Police Say Two Dead in Murder-Suicide at Ben Taub Hospital
Two employees at Ben Taub Hospital were shot and killed during an apparent murder-suicide, according to HPD. The shooting took place Wednesday around 2:15 p.m. at the hospital’s outpatient pharmacy, which is attached to the hospital and accessible through the main building. Police say a pharmacist and a pharmacy tech…
Complementary Football: How the Texans Bury Themselves Each Week
Bill O’Brien loves him some “complementary football,” Obie-speak for the optimal combination of offensive, defensive and special teams proficiency to bring the hometown team a victory each Sunday (and God willing, the occasional Thursday or Monday, the last two games notwithstanding). For these 2014 Houston Texans, complementary football is almost…
Reality Bites: Living Alaska
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Alaska, not space, is the final (okay, last) frontier. But don’t take it from me, that’s both the state’s official motto as well as the corporate stance of Home and…
10 Signs You Went to the University of Houston
No matter when you attended the University of Houston, there are some things nearly all students have in common…
Stark Naked Theatre Co. Plans Staging of The War of the Worlds All Over Again
About the time most candy-seeking hobgoblins are done wandering the streets for the night, Stark Naked Theatre is staging its second annual reading of The War of the Worlds, the 1938 radio broadcast that Orsen Wells initiated drawn from the science fiction novel written in 1898 by H.G. Wells. Legend…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Erin Smith of Main Kitchen at JW Marriott
Erin Smith is one of only a handful of female executive chefs in Houston. She first caught attention for the menu that was tailored for the extensive wine focus at Plonk! Bistro. She made headlines when she joined Clumsy Butcher group to conceptualize the initial menu for the newly opened…
Yamatane: Yusuke Asai Created a Massive Mural out of Local Soil
A remarkable installation by Japanese artist Yusuke Asai painted entirely with earth found around Houston — 27 different colors — is now on view at Rice Gallery. The mural dominates the exhibition room, rising from floor to ceiling, sweeping to three walls and even spilling onto the floor, so huge,…
This Week in Food Blogs: Autumn Delights for Dining Out and at Home
Culturemap Houston: Marlene Gustin says that the whole fall pumpkin craze has gotten out of hand, but this issue is more about pumpkin spice-flavored treats with nary a hint of actual pumpkin. There’s also a great roundup of ideas on how to get your pumpkin fix, whether it be toasted…
These Cannabis Bills Could Change Toking in Texas for Good
Remember the first time you met that good old bill, who was just sitting on Capitol Hill? Yep, Schoolhouse Rock was the learning bomb, and it knew just how to explain complicated subjects with catchy little songs like “Conjunction Junction” and “Mother Necessity.” Well, those Schoolhouse Rockers may want to…
Watsky at the Bronze Peacock, 10/21/2014
Watsky, etc. House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room) October 21, 2014 One after the next, the acts that made up the sold-out Watsky bill Tuesday night at House of Blues’ Bronze Peacock gave credit where it was due. “You guys are awesome,” said DJ Brick, who provided beats for opener…
Review: The Honeymoon Will Get You Up in the Morning and Carry You Home Late at Night
In the wake of neighboring Goro & Gun’s transition from a restaurant with a killer bar into the more streamlined bar-only concept Moving Sidewalk, it may seem odd that The Honeymoon Café & Bar is positioning itself as a sort of one-stop shop for downtown residents and visitors. Goro’s split…
Megamalls Are Allegedly Dying, But Simon Isn’t Going Down Without a Fight
Not sure if you have heard, but the megamall is in dire straits. Articles penned by USA Today, The New Yorker, and Business Insider have all prophesied the end of the shopping center as we know it. Blaming the economy, changing culture, and a population shift from the suburbs to…
With Riverside Hospital Shut Down, Patients Scramble for a Place in Houston’s Recovery Care System
It’s a late morning in August as Verenice Lopez leans against the passenger seat window of her boyfriend’s pickup truck, watching the leafy residential streets of Houston’s Fifth Ward speed by. They’re on their way to Riverside General Hospital’s drug treatment center on Lyons Avenue, which had been Verenice’s home…
100 Creatives 2014: Allan Rodewald, Artist
The cowboy industry lost a great talent when then seven-year-old Allan Rodewald picked up a paintbrush. Rodewald grew up in Michigan and according to his mom, he always wanted to be a cowboy. Then he took an art lesson and suddenly he stopped playing cowboys and started drawing them instead…
Reserve 101 Gets the First Bottle of Glenmorangie Pride 1978 in America, and for $750 a Shot, It’s Yours
You may remember back in February that I wrote about Reserve 101’s acquisition of a bottle of Glenmorangie 1963, a 25-year whiskey forgotten in the corner of a warehouse for many years until it was discovered and bottled. That bottle, though it retailed for $550 a shot, sold out in…
TCEQ Scientist Says the Smog Is Fine Because Texans Stay Indoors
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has never exactly been on point when it comes to, you know, protecting the environment (this is Texas after all, land where the only good environmental regulation is a nonexistent one) but the state agency came out with a doozy this week. See, the…
All of Houston’s Nationally Ranked “Top ZIP Codes” Are Kinda White
Another day, another Houston-centric list. Our fair city has earned its way onto quite a few lists as of late, thanks to all the attention being paid to our growth and steady job market. The latest Houston nod comes courtesy of a California real estate blog, Movoto, and a list…
5 Best Houston Halloween Costume Shops
Well, it’s almost time. Halloween is nearly upon us, and some people still need a costume for the big night. Sure, a few folks might have an amazing selection of costume pieces just laying around the house. For some people Halloween is all year round, but the majority of us…
True or False? 6 Common Food Questions Answered
There are a lot of misconceptions and myths floating around in our world today about the things we like to eat and drink. I hear a lot of strange “rules” at the grocery store where I work, and of course from people I know outside of my job. Here are…
Five Songs About Real Freaks for AHS: Freak Show
So now that the fourth season of American Horror Story is apparently going to be a musical, it got me thinking about songs that have been dedicated to human oddities over the years. There have been a fair few of them, actually, and today we sing their praises for the…
BeatKing, Gangsta Boo Renew Houston-Memphis Bond
Since the inception of the New Houston Rap column, BeatKing has appeared more times than any other rapper. This may partly be due to his girth on the scene, how he fashions himself as a rapper who rarely wastes time when recording, and how nuanced he is in executing certain…
These Bands Know Mental Health Is Serious Business
The Walk for Mental Health Awareness Houston is a nonprofit organization that hosts events to, as the name implies, raise awareness for mental-health issues in the Houston area. This is an issue that is close to my heart, so I’m happy to report that The Walk will be hosting a…
The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Booty In Music, Part 2
Despite what many people may think, Nicki Minaj has proven to be an ultra-feminist many times before, but with “Anaconda” she is really making it clear. “Anaconda” is clearly a parody, both satirizing and disproving the hyper-sexualization of women’s bodies in hip-hop. Although it only samples one line from the…
Activists Planning to Broadcast Live Abortions Near the Alamo
There is such thing as an “Abortion JumboTron TV,” and it will be deployed for some extremely graphic anti-abortion protesting in San Antonio on Wednesday, as the fight over reproductive rights in the State of Texas rages on. Parents are being warned to keep their children away from the Alamo…
Expelled Students Sue University of Houston Over Sexual Assault Investigation
The night of November 19, 2011, Ryan McConnell went to the Den, a pub near the University of Houston campus, for some drinks with friends. There McConnell met a fellow UH student, and, after several drinks, talking led to kissing. The two eventually got so drunk a bartender told them…
Steelers 30, Texans 23: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Ask NFL players what they enjoy about playing prime-time, nationally televised football games, and one of the first things they’ll all inevitably bring up is the fact that they know all their peers are watching. There’s added motivation in showing off your wares to the other 30 idle teams around…
Danny Rolph’s “Paradiso” Exhibit Offers a Festival of Color
Danny Rolph offers us a hint of the future to come, in nine major paintings, acrylic on canvas, all completed this year or last. It is a utopian future, airy, bright, with open spaces, colorful, and filled with vibrant energy. “Paradiso” might have been called Dragster as well, as there…
Of Mice and Men: Steinbeck’s Gloomy Picture of the American Dream
The set-up: If you don’t have access to any of those defining and iconic Depression-era photographs by Dorothea Lange, then turn your gaze to Texas Repertory Theatre’s evocative production of John Steinbeck’s classic tale of ’30s hardscrabble migrant workers, Of Mice and Men (1937). The stage pictures are unrelenting: dashed…
Recipe: Semi-Homemade Restaurant-Style Curry Fries
A handful of Houston restaurants, including Lowbrow and Ambrosia, offer some type of curry fries (or wedges or chips) on their menu. To save a few dollars and the inevitably embarrassment you’ll feel after dripping masala on your shirt (“Why, why, did I wear white?”), make your own version at…
Latest Victims of Timbergrove Cat Killer Speak Out
Chris and Kimberly Elliott woke up last Friday morning to a nightmare: the front quarter of their beloved cat Moe, placed conspicuously on their yard, so it would be the first thing they’d see when they opened the front door. A blood trail was visible from a pool under a…
The New I-10 Access Ramp From 290 Is a Thing of Beauty and Wonder
Having lived the past three years in Jersey Village, I have been mostly at the mercy of 290 when it comes to getting into town. It’s either that or coming around on the tollway and booking it inbound on I-10. Both are often equally annoying, although the Beltway less so…
The Last Bite: Rebecca Masson Is Throwing Her Final Sweet & Savory Fundraiser Dinner for Lucky Dog Rescue
What started out as a fun fundraising event for the Lucky Dog Rescue charity has taken on a life of its own. Pastry Chef Rebecca Masson’s Sweet & Savory charity dinners have become legendary. And this Sunday, she will hold her last one, which promises to be grand in every…
The 10 Best Texans-Steelers Rapper Tweets
The 2014 Houston Texans have a new coach, new players, new hope and the same dedicated fan base of Houston-based rappers. As in years past, they took to Twitter on game day night to comment on the home team’s gridiron action. And, as in years past, Rocks Off read their…
Pop Rocks: My New Fall Shows Update and a Night-By-Night Rundown of the Fall TV Season
In September, I gave a rundown of the five new fall shows that were locked into my DVR and the chances they would remain in the DVR for the entire season. Just about a month in seemed like the right time for an update and to note a few shows…
10 Things You Say That Make You a Houstonian
Colloquialisms are part of all regional cultures. When someone in New York asks if you want to go half on a pie, they don’t mean apple. But, in many places, there are words and phrases we use that help define us as denizens (and often natives) of that specific location…
8 “Criticisms” of Anita Sarkeesian That Are Utter Bullshit
I didn’t want to write about Anita Sarkeesian again. I really didn’t. I just want her to make her videos, which should be boring dissections of pop media interesting only to insane deconstructionalists like myself. I want to watch them and work myself into a liberal lather of progressive rage…
It’s Wingtoberfest Time Once Again, Time to Vote for Your Favorite Chicken Wing
It’s time to once again line up to be among the first 200 people who’ll get to taste and rate the wings from six Houston restaurants in this year’s Houston Press Wingtoberfest — for free. On Wednesday, October 22, the following restaurants will battle for the honor of being named…
Upcoming: Ace Frehley, Buckwheat Zydeco, Eddie Money, Karla Bonoff, The Who, etc.
Aaron & Ash: With Sibling Rivalry. Fri., October 24, 7 p.m., $15. Main Street Crossing, 111 E. Main, Tomball, 281-290-0431. Ace Frehley: Tue., December 2, 7 p.m., $35 to $40. Scout Bar, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston, 281-335-0002. Airport Noises: With Cornish Game Hen, Generation Landslide. Fri., November 21, 8:30…
Mala by Morning: Blacksmith and Mala Sichuan’s Chinese Breakfast and Doughnut Pop-up
“I’ll have the treasure chest cereal, the empress ribs, the golden coin omelet, the pork hock with bok choy, and the point and kill mouthwatering chicken.” This was our initial order, which was quickly followed by “Just add the congee to that. Oh, and the calamondin cake donut and the…
Netflix’s Halloween Horrors – Humanoids From the Deep
I watch a lot of movies, always have. I even worked in a couple of theaters when I was young (The Bel-Air and Greenway, for defunct Houston theater aficionados). My tastes tend away from the mainstream, and I have spent years seeking out obscure horror and exploitation films. I’m pretty…
Riverside Hospital CEO Convicted of Fraud
Earnest Gibson III, Riverside’s General Hospital’s CEO of more than 30 years, was convicted Monday of conspiring to buy and sell patients in a Medicare and Medicaid scam that siphoned $158 million from government coffers. Also convicted and awaiting sentencing are his son Earnest Gibson IV, Riverside auditor Regina Askew…
Six Great Covers of TV Theme Songs
Television’s influence on our musical vocabulary is vast. These days, singing shows are determining new pop stars. A great TV theme can become iconic — Sanford and Son, Friends, The Sopranos — and shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy and Scrubs have become legendary for their in-show musical performances. Of…
When the U.S. Caught Beatlemania, Larry Kane Was There
Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles’ 1964 Tour That Changed the World By Larry Kane Backbeat Books, 272 pp. (w/CD), $24.99 “What’s your problem, man? Why are you dressed like a fag-ass?” It was an inauspicious and unexpected question/accusation directed at Larry Kane, a fresh-faced 21-year-old radio news reporter from…
The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Booty In Music
“Little in the middle, but she got much back.” That’s how Sir Mix-a-Lot described his ideal woman more than two decades ago in his classic 1992 booty-jiggling, body-gyrating anthem “Baby Got Back.” Essentially, the song served as a catalyst to get those hesitant high-school seniors on the dance floor at…
Pitbull & Enrique Iglesias at Toyota Center, 10/19/2014
Pitbull & Enrique Iglesias Toyota Center October 19, 2014 At the beginning of his set last night at Toyota Center, Pitbull retold his life story on the immense video wall that towered over the stage. The words on the screen talked about his mother and her revolutionary tendencies, his crunk…
Julian Sands Celebrates Playwright, Actor, Director Harold Pinter at the Alley Theatre at UH
Asked to sub in at a charity event by an ailing Harold Pinter, the British actor Julian Sands not only helped out a friend for one occasion – after quite a few sessions spent with the playwright learning how his lines of prose and poetry should be delivered – but…
Cougars Defeat Temple, But Does It Count if No One’s There to See It?
The Houston Cougars (4-3) defeated the Temple Owls (4-2) 31-10 on Friday night. The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates, since the Cougar defense kept Temple bottled up for most of the night. The game was a bit of a yawner as the Cougars no longer offer…
Delicate Balance: The Metamorphosis of the Monarch Butterfly by Theresa DiMenno
The Monarch Butterfly is one of the most beautiful and iconic of all the butterflies, and its transformation from caterpillar to winged insect is the subject of renowned nature photographer Theresa DiMenno’s latest exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center. Before moving onto DiMenno’s work, a…
Twenty One Pilots at House of Blues, 10/19/2014
Twenty One Pilots House of Blues October 19, 2014 “This is music, and I want you to use it,” vocalist Tyler Joseph told the crowd at House of Blues Sunday night. “Fall into it. Disappear.” He and percussionist Josh Dun then began to play “Kitchen Sink,” a song about individual…
Houston, We Have Other Problems
We all know the story by now: the City of Houston passed the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which would crack down on LGBT discrimination across the city, and then a group of Christians then sued the city. Last week, news broke that the city then subpoenaed pastors that, while…
Premium Goods Offers Premium Sounds at 10-Year Bash
Saturday evening, 8th Wonder Brewery in EaDo hosted a party for one of Houston’s most important cultural institutions: the sneaker and apparel boutique Premium Goods (2416 Times Blvd.) was celebrating its 10-year anniversary of existence, and invited a few friends to assist in the festivities. Rocks Off photographer Marco Torres…
The 5 Least Charitable ZIP Codes in Houston
The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published a report on charitable giving throughout the U.S. culled from Census information. The report noted that charitable giving among wealthier Americans is down and that the most poor citizens give a larger percentage of their income to charity than the richest. But what about…
Ailyn Perez Debuts as Desdemona in HGO’s Otello
Otello is a Muslim and several years senior to Desdemona, a Christian who defies her father and family to run away and marry the man she believes is her true love. Perhaps he should have known better but he falls in love with the idea of her being in love…
HERO’s Arch-Nemesis, the Alliance Defending Freedom
It’s no coincidence that the City of Houston, Mayor Annise Parker, City Attorney David Feldman and company asked for any communication between the five local pastors and Alliance Defending Freedom (other parts of the subpoena were likely ill-advised, but that’s neither here nor there) when they sent out that controversial…
Doctor Who: Picture Perfect
There are writer’s names that echo down through the ages of Doctor Who. There’s Terry Nation, of course, and Ian Stuart Black. There was Robert Holmes and the one and only Douglas Adams. In the modern era Steven Moffat hit pay dirt so deep at times only Neil Gaiman could…
Dish of the Week: Manhattan Clam Chowder
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. See the complete list of recipes at the end of this post. This week, we’re diving into Manhattan Clam Chowder. Not to be confused with New England or Boston clam chowder,…
AG Goes After “Celebrity Nutritionist” Lindsey Duncan
The Texas Attorney General’s Office is suing a dude it says isn’t a doctor, but who plays one on TV — and makes a bundle doing so. Filed last week, the suit accuses Austin-based Robert Lindsey Duncan, a.k.a. Dr. Lindsey Duncan, of inflating his credentials in order to hawk nutritional…
Shakespeare’s The Tempest: Not a Lot to the Plot But the Telling Is Grand
The set-up: Shakespeare’s final play that he wrote solo (he would go on to collaborate with protege John Fletcher on All is True, Cardenio, and The Two Noble Kinsmen), The Tempest shows off the master playwright in full authoritative control. An intriguing tale of magic, potency, and forgiveness, this is…
College Football, Week 8: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
A few weeks ago, we had maybe the most thrilling college football weekend of the last ten years (possibly since the 2005 weekend that included, among other fantastic finishes, the “Bush Push” game between USC and Notre Dame). It was twelve hours of dramatic endings and pinball scoring stats, everything…
Houston Music Invades San Fran’s Hotel Utah
My family and I recently vacationed on the West Coast. However you do your vacation, I hope you’re doing it well. As for us, we got zombified for Hope For Young Adults With Cancer. We drove along the edges of a massive California forest fire and shot a music video…
The Changing Face of Houston – The Old Sixth Ward
Houston’s wards are the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and were originally formed in 1840. The wards were arranged along geographic lines, and, in the 19th century, the ward system established areas for political representation – a precursor to today’s City Council Districts. Originally there were four wards, each with…
The Five Best Underrated Kolaches in Houston (According to You)
Despite the fact that the rest of the country probably has no idea what one is, this latest poll proved that Houstonians surely do know (and love) their kolaches. Thanks all for the awesome input! After plenty of chatter and a few Internet fights in the commentary, we actually learned…
Five Important Reasons Never to Date a Rapper
Rappers are awesome. They have the freshest clothes, they have the dankest weed, and they’re fucking great at making words rhyme to a beat. Everybody wants a piece of their favorite rapper — just check out those 139 people on stage with him. What are they doing up there? Nothing,…
Cold War Kids Are Back; Will Anyone Notice?
For a minute there, Cold War Kids looked like the saviors of intelligent, conceptual rock and roll. When their first album, Robbers and Cowards, was released in 2006, it caught most of us who follow indie-rock off-guard. It was slickly produced and unabashed in its stadium aspirations, but it carried…
The Five Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Watsky, Heart, Jason Aldean, B.o.B., etc.
Watsky House of Blues, October 21 Last year, the most badass statistical analyst you’ve ever heard of, Matt Daniels, released something called the Hip-Hop Flow Chart, which ranked several popular rap acts by vocabulary size. I pored over the results like a rap geek and wondered how could Daniels have…
Greg Abbott Held a Twitter Townhall, and It Was Hilarious
In his continued quest to win hearts and minds and, you know, the governor’s seat, state Attorney General Greg Abbott held a Twitter town hall on Friday. Yes, for one brief, shining moment, Abbott (or someone that does a pretty good Abbott-on-social-media impression) was on the Twitter and people could…
City Removes “Sermons” From Pastor Subpoenas, Blames “Media Circus” and Anti-HERO Lawyers for Stoking Outrage
Mayor Annise Parker and City Attorney David Feldman shifted more blame in the subpoenaing-anti-HERO-pastors debacle that’s riled up Christians across the city — and, thanks to Twitter and the #HoustonWeHaveAProblem campaign, the nation. Parker and Feldman blamed their pro bono lawyers, the media and the opposing lawyers, without shouldering much…
Updated: Dan Patrick Has Ebola Covered
Update: Gov. Rick Perry and his presidential hair have returned from their European jaunt and the two (Perry and his hair) held a press conference on Friday to reassure us all that while Patrick and Sen. Ted Cruz have opinions about what to do, Perry is the guy getting things…
Why Didn’t the City Think Subpoenaing a Bunch of Pastors Might Be a Big Deal?
It’s hard to understand how or why the City of Houston didn’t anticipate a clamorous backlash before it sent sweeping subpoenas to five local pastors critical of the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance. Maybe it’s because Mayor Annise Parker and City Attorney David Feldman truly didn’t understand the scope of those subpoenas,…
Underbelly Is Playing a List of “Covers” at Happy Hour
Between 3 p.m. and dinnertime, it can be tough to find a place to eat. Many restaurants close after lunch and reopen at dinner. Underbelly’s wine bar, however, stays open even when the main dining room is closed, and thanks to a new happy hour menu, there’s an opportunity to…
Charli XCX at Fitzgerald’s, 10/16/2014
Charli XCX, Elliphant, Femme Fitzgerald’s October 16, 2014 Fans of British pop starlet Charli XCX who missed her show at Fitzgerald’s last night are pretty well out of luck. We’re not likely to see her in such a small venue again anytime soon. She’s already too famous for the place…
Where to Celebrate National Pasta Day in Houston
National Pasta Day is today — a reminder, if not an incentive, for for pasta lovers all around town to indulge. Houston has many excellent restaurants where one can celebrate. For a taste of stellar house-made pappardelle bolognese, Best of Houston Italian Restaurant winner Ciao Bello is the place. Their…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Fury
Title: Fury Can’t Get Enough of Those Nazis. Even better, most of the bad guys in the movie are SS, which are, like, the Naziest. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: Three Rommels out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Veteran WWII tank commander must contend with rookie driver…
Argentine Celebrity Chef Francis Mallman, His New Book Mallman on Fire and His Cooking Class at Central Market
Central Market’s cooking school often hosts celebrity guest chefs and authors. Such was the case on Tuesday evening when they hosted celebrity chef Francis Mallman — Argentina’s most famous chef — for a cooking class and book signing. Mallman’s class featured five recipes from his newest cookbook, Mallman On Fire,…
Lance Berkman Goes (Back) to College
It’s a beautiful October Tuesday afternoon in Houston, Texas. There’s a high, blue sky. The humidity is nonexistent and the temperature’s in the mid-70s. It’s a great day for outdoor activities, and the Rice Owls baseball team is going to take full advantage of it for a day of afternoon…
VIDEO: Jose Figueroa Is Still Dancing
Jose Figueroa is still dancing. The Channelview high-school teacher we told you about earlier this month, whose goal was not only to dance to live music every single night for a solid year but also to make a documentary film about it, says he’s not much closer to recovering the…
5 Hidden Shopping Gems Neartown/Westheimer Corridor
Probably one of the most popular shopping strips in Houston, Westheimer Road is a main thoroughfare where we all have dropped a few hundred dollars during holiday season. Even though we all are very familiar with the strip, there are hidden spots that you may have never seen or heard…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Tastes From Around the Globe
Happy Hour @ Underbelly Starting Thursday, 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. to close 1100 Westheimer Beginning today, Chef Chris Shepherd will pay tribute to his fellow chefs and friends around the country by “covering” some of their most influential dishes. “I’ve learned so much from other chefs,”…
Harris County, Industrial Companies Meet in Court Over Toxic Waste Dump
On Thursday Harris County attorneys went head-to-head with Fortune 500 companies they blame for polluting the San Jacinto River nearly 50 years ago. With $3.7 billion worth in penalties and attorneys’ fees on the line, the county’s opening statements in the long-awaited environmental enforcement trial hinged on the responsible companies’…
100 Creatives 2014: Anne-Joelle Galley, Artist
Artist Anne-Joelle Galley likes working with vibrant colors. It’s an affinity, she says, best explained by Matisse in his Notes of a Painter: “The chief aim of color should be to serve expression as well as possible. I put down my colors without a preconceived plan. (…) I discover the…
CDC Director Grilled by Congress Over Ebola Mess
Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Thursday, and boy, was it rough. Frieden, previously known as the guy who urged New York’s then-Mayor Bloomberg to go after cigarettes, soda sizes and trans fats, is now…
Upcoming Events: Big Brews and Free Burgers
Big Brew, the nation’s second largest craft beer festival, is coming to Houston from October 20 through October 26. The week-long celebration will feature more than 1,000 craft beers from more than 40 Texas breweries along with a different event each day. Kick off the party with one of three…
Openings & Closings: An Unexpectedly Speedy Good-bye From Van Loc
As reported Wednesday, Van Loc has unexpectedly closed much earlier than anticipated. The owners told us last week that it would close “before Thanksgiving.” Well, that turned out to be last Wednesday. Van Loc opened way back in 1986 and was one of the first Vietnamese restaurants in Houston. While…
College and Pro Football: This Weekend’s Best Bets
If you followed my picks last season (and God forbid, used them as your own picks), then you know exactly how painful the hit was by the end of the year. In fact, you’re probably cursing me and contemplating exactly how you can dismember me without getting arrested while you…
Thanks But No Thanks, The Contortionist
When the Contortionist released their first full-length record, Exoplanet, in 2010, they were one of the most exciting things to come out in the realm of progressive metal for a long time. Where the genre so easily verged into tired cliches or overused tropes, as in the later releases of…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Get a Jump on Halloween
Halloween is still a couple of weeks away, but we suggest you get a head start on all of the spooky, scary, scream-worthy happenings this weekend. Be sure to check out our Halloween Guide. It’s packed with info on haunted houses, pub crawls, ghost tours and family fun events. On…
Houston’s 10 Best Bars for People-Watching
Note: List is in alphabetical order. AVANTGARDEN A converted turn-of-the-20th-century house, AvantGarden is a bar, community venue and gathering point where creative and artistic people throughout the city come for poetry readings, live music, theatrical productions, independent-film premieres, art exhibits, improv comedy, cabaret, and more. The patrons here are sometimes…
Ray Johnston Now a Baller With a Guitar
Being a baller was his ultimate dream, but sometimes what you want isn’t always what you get. That’s the case for former Dallas Mavericks player turned Texas musician Ray Johnston. His current album is called No Bad Days, and that’s also his life’s anthem. “Thinking about the theme of the…
The 10 Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Skatestock III, Grindfest 2014, Brand New, etc.
Cheetah Chrome Fitzgerald’s, October 17 Alongside fellow contenders like Johnny Ramone, Cheetah Chrome became one of the titanic guitarists of CBGB-era American punk. His origins, though, erupted a few years earlier in down-and-out Cleveland, where he helped propel two groundbreaking units there: Rocket from the Tombs and the Dead Boys,…
The Colorado Halloween Monster Mash
It’s hard to imagine a Monster Mash where the partiers are both semi-naked yet still somehow costumed, but if there’s any place that can pull such a thing off, it’s The Colorado Bar & Grill. They are, after all, a hunting-lodge-themed topless bar filled with not only stages full of…
Something Wicked Festival
Quite possibly one of the biggest dance music festivals this city holds, Something Wicked is a bass-lovers dream, but with a wicked Halloween twist. This devilish festival at Sam Houston Racepark is all about dropping the bass and costumery, from the themed stage production to the thundering crowds of club…
Boo on the Boardwalk
Things will get a bit more eerie in October around the Kemah Boardwalk as the annual Boo on the Boardwalk kicks into high haunted gear. Kemah will come to life with plenty of Halloween-themed fun, and visitors of all ages will be spooked to their heart’s content. The haunting good…
Capsule Art Reviews: October 16, 2014
“Jorge Marin: Wings of the City” This installation at Discovery Green has nine wonderful sculptures by an acclaimed Mexican sculptor; some are powerful, some playful, some enigmatic, but all are filled with a love for and an appreciation of humanity that is breathtaking and admirable. Though they represent a higher…
Nightmare on the Bayou
If you’ve ever wondered what causes all those traffic jams on I-10 and Studemont, look no further than Nightmare on the Bayou. It’s a ridiculously scary haunted house located right next to an old graveyard, and is known as Houston’s only actual haunted house. As in, this place is known…
Capsule Stage Reviews: October 16, 2014
Dracula In 1977, the hottest ticket on Broadway was the revival of John Balderston and Hamilton Deane’s 1927 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Victorian horror classic Dracula (1897). With its black and white pen-and-ink design by Edward Gorey, a celebrated eccentric artist whose macabre and comic cartoons were as lauded as…
Nightmare on 1960
If you want to scare yourself silly, head to Nightmare on 1960. The haunted house is focused on living up to everyone’s worst nightmare — whatever that nightmare may be. Hate clowns? Check. What about faceless, nameless creatures? Check. Chainsaws? Psycho killers? Chupacabras? Yep, yep and yep. The twists and…
WWII Drama Fury Shows the Ugly Part of an Ugly War
A gloom hangs over writer-director David Ayer’s brutal war drama Fury that only the audience can see. It’s April 1945, and we know that in weeks the Nazis will surrender. The war is already over — Hitler just hasn’t admitted it. American sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) suspects as…
Monsters’ Museum of Houston
Oh no! Monsters on the loose! For three weeks prior to Halloween, the Children’s Museum of Houston will be taken over by some prank-loving monsters, who will transform the place into their makeshift mega-lab. These naughty monsters will be turning the museum upside down, and it’s all up to the…
The Tragedy of Gary Webb Stings Even When Kill the Messenger Flags
It was a mystery that reporter Gary Webb would have jumped on: a man who’d made powerful enemies allegedly committing suicide with two gunshots to the head. The tragedy is that Webb was the deceased. Michael Cuesta’s earnest, ire-inducing Kill the Messenger is a David-and-Goliath story where truth is the…
“The Next Giant Leap: Beyond Planet Earth”
Space exploration is rooted in our desire to answer one question: What’s out there? Space Center Houston gives visitors a look at potential possibilities with the exhibit “The Next Giant Leap: Beyond Planet Earth.” There’s a primer on space exploration so far (which includes replicas of artifacts such as Sputnik…
Donkey Show
Dear Mexican, I’ve heard that the Tijuana donkey show featuring a female whore is not real other than the fact that they do bring out a donkey and do some simulation for people who are drunk. Down-Low Loco Dear Gabacho, You’re right. And after months of research, the Mexican can…
The Cunning, Cutting Blue Room Leaves You Guessing
Mathieu Amalric’s brisk, agreeably nasty thriller The Blue Room turns on a couple of murders — or does it? — but rather than corpses, it’s time and space and human connection that get most memorably diced, here. Working from Georges Simenon’s ’64 novel of a wrong man accused — or…
Bill Murray Plays for Laughs Until St. Vincent Gets Maudlin
The big news: In its first half, before it bottoms out with the rankest feel-goodery, Theodore Melfi’s too-familiar ain’t-he-irascible comedy-drama St. Vincent features scene after scene of Bill Murray actually trying to make you laugh. How long has it been? He plays Vincent, a drunk-driving Brooklynite whose look suggests science…
As Lit’s Biggest Prick, Jason Schwartzman Wears Us Down in Listen Up Philip
You can’t live in New York for more than ten days without meeting some truly dreadful people: couples who fret about having to choose between buying a summer home and having a second child, even as you’re struggling to pay your monthly rent; large groups of people getting together for…
Whiplash Offers a Painful and Joyous Jazz Education
Jazz isn’t dead. Miraculously, there’s always a small but steady stream of young people who continue to fall in love with this most dazzling and elusive American genre, spending hours, days and months running ribbons of scales and memorizing Charlie Parker solos in the hopes that some of the alto…
Scheherazade
One of the most famed Arabian stories comes to life, with a bit of a symphonic twist, when Czech conductor Jakub Hrua leads the Houston Symphony in a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Also appearing on the program is Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin performing Prokofiev’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2. Scheherazade…
Houston Halloween Fest and Horror Con
Attention, serious horror fans. You should already be in costume-planning mode, since 2014 is the inaugural year for Houston’s Horror Con and Houston Halloween Fest. The convention-slash-family festival, backed by Houston Zombie Walk and Comicpalooza, is bound to be a scary success, featuring headlining “artist” Vanilla Ice. The festival will…
A Musical Evening with Maestro Hans Graf
Find out why the Russian Cultural Center is considered one of Houston’s hidden gems at A Musical Evening with Maestro Hans Graf. Former music director and conductor laureate of Houston Symphony, Graf returns to the podium to lead the orchestra in a performance of works by Ravel and Debussy (that concert’s…
Jerusalem Quartet
Chamber Music Houston once again welcomes the Jerusalem Quartet. Together for some 11 years, the quartet — Alexander Pavlovsky and Sergei Bresler on violin, Ori Kam on viola and Kyril Zlotnikov on cello — keep up a heavy touring schedule that includes Sydney, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London and, we’re happy…
