A Daily Deal With Chick-fil-A That Also Benefits HSPVA
Politics of its company president aside, Chick-fil-A has the kind of food that many Houstonians enjoy eating at their local independently owned outlets. And this week we’re making it even easier. This week’s Voice Daily Deal, which starts Thursday, is only available at the 5001 Beechnut Street and 2715 Southwest…
Feds Offer $5,000 Reward for Info on Garden Ridge Pottery Fire
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction in the October 2011 arson of a Garden Ridge Pottery in Conroe. The feds announced the move today “for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or…
Megabus: Just How Safe Is Houston’s New, Plush Long-Distance Travel Option?
Much excitement — well, as much excitement as can surround a bus ride — was generated by the announcement this summer that Megabus will be offering service from Houston to cities such as Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans. Cheap fares, luxurious (again, for a bus) accommodations, wi-fi — it…
Nora Martinez: Parents Can’t Sue District Over Fondling Teacher
Nora Martinez, a veteran math teacher, sexted and fondled a 13-year-old female student who she called “an awesome girlfriend,” but even though she is doing time for the offense, the parents can’t sue the school district for not preventing the relationship, a court has ruled. A federal court in San…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 37, Sashimi at Dadami
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Even In Trying Times, The Randy Travis Social Media Train Keeps On a Rollin’
Social media is a fun place, where you can damage your entire career or build up a massive following within just a few strokes. You can engage with your fans and help foster a community, and also you know, sell your shit. Just hours after country quasi-legend Randy Travis was…
Ken Takagi Joins the List of Houston’s Biggest Food Personalities
I’m loathe to say that Houston has any “soup Nazi”-type characters dominating its dining rooms or kitchens — only because I hate to start any post off with Godwin’s Law. Instead, I prefer to think of people such as the late, great Darawan Charoenrat of Kanomwan (a.k.a. the Thai Nazi)…
Cover Story: White Linen Fight In The Heights
Let’s get this straight right out of the gate: White Linen Night is fun, White Linen Night is great, White Linen Night is one of those rare times when the surprisingly stuffy Heights lets its hair down. And nobody wants the event to wither and die. This year’s dialed-back affair…
Reality Bites: Brace Yourselves For The 2012-13 Reality Season
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Sorry everyone, I needed a week off. While I understand being able to follow a show or two on a consistent basis, I really think experiencing the entire terrifying spectrum…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip
Avocado is a fruit that can find its way into any and every dish. In the past week, we’ve shown you how to make an avocado milkshake and we’ve told you about our number 40 favorite dish, a fried avocado taco. This week, I made a twist on guacamole, thanks…
(UPDATED) Burn the Lies: CNN Calls Hatebreed a “White Power” Act
If you would have told me 15 years ago that CNN and Hatebreed would be butting heads, I wouldn’t have believed you, but that’s where we are in 2012. This week, in the wake of Sunday’s tragic Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, news outlets reported that gunman, Wade…
Video of Deadly Rumble at the Gas Station: Ricardo Gomez, 19, Bayou Body Count No. 127
Houston police have released surveillance video of a deadly shooting at a northwest-side gas station/convenience store about 2:15 a.m. Monday. Ricardo Gomez, 19, died of a shotgun wound in the incident, police say. A group of people had left the nearby El Chaparral nightclub and were buying stuff at the…
According to This, San Antonio Has a Better Music Scene Than Houston
Like any and all lists, the Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI)’s list regarding the best music scenes in the country will leave most of you passing out side-eyes and stares. Easy to spot and digest, Nashville, New York and Los Angeles ranked 1-3, but after that it’s a complete flaming crapshoot…
Art Fit for a Museum, or an Airport Terminal
Putting art in an airport is almost a defeatist goal — people are too busy getting to someplace else to pause and reflect on an intricate painting or abstract sculpture right in front of them. But that doesn’t mean Houston isn’t going to try. The Bayou City is joining the…
Shea Cooper of Coppa Talks Barrel-Aged Cocktails and Dramaturgy
Coppa Italian Ristorante had very large shoes to fill when it opened in the old Catalan space. From its dramatic yet understated decor to Chef Brandi Key’s fresh take on familiar Italian classics, Coppa seems to be forging its own way in the world quite nicely. I stopped in early…
Monta Cordell Fizer, 33, Shot By Cop, Bayou Body Count No. 126
A Houston police officer shot to death a man who was allegedly ignoring orders to disarm and was threatening to shoot his wife, HPD says. Monta Cordell Fizer, 33, died about 1 p.m. yesterday after the incident in the 11700 block of South Sam Houston Parkway West. Police said the…
The Soundtrack of Our Youth: 5 Lackluster Rap Songs From Children’s Flicks
What’s worse: A movie geared towards kids and teens or the soundtrack to a movie geared towards kids and teens? It’s a tough call because both can be pretty awful and uninspired. Sure, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is great and had an excellent soundtrack but let’s not fool ourselves: We…
Half Price Books Does Not Want Your Crappy Twilight Paperbacks
A few weeks ago the Internet was all a-titter about a photo taken at the Chicago-area record store Planet of Sound. The ungrammatically titled “DO NOT NEVER EVER Buy List” featured names like Melissa Etheridge and k.d. lang (sensing a pattern here) highlighted in blue along with other popular and…
10 Lobster Dishes to Try in Houston: No. 8, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese at Kata Robata
One of the many things that intrigues me about the Victorian era was how the general overabundance of shellfish meant foods like lobster were more fare for the hoi polloi than the aristocratic minority. This year, a bumper crop in the Northeast has once again made lobster cheaper for the…
10 Gloriously Terrible Lesser-Known Motivational ’80s Songs to Pump! You Up!
If my gym is any indication, Olympics Fever is spurring folks into action. There used to be plenty of elliptical machines, barbells, and room in the pool available during the time of day I would go. Now it seems like every elliptical machine is taken except the one in front…
Happy Apple Week: Day Three — Crock-Pot Apple Butter
Apple butter has always held a special place in my heart. I love putting this cool, smooth and sweet spread on toast, bagels, English muffins or even just eating it by the spoonful. It’s technically not a true butter because it has no cream, fat or dairy — it’s just…
The Screwtape Letters: There’s Hell to Pay in This Adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s Story of Spiritual Warfare
You might have seen The Screwtape Letters when it passed through Houston on its last tour, but actor/co-director Max McLean says his character, His Abysmal Sublimity Screwtape, is even more insidious and treacherous this time around. Based on the C.S. Lewis novel of the same name, The Screwtape Letters is…
Comment of the Day: Annise Parker, Choosing Her (Non-Chick-fil-A) Battles
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 or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Ronnie Royston’s Excuse for Allegedly Video-ing Girls in Kohl’s Dressing Room: Hey, I Got a Boner in the Parking Lot
A judge ruled yesterday that Ronnie Royston, 37, should be allowed to go free on bond pending charges that he illegally used his cell phone to tape young girls undressing in a Kohl’s last June. More important, court documents now show just why he (allegedly) did the nasty deed. “The…
RIP Marvin Hamlisch: Five Underrated Film Scores
On Monday afternoon the music, theater and film worlds lost a legend with the passing of composer and pianist Marvin Hamlisch, who died at the age of 68 after a brief illness. The New York City-born musician was best known for his work on the enduring work on the Broadway…
Introducing the Rappers of Kickback Sunday’s New Cypher Video
We’ve written about Kickback Sundays before, an event hosted by clothing/apparel store SF2 that champions the Houston underground rap scene. The weekly (but seasonal) competition for upstart rappers offers an assortment of prizes, ranging from free CD pressings and beats from a few of the city’s premier producers to the…
How To: Cook a Steak in a Cast-Iron Skillet
Although it’s summertime and the grill seems to be the logical choice when cooking steak, using a cast-iron skillet to cook a steak makes it much more savory and delicious. The older your skillet is, the better your food tastes. As a cast-iron skillet ages, it offers up more seasoning…
Hunger Games, World’s Worst Bob Costas, 300 Dead Pigeons: Photos From Terrible Olympic Events
The 2012 Olympics are barreling to a close, with just a few days before the most over-the-top ceremony since the opener a few months back (or so it seems, in terms of how long ago it was). There have been many highlights, from Michael Phelps winning gold medal after gold…
Stevie Wonder Divorce Heralds Impending Doom
Even though Mason Lankford said, “There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened,” Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. I was wrong last time, but I’m totally right this time! Sad news in the entertainment world. Beloved pop…
An Unsuccessful Attempt at Battling Jet Lag with Whataburger
I normally wouldn’t revisit a Fast Times destination again so quickly after another recent review, but this week hunger and convenience forced my hand. After tumbling off of a six-and-a-half-hour flight from Anchorage, my husband and I were hungry and exhausted, and a Whataburger smorgasbord breakfast seemed in order. We…
100 Creatives 2012 David Rainey, Actor, Artistic Director & Teacher
Acting wasn’t always a part of David Rainey’s life. In eighth grade, he was taking a class in mechanics, taking apart lawn mowers and putting them back together. He says, “I didn’t understand it.” So, he approached his counselor, who gave him the option of choir or drama — ultimately…
Caption This Hilarious Picture of the Astros Impersonating The Bad News Bears, Win a Prize
Monday night, I was sitting around watching television, and I decided to change channels over to the Astros game. Don’t ask me why; I don’t even know if I have an answer. At this point, with the team on pace for even fewer wins than last season’s 56-106 debacle, I…
10 One-Hit Wonders Who Should Have Had More Success
One-hit wonders, in some ways, are more innovative than their legendary counterparts. Sometimes — such as is the case with the Buggles — they are too innovative. People are not ready for them, and musical trends may not be in their favor, whether they are innovative or passe. Anyway, here…
This Week in Food Blogs: Hop Heads and the Siren Call of Duck Poutine
CultureMap: Each month, Ruthie Johnson Miller compiles a handy list of the 10 hottest restaurants in the city for CultureMap. Whether they be newly opened or just newly interesting, these are the 10 places she suggests checking out in August. Arbitrary Criticism: New chef Chandler Rothbard must already be working…
10 Hottest Sex Scenes in Literature: sNSFW
The other day I picked up a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey to flip through because I’ve apparently read every other book in existence and am now reduced to either this or Sarah Palin’s memoirs. As I expected, it was pretty much crap, and not even good smut. Still,…
Please Join Us For the HPMA Ceremony at Warehouse Live Tonight
Rocks Off would like to formally (or informally) invite our readers to tonight’s Houston Press Music Awards Ceremony at Warehouse Live. The event opens to the public at 7 p.m., and the program starts at 8. It’s free, y’all. HPMA-nominated artists the Tontons (with Best Female Vocals nominee Asli Omar),…
Bryan O. Kossie, 23, Charged with Murdering Byron Reado, 29
A murder case that began with scant information has ended with an arrest a month later, Houston police say. Bryan 0. Kossie, 23, has been charged with murder in the June 9 killing of Byron Reado, 29, near the South Loop and Cullen Boulevard. Cops say they were dispatched to…
These Two Men Are Wanted for Murdering Alexander Segura
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has released composite sketches of two men wanted for capital murder in connection with the robbing and killing of a man on the far west side early Monday. Alexander Segura, 28, was sitting in a vehicle in an apartment parking lot in the 9000 block…
Of Mice, Men & the Mentally Retarded: Thomas Steinbeck, Novelist’s Son, Weighs in on Texas’s Planned Execution of Marvin Wilson (UPDATED)
Thomas Steinbeck, a writer who is the son of seminal American novelist John Steinbeck, has entered the fray over Texas’s plan to execute a man with an IQ of 61. It’s taken him awhile — he’s pissed over a 2004 opinion issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals –…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 38, Chorizo Kolaches at Peña’s Donut Heaven
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
KILT Squashes Story After Fan Takes Unflattering Chesney Pic
Last Night: Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw at Reliant Stadium George Strait: No Unflattering Photos, Please Kenny Chesney, who had thousands upon thousands of Houston fans screaming with delight Saturday night at Reliant Stadium, is now taking some heat because of his conduct toward one of those fans after the…
Comment of the Day: Opie & Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth
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 or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Upcoming: Baroness, Deerhoof, Steve Aoki, Taking Back Sunday, Weird Party, Etc.
Accept: Thu., Oct. 11, 8 p.m., $21-$26. Scout Bar Clear Lake, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. All Time Low, The Summer Set, The Downtown Fiction, Hit The Lights: Tue., Nov. 6, 6 p.m., $22/$25. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston. American Aquarium: Tue., Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m., $20/$22. McGonigel’s Mucky…
Blu-Blooded and Tasty: High Flame Wok Lobster at Blu
Look at that picture. Just look at it! It’s a presentation so awe-inspiring it created a genuine hallelujah moment for me. Yes, it might just be a glistening cockroach…err, lobster…on a plate, but never did lobster look so damn good. Sticking up. Staring straight at me. I was mortified and…
Doing the Hologram Dance at Hiram Butler Gallery
The normally well-lit Hiram Butler Gallery has gone dark for its current show. It’s a necessity to actually see the work — holograms by the famed light artist James Turrell. Turrell is best known of late for his skyspaces — meditative areas both indoor and out that encourage you to…
25 Gorgeous GIFs From Lollapalooza 2012
Another Lollapalooza blog by our friends at City Pages — ed. Lollapalooza 2012: The People BY REED FISCHER Ready for some GIFs? To quote Ozzy Osbourne, “I can’t fucking hear you!” I said, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME GIFS?! This past weekend’s running of Lollapalooza in Chicago was intense. The…
Daniel Day-Lewis As Abe Lincoln: The First Official Image Is Released
Yes, we’ve all seen the pic of Daniel Day-Lewis in Abe Lincoln drag in various stills from last year’s Lincoln shoot, and there was even that picture of the actor at a diner near the set. But today Entertainment Weekly unveiled the first official photo of El DDL as the…
4 Reasons Lollapalooza Needs EDM
Note: This is part of our Twin Cities sister paper City Pages’ coverage of Lollapalooza this past weekend in Chicago. — ed. Photo by Erik HessSee Also: Lollapalooza 2012: The People BY IAN TRAAS With every year that passes, it feels like electronic dance music gains a bigger foothold in…
Jimmy Earl Wooten, 36, Bayou Body Count No. 125
A man standing outside his Fifth Ward home was shot to death Monday night, Houston police say. Jimmy Earl Wooten, 36, was standing in the driveway of his home in the 3200 block of Lee about 11 p.m. last night when he was approached by two men, HPD says. “Both…
DVDs & Blu-rays: Sexually Charged Mary Marie and a Grimm Giveaway
Mary Marie stars Alana Kearns-Green and Alexandra Roxo; Kearns-Green and Roxo co-direct. Mary Marie has a simple start. Two sisters return to their family home after their mother dies. They plan to spend the summer together. And that’s where the simplicity ends. A local handyman begins a relationship with one…
Country Music & Chicken on the Cheap with Houston Press Voice Daily Deal
Today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for 67 percent off ($10 for $30) tickets to the 2012 Chicken Fried Festival on Saturday, August 11. The $30 value is good for two general admission passes to the festival, which “celebrates everything that’s good about living in the South.” Enjoy…
Milton Morgan, 67, Bayou Body Count No. 124
A mysterious shooting left an elderly man dead on the southeast side shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday morning, police said. Milton Morgan, 67, died from a gunshot wound outside his house in the 8400 block of Garland, and Michelle Maseda, 36, who also lived there, was in stable condition. “HPD…
Where Are We Drinking? Clue: Candles and Chandeliers
The bar you see below is easily one of the most beautiful in downtown, especially when it’s lit up at night with candles and chandeliers. Its cocktail program is nothing to be scoffed at, either, with classics like the Blood & Sand as well as specialty cocktails like the bacon-and-whiskey-based…
Top 5 Musical Tributes to Doctor Who on YouTube
The new season of the indescribably awesome Doctor Who returns this month, with another year of the Eleventh Doctor, the departure of Amy and Rory, the return of the Daleks, a new companion and dinosaurs. With the 50th anniversary of the show looming, rumors abound about surprises to come, including…
Capoeira: Brazilian Martial Arts With Elements of Music & Dance at the Rothko
Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art with a history embedded in slavery, combines elements of dance and music in its performances, and Houstonians will have a chance to see it up close this week. The Rothko Chapel is working with the Brazilian Arts Foundation to host a performance of Capoeira on…
Know Your Local Media: KPRC’s Frank Billingsley Keeps You Calm During the Storm
As someone fascinated by hurricanes and living in Houston, the summer of 2005 was an odd and captivating time for me. A record was set for the number of named storms and major hurricanes in a season, and Houston was caught staring down the barrel of a gun twice, first…
What Are the Seven Best Songs to Come Out in 2012?
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. Something you always wanted to…
Steve Martin Tweets a Pic of Pure Comedic Royalty
On Saturday night, Steve Martin tweeted a picture of him and his friends Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. The first thing that came to my mind was, “I bet they snorted my weight in cocaine before I was even born” and “One amigo shy of a reunion set,”…
10 Lobster Dishes to Try in Houston: No. 9, Crispy Lobster Sandwich at Backstreet Cafe
One of the many things that intrigues me about the Victorian era was how the general overabundance of shellfish meant foods like lobster were more fare for the hoi polloi than the aristocratic minority. This year, a bumper crop in the Northeast has once again made lobster cheaper for the…
5 (Food-Related) Reasons to Go to Alvin, Texas
In the past, I’ve been criticized by some readers of EOW for focusing my restaurant research on establishments inside the loop. And while it’s true that I don’t regularly travel very far for my food, I recently found yet another excuse to go way outside my zip code. Alvin, Texas…
“Cornucopia Incorporated” Will Make You Hungry For More
There’s nothing new about mixing food with art; we all like a good nosh with our art shows. Randall Kallinen of Kallinen Contemporary art gallery had something different in mind when he thought about the food to serve at his current exhibition; Kallinen wanted the food to be the art…
Last Weekend: When We Ruled H-Town Showcase at Fitzgerald’s
Note: It took us a little while to track down pictures from the show. Thanks again to Mr. Adler for letting us use his. — Ed. When We Ruled H-Town reunion feat. deadhorse, Manhole, Tread, Wishbone Bush, Taste of Garlic, Fitzgerald’s August 3-4, 2012 An interesting experiment happened in Houston…
The New UH Football Helmet Gets A Thumbs….DOWN
The University of Houston has revealed the design for this year’s football helmets, marking the last season at Robertson Stadium. And the motif seems to be Go Out Loud. Which is good if you’re a stadium full of crazed fans, but when you’ve already got a helmet design that, for…
Pop Rocks: Elton John Calls Madonna the C-Word. Now Bigger News Than the Mars Probe
The bitch is back: In the interview, which aired on Australia’s Channel 7 program Sunday Night, Elton said of Madonna, “Why is she such a nightmare? Her career is over, I can tell you that. Her tour has been a disaster and it couldn’t happen to a bigger c–t.” He…
The Annise Parker Non-Factor: Why Did the Chick-fil-A “Kiss-In” Fail?
It seemed like the perfect mixture for a successful display of civil disobedience: there was apparent bigotry against a robust community by a very conspicuous company. But still, Friday evening’s kiss-in to protest Chick-fil-A and its president, Dan Cathy, who has condemned gay marriage as anti-God, was a failure. At…
The Beatles’ Rotted Apple Records Ripe for Rediscovery
Strange Fruit: The Beatles’ Apple Records Chrome Dreams, 162 mins., $19.95. While the Beatles’ formation of their Apple company had roots in a tax dodge, the foursome really did (at least originally) seek to create a haven where creative types across different genres from art and film and design to…
Happy Apple Week: Day Two — Apple Cinnamon Muffins
My house officially smells like apples because of all the apple recipes I have been making. For the second day of Apple Week, I have made apple cinnamon muffins with a buttery and sugary crumble on top. I decided to make mini muffins because I love anything bite-size. One, they’re…
Getcho Popcorn Ready! Terrell Owens Is Back In Our Lives!
Last October, desperate for work, Terrell Owens held a workout in southern California to attempt to show NFL teams he was fully healed from an ACL injury that he suffered during the 2011 offseason. The only attendees at this spectacle were numerous television stations and cameramen, not a single NFL…
Surprise! There Are Other Things on TV Besides the Olympics
Can you believe that those crazy Olympians have been at it for almost a week and a half already? On the one hand, it feels like the games just began with memory of the interpretive dance version of London’s health care system still burning in our brains. On the flip…
Discovery Green’s Fall Shows Even Better Than the Spring
Late Monday evening, Discovery Green announced the lineup of its increasingly popular Thursday-evening free concert series, which will resume Sept. 13 with the patchouli-scented Austin group Mingo Fishtrap and Houston rocksteady revivalists the Suffers, who were all over this year’s Houston Press Music Award nominations. Oh yeah, the ceremony is…
12 Celebrity Chefs Who Have Cartoon Doppelgangers
We’ve already noted Emeril’s uncanny resemblance to Grandpa Munster and determined that Eric Ripert and Mr. Jay may just be twins. Now we’ll take a look at the celebrity chefs that have a different kind of doppelganger: Check out our list of 12 Celebrity Chefs Who Look Like Cartoons: 12…
Lone Star College Doesn’t Want State-Mandated Vaccines to Stand Between It and “Thousands of Dollars” in Student Tuition
An administrator at Lone Star College, apparently spooked by the number of perspective incoming students who hadn’t yet provided proof they received their state-mandated meningococcal vaccine that protects against meningitis, has told employees at her North Harris County campus to hand students an exemption form “even if they have had…
Pack It In, Rappers: Jaden Smith Is Here!
Mark it down, folks, August 7, 2012, is the day that the rap game was sealed up by Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the brother of Willow Smith. You won’t do much better than “Pumped Up Kicks (Like Me),” his just-released single, which,…
Trompi-burger: Mexico’s Answer to the Bacon Cheeseburger
It’s been awhile since a burger has stopped me dead in my tracks. Such is the arresting power of the trompi-burger at Taqueria La Macro, a new Monterrey-style restaurant in Northside. I first ended up at Taqueria La Macro after my boyfriend came home from driving down North Main and…
Here Comes the Fall and Winter Movie Season: James Bond, Bilbo Baggins & Bryan Cranston With Hair!
You are still sweating walking to your car at last call and you can cook your dinners on the hood of your car, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get in the mood for the fall and winter movie season. Leave behind your Avengers and Batmans and sass-mouth teddy bears…
The 20 Best YouTube Rock Docs You Can Watch Free (For Now)
**The 31 Best Music Documentaries of All Time So you don’t have Netflix, you hate the video stores (if you can even find one), you don’t like going to the little red box next to the liquor store but you do have an Internet connection, plenty of time on your…
Unidentified Stabbing Victim, 48, Bayou Body Count No. 123
A man was stabbed to death outside a Telephone Road business about 1:30 this morning, police say. The 48-year-old victim, whose identity has not been released pending notification of his family, was seen being beaten by an eyewitness near the South Loop and I-45. “When the witness began honking his…
Sip On Some Chick-fil-A Haterade Tonight at Grand Prize Bar…for Charity
In the wake of Beaver’s pro-gay rights, anti-Chick-Fil-A sandwich going national — even the anchors on CBS This Morning were talking about the Chick-on-Chick Filet at the Houston icehouse this morning — Grand Prize Bar is getting in on the action, too. The Montrose dive bar, which has lately been…
Score One For Tom DeLay: His Democratic Judge Gets Tossed From Case
Former U.S. House Republican leader/Dancing with the Stars contestant Tom DeLay scored big Friday with the recusal of a Democratic judge from his appellate case for money-laundering. Houston attorney Brian “Money-Quote” Wice told Hair Balls he had originally asked Justice Diane Henson to voluntarily remove herself from the case after…
Grey Victory: A Playlist for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony
In 1945, the Japanese city of Hiroshima became the first target of a nuclear weapon ever. The United States called for the unconditional surrender of the country at the end of World War II, an ultimatum that was ignored. In response, we deployed a weapon that killed between 90,000 and…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 39, Rigatoni in Bolognese Sauce at Paulie’s
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Katherine Mabel “Emily” Jones: Dead Teen’s Family Sues Rick’s Cabaret Over DWI Crash
The survivors of an 18-year-old woman who was killed when a drunk driver allegedly smashed into her doing 130 mph have sued Rick’s Cabaret, saying the strip club employs dancers through a policy that encourages them to overserve customers. Katherine Mabel Jones, 18, known to her friends as Emily, a…
HPMA Showcase: DJ Afterparty at Jet Lounge
HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012 HPMA Showcase: Rocks Off’s Top 7 Discoveries HPMA Showcase: Sunday’s 11 Best Random Moments SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase — The Bands SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase — The Crowds “After the show it’s the afterparty…” — Jay-Z Another year, another successful HPMA showcase. And unlike…
Falling Skies: “Looks Can Be Deceiving.”
It’s the “final push” to Charleston, as Capt. Weaver tells the weary (and probably very smelly) members of the 2nd Massachusetts. For them, it means several hundred miles through unknown territory with angry aliens on their tail. For us, it means a relatively low-key episode light on action and heavy…
Life Before Pinot Grigio: A Favorite Pinot Gris from Oregon
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio from northern Italy changed everything. I’ll never forget the first time I saw a bottle of the wine in a Southern Californian gourmet supermarket in the 1980s. The bottle was not the classic green but transparent (a stroke of marketing brilliance) and showed off the wine’s…
The 10 Best-Dressed People at the HPMA Showcase
There’s a lot to be said about festival fashion. In the case of the Houston Press Music Awards Showcase, you have a lot of factors to consider. Will your outfit be too hot for the Houston sun? (Thank goodness the rain cooled things off.) Will your shoes hamper your ability…
Jameel Hassan Galloway, 29, Bayou Body Count No. 122
Two men broke into an apartment on the southest side of town Sunday morning and shot a man to death, Houston police say. Jameel Hassan Galloway, 29, was in his apartment in the 12200 block of Fondren about 6:30 a.m. Sunday when two men knocked on the door and then…
Booze, Nostalgia and RPGs: Redstone Meadery Honey Wine with Vanilla Beans and Cinnamon Sticks
My dork résumé is long and varied. Much more so than its professional counterpart. Band, debate, drama…the list goes on and on. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to focus on the RPG bullet. I haven’t been much of a gamer since I had kids of my own;…
Hamlet Done Well: The Broody Dane Contemplates Revenge at Miller Outdoor Theatre
Check out our interview with Cindy Pickett and Mark Metcalf as they rehearsed for Hamlet. The setup: Watching the Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre is, somewhat, the closest we’ll ever get to what it must have been like for those Londoners of yore when they went to the…
HPMA Showcase: Sunday’s 12 Best Random Moments
Besides all the music, Rocks Off asked our writers to keep an eye out for the unusual at Sunday’s HPMA showcase — because it’s everywhere — and let us know if they found anything especially offbeat or otherwise noteworthy. HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012 HPMA Showcase: Rocks…
Back On My Block: Celebrating 10 Years of Scarface’s The Fix
Ten years ago today, Scarface broke through nationally for good with The Fix. His work with the Geto Boys had made him a cult favorite, making his story of being better than amazing to put Houston on the rap map. The Diary; Mr. Scarface Is Back rank as Nos. 3…
Where Are We Eating? Clue: Fry All of the Things
This restaurant was recently mentioned as having a dish in our 100 Favorite Dishes list for 2012. And although the plate you see below isn’t that dish, it would be our runner-up at this fun Italian spot: an appetizer of fried everything, from squid and octopus to fennel and lemon…
The Brady Bunch Reality Show and Other ’70s Shows That Might As Well Be Reality Shows
Here’s the story, of a yet another, crappy show to come to the TV. This time they have taken, a beloved sitcom…and turned it to real-i-ty. Last week, the Houston Chronicle reported that CBS is in the works to develop a reality show based on the concept of The Brady…
Ten Things Your Lollapalooza Outfit Says About You
Note: Our Twin Cities sister paper City Pages covered Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend. Photo by Erik Hess BY REED FISCHER Now more than ever, Lollapalooza is a mélange of different fashion decisions to accompany the varied musical offerings crammed together throughout Chicago’s Grant Park. When EDM butts up against…
Dynamo Top Red Bulls, Take First Place in East
Check out our slideshow of the Dynamo vs Red Bulls. The Houston Dynamo are a lot of things these days. They’re winners of their last five league matches. They are unbeaten in their last 18 home games, dating back to last season. And thanks to their 2-0 beating of the…
10 Lobster Dishes to Try in Houston: No. 10, Lobster Omelet at Union Kitchen
One of the many things that intrigue me about the Victorian era was how the general overabundance of shellfish meant foods like lobster were more fare for the hoi polloi than the aristocratic minority. This year, a bumper crop in the Northeast has once again made lobster cheaper for the…
The Comedy of Errors: Fun Delivered Amid a Fervor of Mistaken Identities
Check out our interview with Mark Metcalf and Cindy Pickett while they were in rehearsal. The setup: The great one, Shakespeare, goes positively loony in this early work, circa 1594. He takes his source from Roman comedian Plautus and ups the ante exponentially, doubling the original set of identical twins,…
HPMA Showcase: Rocks Off’s Top 7 Discoveries
Rocks Off also asked our folks covering the HPMA showcase to tell us their favorite new artist they saw Sunday – not necessary new, just new to them. HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012 SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase — The Bands SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase — The Crowds Alkari: How…
Saturday Night: Maze, Patti LaBelle, O’Jays, Babyface, etc. at Toyota Center
“Summer Music Fest” feat. Frankie Beverly & Maze, Patti LaBelle, the O’Jays, Babyface & Tank Toyota Center August 4, 2012 Like a good neighbor, we can always count on soul/funk band Maze and its front man, the eternally white-clad Frankie Beverly, to be here each summer. Cognizant of the fact…
What’s Cooking This Week? Guacamole & Bacon Paninis, Bistro Salad and More
I love cooking for my fiancé and myself, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
The Wrong Side of the Law: A Spectacularly Mellerdrammatic Comedy
The setup: Theatre Suburbia presents its annual summer “mellerdrammer,” complete with boos and hisses at the villain from a cooperative audience, and yes, you are urged to toss popcorn at the actors in The Wrong Side of the Law. The execution: There’s not much rustic charm to the set, which…
Comment of the Day: Keeping Hens & Chickens in Houston
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 or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Owls Vow This Season Will Be Different, But They’ve Said That Before
John RoyalRice Owls head coach David Bailiff vows this season will be differentThe Rice Owls kick off the 2012 college football season on Thursday, August 30 when they host the UCLA Bruins. The Owls are excited, the coach is the excited. And they want the fans to be excited. Rice…
HPMA Showcase: The 12 Best Artists of 2012
Rocks Off asked the writers we had covering Sunday’s HPMA showcase downtown to pick out one or two of their favorites among the 50 or so performers. SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase – The Bands SLIDESHOW: HPMA Showcase – The Crowds Bang Bangz: Bang Bangz set up a mellowed dreamscape for their…
The Non-Pressure Test: Make Lava Cake Like a MasterChef
We’ve been loving MasterChef (team Christine!), especially the weekly pressure tests. But with a pissed-off Ramsay, daunting time restraints and cameras right in the contestants’ faces waiting for them to break down in an ugly cry in front of the judges and all of America, it’s no wonder these contestants…
Opie: Stolen Horse Returned After 10 Years Of A Scared, Abusive Life In Hiding
If there’s one thing Michelle Pool has learned recently, it’s this: Never give up on a lost horse. You’d think after 10 years, faith would have started to dim for Pool’s chances of recovering Opie, the family horse taken from her ranch near San Antonio. But Pool kept posting notices…
Happy Apple Week: Day One — Basic Applesauce Recipe
The second week of August is dedicated to one of the best fruits: apples. The beauty of apples is all their flavors; the United States only has one third of the varieties of apples found throughout the world. Used in a variety of savory and sweet dishes, they’re also great…
True Blood: Care Bears on Fire & Some New Wallflowers
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood — which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Have I mentioned that Tina…
Web Reality Series Pits Porn Stars Against Each Other To Be The Next Fleshlight Model
So Searchlight, a new Web series from the Fleshlight folks in Austin — yes, they are based in Austin — pits porn stars Alexis Texas, Kayden Kross and Asphyxia Noir in a contest to decide who will be the next Fleshlight model. For those not in the know, Fleshlight makes…
Curtis Martin Sets The New Bar For Hall Of Fame Induction Speeches
“[It was] a brutally honest, heartfelt, and complex speech from Curtis Martin.” — Rich Eisen of the NFL Network describing Curtis Martin’s Hall of Fame induction speech The appropriate response to Rich Eisen’s description of Curtis Martin’s Hall of Fame induction speech by anyone who saw it should be “Exactly!”…
A (Very Nearly) Comprehensive Guide to Houston’s Food Trucks
Last week, one of our Twitter followers made a special request: a guide to all the nearly 50 food trucks currently roaming around town that use Twitter — along with their Twitter handles. So @sarahnoid, this list is for you. Food trucks are sorted alphabetically, along with their primary type…
10 Funniest Sentences on Conservapedia
Conservapedia, in case you don’t know, was started as a rival to Wikipedia in 2006 by Andrew Schlafly in order to counteract what he felt was a definite liberal bias to the site. Thus was born another free online encyclopedia that kept things more in line with conservative and creationist…
Friday Night: Kiss & Mötley Crüe at The Woodlands
Kiss, Mötley Crüe Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 3, 2012 “I used to rock and roll all night and party ev-er-y day. Then it was every other day. Now I’m lucky to find half an hour a week in which to get funky.” — Homer Simpson Getting old can be…
HPMA Showcase: An Ever-So-Brief Blow-by-Blow
Even on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the Houston Press Music Awards showcase kept right on rockin’. More than 50 artists from about as many kinds of music, all of whom call Houston home and were nominated for HPMAs this year, performed at 10 downtown Houston venues, from Houston Pavilions over…
Sikh Temple Shooting: Houston Sikhs Consider Their Options, Plead For An End to Ignorance
Harmeet Kaur was sitting in her Sikh temple in Houston this morning when a girlfriend texted her the news. The girlfriend had stayed home and was watching television as the news broke about the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin. At least seven people were killed in the 10:25 a.m. attack…
Last Night: Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw at Reliant Stadium
Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw Reliant Stadium August 4, 2012 Outside the rodeo, Saturday night’s “Brothers of the Sun” date with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will no doubt go down as the biggest single concert (not festival) to take place in Houston this year. That means two balding, behatted guys…
Lollapalooza Suspended, Resumed After Dangerous Weather Conditions
Note: Our friends at Twin Cities sister VVM weekly City Pages are covering Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend. — ed. Photo by Erik HessThe rains left Lollapalooza mud-faced, but undeterred.By Erik Thompson, with additional reporting by Reed FischerThe 2012 installment of Lollapalooza has thus far brought the requisite extremes, in…
Houston: The Chick-fil-A Protest That Wasn’t
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, this was not. In fact, most of the people eating dinner at the Chick-fil-A off of I-10 in the Heights weren’t even aware they were in the midst of what was supposed to be a gay kiss-in to protest recent anti-gay marriage rhetoric by the chain’s…
Kyle Miller Jones, 25, Alleged Car Burglar, Bayou Body Count No. 121
A homeowner shot to death a man who allegedly was trying to break into his car in a case that will be referred to a Harris County grand jury, Houston police say. Kyle Miller Jones, 25, died from multiple gunshot wounds received shortly before 6 a.m. today in the 11500…
Yes, Gary Kubiak Is in Mid-Season “Battling” Form
With Texans’ training camp in full swing, there’s one thing fans want to know — is head coach Gary Kubiak in mid-season quote-machine form? The answer is decidedly yes. Odd circumlocutions? You bet: Former New Orleans Saint, current Texan Mitch King? “He’s a try-hard player.” Of Houston Cougars QB Case…
8 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Houston SunBurn, HPMA Showcase, Etc.
This is…impressive. It’s called Houston SunBurn, and it’s somehow related to famous Nevada freakfest Burning Man. It’s tomorrow at Jet Lounge, the Engine Room and Last Concert Cafe, and looks like a who’s who of local fringe talent — experimental electronica to Americana, and literally everything in between: B L…
Never Mind Chick-fil-A: Check Out the Chick-On-Chick Action at Beaver’s
National Same-Sex Kiss Day may be taking place today in Chick-Fil-A’s across the country as gay rights supporters challenge Chick-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy’s stance against gay marriage (to be clear, Cathy’s views don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of individual Chick-Fil-A restaurants, which are owned and operated by independent franchisees). But…
7th-Grader Isabella Acuna Fights Houston Hen Ordinance
Ever since the city cited her family for having chickens in their backyard, 7th-grader Isabella Acuña has been speaking to city council members, gathering signatures for a petition and spreading the word on local news segments in an effort to change Houston’s hen ordinance. Isabella’s family originally got cited after…
Tomorrow’s National Champagne Day: Have a Jell-O Shot
Although many believe that National Champagne Day is December 31, someone has declared tomorrow National Champagne Day for 2012, so we’re going to celebrate. While you could toast to a few glasses of bubbly champagne, why not celebrate a little differently tomorrow with champagne Jell-O shots. You only need a…
Juan Henoch Mejia: Forced Young Girls to Drink His Semen from a Cup, Cops Say in Disgust
You have been duly warned. This is one pukesome tale, one of the grossest we have ever come across. Police in the Rio Grande Valley town of Rio Hondo arrested Juan Henoch Mejia on Wednesday and he has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Chase Hamblin
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
This Week in Deliciousness: Stay Away from My Mountain Cabin
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating…Our Words, where we’ve been eating store-bought rainbow sherbet inside various Chik-Fil-A’s all week, but so far no one has said anything. It could be because their choice of food-obtaining venue isn’t indicative of folks’ general political leanings, or it could be…
Texas Grape Harvest Expected to Be Excellent but Not a Bumper Crop
As the rest of the world is still preparing for the 2012 harvest, Texas farmers began picking their fruit as early as two weeks ago (and some even earlier). Even in the warmest wine-growing regions in the world (like Apulia, Italy, the heel of the boot), harvest won’t begin for…
Last Night: Pitbull at The Woodlands
Pitbull Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 2, 2012 “I went from eviction and food stamps, to baggin work wet & damp, to a passport flooded with stamps. Now its Voli everywhere I land.” — Pitbull The date was December 1, 2006 — or as I like to call it, the…
Pirate Tattoo: The Week in Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Comment of the Day: The ABA’s Dreaded Time Machine
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 or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Katy’s Point to Infinity Wins Spot on Lollapalooza Stage
This is one of those stories that can’t help raise even the most cynical journalist’s cockles a few degrees: Band fresh out of high school, with a disposition as sunny as its melodic brand of pop-rock, wins a spot at one of America’s biggest, most important music festivals. Any Hollywood…
Buyer’s Guide to Steampunk Nintendo Accessories
Some people think steampunk is already an overblown, tired genre. Such folk will be the first ones rounded up and infused with clockwork since they are already dead inside and can be put to use manning the sails on the airship. It’s still a garishly fun bit of pop style,…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 40, Fried Avocado Taco at H-Town StrEATs
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Nominees: Beetle
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
“Free Randy Blythe”: Lamb of God/Dethklok Tour Canceled; No Houston Sept. 7 Show (UPDATE: Blythe Has Been Released)
(UPDATE: From Adrenaline PR: “After five weeks in a prison in Prague in the Czech Republic, Randy Blythe has been released on bail and is returning to the United States. Although Lamb Of God has cancelled their summer co-headline tour with Dethklok, the band is currently targeting October 26th as…
Upcoming Events: Low, Slow and EaDo
Next Thursday night from 7 to 10 p.m., help support Foodways Texas while enjoying some terrific Texan beer and bites at the Saint Arnold brewery with Low and Slow: An Evening of Smoked Food & Film. The evening will feature short films by Keeley Steenson about Texas barbecue traditions along…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Another Run
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
Trey Sesler, Anime Film Critic Who Murdered His Family, Gets Life Without Parole
Trey Sesler, the 23-year-old YouTube anime critic who had been charged with killing three family members in rural Texas, has entered a guilty plea and been given life without parole, Waller County prosecutors say. Sesler gunned down his parents and a brother and then led cops on a daylong manhunt…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Total Recall
Title: Total Recall Does Colin Farrell “Get His Ass to Mars?” Nobody makes it off the planet in this version, but Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel most definitely have a couple of “out-of-this-world” derrieres. High five! Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: One Kuato out of five. Brief…
Sweet and Simple: How to Make Baked Doughnuts
Although I haven’t lived abroad in a very long time, I still enjoy reading about improvising American foods in foreign countries where certain Western supplies are limited. One of my favorite sources of recipes is The Home Away, a fantastic blog for folks living overseas “at home but away from…
¿Como se dice “Whoops?”: 5 Musicians’ Romney-esque Blunders In Foreign Lands
Mitt Romney had a troublesome time during his recent trip abroad, pissing off politicians and citizens in England, Palestine, and Poland (although to be fair, that last one was simply a guy who worked for Romney, not Romney himself). Besides providing a potential future Ted Nugent album name — “Kiss…
Steel Magnolias: Strong Women Armed With Wit, Words & Scissors at Stages Repertory Theatre
The setup: The comedic drama that portrays Southern women as wittier than the Algonquin Round Table and more warmhearted than a petting zoo is revived in all its iconic glory at Stages Repertory Theatre. The execution: The ultimate “woman cave” is the beauty shop, where hair can be let down…
Yes, Traffic Will Suck On The East Freeway This Weekend
Your quick and jaunty trip down the scenic environs of the East Freeway just got a little less quick and jaunty. The already somewhat depressing ride will feature something extra this weekend — lots of slow-moving traffic. The cause: more work on the Meadow Street Bridge east of downtown Houston,…
Week in Photos: Pleasure Pier
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. We’re looking for pictures that represent the best of Houston, from food to art to events, to secret hidden spots of beauty. Just drop them in our Flickr…
Doeman’s The Understatement Debut Tape Is Hardly Understated
That young man up there, that’s Doeman. He is yet another talented local rapper hoping to rise above Houston’s intimidating Talented Rapper scrum. He recently released a tape called The Understatement. The video is for a song from it. If you watch it, three things are obvious, each of which…
“Frankenfood” and “Locavore” Among New Words Added to the Oxford Dictionary Online
The Oxford Dictionaries Online adds, in its own words, “dozens of new words” to its online dictionary every three months. And when it’s not busy adding words that reflect the ever-evolving English language and our social climate, it’s monitoring the Internet, movies, books and TV for new words to add…
Is Ben Stiller the Most Overrated Comedian in Hollywood?
This past weekend the ensemble comedy The Watch hit theaters and before you could say the word “brosef,” the bad reviews poured in. Our own Pete Vonder Haar gave the movie “one and a half Trojan Magnums out of five”, and, compared to some, his review came off as overly…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Tianna Hall
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
A Few Suggestions for Houston Sports Moments and Personalities to Be Memorialized
The greatest player in the history of the Houston Oilers is, without a doubt, Earl Campbell. And Ross Greenburg, the former head of HBO Sports, is producing a documentary on the life and career of Campbell that will air later this year on the NBC Sports Network. And last month…
Health Department Roundup: Third Time’s the Charm
If you went to public school, you probably knew at least one student who screwed up long enough to get a begrudging promotion to the next grade or the real world despite a lack of any demonstrable merit. If you’re reading this on your phone while you hang out in…
30 Seconds With mewithoutYou
I have a hard time adequately describing mewithoutYou’s music… imagine if King Missile and early Butthole Surfers collaborated. Even then you’d be missing a lot of the nuances and brilliance. I caught up with drummer Richard Mazzotta to see what I could learn about the amazing percussionist in 30 seconds…
100 Creatives 2012: Geoff Hippenstiel, Painter, Art Instructor, Daddy
Geoff Hippenstiel’s solo exhibition at Devin Borden Gallery in January received several thumb-ups from critics, ranging from a write-up in Art in America to a positive takeaway in this very publication. It’s not hard to see why. Hippenstiel’s curious oils were stacked with paint layer after paint layer, obscuring the…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Second Lovers
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
Remembering the ABA: 5 Things That Would Never Happen in the NBA
Thirty-six years ago this week, avant-garde basketball went away when the American Basketball Association merged with the National Basketball Association. The old ABA (1967-1976) helped revolutionize the game through the invention of the three-point shot and the drafting of underclassmen. At one time, the “red, white and blue league” was…
Video Game Atlas: Monkey Island
Once a week Art Attack will offer you a handy little travel guide to the fictional worlds of video games. Name: Monkey Island, Monkey Island Series Population: Surprisingly few monkeys Government: None The Caribbean is home to plenty of islands full of pirate history, but perhaps none is more famous…
B(r)and Awareness: 5 Easy Tips to Maintain Your Web Presence
Doing research on famous bands is easy. If you’re famous enough to have your own Wikipedia entry, then you’re big enough to have dozens of pages on the Internet about you filled with the most interesting and boring bits of minutia. Anything a blogger needs to know to interview, write…
July 2012 in Openings & Closings: t’afia Is Dead, Long Live t’afia
It’s true: t’afia is closed. But only until August 14. That’s when — as chef/owner Monica Pope told us on Wednesday — the restaurant will be reopened with a revamped concept. It’s also true that our beloved Nabi is on the chopping block, as owner Ji Kang confirmed to Eater…
The 10 Best Guest Appearances On Other People’s Songs
Have you ever had one of those moments when, you’re listening to a song and hear something familiar, like maybe a familiar voice or wonder, “Okay, who is really playing this particular instrument?” Many times a band or an artist will guest star on a recording. Sometimes it’s a well-known…
For Your Viewing Pleasure: Zapruder-Like Breakdown of a Crotch-Grabbing, Register-Slapping, Slip-Sliding Robbery Attempt
Choreographed like a Joffrey ballet, the best convenience-store robberies are intricately designed Matrix homages that feature split-second timing. And then there’s the one that went down in the 11200 block of FM 529 July 20. Crime Stoppers is looking for help in finding these perpetrators, and from the looks of…
ZZ Top Returns to Espanol for September’s LA FUTURA
Moments ago, ZZ Top’s publicist Bob Merlis officially announced the title and release date of the trio’s first studio album since 2003’s Mescalero, a record even many diehard fans were starting to doubt was real. LA FUTURA will be released September 11 on American Recordings, the recently rebooted label run…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 41, Pollo con Mole at El Gallo de Jalisco
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Free for All: Houston Shakespeare Festival, Public Poetry and Brad Thor
One of the highlights of the summer, the annual Houston Shakespeare Festival, kicks off this Friday and this year’s performances are not to be missed. Guest actors Cindy Pickett (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, St. Elsewhere) and Mark Metcalf (Maestro on Seinfeld, villainous Douglas Neidermeyer in Animal House) take to the…
Houston Sculptor David Adickes Has Agreed to Build the Statue of Bill Hicks in Houston
Famed sculptor David Adickes has agreed to build a statue of the late comedian Bill Hicks in Houston, Free Press Houston has announced. Hicks, who died in 1994, worked in Houston’s comedy clubs including the Comedy Workshop. Free Press Houston is asking people to donate to its fund-raising effort to…
German Ramos & Kendrick Ferguson: Two HPD Cops Accused of Stealing Drugs in Sting Operation
The best-laid plans went awry early Wednesday when two uniformed HPD cops got themselves arrested instead of getting themselves rich via a drug deal, police say.The two cops — German Ramos, 36, and Kendrick Ferguson, 33 — intended to pull over a drug dealer, take his stash and then split…
Dallas: “You’re Confusing Emotion With Business”
Can people really change? Or are we forever locked into repeating the same destructive (to self and others) behaviors? And if so, do we ascribe that to outside influences, the composition of our personalities, or some combinations of the two? [Keanu Reeves head shake] Sorry. So if last week’s episode…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: David G. Cortes
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
A Cathartic Brunch at Blu
I’m always on the lookout for a good weekend brunch. Monday through Friday’s routine of two egg whites with spinach and black coffee gives way to decadent meals of French toast, omelets and day drinking — and I’ve found a new place worth the trip for just this kind of…
Unidentified Skeletal Remains, Bayou Body Count No. 120
Investigators are trying to determine the age, race and gender of skeletal human remains found near Memorial Park yesterday afternoon.A construction crew working near the 100 block of Detering found the bones about 3 p.m. Wednesday, police say. The remains will be examined by the Harris County Institute of Forensic…
Country Playhouse’s 10 x 10 Showcase of Short Plays
The Setup: Scriptwriters/Houston’s annual Ten by Ten Showcase is one of the city’s most cherished theatrical events. In its twenty-second year, the production features ten short plays from local playwrights. The Execution: If there is a unifying theme in this year’s selected plays, it’s the complexity of human nature. From…
’90s Rock Doc “When We Ruled H-Town” Premieres Tonight
Remember the ’90s? When it comes to Houston’s rock scene, a lot of people don’t. Sure, local bands were drawing large crowds to venues like the Axiom, the Vatican and the Unicorn, but much of the music of that era never made it outside the Beltway, and those clubs have…
Houston Bartenders Head to NOLA for Tales of the Cocktail
Houston bartenders including Lainey Collum, Ornella Ashcroft, Alba Huerta and Sheridan Fay showed up to represent Houston at Tales of the Cocktail. Photos by Alex Gregg Now in its tenth year, Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans has become a sort of South by Southwest for serious spirits aficionados:…
Free Cabs at HPMA Showcase Sunday!
Rocks Off wants you see as much as Sunday’s HPMA showcase as possible, so we have teamed up with our presenting sponsor Yellow Cab to offer free cab rides between the 11 showcase venues. Here’s how it works. First you’ll need to download the Hail a Cab app for your…
First Look at The Refinery Burgers & Whiskey
Earlier this year, passing the small, empty strip mall on the corner of West Dallas and Heiner, just under the Pierce Elevated, was an almost daily ritual for me on my commute. With a camper trailer out front and sawhorses strewn in the parking lot, it was hard to tell…
What Happened to Robert De Niro?
There was a time when young actors and filmmakers looked at Robert De Niro as a godlike being. A force to be reckoned with, emulated and mercilessly stolen from. You practiced your best Travis Bickle in the mirror, plastered posters of Taxi Driver all over your room, and holy shit…
Top 10 Most Depressed Teenage Girls (In Movies)
Last week the Huffington Post reported on new data released from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which found that “adolescent girls suffer from depression at a rate nearly three times that of boys their age.” As it was stated: A depressive episode was defined as a period…
Fetal Disgorge Endorses Albino Race Hunting
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. Soooooo… a while back I delved into the meaning of a metal band called Dying Fetus, an encounter from which I barely escaped alive…
Yucatan Taco Stand Tequila Bar & Grill: Potential Hot Spot in The Woodlands
Over the last couple of years, The Woodlands Waterway has added lots of restaurants and stores. One of the newest additions to this area of The Woodlands Mall is an upscale taqueria offering a menu filled with tacos, burritos, seafood and alcoholic beverages. You’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into…
Comment of the Day: Who Is Ted Cruz, Really?
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 or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Pop Rocks: Dear Sight & Sound, Here Are Ten Movies Better Than Vertigo. You’re Welcome.
Big news in cineaste circles yesterday, as the British Film Institute’s respected Sight & Sound issued its decennial list of the greatest films of all time, and for the first time in 50 years, #1 wasn’t Citizen Kane: Orson Welles’s “Citizen Kane” has been deposed as the top film of…
This Guy Picked the Wrong Person to Snatch a Purse From
Purse-snatching is hardly the most manly of crimes — you pick a feeble-looking victim you’re sure you can outrun, make a grab and then run for the hills. Sometimes, though, you misjudge your prey. That’s what the guy pictured here did, and although he got away, Crime Stoppers and the…
Best Thing I Ever Ate: Chicken Sandwich
I’ve been exploring the Best Things I Ever Ate around town, from French fries like Harry’s feta-topped version to dips like Beaver’s barbecue brisket loaded Smoky Queso. This time, I’ve stumbled upon the city’s best Chicken Sandwich at none other than the convenience store-turned-neighborhood gem: Lankford Grocery & Market. Open…
Mayhem Cruise vs Shiprocked: Battle of the Boats (UPDATED)
Note: Corrected to reflect this will be Shiprock’s fourth voyage. Also, according to the promoter: “Hot tubs.” Many moons ago, Rocks Off let you know about how the Mayhem Festival was taking their show to the high seas for a cruise this December. It seemed like the perfect vacation for…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Brompton
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
Tropical Storm Ernesto: Five Non-Scientific Reasons It’s Coming Our Way
Meet Ernesto. Or what will soon become Ernesto. He’s a-forming in the Atlantic and headed west and — to be honest — we don’t like the looks of him. Our weather expert, Jeff Balke, is out of the office right now — and there’s your first warning sign. Ducking and…
Today’s National Ice Cream Sandwich Day: Let’s Make a Cake
Let’s face it, many national food holidays are silly and dumb, but we all get a little bit excited when we find out we have an excuse to indulge. Since today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, you can’t help but smile, because what’s better than the combination of a…
Gurgle Hiss Spit The Big Wedding Sigh Fart Noise
When are we going to start realizing what Robert De Niro is doing to himself and get him some help? When will Katherine Heigl stop playing an icy bitch in every movie that she ever signs on for? Does Diane Keaton know how to do anything else these days besides…
Grace Potter: The Lion That Roared
In this week’s print edition of the Houston Press, Rocks Off talked to singer Grace Potter about her spot opening this summer’s “Brothers of the Sun” tour co-starring country superstars Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, and the hit duet with Chesney that got her there, “You and Tequila.” But there’s…
Meet the 2012 HPMA Showcase Nominees: Venomous Maximus
Rocks Off reached out to the artists playing this year’s Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5, and asked them to introduce themselves. Here’s what they sent back. Catch up with the other showcase nominees and see the rest of our HPMA coverage Rocks Off: When and where was…
Swordfish: It’s What’s for Dinner and It’s Good for the Conscience
Did you know swordfish has a hunting season? Whole Foods Market does. July through mid-August is swordfish season, and you should run, not walk, to get some. Whole Foods is a leader in offering humanely raised and killed meats, poultry and fish. The store’s swordfish comes exclusively from a small…
Texans Training Camp: Crisis Averted, Duane Brown Is Gonna Be Okay
“#TexansNation I’m good!!!! Thanks for the thoughts and concerns!” — Texans left tackle Duane Brown, 2:21 PM 8/1/12 on Twitter (@DuaneBrown76) “Thank God…” — Every Texans fan…on Twitter, on message boards, at the grocery store, pretty much everywhere Remember the first five minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark? If…
Our Questions For Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me” Video
This week the music video for popper Justin Bieber’s newest single “As Long As You Love Me” dropped onto the Internets. Co-starring Quentin Tarantino baddie Michael Madsen as a domineering, protective father, the clip feature Bieber as a rebellious and hellraising boyfriend to Madsen’s innocent daughter. Of course Madsen doesn’t…
Best Comics in July: Hooch Monkeys and Battle Beasts
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. Axe Cop #1 I’m convinced that Axe Cop is not so much a comic as a New Testament. Maybe that’s because that’s what happens when an…
Rock vs. Rap: Who Really Ruled H-Town?
The early to mid-’90s were good times for underground music in Houston. At clubs like the Axiom, the Vatican and Fitzgerald’s, an eclectic mix of punk, metal, funk and ska bands like deadhorse, Sprawl and more regularly played packed shows in front of 500+ fans. Much has changed since, but…
Capsule Art Reviews: “The Big Show,” “A Golden Time of Day,” “Hilary Wilder: A Northern Tale,” “Interstitial Spaces: Julia Barello & Beverly Penn,” “Kyle Farley: Countenance,” “UNIT,” “Woven Landscapes”
“The Big Show” For this year’s big show, Marco Antonini of Brooklyn’s NURTUREart has proven to be an adventurous curator whose style knows no boundaries. This is one of the leanest of the Big Shows yet. Among the 915 submissions from 381 artists, Antonini selected 69 works from 61 artists…
Kiss, Mötley Crüe
It’s been 30 years since the touring worlds of Kiss and Mötley Crüe converged, when Kiss brought the young L.A. bruisers along on their 1982 “Creatures of the Night” tour. (True Kiss fans will remember that as the tour that featured a stage fashioned to look like an army tank.)…
The Flatlanders
Recorded in a West Texas city even less glamorous than the Flatlanders’ hometown of Lubbock, the newly released The Odessa Tapes (New West) goes back to the trio’s very origins. Buddies Jimmie Dale Gilmore (the cosmic hippie and then-lead singer), Butch Hancock (the desert sage) and Joe Ely (the rock…
A CHL Instructor Weighs In on the Colorado Shooting
Highlights from Hair Balls CRIME In recent days, we have been inundated with opinion and speculation about the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado. Last week the suspect, James Holmes, was brought before a judge and the nation got its first look at the gunman, with his mop top of…
Capsule Stage Reviews: First Lady Suite, KOOZA, The Lion King, Top Shelf Shorts, Travelsty
First Lady Suite After its mesmerizing former production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, the young Bit of a Stretch Theatre Company hits another home run with composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa’s thoroughly intriguing first major work, the chamber musical First Lady Suite (1993). Here is a distinctive, adult voice that demolishes…
Girls Rock Camp Houston End of Camp Showcase
Normally we would never recommend another show happening up against our own Houston Press Music Awards showcase (see insert), but we’re happy to make an exception here. Since 2010, Girls Rock Camp Houston — the independent local arm of the nationwide Girls Rock Camp Alliance — has brought area girls…
The Coathangers, Jaill
If you tried to call the Coathangers a girl group they’d probably mess you up, but there is a hint of that beehive-hairdo ’60s Phil Spector sweetness to go with all their garage-rock fuzz. The Atlanta quartet’s 2011 LP Of Larceny & Lace, with spiky post-punk guitar and goosebump-raising organ,…
Do It Yourself
Top Five My wife is a recovering ketchup junkie. When we first got married, she would break my heart every night around 6 p.m. As soon as dinner hit the table, it was doused in ketchup. Wild mushroom risotto? Ketchup. Red beans and rice? Ketchup. Meatloaf with a ketchup glaze?…
When We Ruled H-Town DVD release
Although the concept hasn’t died completely, these days the idea of a city having a “music scene” seems a little quaint. At least it does in the sense of a group of like-minded musicians whose bands play the same clubs, hang out at each other’s shows and the same record…
Complaints and the Media
Dear Mexican, I’m s Mexican-American high school student, and just as patriotic as the Joneses who live next to me. In my neighborhood, a gabacho got mad when someone hung a Mexican flag and ended up cutting it down. I think this whole idea of putting one’s flag up and…
Pitbull
Chances are if you have spent any time at all inside a food court, shopping mall or sporting event, or even driven by a Washington Avenue bar with your windows down, you know Pitbull’s voice all too well. And let’s not forget his ubiquitous Bud Light radio spots, either. The…
The Anarchist Song Book
It is 3:58 p.m. on a spitefully hot, humid Saturday. And B L A C K I E, a local musician and growing force in the nation’s indie scene, is getting ready to perform. It’ll be his first show in Houston since he returned from a successful tour earlier this summer that took him through Europe…
Ruby Sparks
It’s one of the most cherished legends of the American indie: A socially retarded ugly duck, despite making no effort to regulate his glaring emotional hang-ups, is discovered as a swan by a clearly out-of-his-league girl who loves him just the way he is. Buffalo ’66 (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love…
HPMA 2012 Showcase
People often ask how we choose the nominees for the Houston Press Music Awards. The truth is, it’s all you. We won’t let a metal band stand for Best Folk, for example, but the names you see on this year’s ballot were put there by Houston Press readers. And despite…
Barbarians in the Ivory Tower
Bobby Ruffin Jr. was only 14 when a recruiter from Ashford University called. The Birmingham, Michigan, boy thought he’d clicked on a link promising help finding money for college. It was actually just a lead generator for the for-profit, online school’s sales staff. At the time, Bobby was an A-student…
Maxwell Hendler’s Rich Resin
Maxwell Hendler’s monochromatic paintings, on view at Texas Gallery, are riveting. There’s something almost primal in the appeal of his gleaming layers of rich color, achieved by pouring layers of colored resin over wooden panels. The resin Hendler uses is a highly unnatural material, the gorgeous, toxic stuff used to…
BlackFinn’s Average American
See all 11,000 square feet of BlackFinn American Grille’s four huge dining areas for yourself in our slideshow. “I didn’t steal your car!” came a loud shriek from the next table. “Gupta did!” The table erupted in peals of laughter. Six young women and two young men were huddled around…
Ooh La La, Grace Potter
With her force-of-nature voice, Grace Potter has probably been drawing favorable comparisons to Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin since she could crawl. Before this year, she and her band the Nocturnals had released three albums of blues-rock and retro-soul, with 2010’s Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and its…
Best in Show
A spitfire female MC with a jazzy softer side. Two indie trios that spin shoegaze atmospherics and reverb rock into pop gold. Celtic rockers (but not those Celtic rockers) who threaten to drink you under the table, and a duo that may be eavesdropping on you right this very moment…
