Reality Bites: Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. It’s New Year’s Eve. Many of you are doubtless girding your loins and hardening your livers for a night on the town, while others may opt for parties hosted at…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 4. J.J. Watt
dominance — n. power and influence over others In sports, coming up with an exact definition of the word “dominance” is dependent on the sport, and not always easy, but like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said when asked to define “pornography,” I know it when I see it…
10 Solid Music Picks for Houston’s New Year’s Eve
Josh Abbott Band: Newly signed to Atlantic, the Idalou-raised Texas Country stud has a soft spot for fellow South Plains oddballs like Terry Allen. Lots of crazy stuff in HOB’s other rooms, too — disco, drag queens, Thunderpants, etc. See hob.com for details. (House of Blues, 7 p.m.) Mike Stinson:…
The 2014 Space Review: Is NASA Back From the Dead?
This wasn’t a year to moonwalk about, but 2014 still ended up being a pretty nifty year for that final frontier known as space. It seems like almost everyone got a little piece of the action. Way over in India, the space agency Isro got a low-cost probe in Mars’…
Spoon Turns House of Blues Inside Out
Spoon House of Blues December 30, 2014 Beloved Austin band Spoon’s audience is comprised of two different types of individuals: 1) people who love the band; and 2) people that love the band but have no idea who they are. But how can this be? Spoon is one of many…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 5. Jadeveon Clowney
After watching the Seattle Seahawks win a world championship on the back of a defense where it felt like all 11 guys were constantly flying to the ball, where the opposing offense was constantly being suffocated, the Houston Texans had visions of their own version of defensive hell in mind…
4 Reasons to Worry, 4 Reasons for Optimism for Rockets
It is the nature of sports fans to be concerned most of the time, particularly those of us who grew up in Houston and suffered the pain of brutal losses time and time again. For this year’s Houston Rockets, there are good reasons not to trust their stellar record thus…
Things That Made Us Laugh at Houston in 2014
Oh, Houston. You guys never cease to amaze us. From Mayor Parker’s ill-fated religious subpoenas to a robot-sounding robber, this city gave us bucket after bucket of delightful anecdotes in 2014. It’ll be hard to top the accidental (and often inappropriate) hilarity in 2015, but we’re sure the City of…
Ralphie May Comes to Houston for New Year’s Eve
After a quarter of a century in comedy, Ralphie May is busier than ever with a just-completed television special, more in the works and a heavy tour schedule. He tells us he might, however, have to change careers and jump into, of all things, politics. “I’m gonna have to run…
Saint Arnold, Hay Merchant and Pastry War Collaborate on a Special Edition of the 20th Anniversary Ale
“This’ll be the only time you see me behind a cocktail bar for the rest of my life,” quips Kevin Floyd, as he sets up the cooler and taps for the event starting at the Pastry War in a few minutes: A tapping of Saint Arnold’s 20th Anniversary Ale aged…
4 Things to Help Make This New Year’s a Good One
With the clock ticking away, counting down the hours until 2014 gives way to 2015, many of us are planning our festivities for New Year’s Eve, while others are planning on staying in to avoid the hassles associated with the holiday. So what are some strategies available to us to…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 6. Michael Sam
Go back and look at the list of SEC Defensive Players of the Year over the last decade or so, and it’s quite possibly the most impressive, decorated, and eventually highly paid list of collegiate players for any single award in the game’s history. 2012, Jarvis Jones, first round pick…
The 11 Best Houston Rap Videos of 2014
2014 might have seen Houston embrace its trap side harder than any previous year. The visual side of local rap didn’t offer much change, though, moving more into singular-focused shots of artists and their surroundings. The issue here is that some of the city’s more provocative videos — Doughbeezy’s “I’m…
The Mount Rushmore of (Good) Bro-Country
One term will brand 2014 for the sub-par music year it was: bro country. First used in print in August 2013 by New Yorker music writer Jody Rosen to describe mainstream-country boy-band Florida Georgia Line’s hit single “Cruise,” the term has taken on a decidedly derogatory coloring as tools like…
The 10 Most Overlooked Albums of 2014
Every year we all rush to start making our end-of-the-year bests lists, and inevitably, we miss a few. Usually the comments section will let us know how bad we fucked up by not including such and such record, usually one we didn’t like to begin with, often by some forgotten…
The 25 Best Houston Records of 2014
BLSHS, Abstract Desires Released all the way back in January, Abstract Desires evokes classic synth-pop a la Soft Cell and Ultravox as much as contemporary electro acts like Passion Pit or their local neighbors Bang Bangz. Its six tapestries of nocturnal keyboards and rickety 808 sounds feel spacious, wafer-thin and…
This Week in Food Blogs: The Year in Scandals
If you’re hosting New Year’s Eve at your place tonight, the Sugar and Cloth blog has a simple Prosecco-berry punch recipe you might want to give a spin. There’s an equally simple do-it-yourself idea for making brass tags for your guests’ glasses. If guests can keep up with their glasses,…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 7. Donald Sterling
So when is a punishment not really a punishment? I think there are a few instances that are potential answers to this question. When your significant other announces that he or she wants a divorce, thereby releasing you from a loveless relationship…hardly a punishment, right? How about Adrian Peterson, who…
Less Talk, More Rock as Propagandhi Storms Warehouse Live
The fog lay heavy over town Monday night, but the guitars were crisp in the Studio at Warehouse Live as War on Women and RVIVR primed Houston for Propagandhi. The studio was just over half full when War on Women began the night with a fury of shredding guitars, pounding…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 8. Adrian Peterson
For better or worse, sports gives us a backdrop to ask, learn, and process some of society’s ills. Ray Rice’s punching his fiancée in the elevator was a horrible thing that we all wish had never happened, and the video of the incident surfacing certainly changed a lot of lives,…
Seth Rogen’s The Interview Proves That Sometimes the Mightiest Weapon Isn’t a Bomb
Sony assumed North Korea would hate the movie. The question was: What would it do? Pyongyang had just tested its atom bomb and threatened “pre-emptive nuclear attack.” And the Supreme Leader with his finger on the trigger was barely over 30, with less than two years of experience. But Kim…
Maybe the Texas Longhorns Should’ve Just Skipped the Bowl Game
The Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas Longhorns played a football game last night. Nobody really wanted the two to play a football game — nobody but Arkansas and Texas fans. But play the two 6-6 teams did in something known as the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. Arkansas scored on its first…
Museum Park Cafe Needs to Take More Chances to Become the Restaurant Patrons Expect
Looking at the dinner menu, it feels as if something’s missing. The à la carte portion on the stiff, pale gray paper, printed on the left, is shockingly brief, containing all of five starters, three pasta dishes, four mains and four side dishes. To the right, underneath the words “Kitchen…
The Case for Celebrating the Blockbusters of 2015
It’s easy to understand why so many people are down on Hollywood these days. “Everything is a remake, reboot or sequel.” “There are too many comic-book movies.” “Too many movies need you to ‘turn off your brain’ to enjoy them.” And these are all fair points. Hollywood rarely wants to…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 9. LeBron James
If I tracked the King of Content title back in 2010, there would be little doubt that LeBron James would have finished in the top five, maybe even number one overall. For two weeks straight, we obsessed as a sports nation over where LeBron would end up playing, and then…
The Best Movies of 2014, Houston-style
Two thousand fourteen is in the books — or down the drain, depending on how your particular annum went — which means it’s time once again to highlight the bestest movies of the previous 12 months. We’ve done this list for a few years now, and in the past I…
10 Tips for New Year’s Eve Bubbles
As you head this week to your favorite wine shop to pick up sparkling wine for the New Year’s Eve celebration, here are some tips that will help you get the most out of your sparkling-wine experience…
Upcoming: Dr. John, Elton John, John Doe, Kat Edmonson & Robert Ellis, Zola Jesus, etc.
The .07 Blues Band: Fri., January 16, 8 p.m., $5. The 19th Hole Grill & Bar, 202 Sawdust, Spring, 281-363-2574. 80 Proof: Fri., January 9, 8 p.m., $5 to $10. Concert Pub — Galleria, 5636 Richmond, Houston, 713-278-7272. Action Frank: With Fuska, Khobretti, Young Costello. Fri., January 9, 8 p.m.,…
High Costs Mean UAB Probably Won’t Be the Last School to Shut Down a Football Program
The news was just minutes old, the emotional wounds still fresh, as a room full of young men sat there, stunned. The football team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB, for short) had just been delivered the message by school president Ray Watts that the school would be…
A Few Words With Spoon’s Britt Daniel
Not long ago, a photo appeared on Spoon’s Instagram page of front man Britt Daniel appearing to share a laugh with none other than spiky-haired “Cradle of Love” rocker Billy Idol. It was taken backstage at a recent radio show, Daniel explains, adding, “it was not a great show, but…
DāM-FunK Aims to Change the World With the Funk
DāM-FunK has been at the head of the modern funk movement for the last five years, a place he earned one music-festival stop at a time. And while he’s secure in his role as funk’s ambassador, he’s still just a bit bothered that the public’s funk knowledge is just a…
SantaCon Descends on an Ever-Changing Montrose
It’s been said that all good things must come to an end. And with the blink of an eye, the most wonderful time of the year — the one where stockings were being hung with care and we weren’t trying to kill ourselves to score the new Beanie Baby, or…
Countdown to King of Content 2014: 10. Andre Johnson
During the Texans game on Sunday afternoon, as the Texans were putting the finishing touches on a 9-7 bounce back and the Cleveland Browns were putting the finishing touches on constructing the only road block between the Texans and the playoffs, I got a text from my younger brother. He…
Plenty of Houston-Area Schools are Among Texas’s Worst, According to TEA List
Well, the Texas Education Agency’s annual list of worst-performing schools is out, and unfortunately, the results for Houston area school districts are less than stellar. This year, the state added about 400 Texas schools to the TEA’s so-called Public Education Grant list. That means the number of under-performing Texas schools…
Houston (and Most of Texas) Home Prices Are Overvalued, Report Says
That fantastically-inflated Houston housing bubble may be deflating a bit, says the Fitch Ratings’ Sustainable Home Price fourth-quarter report. Houston has one of the most overvalued housing markets in the country, according to the report, with some home prices in the Bayou City are overvalued by as much as 19…
From Morning Coffee to Evening Cocktails: Woodbar Now Open
If you’re looking for the bar area inside of Canopy you won’t find it. Instead, aim to the left and make your way next door. There you will find a room full of tables and chairs in soothing, earthy colors and a long bar in the back. The place is…
Paul Wall Caps 10 Hours of H-Town Love at Winterfest
Houston, H-town, The H — whichever moniker you prefer, you definitely heard it at Eastdown Warehouse’s Winterfest Friday night. The event gathered nearly two dozen local acts of every ilk, something organizer Visionary Noise is rather adept at. It’s a glorious thing when it really works, even for smallish crowds…
The Owls Win Another Bowl Game
The Rice Owls dominated Fresno State on Christmas Eve, winning the Hawaii Bowl 30-6 to finish the season at 8-5. The Owls set a bowl record, becoming the first team to hold an opponent to zero touchdowns. Rice piled up 463 yards on offense while holding Fresno State to just…
Five Insanely Awesome Hangover Cures in Houston
New Year’s Eve is a hell of a drug. To help aid the inevitable hangover, try any of these awesomely delicious next day gut-busters. See also: The 5 Levels of a Hangover and How to Cure Them with Food Try These Five Monster Breakfast Dishes Try These Five Monster Sandwiches…
4 Types of New Year’s Resolutions a Lot of Us Make
A new year is upon us, and many people will be reflecting on the past 12 months, and their experiences in 2014. A bunch more will be planning on getting wasted as part of a yearly social ritual where drunken revelry is tolerated, as long as no one gets behind…
Texans Win Battle, Lose War; Beat Jags, Miss Out on Playoffs
With about 10 minutes remaining in the last game of the regular season, it seemed as though the Texans might do the improbable. They were on the way to their ninth win of the season, a considerable feat considering the miserable 2-12 season last year. They had to win on…
Rep. Steve Stockman Tried to Abolish Civil Asset Forfeiture on His Way Out
Congressman Steve Stockman has basically, essentially, technically left the building as far as actually being a member of the U.S. Congress. Sure, there’s still a sort of hangover effect until January rolls around and Congress actually goes back into session, but either way Stockman is heading home to Texas and…
Dish of the Week: Hoppin’ John, a New Year’s Day Classic
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a recipe perfect for New Year’s Day: Hoppin’ John. Hoppin’ John is a popular Southern dish made of black-eyed peas…
Doctor Who: “Last Christmas” Hits Every Mark Perfectly
My apologies for the lateness of this review as I spent most of Christmas evening in the emergency room with my daughter, who is fully recovered now. The Doctor and Santa Claus…You have to be a little worried, right? Much like the Christmas Harry Potter crossover Russell T. Davies tried…
Lights All Night Is Worth Driving to Dallas to Dance All Night
“Huge” is the first thing that comes to mind when you walk into the ballroom holding the main stage (dubbed Mothership 2.0) of Lights All Night. While it’s almost certainly — sorry, I forgot my measuring tools at home — not the biggest festival stage in Texas, it looks the…
Texans 23, Jaguars 17: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
When the Texans were sitting at 5-6 after a home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, two starting quarterbacks ago, many people — fans, media, possibly Toro — had given up on the season. Then when it was revealed a day after that game that Ryan Mallett would miss the rest…
5 Reasons Some Outsiders Hate on Texas
Texas gets picked on a lot by people who don’t live here. Often the butt of unkind jokes, the Lone Star State was picked as the most hated in the United States in a 2013 Business Insider poll, so it’s clear that at least a few people don’t have a…
Hey, HuffPost, Pizza Hut’s Cock-A-Doodle Bacon Pie Isn’t So Bad
Contrary to what was recently posted on the Huffington Post, Pizza Hut’s Cock-A-Doodle Bacon Pie isn’t so bad. And neither, for that matter, is the similarly dubiously named “Sweet Siracha Dynamite” pie…
The 10 Best Jaguars-Texans Rapper Tweets
The Houston Texans boasted a new coach, new players, down-to-the-wire playoff hopes and their fourth-ever winning record this season. Along the way to 9-and-7, some of Houston’s finest and wittiest rappers and DJs shared their game day thoughts on Twitter. Many, many thanks to all of them for co-authoring this…
Wild Moccasins, New Groups Shine at Walters’ Third Anniversary
Walters Downtown’s Third Anniversary Feat. Wild Moccasins, Rose Ette, Black Kite, DJ Flash Gordon Parks Walters Downtown December 26, 2014 Friday night at Walters was a festive occasion, as the venue celebrated its third birthday at its downtown location after moving away from its spot on Washington. The venue has…
The Five Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Shakey Graves, Propaghandi, Spoon, etc.
Shakey Graves, David Ramirez Fitzgerald’s, December 29 Shakey Graves, the musical alter ego of Austin’s Alejandro Rose-Garcia, is fast becoming the name to drop among the scruffy aspiring singer-songwriter set. As heard on the 2011 debut Roll the Bones, Graves’ DIY patchwork of folk and blues – accentuated by a…
Pop Culture and Beyond: The Most Popular Art Attack Posts of 2014
“What is art?” is one of those questions that can be answered an infinite number of ways, which probably means that the best anything is “anything can be art.” That’s one of the joys about this blog: it gives us here are the Press room to stretch our wings and…
The 5 Best Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend: Holiday Brunch & Tequila Cocktails
Holiday Brunch @ Fielding’s Wood Grill Friday – Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1699 Research Forest Fielding’s Wood Grill will be open for special holiday brunch hours all weekend long both this weekend and next weekend. Start with a Gaelic Irish coffee or a Bloody Mary flight before feasting…
College and Pro Football: This Weekend’s Best Bets
I hope all of you had a fantastic Christmas holiday and that Santa Clause brought you everything you wanted. Mine was filled with tiramisu, sambuca and lots of broken glass. (All huge staples of any good holiday season, I know!) In case you’re wondering, the “broken glass” is not a…
[VIDEO] The Changing Face of Houston – A City That Never Stops Transforming
Over the last several months, as I researched and wrote the “Changing Face of Houston” series of articles featuring Houston neighborhoods, several things became evident – Houston is a dynamic place that has experienced many transformations over its history, and the many communities contained within the city continue to evolve,…
Upcoming Events: Return to Life With a Post-NYE Brunch
You have until Wednesday, December 31 to get your early bird tickets to the 2nd Annual Houston Whiskey Festival, which will be held Saturday, March 21. The tickets are on sale for $40 (regular price is $65) for early bird general admission and $100 (regular price is $125) for early…
Looking Back at the Year in UH and Rice Sports
With the Rice Owls having played in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve, and the Houston Cougars playing in the Armed Forces Bowl next Friday, maybe now’s a good time to take a look back at the year that was in UH and Rice sports. HOUSTON COUGARS Beginnings: A new…
Houston’s 10 Best Places to Dance Off Those Holiday Pounds
Note: Because there ain’t a whole lot else going on, today Rocks Off is revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2014. Happy Holidays! Grooving to the beat is all well and good and all, but sometimes when the music burrows deep into your veins, there’s only one way to…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: 2014 DocFest and More
Kick off your weekend with the women from the Ruby Revue Burlesque Show. Pinup queen and burlesque dancer Bettina May, who’s often compared to Rita Hayworth, appears as the special guest artist at one of Friday’s two shows. It’s easy to see why May gets compared to Hayworth – the…
Openings & Closings: New Concepts Serve Customers From Dawn to Dark
Even during the holidays, Houston’s flurry of restaurant activity never stops. If anything, things have picked up over the past two weeks. Hold on tight as we look at a slew of openings, closings and a few name changes, too. We had not one, but two early looks at on…
Golden Memories of FPSF 2014
Note: Because there ain’t a whole lot else going on, today Rocks Off is revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2014. Happy Holidays! “Already attacked by the Cracker Jack’d” “I got laid last night, it was a good night” — Mariachi El Bronx “Crazy people watching, man…” “I SMELL…
10 Places Every Houston Rap Fan Should Visit
Note: Because there ain’t a whole lot else going on, today Rocks Off is revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2014. Happy Holidays! Despite the flood of people arriving here for the first time every day, Houston has never been a tourist town. Ask anybody: the skiing sucks, the…
Houston Acts You Should Probably See ASAP
Note: Because there ain’t a whole lot else going on, today Rocks Off is revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2014. Happy Holidays! The passing of Texas Johnny Brown last year hit me and a bunch of people pretty hard, so the September 12 death of Crusaders pianist Joe…
Here’s Something to Stir Up a Little Rodeo Fever
Note: Because there ain’t a whole lot else going on, today Rocks Off is revisiting some of our favorite stories of 2014. Happy Holidays! The past week or so, music news has been dominated by two big announcements: first the 2014 lineup of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival…
Houston’s Five Best Concerts This Weekend: Wild Moccasins, Hearts of Animals, Ishi, etc.
Walters Third Anniversary Walters Downtown, December 26 Walters Downtown has had an eventful year, losing its founder Pam Robinson in October and transitioning into the hands of her son Zack Palmer, so the venue’s third anniversary party looks to the future while anchoring itself to one of Houston’s most beloved…
Now Let’s All Sing “Silent Night”
Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk at our Christmas party We were drinking champagne punch and homemade eggnog Little sister brought her new boyfriend He was a Mexican We didn’t know what to think of him until he sang Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Into The Woods
Title:Into The Woods Why’d It Take So Long To Make This Into A Movie? Disney realized they’d only released one other princess-related movie this year (Maleficent). Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two Tex Avery wolves out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Fairy tale characters unite for some…
Remembering Rozz Zamorano, Houston’s Bass-Guitar Giant
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston’s music community we lost this year. Houston’s music community is still reeling after popular bassist Rozzano Zamorano was found dead in his Montrose apartment on February 19. Friends say Zamorano failed to show up for a gig with…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: The Imitation Game
Title:The Imitation Game Could You Pass The Turing Test? I do have steel screws in my ankle, so I’m practically RoboCop. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three-and-a-half Leons from Blade Runner out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Genius mathematician breaks enemy code, gets shit on by government…
Remembering Johnny Winter, Beaumont’s Blues Lightning
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston’s music community we lost this year, which we extended to include the legendary Winter, who passed away July 16. This article originally appeared on February 11. A December 1968 edition of Rolling Stone featured Texas musicians who were…
What You Read in 2014: The Most Popular Eating Our Words Posts of the Year
At three posts a day, five days a week, we put out a bare minimum of 780 posts a year here on Eating Out Words. It’s harder than it looks but more rewarding than you might think. We’re glad to be in the position to shine a light on the…
My Holiday Gift: Four Totally Cheesy WWE Christmas Moments
Before we get started, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, especially those of you who click on my articles every day, support my radio show and, most of all, support the sponsors of my radio show (without whom there would be no radio show and…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Unbroken
Title: Unbroken We’re Getting A Lot Of These Inspirational True Stories This Time Of Year. Well, it *is* Oscar season. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: One-and-a-half wartime Daffy Ducks out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Olympian gets captured by Japanese during World War II, enjoys it even…
Remembering Pam Robinson, Music-Scene Queen and Mayor of “Pamland”
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston’s music community we lost this year. Walters Downtown owner Pam Robinson, a fan and champion of Houston musicians for decades, passed away following a long battle with cancer the afternoon of October 22. Her family released this statement…
Shen Yun Performing Arts
Some 5,000 years of Chinese culture take center stage during the all-new show by Shen Yun Performing Arts. Retelling myths, legends and literary tales, the classical Chinese dancers float, leap and bound across the stage accompanied by the Shen Yun Orchestra, a unique mix of traditional Chinese and modern Western…
Jingle Bell Rocks!
What do avant garde filmmaker John Waters and hip-hop pioneer Joseph Simmons of Run DMC fame have in common? A love of alternative Christmas songs, according to Mitchell Kezin’s music documentary Jingle Bell Rocks! Kezin interviews Waters and Simmons, along with New York City hip-hop archivist and music writer Bill…
Bank of America Friday Night Flicks at the ICE at Discovery Green: Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin earned a spot in pop culture with his performance in the holiday film Home Alone, screening as part of the Bank of America Friday Night Flicks at the ICE at Discovery Green series. Culkin played eight-year-old Kevin, accidentally left on his own over the Christmas holidays. With the…
Remembering Little Joe Washington, Houston’s Last Real Bluesman
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston’s music community we lost this year. Houston is a little less of an action town after Little Joe Washington, the mighty-mite of the local blues scene passed away the afternoon of November 12. Washington’s death is believed to…
Ruby Revue Burlesque Show
Pinup queen and burlesque dancer Bettina May’s often compared to Rita Hayworth. It’s easy to see why; the Titian-haired beauty has a 36-28-38 figure, movie-star good looks and a vintage Hollywood glamour style. But Rita Hayworth never shimmied like Bettina May. You can see what we mean when May appears…
River Oaks Theatre Weekend Midnight Movie: Singin’ in the Rain
One of the most successful musicals ever, In the Rain is set at the beginning of the talkies. Silent film star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen in an iconic dumb-blond role) has an incredibly shrill voice completely unsuitable for talkies, so the studio has Kathy dub her lines. Lina’s film partner,…
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis
Celebrate more than just the holidays at the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Mannheim Steamroller’s record-breaking holiday album, Yuletide (the biggest-selling holiday act ever with 40 million albums sold). The concert makes use of two powerful tools: Christmas music by Mannheim…
Disney Junior Live on Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure
Join Mickey and Minnie as they watch all the action and magic during the Disney Junior Live on Tour! Pirate and Princess Adventure. The pirate in the title refers to the swashbuckling adventurer Jake, leader of the boys from Never Land. Along with his friends Cubby and Izzy (and a…
2014 DocFest
Robert “Doc” Morgan, the former director of jazz studies at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was pretty happy when Grammy Award nominations were announced recently. No, he didn’t get a nomination. He got something better: Three of his former students were among the nominees, each recognized…
Pigs & Paella
Enjoy a feast of whole roasted sucking pig, mounds of paella, sides and desserts at Batanga’s monthly Pigs & Paella. The buffet serving line starts at 5 p.m. and goes on until Batanga runs out of food. A flamenco guitarist provides live music on the patio, and bottles of wine…
The Manhattan Transfer Christmas Show
Christmas might be officially over, but that won’t mean much to the audience at the Manhattan Transfer Christmas Show when holiday tunes are given the cool jazz treatment the vocal group is known for. Made up of Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Cheryl Bentyne and Trist Ethan Curless, the Manhattan Transfer…
Ralphie May
Start your new year off with a heavy dose of truth from comedian Ralphie May. May is in Houston with a special New Year’s Eve show. “I am so excited,” May tells us. “Houston has always been my favorite place for New Year’s Eve, and this year I’m celebrating my…
Linnea in Monet’s Garden
Kids who are still more interested in Saturday morning cartoons than stuffy old art will find today’s free Family Flicks screening, Linnea in Monet’s Garden, pretty fun. The animated Swedish movie, a 1994 Parents Choice Award winner, is just 30 minutes long and based on a popular book about a…
Remembering Joe Sample, Fifth Ward Jazz-Funk Great
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston’s music community we lost this year. Joe Sample, the Houston native whose masterful keyboard playing made him a leading figure in the jazz fusion movement of the ’60s and ’70s and a top session musician in jazz, R&B…
The Imitation Game: Cumberbatch’s Codebreaker Gets Lost in the Plot
‘Politics really isn’t my specialty,” shrugs Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to a naval commander (Charles Dance) in an early job interview scene in Morten Tyldum’s choppy biopic The Imitation Game. Yet no less than Winston Churchill would credit Turing as the main cause of the Allies’ victory over the Nazis…
The Gambler Is a Dressed-up Genre Picture — and a Good One
In Rupert Wyatt’s highball-cool reworking of Karel Reisz’s 1974 The Gambler, Mark Wahlberg does not play a cop, does not shoot bad guys with a gun and does not spend considerable time shirtless (though we do see him sulking in a bathtub, and there’s a fleeting wet T-shirt moment, too)…
Capsule Art Reviews: December 25, 2014
“Jorge Marin: Wings of the City” This installation at Discovery Green has nine wonderful sculptures by an acclaimed Mexican sculptor; some are powerful, some playful, some enigmatic, but all are filled with a love for and an appreciation of humanity that is breathtaking and admirable. Though they represent a higher…
Capsule Stage Reviews: December 25, 2014
Panto Rapunzel (With Zombies) There ain’t no respect in Panto Rapunzel (and Zombies) at Stages Repertory. Nor any sass. Nor much of a vibe. Perhaps it’s time to retire the Panto idea completely and give it back to the Victorians. This seventh incarnation is the lamest of all. Playwrights Jodi…
Mexican Greatness and Roberto Gómez Bolaños
Dear Mexican, The other day, my Italian boyfriend and I were sitting in a cafe in Santa Monica. He asked me an interesting question: ” If you had the choice to be any nationality in the world, which one would you choose?” Being the proud Latina that I am, I…
