Adventures in Twitter — Arian Foster and Chris Johnson
Last January, Maurice Jones-Drew got himself some unwanted attention (or maybe it was totally wanted; either way, he got attention) when he opined on Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler’s removing himself from the NFC title game against the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury. Jones-Drew questioned Cutler’s manhood and…
Comment of the Day
Today Katharine Shilcutt wrote about nothing less than “the most appalling cocktail ever created,” featuring an interview with her badass mother. The cocktail, called the Empty Nester, comes courtesy of a crazy press release from Sauza tequila. Commenter Northsider thinks Sauza will be pleased with Katharine’s story on the drink…
Jason Randolph Booker Always Picks the Wrong Prostitutes
Here’s some advice if you’re planning on getting a blow job from a street hooker: Well, first — DON’T. Try not to be a complete idiot. Secondly, if you see Houstonian James Randolph Booker anywhere near you, run. Booker, 28, was charged today with trying to pay for oral sex…
Our 14 Favorite Bloody Album Covers (NSFW)
Tonight DMX is at House of Blues, on a stop on his current “Rebirth” tour, reacquainting himself with his fans after a few years in the wilderness (jail). There is no doubt that he has a following, mostly us guys who appreciate a screaming, burly rap song with dog references…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 24, Chargrilled Oysters at Wild Cajun
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…
Art Review: Check Out Project Row Houses’ 2011 Summer Studios While Slurping a Sno-Cone
Afternoons right now are probably the harshest conditions in which to brave the un-air-conditioned installations at PRH, but they’re worth a quick look while your clothes become steadily soaked in sweat. Might be a good move to arrive around 1 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, because that’s when University of Houston…
The Top 25 Comedy Rap Songs Of All Time: Nos. 20-16
Yesterday we tackled some tunes dealing with the sweet ride of one Boba Fett, some homegrown hip hop satire, classic Eddie Murphy, and a few more of the most hilarious rap songs that we’ve happened to run across in the jungles of the Internet. Today we’re at it again with…
Are Houston Highways Patrolled by a Freelance Freeway Angel?
Russel Gonzalez meets a helpful visitor — 14 years apart.One day in 1997, then 25-year-old Russel Gonzalez was speeding down the Southwest Freeway near the Summit when near-disaster struck — he ran over a piston or something and his tire blew out. Gonzalez eased his disabled car over into the…
International Food Bloggers Conference in New Orleans
Last week, I left the Houston heat behind and embraced the 98 degree heat in the beautiful French Quarter. Although I made time to walk down Bourbon Street, gawk at all the “special” people who were letting it all hang out and giggle at all the drunken fools, I was…
Gyro Sliders at Byzantio: A Greek-Italian-American Hybrid
The gyro sliders at Byzantio came highly recommended by two different waitresses. And although I admit that I’ve grown weary of the creeping slider-fication of various foods over the years (Any sandwich or burger in miniature is a slider now! Deal with it, America!!), I was also intrigued. I envisioned…
BestFest Adds Toadies, Wild Moccasins, Little Joe Washington
Rocks Off is proud to welcome twisted North Texas alt-rockers the Toadies and a pair of beloved local artists young and old, the Wild Moccasins and Little Joe Washington, to the lineup of the Houston Press’ first-ever Best of Houston® BestFest in Midtown September 24 and 25. The Toadies, who…
This Nicely Dressed Bank Robber Is Pointing a Gun at You, Ma’am
Enough with the hoodies pulled down low over faces — one man has decided he’s going to rob Houston banks with style. The casually elegant dude to the right is pointing a semiautomatic at a teller and demanding cash, which he got, at a bank on the Katy Freeway near…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Know a Houston-based blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Wine Skinny: New World Chardonnay? Someone’s got to like it, right? Houston-based publicist Robin Tinsley gives the category some love in a recent post. “New World Chardonnay continues to get a…
Cinema Slap Fight: Ridley Scott vs. Tony Scott
Brother against brother; it’s like the Civil War up in here. So far on Cinema Slap Fight we’ve seen kaiju against kaiju, gangster fighting gangster, and battling icons of female empowerment, but for the first time I’m going to pit real-life brothers against each other. There are other sibling directors…
Behind The Cover: Houston’s Old-Schoolers Define The Blues
Rocks Off sent reporter Matthew Keever to last week’s “Old School” cover shoot at The Big Easy. His assignment was to talk to as many musicians as he could, and have them finish the sentence “Blues is…” Video by Francisco Montes Little Joe Washington: “The blues is music. Music is…
Bethanie Russell, One of Our Favorite Fugitives: “Lyfe is Krazy”
In March, we brought you the touching story of ex-con and gang member Bethanie Lynn Russell, who liked using inspirational verses from Eazy-E as status updates. But now Russell’s status is “wanted” — at least by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, which has issued arrest warrants for theft and assault…
The Empty Nester: The Most Appalling Cocktail Ever Created
We get a lot of somewhat insane press releases at the Houston Press. From the “Muffin Man’s” “penis-shaped” Montrose restaurant to a box filled with tuna and men’s panties, we’ve seen it all. But a press release I received today took the proverbial cake. It went a little something like…
Houston Astros, Meet Reggaeton… Not “Reg Action”
Lately the Houston Astros have been turning to music as an alternative way of getting people through the turnstiles of Minute Maid Park, since winning ballgames is pretty much a wash this year. This includes Saturday’s “Hispanic Heritage Celebration,” featuring a post-game concert by reggaeton stars Chino y Nacho. Unfortunately,…
Comment of the Day: Don’t Blame the Underage Girl for Getting Creepy Sext Messages
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
The Blues Is Alive & Well – And Young – At Big Easy Monthly Jam
In this week’s cover story, “Old School,” Rocks Off Sr. and Lonesome Onry and Mean highlight some of the personalities that have kept Houston’s traditional blues scene strong even as the music’s popularity has waned in all but a few other major cities (and Europe). Houston’s appetite for blues remains…
Houston Film Critics Society Will Honor Jeff Bridges, Joanne King Herring
Jeff Bridges, better known as The Dude, Bad Blake, Rooster Cogburn, Obadiah Stane and Jeff Bridges (musician), will receive the Houston Film Critics Society’s 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. “There is an amazing naturalness to his performances,” said HFCS President Nick Nicholson in a release. “Evidence of his artistry and his…
Stuffed Chicken Wings, Vietnamese-Style
If eating at In ‘N Out has taught me one thing, it’s that the restaurant that has only one item, or variation on that item, usually does it well. A couple of months ago, I wrote about this place called Bun Bo Hue, which does a surprisingly good — you…
Call for Volunteers: Bayou City Art Festival
The Bayou City Art Festival is looking for a few (well, okay, a lot of) volunteers to help staff this year’s festival, which takes place October 8 and 9 in downtown Houston. People who sign on for volunteer shifts, though, will find themselves not just supporting the arts, but probably…
Astro Announcers Introduced, Somewhat, to Reggaeton
Houston is an international city with a rich and varied musical heritage….not that you would’ve gotten that message during a recent Astro broadcast. Amazingly enough, someone was watching the game, for what twisted masochistic reasons we know not. Luckily, though, he was awake when Fox Sports Southwest’s Patti Smith, who…
Last Night: New Skool Back To School Concert At Warehouse Live
New Skool Back to School Concert feat. O.N.E., Eskabel, Killa Kyleon, DeAndre Wright, Dante Higgins, Hoodstar Chantz, Jack Freeman, Delo & Preemo Warehouse Live August 30, 2011 9:07 p.m.: Here for the “New Skool” Back to School show at Warehouse Live’s supplemental room. A couple of people have performed already…
The Coogs and Owls Hope to Soar to the Top of C-USA Football
Time has finally arrived for the kickoff of college football season. The Houston Cougars seek to rebound from a 5-7 2010 season when they host the UCLA Bruins on Saturday afternoon at Robertson Stadium. And the Rice Owls seek to better their 4-8 season from last year when they start…
Wahlburgers and 10 Other Celebrity Sibling Businesses We Want to See
Not only did we not realize that Mark and Donnie Wahlberg had a third brother, now we’ve found out that the whole Boston family are restaurateurs and are in the process of opening another. This time the brothers Wahlberg are moving from Italian fare to flipping patties. The burger joint…
Seven Foods That Taste Better Overcooked (Or Outright Burnt)
If you’re a shiftless ne’er-do-well like me, you’ll often find yourself halfway through cooking dinner when you realize you’ve got better things to do. It’s not your fault; cooking involves long, boring stretches of waiting for water to boil or waiting for the oven timer to ding. What are you,…
Proof God Loves Us: Jack White Teams With ICP, Jeff The Brotherhood
It came as a message this morning from a dear friend: “Jack White is producing ICP.” Our minds, stunned. We adore both artists, for wholly different reasons. And then came the press release: In the grand tradition of peanut butter meeting Iggy’s chest or Bing Crosby getting down with David…
Another Young Athlete Dies From Apparent Head Trauma (Update)
Last week, Derek Sheely, a fullback for Frostburg State University (Maryland), lost consciousness during an ordinary drill in football practice. Less than a week later, the 22-year-old passed away due to head trauma suffered in the sport, according to his father, who spoke to The New York Times. As explored…
MFAH Film: Go Inside The New York Times with Page One
As journalists, we at Art Attack tend to get pretty excited whenever a media documentary comes out. So when we heard that Page One: Inside The New York Times, which gives viewers a look at the biggest, baddest gray lady of them all as she struggles with an industry in…
Tunnel Explorer: The Kolache Shoppe
I took last Monday off so that I could be there for my youngest daughter’s first day of school. As a result, the entire week was on tilt, off by one day. I didn’t really notice it until Friday. It was kind of nice to realize that it was not,…
10 Houston Songs That Wouldn’t Stand A Chance In China
China’s Ministry of Culture has ordered that all the country’s music-download sites delete 100 songs ththe bureau considers politically offensive, vulgar and/or in poor taste. The list was posted on August 19, and these Web sites have two weeks – so, until Friday – to remove the music or face…
Former Undercover FBI Agent Robert Wittman Chats About Recovering Million-Dollar-Plus Art
In 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had sort of a rebirth, thanks to Robert Wittman, who formed a special division called the Art Crime Team. “Up until that point, the FBI did not have a dedicated unit that had any kind of training on how to conduct an art-theft…
Robert Wittman, Founder of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, Talks About His Career Tracking Down Expensive Art
Until 2005, when Robert Wittman formed a special division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the Art Crime Team, art-theft probes kind of got the shaft. “Up until that point, the FBI did not have a dedicated unit that had any kind of training on how to conduct an…
Not Your Typical Date Night: Max’s Wine Dive’s Urban Picnic
Getting tired of the same old dinner and a movie? So is your date. This date night, you can switch it up and woo your lover the traditional way – with a romantic picnic. Max’s Wine Dive is offering its own take on the traditional red-checkered meal in the grass,…
Rescue and Restore Coalition Vows to Squash “Modern-Day Slavery” in Houston
Houston Rescue and Restore says that human trafficking is the real deal in the nation’s fourth-largest city and its international population. For an hour on Tuesday morning, this issue was explored inside of Houston City Hall during the “I Fight for Freedom” press conference that kicked off the coalition’s Human…
City Rain Makes Time Their Bitch In “I’m Gone” Video
Philadelphia’s spacey, electro rockers City Rain have been really reorganizing Rocks Off’s brains lately. Their music is so far all over the synthetic landscape that we don’t have any real idea where to pin down the little bastards. They aren’t as poppy as Hyperbubble, or as dark as Asmodeus X,…
The Story Remains the Same: Why the DC Reboot Is Ultimately Irrelevant
It’s been reported that DC Comics is set to reboot its entire continuity for, what? The third time? Fourth? We lost track awhile back. The reboot will give writers a chance to explore the characters from a more modern point of view as Marvel did with their Ultimate relaunch, and…
9 Outer-Space Bikinis and Why They Are Impractical
This summer we’ve looked at American-flag bikinis, Confederate-flag bikinis, Texas-flag bikinis and bikinis featuring flags from around the world. We frankly thought we had exhausted the subject. But then our editor suggested “outer-space bikinis,” so here we go: 10. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Style points: Off the charts,…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. New York Times: Is locavorism really the best solution to feeding your…
Houston’s Horniest Zip Codes
For enlarged version click here. The online dating service OkCupid.com claims its math-whiz experts have cracked the code to matching people up with likely soulmates, or sexmates. We asked them for some Houston-specific info, and they gave us the local zip codes with the highest percentage of members asking for…
Judge Rejects Key Parts of Sonogram Law
A federal judge in Austin today blocked Texas’s attempt to enforce its controversial new sonogram law, which mandates the procedure for every woman seeking an abortion, and forces her doctor to describe what it shows. Judge Sam Sparks said the law violated First Amendment rights because “the Act compels physicians…
The Madden Curse, 2001-Present: A Pictoral History and Analysis
If you’re friends with Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, you may want to pass along your condolences — not because he lives in Cleveland, or because he’s only the second-most famous player in the NFL named Peyton, but because he was chosen (by popular vote, I might add) to…
Comment of the Day
Yesterday Nick Hall wrote about Sidral Mundet, his toasting beverage of choice until he was around 12, when his parents let him have a little real champagne. Commenter TQro, who remembers the soda, grew up with the same parental attitude toward letting the kids have a nip: Sidral Mundet is…
Tha Carter IV Hints Lil Wayne May Have Lost His Nerve
It’s difficult to imagine most rappers crowing about animal sex, Reading Rainbow, or beheading shoppers at Target. But Lil Wayne is not most rappers. A few years ago, he spent his 80-minute farce Tha Carter III yelping insane bullshit over correspondingly manic beats. It wasn’t much of a hip-hop album…
American Idol Judges: Houston Auditions Had Girl Power
The final Houston-area audition for hopeful American Idol contestants took place today at the Galveston Island Convention Center, where the judges told Art Attack they’re hoping for a female Idol this year. Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Ryan Seacrest were at the Convention Center all day passing out…
American Idol Judges Say Ladies Ruled Houston Auditions
The final Houston-area audition for hopeful American Idol contestants took place today at the Galveston Island Convention Center, where the judges told Rocks Off they’re hoping for a female Idol this year. Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Ryan Seacrest were at the Convention Center all day passing out…
Larry The Cable Guy’s Touching Art Car Parade Moment
We have been remiss in keeping track of the career of Larry the Cable Guy, so it was news to us that he a) has a History Channel series called Only in America, and b) an episode this summer featured his visit to the 2010 Art Car parade here in…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 25, Menudo at La Mexicana
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…
Mayor Parker Officially Proclaims Bun B Day
Rapper says services of “Team Trill” on call “24-7/365” Trae Tha Truth has Trae Day. Rap-A-Lot’s J. Prince has his day, too. And now, August 30, 2011 will forever be known in the City of Houston as “Bernard ‘Bun B’ Freeman Day.” A little less than an hour ago, Mayor…
Today’s DVDs: A Glut of (Mostly) Ghastly Television Shows
Nikita stars Maggie Q and Lyndsy Fonseca. Nikita: The Complete First Season (22 episodes) is a must-have for young adult adventure fans. Maggie Q (Live Free or Die Hard) plays the cool and murderous Nikita, an assassin for a secret government agency known as the Division. Based on the film…
Dubbing The Unforgiven: 20 Years Of Metallica’s “Black Album”
Twenty years ago, Metallica’s self-titled album entered the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200, where it would stay for four weeks. The band’s most successful album, it has sold 22 million copies worldwide to date, and kicked in the door for heavy metal into the mainstream, sans glitter and…
George Boyett: State Reprimands Aggie Judge for Over-the-Top Aggieness
Around this time last year we told you about a student who’d been slapped with a $50,000 bond on a charge of throwing an Aggie’s ring into some grass. The “crime” was a state jail felony that should have gotten a bond one-tenth that size, but the judge was an…
RIP Doc, the Houston Zoo’s Painting Orangutan
Doc, a Bornean orangutan whose been a mainstay at the Houston Zoo for two decades, as died at the age of 27. “Doc was receiving treatment for cardiomyopathy, a condition in which blood does not flow normally through the heart,” said Houston Zoo Director Rick Barongi. “Over the past few…
Ingredient of the Week: Fish Sauce
Like air and water, fish sauce is essential to me; I grew up with its smell and taste pervading every delicious dish my mother cooked for our family. But many of my friends (who are not of southeast Asian origin) retch every time they get within a ten-foot radius of…
RIP Doc, Houston Zoo’s Beloved, “Blustery” Orangutan Artist
Doc, a Bornean orangutan who’s been a mainstay at the Houston Zoo for two decades, has died at the age of 27. “Doc was receiving treatment for cardiomyopathy, a condition in which blood does not flow normally through the heart,” said Houston Zoo Director Rick Barongi. “Over the past few…
5 Themed Weddings: Totally Tacky or Fun and Fabulous?
Tacky weddings — we’ve all been invited to at least one, right? I once went to a wedding–a low-key, weekend affair at a campground — only to find “donation” jars scattered about the mess hall, asking for guests to chip in the cost of the campground rental. Of course, sometimes…
Wine of the Week: Texas Wine and the Final Frontier
Texas is a forbidding place to make fine wine. As I’ve learned in the three years that I’ve lived here, the Texas weather can change violently from one moment to the next. (Anyone who’s ever been caught in a Texas downpour will surely agree that the Texas weather can put…
September Weather: Heat Subsides, But Is Hurricane Lee Headed Our Way?
Traditionally, Labor Day signals an end to summer. In Houston, the only real indication that summer is over is noticeably quieter malls on weekdays as kids are back in school. But, around here, it takes about another month before we start to feel the sweet relief of autumn cool fronts…
Carmilla Voiez’s Starblood: Out of the Black and Into the Blacker Black
Rocks Off readers will recognize Carmilla Voiez from her roundtable appearances on the Gothic Council. The British clothing designer has released her first dark fantasy novel, Starblood, and Art Attack was granted a copy just this past week. The novel deals with a young goth magician named Satori who accidentally…
More BestFest Adds Tomorrow; Early Bird Ends Thursday
Rocks Off would just like to plant a little bug in everyone’s ear that we hope you’re hanging around your computer tomorrow afternoon – or, if need be, your smartphone – because we’re going to announce a few more artists playing the Houston Press’ first-ever Best of Houston® BestFest next…
Couple Allegedly Sells Jaguar Skins to Undercover Feds
If you’ve ever considered pursuing a career in the age-old and time-honored pelt-trading industry, you may want to make sure that you aren’t selling skins of endangered species. Or, if you insist upon doing that, at least make sure you don’t sell them to undercover federal agents. That’s what Texans…
Tuesday August 30, 2011 Deals of the Day
Today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press is good for 50 percent off ($8 for $16) New Jersey-style sandwiches at Jersey Mike’s. Jersey Mike’s serves high-quality deli meats and cheeses, sliced fresh for every order and piled high on a delicious sub roll. Try their famous roast beef and…
Gothic Council Settles “Deathrock Vs. Stompy” Dispute
Recently, we had the chance to review Gothic Council member Carmilla Voiez’s debut novel Starblood, a tale of demons, castration and plenty of spooky goodness. In the novel, Voiez brought up the age-old fight in any goth scene; namely, which style of music truly defines goth. Is it deathrock? Is…
Amanda Nabers, 25, Accused of Sexing Up 13-Year-Old While Leaving Own Kids Unattended
A 25-year-old San Antonio woman is behind bars because police say she left her kids to fend for themselves while she had several sexual trysts with a 13-year-old neighbor boy. According to an arrest affidavit reported in the San Antonio Express-News, Amanda Ann Nabers confessed to getting way too neighborly…
The Restaurant Gentrification of Lower Westheimer: A Long Time Coming
Houstonians have blissfully short memories. Blame it on our lack of investment in our city’s history, as we constantly tear down and rebuild. Blame it on the petrochemicals. Blame it on Twitter. Regardless of the reason, we tend to forget things as soon as another shiny new toy comes along…
Vampires, Teens and Vampire Teens: Our Predictions for the CW Fall TV Lineup
At some point in history, the CW decided that its prime-time programming would be geared specifically toward middle-American teens and fuel their desires for Manolos and vampires by airing poorly scripted but irresistible high school soap operas. There are so many disdainful characters on these shows that you can’t help…
Rice: The Third-Horniest College in the Nation
Rice, your football team sucks, your administration is actually making noise about tightening up your traditionally liberal drinking policies, and you got a lotta nerds. But they are horny nerds, at least. The scientifically respected Daily Beast has put out a bunch of college rankings, and the one you’re most…
Happy Hour Libations at Sorrel Urban Bistro
I was thrilled to see a promising new restaurant like Sorrel fill the near-empty corner mall on the West Alabama. Those lots were looking quite sad and lonely. I was out of town for Sorrel’s opening but salivated from afar over Mai Pham’s lovely post and gorgeous photos. So, I…
Beat On The Brat: Back To School With The Ramones
It’s nearly the end of August, so you know what that means: kids in Texas have been back at school for nearly a month. Yup, nothing says “education” like throwing a fifteen-year-old out of bed at 6:30 in the morning and forcing him to sit still and pay attention for…
Surf’s Up: Emily Halbardier’s “Deep Green” at Domy Books
At first glance, this show of mixed-media work by Emily Halbardier could come across as under-skilled or shallow in its processes and execution — but that’s only a surface judgment, and it would be grossly reductive. While Halbardier’s drawings of people are definitely simple representations rather than realistic renderings, they’re…
How New Orleans Got Its Post-Katrina Groove Back
Ed. Note: Today is the sixth anniversary of the day the levees broke. Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal, and the Music of New Orleans By Keith Spera St. Martin’s Press, 272 pp., $26. Among the migrants to Houston in the harried days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in the…
Michele Lauryn Osteen: Bank Employee Steals $100K from Trusts, Gets a Year and a Day in Prison
Michele Lauryn Osteen, 27, had quite a run managing trusts at Frost Bank. For two years she took checks and other funds intended for the minors and incapacitated adults and spent it on herself, because really, who’s going to get a better bang for the buck, her or some incapacitated…
Upcoming: Concrete Blonde, Felice Brothers, Jackyl, Uh Huh Her, Etc.
America: Wed., Nov. 30. Stafford Centre. Ana Popovic: Fri., Sept. 16. Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar. Ancient Cat Society: Tue., Sept. 27. Leon’s Lounge. Andrew Ripp, Steve Moakler: Sun., Oct. 9. Fitzgerald’s. Architecture In Helsinki, Dom: Mon., Nov. 7. Fitzgerald’s. Basshunter: Fri., Sept. 30. Stereo Live. Concrete Blonde: Sun., Oct. 30…
Hatch Apple Pie
It’s chile time again, and the awesome sight of giant drums filled with Hatch peppers (and yes, we shall all call them Hatch, regardless of their true provenance), spinning slowly before the flames, returns to grocery store parking lots across the city. Along with all those deliciously charred capsicums comes…
DiverseWorks Restructures Staff as Diane Barber, Co-Executive Director, Leaves
After more than 14 years on the staff of DiverseWorks, Co-Executive Director/Visual Arts Curator Diane Barber is leaving to pursue independent projects, according to a release. With her departure, the other co-executive director (and performing arts curator), Sixto Wagan, has been appointed to the position of artistic director and DiverseWorks…
Former Rocket Ron Artest Set for Dancing With The Stars
Maybe he’s doing it to improve his balance. Last night, ABC announced that former Houston Rocket and current L.A. Laker forward Ron Artest will join the motley crew of Nancy Grace, Carson Kressley, Rob Kardashian and others on the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, which will premiere on…
Proposed Theme Songs For Your 2011 Houston Texans
Much hay is being made of the Houston Texans’ 3-0 start in the preseason this year. Because games in which the practice squad is on the field for an entire half now count for something, apparently. Still, there are hopeful signs. The improved secondary should no longer be the worst…
Attention, Broke Ass: Booze for a Buck!
Maybe you just paid $500 for a new brake job and then got a speeding ticket on your way to work (oh hey, the speed limit on Washington is 30, not 35). The A/C in your apartment has been sitting at 69 degrees because it’s so damn hot and your…
Comment of the Day: God Ain’t Listening
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Pop Rocks: Songs for the 2011 Texans Season
Much hay is being made of the Houston Texans’ 3-0 start in the preseason this year. Because games in which the practice squad is on the field for an entire half now count for something, apparently. Still, there are hopeful signs. The improved secondary should no longer be the worst…
Pop Rocks: Theme Songs for Your 2011 Houston Texans
Much hay is being made of the Houston Texans’ 3-0 start in the preseason this year. Because games in which the practice squad is on the field for an entire half now count for something, apparently. Still, there are hopeful signs. The improved secondary should no longer be the worst…
Cactus Music’s Top 10 Live Performances (From A Guy Who Knows)
Perhaps E Street Band member and Sopranos alum Little Steven Van Zandt said it best when he declared Cactus Music “a great fucking record store” after stopping by in 2009. We’re with you, Little Steven. Rocks Off thanks our lucky stars every day there are still places in the world…
For Labor Day: The 10 Worst Bosses in TV Cartoons
As we explained last year at this time, Labor Day really doesn’t mean much down here in Texas. We’ll gladly take the day off, but we don’t exactly revel in the “workingman” aspect of it. But this year we will try. So, to get ready for the big day, we…
The Top 25 Comedy Rap Songs Of All Time: Nos. 25-21
As Rocks Off’s resident goth expert, etymologist and calendar-based Batman villain, we don’t usually have much to do with rap. We’ve never heard a Dr. Dre song we didn’t like, and for a while we were really into ICP, but otherwise we stick to the rock side of the music…
100 Creatives: Brittany Bentine
What she does: Brittany Bentine is the founder of Locked Illusions Photography, based out of Clear Lake. While other photographers in the children and family realm may use clichéd poses and settings, Bentine uses an alternative, otherworldly approach that incorporates goth, punk, rocker and rockabilly imagery. The children in her…
Where Are We Drinking?
The beverage options at this popular place are nearly unlimited: In addition to coffee, you can also pick up locally made kombucha and housemade sodas, as I recently did one morning. Does the spread below look familiar? Think you know where we’re drinking down all this good stuff? Leave your…
Donna Gene Hack: Allegedly Caught Stealing UFC Shirts, Dust-Off Spray From Lufkin Wal-Mart and Driving Drunk with Child in Car
While the good people of Lufkin were at home showering or eating breakfast and getting ready for church, Donna Gene Hack was allegedly up to no good down at the Walmart. Around 7 a.m. on Sunday, police received a report of Hack getting in some kind of fight. They were…
Saturday Night: The Go-Go’s At House Of Blues
The Go-Go’s, Girl In a Coma House of Blues August 27, 2011 See more of these five beauties and their big beat in our slideshow. With bands like the Go-Go’s, it’s not about the hits. The hits sell tickets, maybe, but then again, if all you wanted to hear was…
Comment of the Day
Today Christina Uticone wrote about her deep love for the Arby’s Beef n’ Cheddar sandwich. But we’re betting she’s never ordered three at one time, like commenter Corey here: I’ll take 3, eat 1.5 and save the other 1.5 for late night post beer consumption.. My favorite fast food comfort…
Friday Night: Goodbye, Mixers & Elixirs
The beautiful people came out to play Friday night for the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s last Mixers & Elixirs ever. The museum was packed from the Texas Wildlife to the Malacology exhibit, with partygoers sipping on cocktails and bobbing their heads to the beat of the music. Local Latin/Tropical…
Food into Art: Foodie Art Space Eat Gallery Opens
We know this is not a food blog. But when we heard of a restaurant in Houston that was mimicking an art space, our interest was piqued, and we decided to make our way to the Saturday opening of the Eat Gallery, a restaurant that seeks to recreate on the…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 26, The Brisket House Special at The Brisket House
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…
Houston Texans Game C — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Had I been planning ahead, this might not have been a bad little weekend to get out of town and head to the West Coast. You had my Houston Astros (I know they are mine because the slogan tells me so — “These are YOUR Astros!” Why thank you, Drayton!…
Michael Harris: Here Are the Sexts He Allegedly Sent 14-Year-Old He Met in Church
Michael Sherard Harris, 20, has been charged with sexting a girl he knew to be 14 years old whom he had met at church, which is the go-to place for finding kids to send sexually explicit messages to. Instead of, you know, listening to the actual sermon, which we’re guessing…
Happy Birthday GG Allin: 10 SFW Inspirational Quotes From The Poo-Poo Rocker
Today would have been shock-rock icon GG Allin’s 55th birthday, making him a senior citizen. But hell, we doubt the man/force of nature would have made to the 21st century, unless he made a radical and annoying left-hand turn into normalcy. The singer, born Jesus Christ Allin, died on June…
That’s Entertainment? Four Upcoming Broadway Film Adaptations That Must Be Stopped
Let’s be clear, Broadway is not out of ideas. Book of Mormon has proved that pretty conclusively. However, once producers realized that they could take a film that everyone has heard of and stuff a few million up its back porch like it was a drug mule, then they could…
A Cooler Coke: Sidral Mundet
My parents always had a fairly progressive attitude toward drinking. From a fairly young age, we were allowed a glass of wine at dinner, if we really wanted it. A champagne toast at the New Year? Not a big deal. While I’m sure it’s a controversial notion, I firmly believe…
A “Sticky” Situation: Micro Paintings at East End Studio Gallery
The last time we visited the East End Studio Gallery, the quiet, open atmosphere made it easy for us to peruse the walls and talk at length with the artist. Imagine our shock when we arrived to the opening of the “Sticky” exhibit late Sunday afternoon and found the place…
Charles Emerson, 27, Bayou Body Count No. 132
A party at an abandoned Third Ward house turned deadly early Saturday morning. Charles Emerson, 27, was shot several times and died after a fight in the 5100 block of Yellowstone about 1:30 a.m., Houston police say. He had left the party to get a gun. “While outside in a…
5 Video Games That Screw Over the Color Blind
Can you see the message in the above picture? If it just looks like a culture culled from Kesha’s underpants, then you are part of the 10 percent of the population of the planet who is color blind. If you can’t see it, the message reads the same as what…
Four Upcoming Broadway Film Adaptations That Must Be Stopped
Let’s be clear, Broadway is not out of ideas. Book of Mormon has proved that pretty conclusively. However, once producers realized that they could take a film that everyone has heard of and stuff a few million up its back porch like it was a drug mule then they could…
How to: Peel a Mango
Originating in India, the mango made its way to the New World centuries ago. This fruit is deliciously versatile and excellent for you. I don’t know how many varieties there are, but I do know that I can think of at least 10 different types available in Panama. Some are…
Paging Alanis Morissette: Lufkin Couple Joins List of Great Ironic Criminals (and Accused Criminals)
Unlike the rain at Alanis Morissette’s wedding day, this really was ironic… According to the Lufkin Daily News, police there have arrested a couple on charges of assault-family violence after a cop spotted them smacking, clawing and tussling with each other outside the Angelina County Courthouse. This combat was a…
Five Staples of the Bobo Pantry
Admittedly I didn’t have to look very far to find candidates for this list, as I (and many of my friends) lean toward the “bourgeois-bohemian” lifestyle, for better or for worse. If you have three or more of these items in your pantry, well, you might be a bobo. Don’t…
The Week in TV: Fatty Arbuckle No Longer Just an Interesting Wikipedia Entry
Wrestling, death and my stubborn refusal to acknowledge the VMAs. This was the week in TV Land: • Just in case you thought tabloid-fueled celebrity mayhem was a recent invention, HBO is going old-school with their adaptation of The Day the Laughter Stopped, a book about the downfall of silent…
Last Night: Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Puddle Of Mudd & More At The Woodlands
94.5 The Buzz Weenie Roast feat. Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Puddle of Mudd, P.O.D., Crossfade, RED & Drive A Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 28, 2011 A weenie roast, indeed. At its hottest, Sunday afternoon reached temperatures of 105 with a heat index of, oh… 3,000 or so. Texas born and…
Arian Foster Vs. Fantasy Football Fans
The Texans’ Arian Foster has ignited a war with an obsessive foe: Fantasy football players. We agree with him, but people who play fantasy football love nothing more than talking about fantasy football as if it’s the most important thing since the invention of the Internet. Foster, of course, was…
The 10 Best Food & Beverage Industry TV Shows
There are very few television shows that accurately — or even adequately — depict the realities of running a restaurant, a bar, a catering company, even a grocery store. If you were to take It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as your only example of bar management, you’d be knee-deep in…
HB2U: NANOFiction Celebrates Five Years
In the suitable environs of The Joanna and its backyard, the biannual literary journal NANO Fiction celebrated its fifth year in print as well as its ever-increasing stature in the literary environment of the city and the region and beyond. Publishing almost exclusively in short-short forms, fiction or essays of…
What Was The Biggest Surprise At Sunday’s VMAs?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday or thereabouts, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Z-Ro, Delo, Chingo Bling, Medicine Girl,. Fat Pimp, Kritikal, Show, Brad Gilmore, Kyle Hubbard, D-Risha, more Not Invited: Man Gaga This…
Everything’s Fine, Officer. Oh, My Wife’s in Bed Because I Shot Her: Unidentified Female, Bayou Body Count No. 131
Sad, somewhat bizarre story out of the southeast side: murder charges have been filed against an elderly man who shot his wife and then told police everything was fine, except for the fact his wife was dead from him shooting her. Johnny Walter Bass, 81, was arrested Sunday in the…
Happy Hour Scene: Lone Star Saloon
The Place: Lone Star Saloon 1900 Travis 713-757-1616 The Deals: $13 buckets, daily $4 shot/cocktail specials The Hours: 1 to 7 p.m. Mondays; 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 to 7 p.m. Sundays The Scene: The newly-off-duty bartender, who’d made a smooth transition to the other side of…
Pasadena Little Theatre’s Once Upon a Mattress a Royal Pleasure
The setup: Once Upon a Mattress is the 1959 musical that introduced Carol Burnett to Broadway. Its initial production moved from off-Broadway to Broadway and ran, in a variety of theaters, for 460 performances. It’s a farce, and a spoof of a fairy tale, and is set in a royal…
Drayton McLane Still Owns the Astros, and It Might Be That Way for a Long Time
Nearly three years ago, with Hurricane Ike fast approaching Houston, Drayton McLane refused the entreaties of the MLB Commissioner to move a key series against the Chicago Cubs to a neutral location. McLane didn’t want to give up the huge payday he would have gotten if this series was played…
True Blood: Pumping Up The Violence, Burning Down A Song
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. This week’s song is pretty…
DEFCON Dining: Vacation Edition
It’s been a hell of a summer. Not in a good way. In the “I can’t believe it’s gone, and I didn’t have enough time or energy to do anything fun” way. I transitioned into a new job right before the start of summer, and right in the middle of…
True Blood: Fightin’ Fire With Fire
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. This week’s song is pretty…
Fast Times: Classic Arby’s Beef n’ Cheddar
This week’s Fast Times brought to you from Wasilla, Alaska! Well, the food is from Wasilla–I’m writing this from Houston. You see, while my Fast Times fill-in Minh T Truong was rocking an Arby’s Angus Cool Deli Sandwich, I was engaging in an old tradition from my Fairbanks, Alaska days–an…
Comment of the Day: The Longhorn Network Debuts
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Saturday: Identity Festival At The Woodlands Pavilion
To see lots of pics of bikini-clad girls and neon-wearing dudes, check out our slideshow of the ID Fest. Identity Festival feat. Steve Aoki, Rusko, Pretty Lights, Disco Biscuits, Le Castle Vania & DJ Shadow Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 27, 2011 Saturday’s Identity Festival was Aftermath’s first exposure to…
Friday Night: Continuum’s Evening of Amiable Performances
Friday night at Spacetaker’s Artist Recource Center Gallery (ARC), the performance collective Continuum presented a showcase of their playful and peculiar works, a medley of exhibitions wherein each performer commanded attention in turn. Julia Wallace brought iPerform to order with a guided meditation, no different than exactly what you’d imagine,…
An Open Letter to God: Enough with the 100-Degree Days Already
Dear God: This weekend sucked. We’re sure You were distracted by sending Irene up the East Coast and all, and You didn’t realize that You let Houston broil. We all make mistakes. We thought You never did, to be honest, but then again You gave us the Kardashians. But 109…
VMA Recap: Beyonce’s Baby Bump, Lady Gaga Goes Mannish Boy, Katy Perry’s Cheesehead
8:01 p.m.: MTV’s VMAs are coming on. Let’s write some words down about some things that happen. 8:01:30: Some tiny guy who’s introduced himself as Joe Calderon is on. Not familiar with him. He’s a weird looking little fell – oh shit. That’s Lady Gaga. Ha. Nice one, Gaga. 8:02:…
Gee, Thanks: Parenting Advice from the Guys Robbing $100,000 from Your Mansion
KHOU had a good report on that mansion break-in earlier this month. Security video shows the robbers calmly leaving the Memorial-area home with $100,000 in stolen merchandise packed in luggage, looking like they’re ambling towards a flight they have plenty of time to catch…
Where Are We Eating?
A breakfast sandwich from this ivy-covered hideaway comes on its signature fresh-baked bread. And while I usually prefer a croissant in the mornings, this seeded sourdough was a great alternative — especially topped with eggs, Brie, spinach and bacon. Look familiar? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Texans 30, 49ers 7: Optimism Abounds Despite Foster Injury
The top goal for any preseason game is to avoid injuries to key players. In that sense, the Texans failed during Saturday’s romp in San Francisco, losing Arian Foster to a re-aggravated hamstring strain. Yet, the panic in Texan Land is minimal at best. For once, Gary Kubiak’s crew has…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 27, Captin’s Fried Chicken at Zelko Bistro
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…
100 Favorite Dishes, No. 28: Banh Mi at Cali Sandwich
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…
Spring Native R.L. Bell Advances to Semifinals in ABC’s Karaoke Battle USA
When we spoke to R.L. Bell earlier this week, he was tight-lipped about his success in the audition round of Karaoke Battle USA, which was filmed at the House of Blues in June. But during tonight’s episode, which featured the Houston auditions, Bell’s renditions of Lionel Richie’s “Three Times a…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve spent most of the week scolding people out of their Hurricane Envy, i.e. the whole “Gosh, wish we could get a hurricane in Houston, we need the rain, ell oh ell!” Uh, hurricanes kill people. Settle down,…
A Long Time Coming: Jesse Peretz and Our Idiot Brother
It’s hard to believe that the inspiration for Ned, Paul Rudd’s bro-ish, slackerish, marijuana-loving title character in Our Idiot Brother, came from a Franciscan monk. But to hear director Jesse Peretz talk about the real-life Ned, it was more about the monk’s gentle nature and love for people than it…
The Longhorn Network Launches to Complete Silence
So who is coming over to my house for the big party tonight? What is it for? Why, Texas versus Pepperdine in women’s volleyball, of course! Isn’t that what everyone wants to see? Tonight is the launch of the new Longhorn Network, the love child of the UT athletics department…
Comment of the Day
Today Christina Uticone shared her top five foods to pack when she’s flying. Stinky tofu was not on the list, because Christina is a considerate young woman. If only airlines were as polite, as commenter Jim Ayres points out: I know we try to be sensitive to fellow passengers when…
Cat Murders Again Plaguing Northwest Houston
At least one and possibly two different cat murderers are operating on the city’s northwest side. In a grisly reprise of several other similar killings in the Timbergrove area, one of which affected us personally, the Houston Chronicle has reported this week that Sandy Luna’s kitty Lucky was disemboweled and…
Muhammadali Out-Swags Irene & This Week’s Earthquakes
Despite what you may have heard, swag isn’t dead yet; at least not in Houston. Have any swagged-out projects or general ideas? E-mail alliswagoner@gmail.com. We’ve all discussed the great Tuesday and Wednesday East Coast and West Coast earthquakes, Hurricane Irene, and the inescapable apocalypse. It’s Friday, so it’s pretty old…
“New Community Cinema” in the Making: Pepe Kid Houston Premier
Austin filmmaker Sergio Carvajal wants to revolutionize film production by finding alternatives to the intertwining roles of financing, distribution and storytelling as a whole — pushing a movement he calls “new community cinema” — while broadening the independent multichannel experience. El Gallo is the first step in that process. The…
Strippers to Fund Sex Victims: Court Okays “Pole Tax”
The state’s so-called strip club pole tax is not a violation of free speech, the Texas Supreme Court said today, sending the ongoing legal challenge of the fee back to the trial court on state constitutional issues. Then-freshman Houston Representative Ellen Cohen navigated the rough waters of a Republican-heavy House…
Great Moments In MTV VMA Ass: A Cheeky Look (Semi-NSFW)
The MTV Video Music Awards are this Sunday, and blah blah MTV doesn’t even play music videos anymore, Rocks Off, so who cares? Yeah well, the channel’s YouTube channel, like, lets you watch your favorite Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga videos. Computers are like super TVs, because you can use…
Ether Dome: Ambition, Love, Betrayal and a Little Chloroform on the Side
On the face of it, a play about anesthesia sounds like well, a sleeper. But once you find out that it’s about the dentist who discovered the use of anesthesia in the 1840s and that he was “a very godly man who ended up a chloroform addict and in jail…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 29, Fried Oysters at TQLA
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…
City’s Inspector General Looking at Sue Lovell Complaint
The city’s Office of Inspector General is conducting an “initial inquiry” into allegations that Councilwoman Sue Lovell misused city property. Filed earlier this month by a woman who asked us not to release her name, the complaint accuses Lovell of using her city computer to send a personal e-mail campaigning…
The 16 Most Fashionably Memorable Music Videos Ever
From the artistically iconic to the outrageously sexy to the inadvertent Grunge fashion pioneers, for one reason or another, the fashionable stylings of the following videos made a lasting impact on our pop-culture-crazed minds. Whether nostalgic ’80s videos that linger in the corners of our adolescent MTV-engrained minds or modern…
Introducing Marium Echo, Texas’ Best Pure Singer
Thursday night, while lots of people were watching Wale experience Houston hospitality firsthand, Rocks Off was at the tiny South Main joint Azul Lounge, watching SYDTHEMAN perform. We wanted to see if he sounded as idyllic in person as he does on his album, Singin’ Rappin’ & Cussin’. Quick Aside:…
Project Runway: Drama Escalates to Ladies’ Room-Visit Levels
This week on Project Runway: Model /designer Erin Watson is the guest judge, Bert is a jerk (but I still love him), Olivier takes a tumble, and Heidi Klum wears a sparkly, strapless jumpsuit with sneakers. Episode five kicks off with an athletic challenge revolving around Heidi’s line of athletic…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Kim Ly of Café Shoppe
Ly’s Vietnamese roots (check out chef chat parts one and two) show through all her food at Cafe Shoppe — especially her banh mi. Her ham combination sandwich is a smorgasbord of Vietnamese salami, pork roll, pâté, and Vietnamese ham. That’s a mountain of meat, but when it hits your…
Hurricane Irene: Five Very Bad Things That Might Happen, Beyond Death & Destruction
Irene is shaping up to be the biggest hurricane event to hit the New York area in a while, and since we grew up there, we know people are not used to dealing with these things. There’s a lot that can go wrong in a hurricane, of course: death, widespread…
American Idol Hopefuls Throng to Reliant Park for Houston Auditions
See a few videos and many, many, many more photos from Friday’s cattle call auditions in our slideshow. Walking into the Reliant Stadium lot reminded Art Attack of the livestock show we’d seen there months earlier. Thousands and thousands of people packed together in the parking lot by 5 a.m…
Raven “Sugar Bear” Giacone: Lufkin Woman Busted for Posing As Lawyer; Met “Client” at McDonald’s
It all started earlier this summer when a Lufkin woman met 30-year-old Kimberly Raven Giacone at a local McDonald’s. The woman had a problem. Her son was in prison and she wanted to get him transferred to Rusk State Hospital, a correctional mental health facility. According to police, Giacone told…
Houston 175 Launches with Architectural History Exhibit
Last night, Art Attack attended a sort of sneak preview of the busy schedule of events and programs surrounding Houston 175, a months-long celebration of Houston’s history since its founding by a couple of shysters, the Allen Brothers, on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, just weeks after the defeat of…
Upcoming Events: Island Weather Is Perfect for Beer
If you’re a fan of casseroles, cookbooks and retro cuisine, you’ll want to head to Blue Willow Bookshop next week: the Casserole Queens are coming to town. The cookbook authors — Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock — will be visiting the West Houston bookstore on Thursday, September 1, from 7…
Hordes Of Hopefuls Swamp Reliant Park For American Idol Auditions
See a few videos and many, many, many more photos from Friday’s cattle call auditions in our slideshow. Walking into the Reliant Stadium lot reminded Rocks Off of the livestock show we’d seen there months earlier. Thousands and thousands of people packed together in the parking lot by 5 a.m…
Ryan Seacrest & A Goth Cowboy: Clips From Today’s H-Town American Idol Frenzy
Check out our slideshow of all the American Idol Season 11 hopefuls. Rocks Off was on the ground at Reliant Stadium well before 5 a.m. this morning to scope out the crowd that had amassed to try out for a spot on American Idol. We have to admit, we got…
What’s Cooking Next Week?
Last week, I began my menu planning journey with What’s Cooking Next Week?, coming up with a flavorful menu to get me through the workweek. That and the bottle of wine I housed on Wednesday definitely helped, so I’m back at it again for next week. Here’s what’s cooking. Menu…
The Week in Art Photos: Stained Glass and Beach Grass
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…
Opera Singers, Goth Cowboys and Ryan Seacrest: Our Favorite Videos from the American Idol Houston Auditions
Check out our slideshow of all the American Idol Season 11 hopefuls. Art Attack was at Reliant Stadium well before 5 a.m. to talk with the crowds that had amassed there to try out for one shot at fame as a contestant on American Idol. We have to admit, we…
Say What? “All-White” Reunion Party for Port Arthur School
Things That Cause a Double Take, Part XXXVII: This invitation, brought to our attention by the Bayou Blog, for a reunion for the defunct Lincoln High in Port Arthur. Given the troubled race relations in that part of the state, it’s something that makes you think it could just possibly…
Odd Pair: Expensive Steakhouse, Affordable Wine
From the Pacific Dining Car in Los Angeles to the Chop House in Chicago to Peter Luger’s in New York, the super-sized (and over-priced) American steakhouse is a sine qua non of the North American culinary tradition and experience (don’t forget Moishes in Montreal). What full-blooded American doesn’t love dining…
Cam Newton Sucks But He Can Still Run 36 (That’s a Play)
Okay, maybe the headline was a little harsh. Does Cam Newton suck? No. But does he look a little erratic throwing the ball right now? Yes. Very. It doesn’t matter, it’s Cam Newton’s world in Carolina right now. He’s going to be the starter and the face of the franchise…
10 Things You May Not Know About KISS
This week, KISS mogul Gene Simmons celebrated his 62nd birthday, probably surrounded by dozens of strippers in KISS panties, swinging on KISS sex swings, while pouring wax from KISS candles onto their KISS tramp-stamp tattoos. Damn, that actually sounds kind of hot, come to think of it. For this weeks…
UH Taking Steps to Help Fans Fight the Heat at UCLA Game
One of the secret weapons in UH’s favor when UCLA comes to town September 3 is going to be the stifling, oppressive heat, something the West Coast boys from Westwood are in no way used to. Unfortunately, that heat will also affect fans in the largely shadeless Robertson Stadium. The…
Summer Short Shorts: 10×10 at Country Playhouse
The setup: Ten playwrights, ten new plays, each ten minutes long. The execution: Somebody needs to teach these writers how to concoct an ending. Not the type where a character hangs up the phone or walks off stage and the scene just stops, like in Beverly Hutchison’s The Prize Surprise…
Comment of the Day: Texas Pride and Pot, Meet Kettle
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Youngest N Charge: BP, Mike & Young B (Son Of Bun) Keep It Trill
Wednesday night, Dub Frequency hosted yet another Crème de la Crème show at House of Blues’ Bronze Peacock Room. The series usually features Houston acts opening and an up-and-coming out-of-towner as the main act. The crowd was a full of young men in skinny jeans and snapback hats, with a…
Bartender Chat: Paul Smyers of Little Woodrow’s
While catching up with Paul Smyers, the manager of Houston’s newest Little Woodrow’s in East Downtown, we hear “No, Hawaii is not a country” over the loud speaker. It’s trivia night and the bar is packed with “Geeks Who Drink.” Abandoning my team, I step away from the intense competition…
Wilfred: Dwight Yoakam Plants the Seeds of “Doubt”
Nothing good can come from being stalked by Dwight Yoakam. Trust me, I’ve seen Panic Room. So what’s Ryan to think when “Bruce” starts appearing everywhere Ryan and Wilfred are hanging out, lurking in the shadows and giving him the stinkeye? Or so one would assume, given that he’s always…
Carry On: Five Meals You Can Bring on a Plane
Frequent fliers know that fast food and airplane fare get old, fast. For the last two years there has been scarcely a month that hasn’t seen me boarding a plane for a trip–work or pleasure, sometimes both–and it wasn’t long before I got fed up with breakfast sandwiches, French fries,…
Last Night: Ted Nugent At House Of Blues
Ted Nugent House of Blues August 25, 2011 “I cause liberals to shit themselves. I make music for those assholes to kill themselves to,” says Ted Nugent, lording over a sold-out House of Blues crowd full of sleeveless, sweaty, and buzzed Americans Texans hanging on his every lick and line…
Legacy Health Center Will Soon Open Its Fabulous Doors in Montrose
If you’re of the hip, after-hours nightclub set, then you remember Club 1415 in the heart of Montrose. It’s reopening under a different name in September — the new space still caters to a Montrose clientele, and there’s still plenty of alcohol around (albeit of the rubbing variety). Most importantly,…
The Week in Photos: A Quiet Morning
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. School is almost back in session and summer is winding down. We want to see photos of how you’re spending your hot days and nights. Just drop them…
Tontons Visit Subterranean Radio While In Chicago
Recently, Rocks Off reported on how Subterranean Radio out of Round Lakes Heights, Ill., had begun playing some of Houston’s most spectacular artists. The show had already made our 11 Best Internet Radio Shows list for Mick Cullen, Carl Cutler, Rae Helen’s amazing ability to find the absolute best indie-rock…
The Ten Most Controversial Athlete Tweets
Not all athletes are stupid. In fact, quite a number of them are damn smart and go on to successful careers after they retire from professional sports. But, like most people, athletes can be prone to foot-in-mouth disease on occasion. Take the then-center of the New York Knicks, Patrick Ewing,…
100 Creatives: Paul Hope
What he does: Paul Hope is a prolific actor, director and educator who’s been in the Houston arts and theater scene virtually his whole life. As a teenager, he was accepted to both the dance and the theater departments at the then-new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts…
Openings & Closings: Wings on the Run
If you don’t get the title of this week’s Openings & Closings, I’m afraid I’m just going to have to assign you some classic Paul McCartney as homework. Get to it. Two new food trucks are hitting the road, and both are serving wings. Party Fowl, from the same guys…
9 National Flag Bikinis and How They Embody Their National Anthems
Today brings to a close our extensive Summer Flag-Bikini Research Project (SFBRP for short). We’ve looked at American-flag bikinis, Confederate-flag bikinis and Texas-flag bikinis; today we look at flag bikinis from around the globe. The international swimsuits and their models don’t just show off pride in country, they embody the…
Señorita Cinema Film Festival
Filmmaker and arts activist Stephanie Saint Sanchez is the brains behind the Señorita Cinema Film Festival. Entering its third year, Sanchez’s La Chicana Laundry Pictures is posting up alongside Aurora Picture Show to present the all-Latina fest. Handpicked by a host of jurors that included Margarita de la Vega-Hurtado and…
Agnes of God
Here’s something different from the usual summer fluff – John Pilemeier’s dramatic Agnes of God now running at Country Playhouse. This 1982 spiritual thriller pits science against religion in a heady battle fought between a stern Catholic mother superior and a whip-smart psychiatrist who’s got her own Catholic ax to…
Houston Fringe Festival
The Houston Fringe Festival, produced by multimedia dance company FrenetiCore, is a showcase of offbeat and outsider theater, burlesque, puppetry, dance, performance art, comedy, music, film and visual arts. Highlights from this year’s festival include Texas playwright Ryan Cockerham’s Most Extreme Ocean Adventure, a rocking comedy set aboard Christopher Columbus’s…
Scriptwriters/Houston 21st Annual Ten by Ten
One reason behind Houston’s bustling theater scene is the number of talented playwrights who call the city home. Work by several of those gifted writers makes up Scriptwriters/Houston 21st Annual Ten by Ten, a production of ten ten-minute plays chosen by a panel of judges from across the country. These…
Circo
With big-budget circuses like Cirque du Soleil ruling the market, it would seem that small family circuses like the Ponce family’s Gran Circo Mexico don’t have a chance of surviving. But as we see in filmmaker Aaron Schock’s documentary Circo, the tiny, ten-person operation is keeping the family-circus flag flying…
18th Annual Theater District Day
Kicking off the new performing arts season, Houston’s Annual Theater District Day features everything from a symphony at Jones Hall, to a TUTS musical revue, to world-famous jugglers the Flying Karamazov Brothers. And it’s all for free. Though the open house-style event showcases the four downtown venues and nine companies…
Houston Restaurant Weeks
There’s no denying it. The Bayou City loves to eat. Year after year, Houston has consistently ranked among the top cities in America for dining out, and thanks to our fantastic array of local eateries, Houstonians have ranked among the most well-fed in the land. So, it should come as…
Houston Dance Festival: Here and Now
This town is firmly on the map as a modern-dance Mecca — thanks in no small part to the highly collaborative, supportive relationships among local companies, which are constantly uniting for performances, classes and celebrations of their art. Case in point is the inaugural Houston Dance Festival: Here and Now…
Kathy Reichs: Flash and Bones
Ten years ago, forensic anthropologist/author/television producer Kathy Reichs was at Ground Zero, sifting through the rubble of the fallen Twin Towers to find human remains. She spent much of the last year working as an expert witness on the Casey Anthony case, examining Caylee Anthony’s remains and visiting the crime…
Fall for Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre
Fans of Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre get another look at highlights from last season in Fall for Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre, which kicks off the company’s tenth season. The program includes Mats Ek’s Pas de Dans, a work Walsh describes as “a little bit funny, a little dark and very…
“Indigenous Genius”
Radical woodworker and found art collector R.W. Northcutt has been gathering artifacts and paraphernalia for his “Animaliana” collection since 2003. The collection is made up of objects relating to animal life, and “Indigenous Genius” at Art League of Houston organizes the items (which relate to animal woodworkers like termites, beavers…
Paula Poundstone
Comedian Paula Poundstone is on the road a lot these days. When she’s not in Chicago as a panelist for NPR quiz show Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me, she’s out two or three nights a week performing standup in clubs and theaters across the country. Poundstone’s onstage delivery is pretty…
Hollywood Babble-On
On first glance, it’s easy to dismiss a podcast that makes extended ejaculation jokes and features segments like “How Big Is Liam Neeson’s Cock?” But take into account that the podcast in question is hosted by film director Kevin Smith and DJ/Smith collaborator Ralph Garman and features insider news on…
Sex Cures Teen Crime
EDUCATION, CRIME Sex Cures Teen Crime Only the right kind, though By RICHARD CONNELLY Worried about your teenaged son or daughter becoming a delinquent? Get them into someone’s pants, quick. A new study from the University of Texas says sex is the secret to solving delinquency. But before you get…
SPECIAL COMIDA EDITION: Who Harvested Maize First — the Aztecs, or the Mayans?
Dear Mexican, This is going to sound absolutely and totally Caucasian. Lately, we have been trying to lighten the mood around the office with delicate bits of international confections. With all that’s going on in the world, who needs one more worry? With that said, we are struck with yet…
Doctor Doctor
Dr. Billy Cohn is running late to our interview. He texts: “I’m standing by for a LASER lead extraction. They need me another 20 minutes.” It may seem like a cliché, but Cohn, who makes his DJ debut Friday night at Leon’s Lounge’s “Celebrity DJ” series, is something of a…
Spy Game
Double Cross Lounge (114 Gray) sounds like a place where bad movie villains hang out. But the name actually comes from the acclaimed brand Double Cross Vodka, which the bar has on tap. So that’s that. And despite what you may have heard, Double Cross is not, in fact, full…
Ted Nugent
The Houston area has been graced by the wildly opinionated Waco resident Ted Nugent and his grindingly satisfying rock and roll revue twice in the past year alone, in Pasadena last summer and at Nutty Jerry’s in Winnie this past April. This is the Nuge’s first Inner Loop gig in…
Canned Acoustica IV
Friday’s Canned Acoustica revue marks the fourth chapter in the history of the all-acoustic showcase series, and also looks to be the most varied and, well, loudest in its short existence. It’s going to be hard to follow up the last installment, which saw rapper Fat Tony and Two Star…
Riverboat Gamblers
This year marks a full decade since the Riverboat Gamblers exploded out of Denton, impressing punk fans statewide in a mad flurry of flailing limbs, bitchin’ barre chords and speed, glorious speed. In a way, it’s impressive the Gamblers have lasted this long — when we were still working for…
IDentity Festival
If you haven’t noticed, the past few years have seen yet another explosion of electronic music. This time dubstep is leading the way, invading radio pop, remixes and the ears of teens and twentysomethings all over again. People are dancing and going to clubs just to hear DJs, much to…
DiverseWorks FUNdraiser
Although there are many others, DiverseWorks has proven itself one of Houston’s leading arts nonprofits with a steady stream of multimedia fare that is provocative, endearing and just plain odd all at once. Perhaps that’s why it’s forged a close relationship with the local indie scene, to which those three…
Debris Downer
Something about the current batch of exhibits at Lawndale Art Center gets me down. Maybe it’s the junk-looking outdoor sculpture, appropriately titled Detritus, which greeted me on arrival. Maybe it’s the confusing, convoluted artistic statement for the main gallery show “SOUTHERN/PACIFIC.” Maybe it’s the enigmatically dull exhibit by Jeremy DePrez…
Chadd Thomas Memorial/Benefit
If Austin police have made any progress toward finding out how popular rockabilly musician Chadd Thomas wound up dead in a South Austin parking lot the morning of July 11, or who was responsible, they haven’t yet shared that information with the public. Nevertheless, the support for Thomas’s friends and…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Collections: Annual HSPVA Juried Show,” “Crafting Live(s): 10 Years of Artists-In-Residence,” “Hayden Fosdick: Paper Compounds,” Marc Swanson: The Second Story, “Mitch Dobrowner: New Work,” “R.W. Northcutt: Indigenous Genius”
“Collections: Annual HSPVA Juried Show” This popular annual exhibit is an interesting look at the up-and-coming artists at Texas’s premier arts magnet school. The works span a broad range of media and technique (painting, sculpture, photography, collage, printmaking, drawing, mixed media, Photoshop), and there’s terrific skill on display, but nothing…
The Great Gulf
The Great Gulf Online readers respond to “The Fish That Got Away,” by Katharine Shilcutt, August 11: Wow: Really awesome article! Thorough, well written and seemingly well researched. Congratulations on a damn fine job! Eric Henao Nice article: And if you think bluefin tuna had a dramatic perception change, look…
Yummy Stinky
See more photos from Yummy Kitchen’s tidy dining room and kitchen in our slideshow. Taiwanese food is not for the faint of heart. That could be one of the reasons I had difficulty finding dining companions to go with me to Yummy Kitchen. After all, the cuisine is famous for…
The Beat Goes On
For parents of a certain mind-set, the Go-Go’s were the band they wanted their musically inclined daughters to aspire toward. The first all-female band to top the Billboard 200 with 1982 debut Beauty and the Beat, the Go-Go’s had swagger, spit and style to go along with chops, great songs…
Capsule Stage Reviews: 2nd Annual Festival of Comedy, American Buffalo, Who Was That Masked Man?, Sylvia
2nd Annual Festival of Comedy UpStage Theatre’s 2nd Annual Festival of Comedy allows local playwrights to strut their stuff in one-act plays that are comic yet stay safely within the boundaries of “family-oriented” appeal. The writing shows imagination and comedic verve, suggesting good things to come from these four talented…
Bad Business
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy T. Ward caught the call: deceased person at a residence on Many Oaks Drive, a modest two-story in a quiet subdivision in Spring. According to his affidavit, Ward arrived at the home shortly before 2 p.m. on February 21, 2011. He was met by Jill Sumstad,…
Our Idiot Brother
In Jesse Peretz’s Our Idiot Brother, Paul Rudd plays Ned, a kind of Upstate New York version of “The Dude” Lebowski — a man out of time, blinkered enough to be living the hippie dream. In the film’s first scene, Ned is “entrapped” into selling pot at a farmers’ market…
