New Releases Reviewed
Luscious Jackson Electric Honey Grand Royal/Capitol An associate of mine recently attended a performance of the smash musical Ragtime and was so amazed by what he saw that he felt the urge to go to the nearest 30-screen stadiaplex and smack the hell out of everyone coming out of Drop…
Everything Old Is New Again
Hans Mair, longtime lord of the old-guard institution Vargo’s, recently opened Darby’s, a time warp of a new restaurant. The mood and menu recall fine dining of the ’50s — and yes, there was such a thing. Dishes such as Long Island duckling with bing cherry sauce ($19.95) and shrimp…
Local Music Reviewed
Ashbury Keys Ashbury Keys Ashbury Keys This self-titled debut from local pop songwriter Ashbury Keys has been quite some time in the making. As such it’s both a study in the value of woodshedding one’s material before emerging publicly and a potential answer to the existential question: If a tree…
Rap Actor
It has been oh-so-long since LL Cool J first popped up on the silver screen and uttered the memorable line: “Box!” That one word was from the 1985 hip-hop favorite Krush Groove. In that flick, LL Cool J played just LL Cool J (a.k.a. James Todd Smith), getting ready to…
Rusty Zinn, Ministry
Smooooth might be the best way to describe the way this 28-year-old singer/guitarist blends ’40s and ’50s West Coast swingin’ blues with just a hint of sweet home Chicago. Rusty Zinn’s guitar tones and playing are as clean as his attire, and his vocals — though a tad vanilla –…
God’s Plan
At 10:20 on a Wednesday morning, the only real talk-radio station in Houston is doing what any good talk-radio station should be doing: delving into a burning local controversy. In this instance, it’s yet another cop shooting — the killing of a man outside a local hospital. Coming in the…
Fine Fusion
Lately the folks at Infernal Bridegroom Productions seem hell-bent on proving themselves to be the most innovative and exciting theater company Houston has ever engendered. Their exquisite world of wonderland shows just gets curiouser and curiouser and smarter and smarter. And the thrilling intellectual puzzle of their latest endeavor, Roberto…
We’re Not the Worst!
The state of Arkansas used to have the unofficial slogan of “Thank God for Mississippi.” Whenever someone ranked the states — whether for education, social services or whatever — Arkansas would be ranked 49th, saved from total ignominy by its neighbor to the west. The Houston Chronicle seems to be…
Sweet Inspiration
Hollywood has always been one of Hollywood’s favorite subjects. Every version of A Star Is Born, and recent black comedies such as Swimming with Sharks and Permanent Midnight, paint Tinseltown with a dark and savage palette. The Muse, however, has the cheer, although not the show tunes (regrettably or laudably,…
News of the Weird
Lead Story In May Arizona state Representative Tom Gordon inexplicably faked a Naval Reserve order, hopped a military plane to the Balkans and engaged in unspecified “unauthorized activities” (according to a U.S. official) in Sarajevo for six weeks before being ordered home. Afterward Gordon refused to answer most questions except…
Well Seasoned
It has been almost 40 years since Eric Rohmer, riding the crest of the French New Wave, embarked on the first of his Six Moral Tales. The series would eventually include at least two classics, My Night at Maud’s (1969) and Chloe in the Afternoon (1972). Linked by theme, style…
Local Music News
Behind Curtain No. 1″ What’s cool about The Brewery is its homeyness. Soft lighting adds intimacy to the interior’s dark oaken furniture and bar. Table conversation rarely rises above casual tones. And just like the stereophonic boom coming from your big brother’s bedroom, the sounds of the live band in…
Vanilla Chocolate
It seems like only yesterday that movies dealing with gay and lesbian life were synonymous with extravagant displays of gloom and doom. From the suicides of The Children’s Hour and Advise and Consent to the serial killers of Cruising and Basic Instinct, same-sexuality was no fun — in the worst…
Maori Madness
LeaAnna McConnell is one of those people who’s fascinated by death and human remains, and the more exotic the better. Like a Texas cousin of the Addams Family, the Houston sculptor has assiduously cultivated her morbidity, creating convincing replicas of shrunken heads, witch doctor staffs, “flesh folios” and the tattooed…
Deep Shallow
LL Cool J is God, at least to the characters of In Too Deep. He’s crime lord Dwayne Gittens, otherwise known as “God” to his peeps on the street; he acts as life-giver, protector and judgment-maker for the inner-city dwellers of Cincinnati. He dotes on his newborn son, throws Thanksgiving…
Down the Drain
On March 27, 1998, the chlorine gas cylinder at the Northeast water plant on Staple Street needed to be changed. Although a common procedure, the task requires knowledge and care — chlorine is a highly toxic chemical that can cause permanent respiratory damage and other serious health problems if inhaled…
Paradise Lost
Once upon a time, the city promised to grow something beautiful in the decaying Second Ward. “La Villa de las Flores” — the village of flowers — is what they called this future slice of heaven, where 59 low-income families would live happily ever after. Sixty architects volunteered in 1992…
Affirmative Action for Whom?
Ileana Vallarino Trevino directs the Affirmative Action and Equal Employment office at the University of Houston and is the person designated to process discrimination and harassment complaints from the school’s employees. Two weeks ago Trevino, who has held the $86,500 position for a year, took an unusual step with the…
Judicial Hunting Season Opens
Months before filing begins for next spring’s party primaries, judicial candidates are already jockeying for position, sniffing for blood on the benches and in one case, redecorating their courtroom to religious conservative tastes. Early action got a boost from a ruling last week by federal Judge John D. Rainey. He…
Down the Drain
On March 27, 1998, the chlorine gas cylinder at the Northeast water plant on Staple Street needed to be changed. Although a common procedure, the task requires knowledge and care — chlorine is a highly toxic chemical that can cause permanent respiratory damage and other serious health problems if inhaled…
Hot Plate
Here in the dregs of August, what you need is a vacation. Something exotic. Something refreshing. Something cool. May’s Ice Cream [9260 Bellaire, (713)270-5178] provides a reasonable substitute — or at least, as reasonable a substitute as you’re likely to find in a Styrofoam cup. The weird desserts served in…
God’s Plan
At 10:20 on a Wednesday morning, the only real talk-radio station in Houston is doing what any good talk-radio station should be doing: delving into a burning local controversy. In this instance, it’s yet another cop shooting — the killing of a man outside a local hospital. Coming in the…
The Real Diva
Take a look at Nancy Wilson and all you can say is, “Damn!” At 62 she looks better than most women half her age and is still one of the best singers ever to pick up a microphone. She carries herself with a sophisticated style and is a total professional…
Tosca for the TV Generation
Opera isn’t just for affluent buffs and blue-hairs anymore. At least that’s what the folks at the Houston Ebony Opera Guild think. Now they just have to convince you. With Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca as their Miller Outdoor Theatre season opener, they’re off to a running start. Music aside, 19th-century opera…
Convalescent Punk
Blondie performs Saturday, August 28, at 8 p.m. at the Aerial Theater, 520 Texas. Reel Big Fish opens. Tickets are $26 to $32. Call (713)629-3700 or (713)230-1600.
Weekend Update
Colin Quinn, the “Weekend Update” anchor from Saturday Night Live who hides some of TV’s most pointed and cutting humor behind an amiable shaggy-dog persona, doesn’t do many stand-up shows outside his native New York. But — in what’s either the truth or the most blatant ass-kissing by a performer…