Robin Hood
Angela Foster’s original adaptation of Robin Hood features the familiar outlaw, his Merry Men, lady love Maid Marion and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. But you’ve never seen Robin Hood like this — that’s because at every performance, the audience decides the story’s ending. InterActive Theater pauses the show in…
Breaking the Code
It’s hard to imagine life without computers these days. But mathematician Alan Turing managed to break the Nazi Enigma Code during WWII with-out so much as a gigabyte of electronic memory. In the mid ’80s, playwright Hugh Whitmore brought Turing’s wondrous accomplishments and diffi-cult life to the stage in the…
She Stoops to Comedy
Shakespeare writes, “All the world’s a stage.” In the comedy She Stoops to Comedy, David Greenspan writes, “The world’s a fuckin’ drag show.” Greenspan conjures up all those odd Elizabethan theatrical conventions in his wild show-within-a-show. At the center of the story is Alexandra, a lesbian actress who wants to…
“Perspectives 174: Re: Generation”
Visual artist Robert A. Pruitt used to be a security guard at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Now he’s the juror for “Perspectives 174: Re: Generation,” the latest exhibit organized by the museum’s Teen Council, selected from works submitted by student artists from 15 to 19 years old. A whole…
This
Middle age sucks for a foursome of smart New Yorkers in Melissa James Gibson’s much-adored off-Broadway hit comedy This, getting its regional premiere in this production by Main Street Theater. At the story’s center is Jane, a single mom-teacher-poet, who is filled with sadness and regret. Her close friend Tom…
44th Annual WorldFest — Houston International Film and Video Festival
Yes, when you’re organizing a film festival, you get to watch movies all day long. But according to Todd Hunter of the 44th Annual WorldFest — Houston International Film and Video Festival, there’s lots more to it. Hunter and his team sift through hundreds of submissions; some are films the…
Cats
Cats takes place at night, which makes the Hobby Center, with the stars in its ceiling, the perfect place to stage it, according to actor Jason Wise, who plays Tumblebrutus, the teenage “punk” cat who’s constantly starting up and running away from the trouble he causes. It’s been a decade…
Comment of the Day
John Kiely grew some cucumbers and made cucumber sandwiches to have with his afternoon tea, which inspired reader Jack to write in. He had plenty to say about England (“$7 pints of beer, no refills on drinks, shoe leather steaks”), how to add milk to one’s tea, and how Kiely…
Houston Immigration Facility Accused of Harassing Gays
A civil rights group has filed a complaint alleging harassment and ill treatment of gay and transgendered people in federal immigration facilities across the nation, including one in Houston. The National Immigration Justice Center wrote to the Department of Homeland Security that GLBT immigrants have been mistreated in the jail-like…
Houston International Festival: A Trojan Horse & A Great Wall
A 100-foot long reproduction of the Great Wall of China will be plunked down in the streets of downtown Houston in late April, all part of this year’s Houston International Festival. It’ll be joined by a repro of the Trojan Horse (high school English anyone?). This year’s iFest is going…
Feasting Fun at Menu of Menus
As I was leaving Spring Street last night, I noticed a line winding around the ruddy brick building for Menu of Menus. Even at 8:30 p.m., people were still clamoring to get in. And why not? Inside was a treasure trove of treats from more than 30 restaurants and –…
Clint Broussard Has Blues In Hi-Fi After Car Wreck
Longtime KTRU disc jockey Clint Broussard, whose popular show Blues in Hi-Fi has been a Wednesday-night staple for more than 12 years, is recuperating at home after two surgeries on his leg. Broussard’s leg was “separated below the knee” during a collision on U.S. 59 near the Spur 525 intersection…
Space Shuttles: Ten Ways Los Angeles and New York Can Show Theirs Off, Dammit
This week, we learned that Houston, essentially the birthplace of the space shuttle program, will not be given one of the four remaining shuttles. Two of the four cities receiving them are both deserving and appropriate: Washington D.C. (for the Smithsonian) and Cape Canaveral, Florida, home of Kennedy Space Center…
Sheriff’s Gang and DWI Crackdown Near Flea Market Yields 16 Arrests, 120 Tickets
Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office targeted an area near a popular northside flea market this weekend and made 16 arrests and gave out 120 tickets. It was a combined DWI and anti-gang initiative, a spokesperson said, and was concentrated on a flea market at Aldine and West Gulf…
Health Department Roundup
We came across this a few days ago. Seeing the extent to which the Earth is dwarfed by the sun, and then seeing how small the sun is compared to other stars, and how small those other stars are compared to still other stars, made us consider our place in…
David Sha: The Politics Behind Not Wearing Any Drawers
Songs end up in our inbox all of the time. All of the time. Sometimes they go there to flourish, to (eventually) be posted here with praise and e-high-fives. Sometimes they go there to die, a Bad Music Graveyard, if you will. Rarely, though, are they the sole reason why…
Rodney Palmer, 11, Bayou Body Count No. 50
HPDGboweh Dickson George: Charged with shooting fourth-graderAn 11-year-old boy was killed and his brother injured when a man shot into their apartment early this morning. Police have arrested Dickson Gbowea Gboweh Dickson George, 32, and charged him with murder. Rodney Carey Palmer, 11, was killed in the incident in the…
The Larry King Game
Art Attack absolutely loves the Internet, for reasons like this. Sometimes a random bit of ephemera leads us to a hidden cache of hilarity, whereupon we can waste our day falling down the rabbit hole. In this case we were watching James Urbaniak, the voice of our beloved Dr. Venture,…
James Faircloth’s Smooth Pick-Up Tactics: I’m an FBI Agent With Lil Wayne Tickets, Baby
James Faircloth, 53, apparently wanted to hit on a high school student. How best to do it? According to court documents, he approached the girl, who hopes to work in law enforcement eventually, and: a) Quickly flashed a business card that said “Detective” and said he had worked with the…
Last Night: Gogol Bordello At House Of Blues
Gogol Bordello House of Blues April 12, 2011 Check out our pics of the Gypsy punks. Maybe a Jolly Roger would have helped. Tuesday night at House of Blues, Gogol Bordello had the captain’s wheel, center stage. They had the ocean, in the form of the seething pit of humanity…
Peep Torture: A Timeless Easter Tradition
No doubt you have been seeing Easter candy in stores since the day before Valentine’s Day, with those marshmallow Peeps peeking their lifeless, bitter, dotted heads into your field of vision in blue, pink, and yellow. We never quite got the drawl of Peeps. They taste bad, the dye is…
Create-Your-Own Combo Plates at Lupe Tortilla
I’ve driven by Lupe Tortilla many times while traveling under 59, but I’ve always been too worried about getting side-swiped by some jackass in an SUV to give the restaurant more than a passing glance. Thus far, I have relied on The Original Ninfa’s for great Tex-Mex, Little Pappasito’s for…
Revisiting an Old Favorite: Udipi Café
After compiling a list of my top 5 favorite Indian spots, I ended up with a major craving for some good Indian lunchtime buffet. As such, I found myself headed toward Hillcroft, landing at Udipi Café. It was a little late for lunch, but I decided to take my chances…
Cover Story: John Kinsel’s Life Without Parole
This week’s feature tells the story of John Kinsel, a man who will spend the rest of his life locked up at Angola Prison for a crime his accuser has since said he didn’t commit. Alyssa Medlin testified as a nine-year-old that Kinsel — her mother’s boyfriend — had raped…
Joshua Robert Alan Smith and Spacetaker
Joshua Robert Alan Smith, an image collector and collagist, incorporates images of venerated objects, human memorials, and cultural artifacts in his new work showing at Spacetaker, opening this Saturday. In effect, he is continuing and complicating the interpretive activities already inherent to his subjects, puzzling out history and memory by…
Tuwo and Suya and Egusi, Oh My!
Despite Houston’s wealth of ethnic food — and even its wealth of African food — eating Nigerian cuisine can be intimidating. Unfamiliar words, unfamiliar ingredients and unfamiliar foodstuffs all combine to make for a potentially confusing meal. We’re here to help. This week’s cafe review of Suya Hut, one of…
Metro Setting Records For Number of Bikes on Buses
More people than ever before are taking buses and bringing their bikes along in Houston, Metro is reporting. The transit agency’s blog notes that last month there were 10,155 bikes on buses, an 11 percent increase from March 2010, and a 28 percent increase from February 2011. What were the…
A Few Damned Minutes With The Damned Things
Rocks Off recently spoke with Joe Trohman, one of the guitarists for brand-new supergroup The Damned Things, which features Anthrax legend Scott Ian, Every Time I Die lead singer Keith Buckley, and drummer Andy Hurley from Trohman’s previous band, Fall Out Boy. The Damned Things are a relative smorgasbord of…
Take in a Movie With Your Dog At Market Square
Leave the couch. Grab up some blankets and lawn chairs. You and the pooch are going to the movies this weekend at Market Square Park. You can’t bring your beer or wine from home, but you can buy it at Niko Niko’s once you get there. Aurora Picture Show, the…
Top 5: Worst Restaurant Parking Lots
Houston’s got them. You know them. Here are the worst. 5. Yia Yia Mary’s Greek Kitchen Maybe it’s for a lack of intelligence, but I’m always in a complete state of confusion when I pull into this parking lot. In a 20-yard radius, you can park at a bank, a…
Mo Hussein: Claims Continental Tossed Him Off Flight and Stranded Him For Speaking a Foreign Language
These days, if you’re a businessman with a name like Mo Hussein, you’re fighting an uphill battle in America. You’ve probably heard all the jokes you care to. But that doesn’t mean you should be kicked off a plane and stranded 1,500 miles from home simply for speaking a foreign…
A Spirited Production: Cats from Broadway in Houston
The set-up: For all ten of you who have never seen this iconoclastic whopper of a show, just what have you been doing? You’ve had 7,485 times to see it in New York and 21 years to see it in London. Maybe you’re too young — it can happen. The…
Which Houston Rappers Deserve Their Own Streets?
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
The Sex Offenders in Five Ritzy Houston ZIP Codes
If you live in the Houston area, chances are good there’s a sex offender living nearby. That’s no matter how well-off your ZIP code is. The Department of Public Safety’s sex offender registry allows you to look up sex offenders by ZIP code; we chose some of the best neighborhoods…
Mortal Kombat Legacy: We Can’t Believe It’s Happening
When director Kevin Tancharoen – who helmed that remake of Fame of all things – cobbled together his own short version of a new film adaptation of Mortal Kombat and released it upon an unsuspecting and delighted internet, nobody ever believed that it might actually lead to a licensed film…
20 Takes Of “Louie Louie,” Motorhead To The Fat Boys
Today is the 48th anniversary of Portland, Ore., garage-rock group the Kingsmen recording their version of Richard Berry’s “Louie Louie.” The Kingsmen’s version would end up being the most enduring and controversial take of the song, unleashing the U.S. government on the group and the song for its supposed masked…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Greg Lowry of VOICE
It’s been nearly a year since Greg Lowry took over as the executive chef at VOICE, and he has settled into the position with confidence and style. Trained at Culinary Institute LeNôtre with a specialization in French pastry, Lowry jhas had stints at Tony’s, Farrago, Mulberry, Max’s Wine Dive (the…
Ingredient of the Week: Cactus Honey Powder
What is it? This Arizona Farm Cactus Honey Powder is a bit of an enigma. After a little research online, I found several sources, including a blog called TheKitchn.com, that states that “cactus honey” is a term used to describe agave nectar, NOT bee-produced honey made from the cactus flower…
Bun B Panel Debates Rappers’ Social Responsibilities
There was a time when everyone either wanted to be hip-hop or sleep with her. Hip-hop, in her nascent days, was akin to that hot chick everyone wanted to take to the dance. But now that hip-hop is old and graying with a few babies of its own, everyone wants…
The Beauty of Short Hops: Or, Come Back Ken Tremendous, a Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You
Author Michael Lewis wrote this book around the turn of the century that has dominated baseball discussion, for good and bad, ever since. This book, Moneyball, dealt with the efforts of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane to field a competitive team despite not having the payroll to compete for…
Devil Killing Moth: Butterflies With An Attitude
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. It has been a sad bastard and kill ’em all kind of week on Rocks Off’s iPod. A little Blitzen Trapper’s “Black River Killer”…
Top 10: TV’s Bitchiest Bitches
Yesterday was Shannen Doherty’s 40th birthday, with the Queen Bitch of the ’90s more than likely celebrating by setting her boyfriend’s Mustang on fire and sending a dozen supreme pizzas to her local Lane Bryant. At least that’s my beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy. During her time on Beverly Hills 90210,…
Comment of the Day: Space Shuttles, Museums and Politics
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Prom Style 2011
High school prom time is here and although your experience may not match what you see in the movies (not always a bad thing, think Carrie) that’s no reason you can’t look like a movie star. Here are some fail-safe trends to ensure you’ll knock ’em dead and have no…
Donald Trump, Bible-Hoarder: The “Very Nice” Places He Keeps Them
I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but does anyone else think that Donald Trump’s “presidential campaign” is nothing more than a clever ruse to publicize his television show, NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice? I know, I sound like a crazed nut right now with tinfoil on my head and a…
Low-Budget Brilliance: Some of Our Favorite Local Commercials
While watching the morning news, Art Attack stumbled upon yet another wonderful local commercial, this time from Platinum Pools. It’s hard to describe what made it so bizarrely amazing, we’ll try and paint the picture: Two bikini-clad beauties relax on a raft in their newly built Platinum Pool. A man…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Houston Entree: If you’re still hungry for follow-up about the Houston Restaurant…
Colt .45s Video: “Without a Doubt, Houston’s Usherettes Are the Living End”
Since the Astros are looking utterly dismal, let’s glance back when things could be worse — at least you’re not sweltering in direct sunlight on metal bleachers watching bad baseball. And, as this newsreel footage tells us, “Houston’s usherettes are the living end.” God, it must have been terrible to…
Golf — My Masters Facelift
First, for those asking, my second annual recap of Jim Rome’s Smack Off radio show will be up tomorrow sometime. If you missed my first one last year, it was a true tour de force. It, too, went up nearly four days after the actual event, so my procrastination is…
Comment of the Day
A glass of wine and a patio – Katharine Shilcutt may have inspired the whole city to skip the gym today with her post “Houston’s Best Patios: The 10 Best to Drink a Glass of Wine.” Of course, everyone has their spots, and commenter Jennilangusto wrote in to vote for…
Bob Dylan: 50 Years After His Debut, Have Things Changed?
Today, April 11, is the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s first professional show, an opening slot for John Lee Hooker at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village. It’s also the golden anniversary of Nazi military Adolf Eichmann’s war crimes trial beginning in Israel, but that’s not really that sunny of…
The UK Guardian‘s Mystery Bird Is From Houston!! (What the Hell it Is, We Have No Idea)
The veddy British newspaper the Guardian does a veddy British thing on the web: It offers a “mystery bird,” a heavily cropped picture of a bird which readers are then asked to identify. Today’s is from Houston!! There’s not much in the way of clues: “This distinctive North American mystery…
Off the Wall: Is El Rey’s Breakfast the Real Deal?
Last week, we introduced the Favorite Three entry. It featured various EOW bloggers’ opinions on favorite breakfast spots. El Rey Taqueria ranked #3 for Katharine Shilcutt. One reader, ShitThowingMonkey, took great offense to this: “As a self-proclaimed expert on the subject, I think all breakfast tacos at El Rey, save…
Dance Center Houston Officially Opens its Doors
Dance Center Houston, the new six-story home of the Houston Ballet, officially opened its doors this Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony that featured Mayor Annise Parker, Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch, co-chair of the capital campaign and trustee Jesse H. Jones, II and Houston Ballet Managing Director C…
Pierre Celis, Brewer of Hoegaarden and Celis Beer, Dead at 86
Pierre Celis, the “King of Belgian White Beer”, died over the weekend. He was 86. In spite of several unfavorable transactions with major brewing companies, Celis is widely considered one of the forbearers of the craft-brewing movement in America. His self-named brewery operated in Austin from the mid-1990s to 2001…
Meridian Giving It Another Go As The Orchid Club
Look out, Houston. The Meridian is about to bloom into The Orchid Club. Another new management group is about to attempt to give the long-embattled venue a new lease on life. As Space City Rock reported Friday, the venue (listed as Space City Hall) had a ska show over the…
Luciano Rosales: Strips 88-Year-Old Widow Of $1.3 Million, Blows It On Online Dating, Ballet
Ten years ago, a 77-year-old widow named Nola Grimes buried her son — her last living blood relative. So when Luciano Rosales — a 50-year-old employee of Grimes’s business Cash Money, reported KHOU — approached her that year and suggested she grant him power of attorney to help her manage…
Houston’s Best Patios: The 10 Best to Drink a Glass of Wine
With patio weather season in full swing, Houstonians are absolutely spoiled for places to enjoy the day outside. And sometimes all you know is that you’re in the mood for a patio, but can’t figure out where to go. So how do you choose? Over the next five weeks, we’ll…
Photos of the Now Graf-Art-Heavy 1902 Washington Avenue Building
On Sunday, some of H-town’s muralists and street artists posted up at 1902 Washington Avenue on Sunday to transform a nondescript building into an urban canvas. Houston Street Art, the brains behind the painting potpourri, reports that even though some artists won’t be able to put the finishing touches on…
Apollo 13 Launched 41 Years Ago: 5 Best Trivia Bits About the Film
Forty-one years ago Apollo 13 blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center, and things went swimmingly for a while. Last year we listed our favorite dweebiest nit-picks about the movie; this year let’s look at some favorite pieces of trivia. It being the internet and all, take each of these…
Powerful: Breaking the Code at Theatre Southwest
The setup: Brilliant English mathematician Alan Turing was indispensable in the defeat of Hitler. He and his top-secret team broke the German Enigma code, deciphering Nazi dispatches and foiling war plans. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and elected fellow of the Royal Society,…
Brew Blog: A Fordham Brewing Co. Sampler in Annapolis
Traveling for business sucks. Sure, you may get to see other parts of the country on someone else’s dime, but you also have to eat hotel food and live out of a suitcase. Whenever I find myself out of town for work, I try to make the best of it…
Friday Night: Chingo Bling & Friends At House Of Blues
Chingo Bling, Fat Tony, Roxxi Jane House of Blues April 8, 2011 Check out the pics of Chingo Bling’s party in our slideshow. House of Blues was transformed into one big house party Friday night as Chingo Bling and Fat Tony took the stage in front of a sellout crowd…
Colleges With Gay Support Services Must Also Have “Family Values Centers,” Texas House Says
Late Friday night, while the eyes of the political world were focused on whether the federal government would shut down, the Texas House of Representatives took yet another bold step in ensuring that the state remains a laughingstock. Any state college or university that uses state funds for one of…
Meme Of The Week: Chicks With Steve Buscemi’s Eyes
This weekend we were rocked from our slumber by an email containing the link to Chicks With Steve Buscemi Eyes, a haunting and perverse creation from the mind of someone who is surely not well, mentally or spiritually. The premise is simple: Use Photoshop to paste the eyes of renowned…
The Pappadeaux Platter at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
The Pappadeaux Platter at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is overpriced, unsophisticated, and likely to cause water retention. But it’s also really addictive. Strangely, I found myself wanting another one even when I woke up feeling bloated and gross the next morning. The Platter features fried shrimp, fried catfish (sensing a trend?),…
Saturday: KTRU Outdoor Show At Rice University
KTRU Outdoor Show Rice University April 9, 2011 Aftermath had something of a busy Saturday and subsequently missed quite a few good bands at the 20th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show. The rest of Houston, however, didn’t. By the time we arrived, just before Real Estate took to the outside stage,…
Mario Ruffino: Child-Porn Distributor While an Intern at the Harris County Department of Education
Mario Joseph Ruffino, 29, seems to like working with kids. He interned at the Harris County Department of Education and then took an IT job with an elementary school in Arkansas. All the while, federal prosecutors say, he was a major distributor of child pornography. He was arrested last month…
Wine of the Week: Clos du Bois 2009 Pinot Grigio
I’ve never quite figured out what it is about Pinot Grigio that I don’t “get.” It’s just not something I buy, but not because I don’t like it. It is one of the most popular wines in America. Is my snub a subconscious rebellion against popular culture, or just a…
This Week in Tv: Glenn Beck Leaves and Other Realities Come Forth
Glenn Beck’s retiring? Now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking. This was the week in TV Land: • Sad news last week: Glenn Beck, despite a long and storied career of high-concept insanity, is leaving Fox News. Beck’s been at FNC since 2009, and before that he…
God Is My Friend: Rebecca Black’s “Friday” Gets A Holy Overhaul
To sate the born-again masses, Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has been given a Christ-filled overhaul courtesy of young singer Sadie B, complete with church-championing lyrics and the handy lesson that Monday comes after church…
Carl Lewis, State Senator From New Jersey? How Many Things Are Wrong With That?
Several key East Coast newspaper are reporting that UH legend Carl Lewis will announce soon — maybe today — that he plans to run as a Democrat for the Senate from New Jersey. Wow. Lewis now lives in Medford, NJ; he would be running as a longshot candidate in a…
The Chicago Dog at Sonic: A Passable Imitation
Understanding that the mere headline alone may cause cringes and howls among Chicago dog connoisseurs, I’m going to come swiftly to the point on this one: The Chicago-style hot dog that Sonic is currently serving for $1.99 is not even in the same league as a true Vienna beef dog…
RIP Sidney Lumet: A Wild & Varied Film Career
This weekend, film director Sidney Lumet passed away the age of 86. The influential filmmaker succumbed to lymphoma on Saturday morning in New York City. As news of Lumet’s passing went around the entertainment and film community, a quote of his made the rounds, a sort of self-prescribed epitaph: “Good…
What’s The R&B Singer/Rapper Relationship Really Like?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Jack Freeman, Dallas Blocker, Leelonn, Patrick Sims, Senze Not Invited: Ja Rule This Week’s Prompt: You all have had some songs with some…
Jethro Tull in Space: No Aqualung, Though
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight, current space station astronaut and noted flute player Cady Coleman joined in an earth-orbit duet with Jethro Tull founder Ian Anderson…
What a Crock: Peach Crisp
There are a million peach cobbler-esque slow cooker recipes out there. I figured it was time to highlight one. But, how to choose from such a plethora of delightful recipes? I always seem to find a way. The rundown I chose this one based on one ingredient — the quick…
The Five Horniest Presidents America Has Produced
The Reelz channel finished up its Kennedys mini-series last night, the production that was chased from the History Channel because JFK fans hollered about inaccuracies or too many dramatic liberties. The series itself seemed rather rote, although Greg Kinnear was a convincing-enough JFK. It did offer a lot of scenes…
How to Kill Off Classical Music
We’re almost there, people! Your state representatives are working hard to make sure the Texas Commission on the Arts is eliminated so that sooner rather than later it becomes pretty much impossible for music organizations, orchestras, and chamber ensembles to fund anything beyond a season closer performance by an accordion…
Friday Night: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart At Fitzgerald’s
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Fitzgerald’s April 9, 2011 Houston’s Friday show circuit was enough to make any music fan’s head spin: While droves were at Toyota Center taking in the artistic freak show that is Lady Gaga, the city’s alternative crowd was crammed into Fitzgerald’s for one…
Dynamo Light Up the Scoreboard Against Vancouver
Goals were plentiful for the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night, as they opened up their home stand with 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Most of the night’s goals came in a span of five minutes — for both teams. Dynamo forward Cam Weaver got the party started in…
Bartender Chat: Shadi Farahani of Liberty Station
Whenever I walk into Liberty Station on the east end of Washington Ave., I am always greeted with an excited smile by Shadi Farahani. Most days you can find her behind the bar mixing up some super-juicy new cocktail with handmade syrups and infusions that she is always happy to…
Skyline Art Services: Art in Public Facilities Like Hospitals
Friday night at an gallery artist reception, the gallery owner was happy to reckon, “These are works we probably never could sell.” In another gallery, his claim would have been startling departure from professional decorum. At Skyline Art Services, Charles White was explaining the peculiar strength of the show, and…
Top 5: Indian Restaurants
After naming a Southern Indian eatery as my top vegetarian-friendly restaurant pick, I started to think about what makes an Indian restaurant good. I’m a huge fan of bread, so fresh, golden bubbly naan is always important, as are creamy paneer, high-quality meats, perfectly seasoned curries, and crispy samosas. A…
(UPDATED WITH VIDEO) Friday Night: Lady Gaga At Toyota Center
Lady Gaga Toyota Center April 8, 2011 See pics of Mama Monster and her minions in our slideshow. Lady Gaga fell off her piano stool Friday night at the Toyota Center, during her newish “You And I,” a sweetly nostalgic and classic AM radio cut from her upcoming Born This…
Will & Kate’s Wedding: The 10 Oddest Commemorative Items
If you think the whole world won’t be watching on April 29th when Prince William marries his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton, you’ve got another thing coming. Even in America we still haven’t cut the apron strings of our monarchical overlords. In 1981, 750 million people worldwide watched the wedding of…
Comment of the Day: The World’s Most Passionate Astrodome Defender
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
The Great Burns of Brahms
Johannes Brahms was and remains one of the most important and towering figures of the Romantic period of music. He rose from squalor as the son of a bassist and a seamstress. Brahms got his start playing the piano in whore houses and dance halls as a boy, and many…
UH Baseball: Cougars Engulfed By The Blazers
John RoyalCodey Morehouse trots home after hitting a home run on FridayThe Houston Cougar baseball team has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride this season. They weren’t supposed to be very good, not with the new coach, roster turnover, and a near non-existent pitching staff devastated by injury…
10 Devastating Animated Kiddie Movie Voice-Over Misfires
“Why is the Easter Bunny now British?” is what we asked ourselves the first time we saw the trailer for the Russell Brand-ed Hop, the new feature starring the British comedian, and current Katy Perry husband, as the voice of the Easter Bunny. LOL he plays the drums too! It’s…
Aeros Whip OKC, Now Bring On The Playoffs
John RoyalThe Aeros are going to the playoffs The Houston Aeros started the regular season way back in October in Oklahoma City. They ended the season yesterday, hosting Oklahoma City. The Aeros won that first game in Oklahoma City, and they won yesterday’s game, 6-3. The win yesterday was win…
Where Are We Eating?
It’s artichoke season right now, so get your fill of luscious steamed artichokes like this while you can. Does the garlic-laced blossom below look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Jersey Shore, the Next Generation
MTV has approved two spin-offs from Jersey Shore. First, the diminutive Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (second from the right, second row, in the photo below), and super-hot Jenni “JWOWW” Farley (first on the left, front row) will have a still-unnamed 12-episode series about life after vacation. Expect to see more romantic…
West Texas is Burning: Maybe the Worst Wildfires in State’s History
Massive drought conditions have turned West Texas and the Panhandle into a tinderbox, and the spark has been lit. This weekend saw what might develop into the worst wildfire days in the state’s history, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Department of Public Safety said. Said TPWD: According…
Architect Marshall Strabala: Why I like the Center for Dance Best
Architect Marshall Strabala has designed three of the ten tallest buildings in the world, but his current favorite is the six-story Center for Dance, the new home to the Houston Ballet. “I love the way it came out. It has a specific program to it. An office building is an…
Street Artists Needed This Weekend to Paint Murals on Washington Avenue Building
A landscape architecture and urban planning biz recently moved into a spot on the Washington strip, and they’re looking for mural/street artists to pretty up the outside of their building this weekend. The spot is located at 1902 Washington Avenue (at Silver Street in front of The Drake). Houston Street…
Three Generations of Crack Sellers Under One Roof
Apparently family togetherness, when it comes to crime, is not limited to adult-diaper scamsters. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced this afternoon that they had busted a family of six for selling crack from their home on the northeast side of town. Included: a grandfather, father, mother, daughter, son, son-in-law,…
Comment of the Day
Katharine Shilcutt posted her Top 5 Coffee Hacks, and wouldn’t you know it? Some of y’all didn’t agree with her and wrote in to tell us how it’s done. One commenter, going by “Lol,” really upped the ante: This is nothing. I grow my own coffee from seeds, harvest the…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve already built a small chickenwire pen in the backyard in which to imprison the many chocolate bunnies we’ll be handing out and consuming, come Easter. Oh yes, you will be first, Mssrs. Bunnington and Hopsworth. No amount…
ATF, Military Called Out To Defuse East Texas Sparkler Bomb
Two young East Texas women — 25-year-old Candice Harris and 29-year-old Heather Horn, both of Bronson, Texas — are charged with felonies after authorities caught them earlier this week with what they are branding as dangerous incendiary devices. According to TV station KLTV, police in southeastern San Augustine County responded…
More Local Music News Than Tickets Sold to the Astros Home Opener…a LOT More
In the land of MCM, it’s always Friday and there’s always a treasure trove of local music news. That’s because we happen to structure it as such, but make no mistake, we’ve got a full truckload for everyone this week. However, in what might be a MCM first, we don’t…
Mesquite ISD Cop Pepper-Sprays Squirrel As Students Shriek In Protest
Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. This clip is going around the web, of an officer apparently with the Mesquite ISD polie force, pepper-spraying a squirrel. Highlights: One student believes the cop is about to Tase the thing, which would have been exciting; also, the middle…
Bassey & Rose Essien: Father-Daughter Team With Million-Dollar Adult-Diaper Scam
Keeping things in the family, passing knowledge from one generation to the next: It’s a heartwarming American tradition, especially when it involves ripping off Medicaid for more than a million dollars with an adult-diaper scam. Bassey Essien, 60, and his daughter Rose, 31, were found guilty this week after an…
Donna Huanca’s “Rua Minx Pop Up Shop” Brings the Noise
Last night, artist Donna Huanca opened her “Rua Minx Pop Up Shop” at PG Contemporary Gallery in Midtown. The show features collage, photography, sculpture and wearable art, and the opening included a sound performance by Huanca and avant-turntablist Maria Chavez. The tiny storefront PG space feels perfect for the trendy…
Roast Chicken with Bacon Spaetzle and Crispy Brussels Sprouts at Haven
Chicken is usually the last thing on my mind when I go to a “nice” restaurant. I usually want to try interesting meat dishes I would never be able to replicate at home. I have come to expect, however, that even the most exotic establishments will usually offer a rather…
WHIP YOUR HAIR: Best Singles By The Children Of Rock & Rap Royalty
Today is Julian Lennon’s 48th birthday, born April 8, 1963, just as his father John was beginning the meteoric rise to godhead status with the Beatles. He wouldn’t see his dad too terribly much as Beatlemania took over the world, something that both men struggled with as the years went…
Houston Allergies: Why Are You Sniffling? There Are 65 U.S. Cities Worse Than Us
Spring is in the air, but you may not be able to smell it if you’re wheezing and sniffling and full of phlegm. Take heart, though: You could be living in Knoxville, Tennessee. That city is the worst in the U.S. for spring allergies, according to the latest rankings from…
Kids Plant a Garden at Piney Point Elementary
It was inspiring to watch a few hundred schoolchildren working furiously with trowels and hands, digging holes, planting flowers, bushes, fruit and vegetable seeds, and not tossing dirt on each other. That was the scene at the reconstructed Piney Point Elementary (Pagewood Lane at Fondren) as the school dedicated and…
Austin’s Texas Biennial Comes to Houston’s Box 13 ArtSpace
The Texas Biennial, a month-long art festival dedicated to an independent survey of contemporary Texas art, is going statewide this year, including an exhibit at a quirky Houston gallery in the East End. The Biennial starts this Saturday and runs through May 14. The Biennial, which is organized by Austin…
Sheila Jackson Lee is Fasting for a Budget Deal
You probably didn’t know that people are fasting as a call for a fair budget deal in Congress. Among them: our own Sheila Jackson Lee. (We didn’t know of the fast until we read about it in the Houston Chronicle’s religion blog.) We cannot begin to imagine what some of…
For Biz Markie’s Birthday: YouTube Covers of “Just a Friend”
When it comes to one-hit wonders, Biz Markie certainly ranks up there. His horribly off-key, ubiquitous, feel good song “Just a Friend” propelled the hip hop artist into the pop culture stratosphere and helped us all to understand that singing, literally, isn’t everything. Needless to say, it was a bad song…
First Look at Sapori
It looks like Chef Alberto Baffoni might have finally landed in a spot suited perfectly for his talents after years of bouncing around, most recently at the ill-fated Bohemia, after leaving his initial Houston post at Simposio (which is also now closed): Saprori Ristorante Italiano. No longer is Baffoni restricted…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Arthur
Title: Arthur This Isn’t About The Guy Who Pulled Excalibur From The Stone, Is It? Worse, it’s a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy. Did They Keep That Horrible Christopher Cross Song I’ll not have the legacy of Austin, TX’s greatest living musician besmirched, damn your eyes. Rating Using…
Gabrielle Giffords: No Media Appearances If She Goes to Husband’s Shuttle Launch
Staffers for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, recuperating here after her Tucson shooting, say she still plans to attend the April 29 launch of her husband’s space shuttle mission. But if she does, there will be no press interviews or public statements. “The congresswoman will not meet with the media or issue…
Last Night: B L A C K I E in 3-D at Warehouse Live
B L A C K I E Warehouse Live April 7, 2011 Well it wasn’t quite 3-D, because real life itself is already four dimensional (props, Jim), but nonetheless, last night’s experimental B L A C K I E gig in the studio space at Warehouse Live was eye-popping as…
Yoga Fuel: Cucumber Salad at Nit Noi
After reading Geri’s “Top 5 Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants” — and after a particularly heinous week full of cheese, meat, booze and refined carbs — I have been anxious to get my veggie on. Out and about meeting with clients and running errands, I found myself disembarking the light rail at the…
Five More Real-Life Candidates For Mortal Kombat
Honestly, when we penned part one of this article we thought we’d have to struggle to come up with five people who would fit in the weird and violent world that is Mortal Kombat. Just a few hours on the internet though has shown us that the world is so…
David J. Stern: Former Klein Forest Soccer Coach, Now Epicenter of Florida’s Foreclosure Crisis
A man named David J. Stern has been getting a lot of attention lately — The New York Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel have named him as a key figure in the massive collapse of Florida’s mortgage and foreclosure crisis. Says the Sun-Sentinel: Stern’s Plantation-based foreclosure practice is one…
Five Spot: Dwane Sweazie’s The Remix Vol. 1
Dwane (pronounced Dwane) Sweazie (pronounced Sway-zee) is a new guy, but he’s an old guy too. He’s been rapping for about six years and ghostwriting for an untold number of those. He’s fairly secretive about the ghostwriting process, responding to most queries with a politely short, “Ehhh, I can’t talk…
April 1-8: The Week in Art 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…
Openings & Closings
After last week’s flurry of activity, the first week of April has been nicely quiet so far. Around the city, there were a few openings as reported by B4-U-Eat: Green Apple Cafe in Hitchcock; Mi Hacienda (not to be confused with the classic La Hacienda in Memorial); and the intriguingly…
Great Photos of 75 Abandoned Theaters, Including Seven From Texas
There’s something sad about an abandoned theater — looking at it brings to mind all the laughs, thrills, discoveries and entertainment that it once produced, either on stage or screen. Buzzfeed has put together a terrific collection of 75 abandoned theaters across the country. Some feature amazing interiors that look…
App of the Week: Alfred
App: Alfred Platforms: Mac OSX Web site: Alfredapp.com Cost: Free (Power Pack add-on for about $20) Normally, this space is reserved for apps for the phone and the occasional Web site. This week, we’re going to talk directly to Mac users. Sorry, Windows users. Maybe next time. The App Store was already a pretty…
You Talkin’ to Me? Seven Musical Moments in Martin Scorsese Films
We scoured the Internet, like we do for at least nine hours a day, for an excuse to embed Scorsese clips into one, organized blog post. Lucky for us, we found that timeliness was applicable: the 35th anniversary edition of Taxi Driver is out on Blu-Ray! We’ll probably stick to…
Odd Pair: Pizzeria Combos and Chianti
When my blood sugar dips low, I will literally reach for the closest food at hand, whatever that may be. I was so hungry the other day, I contemplated the various pros and cons of eating kibble. I consider snacking on Pizzeria Pretzel Flavor Combos to be at least half…
Main Street Theater’s This: Very Funny
The setup: The comedic drama simply titled This – it is funny, very funny – brings together four close friends, each with their own sexual hunger, and one outsider – younger, handsome and with Gallic charm – and sensual fireworks might be expected. Playwright Melissa James Gibson, however, has other…
Abandoned Theaters: 75 Beautiful Pictures, Including Seven From Texas
Buzzfeed has scoured the net and come up with 75 great photographs of abandoned theaters across the country. Some feature amazing interiors that look ready to house a play or movie immediately; others look like forlorn abandoned warehouses. Texas is mightily represented, with seven locations. Some even in cities we’ve…
Comment of the Day: Don’t Come Running to Me When You Need a Lawyer
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Idol Beat: Told You So
Admittedly, I didn’t think she’d go this quickly, but I always knew Pia was toast. I said as much last week when discussing the stranglehold pre-adolescent female voters have on the show. Why else have only three females made the top five the last three seasons? Was Lee DeWyze really…
Stick ‘Em Up: Houston Street Art Doc Debuts at River Oaks Theatre
Check out our slideshow from last night’s Stick ‘Em Up premiere. Last night, River Oaks Theatre was a who’s who of social media advocates, City of Houston elected officials and, more than likely, a few of the city’s anonymous, unrecognized street artists for the premiere of Stick ‘Em Up!, a…
A Winning Combination at Sweet Lola
Sweet Lola may be the most adorable place in Houston, and I would be lying if I said my inner 5-year-old wannabe princess didn’t do a little back flip on a recent visit there. Before heading over, I’d checked the website to see what fro-yo they had on tap, and…
Idol Beat: The XX Chromosome Bloodbath Continues
Admittedly, I didn’t think she’d go this quickly, but I always knew Pia was toast. I said as much last week when discussing the stranglehold pre-adolescent female voters have on the show. Why else have only three females made the top five the last three seasons? Was Lee DeWyze really…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Mike Potowski of benjy’s on Washington
This week, we caught up with Executive Chef Mike Potowski of benjy’s on Washington. Check it out here and here. Today, we sample some of his creations. The tasting provided a glimpse of Chef Potowski’s broad culinary range. After hearing about his sushi background, I was pleased he brought out…
Is Blog Love Overvalued?
It’s funny watching new artists stumble over themselves trying to score coverage on popular blogs. Take the fast rising L.A. crew Odd Future, for example. Group captain Tyler, The Creator is almost as famous for his musical ingenuity as he is for his feud with revered rap blogs Nah Right…
Hey Houston, We Have a Real Live Playoff Team
John RoyalAeros head coach Mike Yeo and assistant coach Darryl Sydor oversee Thursday’s practice.It’s hard being a fan of Houston’s professional sports teams. The Houston Astros suck. The Houston Rockets just failed to make the playoffs. Again. The Houston Texans are the Houston Texans, which means that a lockout and…
Mary Sarah to Open the Astros Season
Friday night begins yet another season of Astros baseball as our boys take on the Marlins. The great news for Houston music fans is that the season will kick off with a rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” by our own 15-year-old ingénue country star Mary Sarah. Sarah has shot…
April 2-8: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. Whether you’re relaxing in the cool of a bar or the warmth of our last few days of spring, we want to see your pics. Just drop them…
10 Naughty Things To Put In Your Easter Basket
It’s about that time to start packing those Easter baskets for the kids, hiding those eggs, frantically looking for a church to go to April 24 to appease our God with your presence, and to change your fire alarm batteries in your home. The latter is just good practice, no…
For the Astros’ Home Opener: An Epic Collection of Astrodome Scoreboard Cartoons
The Astros finally have their home opener today, coming in with a 1-5 record BUT with a one-game winning streak. The fans who come out to the game, assuming there are some, will be introduced to the gargantuan new HD screen that owner Drayton McLane has installed to further make…
100 Creatives: Misha Penton
(Part of our ongoing series profiling 100 Houston-area artists. No rankings; no order. Check back every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for another edition.) What she does: Misha Penton is an opera singer and theater artist, but she describes her performance group, Divergence Vocal Theater (which she formed in 2008), as…
Upcoming Events
As you may have read and seen around the Internet, this Sunday is Linda’s Block Party at 1834 Westheimer, a fundraising event to help defray medical costs for Linda Salinas. Salinas, a local bartender and sommelier, was injured in a scooter accident on Sunday night, and the Houston restaurant community…
KBR’s Selection As a “Top Employer For Women” Ignites Backlash
Houston’s KBR has sent out a press release noting the company had been named one of the 50 top employers for women by Woman Engineer magazine. “The readers of Woman Engineer magazine selected the top companies in the country for which they would most prefer to work or believe are…
LeBron’s Mom Smacks Around a Valet Guy
I’ve never been big into crime dramas, but for whatever reason, I’ve taken a real liking in the last year or so to shows like Law & Order and CSI. Even though the shows are pretty formulaic (like so formulaic that if there were such a thing as “Mad Libs:…
Comment of the Day
Today Katharine Shilcutt wrote about her first visit to Pondicheri, the new West Ave restaurant from Anita Jaisinghani, leading to an interesting conversation in the comments about Gulf Coast-Indian fusion, local ingredients and pricing. Wrote Doc Ricky: Just mulling it over: shouldn’t the use of local ingredients and a fusion…
Kelechi Ogbaa: His One-Year-Old Kid Eats His Weed Stash, Hilarity Does Not Ensue
No one wants to face charges or be convicted of something terrible-sounding like “endangering a child.” But Kelechi Ogbaa is facing just those charges, because while he was taking a nap his one-year-old daughter somehow ingested some of his weed. It did not produce a viral YouTube video of a…
Favorite Three: Breakfast Spots
Over the past few weeks, some readers have taken offense to certain Top 5 lists, and how they only reflect the opinions of the writer constructing each list. With the help of my fellow food bloggers, we’ll now bring you a slightly different take on the Top 5s — a…
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Lady Gaga Covers On YouTube
Tomorrow night Lady Gaga returns to the Toyota Center for her third packed show at the venue in less than a year. Last July, she held all the Little Monsters and pop fans hostage at TC for two blood-smeared, fiery, glittered, and hit-filled shows. Rocks Off was there for the…
Between Passing Standards and State Funding, HISD Remains in Free Fall
It wasn’t just the budget numbers that remain in free fall as Houston ISD trustees discovered at today’s agenda workshop. Next fall, board members and Superintendent Terry Grier’s administration will have to come together to set stopgap passing standards for district students that will cover only the 2011-12 year, Carla…
New Quinceañera Trend: Mexican Pointy Boot Dancers
We’ve just spied the latest trend for quinceañeras (at least in banquet halls in Dallas and Houston): Dance crews in Mexican pointy boots getting down to tribal music. As the name implies, these kicks come to an exaggerated point and can stick out as far as seven feet. In the…
Fast Times: Whataburger’s Grilled Chicken Salad
Last week’s chicken sandwich was a caloric train wreck. If I’m going to live to keep writing this article each week, I’ve got to switch it up from time to time. Enter Whataburger’s Grilled Chicken Salad. Who in their right mind gets a salad at Whataburger? Heck, until I did…
Houston Culinary Tours Gain National Recognition
You have to admit, the Houston Culinary Tours are a clever idea to promote Houston: pairing high-profile chefs with a handful of passionate food lovers, and allowing those chefs to take those food lovers to some of the city’s best and most interesting restaurants, showcasing the city’s diverse food scene…
Astros WON’T Lose Every Game This Season
Some were saying it couldn’t be done, but the Astros have finally gotten a win in the 2011 season. A double with two outs in the ninth gave them a 3-2 victory over the Reds this afternoon. Not only that, the win means that the ‘Stros are only four games…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Colorado Kool-Aid
Lonesome, Onry and Mean had just begun our phone interview with Monte Warden of the Wagoneers when we heard someone talking to Warden in the background. Warden then asked, “Are you that guy who wrote the blog about ‘Colorado Kool-Aid’?” We had to admit that we were. “This is unbelievable,”…
Gone Missing Really Going Missing Tonight
If you hit up Theater LaB tonight to see Gone Missing, you’re not going to find what you’re looking for. Art Attack received a text message today from one of the cast members saying that tonight’s 8 p.m. show has been canceled. One of Gone Missing’s players is out of…
Top 5: Restaurants You May Not Know
Houston has an endless amount of restaurants–some popular, some trendy, some bad, and some just average. I love finding great places that not many people know about or ones that just don’t get much attention. These are my Top 5: Restaurants You May Not Know. 5. El Hidalguense Vieng Thai…
Food Fight: Pecan Pie
It may be the state tree of Texas, but the pecan sure doesn’t attract the kind of attention lavished on the state flower, the bluebonnet. Put it this way: You don’t see photo studios offering to capture a young Texan’s first bite of pecan pie. If only! The bluebonnet is…
UTMB Forced to Give PETA Documents on Animal Experiments
Attorney General Greg Abbott has ruled that the UT Medical Branch in Galveston must turn over documents sought by PETA regarding experiments done on animals. A PETA whistleblower alleged in January that animals were used in painful and deadly burn, pain and irritable bowel syndrome experiments and training exercises.” PETA’s…
French Beatbox Master Spits American Hip-Hop History in Four Minutes
Damn the French. After seeing French rapper and human beat box, Eklips, deliver America’s hip-hop history in a little over four minutes through a beautifully executed tirade of amazing vocal percussion and imitation of musical sounds, it reminded Rocks Off of the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky…
Coming Soon: Helmut Newton at MFAH
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston will, as of this summer, be the first American space to host a sweeping retrospective of German-born shutterbug Helmut Newton. Before Newton’s works became synonymous with sexually-charged female portraiture, he and his family struggled (but eventually succeeded) in fleeing Nazi Germany. Newton (1920-2004) would…
Top 5 Coffee Hacks
As a kid, I could never understand the appeal of coffee. But that might have been because my grandparents were always brewing up tar-thick pots of Folgers, the plastic tub of “coffee crystals” stored in the freezer where they absorbed other scents and smells. Or because my father, God bless…
85 MPH on Texas Highways: Why the Hell Not? (Five Houston-Area Spots That Should Be Considered)
The Dallas Morning News (behind a paywall but AP report is here) noted a small clause in a transportation bill passed by the House in Austin this week — if approved by the Senate, it allows speed limits to be raised on some Texas highways to 85 mph, the highest…
Elaine Bradford: Making Storefront Windows Remarkable
At the bottom of Milam Street Wednesday night, just up from the bayou, a couple of usually unremarkable storefront windows were attracting attention, causing a crowd. Having long stood empty, tonight they presented visitors and passersby with a sort of bygone museum diorama: “natural” settings reproduced by means of plastic…
Happy Birthday John Oates: The Pics Of His Departed Moustache
Today is John Oates’ birthday, and the Hall & Oates co-frontman is 62 years young today. The singer, along with Daryl Hall, made some of catchiest and dopiest pop-rock in the ’70s and ’80s, responsible for hits like “Rich Girl”, “Maneater” and “Private Eyes (Clap Clap)”. As hooky and smooth…
The Far Down at The Hobbit Café
A surprising number of Houston sandwich places/delicatessens do NOT carry egg salad. I learned this fact while perusing menus online and when my Google search for “best egg salad in Houston” yielded paltry results. Although I was specifically craving dill egg salad, a specialty of my favorite college sandwich shop,…
Terrie Rhodes: Fort Bend Teacher Accused of Sexing Up Female Student
Terrie Rhodes teaches seventh-grade English at Fort Settlement Middle School in Fort Bend ISD and, if what police say is true, she’s a female Humbert Humbert. She was arrested this morning for having indecency with a child/sexual contact and improper relationship between an educator and child. She’s also a San…
Sandrell Crosby, 1 Year Old, Bayou Body Count No. 47
A west Houston man has been charged with beating his baby daughter to death, police say. Christopher Washington, 35, is charged with capital murder in the death of Sandrell Crosby, 1, about 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in the 2900 block of Hayes Road. Police say the child was brought to…
Otenki Makes the Finals of Billboard’s Battle of the Bands
Otenki is the best Houston band you’ve never heard of, according to guitarist Enoma Asowata. This could be true; we had heard the name thrown around but had never seen them live or knew much about their music. Despite this fact, they’ve used social media and large-scale festivals like Warped…
Gallery: Mariah Carey Joins The Ranks Of Pregnant Celeb Magazine Cover Girls
After she tweeted a pic of her painted pregnant belly for her Twitter followers, singer Mariah Carey took the next step and is this week’s Life & Style cover girl, showing off her expecting torso for the whole world to see, ending what had been a drought of coverage of…
Eating on the Go: Revival Market Blueberry Muffin
One side-effect of a two-person family functioning with one car in this city is the necessity to occasionally eat in the car. Frankly, I don’t enjoy eating in the car, but on those days when I have to take my husband to work so I can use the car, I…
First Look at Pondicheri
“Oh, good. There are other brown people here,” my friend remarked with a laugh as we walked up to Pondicheri’s front door one recent evening. “That’s always a good sign.” Indeed, one of the things that first struck me when I heard about the new restaurant from Indika’s Anita Jaisinghani…
Last Night: Duran Duran at Warehouse Live
Duran Duran Warehouse Live April 6, 2011 Check out our slideshow from the show. The Duran Duran frenzy began last night before the band even took the stage. Droves of women indiscreetly huddled around the band’s tour bus before the show, anticipating a mere glimpse of the ’80s pop-rock idols…
Another Alleged East Texas Trailer Park Gang Rape, This One Near Lufkin
While the nation and the world are recoiling in horror from the alleged Cleveland trailer park gang rape, a similarly depraved tale in the town of Hudson (just outside of Lufkin) has yet to draw as much ire or attention. In that case, five men and a juvenile stand accused…
Last Night: Amadeus at the Alley Theatre
No slam on the Alley Theatre, but there’s a whole lot of mediocrity on view in Peter Shaffer’s fanciful, dramatic look at genius vs. ho-hum. The genius is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, credited as the first composer to proudly proclaim “I am a Musician” (in a 1777 letter to his beloved,…
Comment of the Day: Hard-Core, Sex-Soaked Redistricting
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Idol Beat: Deck The Hall
Only nine hopefuls remain in this, the 10th season of American Idol (AKA the Greatest Talent Competition Since the Battle of the Bands at San Dimas High School). It’s time to separare the wheat from the chaff, the post-adolescents from the mere adolescents, those who are “in it to win…
Idol Beat: I Do Not Like That will.i.am
Only nine hopefuls remain in this, the 10th season of American Idol (AKA the Greatest Talent Competition Since the Battle of the Bands at San Dimas High School). It’s time to separare the wheat from the chaff, the post-adolescents from the mere adolescents, those who are “in it to win…
Five Real-Life Candidates for Mortal Kombat
This month will net us the reboot of the famous Mortal Kombat video games series. Speaking as someone who was in middle school when Mortal Monday happened, we cannot help but be excited to see the old blood fountain take a shot at rewriting its own history. Back in the…
Alexander Olivieri: 18-Year-old Murder Suspect Grins for Mugshot
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Alexander Olivieri, 18, for the Katy murder of Bridgett Frisbie, 17. Frisbie’s body was found, dead from a gunshot wound, by some kids who were four-wheeling in a field Sunday afternoon. Olivieri’s mugshot, released by the HCSO, isn’t exactly representative of someone shocked…
Y’all Musta Forgot: RoderickVONN’s I’m Almost Done Getting Ready!
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. You know RoderickVONN. He’s the other guy from JUZCOZ (the one that doesn’t kind of look like Taye Diggs),…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Mike Potowski of benjy’s on Washington
Yesterday, we caught of up with Executive Chef Mike Potowski of benjy’s on Washington. We discussed a little of his past and his experience on Iron Chef America. Today, we talk benjy’s. EOW: Could you describe the menu for someone who has never been to benjy’s on Washington? MP: It…
Jean Pierre Mierau: Convicted Child Rapist on the Run from New Charges
It was obvious that Jean Pierre Mierau could see the writing on the wall back on March 18, shortly after he had made $20,000 bail on two counts of online solicitation of a minor. The 35-year-old from the Alief area had been sentenced to five years in prison after a…
Pop Rocks: I’m Your Density
I wonder sometimes if we’re approaching the singularity in entertainment reporting. A “singularity,” as we all know, is the point in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite density and zero volume. If we define “density” as “number of stories and/or articles” and “volume” as “editorial significance” (which…
What’s in a Name? Fired for Walking
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. Well, Rocks Off can’t say we haven’t been to an opium den anymore. Our own Fired for Walking is a loud and thoroughly hell-bound…
Pop Rocks: The Black Hole of Infotainment
I wonder sometimes if we’re approaching the singularity in entertainment reporting. A “singularity,” as we all know, is the point in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite density and zero volume. If we define “density” as “number of stories and/or articles” and “volume” as “editorial significance” (which…
Cute Toddler Alert: How We Wrangled Three of Them for a Cover Shot
This week’s cover story is on the new season for the Astros, who are filled with youngsters no one’s ever heard of. So what better for a cover than three kids just learning the game? Luckily, we ended up with three two-year-olds who acted like they’ve been on professional cover…
100 Creatives: Ben Tecumseh DeSoto
(Part of our ongoing series profiling 100 Houston-area artists. No rankings; no order. Check back every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for another edition.) What he does: Ben Tecumseh DeSoto jokingly tells people that as a photojournalist it’s his duty to photograph explosions, fires, human disasters and occasionally, triumphs. For more…
Happy Hour Scene: Royal Oak Bar & Grill
The Place: Royal Oak Bar & Grill 1318 Westheimer 281-974-4752 The Hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays The Deals:$2 domestics, $3 house wine, $4 martinis, $1 off drafts, $10 select bottles of wine The Scene: My friend Ethan has trouble turning down free food. He says it’s because…
Houston Bike Paths: “Easing” Their Way to a Glorious Future?
About a year and a half ago, as a sidebar to an article we wrote on the perils of urban cycling here in Houston, we cast our battle-tested, road-weary eyes longingly toward the possibility of CenterPoint Energy surrendering their scores of miles of utility easements for use as hike/bike trails…
Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series: Kay Ryan
The one sincere/ crocodile has/ gone dry eyed/ for years. Why/ bother crying/ crocodile tears. This poem, “Crocodile Tears,” is quintessential Kay Ryan: short and simple at first look, profound and powerful just a few thoughts later. Today, the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series draws to a close with…
Houston Press Menu of Menus
Get your fill at the Houston Press Menu of Menus. Dozens of restaurants will be serving up delicious samples of their signature dishes to a crowd of hungry foodsters, with lots of mingling, schmoozing and noshing going on. There will be a variety of food, from fresh and healthy delights…
Teenage Mutant Ninja
The era of the teenage action heroine is fully upon us. As pop-cultural correctives go, it’s a mixed blessing. In one corner, you’ve got the jailbait fantasies of Donkey Punch and Kick Ass, which eagerly trade on notions of naughty girliness rather than transcend or interrogate them. In the other,…
Pilobolus Dance Company
Pilobolus, a trippy, hyper-creative dance group whose founders describe it as “an outsider dance company,” has spent four decades conjuring some of the most unique dance spectacles known to audiences. Here they’ll mimic sinuous, insect-like creatures courting one another; there they’ll act as shadow puppets, using tricks of light to…
Houston Japan Festival 2011
Organizers of this year’s Houston Japan Festival 2011 want to send more than just well-wishes to their countrymen, thousands of whom are injured or homeless because of the recent earthquake and tsunami. They want to send funds and donations to help during the crisis. So, along with lots of entertainment,…
An Evening of Bread and Circus
There’s a simple explanation behind the title of the latest offering from Hope Stone Dance Company, An Evening of Bread and Circus. “It’s things intended to keep people happy and divert their attention from problems,” Executive and Artistic Director Jane Weiner tells us. Not that Bread and Circus is meant…
Lisa Lutz and David Hayward: Heads You Lose
Most people can’t stand to be in the same room with an ex, much less co-author a novel with them. And yet such a collaboration — fueled by a bit of healthy rivalry — led to Heads You Lose, a mystery novel by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward. Lutz, best…
Bayou Bash
The Allen Brothers probably didn’t envision today’s Bayou Bash when they landed on the shores of Buffalo Bayou in the 1830s. The afternoon party includes live music, pontoon boat rides, games and kayak demos, along with mountains of crawfish, lots to drink and the Anything That Floats competition. Organized by…
Hairspray
In the musical Hairspray, 1960s teenager Tracy Turnblad, a plus-size girl, loves to dance. When she lands a coveted spot on the local TV dance program, she’s thrilled — until she realizes that she can’t share the dance floor with her African-American friends because the show’s segregated. Ever the upstart,…
Il Postino (The Postman)
The opera Il Postino (The Postman) focuses on Mario, a poor fisherman’s son turned personal postman for Pablo Neruda, one of Chile’s most famous and controversial poets. Neruda takes Mario under his wing and teaches him the art of love poetry so Mario can win the affection of Beatrice, the…
Lucia di Lammermoor
Soprano Natalie Dessay reprises the role she triumphed in in 2007 with Lucia di Lammermoor, the encore presentation of the latest in Met Opera LIVE in HD series. Dessay is Lucia, an innocent, delicate Scotswoman who’s being used as a pawn in a power game between her family and a…
Childsplay Theatre: Ferdinand the Bull
Ferdinand, a young bull, and Danilo, a matador-in-training, defy expectations in Childsplay Theatre’s musical production of Ferdinand the Bull. Neither of the two is interested in bullfighting; Fer-dinand would rather smell flowers, and Danilo would rather dance. When the two reluctantly meet in the bullring, they do the unexpected and…
Fool Me Once
Dear Mexican, I’m a blanquita, and I’ve recently begun dating a CALIENTE mexicano. I adore this man. The first time we were intimate, I noticed his necklace (which I had always assumed to be a rosary) was a name necklace…a WOMAN’S name necklace. He says that his mami gave it…
Capsule Art Reviews: “First Take: Okay Mountain” “Heimir Bjorgulfsson: The Classical” “Larassa Kabel: and all of this so far from Heaven” “Mark Bradford: A 20 Year Survey”
“First Take: Okay Mountain” Parodying self-help gurus, religious cults and creepy corporate “team building,” the Austin artist collective Okay Mountain has brought its incisive yet engagingly goofball work to the Blaffer Art Museum. In a projected video, a woman in gray-ish clothing speaks to you in hypnotically soothing tones, giving…
Light Reading
In 1998, The Books didn’t exist yet. Holding their place was a tower of MiniDiscs hovering conspicuously in the corner of Paul de Jong’s New York apartment. Nick Zammuto, a dinner guest new to the city, was distracted by the mysterious stack. “Oh, those are my reference materials,” de Jong…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Curtains, Jitney, Masters of Semblance, Urinetown
Curtains When musical veterans John Kander and Fred Ebb come up with such a clunker as Curtains, there’s got to be a reason. Death’s a pretty good excuse, of course, and since Ebb died during the writing, as did book writer Peter Stone, it’s conceivable that the loss of both…
Son of a Preacher Man
That Mississippi roots-rocker Paul Thorn is a painter comes as no surprise. His music, and certainly his latest album, Pimps and Preachers, is filled with realistic portraits of Southern characters in all their mixed-up religious dogma and dark-end-of-the-street sin. So are his paintings. Thorn has sold some pieces and had…
Sit, Stay
Check out our slideshow of Happy Hour at The Boneyard, a bar for man and his best friend. The popular refrain is that a dog is man’s best friend. And it’s true, mostly. Lassie was pretty boss. She must’ve saved that clumsy, disaster-prone boy 70 times. Hooch, despite a slight…
ICP Orchestra
Settle down, Juggalos. There won’t be any Faygo at this Nameless Sound event. Here ICP stands for Instant Composer’s Pool, one of the most respected contemporary jazz ensembles in Europe. Founded in 1967 by diametrical opposites Han Bennink (the drummer and “physical humorist,” according to the press release) and Misha…
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Unabashed about mining the creative pool that is teen angst, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sound exactly like their name implies; their songs are wistful, longing, heart-wrenching affairs. It’s a simple formula, and Lord knows that this New York quartet isn’t the first to discover it. Actually, there…
KTRU Outdoor Show
Long-running, presently embattled Houston college-radio institution KTRU celebrates its 20th annual Outdoor Show in grand style Saturday, with a day’s worth of free local and international indie-rock and hip-hop on the Rice University quad and inside the school’s grand hall. One-man chillwave outfit Washed Out leads the pack, with Ernest…
Chingo Bling, Fat Tony
Chingo Bling, “The Versace Mariachi” or “El Real Tex Mex,” is one of Houston’s most prominent representatives of the Southern Latino hip-hop community. He’s about as down-South Tex-Mex as taco trucks and cowboy hats, and seamlessly stitches the two into his rap repartee. Chingo, who is never seen without his…
Hungry Eyes
As we sat at a table waiting for our food at The Men’s Club of Houston, my friend Glenn told me a story about a trip to a Houston BYOB strip club and a dancer named Dimension X, who “flapped her pussy” in his face while giving him a lap…
Three 6 Mafia
Is it really so hard out here for a pimp? After becoming the first and only rap group to win an Academy Award, the onetime Memphis crunk legends seem to have done rather nicely for themselves. First, the group’s two lone remaining members, DJ Paul and Juicy J, did what…
Play Ball, Baby
To try and figure out where you’re going, it always helps to look at where you’ve been. Sage advice for important, life-changing events like deciding whether to get married (again), pondering a career change, scrawling lyrics to “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake, or writing a preview of your local…
Gogol Bordello
It’s nearly impossible to listen to Gogol Bordello without thinking of Eugene Hütz’s hilarious character in Everything Is Illuminated, especially considering how the band blew up after Hütz’s film debut, but the miscreant musicians have been serving up gypsy-punk for well over a decade, long before Illuminated aimed a big…
Stoned and Throned
Your Highness plays like a dirty-joke blooper reel made by the cast of a junky sword-and-sorcery epic, streaked with carelessly contemporary-sounding blue humor, blunt profanity replacing the naughty-naughty, tankard-sloshing, heaving-bosom ribaldry that goes with the period setting. The scene: a generic medieval realm from an EverQuest or Forgotten Realms module…
Hunx & His Punx
This coed Oakland, California, garage-pop band is like a trashy, albeit imaginary, John Waters movie come to life. Sassy lead singer Seth “Hunx” Bogart sings about cruising, crushing and carousing with the help of a three-piece all-girl band while wearing panty hose over stripper panties. At least that’s what happened…
KUHF Head Mocks GOP
POLITICAL ANIMALS KUHF Head Mocks the GOP As if NPR wasn’t in enough trouble By John Nova Lomax John Proffitt, the head of KUHF (Houston’s home to NPR) thinks you are a moron. Well, that’s what you could say if you saw his Facebook page recently. With NPR dealing with…
A Bourbon of Our Own
A Bourbon of Our Own No Texas bourbon: All bourbon is made in Kentucky, hence the name [“Made in Texas,” by Hanna Raskin, March 17]. It’s named after the county. If it’s not made in Bourbon County, it’s whiskey. So all bourbon does come from Kentucky. That is all. Reuben…
Unsolved Mysteries
Yankee Tavern opens in a seedy New York City bar that time and customers have forgotten. The bar’s fresh-faced owner, Adam (Adam Gibbs), looks too young to be running such a decrepit watering hole, nicely evoked by designer Jodi Bobrovsky. Short on customers, he has time to work on his…
