contemporary productions add a…
Buxton 10-Year Anniversary at Fitzgerald’s, 11/30/2013
Buxton, Papermoons, Deep Kvts FItzgerald’s November 30, 2013 Ten years gone. How the hell did that happen? Long before the New West days, before the band had five members (or six or four or three), and definitely before they all had those adorable little beards, Buxton first started putting pen…
Don’t Worry, There’s Still Time for You to Paint Your Masterpiece
Einstein once said — a bit self-servingly — “A person who has not made his great contribution to science before the age of 30 will never do so.” (Einstein was 26 when he proposed the theory of relativity). Well, we know that Einstein got this one wrong: the age of…
The Melting Pot’s Four-Course Experience Just Might Bring Fondue Back Into Your Life
I’m calling it now: Fondue, the dinner-party craze of the 1960s and 1970s, is making a comeback. When a girlfriend of mine suggested The Melting Pot for dinner and for us to catch up, I was surprised, but was game for it. It had been years since I’d been there…
And the Defenses Shall Lead Them As UH and Rice Go Bowling
Stephen Pinchback/Houston Athletics CommunicationsHouston’s Zach McMillian returns an interception as Trevon Stewart looks for someone to blockThe Houston Cougars (8-4) and Rice Owls (9-3) won their football games this weekend on the backs of their defenses. While that’s not the way past UH and Rice football teams won games, it’s…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 64, Squirrel Master Burger at Cottonwood
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
Ted Cruz Has Been Spending a Lot of Time in Iowa: Can He Win the Iowa Caucus?
Ted Cruz wants to be President of these United States. While this is unlikely — the party elites dislike him, view him as an electoral disaster waiting to happen and he would never emerge from the “invisible primary” as the GOP elites’ choice — Cruz dares to dream. Thus, he…
Frida Mexican Kitchen: The Art of Delicious Breakfast Tacos (Elvis Might Love This Place)
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of potatoes right now,” said the voice from the drive-through box at Taco Cabana. A potato famine wouldn’t surprise me on a Monday morning, due to weekend supply deficiencies, but this was 9 a.m. on a Thursday. Maybe they just had an unusual surge of…
No Clue What to Buy for Your Gal for the Holidays? Go Vintage.
Recently I shared a few great ideas for shopping vintage for guy gifts. Now it is time for the ladies. Finding gifts for the ladies is, I must admit, a lot easier due to sheer volume of choices and stores. I once again enlisted the help of Dawn Bell (a.k.a…
Patriots 34, Texans 31: The Harder They Fight, the Harder They Fall
There is only one kind of victory in football, the kind that finds you ahead on the scoreboard when the game is over. In the Texans’ latest loss to the Patriots, 34-31 on Sunday at Reliant Stadium, there seemed to be progress, but the result was the same as the…
Cheap & Good Eats: Top 5 Budget Lunch Spots in Old Downtown
We’ve been rounding up our favorite budget lunch spots in different neighborhoods around town. (See the complete list at the end of the post.) Today it’s old downtown that gets a closer look. With plenty of bars and restaurants popping up around Market Square Park and the expansion of the…
The Jew Who Loves Christmas: A One-Woman Show by Abby Koenig
Other than perhaps the Virgin Mary, there are few Jewish women who are more excited about Christmas than Abby Koenig. No, she’s not excited about “the holidays.” Koenig is excited about Christmas, that magical Magi day that 2013 years ago marked the birth of the non-Messiah, according to her own…
10 Reasons the Door Guy Hates You
Few career paths garner the kind of uncanny respect and even fear allotted to the nightclub doorman. He’s the first (and sometimes last) thing that you see when out for a night on the town and has the ability to make or break your evening (and possibly, arm) — well…
That Time I Accidentally Became a College Drug Dealer
Note: In his column Serrano Time, Houston’s award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times. Photo courtesy of UniversalSheaface The biggest concern in my life recently is that every show on my DVR is the regular definition version, rather than the high-definition version. As you can…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Monster Magnet, Juicy J, Justin Timberlake, etc.
Monster Magnet Fitzgerald’s, December 3 They don’t make too many rock bands like Monster Magnet anymore, but maybe they don’t need to. Such clear descendents of Deep Purple you can almost see the smoke on the water — though we bet “Highway Star” is more their speed — Dave Wyndorf’s…
Jim Freeman: Former Lawyer Wants to Bring Yoga to Prisons
Prison must be a stressful environment — especially if you’re innocent! Sure, you can blow off steam with weights, or by the occasional shiv fight, but non-practicing Austin attorney, but practicing Buddhist, Jim Freeman wants to take inmates to a higher level — through the power of yoga. Freeman told…
This Weekend’s Best Bets: A Story of the Worst Sibling Ever
It happens for many families at Thanksgiving. What, on paper, looks like it should be a time to enjoy the company of relatives, maybe even reconnect with those you’ve lost touch with, turns into old wounds torn open. Fights, arguments and an airing of grievances that would make Frank Costanza…
New Hurricane Katrina Short Film Sadly But Warmly Marks the End of 2013 Season
As November comes to a close and the skies turn dark and rainy, we can be thankful it’s just a conventional rain. Speaking as someone who spent a couple of weeks living out of a New Braunfels hotel room with a pregnant wife, three cats and a dog after Hurricane…
High Schoolers Think They Influenced the West University Election
Contributed photoMason Speed, Franz Brotzen-Smith and Sam Kagan, three of the seven members of West-U for Progress, on election night. Election Day is long past and a small group of high school students, mostly sophomores, is still celebrating a presumed victory of campaigning. In the weeks leading up to the…
That Viral “Poverty Thoughts” Essay Is Totally Ridiculous
There are times when the good deeds that happen by the magic of the Internet make us quite giddy. This time? Well, this time they make us cringe, to the tune of $100,000. If you haven’t read the “insightful” personal narrative that recently went viral, “Why I Make Terrible Decisions,…
5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Santa Breakfast, Food Trucks and Sunday Supper w/ Monica Pope
Breakfast with Santa @ Maggiano’s Little Italy Saturday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. 2019 Post Oak Blvd Thanksgiving is over, so it’s perfectly acceptable to begin Christmas festivities. Bring the kids to Maggiano’s Little Italy this Saturday for a breakfast buffet with Santa. Maggiano’s will serve classic breakfast items, such as bacon,…
How Two White New Yorkers Created the Ultimate Portrait of Houston Rap
If this weather’s got you interested in curling up on the couch with a warm blanket and a good book, you’re in luck. Sinecure Books has just put out a great one: photographer Peter Beste’s Houston Rap, a years-in-the-making picture book detailing the locals and locales that have defined the…
Harris County Deputies Want to Arm You — With Holiday Safety Tips!
There’s a very important group of people we sometimes forget about over the holidays — people we need to take the time to think about as we make our mad dashes for gifts on Black Friday and beyond. We are, of course, talking about crooks. Thieving, conniving, crookedy crooks, and…
100 Creatives 2013: Gilbert Ruiz, Dichotomous Artist
What He Does: Gilbert Ruiz has only been showing his work as an artist for about three years, but the quality of his offerings is unmistakable and shows tremendous promise. Above you’ll see his painting ‘Just Out of Reach,” a powerful piece of longing and mystery that makes you ask…
King Kong Song: 10 Songs for the Giant Ape’s 80th Anniversary
One of the big hits at this summer’s box office was Pacific Rim, a movie about giant mechs fighting giant monsters. It owes a lot to Japanese cinema, of course, but it wouldn’t exist at all without the influence of one classic American film: 1933’s King Kong. Hard to believe,…
Upcoming Events: Gingerbread House Competition, Holiday Farmers Market Bike Ride and a Tamale Workshop at Sylvia’s
Before you know it, you’ll be heading out to holiday parties and inviting friends over for a special holiday get-together. And, you’ll need a great bottle of wine to celebrate the season during those times. On Monday, December 2, at 6:30 p.m., Central Market will hold a Wine Workshop featuring…
BATTLE-DRINK, Week 13: The All-John McClain Edition
Watching sporting events in the year 2013 is a different experience now than it was just five years ago. Yeah, if we’re watching on television, we still have our play-by-play guy, our color analyst and perhaps even a sideline reporter. Those people haven’t gone anywhere. But now, even just in…
Openings & Closings: Worhals Closes in a Flash, BurgerFi Ventures to Sugar Land & Vallone’s Welcomes Its First Diners
Being the week of Thanksgiving, it’s no surprise that it’s been a slow one for restaurant openings and closings. Thanksgiving Day was a sad one for anyone hoping to bring a pie from House of Pies on Kirby to the dinner table. After its roof caught fire a few weeks…
Jake Bugg Proves Albums Are Far From Dead
From the Shangri La art Tell this guy about the death of the album.”The album is dying in front of our very eyes,” Variety columnist and music business know-it-all Bob Lefsetz wrote recently based on weak LP sales, including Katy Perry’s Prism, which sold only about 220,000 copies in its…
Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Pop Shop Houston, Memphis: The Musical and Yep, It’s Christmas
Houston boasts a tremendously eclectic artist community, and there are a multitude of people creating so many wonderful works all around the city. The only question is: where to find them all at once? Brittany Bly created Pop Shop Houston: Indie Craft, Art, & Music Festival last year as a…
Real Riff Raff vs Impostor Riff Raff, a.k.a. JoDY HiGHROLLER
Our fair city is getting an early holiday present, in the form of a thing called Riff Raff. Riff Raff, a.k.a. Jody Highroller, will be gift-wrapping and delivering his syrupy, nonsensical rhymes at Warehouse Live this Sunday. We’re excited, because Riff Raff’s brand of nonsense is entertaining as hell; so…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Los Lonely Boys, Trombone Shorty, Buxton, etc.
Hometown Hoedown Walters, November 29 There’s no place like home for the holidays, and Walters offers up six bands for a wallet-friendly $7 to beat back those Black Friday blahs. Headlining is Black Market Syndicate, still pogoing from the bounce of 2012 LP …And the Peasants Rejoiced!, but the whole…
A Thanksgiving Weekend Guide to Art Galleries
Think there’s nothing to do but eat, shop or go to the movies during Thanksgiving weekend. Not true. Houston’s art galleries, while not usually thought of as part of the Black Friday retail rush, are open. So are the museums. Here are a few suggestions for your weekend. Alfred Otto…
Thankful for Thanksgiving: Five Reasons It Is My Favorite Holiday
Everyone has a favorite holiday. I would dare say for many that is Christmas. Others might prefer July 4 or the always scintillating President’s Day. For me, it’s Thanksgiving. Much of that is likely owed to the fact that my family hosted the holiday every year and it was the…
Pop Shop Houston Is Your Cure for the Black Friday Blues
Black Friday. Just writing the words makes me shudder. Getting up too early, waiting on long lines with angry people trying to push their way into better savings, contending with the overwhelming feeling that life is just one big shopping cart full of slashed prices and then coming home to…
A Few Houston Sports Things to Be Thankful for This Holiday Season
Since it’s Thanksgiving, here are a few things in the Houston sporting world for which I’m thankful. ANDRE JOHNSON Andre Johnson is without a doubt the greatest player in the history of the Houston Texans. He also has to go on the short list with Earl Campbell and Elvin Bethea…
Podcast: Josh Brolin in Spike Lee’s Oldboy Remake and Turkey Day Recommendations
Photo by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle – © 2012 – OB Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.Download this week’s Voice Film Club podcast before you get on the plane or maybe listen to it on your way to a restaurant where you’ll eat turkey and get a little drunk on red wine.”I…
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Reliant Arena, 11/27/2013
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Talib Kweli Reliant Arena November 27, 2013 Standing in the shadow of a diminishing Astrodome, the rarely used Reliant Arena played host to more than 5,000 Houstonians for a showcase of some of today’s biggest hip-hop talent Wednesday, when Macklemore & Ryan Lewis returned to town…
10 Ways to Make Your House Smell Great With Food
The holidays are here and floods of family and friends will be showing up at your door — announced or unannounced. While you could purchase a variety of air fresheners and sprays to make the house smell wonderful, nothing beats the odors that come from the kitchen. Before your guests…
What’s in a Space Station Thanksgiving?
Way up there in outer space, the International Space Station crew is being deprived of the traditional Thanksgiving we’re all enjoying — you know, that complicated dance of balancing gobbling turkey, stuffing, pie and enough booze before someone you’re related to brings up either politics or religion and you get…
Pop Rocks: Are Babies Born Evil? New Book Explains and Top 5 Evil Babies
Are babies born evil? Or do we make our children that way through excessive gift giving, too much TV time and Fun Fair Positive Soccer? In a new book just out by author Paul Bloom, Just Babies, examines some of the prevailing data on the moral behavior of babies. It…
The Rocks Off 200: Legendary K-OTIX Producer Russel “The ARE” Gonzalez
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, 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 previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. We first encountered…
The Ultimate Leftover Turkey Sandwiches (Part III): Get Ready for Delicious Friday
Shit ton of leftover turkey? Us too. It happens to the best of us. The anticipation of the Thanksgiving meal is so great that, by the time we sit down to eat it, our multiple (and completely necessary) taste tests of everything in the kitchen have completely eliminated any room…
Sharpstown High School Teacher Ysidoro Rosales-Motola Was Investigated at Westbury High School in 2011
The Sharpstown teacher who was arrested and charged with one felony count of indecency with a child and two felony counts of an improper relationship with a student last week was previously investigated in 2011. Before coming to Sharpstown, Ysidoro Rosales-Motola was teaching at Westbury High School. While at Westbury,…
Marry Me a Little (New Cast Album) Is Stirring and Beautiful
The copious genius of Stephen Sondheim has been thoroughly discussed far and wide throughout his career. Thus, it is no surprise that even songs cut from his various hit shows are brilliant and exciting as well, and that is exactly what the reworked revue Marry Me a Little, conceived by…
These Grocery Stores Are Open on Thanksgiving in the Houston Area for the Non-Perfect Planners Among Us
We know we’d all like to be super duper planners, but just in case you aren’t perfect and you’re cooking dinner at home on Thanksgiving and you forgot something like the butter or the Cool Whip or the stuffing, or maybe you’re trying that once-in-a-lifetime recipe and who knew it…
Thanksgiving 2013: Believe It or Not, I Am Thankful for Idiots
The tendency for many in my business, those who have a broadcasted voice and a platform, is to preach to the ne’er-do-wells and the meatheads, preach that they stop with their chicanery, stop with their self-destructive behavior, stop with their narcissism. Truthfully, I never get why my peers do this…
Do Not Party in This Manner: Houston Bar Does Stupid With ‘Drink Like A Indian’ Party
The Brewskis Pub and Patio, which is located between North Houston and Tomball, took a Thanksgiving-themed party this past weekend a little too far when they encouraged drinkers to come dressed as Native Americans and advertised the event with the slogan “Drink Like A (sic) Indian, Party Like A Pilgrim.”…
Our Annual Thanks to the Houston Arts Scene
It’s become a tradition to ask our Art Attack bloggers what they are thankful for in the Houston arts scene this year. Here’s this year’s reaction: Think of our performing arts scene as a grand banquet, a great groaning board full of savory dishes. Just since the official opening of…
Do NOT Get on Cyndi Lauper’s Bad Side
Note: Liz Tracy is the music editor at our sister paper New Times in Broward-Palm Beach, Florida. “Do you know anything about me?” Cyndi Lauper aggressively questioned me recently over the telephone. I was, needless to say, taken aback, confused, sort of desperate to see where the conversation had gone…
TUTS Film Series: Elf
In Elf, being screened as part of the TUTS Film Series, Buddy (played by Will Ferrell) has never fit in with the other elves at Santa’s Workshop. That might have something to do with the fact that Buddy’s not an elf; he’s actually a rather tall human who was raised…
Thunder from Down Under
Billed as Australia’s hottest export, the male revue Thunder From Down Under is a group of sexy guys known as much for their chiseled abs as for their dance moves. The group’s making a one-night-only stop in Houston. Kick the holiday season off with a little bit of beefcake. 8:30…
Hamlet
The Prince of Denmark is transported to a Steampunk sideshow in the Trebuchet Players’ production of Hamlet. Directed by Kathy Drum, Hamlet is reset to the Gilded Age with vaudevillian actors taking on the roles of the prince and the many conspirators who surround him as punishment for having broken…
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The holy terrors known as the Herdman children put their own spin on the holidays in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, produced by Main Street Theater. The kids — who can’t be put in jail for their various offenses because, ah, they burned the jail down — mistakenly end up…
Djembe & the Forest of Christmas Forgotten
Frosty the Snowman and other familiar Christmas tales have a worthy competitor this year as the Ensemble Theatre brings a new holiday story to the stage: Djembe and the Forest of Christmas Forgotten. Set in the imaginary world of Abahu and brought to life by puppetry and other special effects,…
A Civil War Christmas
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Paula Vogel penned a fantastic American nativity fable when she crafted A Civil War Christmas. The show takes place shortly after Abraham Lincoln’s second election. It’s the coldest winter anyone in Washington, D.C., can remember. A young slave girl named Jessa has been separated from her mother…
Houston Ballet: The Nutcracker
A wooden nutcracker comes to life and takes a little girl named Clara (and the rest of us) on a magical adventure in Ben Stevenson’s production of The Nutcracker, performed here by the Houston Ballet. Dozens of fantasy characters, from King Rat and Snow Queen to the Sugar Plum Fairy…
Community Memorial Tree
This Christmas, remember loved ones who have passed on with an ornament on the Community Memorial Tree at the National Museum of Funeral History. Stop by the museum and decorate an ornament for the tree or take your creation home to hang on your own tree. 10 a.m. to 4…
The Santaland Diaries
This was going to be the first year in a while that the Alley Theatre did not present its one-man show The Santaland Diaries starring company member Todd Waite. That was right up until ticket buyers started calling in, complaining that they couldn’t find the David Sedaris play about a…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona,” “Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of Jose Guadalupe Posada,” “Funnel Tunnel,” “Nice. Luc Tuymans,” “São Paulo 2013,” “SPRAWL”
“Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona” Antonio Berni (1905-1981) was Argentina’s greatest 20th-century artist, a greatness recognized far beyond Argentina during his lifetime. Since his death his fame has faded, especially in North America. The exhibition “Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona,” on view at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is an…
Zoo Lights
During the winter holidays, the Houston Zoo reopens its gates nightly for Zoo Lights, a park-wide light display. Presented by TXU Energy, Zoo Lights lets visitors wander the paths that have been newly adorned with millions of individual lights. “Zoo Lights was designed for our guests to enjoy a holiday…
I Found a Condom in His Pocket. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! INQUIRING FAN Dear Willie D: I just wanted to say hello and also thank you for…
21st Annual TXU Energy Turkey Trot
Do something healthy and helpful on Thanksgiving by turning out for the 21st Annual TXU Energy Turkey Trot. Proceeds from the day benefit Neighborhood Centers and Sheltering Arms Senior Services, two nonprofit organizations that serve families and seniors in Houston. Runners, wheelchair athletes, walkers, families and children are all invited…
Moody Garden’s 12th Annual Festival of Lights
A million-plus twinkling lights, the sound of ocean waves lapping the shoreline and Santa Claus parachuting in from the North Pole…can the holidays get any more magical than that? A regional tradition for families across the Gulf Coast, Moody Garden’s 12th Annual Festival of Lights pairs occasion and location with…
64th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade presented by H-E-B
The future of the 64th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade presented by H-E-B was in jeopardy this summer until Mayor Annise Parker stepped in and got new supporters lined up. H-E-B will stay on as the parade’s lead sponsor, with additional local businesses now playing expanded roles. With the new supporters…
Panto Goldilocks
She is not just a little girl with golden curls, she’s Secret Agent Goldiana Locksinova (a.k.a. Goldilocks), and she’s on a mission of utmost importance. In Panto Goldilocks, the super-special secret agent is sent to steal a potent beauty serum. Set in the 1960s and inspired by the James Bond…
Mercury: Christmas for Kids
“Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” shouldn’t be the only Christmas songs your kids hear this holiday season. At Mercury’s Christmas for Kids, they’ll hear holiday music by baroque composers in a family-friendly concert. Works by Corelli, Torelli and Locatelli are featured. Ana Treviño-Godfrey, a founding…
“Speak, An Exhibition of Lee Littlefield’s Sculptures”
It might be difficult to maintain the shhhhhh factor when Houston Arts Alliance exhibits “Speak, An Exhibition of Lee Littlefield’s Sculptures” at Houston Public Library. “The idea is to let the art open and humanize the space,” says Matthew Lennon, HAA’s director of civic art and design. “The organic and…
“Black Saturday”
Push back against Black Friday, the biggest day of the year for the retail industry, with “Black Saturday”, a tribute to the late artist Bert Long Jr. Friends, family and fans are gathering at the Black Heritage Gallery (owner Robbie Lee gave Long his first show) to recall Long’s lasting…
“Merry Grinchmas: The Art of Dr. Seuss”
The Children’s Museum of Houston is honoring the one and only Theodor Geisel, more popularly known as Dr. Seuss, with an exhibit called “Merry Grinchmas: The Art of Dr. Seuss.” The museum’s halls will be filled with Seuss’s unique artwork from dozen’s of books including The Lorax, Horton Hears a…
Memphis: The Musical
Felicia Boswell reprises her role as a black singer in love with a white DJ in the 1950s for Memphis: The Musical. The show’s loosely based on the life — more, on the spirit — of mid-20th century DJ Dewey Phillips, who was responsible for bringing a black-sounding Elvis Presley…
Pop Shop Houston: Indie Craft, Art, & Music Festival
Houston boasts a tremendously eclectic artist community, and there are a multitude of people creating so many wonderful works all around the city. The only question is: where to find them all at once? Brittany Bly created Pop Shop Houston: Indie Craft, Art, & Music Festival last year as a…
Stallone Tries to Make a Star out of Statham in Homefront
Once upon a time — the 1980s — you could walk into a movie theater any day of the year, plop down a few bucks and watch one man kick another man’s ass. Not every action flick was great, but most were good enough, the film equivalent of pizza. Back…
Spike Lee’s Oldboy Is Utterly Unnecessary
A favorite pastime of those who love Asian film is to carp about Hollywood’s annoying tendency to lay claim to and defile their favorites. But Spike Lee’s Oldboy is the remake that came too late, so benign and unmemorable that not even people who loved Park Chan-wook’s 2003 original will…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Djembe and the Forest of Christmas Forgotten, Marie and Bruce
Djembe and the Forest of Christmas Forgotten If there hadn’t been a little show on Broadway called The Lion King, this world premiere musical fairy tale from Carlton Leake (book, music, lyrics), scrumptiously realized on stage by director and choreographer Patdro Harris, would probably seem a lot better than it…
Top 10 Ice Cream Spots
Top 10 Our 2013 Best of Houston® winners have been announced, but in many cases, picking the best item in any category was no easy task. In order to show off all the culinary greatness Houston has to offer, we’ll be rounding up the “rest of the best” in some of…
Catch an Illegal Immigrant
Highlights from Hair Balls Immigration This is the time of year when the Pilgrims and their big immigration way back when are in everyone’s thoughts (mostly because it created an entire holiday revolving around pie), but the Young Conservatives of Texas of the University of Texas has taken this immigration…
Immigration Sentiments
Dear Mexican, My father and mother were able to come over because after the “yellow scare” was over, the States didn’t seem to mind that Chinese were coming over here by the boat loads. Since my parents were given visas and green cards pretty easily, my father was able to…
2013 Turkeys of the Year — Looking Back at the Best of the Worst
Thanksgiving is especially memorable this year, not only because it comes on the heels of the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, but also because it marks a year of truly historic Texas turkeyism. We need look no further than Governor Rick Perry’s expected quixotic repeat run for the…
Melissa Thorne Takes on Blocks and Rocks in “A Wall Around a Window”
‘A Wall Around a Window,” Melissa Thorne’s installation at Devin Borden Gallery, is a strangely lovely take on concrete walls and boarded-up windows. Thorne commandeered the gallery’s rear exhibition space, filling it with wall paintings, paintings on canvas and works on paper that are drawn from vernacular architectural ornamentation and…
Jointmaker
For all its nasty twists, the biggest shock in Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy (opening November 27) hits in the movie’s first minutes — during the credits. “A Spike Lee Film,” a title card reads, a first for any of Lee’s features. Jungle Fever, He Got Game, Inside…
Good Food and Good People Keep Folks Coming Back to Morningside Thai
Want a behind the scenes look at Morningside Thai? Check out our slideshow. I’ve always considered it a good sign when, shortly after sitting down to dine in a small, family-run establishment, I’m welcomed into the fold with a special dish or a visit from the matriarch, who’s been cooking…
Buxton Celebrates the Past by Keeping Their Eyes on the Future
‘We’ve always been a folk-rock band, more leaning on the rock,” explains bassist Chris Wise as Buxton drains a pitcher or two on the Stag’s Head patio. “But the things that have been coming out — like, we have a banjo on maybe two songs, but somehow we’re pigeonholed into…
The Last Dance for Blanco’s: Houston’s Only Old-School Honky-Tonk Closes Its Doors
Turn on the lights, the party’s over. When the lights come up at Blanco’s at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, that will spell the end of Blanco’s, the River Oaks bar, restaurant and music venue that already seems transplanted from another time and place. With its low ceilings, hardwood dance floor…
We Had a Great Time at Worhals Before They Closed up Shop
Note: As this issue was going to press, Worhals suddenly shut its doors, leaving promoters scrambling to reschedule shows they had booked there. The owners could not be reached for comment, and Worhals has since deleted its Web site and Facebook page. Nightfly will return next week with a visit…
