Hair Balls Is Looking for a Few Good Newshounds
Do you like to keep your ear to the ground? Are you able to overcome any shyness and ask people questions? And equally wonderfully, write down their answers accurately and then turn it all into a factual story? Can you meet a deadline? Do you have an insatiable urge to…
Obama’s Best Campaign Strategy: Keep Singing The Blues
After President Obama crooning Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at a Harlem fundraiser became an unlikely iTunes sensation, even topping the ringtone chart, history is now repeating itself with his version of “Sweet Home Chicago” caught on an episode of PBS’ In Performance at the White House Tuesday night. Besides…
LeBron James Has Someone Cut His Meat for Him
Statistically, LeBron James is having perhaps the best season in the history of the NBA. Per game, he is averaging 27.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists, and for you advanced stat geeks (you probably already know this), he is carrying an ungodly 32.68 Player Efficiency Rating (or PER, as…
See Thunder Soul and the Kashmere Alumni Stage Band at Unity of Houston Thursday Night
In its roughly ten years of experience, the Kashmere High School Stage Band traveled and competed across the nation and the globe. Under the tutelage of director Conrad O. “Prof” Johnson, the band won 42 of the 46 local, regional and national competitions in which it participated. Last year, Mark…
National Margarita Day Is Today, Ash Wednesday, for Some Reason
The people at the National Council for Naming National Days need to get together with the Roman Catholic church, because this seriously isn’t going to work out. National Margarita Day on the first day of Lent? Surely you jest, National Margarita Council of Margaritas, National Chapter. But it’s not a…
Kevin Yang: Deer Park PD Sets Up Operation to Catch Cop Stealing from Cops’ Refrigerator
Take something from the typical office refrigerator, and the owner of a missing yogurt snippily whips out a Post-it or e-mail announcing that she really hopes To Whom It May Concern enjoyed it. In the Deer Park police department, they go a little more hardcore. The PD’s refrigerator was routinely…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Wine Thoughts: There’s so much groovy stuff happening this week in the Texas enoblogosphere. But we just have to open today’s post with a nod to one of our favorite and most balanced wine bloggers here in our state, Sandra Crittenden, author of Wine Thoughts, who writes about one of…
Introducing Treaty Oak Collective, Houston’s Newest Promoters
Brandon Lemons is no stranger to the Houston music scene. If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve most likely either seen a show he’s organized, or, if you’re a real club junkie, sat and had a beer (or three) with the guy once or twice at a venue around town…
Facundo Cafe Overcomes Its Car Wash Schtick, Makes Great Food
I still remember a comment from the second time I wrote about Facundo Cafe, in a post about chef Danny Harper’s signature bacon, avocado and spinach burger landing a spot on our list of 100 Favorite Dishes in Houston. “I guess I’m not trendy enough to want to eat at…
Guy Clark To Play Galveston’s Old Quarter In May
Guy Clark, the quintessential Texas singer-songwriter, has just announced a one-off gig at Galveston’s historic Old Quarter Acoustic Café for May 15. According to club owner Wrecks Bell, he had been negotiating to get Clark to Galveston for some time, but just nailed down the date in the past 48…
Cover Story: How Black Riders Made Their Way to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Jamie Francies, Jr. grew up in West Houston, for the most part flying under the radar of the local Ku Klux Klan operating in the middle of the 20th century. As a kid, he did see the victim of a lynching where Post Oak crosses Buffalo Bayou and he had…
Reality Bites: Swamp People
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. I have to admit, I was initially confused about the premise of Swamp People. From my cursory knowledge of the show going in, I assumed the assembled bayou denizens only…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Chef Junnajet “Jett” Hurapan of Blu Loves Race Car Driving
Executive Chef Junnajet “Jett” Hurapan of the new Blu Restaurant and Lounge (2248 Texas Dr; www.blusugarland.com) in Sugar Land’s Town Square, couldn’t stop smiling when I was taking pictures of him in the kitchen. “In New York, the photographers didn’t want me to smile,” he says, but for me he…
Here’s The Pitch: Top 10 Commercials Starring Musicians
Every now and then, name-brand companies need a little extra pizzazz when it comes to advertising, and often they turn to the music world to do this. Either way, it’s a win-win situation for both the artist and the company because the artist usually walks away with a hefty amount…
Ummm, THIS Guy Comes to Your Door and You Believe He Works for the Electric Company?
No one ever thinks they will fall for a con man’s spiel, something which has kept con men flush since time began. But we have to think if the dude shown in an HPD Composite sketch showed up at our door and said he worked for CenterPoint, we’d have some…
Redbud Gallery Showcases Germany’s Past and Present
Magda Boltz-Wilson’s current collection, “Berlin, Potsdamer Platz” at Redbud Gallery, is an abstract succession of block prints, some monotone, others with striking swipes of colors. The work reflects the sea of change that the country went through. Potsdamer Platz is one of the most noted intersections in Germany. It has…
Last Night: Agent Orange At Warehouse Live
Agent Orange, The American Heist Warehouse Live February 21, 2012 In retrospect, Mardi Gras might not have been the best night for venerable surf-punk outfit Agent Orange to kick of their 2012 tour. The crowd in the Warehouse Live studio was sparse, and Rocks Off would like to tell ourselves…
Comment of the Day: Michael Berry’s Bashing of Gay-Bashing
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Five Chuck Palahniuk Books That Should Be Turned into Movies
Since Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel Fight Club was made into one of the most controversial and most talked about films of the late ’90s, starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, every work since has been bandied about as a possible film in one way or another. Producers wait with bated…
Notes From a Kitchen: Chefs’ Obsession Asks: Are Chefs Artists?
Notes From a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession is like a VIP pass to a chef’s stream of consciousness: all those secret ideas, moments of inspiration, ingredients, preparation, serving vessels and flavor memories, finally revealed. Every chef has them. They jot them down in countless notebooks over their careers,…
Felicia Moon, Oiler QB Warren’s Ex, Arrested for Public Sex
Felicia Moon, the ex-wife of Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon, knows how to enjoy a trail ride, if the Waller County Sheriff’s Office is to be believed. KHOU says Moon, 55, was arrested Monday night near Hockley for having public sex with a man we presume to have been at…
This Week In Houston Rap Videos IV: The Love H-Town Edition
Ah, rappers and music videos. Some are vehicles for self-promotion, others are tools used to promote a message, a gaggle of asses or some good ol’ wholesome debauchery. In the case of the Houston rap class, music videos are always eye opening glimpses into the future, either telling what a…
Must You Do That? A Simple List of Manners
Dining out is something we all love to do. I would have a hard time imagining the reader of this blog who is an exception. My manners, at least when I’m at home, fly pretty fast and loose. Get it? I fart at the table. So what, who cares? When…
Going Green: Eco-Friendly Weddings
Going green has been an emerging trend in the last decade, but who knew that the latest craze would be eco-chic weddings? The GreenBrideGuide is a new resource for all those out there looking to plan a wedding in an eco-friendly way. Environmental lawyer Kate Harrison, author of The Green…
Let Us Eat (Home-baked) Cake! – Three New Bakeries
In Houston, it seems, baking entrepreneurship has hit overdrive. Take Dylan Carnes of Sinfull Bakery, which won the Houston Press Best of Houston 2011 award for Best Vegan Bakery. Her rise from self-taught baker of vegan sweet treats in her parents’ kitchen to gluten-free goodie-making mogul is nothing short of…
The Best YouTube Reactions To Odd Future’s “Rella”: Domo Slaps A Girl
For the first time it seems, the Odd Future gang’s music videos have caught up with their lyrical content, judging by their brand-new video for “Rella,” off upcoming release The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2 (due March 20). The album, minus former member Earl Sweatshirt, is the group’s studio debut…
Texans Figure Heavily on Northern Lights, One of the (So Far) Best Albums of 2012
If it was in question before, Ola Gjeilo is now officially a rising star, thanks to the release of the album Northern Lights: Choral Works by Ola Gjeilo. Over the past few years, the 33-year-old, Norwegian-born Gjeilo (pronounced Yay-lo) has been a constant presence in classical music, ranging from performances…
Kaylan Goodman: Houston Area Family Looking For Woman Who Disappeared With a Magazine Sales Crew
An Update to our Update: Kaylan is back in Bay City with her family. UPDATE: Goodman was located late Wednesday night by Fairmont City, Illinois, police, according to the Kingfisher Police Department. “We have verified her well being” through a phone conversation, the department stated. We hope to have more…
Counting Greg Oden’s Blessings
“I’m sure he’s saying, ‘Why Me?’ Sometimes in life, things like that happen, and you wonder why it’s happening to you. Some of these injuries have occurred, not only on the floor but off the floor. There’s really not an explanation for why, or sometimes how, they’re happening. I’m sure…
4 Religious Practices That Make Lent Look Easy
One of the many benefits of worshipping the Devil is not having to participate in Lent. From Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, the faithful practice fasting and self-denial as an act of penance. Some do this to honor the Passion of Christ, some to bring them closer to God, and…
The Susan Wright Lifetime Movie Blue Eyed Butcher Looks Awful, Script Shows
Because God wants us to suffer, the Lifetime network is airing a made-for-TV movie about the Susan Wright case March 3. Wright, you’ll remember, is the woman convicted of tying her husband to the bed and stabbing him 193 times, a scene re-enacted in court — including the bed –…
100 Creatives 2012: Carmina Bell
What She Does: Carmina Bell has been the promoter, host and one of the primary DJs at Numbers during their goth-centric Underworld events for 13 years. Her reign as the majordomo at the center of all things spooky in Houston began after returning from living in various other cities around…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
John Mariani: The food critic for Esquire, John Mariani, has joined a host of people supporting Houston’s food scene as one of the current best in the nation. And while it’s nice to have greater national recognition of this type, I’ll admit to being confused about the restaurants Mariani cited…
5 Treehugging Tunes By Conservative Country Artists
Today is the Girl Scouts of America’s annual World Thinking Day, which they celebrate each year by dedicating 24 hours of contemplation on the world and the people in it. Now, Rocks Off isn’t a Girl Scout, but we keep a close eye on them because we’ve proven in the…
5 Celebrity Habits You Can Give Up for Lent, Like Drinking Ranch Dressing & Anal Bleaching
Lent hath begun. Therefore you must give up something. Yeah, you could go the old “broccoli!!” route, but that’s juvenile. Instead, you should make a true sacrifice. Look to those who are most honored in our society — celebrities — and give up for those 40 days one of their…
Rapper Cornbreadd Now Running For Congress UPDATED
UPDATE (Feb. 24, 5:04 p.m.): The fundraiser has been moved to Check Other Outfitters, 2507 Bagby. Rapper and 2009 Houston Press cover subject Cornbreadd, aka Maurice Duhon Jr., has just announced his candidacy for Congress. Duhon is running as an independent for Texas’ 18th District, trying to unseat longtime incumbent…
Steven Hicks, Pet-Door Squirmer: HPD Lauds Homeowner for Using Camera to Catch Him
Houston police are putting out the word that two recent arrests came about because the victims set up cameras to catch suspected thieves in the act, and they’re urging others to do so. Among the cases cited: Steven Hicks, 29, the “Doggie-Door Burglar” who squirmed through Montrose pet doors until…
Houston: Your Home Market Is Looking Good
The folks at the Houston Association of Realtors are sounding positively giddy about the local home market, which has seen an increase in sales for the eighth consecutive month. January 2012 “opened with a continued decline in active property listings and growth in pending sales — a combination that signals…
City Hall Farmers Market Returns Tomorrow
After a winter’s hibernation, downtown’s City Hall Farmers Market will return tomorrow to its regularly scheduled Wednesday spot surrounding the reflection pool at City Hall. The market will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Wednesday, rain or shine, until its summer break on June 27. Back for 2012…
Marcus Manchild Tells VIBE — And The Nation — How To Be Trill
It’s always nice to see local artists making national headlines, especially when they haven’t a) killed someone; or b) died. It’s even nicer when that artist is someone with whom Rocks Off has worked in the past. That’s why when combing our social-media feeds, Rocks Off was pleasantly surprised to…
Arts Writers Wanted for the Houston Press in Print and Online
Think you know your way around the arts scene? Can you write about it in a smart, concise and above all entertaining way? The Houston Press Night + Day section and Art Attack are both looking for freelance arts writers. Applicants should have an interest in and know something about the…
Brandy Hans Fails at the Old “Hide the Meth in Your Bra” Ploy, Cops Say
Brandy Hans, 34, wasn’t going to make it easy on the Montgomery County deputy constables who pulled her over for a traffic violation. She may have had some meth, as the cops claimed, but she wasn’t going to leave it out in plain sight. Instead she stuffed it in her…
RoderickVONN Now Speaking GODZLANGUAGE With “Green Light”
“I sneezed on the mike and let God bless me” –RoderickVONN Last year, local rapper RoderickVONN released a tape called I’m Almost Done Getting Ready. It was great, described here as “a counterculture album,” as well as “a digitized revolt, and perhaps the arch-opposite of the ‘traditional Houston rap’ sound…
Meal Snap: Bad for Counting Calories, but Great for the LOLs
Last week, our editor asked if anyone was interested in evaluating an iPhone application called “Meal Snap.” Since I both work in IT and write about food, this sounded like a perfect assignment for me. I love playing with new technology. Meal Snap claims that you can take a photo…
Hansraj Jathanna Says Spring Branch ISD Cops Beat & Harassed Him
Spring Branch school-district cops used excessive force on a man and later harassed him when he tried to complain, a federal lawsuit says. Hansraj Jathanna claims in the suit that he was pulled over by an SBISD cop who yelled at him, asked if he was an illegal alien and…
7 Songs Produced By Birthday Dude Jerry Harrison
If you know the name Jerry Harrison at all, it’s most likely from his work as guitarist/keyboardist for Talking Heads. But he’s had just as prolific a career as the owner of Sausalito Sound as he has had creating music with one of my favorite bands. After leaving Talking Heads…
Tuesday February 20, 2012 Deals of the Day
This week’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for 50 percent off ($12 for $24) at El Patio Mexican Restaurant. Celebrate ‘National Margarita Day’ in style, and on the cheap, with this half-off coupon from the Houston Press. You can’t use the coupon for drinks, but you can order…
The Bricklayer Opera Tells an Iranian-American Story in Houston
Imagine — an English-language opera set in Houston that begins with the reunification of an Iranian family at Bush Intercontinental Airport. That’s the starting point for The Bricklayer, which will premiere in Houston on March 15. Evan Wildstein, producer of Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco’s Song of Houston: East + West…
Upcoming: Chickenfoot, Knife Party, Marilyn Manson, The Skatalites, Titus Andronicus
The 71s, Eyes Burn Electric, The Great Coats: Sat., March 3. Continental Club, 3700 Main, Houston. Acid Mothers Temple: Thu., May 10. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Southeast Engine, Ancient Cat Society: Tue., March 13. Leon’s Lounge Beach Boys: Fri., June 8. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Dr.,…
What Are You (Not) Eating During Lent?
Growing up, I associated Lent with culinary abstention. I was socially conditioned, less by family and more by Sunday school peers, that this period before Easter should involve giving up certain foods. I remember my religion teacher declaring with more than a minimal degree of self-satisfaction that she was giving…
Houston Racks Up Six Semi-Finalist Nods for 2012 James Beard Awards
We’re moving up in the culinary world, Houston. Last year, five semi-finalists from Houston were in the running for the 2011 James Beard Foundation Awards. This year, we’re up to six. And what a six they are. Mirroring our own top pick for the best new restaurant of 2011, the…
Michael Berry Responds (a Little) to Hit & Run Gay-Bar Allegations, Bashes Gay-Bashers
Michael Berry is not doing any interviews on his hit-and-run allegations, but today he talked about it on his radio show, to some degree. “It is time I speak on an issue of some importance, at least to me…I’m going to do that right now, at least on the issues…
Comment of the Day: The Hip New Chronicle
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Which Metal Bands Should Reunite?: Revocation Tells Us
The music industry has lit up with some pretty high-profile reunions in the past few months. At The Drive-In and Refused both announced comeback shows within days of one another, and even Black Sabbath decided to reconvene for a new album and a world tour, though that one is in…
DVDs & Blu-rays: Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder stars James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara and George C. Scott; Otto Preminger directs. The Setup: Anatomy of a Murder couldn’t have been the success it was without the sizzling anatomy of Lee Remick, who plays Laura, an Army wife who’s supposedly been raped. Ben Gazzara…
City Acre Brewing: Houston’s Homegrown Brewpub
The hearts of beer-loving Houstonians were aflutter when it was announced last year that popular San Antonio brewpub Freetail Brewing Co. would be opening a Bayou City location in the heart of downtown. After all, for a city that loves its beer, we are sadly bereft of any proper brewpubs…
UPDATED: Veronica Bass’s Overpaid Union Dues: Like Her, Judge Is Exasperated HISD & HFT Can’t Settle Things
UPDATE: HISD was dismissed from the case. A settlement was reached between Veronica Bass and HFT/AFT in Spring 2012. When we first wrote about Veronica Bass in November 2011, the teacher’s assistant had learned she’d been overpaying her union dues for years and been trying for months to get her…
Bingo and Booze at Double Trouble
“G 48, G 48. Gee, I can’t believe Whitney Houston was only 48.” The basic requirements of bingo-calling are so undemanding that an illiterate person could fulfill them. Doing it well, though, takes wit, and often the willingness to make “69” references in front of senior citizens. I have no…
Unchained: The Man In Black’s Late-Life Comeback
The Resurrection of Johnny Cash: Hurt, Redemption, and American Recordings By Graeme Thomson 254 pp., $19.95, Jawbone Press In 1993, Johnny Cash may have been a country-music icon, but for all intents and purposes, he was also one in need of some serious restoration. Two decades removed from his last…
Historic UH Chicano Mural Could Be Destroyed
Since 1973, César Chávez, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata have had steady presences at the University of Houston. That’s when Vietnam War veterans and then UH students Ruben Angel Reyna and Mario Gonzales painted the icons into the “Chicano Mural,” located on the basement level of UH’s University Center. But…
Tops Drop: A Larger-Than-Life Fat Tuesday Playlist
Happy Fat Tuesday, y’all! Rocks Off mentioned in a previous post, about rappers and Houston restaurants, that some of the best artists are “Big” and “Fat”: Big Pokey, Fat Pat, Big Moe, etc. Every day is Fat Tuesday for these rappers. They’re all about overindulgence and that’s why we love…
The Venetian Origins of Mardi Gras
Few will surprised by the pagan origins of Mardi Gras. The indulgence in food and wine and the relaxed sexual mores that accompany the festival are akin to the bacchanalia of the pre-Christian era, when the Romans would celebrate the spring equinox with gusto and abandon. And it makes perfect…
In Fashion: Seven Must-Reads in Style
We’ve been on the go recently, which has been the perfect excuse to catch up on our fashion glossies. Armed with three pounds of fashion magazines, we settled into our mini-vacation poring over the hottest news from this awards season, and the best and worst of the New York Fashion…
Joel Osteen & Lakewood Mostly Win Copyright Suit Filed by Indie Duo
A federal judge has ruled in favor of Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen, dismissing many of the copyright claims filed against them by an indie-music duo who said the church using their music would alienate their listeners. Richard Cupolo and John Emanuele, who perform as The American Dollar, had said…
5 Ways to Celebrate a Truly Decadent Fat Tuesday
Happy Fat Tuesday! You are no doubt wondering how best to celebrate this day-before-Lent event, when you are expected to pile up enough sins to get you through the next 40 days. Here are five tips for having a truly decadent Fat Tuesday: 5. Don’t leave the house If you’re…
Pop Rocks: What’s in a Name, Chris Brown?
Much virtual ink has been spilled while discussing the latest news about R&B singer Chris Brown, who as you may recall pleaded guilty to felony assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Many feel Brown has been less than contrite about his crimes, and incidents like losing his shit following a…
Google Auto-Complete Answers: Why Are Fat People…
Randomly typing the start to questions into Google launches a whole host of weirdness that changes depending upon the searches people type into the search engine giant. Not only are they often interesting, but downright strange. I type in the requests and then answer the questions. You’re welcome. Dear searchers…
Where Are We Drinking?
The latte below comes with two identifying markers: a cube of raw sugar in the spoon that’s sitting on the other side of the cup, and a small square of shortbread in lieu of the more traditional biscotti. Between those hints and the wrought-iron table beneath the cup, this week’s…
Respect the Weasel: 20 Years of Pauly Shore
The world has now endured Pauly Shore for more than two decades, as his comedy Encino Man inches closer to its 20th anniversary, released in May 1992. Let that sink in, old-timers. I have always seen the movie more as a documentary on how Hollywood discovered Brendan Fraser rather than…
The 71’s Raise An Astounding $12K For Latest Album
Just how viable is Kickstarter in helping an up-and-coming band to raise funds? As much as it saddens us to admit it, it mostly seems to fail. However, for one of our favorite local rock acts, the 71’s, it has been an astounding success. Fans of the band have raised…
Jeremy Lin vs. Yao Ming: The Breakdown
NBA executives are beaming these days with the Tim Tebow-like mania for the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin, a Harvard grad whose family comes from Taiwan. Not only is Lin getting hysteria in the States, but he is reawakening visions of opening the lucrative Chinese and Asian market back to the NBA,…
Principal Lauren Topek Yanked from Shadowbriar Elementary by HISD
Lauren Topek, who we wrote about three weeks ago in a column about the death of the school’s custodian, Antonia Rivas, is out as principal of Shadowbriar Elementary, effective immediately, Houston ISD announced today. In a letter sent home to parents, Sam Sarabia, HISD’s chief school officer, said Topek is…
“Have You Seen My Zombie” Dude Sought by Cops for Forging Checks
The guy pictured here wonders, via his T-shirt, whether you’ve seen his zombie. Pasadena cops want to know whether you’ve seen the guy, because they say the picture shows him fraudulently cashing a stolen check. “The victim had received the check via mail; the method that the suspect used to…
Port Arthur High School Denies It’s Banning Same-Sex Couples from the Prom
The Port Arthur school district says it’s blindsided and not entirely sure where the rumors started that there is a ban on same-sex couples at its Memorial High prom, but officials say it’s not true. An online petition had begun — in this day of easy online petitions — demanding…
JerryBuilt Burgers Are Anything But
I didn’t learn the phrase “jerry-built” until I married [and later divorced] an Englishman. In America, we use the phrase “jerry-rigged” instead, but they mean the same thing: something that’s poorly planned, hastily built or just generally thrown together. It’s curious that JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers should choose to name itself…
Kurt Cobain At 45: Where Would He Be In 2012?
Had he not died in April 1994 by his own hand — or sinister forces working for Courtney Love (insert maniacal laugh) — Kurt Cobain would have turned 45 years old today. The rock icon killed himself at the age of 27, leaving behind not only a daughter to fend…
Saturday Night: Battle Of The Bands At Minute Maid Park
MLB Urban Invitational Battle of the Bands Minute Maid Park February 18, 2012 When I read the words “Battle of the Bands,” I am immediately transported to the summer of 1997, when I trained to become a drum major at Texas Southern University. My band director at Jesse Jones Senior…
Luck 1.4: “Another Two Round-Eye Suckers.”
We enjoyed two introductions last night on Luck. The first was the long-anticipated albeit brief appearance of Ace’s longtime partner/rival Mike Smythe (Michael Gambon). Their shared scene kicked the tension up yet another notch in an episode that exemplified fatalism. Most if not all of the pieces have now fallen…
Wine of the Week: Chardonnay
Chardonnay has been on our minds. Last week, our colleague Christine Ha posted on Chardonnay as a the cooking Ingredient of the Week. And, also last week, I posted this review of a California Chardonnay tasted in flight. Some may find it hard to believe that previous generations hardly knew…
7 Little-Known (And Completely Unverified) Facts About U.S. Presidents
Today, the nation celebrates Presidents’ Day, the most important holiday of all time. No other national holiday has such a clear purpose or overall popularity. Therefore, why not recognize this momentous occasion with a look back at some of our greatest presidents, and learn some facets of their biographies that…
S&T Art Design Studios May Need a Better Studio
Saturday night, Art Attack swung by the inaugural viewing of new art presenters S&T Art Design Studio’s first showcase. S&T Art Design is comprised of the husband-and-wife team of Terrence and Susan Boggs. You may recognize the names from their previous showings at the (seemingly defunct) Elder Street Gallery. S&T…
First Look at The Hay Merchant
It’s Wednesday afternoon and rainy, and I must be one of the only people who doesn’t know where The Hay Merchant is, because after looping around several times at the intersection where it’s supposed to be, I don’t see a sign anywhere. And I don’t see any parking either, just…
Bill O’Reilly Has A Hard-On For Willie Nelson
Wilco, “Pot Kettle Black” Despite his appearance on SNL’s “What’s Up With That?” skit this weekend, Bill O’Reilly has managed to squander what little credibility he has among liberals, moderates and (we’re guessing) anyone under age 60 by calling Willie Nelson a “creep.” The conservative Fox News host was a…
Tilman Fertitta’s Galveston Pleasure Pier Is Taking Shape
TILMAN FERTITTA WILL NOT BE DENIED. He promised Galveston a (no doubt overpriced) “Pleasure Pier” by Memorial Day, and it looks like he’s well on the way. The new amusement park, built on the site of the old Flagship Hotel, is expected to draw three million visitors a year. Our…
More Texas Cities Considering Bans on Plastic Grocery Bags
Brownsville set a trend last year when it became the first city in Texas to ban the use of plastic grocery bags in nearly all consumer settings. Brownsville mayor Pat Ahumada told the New York Times that the ban had eliminated 350,000 plastic bags per day, a decrease that “transformed…
Dear Hollywood, Get Some New Ideas: Sherlock Holmes
As a child it was my family’s tradition to spend Sunday nights watching PBS’s Mystery (Okay, we were a family of nerds). Amongst the various British detectives, my favorite was always Sherlock Holmes. The series starred Jeremy Brett as Holmes and his performance is considered, by some, to be one…
50 Years On: The Smithsonian’s Five Weirdest Items from John Glenn’s Flight
Fifty years ago John Glenn became the first American into orbit, an important first step on the way to the moon. You can search the Smithsonian’s archives for Friendship 7 items, and some of them are, well, odd. Like these five: 5. Mark Dixon’s blanket Who’s Mark Dixon? Just some…
Lance Warner: Sure, I Stole That Car — But I Didn’t Know There Was a Kid in It
You steal a car, you never know what you’re going to get. Maybe there’s a flatscreen TV in the trunk. Maybe a sweet laptop computer somewhere. Or maybe there’s a kid in the backseat. Lance Warner, 50, has admitted stealing a car from a convenience store on the northeast side…
In the Middle of Strata
Strata is an attractive restaurant in Vintage Park near Chasewood Park Drive and 249. While the middle section of this upper-scale shopping center resembles an outdoor restaurant row and is hopping on Friday and Saturday nights, Strata is in a lonely place. It sits apart between empty stores in this…
One More Hour To Vote In First Rodeo Rockstar Contest
It does not seem possible that the rodeo is almost here, but Rocks Off saw a trail ride on the news this morning, so it must be true. If we were a TV instead of newspaper reporter, we would definitely lobby for the trail-ride assignment. But besides trail rides, cookoffs,…
Masquerade Theatre Has a Ball with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The setup: Don’t take my word for it, listen to the slick con men sing in Masquerade Theatre’s slick production of the Tony Award-winning 2005 musical: “It was a blast, it was a ball. It was a gas, I loved it all.” That says just about everything, except this: Go…
Are SNL’s Divisive Musical Guests Making It Relevant Again??
Even as sketch comedy tastes have changed, and a segment of the population has sadly written it off as an unfunny relic, NBC’s Saturday Night Live is still pulling in cutting-edge, marquee musical guests each week, in the process creating national stars or pariahs. Or sometimes both. Case in point:…
Comment of the Day: The HSPCA Is All About the Cash, Not the Dogs
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Surviving A Nightclub Fire: 7 Tips On How To Get Out Alive
[The original photo has been removed — ed.] On Feb. 20, 2003 – nine years ago today – Great White performed at the Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I. During opener “Desert Moon,” spray-style pyrotechnic gerbs (a kind of firework that shoots a stream of sparks) went off. Couple that…
What’s Cooking This Week?
Romantic seafood dinner. Check. Chocolate. Check. Roses. Check. Chocolate mousse. Check. Champagne. Check. Eating leftover chocolate all freaking week long. Check. Valentine’s week Day went well. I’ve officially eaten enough chocolate to fill the chocolate river from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This week, I’ll be cooking up some…
Mirror: Rice University’s Newest Installation
Situated at the heart of Rice University’s campus, “Mirror,” a piece of two 148-by-96-inch stainless-steel figures by Jaume Plensa, a Barcelona-born artist and sculptor, is Rice’s newest permanent art addition. The two figures face each other, as if engaging in conversation, elevated on a platform with lights that illuminate the installation…
Niki & The Dove Chase “The Fox” In New Video
Niki & the Dove is a new Swedish band on Sub Pop that is clearly into, as Mok once said, mind-altering experiences. Their music has the air of Bjork, the poetry of Kate Bush, and a touch of avant-garde theatre performance. The last is appropriate as Malin Dahlström and Gustaf…
The Magnificent Endgame Gets Magnificent Treatment from Catastrophic Theatre
The setup: Who else in Houston are you going to trust to do justice to the creepy dysfunction and blasted-earth absurdity of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Samuel Beckett, than that theater company of raging imagination and utter theatricality, Catastrophic? If Waiting for Godot (1952) is his masterpiece, then Endgame (1957) is…
What’s the Difference Between “Fish Sauce” and “Nuoc Mam”?
It’s 1:15 in the morning, and I am chatting online with Chef Kevin Naderi, asking for some clarification about his fish sauce vinaigrette. My brain is fuzzy, I’m trying to finish up an article, and we chat about something that, to me, just does not make sense. “You use a…
Coog Hoops Show Hope; Rice & UH Open Their Baseball Seasons
It was all right there for the taking. A win and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles would take sole possession of first place in Conference USA. A win and Southern Miss head coach Larry Eustachy would earn his 400th victory as a head coach. But on a misty, drizzling, miserable…
Richard Justice Disses the Chron
When he left his job as the paper’s lead sports columnist to write for MLB.com, Richard Justice was effusive in his praise for the Houston Chronicle. “I love newspapers and especially the Chronicle,” he told us at the time. “[Chron editor] Jeff Cohen has been incredible to me.” Sunday, he…
John Leguizamo: The Ghetto Klown’s in Town
Ghetto Klown stars John Leguizamo; Fisher Stevens directs. It was a combination of less pressure and more liquor that got comedian/actor John Leguizamo back onstage for his new one-man show, Ghetto Klown. Leguizamo suffered from stage fright a few years back and had stayed away from doing live theater. Recently…
The Five Best Times to Stay Off Twitter
Twitter can be a really engaging tool. It provides a great way to benignly interact with people and is rapidly becoming the best source for breaking news media. But it has its pitfalls and I’m not just talking about those people you follow who always post their workout information. There…
Support Staff: 10 Of Pop History’s Greatest Backing Bands
Being behind the scenes is what most musicians who don’t write songs or sing expect of their lives once they start seriously playing. A career backing someone up can be extremely rewarding, particularly if you are part of a transcendent group of musicians that goes from simply backing up an…
Top 5 Places in Video Games You Can’t Actually Get To
Remember the first time you played Super Mario Bros, and you just had to know what was on the other side of the flagpole? Surely there were adventures a-plenty, or at least a castle without some pointless retainer, just waiting for the best gamers in the world to time their…
Where Are We Eating?
It’s almost rodeo season, and you know what that means: the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest is headed to town. In honor of this annual tradition, here’s a plate of some of Houston’s most famous barbecue. You can argue about whether or not that’s a worthy honor in the comments section,…
For President’s Day: The Best Movie Portrayals of 15 Presidents
Portraying presidents on screen is always tricky. Crass imitation makes the thing look like a comedy skit, but completely ignoring the mannerisms and voice that people know doesn’t work either. There have been some laughingly inept acting jobs when it comes to the 44 people who have been the country’s…
TUTS Announces 2012-13 Season: Camelot, Spamalot & Flash Dance
Billed as the season “From Camelot to Spamalot — A Lot to Love,” Theatre Under the Stars announced today its upcoming 2012-13 season featuring six musicals — most of which have been here before. First up is Jekyll & Hyde, and Constantine Maroulis (most recently seen in Toxic Avenger at…
Michael Berry: 5 Places Worse Than A Gay Bar That He Could Have Been Seen At
As much of the nation knows by now, Michael Berry attended a drag show in Montrose and allegedly got involved in a hit-and-run. Berry is a minor-league version of Rush and Hannity, ranting on the radio with truthiness to disparage anything that isn’t Tea Party Republican. A Montrose gay bar…
Video Proof That Chase Budinger Can Dunk With Flair
Maybe I’m in the minority on this one, but I’ll put it out there — I enjoy the Saturday festivities at the NBA All-Star weekend even more than the game on Sunday night. The slam dunk contest, the three-point shooting contest, the “whatever-they’re-calling-the-game-with-rookies-and-sophomores-this-year” game. That’s all good stuff. (And if…
Dave Grohl Vs. Skrillex: Dumbest Music Feud Ever?
Sometimes it’s very easy for Rocks Off’s brain to go on autopilot while checking our email in the morning. If we’re not weeding out actual spam to delete, we’re wincing at messages hyping music whose wretchedness practically leaps off the screen. (Someone you’ve never heard of touted as a “legend”…
JotForm.com Takedown: No Court Order? Apparently, No Problem
Imagine for a moment you own a business and are being investigated for a crime. You come to work and your offices are shut down and your phones turned off by your building’s management at the request of the government. Now, take it a step further and imagine that you…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where our requests for extra food pellets in the machine in the employee break room have thus far been ignored by the Overlord. We started the week off right with a look at the world’s sexiest wine, and uh…..
Upcoming Events: Iron Forks, Mudbugs and Beer
Big news first: Our 10th annual 2012 Menu of Menus event is coming up on April 17 from 7 to 10 p.m., and in celebration of its first decade, it’ll be like no other Menu of Menus you’ve ever seen. We will have a line-up of 40 restaurants sampling their…
Project Runway All-Stars: Broadway Babies
This week on PRAS: The remaining designers mourn Rami’s departure, Mondo is determined to redeem himself this week and Broadway actress Sutton Foster is the guest judge. The designers are summoned to the Circle in the Square Theater for a Godspell-inspired challenge, in which they will be creating a costume…
Rude: Your Essential First-Wave And 2-Tone Ska Playlist
When you ask the younger dubstep generation what ska is, they will usually begin to wax poetic about bands like No Doubt, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake – the kind of stuff they heard on their older siblings’ stereos in the ’90s. Only a…
Cover Story: Michael Berry, Former City Hall Boy Wonder
Nine years ago, embattled right-wing radio host Michael Berry was a 32-year-old mayoral candidate. Tim Fleck wrote a feature on the fresh-faced city councilman and quixotic candidate (polling below 10 percent, Berry pulled out of the race less than a month after the story hit the street) and his Indian-born,…
Person of Interest: “Blue Code” of Silence
It occurs to me that Person of Interest might be one of the first prime time network TV shows (and almost certainly the first one on CBS) to make endemic police corruption a major theme. Sure, you’ve had “dirty cops” crop up all the way back to Dragnet, but usually…
One Pho the Money at Pho Saigon
This past weekend I was sick as a dog. I had to leave work early on Friday to go home and curl into the fetal position, a pitiful display which was broken only by frequent bouts of hydration and moaning. Being sick is the worst, but with the powers of…
Five – Wait, Six – Great Moments In Lead-Singer Douchery
A few weeks ago, when I saw What Made Milwaukee Famous at the Main Street Block Party, I wanted to like the band’s performance, but I just couldn’t ignore that the lead singer was texting during his set. Sure, I thought that What Made Milwaukee Famous’ cover of Wings’ “Let…
Please Help Find Who’s Killing, Mutilating Dogs in Crosby
There has been a rash of gut-wrenching animal cruelty stories in Houston lately, and we’re sad to add yet one more, this time dealing with a dumping ground of mutilated dogs in Crosby. Rhonda Heffernan, who’s been involved in the rescue community for several years, launched a website to spread…
Nacogdoches Man Creates the Most Expensive Starbucks Drink Ever
As if the coffee chain wasn’t overpriced enough as it is, one East Texas man decided to beat Starbucks at its own game. The result: the most expensive Starbucks drink ever at $23.60 for the cup. It ended up being completely undrinkable, as one might imagine. Not only for the…
KILT Hosts Record Incisive Michael Berry Rap Song
Conservative talk-radio host Michael Berry has been in the headlines citywide this week after Channel 2 News first aired a report that HPD is investigating a hit-and-run incident outside Montrose bar TC’s. KPRC’s Stephen Dean talks to one of the club’s bouncers who says on camera that one night last…
Silhouette: The Week in 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…
Odd Pair: Mile-High Wine
“What are my white wine choices?” I asked the other day after boarding one of the roughly 24 Southwest Airlines flights that I will take this year, as I commute monthly to work with one of my clients in California. “Chardonnay,” answered the steward. “Is there more than one producer…
Openings & Closings: Homegrown Burgers on Holcombe
The Hay Merchant officially opened on Wednesday of this week after a few days of friends-and-family service. Greg Morago at the Chronicle braved the crowds at the craft beer bar to sample chef Antoine Ware’s menu of lamb sweetbread po-boys and blood sausage queso fundido. A new Three Brothers Bakery…
Astros’ Colt .45 Throwback Jerseys Will Not Include the Pistol
The Astros are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and it will include wearing Colt .45 throwback jerseys for Friday home games. The shirts will look just like those worn during the club’s first season, except for one thing: They won’t include the distinctive pistol that was part of the…
10 Things That the Wayne’s World Movies Gave Us
This week marks 20 years since the debut of Wayne’s World, and the first big-screen appearances by characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, a duo from Aurora, Illinois, with a public-access show and penchant for babes and rock and roll. This was also actor Mike Myers’s first feature film, playing…
Last Night: Yelawolf At Warehouse Live
Yelawolf Warehouse Live February 16, 2012 My ears salute the kid who told Yelawolf he wasn’t hip-hop. Must have been a high-school bully, one of those corny jocks with well defined biceps. We’ll call him D’Angelo. D’Angelo probably teased Yelawolf, smacked him around in the bathroom, lol’d when he saw…
Logan Warren: East Texas Dude Gets Most Expensive Starbucks Drink Ever
They say everything’s bigger in Tex — NO, we cannot bring ourselves to write that. But a Nacogdoches dude went big when he got a gift card for a free Starbucks drink. Logan Warren says he spent “about a half-hour with a laughing barista” working up the recipe, and they…
Comment of the Day: Michael Berry & The Gay Bar
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Keep the Love Alive: Top Heart-Healthy Foods (Wine Included!)
In honor of February, American Heart Month, The American Heart Society is promoting a Go Red for Women campaign. With heart disease being the number one killer of women, AHS is spreading the truth and myths about the disease and tips for prevention. Since eating well is a huge part…
Cinema Slap Fight: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter vs. FDR: American Badass
Editor’s Note: Please congratulate Jef With One F for breaking the record for number of colons used in a Houston Press headline. Two presidents both alike in regard and respect, in fair Internet, where we store our trailers for upcoming films featuring chief executives that combat supernatural evil. From ancient…..
Your 33 Black Angels Pick 10 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Sunday night, Notsuoh plays host to Your 33 Black Angels, a manic garage-psych group from Brooklyn, N. Y. The band sometimes boasts eight members, and reminds us of a less-pretentious Brian Jonestown Massacre or trance-driven Black Lips. And there’s the “96 Tears” organ that chimes in here and there. But…
Happy Birthday Billie Joe: An American Idiot Turns 40
Today, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day turns 40. Eighteen years ago, in the time known as 1994, he turned 22. Two weeks earlier than that, his band’s major-label debut, Dookie, had hit store shelves. That album would go on to sell 16 million copies worldwide, although he didn’t know…
Bartender Chat: Susan of The Big Easy
It’s Mardi Gras weekend, y’all, and I can’t think of a better place to kick off the party than The Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club, a little slice of NOLA in the Bayou City. I stopped in earlier this week to get a jump start on my bon temps…
Mardi Gras! Galveston Returns This Weekend
Bead throwing, laser light shows, live music and massive parades. The second weekend of Mardi Gras! Galveston will kick off this Friday, February 17, with more entertainment than ever before. Not only is it the largest celebration of its kind in Texas, but it is also the third-largest in the…
25 Positive Thoughts As The Astros Head off to Spring Training
Spring training begins for Major League Baseball next week, and that means the Astros will be reporting to camp in Florida and prepping for the upcoming season — yes, despite whatever happened last season, the Astros are still considered a major league team. Now that there are people who believe…
Boondocks Hit With Yet Another Noise Ordinance Citation
Thursday night, the Houston Police Department was called to Boondocks for the third time in less than a month due to complaints about the noise. Three more citations were given, this time to DJ Elroy Boogie and DJ Klinch, and — for the third time — Ryan, Boondocks manager. Here…
Week in Photos: Brewery
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. We’re looking for pictures that represent the best of Houston, from food to art to events, to secret hidden spots of beauty. Just drop them in our Flickr…
5 Bizarre, But Awesome, Christian Children’s Products
When you grow up in a house devoid of religion you turn out…well, click the author’s link and you’ll see how you turn out. Some people think you are free of delusions and dogma, others consider you devoid of an important moral core. We couldn’t tell you which is true,…
No More “Debtor’s Prison” for Truants in Hidalgo County, ACLU Says
We didn’t really think this happened much anymore, but apparently Hidalgo County was in the habit of jailing school truants who couldn’t pay the sometimes large fines they racked up. It sounded — to the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas — like the debtor’s prisons of…
100 Creatives 2012: ReShonda Tate Billingsley
ReShonda originally took up journalism, but found it lacking when she realized that she was still drawn to creating her own stories. After being rejected by numerous publishers, ReShonda decided to self-publish her first book in 1999. It eventually caught the eye of an agent at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books,…
30 Seconds With Wolfgang Gartner
We launched ourselves headfirst into the Internet to connect with maximalist DJ and producer Wolfgang Gartner to see what information we could extract from his electro-house highness in just 30, dance-filled seconds. Rocks Off: What is worst song in the world? Wolfgang Gartner: I don’t wanna answer that. The artist…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Crawfish Joints
For the next 20 weeks, we’ll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year’s winner is no easy task. We’ll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants. Along…
So Maybe Those TCU Football Player Drug Test Failure Estimates Were A Bit Off
It had all the earmarks of the next big college football scandal. Alas, what initially appeared to be a potentially program-crippling drug epidemic within the TCU football team may turn out to be on the level of mere regular college shenanigans. Taking a page out of Jose Canseco’s book (Remember…
Bayer Aspirin Between Gals’ Knees For Contraception? Now These Old Bayer Ads Make Sense
Foster Friess, the big-bucks donor to Rick Santorum’s presidential hopes, went on TV talking about contraception today, because that is the most pressing issue facing the country. “Back in my day, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly,” he…
The Crawfish Secret Is Out at Daily Seafood
Daily Seafood (12950 South Post Oak) is located in a shabby Westbury strip mall right next to a salon that offers $30, hour-long foot massages. In an ideal world, I’d have had time to enjoy both this afternoon: foot massages and crawfish. Instead, I spent a couple of hours getting…
Here’s Your Nattily Dressed ID Thief of the Day
Should one desire to (allegedly) pursue the gentlemen’s trade of ID theft, one should eschew such hoi polloi garb as T-shirts and flip-flops and instead embrace a sense of style. At least that seems to be the philosophy of this dude, who racked up $18,000 in charges using another man’s…
Shanti: Music’s Top 10 Yoga Enthusiasts
This weekend, the Texas Yoga Conference hits town at the University of Houston Recreation and Wellness Center. It’s like a big party where everyone practices yoga and learns or improves yoga techniques. At the end of the weekend, there will be musical performances by the Desert Dwellers, Tyagaraja, Sean Johnson…
Ingredient of the Week: Chardonnay
Valentine’s Day came and went. You cooked some fancy meal with your significant other, uncorked a bottle of wine, and then after dinner, fed each other bon bons by the fire. Okay, realistically, there was no fire because Houston just hasn’t stayed cold this winter. But all the other parts…
Sweet Feet: Dave Lombardo And Double Bass-Drum Domination
Forty-seven years ago today, drummer Dave Lombardo was born in Havana, Cuba. Never heard of Dave? That’s okay. If you’ve listened to any heavy metal in the past 25 years, you’ve definitely heard his influence. Round about the release of Reign In Blood in 1986, Dave Lombardo became the new…
Concerned Legends of KTSU Publish Final Manifesto, Demand Donna Franklin’s Immediate Resignation
In its first manifesto since our feature story about KTSU “The Choice” FM 90.9, the Concerned Legends of KTSU are apparently saying “peace out” for now…but not before lobbing strong words at the management of Texas Southern University’s radio station. As Houston Press previously reported, the perceived shortcomings of the…
Free for All: Art Without a Price Tag
On Friday, we’re stopping by Camargo Valentino’s new exhibit “Personalities and Provocateurs.” Valentino’s eye-catching style is something akin to Sir Francis Bacon meets Stan Lee. The exhibit’s named after superheroes and cartoon characters, often the subject of Valentino’s work. Don’t let the subject matter fool you, though; he might be…
A Night of Demons and Devil Metal at Alamo Drafthouse
Some horror movies are really more than the sum of their parts. Take 1987’s The Gate, starring Stephen Dorff. It’s a schlocky, Satanic masterpiece akin to Evil Dead in that the special effects dance the line between laughable and horrifying, though in The Gate’s case it’s aided by some endearing…
Counting Crows Headlining SXSW? Seriously?
Rocks Off has long since made our peace with the massive inconvenience SXSW can be. Even after our recent medical difficulties, we’re even looking forward to going next month. We had a good time last year, mostly because we finally got to see OMD and Men Without Hats live. The…
A Call For Reason, Inspired by Man’s Heart Attack, Suffered at The Heart Attack Grill
The national media was inflamed yesterday with the news that a male patron of the Las Vegas eatery known as The Heart Attack Grill fell stricken with the condition that is the establishment’s namesake, otherwise known as myocardial infarction. A heart attack. A guy, eating at a place so named,…
Michael Berry: Time to Revisit Firehouse Saloon Incident?
The alleged TC’s Show Bar incident that came to light today would not be conservative talker Michael Berry’s first late-night bar parking lot misadventure. On December 22, 2007, just as his term on City Council was coming to a close thanks to term limits, Berry attended a concert by his…
Jack White: His Best And Worst So Far
It goes without saying that Jack White is, and has been, one of the most prolific artists in contemporary popular music. From The White Stripes’ self-titled album to his WTF collaboration with hardcore hip-hop dup Insane Clown Posse last year, the guy has released or produced an album every year…
Act of Valor and the Rise of the Reality Movie
George Berkeley asked, “Is reality a mental construct?” and America responded, “No, it’s eight fake-baked Jersey kids living near the beach.” Reality television has long been cheap and easy filler programming, but now movies are starting to see the influence of the genre as well. This Friday, Act of Valor…
Your Official Texas Drought Carnage: 5.6 Million Urban Trees Killed
The Texas Forest Service has completed its latest update on the effects of the crushing drought, and it’s somewhat hard to fathom: about 5.6 million trees in urban areas of the state fell victim to the lack of rain. And they ain’t done dying yet. “This estimate is preliminary because…
That Time I Got My Car Towed at Nabi and the Houston Parking Crisis
Getting your car towed in Houston is its own special circle of hell. Last Wednesday night, I met a friend at Nabi and when we finished our meal a little after 10 p.m., we walked the 328 feet (verified by Google Maps) to Anvil for drinks, leaving our cars in…
Is Capcom’s Restaurant Fated to Be the Next Chuck E. Cheese’s?
Capcom is behind some of the greatest video games of all time, including Street Fighter, Mega Man, Resident Evil, Ace Attorney and many popular crossovers with Marvel. Not content with just providing gaming entertainment, the company has decided to open its very own video game-themed bar in Tokyo. The bar…
Small Dog Syndrome: Is There A Doggy Hell? Probably.
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. It’s been a while since your nomenclature specialist had a good name to tackle a juicy band name. We’ve been up in the Himalayans…
Comment of the Day: Not Missing Milo Hamilton
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
UPDATE: Trader Joe’s Plans Locations in Memorial, Montrose
UPDATE: The Houston Business Journal reports that Trader Joe’s has also received a sales tax permit for 2922 S. Shepherd, which is the location of the Alabama Theater. It looks like plans for the Montrose incarnation of the grocery store in the repurposed theater are back on. *** According to…
The Best LP Side Ones Ever
Spurred on by the realization that both David Bowie’s commercial breakthrough Let’s Dance and Queen’s News of the World had solid, sturdy side ones on their vinyl releases, I then began the hunt for other great vinyl slabs with amazing side ones. Of course, the idea is that this could…
Health Department Roundup
Societies can be judged by how they treat their most vulnerable members. Bob Dylan said that. Sometimes very old people aren’t as vulnerable as they let on. We said that, after learning some hard lessons. Still, the folks at Vosswood Nursing Center (815 S. Voss) probably deserve a little bit…
Kate Upton with Video! And Why Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Still Matters
This week Sports Illustrated released its annual swimsuit issue, that annual bonanza of boobs, bikinis, beaches and body paint. With 19-year-old Florida native and possibly-the-next-Christie-Brinkley on the cover, Kate Upton, it’s sure to be another best-seller. Even in an age of free porn on the Internet and Web sites like…
Michael Berry: Conservative “Blow the Mosque Up” Radio Host in Gay-Bar Hit-and-Run, Report Says (UPDATED)
KPRC has a report that Houston police are investigating a hit-and-run incident that involves KTRH host Michael Berry at a gay bar. Berry left T.C.’s Show Bar in Montrose around 11 p.m. January 31, drove in reverse for 70 feet and hit a car owned by the club’s bouncer, which…
What Bootown’s Grown Up Story Time Could Be Doing Better
On the third Tuesday of every month, theatrical group Bootown hosts Grown Up Story Time, in which writers submit short essays to be performed by readers selected and matched by the staff at Bootown. Usually, an attentive audience gathers at Rudyard’s to get a little drunk while listening to stories…
Bang A Gong: Duran Duran Guitarist Turned Rocker Andy Taylor Is 51
In the summer of 1987, the day before driving to Austin for freshmen orientation at the University of Texas, I went to see Andy Taylor at Fitzgerald’s. The former Duran Duran guitarist had done a near-180 in his career, opting for T. Rex-inspired hard rock over the glamorous Britpop of…
This Weird Place at Lawndale: From the Silly to the Sublime
At first, This Weird Place seems like a pretty small show, an easy sprint around Lawndale. It’s held in the modest mezzanine of the art center, and totals 20 works by six artists who, as intended by curator Sebastian Forray, explore that weird place between abstraction and figuration. Two of…
Treasure of the Communal Refrigerator: A&W Float Soda
Like many apartment complexes, my husband’s building has a “lounge” area with free wifi, a kitchen, and a communal fridge. I say “communal,” because all residents are welcome to store food in it and it seems to be the general understanding that unlabeled, unsigned food is up for grabs to…
Team Transition: Rockets, Kevin Martin in NBA Purgatory
Tuesday night was the first time in Kevin Martin’s career he went scoreless when starting. With an efficient and relatively prolific scorer like Martin, that’s not only a rare occurrence, it’s downright shocking. While Martin has had his ups and downs this season, the thought that he would see only…
James Kong: Child Porn and a Whole Lot of Guns & Ammunition
Child-porn investigators had their man: James Kong, 26. They knew he’d been exchanging child pornography on his computer, but they got a little surprise when they knocked on his door in the 16800 block of Gaelic Lane in the northwest part of the county. They found the porn, to be…
Pop Rocks: Everybody Relax, I Figured Out What the Greatest Movie of All Time Is
The AFI has their list, Filmsite has a bunch as well, there’s also the IMDb Top 250, TotalFilm’s top 100 and Roger Ebert’s Great Movies. Rank and format differences aside, all offer — in some fashion — a list of the greatest movies ever made. Of course, as soon as…
Top 5 College Football Drug Scandals: An Ode to TCU
Yesterday, 17 Texas Christian University students were arrested by Fort Worth authorities following a six-month drug sting. Four TCU football players — including Tanner Brock, one of the team’s top linebackers — were among those nabbed for selling ecstasy, weed, coke and prescription pills to undercover officers. We guess it’s…
Top Chef: Texas Is Now Set in Canada, Because Why Not
This week’s episode of Top Chef: Texas has left Texas entirely, never to return (at least for this season). It has, instead, gone to almost literally the polar opposite of Texas: British Columbia, Canada. On Top Chef: Texas. Which was funded with $400,000 of our tax dollars (much more if…
Re:Generation: New Film Makes Airtight Case That DJs Are Musicians
Directed by Amir Bar Lev and produced in association with the Grammys, Re:Generation is a documentary that explores the process behind making music as a DJ and producer through an experiment that sends five DJs on a quest to work in a specific genre outside their normal output. It sounds…
Top 5 Ways to Pimp Your Ride, Old-Timey Style
Some people take great pride in their cars, and decided to use them as a way of expressing themselves. Modifying your ride to give it an unique appearance or performance style is a big business, but other folk tackle it with an older world in mind. Wagon Wheels on a…
Gina Wilfong and Joseph Smith: Lovebirds Jailed on Valentine’s Day After Faceboasting About Vandalizing Her Ex’s Jeep
Lordy lordy, when will these criminals ever learn? First, if you really must brag about your crimes, do it face to face, preferably somewhere you won’t be overheard. Second, if you really, really must do it on Facebook, and it just isn’t enough to do it in a private message,…
Fauré Quartett
The late French composer Gabriel Fauré said, “Chamber music is the only true form of music.” The Fauré Quartett, which takes its name and philosophy from him, eloquently convinces audiences his words are true at every performance. Coming to Houston as first-time guests of the Houston Friends of Chamber Music,…
Emancipation Proclamation
One of the most important documents in American history will be on display for a scant six days when the Houston Museum of Natural Science hosts the Emancipation Proclamation. Signed by Abraham Lincoln, the document that freed the slaves will be on display as part of the museum’s “Discovering the…
More Than a Month
Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman has an unpopular point of view about Black History Month: He wants to end it. In his new documentary More Than a Month, he sets out to prove that by celebrating black history only in February, there’s little encouragement to do so during the other 11…
Kill List
According to the film Kill List, even hit men have rough economic times. Former soldier Jay (Neil Maskell) and his wife Shel (MyAnna Buring) are trying to make a normal home life for their small son, but dwindling finances force Jay to become a contract killer. Jay expects a few…
Endgame
It’s been 17 years since Jason Nodler, artistic director of Catastrophic Theatre, last produced and directed Samuel Beckett’s iconic Endgame. Now Nodler, one of Houston’s most courageous and imaginative directors, has returned to the playwright that he admires most. As one of the most important plays from the world of…
”Personalities and Provocateurs”
It’s Sir Francis Bacon meets Norman Rockwell, with a touch of Diego Velázquez thrown in, at Camargo Valentino’s exhibit ”Personalities and Provocateurs.” The name refers to Valentino’s love of superheroes and cartoon characters, often the subject of his work. Don’t let the subject matter fool you, though; he might be…
100.3 KILT Carnival
Fried food, drinks, and sugar spun any way you can think of it—the mark of a truly great carnival. The 100.3 KILT Carnival certainly has that and more. Stroll the grounds for a chance to eat pizza on a stick, or any number of other things “on a stick,” or…
Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Garden
The results are in. The champions have been chosen. It is time. Every year for the past nine years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has hosted its International Wine competition, and thousands of wines have found their way to the judging table to be taste-tested and classified. “The wines…
Coming to America
Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall have multiple roles in Coming to America, a feel-good comedy about an African prince who comes to the United States seeking a bride. The prince (Murphy) meets the woman of his dreams, and drags along his childhood friend (Hall) as he chases after her. Alamo…
Pig Races
This fun little event’s title is fairly self-explanatory – Pig Races. Piglets will compete against each other to reach the other track and win the ultimate purse—treats. It can be found in Kids Country, and happens Monday through Friday on an hourly basis. Feb. 28-March 18, 2012…
Incendiary: The Willingham Case
Ask filmmakers Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr. if an innocent man was put to death after today’s screening of Incendiary: The Willingham Case at 14 Pews. The film documents the 21-year-old Cameron Todd Willingham case involving the death of his three daughters in a house fire in 1991. Willingham…
Kids Country
A special part of the rodeo set aside just for the little ones, the Kids Country mini carnival contains kid-friendly events such as the Kids Tractor Pull, Mutton Bustin’, and Pig Races. It will also have certain staples, including the obligatory petting zoo, an old-fashioned carousel, pony rides, camel rides,…
Moro No Brasil
Journey deep into the musical heart of Brazil with the film Moro No Brasil. Director/writer Mika Kaurismaki stops off in Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, tracing the growth of traditional samba and bossa nova to contemporary funk and rap. The film is in Portuguese with subtitles. 8 p.m. Brazilian…
”Elegant Perfection: Masterpieces of Courtly and Religious Art from the Tokyo National Museum”
Be on the lookout for the 11th-century Seated Dainichi Nyorai in the new exhibition ”Elegant Perfection: Masterpieces of Courtly and Religious Art from the Tokyo National Museum.” Made of lacquered wood and covered with traces of gold leaf, the seated Buddha, just over three feet tall, is sure to be…
An Afternoon with Daniel Black
Daniel Black’s novel Perfect Peace has a startling premise: A mother so wants a daughter that she decides to raise her youngest son as a girl, to the ultimate dismay of her large, rural family. Emma Jean wants to shower her daughter with all the love she never received; instead…
Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade
Expect marching bands, dignitaries, floats, bead throwing and lots more fun at the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade. It’s Mardi Gras Galveston’s largest parade, with supposedly the island’s best bead throwers. 6:30 p.m 19th and Seawall Boulevard. For information, visit www.mardigrasgalveston.com. Free. Sat., Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m., 2012…
Krewe of WHO? Balcony Party and Bead Throw
All the fun isn’t at street level during Mardi Gras; look up for some festive balcony parties, such as Krewe of WHO? Balcony Party and Bead Throw. Held on the largest balcony on The Strand, the party includes music by the Zydeco Dots, dancing, dinner and a cash bar. Throw…
Orbit: An HD Odyssey
The Blue Marble that is our home has never before been seen with such crystal clarity now that NASA has captured the most beautiful high-definition pictures of Earth. The Houston Symphony celebrates this new look at our planet with Orbit: An HD Odyssey. The concert weds these incredible images to…
Gone with the Wind
Discover the grandeur and sweeping drama of Gone with the Wind, the highest-grossing film of all time, on the big screen again. A love story surrounded by a war drama, Gone with the Wind stars a lovely Vivien Leigh. The English beauty plays Scarlett O’Hara, a hardheaded young beauty who…
Children of Bodom
The sweet strains of melodic death-metal invade Warehouse Live this week as Finland’s Children of Bodom hit Houston on their ongoing tour behind last year’s Relentless, Reckless Forever. The band formed in 1993, but debut LP Something Wild didn’t hit until 1997. The album nonetheless set the tone for the…
Family Court
A Separation — the fifth feature by Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi — is an urgently shot courtroom drama designed to put you in the jury box. Dispensing with preliminaries, it opens at a judicial hearing where, both facing the camera that stands in for the judge, a quarrelsome husband and…
Music for Silent Film
With The Artist snagging so many Academy Award nominations, silent film is poised to make a comeback, and one man who can help you love the vintage style in a modern way is Chris Becker. Using a laptop and Kaoss Pad, Becker (a former Houston Press contributor) specializes in improvising…
Hispanic Savior and a Donkey Devotee
Dear Mexican, This question was inspired by the recent video you did on the Republicanos and the Latina/o vote. What’s your opinion of Cuban-American and Tea Party cariñito Marco Rubio? All this talk about him being the “Hispanic” savior of the Republican Party by being the vice-presidential nominee is getting…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck, The Coitus Plays, The Seagull, Shadowlands
Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck Let’s see, where were we? The last time we met Tom Stoppard’s displaced 19th-century Russian revolutionaries, they were scattered across Europe looking for life’s meaning in political upheavals soon to be. Here, in the second part of his epic trilogy, Shipwreck, they appear right in the…
Blood Money
Basra, Iraq: July, 2003 Larry Roberta, a specialist in the Oregon National Guard, sat on a stack of sacks brimming with one of the most carcinogenic chemicals known to man and chomped on his chicken patty. Unsuccessful in his mission to swap his rations with any of the British soldiers,…
Yelawolf
If you took Eminem in 2000, at the height of his post-Marshall Mathers LP artistic zenith, fed him a handful of Adderall and made him grow his hair into a ‘do that would make Win Butler jealous, you get Yelawolf, Alabama’s newest musical savior, but with about ten pounds of…
Get a Rope
The plate of fish tacos in front of me at Vida Tex-Mex one recent evening looked so abysmal, I was loathe to even try them. I sat and stared at them, head down, anger building in my chest. It was all I could do not to simply get up and…
Cowboy Mouth
A passionate city like New Orleans needs a passionate rock band like Cowboy Mouth. Steered by Dash Rip Rock alum Fred LeBlanc, a singing dynamo of a drummer who pushes his kit as far to the front of the stage as he possibly can, the band has cultivated a steadfast…
Oklahoma Dust Storm
Dusty, isolated and bleak, Elk City in far western Oklahoma seems an unlikely burg to birth one of America’s greatest songwriting and composing talents. Yet to Jimmy Webb, author of such pop masterpieces as “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “MacArthur Park,” his Elk City childhood…
For Better or for Amnesia
The Vow, a full-bodied lunge for the heartstrings, has a humdinger of a premise, forcing its characters to face a question that most of us ask ourselves: If you could do the past five years over again, would you live them the same or take a mulligan? A young married…
Suspension of Convention
Joel Shapiro wouldn’t touch convention with a ten-foot wooden plank. That includes even the most standard of art conventions. Rather than lay his work flat against a museum wall, he spreads it out across the whole room, bounding through the air and taking up the space above and around you…
Pregnancy Puzzler
COURTS Pregnancy Puzzler Judge says lactation not related to giving birth By Richard Connelly U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes is likely about to become the butt of Internet merriment with the news of a recent decision. He’ll also be pissing off breast-feeding moms, and that is one group you do…
Loose Fit
Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights’ debut album, 2007’s Hot Trottin’, put the heavy roots-rock world on notice that they had a boy who wouldn’t be “learned” on their hands. Touring relentlessly and taking every gig that came open helped the Dallas band build musical calluses that led to 2010’s…
This Is How We Do It
Hostilities in This Means War are declared as two workmates compete for the affection of the same woman. The contested objective is Lauren (Reese Witherspoon), a product tester who decides to apply comparative shopping techniques to dating. Her would-be beaus, FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy), are best friends…
Los Campesinos!
The transformation of Wales’s Los Campesinos! from a sprightly indie-pop group into something far more wicked and weird has been a gradual one, but thankfully the band hasn’t lost its penchant for writing catchy, clever songs. The prodigious, Cardiff-based band is touring in support of an excellent new album, Hello…
Nice ‘n’ Easy
The top button of Luke Wrobel’s white button-up shirt is undone. His sleeves are rolled up to his forearms. And the knot of his tie, long askew, sits several inches below his Adam’s apple. At his back is a gorgeous nine-piece band; at his feet, a gaggle of couples waiting…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Escapism,” “Hate Expo,” “John Sonsini: New Paintings,” “Luminous,” “Reconstruction,” “Sherrie Levine: Selected Works”
“Escapism” Currently on display at G Gallery, this collection of work by San Antonio-based artist Jerry Cabrera is instantly grabbing, yet it’s difficult to describe what is so attractive about it. Lengthwise panes of canvas are painted in crescendoing hues, some monochromatic, others complements on the color wheel. Reds turn…
Little People, Big World
Synonymous with the humanistic, eco-minded, pastel-hued elegance of Japanese filmmaker and animation virtuoso Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), Studio Ghibli, which Miyazaki co-founded, has earned its vaunted reputation as Disney’s Pixar of the East. Although Miyazaki serves only on the periphery as co-writer and production supervisor, his soulfulness still radiates through…
Big K.R.I.T.
Big K.R.I.T., a Mississippi rapper born Justin Scott, is one of the latest in a crop of hailed would-be saviors of rap with the power to satisfy both casual fans, Internet rap nerds and picky critics. But the twist with K.R.I.T. is that — unlike other twentysomethings in the same…
