Don’t Read This
The end of the year saw plenty of news roundups, where the biggest and most crotch-revealing stories of 2006 were recapped and ranked. But these retreads aren’t enough for the folks at Project Censored, who’ve released the Top 25 Censored Stories of 2007. We’re all for shining light on underreported…
Horse Shrift
What Would Sam Do? The latest issue of Texas Horse Talk hits the stables this Saturday, and writer Steven Long has a doozie of an article in there titled “Houston Hates Horses.” Our first thought upon reading the first few words was, Huh? We thought Houston loved horses. But apparently…
Not-So-Breaking: Residents of Hell Told to Protect Pipes, Plants and Pets
Courtesy of the GHCVB He’s gonna have to do a lot of partying to make up for that $95K pay cut. In case you missed it in all the holiday revelry, Jordy Tollett, the unkillable head of the Greater Houston Convention & Vistors Bureau, announced he is throwing in the…
Keep the Chain
Daniel Kramer Maybe next time. Last week’s cover story on the goings-on at Ozen High School presented me with a unique fringe benefit: my very own hip-hop chain. Our art director Monica Fuentes had it made for the cover shoot, and after all the flicks were clicked, she dangled it…
Tragedy for Houston Musician
Houston band leader and musician Pedro Olivares died early January 1. Photo courtesy Kathy Olivares Band leader Pedro Olivares Just after 2 a.m. on January 1, Pedro Olivares (27) and his wife Daniela Urbaez Olivares (22), were returning home from a New Year’s Eve performance at Cafe Annie. The couple…
School Ranking 101
Yep. These kids took an AP or an IB test. That much we can be sure of. Looks like Newsweek’s “What Makes a High School Great” was the mag’s most popular story of last year, according to its end-of-year issue. The people have spoken, and it’s good to know they…
Not That There’s Anything Wrong with It…
Texans fans have grown plenty accustomed to images of the team’s hapless QB lying flat on his back. But today’s Chronicle offers another, more personable side of David Carr: positioned doggie-style, in mid-thrust, atop his place-kicker. Is it a rare post-victory embrace? Or a glimpse into how they’ll spend the…
Not That There’s Anything Wrong with It…
Texans fans have grown plenty accustomed to images of the team’s hapless QB lying flat on his back. But today’s Chronicle offers another, more personable side of David Carr: positioned doggie-style, in mid-thrust, atop his place-kicker. Is it a rare post-victory embrace? Or a glimpse into how they’ll spend the…
Desi Does It
Ginormous Indian weddings are so last year, but since we’re only on Day Two of 2007, we figure we can offer this video of one local couple’s notion of intimacy. — Keith Plocek To learn more about Desi weddings, check out “Gods and Lovers,” by Ruth Samuelson…
Wait, So You’re Supposed to Tip?
No longer featuring Lu Ann wages. Luby’s, the Houston-based hotspot for late-in-life, early-to-bed diners, recently agreed to pay out $366,864 in back wages to 1,680 current and former waiters, cashiers and checkers. Apparently there was some funny business going on with tip-pooling that, according to a press release from the…
Wait, So You’re Supposed to Tip?
No longer featuring Lu Ann wages. Luby’s, the Houston-based hotspot for late-in-life, early-to-bed diners, recently agreed to pay out $366,864 in back wages to 1,680 current and former waiters, cashiers and checkers. Apparently there was some funny business going on with tip-pooling that, according to a press release from the…
Naked Grapefruit
Texas “Ruby Red” grapefruits are in season, and the best way to eat them is bare naked–not you, the grapefruit sections. A little old lady who works in a grapefruit grove in Mission, Texas taught me how to do this. It’s faster than sectioning, once you get the hang of…
Naked Grapefruit
Texas “Ruby Red” grapefruits are in season, and the best way to eat them is bare naked–not you, the grapefruit sections. A little old lady who works in a grapefruit grove in Mission, Texas taught me how to do this. It’s faster than sectioning, once you get the hang of…
What to do, what to do….
www.i2.pbase.com Grave Digger The truck show Monster Jam, which stops at Reliant Stadium this Saturday, should be right at home here. After all, from F350s to Hummers, there’s something carnally Houstonian about gargantuan trucks. And pent-up anger from sitting in Galleria traffic or breathing in exhaust fumes makes us daydream…
La Dolce Vita
As we reported a while back, while the rest of the country may be getting pummeled by the jaw-dropping profits being racked up by the energy industry these days, Houston is loving it. (Click here for our story.) Now the Los Angeles Times has gotten on the bandwagon. They have…
TurboTaxed
So the great news on December 20 was that President Bush signed into law an extension that allows Texas state residents (and residents of eight other states with no state income tax) to deduct sales tax from their federal taxes for the next two years. [Other renewed deductions were for…
2006’s Best Jazz Albums
Here are 10 great jazz discs from 2006. On certain days, they might even be my top 10 of this abundant year. SEPTUAGENARIAN MASTERS Ornette Coleman Sound Grammar Sound Grammar Forget Ornette’s daunting reputation; true to the mischievous genius of this 75-year-old child, Coleman has always composed so that guileless…
Hall of Famer
Scott Foundass Top Ten Movies of 2006 1. Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, France) 2. United 93 (Paul Greengrass, U.K.-USA) 3. Letters From Iwo Jima (Clint Eastwood, USA) 4. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, Romania) 5. Happy Feet (George Miller, USA) 6. Inland Empire (David Lynch, USA) 7…
“Proper Listening”
Gregory Michael Carter likes to procrastinate. “I love deadlines,” says Carter, the artist behind the exhibition “Proper Listening.” “It gives you something tangible to work with.” One of the pieces for his show at the Tipping Point is still untitled and unfinished. It features a drawing of the iconic civil…
The New KKK
Libby Rose trusted Tommy Granger. She’d always looked up to him. When she was a little girl, her older brothers played football, and Granger was a coach. When she got older, she’d go to the pool at Alice Keith Park where he worked, and she talked to him, thought of…
Iraq‘s Cinema of Longing
Rob Nelsons Top Ten Movies of 2006 1. Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, France) 2. Iraq in Fragments (James Longley, USA) 3. A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, USA) 4. Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, USA) 5. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, Romania) 6. Neil Young: Heart of Gold (Jonathan…
Half Shell Face-Off
The Conway Cup oysters we sampled at the newly opened Oceanaire Seafood Room in the Galleria were so big and dense and meaty, I suspect they were actually Belons from Maine that had been accidentally mislabeled. Oyster aficionado John Bebout loved the Conway Cups, too. He liked the Blue Points…
Welcome back, Rock Star
“Are you kiddin’ me?” says the burly man in disgust as he stands with his wife outside Warehouse Live on a drizzly Friday night. “Dilana? Sold out? I used to see that girl in…” “I’m sorry sir,” says the doorman. “But yeah, it’s sold out. You could try a scalper.”…
Family Ties
Ella Taylor’s Top Ten Movies of 2006 1. Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, France) 2. Family Law (Daniel Burman, Argentina) 3. Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, USA) 4. The Queen (Stephen Frears, U.K.) 5. Iraq in Fragments (James Longley, USA) 6. Venus (Roger Michell, U.K.) 7. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu…
Relax, Metros
Funny: I reread “Chipinque Cuisine” [by Robb Walsh, November 30] because of all the bitchy letters. Nothing changed, it was funny and 95 percent complimentary. Those West Houston metrosexuals are sure a tense lot. Jay Bute Seabrook Precious Jadewood Fan mail: The article about Jadewood [“One Fan at a Time,”…
Dream Works
It is said that a great actor or actress can “bring down the house,” but before I saw (and heard) the 25-year-old American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson in the film version of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, I can’t recall the last time I truly feared for the architectural stability…
The Color of Funk
Robert Mercurio, cofounder and bassist of Galactic, has heard it before: “How did five white guys get so cool?” “Yeah, people ask us that sometimes,” he says, “but it’s never been a diss, which is cool. It’s usually more like, ‘God, you guys sound really good for some white guys…
Don’t Believe the Hype
History repeats itself: Eleven Decembers ago, Universal had the season’s strongest movie — a downbeat sci-fi flick freely adapted from a well-known source by a name director. With a bare minimum of advance screenings and a shocking absence of hype, the studio dumped it. This year, they’ve done it again…
Bored with Apathy
Looking around at the plenitude of punk in and around the city today, it’s hard to believe that a mere 25 years ago, the music and the lifestyle were deep underground and viewed with the utmost fear and loathing by parents and police alike. Today, moms and dads think nothing…
Bottle Rockettes
O, sweet living nativity scene, it has arrived — all 36 shapely gams, two sheep, one very bored camel, three wise men, 32,765 spangles, a phalanx of dancing Santas, 27 pounds of dry ice, one lone klieg light stationed outside on Bagby, bolts of red carpet, three dancing midgets –…
Phat Promises for 2007
You promise to quit smoking. Or to get your beer gut off the couch and onto the treadmill. You swear to stop downloading “Kidz Bop” tracks from iTunes. And to cut back on your MySpace time. We all have our little resolutions that we make around this time of the…
Capsule Reviews
A Fertle Holiday One of the best ways to spend an evening this holiday is with the Fertles, the oddball family that resides at the Radio Music Theatre. Yes, it’s time yet again for A Fertle Holiday. The laugh-out-loud show is full of the small-town characters that Rich Mills and…
I’ll Bury the Mike!
Sure, Houston’s known as one of the leaders in the southern rap movement, but Galena Park? Well, since GP is home to Baby Jay, yeah, Galena Park. Fifteen-year-old Baby Jay, a.k.a. Jonathan Gutierrez, released his debut album, Keepin It Real, last month, but the tenth grader has been performing since…
Touchdown Harry!
I love my husband. My husband loves his friends. His friends love Harry Potter. I have no idea who Harry Potter is. And I get the idea that I’m supposed to be ashamed about that. My husband is from a very rich, very Jewish family in New York. I’m from…
Why do pochos and chntaros hate each other?
The Mexican is currently inside a trunk trying to sneak back into the United States after the Christmas holiday. In the meanwhile, here are some oldies-but-goldies: Dear Mexican, Why do my employees who are chntaros (Mexican immigrants) seem to have a distaste for my employees who are pochos (Mexicans born…
The Drones
The angst-ridden, transcendent, skull-busting guitar attack of vintage Neil Young and Crazy Horse informs The Drones’ music like raw genetic material. In the tradition of San Francisco’s Dream Syndicate in the early ’80s and the staunchly Midwestern Eleventh Dream Day of the following decade, The Drones, who hail from Melbourne,…
Juices Flowing
Jackass Number Two: Unrated (Paramount) The sequel to the dumb-ass jamboree makes its predecessor look plain and inoffensive. In short: more puke, more blood, more semen (from a horse, consumed nonetheless), more shit, more piss, more everything till you’d think the Jackasses (Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, etc.) would be…
Suzanna Choffel
Singer/songwriter Suzanna Choffel’s version of folk — she calls it urban+folk — employs pop elements with lots of tiny, percussive, calypso bubbles floating to the surface beneath her breathy Lauren Hill-ish vocals. And while Choffel is front and center on her pleasant debut Shudders & Rings, it is producer Stephen…
Resistance Isn’t Futile
Publisher: Sony
Platform: PlayStation 3
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M (for Mature)
Score: 7 (out of 10)
Pavement
Historically, Pavement’s Wowee Zowee, first released in 1995, can be viewed as a bridge, of sorts, between the band’s first pair of loveably ramshackle Matador full-lengths and their slicker, more controlled final two. It seemed they had outgrown the signature lo-fi snootiness that landed them on the indie rock throne…
Our top DVD picks for the week of December 28
Airwolf: Season Two (Universal) Be With Me (Film Movement) Dane Cook’s Tourgasm (HBO) Danica (First Look) Factotum (IFC) The Family Values Tour 2006 (Firm Music) Girls Behaving Badly, Volume One (Starlight) Haven (Fox) Mars Invades the Earth! (Alpha) Mi Amigo (Velocity) Mr. Fix It (First Look) The New Adventures of…
Joe Ely and Double Trouble
The story goes that when Joe Ely was six years old, he saw Jerry Lee Lewis play on a flatbed trailer in an Amarillo dust storm. The wind kept blowing the mike over, and everybody in the audience was wearing bandannas over their faces. Joe Ely’s shows haven’t been as…
Your Lucky Night
We know 2007 will be a good year because of one lucky number — seven. The number represents the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan, how many days it took God to create the earth in Christianity, and the pH of pure water. But we’re not drinking water tonight. There are…
Terry Allen
In an amazingly prolific and eclectic career, Terry Allen has written music for the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company in San Francisco (he won Isadora Duncan Dance Awards for sound design and production design for the program); written plays like the visceral Juarez for New American Radio; sculpted pieces for everything…
The Gourds
The lyrics from “Burn the Honeysuckle” pretty much define the Gourds: “Married me a girl raised on mustard greens and bear / Chimney brown and lanky smoke all in her hair / Bore me seven babies in ten years time / with skin like tobacco and eyes like wine.” The…
Capsule Reviews
DiverseWorks: J Hill’s Sound Installations You can hear the Sonny Liston/Muhammad Ali fight in the bathroom at DiverseWorks. It’s part of an ongoing series of sound installations by artist J Hill in the art space’s two public bathrooms. Hill dotted the walls and ceiling of the bathroom with speakers, transforming…
Same Old Story
It’s official: Hollywood has run out of original ideas. If you thought 2006 was bad, just wait. In 2007 the studios will give up on birthing blockbusters and instead concentrate on cloning them, with sequel after sequel after sequel. Familiar titles will be followed by so many numbers that filmgoers…
PESCE’S
In a town like Houston where the class lines are so clearly and boldly drawn, it’s fun to check in on the upper-upper class from time to time. Although I’m not loaded enough to afford a night out at Pesce (3029 Kirby, 713-522-4858), my dad is, so I take full…