Top 10 Foods to Keep In Your Desk
Let’s face it, not everyone eats three square meals a day. We Americans snack, and most of us have boring, sit on your butt all day kind of jobs, and are still too busy to take our lunch breaks. Below are 10 of the best things to stash in your…
Three Texans Win The “Friends Of Darwin” Award For Their Battles Here
The National Center for Science Education, an organization that tries to convince people that evolution is correct (and, we guess, that the earth is round), has named three Texans as winners of their annual “Friend of Darwin” award.The NCSE didn’t stint on the drama in making their announcement: They came…
Katy Sportswriter In Hot Water Over Sexy Chats; Scribe Is Accused Of Posing As Two Stars He Once Covered
Up until about a week ago in football-crazed Katy, Nick Georgandis was kind of a big deal. The 36-year-old sportswriter covered Katy high school sports for over ten years at the Katy Times, and was described in a post on Ultimatekaty.com that has since apparently been taken down as “practically…
Our 5 Favorite Vintage Food Toys
The creator of the Easy Bake Oven, Ronald Howes, passed away today at the age of 83. It seems that he lived a full and happy life, being the inventor of a toy that taught millions of children the joys of baking (and the dangers of touching a heating element,…
Guitar Zero: They’re Making It Up As They Go Along
Oh, you guitar players with your improvising and shit. My musical background is brass. Low brass, which is a section that doesn’t invite a lot of creativity. During marching season, we could usually rely on being the only instruments not required to perform some elaborate footwork, which meant lots of…
Game Time: The Definitive Washed-Up Running Back Anthology
Of all of the things that football has gotten right over the last decade or two (and there are many — instant replay, embracing fantasy football, the yellow first-down line, the addition of Sunday night games, to name a few), the most significant one to me has been the marketing…
Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Zayt and Za’atar: This food blog was just introduced to us last…
Behind The Lyrics: Trails, Taking the “What Ifs” Out Of Houston Hip-Hop
There are lots of “what ifs” in Houston hip-hop, too many if you ask Rocks Off. What if Pimp C lived? What if South Park Mexican and Bing didn’t get incarcerated? You could play “fill in the blank” all day after “what if?” And we’ve wondered if the up-and-coming generation…
Unidentified Man, 29, Bayou Body Count No. 49
No suspects, no motive, one dead body.It’s another typical case for Houston’s boys in blue.Police say that they got a call Monday night concerning gunshots along the 10300 block of Sandpiper, not far from the Brae Burn Country Club in southwest Houston. When officers arrived, they found a dead body…
Minh Dynasty: New Regime at Thiem Hung Bakery
While I wasn’t looking, one of my favorite Vietnamese sandwich shops, Thiem Hung Bakery, was revamped by a new owner. The new guy’s name is Minh, and he worked with the original owners for two years before he took over, so I guess it’s okay. He’s a friendly sort anyway…
Houston Musicians to Record Companies: We Don’t Need You
In the eyes of some Houston musicians, labels are dead. Local bands VerseCity and A dream Asleep seem to think so. Though their musical styles are drastically different – a self-proclaimed rock-soul-pop group and aggressive hardcore-metal band, respectively – the two have a lot in common when it comes to…
Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested For Selling Information
A Harris County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested today and charged with selling criminal information in order to make a little cash.Kurt Douglas Green, 42, of Hockley, worked in the jail and had access to the computers that have National Crime Information Center access. “On Jan. 19, 2010, Green exceeded his…
Chef Chat Part 3: Justin Basye
After visiting Stella Sola and interviewing Chef Justin Basye, we’ve become firm believers in the new Texas-Tuscan joint. There’s definitely a spot for Stella Sola on our list of restaurants to frequent. The kitchen gets the slow-food movement, and the customers are excited about getting fresh, local products from farms…
What About All The Other Missing `80s Sitcom Characters?
As the world desperately waits for word on the whereabouts of missing Growing Pains actor Andrew “Boner” Koenig, Hair Balls asks what about the others?We’re afraid Boner may not be the only casualty of the 1980s sitcom kid character diaspora, and we won’t be able to exhale until all those listed below are…
Aftermath: World Traveler Henry Rollins’ Three-Hour Discourse On Topics Far And Wide
Once most people make their last bow out of the full-time music scene, they wallow off into a corner somewhere, a shell of their former glory and sulking that the industry didn’t come with them. The better of them leave the game after achieving all that they wanted and go…
Judge Judy, Craig Washington And A Harris County Prosecutor: Not Your Typical Cast
What do Judge Judy, the Harris County DA’s Office, former U.S. Congressman Craig Washington and this week’s feature have in common?Well, wait just a moment and find out.This week’s feature takes a look at the statutory rights afforded to crime victims under Texas law, and how numerous victims around Houston…
My Goose Egg Breakfast
A goose egg is quite a bit larger than a chicken egg; it has a much richer flavor, too. British celebrity chef Prue Leith got herself in trouble with the Royal Birdwatchers when she revealed in a magazine interview that she raided a wild Canadian goose nest on her property…
Intercontinental Hotel Houston Gets A Really Wild New Name
News we did not know: The Intercontinental Hotel Houston no longer goes by that name. It is now, officially, the Intercontinental Hotel Houston Near The Galleria.”Our new name better reflects our proximity to the world-class shopping and entertainment found in The Galleria,” general manager Raymond Vermolen told the Hotel Interactive…
Artist of the Week: “Whiskey Wings” Rehab Grad And Musical Foodie Season Ammons
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. During the first few weeks of Artist of…
Wine of the Week: 2010 Houston Rodeo Wines
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo isn’t just about cattle, barbecue and the Jonas Brothers. It’s also about wine. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition started seven years ago with the help of Charles M. Bear Dalton, fine wine buyer for Spec’s. Seventy-five judges, the majority from…
Galveston Smoking Ban Ends Up In Court
They’ve banned smoking in bars and restaurants in Galveston, but the owners of those places aren’t going along quietly.A group of them are suing the city and individual city council members, saying that proper procedure was not followed in passing the ban into law last July.Those who are familiar with…
Serbian Sarma
Last week Robb Walsh wrote about an excellent stuffed cabbage he had at the home of a Bosnian friend, and it led to a semi-lively conversation about the various forms of the dish. While we all know that Houston is a metaphorical mutt — a mixed-breed city — I’m always…
Aftermath: Buxton, On The Brink Of Something Big At Walter’s
In the past year or so, both Rocks Off and our staff have written over and over about how impressed we are with the talent and diversity of Houston’s current crop of local musicians, wondering many times out loud, in print and online just how long we’re going to be…
The Many Looks Of Matt Damon, Plus How To Win A Free The Informant! DVD
The Informant! — don’t forget the exclamation point! — was a pretty decent Matt Damon flick, based to some extent on a true story.Damon plays a whistleblower who works with the FBI to stop corruption in a giant agri-business, but things start to go awry and then go awry-er and…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #93 Cheeseburger at Leonard’s Famous Burgers, 1913 W. Little York
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Tales from the Trenches: My Time at The Shack
I worked as a hostess at an unnamed Houston restaurant for several years. The manager was the nicest sociopath I ever met, and the Latino members of the staff called him El Diablo. El Diablo was famous for firing the waiters in fits of rage, then calling them the next…
Aftermath: The Sentimental Side Of Prankster Politician Kinky Friedman At The Mucky Duck
Before we get started, Aftermath has a confession to make. We support Kinky Friedman. In 2006, we registered to absentee vote from Korea for the express purpose of voting for him for Governor, and we support him in his current bid to run for Agriculture Commissioner. He’s exactly the kind…
American Idol: It’s Just the Beginning
It begins: Last night was the first full-on competition episode of American Idol, the one that really looks like American Idol, all blue glitter and crowded stages and live-in-color histrionics. That giant logo on the big screen never stops swirling, and the in-show shout-outs to Coke and AT&T and iTunes…
Stirred and Shaken: The Big Top’s Scorpion Shot
You’d probably have to go somewhere a little more upscale than Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge (3714 Main, no phone) to get a traditional New Orleans drink like a Sazerac cocktail or a Vieux Carré. But those places don’t have Hustlers Brass Band and free homemade red beans and rice…
Idol Beat: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
It begins: Last night was the first full-on competition episode of American Idol, the one that really looks like American Idol, all blue glitter and crowded stages and live-in-color histrionics. That giant logo on the big screen never stops swirling, and the in-show shout-outs to Coke and AT&T and iTunes…
The Subtle Art Of The Baseball Post-Game Show
One of the best things about listening to sports games on the radio is what happens after the game ends. And that’s the post-game talk show that airs on a team’s flagship station. The hosts, for the most part, are knowledgeable about the game and the team they cover. So…
Just When He Thought He Was Out, KIPP Pulls Him Back In
The grand huzzah of Houston school superintendent Terry Grier’s recent reorg announcement — the hiring of a KIPP honcho to over see HISD’s middle schools — seems to have fizzled out.The Houston Chronicle reports that Terence Johnson, a “senior director of leadership” for the charter program KIPP, has reneged on…
The Blizzard Descends: A Photo From A Ravaged Huntsville
The natives complain of it & at every camp are fixing fixing their clothes about the face, waist, knees & wrist. They complain of their noses, which I never knew them to do before. it is keen & bitter as frozen steel. Light air from S during first of march,…
Mexican Sandwiches at La Guadalupana
No, it’s not a torta. This is a cemita, a traditional Pueblan sandwich that’s different from the omnipresent torta in several important ways: A cemita traditionally comes with avocado, raw onions, salsa roja, quesillo cheese and your choice of meat – nothing else. A cemita comes on a hamburger-style bun…
Want To Win A “Golden Ticket” For Summerfest?
You know you do. Between today and March 1 (aka Monday), one ticket-buyer per day will be selected at random to have their purchase upgraded to the “Golden Ticket” package, which includes two “Fancy Pants Weekend Passes,” backstage access, food and drink – don’t worry, there will be food and…
Baseball Player Formally Charged With Assaulting Woodlands Man
Two minor-league baseball players charged with assaulting a Woodlands man at a Dallas club on New Year’s Eve turned themselves into authorities February 19, and quickly bonded out.Lance Broadway, a minor-league pitcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, and pal Cameron McGuire, of the United League Baseball’s Edinburg Roadrunners, are accused…
Suck On It, New York!! Houston Has Direct Flights To Branson, Missouri!!
In case you’ve been experiencing the typical Houstonian’s self-doubt about whether or not we’re really a sophisticated metropolis, you can relax.Houston is now one of only five American cities with direct flights to Branson, Missouri. On real planes, too!You didn’t think he would do “Moon River,” but then bam –…
The Shameless Chef: Triply Pastafied Cheesplosion
If there’s anyone in the world who should not get up his own ass about what he cooks for lunch, it’s me. And yet I’d been racking my brains for days, trying to think of something to cook for this column, going through old recipes and suggestions from friends, many…
June Trial Set For Brownsville Murder of Barry Horn, ’70s Houston’s Answer To Truman Capote
A June trial date has been set for the suspect in the Brownsville murder of Barry Horn, a former Channel 13 TV news personality who was at the time of his death the executive director of the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.The 59-year-old Horn, once a regular in Maxine Mesinger’s…
The Street Vendor Blues
One of the best parts of wandering the streets of cities like New York and San Francisco is the jaw-dropping diversity of street food, an industry which has virtually exploded over the past decade. In addition to the regulars, New York now has the popular Schnitzel Truck and Sammy’s Halal,…
Game Time: The Knicks And Tracy McGrady…Shortest Honeymoon Ever
Those who know me know that I have an unhealthy fascination with Britney Spears, unhealthy to the point where I found myself strangely attracted to her even through her hefty “Xanax and Frappucino for breakfast” phase back in 2007. One of my favorite Britney stories ever was her “marriage” to…
They Were Kinky Before Kinky Was Kinky: Musicians Who Have Held Public Office
From Ted Nugent to Bruce Springsteen to those adorable Dixie Chicks, “Masters of War” to “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” musicians have never been shy about voicing their political opinions. But when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are and filing the necessary paperwork to…
While You Weren’t Tweeting: Tigers, Wires and Pairs, Oh My!
What was life like before the Internet? Does anyone really remember, anyway? ‘Cause, you know, some kids’ve been choking the cyberchicken since birth, we hear. Even we fogeys certainly don’t recall much before the Invasion of the Interwebs, but we’ll posit a guess that we were thinner, friendless, ill-informed versions…
A Goose Egg Doesn’t Always Mean Zip
Goose eggs are amazing to look at, interesting to cook with, and very popular just before Easter. (They make quite a canvas for ambitious Easter egg decorators.) When I saw some at the Midtown Farmers’ Market, I had to try them, although at four bucks each, they aren’t likely to…
Magnolia City Mixtape: Roky Erickson, Houston Symphony, BandCamp, Solange, The Vatican, Watermarks, Featherface, Lots More
Roky Erickson and Will Sheff of Okkervil River at Toy Joy, Austin TX from Roky Erickson w/ Okkervil River on Vimeo. Roky Erickson plays tomorrow night at the Continental Club for the second time in about six months. The Texas Psychedelic Rock blog posted a video last week of Erickson…
Seabrook Elementary School To Parents: Sorry About All Those Bats Flying Around The Place
Here’s a sentence you don’t like to read in a letter from your kid’s school: “We certainly understand your questions and concerns about the presence of Mexican free-tail bats in Bay Elementary.”Well, as long as you understand it……Bay Elementary, a school in Seabrook that’s part of the Clear Creek school…
Odd Pair: Pizza and Baritone Shiraz Cabernet
We know what you’re thinking. Pizza and wine isn’t an odd pair. We’ve had pizza and wine plenty of times. But, the question is, have you had it with the right wine? You can’t pair pizza with just any old wine — unlike beer. It needs to be a wine…
Inquiring Minds: Henry Rollins Has A Lot To Say. Surprised?
Since his debut in 1981 as Black Flag’s fourth, last and best lead singer, Henry Rollins has been the emissary of intelligent hardcore punk rock and its accompanying ideals. Through his five-year history with the band, from the LPs Damaged to In My Head, he brought an animalistic, poetic spirit…
Local High School Sports Outfitter Getting Bigfooted by Nike
For 17 years B-Bad Sportswear of Houston has been providing uniforms for teams in the Houston school district, employing 22 workers, hustling to replace torn or missing jerseys before games, proud to have made the shirts and shorts worn by state champions.At one time, boss Gerald Taylor tells Hair Balls,…
Snowy Salad Days: My Organic Lettuce Patch
The seeds for these salad greens were planted on November 19 in this raised bed garden in my backyard. The greens were ready to harvest in 90 days, although I gave them a little longer. Last night I clipped the first full-grown leaves from four varieties. I served them with…
Ask A Rapper: Uzoy On Some Absolutely Awful Rapper Names
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to…
Texas Traveler: St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary
North of Houston, outside the small town of Montgomery, there is a house where lobos in limbo live, the St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary. The sanctuary, a non-profit organization staffed entirely by volunteers, aims to provide a permanent home to captive-born wolves and wolf-dog hybrids that are too wild to be…
Bobby Heugel’s Weekly Cocktail: The Vieux Carre
People often ask bartenders what their favorite cocktail is, but a good bartender draw out patrons to find out what they like. Still, if there was ever a time for one cocktail to be noted above others, it would be now – following the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, Mardi Gras,…
HISD Cancels Outdoor Sports This Afternoon As Horrendous Blizzard Threatens
The Houston school district has canceled “outdoor athletic trips” today, spokesman Norm Uhl says.”This has to do with playing games in the weather. Our indoor athletics events such as basketball are NOT cancelled,” he says.Temperatures are expected to reach the low teens this afternoon, with as much as eight inches…
Heart Attack Notwithstanding, Tommy Hall Is OK
The mystery of what happened to former Thirteenth Floor Elevators electric-jug player Tommy Hall has been solved. Happily, he seems to be OK, all things considered. George Ripley, who posted that Hall had been hospitalized Wednesday on the Texas ’60s Music Refuge Yahoo! message board, sent Rocks Off an update…
Quote Of The Day, From The Judge Who Had An Affair With A Prosecutor
The odd case of Charles Dean Hood has been a subject of talk for a while. He was convicted of killing a Plano couple — there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of doubt about it — but he’s got a unique appellate argument: The judge and his prosecutor…
Rid Of Me And Other Great Albums With Truly Hideous Covers
MGMT’s new album, Congratulations, comes out in April! We’re excited. MGMT’s 2008 debut album, Oracular Spectacular, was fantastic, and we can’t wait to hear what they’ve got in store for the follow-up. We’re positive it will be awesome, as those weird-ass kids are only going to get weirder as they…
Mayor Parker On Twitter, Facebook And Those Nasty People Who Leave Comments On Blogs
Intrepid blogger Mike McGuff has an interview up with mayor Annise Parker on her — and the city’s — use of social media in the past and the future.”She reveals the steps her campaign took to effectively utilize social media and the blogosphere to win the votes,” McGuff tells Hair…
Chef Chat: Justin Basye Part 2
Yesterday Justin explained the nomination process for the James Beard Awards. Today we discuss changes he has implemented and what he does on his days off from work. Eating Our Words: So four months later, what has changed? Justin Basye: Haha, my responsibilities! Moving from sous to chef de cuisine…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #94 Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Ball at Coffee Groundz on Bagby
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Aftermath: Jay-Z Goes Into Overtime At Toyota Center; Gyno-Mom Approves
7:22 p.m.: God Dammit. The show was advertised as starting at 7 p.m. on the Toyota Center site, which of course means it’ll start exactly at 8 p.m., which of course means it’ll really start AROUND 8:15 p.m., which is more like 8:30 p.m., but we still haven’t figured out…
New To DVD Today: The Box and Cirque du Freak
Hitting the shelves today is the DVD version of The Box, starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella. The Box is a lesson in reading the fine print. Norma (Diaz) and her husband Arthur (Marsden) seem to have a happy life. They have a nice kid, a nice house…
Distant Early Warning: The Blasters, Bobby Bare Jr., Chaka Khan, Dead Confederate, Jimmie Vaughan, Julian Casablancas, Etc.
The Blasters: Sat., May 8. Fitzgerald’s. Alexisonfire, Trash Talk, La Dispute, Therefore I Am: Mon., May 3. Warehouse Live. Billy Joe Shaver: Fri., April 9. The Firehouse Saloon. Bobby Bare Jr., David Vanderveld: Tue., March 16. Rudyard’s. BT, Glint: Wed., March 17. House of Blues. Chaka Khan: Fri., April 30…
Where Are We Drinking?
What time is it? Beer thirty. Okay, fine, it’s eight o’clock in the morning. But we’re wishing it was beer thirty. As soon as it is, we’re heading down to the bar with the clock pictured below. Think you know where we’re going? Leave your best guess in the comments…
NCAA Being Sued By Former Players Who Find Themselves Being Used In Video Games
Not many people remember Ed O’Bannon for his exploits on the basketball court. But if he has his way, his name may end up as one of the most memorable in college sports history, primarily because he could end up being the one who changes college sports history. O’Bannon was…
Pop Rocks: One Of Our Boners Is Missing
Andrew Koenig, who played Mike Seaver’s best friend “Boner” on Growing Pains, went missing last week in Vancouver. His sister, Danielle Koenig, said he was last seen Feb. 14 in Vancouver, where he was visiting friends, Zap2It reports. He was to have flown out Feb. 16 but didn’t make the…
Paul Casey Got His First PGA Win Here Last Year, So He’s Donating $100,000 In Return
Because of scheduling quirks, the Shell Houston Open doesn’t always draw the best fields of participants in golf. Tiger Woods has never played it.Last year it was won by England’s Paul Casey, and most casual sports fans couldn’t place the name. That’s because it was his first win on the…
I’m A Salon Inspector, And I Take Cash
The deviousness of the criminal mind is unbounded, as can be seen from the latest alert from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.Someone is walking into the hair and nail salons of Houston, announcing himself as a state inspector, and then takes products or demands money for looking the…
How Much Can MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Etc. Really Help Bands Promote Themselves?
Sometimes getting signed to a major is no guarantee they’ll push your music either… just ask Spoon’s Britt Daniel. The likes of Facebook and MySpace have made it easier than ever for musicians’ music to be available worldwide, but it crossed our minds that it also might be much more…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #95 Fried Mojarra at Taqueria Jesus Maria, 1106 Spencer Highway
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
A Texas-Sized Food Fight at the Rodeo’s Best Bites Competition
With a nearly endless bounty of fine food and wine that stretched over an area larger than a football field, guests at last night’s Best Bites Competition at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo were hard-pressed not to get their money’s worth for the $100 ticket price it took to…
Ted Poe Decides He Likes Drunk Drivers After All
Congressman Ted Poe was, for a long time, a Harris County district judge. And he displayed special venom for people convicted of DWI.Once he went to Washington things didn’t change. Here’s part of a floor speech he gave two years ago about a police chief killed by a drunken driver:…
Stopping By La Unica Bakery
We first swung by La Unica Bakery at 4606 N. Main St. on a whim a few weeks ago and were pleased with the springy, buttery choncas we sampled. But there were six other cases of baked goods in the place, and some savory lunch options, so stopped again last…
Hispanics And Texas State Parks, Part Two (The Weird Part)
We asked Texas Parks & Wildlife for more details on the customer survey we wrote about today, and they have come through. And it’s crazy enough to deserve its own post.TPWD provided a power point presentation of the study; scrolling through it we noticed a summary of focus-group research done…
Brown Paper Chocolates and Richard Kaplan
Before Valentine’s Day, I visited some local chocolate makers. Notably absent was Richard Kaplan of Brown Paper Chocolates. Kaplan has been making his rich, high-cocoa chocolate cubes in Houston for some years now. But there weren’t any available in the retail outlets mentioned on the company website. It turns out…
More Breaking News: Z-Ro Standing Trial Next Week On Felony Syrup Charges
Joseph Wayne McVey, the rapper the streets know as Z-Ro, is in trouble again. The “King of the Ghetto” has a trial date next Monday at the Harris County Courthouse for felony drug possession, stemming from a February 2009 Harris County Sheriff’s bust. Police allege that McVey, 33, was in…
Missouri City’s Z-Ro Facing Another Drug Charge
Joseph Wayne McVey, the rapper the streets know as Z-Ro, is in trouble again. The King of the Ghetto has a trial date next Monday at the Harris County Courthouse for felony drug possession, stemming from a February 2009 Harris County Sheriff’s bust. Police allege that McVey, 33, was in…
Thirteenth Floor Elevators’ Tommy Hall May Be Hospitalized… Or Worse
Earlier this afternoon, Rocks Off’s friend, former colleague and Dirty Honey DJ Brett Koshkin forwarded us a post from the Texas ’60s Music Refuge Yahoo! message board that former Thirteenth Floor Elevators member Tommy Hall, whose warped electric-jug stylings defined the Elevators’ sound as much as front man Roky Erickson’s…
A Genius Of Disguise, A Maid Of A Thousand Faces, Haunts Houston Banks
See that woman on the left? Seems to be middle-aged?Now look at the woman on the right, obviously a fairly decrepit great-grandmother.PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN: It is the same person.The FBI has dubbed her the “Bad Granny” bank-robber because — we can only assume — she’s “bad” because…
James Earl Wallace, 36, Bayou Body Count No. 48
One gun; two men. Someone was bound to lose. On Sunday afternoon, that was 36-year-old James Earl Wallace. Police say that Wallace showed up at a home along the 7900 block of (possibly appropriately named) Shotwell in northeast Houston, but that the resident told Wallace to shoo. It was not…
Chef Chat: James Beard Nominee Justin Basye
Stella Stola’s opening four months ago in some rough waters. Fast management changes and skeptical critics rocked the grand opening, but then things started to change. Justin Basye came on board as chef de cuisine under Bryan Caswell and brought a positive outlook and solid crew with him. With the…
Hang The DJ: Bowling Alley’s Music Mix Strikes Out With Reader
Rocks Off received a rather breathless email this morning from a reader who was none too happy that his first visit to a local bowling alley this past weekend was marred by the DJ’s tin ear. He was complimentary of the staff, the drinks and the establishment itself – names…
Game Time: Rockets 2009-10 Season Is Slip-Slidin’ Away
ho·me·o·sta·sis (hō-‘mē-ō-stā’sĩs) n. The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes.I know some people complain about how long the professional sports regular seasons are. Do we really need 162 Major League Baseball games to decide who goes to the playoffs?…
Fatbutter.com
Despite what you may think, this is not a website warning you about butter. You know about the fat, calories, and clotted arteries. No, this is the website for La Vista Restaurant. And it’s very accurate. Our dining companions had been raving about the dinner they had at the La…
Mix Bag: Exclusive Mike Pass Sneak Peek, Watch Out For Young Brown N Wreckin
Sunday afternoon was an important day for Rocks Off. We put together our first Houston Press Mike Pass, featuring 16 MCs with really diverse styles and from all parts of the city (we’ll reveal just who they are soon). We filmed all over downtown Houston for what promises to be…
Texas Parks Are Like A Tea Party: White, Old & Cranky
People visiting Texas parks are like a Tea Party convention — they’re white, old and cranky.That’s not quite the spin the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department puts on the results from their latest customer survey, but it seems pretty clear to us.TPWD surveyed 27,000 customers over five years and found…
Midtown Alternatives to Mai’s
Although old Chinatown is a shadow of its former self these days, there are still plenty of good Vietnamese restaurants lurking in shady strip centers, offering the same wonderful bowls of pho and helpings of com dia that they always have. And with Midtown stalwart Mai’s out of commission for…
Hazy Shade Of Winter: Are The Vancouver Olympians Listening To These Songs?
Rocks Off has Olympics on the brain. After hearing the theme from Chariots of Fire at the Houston Symphony and watching the bizarro Opening Ceremonies featuring Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan, all we want to do when we get home from a long hard day is watch men…
Is That A Duster Or Are You Just Glad To Clean For Me?
Asylum is a website which states it is “For All Mankind.” From the looks of it, the name should have a second “s” in it and the “man” in “mankind” should be emphasized, if you know what we mean.Be that is it may, the site informs us of Jockstrap Maid…
Meet the Chef Who Made Gordon Ramsay Cry
When chef Albert Roux stopped by our table at his restaurant, Chez Roux in Conroe, I shook his hand. The food was stellar. But it was also a real treat to talk to the legendary chef, since he only visits a few weeks out the year. “I’ve always wanted to…
Turning The Screw: All the Way, Z-Ro, Devin, Lil’ O, UGK, Nicki Minaj, Ras Kass, Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Dre, Aziz Ansari, Wu-Massacre and More
Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off’s weekly rap post. It probably won’t rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: “Bring The Kush Back Freestyle,” ATW Attn: Houston’s Underground Rappers: You are on notice. These two gentlemen here, Church…
Debate Over HISD’s Plan To Fire Teachers Goes National
Houston school superintendent Terry Grier’s plan to fire teachers whom he deems unacceptable got some national news time Sunday.ABC News looked at the issue in a piece titled — wait for it — “Houston, We Have A School Problem.” (Fresh!!)It was a pretty straightforward look at things, with Grier and…
A Better Burger
The downtown Spec’s Wine and Spirits (2410 Smith) houses a deli that offers a variety of cold-order sides as well as weekly specials. When we visited, the weekly special was a hamburger. Nadine, my courteous help on the other side of the deli case, began to ask me questions. “What…
Aftermath: Houston Radio Friendly Unit Shifters Bid Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain Happy 43rd
This past Saturday would have been Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s 43rd birthday, and to celebrate, a band of some of Houston’s best indie and hardcore cats got together to throw down a set of covers at Big Star Bar in the Heights, billing themselves as Danneurysm. Opening with “Radio Friendly…
The Week in TV: Shatner My Dad Says
I’m confused by curling, ready for spring, and oh yeah: I got engaged. This was the week in TV Land: • There’s a guy out there with a blog called “The Final Season of LOST as Seen by Someone Who Has Never Seen.” I think it’s missing a word at…
Coog Baseball Gets Off To Rough Start
Teams never want to start 0-3 on the season, no matter the sport. And starting 0-3 for the season is definitely not something the Houston Cougars baseball team wanted to do, yet after being swept by Texas State in this season’s opening series, that’s exactly the hole the Cougars find…
Mayday, Mayday: Van Morrison Opens Woodlands’ 2010 Season May 1
This weekend word came from Live Nation that legendary Irish crooner and songwriter Van Morrison will be open the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s 2010 season Thursday, May 1, Van the Man’s first Houston appearance in more than 30 years. According to songkick.com, Morrison first hit Houston in January 1974 for…
Where Are We Eating?
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. We love the way this pairing is working out already: a jalapeno cheeseburger with Louisiana hot sauce, and a glass of white wine for good measure. This is the way you eat a hamburger, folks — with all caution and rules thrown to the…
Houston Fringe Festival Smackdown
Two of Houston’s alternative performing arts companies are in a bit of struggle – a very quiet struggle, because neither wants to attract attention to a situation they hope can still be handled by lawyers, but a struggle nonetheless. The companies involved are Boo Town and FrenetiCore. At stake? The…
Inside Aggieland with a Corps of Cadets-Inspired Resignation
It’s been about a month since Texas A&M named its new president, following the resignation of Elsa Murano, and some of the heaviest fall out has surrounded the Corps of Cadets. The day after R. Bowen Loftin was given the job in January as the university’s president, Lieutenant General John…
Dave Matthews Band Returns to Houston September 10
Well, there you have it. All Dave’s many fans out there can start counting down to next Friday, when tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. through www.livenation.com, Ticketmaster (apparently that merger is working out) or by phone at 800-745-3000. Everyone else can go about your business. Occasional exceptions like…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve finally settled our lawsuit against Beck for heeding his advice to “get crazy with the Cheez Whiz.” Ah, those were crazier, dumber times. We started the week off well enough with the first step on what promises…
Going to Mom 2.0 Summit? Don’t Tweet & Run
For most cities (okay, excluding New Orleans), a whole lot of nothin’ happens during the month of February. The grumpy groundhog usually sees its roly-poly shadow in Pennsylvania, lovers let Hallmark dictate the depth of their affections from Seattle to Sarasota, and impromptu games of hoops sprout up across the…
Openings and Closings
As not only Houston but the entire nation heard earlier this week, Midtown favorite and one of the first Vietnamese restaurants in Houston, Mai’s Restaurant (3403 Milam), burned down on February 15 after a cooking fire started by a wok. We posted photo and video coverage of the fire itself,…
Inquiring Minds: Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes On Billy Gibbons, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Ray LaMontagne And More
In this week’s print edition of the Press, Warren Haynes talks about juggling his membership in the Alpha and Omega of jam bands, the Allman Brothers Band and The Dead, with the musclebound blues-rock engine he started in 1994, Gov’t Mule. The Mule pulls into House of Blues Saturday night…
Grier Says HISD Not Rigorous Enough for All Students, Promises Changes
“Uncross your arms,” Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier semi playfully pleaded today with some members of his huge audience at his first ever State of the Schools address for teachers, administrators, business leaders and politicians. He wasn’t booed as he was at the last school board meeting when…
Back To The Future: The Dirty Rotten Imbeciles That Meet In D.R.I.
Tonight at Wired Live, formerly the Meridian – or still the Meridian, just not for much longer; we don’t even know at this point – you can watch part of punk and hardcore history duke it out with some of the new wave. Legendary crossover thrash band and Houston natives…
Upcoming Events
Your excuse to indulge in several margaritas in an afternoon is coming — and on a Monday, just when we need it the most. February 22 is National Margarita Day. Who knows why? But, more importantly, who cares? Take the opportunity to try out some of the best margaritas around…
The Top 6 Shittiest PR Moves
In our former life, just about the most obnoxious people that we dealt with on a daily basis were former employees calling and wanting to know why their 401(k) distribution had been taxed even though they were well under 65 years old. Pretty mild, really. And quite boring. In our…
The Top 5 Most Over Used Spices
We bring you our top 5 list of most over used spices to save you from being a victim of over spiced syndrome. We want you to enjoy your food not spit it out. 1. Garlic: Ok, we all love garlic. But, just because the recipe calls for garlic doesn’t…
Yes, We Admit It: We Have No Clue How To Judge A Two-Step Contest
Rocks Off has no idea how to judge a country two-step competition. A few weeks ago we were asked if we would take time out of our Friday night to judge Reliant Energy’s Two-Step Showdown at Rebels Honky Tonk on Washington Avenue. Yes, that Washington Avenue. The one we spent…
Game Time: Buddhism Announces That It Has Dropped Tiger Woods
So there you go. Tiger Woods is sorry. Or so he says. If we can sift through the 15 minutes where time stood still in sports bars around the country, if we can somehow ignore all of the “hostage crisis”-level coverage this is getting on CNN, ESPN, and the…
Felony: It Would Be a Crime Not to Listen
Every Friday, Rocks Off will beam hip-hop artists into our demented, imaginary, incredibly witty, fantasy world of pretend scenarios. We predict it’ll soon be known as a feared interrogation of hip-hop artists, revealing their innermost thoughts and desires. In reality, it’s just a fucking cool Q&A. If you are going…
Late Night Scene: Striking Out
We set out into the night to get some tasty snacks and a few more drinks. We were in the neighborhood of Oporto Cafe and thought a martini and some tapas sounded awesome. The straight-laced waitress informed us the kitchen closed at 10 p.m. It was 10:15 p.m. We even…
Candidate Jarvis Johnson Says It’s Time to Move On From Sheila Jackson Lee
The Houston Press will be interviewing each of the main contenders in the 18th Congressional District race. This is the second interview of the series. Councilman Jarvis Johnson entered his campaign manager’s office on a chilly Friday evening somewhere in the Heights with a large print mailer from the incumbent…
Eggs-cellent Tex-Mex Enchiladas
The enchiladas in chile con carne (#46) at Spanish Village on Almeda come in a very meaty chili. I tried an order with two fried eggs on top. Thanks to Kingsley and the many other commenters on the recent post “Dan Jenkin’s Favorite Cheese Enchiladas” for the recommendations. I asked…
A Horse With No Name: Livestock Songs Fit For The Glue Factory
At Rocks Off, there is no yin without yang, no Yahweh without Satan, and no Charles Barkley without Godzilla. And since we already presented you with an assortment of rockin’ livestock songs (to get you in the mood for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo), it’s only fair that we…
Roosevelt Jackson, 23, Bayou Body Count No. 47
A Harris County grand jury will have to decide the fate of a homeowner who claims he killed in order to protect all of his stuff from getting stolen.Police say that Roosevelt Jackson, 23, broke into a home on the 300 block of Blueberry Lane, not far from Independence Heights,…
Growing Tomatoes? Start Eating Bananas!
I went with “Sweet Million” cherry tomatoes this year. I hear these little cluster tomatoes ripen fast and taste like candy. Last time I planted tomatoes, I chose Celebrity, Beefsteak slicing tomatoes and one Brandywine heirloom. And I waited and waited and waited for a tomato to ripen on the…
The Billionaire, The Bentley And The Body, Part III: Divorce And Cocaine
Over the course of our investigation into the tragic case of John Goodman, the Bentley-driving billionaire Houston / Palm Beach polo patron, some interesting questions were raised regarding the ownership of the 2.2 million Tanglewood home. It turns out that it is not, as reported here and in several other…
Radar Eyes: Exterminating Angels’ Shaun Kelly Spreads The Carnage Of Weird Houston
Rotten Piece has been one of Houston’s most adventurous experimental/noise-rock /psychedelic/time-lag/hallucinated/film-munch/ continent-hopping units for 20 years. As we just found out during the course of this interview, their upcoming record release will be one of the LAST chances you’ll get to see them perform as a Texan act. Prepare your…
Pizzeria Taqueria (Por Mis Cazuelas Taqueria)
Pizzeria Taqueria (807 Telephone Road, 713-921-9250) is tucked behind a Jack in the Box, in a nondescript building with a red roof. When we walked in, we felt a little awkward — the only other people there were making out in the middle of the dining area. The menu was…
The Mystery of the 14 Dead Dogs Dumped in North Houston
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is offering to help Houston investigators in the search for whoever dumped 14 dead dogs under a sheet in northeast Houston. KTRK reported Wednesday that the bodies of the dogs, mostly adult shepherd mixes, were found that day near U.S…
How Not To Give a Public Apology: A Video Primer for Tiger Woods
After months of anticipation, The Fallen One Tiger Woods will finally speak publicly this morning about his sex addiction (or at least, his addiction to having sex with an assortment of bar skanks and porn actresses). Don’t expect pointed queries from a variety of media outlets, Woods won’t be taking…
Five Spot: Linking Jay-Z To Houston, And Not Through Beyonce
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It’s five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Jay-Z is in town Monday. This is huge. Jay is the most commercially, mainstream…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Dishes: #96 Pakistani Breakfast at Kings Chicken, 11300 Beechnut St.
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Big Brother Is Watching You Buy Cellophane
Police in the Rio Grande Valley have a new tactic in the war against pot smugglers: staking out office supply stores. In three cases since last November, suspects have been followed after making large purchases of cellophane. Here’s more on the most recent case, from Valleycentral.com. U.S. Immigration & Customs…
iFest Lineup Already Well-Known, Tickets On Sale At 10 a.m.
6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25, Bud Light World Music Stage In what has become the worst-kept secret since either the end of The Crying Game or last Sunday’s revelation that the Flaming Lips are this year’s Summerfest headliners, the lineup of April’s Houston International Festival has been leaking all over…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Carlos Rodriguez of Vic & Anthony’s
Our interview with Carlos Rodriguez of Vic & Anthony’s revealed how much work has gone into the restaurant’s menu. Rodriguez spent seven months in the test kitchen developing menu items, and a panel of testers including Tilman Fertitta tested each dish. Some recipes we see today on the menu went…
11 Things To Ponder As The Astros Open Spring Training
Pitchers and catchers are reporting to Houston Astros camp today. The first workout is tomorrow. It’s going to be a spring training full of questions for the Astros as management, the media, the players, and the fans try to figure out just what exactly this year’s team is going to…
The Week In Photos
Each week, we take a refreshing dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool to see what our talented photographers have been up to. This past week was a dizzying blur of Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, the Highland Games, gorgeous weather, crappy weather, cold weather and events galore…
Best. Roommate. Ever.
If we weren’t already comfortably ensconced in a house, with no particular need for a roommate other than the stray cat that comes begging for food every day, we’d have already fired off an e-mail to Chris Smink, the author of what might be the greatest Craigslist roommate posting ever,…
Kiara Martinez, 4, Bayou Body Count No. 46
A little girl is dead. And police say the mother’s boyfriend did it. Jose Herrera-Gomez is in jail, suspected in the death of Kiara Martinez, who died on Valentine’s Day. Martinez was 4-years-old. Police say Martinez had been complaining of stomach pain and then fell unconscious at a home along…
Food Fight: Battle Empanadas
It’s not often that we get so grossed out by a certain food item that we nearly immediately throw it in the garbage, walk away from the entire plate and go off to sulk angrily, our appetites lost for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, that very thing happened during…
Pound Cake From a Box?
True pound cake is a decadent delicacy. A pound each of butter, eggs, sugar and flour — with an underlying hint of citrus, vanilla or even almond, depending on the recipe you use — blended heavily together to create a cake that seems to weigh as much as a small…
10 Music Writers Walk Into A Bar, Decide Bands Should Get Off Their Lazy Asses
It was Matthew Wettergreen’s idea. Wettergreen, who co-hosts KTRU’s local-music/news show Revelry Report and is the mastermind behind BandCamp, had a vision of getting a group of Houston-based music writers from all kinds of media together to address the question of how we could better serve the music community. It’s…
Houston’s Latest Mystery Mansion
We’re officially on the brink of obsession. Browsing through the Houston Press Flickr pool this afternoon, we saw that an enigmatically named user called Secret5468 had posted a triptych of photos, all featuring the mystery mansion above. It calls to mind the Winchester Mansion with its rambling and slightly insane…
How HISD Might be Facing a $57 Million Shortfall Next School Year
The Houston Independent School District might be facing a shortfall in public education funding of as much as $57 million in the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2010. That less than happy news was delivered at this morning’s school board agenda meeting, in a power point demonstration by HISD…
Health Dept. Roundup: 77021 to 77023
Inspectors had a busy time this past week, particularly in the area we’re headed to next. Normally we try to cover about 10 zip codes, but that would have produced a novel. Instead, if you live, work or eat in zip codes 77021 to 77023, this is your dirty, grimy…
Game Time: Jedi Master Obi Wan Morey Strikes Again
At some point, other NBA general managers are going to just stop taking Daryl Morey’s calls. Nobody enjoys being made a fool of, no one aspires to be the target of an atomic wedgie on the playground, and no one wants to be the Imperial Stormtrooper that gets snowed by…
He Said She Said: Fire In The Earhole!, Part 2
To be honest, She Said can’t really remember the last time she stepped foot inside Mai’s. It was definitely several years ago, before she left Houston and then came back again, and it was probably with this guy, probably after a show. She Said probably had some Thai curry and…
Houston Heavily Honored by James Beard Foundation
If anyone is still under the impression that Houston is trying desperately to play catchup with culinary empires like New York City and Chicago, they only need to look at the 2010 James Beard Award nominations — released today — to see that isn’t the case at all. While most…
The Annual Tomato Crapshoot
No room to grow tomatoes? Buchanan’s Native Plants on 11th St. near Heights Blvd. has this cute tomato kit on sale right now. It will fit on your porch, patio or balcony. They sell you the pot, the dirt, the fertilizer and the cage — then you pick any tomato…
HBA Releases Bar Poll, Bad News for Former Judge Janice Law and Others
Former judges Janice Law and Sharolyn Wood can’t be happy with today’s release of the results of the Houston Bar Association’s annual poll of its attorneys about the Houston judiciary, but County Judge Ed Emmett and District Clerk Loren Jackson should be ecstatic with the ringing endorsements they received. In…
He Said She Said: Fire In The Earhole!
He Said began his week by watching a Houston landmark and one of his favorite restaurants of all-time go up in flames. We covered the Mai’s fire most of Monday morning for Hair Balls, taking pictures of the smoke and flames as they got progressively worse and began engulfing the…
Houston Coffee Scene: Nicholas Lundgaard of Home-Barista.com
Nestled in Houston lies one of the most amazing home coffee-making set-ups in America. Nicholas Lundgaard, a moderator on the ever-famous www.home-barista.com forum, has chosen Houston as his home and brought with him this heavily modified La Marzocco GS3 and a special grinder he imported personally from Italy called an…
Vintage Vixens and a Vaudeville Revue at the Pretty Things Peepshow
Burlesque is finally hitting Houston in a big way. From the recent Tribute to Bettie Page at the Alamo Drafthouse, to last week’s Valentine’s burlesque show at the Frenetic Theater to Houstonian Rebecca Hadley’s creation of the Lady Grace Academy — which teaches the craft of burlesque, among other “ladylike”…
Lonesome Onry And Mean: Two Chicago Cats Remember A “Diamond Ring” And “Spanish Harlem”
Los Angeles-based Cary Baker’s Conqueroo is one of the go-to publicity firms for folks in the roots-music game. Baker grew up in Chicago and has been instrumental in keeping the memory of a number of old-time Chicago bluesmen like Arvella Gray’s memory and music alive. His earliest song memory: “My…
More Bakery Case Attractions at Rustika
It took me a long time to notice the jalapeño gefilte fish and the other Mexican-Jewish items on the menu at Rustika Bakery because I was distracted by the bakery display case. I have already written about the amazing dulce de leche-filled alfajores I found here. But wait until you…
DirecTV Caves to Social Media Pressure and Eventually Helps Stroke Victim
Update: Robert Mercer, director of public relations for DirecTV, told Hair Balls, via e-mail, “This was obviously a terrible mistake, it should never have happened and of course we apologize to the customer and his family. This is clearly a case where common sense and reason should have trumped rules.”The…
Y’all Musta Forgot: Guerilla Maab’s Rise
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Guerilla Maab Rise (Resurrection Music Group, 1999) Guerilla Maab was a gangsta-rap quartet turned trio turned duo turned trio…
Happy Hour Scene: Mardi Gras Grill
The wheelchair ramp leading to the front door of Mardi Gras Grill was packed with people, waiting to get in the small bar and restaurant on Tuesday evening.The bar was so packed that the options were to wait for a table with the people outside on the ramp, elbow through…
Damien Williams, 19, Bayou Body Count No. 45
Harris County Sheriff’s investigators don’t yet know why it was done or who did it, but they do know the name of the teenager who was shot and killed just north of Kingwood on Tuesday night.Hey, it’s a start.Deputies say that Damien Williams, 19, was in an apartment complex at…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #97
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Idol Beat: Houston, We Have a Contestant
Last night’s American Idol was rote even by Idol standards, and it’s because the hour really should have been folded into Tuesday’s episode. Trimming the 46 contestants 24 would have made a solid two-hour ep, but stretched to three it wound up feeling bloated in the first installment and rushed…
Why Wait On Prospects? Morey Opts For Star As Rockets Acquire K-Mart
Daryl Morey, as always, had us all fooled.We assumed the Rockets’ general manager had little on the table for the dead carcass of Tracy McGrady, save the Bulls’ and Knicks’ offers centered around future draft picks that could later be used as assets to trade for a star. The offers…
Aftermath: Mariah Carey, Trapped By The Divadom She Once Embraced
Just what is the draw of divadom? What makes someone want to support gilded hissy fits and glittery passive-aggression brought to a high art? Better yet, how did Mariah Carey reach this level of queenliness in this day and age? Aftermath pondered those things as he walked through a throng…
Giving up Meat for Lent? Try This
Fat Tuesday is the one of the many days of the year that we use as an excuse to get drunk and party. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and as we know, Ash Wednesday yesterday marked the beginning of Lent. That’s right folks, put away the…
American Idol: Houston, We Have a Contestant
Last night’s American Idol was rote even by Idol standards, and it’s because the hour really should have been folded into Tuesday’s episode. Trimming the 46 contestants 24 would have made a solid two-hour ep, but stretched to three it wound up feeling bloated in the first installment and rushed…
Catching Up With Tom Franklin, Voice Of the Coogs
Last December, just on the verge of Christmas, the great minds at Clear Channel decided to dump several of the talent and voices heard on 790 KBME and the 740 KTRH sports segments. One of those so unceremoniously dumped was longtime Houston sportscaster Tom Franklin. But Franklin hasn’t entirely left…
How Sinful Are The Vatican’s Favorite Albums?
The Catholic church has released a slightly tongue-in-cheek list of its favorite albums of all time, via the Holy See’s official newspaper L’ Osservatore Romano. When first you hear about it, you might think it would be filled with Christian rock (Hey. Petra. Right?) but no, for whatever reason, the Vatican…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Carlos Rodriguez of Vic & Anthony’s
Yesterday we chatted with Carlos Rodriguez about building Vic & Anthony’s during the past eight years. Today we get personal…and find out about the restaurant’s Vegas location. Eating Our Words: When not at work, where do you take the family? Carlos Rodriguez: I cook a whole lot at home. It…
Pop Rocks: Dear John…Mayer
I’m sorry, but this isn’t working out.I think I speak for bloggers everywhere when I say: we had a great thing going. Every so often you’d tweet something borderline repulsive about farts or Miley Cyrus, and we’d dutifully respond. Usually with some sort of mock indignation about “TMI” and then…
Debutantes Run Wild Gala
Dylan sang about a debutante who just knows what you need, but DiverseWorks knows what you want: a formal-style fund-raiser with a sense of humor. DW’s administrative manager Tracey Morton says Debutantes Run Wild Gala was inspired by the party’s venue, Garden Oaks’s Bell Tower on 34th Street. “Right when…
Romeo and Juliet
Sure, you read it in middle school. Maybe you even saw Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio romp through Baz Luhrmann’s postmodern remake of the greatest love story of all. But according to Christina Keefe, the director of the Theater Program at Rice University, the Romeo and Juliet opening today at…
Ang Lee Retrospective
It’s always fascinating (and informative) to see the early steps of master filmmakers. The great Taiwanese director Ang Lee – Sense and Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) – began his career after he studied film at prestigious New York University and labored unemployed for…
Meg Tilly: Gemma
First things first: Do not let the soft-touched, pink-tone picture of a young teen with painted toenails on the cover let you think that Meg Tilly’s Gemma is a novel you should pick up for your 12-year-old. Tilly’s latest book – yes, that Meg Tilly, of The Big Chill -…
Dancing the Dozens
If your mama’s so clumsy she gets tangled up in a cordless telephone, maybe you should bring her to Sandra Organ Dance Company’s 12th annual Black History Month performance, provocatively titled Dancing the Dozens. The endless variety of “your mama” jokes told by African Americans is a source of inspiration…
Connie Willis: Blackout
The past and the future collide in Connie Willis’s adventure novel Blackout. It’s Oxford, 2060, and historians are using time travel to get back to crucial moments in the past, such as the American Civil War, Pearl Harbor and 9/11. A group of university students who have traveled back to…
Musiqa Loft Concert
Jeremy Justeson has chosen five made-for-the-sax ditties – inspired by Barkley L. Hendricks’s portrait exhibition “The Birth of Cool” – to perform at today’s Musiqa Loft Concert at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Justeson, who has appeared with the San Antonio, Dallas and Allentown symphonies, will play songs including Barry…
Ally Carter: Heist Society
Katarina, the teenage protagonist of Ally Carter’s young adult novel Heist Society, has an unusual skill – she’s a master thief. She’s trying to leave her criminal ways behind, but when her father is suspected of stealing an art collection from a mobster, Katarina has just two weeks to discover…
Metropolitan Opera Live in HD: Simon Boccanegra
After 40 years of appearing at the Met, Spanish tenor Placido Domingo makes history performing a role written for a baritone as the lead character in Metropolitan Opera Live in HD: Simon Boccanegra. Broadcast to theaters across the country, this encore screening of the story of a father and his…
Murder on a Sunday Morning
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Academy Award-winning documentary Murder on a Sunday Morning details the story of Brenton Butler, a 15-year-old African American who was accused of murdering an elderly white woman. The evidence against him? He was in the area at the…
“Pennone: The Pole of Soap”
Photographer Paolo Visone’s exhibit “Pennone: The Pole of Soap” documents a rather offbeat competition held annually in Pozzuoli, a small city on the southern coast of Italy. Every August 15, three little flags are attached to the end of a 90-foot-long flagpole that’s been coated in grease and soap. Competitors…
Old Boy
Hitchcock fans will recognize the British director’s influence on Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park’s Old Boy, a fascinating, twisted tale about an ordinary businessman who is inexplicably captured, drugged and tortured for 15 years. One day, he’s just as inexplicably released, given new clothes and some money. Bent on getting revenge…
Dive!
Here’s the truth: Millions of Americans go hungry every day, and millions of pounds of edible food are thrown away by grocery stores every day. In Dive!, filmmaker Jeremy Seifert tries to reconcile the two. The movie shows Seifert and his friends jumping into supermarket Dumpsters and finding an abundance…
Band of the Irish Guards
So, you’re a trumpet player, and suddenly you find yourself in Kosovo as part of a NATO peacekeeping force. Such is the life of the musician-soldiers in the Band of the Irish Guards. Organized at the turn of the 20th century by command of Queen Victoria, the Guard started out…
Quincy Troupe
Jazz poet and author Quincy Troupe has led a colorful life (translation: there are bits of scandal mixed in with his achievements). The son of Negro League baseball catcher Quincy Trouppe (father and son spell their last names differently), the poet dropped out of Grambling State University as a young…
The Women
If the only version of The Women you’ve seen is the contemporary film starring Meg Ryan, you owe it to yourself to see the Clare Boothe Luce stage version. Set in the 1930s, the play features Crystal, a devious sex kitten bent on snagging herself a husband, even if it’s…
Houston Hispanic Book Festival
You don’t have to read Spanish in order to enjoy the Houston Hispanic Book Festival; organizers promise to have lots of English-language books on hand. Along with Marie Delgado Travis, the featured author for this year’s festival, writers, publishers, printers, bookstore owners and, of course, fans can enjoy an afternoon…
The Sunshine Boys
UpStage Theatre is marking its tenth anniversary with a remounting of its first-ever production, The Sunshine Boys. Actors Robert Lowe and Marc Shellum reprise their roles as Al Lewis and Willy Clark, two warring and aging vaudevillians who, despite their bitter feud, agree to perform their act one last time…
Craig McDonald: Print the Legend
Was it suicide or was it murder? Author Craig McDonald’s mystery Print the Legend takes a look at Ernest Hemingway’s death in 1961. In the book, Hector Lassiter, a crime novelist and friend of Hemingway’s, and Richard Paulson, a professor, confront the famous author’s widow, convinced that she was the…
Aida
Some loves last a lifetime; some last a hundred. In Aida, written by composer Sir Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, we watch as a statue of Amneris, a female Egyptian pharaoh, comes alive in a modern-day museum and transports us back to ancient times. The Amneris character is about…
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
This month’s edition of Movie Under the Moon features the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The story follows inventor Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) and weathergirl Sam Sparks (voiced by Anna Faris), who are busy trying to figure out why food is falling from the sky…
Leading Ladies
You’ll have to overlook the hows (which are a bit convoluted) and concentrate on the whats (which are disarmingly funny) in Ken Ludwig’s comedy Leading Ladies. Englishmen Leo and Jack are two Shakespearean actors reduced to performing on the Moose Lodge circuit around the American countryside. By chance they discover…
Lend Me a Tenor
Othello is a big role, but it doesn’t usually require two men to perform it at the same time. In the stage comedy Lend Me a Tenor, Tito, an opera tenor, is set to perform in the role of the mad Moor. But when his wife finds an autograph seeker…
Josie de Guzman
It was Josie de Guzman whom Leonard Bernstein chose to play Maria in the 1980 Broadway revival of West Side Story. Being chosen to sing the lead in a Broadway show is quite an achievement for any young singer; being chosen by the show’s composer is just damn phenomenal. Houston…
UCLA Film & Television Archive’s Festival of Preservation: Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives
You’ll get a look inside three distinct cultures at this weekend’s UCLA Film & Television Archive’s Festival of Preservation. On Friday, it’s life in the queer lane with Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, made in 1977. Considered the first feature-length documentary to examine gay and lesbian…
“Ruptures and Continuities: Photography Made after 1960 from the MFAH Collection”
“Ruptures and Continuities: Photography Made after 1960 from the MFAH Collection” reminds viewers of two things. One, in comparison to the other visual arts, photography is a relatively young medium. Two, movements in photography reflect the larger artistic movements of the time. “Ruptures and Continuities” is arranged according to the…
Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
You can taste the comedy onscreen in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? One by one, the best chefs in Europe are being killed. And they’re not just being murdered, mind you, but murdered in a way that represents each one’s most famous dish. (The chef most known…
Camelot
Lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe, the talents behind the magical musicals Brigadoon and My Fair Lady, also created the romantic Camelot. The story of a love triangle between King Arthur, his beloved Queen Guenevere and the brave knight Sir Lancelot, Camelot features the theater classics “If Ever…
Barry Lynn: Cornered
Author and Financial Times contributor Barry C. Lynn doesn’t have good news in his just released nonfiction book Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction. He says there’s an unprecedented consolidation of power in every sector of the American economy, putting enormous control in the hands of…
Poets and Writers Ball 2010
Inprint’s Poets and Writers Ball 2010 will feature tasty food (care of Elouise “Ouisie” Jones) and bookworm-appropriate entertainment (readings and lectures). The local literary organization is best known for hosting internationally renowned writers, but it also sponsors writers’ workshops, readings for kids and more. The ball brings readings by Alexander…
Cirque Dreams: Illumination
Like the Cirque du Soleil shows they so closely resemble, Neil Goldberg’s Cirque Productions performances are fantastic, multimedia affairs. As Cirque Dreams: Illumination performer David Poznanter tells it, “The company combines European acrobatics with an American Broadway feeling.” Poznanter should know. He spent time in Europe, where he honed his…
Sarahmania Hits Houston
POLITICAL ANIMALS Sarahmania Hits Houston What did we learn? By Richard Connelly Houston was the epicenter of Palinmania recently, as her fans breathlessly awaited her appearances at a Rick Perry rally and some sort of motivational convention. There were many things to take away from the whirlwind visit of the…
Kinky Friedman
In other people’s minds (if not his own), “musician” has slipped a few notches on Kinky Friedman’s résumé in the past few years, beneath “best-selling mystery novelist,” “animal-rights crusader,” “former gubernatorial candidate” and “current Texas Agriculture Commissioner candidate.” After taking a gander at his campaign schedule, stepping off the stump…
You Heard It Here First
You Heard It Here First The Press and Prius: The rest of the world is just getting hip to the Prius and other Toyota issues, yet the Press was reporting it almost a year ago [“Wild Rides,” by Paul Knight, April 23, 2009]. This is why I keep telling folks…
Roky Erickson
He’s baaaaaaaaaack! For the second time in less than a year, one of Texas’s true legends is set to cast his third eye on the Island. When Roky Erickson and his trio of young musicians — including former Butthole Surfer Kyle Ellison on lead guitar — took the Continental Club…
Immigration Costs and Deadly Showers
Dear Mexican, People talk about the costs of illegal immigration on our society. What about the savings? Has there been any research into how much more a meal at a restaurant would cost without Mexicans cooking and washing dishes? What percentage increase would we see with supermarket produce if migrant…
Go Ask Alice
The usual way this column works is Nightfly places a phone call to a bar/nightclub/lounge to find out when the best time to come hang out would be, when it’s most likely there will be a good crowd having a grand time. Saturday nights are almost always best. Friday nights…
Dave Mason
A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and founding member of fabled English rock band Traffic, Dave Mason has had an amazing career. A widely respected player, songwriter and vocalist, Mason worked with Jimi Hendrix on the Electric Ladyland cut of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” The years 1967-69…
Texas Sapphires
Nothing validates a honky-tonk band like a packed dance floor, and Austin’s Texas Sapphires absolutely nail the dance-floor thing on sophomore release As He Wanders. Once again the Sapphires deal an Arty Hill song off the bottom of the deck to kick things off in stone-cold honky-tonk style with “Nashville…
Mike Doughty
It’s all too rare to see artists from the ’90s make their way out of that decade with a shred of decorum, let alone alive and working. Former Soul Coughing front man Mike Doughty not only did it breathing, but ended up besting his SC work by using his two…
Dream Girls
In 1991, when Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s Miss Saigon first wowed Broadway-goers with its epic tale of war-torn Vietnam, the musical won multiple awards. And after almost 20 years, it was a wonderful surprise to discover that Theatre Under the Stars’ revival still feels relevant. The stunning cast, working…
THE VELVET MELVIN’S GRAPEFRUIT DELIGHT
If, for the sake of unholy adventure, you want to check out the Diamond Club — once called the Pink Pussycat, it’s the only “cabaret” in the Greenway area — I recommend warming up across the street at the Velvet Melvin Pub (3303 Richmond, 713-522-6798). Here, the tonic water does…
Lox and Huevos
The gefilte fish appetizer at Rustika Café & Bakery consisted of two of the white fish lumps covered with sautéed tomato and roasted green pepper strips. In the years that I was married to a Jewish woman, I ate quite a few of these, usually at Passover Seders. “Gefilte” is…
Plonk Beer & Wine Bistro
You can hear the passion in Scott Miller’s voice as he describes his new Plonk Beer & Wine Bistro (1214 West 43rd Street, 713-290-1070), which he co-owns with his fiancée Elizabeth Chapman. If he’s passionate about wine, it’s because he was the wine director for Pappas Steakhouse for five years…
Teen Porn 101
Ethan Burnett spent a lot of time alone in his bedroom, and that was before he hit puberty. Being alone for Ethan was okay, because in his room, he was comfortable. At his desk and his chair in the corner of his room, in front of his computer, he was…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Body in Fragments”, “Dana Frankfort: Pictures”, “Jonathan Marshall — Doubled Vision”
“Body in Fragments” The Menil is always great at creating little mini exhibits from its vast collection, grouping together and juxtaposing modern and contemporary works with primitive art. “Body in Fragments” is no exception. The title says it all — every piece on display contains an element of body fragmentation,…
Them Bones, Them Bones
: One way to eat bone marrow is with a special marrow spoon, which is long, shallow and thin enough to get inside the bone and scoop out the delectable, juicy and gelatinous marrow. At Haven (2502 Algerian Way, 713-581-6101), a spoon isn’t necessary, since the Akaushi Bone Marrow ($14)…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Almost, Maine, American Menu, I Hate Hamlet, True Love Lies
Almost, Maine Watching this whimsical play about love gained and lost by people in an almost town (hence the title) in the far north of the United States, Houston audiences have to be struck by the sheer perseverance of a people who meet and fall in love (and occasionally out…
Get Behind the Mule
If there’s a busier classic-rock guitarist than Warren Haynes, we can’t think of one offhand. Somehow he manages to coordinate his schedule between playing with the Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead successors/survivors The Dead, his own blues/jam band Gov’t Mule and scattered solo projects. Haynes reveals the depth of his…
Out of the Past
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, a florid art shocker that Paramount welcomed into the world with the strained enthusiasm of a mutant baby’s parents, begins with U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leo DiCaprio) seasick, head in the toilet. The film is his prolonged purging, with Daniels coughing up chunks of his backstory…
No Longer Bulletproof
Twelve years and eight albums since moving to Austin from Bend, Oregon, Reckless Kelly front man Willy Braun sounds like he’s had one too many. Interviews, that is. A bit wary in the beginning, after a few minutes Braun warms to the task of promoting the band’s new Yep Roc…
Watching the Detective
Detective stories imply that mysteries can be solved, or at least rationally explained. Even the most debased example is a secular article of faith that also confirms a universe in which guilt is determined and the guilty accorded just deserts. Such are the underpinnings of 34-year-old Romanian filmmaker Corneliu Porumboiu’s…
The Explosives
When they weren’t backing Roky Erickson, the Explosives made their own name as one of Austin’s premier power-pop combos in the late ’70s and early ’80s. La Porte native Freddy “Steady” Krc, Cam King and Waller “Sonny” Collie ran their Texas roots through the Byrds’ chiming psychedelia and the brash…
