21 Best Things to Do in Houston This Week: Mouseketeer Royalty and a Pup Crawl
Tuesday, March 14 Set in 1860s Siam (now Thailand), The King and I tells the story of a British schoolteacher who travels to that country at the request of the king (played by Jose Llana) to teach the monarch’s many wives and children. Houston audiences will have a chance to…
Ten Things to Do in Houston for $10 or Less (Eight Free), March 9-15
Some of us (mostly type A folks who were busy filing tax returns instead of embracing the Super Bowl frenzy) are starting to see IRS refunds deposited in accounts this week. For the rest of us, we’re still on the lookout for cool ways to have fun in the Bayou…
Todd Waite Prepares to Play God at the Alley Theatre
This is a God who likes theatricality, in fact so much that he’s decided to deliver his new Ten Commandments to audiences through his intermediaries and wingmen (groan) the archangels Gabriel (John Feltch)) and Michael (Emily Trask). Todd Waite has never played God before but that’s what he will be…
How to Get the Best Steakhouse Experience
Robard’s Chef Sammy Holmes and General Manager Chris Perry help share some advice on how to make the most out of your steakhouse experience.
21 Best Things to Do in Houston This Week: Rodeo, Regatta and a Burlesque Festival
Tuesday, March 7 Prairie View A&M provides the goats and Houston provides the talent for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Celebrity Dairy Goat Milking Contest, a frantic 60 seconds of morning radio hosts, TV personalities and journalists vying for the title of Milker Supreme. Self-professed city girl Rhonda O’Donovan,…
The Art of Mobile-Phone Movies Is Real
Who cares if you’ve never made a movie? Give it a shot. It might actually turn out pretty good. That’s where Rec Room cofounders Stephanie Wittel-Wachs and Matt Hune are coming from. They both teach for a living so they’re all about can-do, not can-don’t. “Everyone can be creative and…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Lobster Friday and Bar-B-Que
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings, featuring lobster, crawfish and barbecue: Lobster Friday at Bernie’s Burger Bus Friday, 11 a.m. until sold out 5407 Bellaire; 2643 Commercial Center Ring in Lent with Bernie’s Burger Bus’s fan-favorite Lobster Friday. Both the Bellaire and Katy locations will be serving…
NFL Combine: 12 Players That Houston Texans Fans Should Watch
NFL offseason shopping season is upon us! Free agency will begin in about a week, and after that, we have a month and change until the NFL Draft. The first real step of the draft process has already begun, with next season’s rookies already rolling into Indianapolis over the last…
Top 10 Overrated Contemporary Writers
We’ve read something by all of the authors on this list. For the most part, we’re into whatever they’ve published, whether it’s a novel, short fiction or an essay collection. Which means this list isn’t some sort of Spanish Inquisition-ish and tearing down of these scribes. It’s just that these…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Celebrate Lent with Fish Fridays
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings, from crawfish on the patio to a way to earn free pie: Last year, the Anvil team took over the Chicago tiki bar, Lost Lake, and themed the pop-up a “Texas Tiki Disco.“ Since Anvil is…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Rodeo Kickoff and Cinderella
Taking in Houston’s delights doesn’t cost a fortune so with plenty of events to choose from there’s no reason to stay trapped in doors this weekend. With a city that’s known for it’s diversity it’s culural events are no different pick your poison between the rodeo or fairy tale classic Cinderella come to life.
Openings & Closings: Welcome Second Locations of Creamistry and Gyu-kaku
Gyu-kaku soft opened at its second location at 11301 Katy Freeway in the Memorial area on February 19. A representative told the Houston Press that the new store will be very similar to the Midtown location with the exception of the signature cocktail list. The Memorial store will focus more…
Huntsville’s Hammer Party Swing Into Action With ‘Face-Punching’ EP
The trio’s hybrid of garage-punk and surf-rock breathes some fresh air into Huntsville’s thick country-music atmosphere.
Four Casual New Restaurants for Your Weekend
The weekend is once again upon us, and in Houston, that means a bazillion new restaurants have just opened. Okay, maybe not a bazillion. But, anyways, here are two new eateries and two major new revamps that just debuted in the past week. Again, they’re all pretty casual. Nothing that…
Doctor Who: A Guide for Moffat Haters Who Want to Return
Warning: Spoilers ahead I’ve known a fair few people who have stopped watching Doctor Who over that last several seasons because of the heavy hand of showrunner Steven Moffat, particularly when it comes to his writing of women. Now look, I’m not going argue the point one way or another…
Houston Texans Opt for No Franchise Tag on CB A.J. Bouye
The deadline for NFL teams to slap the franchise tag on a player was Wednesday at 3 p.m. local time. So, yesterday 3 p.m. came and went, and when the dust settled, there were seven NFL teams that used the tag in an effort to hang onto these players, or…
McRaven’s Folly: UT Backs Out of Plan to Build Houston Campus
Leave it to an old sailor to recognize a sinking ship. After getting crossways with many residents and lawmakers in Houston, the University of Texas on Wednesday scrapped plans to build a campus here, the flagship school announced. McRaven did not appear to realize he would upset state legislators and…
The Chopstars’ Purple Moonlight Mixtape Is Utterly Brilliant
How a Miami film director’s love of a Houston sound led to an Academy Award-style soundtrack remix.
The Surprising Origins of These Beloved Texas Songs
Happy Texas Independence Day!
SUSTO’s Justin Osborne Has Finally Found Life’s Middle Ground
With age and maturity on his side, SUSTO frontman Justin Osborne is finding peace in music.
I Want an Open Marriage. Help!
What’s on your mind? What isn’t? Ask Willie D!
Wedding Comedy Table 19 Looks Like It Can’t Miss, but Finds a Way
How could this not work? Table 19 boasts the right premise and a top-shelf cast: Anna Kendrick, Stephen Merchant, June Squibb, Craig Robinson and the great Lisa Kudrow as the randos consigned to a wedding reception’s least choice table, the one way in the back by the bathrooms. Mostly strangers…
Police Make Arrest in Slaying of 8-Year-Old DeMaree Atkins
Flanked by the mayor at City Hall on Wednesday, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced officers had made an arrest in the shooting death of eight-year-old DeMaree Atkins. A 19-year-old faces charges after police say he shot Atkins after a car accident on Beltway 8 early Saturday morning. Acevedo declined to…
Watch List: Here’s All the TV Not to Miss in March
It’s March! Time to celebrate spring by staying inside and watching more TV! National Treasure (Hulu), March 1Originally a UK Channel 4 miniseries, this is a four-hour deep-dive into rape and sexual assault allegations against a beloved celebrity comedian. Sound familiar? I have some apprehension that it’ll try too hard…
Texas Lawmaker Files Bill to Lift “Ridiculously Anti-Competitive” Ban on Out-of-State Wine Sales
Last week, in a move that took wine industry observers by surprise, Texas state lawmaker Matt Rinaldi, a Republican from Dallas County, filed a bill that would lift a long-standing ban prohibiting out-of-state retailers from shipping wines to consumers here. Currently, it is illegal for an out-of-state wine shop to…
A Good Guy’s Darkness: Relishing Bill Paxton in One False Move and A Simple Plan
Movie actors intend no less than to live forever, a goal that seems likely for the ever-likable, endlessly surprising Bill Paxton, who died last weekend at age 61 from complications following heart surgery. (Too damn soon.) No softie, Paxton created memorable movie villains, including the loves-his-work vampire in Near Dark…
Houston’s Winter-That-Wasn’t Ends With a Whimper
On paper, Houston had a winter. Check the calendar and yup, they were there — the 89 days between December 1 and February 28 that meteorologists consider the coldest season. And yet if you happened to blink, you may have missed the few days southeast Texas experienced cold weather. A…
Costing County Taxpayers $1.2 Million, Bail Lawsuit Set for Historic Hearing
Ten months and $1.2 million in taxpayer dollars later, there’s a chance the lawsuit accusing Harris County’s bail system of jailing poor people before trial simply because they can’t afford bail may finally come to a close. In a hearing beginning on Monday, civil rights groups will argue on behalf…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Logan
Because Logan is everything we complain comic book movies aren’t: it’s contemplative and poignant, and there are depths to these characters only hinted at in earlier films. There’s also a real sense of closure, unlike the perpetual post-credits “THE END(?)” garbage we see in the MCU.
Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Bloodiest of Games in Houston Exhibit
Our present-day fascination with combat sports hearkens back to the Roman Empire when as many as 80,000 bloodthirsty spectators would gather to watch the wild beasts and gladiatorial games. While the bribe of bread and circuses wouldn’t work today – we can’t be so easily distracted that we would ever ignore…
10 Best NFL QB “Late Career” Changes of Scenery
If your team makes a deal, either in free agency or via trade, to bring in a quarterback who’s on the north side of 30, the immediate question is simple — does this guy still have a really good season or two in the tank? This will be the first…
SpaceX Plans to Send Two Tourists to the Moon Next Year
Well, never let it be said that SpaceX does things in a small way. They’ve decided to take a moonshot, and not only are they going to be sending the first humans into deep space in more than 40 years, they’re going to send up the first space tourists. What…
Love, Leaving Love Cloud Jack Freeman’s Spotless Mind
Jack Freeman’s music is for lovers and love haters.
Advice: People Who Type “LOL” After Every Comment Aren’t There to Actually Talk
There’s no doubt that the Internet has forever changed the way we communicate, and just like any new form of expression talking with folks brings with it its own new set of red flags. In the last column I wrote on Internet behavior, we discussed how phrases like “I would…
Green Day’s 10 Best Songs That Never Made It to Radio
Some of Green Day’s best work never appeared on rock radio stations.
Brendon Anthony Has Big Plans for the Texas Music Industry
The Director of the Texas Music Office discusses a number of the agency’s initiatives, and Houston’s role within them.
Houston’s 12 Best Concerts in March
There’s a lot more music than just the rodeo going on in Houston this month.
Shirley MacLaine Dominates the Life-Lesson Indie The Last Word
Shirley MacLaine has been described by press and co-stars over the years as “rude,” “nasty,” “difficult” and “selfish.” Hell, she’s called herself impatient, caustic and much worse. None of that has stopped her from being a fiery mainstay in American screwball comedies and dramas. Her signature pixie cut came to…
Two Houston Officers Shot, One Suspect Dead As Armed Burglar Remains at Large
After two police officers were shot and one suspect was killed while police responded to a burglary, areas of southwest Houston near Bellfort and Beltway 8 remained on lockdown for much of Tuesday afternoon as police searched for a suspect on the loose. He has not yet been found. Around…
Krisp Bird & Batter Lands at Richmond and Fountain View With Fried Chicken Sandwiches Galore
Say you’re obsessed with fried chicken sandwiches. Say you’re also kind of conflicted when it comes to eating them— be it a personal vendetta against calories, a disdain for fast food ethics, or perhaps, more importantly, a deep-seated terror about how the chicken has been raised. Then you’ll be happy…
Harris County DA to Wait Another 60 Days to Decide Whether to Re-Try David Temple
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said she will postpone making a decision on retrying David Temple for murder for at least 60 days. A hearing on the Temple matter is scheduled for Friday, a day after Ogg will attend a fundraiser co-hosted by two of Temple’s original defense attorneys…
Introducing the Dueling Chefs for the 2017 Menu of Menus Iron Fork Competition
On Tuesday, April 4, Houston food fanatics will come together for one of the tastiest nights of the year, the 15th Annual Houston Press Menu of Menus® Extravaganza. Guests will enjoy tastings from more than 40 local restaurants, alongside wine, beer and cocktail samplings from 7 to 10 p.m. at Silver…
To Trump, Milo, the Media and the Democrats: Bill Maher Is the Best Disinfectant
Bill Maher’s not new to this whole comedy game, but still, the liberal-minded soothsayer is making the news and making people think. Most recently, the stand-up comic and 14-year host of HBO’s Real Time took some flack for booking Brietbart writer and prominent Alt-Righter Milo Yiannopoulos on his show – a move Maher…
Here Are the Likely NFL QBs (for the Teams That Need Them)
If you’re reading this, there is a good chance that you live in the city of Houston, and if that’s the case, then this time of year on the football calendar has felt eerily familiar for the better part of the last four off-seasons, where the search for a starting…
Sozo Sushi & Lounge Is Lovely To Look At, With a Menu That’s Not Particularly Adventurous
When the server says that “everything” is her favorite item on the menu, you secretly roll your eyes and order one of the most mundane dishes to check for execution and delivery. Yes, we ordered the calamari. Score, it’s on the happy hour menu for $7, a buck less than…
Overkill Break Out of Thrash Box With The Grinding Wheel
The East Coast thrash vets are not quite used to seeing stage divers at their shows.
Trump Administration Pulls Out of Texas Voter ID Lawsuit
In an about face, the U.S. Department of Justice is pulling out of the voter ID lawsuit filed against Texas, accusing its restrictive 2011 voter ID law of being intentionally discriminatory against minority voters. Under the leadership of President Donald Trump’s new Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the feds dropped the…
Your RodeoHouston 2017 Lineup, One Night at a Time
20 concerts, 21 performers, 10 RodeoHouston debuts. Let’s do this.
Most Diverse RodeoHouston Lineup Yet Saves Room for Traditional Country
Booking one of the world’s biggest entertainment events is no easy feat.
Polish Mermaid Musical The Lure Gets Joyously Nasty
Agnieszka Smoczynska’s The Lure is a cautionary tale of sisterhood, sexuality, and the sometimes self-destructive things people do for love. The film, which won the award for best debut at the Gdynia Film Festival, is also a diabolically wicked Polish-language musical about two beautiful mermaids who climb ashore in Warsaw…
Onur Tukel’s Catfight Is the Perfect Movie for Our Age of Rage
No, it’s not just you. There’s definitely something in the air. In recent weeks we’ve had a dumb comedy about teachers beating each other silly, a superhero flick with a seriously high body count and a gangster thriller in which Keanu Reeves personally shoots, maims and stabs approximately 8,943 people…
With a Stellar Lead, Before I Fall Breaks the Life-on-a-Loop Template
There’s a reason Zoey Deutch is often “the girl” in comedies. Her face expresses multitudes, and the funny guys need a woman with priceless reactions to sell their punch lines. She’s endured dick jokes for Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in Dirty Grandpa, played oblivious straight woman to the…
La La Land Is a Propaganda Film
The one thing I know for sure is that most Oscar voters don’t care that a film as seemingly pleasant as Damien Chazelle’s modern musical La La Land has proven so divisive. Even as lyrics from “City of Stars” have become inspirational memes, artists like songwriter Elon Rutberg are calling…
Transgender Boy Wins Girls State Wrestling Championship
Making history and sparking controversy this weekend, a transgender boy from Trinity High School in Euless won the girls state wrestling championship for the first time. Mack Beggs, who began transitioning from female to male two years ago and takes testosterone injections, went undefeated against girls all season before winning gold…
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Artists Pull Out of Houston Whatever Fest After Ill-Advised Transgender Comments [Updated]
Both sides now said to be working toward an acceptable resolution.
The Winners of 2017 Rodeo Houston’s Uncorked! Best Bites Competition
Last night, a sold-out crowd of about 6,000 packed the NRG Center for the 14th annual Uncorked! Best Bites Competition, the tasty lead-in to Rodeo Houston’s impending food onslaught, landing at NRG Park pretty much all month long in March. While folks noshed on dishes from 110 restaurants and sampled…
Improving Owls Win 20 Games for First Time Since 2004
Saturday night’s Rice game against Louisiana Tech offered up a little bit of everything. The action on the court was fast, featuring alley-oops and long three pointers. There were shot blocks and hard fouls. Fans were ejected. A Louisiana Tech player attempted to go into the stands after a fan…
Dish of the Week: Beignets
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a New Orleans favorite to jump-start your Fat Tuesday: beignets. Its name derived from the early Celtic word bigne, meaning…
2017 NFL Fantasy Crime League: Ravens Safety Scores Big With Drug Arrest
Sometimes, timing is everything. Soon-to-be free agent safety Matt Elam is about to find that out the hard way, after his arrest early Sunday morning on multiple drug charges with some reckless driving (the impetus of the arrest) sprinkled in. In case you’re not up to speed on the Baltimore…
Anticipated Trattoria Osso & Kristalla Lands Downtown
Houston Astros owner and Italian food enthusiast Jim Crane just debuted his high-end eatery Potente back in early February. Now the second (and more anticipated) of his two sister restaurants, Osso & Kristalla, is open in the 500 Crawford building at 1515 Texas as well. The casual trattoria features an open…
Huggy Lowdown’s Stop in H-Town Means Headline News Is Funny Again
Commander in Tweet. Trumplethinskin. Orange Luscious. Funnyman Huggy Lowdown says he has 1,000 names for President Trump (which lets his usual celebrity targets off the hook for the time being), and points to the new administration as unleashing a whole plethora of new material. “This, that, life and where we…
Kim Ogg’s Frightening Conflict of Interest
On the night of March 2, Brian Lucas probably won’t get much sleep — he’ll be nervous about the court hearing the following morning, the one for David Temple, the man who was previously convicted of killing Lucas’s pregnant sister in 1999, and who was granted a new trial late…
Crossover Kings Power Trip and Iron Reagan Rip It Up at Walters
Dallas’ Power Trip returned to a familiar Houston haunt on Friday with a new album to drop(kick).
Shows of the Week: Valerie June Grows Out Her Organic Moonshine Roots
The livest live music in the Bayou City for the last days of February and into March 2017.
Havok’s Orwellian Themes Put Political Punch in Classic Thrash
The Denver-based thrash upstarts draw on George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 for their new album, Conformicide.
Will Anything Ever Actually Happen to the Astrodome?
When it opened in 1965, the Astrodome was hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Now it’s a vacant building taking up space — and collecting no revenue — on the NRG campus. Since then, Harris County politicians and voters can’t seem to agree on what to do with…
Eight-Year-Old Shot to Death on Sam Houston Parkway Early Saturday
A young girl was shot and killed early Saturday morning at the intersection of Sam Houston Parkway and Fuqua Street. In a statement Saturday afternoon, Houston police said officers have learned two to three vehicles were speeding southbound on Fuqua around 2 a.m. when one of the vehicles, a Pontiac,…
Let the Right One In at the Alley Terrifies and Enthralls at the Alley Theatre
I’ve never truly understood the appeal of vampires. Sure, I love the folklore and the Transylvanian backstory, even though Romania’s Borgo Pass in reality looks nothing like the blasted craggy heath from so many horror movies. I like the costume: evening wear with opera cape looks mighty attractive on Bela…
On an Audacious Girls, Lena Dunham Harpoons the Great White Novelists and Auteurs
A stylized painting of Woody Allen, a golden gun to his forehead, stares down at Hannah Horvath (Lena Dunham) in the astonishing third episode the final season of Girls. She’s seated in the study of a best-selling wunderkind novelist, planted in the middle of his sofa while he faces her,…
The Dancing in An American in Paris Saves Everything
At the glorious conclusion to An American in Paris, no one at the Hobby will look askance when you dance up the aisle. Dancing is absolutely required. This melodious musical, “inspired by” the splendid Oscar-winning MGM movie that starred Gene Kelly as leading man and choreographer, is a thrilling theatrical…
Landry’s Must Pay Animal Welfare Group Over White Tiger Dispute
Landry’s must pay an animal welfare organization it sued for defamation $450,000 in sanctions, a Harris County District Judge ruled Wednesday, upon dismissing the case. The restaurant empire had sued the Animal League Defense Fund and two individual advocates last November over their allegations of mistreatment of white tigers on…
A Local McDonald’s Is Giving Away These Crazy Milkshake Straws Today
The McDonald’s at 1302 Westheimer in Montrose is giving away limited-edition straws designed by areospace and robotic engineers today, February 24, at 11 a.m. to the first ten customers to order the new Chocolate Shamrock Shake. The company has only released 2,000 of these high-tech ‘STRAWs,’ or Suction Tube for…
Trump AG Rescinds Obama Decision to Stop Use of Private Prisons
Reversing yet another Obama administration decision, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday that the federal government would resume the use of private, for-profit prisons. Only six months ago, then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates had asked the Federal Bureau of Prisons to phase out its use of the controversial prisons…
Sting Is a Star Who Doesn’t Mind If Everyone Else Shines Too
A very loose-feeling show by a superstar not afraid to share the stage.
Behind the Scenes With the Houston Ballet and Cinderella
With no orchestra as cover and no distance at all from onlookers, the most striking thing about a dance rehearsal with the Houston Ballet is the noise. Onomatopoeia reigns as dancers pound their way across the floor – accompanied by the occasional grunt and heavy puff of breath. If this…
After Harris County Moves Away From Pot Enforcement, White House Hints at Crackdown
The top spokesman for President Donald Trump hinted Thursday that the federal government would ramp up enforcement of marijuana laws, a shot across the bow to cities and states which have decriminalized the drug. Though Texas has yet to permit recreational marijuana use, a crackdown from the federal government could…
Ranking the Eight Teams That Cannot Say “No” to Hard Knocks
I don’t know if my opinion represents the majority, but I’m a big enough fan of the award-winning HBO series Hard Knocks that it falls into the same category as pizza or free beer or sex (yeah, I said it!), where even a subpar season of Hard Knocks is still not…
Ed Emmett Can’t Find What Is Wrong With NRG Stadium
When it comes to the Astrodome and NRG Stadium, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett finds himself a bit confused. He believed he had found a way to save and repurpose a county asset without having to raise taxes, and he was under the impression that NRG Stadium is a fantastic…
Rocky Banks Learns How to Trust in Himself
Rocky Banks’ walk to redemption continues.
ICE Detains Salvadoran Immigrant During Annual Check-in in Houston
Jose Escobar took his wife, Rose, and their two-year-old daughter to IHOP for pancakes the morning he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Escobar, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was killing time. He had just come from what he expected to be a short, regular annual check-in…
Hey Pocky Way: Essential Mardi Gras Listening
It’s Mardi Gras weekend — please report to the second line.
HISD Student Killed Defending His Mom During Robbery at Houston Subway
A teenage student died defending his mother during an armed robbery at a Houston Subway, police said Thursday. The 18-year-old, Javier Flores, and his mother both worked as clerks at the Subway on Broadway Street in southeast Houston, just off I-45. According to the Houston Police Department, two armed robbers…
