Leaving the Country
Newsflash — singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore is a bona fide legend. I know he is, because he fits all the definitions in my handiest dictionary. Consider: 1) a: A story coming down from the past; esp: one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable. Plenty of folks have wondered, but,…
Starting Over
It was in the late 1980s that Rob Bundy got his first close look at Houston theater. He was touring with John Houseman’s acting company when they passed through the city and, much to his surprise, he was impressed by what he found. “I saw [Houston Grand Opera] was doing…
Captive-ating
Manny & Lo is an odd movie: the story of two runaway sisters who kidnap a spinster, and how all three turn out to be remarkable people. Sisters Manny (Scarlett Johansson) and Lo (Aleksa Palladino) don’t look remarkable. Manny, the 11-year-old, is a skinny, dreamy kid with an interest in…
Darkness
On the day I saw The Trigger Effect, David Koepp’s disquieting thriller about survival and suspicion in the wake of a massive power blackout, I spent several hours cajoling, coaxing and sometimes even cursing as I tried to talk an unreliable laptop into working properly. (Meanwhile, half a continent away,…
Traffic Court Confidential
So you’ve been stopped for speeding, and the cop notices your inspection sticker expired months ago and your left headlight is out. What now? The first thing you’ll want to do is read the fine print squeezed onto the back of your ticket(s), which, believe it or not, does provide…
The King and His Courts
In the corridor outside Court One, near the sign cautioning gentlemen to remove their hats before entering, a half-dozen strangers are huddled together, listening intently to the fast-talking guy with the trim gray beard who sits before them on a wooden bench. “This city attorney is stupid,” he assures an…
No Time for Sergeants
You’re always told that if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded,” says Sergeant Sandy Klein. But last week, the 19-year veteran of the Houston Police Department found out otherwise, when she and Sergeant Jan Meanix-Garza were transferred out of the department’s family violence unit — the unit they founded six…
The Right Kind of People
Was Kenneth Schnitzer’s acquittal on bank fraud charges the result of well-connected friends exercising their influence, or simply sound reasoning by a judge who tossed out a bad jury verdict? Schnitzer’s attorneys say, of course, that U.S. District Court Judge David Hittner was just applying the law logically last week…
The Insider
The Family That Testifies Together It could be the “This Is Your Life, Ben Reyes” session of the federal grand jury hearing evidence in the FBI’s investigation of corruption at City Hall. The panel is expected to get an earful at this week’s three-day sitting from Tony and Greg Reyes,…
Letters
The Official Bruce T. White Line on Small Appliances, Atypical Relationships and the International Romance Concept The following is in response to your recent tabloid article regarding T.L.C. Worldwide Inc., its principals and numerous events as published. [“Lovely Latin Ladies! Order Now!!” by Randall Patterson, August 1.] Unfortunately, almost all…
Press Picks
thursday august 29 Educators’ Open House To help harried teachers plan and prepare fun outings for the new school year, the museum district is holding an open house. Shuttle buses will ferry teachers between eight institutions, refreshments will be served and the various museums will give educators the inside skinny…
Sticking to Tradition
At the Golden Room, lunch and dinner are served twice — once for the diners inside, and once for the ghosts who live in the graceful little red pagoda that stands, birdhouse-like, atop a head-high wooden pillar near the entrance. Here, the Golden Room’s owners prepare a colorful table: a…
Static
Definitely David… Jazz saxophonist David Caceres is a quiet, reserved 29-year-old. But when the occasion calls for it, he can be assertive and self-assured. Take, for example, when the conversation turns to the snobbery that often pervades his field, frequently under the guise of purism. For Caceres, “purity” isn’t the…
Other Voices
It can be hard for an organization to deal with the death of its founder — especially when that founder not only came up with the initial idea, but has also been the main source of its energy. At the same time, though, when a driving force is gone, it…
Buff Boys
Granted, Canada’s Barenaked Ladies don’t have one of the more startling names in the annals of rock and roll. Compared to, say, Scraping Foetus from the Wheel, the Dead Kennedys, the Circle Jerks or even Texas’ own Butthole Surfers, “Barenaked Ladies” seems almost benign. Still, the name was enough to…
Sound Check
The record industry is littered with the carcasses of small independent labels that reflected the visions of their founders. Following their hearts rather than their heads (or their wallets), the independent entrepreneurs often start with a flair, but then fall by the wayside as the big boys co-opt their ideas…