Cody Jinks Goes From Headbanging to Honky-Tonks
Cody Jinks once played before rough crowds in sketchy clubs. As lead singer of metal band Unchecked Aggression, Jinks would sing/scream about an array of dark topics before a throng of unwashed masses. Little did he know those experiences were preparing Jinks for the next logical step in his career —…
Houston’s 10 Best Football-Watching Bars
Houston consistently ranks among the liveliest cities in Texas, but during football season that excitement ratchets up a few notches. The Texans are front-runners to win their division, the University of Houston is ranked in the Top 20, LSU is again a national title contender, and Texas A&M is sure…
Galveston on the Cheap
Just an hour away from Houston and with mild winter weather, Galveston Island is a favorite year-round destination. (It won Best Weekend Getaway in our Best of Houston Awards in 2014.) The island is low-key, for the most part, and extremely affordable. Here are some of the best bargains we’ve…
Star Trek 50: First, Let’s Take a Close Look at the Music
As we gear up for the 50th anniversary of Star Trek on September 8, the Houston Press boldly goes in search of those who have turned their passion for the landmark television series into a mission. Trekkies can (and do) spend hours debating which episode had the best special effects,…
Four Things to Watch for as the Texans Take on the 49ers
The first string will only play a few series, and J.J. Watt will not be suited up at all, but on Sunday night, there will be men in Houston Texans uniforms running around playing football against men in San Francisco 49ers uniforms, and for now, after six long months with…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Sausage Party
Title: Sausage Party Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Homer: Lisa, honey, are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Lisa: No. Homer: Ham? Pork chops? Lisa: No. Dad, those all come from the same animal. Homer: [chuckles] Yeah right, Lisa. A wonderful, *magical* animal…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Get a German Sausage Kolache
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: Saint Arnold Pizza Pairing at Your Pie Houston Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. 1625 Main, Suite B Your Pie Houston is pairing four slices from four different pizzas with four Saint Arnold brews. Enjoy Art Car…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Pete’s Dragon
Title: Pete’s Dragon Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Kent Brockman: Homer, organized labor has been called a lumbering dinosaur… Homer: Aaaahh! Kent Brockman: My…director’s telling me not to talk to you anymore. Homer: Woo hoo! Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two-and-a-half Black Knights out of five. Brief Plot…
Openings & Closings in Houston: Bye Harborside, Hello Hubcap Grill
After only four months of operation, Harborside Mercantile, 2021 Strand in Galveston, will be converted into a Hubcap Grill. Galveston will be home to the fifth location of the award-winning burger joint, as a fourth one is already under construction at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In a recent interview with the…
HBO’s Abortion: Stories Women Tell Is an Enraging Tearjerker of a Documentary
In 2014, Missouri passed a law that requires women to wait at least 72 hours between an initial doctor’s appointment and having an abortion. Today, Missouri is one of the hardest states in the country in which to obtain [changed “get” to “obtain”] the procedure. That’s great news for anti-choicers…
Puddle of Mudd and Other Cautionary Rock Tales
Best case, Puddle of Mudd front man Wes Scantlin is eccentric. Worst case, he sounds like he might have taken “Psycho,” the band’s No. 1 Billboard Mainstream Rock hit from 2008, a little too seriously. Since rising to prominence with 2001’s Come Clean, Scantlin — whose band was signed by…
War Is an Uncanny In-Between in Cogitore’s Neither Heaven nor Earth
Most war movies try to shock us with hard, brutal, tangible, sick-making images, demanding that we look at the visible proof — the blood and guts and other gore — that results from guns and bombs. In the searching, cogent Neither Heaven nor Earth, director Clément Cogitore examines the horrors…
Maybe Florence Foster Jenkins‘ Unsung Heroine Should Have Stayed That Way
Stephen Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins is a likable study of delusions of grandeur. Working from real-life material, Frears creates an alternately funny and mysterious portrait of someone whom most viewers either don’t know at all or regard as an odd footnote in musical history. We first see Florence (Meryl Streep)…
WWII Drama Anthropoid Puts You in the Moment but Can’t Say What It Means
Do we call Anthropoid a thriller? Sean Ellis’ earnest, day-ruining WWII bullet-a-thon is rooted in fact but comes on like pulp fiction in its first reels, hitting secret-mission story beats old enough to have served in the big war. As freedom fighters Josef (Jamie Dornan) and Jan (Cillian Murphy) skulk…
Shell Shock and Synths Make for a Moody Thriller in Alice Winocour’s Disorder
Ben Kingsley has spoken many words of wisdom in his lifetime, few more insightful than when he told the Observer earlier this summer that, when a male actor is directed by a woman, he “is almost given permission to be vulnerable.” In Alice Winocour’s new feature, Disorder, which lays bare…
Texas Primate Lab With Welfare Violations Gets $40 Million From the Feds
You may not realize this, but if you’re the kind of person who pays federal taxes, you’re currently paying scientists in San Antonio to teach aerobics to monkeys. You’re paying for the monkeys — marmosets, specifically — in San Antonio’s Texas Biomedical Research Institute to run on treadmills for 30…
Asian Market Know-How: Five Best To-Go Foods at Viet Hoa
Going grocery shopping on an empty stomach is an excellent idea, if the destination is Viet Hoa [pronounced vee-it wah] , 8300 West Sam Houston Parkway South. The prepared foods section is stocked with lots of tasty options. From typical Asian dishes like lo mein and General Tso’s chicken to more adventurous offerings…
Frog Hair Will Be the Appropriate Level of Famous Someday
Somewhere in the refrain of each Frog Hair song, JJ White gives his audience something to hold onto, a brief phrase or a figure of speech we all share in common. Then, once we’ve swallowed that baited hook of comfort food, he reels us in, plumbing the depths of the…
Texas History: Where Have All the (Convict) Cowboys Gone?
Where have all the cowboys gone? If you’re talking about the bronco-riding inmates who kicked up the action each October in Huntsville, you can blame changing tastes, celebrity appearance fees and lawyers. The Texas Prison Rodeo is a distant memory for some long timers – it began in 1931 and…
Topo Chico Pulls 12-Packs From Store Shelves Because of Faulty Packaging
Just before an August 4 article from the New York Times that likely served to increase its popularity, Topo Chico 12-packs of individual glass bottles started quietly being pulled from grocery store shelves. As of yesterday, stores across Houston were still out of the 12-packs and there’s no word yet…
Top 10 Cities With the Best Sports “Big Three”
Sometimes, when you watch greatness on a nightly or week-to-week basis, you begin to take it for granted. As I was looking at the Bovada odds for the American League MVP last week, and seeing Jose Altuve as the favorite to win the award, this whole “following an MVP campaign”…
Two-Hit Wonders: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
When people think of one-hit wonders of a certain era, the band Eve 6 certainly gains plenty of traction in the late-’90s/early-2000s conversation. After all, the band’s breakout single – the 1998 smash “Inside Out” – still gets radio play to this day. But calling Eve 6 a one-hit wonder isn’t…
Hell or High Water Finds Serenity in Two Brothers’ Desperate Bank-Robbing Spree
Hell or High Water sees a Scottish director making a down-home, West Texas–set movie about cars, guns, brothers, banks and twist-off beers. But this outsider’s perspective is nothing new for David Mackenzie, who has worked with Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche on a Los Angeles romance about a gigolo (2009’s…
George P. Bush Trump Endorsement Ensures Awkward Thanksgiving
Well, it’s official. George P. Bush, Texas land commissioner and son of former 2016 Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush, went and did something no other Bush has thus far done when he ponied up and endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In the wake of the announcement, all we can…
Baby Girl Dies, Making Her the First Zika-related Death in Harris County
Eight months after doctors first discovered the Zika virus in Harris County, the first Zika-related death— a baby girl — has been recorded here, Harris County Public Health announced Tuesday morning. The newborn, who had several birth defects including microcephaly, died shortly after birth. The health agency said the girl’s…
Rice Owls Look to Forget 2015 and Return to Winning Ways
To call last season’s Rice football team disappointing would be an understatement. Coming off the squad’s third straight bowl (and second win in those three), the Owls looked to have finally put aside the image of a bumbling team beating itself time and time again. Rice beating Rice, as the…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Traveling Foodies and Checking Out What’s on Tap
This week, a few Houston bloggers head out of town and share beautiful pictures of their travel and food. Other bloggers share recipes that combine both coffee and dessert as well as on new ways to enjoy wine while out and about. Lizzy of “A Tasty Mess,” Sue from “We…
Why Is John Elway Still Obsessed With Brock Osweiler?
When it comes to the blueprint for how the Denver Broncos and their franchise icon/team president John Elway are supposed to react in the months after Brock Osweiler decided to take his talents here to Houston in free agency, we don’t really have anything recent off of which to work,…
3 Reasons Houston Might Be a Better City for Artists Than Austin
City rivalries can be a Texas pastime nearly as popular as professional football – people in Houston love to talk smack about how Dallas sucks, people in Dallas return fire, and everyone seems to agree that Austin is where weird Texans prefer to plant their weirdo roots. Besides being the…
If Mom Doesn’t Answer Her Phone, You Might End Up Stuck in Jail
You better hope your friends and family are good at answering their phones when unfamiliar numbers show up on the caller ID. Because apparently, in Harris County, you may not be released from jail — even if a judge approves a personal bond and you’re innocent of the charges —…
Triple Threat at CAMH With Works by Blakemore, Rosmarin and Cullar-Ledford
Girl power is riding high over at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, bringing über talents from our local arts scene together for another rendition of “Right Here, Right Now.” The first iteration in 2014 put a spotlight on the fact that H-Town, with its affordable studio spaces and healthy economy, serves…
Someone Is Creating Dozens of Fake Houston Restaurant Pages on Facebook — But Why?
Thanks to tips from multiple readers, the Houston Press has learned that at least sixty Facebook pages have been created for Houston restaurants that do not exist. Addresses of real restaurants are used for the fake listings, causing hopeful diners to drive to what they believe is a hot new…
Upcoming: The Black Angels, Christina Carter, Donovan, Ghostland Observatory, Kenny Rogers, Mana, Red Fang, etc.
Note: Events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 40 oz Bounce: Sun., August 14, 10 p.m., $10 to $20. Studio @ Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, Houston. Adam Carroll: Thu., November 10, 7 p.m., $20 to $22. McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, Houston, 713-528-5999. Allen Stone: Tue., October 25, 8…
The 10 Best Houston Restaurants Reviewed (So Far) in 2016
There’s no getting around it: Compared to the vibrancy of the past few years, the first half of 2016 lacked particularly noteworthy new restaurants. The best ones we’ve reviewed so far this year mostly opened in two batches at the end of 2015: one in October and another in December…
Texans and Their Fans Prepare for a Season Knowing J.J. Watt Is Mortal
If you’re a Houston Texans fan, you’ve probably had an uneasy pit in your stomach for most of 2016, a general queasiness that involuntarily mutes any feelings of optimism about the short-term and long-term prospects of this football team. It’s okay to admit it, because, trust me, we all feel…
Want Your Kids to Read Better? Let Them Text You.
My daughter turned seven this week, and her big gift from us this year was a current-generation iPod Touch. Frankly, we did it to preserve our sanity as there are only so many renditions of the Glee-version of “Don’t Stop Believing” or Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” my wife and I…
When Dental Surgery Lands A Patient in a World of Everlasting Regret
Soft elevator music almost drowns out the distant whine of the dentist’s drill as Mark Deel sits in the waiting room of The Lakes Dental Center in March 2015. Deel sips a margarita and talks football with the gregarious office manager, Brad McGonagle, in the tastefully decorated League City dental…
The Gritty, Gutsy Miranda Lambert We All Fell in Love With Is Back
It’s not really something you’re all that proud to admit out loud, but it’s hard to not be pretty damn happy about Miranda Lambert splitting up with Blake Shelton. After finally wrestling herself away from her overrated, overgrown manchild of an ex-husband, you just knew that the resulting break-up album…
Slim Thug Is Officially an Elder Statesman
In 2009, Slim Thug clearly outlined his policies on fame, major labels and how aligning himself one way felt like he was putting himself in a different position than before. Had things gone his way, “I’m Back” from Boss of All Bosses would have had plenty of different lines. There…
Houston’s 10 Best Honky-Tonks
Houston is a vast metropolis, one of the more eclectic cities you will find. People come from far and wide to make Houston home, which results in our city ranking among the most global and diverse in America. But make no mistake — this is still Texas, and Houston is as…
HHA Chairman Plans to Resign Amid Houston Housing Proposal Controversy
Following heated controversy over plans to build affordable housing in a “high-opportunity neighborhood” near the Galleria area, Houston Housing Authority Board Chairman Lance Gilliam announced Friday he plans to step down from his post. As the Houston Chronicle reported, Gilliam wrote in a letter to Mayor Sylvester Turner and the…
Gambrels of the Sky Pushes Our Imagination of Eve Post Eden
The set up: Gambrels? What are gambrels? And what are they doing in the sky? This was just one of my two initial reactions upon hearing that The Landing Theatre Company was producing Houston playwright Elizabeth A. M. Keel’s play, Gambrels of the Sky. The other reaction? Hooray, amaze-balls and…
Looking Ahead to Pro Football’s Hall of Fame for 2017, Who Gets In?
No sport showcases its history quite like the NFL. So it would stand to reason that the 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a dance card that included one of the most highly anticipated main events in Hall of Fame history (Brett Favre’s induction speech), went off not…
Hunters Extravaganza Brings ‘Gators, Rattlesnakes, Rifles and Knives
The big spectacle at this year’s Hunters Extravaganza will be watching snake handler Joe Martin in his pen full of wild rattlesnakes, holding up a handful (we counted four) and making them – and the audience members – squirm. “He walks around in there. I wouldn’t do it,” says Eric…
Amid Outrage Over Jailed Rape Victim, Senator Huffman to Consider Reforms
A proposal to reform the controversial practice of jailing key witnesses so they don’t skip town before a trial is over is being worked on for the upcoming legislative session, State Senator Joan Huffman’s office announced Friday. The push for change was sparked by the story of a Houston woman who, after…
What if the Astros, not Carlos Beltran, Were the Villain?
The story has always been that Carlos Beltran was a greedy bastard who strung poor Drayton McLane and Houston Astros fans along just long enough so that he could get a rich deal from the New York Mets in 2004. One of those deals that just made no sense for…
A Starry Night Is on the Horizon for Houston
What’s that up in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Perseid meteor shower. Giving a bit of truth to the Lone Star State’s theme song, the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. In this case, those…
This Week in Houston Food Events: New Brewery Eureka Heights Is Getting Around Town
All Week Houston Restaurant Weeks Continue Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you probably already know it is Houston Restaurant Weeks. (And, if you have been living under rock somewhere, who are we to judge?) Check the website for hundreds of reasonably priced, multi-course meals. No less than…
Rorschach Test: What Do You See in Michael Mistric’s Work?
Teacher, nurse practitioner, doodler and enigma, works by Michael L. Mistric, Ph.D. are both familiar yet cryptic. Yes, there is a similarity to molecular and cellular biology among his works, though he didn’t stop there. The self-taught artist kept on doodling (a 25-year passion), introducing geometric forms, checkerboards and tangled…
Giant Kitty and Dressy Bessy Keep Walters’ Friday-Night Crowd ‘Electrified’
Dressy Bessy, Giant Kitty Walters Downtown August 5, 2016 A Friday night at Walters: the distinctive smell of puke wafted through the dense August evening, as members of Rose Ette, El Lago, Giant Kitty, and Dressy Bessy meandered through the outdoor patio’s cigarette haze. Boys and girls alike drifted listlessly…
Pizaro’s in Montrose Offers New Beer and Wine List, Eliminates Beer BYOB
Bill Hutchinson, owner of Pizaro’s Pizza, let us know that on August 1 the Montrose location at 1000 West Gray started selling beer and wine. He says that, for now, this only applies to the Montrose location, as the original at 14028 Memorial lacks sufficient space to store beer and…
Feds Accuse Harris County of Not Making Polls Accessible to the Disabled
Late last week, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Harris County for what it said was the county’s failure to make various polling places accessible to people with disabilities. In the lawsuit, the DOJ argues that Harris County has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act at multiple polling locations and…
Dixie Chicks Receive Heroes’ Welcome at The Woodlands
Dixie Chicks Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 6, 2016 It’s hard to imagine how the Dixie Chicks could have made a better choice of color scheme for their DCXMMXVI tour than simple black and white. It’s almost as if they’re saying if the public’s image of the trio is going…
Shows of the Week: The Peach Panther Prowls Through His Hometown
RIFF RAFF House of Blues, August 10 A diamond-grilled rap court jester whose success has raised some provocative questions about the value of identity and authenticity in the upside-down modern music industry, Riff Raff is at his best when he’s reminding people to not take him too seriously. He was…
Kenny Pipes Has Turned His Pasadena Home Into Almost Austin
“We fly just under the radar.” Years ago, Kenny Pipes knocked down a few walls inside his 1,400 square-foot home in Pasadena. He had built a stage for visiting musicians in his living room but was having trouble accommodating the crowds lining up at his front door, so the walls…
Slash Is King as Guns N’ Roses Returns to Houston
Guns N’ Roses NRG Stadium August 5, 2016 With few exceptions, any musical group’s claim to the title of “biggest band in the world” is typically short-lived. Either they self-destruct – voluntarily (the Beatles) or not so much (Nirvana) – or they go on to become shadows/parodies of their former…
Harborside Mercantile In Galveston Is Closing to Become Another Hubcap Grill
Ricky Craig, the owner of three successful Hubcap Grill locations—two in Houston and one in Kemah—has decided it’s in his best interests to turn Harborside Mercantile at 2021 Strand in Galveston into what will be the fifth Hubcap Grill—but with a twist. The new location will serve cocktails in addition…
Guns N’ Roses Put On a Media Day Before Tonight’s Show
Somebody once said (maybe) that show business is ten percent insanity and 90 percent waiting around. That’s what the Guns N’ Roses media day felt like Thursday afternoon. Tours roll through Houston all the time, and reporters have to ask (nicely) to cover them, but once in a while one…
DJ Fredster’s Home Destroyed by Galleria-Area Apartment Fire
Wednesday’s massive three-alarm fire at the Courtyard Condos in the Galleria area tore through over 30 units, leaving many former residents without a place to live while destroying many fundamental necessities and personal items that will never be replaced. Local musician Hector Garcia, known within Houston’s music scene as DJ…
Houston Thieves May Have Stolen More Than 100 Cars Using Laptops
Two suspects whom police said they believe have stolen more than 100 vehicles in the Houston area have been arrested and charged. Police think Michael Armando Arce. 24. and Jesse Irvin Zelaya, 22, were using laptops and electronic devices to disable alarms and break into dozens of SUVs. Then, police said…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Celebrate White Linen Night With Bratwurst and Barbecue
There are enough great culinary adventures going on in Houston this weekend to keep people busy and well-fed from tonight all the way through Sunday. Here are some of the best picks for the weekend. All-Oyster Happy Hour at Brennan’s of Houston 3300 Smith Friday, August 5, 2 to 7…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Suicide Squad
Title: Suicide Squad Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Barney: Aw Moe, we were saved by a sissy! Moe: Yeah, yeah, we’ll never live it down. Boy, it looks like it’s suicide again for me. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three Red Hoods out of five. Brief Plot…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Ten-Chef Dinner at Vic & Anthony’s
August is many Houstonians’ favorite dining month of the year thanks to Houston Restaurant Weeks. Check the web site for hundreds of reasonably-priced, multi-course meals. Also, take a look at our guides for navigating the overwhelming number of good options, including top picks, all the new restaurants participating for the first…
Let’s All Be Thankful Houston’s Bid to Host The Olympics Was Rejected
The Rio Olympics opening ceremonies are tonight, which prompts this question: My God, are they really going through with this? Athlete housing is not complete. Media housing is not complete. Venues aren’t complete. The Australian delegation was robbed when it evacuated its housing due to a possible fire though the fire…
Chief Auditor Expected to File Whistleblower Lawsuit Today Against HISD [UPDATED]
Chief Auditor Richard Patton is expected to file a whistleblower lawsuit today against his employer, the Houston Independent School District, saying he has been retaliated against by the district for doing his job – namely investigating possible wrongdoing. Patton, who was ordered back to work this week after a five-month…
Biscuit Turner’s Legacy Still Resonates in Texas Punk — Loudly
Bona fide maverick Randy “Biscuit” Turner was a man of a million faces. As an openly gay, seminal Texas singer for the Big Boys, Cargo Cult, Swine King and Texas Biscuit Bombs/Biscuit’s Texas Bombs, spanning the era from Presidents Carter to George W. Bush, he was a beacon — a…
Owners Want Answers for Dead, Missing Pets at Houston Kennel
A look into the owners of a Houston dog boarding facility where one dog died and another disappeared the same week reveals questionable credentials and dubious decision-making. KHOU first reported the sad news from City Canine in northwest Houston, where an English bulldog died in early July and where a German…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Pancakes, Bats and the Bayou
Pancakes, booze and body painting are just a few of our favorite things, getting this weekend off to a really good start. But the fun keeps on keepin’ on with performance art in the East End, the cool and casual White Linen Night in the Heights, and a celebration of…
Openings & Closings in Houston: Bramble Bows Out
Chef Randy Rucker’s popular Southern restaurant Bramble, 2231 South Voss, closed abruptly this week, despite the eatery’s commitment to participate in Houston Restaurant Weeks. In a statement, Rucker said that the economic downturn in recent months, which has particularly affected Houston and other oil-based economies, made the concept unviable. It…
10 Texas Bands That Could Have Opened for Guns N’ Roses
Occasionally, we get tasked with imaginary booking duties, a power trip that is to music writers what fantasy football must be to jockstrap collectors. We get to geek out and dream up musical possibilities, and it’s a little less smelly to boot. Plenty has already been said (and yelled) about…
Vinyl Ranch’s Classic-Country Minivan Hits the Road
On the eve of its ninth anniversary, we asked Vinyl Ranch founder Dave Wrangler to look back, way back to the earliest days of the traditional country music DJ night that began here in Houston and is about to stretch its reach to Music City itself. “The early VR scene…
Friday Free For All: Britney Spears, Andy Stott, Opposition Rising, Slayer, etc.
The Friday Free For All relays albums, artists, videos and vibes the Houston Press Music staff has been grooving to over the past week. BRITNEY SPEARS So it’s been announced that Britney Spears will put out a new record on August 26, to be streamed exclusively through Apple Music. I…
Woman Arrested by Metro Officer As She Called 911 to Report Harassment
When 28-year-old Earledreka White felt threatened by a Metro police officer in Houston, she dialed 911, requesting another unit come to the scene. She was pulled over in March, as Officer Gentian Luca claimed, for crossing a solid white line on a 610 feeder road in southwest Houston. But within…
HISD Trustee Harvin Moore Hands in His Resignation
Harvin Moore, a longtime member and former board president of the Houston ISD school board has suddenly resigned, saying he wanted to leave now “to trigger a high turnout election in November rather than wait for my term end next year.” Contacted in Jerusalem where he is staying with his…
Rob Zombie & Korn Pile On the Gore at The Woodlands
Rob Zombie, Korn, In This Moment Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 3, 2016 True metal fans all dressed in black and mostly suffering from heat exhaustion gathered at the Woodlands Pavilion in the middle of the week to blow off a lot of steam. Sweat dripped down everyone’s tattoos as…
Paxton Pulls Zero Punches in Campus Carry Court Filing
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton this week made good on his pledge to defend the state’s new campus carry law, filing a brief against a legal challenge brought by a trio of University of Texas at Austin professors. “It is a frivolous lawsuit and I’m confident it will be dismissed…
Eat Steaks and Vote in the Houston Press and Heineken Light “Grill Marks” Competition
The Houston Press and Heineken Light have teamed up for “Grill Marks,” a competition where readers can vote for their favorite participating steak night. From now through October 7, enjoy steaks paired with a Heineken light and then vote for the top contender at www.BestSteakNight.com. (The web site also helpfully…
Stirred & Shaken: Frosé at Canard
Wednesday at Canard, 4721 North Main, is Wu-Tang Clan night. There’s even a warning posted on the door. It may as well say, “Abandon all pretension, all ye who enter here and get ready to groove.” The bass lines keep the crowd’s energy up and the conversations flow as easily…
Waller County Sues Gun Activist Over Courthouse Ban
Terry Holcomb, the executive director of the gun-rights group Texas Carry, doesn’t think people should have to disarm themselves to go to the Waller County courthouse building if they aren’t going to court. So he filed a complaint with county officials, arguing that the ban on guns inside the entire…
Forget the Nostalgia; 7 Things About the 1980s That Sucked
Nostalgia for certain decades is a strange thing; it creeps up on people slowly over time, as the memory of its unpleasant parts fades and is replaced by a kind of hazy idealization. The distance of 20 or more years can work wonders for a decade’s cultural reputation, especially among…
Once-Streaking Astros Hampered by Impotent Offense
About ten days ago, things were looking pretty damn sweet for the Houston Astros. They’d just polished off the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game sweep, had won four in a row overall, and sat at ten games over .500 (54-44). More importantly, they had narrowed the Texas Rangers’ lead…
Houston Restaurant Hugo’s Honored for Its Margaritas
Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught’s Montrose-area restaurant, Hugo’s, has been named one of America’s Best Margarita Bars by Food & Wine magazine. Beverage director Sean Beck, who was also a James Beard “Outstanding Wine Program” semifinalist in 2015 for his work at Hugo’s, oversees the drink program. “We are honored…
It’s Absolutely No Surprise That Bloodsport Is One Of Donald Trump’s Favorite Movies
Donald Trump is the 2016 Republican nominee for President of the United States. This is something you were already aware of. Television networks have provided him with billions of dollars in free publicity covering his campaign, even as the tone of that coverage shifted from jaded sneering at the Smirking…
Researchers Think Harris County’s Bail System Is Unconstitutional
Just months after Harris County was sued for jailing poor people who can’t afford bail, a group of law scholars from the University of Pennsylvania swooped in and published a study that documents just how bad the problem is. And it’s bad enough that the researchers concluded Harris County’s bail…
Dixie Chicks vs. Donald Trump: Summer’s Most Entertaining Feud
The Dixie Chicks are not doing interviews with local media on their summer tour, and it’s hard to blame them. It might as well be a law that every newspaper and blog article previewing the tour (yes, even ours) must refer to “the incident,” and rehashing her long-ago comments about…
Skrillex Opening for Guns N’ Roses Makes More Sense Than You Think
The question of the hour since the announcement of Skrillex as the supporting act for the Houston stop of Guns N’ Roses’ “Not In This Lifetime” tour was simply “Why?” Looking down the list of other openers on the tour, this one really sticks out. First let’s take a look…
My Man Thinks I’m His Slave. Help!
MY MAN THINKS I’M HIS SLAVE Dear Willie D: I’m starting to think the only reason my boyfriend is in a relationship with me is so I can clean up after him, cook his food, and give him sex whenever he wants it. He never lifts a finger to do…
Ira Sachs’ Little Men Is a Don’t-Miss Look at Growing Up in an Inconstant New York
Cities, like young people, are forever becoming something new. The latest tender charmer from Ira Sachs chronicles the growing pains of teens and Brooklyn with the wry sensitivity and eye for economic reality that distinguished Sachs’ Love Is Strange (2014) and Keep the Lights On (2012), which began a sort…
DOJ-Approved Plan Would Gut Restrictive Voter ID Law In Texas
The state of Texas submitted a proposal to weaken its controversial voter ID law to a federal judge on Wednesday, two weeks after an appeals court concluded the statute discriminated against minority Texans. The proposal, which has the approval of minority groups who challenged the law and the U.S. Department…
HISD Abruptly Reinstates the Chief Auditor It Sent Home 5 Months Ago [UPDATED]
In a sudden and terse announcement, the Houston ISD today said that its embattled chief auditor, Richard Patton, has been told to come back to work and resume the duties he was barred from five months ago. His home leave came after he headed up a report critical of the…
Foreign Correspondents in Houston Nominated for National Best New Restaurants List
National publication Bon Appétit has announced that Foreign Correspondents is one of 50 nominees for its “Hot 10: America’s Best New Restaurants 2016” list. It is one of four Texas restaurants selected, along with Trompo in Dallas, Hotel Emma in San Antonio and Emmer & Rye in Austin. The restaurants were…
Feds Give Texas $720,000 to Fight Zika, But Will That Be Enough?
Mayor Sylvester Turner sure must have some pull in Washington. Mere minutes after Turner released a statement Monday afternoon requesting additional funds to combat Zika, the Centers for Disease Control obliged — pledging to give Texas $720,000 to fight the mosquito-borne virus. Darian Ward, the mayor’s spokesoman, said the timing…
Texxxas Porn Expo Promoters Hope Third Venue Is the Charm
After being booted by two Houston hotels in recent weeks, the organizers of the Texxxas adult entertainment expo have found a third (and final, they promise) venue for the convention. Texxxas will be held August 18-21 at Cover Girls, a strip club in northwest Houston, near Beltway 8, promoter John…
Big XII Television Partners’ Disapproval of Expansion Is Bad News for UH
Waiting on the sidelines for the Big XII to move on expansion has to be an absolutely excruciating process. I don’t envy what fans, alumni, and employees of the University of Houston (and about a dozen other schools) are going through as this process plays out. I mean, it’s…
First Look at Arthur Ave
When the team of Sharif Al-Amin, managing partner Tim Faiola, sommelier Evan Turner and chef William Wright opened Helen Greek Food & Wine, it brought Houston food that diners probably didn’t even realize they wanted and needed: seasonal Greek cuisine and one of the largest collections of Greek wine in…
Houston Artists Shine at Newport Jazz Festival
Robert Glasper was about a minute into his set on the main stage at the Newport Jazz Festival Sunday when he abruptly cut off the music. The sound on saxophonist Casey Benjamin’s vocoder – an instrument popularized by Stevie Wonder and Kenny G that, for better or worse, enables singers…
Attorneys Warn Texas’s Rule to Cremate Aborted Fetuses Could Trigger Lawsuit
The lawyers who fought Texas all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court over its restrictive abortion laws are suggesting state health officials take another gander at the high court’s ruling that struck them down. They aren’t too sure Texas paid much attention to the ruling, evidenced by the new…
In ‘Ridin’ Dirty,’ UGK Created Their Perfect Album
The most important speech of 1996 was not delivered at a political convention. It was not delivered by a public figure; rather, it was a fictional public figure. It was Bill Pullman, as President Thomas Whitmore in Independence Day, who delivered the rallying cry of my childhood. Surrounded by impossible…
