21 Best Things to Do in Houston This Week: Jeff Bagwell Fever and White Linen Night
A Hard Day’s Night, Abilities Expo, Heist In the Heights and lots more.
Six Terrible Bar Trends Likely on the Way to Houston
Having just returned from the onslaught of incessant trendy libations and cocktail culture known as Tales of the Cocktail, which happened this year in New Orleans July 18-24, the Houston Press has gathered the most abhorrent trends that made themselves known in the worst way at the largest booze conference…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Atomic Blonde
By the end Charlize is so battered this could be a Die Hard sequel.
Openings and Closings: Bernie’s Burger Bus Rolls Into the Heights
Bernie’s Burger Bus is welcoming its third location at 2200 Yale in the Heights with a grand opening celebration slated for July 31, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. At 11 a.m., the restaurant will give away “The Principal” burgers for free to the first 100 guests, limit two per…
Houston’s Best Bets This Weekend: Meteor Showers Then The Wizard of Oz
We’re more then halfway through July, but in case you missed out on some summer fun, check out this weekend’s best bets to catch up.
The Mysteries of Antonioni’s Blow-Up, a Half Century on
Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up has pretty much the greatest, most legendary middle finger ending in all of cinema history: an imaginary tennis match between two mimes to conclude an oblique murder mystery. Somehow, it’s also an ideal finale to this most hypnotic parable of alienation — and a perfect example of…
First Look at Tarka Indian Kitchen
The almighty Wikipedia tells me that tarka can mean many things. It can indicate the name of a flute native to the Andes, for instance, or an antihypertensive medication or the last name of an Australian football star. It is the first name of a British musician, a type of alien…
The 39 Steps Goes Low Tech for Laughs
The setup: Whaddya get if you mix Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense with Monty Python’s humor? No, this isn’t the setup for a joke about British film/TV masters and their respective genres. Rather, the mashup is a fitting description for this year’s Alley Theatre murder mystery Summer Chills feature, The 39 Steps…
Alleged Houston Dog-Flipper Still Trolling Craigslist
A long-time alleged Houston-area dog-flipper is at it again: Tavarius Williams, who has a history of acquiring and selling dogs via Craigslist, recently posted an ad seeking “a furry companion,” although Williams’s Facebook includes pictures of poodles for sale. Humble resident Williams, a transgender woman who in 2015 advertised her…
Houston’s Tonya Evinger Looks for Big Upset at UFC 214
Walking into W4R Training Center in Tomball only provides a slight relief from the sweltering Texas heat. In the gym, multiple ceiling fans don’t so much cool the room as keep the steamy space from being too stagnant. About 15 students, all dripping with sweat, work on Brazillian jui-jitsu techniques…
Blue Öyster Cult’s 10 Best Songs
With this band, a Top 20 list would not be out of the question.
Where to Eat Vegetarian in Clear Lake and Nearby Cities
Every once in a while, people like to take a little break from beefy burgers and saucy barbecue and grab a little something on the lighter side. Just because you’re skimping on the meat doesn’t mean a boring salad is your only option. These days, many restaurants have meatless entrees…
Lamar Smith Says Climate Change Is a Good Thing
It is becoming more difficult to label U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith as a climate change denier. Perhaps climate change apologist, or even opportunist, may be more appropriate. Smith, a San Antonio Republican, has been an outspoken skeptic about human contributions to climate change for years from his perch as head…
Death Haunts a Funeral Home in Pilot Dance Project’s Requiem
Jennifer Mabus’s Requiem is a site-specific, 45-minute exploration of grief.
Ten Things to Do in Houston for $10 or Less (Six Free), July 27-August 2
Six of them are free.
A Look Back at Some of Texas’s Most Wild Misbehavin’ Judges
Every so often, whether through compassion or some degree of recklessness, judges can remind us they they, too, are everyday people—but it just so happens that it’s the reckless decisions that make headlines. They’ve been caught drinking and driving, lying, sexting, popping pills and, in one particularly crazy case, posting…
When the World Is Running Down, You Rank All the Police Albums
These are harsh times demanding action to cut through the hesitation and gridlock that plague our country.
I Was Raped by a Drunk Celebrity. Help!
What’s on your mind? What isn’t? Ask Willie D!
Crisp Brooklyn Ensemble Comedy Person to Person is Too Nice to Make Fun
The first surprise in Person to Person, a day-in-the-life-of ensemble indie, is that even though it opens with a fortyish beardo rousing from bed thrilled to spend a weekday chasing down a rare Charlie Parker LP, the movie is not a satire. In fact, that beardo later delivers a speech…
Houston Man Accused of Beating a Dog With a Crowbar
A Houston man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly wrapping a dog’s head in duct tape and beating it with a crowbar, according to a Harris County District Clerk press release. Dwain Ray Riley, 58, faces up to two years in state jail if convicted. He remains in…
In Houston’s Fifth Ward, Concern Over Superfund Site Grows With EPA Budget Cuts
Houston-area activists gathered on a street corner in the Fifth Ward on Tuesday, just across from the Many Diversified Interests Inc. Superfund site — which is currently under redevelopment after the federal Environmental Protection Agency allowed years to pass without cleaning up the lead-contaminated site, to announce that they are joining organizers…
Atomic Blonde: At Least the Fights Are Good
Officially, the brutish thriller Atomic Blonde takes place in Berlin just before and after the toppling of the Wall, in early November 1989. But this seismic event is really just a backdrop for another epochal marker: the decade that saw the birth of MTV and the height of New German…
Despite Warnings from Law Enforcement, Senate Passes Bathroom Bill
Even though law enforcement leaders from Texas’s largest cities said Tuesday that the bathroom bill was pointless and would do nothing to protect public safety or women’s privacy, Republican senators forged onward anyway. The bill passed on a 21-10 vote along party lines and will head to the House, where…
Rick Perry Pranked by Russian Comedy Duo Posing As Ukraine Prime Minister
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry is the butt of a Russian joke. It’s a pity, really. The former Texas governor and presidential wanna-be was putting his most statesman-like foot forward on a recent long call with the Ukrainian prime minister earlier this month. Perry talked about expanding American coal exports,…
DPS Gang Threat Report Finds State’s Most Dangerous Groups in Harris County
Back in February, the gang MS-13 made headlines after its members allegedly kidnapped and raped a teenage girl then killed her after she “made an outburst again the shrine dedicated to the gang member’s satanic beliefs,” Harris County prosecutors said. “This victim stated the leader of the group, Diabolico, was offended…
New Houston Happy Hours With Cheap Food Deals
Seems like every day new happy hours are popping up around H-Town. In fact, the Houston Press recently rounded up more than 20 of the best new happy hours to try this summer with great food in addition to drink deals. Restaurants including Pax Americana, Killen’s STQ and BLT are…
Lawsuit Argues Federal Marijuana Laws Are Arbitrary and Target Black People
A groundbreaking new lawsuit aims to force the feds to change their rules on cannabis. A group of marijuana activists and patients sued the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Justice on Tuesday, alleging that the federal government violates due process, along with the civil rights of African Americans,…
Netflix Flunks Out With Friends From College
Right now they’re not really the sort of friends you want to spend much, if any, time with.
Remembering Houston’s Video-Rental Mecca, Now Five Years Gone
It’s all streaming now, but places like Montrose’s Audio/Video Plus were once indispensable for Houston movie fans.
Living Colour’s Fierce New Record Throws Shade on Lesser Bands
“Lots of people don’t remember the band and may wonder if we’re still around,” laments bassist Doug Wimbish. Their loss.
Who’s Lining the Pockets of the State’s Top GOP Leaders?
Nobody wants to remember the time an East Texas millionaire named Lonnie Bo Pilgrim, a chicken processor, handed out 31 $10,000 checks on the Senate floor in Austin during a special session — when senators were set to consider worker’s comp laws that affected his business. The case made a laughingstock…
Acclaimed London Bartenders Bring ‘Trash Tiki’ to Ninja Ramen This Weekend
If one thing was apparent at the world’s largest booze industry conference Tales of the Cocktail, which we just happened to attend over the weekend in New Orleans, it’s that sustainability is currently at the forefront of the cocktail industry’s collective mindset. That’s a good thing, because it’s pretty evident…
How Do Texas Doctors Handle Pot Smoking Patients? Carefully.
Brian woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed, his stomach muscles still aching from being forced to vomit up the pills he’d used to try and kill himself. He knew it was time to see a psychiatrist, and get over his fear of how a doctor would react to the fact…
Houston’s Ruiners Get Straight to the Point With Dischord-Style Punk
The Houston’ four-piece’s caffeinated take on wiry rhythms, skronk chords, and shouting is catching a lot of buzz.
All Hail Drag Artist Violet S’Arbleu, Miss Gay Texas America 2017
Everything’s turning up roses for local drag entertainer Violet S’Arbleu, aka Jacob Chaput, who recent won the title of Miss Gay Texas America.
10 Best Things We Ate This Month, July 2017
It’s the end of July, and that means it’s time to take a look back on the dishes we have been obsessing over all month. From Chinese pastries to Tex Mex staples, this month is not lacking for diversity. On the list you’ll Italian, Vietnamese, modern American, Hawaiian, Spanish, soul…
It’s Never Been Easier to Love Mediocre Music
If you want to hear “Fly” or “Every Morning,” cue up Spotify or hit up your local karaoke joint.
You Can Totally Get a Free McDonald’s Onesie Delivered Tomorrow Morning
In a country that has a National Day for pretty much everything, tomorrow, Wednesday, July 26, happens to be Global Delivery Day, or rather Global McDelivery Day as McDonald’s calls it. While these so-called national days are always just a big old ploy to draw attention to things humans can…
Amazon’s The Last Tycoon Makes Fitzgerald’s Hollywood Into Standard TV
The Last Tycoon premieres July 28 on Amazon Prime Here’s how a fan magazine might profile the hero of The Last Tycoon (Amazon), played by Matt Bomer. His name belongs in marquees, but he deserves a place somewhere higher. Monroe Stahr toils as an angel on Earth, making dreams come…
Houston’s Acevedo, Texas Big City Chiefs Blast Bathroom Bill at Capitol
Standing in front of the state capitol Tuesday morning, Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo blasted the proposed bathroom bills legislators are debating in the special session. “It’d a bad law, it’s bad political theater, and at the end of the day it’s bad for Texas,” Acevedo said. He was…
Senate Rips Through Abbott’s Priorities, Passes Six Bills Monday
On Monday in the Texas Senate, the chamber’s to-do list was 19 bills long. The 31 senators put in about 10 hours, tentatively passing six of the bills, including those related to abortion requirements, school finance and property taxes. Meanwhile, in the House, lawmakers met for a full 58 minutes…
Why Juice Is a Classic Movie With a Bad Ending
The finest acting role of Tupac’s brief film career undermines itself with a bogus ending.
Doughnuts Better Than Krispy Kreme? Check out Richmond Donuts
There’s something to be said about corporate coffee and chain restaurants: Generally speaking, they will offer a comfortable and consistent experience, so that you know before you go what you’re going to get. The beauty of finding a hidden gem spot, however, is getting a dose of the unexpected: You…
A So-Called “Snowflake” Speaks His Mind
An individual snowflake might not have a lot of power, a whole bunch can crush a building.
Upcoming: Billy Joe Shaver, Deerhoof, Kenny Rogers, Modest Mouse, Ozomatli, Run the Jewels, Soulfly, Tigerlily, etc.
A constantly updated guide to upcoming concerts in the Greater Houston area.
Grand Jury Indicts Houston Dentist Bethaniel Jefferson in Child’s Near-Death
More than a year after Neveah Hall was rushed in an ambulance from a Houston dental office to an emergency room after a sedation procedure went severely wrong and the child, then 4, was deprived of oxygen, Dr. Bethaniel Jefferson, the dentist in charge of Hall’s care, has been indicted…
How to Not Get Killed When Driving With a Gun in Texas
You’re driving south on I-69 in Houston. You can see the downtown skyline in your rear-view mirror. Suddenly, the lights of a police car flash and you remember that you – a legal gun owner – are carrying your firearm in the car. What do you? How do you explain…
The Jury Is Still Out On the Legacy of 2000s-Era Rock
Lacking a distinct identity (or two), the 2000s were a weird time for music in general.
Bacon Bros. Public House Has Several Successes, But Maybe Not the Barbecue
Our eyes widened at the sight of three full corncobs, slathered with a mixture of cotija cheese, lime crema, smoked poblano and fresh cilantro, delivered to our table. Did she mistakenly think we’d asked for three orders of the elote? Nope, there was no error. At $5, the Mexican street…
50 Houston Music People We Love
…but there could have easily been 50 more.
Menashe Makes Slacker Comedy out of Orthodox Life
On a crowded Brooklyn street, an Orthodox Jew adjusts his yarmulke, a tefillin bag under his arm. He speaks on a smartphone and practically struts. The man, as dandified as one can look in a black suit and a white shirt, is a red herring in Menashe. Several other Brooklynites,…
The Al Gore Sequel is More a Tragedy Than an Inconvenience
It’s hard to imagine a less promising film title than An Inconvenient Sequel. Maybe Another Imposition Upon Your Time? It’s clear, in the opening minutes, as we watch him shake off the slights and smears of his critics, that Al Gore is too savvily upbeat a technocrat to give the…
Jessica Williams Is Starring in a Romantic Comedy, but Sadly It’s Not Good Enough to Save 2017
The Incredible Jessica James premieres July 28 on Netflix Sometimes critics and filmmakers agree. We suggested, in our 2015 review of People Places Things, that writer-director James Strouse should please give more screen time to supporting actor Jessica Williams. Now, in his new rom-com for Netflix, The Incredible Jessica James,…
Harris County Deputy Accused in Slaying Outside Denny’s Has Been Fired
Chauna Thompson, the sheriff’s deputy accused of killing a Houston man in May, has been fired, according to news release sent out by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. “We will learn from the tragic death of John Hernandez,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in the statement. The family of the victim,…
Why are Texas Major College Football Teams so Mediocre?
So what happened to college football in the state of Texas? That’s what Deadspin asked last week, wanting to know why the so-called power teams in the state have fallen on hard times. The best way to answer that is to simply remind people of the story of Icarus, the…
Houston Woman Charged in “Virtual Kidnapping” Scam
You’re going about your day when you get a call from a stranger with a Mexican phone number, and the caller tells you your daughter has been kidnapped, and unless you pay a ransom, your child’s fingers will be cut off. What do you do? Freaked-out parents in Texas, California…
With His Fans Behind Him, Shawn Mendes Will Only Get Bigger and Better
A pop star still in that “potential for greatness” stage of his career.
Insecure Is HBO’s Sharpest Returning Show
Every situation that befalls the cast could legit play out in daily life.
New App Shows How Houston Has Sunk Over Time
Houston likely won’t be sinking into the Gulf of Mexico anytime soon, but if residents ever want to see just how it close it is getting, or track areas to beware of in the future, now there’s a handy resource online. A new web tool from the U.S. Geological Survey…
Screaming at the Symphony With Harry Potter
The audience participation was a little unexpected.
Logic Offers Safe, Youth-Pastor Rap at Revention Center
America’s safest rapper is real, but his message needs a little work.
Shows of the Week: Poizon, Yet Another Great H-Town Swamp-Punk Band
The livest live music in the Bayou City for the third full week of July 2017.
Mail Carriers in Houston, Second to L.A. in Dog Bites, Are Always on Their Toes
Addie Harris sees aggressive dogs almost every day, but the first time one actually attacked her was in January. The 54-year-old postwoman was delivering mail to a house in north Houston when a border collie escaped through a neighbor’s fence and lunged at her. Harris tried to shield herself with…
Behind the Movement to Rebuild “Black Wall Street” Here in Houston
One of the cornerstones of the so-called New Civil Rights Movement is keeping money within the black community.
Houston Rockers Debate “Killing Your Own Scene”
“I’d like to see shows where the bands feel appreciated.”
Charmingly Dark Comedy Brigsby Bear Echoes the ’80s in the Best Possible Way
In the 1980s, four-quadrant studio comedies (i.e. for the whole family) peddled in relentlessly dark premises that directors then brightened up with wholesomeness: Three Men and a Baby features an orphaned infant who is mistakenly given away to drug dealers; Ghostbusters boasts multiple fatalities at the hands of an accountant…
Where’s the Fun in Dead Rockstar Sing-A-Long?
The set up: 2016 sucked a big flaming pile of you know what if you were a music fan. In what seemed like an endless barrage of death notices, we lost some of our most beloved and critically acclaimed hit makers, thought provokers, shape shifters and just plain wanna make…
After Council Members Raise Stink Over Recycling Contract, Turner Reopens Bidding
After grumbles about a foul deal, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Friday that he will re-open bidding for the city’s next curbside recycling company, hoping to ease concerns raised by members of City Council earlier this week about the proposed contract. FCC, who originally landed the deal last month, and Waste…
Senators’ Bill to Help Young Undocumented Immigrants May Thwart Paxton’s Plans
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton may want to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program protecting undocumented immigrants who came here as children from deportation. But that may soon become a pointless endeavor, as Congress on Thursday unveiled a bipartisan bill that would create a permanent program for those…
DJ Shadow, Sampling Icon and Master Beatmaker, Reigns Supreme
“To me, paying $30 for an LP that’s probably going to sit on my shelf isn’t worth it.”
Trae Tha Truth and Drake Own Your Weekend Plans
The confluence of two beloved annual events is a boon for charities and clever IG captions.
NASA Looking to Kickstarter to Restore the JSC’s Historic Mission Control
NASA’s Johnson Space Center historic Mission Operations Control Room, used during the Gemini, Apollo and shuttle eras, is in acute need of restoration, so of course NASA is spending its hard-won federal funding dollars to preserve this treasured site, the spot where the best and brightest helped astronauts walk on…
Texas Abortion Providers Launch Another Round of Court Battles Over Restrictions
Just a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down stringent abortion restrictions passed by the Texas Legislature in 2013, Planned Parenthood, other abortion providers and the Center for Reproductive Rights have launched a new abortion court battle against the state. The Legislators recently passed a law, Senate Bill 8,…
15-Year-Old Rockers The Contagious Are Ready to Go
Within a few songs, the teenage trio contradicts two of the biggest misconceptions attached to young bands.
Chester Bennington and Linkin Park Deserved More Credit Than They Got
His band was much more than simple rap-rock.
Federal Judge Rules Extreme Texas Prison Heat Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment
For decades of Texas summers, prisoners of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have lived in heat they described as equivalent to “walking out to your car in the middle of the summertime,” to “getting into a hot box in the sun.” They have often slept on the concrete because…
Death of HISD Trustee Manuel Rodriguez Leaves Hole on School Board
Manuel Rodriguez Jr., the longest serving current member of the Houston ISD school board who died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack at age 65, leaves an unexpected hole on the school board which has seen a lot of changes in the past year with the departures of longtime board…
