Save On Tickets to the Houston Food Truck Festival, Plus South African Cuisine at Peli Peli and Brazilian Cuisine at Pradaria and Nelore
Today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal will score you half-off ($20 for $40) early admission VIP and General Admission tickets to the Houston Food Truck Fest at Stereo Live on Sunday, May 18. If you opt for VIP you can stuff yourself silly from noon to 5 p.m.; general admission…
Dallas Most Superficial City, But Houston’s Close, “Study” Says
In the annals of pots, kettles and blackness, there is this: An online-dating service calling out a city for being superficial. Since that city is Dallas, we can’t disagree, but that’s not the point, dammit. There are a lot of good things about making decisions on people via their online-dating…
KHOU’ Weatherman David Paul’s On-Air Hiccups Attack Goes Viral
We’ve named David Paul as the city;s Best Meteorologist before, but we never knew he had the stoic ability to soldier on through physical afflictions that would have broken lesser men. We speak, of course, of the hiccups. But now — or soon — the world will know of his…
Put the Brooms Away: Rockets Stave Off Elimination with Clutch Win
Like every game except the first one in the series, the Rockets and Thunder went right down to the wire in game four. In every other game, the Thunder got the big shot or the turnover needed to win the game. Monday night, it was finally the Rockets’ turn. Chandler…
The Eating…Our Words 100: Tracy Vaught, Owner of Backstreet Cafe and Hugo’s
What she does: Tracy Vaught is the owner of Hugo’s and Backstreet Cafe and a partner at Prego and Trevisio. “”I do all the planning, train managers, set all the standards for the restaurants, design menus,” says Vaught. “Investments and charitable giving. I am the one who has political involvement…
Shambhala Offers a Lot of Eye Candy
Shambhala is a Sanskrit word meaning a place of peace, happiness or tranquility. In the Buddhist tradition, it is paradise. It is also a meditation technique and, tellingly, the name of Paul Fleming’s latest exhibition at Barbara Davis Gallery. In “Shambhala,” Fleming fills the gallery with bright, sleek color as…
Burger King Offers Delivery Service To Houston Area
How many times have you thought, “I’m in the mood for a Whopper but I don’t want to drive all the way to Burger King?” Probably not that often. But in case you have — Burger King to the rescue. Last week, Burger King announced its installment of a Burger…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: Three New Releases We Absolutely Refuse to Watch
We love movies. Love, love, love them. We eagerly watch everything from the newest international releases to the best of classic cinema, torture porn to the whimsical fantasies, blow-everybody-up action thrillers to “You had me at Hello” romantic comedies. But there are some things we won’t watch. And this week…
I Hate Beyonce’s New “Back to Black” Cover With My Entire Soul
Since the first thing that comes to mind about New York during the roaring 1920’s is dubstep, Autotune, and, of course, Andre 3000 and Beyonce, the producers of the new The Great Gatsby movie have forced this little ditty upon us from the upcoming soundtrack. Bey and Andre’s collaboration on…
Parking Meters Come To Washington Avenue
The Washington Avenue Corridor will become the city’s first Parking Benefits District, and the experiment means lots of parking meters in the district. Unlike normal parking meters, whose revenue goes to the general fund, 60 percent of the PBD meters will be returned to the district to fund “neighborhood projects…
Suck It Up, Suck It In — Time to Shop for Swimsuits
So it’s pretty much summer, and all of the emails from my online lady-mags are delivering the Hottest Tips for a Beach Body, promising to show us Eleventy Hundred Flattering Swimsuits for Your Figure to my inbox. It’s an exciting time to be opening emails. I know that any minute…
Midnight Oil Reopens the Blue Sky Mines On Essential Oils
In the U.S., Midnight Oil are probably best known for their single “Beds are Burning.” The video helped define late-’80s MTV by showing the group (most notably tall, gangly, bald singer Peter Garrett) dancing amid native tribespeople in the desert, while the lyric forcefully argued that their ancestral lands should…
New Wendy’s Flatbreads: Smoky Honey Mustard Edition
Undaunted by the Burger King veggie and turkey burger debacle I have been perusing various fast food websites in search of a healthy treat. When I happened upon the new Wendy’s Flatbread sandwiches my interest was piqued. Offered in two flavors — Asiago Ranch and Smoky Honey Mustard — I…
Upcoming: Lil Wayne, Black Sabbath, Sarah Jarosz, Sister 7, The Monkees, etc.
10,000 Maniacs: Thu., June 6, 8:30 p.m., $98-$138. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N., Spring, 281-367-3774. 8 Seconds: Sat., Aug. 10, 8:30 p.m., $10. Dosey Doe Music Cafe, 463 F.M. 1488, Conroe, 936-271-2171. The Association: Sat., June 29, 8:30 p.m., $88-$128. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N., Spring, 281-367-3774. Black Moth Super…
A Lot of Comedy Enlivens the Stage in Artifice at Theatre Suburbia
The set-up: In the Houston premiere of Artifice, playwright Anne Flanagan hews closely to the conventions of the comedic mystery genre, providing eight vivid and very varied characters invited to a private showing of art, but trapped into an overnight stay thanks to a blizzard. The execution: Hosting the gathering…
Timmy Chan’s Sues Facebook, Go Daddy and Houston Hip Hop News Over “Rat Fetus” Photo
According to a lawsuit filed on April 25, Houston restaurant chain Timmy Chan’s lost 80 percent of its business after a photo of a rat fetus in a dish of fried rice was posted to Houston Hip Hop News’s Facebook page. Although Houston Hip Hop News claimed that the rat…
Kate Upton, Boobs and Softball: ESPN 97.5 Hosts Stay Classy in Interview with Lamar Coach
I really don’t like “guy talk.” I’m sure there is a place for it on radio. Hell, there’s a place for shows about pretty much anything you like when you combine terrestrial and satellite radio. But, what makes “guy talk” so insidious is that it masquerades as sports talk simply…
5 Things Every Good Houston Car-Flooding Story Has
As you probably know, a freakishly strong surprise storm blasted through Houston Saturday, leaving lots of street flooding. And street flooding means stranded cars, either deep in water or parked somewhere that’s a dry spot for now, watching anxiously as the water rises. It’s a classic Houston experience to go…
Recap: The Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair Grand Tasting 2013
If there was one night a year to go crazy and totally overdose on food and wine, Friday night was definitely one of them. The Grand Tasting, signature event of the Sugar Land Wine & Food Festival sponsored by H-E-B, was every food and wine lover’s dream come true, thanks…
Pop Rocks: Admit It, The New Man Of … I Mean, Pacific Rim Trailer Is Pretty Badass
I realize I just did one of these with Man of Steel a couple weeks ago, but mercy, did that WonderCon footage of Pacific Rim didn’t cause geek serotonin levels to spike yesterday. But I know what you’re saying: “Dude, WonderCon was last month. Why is this just coming out…
The Rocks Off 100: Richard Ramirez, Noise God and Black Leather Jesus
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Richard Ramirez is one…
The 6 Top Regrets Students Have Once Finals Week Hits
via WikipediaThe M.D. Anderson Library at UH, only filled up during finals week!Oh finals week, the time of year when students turn into zombies and energy drink companies make a killing. Some students aspire to do the bare minimum to squeeze out a C, some are going frantic trying to…
Mayor Parker Not Interested in “Embarrassing Council Members” with Another Food Truck Debate
Mayor Annise Parker may be with the times on certain issues — she’s certainly adept at social media, for one — but the City of Houston’s current food truck ordinance isn’t one of them. Parker participated in a live online chat via CultureMap yesterday afternoon frm 1 to 2 p.m.,…
Friday Night: Peter Murphy at Numbers
Peter Murphy Numbers April 25, 2013 Maybe Peter Murphy should get arrested more often. That may be a horrible thing to say, but if you had seen him at Numbers, you’d understand. This tour had been previously announced, but whether his March arrest in California for DUI and alleged drug…
A Newbie’s Guide To Surviving A Movie Marathon
If you’re the type of person that regularly checks what’s playing at the local movie theaters, you may have noticed a trend in recent months: movie marathons are becoming a thing. Whether it’s plowing through all the Best Picture nominees at a big box cinema or taking in Baymageddon at…
R.I.P. Tim Tebow, The NFL Quarterback (April 22, 2010 – April 29, 2013)
Judging by the tsunami level downpour of rain and hail along with the two-hour strobe light of lightning, it was around 3:30 p.m. Houston time on Saturday when the Jets officially decided to release football’s former “chosen one,” quarterback Tim Tebow. They just chose to announce it publicly on Monday…
Your Obscure Black Sabbath Primer: 10 Deep Cuts For Beginners
It seems so fitting that the most exciting year in Black Sabbath news since they hooked up with Dio again in 2007 ends with the number “13.” That’s also the name of the band’s new record, which undoubtedly you’ve already heard the first single, “God Is Dead?”, if you’re a…
Remaking Weird Science in 2013 is Logically Impossible
Recently it was announced that Hollywood had literally, officially, 100 percent run out of ideas and would be remaking the 1985 John Hughes flick, Weird Science. If you are unfamiliar with the movie, please run to your video store right now and rent the VHS (or downloaded it or whatever)…
Here, Eat This: A Beginner’s Guide to British Cuisine
With acclaimed British restaurant Feast closing in August, now’s the time to acquaint yourself with its excellent English menu before it’s too late. Luckily, chef Richard Knight will be opening another restaurant in the Heights within a year, and there are plenty of other British restaurants in Houston with hearty…
Alex Luster’s Montrose/Allen Parkway Roller-dancer Video Goes Viral
What makes Houston so dang Houston-y? KUHF has been asking locals to submit short videos about what makes this city the unique place we have come to love. Let’s face it, Houston can be wonderfully wacko and if you are not from here (or pleasantly displaced), you may not get…
AG Greg Abbott Bans Same-Sex Benefits In Cities, Counties & School Districts, Sorta
Attorney General Greg Abbott, in an ironic twist of timing, has struck down the ability of cities, counties and school districts to offer domestic partner benefits. By almost any measure, today was a landmark day for the GLBT community, with all eyes focused on basketball player Jason Collins, the first…
Feds Break Websites Selling Fake High-End Cycling Gear & Clothing
That Coolmax and Lycra bike stuff you bought online? It wasn’t from the website bikejersey.com or Cycleoutfit.com, was it? If so, you might have bought yourself an expensive piece of counterfeit merchandise. The Homeland Securities Investigation office in Houston announced today they’d shut down 10 websites for selling fake bike…
Oregon Judge Upholds $81 Million Judgment Against KBR in Toxic Chemical Case
Poor KBR just can’t get a break — a federal judge in Oregon has affirmed an $81 million judgment against the Houston-based firm for exposing National Guard soldiers to a deadly chemical at an Iraqi water injection plant in 2003. The judgment was awarded to the first 12 veterans, out…
From House Party to House Music: A Wild Friday Night In Houston
With a perfect combination of sun, clouds, and breeze, It felt as if Houston was making love to me as I escaped the treacherous, life-sucking fluorescent lighting of my Westchase office and moon-walked my way towards a Friday night full of booze, buds, and Budweiser. (I’m more of a Saint…
How Many Freaking Clicks Does It Take To Read A Forbes Listicle? You’ll Be Amazed
You see it on Twitter — a Huffington Post tweet saying Forbes has released yet another click-bait list, this time of the “best cities for young professionals.” You know you shouldn’t, but you click just to check quickly to see if your city is included. You soon learn you are…
The Airborne Toxic Event’s Mikel Jollett Talks Touring, Chain-Smoking and Bottles of Scotch
Mikel Jollett understands what it’s like to have a no-good, very bad week. As the front man for L.A.’s The Airborne Toxic Event, he’s known for his serious-man’s lyrics and moody, oft-brooding subject matter. The heaviness of his lyrics have roots in reality, though. In his former life, Jollett was…
Il Trovatore Presents a Masters Class in 19th Century Opera
The set-up: The singers at Houston Grand Opera, after a bumpy Act I of Giuseppe Verdi’s blood-and-guts melodrama Il Trovatore (The Troubadour, 1853), must have gotten their vitamin-B shots during intermission, for they all returned and delivered a thoroughly thrilling conclusion. (I exclude the dramatic Verdian mezzo Dolora Zajick, as…
Chipotle Serves Up New Margaritas with Fresh Juices and Premium Tequila
Chipotle has decided to change up its margarita recipe, which was originally made with a sweet-and-sour syrup. According to the chief marketing officer, Mark Crumpacker, not many people knew that Chipotle served margaritas. Starting today, and just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Chipotle offers new hand-made margaritas at 900…
Depleted Dynamo Draw To Keep Home Unbeaten Streak Alive
The Dynamo’s home unbeaten streak remained intact after Sunday afternoon, thanks to a 1-1 draw against the visiting Colorado Rapids. And just like a baseball purist will tell you there’s plenty of excitement in a 1-0 game, futbol aficionados can find suspense in a draw. For both injury-depleted teams –…
Celebrate the Foods and Culture of Brazil at Central Market with Passaporte Brazil
For two weeks of every year, Central Market holds what in essence is an international festival in its stores by paying homage to the food and cultures of the another country. Three years ago, I attended my first “Passport” event when they celebrated the foods of Argentina. The following year,…
The Best of iFest’s Second Weekend: Aaron Neville, Sergent Garcia, Grupo Fantasma, etc.
Aaron Neville After four certified platinum albums and a few Grammys, Aaron Neville — now 72 — would have had every right to hang it all up years ago. Instead, to the delight of fans, the New Orleans soul singer found himself performing at iFest this weekend in support of…
Darcy Kuemper: A Star Is Born As The Aeros Leave Houston
Photo by John RoyalDarcy Kuemper with a save.The last Houston Aeros hockey game ever might have been played at Toyota Center last night. And if it was, the people of Houston witnessed the Aeros go down in defeat in game two of the first round of the AHL Calder Cup…
UPDATED: Last Night: The Black Crowes at House of Blues
UPDATED (Tuesday, 9:55 a.m.) to correct the mandolin player on “She Talks to Angels.” The Black Crowes House of Blues April 26, 2013 Over the past nearly quarter-century, Chris Robinson’s lyrics have shown no lack of religious imagery. Angels and devils exist side by side in the lines of his…
A Pleasant Patio Lunch at Batanga, Leading the Second Wave of Market Square’s Redevelopment
The first news that many people heard of Batanga came before the downtown tapas restaurant even opened its doors. Late last November, a local resident was infuriated to find that Batanga’s owners had moved into the long-vacant space at the corner of Travis and Congress and chopped down some of…
Game Of Thrones: “You’re Supposed To Get Me To King’s Landing In One Piece. Not Going So Well, Is It?”
How do you follow an episode like last week’s? While not out-Dracarys-ing things, “Kissed By Fire” kept the flammable metaphors in play. The title is a wildling expression or redheads (beats “ginger”), but could also refer to Beric’s sword in his battle with the Hound or Jaime’s tale of the…
Saturday Night: Juicy J and A$AP Ferg at Warehouse Live
Juicy J, A$AP Ferg Warehouse Live April 27, 2013 Roads were flooded and freeway exits were blocked this past stormy Saturday night in Houston. None of these things mattered to a crowd that wrapped a line around Warehouse Live, and a majority of which wore tube tops, shorts and Jordans…
Nashville fights Nashville Stereotypes With Thoughtful, Spunky First Season
When Nashville hit the promo scene last summer, I braced myself for the worst. These are country music times, after all, where Tim McGraw cuts songs like “Truck Yeah,” our hottest touring act raps about Joe Diffie, and our chief ambassador denounces the Dougie. Surely a mass-marketed television show about…
It’ll Be Raining Cats and Dogs at Abandoned Animal Rescue’s May Fundraiser
If you’re trying to figure out what to do between the hours of 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 4, fret no more: You oughta go to The Village at Gleannloch Farms’ pet adoption and fundraiser shindig, benefiting Tomball’s all-volunteer Abandoned Animal Rescue group. In addition to tons of cute critters…
You Don’t Mess with Texans, but You Don’t Mess with Chechens Ten Times As Much
Simon Hanukaev’s family has lived along the western shore of the Caspian Sea for generations. Settled near the city of Derbent, a southern city in the Russian republic of Dagestan, Hanukaev’s predecessors lived through khanates and tsars, under Bolshevik revolution and Stalinist resettlement. His parents, after Simon was born in…
Doctor Who: Where’s Neil When You Need Him?
I can honestly say that this was the first episode I have ever been disappointed in as far as Doctor Who goes. We were promised a look into parts of the Tardis we as an audience had never experienced before, and though we got it the journey there was just…
What’s Cooking This Week? Mini Chicken Meatballs, Skinny Fettucini Alfredo & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Hazy Highlights From This Past Weekend’s Austin Psych Fest
Ed. Note: Austin Psych Fest brought the weirdos to the state capitol this weekend for sets by big legends like The Moving Sidewalks and small ones like Silver Apples. Our friends at DC9 at Night in Dallas, writer Jesse Hughey and photographer Tracie Louck, were there to brave the mud…
The Texans 2013 Draft Class: The Definitive Video Anthology (& Twitter Handles)
Prior to the draft, at his annual pre-draft press conference, Texans general manager Rick Smith eschewed the idea of drafting for need versus looking for the best values on the board: (Of course, he says this every year, because his pre-draft press conference is literally the same questions and answers…
Five Reasons Why Alex Pettyfer Should be Christian Grey
It seems Gus Van Sant and I have something in common. Alex Pettyfer is our Christian Grey. As was recently widely reported, Sant, who wants to direct the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey film, shot a test sex scene with Pettyfer playing the erotic tale’s main character, Christian Grey. What…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 “Classic” Food Trucks
What differentiates a “classic” food truck from those on last week’s list of Houston’s Top 10 “Fancy” Food Trucks? For starters, a classic food truck has been around for at least a few years prior to the gourmet food truck craze — if not a decade longer. Classic food trucks…
Randy Rogers Band Springs Surprise Trouble Release Show at Firehouse Saloon Tonight
The Randy Rogers Band has become a big enough name on the highly competitive Texas country/Red Dirt circuit that the quintet was chosen to open for George Strait and Martina McBride on Strait’s Houston stop of his “The Cowboy Rides Away” tour at Reliant Stadium back in March. Reached by…
The 5 Dumbest West Fertilizer-Plant Explosion Conspiracy Theories On The Web
Investigators are nowhere near declaring what caused the explosion of the fertilizer factory in West April 17. Other investigators, however, have come to their own conclusions, or raised their own questions. Their own nutty, farcical, inane conclusions and questions. They are the West Truthers on YouTube, not organized in any…
10 Amazing Facts About the Game Boy You Didn’t Know
Honestly, when it comes to portable gaming no one has ever really managed to challenge Nintendo. The Game Boy is one of the most successful systems of all time, despite the fact that it went up against technically superior portable consoles like the Lynx and Game Gear. It’s had an…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: The Airborne Toxic Event, Paul van Dyk, etc.
The Airborne Toxic Event House of Blues, April 29 What happens when you layer dynamic, symphonic arrangements, painfully guttural vocals, and a wicked viola player? You wind up with The Airborne Toxic Event, the L.A.-bred indie-rock band known for its rich, lyrically moody folk-rock. Driven by novelist-turned-front man Mikel Jollett’s…
Breaking Free of Bacon and Eggs: What’s Your Breakfast Ritual?
“When did we decide to start putting breakfast foods on everything?” I wondered aloud while talking to my friend Stefanie Gans last week by phone. Gans is the dining editor for Northern Virginia Magazine, and was hard at work researching an article on national meat trends when she called me…
Surprise Storm Pummels Houston with Street Floods, Hail; Twitter’s Best Rain Photos
A strong storm pounded through Houston with little warning today, leaving travelers stranded in high water in plenty of places. Twitter came alive with weather pictures, including these……
Falstaff at Opera in the Heights Fizzes With Life
The set-up: Falstaff, Giuseppe Verdi’s final opera (1893), is like the best champagne. It fizzes with life, sparkly and clean, and sets one to smile at first sip. Everyone at the time thought Otello (1887), regarded then as his crowning achievement, would be his last work for the stage, but…
Sheriff’s Office Makes Busts at Two Game Rooms
Harris County Sheriff’s investigators seized cash, drugs, weapons and gambling devices from two allegedly illegal game rooms in southwest Harris County Thursday, according to a press release. Acting on a tip, members of the HCSO’s Game Room Task Force (a whole task force, yo!) seized the loot — which included…
Ninjas From Texas: San Antonio Metal Crew Sells “Sex, Drugs and Mopeds”
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re doing out best to make sense of the oddest monikers. Ninjas From Texas is a metal/hardcore act out of San Antonio. It’s the sort of music that makes me sad there are no…
Here’s That George Jones Lawn Mower Story One More Time
Although it was hardly a surprise, country-music fans around the world have heavy hearts today after the passing of George Jones. Jones, a native of the Southeast Texas town of Saratoga who broke into the music business on Houston-based Starday Records, was far and away one of the most-decorated and…
Chef Chat Part 3: Travis Lenig of Liberty Kitchen and Good, Honest Food Served in Manly Portions
This is the third part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This week, we sat down for a chat with chef de cuisine Travis Lenig of Liberty Kitchen, who left a fine-dining kitchen to…
Community: “Basic Human Anatomy”
Your regularly scheduled Community recapper Abby was unavailable this week because she and her family are vacationing at a cabin in the woods. Abby, no! Put down the conch shell! I’m still not wholly on board with the latest season of Community, and I’m probably not alone. Everything just feels…
Person of Interest: “Is Something Wrong with The Machine, Finch?”
I admit it: it took me a while to remember what the hell is going on. It’s not my fault, maaan. I mean, two episodes in two months? No “Previously on Person of Interest” last night? And they expect me to just dive in and remember all this HR/CIA/Special Counsel…
Jim Crane? The Astros Need a Bill Veeck
It’s a depressing time to be a fan of the Houston Astros. The team’s bad. The starting pitchers have trouble getting through the first inning. The games aren’t currently available to most of the viewing public (yesterday’s free CSN Houston offering notwithstanding). The new radio team actually makes listeners miss…
Keeping Warm: The Week in Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Last Night: Foals and Surfer Blood at Fitzgerald’s
Foals, Surfer Blood Fitzgerald’s April 25, 2013 Thursday was quite the busy night in Houston, with most of the city’s venues hosting national touring acts. Paramore and Gaslight Anthem were at the bigger rooms, but the real hot ticket was a sold-out showing of Foals and Surfer Blood at Fitzgerald’s…
Top Four Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Anjelah Johnson, The Elephant Man, It Was 20 Years Ago Today, and Henry V Closes
Much of comedian Anjelah Johnson’s stand-up is based on ongoing characters. In town for a weekend stint, including Friday, Johnson is sure to pull out Tammy, the noisy Vietnamese manicurist with a heavy, almost unintelligible accent. (It was a YouTube video of her nail salon routine that helped launch Johnson’s…
Photoshop Houston: GMC Decides Houston Would Look Better on the Water
GMC, I have no doubt, sells a ton of trucks in Texas. For auto makers, Texas is perhaps the number one reason to make trucks in the first place. So, naturally, when advertising trucks and SUVs, it makes sense to include some iconic Texas landscapes in images even for national…
Last Night: Gaslight Anthem at House of Blues
Gaslight Anthem House of Blues April 25, 2013 At 10 p.m. sharp Thursday night, as Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight” blared on the speakers overheard, the Jersey-born and -bred, punk rock five-piece The Gaslight Anthem sauntered out onto the stage at House of Blues. Fans cheered,…
Upcoming Events: French Wine, Polish Sausage and Greek Gyros for Everyone
After a highly successful guest sommelier series at Phil’s Wine Lounge, wine whiz Vanessa Treviño Boyd is raring to go again. This time, the Philippe sommelier is hosting a new summer series starting on Wednesday, May 22. Phil’s Wine Lounge — located on the first floor of Philippe — will…
The Top 5 Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Playoff Edition
It’s one of the craziest weekends in Houston sports. Every major and minor league franchise in the city is part of a game or a draft and some of the goings-on are damn important. This is not the weekend to be a sports amateur. You need to step your game…
Happy Birthday, Channing Tatum: You Big Ole Taurus You
Channing Tatum has always been honest about his career and acting skills, once saying in an interview for the Los Angeles Times: “I’m never going to be the best actor. I’m just not, but I will work harder than anyone out there.” He’s been voted People magazine’s sexiest man of…
UPDATED: RIP George Jones: Texas-Born Country Legend Dies at Age 81
UPDATE (April 27, 11:20 a.m.): George Jones’ “Farewell Concert” was announced, but did not take place, this past February. It had been scheduled for November 22. Rocks Off regrets the error. George Jones, the Southeast Texas-born Country Music Hall of Famer whom most agree would be a face on Nashville’s…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Pain & Gain
Title: Pain & Gain How Much Do You Bench? Somewhere between ten and 15,000 lbs. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: Three jars of Muscle Mass out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Trio of muscleheads stage kidnapping only to realize they forgot to bring any brains with all…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Zombie Crawls, Crawfish Boils and Kolaches — All for Charity
Kolache Benefit for West, Texas Saturday, 8 a.m. Revival Market, 550 Heights Boulevard Revival Market will be selling its delicious, housemade kolaches and klobosneks for breakfast tomorrow morning starting at 8 a.m., with 50 percent of the proceeds going to benefit victims of the fertilizer plant explosion and fire in…
Last Night: Paramore at Bayou Music Center
Paramore, Kitten Bayou Music Center April 25, 2013 During what I like to call the great Zumiez boom of the 2000s, emo bands moved from depressing and mopey to more pop-punk. Like any other musical trend, this era eventually came and went. Very few of the bands that had once…
2013 NFL Draft, First Round: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
All right, it’s Friday morning, and either you’re hungover from getting destroyed by the Battle-Drink BINGO drinking card for the NFL Draft or you’re mentally exhausted from sweating out all the NFL Draft prop bets I shared with you earlier this week. Either way, however shitty you feel is likely…
Jamie Lee Curtis Speaks at Drug Council Fundraiser, Michael Myers Nowhere to Be Seen
Photo Courtesy of Council on Alcohol and Drugs HoustonJamie Lee Curtis: “Somebody who’s lost is not a loser.”It was nice to hear Jamie Lee Curtis talk about something other than yogurt that helps you poop, for a change. The Curtis who gave a speech Thursday at a fundraising luncheon for…
Atlas Genius: Brothers Lead Next Wave of Badass Aussie Rock
The thing about Australian accents is that they’re way awesome. They’re even better on the phone chatting with Keith Jeffery, who just happens to be the front man for the indie-rock band known as Atlas Genius. Does that name sound familiar? If it does, you might be onto something, because…
The Cat Eye: Learn It, Love It
Ladies, if you’re like me, you’ve thrown away a thousand liquid eyeliners in disgust since the age of 13. It seems odd, in retrospect, that I couldn’t master a pen for my face when so much of my youth was devoted to the practice of penmanship. (Do kids even learn…
Shocking Study Proves Beer Pong Balls Carry Bacteria
It’s the classic college party game. Whether you’ve played beer pong or not, you are familiar with the simple concept — throw ping-pong balls across a table in hopes of landing them in cups of beer on your opponent’s side, so he or she has to drink it. The more…
Steve Correa-Franco Gets 20 Years for Talking 9-Year-Old Girl into Sending Him Nude Photo with Her Nintendo
A Spring man has been sentenced to almost 20 years in prison for talking a nine-year-old girl into sending him a nude picture of herself. Steve Correa-Franco, 33, was sentenced yesterday after entering a guilty plea last December. “U.S. District Judge Sim Lake took into consideration the seriousness of the…
100 Creatives 2013: Joseph Walsh, Principal Dancer at Houston Ballet
For Joseph Walsh, there was never any question of what he would be when he grew up. His older sister was a dancer, and by the time Joseph was three years old he was accompanying her to Nutcracker performances. “I remember being backstage and the snow ended,” he says. “I…
Five Educational Songs That Don’t Suck
Remember being in school and having to listen to all those awful educational songs? Our teachers would do anything to teach us, but most often they really have no idea what will appeal to anyone under the age of 40, so it gets hairy when something perceived as cool, like…
Health Department Roundup: Macondo, Guadalajara, Taco Trucks and More
Slim pickings this week, with a fairly anonymous group of restaurants listed in the inspections. We’re sure the Sonic at 330 North Park in Kingwood isn’t anonymous to whoever owns it, but most of us don’t own the Sonic at 330 North Park in Kingwood. To the party who does,…
Sugar Daddies Are Paying for Lots of Sugar Babies at UH, Company Claims
A young woman finds an older man on a dating Web site. She’s drawn to him. What can it be? His age and experience? His Sean Connery-like looks? The fact that she’s got bills to pay at the University of Houston and he has agreed to pay for her education…
Do You Want to Be Chased By Bulls in Houston? Now You Can
Imagine, if you will, you are running around an enclosed stadium. You look behind you and notice that there are several angry, snorting bulls chasing you. And just as one of the animals closes in on you to maul you, you remember that you signed up for this and paid…
Openings & Closings: Goodbye to Tex, Mex and Czech
As of today, Jeannine’s Bistro remains closed in Montrose with no word from owner Andrew Klarman as to its eventual reopening date. The popular Belgian bistro closed temporarily this past Saturday due to staffing issues. Plenty of other doors were shut this week, too, including the beloved Olde Towne Kolaches…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Black Mountain, the Black Crowes, BRMC, etc.
Black Mountain Rudyard’s, April 26 On their way to this weekend’s Austin Psych Fest, Canadian drone-pop act Black Mountain are swinging by Houston for a spell at Rudyard’s. The band’s last release was 2012’s soundtrack for the “post-apocalyptic” surfing flick Year Zero, which itself was partially a compilation of their…
Sports Radio 610 Posts Blog Wondering If OKC Cheerleader Is Too Fat, Deletes It Later
High standards at KILTThe world of sports radio can be pretty puerile. The Web sites for stations are often even worse because they provide visual evidence of the kind of juvenile jokes commonly found among male sports fans. The clowning is generally limited to middle-school snickering about homosexuality, lists related…
Battle-Drink BINGO Drinking Game: 2013 NFL Draft Edition
Back when the NFL Draft was a Saturday/Sunday affair, I had a couple buddies (brothers, actually, what up, Andrew and Brock?) who used to gather with some of their other friends for the entire weekend and make a huge party out of the draft. We’re talking kegs, entire animals cooked…
Comcast SportsNet Gives in (a Little): Free Trial This Month — All the Astros Action You Want!! (Maybe)
The endless, tedious fight between Comcast SportsNet and local cable providers has left Houston sports fans out of luck if they’re trying to follow the local teams. That may have changed, however. Comcast SportsNet has announced they’re giving a free trial to most Houston cable viewers, which will allow them…
Otis Morris Slashes His 79-Year-Old Mother, Claims Self-Defense, Cops Say
We guess if you’re accused of slashing your 79-year-old mother in the face, head and chest, you need to come up with some excuse. We might not have gone with “self-defense,” but then again we don’t think we’d ever find ourselves facing allegations of attacking our mother. Otis Morris, 48,…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Travis Lenig of Liberty Kitchen, on Making Customers Feel Special and His Fried Chicken Wednesdays
This is Part 2 of a three part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space Friday. Yesterday, our chat with Travis Lenig of Liberty Kitchen revealed a bit about his background as a chef and how he loves eating spicy food…
Pichollo the Cocaine King Gets 20 Years in Prison
Benito Aguilar-Ozuna, who’s known as Pichollo and has ties to the Zetas gang, is going to federal prison for almost 20 years, the United States Attorney’s Office announced. Aguilar-Ozuna had earlier entered a guilty plea for conspiracy to traffic cocaine in what the feds say was a “large-scale operation” that…
What Would Saved by the Bell’s The Max Be Like Today?
During a relaxing champagne bubblebath, I dreamt up a 2k13 version of The Peach Pit from Beverly Hills, 90210. Well, that “fan fiction” wasn’t the end for me. Instead, it got me thinking about another ’90s cult hit hangout — The Max from Saved by the Bell. Here’s what I’m…
Is David Guetta’s “Play Hard” the Best (and Most Racist) Video On YouTube?!
Earlier this week, as I was working/editing/writing/procrastinating after a long weekend on the road, I came across the new video for “Play Hard” by David Guetta. Now, I’m not much of a Guetta fan, but I don’t dislike him either. He makes radio-friendly pop songs disguised as house music (or…
The Americans: “I’ve Been Spying for the Americans.”
Thanks to Abby for covering the show last week. Sasha Fierce and I had a blast in Cuba. Awesome cigars. An oath, as any currently incarcerated member of the Mafia could tell you, is only as binding as the person taking it wants it to be. In some cases, oaths…
Rockets Come Back from 15 Down in the Fourth Only to Fall in OKC
So close and yet so far. The Rockets were about as close as you can come to pulling off the upset in Oklahoma City Wednesday night. The Thunder were fumbling all over themselves and missing shots. The Rockets were stroking it and rolling. Of course, they were down 15, but…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 College Campus Buildings
Every year hundreds of parents and prospective students tour Houston’s many college campuses. Along with football team stats, the average class size and the cost of tuition, the campus ambience is always a big topic during those tours. We took a look at the various campuses, including the University of…
How to Make Homemade Hot Giardiniera, My New Favorite Condiment
If you’ve never tried hot giardiniera (pronounced jar-dih-NAIR-uh), I urge you to immediately. I first fell in love with the condiment — made with pickled vegetables and spices — when I tried it on Pappa Geno’s ridiculously delicious Wicked Philly. It even prompted me to pick up a jar and…
Last Night: The Lumineers at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
The Lumineers Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion April 24, 2013 Not even a year has passed since The Lumineers last brought their brand of folk-based pop to the streets of Houston, so a one-off headlining gig at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion found the trio here again sooner than usual. This time,…
Cupcakes Are Out: Five Treats That Are In
Cupcakes have been the rage in America for several years now. After stores were opened exclusively to sell cupcakes, television shows were centered on the little individual desserts and the public went crazy over different cupcake presentations and decorations, it seemed as if cupcakes were the end-all-be-all desserts. However, after…
Ask Willie D: Boyfriend With Bad Manners; Paranoid Adulterous Pastor
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! BOYFRIEND WITH BAD MANNERS Dear Willie D: My boyfriend behaves like he grew up in the…
Pine Valley Lives: All My Children Returns As an Online Soap
In a little over a month, Netflix is going to hit a switch in a room somewhere and a new season of Arrested Development is going to be available to watch. It’s an interesting experiment that Netflix is attempting, one that’s been written about and overanalyzed since the moment it…
Nabbed By a Phone App: Two Guys Growing $2.5 Million Worth of Weed. Nabbed By a Web Site: 35 Gang Members
The somewhat bold, almost new world of phone apps has now become a main player in fighting the sorta-scourge of weed. A tipster used iWatchHarrisCounty to point officers to two houses that ended up housing more than $2.5 million worth of marijuana when they were raided this week. HCSO and…
UPDATED: Hard-Right Group Wants to Push Broad Religious Exemptions into State Constitution
When Texas first passed its Religious Freedom Act in 1999, Scott Hochberg, then a Democratic state Representative, found a strange ally. Texas Right to Alliance for Life, a pro-life organization still in existence, had consistently stood opposite Hochberg’s legislation never testified for Hochberg’s legislation — their ground for common support…
The Rocks Off 100: Mike Meegz, Scoremore’s Houston Lieutenant
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Mike Migl, aka Mike…
Pop Rocks: People Naming Gwyneth Paltrow Their “Most Beautiful Woman” Isn’t As Controversial As They’d Like to Think
I guess if you’re going to keep doing that dumbass “Sexiest Man Alive” thing, you have to keep this up as well. People magazine really did a bang-up job handing their Most Beautiful Woman title to Gwyneth Paltrow, though. I haven’t been online all that much the last day or…
Bacon Mania Is Far from Over: Yankee Candle Releasing Limited-Edition Bacon-Scented and Popcorn-Scented Candles
Things I Want, Part I: a bacon-and-coffee-scented candle from @theyankeecandle called “RISE AND SHINE, BITCHES.”— Katharine Shilcutt (@kshilcutt) April 12, 2013 Occasionally, Twitter has the seemingly magical powers of a wishing well. Just a couple of Fridays ago, I dropped a penny into the Twitter well and wished for a…
Five Reasons the Mars Rover Drew a Huge, Throbbing Penis in the Martian Dirt
The sharp-eyed folks at Reddit noticed something odd in a batch of pictures from the Mars Rover. Namely, a penis. The Rover drew a huge freaking penis on the surface of Mars. The picture apparently is authentic, if possibly old. It’s been posted on a NASA site, but there was…
Moon Tower Inn Supposedly Opening Voodoo Queen; Gift Horse Lounge Just a Ruse
Eight months after setting tongues wagging by announcing a new side project called the Gift Horse Lounge, the owners of Moon Tower Inn took to Facebook yesterday to let everyone know the joke’s on them. There’s no such thing as the Gift Horse Lounge after all. The entire bar was…
An Ira Levin Thriller, A Civil War Drama & Xanadu Top Stages Repertory Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
A forgotten Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby) thriller, a poignant Civil War drama about a returning Confederate soldier and two former slaves (all Jews) and the musical Xanadu are some of the highlights of the upcoming 2013-14 season at Stages Repertory Theatre. The Marvelous Wonderettes, the Sister from Late Night Catechism,…
Acts You Shouldn’t Miss at iFest’s Second Weekend
Texas Brass Band Bud Light World Music Stage, 1 p.m. April 27; Houston Press Rocks Off Texas Music Stage, 4:30 p.m. April 27 The Texas Brass Band combines trumpet flourishes and tuba-led bass lines with jazz, R&B, and hip-hop influences to create a unique, distinctively Southern sound. Last year, the…
CANCELED: Honey Badger’s NFL Draft Party
A few years ago, after years of conducting its annual draft over an entire Saturday and Sunday, the NFL moved the event into primetime on Thursday night. Well, more clearly, it moved the first round (naturally, the most watched round) to prime time on Thursday night. The second and third…
Anjelah Johnson: “Pretty Don’t Sell Funny Tickets”
When it came time for comedian/actor Anjelah Johnson to tape her comedy special, the San Jose native came to Houston to do it. Her reason? Houston has always treated her like a hometown girl and Johnson wanted an enthusiastic audience for the taping. “Even before my hometown San Jose got…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 First Date Spots
There was a period of time in my life when I couldn’t get enough of that first date feeling. It’s akin to the adrenaline rush of skydiving or rock climbing — except often with the promise of food or drinks in lieu of potentially plummeting to your death. (Sure, there’s…
UPDATE: Charles Mingus: A Beginner’s Guide to the Late Jazz Great
UPDATE (April 27, 11:25 a.m.): Charles Mingus was not trained as the New York Philharmonic’s principal bassist, but was trained by the orchestra’s Herman Reinschagen. True story: once, we were entertaining some people at home and my rat terrier, Mingus, got loose and began mingling with the guests. Because he’s…
Mad Men: Five Academic Theories Explaining Life at SCDP
Just as Mad Men charms its viewers by using sex, drugs, snappy banter and pretty people to make heavy topics (sexism, racism, dreams diffused) palatable, the editors of Mad Men, Mad World trust that some TV glamour will get readers interested in digesting academic theories. It’s not wrong. Full of…
Tom Cruise Can Still Be Great — Why Aren’t His Movies?
Though he’s long been among the most recognizable celebrities in the world, Tom Cruise has always seemed vaguely irritating, like the popular kid at school everybody secretly dislikes. His is an odd sort of fame: globally recognized but rarely acclaimed, he remains more reliably bankable than nearly any other actor…
Watching The Client List with a Real Sex Worker
In The Client List, Lifetime’s pseudo-steamy take on the world of sensual massage, Jennifer Love Hewitt plays a struggling housewife who takes a rubdown side job in order to support her kids after her husband disappears. The show, which jumps from scenes of Hewitt pleasuring executives to her dancing with…
Tough Times at Rich’s
Night Life No doubt this is not the way Rich’s wanted to celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. The most recent tenants of the long-running and equally star-crossed Midtown dance club closed their doors April 12 with no reason given but a promise to return, according to a post on…
Ranchera Music and ’50s Ethnic Slurs
Dear Mexican, I have always liked ranchera music. As of late, I have wanted to get deeper into it as far as the history, the culture and especially the songs and lyrics. The older I get, the more rancheras seem like poetry to me…sounds cursi, i know. So what I…
Mr. Record Man: Willie Nelson
WILLIE NELSON was dead broke. The American music icon, who turns 80 years old on April 30, was once just another starving musician looking for his next gig. In early 1959, he was 26 years old and waiting for Larry Butler, who’d had some records do well on Houston radio and…
Maine-ly Delicious at Maine-ly Sandwiches
Take a tour of the coastal-themed dining room and lobster-filled kitchen at Maine-ly Sandwiches in this week’s slideshow. What started out as a Friday special at Maine-ly Sandwiches is now on the menu every day by popular demand: a foot-long lobster roll, as fresh, hot and full of sweet claw…
Thieves’ Bazaar: Medicare Fraud
Houston Riverside General Hospital specialized in the kind of medicine its better-heeled brethren did their best to avoid. Like treating the poor, the mentally ill, the drug-addled. So it’s no surprise that the 95-year-old nonprofit — formerly known as Houston Negro Hospital — shared the same broken finances as the…
The Elephant Man: The Light Within
Strapping, handsome and near naked, actor Jay Sullivan is sculpted under the white hot light of a medical school lecture hall. His immense and gruesome physical deformities, like some sort of human nightmare, are described in scientific, unemotional detail by Treves, a Victorian surgeon and teacher (Jeffrey Bean). As each…
Standing Up for Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Star Light Hail, Nina Stemme, goddess of opera! Hail, Houston Grand Opera for bringing her here! Hail, maestro Patrick Summers for a thrilling ride! If you are, as I am, an unregenerate Wagnerite — or for that matter a lover of any exceptional operatic singing — there is reason for…
Pain & Gain: American Idiots
Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) believes life has cheated him. Doesn’t America promise riches and luxury to people who deserve it? He’s worked hard to build his body into a hulking knot of muscles; success should follow. But Lugo — the lead in Pain & Gain, Michael Bay’s neon-noir ode to…
Mud: Killer Matthew
Has anyone ever been so perfectly cast as Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused? Sculpted entirely of charisma and cheekbones yet still seedier than a stash of gym-locker pot, McConaughey’s radiant stoner exemplified high school promise gone bad. He looked like the little man on top of trophies, just horny,…
Book of Love: Open Book
The popularity of electronic dance music (EDM) has produced several interesting byproducts, chief among them a rediscovery of ’80s-era synth-pop and the artists who produced it. This has resulted in many of these acts re-forming, and not just to cash in on the nostalgia factor. Depeche Mode, Heaven 17 and…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Cats, Bunnies, and The Surface Value of It All,” “Colony Collapse,” “Eric Fischl: Cast & Drawn,” “Janice Jakielski: Constructing Solitude,” “Jonathan Leach: Time Does Not Exist Here” “Territorial Pissings”
“Cats, Bunnies, and The Surface Value of It All” Fresh Arts’ latest exhibition wants to let you know right off the bat that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Titled “Cats, Bunnies, and The Surface Value of It All,” the two-person show is just what it sounds like — a…
Keep Houston Beard
Highlights from Hair Balls SPORTS Rockets fans have at times been criticized for their lack of fervor. Outside of the Red Rowdies, the Toyota Center can be a staid place, even during critical games. But much of that is owed to the fact that the most expensive seats — those…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Dollhouse, Henry V, Kimberly Akimbo, The Night of the Iguana,
Dollhouse Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play A Doll’s House remains hugely popular, and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre commissioned Rebecca Gilman to create an updated version. The parallels to Ibsen’s play are strikingly successful and brilliantly integrated, but this is a sparkling contemporary comedic drama that stands on its own hind legs and…
From Tacos to Tikka Masala
Top 10 What differentiates a “classic” food truck from those on last week’s list of Houston’s Top 10 “Fancy” Food Trucks? For starters, a classic food truck has been around for at least a few years prior to the gourmet food truck craze — if not a decade longer. Classic…
