Fried-Food Finalists Chosen for 2014 Big Tex Choice Awards
The State Fair of Texas in Dallas will be here before we know it — it kicks of September 26 — and that means Corny dogs, funnel cakes, and of course, the weirdest and wackiest fried foods. Sure, you can stick to the traditional fried Oreo cookies or over-the-top fried…
HPD Confirms Identity, Investigation Into Officer Who Committed Suicide
UPDATE September 19, 2014, 9:00 a.m.: Tickets written by Rudolph Farias, along with three other officers, have been been dismissed. In light of an internal investigation into charges that the officers ran a ticket-rigging scam, bilking the department for thousands of dollars in overtime pay, HPD and the city attorney’s…
Reality Bites: Wahlburgers
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Was this really necessary? I probably ask that question every week. Arguably none of the garbage I subject myself to on a weekly basis for your quote-unquote amusement *needs* to…
“Summer Riesling” Grease Parody Brings Down the House at Camerata
There was brio in the air last night at Camerata, as co-owners David Keck and Paul Petronella wrangled an ornery projector and guests sipped Riesling selected especially for the wine bar’s “Summer of Riesling” microlist. The occasion was the debut screening of “Summer Riesling – A ‘Summer Nights’ Parody,” a…
How Video Games Are Fighting Mental Illness
There are lots of people that will tell you that video games rot the mind and encourage violent and deranged behavior. Most of these will focus on titles like the Grand Theft Auto, or on the objectification of women in mainstream games that reinforces rape culture, or simply remark that…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Anthony Calleo of Pi Pizza Truck
Anthony Calleo is as colorful as the Pi Pizza monster logo on the side of his truck, from his heavily tattooed arms to the words he chooses. He has a reputation for being frank and passionate about his food. We met Calleo for his interview at the Houston Food Park…
This Week in Food Blogs: Glazed Doughnuts & No-Bake Pizza
Urban Swank: If you haven’t been to Glazed the Doughnut Cafe in the Medical Center yet, then take Joanna O’Leary’s advice and get yourself to the 24-hour doughnut shop.Two of her favorite flavors are the maple bacon and the lemon poppy seed, but the plain glazed will satisfy that sweet…
UH Football Players and Their New Stadium Are All Dressed Up but May Have Nowhere to Go
“Always in motion is the future.”–Yoda Since the summer of 2010, when collegiate athletics’ massive wave of conference realignment began, the goal for most of the FBS schools sitting on the margins of college football, outside of the stated “power conferences,” has been survival. Survival and access, really. Access to…
Student Actors at Memorial High and Carver Magnet Unite for Memphis, the Musical
He’s a white DJ who has fallen in love with a black singer in an underground club. Making it even more interesting, they’re in Memphis in the 1950s, where the outlook is not favorable for their relationship or her musical career. It’s Memphis, the Musical, an exuberant look at race…
Panic! at the Disco at The Woodlands, 8/19/2014
Panic! at the Disco Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 19, 2014 Panic! at the Disco in 2014 is definitely not what it was before. The “baroque rock” band that joined the likes of Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance in 2006 to capture the souls of teenage girls going…
UPDATED The 2014 Houston Theater Awards: A Year Filled With Sound, Fury and Laughter
Oh, the places we’ve been! The people we’ve met! We’ve gone to Hell with Satan in Doctor Faustus (Classical Theatre Company); suffered with the Frank family in their Amsterdam garret in The Diary of Anne Frank (A.D. Players); time-traveled backward and forward with ex-wives and new wives in Communicating Doors…
Review: Common Bond’s Pastries Are So Divine We’re Driven to Rhyme
It’s buttery, flaky, a cavernous treat, the type of thing no one can help but eat when they see the whole tray piled high behind glass, beckoning diners who gather en masse. The puffy, crisp roll has a light outer shell that begs to be sliced to reveal each round…
An “Unoaked” Chardonnay Hits the Spot at Grotto
It was difficult to find a seat Monday night at the bar at Grotto, the popular Houston mainstay. Between a couple of very friendly ladies dressed in bright blouses and a queue of middle-aged traveling businessmen who seemed eager to share a cocktail with them, two Houston food and wine…
Five Biting and Stinging Bugs to Watch Out for This Summer in Houston
Of all the joys that summer in Houston brings — heat, humidity, hurricanes — perhaps the most aggravating is the plague of bugs that descends on us like a swamp (which is basically what the city is anyway). As the creepy crawlies come out of hibernation in the spring, they…
Don’t Miss This Brunch Starter at Cook & Collins
The brunch appetizers at Cook & Collins are too good to pass up. And while the world’s largest bacon-iced cinnamon bun (seriously, it’s bigger than the head of your one friend that has that giant head) is a fantastic way start, we can’t get enough of the eatery’s overloaded “Red…
J.J. Watt Finally Speaks About a New Contract
“You’ve got guys in the Hall of Fame that have been franchised in back-to-back years. The franchise tag is worth something to the team, and you can’t be afraid to use it.” — Bob McNair, 8/8/14 Whether it was Intentional or unintentional on the part of Bob McNair, if you’re…
100 Creatives 2014: Shawna Forney and Erma Tijerina (a.k.a. SHER), Culture Gurus
We weren’t at all surprised when Shawna Forney asked if she could share this interview with fellow organizer and friend Erma Tijerina. It’s in Forney’s nature to invite people, to turn everything into a group project, to make everything a party. Tijerina is the same. The community organizers/event planners/media consultants…
Accused Atherton Elementary Teachers Want an Apology From Grier; TEA Reviews HISD’s Investigation
One teacher has been back at her job since March. Another is ready to settle with Houston ISD for a year’s salary and her promise that she will never apply to work for HISD again, according to her attorney Larry Watts. But the third and fourth teachers originally accused of…
Doctor Who: 12 Time Lord Reasons Peter Capaldi Is Going to Be Great
This Saturday Doctor Who returns for Series 8 (or Season 34, if you like) and with it we get a new Doctor. I think it’s safe to say that the revived series has never had anything like the excitement that is surrounding the debut of Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth…
Houston’s Best Cafeterias: Hearken Back to the Good Old Days
I haven’t always been a food snob. When I was little and my mom would teach night classes at the local university, my dad and I were left to our own devices for dinner. Because the man can do little more in a kitchen than boil water for pasta or…
New Houston Rap: Travi$ Scott Rides in Another Rodeo
So…who wants new music? MIXTAPE OF THE WEEK: Travi$ Scott, Days Before Rodeo A year ago, Travi$ Scott emerged from Houston obscurity, Tumblr fanfare and the tutelage of Kanye West, T.I. and others to release his Owl Pharaoh EP. For much of the tape, Scott felt like he was doing…
The Top 40 Charting Hard-Rock Songs: Part 2
Welcome back to the show! We’re counting down the Top 40 hard rock songs of all time, according to Billboard (sort of…). I’ll take a moment to recap Nos. 40-31. 40. “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” Night Ranger 39. “Cumbersome,” Seven Mary Three 38. “Trampled Underfoot,” Led Zeppelin 37…
12 Highly Entertaining Indie Artists on Twitter
Way back in 2006, I bet the founders of Twitter had no idea the social-media platform would become the force it is today. Sure, you can interact with your friends and whatnot, but perhaps the coolest, most intriguing part of Twitter is the way it makes us music lovers able…
We Nominate in the Ice Bucket Challenge…
Even in today’s viral culture, this “Ice Bucket Challenge” to raise money for ALS research has taken many by surprise. Instead of quickly blowing over like so many digital fads, this one continues to yield more famous (and not-so-famous) people getting doused on Facebook and YouTube every day. Apparently now…
Gov. Rick Perry Poses, Grins for Mugshot
In his mugshot taken Tuesday at the Travis County Courthouse, Gov. Rick Perry sports that sly grin we’ve all come to know so well. Perhaps that’s because Perry thinks he’s winning the public relations war that’s erupted over his indictment. Following his indictment Friday on felony counts of abuse of…
University of Houston Nixes Mandatory Campus Housing Plan From Agenda UPDATED
Updated at the end of this post are some more comments from Sen. Whitmire. University of Houston officials have suspended their plan requiring freshmen to live on campus after some blowback from Texas Senator John Whitmire. University officials pulled the proposal from a Board of Regents meeting agenda this week…
Katy ISD Superintendent Calls Anti-Stadium Signs “Bullying at Its Worst”
Courtesy Michael FranksSchool bond elections don’t exactly see the type of white-knuckle politics currently plaguing Gov. Rick Perry (you can read about that here, in case you missed it). Still, things got pretty tense before the Katy ISD Board of Trustees’ unanimous vote Monday night to put a $748 million…
2014 Heisman Odds: Three Sleepers Who Are Off the Board
How do we know the college football season is almost here? Well, not all that long ago, it would have been because the best of the preview magazines were hitting the stands — Athlon, Lindy’s, Street & Smith’s. When you saw the cover with the best player of whichever the…
I (Still) Want to Believe: The X-Files, 21 Years Later
My wife and I have been slowly rewatching The X-Files on Netflix over the last couple months. We started with classics (well, to me) like “Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space,'” “Humbug,” and “War of the Coprophages,” and have been working our way through the mythology episodes, hoping — somewhat foolishly…
The Rocks Off 200: DJ B*Ryte, From VA to H-Town With Love
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Megan Bowie…
Bikers, Skateboarders Tug of War Over Skate Park
Despite 78,000 square feet of ramps, rails, pipes and pyramids, Houston skateboarders believe the city’s newest skatepark still isn’t big enough to share with BMXers. Spring Skate Park currently stands at Kuykendahl and Rankin as America’s largest statepark. Opening day last week drew huge crowds of eager skateboarders, many of…
5 Can’t Miss Weekend-Only Eats in Houston
The weekends are special times to relax and do things you don’t normally get to do throughout the week. So, why eat at the same places you can on Monday through Friday, when you could spend your Saturdays or Sundays at places serving food or offering food events only available…
Pop Rocks: Binge Watching Scandal Is Not a Good Idea
I had heard a lot about Scandal, the ABC political drama starring Kerry Washington as a D.C. fixer who is involved in an affair with the President. I was never certain if I wanted to watch it, but there it was staring my wife and me in the face on…
Ever Wanted to Write About the Arts or Pop Culture?
The Houston Press is looking to add to its freelancers ranks with writers who know something about the arts and pop culture scene in Houston and, in some cases, the larger world. We are looking to expand our collection of hard-working writers for this blog dedicated to a range of…
Houston Restaurant Weeks: Backstreet Cafe
What they’re up to for Houston Restaurant Weeks: This year, Backstreet Cafe offers one lunch menu for $20 and five prix fixe dinner menus paired with white and red wine, cocktails or beer for $35 each. For lunch, guests have the option of four first course dishes, followed by dessert;…
Kliff Kingsbury Organized the Best ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Yet (VIDEO)
Everybody’s doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. You can’t make it through three posts on your Facebook newsfeed without stumbling across one of your high school friends dumping the ice cold bucket of water over his or her head. And to be clear, I have no problem with this. It…
Houston Theater District’s Open House and Our Theater Awards Issue
Besides the ballet, the theater companies and the symphony, this year’s 21st Annual Theater District Open House will feature food trucks in Jones Plaza, tango lessons from the Society for the Performing Arts and has expanded to include Bayou City Music Center and Bayou Place (known rather more for their…
Upcoming: Carolyn Wonderland, Death, Jason Aldean, Legion, Lily Allen, Pointer Sisters, etc.
1st Annual Cajun Zydeco Fest: With Chubby Carrier, Jamie Bergeron, Bayou Roux, Step Rideau, Zydeco Dots. Sun., September 7, 12pm, $20. Cypress Saloon, 12710 Telge, Cypress, 281-304-7777. American Aquarium: With The O’s. Sat., August 30, 9 p.m., $15 to $17. Firehouse Saloon, 5930 Southwest Fwy., Houston, 713-977-1962. Archnemesis: With ONE4ALL.,…
Sheriff’s Deputy Sues Over New HCSO Social Media Policy
If you’re a Harris County Sheriff’s Office employee, good luck sticking to the new restrictions put in place by the HCSO higher-ups that dictate what you can and can’t post on social media. Under the new policy, HCSO employees risk disciplinary action if their Facebook or Twitter posts “cause undue…
First Look at Pax Americana
At the table next to us, three business-suit clad men let out exclamations of excitement when their first round of plates arrived. Many of the plates were topped with tufts of mixed green herbs, already something of a signature at the two-week-old Pax Americana. “We have a farmer who’s planting…
The Top 40 Charting Hard-Rock Songs: Part 1
Numbers. The applications to which they are used in various fields can yield results ranging from the trivial to the catastrophic if not interpreted properly. If you are involved with numbers at NASA or the military, lives could hang in the balance if something is miscalculated or misrepresented. The misuse…
Pimp C’s Story Coming Soon to Bookstores
The life of Pimp C is coming back — in hardcover format. Julia Beverly, the former editor-in-chief of OZONE Magazine and noted documentarian of Southern hip-hop culture at large, is planning to release an biography on the late UGK rapper, who died in 2007. Currently untitled, the book comes with…
If Bands Sponsored NFL Teams: The NFC
Recently we wrote about the ramifications of KISS and Vince Neil buying their own Arena Football League teams and what it would be like if NFL teams were also themed around bands and musicians. We started by running down the AFC, including our hometown Houston Texans. This time we’re going…
UPDATED: L’Olivier Removed from Houston Restaurant Weeks
Editor’s note: We have received a statement from Cleverley Stone about her decision to remove L’Olivier from Houston Restaurant Weeks. It appears you can get kicked out of a charity event for breaking the rules. CultureMap Houston’s Eric Sandler broke the news earlier this afternoon that L’Olivier was removed from…
Suspected Stay Family Killer Awaits Psychiatric Evaluation
Ronald Lee Haskell, who allegedly killed six former in-laws in Spring, Texas, stayed out of sight for Monday’s status meeting between his attorney and the prosecutor, the Chron reports. In his last court appearance on July 11, Haskell dramatically collapsed upon hearing the charges against him. According to the Harris…
Theresa Roemer Says Some of Jewelry Mailed to the Houston Press Is Hers
Theresa Roemer has identified some of the jewelry mailed to The Houston Press by a self-proclaimed burglar as belonging to her. “Mrs. Roemer did come in and identify some of the items as items that were stolen from her residence,” Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Lt. Brady Fitzgerald told the…
Trial Begins in Case of Alleged Revenge Killing
Jury selection began today in the murder trial of David Barajas, who is accused of killing a drunk driver who fatally struck Barajas’ two children in Alvin in 2012. Barajas has denied shooting Jose Banda, who allegedly ran into Barajas’ 11- and 12-year-old sons “as they pushed the family’s broken-down…
Miss Texas and Mo’ne Davis Establish the Two Ends of the “Throws Like a Girl” Scale
For decades now, right or wrong, the phrase “throws like a girl” has been part of the American lexicon. I am not here to say that it’s okay to use that phrase (lest I somehow alienate all of my female readers and listeners out there — I love you all),…
The Leftovers: Typical Crazy
This was honestly the first episode of The Leftovers I didn’t like. The problem comes from a single error that often destroys apocalyptic fiction. That error is that pretending that the apocalypse itself matters. It doesn’t, and trying to make it matter is always a band idea. It doesn’t matter…
The Surprising Cost of Renting a House in Eight Popular Houston Hoods
For nearly two years the Houston housing market has been booming. Home inventories are at all-time lows and the city set a record in July for total houses sold and total value of homes sold. It is no surprise then that rental costs have risen right along with home values…
“SHOW UP” Documents That Important Art Can Be Great Fun
The Zoya Tommy Contemporary Gallery has a knack for showing works of wit and substance, and for documenting that significant art can be great fun. The current exhibit “SHOW UP” does that in spades. It has works that range from jocular (painted art on imitation toast in real ‘found’ toasters…
The Gold Cup at Catalina Coffee: Single Cup, Hand-Brewed for You
Catalina Coffee is an excellent place to relax, sip on your choice drink and nibble on a pastry. The calming environment of hipster baristas throwing together lattes, espressos and cappuccinos like it is second nature makes your visits to Catalina on Washington worthwhile. While the folks behind the counter know…
Let’s Debate the Argument that the Astros Have Killed Baseball in Houston
Former Astros beat writer Steve Campbell let loose with a series of tweets on Friday morning regarding the Astros that should be shared with a larger audience, and which should be addressed off-Twitter. The basic point of the tweets was that the Astros are killing baseball in Houston, noting that…
Next to Normal Shows a Family Pulled Apart by Mental Illness
The set-up: A musical about mental illness? Are you kidding, I hear you ask. But wait, it’s been done before, quite a few times actually, most famously in the Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin Lady in the Dark (1941), a splashy carnival that put supporting actor Danny Kaye on the road to…
Aside From the Parking, Pasha Is Perfect
Two of the best Turkish restaurants in Houston, Pasha and Istanbul Grill, are a stone’s throw away from each other in Rice Village, yet empirical evidence suggests the latter is more heavily frequented than the former. Perhaps this is because Istanbul Grill is located in the very heart of Rice…
DJ Mustard’s Hyper-Branded Ratchet Turns Up House Beyoncé Built
Type the words “post-superproducer” into Google (go ahead…just come back) and the first name you’re likely to see is that of the ubiquitous DJ Mustard. While he’s been the engineer of the type of music that makes the classiest girls twerk something, Mustard has also been a key ingredient for…
True Blood: Your Warpaint Is Running
Back when I was a big wrestling fan I had a rule; never watch the show before a big pay-per-view. For God’s sake, never waste money going to a live show before the PPV. It’s not that it’s a ripoff per se. It’s just that whatever you’re going to see…
Torchy’s Tacos Challenges You to Earn the Burn
This month, Torchy’s Tacos features four spicy tacos of the month. Each week, the fast-casual Tex-Mex spot releases a special taco, and as the weeks progress, each one gets spicier. And when we say spicier, we mean hot as hell. The first week, Torchy’s unveiled The Barn Burner. It’s a…
8 Amazing Scenes From Zombie Film History
For a long term horror movie fan like myself, the recent mainstream love affair with zombie films is still surprising. How such a hyper-violent genre has become acceptable outside of hardcore horror fan circles is beyond me, but it warms the cockles of my black little heart to see zombies…
Numbers of Texas Natives Shrinking as Population Booms
As the population of Texas has swelled since the mid 1970s, the number of native Texans has shrunk, according to a fascinating chart from the New York Times blog The Upshot. In their “Where We Came From, State by State” story, charts for every state in the country show the…
Dish of the Week: Fish en Papillote
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. See the complete list of recipes at the end of this post. This week, we’re sharing a recipe for fish en papillote . French for “in parchment,” en papillote is a…
Gray Contemporary Hosts a Bright, Colorful Show With Aloe Vera
Gray Contemporary is a new gallery in the Houston Design Center, large, high-ceilinged and beautifully air-conditioned. This exhibition, a group show of ten artists, is the second one in its new premises. Several paintings are quite bright and colorful, with “Shape Study 8 (Three Sides)” by Christopher Derek Bruno, the…
Soundgarden at The Woodlands, 8/16/2014
Soundgarden, The Dillinger Escape Plan Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 16, 2014 Although Soundgarden somehow managed to disappear from the hard-bitten rock landscape for more than 13 years, their fan base never went anywhere. Buoyed by continuous rock-radio airplay of their mid-’90s hits, the cult continued to grow in the…
Open Carry Texas Says It Still Wants to March in the Fifth Ward
This weekend marked the second time Open Carry Texas planned to march in one of Houston’s historically African American neighborhoods. And, for the second time, the Open Carry Texas folks called it off. Why? Well, things got pretty ugly last week when representatives of the Fifth Ward, led by Quanell…
Texans 32, Falcons 7: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
335 days. That’s how long it had been since the Houston Texans have walked off of a football field having scored more points than their opponent. September 15, 2013, to be exact. If you recall, that was the second regular season game of the tumultuous 2-14 train wreck the city…
Iggy or Isn’t She? “Fancy” Star’s No-Show Leaves Some Fans Upset
Some Houston fans are upset and wondering what happened after rapper/pop star Iggy Azalea’s purported appearance at a popular Midtown dance club this weekend never materialized — or if it was ever truly on the books to begin with. The event had been promoted by Houston-based Sticky Promo, the local…
6 Crazy Mascots From Texas Past
Pop culture is dotted with the ghosts of long vanquished mascot characters that once represented well-loved products, places, and sports teams. In some cases, the original version was reinvented like McDonald’s “Evil Grimace” character, originally a four-armed horror that was one of McDonaldland’s few bad guys. I guess realizing the…
The Five Best Underrated Greasy Spoons (According to You)
After reading your comments and tallying your votes for the most underrated greasy spoons in Houston, I’ve come to a conclusion: We don’t have enough greasy spoons here. There are several big ones that get all the credit and a few lesser-known ones with small but devoted contingents of fans…
The 10 Best Music Venues Outside Loop 610
10. BFE ROCK CLUB The 1960 area goes hard, thanks to this Jones Road bar that can pack more than 500 headbanging souls into its octagon to rock out with an intensity that inner-loop venues either can’t handle or just don’t want to. BFE books only the heaviest of the…
Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy & More at The Woodlands, 8/15/2014
Under The Influence of Music Tour Feat. Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy, Rich Homie Quan, Ty Dolla $ign, IAMSU! & Sage the Gemini, Mack Wilds Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 15, 2014 Either I’ve gotten older or Wiz Khalifa doesn’t exactly do it for me anymore. That’s not a slight to Khalifa,…
The Five Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Panic! at the Disco, Suzanna Choffel, etc.
DJ Sun The Flat, August 18 On last year’s One Hundred — amazingly, his first-ever full-length release — DJ Sun pours his 20-plus-year career into an album that, although it was hardly the only reason, resulted into his induction into the Houston Music Hall of Fame earlier this month. One…
Nine Inch Nails at The Woodlands, 8/16/14
Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, The Dillinger Escape Plan Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 16, 2014 For the first time in literally six years, Trent Reznor took the stage in front of a Houston crowd Saturday night. Hard to believe, but true: the last time Nine Inch Nails performed in Houston…
Oops: Rick Perry Indicted for Abuse of Power, Coercion UPDATED
Updated at end of this article with Rick Perry’s statement on Saturday. Well, Gov. Rick Perry still has great presidential hair, but now he’s also been indicted on two felony counts. Yep, that’s right folks. It turns out that even the governor of the great state of Texas can’t get…
Equal Rights Law Bound for Trial After Pointless Hearing
Legal jargon, heated accusations and random baseball metaphors aside, Friday’s Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) hearing accomplished nothing. The law is suspended until its supporters and opponents duke it out at trial, set for January 2015. HERO is Mayor Annise Parker’s anti-discrimination law that gives legal protection to citizens who…
UPDATED Caller Claims to Be Burglar of Theresa Roemer’s Closet, Sends Us a Bunch of Jewelry, Wisp of Hair
Update–August 16 11:40 a.m.: Detective Brent Akin of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office retrieved the package from the Houston Press Friday afternoon. Akin met us in a large conference room where the package was being held, and he asked us about the contents before donning gloves and placing the package…
Local Pickup Artist Is at War With Women
A boys’ football coach by day, after hours Russell Carter coaches hardened men in an entirely different game. The playing field is Saint Dane’s on a Tuesday night. The ball is in the court of the first beautiful woman who catches his eye — anyone who rates a nine or…
The 5 Best Fashion Stories of the Week: Dino Jewelry and a Backpack to Hold Your Goldfish
Lots of breaking fashion news hits the interwebs and I don’t want you to miss one bit of it. So, I present some of the biggest headlines each week for your reading pleasure. Click and enjoy!…
Texas Has Fastest Average Driving Speed in the Country
Setting aside for the moment that Cars.com referred to Texas as the “Longhorn State” (some Texans might fight you over that one), they do paint a picture of the LONE STAR state as a place for wanton speeders in a report about speeding in America. In their report, Texas ranks…
Is Marriage Still Important or Does It Just Make You Miserable?
Because of the onslaught of positive reviews, I recently felt compelled to check out FX’s summer sitcom Married. The plot, a married couple with children, is something I can most certainly relate to at this point in my life. Both of the show’s leads, Nat Faxon and Judy Greer, are…
Rappers Take Leading Role in Local Michael Brown Rallies
Thursday afternoon, a call to arms occurred in Houston following the mass protest in Ferguson, Mo. after an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a police officer last weekend. The announcement was peaceful, urging two separate protests and demonstrations of unity within the community. The first, put together by…
America’s Test Kitchen Shares Culinary Tips & Tricks During Live Show
Christopher Kimball, host of America’s Test Kitchen, brought the PBS show to life on stage Thursday night during America’s Test Kitchen Live. Fans of the cooking show, young and old, filled the seats of Jones Hall to listen to Kimball share secrets about the production of the show and explain…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: The Expendables 3
Title: The Expendables 3: The Snipening Best One-Liner That Actually Might Have Come From an ’80s Action Movie: “I *am* the Hague.” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two Roger Murtaughs out of five: Brief Plot Synopsis: Elite mercenary team hunt rogue arms dealer that used to be…
Are the Astros Planning Front-Office Changes?
Is the job of Astros GM Jeff Luhnow in danger? Probably not. The Astros are on a current pace that will have them lose less than a 100 games this, so that’s progress. The team probably won’t get the first pick in the amateur draft this season — thank you…
Free Game Day: Royal Warfare
It’s Friday, and we know you’re just going to play on the Internet until it’s time to leave work. Each week we’ll be bringing you a free flash game to help the time pass! Game: Royal Warfare Genre: Battle Strategy Made By: Idengames Play at: Armor Games Rating: 3 out…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Have Dinner With a Former NFL Head Coach
Pub Night @ Saint Arnold Brewery Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 2000 Lyons Pub Night returns to Saint Arnold Brewery tonight featuring a newly released Bishop’s Barrel No. 7, and cask-conditioned Amber Ale Dry Hopped with Liberty and Icon Green-Texas Common. Support the Houston Roller Derby during the Houston…
The Whole World Is Tweeting: Social Media and Social Justice
In 1968 outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, all hell broke loose. Antiwar protesters had gathered outside the Hilton Hotel, but what was a peaceful demonstration turned violent when police arrested and even beat some of those being arrested, all while TV cameras were trained on the scene. As…
Something Wicked’s 2014 Lineup + Five Sets We’re Looking Forward to
You gotta hand it to Disco Donnie Presents and Nightculture: they know how to put together a solid lineup of music. The decision to expand Something Wicked to two days might have seemed weird at first, but in the year 2014, aka The Year That Houston Went Festival Crazy, it…
7 Odd Things I’ve Discovered Working at a Health Food Store
These days it’s common to bump into people that are pursuing some form of healthier living, exercising more, and watching what they eat. Eventually, a lot of these individuals will start to do their grocery shopping at health food stores, places specializing in the food and products that they feel…
Upcoming Events: 91-Cent Original Coneys at JCI Grill
Planted: Houston will host a Traveling Speakeasy series to fund the project of developing a network of urban farms in Houston on Monday, August 18 at Beaver’s Icehouse. Each Monday night a bar will host a “Traveling Speakeasy” where customers can sip on special drinks only offered that night; half…
100 Creatives 2014: Mark Bradley, Camera Muse
What He Does: Some of Houston’s best photographers combine to forma giant Voltronian force of artistic thunder under the umbrella of Muse Studios. Robert Gouner, Stanford Moore, Shelby Carter, Gracie Sosa, Rachel Tate are all part of the team, but today we’re meeting Mark Bradley. Bradley drew and sketched his…
Houston Has Its Own History of Race Riots
As tear gas and rubber bullets flew on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, this week, I couldn’t help but be thankful for the relatively peaceful streets of Houston. Sure, we have crime like most big cities and racial tensions do, at times, rise. For instance, when protesters took to the…
Five Songs That Show Soundgarden’s Versatility
Soundgarden is one of those bands that has been unfortunately pigeonholed by their era and their scene. They emerged in the late ’80s as a promising new metal band before they got scooped up in the grunge movement following Nirvana’s big break in 1991. No matter what, though, they were…
Falcons-Texans, Preseason Week 2: Five Players to Watch
Thursday was a “feel good” day out at the Methodist Training Center. It was “Texans for DQ” Day (as officially proclaimed by Mayor Annise Parker), and in honor of Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry, who is battling lymphoma back in his home state of California, everyone who is anyone was…
Chuck Negron: The Oldies Circuit’s Sober Companion
A little over a year ago, former Three Dog Night vocalist Chuck Negron stood onstage at the Stafford Centre at the finale of the “Happy Together” tour stop, belting out numbers while shoulder to shoulder with The Turtles, Gary Lewis, Gary Puckett and former Paul Revere and the Raiders vocalist…
Openings & Closings: El Tiempo Cantina Opens Sixth Location
In quick turn-around time, El Gallo Rojo, which opened just a few months ago downtown at 917 Franklin, has closed. But, a new restaurant is taking its place. Macondo Latin Bistro, previously located at 208 Travis, closed on Sunday, August 3, and revealed on Facebook that it will be reopening…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Jerry Seinfeld and More
On his hit television series, Jerry Seinfeld was a Superman-loving, breakfast cereal-eating, hard-to-please Master of His Domain. In real life, he’s probably…the same. Maybe just a little older. The beloved sitcom just celebrated the 25th anniversary of its debut (can it really be that long ago?), and Seinfeld isn’t just…
Bands: Texas Is Good Enough for Your Limited Tour
This article isn’t a gripe about the local music scene, which has actually been looking up for a while now, nor is it even about Houston specifically. Instead, it’s about all those wonderful reunion tours that continue to pop up, only to avoid certain areas of the United States entirely…
Even at 80, British Blues Legend John Mayall Is “Always on Tour”
At 80 years old, the “Godfather of British Blues” has certainly earned the opportunity to relax. Or slow down. Or stop performing all over the world at all. But when asked as to what his plans are after his current tour, John Mayall seems perplexed, as if it signals the…
The 10 Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Mercy Bros., Wiz Khalifa, Nine Inch Nails, etc.
The Mercy Brothers McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, August 15 Houston may not have seen a band like the Mercy Brothers around these parts since the Sideshow Tramps (mostly) folded up the tent. The five-piece from about 200 miles east in Lafayette, La., are the kind of evangelists who have no fear…
Let’s Talk About Pakistan (and America, too)
I am Kamran Khalid, a Pakistani journalist visiting the United States under the U.S.-Pakistan Professional Partnership Program in Journalism, a cultural exchange program run by the International Center for Journalists and the U.S. State Department. While I’m here I hope to learn more about American culture and to share with…
Baltimore Judge Scolds Houston Property Owner Scott Wizig for “Unsafe, Uninhabitable” Homes
A Baltimore judge has ordered a Houston property owner to correct code violations on 49 vacant, blighted homes he owns in that city within 90 days. The homes are owned by Scott Wizig, who, as we detailed in a 2004 story, has built a lucrative business of buying dilapidated homes…
Former Texan Sage Rosenfels Alludes to “Crazy” NFL Rumor, Breaks Twitter
As if you needed another daily reminder with where we are in the realm of “breaking news,” we got one on Wednesday afternoon. Adam Schefter, Jay Glazer, Albert Breer. These are the names we’ve become accustomed to hearing from when a free agent signs with a team, a head coach…
Taste-Testing “Scoop Shop Only” Flavors
There are few reasons why you should pay five bucks for a small (one scoop) serving of ice cream at a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop in Houston when you can buy four times the amount of the same flavor for significantly less money at a local grocery store. Unless,…
Five Observations From The First Texans-Falcons Joint Practice
The 2011 lockout gave us some sensible things. The rookie wage scale that brought first round picks’ salaries and signing bonuses into proper calibration with the players’ inexperience and lack of any NFL resume was a positive. Gone were the days of $40 million guaranteed for JaMarcus Russell. The 2011…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Mark Holley of Holley’s Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar
In Part 1 of our Chef Chat, we learned about Mark Holley’s extensive experiences at some of the best restaurants in the United States, including Brennan’s, Commander’s Palace and his prior restaurant, Pesce. In Part 2, we’ll learn more about his latest endeavor, Holley’s Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar. MH:…
Kelly Gale Amen Takes on Cancer Below the Belt With Vagina Pillows
Celebrated designer Kelly Gale Amen is a cancer survivor. Specifically he is a prostate cancer survivor, and he’s looking to call attention to cancers in places that most people feel are frankly embarrassing. His latest initiative is called Cancer Below the Belt, and he’s encoyraging people to get involved using…
Lone Star Chuck Wagon Team Represents Houston & BBQ on Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race
The fifth season of The Great Food Truck Race premieres Sunday, August 17, at 8 p.m. on Food Network, and the Lone Star Chuck Wagon team will represent Houston with its barbecue Tex-Mex mobile eatery concept. The reality show competition features a total of eight teams composed of three individuals…
The Five Most Repellent Things Ted Nugent Has Ever Done
If your favorite gun store was out of ammo this morning, it’s because Ted Nugent is back in town. The Motor City Madman rumbles into House of Blues tonight, and he’s sure to bring the requisite shitload of guitar solos and flaming arrows with him. And hey, that’s great –…
Amazon Taking on Square, PayPal with New Local Register Card Swiping Service
Twenty years ago, it was a safe bet that some small stores and vendors at craft markets would not have the ability to accept credit cards. It just wasn’t practical. Now, most everyone has used one at a coffee shop or farmers market. Hell, people have them at garage sales…
The Best Giant Robot Bugs in Houston
When I was a kid my favorite thing every year was the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s annual Dinomation. This was long before we had the amazing Morian Hall of Paleontology, and our dinosaur offerings were far more meager. Once a year, though, the museum turned into forest full of…
The Rocks Off 200: Jess Walker, the Pride of Pride Houston
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Since 2012…
Other City of Houston Tweet-Along Opportunities
The Houston Police Department has held a couple of “Tweet Alongs” where officers report on their activities on the beat, tagging them #HPDTweetAlong. The most recent was a rather uneventful night shift. It got us to thinking that there are plenty of opportunities for the city to better engage the…
The 5 Best Brunch Spots in Galveston
In Houston, we’re pretty serious about our brunch. Whether it be migas and breakfast tacos or chicken and waffles and loaded Bloody Marys, we have no shortage of awesome spots to get our brunch on. Keeping later hours and killer cocktails in mind, we’ll be taking a look at some…
Notable Dates on the 2014-15 Houston Rockets Schedule
The NBA released its schedule for the upcoming season and, naturally, the first thing everyone looked for was when Lebron James would return to Miami (Christmas Day as it turns out), but we here in Houston were more interested in the Rockets, who will try to improve on their 54-win…
Five Reasons Why British Guys Are Better Than American Guys
Having been to England and dated a guy who’s half British (his dad was English), I think I can make the assessment that British guys are better than American guys. And here are five reasons why…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 71, Bucatini Amatriciana at Paulie’s
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
Another Day, Another Dress Code Dispute at Da Marco
Welp. It’s been a solid eight months since someone last contacted us regarding a dress code issue at Da Marco. Yesterday, we got an email from a reader who relayed the following tale of Da Marco dress code woe: My family of four and my friend got kicked out of…
Lowrider Band Drummer Harold Brown: “Houston Has a Special Soul”
Last summer, the Miller Outdoor Theatre presented a multi-racial ’70s band who performed such recognizable FM radio classics as “Spill the Wine,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” “The Cisco Kid,” “All Day Music,” and — of course — “Low Rider.” This summer, Miller presents another multi-racial ’70s band who will…
4 Teenage Activities That Technology is Making Disappear
Technology has always altered the ways in which we communicate with one another and entertain ourselves, but those changes are accelerating and dramatically affecting the ways that we socialize. Much has been said about how social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are transforming the ways in which we communicate,…
Greg Abbott Threatens to Sue EPA…Again
The past several years of Greg Abbott’s political career have been one long, drawn-out pissing match with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For an avowed tort-reformer, our Attorney General-turned GOP candidate for governor sure loves a good lawsuit when the feds are in the crosshairs, famously describing his job as…
New Houston Rap/R&B: Peek Inside Jack Freeman’s Spotless Mind
Last week’s Houston Press Music Awards marked an intriguing moment in local rap music. That night, Doughbeezy won Song of the Year, besting plenty of acts who have tugged at Houston’s ear at the Continental Club, Warehouse Live, Fitzgerald’s, or any other venue where beer is served at a premium…
America’s Test Kitchen LIVE with Christopher Kimball
We think of Christopher Kimball, host of the PBS cooking show America’s Test Kitchen, as a sort of Mr. Rogers-meets-the Science Guy, with just a tiny little bit of the Galloping Gourmet sneaking in around the edges. Kimball has quite a following for both his television show and cookbooks, and…
That Man From Rio: Toast the Return of de Broca’s Globe-Trotting Parody
Jean-Paul Belmondo in a white dinner jacket. There. That should be enough to sell you on Philippe de Broca’s 1964 crime caper-spoof That Man From Rio, but if for some reason it’s not, let’s throw in Jean-Paul Belmondo on a motorcycle, Jean-Paul Belmondo elbowing his way onto a flight from…
Brendan Gleeson Shines as an Irish Priest in Crisis in Calvary
In Calvary, Brendan Gleeson plays a Catholic priest who plods through a rustic Irish village that’s more brutal than beautiful. The beach is gray, the waves are choppy and the wind whips his ankle-length black cassock as though every step were a fight against nature. In some ways, it is…
To Be Takei Follows the Star Trek Actor Into Undiscovered Country
Jennifer M. Kroot’s To Be Takei is an affectionate portrait of the hardest-working member of the original cast of Star Trek, George Takei. That’s pronounced tuh-KAY, not tuh-KAI, as so many have misspoken it over the years, including but not limited to William Shatner, whose strained non-relationship with Takei —…
Michael Gondry’s Mood Indigo Gets Richer as It Darkens
Mood Indigo is bitter candy, a heartbreaker that uses sugar as a trap. The director, Michel Gondry, has a brilliant, contradictory brain. He’s a swoony pessimist, a big-dreaming romantic who believes in love at first sight but never lets his films end with a kiss. Instead, his idea of a…
YA Saves Summer
Should grown-ups be spending their time reading young-adult novels, at the risk of missing the supposed riches of fiction written for actual grown-ups? A recent essay in Slate groused about the legions of adults who long ago graduated from the 12th grade but still devour YA fiction at the expense…
Jerry Seinfeld
On his hit television series, Jerry Seinfeld was a Superman-loving, breakfast cereal-eating, hard-to-please Master of His Domain. In real life, he’s probably…the same. Maybe just a little older. The beloved sitcom just celebrated the 25th anniversary of its debut (can it really be that long ago?), and Seinfeld isn’t just…
Grown-up Storytime #69
We can’t tell you exactly what to expect at Grown-up Storytime #69, the popular BooTown Theatre Group’s regular series of impromptu performances. That’s because no one knows exactly what will happen until it happens. On the night of the show, storytellers are handed a new work by a local writer…
Summer of Epic Adventure—The Sequel—Episode 10: Brain Games
Unite, Bayou City do-gooder kids! The pint-size villain Malicious has been attacking the city all summer and he isn’t done yet, the Children’s Museum of Houston website warns. Kids are being asked to join The Brain and Whiz Kid to find a way to stop him. You’ll have to use…
Drama in the House: On Approval
Clive Brooks’s restored 1944 comedy On Approval caused a sensation at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival in L.A., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Film Curator Marian Luntz says. “[When] it became available on 35mm…we just had to [get it on our schedule]!” The film, which has Brooks pulling double…
My Man Doesn’t Know How to Make Love. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! LIFE AFTER COLLEGE Dear Willie D: So I graduated from college, and moved from Houston to…
HBO’s Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart Proves You Don’t Always Know What You Think You Know
Maybe you think you know what Woody Allen did or didn’t do in that summerhouse all those years ago. Maybe you look at his history — shacking up with a Stuyvesant high school girl in the late ’70s; marrying his longtime partner’s adopted daughter in the ’90s — and simply…
Day of Joy: Remembering Houston’s First Outdoor Music Fest
“It was definitely a labor of love. It cost me $5,000, I’ll put it that way; and, looking back on it, I’m not sure I didn’t get my money’s worth.” — Jim Tucker We’re living in the festival era of popular music. In the U.S. alone, there are more than…
The Trip to Italy: Business as Usual for Coogan and Brydon, and That’s Fine
For women especially, it’s wholly out of fashion to have sympathy for middle-aged white men. In both real life and fiction, the thinking goes, They’ve reigned supreme long enough. Who cares about their anxiety over their receding hairlines, their poochy stomachs, their inability to attract young babes? That tinny plink…
Zombie Comedy Life After Beth Is a Bit Too Stiff
Every other year or so, someone comes down the indie-movie pike with an idea for an unconventional zombie movie — as opposed to the workaday ones, where the dead simply return to life and chew on limbs and stuff. Life After Beth, the debut film from writer-director Jeff Baena, strives…
In the Imperfect World of Modern Rom-Coms, What If Is Close to Perfect
In the highly imperfect world of contemporary romantic comedies, What If is as close to perfect as anything we’ve got, not least for the way it captures the abject hopefulness of young people who’d like to be in love but don’t know how to go about it. Who does know…
Capsule Art Reviews: August 14, 2014
Allison Rathan: The Cutting Bridle The Exchange, 60″x48″, is a self-portrait of the artist Allison Rathan striding behind a very large wolf on a metal leash. It captures the confidence of this artist, who has blond movie-star looks and the poise and litheness of a fashion model. The leash holder…
La Migra
Dear Mexican, I’m not Mexican, but my son-in-law is. He is intelligent, bright, enthusiastic and pleasant to spend time with. He came here, illegally, at the age of 18 with his aunts. He and my daughter are married, have a three-and-a-half-year-old son, and have gone through the entire process of…
Capsule Stage Reviews: August 14, 2014
Full Gallop Let’s talk D.V. That would be Diana Vreeland, or Dee-ahh-na, for those of you not in the loop. For decades she was the reigning monarch of fashion, first as columnist and stylish greyhound at Harper’s Bazaar, then as editor-in-chief of Vogue, later as curator of the Metropolitan Museum’s…
