Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao Meet for the First Time
We interrupt coverage from Super Bowl XLIX to give you a story on, of all things, boxing? Yes, boxing. With its lunch getting eaten by MMA and WWE (and, to a large extent, cannibalization of itself with its murky structure and shady perception), boxing doesn’t have a whole lot left…
Fred Eaglesmith’s Traveling Circus Hits the Mucky Duck
Fred Eaglesmith McGonigel’s Mucky Duck January 27, 2015 Nothing renews the faith in rock and roll like a Fred Eaglesmith show or a visit with the man himself. Just the sight of his beat-up Woodstock-ish, school-bus tour ride parked in front of the Mucky Duck is like seeing a big…
Reality Bites: Vanderbilt MDs
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Reality shows based on the various medical professions always end up concentrating on the actual work performed. This makes sense, as doctors, nurses, and EMTs and the like have jobs…
Slim Thug’s Guided Tour of His Hogg Life
Slim Thug is exceptionally tall. I am not exceptionally tall. I’m moderately below average height. The obvious had to be stated first. The complimentary statement behind that is Slim Thug backing into your foot when he’s overwhelmed with joy immediately renders you still. You have to smile next to Slim…
Why Do People Plead Guilty to Drug Crimes When They Don’t Have Drugs?
In its annual report released this week, the National Registry of Exonerations highlights a troubling oddity of the criminal justice system that’s become more visible in Harris County than perhaps anywhere else in the country: People convicted of drug crimes in cases where there’s no evidence of a controlled substance…
Nara Sushi & Korean Kitchen to Close This Saturday
Right on the heels of a closure announcement by the high profile Osteria Mazzantini last week, this week, we found out that another restaurant is set to close: Donald Chang’s Nara Sushi and Korean Kitchen in the West Ave complex in Upper Kirby will serve its last meal this coming…
Jérôme Bel and Cédric Andrieux Change the Choreographer-Dancer Relationship
Most dancers never have the opportunity to truly portray themselves onstage. Even the strikingly honest and vulnerable performers we know and adore are most often executing someone else’s vision–the choreographer. In Cedric Andrieux, Jerome Bel sets out to shake up the customary relationship between dancer and dance-maker through this solo…
Try These 5 Seriously Outrageous “Salads” in Houston
If your salad is topped with more than one kind of fried thing, loaded up with ranch and cheese, and is served with a piece of carb that is pretty much larger than the salad itself, it’s pretty safe to say you’re not reeeallyyy eating a salad. But that doesn’t…
Super Bowl XLIX: Media Day Recap
If you’re a sports media junkie, a diehard listener to sports talk radio or a rabid viewer of sports on television, Radio Row at the Super Bowl is like your Disney World. That’s how I felt the first time I traveled to the Super Bowl to cover the week leading…
“The Art of Celebration” Exhibit Explodes in Bright Colors
Bright, happy colors, complex themes, and a strong use of red are all evident in the current “The Art of Celebration” exhibit at Nicole Longnecker Gallery, which features artists from Houston’s Jewish Family Service’s Celebration Company, a program for adults with disabilities. The common theme of this exhibit is joyfulness,…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Chris Loftis of Number 13
Chef Chris Loftis is the executive chef at Number 13 Prime Steak & Seafood. It’s located off the northwest tip of Galveston Island, just as you’re coming in on I-45 South from Houston. The sunny back porch backs up to a harbor full of boats and the interior features a…
Breast Cancer Survivors Stomp the Runway at Houston Ladies Classic
Susan G Komen Houston and Sam Houston Race Park teamed up for the Houston Ladies Classic this past weekend. The night of racing and style didn’t just serve up entertainment, but also a runway full of inspiration…
John Halaka’s “Portraits of Denial & Desire” Tell a Palestinian Story
Activist artist John Halaka, of Palestinian descent, was born in Egypt and has roots in Houston; after graduating from the University of Houston he went on to teach at UH, North Harris County College, The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and The Glassell School of Art. His…
UPDATED: The Dine-In or Take-Out Guide for Super Bowl 2015 in Houston
Whether you’re looking for a place showing the Super Bowl or just want to grab food to take to a party, there are plenty of places ready to help. We’ve divided these up by area of town to help you find something close to your part of town. Downtown and…
Jockey Faces Criminal Charges for Shocking Horse at Sam Houston Race Park
A jockey is now facing criminal charges for allegedly fixing a race at Sam Houston Race Park. When Quiet Acceleration galloped to victory with jockey Roman Chapa aboard in the $50,000 Richard King Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on January 17, the photos showed a small man riding a…
A Recap of How Run the Jewels Got So Huge
If you had asked me who the hottest rappers in the game would be in 2015, I’d never have guessed two previously underground dudes like El-P and Killer Mike, aka Run the Jewels. Yet, here we are as the duo keeps exploding, making the covers of Marvel comic books and…
Five Brand-New Houston Acts on Bandcamp Worth Hearing
Anywhere from 250 to 1,000 new songs, mixes, EPs and albums are uploaded to Bandcamp every day. Investigate the tag “Houston” on the site alone, and the numbers are likewise staggering. With so many musicians from Hustletown attempting to plant their flag in the 713, discerning good from bad becomes…
J.J. Watt Appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Destroys Dude in Elmo Suit
The Pro Bowl is now over, and J.J. Watt was able to add more hardware to his showcase (and apparently, another truck to his garage), winning Defensive MVP honors, despite the vehement Twitter protests of Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes’ wife. Someday, we in Houston all hope that J.J. Watt won’t…
Dan Patrick Gathers His Very Own Tea Party
Never let it be said that newly anointed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick landed in office and forgot the so-far-to-the-right-they’re-practically-left people that helped him bag his lieutenant governor gig. Nope, not only has he not forgotten the Tea Party, he’s actually turned around and called the flock to him and picked…
Part 1 of Slim Thug’s HoggLife Hits the Big Screen Tonight
Some titles are self-appointed, and some that are earned. In Houston, nobody else has earned the right to be called “The Boss of All Bosses” more than Slim Thug. “Since ’98, I’ve been straight, started shinin’ out the gate, reppin’ that Nawf on tape!” he raps on the opening track…
Houston Symphony Announces Its 2015-16 Season & Plans a Trip Way South
In announcing its 2015-16 Season, the Houston Symphony says its Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada will take the orchestra to Colombia for its first performances in South America. Closer to home, POPS programming will feature Glee star Matthew Morrison; and the music of the Beatles, Carole King, Frank Sinatra, and John…
UPDATED Houston Community College Has a Unique Definition of “Insubordinate”
(See update at the end of this story) Let’s say you’ve just been named chancellor of one of the largest community college systems in the country and the college’s top lawyer reaches out to you. She tells you she wants to bring you up to speed on ongoing corruption investigations…
The Alley’s As You Like It Ditches the Trees for the Forest
Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd says he wouldn’t have thought of tackling Shakespeare’s As You Like It if he hadn’t known from the start who he was going to cast in the lead character role of Rosalind. That will be Alley Company actress Elizabeth Bunch by the way. “Rosalind…
Deflate-Gate: Investigation Closing in on Locker Room Attendant
Amidst all the denials by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, amidst all the bluster and anger Belichick displayed in his impromptu press conference on Saturday afternoon, and amidst his slew of science experiments that he allegedly performed privately to prove that indeed it was merely the Patriots’ normal process that…
At Aji Peruvian Café, Dining Is a Battle Between Expectations and Reality
Aji Peruvian Café is a bit of a conundrum. Just when you’re about to write the place off after a few deeply freezer-burned orders of empanadas, your waiter shows up with a glass of fresh mango juice so utterly brilliant that it takes your breath away. Bright and sunny, yet…
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe Doesn’t Work Anymore
It’s not often I pay attention to the music being played before a show begins. But as we shuffled into Stages Repertory Theatre ready to watch this latest incarnation of Jane Wagner’s hit show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, I couldn’t help noticing the selection…
Cloud Tectonics Beats Us About the Head With Its Magical Realism
Magic realism is a genre that takes time to get use to. Originating in Latin and South America between the two world wars, as literary historians believe, magic realism blends hyperreality with hyper-fantasy in a sort of Dairy Queen swirl. The mixing of kitchen-sink realism with flights of fancy can…
Murky Waters: Oystermen Battle Over the Future of Texas Oyster Reefs
Lisa Halili had to scream into the phone to get her old friend and longtime competitor in the Texas oyster industry, Mihael Ivic, to calm down enough so that she could understand what he was saying. “The Nelsons are stealing the bay!” Ivic yelled. Lisa’s stomach knotted and her hands…
This Week in Food Blogs: A Fried Chicken Roundup
Tag Sale Tastes wins the creativity prize for its pun-filled, divinely-inspired recipe for shepherd’s pie. That’s right: it’s inspired by a poster of the most famous Shepherd of all. Is it sacrilege or sagacity? Only you can decide. Either way, the end result is likely to be tasty…
Waiting for Johnny Depp Worth Hanging Around For
The set up: So it’s Beckett-like, but instead of Godot we’re Waiting for Johnny Depp, right? Um, no. While there certainly is lots of absurd behavior in this one woman musical about a struggling New York actress desperate to land a starring role in a Johnny Depp movie, an absurdist,…
More Signs of the Times: A Pipeline Company Merger and a Texas Manufacturing Slump
Despite some relentlessly sunny interpretations from Texas economists, it’s becoming increasingly clear that things aren’t exactly getting better in the oil industry. The latest sign of trouble comes in the form of yet another merger. This time it’s a couple of pipeline giants, Energy Transfer Partners and Regency Energy Partners…
Upcoming: Helmet, Jimmy Buffett, Mötley Crüe, Noel Gallagher, Rush, Sufjan Stevens, X, etc.
2 Bit Palomino & Libby Koch: Fri., February 13, 8 p.m., $15. Main Street Crossing, 111 E. Main, Tomball, 281-290-0431. Al Staehely: Thu., February 19, 7 p.m., $20 to $22. McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk, Houston, 713-528-5999. Alejandro Escovedo: Sat., February 7, 7 & 9:30 p.m., $30 to $33. McGonigel’s…
Downtown Houston: A Love Story Set to Music
Late last year, my day job moved its offices from Woodway to Downtown Houston. Even though it meant a 60-mile round-trip commute (no, I never get to work on time), I was excited to be leaving the sleepy boredom of Tanglewood for the thrill of life downtown. I couldn’t have…
In the Beginning There Was Genesis, and It Was Good
Genesis: Sum of the Parts Eagle Rock, 118 mins. $24.99 Blu-Ray/$14.98 DVD Originally shown on BBC Television, though not without controversy from one of its subjects (more on that later), Sum of the Parts is a comprehensive, detailed look at the story of Genesis: a 47-year journey of a band…
Outside the Loop, Tribute Bands Rule the Roost
Years before most music was made, performed and bought digitally, people would go out to see it live. There was a time when rock and roll ruled radio, not just in Houston but across the country as lines were drawn in the sand between 97 Rock and Rock 101 KLOL…
UPDATED Man Shoots, Kills Dog at Dog Park, Because…Texas
Read updated witness accounts at the end of the original story. Joseph Potts feared for his wife’s and dogs’ safety — as well as his own — when he emptied three rounds from a Glock 9-mm into a dog at a Clear Lake-area dog park January 25, according to a…
Ways to Check Out the Fancy Big Asteroid Tonight
An asteroid is swinging by Earth tonight and even though the massive flying rock (that’s a technical term) won’t be super visible to the naked eye, NASA has got you covered. The asteroid, known as 2004 BL86, is scheduled to fly by Earth and it should be closest to us…
Sundance: Meet Boyhood‘s Sad Sequel: Samuel Klemke’s Time Machine
Richard Linklater ended his feel-good Best Picture contender on a high. His star, eighteen-year-old would-be artist Mason, graduated high school and was ready to conquer the world. But what if Linklater had kept filming? And what if Mason wasn’t an actor, but a real teenage boy? Meet Samuel Klemke. He,…
HGO’s The Magic Flute: Features Mozart’s Beautiful Music and an Exotic Egyptian Quest
When Nicole Heaston, the daughter of a Chicago music teacher, was a child taking piano lessons she was, well, not very good. But her instructor urged her mother to listen to her daughter as Heaston sang along with her playing. In short order Heaston became a member of the Chicago…
Something for Everyone at Houston Record Convention
As I walked into the Houston Hilton Southwest to go to the first Houston Record Convention of the year, I saw a man walking beside me in an Iron Maiden shirt and a couple in matching Led Zeppelin shirts, leaving with a bag of records and excitedly talking about the…
Previewing Super Bowl Week: Five Storylines
The shelf life for any thought-to-be-salacious NFL storyline sort of evolves as follows: 1. Story gets broken by one of Adam Schefter (ESPN), Jay Glazer (FOX), Chris Mortensen (ESPN, correct 32.5 percent of the time), or Ian Rapoport (NFL Network) and tweeted out. (1a. Whoever doesn’t break the story tweets…
Stephen Daly’s “Drawings and Sculpture” Exhibit
Cryptic languages, hidden doors, secret passageways and escape hatches: expect to find this and more in Stephen Daly’s “Drawings and Sculpture” exhibit at Gremillion & Co. It is the modus operandi of this former professor of art (now Professor Emeritus, University of Texas) to challenge and lead the viewers into…
NFL Pro Bowl and WWE Royal Rumble Live in a Parallel Universe Sunday Night
It’s been a while since we football fans have been able to dial into some totally mindless television viewing on a Sunday night. Since before the start of football season, to be exact (although there are plenty of people out there who categorize Sunday Night Football as “mindless”). We’ve spent…
Big Oil’s Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Month
It’s been a rough go of it for the oil industry these days and it’s a safe bet things won’t be getting better anytime soon based on the first month of the year. People started looking worried back in June when the oil prices began to slip. After all, the…
Come & Take It Comedy Takeover Takes Over
The moment the Come & Take It Comedy Takeover proved it was serious business came near the end of local legend Andy Huggins’ set. “You’ve been hall of fame quality,” he said to the wall-to-wall audience in Warehouse Live’s Studio. That sentiment was echoed by many of the 50-plus comics…
6 Erotic Films Probably Better Than 50 Shades of Grey Will Be
In 2011, the erotic romance novel 50 Shades of Grey was released, quickly becoming a global phenomenon, selling millions of copies to an audience eager for sexy thrills and, in many cases, an introduction to the world of BDSM. I won’t lie. The success of that book and its sequels…
Dish of the Week: Arroz con Pollo
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a recipe for arroz con pollo. Literally meaning “rice with chicken,” arroz con pollo is a traditional Spanish dish that…
The Owls Are Tired of Rebuilding, They Want to Win Now
There’s a new attitude about Rice sports. It started with the baseball team several years ago. And it’s spreading with the football team. It’s no longer enough to be competitive. It’s no longer enough to get the moral victory. No more of the perpetual rebuilding process. Rice sports teams are…
UPDATED: This Week in Food Events: Top-Notch BBQ and Beer Before Game Time
Monday, January 26 Bon Vivant Houston This over-the-top dinner for charity means that a table of 10 guests at the Royal Sonesta gets their very own noteworthy Houston chef for a night. Here are just a few of the ones participating: Danny Trace from Brennan’s, Richard Knight of upcoming Hunky…
Ana Maria Martinez Soars in HGO’s Madame Butterfly
The set-up: The girl in the chrysanthemum kimono never stays too far away too long. Depicted through Puccini’s most rhapsodic melodies that use a subtle pentatonic framework for its swirling overlay of Japanesque atmosphere, Madame Butterfly, a universally beloved opera, is continually on the annual top-ten list of most performed…
The Suffers Celebrate New EP With Sold-Out Party
The Suffers Fitzgerald’s January 24, 2015 Saturday night at Fitzgerald’s was a celebratory event for the Suffers, the local soul band who has spent the last week promoting the release of their debut EP, Make Some Room. The band, who played a Red Bull Sound Select show at Warehouse Live…
Indie-Rappers Doomtree About to Break Out With “Final Boss”
In the Minneapolis hip-hop scene, Doomtree — a “collective” of local rappers and producers — is an institution; the rest of us are just catching up. Just by himself, member P.O.S. has made a name thanks to guest appearances with more famous indie-rappers like Astronautalis and B. Dolan, along with…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Fred Eaglesmith, Yonatan Gat, Cannibal Corpse, etc.
Fred Eaglesmith McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, January 27 Being 57 might seem a bit old to be out bouncing around in a bus with a handful of people half your age and staying up all night, but Canadian songster Fred Eaglesmith flips that on its back. “You know, at 35 when…
Texas’s New First Lady Is Heading Up a Pro-Life Rally. Because of Course She Is.
We admit we’ve been curious about what it would be like. While everybody and their dog could see that newly anointed Gov. Greg Abbott would essentially be like a grumpier Rick Perry with worse hair, things were really up in the air about our new first lady, Cecilia Abbott. What…
Rosenberg Police Release the Least Helpful Police Sketch of All Time
Last weekend in Rosenberg, a man in a mask robbed a father and daughter at gunpoint outside an apartment complex on Vista Drive. To help catch this criminal — who police say may have robbed some people at another Rosenberg apartment complex the very same day — police have released…
New York City Queens Enjoy Reintroducing Themselves
New York City Queens, one of Houston Press Artopia’s musical guests at Winter Street Studios Saturday night, make it a point to never make the same album twice. For the local indie-pop five-piece’s upcoming Glass House, front man John Stephens (who works full-time at Houston’s Studio713), made liberal use of…
Gary Kubiak Is Getting the Band Back Together, Hires Bill Kollar Away From the Texans
When Gary Kubiak accepted the offer from the Baltimore Ravens to be their offensive coordinator for the 2014 season (and possibly beyond), in the back of his mind, I’m sure one of the key reasons was to rebuild his coaching image that was left at the bottom of a football…
John Doe Makes It Easy to Root for the Underdog
John Doe, Jesse Dayton McGonigel’s Mucky Duck January 22, 2015 With his rich baritone quiver and chiseled American looks, John Doe has been an uber-indie songwriter who survived the swells of his bands X and Knitters while honing a singular style all his own. As co-helmsman and titanic presence in…
Houston Record Convention Returns to Bull Vinyl Market
At this point, the struggles that the record industry have been facing are well documented. Physical album sales are on the decline, and overall album sales fell 9% in 2014. Even digital album sales decreased at a similar rate over the course of last year, due in most part to…
Machine Head Powers Through 20 Years of Metal at Fitz
Machine Head Fitzgerald’s January 22, 2015 The line stretching around the block outside of Fitzgerald’s on Thursday night was the kind that makes you wonder how the heck everyone is going to fit into the creaky, old place. It was a truly intimidating mass of people, shivering in black, and…
New Logo, New Charity, the Face of Fashion Houston Is Changing
Fashion Houston rolled out a redesigned logo and a new charity this week. Newly minted partner Vivian Wise hinted at the addition of a charitable component late last year, and this what we now know…..
Five WWE Title Matches That Were Bigger Travesties Than Deflate-Gate
Well, now we know. Or we can guess, at least. Despite vehement denials from both to the contrary, it seems to be generally assumed by most of the sorts watching public that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were both fully aware of, if not the impetus for, the deflation of…
Trey Egan Channels Emotion and Frustration in His “Signal Chamber” Exhibit
Action painter Trey Egan channels personal emotion and the pain of creative or financial frustrations, amplified by super loud electronic music, to produce multi-layered oil paintings of non-objective physicality in his “Signal Chamber” exhibit at McMurtrey Gallery. Egan has an uncanny ability to portray depth, with his layering process of…
Want to Help a Dog Who Had Half His Face Chopped Off? [Warning: Graphic Image]
So it looks like some asshole hacked off half of a dog’s face, and that dog is still alive and could use your help. Local rescue group ADORE Houston took custody of the dog Wednesday, after he was spotted in a landfill by Highway 288 and Almeda-Genoa Road, ADORE founder…
Pizza Is Good, Calzones Are Better at La Fresca Pizza
There is a paucity of restaurants in Houston that serve calzones and even fewer establishments offer versions that match the quality of those found in Italian-American hubs along the east coast. La Fresca Pizza is among these few, these happy few, and they have two locations. So, give thanks if…
Super Bowl Bye Week: This Weekend’s Best Bets
In radio, when we randomly want to tell you about something coming up on the show later that day or later that week, we will interject with the phrase “programming note” and then convey the message to you. So consider this paragraph the written version of a “programming note” –…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: A Texas Spirits Showdown
Final Nights of Galveston Restaurant Week @ Galveston Friday and Saturday This is your last weekend to enjoy special prix-fixe menus at 35 of Galveston’s most delectable restaurants. We love Farley Girls Cafe, Number 13 and Porch Cafe, to name a few. Texas Spirits Throwdown @ Harold’s Restaurant & Bar…
Zombies Are Popular; Is the Genre Peaking?
I’ve often written about my decades-long love affair with zombie films and how the usually hyper-violent subgenre of horror movies has in recent years been experiencing a puzzling (to me) acceptance by a much larger and more mainstream audience than ever before. Hardcore horror fans tend to be very protective…
Baker Botts Snitched on a Potential TCEQ Whistleblower
On April 30, 2014, Kent Langerlan used his personal Gmail account to email an attorney with the Houston-based law firm Baker Botts, saying he might have information to blow the whistle on his employer, the Texas Commission on Environmental quality. An investigator with the agency, Langerlan told a Baker Botts…
Elton John’s Music Paired With the Alberta Ballet = Love Lies Bleeding
Pair the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin with ballet and what do you have? Believe it or not a show that has traveled to considerable acclaim from its home in Canada. As part of the Houston Ballet’s The Cullen Series, Love Lies Bleeding is headed for the Wortham…
Upcoming Events: Hurricanes, Green Eggs and a Whiskey Dinner
On Tuesday, January 27 at 6:30 p.m., Brennan’s of Houston will welcome esteemed vineyard manager and owner Jim Barbour of Napa Valley’s Barbour Vineyards for an exclusive five-course wine-paired dinner ($255 per person). Enjoy Barbour selections from winemaker Celia Welch alongside lobster and caviar soufflé, sorghum roasted duck, and more…
Dallas Trolls Say Their Hip-Hop Is Better Than Houston’s
Oh, Dallas. I respect you as a city, your hold on your (deceased) J.R. Ewing and Dallas Cowboys — Dez Caught It! — and rather unique flair for being the bourgeois, snooty brother in that Texas music trinity Houston shares with that hippie we all visit once a goddamn year…
5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Madame Butterfly, Artopia 2015 and More
The original Madame Butterfly was a two-act disaster that premiered in 1904. Composer Giacomo Puccini hauled it back in and rewrote extensively in time for another try later that year, and in the two years that followed, after another few revisions, came up with the three-hanky classic that audiences have…
Openings & Closings: No More False Alarms for Osteria Mazzantini
Things took a decidedly odd turn when Osteria Mazzantini at 2200 Post Oak announced last July that it was closing. Just days later, it announced it is was not closing after all. Chef John Sheely planned to sign over the space last July to chef Bruce Molzan and the Ruggles…
Dear CBS, Can You Please Dump Jim Nantz And Phil Simms Already?
Dear CBS, please, no more Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on NFL broadcasts.Early in the first quarter of Sunday’s thrashing of the Colts by the Patriots, Tom Brady hit Julian Edelman for a short pass on the left sideline. Edelman was just short of the first down, and a discussion…
Houston’s 10 Best Open Stages
10. TE’ HOUSE OF TEA Open-mike happens at Te’ House of Tea every Monday from 7:30 to 11 p.m.; some customers come out specifically to watch while others who have ventured out to grab some tea stumble upon it. You will often see some interesting instruments brought in by the…
Leon’s Will Never Shut Down, Vows Building’s Owner
This week’s tide of obituaries for Leon’s Lounge may have been a little premature. The historic Midtown watering hole may be changing hands with no love lost between its landlord and outgoing tenant, but the owner of the building at 1006 McGowen says she absolutely plans to find a new…
The 10 Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Lera Lynn, Metacrisis, Artopia, The Suffers, etc.
Lera Lynn McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, January 23 Suggesting both Norah Jones and Gillian Welch, Lera Lynn’s music is rootsy and refined, homespun without pouring on the twang. The young Nashville-based singer-songwriter — who was actually born in Houston and grew up in Georgia — stirred up lots of “one to…
The Everyday Hazards of Life in Houston
One of the most widely-understood gripes about this city is the deplorable condition of our streets. Those of us who drive (and since we’re dealing with Houston-level public transit here, that’s most) swerve to avoid craters like this every day…
Bill Belichick Speaks on Deflate-Gate: “I Had No Knowledge Whatsoever”
The standards for punishments established around the sports world over the past several years appear to be very clear. There is a distinct pecking order when it comes to most transgressions — breaking the rules is bad, but lying about breaking the rules is worse. We saw it with the…
County Attorney Sues to Shut Down Another After-Hours Club
Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan filed a lawsuit this week to shut down another after-hours club on Houston’s far north side, continuing his crusade against bars and clubs he claims are a nuisance and magnets for violent crime. The county aims to shutter Club Eclipse on FM 1960, which grabbed…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Mary Bass of Haak Vineyards & Winery
When we left off in Part One of our chat with chef Mary Bass of Haak Vineyards, she’d recently gone back to being a stay-at-home mom after closing a very successful bakery. Haak Vineyards asked Bass to come evaluate the kitchen staff after their previous chef left and Bass warned…
Kipper Club Test Kitchen to Host Pop-Up Dinner With Guest Chef Michael Gulotta of MoPho in New Orleans
Thanks to Kipper Club Test Kitchen, tomorrow evening, Houstonians will have the chance to experience the cuisine that earned Michael Gulotta’s MoPho in New Orleans a nod as one of the 50 Best New Restaurants in the United States by Bon Appetit magazine. For those not familiar with MoPho, the…
New England Patriots Deflate-Gate Spawns Cialis Parody Commercial (w/ VIDEO)
They say that comedy equals tragedy plus time, and while events like the New England Patriots’ opting to (allegedly) deflate footballs before the AFC Championship Game hardly qualify as actual tragedy, people do take their football, and in turn this topic, quite seriously. So we go through the normal stages…
UPDATED HCC Wants to Seal Records in Lawsuit Claiming Trustees Treated Bond Money Like a “Private Slush Fund”
In the ongoing legal fight against its former top lawyer, Houston Community College yesterday filed a motion to seal court records that it claims fall under attorney-client privilege. If successful, the move would likely allow one of the nation’s largest publicly-funded community college systems to shield certain internal emails, memos…
Four Videos That Will Make You Feel Bad About Your Video Game Skills
Few things in life are quite as satisfying as beating a video game. That rush of excitement is the reward for time spent, controllers broken and responsibilities neglected. It is a triumph, one to be savored for as long as it takes you to move on to the next game…
Recipe: Classic Neiman Marcus Chicken Salad*
*Salads, technically, as there seem to be multiple versions tagged the “classic.” Having foolishly committed myself to completing every recipe in this Neiman Marcus cookbook in a gesture of New Year’s ambition, I decided to focus first on those considered to be the “favorite” Neiman Marcus dishes. This completely updated…
Mid-Main Clubs Stand Tall Despite Construction Woes
Parking issues have always plagued Midtown, especially on weekends, which is why it was an especially pleasant surprise to pull onto Travis Street and see a couple getting into their car just after 9 p.m. this past Friday. Once we had secured the spot, a few friends and I walked…
Further Evidence that Ted Cruz Is Actually a Performance Art Project
For quite some time, we’ve wondered whether there might be more to Ted Cruz than meets the eye. And by that, we don’t mean that there might be some sort of reasonable ideology hiding behind the theatrics of Cruz’s napalm-the-jungle style of politics. What we mean is, who is Ted…
MasterMinds 2014 Revisited: Chuy Benitez
It’s been a very good year for photographer Chuy Benitez. He used part of his MasterMind Award cash prize to cover the cost of preparing and shipping photographs from his Cultura series to New York for the Bronx Documentary Center’s “Miradas: Contemporary Mexican Photographers” exhibit. His work in that show,…
This Week in Food Blogs: A Halal Blog in Houston
Did you know there’s a blog that focuses on halal food in the Houston area? It’s called “Zain’s Halal Reviews.” Zain is a college student and his current post is about Zato Thai & Sushi at 421 Sawdust in The Woodlands. He gives it high marks for speedy service, but…
10 Best Places to See a Movie in Houston That Aren’t a Movie Theater
This past weekend I toddled the family off down to the local AMC multiplex to see Paddington (Side note: AMC Willowbrook has free soda refills now!). We’re a big moviegoer family. My wife and I met at a movie theater and named our daughter for a friend we met at…
Where to Eat on Valentine’s Day 2015 in Houston
Love is in the air — because Cupid’s favorite holiday is right around the corner! Whether you’re looking for a date night that’s cute and sweet or an evening full of champagne and over-the-top romance, we’ve got the lowdown on the city’s best dining deals happening Valentine’s Day (and Valentine’s…
Houston Rockets Valued By Forbes At Over 1.2 Billion Dollars
In 2015, there is at least one immutable certainty in the sports business world — if you’re an NBA owner, business is good. Less than four years ago, as the NBA was going through a summer of lockout and months of arduous negotiations hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement,…
Marky Ramone Gabba Gabbas Away in New Memoir
In his Band of Bruddahs, Marky Ramone’s primary role was that of drummer, the pounding heartbeat and engine of so many of the legendary punk-rock group’s numbers. But over many years in meetings, rehearsals, recording studios, concert stages and countless miles on the road in their trustworthy van, he also…
FLCON FCKER Is Houston’s Ultimate Collaborator
Every movement requires a central figure to converge like-minded individuals willing to take risks and set out on adventures that may never yield any rewards. Enter FLCON FCKER. He composes and performs electronic music, but he is not a musician. He constructs intricately sophisticated visual backdrops for musicians, but he…
“Prematurely Discarded: Photographs by Chuck Ramirez”
A weathered broom leaning against a wall, an empty soda cup on the ground, a vase of slightly aged flowers. Rarely do we expect those objects to look back at us. Part pensive vanitas, part ready-made portraits, Chuck Ramirez’s photographs of mundane objects are rendered with the respect and attention…
If Mortdecai Had a Time Machine, It Could Be 1965’s Top Comedy
Mortdecai is creeping into theaters with the flushed shame of a debutante who expects to be pelted with tomatoes. It’s a pity. In 1965, Mortdecai would be the hit of the year. Director David Koepp whips through this pop-colored caper about crooked art dealer Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) — one…
A Year to Forget
The world needs fewer tasteful movies about distasteful things. It definitely doesn’t need J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year, in which Oscar Isaac plays a nouveau-riche heating-oil baron in early-1980s New York, striving to maintain his principles amid industry corruption and generally scummy behavior. Isaac’s Abel Morales skulks through most…
Amadeus Leopold
Violinist Amadéus Leopold isn’t what you could call an ordinary-looking classical musician. Portraits often show him wearing a tuxedo and holding his violin (nothing unusual there). It’s his tall Mohawk, heavy eye shadow, sunglasses and an assortment of steampunk-style accents that veer from the usual symphony member look. Leopold says…
Come and Take It Comedy Tour
The Come and Take It Comedy Takeover is a massive two-day event featuring 30 comedy acts, burlesque, live podcasts and more. Presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon, the show will commandeer the Warehouse Live space all weekend long. Headliners include Saturday Night Live alumnus Norm MacDonald, The Whitest Kids U’ Know,…
35th Annual Dance Month
This year marks the 35th annual Dance Month at the Jewish Community Center. This colorful event brings together prominent teachers, choreographers and performers. One of the high points of Dance Month is Four + Four, Celebration of Dance Concert, which features eight dynamic companies split between two nights (January 24…
My Girl Is Just Too Damn Tall. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! MY HUSBAND DOESN’T EVER WANT TO DO ANYTHING Dear Willie D: I’m experiencing a case of…
Mozart: Abduction from the Seraglio
Mozart’s comic The Abduction from the Seraglio, an opera in concert by the Houston Symphony, follows Belmonte (tenor Paul Appleby) as he tries to rescue his beloved Konstanze (soprano Lauren Snouffer) from a harem. There are lots of twists and turns, but in the end love wins out (no, that’s…
Hotel Volkswagen
Mildred’s Umbrella Theatre Company unveils a Texas premiere this month with a staged reading of Jón Gnarr’s Hotel Volkswagen. The quirky story of a father and son who, after encountering car trouble, check into the hotel and spend some time with its unusual guests, the comedy features many characters who…
Karen Russell
NPR called novelist Karen Russell “arguably our greatest fantasist writing serious fiction today,” while People magazine said, “Karen Russell is a storyteller with a voice like no other.” In case you think all that’s just PR hype, you might want to note that Russell was a finalist for the 2012…
War: What is it Good For?
Most news stories of war show only the tip of the iceberg as to the devastating effects of war, both on and off the battleground. Mark Buller’s War, What is it Good For? wants to show us what’s beneath the surface by combining music with war poetry. Buller selected texts…
Waiting for Johnny Depp
She’s an actress who’s trying desperately to land what she sees as the role of a lifetime — to star in a film with a famous actor. Brooke Wilson stars as New York actress Rita Donatella in the world premiere of Waiting for Johnny Depp, a one-woman musical about someone…
Cloud Tectonics
Anibal de la Luna is a regular kind of guy who’s moved to Los Angeles in part to leave his Puerto Rican culture behind. On a rainy night he meets up with a pregnant hitchhiker, Celestina del Sol, who claims to be 54 (but looks much younger) and who says…
Madame Butterfly
The original Madame Butterfly was a two-act disaster that premiered in 1904. Composer Giacomo Puccini hauled it back in and rewrote extensively in time for another try later that year, and in the two years that followed, after another few revisions, came up with the three-hanky classic that audiences have…
Phil Collins’s No Jacket Required Is Still a Masterpiece
“Do you like Phil Collins?” To many young fans, Patrick Bateman expounding on the artistic genius of Phil Collins in the film American Psycho is their primary reference point for America’s unlikeliest pop star. However, he initially exploded onto the scene about this time 30 years ago with his album…
Jennifer Aniston Grieves, but Cake‘s Script Lets Her Down
Each year, screenwriters kill off enough offscreen children to fill a Chuck E. Cheese’s. A dead son or daughter gives a movie the illusion of depth plus an easy explanation for whatever the script ladles on the surviving parents. Binge-drinking? Nymphomania? Sudden bouts of breakdancing? Blame the wee coffin. In…
Capsule Stage Reviews: January 22, 2015
Frost/Nixon There’s an emotion rushing through Company OnStage’s bumpy production of Peter Morgan’s quasi-historical Frost/Nixon that is, if not unintentional, quite unexpected — sympathy for Richard Milhous Nixon, our disgraced, Machiavellian 37th President. High crimes and misdemeanors, including burglary, hush money for witnesses, suborning perjury, willfully disregarding subpoenas, wiretapping the…
Capsule Art Reviews: January 22, 2015
“Conversations from the Satellites” There is an argument that the qualities attributed to schizophrenia — among them the inability to filter out irrelevant information — may be beneficial for creativity, allowing the individual to see connections others may not notice. J. Todd Allison, drawing inspiration from his father’s struggle with…
Cream of the Crop and Regional Rivals
Dear Mexican, I have a hard time believing that the immigrants we see at Home Depot are the best Mexico has to offer. Why can’t we entice more of the cream of the crop of Mexicans to come up north? (Mexico has the richest man in the world, so someone…
Boy Meets Girl Meets Pistol in Overfamiliar Son of a Gun
It’s been 50 years since Jean-Luc Godard said that all a film needs is a girl and a gun. Bet he wishes he could take that back. In the last half-century, there have been countless movies about babes and bullets. Some were great, many were awful and the vast majority…
Jennifer Lopez’s The Boy Next Door Is as Nuts as You Hope It Is
The most pleasurably ludicrous highlight of The Boy Next Door comes half an hour in, before the sex and murders and something’s-in-the-mirror-behind-her! jolts that stud the film like Flavor Crystals. The high school English teacher played by Jennifer Lopez is dazzled by a gift from the handsome student (Ryan Guzman)…
