“Boarded Up – The Art of Surf and Skate”
According to founders Kevin Sechelski and Nicky Davis, Neopopstreetfunk Productions was an idea born from a late night in a garage with large quantities of Lone Star beer: “We are artists, striving to throw the biggest and best art shows Houston has ever seen.” They seem to be on the…
The Marvelous Wonderettes
Anyone who’s all Christmas-ed out but still has in-laws in town and friends to make merry with will be happy to know that Stages Repertory Theatre has extended the run of its wildly popular production of Roger Bean’s The Marvelous Wonderettes. This cheerful musical glazed with sinfully simple-minded fun features…
Houston Symphony on New Year’s Eve at the Centrum
Ring in 2011 with one of the country’s most accomplished orchestras at the Houston Symphony on New Year’s Eve at the Centrum concert. Conductor Brett Mitchell, who spends a large amount of his time circling the world, leading such groups as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre National de France,…
Ars Lyrica Houston: Musical Resolutions
Ars Lyrica Houston plans a New Year’s Eve program of Musical Resolutions including a Bach suite, a Telemann concerto, and Handel’s cantata Apollo e Dafne. The program, led by Ars Lyrica Artistic Director Matthew Dirst, features a number of Ars Lyrica favorites, including soprano Melissa Givens, bass-baritone Timothy Jones, plus…
Gloworama New Year’s Eve
There’s only one official New Year’s Eve party in Houston and it’s the Gloworama New Year’s Eve bash. The family fun starts off at 7 p.m. with live music and ice skating at Discovery Green. At 9:30 p.m. there’s a parade with illuminated Art Cars, scooters, bikes and other mobile…
“Erotica”
You’ll have to look closely at the images in “Erotica,” the new exhibit by Magnus Johnstone. That’s because the painter uses the Junglist method, and his work sometimes takes a moment to decipher. (Junglist is a method Johnstone created that parallels the style of techno music he plays on his…
Sharkey’s New Year’s Eve Bash
Kids can celebrate the new year with their favorite man-eating finned friend at Sharky’s New Year’s Eve Bash. It’s an afternoon party with a balloon drop, games, contests and prizes. A kid-friendly DJ will play holiday music and pop favorites to keep everyone on the dance floor between trips to…
New Year’s Eve at the House of Blues
Join the Houston Press in celebrating New Year’s Eve at the House of Blues. Reckless Kelly will be performing with Sarah Pierce & Rich O’Tool for a concert you won’t want to miss! There will also be a free NYE party in the Foundation Room before and after the concert…
The BLT (Black Tie, Lingerie, Toga) VII New Year’s Eve Party
You can take your choice of attire at The BLT (Black Tie, Lingerie, Toga) VII New Year’s Eve Party. Of course, you can also be contrary and wear jeans or something else dreadfully dull. But what’s the fun in that? An open bar will keep everyone sufficiently hydrated and happy…
Midnight in the Gardens – New Year’s Eve Gala
From 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., put on your dancing shoes and ring in the New Year in grand style with Moody Gardens at the Midnight in the Gardens New Year’s Eve Gala. The New Year’s Eve party will feature non-stop entertainment by the premier party band Commercial Art. Guests…
Plaza Suite – New Year’s Gala at Theatre Southwest
A high-class hotel is the setting for the three-act comedy Plaza Suite. The action follows three middle-age couples who successively check into the same luxury suite. The first couple checks in only to realize they’ve returned to their honeymoon suite. But after 20-something years of marriage, life isn’t a honeymoon,…
New Year’s Eve/Studio 55 at Hilton Americas-Houston
Go to Studio 55 and dance to the music as DJ Damon spins the hits of the ’70s. Groove to the music of headliners Mary Griffin and Todd Honeycutt and get down to the sounds of the Ernest Walker Band. Choose between the $109-per-person Party Only package, which includes a…
New Year’s Eve Dinner at Kiran’s
There will be three dinner seatings, at 5, 7:30, and 10 p.m., for $95 per person. Guests will start with an amuse bouche, followed by a three-course dinner, dessert, a complimentary champagne toast and chocolate-covered strawberries. Fri., Dec. 31, 2010…
New Year’s Eve at Caffe Bello
For New Year’s Eve, there will be a regular menu and open seating, with the option of a special multi-course menu at $39 per person. For information, call 713-520-5599 or visit www.caffebello.com. Fri., Dec. 31, 2010…
New Year’s Bubbles and Bourbon Bash
Anvil Bar & Refuge is celebrating the year’s end with its New Year’s Bubbles and Bourbon Bash. Candlelight, hip jazz music, New Year’s party hats and noisemakers, a midnight balloon drop, and a champagne or bourbon midnight toast are all part of the event, for which no reservation is needed…
New Year’s Eve at Ristorante Cavour
For those interested in ringing in the New Year Italian style, Ristorante Cavour Executive Chef Renato DePirro has designed a celebratory five-course New Year’s Eve menu, including Tasmanian Salmon Tartar, Duck Consomme, Risotto Milanese, a choice of Wagyu Filet “Rossini” or Seared Branzino Fillet, and Chocolate Celebration. This meal will…
New Year’s Eve at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar
The fun begins at 8 p.m. this New Year’s Eve at a party complete with party favors, light hors d’oeuvres, singing and a bottle of champagne for table reservations. Reserved seating is available for $200 per table of four. General admission starts at $20 per person. Reservations are recommended.For information,…
Don’t Stop Believin’, Or Bloggin’, Tomorrow And Friday
We know you people. You are already edging your way out the office door. You have off tomorrow and Friday, and you’ve got things to do. Well, one of those things you need to do on the two days remaining before Christmas is to keep checking Hair Balls and the…
Comment of the Day: Taboo Edition
You know what’s even more taboo than foot fetishes and pig-human relations? Admitting you like Becks Prime. But in Joanna O’Leary’s post about the Becks California burger, commenter Sugarlandin tried to clear the fancy chain’s name. I often see and hear the same attitude toward Becks Prime: “Against my will”…
Fitzgerald’s: No. 3 Local Music Story Of 2010
This week Rocks Off is counting down the top stories in the Houston music scene this year. The slow, sad demise of Meridian, which may have reached its end Tuesday, is No. 4. It hit the Houston music scene like a bomb on July 27, when we got the news…
Dining Out on Christmas Day? Here’s What’s Open
Does the thought of preparing another holiday meal under the scrutinizing glare of your mother-in-law make you want to shoot your eye out? The holidays are stressful enough without the pressure of preparing the perfect Christmas meal. Give yourself the gift of peace of mind. Let the pros handle the…
Best Boat Name Ever? Or Bestest Boat Name Ever??!
Brittanie SheyHat tip to frequent Rocks Off contributor William Michael Smith for bringing this party boat to our attention. It’s sitting outside Gibbs Boats and Motors on West Gray and Montrose, where it underwent a little tune-up a few weeks ago and is awaiting pick-up from the owner. We talked…
New York/Euro Style at Leap Boutique
On the bustling, often jammed-packed Bissonnet Street, there’s a unique boutique that promises to update your New York sense of style. The ladies at Leap (2314 Bissonnet, 713-526-4580) have found and selected East Coast designers such as Rachel Comey, Tucker, and a dash of French designers like Isabel Marant. Leap…
The 10 Best New Restaurants of 2010
Trying to select only 10 restaurants out of the dozens that have opened the past year is agonizing. In a good way, of course — Houston has been fertile ground for innovative and passionate restaurateurs this year. But agonizing nevertheless. There are restaurants that have opened in the past 12…
Four Loko: Approved In Texas Again!! (Um, Without The Caffeine)
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission today approved sales of a reconstituted Four Loko — one that comes without caffeine. Which is kind of like cigarettes without nicotine — it’s a safer option, but what’s the point? The TABC had asked retailers to remove the old-school Four Loko from their shelves…
Salvation Army Hit By Houston-Area Kettle-Robbing Spree
It’s a (Bizarro World) Christmas miracle!! The Salvation Army’s local chapter says it’s been slammed by three kettle robberies in the last 24 hours, and four overall this Christmas season. “In each case, thankfully, no violence or aggression has been used against any of the kettle workers,” a spokesman said…
Rex Ryan Has A Foot Fetish
I have to admit, the information age in which we live has been largely a positive thing for me. In a line of business where you are constantly needing to generate new content — particularly sophomoric, mindless content — the internet, blogs, and the completely extinct margin for error we…
The Art of Being Sick
It’s that time of the year when one morning you’re going to wake up with your ears, nose and throat full of somebody else’s germs… and not in a good way (if there is one). Cold-and-flu season is not the most popular for obvious reasons–though honestly, hurricane season is the…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Seth Siegel-Gardner of Kata Robata
Shortly after naming Kata Robata (3600 Kirby Dr, 713-526-8858) Houston’s best new restaurant, we learned that they were getting a new chef: Seth Siegel-Gardner, a native Houstonian. EOW had the chance to speak with Siegel-Gardner in early December, just as he was rolling out his new menu. Siegel-Gardner is making…
The Worst Album Covers Of 2010
These are some of the worst album covers to grace store shelves your hard drive this year. Only a few of you seem to be buying albums anymore unless you still buy vinyl, in which case you are a saint and a scholar. You know what is a good album…
Texas Domestic Violence Centers: Unfortunately, They’re Busier Than Ever
Business continues to boom, sadly, at Texas centers that deal with family violence, with more cases than ever and longer stays becoming necessary, according to a study released today. The Allstate Foundation surveyed 39 centers statewide and almost all said the need for services had increased over a busy 2009…
Pork and Fowl at Hoggs n’ Chicks
“I don’t know anything about this place,” I warned my dining companion as we drove beneath a cloudless blue sky on a smooth stream of asphalt toward Hoggs n’ Chicks one crispy Sunday morning. “Oh yeah?” she asked. “Yeah. For all I know, it could be a biker restaurant. ‘Hoggs’…
Meridian: A Retrospective Of Better Days
The Meridian Saga seems to have ended, after close to a year of weirdness and shady business dealings. In the past twelve months it went through overhauls, new management, lockouts, changes in image, mild scandals, and even a name change. Remember Wired Live? Tuesday on Facebook the club said goodbye…
Happy Hour Scene: Double Cross Lounge
The Place: Double Cross Lounge114 Gray St. 713-526-3423The Hours: Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturday and Sunday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.The Deals: Nightly drink specials. Always includes a one beer, one wine, one mixed drink and a selection from the bar’s “small bites” menu. Signature martinis are…
UFOs Visited Houston Last Week, According To Footage That “Looks Authentic”
If your husband came home last week complaining about an alien anal probe, he’s not a closet case. Chances are he was actually probed by the aliens whose spaceship hovered over downtown Houston last week. Don’t take our word for it — take the word of the website Before it’s…
Eight Tips for Improving Your Christmas Dinner Photos
Christmas dinner can be a wonderful experience, sitting around a big table with family and friends laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It can also be a horrible disaster complete with inappropriate admissions and the brandishing of weaponry. Whatever the case, you’ll want to document as much of it as…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: True Grit
Title: True Grit They Remade That John Wayne Movie? Yes, minus Glen Campbell. But Aren’t You The One Who’s Always Bitching About Hollywood’s Lack Of Creativity? This is true, but I think the guys responsible for No Country For Old Men, Miller’s Crossing and Fargo, among others, have earned the…
Roky Moon & BOLT!, Glam-Rock Monsters Of Midtown
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Occasionally – not often, but occasionally – we’ll…
Jerry Patterson Feels The Obama Magic, Joins Forces With Him
In the furious, never-ending effort by Texas politicians to distance themselves from the Beltway, few are more emphatic than Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson of Pasadena. In his most recent race he ran a radio ad that not only featured a DC resident getting shot because of a lack of Second…
Boudin and Dirty Rice at Pyburn’s Farm Fresh Foods
Just down FM 521, past the Humane Society but not quite to Beltway 8, is Pyburn’s Farm Fresh Foods (13824 Almeda Road, 713-433-6051). One can only imagine what the area looked like when Pyburn’s was established in the 1940s: very rural, very quiet. Pyburn’s was, perhaps, the only grocery store…
Texas Piano Players: A Legacy (Part 1)
The piano might not be the first musical instrument you think of when you think of Texas (Stay with me Van Cliburn fans…). The mystique of the guitar and the Texans who play(ed) it, including Blind Willie Johnson, Lightning Hopkins, and Albert Collins to name just a few, is well-deserved…
The Lost Sinatra Group Christmas Episode
Through the magic of Christmas, Rocks Off has received a copy of the transcript of the “Sinatra Group” sketch that was filmed in an alternate reality last weekend, one in which Phil Hartman never died, and Saturday Night Live is currently in one of its funniest seasons to date. What…
Dequarusis Dequan Turner, 19, Bayou Body Count No. 295
A man has been charged with murder in the mid-morning shooting of a couple on the northeast side that left a man dead. Dequarusis Dequan Turner, 19, and a female companion were shot several times at his house in the 4900 block of Weaver about 10:35 Tuesday morning, police say…
Cheap + Easy + Delicious = Turkey Necks
Living with my grandparents during my freshman year of college was not ideal from a staying-out-all-night-and-doin’-stuff perspective, but it kicked ass from a meal-plan point of view. What’s not to love about home cooking 24/7/365.25? Plus, I got a free education in Southern cooking on the cheap, since my grandmothers…
Your Meme of the Week: Cheese People
I worked at Domino’s Pizza during college, not because I loved pizza or even because I liked not having to take drug tests. No, I did it because I loved being around cheese. Mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, American–it was all around me, all I could eat. Sometimes I would sneak some…
Cougar Beats Bearkat, Thus UH Beats Sam Houston State
The Houston Cougars (7-5) don’t play very good basketball in the first half. At 12 games into the season, that can be established as a fact. The players know it and admit it. The coaches know it and it admit it. It’s something they say they’re working on, but it’s…
Houston’s Elusive Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Update: Brown Bag Deli
Upon the advice of Meghan, Cortney and Maggie, I went to the Brown Bag Deli in the hopes of snagging a chewy chocolate chip cookie. The cookies ($1.50) were lodged in individual white paper bags in a large glass jar just behind the counter next to an identical container of…
Meridian Says It’s Officially Closed
Troubled Houston music venue the Meridian announced Tuesday that after a turbulent year of management changes, show cancellations and allegations of everything from unpaid utility bills to unpaid rent, it has officially shut down. “The Meridian Houston now as of 12/21/10 is now CLOSED!,” the club announced on its Facebook…
Random Food Christmas Traditions: Late Night Jack in the Box
My family has always done our big dinner on Christmas Eve. That’s when we bring out the pork roast, potatoes, Moros y Cristianos, and a bunch of other traditional American and Cuban dishes. We gorge ourselves until we pass out, and then the next morning we sleep in and start…
The Galleria Is Hardly A Winter Wonderland
Rocks Off, like the rest of you, hasn’t finished all of our holiday shopping. Every Christmas, we tell ourselves that we’ll begin earlier next year, but it never quite pans out the way we want it to. Ain’t that feeling all too familiar? While we braved the crowds at the…
The 20 Best Names Of 2010’s Accused Criminals
Here’s a selection of the ten best male and ten best female names we found in many months’ worth of trolling Harris County arrest records. A couple of disclaimers in order: Not all, indeed not necessarily any, of these people were convicted of a crime. Additionally, the crimes they are…
Top Five: Best Christmas Episodes
What is it about Christmas that inspires so many TV tie-ins? Aside from Halloween, it seems like Christmas is the most popular holiday to use as a narrative prop, and the episodes below are some of the best for the way they’ve weaved their stories around the holiday. It was…
Comment Of The Day: Don’t Mess With Lunar-Eclipse Fans
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 Dead Revolt: Ask A Simple Question…
Sooooooo… The Dead Revolt. They’re loud, crash-bangy indie-rockers who tend to do very well here in the city. However, we are not here to tell you how awesome they are. We are here to talk about why someone would call their band The Dead Revolt. Most of us are revolted…
Kubiak Deathwatch: Whither Bob McNair’s Sanity?
After last week’s debacle of a clustermuck in Tennessee, it was probably expected that the needle on the Kubiak Deathwatch meter would be straining forcibly to move to the “He’s Outta Here” level. Alas, such is not the life of a Texans fan. In one of the strangest speeches ever…
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. Robb Walsh: If you’re still stumped for a Christmas gift, Robb Walsh…
Lesbian Teen Sues Kilgore School District For Outing, Harassing Her
If two high school coaches lead a girl into an empty locker room and lock the door behind them, something bad can happen, and at Kilgore High School, according to a new lawsuit filed by the Texas Civil Rights Project, it did. The lawsuit tells about a student suffering “severe…
Comment of the Day: The MSG Question
Does somebody have an axe to grind with Hartz’s Fried Chicken, or should its chicken be rechristened Chicken a la MSG? Consider today’s comment of the day, from – yes – commenter Skip Foreplay, about one of Kevin Shalin’s top 5 fast food chicken purveyors: Having a father that owned…
Metro Warns Suppliers To Buy American: Barn Door Officially Closed
Perhaps just a wee bit late, Metro has sent out a letter to its suplliers making clear that they need to follow “Buy American” guidelines. “All steel, iron and other manufactured products bought for Metro’s light rail expansion project must be produced in the United States”, notes Senior V-P David…
Jim Parsons Plugs Houston’s Museum District
Today, CultureMap reported on the above video clip in which Big Bang Theory actor and Houston native Jim Parsons plugs the Houston Museum District, saying, “I lived in Houston, and I lived in New York for a time. I saw more horses in New York than I ever saw in…
Texas Bowl Says More Than 60,000 Tickets Sold
There were some who grumbled a bit about this year’s Texas Bowl matchup (us, for example), but if ticket sales are any indication, the whiners are in the minority. Bowl officials announced today that 60,000 seats have been sold and only 10,000 remain with eight days to go to kickoff…
Christmas Cocktails: Pomegranate French 75
This recipe is courtesy of one of my favorite bartenders, Anthony Montz, formerly of Double Cross Lounge and currently of Zimm’s (4321 Montrose). It’s sweet and tangy, and the beautiful ruby-red pomegranate seeds make it the perfect drink to indulge in this season. Try it at home or go by…
Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
My family never made sweet potatoes for our holiday dinners. Perhaps it was a Northern thing. After I acquired in-laws, I was suddenly exposed to holiday sweet potatoes, which is a family favorite. Last year, I snuck in a holiday alternative – a sweet potato casserole swiped from a coworker,…
Teen Birth Rate Hits Lowest Point In 70 Years
See what happens when you get rid of abstinence-only sex education? The birth rate for teen mothers is at its lowest point since 1940, when records were first kept, a federal study released today says. The report from the National Center for Health Statistics said the teen birthrate fell to…
The California Burger at Becks Prime
Against my will I went for the first time to Becks Prime, which my husband loves, but I had thus far avoided. I was probably the only person in Houston who had not and never ever planned to try a Becks burger. My “meating” companion and burger expert friend had…
Rocks Off’s Most-Viewed Slideshows of 2010
Rocks Off will be pulling together a collection of our favorite concert shots from the past year shortly, including some pics of you all in the audience. But right now we’ve decided to take a look at your favorite music slideshows of 2010 — that is, the ones that have…
The Death Penalty Is Totally Passe These Days, Group Finds
Harris County, you used to be cool. You sent more people to Death Row than most countries. And were damn proud of it, too. Now, the death penalty is a forgotten memory of another time, the go-go `80s and `90s when brash prosecutors racked up executions like notches in a…
Vid Picks of the Week: Reality on YouTube
The film critic for The New York Times, A.O. Scott, writes about the underlying themes of movies in How Real Does It Feel? (The Social Network, Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, I’m Still Here, etc). To highlight the notion of reality on screen, they asked 14 Oscar-buzzed actors to present…
Nine Web Memes of the `90’s That Led to Today’s Internet
It was the 1990’s. Homes had dial-up internet. Yahoo! was the internet search engine of choice. There were no such things as blogs or Tweets and your best way to meet people online was through America Online, not Facebook or MySpace. Instead of YouTube videos, you had hand-drawn Flash animations…
Brew Blog: Great Divide Brewing Co., the Christmas Ale from Anchor Brewing Co., and Avery Brewing Co.’s Old Jubilation Ale
Putting up a post this week on Christmas beers surely strikes several of you as last-minute, but are you really done with your shopping? Yeah, we didn’t think so. We recently loaded up for the season with several six-packs that caught our eye at Central Market, including Hibernation Ale from…
Ten Bizarro Christmas-Carol Covers
Thanks to holiday-themed compilations like A Very Special Christmas and Little Steven’s Christmas A Go-Go, we often hear our favorite modern artists putting their spin on holiday classics. But for those who are tired of forcing Mariah Carey’s eight-octave “All I Want For Christmas” on their family-friendly-by-necessity playlists, we’re here…
Top 10: Most Ridiculous Things Inspired By Mad Men
In case you’re not one of more than two million Americans who tuned into Mad Men for its fourth season (fans range from President Barack Obama to Meryl Streep), all you need to know is this: It’s a 1960s drama set in an advertising firm oiled by booze, clouded in…
Juan Perez Tells Kids To Do Porn Or He’ll Put Their Semi-Dirty Pictures On The Net
A Houston man has been hit with a slew of charges relating to child pornography, federal prosecutors say. Juan Perez, 28, contacted minors and established relationships with them via phone and computer, an indictment says, and then he got really sleazy. After getting a semi-dirty photo or two, the feds…
Recipe: Cuban Picadillo Enchiladas
It is essential to have a few recipes in your repertoire that are simple to make, you generally have the ingredients for on hand, and taste great in a matter of minutes. This makes life so much easier when guests unexpectedly drop by or you decide to host an impromptu…
Eskabel: Ready To Get All Trae Tha Truth Tonight
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
Houston Texans — My Question to Bob McNair
“I just wanted the team to know how close, not only we think they are, but how close our competitors think they are to being an outstanding team…I think what it does it’s sort of an affirmation that we’re on the right track. Clearly we have to do better because…
City Hall Farmers Market: Get Your Last-Minute Food Gifts
The very last City Hall Farmers Market of the year is taking place tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in its usual location, surrounding the pool directly in front of City Hall. The market will be taking a brief holiday break for Christmas and will be back again in…
Xmas Smackdown: “Born To Die” Vs. “Christmas Shoes”
Christians love death at Christmas time. These two Christmas songs deal in the kind of mortality that is only hinted at in “Frosty The Snowman.” He dies when the snow melts, but ominously proclaims that “he will be back someday.” He doesn’t even say when, and that’s messed up. You…
Jerry Eversole, County Commissioner, Indicted By Feds
Jerry Eversole’s long-awaited indictments: Today’s the day, reportedlyJerry Eversole, the longtime County Commissioner who’s ruled his fiefdom with an exceedingly relaxed take on campaign-contribution laws and work ethics, has been indicted by the federal government, according to the Houston Chronicle. A hearing in federal court is scheduled for 2 p.m.,…
Axl And Slash, Still Causing Trouble
Rocks Off is following our sister Houston Press blogs into the choppy waters of “Comment of the Day,” choosing a comment or a handful of comments from the previous day we find especially enlightening, infuriating or just plain hilarious. We’re glad our readers have opinions, whatever they are, about what…
Avoid the Unnecessary Hassle of a Breakup with iDUMP4U.com
Do you want out of a relationship but find yourself stalling to avoid the unpleasantness surrounding a messy breakup? You’re in luck. There’s an app for that. Yes my friends, technology has taken another giant leap towards depravity with iDUMP4U.com, a new web service complete with mobile applications that will…
Walmart vs Best Buy: Rice Studies Why Walmart’s Kicking Butt
Walmart is going to kick Best Buy’s ass this holiday shopping season, and researchers at Rice say they know why. And the stunning answer is…..prices. Though they maintained equivalent levels of overall customer satisfaction (72 percent are satisfied with Wal-Mart and 73 percent with Best Buy), 80 percent of customers…
Happy Family Togetherness at Hunan Village: Not So Happy
Not too long ago, I revisited a restaurant that had been a family favorite for years, yet had fallen out of the rotation for a while. It turned out well, and earned the place a slot back in the mental restaurant file. In a similar spirit, I took the family…
Upcoming: Boz Scaggs, Genitorturers, Lucero, Etc.
The Adicts: Wed., March 23. Warehouse Live. Al Stewart: Fri., April 29. Dosey Doe Coffee Company. Badfish (Sublime Tribute), Full Service: Fri., Jan. 28. House of Blues. Black Veil Brides, DRUGS, I See Stars, Versaemerge: Sun., March 20. Warehouse Live. Bob Schneider: Fri., March 11. House of Blues. Bobby Womack:…
Just What America Needs: Four More Texas Votes In The U.S. House Of Representatives
Republicans in the Texas Legislature have already been salivating over the opportunity to redraw Congressional districts with little to no interference from those annoying Democrats. The U.S. Census just handed them another gift: Four more seats to mess with. A 20 percent population increase means Texas gets an additional four…
Seven Best Texas Sex Stories Of 2010
Feel free to mess with Texans, apparently’Twas the night before Chritmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…except for an ex-surgeon with a suitcase full of dildos.That’s just one of the Christmas tales parents can tell their young’ns as the year winds down. We now present you…
McDonald’s Now Serving Oatmeal: Fast Food Is Dead, Long Live Fast Food!
That’s right: McDonald’s, long the bastion of unhealthy yet filling breakfasts, is now serving oatmeal. Seemingly in response to Starbucks’ decision back in 2008 to start offering oatmeal in addition to fatty pastries at breakfast, the fast food giant has rolled out a $1.99 cup of oats that comes topped…
Tanisha Branch: 90 MPH The Wrong Way, Smashes Head-On Into Oncoming Car; She Survives, Other Person Doesn’t
There’s DWI, and then there’s GOOD LORD WTF DWI. Tanisha Branch,22, is guilty of the latter type, at least according to what Harris County Sheriff’s deputies are telling reporters. Twice the legal limit? Check. Not earthshaking, but not bad. Open container in car? Check. Going 90 MPH? Yep. Going 90…
What’s New In The Houston Scene Since You Were Here Last
Imagine that you have been frozen since September, or at least the beginning of the fall college semester. Or maybe you are an adult coming back to Houston to visit the folks, return Christmas presents, see friends and make bad decisions with people you forgot existed. Like that girl you…
Wine of the Week: Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine
‘Tis the season of overindulgence, and I say, why wait to pop open that bottle of bubbly taking up room in your refrigerator? The week of Christmas is as good as any to start the celebratory drinking and a perfect time to test out samples of sparkling wine in preparation…
Indie-Cinema Turf War!
Friday we received an email exchange between Cressandra Thibodeaux, owner/director of 14 Pews (a microcinema housed at the former Aurora Picture Show); Marian Luntz, director of MFAH Films; and Erin Owens, a distributor with Arthouse Films. Here’s the gist: Thibodeaux says Luntz is systematically “pulling” films from 14 Pews’ programming…
Top 5: Fast Food Chicken Dishes Done Right
When I indulge in fast food, you can generally count on me ordering something chicken. Here are my top five. 5. Hartz’s Fried Chicken First off, I hate fast food fried chicken (think KFC buckets), but given the title of the piece, felt obligated to include at least one place…
Lonesome Onry And Mean’s Top 11 Obscure 2010 Albums
As per previous years, Lonesome Onry and Mean isn’t going to bother with running down all this year’s major-label releases. Ranking the relative merits of Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert is the Houston Chronicle’s job, we suppose. Seeing major players like Robert Plant, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp…
The Year In Aeros Hockey: 25 Random Thoughts Centered Around Ice Girls
The Houston Aeros had a disappointing 2009-10 season, and closing in on the midway point of the 2010-11 season, playoff chances are up in the air. Then again, this being Houston, just having a chance at the playoffs should be seen as successful, especially when compared with the juggernauts of…
Not So Sole Survivor
While performing a cursory channel scan last Sunday, I noticed perennial viewing options like Undercover Boss and *cough* C.S.I. Miami were nowhere to be found, replaced by the blockbuster season finale (and reunion episode) of Survivor. I guess I don’t watch enough CBS, because I gotta be honest, I had…
Wait, Survivor Is Still On?
While performing a cursory channel scan last Sunday, I noticed perennial viewing options like Undercover Boss and *cough* C.S.I. Miami were nowhere to be found, replaced by the blockbuster season finale (and reunion episode) of Survivor. I guess I don’t watch enough CBS, because I gotta be honest, I had…
Skeleton Dick: 3-D And Dinosaurs For Christmas
Rocks Off is convinced we’re going out on Christmas Day to do some of that rock and rolling thing that seems to be so popular with the kids. But where shall we go? The goth in us is leaning towards dropping by Numbers for Underworld’s Christmas Party. Then again, there’s…
Did Andy Dick Whip His Out in Houston Thursday Night?
Stories about exactly what happened last Thursday night around Fitzgerald’s, and Andy Dick’s “performance” that night at the indie-rock venue, vary by who you talk to. If you were there, you either hated his stream of consciousness performance, or you loved every second of watching a drunk man slowly peel…
Comment Of the Day: Ye Olde Sexual Double Standard
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…
Where Are We Drinking?
This is a bar’s bar if there ever was one. No green apple martinis here, no pink cosmopolitans. Just good, quality beer and liquor. Think you know where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Kevin Shumate: Bow & Arrow Practice With Pussycats As Targets
Generally, when dudes are described in police reports as “shirtless white male wearing blue jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat” the next words usually aren’t “was stopped by officers and given the key to the city for being a distinguished, upstanding gentleman.”And such is the case with Corpus Christi’s Kevin James…
Your Bolivar Ferry Experience Might Be Annoying For A While (Updated)
If your time-off plans include a leisurely cruise on the Bolivar Ferry this holiday season, expect things to be a little more leisurely than usual. One of the ferries is in the shop for emergency repairs, TxDOT’s Karen Othon says, and another is in for regularly scheduled maintenance. That means…
KTRU Sale Now Totally In FCC’s Hands
Earlier today, activist group Friends of KTRU filed its opposition to the responses to its Petition to Deny the sale of the station’s FM frequency (91.7), broadcast tower and FCC rights from Rice University to the University of Houston System. UHS plans to convert 91.7 from the largely student-run, local…
Comment of the Day: Shiny Toy Edition
Katharine Shilcutt gave our readers a bright and shiny toy to play with today with “The Nation’s BBQ Capital According to Google, and It Ain’t Texas.” Some readers did their own investigations and came up with some interesting observations: From Wendy: -Other things Texas scored high on: -Pate -Foie gras…
Video: The Imperial Sugar Refinery Implosion in Sugar Land
Check out photos of the implosion in our slideshow. On the chilly morning of December 19th, 2010, people from around the region gathered to watch as the de-facto face of Sugar Land was changed forever. An implosion of two buildings of the former Imperial Sugar refinery was scheduled for seven…
Recipe: Chocolate, Almond and Raspberry Tart
I recently made this recipe, adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine, and was thrilled with the results. My guests were already stuffed with five courses of food, yet the entire tart disappeared within minutes. And the ruby-red color of the glistening raspberries makes it perfect for your Christmas feast. It is…
Odd Pair: KILT Tries Lord, Innes Together
The sports radio landscape in Houston used to be simple. For years, there was one show: Sports Beat on KTRH. The evening sports show was all Houston sports fans had when it came to sports talk. With the rise of sports talk nationwide, Houston followed suit, first with KILT 610,…
Naked or Nudes: Magnus Johnstone’s “Erotica”
(Check out a NSFW slideshow of photos from the “Erotica” opening reception.) A question of terminology presents itself at “Erotica” the new show at Domy Books of drawings by Magnus Johnstone. This series is unified by, among other elements, a subject that could be described either as “female nudes” or…
Unfortunate-Looking Dessert Proves Quite Tasty
“I’m not eating that. It looks disgusting.” My boyfriend shoved the Styrofoam bowl back across the table at me, its contents jiggling slightly as he did. Inside the bowl were five spheres coated in a fine peanut dust. One of them was oozing a dark, black substance. I could see…
Top 10: Things in Your Closet You Must Destroy Now
Next month, we’ll be a whole year into the new decade. While we still aren’t quite sure how to refer to it yet (the twenty-teens?), we can think of 10 fashion trends we’d like to stay permanently fixed in the past…
The Bloggess Brings The Christmas Cheer
A local blogger has made Christmas happen for a lot of needy families. It started last week when Jenny Lawson, who runs thebloggess.com, put up a simple post about people struggling and Christmastime being really hard this year for all the people broke and out of work. Especially when kids…
Top Five Christmas Movies From Alternate Realities
If, as so many quantum physicists and dubious science-fiction shows suggest, there are infinite alternate dimensions, then of course that means there are infinite possibilities. There are infinite worlds on which you are a murderous pervert, infinite worlds on which you’re the savior of all mankind, and infinite worlds in…
Felicia Jefferson, 28, Bayou Body Count No. 294
A security guard who was waving around what he thought was an unloaded pistol has been charged with criminal negligent homicide in the death of a woman on the southwest side Sunday evening, police say. Felicia Jefferson, 28, was in a bedroom with her sister, three kids and her sister’s…
Ingredient of the Week: Chinese Broccoli
What is it? Also known as gai lan, kai-lan, or Chinese kale, this leafy green vegetable looks like a cross between mustard greens, spinach, bok choy and – if you look closely in the center of those green bundles – broccoli. The taste is a similar combination of broccoli (the…
Guns N’ Roses, Rolling Stones, Prince Coming In 2011?
Rocks Off is in the concert business for all intents and purposes. We scour Pollstar and other Web sites and almost hourly looking for new shows and tours to tell you about around the clock. In the span of writing this introduction we just listed Lucero (February 23, Fitzgerald’s) and…
Carl Crawford Gives Davis High Academic Cred At Harvard
Carl Crawford, the Davis High School grad who is the Boston Red Sox’ latest big-money acquisition, is giving his alma mater some serious academic credibility among his learned new neighbors. Or at least he was, for a while. A baseball blogger in Kansas City noted Crawford’s move to Boston and,…
Health Dept. Roundup
The holiday season didn’t have city health inspectors feeling all that generous when they did their normal rounds last week and found the following offenders: If you happen to be car shopping at the Momentum Mini dealership (10000 Southwest Fwy.) keep this in mind if deciding whether to eat at…
Lightnin’ Hopkins Finally Gets What’s Coming To Him
This week Rocks Off is counting down our choices for the Top 5 local music stories of 2010. WHAT HAPPENED? Coming in at No. 5 on our year-end list is the story that took the longest, and also the shortest, amount of time to develop. When Centerville-born bluesman Sam “Lightnin'”…
Robert Douglas Dewitt: Soldier Traded Sex Photos With Fort Bend Pre-Teen
Basic training in the Army can be a drag, so it’s small wonder that a man might seek diversion. When that diversion involves sending videos of himself masturbating to a 12-year-old girl, and getting similarly explicit photos in return, then there’s trouble. Robert Douglas Dewitt, 20, was sentenced to five…
Your Holiday Party Won’t Break the Bank with $2.99 Wines From Whole Foods Market
Save your hard-earned cash for presents by stocking your holiday party with Three Wishes wines, available exclusively at Whole Foods Market for $2.99 a bottle. At this point, some of you are no doubt saying “What the hell? She’s gone and lost her mind!” The last time I wrote about…
Willie Nelson And Weed: Houston Teapot Party Answers The Call
Shortly after Willie Nelson’s arrest last month for breathing pot, a statewide movement sprung up to legalize marijuana in Texas. As our sister blog Rocks Off reported, the Teapot Party was headquartered in Austin (of course) and was looking to do big things. And now there is a Houston chapter…
Captain Beefheart, Houston Misses You
“An electric guitar attracts Beelzebub…” Today’s comment of the day comes to us from Friday afternoon’s announcement that artist and avant-garde rocker Captain Beefheart, aka Don Van Vliet, had passed away in Southern California at age 69. radiocitizen: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Rocks Off isn’t surprised the news of Beefheart’s death provoked such…
The Nation’s BBQ Capital According to Google, and It Ain’t Texas
Last week, we showed you how Google has been actively tracking food and drink trends since at least 2004 and how 2010 was the year of pizza (at least according to your search patterns and the number of times people have Googled “Pizza Hut”). But that’s not the only thing…
Pearland’s Trick Play: Way To Go?
High school football is usually the best provider of trick plays, because hey, it’s high school and kids are easily distracted. Pearland High won the 5A state crown in dramatic fashion over the weekend, knocking off favored Euless Trinity 28-24 in front of 43,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium. Included in…
Ten More Places I Shot As a Photographer, Want to Try as an Eater
In September, I wrote about ten Houston restaurants I wanted to try, having photographed them for the Houston Press. Since then, I’ve shot another large batch of restaurants and made a new list. These assigned restaurants included a lot of places I’ve been and even frequent, so there weren’t as…
Chicks In Santa Hats (NSFW)
This place is a prison. I just spent the better part of my days searching Google for attractive women in Santa Claus hats. I had to sift through hundreds, maybe thousands, of pictures featuring barely-clothed women* getting festive for the holiday season with the trademark red and white. Here’s a…
Lunar Eclipse: Viewing Tips That Might Or Might Not Be Useful
It’s Lunar Eclipse Night!! Feel the excitement!! What? You’re not on the edge of your seat? Check out this paragraph from ABC News: If the sky is clear, experts say the show might be extra spectacular, as the moon will have a reddish glow. ECLIPSE FEVERRRRR!!!!! Viewing a lunar eclipse…
The Social Network Wins Big at the 2010 Houston Film Critics Society Awards
Over the weekend the Houston Film Critics Society joined The Los Angeles Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Board of Review, and 14 others in designating The Social Network as the “Best Picture” of 2010. Described by Peter Travers as a film that “brilliantly defines a…
Sarah Palin, Twitter, Weezy Top 2010’s Most Tired Stories
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Bun B, Kyle Hubbard, Fat Tony, Renzo, Brad Gilmore Not Invited: 2010, which is so last year. This…
Harry F. Collins, 34, Bayou Body Count No. 293
A man was shot and left for dead on a southwest suburban street early Saturday morning, police said. Harry F. Collins, 34, of Houston, “was driving home and, for an unknown reason, stopped his vehicle approximately two blocks from his residence,” HPD says. He got out on foot in the…
Random Christmas Food Traditions: Junk Food, Arby’s and Red Lobster
Quickie-mart junk food, roast “beef” from Arby’s and Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster were what we ate around the holidays when I was growing up back in Florida. Sure, Christmas Day had the usual suspects of turkey and cornbread dressing, but before Christmas and after, we bowed down to…
Top Five: Over it! Pop Culture Trends We Don’t Want to See Again in 2011
The key to staying popular in mainstream culture is to float just below the widespread public conscience. Once a trend becomes white hot, everyone wants a piece of the action, and that which was once cool becomes exploited, tired and lame. Click ahead for five fads that have worn out…
Top Five Christmas Rap Songs
Show us one hip-hop head who isn’t obsessed with corny Christmas sing-alongs and we’ll show you a liar. Nothing says “hip-hop” like cheery holiday tunes about sharing and caring. In the spirit of holiday music, Rocks Off compiled a list of five Christmas rap songs guaranteed to make you the…
What a Crock: Colonial Hot Buttered Rum
The rundown This week’s recipe is perfect for the holidays. It’s also a great example of why a crock pot shouldn’t be limited to main-course dishes or even desserts. There’s nothing quite like a vat of stewing liquid to warm the soul–and the Colonial Hot Buttered Rum is sure to…
The Year In Battlefight: 25 Thoughts On This Year’s Houston Texans
For some reason, there were many people out there who thought the Houston Texans were going to be a good team this year. Playoff good.I didn’t read anything about Gary Kubiak getting a brain implant during the off-season, so I could never understand where this optimism was coming from. Yet…
Unidentified Male, 25, Bayou Body Count No. 292
An early morning argument in a southwest-side apartment complex ended with a security guard being charged with murder. The incident in the 6400 block of Westward began about %:30 a.m., police say, when a car pulled int the complex. According to the Houston Chronicle and other media reports, a woman…
ERASEtheVIRUS Is Full Of Holiday Cheer
Until Rocks Off had a small child… strike that. Until Rocks Off watched the Wife With One F have a small child while we hyperventilated in a hospital room, we had a very firm holiday tradition of lying to our families about other engagements and then eating dinner at Katz’s,…
The Week In TV
Awards, reruns, and the inevitable return of The Situation. This was the week in TV Land: • The biggest TV news of the past week was probably the one-two punch of the Golden Globe and SAG Award nominees. Both, in case you were curious, included some spectacularly bone-headed kudos to…
Texas Tribune Gets A Hefty New York Times Correction
The Texas Tribune, the semi-new non-profit journalistic outfit, has been partnering with The New York Times. On Sundays, Times readers in the Lone Star State get two pages in their print edition with stories from Tribune writers. The partnership is relatively new (it began October 29) and there haven’t been…
Where Are We Eating?
You don’t usually see this burger establishment’s French fries highlighted — usually all the praise is reserved for the burgers themselves — but this Flickr photographer felt the fries at this popular Houston haunt deserved some attention of their own. Think you can guess where we’re eating this week? Leave…
Titans 31, Texans 17: Waving The White Flag
For once in the debacle that is the 2010 Texans, something feels different compared with Houston teams of recent past. Finally, the Texans (5-9) appear to have quit. The gut-wrenching heartbreaks, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? Seen those before. Playing one awful half of football and inexplicably following…
The Abyss’ Sean Ozz Talks Rocking And Tattooing
The Abyss is one of those bands that makes everything that happens in the dark all right. Led by the dominating vocals of Sean Ozz, they’ve had some rocky starts in the Houston music scene. It’s taken more than a year for Ozz to solidify the line-up of his band,…
Google Book Gizmo: Who’s Been Mentioned More In Books, Dallas Or Houston?
Google has a new gizmo that lets you compare how often two words have shown up among the 500 billion words contained in its database of centuries of books. Like, say, how often “Rolling Stones” are mentioned, as opposed to “Beatles.” Or, say, “fisting” vs. “kissing.” The charts track usage…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we would pay more money than is reasonable to own rooftop Christmas decorations of Santa Claus and Jesus dueling the Grinch and the krampus with candy cane swords. Now THAT would truly be the reason for the season…
Comment of the Day: Meta Edition
Oh, the gag had longevity. While leaving a comment, a few of you pranksters would sign off with ~malleso surks or whatever, using the nonsensical words you had to decipher before your witticisms were posted. Our old commenting system annoyed the hell out of y’all, and so, it seemed, you…
Steve Radack: Listen In To The Sausage Being Made
Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack has never been shy about expressing his opinions, be it to reporters or other elected officials or bureaucratss. He and the city of West U have been going at it over county drainage projects. The West U mayor, Bob Kelly, had been publicly critical of…
An Afternoon Breakfast at Ziggy’s
After a very long week, nothing makes me happier than sleeping in as long as possible and then eating a leisurely breakfast around mid-day. Unhappily, it’s difficult to find breakfast past, say, noon if you don’t want to eat at IHOP or Denny’s. And I don’t. Lo and behold, Ziggy’s…
Metro Settles Its Differences With Its “Buy American” Spanish Railcar-Provider
While the crowd over at the “new” Metro has worked to settle in and push its new image, one of the big things hanging over its head was possible litigation from Spanish rail car company CAF. If you haven’t followed the story: When stuff really went bad with Metro, Wilson…
Captain Beefheart, Art-Rock Visionary, Dead At 69
Sad news out of California today for the avant-garde and experimental rock world: Rocks Off has learned from multiple online sources that Don Van Vliet of influential rockers Captain Beefheart passed away today at the age of 69 after a battle with multiple sclerosis. Van Vliet’s management confirmed his death…
Weekly Time Waster: One Chance
From football’s four downs to Mario’s one-ups, games are built around the player’s ability to try, try again. And as any good ring-toss operator knows, it’s good for business–it’s what keeps us all coming back. We like to win for keeps and lose for a trifle. But when that playing…
Happy Hour Scene: Sunny’s
The Place: Sunny’s 902 Capitol St. 713-224-3200www.sunnysbar.comThe Hours: Monday through Friday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday 5 p.m.-2 a.m.The Deals: Nightly drink specials. The Scene: Sunny’s doesn’t have a traditional $2 domestics/half-priced wells/select wines happy hour, but our three hours spent at the place on Thursday evening was the best time…
Why Is Everyone “Moving Like Bernie”?
Rocks Off loves Fridays. It’s the day we bring to fruition all the internet scouring that we’ve been doing over the past seven days, cooking it down to a nice readable digest of Houston music news, and gets to set a hot, steaming plate of goodness on the table. The…
Five Facebook Trends That Need to Die
We all love Facebook. For women, it’s a way to post pictures of your engagement ring and self-esteem boosting phrases to make you look to all your friends like your life is better than theirs. For guys, it’s a way to look at photos of women you’ve had sex with…
D.J. Thomas: Eighth-Grader Sinks Incredible Shot
D.J. Thomas is an eighth-grader at Tomball ISD’s Willow Wood Middle School. He’s also the guy, apparently, you want taking a shot when time’s running out and you have the ball at three-quarters court. (Leave the half–court stuff to sixth graders.) Nothing but net…
Top 10: Scarlett Johansson’s New Dudes
Yes, the sad news came this week that Scarlett Johansson and hubby Ryan Reynolds are divorcing after two years of marriage. It looks like a match made in heaven, at least for the tabloids. They are arguably two of the most attractive film stars going right now, with multiple projects…
Commenters, We Have a New System For You
It’s been a lot of fun dealing with the Eating Our Words’ Captcha comment system, the one that makes you try to decipher random scribblings before allowing you to share your wisdom with the world. (Hey, it works in this video.) Those halcyon days are over. But days that are…
Onilton Bolanos Castilon, 38; Nelson Wilfred Tambora-Ramiro, 21; and Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count Nos. 289-91
A wild shootout as an East End jewelry store owner defended his property ended with three robbers dead Thursday aftertoon. HPD identified two of the dead robbers as Onilton Bolanos Castilon, 38 and Nelson Wilfred Tambora-Ramiro, 21. The identity of the third is pending verification, and a fourth member of…
Remember hasHBrown’s Sounds from the Backseat?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. hasHBrown Sounds from the Backseat (Council Music Group, 2009) In prepping to write our forthcoming 10 Best Houston Rap…
Openings & Closings
As they seem wont to do nearly every year or so, Late Nite Pie (302 Tuam, 713-529-5522) has shut down once again. Boarded up windows and a sign indicating that the restaurant has been closed for non-payment of rent greeted diners last night, while calls from the Houston Press to…
Rice Owls Hit The Jackpot, And A Three-Pointer Or Two
The Rice Owls played the first game of the Las Vegas Hoops Classic last night, and the Owls improved their record to 5-4 as they defeated the (6-5) UALR Trojans 65-55. But though the game was part of a Las Vegas basketball tournament, the game was played at Rice’s Tudor…
Goodbye To That Annoying Captcha Comment System
Rocks Off knows how much you guys love the Captcha commenting system. Who doesn’t enjoy struggling to read the nonsensical phrases, and sharing the odd combinations it generates to prove that you aren’t an evil robot. We hate to break it to you, but the Captcha is going away. The…
Commenters, We Have A New System For You
It’s been a lot of fun dealing with the Hair Balls’ Captcha comment system, the one that makes you try to decipher random scribblings before allowing you to share your wisdom with the world. (Hey, it works in this video.) Those halcyon days are over. But days that are way…
Masking in Pop Music: A Brief History in Video
As a follow up to our post about Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and the power of masks, we present a brief history of women (and one man) who should be recognized as the originators of masking in popular music. These artists challenge our notions of beauty, gender, and race and…
NFL — Bob McNair’s Delusion, Twitter Madness And The Weekend’s Best Bets
“I wanted the team to know not only how close we think they are but how close our competitors think they are to being an outstanding team.” — Texans owner Bob McNair, presumably not being held at gunpoint nor under the influence of any drugs or alcohol What Bob McNair…
Bartender Chat: Ashley Vasquez of Junction Bar & Grill
Ashley Vasquez, who’s been in the bartending business for ten years now, says most of her hours spent slinging whiskey have been at sports bars. She originally hails from El Paso, but moved to Kingwood when she was six years old. She ended up going to Lamar High School and…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: TRON: Legacy
Title: TRON: Legacy When Did The First One Come Out Again? 1982. Italy won the World Cup and the Lakers won the NBA championship. It was a different time, man. Dumbest Thing Overheard In The Theater: “Wait, Tron was a person?” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: One-and-a-half…
The Year In Skank: 2010’s Top 7 Skankiest Celebrities
Plenty of famous women exude a healthy, feminine charm, a reserved beauty and refined grace that keeps them respectable even while they titillate. Plenty of celebrity men have a classy demeanor, yet just enough of a rakish-scoundrel glint in their eyes to turn them into the mysterious stranger in many…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar
Today closes out our discussion with pastry chef Rebecca Masson; for previous installments, click here and here. I had a chance to taste-test her signature petite treat: Fluffernutters and could taste the natural flavors in the peanut-butter oatmeal cookies because they weren’t loaded with sugar, which balanced out the sweetness…
David Adickes’ Says Goodbye to Sculpturworx
Down Saywer Rd., past the railroad tracks and up a gravel road on Summer St. is David Adickes immense warehouse studio Sculpturworx. There’s no missing it when seven-foot-tall president heads lurk in the parking lot, and a two-story sign reading “We Heart Houston” has taken up residence. Adickes is the…
Jennifer Peto: Holocaust Controversy Reaches Houston
There’s a mini-storm in Canada these days over the University of Toronto awarding an advanced degree to a student for a thesis that calls Holocaust-education programs “racist.” Jennifer Peto’s thesis, entitled The Victimhood of the Powerful: White Jews, Zionism and the Racism of Hegemonic Holocaust Education, argues, according to the…
Random Christmas Food Tradition: Pizza on Christmas Eve
We eat pizza every Christmas Eve for at least the last five years. It’s nothing special, we just call in a delivery or takeout order to the nearest pizza chain (last year it was Domino’s), pitch in a couple bucks, and chow down when it arrives, presumably hot and steaming…
Lonesome Onry And Mean’s Top 11 Shows Of 2010
Along with the season of shopping madness and suicidal depression comes the season for Best-ofs. Live show-wise, 2010 was very benevolent to Lonesome Onry and Mean. Some of our favorites from 2010: 11. Jon Cleary, The Big Easy: Cleary put on a New Orleans rock and roll clinic at this…
Top Five: Community Easter Eggs
Community’s off the air for another few weeks, and though I’m officially in a mourning period, I’m filling the time until its return by watching the episodes saved on my DVR and, well, making slightly obsessive lists like this one. The comedy has always been great at using sly visual…
Metro’s Christmas Bus: Everything But Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire
Here’s a bus you wouldn’t even mind crawling down Westheimer in. Workers at Metro’s bus operating facility dressed up one of the fleet for the Christmas season…check out the pics…
Bun B, Rap Superhero, Feeds The Needy… And What Else?
Bun B is many things: Beyond-influential rapper, college professor, entrepreneur and trillman (totally just made that word up). But above all else, he’s long been recognized as a decent, caring and wise person. It’s why any time his name is added in the tagline of anything good or worthwhile, it’s…
Upcoming Food Events
We all know that Santa Claus travels far and wide to make his Christmas deliveries, even if you don’t have a chimney in your house. But did you know that he even travels underwater? The Downtown Aquarium will have a very special treat starting December 18 through Christmas Eve, December…
Slideshow: Backstage at Burn the Floor
Readers are going nuts over Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Mark Ballas and his appearance in the Houston stop of the touring show Burn the Floor, so when we were invited backstage to watch a rehearsal, we couldn’t say no. Check out the slideshow. And we’ll post some video…
Odd Pair: Biscotti & Demi-Sec
Last week I learned to bake biscotti. I also learned of a good wine to drink while eating the aforementioned biscotti. Domaine de Vaugondy Vouvray Demi Sec 2004 is a lovely sparkling wine that pairs perfectly with moderately sweet, dry foods. The wine has a nice creaminess to it, which…
Comment Of The Day: Victims Speak Out
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…
R.I.P. Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards, perhaps best known for directing Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Pink Panther died in Santa Monica, California, Wednesday night due to complications from pneumonia, according to his publicist in the New York Times. Edwards is survived by his wife, actress Julie Andrews, who appeared in many of his…
December 11-17: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. Be sure to post your holiday pics to our photo group — we are especially interesting in stunning photos of decorations. and kids, adults and pets sitting on…
30 Seconds With B L A C K I E
Rocks Off sat down with one of Houston’s foremost rappers, B L A C K I E, to see what we could learn about him in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? B L A C K I E: “Heart of The Heartland.” The…
Beethoven Rocks Harder Than Ever
Rocks Off is following our sister Houston Press blogs into the choppy waters of “Comment of the Day,” choosing a comment or a handful of comments from the previous day we find especially enlightening, infuriating or just plain hilarious. We’re glad our readers have opinions, whatever they are, about what…
TxDOT Gets “Whimsical” With Its Anti-DWI Campaign
If the thought of rappin’, record-scratchin’ reindeer drives you to drink, at least don’t drive. That’s the message in what TxDOT is calling “a humorous, whimsical campaign” to get the anti-DWI message out this holiday season. “The campaign illustrates the lengths to which TxDOT is willing to go to, to…
Fruitcake and 4 Other Foods with a Bad Reputation
How does a food item get a bad reputation? Does it cut class to smoke with trans-fats in the parking lot? Sleep around with carbohydrates? Often it’s an association with a particular era in history or social class that gets a food placed on the shit list. Other times it’s…
Hot or Not: Sexy Traffic on 610 Not So Sexy
There is a lowest common denominator that people involved in sports radio marketing try to achieve in their advertising. They realize that the average guy who listens to sports radio probably needs ads for DUI attorneys, no-brainer jewelry stores (to buy the wife’s silence during the playoffs) and, naturally, light…
Comment of the Day: Coronitas Edition
Today Lennie Ambrose discussed food and drink that sound good but always disappoint, including Corona, which he said doesn’t hold up much past the first sip. Which got one of our commenters kinda, well, pissy. He wrote: Get Coronitas if you’re so such a slow-sipping troglodyte. We love that the…
Yao Ming — God Dammit
“An MRI performed today on Rockets center Yao Ming revealed a stress fracture of the Medial Malleolus in his left ankle. The fracture, which is related to his previous injury of the Tarsal Navicular bone, presented itself during the course of his current rehabilitation program. There is no timetable for…
Java Pura: Insanely Good Coffee
Ken Palmer, Master Roaster, probably knows more about coffee than almost anyone else in this city. He stumbled into the industry several decades ago while out in Hawaii. Palmer had a natural intuition about coffee and was educated by Alfred Peet, who had taught his style of roasting beans to…
Critical Opportunity
If you know theater and you can write, then have we got an opportunity for you. The Houston Press is looking for a freelance critic to join critic D. L. Groover in reviewing everything from local community theater to traveling Broadway productions and more. Interest in opera, ballet and modern…
DPS Tells Christmas Shoppers To Avoid Mexico, In Case You Were Considering It
Cross off all those kitschy souvenir knick-knacks you were planning on giving away for Christmas. (Do they still sell those taxidermied frogs playing saxophone?) The DPS is officially warning shoppers to avoid Mexico. Just visiting is out, too. “Mexican drug cartel-related violence continues in the northern Mexican border cities, and…
Island Of Misfit Albums: A Star Wars Christmas
One thing that always bothered Rocks Off growing up as a born-again Christian child who was into the apparently godless world of Star Wars was whether or not they celebrated Christmas. The birth of Jesus Christ and stuff. Santa Claus, crap that matters. We can only assume under Empire rule…
American Grocers: Joins A Stellar List Of Companies Ripping Off Troops
This week’s cover story in the Houston Press details the case of Houston-based American Grocers and its owner Samir Itani, charged with shipping expired food to troops stationed in the Middle East and ripping off the government with bogus shipping costs. As noted in the story, “the case stretched far…
Hooch for the Holidays: Wine Suggestions from the Experts
Justin Vann and Jonathan Honefenger are two men who know their wine. I turned to these two Houston experts — Vann is the beer and wine manager at Central Market and Honefenger, once the sommelier at Tony’s, is now lead sommelier for Richard’s — for their wine recommendations for the…
Richard Nutt: Sheriff’s Deputy Knew Where To Get The Coke He Allegedly Sold
Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Nutt, who we’re sure has heard all the jokes he cares to about his name, has been arrested and charged with trying to sell two kilos of cocaine. Only a summary of the case is available, but KHOU reports that Nutt was arrested yesterday in…
Alamo Drafthouse Moves Into Angelika (So Says Facebook)
Downtown’s dark days are almost over. On December 7, we told you about a sign in the Angelika Film Center’s former box-office window stating that a new theater would soon be coming to Bayou Place (one reader commented that the sign had been there since the theater’s August closing). Well…
American Beautyberry-Infused Gin
A few weeks ago, I attended a class/seminar/expedition with Randy Rucker and the crew from Bootsie’s Café out in Tomball. We were there to forage. Before we began our march through the woods, Rucker first offered a few words about the law of respect. Most important among these was to…
BARC Blames Cops For Its Overflow Of Animals
Sure, everyone likes it when you fight crime, but what about the unforeseen circumstances? BARC, the city’s animal pound, is putting out an urgent request to get its dogs and cats adopted. Why the rush? Because those damn cops keep arresting people whose dogs end up at BARC. “BARC has…
Top 10 Non-Traditional Christmas Songs
“Baby Jesus, born to rock…” Amidst the time of year when we’re bombarded with cliché holiday tunes and trite Christmas-carol covers, Rocks Off will now take time to appreciate a few original nontraditional takes on festive songs. Whether they’re dismal adaptations of holiday malaise, tales of comic relief, or simply…
Food Fight: Battle Tuna Salad Sandwich
When it comes to tuna salad sandwiches, I’m with David Rosengarten: there is no better homemade sandwich. So simple – in its most basic form, comprising only canned tuna, mayonnaise, and bread – and so delicious. But there’s also a dark side (besides the dolphin issue and inspiring the worst…
Yao Ming May Never Play Another Game
The Houston Rockets have announced that oft-injured center Yao Ming has a stress fracture in his left ankle. He’s missed most of this season with the sort of foot-ankle injuries that have plagued him throughout his career. There’s no timetable set for a return. Yao had been hinting lately that…
Jason Woytek: Public Servant Accused Of Stealing Dozens Of MHMRA Laptops
If you believe what Jason Woytek has written about himself on the Internet, you’d think he was a man of many and varied achievements: a man of God, a top salesman, budding author, an Eagle Scout and an elite former soldier. Woytek claims to have been an Army sniper who…
R.I.P.: A Toast to the Restaurants We’ll Miss the Most
While toasts are usually reserved for happier events or for New Year’s Eve, we thought it appropriate to toast the dearly departed restaurants which closed this past year, wishing those who had to close them future successes and the wind at their backs: To all we love who are not…
Helmut Newton’s “Big Nudes” In MFAH Exclusive Exhibit
Art will meet fashion will meet provocation this summer when the Museum of Fine Arts Houston becomes the only U.S. venue to show “Helmut Newton: White Women • Sleepless Nights • Big Nudes,” which will display the entire contents of Newton’s first three books. The 205 large-scale prints, some of…
An Important Health-Care Message From Delicious Milk
File Under: It seemed like a good idea at the time… Wednesday night, after the first of two Houston Press holiday parties Rocks Off will be attending this week (no karaoke at this one), we thought it would be a sound decision to go see Robert Ellis & the Boys…
HISD Takes Beginning Steps Towards “Right-Sizing” Schools
Near the end of today’s meeting about “right sizing” schools in Houston, Houston ISD board president Greg Meyers summed up just about everything we know about the proposed changes:”I’m not sure how much clarity has been given at this point,” he said. That was after two hours of HISD trustees…
Tea Party Rule: Almost One-Third Of Texas House Signs Up With Dan Patrick
Last night Keith Olbermann said Texas had “a Tea Party legislature The Nuge could be proud of.” Today State Senator Dan Patrick proved him right. Patrick announced his Tea Party Caucus today, and it contains fully 47 members of the 150-seat House, and almost half the 101 Republicans. The Senate,…
Five Items to Avoid — Even Though They Sound Good
5. Tamales Many times, I have wanted a tamale and then not wanted it a couple bites in (except maybe after that pub crawl when the little lady brought some into the bar, I don’t really remember what I thought before or after that). Almost every single one ends up…
Inappropriate Office Christmas Party Behavior
It’s that wonderful event you look forward to all year, all too often followed by a hollow feeling of regret: the office Christmas party. It’s a chance to get lubed up on eggnog and form alliances with the lower brass, perhaps flirt a little with the hottie from marketing, and…
Texas’ Appliance Rebate Program, Part Two: Bring On The Snail Mail
Remember the wonderful Texas Appliance Rebate? The one where computers crashed, consumers wasted hours online or on the phone trying to get answers? The magic is back!! This time, though, things will be very, very different. That’s because the state Comptroller’s office is foregoing all this fancy-schmancy Space Age technology…
11 Songs You Shouldn’t Sing At The Office Holiday Party
‘Tis the season for office Christmas holiday parties. No doubt you have already had yours at work, or are getting ready for one. They all include copious drinking, great food, stolen glances, slurry conversations, “Can ah bum ah cigarette?” and intentional accidental groping. No bonus this year? It all went…
Recipe: Salted Pistachio Brittle
Yesterday, I gave you my mother’s recipe for truly excellent Christmas fudge, the kind that’ll make people hound you for tins of it year after year. Today, for those with less of a sweet tooth, here’s a recipe that we adapted from The Kitchn, who, in turn, adapted it from…
Comments Of The Day: Debbie Riddle, Author
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…
Shellee Coley’s Somber Tidings Of Comfort And Joy
Shellee Coley is an acoustic siren with an amazingly haunting voice, and one of the many talented acts in the Magnolia Red family. Her debut album, The Girl the Stencil Drew, was a soft, sad, sweet spinning disc of delightfully dark ironies that we still cannot believe didn’t make it…
Geeks Who Drink Trash-Talk Houston
Denver-based Geeks Who Drink hosts trivia tournaments in pubs across the country, and in an effort to goad trivia nerds into attending Geek Bowl V (the annual superbowl of pub-quiz dorkdom) it’s produced a series of vidoes trash-talking major cities. Comedian Adam Cayton-Holland rips Houston in the above video, taunting…
Keith Olbermann Takes On The Texas’ Legislature’s Tea Party Supermajority
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyWe’ve never been the hugest fans of Keith Olbermann — cable-shouting from the left can be as inchoate as cable-shouting from the right — but we post this because it’s about Texas. Specifically about the new GOP supermajority in…
Champagne Month at ZaZa
If you’re anything like me, then December basically translates to a month of nonstop drinking and eating. My absolute favorite beverage to indulge in during the holidays is champagne, so imagine my glee when I wandered into Monarch at Hotel Zaza and discovered that they are doing a whole month…
Mobsters, Crime And Jazz: Danny Seraphine’s Chicago Story
Street Player: My Chicago Story By Danny Seraphine Wiley, 304 pp., $24.95. From their 1967 founding to his unceremonious ouster from the group in 1990, Danny Seraphine provided the pounding backbeat for Chicago, both for the early, raucous jazz/rock material and the later, mellow Top 40 hits. In Street Player:…
Mark Ballas Dances With His Dad Corky in Burn the Floor
Throughout the Houston run, Corky Ballas, the father of Mark Ballas and an internationally known master of international Latin dancing in his own right, is making a cameo appearance in Burn the Floor. While not everyone realized it on opening night, some in the hometown audience spotted native Houstonian Corky…
Remember the Alamo
Is there any more debatable food item in Houston than the breakfast taco? It is one of Houston’s signature dishes, and with hundreds of places to choose from, will we ever truly decide the best? Such a subjective topic is better left for another post. I won’t anoint Alamo Tamale…
Anthony Rendon Rescues The Year For Rice: 25 Items From The Owls’ Sports Year
Tommy Lavergne, Rice University Anthony Rendon at batContinuing with my personal review on the sports year just past, here are my thoughts on the Rice Owls of 2010. 1. I got to watch Anthony Rendon play third base on a regular basis. He can hit, and he’s a good fielder…
More Like “Hall Of Lame,” Am I Right?
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ready to admit a new class: Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love and Dr. John have all been inducted for 2011, the foundation announced Wednesday. With the exception…
Rock And Roll’s Hall Of Shame
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ready to admit a new class: Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Darlene Love and Dr. John have all been inducted for 2011, the foundation announced Wednesday. With the exception…
Beethoven Enters Year 241 Of Total Awesomeness
Today is Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 240th birthday. It’s hard to adequately sum up the man’s contribution to music because frankly no modern figure comes anywhere close. In honor of the undisputed master of all that is classical music, Rocks Off thought we’d put together some interesting tidbits about the man’s…
iLL LiaD Blows Up… Way Up
Rocks Off is following our sister Houston Press blogs into the choppy waters of “Comment of the Day,” choosing a comment or a handful of comments from the previous day we find especially enlightening, infuriating or just plain hilarious. We’re glad our readers have opinions, whatever they are, about what…
Five Very Bad Christmas Gift-Card Ideas
There has been no single greater advancement in Chrstimas gift-giving than that hard piece of rectangular plastic known as the gift card. Unlike money, which shows absolutely zero effort in trying to determine what your gift recipient might enjoy, a gift card shows you have thought through the process, at…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar
This week we’re chatting with pastry chef Rebecca Masson. Besides consulting with multiple restaurants, managing her online pastry shop, and planning out her future retail store, somehow she finds the time to audition for reality television shows. Read along as we check out life on the sweet side with Houston’s…
Yet Another Study Says Houston Traffic Is Horrible
If someone were to do a study of commuting traffic in 90 American cities, gauging cost and miles and hours wasted, where do you think Houston would rank? Would it be 90th? Maybe 89th? NO. We are not as bad as horror pits like San Jose (89) or Dallas (90)…
Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2010
Two of Hollywood’s brightest stars will be honored at the Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2010: Sissy Spacek and George Clooney. Spacek will be given the society’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Clooney gets the nod for the Humanitarian Award. While Spacek and Clooney might not be in attendance (as of…
Free Press Houston’s New Year’s Eve Cataclysm
Celebrate the coming of 2011 with the Free Press Houston’s New Year’s Eve Cataclysm with several Houston bands such as Wild Moccasins, Weird Party, Limb, Golden Axe, B L A C K I E, Hamamatsu Tom, Hex Dispensers, Fat Tony, Delicious Milk, and State Vs. Judd Nelson. There will also…
New Year’s Eve Ball 2011
Stereo Live Houston is importing famous Italian DJ Benny Benassi to headline the New Year’s Eve Ball 2011. They’re saying that it’s the biggest party of the night in Houston and they might be right, with more than 13 acts on the bill and seven hours of party time. GRRRL…
Boxing Gym
Considered the dean of American documentary filmmakers, Frederick Wiseman once said, “There is a lot of drama in ordinary experiences.” It was with that attitude, that willingness to appreciate the everyday as exceptional that he approached Boxing Gym. And although the filmmaker said, “I am looking for drama, though I’m…
“Isa Leshko: Thrills & Chills”
Photographer Isa Leshko is afraid of amusement park rides. So, of course, she created a series of soft-focus black-and-white images of rides and, perhaps more important, riders. “Isa Leshko: Thrills & Chills,” which happens to be her first solo show in Houston, shows people on roller coasters and aerial swings,…
Las Reynas Del Comal
In the mood for some lowbrow, adult humor? Don’t miss the revival of Las Reynas Del Comal, featuring famed Mexican actress Nena Delgado. The Spanish-language show revolves around a group of women – a mother with very traditional values, her more modern daughter and their nosy maid. There’s also a…
Roger Wood and Andy Bradley, Wendy Hundere Parnell
If you like your literature with a bit of bass drum in it, head to Cactus Music & Record Ranch today for a double dose of music-inspired book events. At 11 a.m., Roger Wood and Andy Bradley will present House of Hits: The Story of Houston’s Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios,…
Micmacs
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2009 homage to fantastic cinema, Micmacs recalls the imaginative, comedic work of Buster Keaton and Terry Gilliam. First orphaned, later accidentally shot in the head, the gentle, dreamy video store clerk Bazil becomes an instrument of revenge when he takes on the heartless military-industrial complex with his newfound…
Bill Crider: Damn Near Dead 2: Live Noir or Die Trying
The cover of the 2006 anthology Damn Near Dead: Old, Bold and Uncontrolled featured a silver-haired, balding hero shielding a buxom young blond from something sinister. Its sequel, Damn Near Dead 2: Live Noir or Die Trying, shows a gun-wielding senior citizen in a slouchy green cardigan, his arm around…
Dogtooth
What would happen to a family that never saw the outside world? Young Greek film director Yorgos Lanthimos answers the question with one of the most highly anticipated, highly awarded and highly creepy movies of the year. Dogtooth has already won Greek Film Academy awards for Best Picture, Director and…
Gay and Gayer
It’s taken almost two years for the bonkers, exhilarating same-sex romantic comedy I Love You Phillip Morris to finally reach theaters. Premiering at Sundance in January 2009, the movie was a near-casualty of nervous-nellie U.S. distributors — more comfortable with innocuous gay genres like the homosexual weepie or the martyr…
It’s Coming from Inside the Computer
Jeff Bridges is God and, as image-captured from the original 1982 Tron, he’s also the devil in Disney’s megamillion-dollar reboot, Tron: Legacy. The notion of a tragically split persona might have been scripted to give the new movie a measure of emotional gravitas, but why bother with writing when Tron:…
Just Plum Good at Toyama Japanese Restaurant
Plum may be a lesser-known ice cream flavor, but at Toyama Japanese Restaurant (2802 S. Shepherd, 713-528-8528), it’s the perfect end to a traditional Japanese meal. The plum ice cream ($3.95) does not appear on the menu — you have to know about it. It comes with a piece of…
TQLA
The latest restaurant to open on Washington, TQLA (4601 Washington, 281-501-3237), specializes in — you guessed it — tequila. “We have over 170 different tequilas with eight of them on tap at five degrees,” says Scott Lindsay, one of the owners. What’s his favorite? “Ocho Rios. It’s a single barrel…
Robert Earl Keen
It’s just not Christmas until Houston has had a visit from its favorite singing Aggie, and this year Robert Earl Keen is a little early. Usually the needles are falling off the tree by the time the Sharpstown native comes back home to sing “Merry Christmas from the Family.” It…
American Grocers
On September 27, 2006, federal agents surrounded the offices and warehouse of Houston’s American Grocers, Inc., an exporting business that shipped food to the Middle East and worked, in part, off lucrative military contracts. Located in a business park along the Beltway on the city’s northwest side, next to companies…
Cloaked Brutality
Anastasio Hernandez Rojas screamed in agony as U.S. border agents rained blows on him and delivered 50,000 volts of electricity to his body over and over. “No! No! Ayuda!” the 42-year-old Mexican wailed, pleading for help in Spanish. “Ayudenme [help me]!” It was late in the evening of May 28,…
Long Live Pik N Pak
Remembering Peter Marzio Online readers comment on “MFAH Director Peter Marzio Dead,” Art Attack blog, by Troy Schulze, December 10: The perfect pallet: He was the most impressive figure that I have ever met in this town — intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, approachable and kind. He had the perfect demeanor, and…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Anthony Thompson Shumate: Cocky”, “Brent Green: Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then”, “Dynasty and Divinity”, “Eduardo Gil: Extra”, “Emilio Perez: More Reasons Than One”
“Anthony Thompson Shumate: Cocky” When you’re an artist, people offer you all kinds of comments on and advice about your work, something they would never think of doing to, say, an accountant. Anthony Thompson Shumate decided to use those remarks as fodder for his show “Cocky” at Barbara Davis Gallery…
Dr. Brown’s Dubai Detention
CRIME The Hand Doctor’s Dildos Sex toys in Dubai land TV doc in trouble By Craig Malisow We don’t know how we missed this, but cocaine-using, wife-beating, medical-license-losing ex-hand surgeon Michael Brown was detained in Dubai earlier this year when authorities there confiscated “sexual paraphernalia, sex videos and other objects”…
No, Really, How?
An odd duck of a romantic comedy from James L. Brooks, How Do You Know strays as far from a barrel of laughs as a writer-director formed by network television can get without losing his grip altogether. The movie’s rhythms are loose, disjointed and peppered with strategic silences or half-finished…
Sleek Chic
Stay-at-home mom and lawyer-on-hiatus Liz Hasson could use a lot of words to describe West University’s Hudson Lounge (2506 Robinhood), but she picks just one — quickly, clearly and without a doubt. If I had to use one word to describe this place,” says Hasson, 40, “it would be ‘sleek.'”…
Dive In
After a few months worth of repairs, Midtown stalwart Leon’s Lounge (1006 McGowen, 713-659-3052) reopened a couple weeks ago. I was hoping the new owner, who also runs Under the Volcano, hadn’t changed much beyond bringing the space up to code. As I was walking down Fannin toward the bar,…
Third World
Dear Mexican, Someone wrote you a while back wondering why Mexicans have made a mess of their beautiful country. You got all bent out of shape because he called Mexico a Third World country instead of a “bottom tier” First World country. I think you missed the point of the…
A Fistful of Soul
For more than a year now, DJs No Fun, King Ghidora and Bingo Rash — government names John Baldwin, Stuart Anderson and Ben Browning — have dipped into their considerable collection of vintage LPs and 45s to charm the pants off young Houstonians once a month at A Fistful of…
Midnight Flyer
To say Amber Digby grew up in country music is no stretch. Father Dennis played bass for major Nashville acts like Carl Smith and Loretta Lynn, while her mother Donna was a backup singer with Sammi Smith until Amber turned two years old. Spending major parts of her childhood traveling…
Canned Acoustica
Get into the holiday spirit with Canned Acoustica, an acoustic charity concert benefiting the Houston Food Bank. The event spotlights some of Houston’s best singer-songwriters in a quiet and seated setting — well, at least the “quiet” is encouraged. Robert Ellis, listenlisten, Benjamin Wesley, Sara Van Buskirk, Chase Hamblin, Black…
Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band is to vintage country-blues what Flogging Molly is to Celtic punk. The Indiana-based trio, anchored by drums, guitar and washboard, sounds like Tom Waits’s Rain Dogs sifted through a Hee Haw strainer with molasses drizzled on top. The music on their five albums and one…
Weasels and Deer
Full-on goofball exhibition “Weasel” at the Inman Annex is packed with subversive pranksters and smart smartasses. Guest-curated by Art Lies Editor Kurt Mueller and artist Chelsea Beck, the show includes work by Mads Lynnerup, the Danish master of strategic absurdity who wheat-pasted posters reading “BUILD MORE LUXURY CONDOMS” all around…
Jack Williams
Never heard of Jack Williams? Maybe so, but the list of people he has accompanied, written with and produced in almost 50 years in the business is a roster any musician would kill for: Tom Paxton, Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary), Harry Nilsson, John Lee Hooker and Houston’s own…
Bistro Banh Mi
See more beautiful photos from Cafe TH’s kitchen and dining room in our slideshow. In front of me is a small bowl filled with a fatty tomato-ginger broth. In the broth, a handful of small pork meatballs swim languidly. To my left is a basket of freshly baked, nicely crusty…
Blues Christmas
It dawned on us the other day that many of our favorite Christmas songs are also blues songs: Texas City native Charles Brown’s “Merry Christmas Baby,” “Santa Claus Is Back in Town,” “Please Come Home for Christmas” and “Run, Rudolph, Run,” to name a few. No doubt Gulf Coast guitar…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Bluefinger: The Fall and Rise of Herman Brood, A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, A Fertle Holiday, The Nutcracker, Reckless, Santaland Diaries
Bluefinger: The Fall and Rise of Herman Brood Catastrophic Theatre’s magnificent world-premiere production, written and directed by Jason Nodler and featuring a blistering performance by Matt Kelly in the title role, could easily be the next smash hit on Broadway. It’s got dysfunction in spades since it’s based on the…
