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Best AM Radio Personality

Paul Berlin

In 1950, 19-year-old Paul Berlin came to Houston and became an immediate success as a DJ. Back then, he promoted concerts and dances with the likes of Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and the Platters. Today he takes the knowledge he's gained over the course of his life and applies it to his midday gig at KBME. From 10:30 a.m. till 2 p.m. weekdays, you can swing to the sounds of yesteryear -- from Sinatra to Patsy Cline to Sonny & Cher -- and brush up on your music trivia at the same time. Paul drops facts about pretty much every cut he plays, and generally adds a personal anecdote for good measure. He's also a jokester with miles of personality who has the ability to take his listeners back to a better day for radio, before all the computers took over. Berlin has been honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and is also a nominee for the Marconi Award and the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. In October 2002, Berlin was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. After 50-some-odd years, he remains a distinctive voice on our local airwaves.

Best AM Radio Personality

Paul Berlin

In 1950, 19-year-old Paul Berlin came to Houston and became an immediate success as a DJ. Back then, he promoted concerts and dances with the likes of Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and the Platters. Today he takes the knowledge he's gained over the course of his life and applies it to his midday gig at KBME. From 10:30 a.m. till 2 p.m. weekdays, you can swing to the sounds of yesteryear -- from Sinatra to Patsy Cline to Sonny & Cher -- and brush up on your music trivia at the same time. Paul drops facts about pretty much every cut he plays, and generally adds a personal anecdote for good measure. He's also a jokester with miles of personality who has the ability to take his listeners back to a better day for radio, before all the computers took over. Berlin has been honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and is also a nominee for the Marconi Award and the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. In October 2002, Berlin was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. After 50-some-odd years, he remains a distinctive voice on our local airwaves.

Best New Magazine

Rap Illustrated

There's not enough written on Houston's thriving independent rap scene. A few local magazines and newspapers have come and gone, and the major hip-hop rags haven't given up much ink on anyone from H-town but the Geto Boys. So it's about time that someone local stepped up to document the happenings within one of the world's biggest rap markets. Rap Illustrated is Houston-centric, but it also delves into other regions in the South. It doesn't worry about the major labels -- this magazine's focus is independence. Billed as "the First Mix-Tape Magazine," each issue comes with a CD with at least 15 new songs from some of the hottest names in underground hip-hop, mostly from Houston. The mag itself is printed on heavy glossy paper, and the photography and layouts are outstanding.

Best New Magazine

Rap Illustrated

There's not enough written on Houston's thriving independent rap scene. A few local magazines and newspapers have come and gone, and the major hip-hop rags haven't given up much ink on anyone from H-town but the Geto Boys. So it's about time that someone local stepped up to document the happenings within one of the world's biggest rap markets. Rap Illustrated is Houston-centric, but it also delves into other regions in the South. It doesn't worry about the major labels -- this magazine's focus is independence. Billed as "the First Mix-Tape Magazine," each issue comes with a CD with at least 15 new songs from some of the hottest names in underground hip-hop, mostly from Houston. The mag itself is printed on heavy glossy paper, and the photography and layouts are outstanding.

Best Nightlife Trend

Bike rides

It comes as some surprise that an increasing number of just-turned-bar-legal adults are turning to night-time cycling rather than partying. You can see them, thrift-store-outfitted, cruising the Montrose in intimate packs, looking like defiant, asexual Morrisseys on sparkly retro two-wheelers. Riders usually alert folks of their intentions on public Internet message boards, like www.handsuphouston.com. And after stocking a portable CD/MP3 player with Belle & Sebastian songs, they meet at the arranged supermarket parking lot and proceed to get their ride on. It's unknown what happens afterward. For the sake of youth, it better be a drunken orgy.

Best Nightlife Trend

Bike rides

It comes as some surprise that an increasing number of just-turned-bar-legal adults are turning to night-time cycling rather than partying. You can see them, thrift-store-outfitted, cruising the Montrose in intimate packs, looking like defiant, asexual Morrisseys on sparkly retro two-wheelers. Riders usually alert folks of their intentions on public Internet message boards, like www.handsuphouston.com. And after stocking a portable CD/MP3 player with Belle & Sebastian songs, they meet at the arranged supermarket parking lot and proceed to get their ride on. It's unknown what happens afterward. For the sake of youth, it better be a drunken orgy.

Best Comedian

Chingo Bling

If anyone else in the world tried to do what Chingo Bling does, it wouldn't work. But he's got the shtick down pat. This comedic genius has taken the Latino hip-hop community by storm and is sure to cross over to the mainstream. When Chingo strolls on stage wearing his ostrich boots with the pimped-out Nike swoosh, tight black jeans, a Virgin Mary shirt, a black cowboy hat, plenty of platinum chains and a belt buckle bigger than a Spanish Flower chimichanga, you can't help but laugh before the guy even opens his mouth. He's like the Weird Al of hip-hop, reworking popular rap tunes into tales of getting rich in the tamale game, rolling with his pet rooster (which he does generally bring with him to his gigs) and dodging la migre. His underground mix CDs sell from here to Seattle and all points in between, and his debut full-length, What Did He Said?, will be out before year's end.

Best Comedian

Chingo Bling

If anyone else in the world tried to do what Chingo Bling does, it wouldn't work. But he's got the shtick down pat. This comedic genius has taken the Latino hip-hop community by storm and is sure to cross over to the mainstream. When Chingo strolls on stage wearing his ostrich boots with the pimped-out Nike swoosh, tight black jeans, a Virgin Mary shirt, a black cowboy hat, plenty of platinum chains and a belt buckle bigger than a Spanish Flower chimichanga, you can't help but laugh before the guy even opens his mouth. He's like the Weird Al of hip-hop, reworking popular rap tunes into tales of getting rich in the tamale game, rolling with his pet rooster (which he does generally bring with him to his gigs) and dodging la migre. His underground mix CDs sell from here to Seattle and all points in between, and his debut full-length, What Did He Said?, will be out before year's end.

Best Movie Theater

River Oaks Theatre

This lovely movie palace -- really, it has to be described that way -- is an antique in a city that doesn't normally cherish old things. Built in 1939, it's the only theater in town that's gotten its very own mayoral proclamation. (River Oaks Theatre Day was March 26, 2000, in case you forgot to celebrate.) Its memorable red art deco marquee lights up the West Gray strip, and its three theaters show the current hits as well as underground art-house features and foreign films you won't find anyplace else. If you're looking for something even more offbeat, check the place out on weekends at midnight, when everything from the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink to Spike and Mike's Twisted Festival of Animation graces the silver screen. When you toss in the stellar snack bar and the fact that River Oaks hosts Houston's annual Academy Awards-watching party, there's simply no way any other theater can compete.

Best Movie Theater

River Oaks Theatre

This lovely movie palace -- really, it has to be described that way -- is an antique in a city that doesn't normally cherish old things. Built in 1939, it's the only theater in town that's gotten its very own mayoral proclamation. (River Oaks Theatre Day was March 26, 2000, in case you forgot to celebrate.) Its memorable red art deco marquee lights up the West Gray strip, and its three theaters show the current hits as well as underground art-house features and foreign films you won't find anyplace else. If you're looking for something even more offbeat, check the place out on weekends at midnight, when everything from the John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink to Spike and Mike's Twisted Festival of Animation graces the silver screen. When you toss in the stellar snack bar and the fact that River Oaks hosts Houston's annual Academy Awards-watching party, there's simply no way any other theater can compete.

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