Houstoned Theatre Presents: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Like You’ve Never Read Them Before
While the “big” Texas story right now may be the Eldorado raid, a lesser-publicized – but no less important – drama has been playing out in Austin. Background: a bunch of actors are there to shoot Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick, perhaps best known for turning James Jones’…
Reverberations: Amplified Heat, Born Liars, Black Black Gold and The Contrast
Amplified Heat The Westheimer Block Party is this Saturday. Here’s the line-up. Be there. Then, Sunday morning, drag yourself out of your stupor and over to Rice for the KTRU Outdoor Festival. Is there much “garage rock” at either of these events? Not really, but if you can’t have music-related…
Kentucky Derby vs. Stanley Cup
NBC has announced that, as part of its Kentucky Derby coverage, it will be televising a red carpet-type event involving the rich-and-famous attending the race. From what I understand, it’s supposed to be like that awful thing Fox did with Ryan Seacrest at the Super Bowl. Frankly, I don’t care…
A Stopover in Strait Country
The virtues of satellite radio are too numerous to list here, but besides commercial-free episodes of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem every Saturday and Sunday, Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour and Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure all day Wednesdays and Thursdays and the dormant-but-back-soon all-Led Zeppelin channel, XM Radio…
Astros-Cardinals: ‘Stros Lose Again, But It’s Not the Starting Pitching’s Fault
Coming into this season, the supposed strength of the Houston Astros was the offense stacked with big hitters Hunter Pence, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada. And coming into the season, the supposed weakness of the team was its starting staff, of which only Roy Oswalt was a proven…
Twenty-Five Years Since “Let’s Do It For Johnny!”
There is a certain piece of American cinema that, in my opinion, rivals the importance of “Citizen Kane” and “Manhattan” in the canon of groundbreaking films, and that piece of cinema is “The Outsiders.” If you doubt me, ask any even slightly heterosexual woman of a certain age where she…
Only Black Male Students Have to Attend School’s Special Session on Gangs and Thug Life
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas wants the Beaumont Independent School District to explain why a “Big 3 Conference” at West Brook High which included topics such as “Thug Life” was required only for African-American, male students. Other topics at the March 29 session included “Gangs – Wanna…
Absolut Apologizes for Ad Depicting the Americas Before America Invaded Mexico
Embarrassed by an aborted ad campaign that offended medium-shelf potato-derived alcohol drinkers in the U.S., Absolut has apologized via a recorded statement on its “consumer inquiry phone line.” The ads, which only ran in Mexico, showed a map of the U.S. prior to the Mexican-American war, when Mexico was freaking…
Dick Vitale, Adrian Dantley, Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing and Hakeen Olajuwon Make the Hall of Fame, But What About Guy V. Lewis?
It seems fitting somehow that, on the night the NCAA played its men’s championship game in a packed domed stadium before millions of fans watching worldwide, the man who made it possible was, once again, denied admission into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Oh, Dickie V. got in. And the…
Going Big in the Bay Area with Cullen’s Upscale American Grill
Kevin Munz doesnt do anything small. After making his fortune with his enormous pawn shops, he decided: Big it is. His new restaurant, Cullen’s Upscale American Grill, (11500 Space Center Blvd., 713-481-3463), is 38,000 square feet. That’s not a typo — it’s 38,000 square feet, ten times the size of…
You Weren’t Watching That, Were You?
Presser Daniel Ortega decided to watch the ‘Stros home opener at the BUS yesterday, and, well, let’s just say the bar directly across the street from the ballpark had some interesting priorities. We’ll let Ortega take it from here…..
Astros-Cardinals: Miguel Tejada Delivers with a Walk-Off Homer and a Manager-Trashing
Saying that he had an excuse to go 0 for 4, Lance Berkman started last night’s game for the Astros even though he only had partial movement of his neck. Luckily, he didn’t need to use that excuse because he did have one hit last night, a home run in…
Thursday Night: Umbrella Man at the Big Top
Umbrella Man The Big Top April 3 Better Than: Jambalaya con carne with a side order of salty buttered grits. Last week, after a three-week hiatus, Umbrella Man returned to their steadily more popular Thursday night residency at the Big Top. Fronted by former Los Skarnales upright bassist Nick Gaitan,…
Authorities Raid Polygamist Compound in West Texas
Keith Plocek “This is the United States,” Schleicher County Justice of the Peace James Doyle told me two years ago when I was reporting on polygamy in West Texas. “And I don’t kick in your door and you don’t kick in mine and we don’t kick in theirs. They’re citizens…
Aeros Win Two of Three and Make the Playoffs
As I wrote Friday, the Aeros playoff situation has become a little clearer following this weekend’s games. And the situation is clearer because the Aeros are in the playoffs. The Aeros won two of three games this weekend. They defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-1 on Friday night, lost 2-1…
Travis Named Tasty Street by Good Magazine
Travis St. is number 2 on Good Magazine’s recently published list of “America’s Tastiest Streets.” Breakfast Klub, t’afia, Cali Sandwich and Treebeard’s are among the recommended stops. Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, a street famous for its taquerias and ethnic eateries, ranked number 1. — Robb Walsh…
Over the Weekend: Main Street, Astros, Beyonce and Jay-Z
It’s Muxtape Monday. Don’t know what a muxtape is? Neither did we, until a few days ago. Apparently it’s totally free and legal. Or so we hear. But enough about that, let’s get moving backwards. 1 a.m. at the Mink; 1:15 a.m. at the Back Room; 1:45 a.m. at the…
I Must Know Immediately If Beyonce and Jay-Z Are Married!
Excuse me, but I must know immediately if Beyonce and Jay-Z are married. Do you hear me, Beyonce and Jay-Z? It will be difficult, no, make that impossible, for me to conduct my life as usual without knowing definitely if you are indeed married. I know you supposedly filed for…
Muxtape Monday: African Diaspora
Editor’s note: This muxtape no longer exists in its current form. Have you ever heard of www.muxtape.com? Apparently, it’s this new site where you can share whatever songs you want legally. Or something. Apparently. At any rate, I made my very first one today. Since the upcoming Houston International Festival…
Astros-Cubs: One Win (and Two Losses) for the ‘Stros, But Still None for a Starting Pitcher
How best to sum up this past weekend for the Astros? There’s the losing two of three games to the Chicago Cubs. There’s the wasting of another good Brandon Backe start on Sunday. There’s Roy Oswalt once again pitching poorly on Saturday. There’s the fact that, at one point, Chicago…
Get Lit: G.M. Ford’s Nameless Night
Okay so the main character has spent seven years in a group home for disabled adults when blam – he’s in a car accident and his memory starts coming back in patches. He gets smarter. He also gets a new, better looking face, to replace the bashed-in one he’s been…
$13 at Jax Grill in Bellaire
Where: Jax Grill, 6510 S. Rice, 713-668-3606 What $13 gets you: A giant slab of crispy fried chicken, a bowl of thick cream gravy and a stack of seasoned fries so tasty you and your little ones will be saying “mmmm” with every bite. The Press has done much to…
Do We Have to Play the National Anthem Before Every Single Sporting Event?
Here’s something that’s been bugging me in the far recesses of my mind, but which didn’t get to the front until an Aeros hockey game last week. It’s the National Anthem. Why do we play this before every sporting event? What does it add to anything? It strikes me as…
Emo Poems About Adult Every Day Life
Don’t understand the 14-year-old daughter / niece / cousin in your life who shops at Hot Topic and won’t get that dyed black hair out of her face? Not enough to tell her you were punk rock too, once? Try sharing some of these poems with her…instant connection, Miss Pop…
R.I.P. The Forum, The Hippest Venue in LaPorte
Justin Trevino, lead singer and guitarist in the band Buxton, has cool parents. For the past few months, they operated The Forum, LaPorte’s first and only indie rock venue. No more. Trevino told me last night that his parents had decided to close it down. Last night was the Forum’s…
Aeros Poised to Make the Playoffs
With seven games remaining in the season, the Houston Aeros find themselves perfectly situated for a spot in the AHL playoffs. They defeated the Lake Erie Monsters 2-0 on Wednesday night, and with the victory, they moved into a statistical three-way tie for third place. The 2-0 victory was the…
Slideshow: Giant Inflated Figures on the Freeway
I hate these things. They say hatred is a negative emotion that stems from fear. They say you need to face your fear. I have looked my fear in the face and have emerged unscathed. Now get rid of these damn eyesores! — Daniel Kramer…
Radio Houstoned: Timothy Eric and The Sty of the Blind Pig
Olivia Flores Alvarez Timothy Eric plays Blind Jordan in the current production of The Sty of the Blind Pig at the Ensemble Theatre. Blind Jordan is searching for a woman from his past when he knocks on the door of Alberta’s apartment. When Alberta decides to help Blind Jordan search…
Astros-Padres: Shawn Chacon, Not So Bad?
What if I were to tell you that Shawn Chacon pitched against a major league baseball team? And what if I told you that Chacon went six innings while giving up only two earned runs, five hits and one home run? After you picked yourself up off of the floor,…
John Royal’s Top Ten All-Time Greatest Sports Movies
With this week’s release of George Clooney’s football movie Leatherheads, and the February release of Will Ferrell’s ABA homage Semi-Pro, I thought I’d put together a list of what I consider to be the Top Ten All-Time Greatest Sports Movies. So, here we go, in descending order. 10. Rocky: It’s…
Banned Books in the Texas Prison System
This week’s Hair Balls column takes a look at the wacky world of book-banning in the Texas prison system. It’s a world where accounts of caning women or dripping wax on them do not count as S&M, where former Senator Bob Dole is a child pornographer and “Letters to Penthouse”…
Radio Houstoned: Nevada Barr and Winter Study
Click the button below to listen to Nevada Barr reading from her latest work, followed by an interview with Night & Day Editor Olivia Flores Alvarez… Nevada Barr fans have been anxiously awaiting the 14th installment of the Anna Pigeon series of mysteries and Winter Study does not disappoint. Set…
Mp3: Nosaprise’s “Grown Folks Music”
Here’s the title track of London/Houston underground MC/guitarist Nosaprise’s CD, which will be released on Speakerboxx night at the Mink on April 27. You can’t go wrong with “I Was Made to Love Her,” one of the most infectious singles in American history. It provides a good balmy backdrop for…
Linda Francis Lee
Carlisle Wainright Cushing, the protagonist of Linda Francis Lee’s The Ex–Debutante, left Texas just as soon as she could. As the novel opens, she’s engaged to be married and happily practicing law in Boston. But after she reluctantly comes home to Texas to take care of her mother’s latest divorce…
A Wedding
Today’s your last chance to see A Wedding at Moores Opera House. Based on the Robert Altman film of the same name, William Bolcom’s A Wedding is making its Houston premiere. It’s a free-for-all romp, with the pastor flubbing his lines and wedding guests getting drunk, singing and fighting with…
Susanna and Will
Local playwright Diana Howie gives us a different take on Shakespeare in Susanna and Will. Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna has to sort reality from rumor not only to save her father’s tattered reputation but to find out the truth about her family. And she won’t be getting a lot of help,…
The Cassidy Kids
Murder meets teenage angst in the film The Cassidy Kids. Five teens become instant heroes when they seemingly solve a murder in their small town. The incident spawns a hit Saturday morning television series, complete with lunchboxes and action figures. Of course, there’s a lot less blood in the television…
Houston Japan Festival
The Japanese Garden at the Hermann Park will look a little different this weekend when it’s transformed into a Japanese village for the Houston Japan Festival 2008. Among the entertainers set to perform during the two-day celebration are Taiko drummers Kofu Daiko and Kaminari Taiko and the Sakura Japanese Dance…
Of No Relation III
The dance collective Lower Left doesn’t need rehearsals — hell, they don’t even need their dancers to live in the same city (members live in San Diego, Oakland, New York and Marfa). This isn’t a hindrance; it’s actually a creative strategy, and it will be on display in “Of No…
Wines of Portugal Tasting
The Wines of Portugal Tasting features offerings from Vinho Verde, but don’t be fooled by the name. Though it means “green wine,” the name refers to the freshness of the grapes from the Minho region, not the color. Today’s tasting will include a selection of refreshing white and red wines…
“La Labor”
For painter Roel Flores, music and farmwork go hand in hand. The music, he says, is “inspiration to keep working.” His exhibit “La Labor” shows the farmworkers both in and out of the fields. The painting Valerio Longoria depicts an accordion player. The bright orange background contrasts with the man’s…
“Stations”
In his new exhibit “Stations,” Anthony Thompson Shumate recreates Jesus’s march to the crucifixion, except he puts gas stations where Stations of the Cross belong. The lighted stained glass artworks also feature countrysides that resembles oil fields. The pieces look like they should be hung in a cathedral of commerce…
“Chen Changfen: The Historic Wall” and “Fernando Castro: Reasons of State”
Imagine looking at the same damn wall for 40 years. Boring, right? Well, not if you’re Chen Changfen and the wall in question is the Great Wall of China. The photographer began shooting the Great Wall of China around 1959 and continued snapping shots for the next 40 years. The…
The Station Agent
Finbar McBride is a man used to being alone. The lead character in The Station Agent, Finbar is a dwarf, and he’s learned to limit his interaction with people in order to limit his rejection by them. When he unexpectedly inherits a lonely railroad station, he finds that a couple…
Houston Children’s Festival
Corbin Bleu, the hot young star of High School Musical, will be at the Houston Children’s Festival, the largest children’s outdoor event in the country. If you’ve never seen High School Musical (what planet are you from?), there’s a slew of other entertainment to enjoy, including singing group PureNRG, costumed…
Big Death and Little Death
A shell-shocked Gulf War vet returns to discover that his home is an emotional combat zone in the dark comedy Big Death and Little Death, presented by the UH School of Theatre & Dance and the newly created Catastrophic Theatre. His wife is having an affair, his daughter has anorexia…
Bayou City Cajun Festival
The folks at Traders Village have settled on the unfortunate motto “Gator Done” for this year’s Bayou City Cajun Festival. But we can overlook that, in light of the exciting list of Cajun bands on the schedule (not to mention all the cool stuff you can buy at this giant…
Peter Pan
A classic story gets a new soundtrack today when Leslie McMichael plucks her strings along with the 1924 silent film Peter Pan. The harpist will play her original score to accompany the screening of the first adaptation of author J. M. Barrie’s tale of a young boy — who’s played…
Young Guns Amateur Cage Fighting
Tired of all that fake, scripted, cartoonish WWE bullshit? Lots of testosterone-fueled guys apparently are, which explains the huge rise in popularity in mixed martial arts matches like those held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship league. At today’s Young Guns Amateur Cage Fighting match, real fighters will shed real blood…
American Psycho
Paving the way for his role as the brooding Batman of 21st-century cinema, Christian Bale played one of the great psychopaths in film history in 2000’s American Psycho. Patrick Bateman (Bale) is a trend-obsessed, upwardly mobile day-trader who channels his less socially acceptable aggression into nights of slashing up bums…
Kevin Everett
Every football player fears injury, but few have had to face what happened to Houstonian Kevin Everett. During his second season with the Buffalo Bills, Everett went helmet-to-helmet with an opposing player; the collision caused a fracture and dislocation of his cervical spine that left him paralyzed and near death…
Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas
The Houston Dynamo are entering their third season as two-time Major League Soccer champions. “We know everybody is going to be after us,” defender Eddie Robinson said at a recent press conference. This is especially true of the team’s first two opponents for 2008: the New England Revolution and FC…
Theodore M.E. Taylor
Theodore M.E. Taylor learned comedy the hard way, and he says he owes that to Houston crowds. “We’re a good audience down here, but we don’t take bullshit,” says the local comic. Houstonians do something far worse than heckle, he says. “It’s called the H-town stare,” he says. “Being booed…
Kevin Brockmeier
The living and the dead mingle in Kevin Brockmeier’s The Brief History of the Dead. The novel interweaves the story of a town full of departed souls with that of the still-living woman who hasn’t forgotten them. In a metropolis known as “The City,” inhabitants go about a normal routine…
The self-portrait of Frida Kahlo
Vibrant artwork, sultry Mexican abodes and adventures in bisexuality — Frida Kahlo’s life is the stuff of legend. The Self Portrait: The Life of Frida Kahlo, a full-length modern ballet premiering tonight at MECA, brings a version of that legend to the stage. Kahlo’s famed unibrow and habit of dressing…
Louis CK
Louis CK tells stories about his kids to make you laugh…at them. “My daughter is really something else; she runs the house,” he says. She even invented her own rules for Hide and Go Seek, “because she sucks at Hide and Seek, and so she covers it with this fucking…
Merkel at Third Coast Comedy Theatre
Take a pad and pencil with you when you see Merkel, because while there are only two actors, Julia Laskowski and Patti Rabaza, there are dozens of characters. You’ll need to take notes in order to keep them all straight. Laskowski and Rabaza wrote the two-woman musical, which takes a…
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
Viennese audiences were a glum group during Napoleon’s occupation in the early 1800s. To cheer things up a bit, Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 7. It worked. Audiences loved the energetic, happy music, and it went on to become one of his most famous works ever. Today Kwame Ryan, in…
First Film Thursdays at Dean’s: Austin FilmWorks
Aspiring filmmakers will want to head to this First Thursdays at Dean’s. The monthly short-film installment will feature samples from cinema instructor Steve Mims’s Austin FilmWorks. Today’s selection includes Aunt Hallie, a comedy about an old Southern belle who finds a condom on her lawn, and god/man/accordion, a documentary exploring…
Rounding Third
Richard Dressler’s play Rounding Third shows us that Little League is a serious business — at least to the parents. The comedy follows a year in the lives of two parent coaches as they try to reconcile their differing philosophies when it comes to baseball (and life, actually). Both have…
Astros-Padres: The Best Offense Is…a Good Offense
The vaunted Houston Astros offense came to life Wednesday night. Came to life against Greg Maddux, of all people. But that wasn’t the most amazing thing to happen in last night’s game. No, that would be when Lance Berkman stole third base in the top of the eighth inning. That’s…
Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple
We expect a lot from our indie-ethos, crossover pop stars nowadays, even from a duo as inspired as Gnarls Barkley, a.k.a. DJ Danger Mouse and rapper Cee-Lo. We expect guilt-free-yet-radio-worthy earworms like “Crazy,” not to mention genuine pathos, ground-breaking production and minimal amounts of filler, all of which GB somehow…
Say Anything frontman Max Bemis speaks before he thinks
Max Bemis, leader of the New York band Say Anything, was diagnosed three years ago with bipolar disorder. Given his history of manic episodes, Bemis says the diagnosis made sense. In fact, he attributes the lyrics of the band’s 2004 debut, Is a Real Boy, to the disorder. Then, around…
5ingles: The Breeders, Mariah Carey, Lupe Fiasco, Madonna, Hannah Montana
The Breeders “Bang On” — Kim Deal would like you to know that she’s lonely in the biblical sense, but wipe that smirk off your face — we don’t mean it that way — and she’s saying so in a lazy, bare-bones way. Sort of an alt-rock Peanuts comic strip…
Bayousphere
Either that sign is urging Junior Quinn to savor the little pleasures in life — like the fact that it’s not pouring, windy and 40 degrees — or it’s taunting the hell out of him. Or maybe he looks over to it for congratulations every time he sells a paper…
A Salad of Contrasts at 1308 Cantina El Tiempo
A salad of contrasts: You won’t find a jicama and mango salad ($8.39) at many Mexican restaurants. But they serve this refreshing dish at 1308 Cantina El Tiempo (1308 Montrose, 713-807-8996). It contains just three main ingredients — jicama, mango and pomegranate seeds. Not only do the textures of the components…
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Calling all geeks. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will embrace you with its goofy story, its quirky music and its wacky line-up of first-rate spellers, all craving that enormous golden trophy perched on the stool next to the judges. Brought to Houston by Theater Under the Stars, the…
Paging Freaks: Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2008
As a kid, I spent countless hours thumbing through a dog-eared copy of The Guinness Book of World Records, determined to find just the right stupid human trick to vault me into freak-show history. Turns out I didn’t need to waste all those years stretching my neck with metal rings;…
Bells & Whistles Café and Railroad Restaurant
David Smith has always been fascinated by two things — the restaurant business and railroadiana. For many years he has owned a property at the corner of Texas and Labranch, next door to the old Ben Milam Hotel, whose cafe he loved. Remembering that cafe all these years later, he…
FotoFest: “Independent Documentary Photography 1985-2008”
There wasn’t exactly a lot of art being made during China’s Cultural Revolution, unless you count portraits of Chairman Mao or, maybe, “inspiring” Socialist Realist murals. A lot of the country’s real art was destroyed during that period. Last week’s review took a look at “Ethnography, Photojournalism and Propaganda, 1934-1975,”…
LITTLE PAPPAS SEAFOOD KITCHEN’S MANGO MOJITO
Having spent most of my life in the Lone Star State, I consider myself a Texas gal, but I was born in Baton Rouge and this time of year my Cajun roots come out in full force. It’s crawfish season, y’all. I headed to Little Pappas Seafood Kitchen (3001 S…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Design Life Now: National Design Triennial 2006,” “Ethnography, Photojournalism and Propaganda: 1934-1975.,” “FotoFest2008: Current Perspectives, 1998–2008 CHINA,” “Vivid Vernacular”
“Design Life Now: National Design Triennial 2006” For an exhibition about design, this show isn’t very well designed. Organized by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the original installation apparently took up three of its floors. In the exhibit’s Houston incarnation, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s upstairs gallery is so…
Remaking Michael Jackson
Earlier this year, the silver-anniversary re-release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller — a souped-up, repackaged remembrance of the nine tracks of pop/soul perfection that the tree-climbing, surgical mask-wearing, yeah-it’s-okay-to-sleep-with-kids, nutty sumbitch unleashed on the world so many years ago — hit stores. Sadly, there’s one thing keeping the re-release from being…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Lucky Stiff, Pack of Lies, Sty of the Blind Pig, Underneath the Lintel, Wit
Lucky Stiff The Tony Award-winning musical theater duo of Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), creators of Ragtime, Seussical the Musical and, on April 19, the world premiere of their commedia dell’arte The Glorious Ones, had to start someplace. Even though this musical, based on Michael Butterworth’s goofy murder…
Crawfish Cravings at Swampy’s Cajun Shack
It was Saturday night, and five of us were sitting at a picnic table outside on the deck at Swampy’s Cajun Shack on Grand Parkway just south of I-10 in Katy, eating crawfish, drinking beer and listening to a Hawaiian/Tex-Mex cover band. The boiled crawfish at Swampy’s turn your fingers…
Who’s On Deck for the Houston Astros in 2008?
Craig Biggio is gone. Jeff Bagwell is long gone. The brief Hometown Hero heyday of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and their assorted needles is no more. The Houston Astros who will take the field in 2008 represent a new era for a city that had grown accustomed to its baseball…
Some Country for Old Men: Shine a Light
Mick Jagger’s most essential physical feature, according to Martin Scorsese: his bellystache. On the poster for Shine a Light, the big-shot director’s Rolling Stones concert film, Sir Mick is frozen in mid-song aerobics, his back arched, his half-shirt raised, that yawning navel and faint hairline more prominently showcased than his…
Movie Pirates
Take it back: Just about anything you buy has a clear, easy return policy [“Movie Pirates,” by Shea Serrano, March 20]. With movies, if you shell out $18 for what turns out to be a pile of doo doo, you are just out $18. I recently went to see In…
North and South, Red and Brown, Girls and Guns
Dear Mexican, Why are indigenous peoples from north of the Rio Grande called redskins and those from south of it called brown-skinned? El Hijo del Paleface Dear Gabacho, “Redskin” and its derivations date back to the 16th century, but its etymology is still being debated — some historians say it’s…
Matagorda Island Discs
For our first installment, we got Montrose music legend Domokos of Rusted Shut, A Swarm of Angels and A Pink Cloud fame. It will surprise nobody that Dom cheats with this list, nor that it is somewhat inscrutable. I have printed it here just as it was sent to me,…
Not Your Father’s N-Word
Last July, thousands of folks, including the (now-embattled) mayor of Detroit and the governor of Michigan, gathered in Motown at the NAACP’s annual convention for a symbolic funeral for the n-word. This wasn’t long after Michael Richards flew off at the mouth at a Los Angeles comedy club, Don Imus…
Fourth and Inches: Leatherheads
When Time recently featured George Clooney on its cover accompanied by the headline “The Last Movie Star” — note not even a question mark at the end — you didn’t have to read the article to know where it was coming from. After all, stars of the postpubescent variety are…
Thao, with Xiu Xiu
There’s a freewheeling, can’t-stop-won’t-stop joy to Thao Nguyen’s brand of indie pop that makes We Brave Bee Stings and All — the Washington, D.C.er’s new album, with backing band the Get Down Stay Down — one of 2008’s most addictive debuts thus far. Word-drunk, lyrically incontinent and handy with a…
Worth the Gamble: The Grand
For pure cinema, nothing rivals a high-stakes, full-tilt poker game — unless it’s somebody landing on Ventnor Avenue with two houses, or sending an opponent to the backgammon bar with double threes, or laying down a four with a bloodcurdling cry of “Uno!” Add poker to the long list of…
Zydepunks, with Blaggards
Finding Cajun and zydeco CDs in “World Music” record store bins has always annoyed me, especially when they are filed that way in stores in Houston. Sure, some lyrics are in French, but when you get right down to it, most modern zydeco has about as much business in the…
Banned Books at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
As some in the blogging world found out recently, it’s not an easy thing to find out which books the Texas prison system has barred from inmates. Ask the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for a list of banned books, and officials reply that putting such a database together would…
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Clue to Kalo, with Hearts of Animals
When Owen Ashworth was just an unknown film school dropout recording minimalist pop in his bedroom for an audience of dozens, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone seemed an apt band name. More recently, with the litany of collaborations, stage-sharing tours and split releases Ashworth has enjoyed over the past year…
Buxton: A Family Light
At the risk of posing a question that might have a scary answer, what are they putting in the water over there by Galveston Bay? First, from the chemical spew of Baytown there came the Morrissey-meets-Neil Young glory that is Scattered Pages. And now, from across the Fred Hartman Bridge…
Houston Music Festivals
It may be more correct from a musical standpoint than a meteorological one, but in Houston, April is the coolest month. There’s something — maybe too much — to do almost every weekend. It’s kind of a shame we don’t scatter these events across more of the calendar, but March…
Toxic Town: Contamination in Somerville Schools
At three o’clock last Monday afternoon, Adriel Carter sat in a line of cars outside Somerville Elementary School waiting to pick up her three kids, ages five to ten. A few weeks earlier, environmental test results had revealed elevated levels of arsenic, dioxin and other known carcinogens in areas throughout…
R.E.M.: Accelerate
R.E.M.’s Jackknife Lee-produced 14th studio album, Accelerate, lives up to its speedy title. It’s loud, quick and dirty, spinning by so fast that it takes multiple listens to absorb. It’s full of buzzing guitars and stream-of-consciousness discontent, along with an abundance of Mike Mills’s choir-boy harmonies and sinewy bass. And…