For Once, the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Got It Right
Despite being sick and hacking up more different colors of phlegm than there are Power Rangers, I needed to certify that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t completely mad for its incoming inductees. Rewind: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Set To Induct Rush, Heart, Donna Summer, and…
This Peter Pan Soars, and By the Way: Happy Birthday, Cathy Rigby!
Check out our interview with Cathy Rigby. The setup: From the magical theatrical moment when Cathy Rigby catapults through the Darling nursery room windows, trailing glittering pixie dust in her jet stream, she’s the epitome of J.M. Barrie’s immortal boy who wouldn’t grow up. She gives this mythic world-renowned character…
Nude Man Steals Refrigerator, Torches Own Apartment, Police Claim
A San Antonio man faces an arson charge after a bizarre incident last month involving public nudity and the theft of an apartment complex community room refrigerator. According to San Antonio police, on November 27, 38-year-old Carlos Rene Tomasi entered the community room nude and promptly walked over to the…
From Drinks to Decor, Cuchara Brings Mexican Charm to Montrose
I think it’s all but impossible to enter Cuchara and not come away completely charmed by the dining room and all its vibrant energy. Between the colorful murals from Mexico City artist Cecilia Beaven that decorate the walls — and even the ceiling — and the warm, inviting smells floating…
U.S. Women’s Soccer Team in Town to Face China Wednesday Night
Fresh off their gold medal winning performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the US Women’s National Soccer is making a pit stop in Houston on Wednesday night. They’ll face an old adversary in the Chinese National Team at BBVA Compass Stadium. It’s been eight years since the ladies…
Reality Bites: Killer Karaoke
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. I should probably stay out of the progonostication game, because I honestly never thought karaoke would stick around as long as it has. Sure, I’m happy to trot out my…
Introducing the Texas 30: The 30 Best Texas Albums of the Past 30 Years
We forget if it was Muhammad the Prophet or a different kind of prophet, Willie Nelson, who answered the question about why he climbed the mountain with a simple, “Because it’s there.” In Willie’s case, the question would probably be why he continues to tour, but the answer is the…
Listen To Our Texas 30 Picks On Rdio and Spotify Right Now
Today we reveal the top 30 Texas albums released over the past 30 years. It was rough work, but we did it. Rewind: The Texas 30: The Third Runners-Up, Albums 60-51 The Texas 30: The Second Runners-Up, Albums 50-41 Behold the Texas 30, Plus Albums 40-31 From Selena to Steve…
A Returning Champion Wins at the 2nd Annual Tequila & Tamales
Check out pics from the second annual Tequila & Tamales throwdown in our slideshow. If anyone thought that El Gran Malo’s win at the 2011 Tequila & Tamales throwdown was a fluke, last night’s results should change their mind. The year prior, the gastrocantina on Ella won the Tequila portion…
[PHOTOS] Light Rail Expansion Moving Faster Than You Might Think
Since 2004, anyone living or visiting the areas near Main Street, the Medical Center, the Museum District or Reliant Park has probably gotten to experience METRO Rail, for better or worse. Some ride it daily. Some get in accidents with it. Some just gawk. But, one of the busiest stretches…
Behold the Texas 30, Plus Albums 40-31
At this point, hopefully you know what the Texas 30 is and why Rocks Off is counting down to the Top 30 Texas albums of the past 30 years, as determined by a statewide panel of professional music writers. The short answer is, of course, because we can, and because…
J. Todd Allison’s Strange, Surrealist Landscapes at G Gallery
A Winnebago rides cresting waves like some mobile surfboard, while bouquets of esophagus-like flowers hang overhead and sprout from the water. An air vent unit twists and turns, an upside-down chair attached to one end and green petals shooting out of it like a leaf blower. Birds fly over a…
This Week In Food Blogs: Camp Brisket and Nutty Frenchmen
Washington Post: The latest out-of-state paper to tackle Houston’s bustling food scene is The Washington Post, in which writer Martha Miller visits a handful of our most popular restaurants and describes the city as “Silk Road meets Texas Bravado.” Sarah Rufca at CultureMap called Martha’s summation “the best description of…
Rick Perry and the Source for Women: Trust Us With Your Uter-us!
Governor Rick Perry couldn’t have made it any clearer during a press conference at a Christian-based health clinic Tuesday: “My goal, and the goal of many of those joining me here today is to make abortion at any stage a thing of the past.” Perry was pushing the so-called “Pre-Born…
Asmodeus X Reveals Trippy Sci-Fi Flashback Video
Just when I think I’m never going to hear from the band that got me into goth in the first place Asmodeus X pops back into existence out of nowhere. This time it was with a new music video for the title track off of 2011’s Bright Ones, and it…
Build-A-Bar: Shaken or Stirred?
It was the Corn ‘N Oil that did me in. I’d been planning a post on mixing techniques for a while, and had a pretty good handle on what I wanted to say. Then, I built a Corn ‘N Oil. Neither stirred nor shaken, yet (depending on version and interpretation)…
Your Family Sucks But This Play Is Pretty Good
The setup: Another play about a dysfunctional family — they are legion — comes to Houston, this one the world premiere of the first play by Abby Koenig, a Houston Press contributor, and structured around a game show which gives the play its title. The execution: The unique stage is…
De Colores: The Celebration of La Virgen de Guadalupe
Check out our slideshow from yesterday’s Feast of the Virgen de Guadalupe. The feast day of La Virgen de Guadalupe is celebrated every year on December 12. On that day in the year 1531, it is believed that the Virgin Mary appeared to an indigenous Native American peasant named Juan…
California Department of Education Employee Busted for Obsessive Commenting on News Web Site
Commenters are a fascinating Internet species. The anonymity that comes with posting comments on a news story gives people the opportunity to express their innermost thoughts and feelings. It also affords them the chance to be complete and utter assholes. It’s as if commenters are pure id, acting like spoiled,…
My Favorite Holiday Treat: Italian Rainbow Cookies
In my family, it’s not a holiday without Italian Rainbow Cookies. Made of layered almond sponge cake and jam and finished with a rich chocolate coating, they are one of the best cookies around (just ask any kid ever). They’re sweet, nutty, moist, fruity, light and rich all at once…
Mariachi Imperial de America Helps Celebrate La Virgen de Guadalupe
Check out our slideshow from yesterday’s Feast of the Virgen de Guadalupe. For Mexicanos and Mexico-Americanos, there is nothing better than mariachi music to help celebrate a wedding, birthday, funeral, graduation, hiring, firing, or national or religious holiday. The music is both fancy and accessible, assisting celebrants in expressing their…
Houston Kickstarter Round-Up: December: Monkey Hangers and Hip Hop Dancing
Once a month we’ll be bringing you a look at some of the best local Kickstarter campaigns in order to let you know what’s getting ready to be unleashed through the help of small investors. Rainbow Monkey Designer Children’s Clothes Hangers I am officially going soft by being this ridiculously…
Linsanity Finally Shows Up, Rockets Lose Anyway
Jeremy Lin reminds me of an NFL quarterback. He probably didn’t deserve the mounds of praise heaped on him during his transcendant run last year in New York and he hasn’t deserved the beating he’s taken on message boards and radio call-in shows during his struggles in Houston. He didn’t…
Will The Lone Ranger Be the Alejandro Jodorowsky Summer Movie We Didn’t Know We Wanted But We Do?
This week a second trailer for the Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer-starring big-screen The Lone Ranger vehicle was released. A much better trailer than the last one, which reminded me of Will Smith’s awful Wild Wild West. This is a much grittier and grimier vision than I ever thought director…
The Texas 30: Willie Nelson’s Best Albums of the Past 30 Years
Willie Nelson’s Across the Borderline is one of the albums that made it onto our Texas 30 list of the best 30 Texas albums of the past 30 years, which runs later today. We promise that you will dig it, and hate it, which is how it’s supposed to be…
Dallas Beer Scene: The Common Table Owner Corey Pond Gives Us an Insider’s Look at What’s Brewing in DFW
It’s been quite the year for craft beer in Texas. One of the biggest stories, however, is news that hasn’t quite made its way down to Houston. Dallas is currently experiencing a boom in breweries that’s as big as, if not bigger than, the expansions Houston and Austin have seen…
Top 10: Most Wanted Being Arrested in Texas at Record Pace
The state of Texas has all sorts of problems. There are problems with children’s health care, a lack of support for the mentally ill, low literacy rates, droughts, famine, pestilence and the Dallas Cowboys. We’ve got a lot going on down here. But in one area, at least, we are…
The Top 25 Music Videos of 2012, Nos. 15-11
More of the best music videos from the last year are coming up, and this time I promise they won’t all be about suicide and sadness as they seem to have been yesterday. Nope, this time a little levity is on the menu, but a little murder and black magic…
100 Creatives 2012: Raúl Orlando Edwards, Opera Singer and Salsa Dancer
Being a something-slash-something else is usual these days. Someone’s a writer-slash-painter, or a filmmaker-slash-composer. But an opera singer-slash-salsa dancer? This is the first time we’ve heard of that combo. Raúl Orlando Edwards, artistic director for the Foundation for Modern Music and founder of both FLAMÁRT (Featuring Latin American Music and…
Top 10 Restaurants in The Woodlands
After living in The Woodlands since I was seven years old, I have eaten at many restaurants, seen many open and quickly close. Over the last ten years, The Woodlands has grown exponentially, adding new shopping centers, a renovated concert pavilion and more community areas. With all of this expansion…
The 12 Days of Christmas, Houston Texans Style on 12/12/12
Well, Monday night wasn’t very much fun. Patriots 42, Texans 14. As bad as it must have been for all of you who had to watch the Texans lay an egg on the big stage from the comfort of your living rooms, I had to go through the pain of…
It Had to Happen: Our 10 Most Popular Top 10 Lists of 2012
I KNOW THAT FEEL, BRO. The joke on Twitter last week was that it would only be a matter of time before someone started making top 10 lists of top 10 lists. Far from being purposefully meta, though, we like to think that our top 10 lists here at the…
Doctor Who: 5 Men Who Were Almost The Doctor
The Christmas Special looms, looms, I say, and like most Whovians I am shaking like a leaf through Doctor withdrawal. Not the least since I know that once “The Snowmen” is over I’ll still be stuck waiting around for the second half of Series 7… and then all the speculation…
15 Notable Houston Concerts of 2012
As we look back over 2012 this week, it is now time to revisit some of this year’s memorable shows. It wasn’t easy narrowing the list down to 15. Concerts are in chronological order. CHRIS GRAY DAY, The Continental Club So much local talent and so much love. Uh, if…
RIP Ravi Shankar, Sitar Pioneer and Beatles Buddy
One of the greatest musicians of all time has died. Ravi Shankar, sitar legend and easily one of India’s most revered cultural ambassadors, passed away Tuesday afternoon at age 92 in San Diego. According to ZeeNews, he had been having trouble breathing and was admitted into the hospital last week…
The Texas 30: The Second Runners-Up, Albums 50-41
On our computer, Rocks Off has been looking at that damn Texas 30 spreadsheet so long our eyes are frosting over. Monday we said about 400 different albums were spread across the ballots we received from almost 25 music-media wags across Texas. We looked at the sheet again after that…
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Set To Induct Rush, Heart, Donna Summer, And Public Enemy
Today the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland announced their 2013 class of inductees. Public Enemy, Donna Summer, Heart, Albert King, Randy Newman, and longtime jilted proggers Rush have all made the cut. The star-studded ceremony is set for April 18 in Los Angeles. REWIND: Last Night: Rush…
David Clyde, 1970s Baseball Phenom, Arrested for DWI
David Eugene Clyde, one of baseball’s great “What if?” stories, was arrested for DWI this weekend in Harris County. In his senior year at Spring Branch’s Westchester High School in 1973, the fireballing lefty went 18-0 with an ERA of 0.182. Yes, the decimal is in the correct place there…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: The Bourne Legacy and a Trip into the Vault
We have to admit we liked The Bourne Legacy way more than we should have. (The snobby cinephile part of us felt a little embarrassed that a few fight scenes, some car chases and a little conspiracy theory won us over so quickly.) But there it is, we loved Bourne…
Culture of Free: Top Five Things People Offer in Lieu of Money for Tech and Creative Services
I’ve had the privilege to work in a number of creative fields over the years including photography, graphic design, music and, obviously, writing. I’ve also spent the last decade running a technology company. Surprisingly, they have a lot in common when it comes to business. Both are mostly young fields…
Get Your Head Spinning with a Dreidel Cocktail for Hanukkah
I’m always curious about seasonal traditions that aren’t my own, especially for holidays I didn’t grow up celebrating. While picking a college friend’s brain about Hanukkah food and drink recipes, I randomly inquired about the possibility of a Hanukkah cocktail. “Well,” she said, “I can’t really think of any traditional…
Upcoming: The Residents, Every Time I Die, The English Beat, Sleepy LaBeef, Mondo Generator, Etc.
Allstar Weekend: With Cute Is What We Aim For, Tiffany Alvord, Beneath The Sun., Wed., Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m., $18.00-$68.00. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston. Augustana: With Lauren Shera., Tue., Jan. 29, 8 p.m., $14/$17. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston. The Bandulus: With Los Gritos, El Desmadre, Fuska, The…
Curses That We Yelled at Our TV Screen Last Night During the Texans-Patriots Game
11-2. 11 and 2. Not a bad record to have at all. It looks strong. It’s better that 2-11, that’s for sure. There is no reason to jump off of a cliff, get your Texans throat tattoo scrubbed off with a wire brush or to paint your house. But during…
Rocks Off’s 10 Biggest Musical Disappointments of 2012
Everyone’s mother once told them, or should have, that life is not always going to be a puppy mill full of unicorns and rainbows. Remember why all those puppies are there. Sometimes life — and especially pop music — doesn’t turn out like you were expecting, so now we present…
Half-Off a Special Meal at Fuad’s, Mia Bella and More
Enjoy half-off a unique dining experience with this week’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal, good for half-off ($10 for $20 on lunch, $15 for $30 on dinner) at Fuad’s Restaurant. Voted “Best Piano Bar” in 2012 by the Houston Press, Fuad’s has been serving Continental cuisine in Houston for 36…
Tavarius Williams: Is Alleged Dog-Flipper Up to Old Tricks?
It appears that our old friend, alleged dog-flipper Tavarius Williams, is back to his old (alleged) ways: Craigslist and other online classifieds are littered with Williams’s ads selling puppies of indeterminate origin, and it has some in the animal welfare community aghast. When we first wrote about Williams, a guy…
Psychonaut: A Fairy Tale of Inner Wastelands
Last year one of our Gothic Council contributors, Carmilla Voiez, released an absolutely intense novel of demons, rape and murder called Starblood. It was the sort of thing Clive Barker might have penned if he were a woman, and just reading the thing was like feeling surgery begin just as…
Texans-Patriots: The 10 Most Disgusted, Disappointed Rapper Tweets
Houston has a professional football team. That professional football team is called the Houston Texans. A lot of people like them. Some of those people are rappers. The Internet has several forms of social media. One of those forms of media is called Twitter. A lot of people use it…
Tequila & Tamales Takes Place Tonight at La Mexicana, and It’s Free!
At last year’s Tequila & Tamales throwdown, TQLA surprised attendees by taking home the night’s big prize — but not for tequila. Instead, the Southwestern restaurant (pronounced, yes, “tequila”) won Best Tamales while the margarita madmen at El Gran Malo won Best Margaritas. For this year’s Tequila & Tamales event,…
DYNAMO Second Vanity Plate to Be Auctioned Off in 2013
A couple weeks back, we learned that the Great Plate Auction of 2013 would feature HOUSTON as its primary vanity license plate for auction. We also learned that Dallas had a similar auction last year and sold FERRARI for $15,000. Of course that is what Dallas did. The second of…
Why Psy and the Innocence of the Muslims Guy Are Nothing Alike
This meme has been infecting my Facebook newsfeed lately, and I thought I’d reply. The facts are these… Nakoula Basseley Nakoula spent a lot of his life making drugs, evading taxes, and commiting bank fraud, all acts that landed him in various institutions over the years. Because of the last…
Buyer’s Guide to Power Gloves
It’s Christmas time again, and if you want to really impress the gamer in your life, then there’s nothing like a Power Glove. Fortunately, the enduring popularity of this awful, awful controller means that you aren’t limited to just the original. There are all kinds of interesting Power Gloves out…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Pumpkin Christmas Cookies for Your Dog
I am officially home for the holidays, so Christmas cookie baking has begun. But who says your dog can’t enjoy Christmas cookies this year? I always make sure to buy my dog a couple of holiday treats to enjoy on Christmas morning, but when I came across a few Christmas…
Internetocalypse! Facebook and Gmail Go Down in the Same Afternoon
When I read yesterday that Facebook was down, only hours after Gmail servers had gone dark, I actually laughed a bit to myself because I realized I was reading it on Twitter. I began to imagine what would happen if it also had server issues. What would the world do…go…
Holiday Gift Don’ts: 5 Useless Gifts Nobody Wants
Every week this holiday season, we’ll be posting our favorite food-centric gift ideas. Earlier this week, we featured Useful Kitchen Tools Under $30. To further help everyone avoid that awkward “Hey, didn’t I get you that last year?” re-gifting moment, now we’re sharing 5 Holiday Gifts That Nobody Actually Wants…
Re-creating Natural Disasters, Archive Style
Maarten Demmink was born in the Netherlands, honed his craft at art schools in the Netherlands and currently lives in the Netherlands. But the multimedia artist’s work is anything but provincial. In a solo show currently up at Redbud Gallery, the artist, who goes by the name Demiak, makes work…
Grammy Snubbed: Should We Really Feel Bad for Justin Bieber and Grizzly Bear?
You may have heard that the Grammy nominations were released this past week. It has some great choices from the committee, surprisingly enough. You’ve got nominations for extremely deserving artists such as Fiona Apple, Frank Ocean, Bjork, and Tom Waits. Even the Album of the Year award is a competition…
Patriots-Texans: Five Reasons a Rematch Could Be Different in January
The Texans won’t tell you it wasn’t a disaster. It was. It was not, however, something that’s automatically repeatable. Even in a 28-point game, the beatdown on Monday Night Football essentially came down to five plays on which the Patriots were spotted 28 points. With one exception, the Texans were…
Pop Rocks: Peter Jackson Must Be Stopped — The Perils of Being a Successful Director
Saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last night. I can’t tell you what I thought of it, because at the time I’m writing this, I have yet to actually go see it. This is like one of those “temporal anomaly” thingamabobs in Star Trek; Edith Keeler, is that you? An…
The Rocks Off 100: Vik Montemayor, Bang Bangz’s Seamless Timekeeper
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. Who: Vik Montemayor handles the percussion in one of Houston’s hottest bands, Bang Bangz…
Hot Dr Pepper with Lemon: The Ultimate Texas Cold-Weather Drink
When I was in college, Dr Pepper ruled our campus (and so did Drayton McLane, but that’s a story for another day). No, seriously. It became the official soft drink of Baylor back in 1997. And along with it came Dr Pepper Hour, formerly Coke Hour. Baylor University isn’t just…
Splendora Donkey-Dragger Gets Felony Indictment
In one of the more horrific animal cruelty cases in the area this year, in October, a Splendora man was accused of dragging a friend’s pet donkey behind his truck so fast that the animal’s hooves were in large part scraped from its feet. On Thursday, a Montgomery County grand…
P.F. Chang’s at Home with Frozen Dinners for Two
P.F. Chang’s is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. When I head home to New York and hit my favorite mall, my girlfriends and I almost always choose P.F. Chang’s for our post-shopping lunch and wine session. I usually order the chicken lettuce wraps and garlic noodles; add a few…
The 25 Best Music Videos of 2012 Nos. 20-16
The countdown continues! Yesterday we saw shadows eating Daniel O’Sullivan, kids stomping the yard to a Band of Skulls tune, gothic perfection from the Grave Babies, and two wonderful local entries by Kerry Beyer and Jennifer Grassman. Now it’s time to look at some titans of the music industry, as…
Is Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Really a Fashion Show?
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is an interesting phenomenon. For ten years the lingerie brand has televised “angels” (as the models are called) strutting the runway in their underwear — plus angel wings! — on prime-time television, giving straight men and straitlaced parents everywhere something to salivate over. This year’s…
Monday Night Meltdown: Texans Crushed in New England 42-14
It was, to quote Yogi Berra, “Like deja vu all over again.” In this case, the Texans’ loss to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on the road in prime time was eerily similar to week six when they were dismantled by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers…
Are We There Yet? Restaurants We’re Excited About for 2013
Last year — at the tail end of 2011 — it seemed as if half the restaurants we were excited about in 2010 for the upcoming year still hadn’t opened yet: Uchi, Triniti, Underbelly and The Hay Merchant were all a very long time in the making, but finally opened…
Rating 5 2012 EDM Crossover Attempts, Best to Worst
As 2012 comes to a close, it’s time for all of us to take a look in the mirror and accept the truth: Whether we like it or not, EDM is a major force in music and is here to stay. We all knew it was coming; anyone who has…
Advice to Male Gamers on How Not to Be Sexist Douchebags
If we learned anything at all during the recent election, we learned that there are wide swaths of men who simply do not understand women at all, but think they do…. They don’t, and hey, not understanding things isn’t a crime. On the other hand, I wouldn’t let someone who…
The Texas 30: The Third Runners-Up, Albums 60-51
Friday, Rocks Off told you about our “Texas 30” project, compiling a list of the best 30 albums of the past 30 years. Today we’re about to show you the first of three bubbling-under appetizer lists we did just to put a little oil on the gears. Here, starting with…
Kendrick Lamar Adds Second December 29 Houston Show, at House of Blues This Time
Few artists in 2012 can play two concerts in one night, and sell out the first one. Based on strong street cred and the critically adored album good kid, m.A.A.d city rapper Kendrick Lamar has done it in Houston. The artist has already sold out his December 29 Warehouse Live…
Rockets’ Ups and Downs Continue Despite Coach’s Return
Check out pics from Saturday’s close game against the Mavs in our slideshow. Kevin McHale was emotional at times when he met with the media upon his return to the team on Saturday night after an extended absence due to the illness and tragic death of his daughter. He kept…
VIDEO: Ben Milam Hotel Building Goes Boom
With the booming blasts that sounded off like a 21-gun salute, spectators gathered as Houston said goodbye to the Ben Milam Hotel on Sunday, December 9, 2012. The 80-year-old building that stood across from Union Station had been closed since the 1970s, and was imploded to make room for a…
Rocks Off’s 10 Best Musical Discoveries of 2012
The thrill of discovering freshly minted treasure or a previously unheralded favorite is one of the main reasons music writers get into this racket in the first place; every so often it can make wading through the ocean of crap mediocrity that is pop music worthwhile. Rocks Off asked our…
March Planned on U.S. Rep. Pete Olson’s Office This Morning (UPDATED)
A group of “fed-up” constituents are planning a march on U.S. Rep. Pete Olson’s Sugar Land office today, with a goal of making sure the Republican Congressman remembers to tax the really wealthy. “Essentially, they should be taxing the one percent,” organizer Beverly Ortiz tells Hair Balls. Ortiz, who is…
Suchu Dance Entraps Audience with Roucoulement
The Setup: On December 6-8, Suchu Dance presented Roucoulement at Barnevelder Theater. The company’s latest evening-length concert takes its name from the French word for “cooing.” All of Suchu’s signature traits — otherworldly soundscapes, resale chic costumes and abrasive choreography — were there in plenty. The result was another humorous,…
Nas Mirizadeh of Triniti on Growing Up in Azerbaijan and the Interesting People You Meet Student Teaching
Quite often for this column, I will wander into a bar and simply strike up a conversation with a bartender — a process which has led to some great stories. But every now and then, it’s all laid out for me and I have a bartender suggested by a reader…
Texans-Patriots: Brand New BATTLE-DRINK Bingo Drinking Card
The time is almost here. This week’s game of the century is upon us. Texans versus Patriots in New England. The storyline is simple for the Texans — win, and you are one win away from hosting playoff games all the way up to the Super Bowl in New Orlens…
Viv! Fails to Bring Vivien Leigh to Life
The setup: Academy and Tony Award-winning actress Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, Tovarich) was plagued by numerous interior demons, abetted by tuberculosis, that made a hash of her personal life and kept her career on a dizzying trajectory of highs and lows. Yet there is…
Top 5 Wine Gifts for the Holidays 2012
Here are some ideas for wine-themed gifts for the 2012 holiday season, including a few that I’ll be giving and a few — hint, hint — that I’d like to receive! 5. Wine Grapes by Master of Wine Jancis Robinson et alia If you follow along here at Wine Time,…
Friday Night: The Bright Light Social Hour at Fitzgerald’s
The Bright Light Social Hour, Ishi Fitzgerald’s December 7, 2012 Having thoroughly conquered its hometown rock scene up Highway 290 — the group swept its six nominations at the Austin Music Awards last year, including Band of the Year — the Bright Light Social Hour spent 2012 on the march…
10 Texas Christmas Ornaments from Etsy You May or May Not Want on Your Tree
We Texans like stuff made by other Texans. We like to believe we are our own little country down here. In fact, some of us wish we were. In short, Texas pride runs deep, which is why we take every opportunity we can to demonstrate it. This Christmas, all over…
Fans Mourn Popular Mexican-American Banda Singer Jenni Rivera’s Death
Fans reacted with a mixture of sadness and disbelief to the news that Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, “la Diva de la Banda,” was apparently killed in a plane crash in Northern Mexico early Sunday. Rivera’s brother Gustavo told CNN that his sister was traveling with at least five other people…
Fashionably Aware: Three High-Profile Intersections of Fashion and Fundraising
Learning more about Greenpeace’s new Detox campaign–a campaign aimed at the fashion world, and designed to motivate companies to stop using toxic chemicals in their manufacturing processes–set the old wheels a-turnin’ about ethics and the fashion industry. Collectively, fashion houses have long faced external pressure to improve their ethical practices,…
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Food Critics: Jonathan Kauffman, Lauren Shockey and Hanna Raskin Weigh In
We don’t expect you guys to read every little thing we write. After all, Eating…Our Words publishes at least ten posts per day. But every once in a while, a topic arises on which we’ve pontificated in the past — and in those cases, we like to re-run a previous…
Stormy Monday: Texans v Patriots Will Be Wet, Cold and Ugly
In week 10 in the NFL, the Texans went on the road and impressed a lot of people, beating the Bears 13-6 on a wet, blustery night in Chicago. If they are to do it again and come closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they will have to…
Best Comics in November: Joker and Witch Doctor Return!
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. Hawkeye #4 What did we learn from the Petraeus scandal? I’d say it was that there is no information system in the world that cannot be…
What’s Cooking This Week? Latkes, Matzoh Ball Soup and More
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Is a New Poe Album Finally on the Horizon?
In 2000, Poe released Haunted, an album that is simply one of the absolute greatest things ever recorded. It was a critical smash success on the pop charts despite that fact that it was more or less a surrealist counterpart to one of the most disturbing and difficult-to-read horror novels…
Suspicious Minds: Craig Biggio’s Hall of Fame Induction in Doubt Due to Steroids
Baseball Hall of Fame voting brings out the stupid in many people, especially those people charged with casting the ballots. Amid cries of cheating and ruining the integrity of the game, a loud minority of the voters have made it clear they will never vote for any player who took…
The 25 Best Music Videos of 2012, Nos. 25-21
This year was a big one as far as music videos go, and we covered a ton. More than that, it was an amazing year for videos from local bands breaking the mould and playing at the same level as the big boys. So we’ll be counting down the best…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sometimes, the only cure for a bad day is a warm, sweetly soft, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Here are our ten favorites in the city. 10. French Gourmet Bakery & Cafe Although I usually favor the chewy chocolate chip cookie, I very much enjoy the cakey texture of the…
The RunPee App Frees Your Bladder From Cinematic Tyranny
There are few things in life as aggravating as your bladder hollering for a draining while you are inside a movie that you just spent $15 to see. You can just feel the entertainment dollars flowing out of your main vein while you relieve yourself, on top of whatever cool…
Google Discontinues Free Version of Google Apps for Business
Most people could care less about Gmail outside of the free e-mail accounts so many of us use on a daily basis, but one of the best-kept secrets of Gmail was the fact that Google provided a free version of its Google Apps for business that allowed small businesses to…
The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: December 10-13
Sometimes when things look slowest, like this week, that’s good reason to go out anyway. You never know what might be lurking out there – just not Rick Ross and friends, which remember is canceled. For example, this week’s list is 100 percent local, or people rooted enough in Houston…
(UPDATED) Stop. Hobbit Time. Let’s Celebrate the New Hobbit Film.
Update: The Cinemark party has been moved to Rave Yorktown 15 Theater in Copperfield It feels like just three years ago that it was announced that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy was to begin making its transformation onto the big screen…
Rest(aurants) in Peace: Notable Closings of 2012
Some restaurants just couldn’t wait for the Mayan apocalypse on December 21, 2012, and decided to implode all on their own, while other restaurants simply expired of old age and waning interest in a city that’s constantly chasing after the next big thing. Instead of a toast to the restaurants…
Surprise! Rick Ross’ Maybach Tour Stop In Houston Canceled
According to an email we have just received from Live Nation in Houston, the Maybach Tour set for next week on December 13 at Reliant Arena, has been canceled. In fact, Ross has canceled the rest of the tour. He cited problems with the tour promoter among other things. The…
UPDATED: Walton And Johnson Now MIA From Houston Radio, Point To “Left-Wing Political Attack”
Longtime morning radio duo Walton And Johnson are no longer airing on 93.7 The Arrow. The Houston-based, nationally syndicated talk show’s page on the Arrow site has also been scrubbed. Houston media blogger Mike McGuff has been on the story for a few hours now, and there are reports that…
Frustrated by the Recent Heat? Winter Is Making a Comeback
“Rise and shine and don’t forget your booties, ’cause it’s cold outside,” is how the radio deejay woke Bill Murray up in Groundhog Day every morning. And while we won’t have a blanket of snow on the ground, sing morning polkas (most of us anyway) or live in Punxsutawney, next…
VIDEO: Peter Pan Takes the Metro Rail
Daytime commuters downtown got a surprise this afternoon thanks to Theatre Under the Stars. That’s because Peter Pan (and nemesis Captain Hook) opted to ride the light rail to Neverland instead of flying. The ride was coordinated by TUTS to help drum up excitement for the Emmy Award-winning musical, which…
Shmaltz Tap Takeover Tomorrow at Hay Merchant, Plus the Shmaltz Holiday box
The Hay Merchant is a “Chosen Bar,” according to Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Houston beer spot has been selected to help celebrate Shmaltz’s 16th anniversary as well as the beginning of Hanukkah tomorrow afternoon by tapping a special selection of 18 different kegs from Shmaltz. With four “Chosen” bars, Texas…
Person Of Interest: A Marked Cuban
We’re almost halfway through the second season of Person of Interest and I’m starting to wonder if we’re due for any shake-ups next year. CBS has already opted to pull back on the flashbacks, meaning we don’t know a hell of a lot more now than we did at the…
Comcast SportsNet Houston Debacle Keeping Buzz-Worthy Rockets from Getting Buzz
What if the Rockets won in a forest and no one was there to see it? These are the kinds of philosophical questions many fans must ask themselves this year because the vast majority don’t have access to games on TV thanks to an apparent impasse between Comcast SportsNet Houston,…
First Look at Crisp, the Newest Wine and Craft Beer-Based Restaurant in the Heights
Before I get too much grief for calling the area in which Crisp has opened “the Heights,” I’ll say that it’s more accurately the Shady Acres neighborhood that’s the owner of this neat, tidy and — so far — supremely useful new addition. It’s also one of the few recent…
Last Night: Lamb Of God At Bayou Music Center
Thursday night the lights at Bayou Music Center went out at ten sharp, and the crowd roared in anticipation as a building was demolished onscreen and the stage was shrouded in a green-tinted smoke. Percussionist Chris Alder sat down at his kit first, followed by guitarists Mark Morton and Willie…
T.I. Unveils Trouble Man at Houston’s Wire Road Studios
T.I. is no Marvin Gaye. Or is he? Both men were blessed with supreme talent as musicians and songwriters. Both men exhibit an overflowing charisma and a flair for the dramatic. Both men chose acting as a supplementary alternative expression of their talents. Both men were also cursed with an…
Yes, You Too Can Adopt a Manatee This Christmas Season
This year the biggest Christmas gifts are once again set to be tablets, smart phones, booze, Fleshlights, engagement rings and anything else that will be obsolete by next summer. Sure, you could shell out big bucks for something with an Apple logo on it, but why not adopt a manatee?…
Texans Fan: The Week in Art Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Hayes Carll Playing Cactus Music Next Thursday, Reissuing 2002’s Flowers and Liquor
While we wait for his follow-up to 2011’s damned fabulous KMAG YOYO, Cactus Music has announced that Hayes Carll will be playing in-store on Thursday, December 13 at 5:30 p.m. That’s next Thursday, you turkeys. Carll, one of the most vocal Houston Texans fans on Sunday afternoons on Twitter, is…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Brandi Key of Coppa and Her Modern Take on Italian Classics
Brandi Key Coppa Ristorante Italiano 5555 Washington Tel: 713-426-4260 This is Part 3 of a three-part Chef Chat series. In case you missed it, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This week, we got to know Brandi Key, the executive chef at Coppa, a little better…
10 Odd Musical Gift Ideas for the Last Christmas on Earth
Back in the day, Christmas shopping for music lovers couldn’t have been simpler: just head on down to the record store, pick up the latest hot release or a rare collector’s item, wrap it up with a Warehouse Music gift certificate and you were golden. Now that the music business…
Vengeance for Beliebers: Justin Bieber Ticket Forger Gets Lengthy Prison Sentence
A Florida man with a lengthy rap sheet ran afoul of two powerful forces yesterday: the long arm of Texas law and the mystical might of Justin Bieber. Forty-year-old Robert C. Grusczynski pleaded guilty in Montgomery County district court to one count of second-degree felony forgery. Judge Fred Edwards banged…
Upcoming Events: Tailgating at Triniti and the World’s Largest Fondue Party
Craft beer fans are in for a double treat this month: In addition to the upcoming Stone Vertical Epic tasting next Thursday, December 13 at The Flying Saucer downtown, The Hay Merchant will be hosting a staggering Shmaltz tasting this Saturday featuring 16 different beers from Coney Island and He’Brew…
Top Five Six Things to Do This Weekend: Your Family Sucks, Baroque Christmas, The White Christmas Album, Jingle Bell Run and More
When Horse Head Theatre Company was scheduling its new season, local playwright (and frequent Houston Press contributor) Abby Koenig dusted off an idea that first came to her ten years ago, and she finished a script in three weeks. The resulting play, a black comedy entitled Your Family Sucks, has…
Serrano’s Rap Coloring Book to Become Actual Book
Some weeks ago, Rocks Off told you that one of our writers, Shea Serrano, had constructed a Tumblr featuring his drawings of various rappers and curated by the King of the Trill, Bun B, called the “Rap Coloring Book.” We were proud of him then (we always are), but we’re…
25 Ways to Replace Jim Deshaies; You’re Welcome, Astros!
As you know by now, Jim Deshaies has left the Astros and is joining the Chicago Cubs broadcasting crew. In many ways, that’s like making the jump from AAA to the majors since WGN is seen nationally while Comcast SportsNet Houston is seen just about nowhere. Now, with Deshaies gone,…
The Sanders Family Christmas: Where the Audience Gets to Play the Congregation of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
The set-up: One of A.D. Players’ most popular shows returns for the Christmas season, and it’s easy to see why. The execution: Part sacred and part comically profane, Connie Ray and Alan Bailey’s musical testament to faith and family warms like hot chocolate and soothes like comfy woolies. The show’s…
Health Department Roundup: Lexington Grille, Pink’s, 1308 Cantina and More
If you’re into lunchtime trysts, the Lexington Grille is apparently a good place to schedule one. We’re guessing things were not so romantic between the inspector and manager last week, when Lexington was hit with a dozen violations. But you never know — maybe there is some potential for romance…
Coming Next Week: The Texas 30
One day this summer, it must have been, a certain Mr. Craig Hlavaty brought a book he had found at a Houston-area thrift shop called (the) Genuine Texas Handbook into the office. This book is about everything you ever loved about Texas in the early ’80s condensed into 200-something pages…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Playing For Keeps
Title: Playing For Keeps Isn’t That Gerard Butler Dreamy? That’s certainly what the fine folks at Open Road Films and FilmDistrict are banking on. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: One “own goal” out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Serial philanderer and absentee father attempts to worm his…
Greg Cochran, Thieving Former Attorney, Gets Prison Time
Imagine you own a flower shop and you’ve fallen on hard times. First, you get into a wrangle with your landlord after the sewer line backed up into the building. Then, Hurricane Ike comes along and does a number on you, and the insurance company drags its feet on your…
Panto Mother Goose: The Best Installment Yet in the Stages Xmas Pantomimes
The set-up: The latest installment in Stages Repertory Theatre’s annual Christmas “pantomimes,” Panto Mother Goose, is their best – a tuneful and somewhat zippy take on some familiar fairy tale characters, with a nimble score by David Nehls, but top-heavy book and far nimbler lyrics by Stages’ artistic director Kenn…
Hoffle Stoff Awaffogus… Yes, Weed Was Involved In the Name
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. I knew nothing about Hoffle Stoff Awaffogus when I decided to write about them. All I knew was that their name came gutterballing into my…
Grilled Lobster Sundays with Chef Kevin Bryant at McElroy’s Pub
By day, Kevin Bryant is the executive sous chef at L’Olivier. But starting a couple of weeks ago, and continuing every other Sunday with the exception of Christmas week, he’s taking on a new role: grill master at McElroy’s Pub. Every other Sunday at McElroy’s Pub, Bryant has announced, he’ll…
Week 13 Highlights of FFL (Fan Fighting League): Giant Fan vs Redskin Fan in Battle of Undefeateds
Every good idea has a turning point where, as the creator, you know that you’ve struck gold. And much like Vince McMahon knew that he was into something the night that his creation “Stone Cold” Steve Austin flipped the double birds to Mike Tyson on national television, I knew when…
Why Not Add a Wi-Fi Password to the Price of a Concert Ticket?
Cell phones have become ubiquitous in our society and nowhere is that fact more apparent than at concerts. Cell phones have literally revolutionized the concert-going experience, for better and worse. Cell phones allow us to take photos of ourselves to load up to Facebook when we should be paying attention…
Random Hanukkah Stuff To Get You In the Spirit
I went into Target the other day to see if they had any yarmulkes (long story) and found one lone endcap on the side of the card section that held a very limited amount of Hanukkah paraphernalia. There was three-pack of plastic dreidels, a shoddy looking menorah and some blue…
If Houston Restaurants Were Bands: Oxheart As an Oi! Punk Band, Plus More
In a recent story meeting, I mentioned The Pass & Provisions to my fellow staff writers here at the Press. Assistant music editor and all-around pop culture buff Craig Hlavaty quickly threw out there: “That sounds like a screamo band.” “In fact,” he continued, “a lot of these new restaurants…
Okay, Who’s Been Slipping Bible Tracts into Our Papers?
We were surprised to find out today that, when He’s in Houston, Jesus Christ utilizes the Oak Forest Post Office for all his mailing needs — or at least one of His disciples does. Some evangelical person, worried about how this week’s Houston Press cover story on athiesm would affect…
100 Creatives 2012: Jeremy P. Kelley, Kid’s Pop Artist
Artist Jeremy P. Kelley admits he made a tiny mistake in choosing his company’s name, Liam’s Room Art. He named the endeavor after his son Liam, since his was the first room Kelly ever decorated with his work. At the time Liam was Kelley’s only child. The trouble is Kelley…
5 More Christmas Songs by Houston Artists (and the Butthole Surfers)
5. Butthole Surfers, “Good King Wenceslas” Would you believe me if I told you that a Butthole Surfers song is impossible to explain? There’s a version of “Good King Wenceslas” that Mannheim Steamroller made pretty famous on elevators around the world. You wouldn’t recognize the words if I told you,…
Spice Things Up With Fruitcake French Toast
Fruitcake is one of those things that you either love or hate. I just so happen to really enjoy a slice of fruitcake (although it must be a small slice or my teeth will rot). As a child I never understood why my grandma would force me to eat a…
Football! This Weekend’s Best Bets, and a Story of the Worst Gambling Beat Ever
File this one under “Worst Beats Ever”: According to a story on businessinsider.com, there was a bettor last week (and the story has a picture of the ticket, so I tend to believe it’s true) who fired on an eight-team parlay of NFL games on Sunday, risking $50 to win…
Openings & Closings: Goodbye, Goldfish and Hello, Caballo
As our own Josh Justice hinted at in last week’s round-up of jinxed restaurant locations, there is indeed a steakhouse moving into the old La Strada spot on Westheimer. According to a press release that went out this week, La Casa del Caballo — the second location of “the most…
5 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: December 7-9
Come See My Dead Person Walters, December 8 The gypsy-punks in Come See My Dead Person have come out of hibernation to release an eponymous new 13-song set of songs. The manic pickin’, the boisterous drinking anthems, and strange old-world stank are here in spades, with the proverbial fur really…
Our Video Tribute to the Celebrities Twitter Told Us Were Dead in 2012
Earlier this year my tiny black heart was broken into a million tinier and slightly blacker pieces when I read on Twitter that former-Runaway turned greatest woman in ’80s metal Lita Ford had died in a tragic Jet Ski accident. I’ve harbored an enormous crush on Ford since I was…
Asimov Rehumanizes Wine in His New Book
“Eric [Asimov] has the best job in the world,” once said a friend of mine, who happens to be a prominent wine writer based in New York. “He’s the wine writer for The New York Times!” she exclaimed. From the standpoint of most of us wine scribblers, Eric’s gig is…
Cheap Flights to Disney World Start in February on Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines, an ultra-low-fare airline based in Florida, announced it will begin daily nonstop flights between Orlando and Houston on Valentine’s Day this year. Hair Balls did a quick check of the cost for a round-trip ticket to Orlando in February and found a fare of $118.79. By comparison, the…
Star Trek Into Darkness Has Two Teaser Trailers (One Is Japanese!)
I’m not alone in thinking that Star Trek Into Darkness is one of the worst titles for a film. Why not just Star Trek: Darkness, or Star Trek: Knock Knock Who’s There? Darkness! Darkness Who? Darkness This Movie Next Summer! or something or other. But we will all have to…
Yep, It’s a Thing: Pizza Hut Perfume
I was scrolling through Twitter last night when three words struck terror in my heart: Pizza Hut Perfume. I’m not sure if this offends me more as a pizza lover or a perfume lover, but I am definitely offended. Look, I love the smell of pizza (though not, particularly, Pizza…
American Horror Story: Asylum: Silent Night, Derpy Night
Do you know why they make Christmas-themed horror movies? Because they can, and for no other reason. I’m not saying that you can’t make Christmas scary, I’m just saying that it is by nature a real stretch. In the end, you’re trying to turn something that is inherently pure into…
FBI Offering $10K “Quick Christmas Cash” for Help Apprehending Bank Robber
You really have to hand it to the FBI. For an organization that doesn’t seem really funny at all, their press releases seeking the help of citizens to apprehend criminals can be hilarious. Take this “digital billboard” effort to catch Victor Dwayne Johnson, who is charged with bank robbery for…
Free for All: The All Film Edition – Dance on Film Festival, Love, Actually and I Wish
On Friday, join us as we escape from reality at the Dance on Film Festival with short works by choreographers Rebecca French, Ashley Horn and others. French contributes The All Hands Meeting, a surreal piece that follows a woman as she attempts to escape from her sterile office environment. Mallory…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Brandi Key of Coppa, On Making the Perfect Pizza and Coppa’s Next Move
Brandi Key Coppa Ristorante Italiano 5555 Washington Tel: 713-426-4260 This is Part 2 of a three-part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space Friday. EOW: So the concept of Coppa as being an Italian restaurant, and you coming from Pappas, how…
10 Surprising Things About This Year’s Grammy Nominations
This year music has been dominated by viral pop like “Call Me Maybe” and “Gangnam Style,” songs that initially became “hits” from outside the music business’ traditional delivery system, usually YouTube. Thursday, the Grammys recognized that by nominating “Maybe,” by 17-year-old Justin Bieber protege Carly Rae Jepsen, for Song of…
CultureMap’s Most Eligible Bachelor/Bachelorette Party PR Dissected
“What do a neuroscientist, a chocolatier and a private flight attendant have in common?” asks a release from CultureMap. I know there’s a punch line in there somewhere, but in this case, the line isn’t a joke but a teaser for CultureMap’s charity event where attendees, for $35, can bid…
Kimberly Akimbo: A Hybrid Play of Humor and Deepening Depression
The set-up: Award-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire has crafted a hybrid play, part would-be zany comedy and part poignant exploration of a rare medical condition, now receiving its Houston premiere. The execution: Mom is an hypochondriac, pregnant and with some real problems. Dad is an alcoholic in a dead-end job. Aunt…
Austin’s Bright Light Social Hour Eat Own Tails On Endless Tour
It’s been a busy year of travel for Austin’s Bright Light Social Hour. The group’s intriguing blend of semi-psychedelic Southern rock and ’70s disco-soul has taken them to every nook and cranny of North America in 2012, highlighted by big, triumphant performances at SXSW and Arkansas’ Wakarusa festival. Friday, Bright…
Nom Nom Friends: Support a Local Business, a Worldwide Charity and Bring Home the Bacon This Christmas
Space Montrose — the little store behind Brasil and cattycorner from Domy — has been my go-to shopping spot since it opened two years ago, since it specializes in products from Texas-based artists, craftsmen and other artisans. Nearly every birthday, Christmas or anniversary present I’ve bought in the last two…
Hornets to Become the Pelicans? Dear NOLA, Blame Utah
The city of New Orleans has been forced to suffer many indignities when it comes to sports. Whether it was the long period of disastrous play by the “Ain’ts,” so bad that fans came to games at the Super Dome with paper bags over their heads; or the fact that…
Canned Kindness: The Top 5 Food Gifts in a Jar
Anything that makes things easier around the holidays is always wonderful. So when you’re giving gifts to friends and family this year, give them something that will ease their stress by packaging food gifts in a jar. Packaging a recipe in a jar not only reduces the amount of time…
Meet Les Heinemann, Baybrook Mall’s Bluegrass-Picking Santa Claus
Les Heinemann has played Santa Claus at Baybrook Mall in Friendswood for 13 seasons now. Somebody told him that by December 25 of this year he’ll have had almost 300,000 children sit on his lap and sort out their Christmas lists. I first met Heinemann in 2001 when I worked…
The White Christmas Album: a Beatles Holiday, A Caberet Act Both Sultry and Soaring
The set-up: Hmmm, the Beatles and Christmas? Together? Sounds a little looney? Rest easy, everything’s fine in The White Christmas Album: a Beatles Holiday. This musical potpourri is stirred, not shaken, and served on a silver platter by Music Box Theater. The holiday season is in terrific hands – all…
App of the Week: Dark Sky, the Most Beautiful Weather App You’ll Ever Use
App: Dark Sky Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: http://www.darkskyapp.com Cost: $3.99 I am a huge weather nerd, so naturally I have a bunch of weather apps. I’ve reviewed quite a few and ranked them on occasion. Whenever I come across a new one that gets good reviews, I immediately take a…
Greenpeace Makes Foray into Fashion with Detox Fashion Campaign
When you think of Greenpeace, fashion may not be the first thing to come to mind. Climate change, Arctic drilling, and whaling are its most visible campaigns, but its Detox campaign is focused on exposing “links between textile manufacturing facilities causing toxic water pollution in China, and many of the…
Crappy Ringtone Tumblr Makes Indie-Someone’s Music More Crappy
For the past two months, New York City-based composer/songwriter David Nyman has been turning back the clock and making MIDI versions of popular and current indie-rock and hip-hop jams. His Tumblr page, where he unloads his Soundcloud clips of these tiny wonders, is getting very popular, and was showcased by…
4 Warming Winter Cocktails from Houston’s Hottest Bars
This week we asked bartenders around the city to tell us a little about their upcoming holiday cocktails for the [slightly] cooler month ahead. Below you will find their current favorites — four vastly different drinks from three of Houston’s very best cocktail bars. El Lechedor from Alex Gregg at…
Pop Rocks: Supporting Characters We’d Want On Our Side In A Fight
Remember that scene in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy where the crews from the various local news stations fought each other in a leisure suit battle royale? Good times. And it got me thinking. Meteorologist Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) came in pretty handy during that scrap (“Brick killed a…
Texans and Rockets Players Help Launch Crazy Golf Complex, TopGolf
Years ago, I was playing a gig at a sports bar way out on the southwest side of town. The bar was surrounded by a massive ring of softball fields used by adult teams, mostly made up of corporate teams and the like. There was a strange, green glow that…
Chefs Rate America’s Food Critics at the Daily Meal; Two Houston Writers Get Ranked
They say that turnabout is fair play, and that’s just what The Daily Meal did this week when it polled a group of chefs across the U.S. to see how those chefs rated some of the nation’s most preeminent food critics. Those 20 food critics were chosen by Arthur Bovino,…
The Rocks Off 100: Mason Lankford, Folk Family Revivalist
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. Who: Mason Lankford is the young songwriter behind many of the tunes performed and…
Sports Illustrated Gets in Depth with Rockets GM/Geek Daryl Morey
If you’ve ever seen the movie Moneyball, you probably have a tiny inkling of what goes into the data-heavy methodology behind modern sports analytics. It’s a complex mix of raw data, probability and computing power. Prior to Daryl Morey’s hire as the Rockets GM, no one had seriously tried it…
3-D Up Yer Ass: The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2013
Your ass is gonna be so sore next summer. In a good way. Hollywood has tons of movies lined up for us over the next 12 months, including highly-anticipated superhero reboots, stirring dramas for old people, questionable remakes and “re-imaginings”, and a handful of zombie-related movies to keep theaters flush…
Holiday Gift Guide: 5 Gifts for Kids Who Cook
Every week this holiday season, we’ll be posting our favorite food-centric gift ideas. We’ve looked at 5 Gifts Under $30 That Every Kitchen Needs and attempted to avoid that awkward re-gifting moment with the 5 Useless Gifts That Nobody Actually Wants. This time, we’re focusing on the kiddies. Check out…
The 10 Worst Holiday Cover Songs Ever
It’s the thought that counts, right? Because they had the common decency to make original garbage, this list pardons holiday atrocities like New Kids on the Block’s “Funky Funky Christmas” and “Last Christmas” by Wham! The ten “artists” on this list couldn’t even be bothered to wrap their own turds…
Is Houston the Worst City in America for Burglaries? Probably
There you were feeling pretty damn good about yourself when you read the Brookings Institution found that Houston had the best economy in the country. You puffed your chest out, retweeted and shared posts on Facebook to all your yankee cousins. “Looky here,” you said with a sense of pride,…
7 Sure Signs You Know Your Hip-Hop Group Is Breaking Up
This past weekend, Das Racist announced that they have broken up and, according to member Kool A.D., that they have been split up for two months now. As an avid fan, I wasn’t surprised at the news. I’ve been watching their demise on Twitter and YouTube. Thanks, Internet. In the…
5 Reasons Why Making a Great Doctor Who Video Game is Probably Impossible
For our anniversary, I got my wife an imported copy of Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth for the DS. Before you call me Homer Simpson giving Marge a bowling ball know that she specifically asked for this. Unfortunately, she gave it up pretty quickly as soon as she discovered the game…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Fried Chicken
“What’s your favorite fried chicken in Houston?” I asked my mother a few days ago over the phone, curious to see if I’d overlooked any old favorites on the top 10 list I was compiling. A sixth generation Texan, my mother has lived here for more than three decades and…
Uncle Lucius, Brian Keane
For some inexplicable reason, Uncle Lucius tends to get lumped into the yee-haw “Texas Music” crowd, when their thoughtful, square-jawed rock and roll is much closer to Austin neighbor Bob Schneider than anything boasting either a cowboy hat or a steel guitar. Indeed, the quartet’s latest, And You Are Me,…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Flying Solo,” “[Houston Times Eight],” “Jonathan Faber: Surface,” “Joseph Havel: Hope and Desire,” “Shane Tolbert: Talk of Montauk”
“Flying Solo” One of my first reactions to seeing the names involved in “Flying Solo,” a new group exhibition at Art League Houston featuring Houston artists who aren’t represented by a commercial gallery, was surprise that so many of them aren’t represented. The seven artists included offer such unique, distinct…
Lamb of God
This year self-respecting metal fans everywhere found themselves alternately transfixed and heartbroken by Lamb of God lead singer Randy Blythe’s situation. Accused of being liable for the death of a fan during a 2010 Prague gig, Blythe was incarcerated in a Czech Republic prison for a month before being released…
Capsule Stage Reviews: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Santaland Diaries, The Snow Queen, Sylvia
It’s a Wonderful Life Old-time radio drama gets a nostalgic analog tune-up under Texas Repertory Theatre’s shrewd adaptation of Frank Capra’s Christmas-friendly movie (1946). In Joe Landry’s stage version, we’re the 1940s audience during a live radio broadcast of NYC station WBFR’s “Playhouse of the Air,” like something out of…
Come See My Dead Person
The gypsy-punks in Come See My Dead Person have come out of hibernation to release an eponymous new 13-track set of songs. The manic pickin’, the boisterous drinking anthems and the strange old-world stank are here in spades, with the proverbial fur really flying on standouts “Kidney In a Pickle…
Skeleton Dick
Houston’s clown princes of punk return this weekend with a new album, Moist N’ Frothy. The record has been in the works for more or less the past year while the Dickers dallied around playing the odd pop-punk bill like the Houston Press Music Awards showcase. Like most Dick releases,…
Rest of the Best
Best of Houston 5. The Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club: Big it ain’t. Easy and relaxed it is. But The Big Easy can also be one hell of a party. The James Reese Band, Luther and the Healers and The Mighty Orq are just a few of the local…
Special Pocho Edition: Is It Ethical to Haggle Vendors in Mexico?
Dear Mexican, Why is it that many Mexican women hate on me for having an Asian (Korean to be exact) novia? I notice this in a lot of places. We go to the store and I get looks. We go to the movies and people look or say things like…
The Trouble with Hitchcock
Early in Hitchcock, Alfred Hitchcock (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins with a sack of fat connecting chin to neck) walks the red carpet at the premiere of his 1959 chase film, North by Northwest. “You’re 60 years old!” shouts a reporter to the corpulent master of suspense, then nearing his…
Civil Twilight
Nashville has come a long way in becoming an indie mecca to go along with all the rootsy stuff, but Civil Twilight has come even further. The brothers McKellar and their mates came to Music City all the way from Cape Town, South Africa (by way of L.A.), with a…
No Saving Grace
Highlights from Hair Balls Courts This is a story about a puppy who was needlessly euthanized by people who claim to be big animal rescuers in Houston, who appear to have perpetrated a lie and who were dumb enough to put the lie in writing. At center stage, really, is…
Atheism Rising
It’s a warm fall morning near the Texas State Capitol’s south steps, and there’s a fight brewing. “Don’t be an idiot!” a man shouts at a small crowd making its way up toward the Capitol. He is David Stokes, a self-described “street preacher” from Houston, arrived specially in Austin for…
Uncommonly Keen
With the construction of three new Carrabba’s family restaurants along Kirby and the continued success of West Ave — the mixed-use shopping/living/dining development on the corner of Kirby and Westheimer — the Upper Kirby district is a stronger dining-out destination today than it has been in years. The last time…
What the Deal, Lucille’s?
I’m not going to lie: I began to eagerly anticipate the opening of Lucille’s a year and a half ago. Back in May 2011, chef and owner Chris Williams told me that he expected to be up and running within a few months. He planned to “redefine Southern cuisine using…
Gilad Efrat’s Images of Desolation
In Gilad Efrat’s “Negev,” a new show at Inman Gallery, Israel’s Negev desert and the lunar landscape vie as images of desolation. The moon, of course, wins, but the images of the desert are equally haunting and depopulated. All of the paintings are rendered in almost monochromatic tones, a range…
Chris Knight, Cody Canada, Jason Boland
For country folk, stripped-down guitar pulls like KILT’s “10 Man Jam” seem to be popular around this time of year. However, this House of Blues mini-pull the week before has a few big advantages over KILT’s big December 12 Bayou Music Center event. With only three performers, this one won’t…
Hall & Oates
One of the most hook-laden and successful duos of the ’80s comes to Nutty Jerry’s for a night of man-eatin’, rich-girl-baitin’, private-eyin’ pop bliss. Here in Houston, you may have seen Daryl Hall’s syndicated series Live From Daryl’s House on late-night weekend TV, on which he welcomes guests such as…
