Metro Approves Huge New Contract. And We Do Mean Huge
There had been a bit of a dust-up this week because the Metro board didn’t release the details of the most expensive infrastructure contract in the city’s history before the Board of Directors voted on it this afternoon. Perhaps to reconcile, Chairman David Wolff broke standard procedure at today’s meeting…
Once, Twice, Three Times a Lunatic
By now, you’ve probably heard the news about the gem of a lady in Florida (there’s a reason Florida has its own tag on FARK, you know…) who called 911 not once, not twice, but three times to report that her local McDonald’s had run out of Chicken McNuggets. Latreasa Goodman…
R.I.P, Horton Foote
Horton Foote, the celebrated playwright who wrote a cycle of prominent plays about life in a fictionalized version of his hometown of Wharton, has died.The small town 50 miles southwest of Houston was fictionalized as Harrison in several Foote plays, such as 1918, later made into an underrated Matthew Broderick…
Dylan’s Singing `Bout Houston On His New Album
That wily Bob Dylan has a new album in the can and all set for an April release, and even better, there’s a song about Houston on it.The still-untitled album’s sudden appearance came as a surprise even to those close to Dylan, Rolling Stone reports. “The disc has the live-in-the-studio…
A Taste of the Tasting Room
Photos by Jeff Balke Chef Steve Super, executive chef at The Tasting Room. Chef Steve Super has Gulf Coast cuisine honed to a fine art, surprising for someone who hails from Vermont and only recently made Texas his home. This time last year, Super was the executive chef at Steve…
How To Save Galveston, Part 2: Throw the Bums Out
This week, Hair Balls is examining the many and varied roads Galveston could take to recover from Hurricane Ike. This week’s cover story explores the possibility of casino gambling, while an earlier post here discusses Galveston relying on its existing, tried-and-true economic drivers.But those are far from the only ideas…
Is The Freakiest Next Top Model A Houstonian?
As everyone who’s anyone knows, tonight is the season premiere of America’s Next Top Model, which we are reliably informed is a television show.You’re supposed to refer to it as ANTM, and you’re supposed to already be familiar with the contestants because they’ve been on host Tyra Banks’ talk show.One…
Bob Dylan Gives Houston Some Love on Surprise New Album
That wily Bob Dylan has a new album in the can and all set for an April release, and even better, there’s a song about Houston on it. The still-untitled album’s sudden appearance came as a surprise even to those close to Dylan, Rolling Stone reports. “The disc has the…
Tonight: Heather Myles at Under the Volcano
H-Town gets a special treat tonight when Miss Leslie plays Under the Volcano. She’ll be sharing the evening with an unannounced special guest, California honky-tonker Heather Myles, who is making the Texas rounds with Leslie. Myles has a succession of hardcore tonk albums on Hightone and Rounder, and is currently…
Jimi Hendrix’s Brother Has Got His Own World To Look Through
Being Jimi Hendrix’s baby brother is a rough gig. And Leon Hendrix doesn’t make it any easier on himself.He’s lost battles over his brother’s estate, he’s been a drug addict and crook, he’s scratching out a living playing his brother’s songs before small, bored audiences, but he keeps on trying…
Huge New Recycling Bins, For Only The Best Houston Homeowners
Last week, on recycling day, our little green bin disappeared.Stolen, we figured, either full (for the cans) or empty (for….an art project?).The next day, mystery solved: The city replaced it with a new giant bin with wheels, the same size as the regular trash container but painted in a fetching…
Rodeo Food: Wurst Kabob and Deep-Fried Oreos
Sure, I love all the cowboy junk inside the exhibit halls and the wicked-ass carnival rides at the carnival. I don’t even mind teenaged FFA members screaming at me to buy a program. But by far, the best thing at our Houston rodeo is the food. All the heaping, awful,…
MySpaced Out: The Whacked-Out Genius of Phil Lee
I’ve been planning a MySpaced Out column based on an array of oddball songs for some time now, and always planned to include at least one Phil Lee song because the Nashville headcase has beaucoup odd songs. But the other day I was listening to some of his new stuff…
Life On The Rodeo Road: Don’t Mess With The Marines
Photo by Paul KnightJoe ShawnegoRodeo cowboys basically live on the road, traveling with a herd of men and women crazy enough to ride, rope and wrestle live animals for a paycheck. Each day, Hair Balls is asking a different cowboy to tell us a little bit about himself and his…
Aftermath: Rascal Flatts at RodeoHouston
Anyone who thought that ’80s-style power ballads had long gone away with Kurt Cobain’s green sweater and Crystal Pepsi is dead wrong. They are kept alive, nightly, by Columbus, Ohio’s Rascal Flatts. Bundled-up couples of all ages walked hand-in-hand, and apple-lotion-scented gangs of teen girls made their way into Reliant…
Houston’s Green-Buildings Ranking May Be Inflated A Little
As we suspected, Houston’s stellar ranking in the EPA’s list of green buildings isn’t necessarily all it seems.We spoke today with Patrick Kelly, the agency’s coordinator of the Energy Star program here in Texas, and while the list is absolutely accurate — there are 145 green buildings in Houston –…
Artist of the Week: Ozeal and the Eulypians
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 introducingliston@gmail.com. You know how occasionally you’ll get a craving…
WrestleMania In A Dispute Over A Charity Event; No Chairs Hurled (Yet)
In the world of professional wrestling, there appears to be a smackdown going on outside the ring.Hair Balls was alerted to this controversy after reading an article in Professional Wrestling Insider — one of our favorite sources of news about big sweaty thespians pretending to beat each other senseless with…
Idol Beat: The Final 36, Group 3
Peyton Manning flow – I just go, no huddle: * Hey, Von, Alex, Scott, Taylor, Kendall? You thought you were trying to advance into the Top 12 tonight, didn’t you? But you were wrong: in reality, you were just opening for Lil Rounds. * Kara, do everyone a favor and…
Hottttt Teat-Squeezing Action!! For Free!!!
As long as your definition of “celebrity” is fairly broad, we have a slideshow of the celebrity goat-milking contest held yesterday at the rodeo.Hot teat-squeezing action!! Better yet — hot amateur teat-squeezing action!!Check it out here. Check back later today, and we’ll have (hottt, amateur) video, too…
Astros Spring Training: Six Straight Walks? Not Good.
I’m sure that several of you saw the score of yesterday’s Astros game. It was 12-2 spring training loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s spring training, and I’m one of those who believes that the final score is meaningless in spring – though Tampa’s manager Joe Maddon did use…
Astros Spring Training: Six Straight Walks? Not Good.
I’m sure that several of you saw the score of yesterday’s Astros game. It was 12-2 spring training loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s spring training, and I’m one of those who believes that the final score is meaningless in spring – though Tampa’s manager Joe Maddon did use…
What, The Name “Death To Jews” Was Taken?
Qatar Airways is making a big move in the Houston market — it’s got ads on the air touting its luxurious service, it’s got a giant new 777 plying the new Houston-Doha route.One thing it’s probably not doing — advertising in Houston’s Jewish Herald-Voice. Or, if they are, they’re probably…
Her Name Was Daisy: Up Close And Personal At The Celebrity Goat-Milking Contest
The goats stood — for the most part, quietly — in a line, their heads locked into a contraption to hold them in place. Daisy was the scotch-gold goat who was my destiny. I was in the third tier of the “Celebrity Goat Milking” competition at the Houston Livestock and…
How To Save Galveston, Part One
This week’s cover story (coming online later today) is about the drive to bring legal casino gambling to Galveston. With the Island’s economy in shambles after the one-two punches of Hurricane Ike and the global financial meltdown, a vocal contingent of Galvestonians think the best way to jump-start the economy…
Local Rotation: Hearts of Animals’ Cave Lights
Hearts of Animals Cave Lights www.heartsofanimals.com Hearts of Animals’ Cave Lights, the second release by ArtStorm records – yes, another fledgling local label – constructs another level of frontwoman and sole proprietor Mlee Suprean’s icy fortress of solitude. Like HOA’s 2007 single “Stars Say No,” Cave Lights traffics in pinballing…
Houston Actually Does Well On An EPA List
Oh, crap. The Environmental Protection Agency has put out another list.This can’t be good for Houston.But…..it is?Yes, apparently so: Houston is the top city in Texas — and the third in the entire country, behind two frou-frou California cities — when it comes to the number of “green” buildings.Houston has…
Exciting New Job Opportunities At Stanford Financial
Are you an attorney looking to work for a company “that strives every day on every level of our business to achieve a higher standard”?You’re in luck!! Such a company advertised in the help-wanted section of the Chronicle Sunday!!The company “has an opening for a skilled, dynamic attorney to participate…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: The In and Outlaws
Head Hickoid and longtime Austin scenester Jeff Smith has forwarded some MP3s of San Antonio’s In and Outlaws, whose upcoming album marks Smith’s first foray into producing and engineering. Smith, owner of the Saustex and Sauspop record labels in San Antonio, has long been known for deconstructing country classics and…
Dentist Fined $65,000 For Violating Clean Water Act, But It’s Not What You Think
A Galveston dentist has been fined $65,000 for violating the Clean Water Act.What, he didn’t have his patients rinse-and-spit up to gummint standards? Is this more of that damn paperwork and regulations that is all but choking the entrepreneurial spirits of dentists all across America?Well, no. Instead, the US Attorney’s…
The Departed: Restaurant Closings for February 2009
We now pay tribute to local restaurants that are no longer with us. Here’s hoping the list grows shorter with each passing month. Amy’s Country Kitchen on West Bellfort Daily Grind on Washington Jersey Mike’s Subs on Westheimer Johnny Rockets in Katy Jun Sushi Restaurant on Wilcrest Live Sports Cafe…
Spinal Tap Breaking Like the Wind at Jones Hall
Spinal Tap (and friends), “Big Bottom,” Live Earth, Wembley Stadium, London, July 2007 Legendary British heavy-metal pioneers Spinal Tap, authors of albums such as Smell the Glove and Shark Sandwich and stars of Rob Reiner’s groundbreaking 1984 “rockumentary” This Is Spinal Tap – who bear a remarkable resemblance to American actors Michael McKean, Christopher…
Free Show: Ben Sollee at House of Blues Downstairs
It’s not every day you hear a cellist bust out socially aware, Randy Newman-esque pop yarns. Kentuckian Ben Sollee sings plaintive, soulful slices of song like the kind that made Newman famous and so very influential in the ’70s. Sollee is only 24 years old, yet he somehow bridges the…
Don’t Worry, Chere: Brennan’s To Re-Open In Eight Months
Mayor Bill White and Alex Brennan-Martin announced today that Brennan’s of Houston will reopen in October of 2009. “Many of us remember the fire that night,” Mayor White told the crowd assembled in front of the restaurant’s building, which was gutted by an electrical fire during Hurricane Ike. “The fire…
Brennan’s to Reopen; 125 Jobs and One New Tree to be Added to Midtown
[jump] According to the press release, the restaurant will be adding 125 jobs into the economy, ranging from service to managerial positions. And not only will jobs be added, a mature oak tree is being transplanted from Hermann Park to replace the beautiful old oak that shaded the courtyard at…
Obama’s Lunch Fave: Spam Musubi
This Spam musubi cost me $1.68 at a grocery store on the North Kona coast. It wasn’t the best Spam musubi I’ve ever had–the Spam was cut too thin, I think there was a little teriyaki sauce between the meat and the rice.The guy behind the counter told me I…
The Whole Wide World: Putumayo Presents: India
Various Artists Putumayo Presents: India www.putumayo.com With Slumdog Millionaire’s recent sweep at this year’s Oscars, the music of India has become more and more present on our airwaves – a slow trend that began four decades ago when George Harrison first introduced Ravi Shankar’s ragas to Western audiences in the…
Demolition Derby On Dunlavy Last Night
At 9 o’clock last night, a drunk driver turned a four-block stretch of Dunlavy Street between Fairview and West Gray into a demolition derby.After reluctantly running a short errand, I turned onto Dunlavy from West Gray and was faced with a brilliant display of red and blue, most of which…
Classic Rock Corner: Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy Interviewed
When L.A.-based guitarist Scott Gorham flew to England in the early ’70s, he was just hoping to score an audition with the band his brother-in-law had joined, Supertramp. That gig never materialized, and after kicking around waiting for his temporary visa to expire, he ran across singer/bassist Phil Lynott and…
Some Praise For the Houston Texans (No, Really!)
Many of you out there probably think that I hate the Texans. But I don’t. I just hold them to a high standard. A standard that I think everybody should apply to them. That said, I’m not here to criticize the Houston Texans today. No, I’m actually about to say…
Some Praise For the Houston Texans (No, Really!)
Many of you out there probably think that I hate the Texans. But I don’t. I just hold them to a high standard. A standard that I think everybody should apply to them. That said, I’m not here to criticize the Houston Texans today. No, I’m actually about to say…
The Saddest, Dumbest Robbers
A pair of criminal masterminds recently executed a daring daylight robbery — of a 99-cent store.Police are on the lookout for two black males carrying old Alf lunchboxes, soon-to-expire cans of pseudo-tuna, plastic spatulas, wads of crumbled dollar bills and boxes of detergent that looks like a name brand if…
Idiots Attack Galveston Gay Bar
Galveston residents have enough on their minds these days — Ike recovery, a disappointing Mardi Gras, wondering if UTMB is leaving. Now residents and visitors — at least the gay ones — have something else: Good ol’ stupid hate crime.Robert’s Lafitte bar (and yeah, it’s located on Avenue Q) is…
Bellaire Expert Finds No Racial Profiling, Stunning Nobody
When the city of Bellaire announced it was bringing in an expert to study whether its police force engaged in racial profiling, the lawyer for the kid whose shooting spawned the move was unimpressed. “Certainly, it’s a PR move…I don’t have a whole lot of confidence any of this will…
Happy Texas Independence Day from Rocks Off
Rocks Off spent a good chunk of the afternoon today competing in RodeoHouston’s annual media Rodeo Roundup (more on those exploits tomorrow), so he’s feeling especially nativist today – and with good reason. On this day almost a century and three-quarters ago – 173 years, if you’re counting – as…
Happy Birthday Lou Reed
He’s 67 today, and still “Vicious”… Live in Paris, 1974…
Turning the Screw: OG Ron C, Bun B, “5000” Watts, DMX, The Kanye, Rihanna/Chris Brown, Big HAWK 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: “Killa Joe,” Michele Thibeaux Wire To Wire Houston’s OG Ron C, head honcho of the GO DJ Coalition, was…
Aftermath: The Ka-Nives at Big Star Bar
With a roaring fire pit outside and the Schlitz flowing freely inside, three-piece Ka-Nives put on a one-off gig in a corner of the Heights’ Big Star Bar late Saturday night. The erstwhile Austin plumbing enthusiasts tore through a short set of their Jerry Lee Lewis-cum-garage-rock fan favorites, like “Where…
Eyeballin’: Love Train – The Sound of Philadelphia Live in Concert
While the catalogues of Motown and Stax get all the attention, the “Philadelphia sound” of the ’70s – headquartered at Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records – if often overlooked, and that’s a pity. This concert, filmed last year for a PBS fundraiser and in conjunction with the…
The Rodeo’s Schedule Ain’t What It Used To Be
Alright, so blogging has caused us to pay a little more attention to the rodeo than we usually do, which isn’t difficult to achieve, given how much attention we paid to it in the past.But what’s up with the gap in scheduling? We thought these things were etched in stone:…
The New Rides At The Rodeo, Rated
If you want to try the new rides at the Rodeo Carnival, don’t go on a windy day — the Sky Flyer won’t be operating. And it looks awesome — it’s like your typical swing ride, except you’re elevated on a needle first. But when the wind’s up the riders…
They Don’t Make Cop Concerts Like They Used To In Beaumont
Via Bayou, the Beaumont Enterprise’s lively blog, we got directed to an old posting on the Octane Radio Network.And let’s just say — they don’t make police concerts like they used to. In 1957 — when Rock and Roll was still the Devil’s Music — the Beaumont cops bring in…
Local Rotation: Young Mammals’ Carrots
Young Mammals Carrots www.myspace.com/youngmammals Carrots is the former Dimes’ first full-length, and first physical product of any kind since 2006’s Animal EP netted the quartet a slew of Houston Press music awards and set the local indie-rock community’s hearts atwitter long before a “tweet” was anything besides the sound certain birds…
Enron’s “Grandma Millie” In High School Classrooms, F-Bombs And All
One of our favorite episodes out of the whole Enron mess — we mean, besides Lou Pai sprinkling gas on himself so his wife wouldn’t smell stripper skank — was “Grandma Millie.”Those mischievous imps at the Enron energy-trading desk were famously caught on tape laughing their asses off at how…
Aloha: The Beer I Had For Breakfast
Kona Brewing Company’s Pipeline Porter is “Made with 100% Hawaiian Kona Coffee” according to the label. It’s a limited release winter beer and it goes down very smooth. There’s none of the saccharine sweetness or ponderous malt you find in many stouts and porters. The taste is rich and creamy…
Flashback: The Pretenders at House of Blues
Photo by Daniel Kramer Still high-kickin’ in her “Boots of Chinese Plastic” as she approaches 60 years old, Chrissie Hynde and her hired guns known as the Pretenders – including Plexiglas-shielded original drummer Martin Chambers – thrilled a sold-out House of Blues crowd Saturday night with a wide-ranging set that…
Houston Aeros Slip Up Over Bad Weekend
The Houston Aeros came into this weekend in a tie for second place. They leave the weekend in fourth place. And though they were able to win one of three games played, the team didn’t look good at anytime and, at one point, after Friday night’s 6-1 loss to the…
Houston Aeros Slip Up Over Bad Weekend
The Houston Aeros came into this weekend in a tie for second place. They leave the weekend in fourth place. And though they were able to win one of three games played, the team didn’t look good at anytime and, at one point, after Friday night’s 6-1 loss to the…
Over the Weekend: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
The rodeo got off to a bucking great start, and we had photogs snapping away on both Friday and Saturday. Click the images below for more action. Carnival, BBQ Cookoff and Loverboy Downtown Parade…
Cutout Bin: Eugene J. Benge’s How to Become a Successful Executive
Eugene J. Benge How to Become a Successful Executive (Success Motivation Institute, 1962) You TOO can be a successful executive! Imagine the jealousy of your peers when they see your new office! A wide expanse of walnut just waiting for the business to roll in. A lesser man might be…
In Baytown, At Least, You Can Still Smoke Free And Die (Maybe)
Houston city officials may be insisting that the smoking ban in bars is just peachy keen, but in Baytown they’re having a revolution.City officials have agreed to yet another smoking referendum: one that will seek to allow smoking in “stand-alone” bars that are not connected to a strip mall or…
KHOU Gets Its Man At The Texas Air National Guard
Those fun-loving guys at the Texas Air National Guard — the people who brought you George W. Bush’s sterling military career — have a new commanding general, thanks to KHOU.Channel 11 had a damning story about sexual discrimination in TANG — a series of female officers stepped up and said…
Tonight: Street Dogs at Warehouse Live
Most people don’t associate humanitarianism with tough, working-class street punks whose artistic bent tends toward songs about drinking and fighting. For Street Dogs, a band of politically minded Boston-scene all-stars fronted by a war vet turned fireman, community is the whole point in the first place. As the band embarks…
Art Rock: Young Mammals CD Release at Aerosol Warfare/DiverseWorks
[jump] Click here for a preview…
Art Rock: Arthur Yoria at Rudyard’s
[jump] With Tody Castillo and the Executive Lines, 9 p.m. tonight at Rudyard’s, 2010 Waugh, 713-521-0521 or www.rudyards.com…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: More Depression for No Depression
After a financially unsuccessful attempt to take No Depression magazine into an online-only format, the owners of the magazine at 1 p.m. today opened the new No Depression blog community site at http://nodepression.ning.com. No Depression reported on alternative country, roots, folk and country music, and was dubbed by The New…
Art Rock: The Delta Spirit at Walter’s on Washington
[jump] Click here for a preview…
CEP Gets More Criticism, And One Critic Wins A Victory
Robert Kimball, whose criticism of the privately run school where HISD sends its troubled students was so stinging (or effective) that the school is suing to shut him up, won a round in court today.Community Education Partners is suing Kimball because he’s been making clear he believes CEP is a…
Five Spot: You Know His Name
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it’s either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. How’s this for a stretch: DMX, if you’ll remember, was recently incarcerated for the 93rd time for, meh, it really doesn’t…
Aftermath: Gene Loves Jezebel at Meridian
Every so often, a show that might otherwise be just OK becomes something much cooler when there’s hardly anybody there to see it. Aftermath isn’t talking about some fresh-out-of-the-box band playing its first show in front of friends and family at the Mink, either, although there’s certainly nothing wrong with…
Play That Funky Music, Christ Boy
Howard Lehrman, even after all these years, still considers himself an “anti-noise pollution activist,” battling “Audio Terrorism” and the “Boomheads.”Boomheads are the guys who crank the bass in their cars, rattling windows and victimizing and booming to death – as Lehrman says – decent law-abiding citizens. “People are getting more…
Cops Taking On Quannel X? No Uniforms Allowed
Some working stiffs would love to hear their boss tell them, “Hey, don’t worry about those stuffy work clothes.” But when that boss is HPD Chief Harold Hurtt, and those stiffs are three officers announcing a lawsuit against two men who publicly accused them of brutality, it smacks of top…
This Year’s Rodeo Scandal: Diversity, Or The Lack Thereof. With Dueling Memos!
This year’s rodeo brouhaha — there usually is one — surrounds the alleged lack of diversity of the event’s staff, vendors and performers.State Sen. Mario Gallegos has filed a bill calling on the rodeo to open its books and get better about being inclusionary; local ctivist ben Mendez has circulated…
Harvard, Meet The Polk County Poh-leece
A couple of students from Harvard Law School recently got a taste of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and spent some time in the county jail after going out on assignment for their internships at a Houston legal clinic. The students had driven to Livingston to interview a Polunsky Unit…
Tonight: Loverboy at RodeoHouston’s Championship BBQ Contest
Freakin’ Loverboy?! You mean not only can we eat our weight in brisket and drink whiskey like a bender-bound Hank Williams Jr. circa 1973, but we can also rock our sauce-soaked asses to “Working For The Weekend”? The Canadian ’80s rock juggernauts hit town tonight, kicking out the jams at…
Rambutan: The Hairy Fruit
Rambutan is a tropical fruit native to Indonesia and the Phillipines that we seldom see on the mainland. The name either means “hairy” in Indonesian, or “weird hairy red pods from an alien life form,” I forget which. It sure tastes good though. When you cut the hairy pod open…
Lexington, Concord…and Discovery Green: The Revolution Begins
Inspired by the “Chicago Tea Party” of CNBC fame, right-wingers from coast to coast gathered to protest, um, a bunch of stuff. Creeping socialism, Wall Street, arms control, liberals in general, freeloaders… You name it, these folks are pissed about it. About 300 people (by very rough estimate) turned out…
For The Rodeo: Five Best Bovine Attacks In The Movies
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, rodeo bullriders, but we’re rooting against you. Don’t take it personally, it’s just that when wagering on an average human male vs. 1,500 pounds of pissed off ungulate, we’re taking the bull. And wearing that pansy-ass body armor isn’t very endearing…
Texas Is Doing Great — In The Hate-Group Rankings
The count is in, and the number of hate groups in the U.S. exploded to 926 in 2008, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s totally non-fearmongerishly titled “Year in Hate” issue of the Intelligence Report. And Texas can proudly boast the second-highest hate group count, at 66, right behind…
Tonight: Heybale! at Blanco’s
“Wine Me Up,” live at D&L’s Texas Music Cafe, Austin, SXSW 2005 I remember a time when it seemed like I went to Blanco’s every week. If it wasn’t the Hollisters, it was folks like Jim Lauderdale or Chris Wall or some other totally legit act that would pack the…
Can the Houston Texans Get Garcia In This Rosenfels Trade? Jeff Can Come, Too
NFL free agency starts today. And since the Houston Texans are trading Sage Rosenfels to the Minnesota Vikings, they find themselves in desperate need of a backup quarterback. And with Matt Schaub as the number one QB, the Texans are going to desperately need a proven backup for those games…
Can the Houston Texans Get Garcia In This Rosenfels Trade? Jeff Can Come, Too
NFL free agency starts today. And since the Houston Texans are trading Sage Rosenfels to the Minnesota Vikings, they find themselves in desperate need of a backup quarterback. And with Matt Schaub as the number one QB, the Texans are going to desperately need a proven backup for those games…
Wilshire Village Tells Residents Get Out, City Throws Up Its Hands
Things are getting nuts out at Wilshire Village, that odd-but-strategically-locatedapartment complex at Alabama and Dunvale.Swamplot and its commenters have been following developments fanatically, as city officials join in the chorus telling the few residents left they have to leave.One resident tells Hair Balls of the crazy/grim events:this whole thing is…
Idol Beat: The Final 36, Group 2 Results
Ah, Brooke White! Willowy, peanut-brittle fragile Brooke White. Wasn’t it just yesterday that America witnessed you struggling not to crack under the pressure of being an American Idol finalist: unsuccessfully fighting back tears, begging the judges for do-overs after flubbing introductions, making viewers wish we could console you with hugs…
Rockets-Cavaliers: Yao’s Revenge
LeBron James has a lengthy history of poster-quality slam dunks. But on Thursday night, Yao Ming emphatically turned the tables on the Cleveland superstar. Yao overwhelmed James on two game-defining plays, sparking the Rockets to a 93-74 home victory over a Cleveland (44-12) team that entered Thursday with the NBA’s…
Rockets-Cavaliers: Yao’s Revenge
LeBron James has a lengthy history of poster-quality slam dunks. But on Thursday night, Yao Ming emphatically turned the tables on the Cleveland superstar. Yao overwhelmed James on two game-defining plays, sparking the Rockets to a 93-74 home victory over a Cleveland (44-12) team that entered Thursday with the NBA’s…
It’s Go Texan Day! Hope You Don’t Have Any Out-Of-Town Friends Coming In
Today, of course, is Go Texan Day, marking the opening of the rodeo.It’s the day when secretaries all over downtown wear “western” blouses and skirts, adventurous guys sport bolo ties and cowboy hats, and the rest of us cringe.Longtime Houstonians know to never, ever schedule any friends to come visit…
They Haven’t Given Up Hope Yet On Making The Astrodome Into A Movie Studio
These are tough times for the Astrodome — it’s in such bad shape that the rodeo could not use it for its Hideout bar and performance area this year.These are also tough times for the economy, as you may have heard, and tough times to launch seemingly improbable schemes requiring…
He’s A Bribe-Taker And A Giver Of Knowledge
One thing you can say about city officials in Hempstead, the sleepy town 50 miles west of here in Waller County — they know how to rip off their taxpayers. And they like to share that knowledge, the gift of their experience, in a clear, concise style. Former Hempstead Mayor…
Here’s A Plan: Fewer People, More Work At The Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is having problems, like most big-city dailies, but it might get a whole lot worse. One of the latest rumors sweeping the San Francisco Chronicle would have the deskies in Houston handling headline writing, copy editing and layout for their ailing sister paper by The Bay. The…
Bill Hicks, Still Dead 15 Years Later
Wholly influential and ridiculously honest stand-up comic Bill Hicks died fifteen years ago today, succumbing to lung cancer. Ironically he had always opined that that was how he would meet his end. Smoking seemed to be his obsession and he was rarely seen onstage not puffing away. The comedian moved…
City Says Smoking Ban Has Had No Impact On Bars
Two years ago, Houston City Council approved a smoking ban for local bars. This week, it was announced that the city had spent $12,000 to measure the impact of the ban.Their conclusion? It had no impact on bar sales whatsoever. “It’s reassuring that we did the right thing. We protected…
Album(s) of the Week: Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, The Tiffany Transcriptions
[Yes, that’s right, it is Western Swing day on Rocks Off today…] Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys The Tiffany Transcriptions www.collectorschoicemusic.com Western Swing is an enigma for people outside Texas and the Southwest, who – if they spare a thought for it at all – tend to write it…
You Weren’t Cured Of Down Syndrome, But You Can Get A Refund
Guess what? You can’t take a pill with something called “glyconutrients” and cure Down Syndrome or cystic fibrosis.But if you’re a Texan who thought you could, you can at least get your money back.Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced a settlement today against Mannatech, a company that offers a wide…
Houston Blows Up Real Good
The awesomely morbid folks at Carlos Labs have created a “Ground Zero” nightmare generator for every city on Earth. Using Java Script and some Google Map magic, anyone can pinpoint a location in the world, AND BLOW IT THE HELL UP. You can choose your own weapon of mass destruction…
Woman Who Stabbed Husband 200 Times May Get New Punishment Hearing, This Time Without A Dramatic Re-Enactment
Susan Wright, the woman who killed her husband and whose trial featured a prosecutor tying another to a bed and pretending to stab him 200 times, may get a new sentence.Wright stabbed her husband for real and then tried to hide his body; her attorney argued that she had suffered…
Lonesome Onry and Mean: Western Swing Royalty at iFest
Looking ahead to the Houston International Festival – never mind the SXSW bollocks – I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys will be playing on the Texas Stage at 6 p.m. on April 18. Not long ago in these cyberpages, we examined the gloom…
Amazingly, That Plan To Restore The Replica Columbus Ship Is Foundering
In news that will shock absolutely everyone but the 95 percent of the people who predicted it, there’s a good chance that the replica of Christopher Columbus’s Nina won’t be heading to Kemah in time for the May regatta.As we mentioned last month, the Spanish Consulate and the city of…
Aftermath: Slipknot and Coheed and Cambria at Verizon Wireless Theater
Corey Taylor never told his fans that everything would be OK. Not on an album, not in the press and most definitely not at a live show. The lead singer of Slipknot, the Iowa noise-metal band that set up shop at Verizon Wireless Theater Wednesday and tonight, instead always seemed…
Chicken Fried Steak With a Side of Kiss My Grits
When I suggested to a friend and fellow food blogger (Food in Houston) that we eat lunch in the Heights — his old stomping grounds — he sent me an impressively detailed list of candidate restaurants. The usuals were there — Bedford, Shade, Dry Creek Cafe. All worthy selections. But…
For the Rodeo: Five Best Movie Parades
It’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo time! Tomorrow’s Go Texan Day and Saturday’s the parade. Certainly some of you out there are looking forward to watching musical acts from 200 feet away and the lingering smells of hay, manure, and sweaty, sweaty cowboys. So sit back, kick your boots off,…
Momentarily Idiotic Teens Won’t Get The Book Thrown At Them
You’re young, you do stupid things. That’s pretty much a given.If you’re a girl, the classic thing is shoplifting. If you’re a boy, I don’t know, criminal mischief, graffitti, something like that.The problem is if you’re caught, there’s a chance it stays on your record forever. And these days, when…
Idol Beat: The Final 36, Group 2
There were a few seconds during the Rolling Stones’ 2006 Super Bowl halftime performance where formaldehyded guitarist Keith Richards let his inner demon peek out. I can’t remember for the life of me which song the band was playing, but Richards let loose with a bit of gnarly fret nastiness…
Top 10 Moments in the History of Minute Maid Park
The Houston Astros are asking for our suggestions for the top moments in the history of Enron Field Minute Maid Park as part of the stadium’s tenth season. You know me. I love to give my opinions about the Astros. So here are my Top 10 Moments in the History…
Top 10 Moments in the History of Minute Maid Park
The Houston Astros are asking for our suggestions for the top moments in the history of Enron Field Minute Maid Park as part of the stadium’s tenth season. You know me. I love to give my opinions about the Astros. So here are my Top 10 Moments in the History…
Songs You Didn’t Get As a Kid
Did you know that ZZ Top’s “Pearl Necklace” is essentially about a man ejaculating onto a woman’s neck? No? Well, neither did I when I was 12. That is just disgusting. It is a disgusting, insanely catchy song, and I had no idea what it was about until I was…
Tonight: California Guitar Trio at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Created in 1991 after taking part in Robert Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists, the trio formed by Paul Richards, Bert Lams and Hideyo Moriya forms a rare musical partnership that reaches across various genres without any form of prejudice. During the trio’s live sets, they go through tunes as diverse…
Judge Not The Two-Step, Lest Ye Be Judged
Yeah, so we judged a Texas Two-Step dancing contest last night.That’s pretty much the equivalent of Sarah Palin judging a Dance Salad festival, but we tried.You know it’s bad when the only song you recognize in the half-dozen or so tunes in the warm-up is George Strait’s “Love Without End,…
All The World’s Fair Success Knoxville Had Could Be Replicated Here
Local marketing executive Manuel Delgado wants to bring a world’s fair to Houston in 2020. He has been interested in world’s fairs since he was a child, and that interest intensified when he worked for the expo in Seville in ’92. “I’ve always been a big fanatic of world’s fairs,”…
That Heights Bike Trail Developing Nicely, Except For The Arson
The Missouri, Kansas, Texas Southern Pacific railroad (try to say that three times fast) Rails-to-Trails project in the Heights is finally underway. After the official groundbreaking ceremony last December, men in hard hats and neon vests have situated construction signs along the newly cultivated dirt path. Alvin Wright of the…
A Lesson Before Dying
It’s easy to see why Jefferson was convicted of murder in A Lesson Before Dying. His lawyer defended him by calling him “hardly more worthwhile than a hog,” hoping to prove that Jefferson was too stupid to have committed the crime. Friends want to help him, especially as his execution…
“Perspectives 165”
Teens do more at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston than just look at art — they exhibit art, too. The museum’s sixth exhibition of work by local teens, “Perspectives 165: Contents under Pressure,” is centered on the theme of containment and containers. Artist Dario Robleto juried this year’s show, and…
Joshua Beckman and Barbara Hamby
Joshua Beckman stirs poetic craft with a modern sensibility. In true Poison Pen Reading fashion, his works, such as “Karate Chop of Love,” are sure to score with drunken laymen and aficionados alike. Beckman has published five collections of poetry and a gazillion translations. Hear him read some of those…
Deadbeat Club TV
The Deadbeat Club TV DVD premiere party celebrates the first release by a group of local comedians who decided to shape their own destinies. “This was mainly about taking control and making our own names,” writer and director Steven Katz says. The result is a 45–minute, -broadcast-quality DVD featuring 14…
22nd Annual ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run
Get up to speed at the 22nd Annual ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run. The 10K race and 5K fun run/walk is held just ahead of the Rodeo Parade, but there’s a costume contest before that at the starting line (the Alley Theatre). It’s true, most runs don’t come with costume contests —…
Junkyard Drive-In: Texas Oil on Film
Watch a movie the way your grandparents did — from your car. At the screening of Junkyard Drive-In: Texas Oil on Film, Aurora Picture Show gives viewers a flashback to yesteryear when movie screens were outside and the audience was basically sitting in a parking lot (lots of those cars…
Eco-Friendly Wine
Dan Forbes, a wine specialist for Whole Foods Market (is that a cool gig or what?) will lead you in a tasting of Eco-friendly Wines. He’ll quickly cover organic wine production and sustainable and biodynamic wines, before leisurely serving a variety of white and red wine (okay, the quickly covering…
5th Annual Historically Black Colleges & Universities Film Festival
We’re willing to forgive the 5th Annual Historically Black Colleges & Universities Film Festival and Seminar its long moniker. After all, the festival is tasked with bringing film industry insiders to local African-American college students who usually have no access to movie professionals. One of this year’s seminars is The…
Tommy Davidson
Comedian Tommy Davidson could have made a career of imitating Sammy Davis Jr. Good thing for us he didn’t. You know Davidson as the skinny little guy on In Living Color, but he’s added lots to his résumé since his Living Color days. Along with the entire Wayans crew, Davidson’s…
1968 with Tom Brokaw
Port Arthur is known for two things — Janis Joplin and the Museum of the Gulf Coast. Joplin got the hell out of Port Arthur as soon as she could; the museum has decided to stick around for a bit. The museum’s current exhibit is “1968 in America,” a collection…
“Genghis Khan”
Talk about a guy with an image problem — even the PR geniuses of Mad Men couldn’t overcome Genghis Khan’s rep. Mostly because the name Genghis Khan immediately brings to mind a raping, pillaging barbarian with Dimebag Darrell-like facial hair. “I suspect that most of us have a negative connotation…
The Edge Hip Hop Festival
Second place isn’t so bad when it’s second place in the whole frigging country, so forgive us if we don’t bother feeling sorry for the dancers of the So Real hip-hop troupe. The group took home second-place honors on last year’s America’s Best Dance Crew reality show, and they’ve been…
Katherine Center
You get some idea of author Katherine Center’s outlook from the titles of her books: The Bright Side of Disaster and Everyone Is Beautiful. Of course, there has to be a disaster for her to find a bright side, and as far as everyone being beautiful, well, beauty is subjective,…
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never lassoed a horse — pull on your boots and dust off your Stetson, because everyone’s a cowboy or cowgirl during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. And while the concerts get all the attention (c’mon, Jonas Brothers!), there are actually, oh, a few more…
Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains
If you think you know all about extreme survival, think again. Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains, the 2008 prize-winning French documentary by Gonzalo Arijón, will knock that faux tiki torch right out of your hand. On October 13, 1972, a chartered Uruguayan plane filled…
Music by Living American/Houston Composers
One of the greatest thrills for the serious music fan is to discover a new work, something that expands both your collection and your range as a listener. There are few better opportunities to do this than today’s Music by Living American/Houston Composers concert, co-hosted by the Houston Composers Alliance…
“Unite and Untie”
The pictures in Houston Center for Photography’s “Unite and Untie” deal with war in the Middle East, but you won’t find any depictions of chaotic firefights or bloody triage scenes among the images. The group exhibit explores how war colors the daily lives of soldiers and civilians, from Toby Morris’s…
2nd Annual History Road Rally
If you wanted to see streets lined with bricks that were handmade by freed slaves, where would you go? Do you know that Houston has an island inside the 610 Loop? No? Well, then you understand the need for Houston Arts and Media’s Neighbor to Neighbor Oral History Project. Show…
Jonny Lang
The last time blues singer/guitarist Jonny Lang played Houston, he walked on stage, strapped on his guitar and was about to hit his first note before the audience realized he wasn’t just some kid roadie tuning up the star’s guitar. Yeah, he’s that unpretentious. And since the 28-year-old Lang has…
Yigal Ozeri Art Exhibit
Israeli artist Yigal Ozeri could easily sneak his hyperrealistic paintings into a photography exhibit. Most viewers wouldn’t notice any difference between what Ozeri does with a paintbrush and other artists do with a camera. But Ozeri’s art isn’t just high-class trompe l’oeil; his portraits have a message. Collector Robert Morgan…
Cool Brains! Inprint Reading Series: Jacqueline Woodson
In her latest title, After Tupac and D Foster, children’s author Jacqueline Woodson writes: “We’d just gone from being eleven to being thirteen. Three girls. Three the Hard Way.” The book follows a trio of friends, fans of rapper Tupac Shakur, through a couple of rough years filled with tough…
Massive Improv 24-Hour Show
Massive Improv is out to prove that size — or at least length — really does matter as they attempt to set the world record for the longest continuous improvisational comedy performance at the Massive Improv 24-Hour Show. The folks at Guinness have been invited to verify the event, be…
“Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul”
The image of the Taliban destroying two ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan in 2001 shocked the world. Fortunately, many other artifacts from the storied country have survived its war-torn history, and some 230 of them are on display this spring at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston as part of…
An Evening with Dick Gregory
We would say that activist/writer/comedian Dick Gregory is a chameleon, but he’s never been very good at blending into the background. Finding fame first as a comedian and writer, he eventually became better known as an activist. During today’s An Evening with Dick Gregory event, he’ll recount the highlights of…
Marie
It seems as though Marie Antoinette finally will be getting some sympathy — though unfortunately, it’s come hundreds of years too late — when the Houston Ballet premieres an evening-length work, Marie, which documents the brief, troubled existence of the young Austrian-born queen. The company’s Artistic Director, Stanton Welch, created…
Guantánamo’s Final Days: Profile in Cojones
Though he now lives in a red-brick minimansion down a silent, frostbitten cul-de-sac in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., Alberto Mora is at heart a Miami Cuban. Among the clues are a voracious appetite for debate and the Bustelo espresso he brews for visitors to his sparsely decorated home…
The Mighty Stef
Born Stefan Murphy, Dublin-based The Mighty Stef is the latest in the long line of wayward Irish poet-rockers that stretches back to Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott and the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan. But don’t take our word for it — since 2006, Stef has been managed by Frank Murray, who also…
Surprise food at Bombay to Beijing
Most salads are cold, but the tandoori salad ($6) at Bombay to Beijing (14025 Southwest Fwy., 281-242-4242) is hot — sizzling hot, in fact. This sensational vegetarian dish is bursting with colors and flavors. Three thick slices of the Indian cheese paneer are marinated along with slices of tomato, bell…
Battle of the Big Crosses
There amid the regiment of high-tension, high-voltage power lines that line the South Beltway, Sagemont Church’s brand-new 170-foot cross does not look as impressive as it might if it were situated in more glorious isolation. (The mountaintop Jesus of Rio Janeiro is 45 feet shorter but much more striking.) Driving…
Morrissey: Years of Refusal
Although the singer who once famously clutched Oscar Wilde to his chest might seem misplaced among the roster of distinctly American artists like Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams, Morrissey’s ninth solo album sounds right at home on his new label, Nashville’s Lost Highway. The blunt honesty in his lyrics, like…
BEDFORD’S AGAVE SOUR
After six months, this gig was starting to take its toll on me. I could no longer make toasts to health and wealth without a bitter sense of irony with respect to both words. Alas, partying is such sweet sorrow. I had to take some time off from Ol’ John…
A Pleasure Cruiser and The Worst Song in the World
Online readers respond to “Pleasure Cruiser,” by Troy Schulze, February 12: Art: As an artist living in New Orleans, I still see FEMA trailers and am sensitive to their ability to so easily evoke disaster and disappointment. I believe Paul Villinski’s trailer is a very subtle, and yet complex, response…
Steve Forbert: The Place And The Time
Steve Forbert just gets better with age. On The Place And The Time, he proves yet again he’s a consummate Southern philosopher-poet who can turn everything from Labor Day to stolen-identity crimes into something at once quirky and smooth, thoughtfully new yet comfortable as an old pair of Levi’s. And…
Could Alternative Country Work at the Rodeo?
RodeoHouston starts up again Tuesday, with a sure-to-be sold-out show by a group that makes critics cringe worse than about any other, megaplatinum Nashville country-pop lightweights Rascal Flatts. Yow. It does get better: Closing out three long weeks later is ZZ Top. In the interval, between 1.5 and 2 million…
Illegal Immigrants and Stay-At-Home Mexicans
Dear Mexican, I believe that the words people use to describe other people, intentionally or unintentionally, reflect their political values. But I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, so I write to you. You described Cesar Chavez as hating “illegals” in a previous column, and as being…
A Cursive Memory
A Cursive Memory made huge waves last year with the video for its single “Everything,” a clip centered around the idea that the L.A. band is a guerrilla-style “bandarazzi” squad. The result? Celebrity cameos, goofball humor, a ghetto blaster and plenty of super-cute band dudes, the sort guaranteed to make…
Pretenders: Break Up the Concrete
Old punk rockers — or, in this case, post-punks — never die, they just go country. On the Pretenders’ first album since 2002’s barely registering Loose Screw, Chrissie Hynde confronts middle age by revisiting the musical styles of the middle of the last century. After a woozy three-chord “Sleepwalk” intro,…
Gene Loves Jezebel
Anyone bummed Echo & the Bunnymen is skipping Houston on their way to SXSW can officially cheer up. (Relatively, of course.) Gene Loves Jezebel may not have the same Coldplay-endorsed cachet as Ian McCulloch’s Ocean Rain lads, but they’ll do just fine for anyone who likes their sulk with a…
Pizza Like Patsy Used to Make at Grimaldi’s
The crispy, thin-crusted pizza at Grimaldi’s in Sugar Land is covered with bright-white fresh mozzarella and zesty red sauce and baked in a coal-fired oven. On my first visit, I sampled a spectacular regular pizza studded with excellent fennel-scented Italian sausage and decorated with a few whole basil leaves. It…
Delta Spirit, Other Lives
Over the past few years, Delta Spirit hasn’t received quite as much attention as its jangly indie-pop peers (Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club). But that’s not because the San Diego quintet lacks live chops or songwriting savvy. It could have more to do with the fact that the band’s…
Sliders at Little Bigs
Brian Caswell and his partner Bill Floyd have lots to say about their latest venture, Little Bigs (2703 Montrose, 713-521-2447), which occupies the former location of the eclectic Ming’s Chinese Restaurant on Montrose, just north of Westheimer. The two also own Reef. “We picked up the space two days before…
Burnout Houston
The Heights will be inundated with hepcats, cool kitties and low-riders at Saturday’s 2nd Annual Burnout Houston show. The event features pre-1965 hot rods and Kustoms in myriad shapes, colors and forms, as well as traditional-styled choppers. Anyone who tires of the car show can dance to local favorites Los…
The Juan Maclean
Six weeks before it hits the street, The Juan Maclean is road-testing the eagerly awaited The Future Will Come, which despite its title is more than a little retro. The rubbery single — and opener — “The Simple Life” sails along for minutes before the arrival of vocals from LCD…
Young Mammals Chow Down on First LP Carrots
The day a lot of local indie-watchers have been waiting for has finally arrived: Houston Press Music Award winners (Best New Band; Best Indie Rock, 2007) Young Mammals’ first full-length, Carrots, finally sees the light of day Friday. The Press sat down with guitarist Cley Miller and singer/guitarist Carlos Sanchez…
Guantánamo’s Final Days
The soldiers move through the wheat field, scanning the windswept plain for signs of trouble. There are six of them, dressed in fatigues and body armor, wearing the sunglasses and bushy beards popular among the Special Forces. The only thing they can hear is the rustling of wheat stalks. They…
Nobody Wins in James Gray’s Ridiculous Two Lovers
If Joaquin Phoenix, who plays a lovelorn bachelor in James Gray’s Two Lovers, were 12 years old, the movie might make a touching, if not noticeably fresh, romantic drama for tweens. Not that adults don’t nurse unhealthy crushes and regress madly under the pressure of hopeless infatuation, which may be…
Puppet Masters
I may be in the minority, but I think puppets are pretty freakin’ creepy. There is something unsettling about things that aren’t alive behaving as if they are — case in point, the demonically possessed Snuggle Fabric Softener bear. Fellow puppet phobics beware, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is packed…
Arthur Yoria: 281
On 2004’s I’ll Be Here Awake, Arthur Yoria quickly established himself as one of the Houston area’s most interesting musicians. His tales of lovelorn angst set against melodic pop made for an infectious combination that drew fans worldwide, and his live shows — whether full-band powerhouses, stripped-down, electronic-backed performances or…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Danny Rolph — Accelerator,” “Donald Baechler — Recent Paintings and Collages,” “Garland Fielder – A Likely Story,” “Paul Villinski — Emergency Response Studio,” “PRISMATTAK”
“Danny Rolph — Accelerator” Ostensibly, “Accelerator” is a kind of crash-’em-up homage to trucking culture and fast living. London-born Rolph’s mixed-media pieces seem both to celebrate, and to caution against, gasoline-guzzling lifestyles. Fittingly, Rolph’s surface material is Triplewall, clear, polycarbonate sheets used to protect windows and doors from hurricane-force winds…
Houston-Born TV-Theme Composer W.G. “Snuffy” Walden Enjoys His Wonder Years
The stories pour out of W.G. “Snuffy” Walden like a broken water main. There’s no point trying to structure an interview. Walden tells it his way, one memory triggering another, not so much talking about his huge success as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand television theme creators (thirtysomething, The Wonder…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Amadeus, bobrauschenbergamerica, Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Eurydice, John, His Story
Amadeus The life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has fascinated the world since the child prodigy turned musical genius died in 1791, when he was only 35 years old, after producing an astounding body of work. Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus (made famous in the 1984 film directed by Milos Forman) captures a…
Valentine’s Night at Ernie’s on Banks
Few places are less romantic than a sports bar. If we had to guess, we’d say The Bog of Eternal Stench from Labyrinth is probably one. And that torture room in Hostel where the girl was locked in with her eye hanging out of her head — she didn’t appear…
