Repurposing Soap and Stones, Omori Exhibit at Hunter Gather Project Finds a New Life in the Everyday
Everyday objects of hearth and home are taking on new life in an exhibit now on view at the Hunter Gather Project by local Japanese American artist Mari Omori, and the result is a new perspective on what we might otherwise overlook. Omori’s show, entitled “The Habit of Being,” is…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Kung Fu Panda 3
Title: Kung Fu Panda 3 Describes This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: “We’re here, we’re queer, and we don’t want any more bears!” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three Hong Kong Phooeys out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Possible evolutionary dead-end learns to fight for his right to survive. Tagline: “The weight…
Bach’s Early Years in the Royal Court Inspired Monumental Works
The flowering, musical energy of Bach’s early years in the Duke’s court; an Italian madrigal comedy; springtime expressions; the cheerful melodies and exuberant phrases of Bach’s Orchestral Suites; and a Valentine’s “concert of love” in the Italian Renaissance tradition are all elements of the 4th Annual Houston Early Music Festival…
Texas Craft Beer Club Has Dual Mission of Promotion and Charity
This past November, beer aficionados Rob Banzhaf and Marc Atnipp started the Texas Craft Beer Club. Atnipp says the idea for The Woodlands-based company was inspired by his visits to Texas craft breweries. “There have always been beer drinkers but for these little companies to start in a garage and…
10 Best Restaurants for Adult Birthdays in Houston
First off, this is a list for adult birthdays, not kid birthdays, because once you pass a certain age you need more in your life than bad pizza, ball pits and giant mice. You need food, booze, cake, glamour and feeling like a king or a queen, if only for…
Tales From the Soundboard: Alan McCann’s Got a Few
One recent cold and rainy night, I ducked my drenched head into a low-lit coffee bar near Westheimer and Dunlavy. At the end of a long wooden table sat Alan “Doof” McCann, who has been sound engineer, PA tech and jack-of-all-trades to some of music’s biggest names: Lostprophets, Fightstar, Funeral For a…
Doctor Who: 5 Things to Hope for in New Show Runner, Chris Chibnall
Steven Moffat is stepping down as show runner on Doctor Who to be replaced by Chris Chibnall, who is best-known for episodes like “42” and “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” as well as his work on Torchwood and Broadchurch. Moffat leaves behind an impressive legacy, having written for more Doctors on…
Rockets Win Third Straight Since Reacquiring Josh Smith
It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to write something positive about the Houston Rockets. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to. Believe me, when it comes to Houston teams, the Rockets are my literal first love. I moved to Houston in October of 1994, the first month…
After Indictments, Texas Still Wants to De-Fund Planned Parenthood
On Monday we got a much-needed moment of comic irony in the “did Planned Parenthood sell fetal organs?” saga. The Harris County grand jury that heard evidence from the local law enforcement investigation into Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast not only concluded that doctors and clinic staff broke no laws, it…
This Week in Food Blogs: A Mash-Up Breakfast Recipe From a Washington Ave. Hot Spot
This week, we’ve got a few sweet recipes that won’t overwhelm you, plus reviews of favorite Houston eateries and a guide to your post-work happy hour. Cinnamon rolls, waffles and doughnuts are all breakfast foods, but we’re not entirely sure if the cinnamon roll waffle doughnut from MAX’s Wine Dive,…
Food Network Chef Robert Irvine Is Coming to Galveston
Fans of chef Robert Irvine of Food Network fame will want to put the Galveston Island Food and Wine Festival on their calendars. On April 16, he will do a live cooking demonstration and book signing during the Grand Tasting. The following evening, April 17, he’s also doing a live…
Montrose’s New Bling to Feature Gourmet Signage
Welcome to the forever changing Montrose, the future home of “premium aluminum signage materials.” Starting next month, the Montrose Management District goes full blast on its Montrose Visual Improvement Projects, which will include the installation of 28 identification markers attached to nine foot-tall sort-of light poles, the dolling up of…
“50 States” Exhibit at the Art League Houston Has One Hidden Gem
Visiting the Art League of Houston’s galleries can be a hit-or-miss, and sometimes the only thing tasteful in the building can be the joe they serve in the attached cafe. But of the four exhibits currently on display, only “50 States: Wyoming” seems to offer visitors an art gem. The…
Go for the Drinks, the Playground or the Burger at The Del
At The Del, a casual new restaurant in the Memorial area, there is a burger that could be proudly served in fine-dining establishments. The patty, layered onto a crisscrossed pretzel bun, is wonderfully drippy and adorned with a respectable cheddar fondue. Deeply grilled onions add a great deal of caramelized…
More Layoffs and Losses at Halliburton
It just keeps getting worse for Halliburton. On Monday the second largest oil field services company in the United States announced that it had cut another 4,000 workers while losing money on oil field drilling and services in the last quarter of 2015. At this point, this means Halliburton has…
Upcoming: Ashanti, The Band Perry, Floetry, Kid Rock, Kurt Vile, My Morning Jacket, The Suffers, Sylvain Sylvain, etc.
Note: events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 24th Street Wailers: Sat., February 13, 10 p.m., TBA. Big Top Lounge, 3714 Main, Houston, 713-529-9666. Alan Doyle: Sat., March 12, 8 p.m., TBA. The MATCH, 3400 Main, Houston. Alcazar record release: With David, Super 8. Sat., January 30, 9 p.m., $7…
MasterMinds 2016: Celebrating the Creatives of Houston
As we announce the winners of the MasterMind® Awards, now in their eighth year, we reflect back on a year of triumph and turmoil, with organizations moving to new or remodeled venues while others lost their spaces, and a host of creative and innovative ideas for the Bayou City. MATCH…
Making Sense of This Chris Stapleton/Hank Williams Jr. Tour
At this point, it’s hard to be surprised by anything Chris Stapleton has accomplished. After coming out of virtually nowhere, at least where fans were concerned, he was the most talked-about act of 2015. His debut album, Traveller, still sits at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. To…
If a Drone Comes Into Your Backyard, Are You Within Your Rights to Shoot It?
Recently I was interviewing a local artist in his backyard, which was surrounded by an effectively tall privacy fence, when we were interrupted by a high pitched whirring sound. “Look, it’s a drone.”, said my host, and sure enough hovering over the fence line about 70 feet in the air…
Prairie View Police Officer Indicted for Tasing City Councilman
A Prairie View Police officer who tased a city councilman in October has been indicted by a grand jury for one charge of misdemeanor official oppression, the Associated Press first reported yesterday. Officer Michael Kelley was captured on video (which you can watch here from the perspective of Kelley’s body camera…
Shows of the Week: A Young Bluesman With a Rapper’s Bite
JAREKUS SINGLETON Dosey Doe Music Cafe, Thursday, January 28 If the blues hasn’t completely gone the way of the dodo the way many people once expected, it’s largely because of performers like Jarekus Singleton. Born into a family of church singers, the 31-year-old Mississippi native worked his way up from…
Kung-Fu Panda 3 Insists That Wars Do Make One Great
There’s essentially one joke in the Kung-Fu Panda movies. A ridiculous, adorable creature executes some extravagant action-flick flourish — vaulting over roofs, dropping a bad guy, striking a poster-perfect superhero pose. Then the battle music fades and that adorable creature breaks badass character to remind us it’s totally relatable, even…
Much Respect to Lauren Cohan for Outclassing Her Evil-Doll Thriller The Boy
There are worse ways for a television star to transition into film than a horror movie. There are also better movies to do it in than The Boy. Still, Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead shines bright in William Brent Bell’s dim genre exercise, a vital presence opposite a lifeless…
Grand Jury Clears Planned Parenthood, Indicts Activists Behind “Sting” Video Instead
The series of videos secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists and dropped on YouTube this past summer triggered not just national outrage but federal, state and local inquiries into whether Planned Parenthood ignored guidelines for fetal tissue donation and instead illegally hawked fetal body parts for profit. On Monday, the Harris…
NFL Conference Title Games — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Well, we knew the last four teams standing weren’t going to deliver a dud for the now two week build up to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, CA. As it turned out, we were not given the two teams most expected to be there, but we now have a…
The Expanded Environment’s “BioCity” Is a Big Idea With an Even Bigger Payoff
“BioCity” isn’t much to look at, yet, but this eco-minded structure by the art collective The Expanded Environment is a big idea with an even bigger payoff. Installed on the Mary E. Bawden Sculpture Garden at Lawndale Art Center, it’s designed to morph and evolve over a six-month period with…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Beer With Chocolate and Wine With Truffles
All Week Long Citrus Fest at Central Market Celebrate citrus season with Central Market, 3815 Westheimer, until Tuesday, January 26. You’ll find more than 40 different citrus fruits in the store, plus citrus options in every department, including marinated meats and tangy pastries. The unusual citrus varieties include pink lemons,…
Cougars Humiliated in Fourth Straight Loss
There was only one ticket window open at Hofheinz Pavilion Saturday afternoon. That meant that many fans hoping to attend the University of Houston basketball game weren’t actually inside the building until the first half was nearly over. Seeing the score, many probably just turned around and went home. Saturday…
The Book of Maggie Irreverent, Overstuffed and a Promising Start for a New Playwright
The set up: Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate. Names ring a bell? Most likely they do. But just to fill in the blanks for anyone who failed Sunday School or was otherwise engaged watching cartoons on weekend mornings, here’s the scoop: Judas Iscariot is the dude who betrayed Jesus. Well…
Anti-HERO Folks Rally to Cannibalize Fellow Conservatives
Jared Woodfill is waging war against his own party — Texas Republicans who he says aren’t conservative enough — and he’s bouncing across Harris County to rally the troops, setting up his mobile staging area in mostly empty chapels. LastThursday night, anti-HERO hero Woodfill was at Greater Harvest Church in…
Taste 2013 Bordeaux at the Upcoming Mostly Cru Classe Bordeaux Tasting in Houston
On February 1, 2016, a delegation of Bordeaux producers — winemakers, Château owners and their representatives — will descend upon Houston to present 55 mostly Cru Classé Bordeaux wines from the 2013 vintage. Held at the beautiful Crystal Ballroom at the Post Rice Lofts, this will be the fifth time…
Hot Ticket: Artopia 2016, With Smokin’ Hot Fashion, Bass-Thumping Music and Über-Creative Art [UPDATED]
No need to jet off to Cannes or Hollywood for the latest red carpet event. The hottest ticket in town is at Houston Press Artopia® 2016, our annual celebration of smokin’ hot fashion, bass-thumping music, and a sneak peak at some über-creative artists doing work right here in Houston. The…
6 Highlights From Houston’s Chinese Bakeries
Similar to Mexican bakeries, Chinese bakeries are a vast landscape of unique pastries and new textures to palates accustomed to European or American bakeries dishing out sweet muffins, moist danishes and gooey cookies. Low prices are another point of differentiation from non-ethnic bakeries: entering any one of the Chinese bakeries…
Teen Was Fatally Shot in Home of Precinct One Captain Carl Shaw
A 15-year old boy is dead after he was shot by his step-brother on January 16 in the Meyerland home of Carl Shaw, a captain with the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s office. According to police, the shooting appears to have been accidental and will be referred to a grand…
Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi Offer Hope for Pop-Country Haters
The Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi House of Blues January 22, 2015 Although California country singer Jon Pardi was last Friday’s nominal headliner at House of Blues, the attraction for me was instead the Brothers Osborne, Pardi’s Grammy-nominated openers. Last summer, a friend of mine had posted a video of the…
The 10 Best Far-Flung Music Venues in the Greater Houston Area
For a lot of Houston’s live music fans, the scene stretches no further north than Fitzgerald’s — and not that far south of Walters, either. Though it feels like we’ve been complaining about how spread out it is forever, the all-caps Houston Music Scene is generally accepted to reside inside…
HGO’s The Marriage of Figaro Loses Its Count, Has No Understudy, But the Show Goes On!
The set-up: The show must go on! That old showbiz canard applies even to the tony opera. The execution: Houston Grand Opera’s Friday premiere (in co-production with England’s acclaimed Glyndeboune Festival Opera) of Mozart’s sublime The Marriage of Figaro (1786) lost its leading baritone at the last moment due to…
Theatre Under the Stars Announces its 2016-17 Season
With a definite emphasis on family entertainment and deciding perhaps to relinquish more daring theater to TUTS Underground – with one startlingly exceptional exception – Theatre Under the Stars today announces a 2016-17 season dominated by old favorites. Tried and true money makers Grease, How to to Succeed in Business…
I Laughed at Dirty Grandpa, AMA
Call it a dissenting opinion if you must, but Dirty Grandpa has sporadic moments of hilarity: the spontaneous “USA! USA!” chant that erupts after an out-of-his-mind Zac Efron announces to spring breakers that he’s just unknowingly smoked crack, or Aubrey Plaza commanding as foreplay that Robert De Niro, as the…
YA Apocalypse The 5th Wave Is Actually the Extended Answer to a Math Problem
“Who can give me the derivative of X?” a high-school teacher asks early in the YA-apocalypse mashup The 5th Wave. As soon as she asks that, the lights blink off, everybody’s cellphones die and jets tumble from the sky. We never hear a student respond, but here’s my Official Fan…
Broadway at the Hobby Center Announces Its 2016-17 Season
Christopher is suspected of killing a dog, one belonging to a neighbor. He sets out to clear his name and since he’s a smart, smart boy, well maybe he’ll be able to to that. But his problems relating to other people — Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel never specified what —…
The Owls Might Always Fight, Might Never Die, But They’re Not Yet Winning
The saying around Rice sports is “Rice Fight, Never Die.” And no matter how things are going with the basketball program, it’s always evident that Mike Rhoades’ team always fights and never dies. But unfortunately for the team and its fans, while the team’s always fighting, what it’s not doing…
Heading Downtown This Weekend? Go Ahead and Pretend I-10 East Doesn’t Exist
If you’re heading downtown this weekend, it’s not just the cold you have to worry about. According to TxDOT, eastbound I-10, as well as a bunch of ramps around it, will be closed from 9 p.m. today until 5 a.m. Monday due to a bridge reconstruction project. That means I-10…
Looks Like Pot Could Be a Major Issue in the District Attorney’s Race. Again.
In 2014, a central distinction between candidates for Harris County District Attorney was their views on marijuana. It seems that theme could repeat itself in 2016, as Republican incumbent DA Devon Anderson fights to keep her post. This week, Anderson’s main challenger in 2014, Kim Ogg, told the Houston Chronicle…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Get a Pre-Opening Taste of The Halal Guys
Halal Guys Preview Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The highly anticipated opening of NY street meat purveyors The Halal Guys isn’t until Saturday, January 30 – but you can get a sneak peak of their menu with UberEATS, so long as you’re in the delivery area. Today they are…
The Bridges of Madison County, the Musical, Has More Than One Kind of Lost Connection
Yes, I was one of the 50 million who bought and presumably read Robert James Waller’s 1992 novel, The Bridges of Madison County. But unlike so many of those adoring throngs that made Waller’s mawkish tale of midlife marital moonlighting a runaway success, I hated the book. I hated that…
NFL Playoffs: AFC and NFC Conference Title Game Predictions
We’re down to the final four teams in the NFL playoffs, and while each of the four divisional round games last weekend were laced with their own brand of drama (three of the four included late onside kicks, and the fourth was the crazy Packer Hail Mary game), ultimately we…
How Did This Road-Raging Cop Pass a Psych Evaluation?
Even before Harris County Constable Kenneth Caplan shot and injured Lori Annab in what authorities say was a near-fatal bout of road rage in 2014, he was an unlikely prospect as a peace officer. The 34-year-old Precinct 6 reserve deputy was already on leave for a previous road rage incident,…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: Beer, Chocolate & Super Bowl to Go
Beaver’s, 2310 Decatur, and Brash Brewing Co. will be hosting a Beer Dinner on Monday, January 25 at 6:30 p.m. Chef Dusty Sagaser has created a fabulous “Indian comfort food” menu to pair alongside Brash’s latest offerings. The five-course meal will kick off with a champagne reception and passed…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: The 5th Wave
Title: The 5th Wave Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: “We are merely exchanging long protein strings. If you can think of a simpler way, I’d like to hear it!” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two Klingons out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Alien invasion threatens mankind, complicates burgeoning teenage romance…
The 10 Most Historically Significant WWE Royal Rumbles
In a way, it’s appropriate that the WWE place its second most important pay per view event of the year on this weekend, the same weekend as the NFL’s AFC and NFC title games, because in the same way that those conference title games determine the participants in and set…
Suburban Bands, Do You Have What It Takes?
TAKE A WHIFF Midway through this column, I recall a night spent at a biker rally in the the suburbs breathing in the smell of slumped shoulders as we watched a band limp through a set of poorly chosen covers. That’s real reportage. And in the interests of a Pulitzer,…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Hola to The Halal Guys
The long-awaited grand opening of The Halal Guys’ first Houston location has been announced. On Saturday, January 30, head over to 3821 Farnham (with a few hundred of your closest friends) to see what all the fuss is about and get yourself some sweet grand opening prizes. Don’t forget to…
Here’s That Valid Criticism of Anita Sarkeesian You Wanted
Anita Sarkeesian released the latest in her Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series recently, the humorously titled “Strategic Butt Coverings.” The video is a marked divergence from her previous work, being far shorter and a good deal lighter in tone. Also, it’s funny to hear her say “butt” 29…
Apparently Debbie “Terror Babies” Riddle Isn’t Conservative Enough for Some People
If pressed to name the most conservative member of Harris County’s delegation to the Texas Legislature, most people in local political circles would offer up Debbie Riddle, the Republican state rep from Tomball who once said free education “comes straight out of the pit of hell,” who warned on national…
Rodeo Steels Itself Against Houston’s Shrinking Economy
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is now less than less than five weeks away. The gates of NRG Park will open to the pits and smokers of the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest on Thursday, February 25, heralding Go Texan Day, the downtown parade and Rodeo Run, and the other…
The X-Files Brings Back the Conspiracy-Industrial Complex — and Gets Better as It Goes
In 1961, Dwight Eisenhower famously left the White House with a warning to the American public about the rise of the military-industrial complex. When Barack Obama exits the Oval Office next year, he wouldn’t be remiss in cautioning the nation about the conspiracy-industrial complex, which has dug its tentacles into…
Cutthroat Cocktail Competition Was a Study in Sabotage
Last night’s Cutthroat Cocktail Competition at The Noble Experiment in Pearland proved incredibly challenging for bartenders and entertaining for guests. Modeled after the Food Network show, “Cutthroat Kitchen,” the competition was the brainchild of Hunky Dory bar manager Chris Morris. Morris, in jacket and bowtie, proved he’s just as diabolical…
“Matriarch” of Underage Sex-Trafficking Ring Sentenced to Life in Prison
On Wednesday a federal judge handed down a life sentence to the “matriarch” of a massive sex-trafficking ring that operated for years out of a southeast side cantina. The feds have called Hortencia “Tencha” Medeles, 70, the ringleader of a squalid Telephone Road brothel that trafficked in underage girls for…
Study: Getting an Abortion in Texas Is Expensive and Complicated Thanks to Clinic Closures
In two months, when the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on whether the omnibus anti-abortion law Texas passed in 2013 goes too far, the justices will likely be asked to consider the practical impact of the law. Hence the latest study from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University…
Adventures in Texans Coaching: Vrabel Offered 49ers DC Job, Pasqualoni Resigns
Coaching staff churn and attrition can occur for a handful of reasons. When you have issues with certain areas of a football team, the turnover is due to termination and hopefully change for the better. For the Houston Texans, such is the case with areas such as wide receivers (Stan…
Super-Depressing Drawings by Kids at the South Texas Immigration Detention Facility
“What was the raid like for you?” This was the question posed to children aged three to 16 years old who are currently being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, located about an hour southwest of San Antonio in Frio County. The 2,400-person capacity immigration detention…
#NewHoustonRap: The New Class Has Arrived
As of last week, a song is already in the pole position for “hottest song in Houston.” It belongs to DJ XO, Rizzoo Rizzoo and Sosamann. What makes this particular song distinctive is how very little XO and Rizzoo Rizzoo actually contribute, but their parts are arguably the most memorable. “Off…
My Mother Is a Pregnant Grandma. Help!
MY MOTHER IS A PREGNANT GRANDMOTHER! Dear Willie D: Let me start by saying that I love my mom to death. But lately she has been acting irresponsible. I left home three years ago, and has since started my own family. I have a wonderful husband and a 2-year-old girl…
City and Colour Wows a Sold-Out House of Blues
City and Colour House of Blues January 19, 2016 I underestimated City and Colour. Nearly eight years ago, when Starbucks was giving out those Pick of the Week cards that provided customers with free downloadable songs, I heard a sweet yet sorrowful ballad called “The Girl.” I played it countless…
Raven Tower Opening Offers a First Glimpse of White Oak Music Hall
The grand opening of White Oak Music Hall, Pegstar’s mighty new live-music fortress going up now on White Oak Bayou, is still months away. But Houston got its first, tantalizing taste of how the new construction might alter its Near Northside neighborhood — for better and for worse — last…
DPS Director Blames Trooper in Sandra Bland Arrest, Denies Racial Profiling Exists
On Tuesday Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw sat down with Texas Tribune editor Evan “newsmaker” Smith to…well, make news. As for soon-to-be former DPS trooper Brian Encinia, who was recently indicted for perjury in the arrest of Sandra Bland in Waller County last summer, McCraw unequivocally blamed…
Tim Blake Nelson’s Anesthesia Assumes the Worst About Us All
In the opening shot of Tim Blake Nelson’s Anesthesia, the great character actor’s fifth and most ambitious film as a writer-director, the screen is suddenly filled with the face of an old man (Sam Waterston) crossing a New York street, fully alert and demanding to be seen. Walter is a…
How Transparent Gets Food and Heritage Right
The seventh episode of Transparent’s second season, now available on Amazon, takes place on Yom Kippur. The holiest day of the year in the Hebrew calendar, it’s a holiday on which Jews fast to symbolically atone for their sins. It’s also a significant occasion for Transparent, which, like the Pfefferman…
