“Displaced Persons: Photographs by Clemens Kalischer”
The first image you see in the exhibit “Displaced Persons: Photographs by Clemens Kalischer” is reminiscent of the famous photograph V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt, which shows a spontaneous kiss between a sailor and a nurse in Times Square as the crowd celebrates the end of World…
Sex Please, We’re Sixty
Sex-crazed cougars are yesterday’s news. Now there are grandmas gone wild in the modern little farce Sex Please, We’re Sixty. This fluffy comedy by Michael and Susan Parker takes place at Mrs. Stancliffe’s Rose Cottage Bed & Breakfast, a sweet little inn that seems to attract an inordinate amount of…
“Perspectives 173: Clifford Owens”
Viewers might have some difficulty finding labels for the work they’ll see in “Perspectives 173: Clifford Owens.” That’s because the performance artist and photographer purposefully blurs the lines between creating his art and his documenting of it, between his audience and his co-creators. He sometimes photographs his completed work, with…
Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West LIVE
American soprano Deborah Voigt appears as Minnie, the sultry, pistol-packing saloon keeper in the Metropolitan Opera’s big-screen broadcast Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West LIVE. Set in a California mining town in the 1850s, the story of The Girl from the West follows Minnie as she deals with card sharks, Mexican…
West Side Story
The mega-musical West Side Story has come roaring into the modern era in the form of a huge 2010 revival hit on Broadway. Earlier this month, the show departed the Great White Way, and it’s now headed to Houston, with little changed from the 1957 classic by Leonard Bernstein and…
Some Good Metro News: Light Rail Will Be Working This Weekend!
Hey, here’s some good news for a change from Metro: the light rail system will be working this weekend! Hey, you take your good news any way you can these days. All of you saying, “Shouldn’t a light rail system be designed to work on a weekend?” are forgetting the…
Cracker’s David Lowery: The Tea Party Ain’t Gonna Suck Itself
Anyone who bought Cracker’s most recent release, Sunrise In the Land of Milk and Honey, knows Camper Van Beethoven mastermind and Cracker front man David Lowery can get political and do it in interesting, ironic, sarcastic, skewed ways. For example, take a listen to his song “Take the Skinheads Bowling.”…
Thomas Benjamin Wright: East Texas Cop’s Fateful Econo Lodge Breakfast
In the predawn hours of Wednesday morning, 34-year-old Thomas Benjamin Wright was indisputably a long way from home, apparently very hungry and allegedly drunk off his ass. And then the Pineland cop and Porter resident embarked on several bad ideas in a row. Bad Idea #1: At 4:30 a.m., he…
Comments of the Day
Our own Jason Kerr got some praise today for his Zilla Street Eats food truck. Commenter Nate pointed out some things Jason’s doing well: Their mac and cheese is really, really, really good. The fries are the best in Houston, especially with the “secret sauce”. And using fresh, hot jalapenos…
Health Dept. Roundup
The health department slapped a few familiar names with code violations this week. From the city’s website: Things got so bad at the Midtown Which Wich (510 Gray) that inspectors temporarily closed the place. “Potentially hazardous” food was not held at the correct temperature; food was being stored in unclean…
Happy Birthday, Rush Limbaugh: Ten Great Moments to Remember Him By
Happy 60th birthday to the man who helped birth modern right-wing talk radio in the late ’80s, and made the world safe for the dozens of like-minded and ratings-hungry guys who would follow in his footsteps, stomping on the face of liberal AM radio forever, or at least consistently beating…
The 31 Best Music Documentaries Of All Time
Hands down, above all of these following music documentaries, Craig’s Hlist’s two favorite of all-time are The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years, and The Beatles Anthology. We can watch both on repeat for days and not complain. That will probably all change once we see Lemmy,…
UH Wins Gowalla Challenge, $10K
Gowalla is the Avis to Foursquare’s Hertz when it comes to apps that tell everyone where you are, because Lord knows everyone needs to know that. In a bid for publicity, they had a contest to see which college could drum up the most check-ins during a given time period…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Philippe Schmit of Philippe Restaurant + Lounge
Very soon, masses of curious and hungry Houstonians will get what they’ve been patiently waiting for. Next week, Philippe Schmit will unveil his debut restaurant, Philippe Restaurant + Lounge, in the Galleria area after two-and-a-half years of meticulous planning. Philippe, otherwise known as the French Cowboy, spoke with the Houston…
AP Has ‘Hope’ Shepard Fairey Settlement Will Turn A Profit
The Associated Press and Shepard “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” Fairey have reached a settlement in the now two-years-long case over the AP photo of Barack Obama that Fairey appropriated to create his now iconic “Hope” image. The AP issued a press release today stating: In settling the lawsuit,…
A Thousand Cranes: Philosophical, Confessional And Loud
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Before you get into this, you should know…
Stephen Jabbour, Mark Tilford: Kiddie Porn Cases Face Two Prominent South Texas Lawyers
What is going on with these prominent, middle-aged lawyers in the Texas Coastal Bend and their kiddie porn? Just last week, one got sentenced to federal prison, and it seems another is likely to follow. Last Friday, 57-year-old Stephen Jabbour, the former chairman of the Victoria County Democratic Party, pleaded…
The Burger Behind Burger Park
Burger Park — a humble, low-slung burger joint on MLK that can appear abandoned on quiet days — turns out anywhere from 400 to 500 burgers a day. One needs only to go to Burger Park around dinner time, before it closes at 7:30 p.m., to see the building spring…
Making the Arts Safe: More Works That Need Censoring
As many of you probably already know, Alabama publisher NewSouth Inc. plans to release censored versions of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, replacing the words “nigger” and “Injun” with “slave” and “Indian,” respectively. They’re doing this because, as we all know, ideas,…
Rating Consumer Reports Top Ranked Frozen Pizzas
Recently, Consumer Reports asked the question, “Can a frozen pizza truly satisfy anyone other than discriminating kids? In other words, you?” The answer: Yes. Among the findings, published in the January 2011 issue, “…most pies in our ratings were very good–as good or better than the Domino’s hand-tossed cheese pizzas…
Houston Not a Gay City, Gay Magazine Declares
The Advocate, the leading national GLBT magazine, has issued a proclamation outlining the 15 gayest cities in America. Houston isn’t one of them. Yeah, yeah: lesbian mayor, Montrose, huge Pride Parade — counts for nothing, apparently. Cities that are gayer than Houston? Pittsburgh. St. Louis. Oakland. Who knew?…
San Antonio Director Taps Houston Rappers For Powderkids
San Antonio independent film director Buddy Calvo of Machina Cinema is all about his city. He films movies in his city and uses local city talent to make those movies, but when it comes to his flicks’ soundtracks … let’s just say they couldn’t be any more Houston. Such was…
Gaga for Pho Ga (and GIFs)
Last year, I wrote about becoming acquainted with pho ga — chicken pho — at Pho Ga Dakao. I liked the place so much that, whaddya know, I went ahead and gave it a proper review. You can read all about in this week’s print edition, including the free-range chickens…
South Park’s Burger Park: Still Standing
It’s uncharitable for certain, but South Park reminds me of nothing so much as a demilitarized zone or some postapocalyptic landscape wrought in a Houston setting. The neighborhood, which began as a bucolic, blue-collar suburb in the postwar 1950s, nearly cannibalized itself in the 1980s and 1990s as vicious waves…
Top 10 Musician Movie Cameos
Over recent years, Rocks Off has been repeatedly surprised by the quality performances of musicians in films. Naturally, there are some duds in the mix; even Mick Jagger himself, who starred in 1970’s Ned Kelly, disowned the film by not promoting it or even attending its premiere. But many high-profile…
The Chocolate Bar’s Chocolatta
It’s hard to explain how far The Chocolate Bar’s frozen hot chocolate, the Chocolatta, exceeded my expectations. I could use words like “rich,” “decadent,” “sinful,” and still, you’d have no idea what the experience was like. And there are no pictures that could make your mouth water and your brain…
Tom Green Does Everything On Purpose
For those of us in our late 30s just beginning to wrestle with the privacy settings on our Facebook pages, we have an unlikely trailblazer, and it’s Tom Green. Like us, he grew up in a world where answering machines and Atari consoles counted for high technology, but he’s spent…
City Council Adopts Ethics Code Supposedly Among Toughest in the Country
City Council has passed a loophole-closing revision to its ethics code that City Attorney Dave Feldman said is “the strongest ethics ordinance [of] any city in the country.” Lawyers will no longer be able to avoid registering as lobbyists unless they are performing services only an attorney can provide, as…
Is Rap Bad For Your Mental Health?
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place – lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good – so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted…
Zilla Street Eats
In the past, when occasional Eating Our Words blogger Jason Kerr wasn’t dishing up fine French cuisine at Café Rabelais, he was hanging out with his BFF Anthony Bourdain at Jones Hall. Well, now he has a new way to keep himself occupied at night – running a food truck…
The MFAH Launches New Website Design
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s new website is out in beta version, and they want to know what you think of it. The museum has taken to Facebook and Twitter to solicit comments on its brand new site, developed by Mouth Watering Media with a graphic design assist from…
Death Penalty Hearing: Judge Kevin Fine Gets Slapped Down By Appeals Court
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has permanently shut down district judge Kevin Fine’s quixotic and headline-grabbing effort to examine the constitutionality of how Texas applies the death penalty. In an order issued this morning, the CCA says Fine had no business conducting hearings into whether the state has executed…
Top 10 Self-Titled Debut Albums
It wasn’t until we were discussing its release this week that Rocks Off realized we’re basically the same age as Led Zeppelin’s debut album. Recorded in October 1968 and released the following January, Led Zeppelin is 42 years old. It suffers from some of the same ailments as all of…
Richard Johnson: Parents Sue Over Texas’ Handling of His Health Care
Parents of a mentally handicapped man with cerebral palsy are suing Texas for cutting him from state-funded health care because he has turned 21. Richard Johnson requires 24-hour care and taking away his state-funded nursing care would create “an extreme risk of death,” according to the lawsuit filed by his…
Blue Plate Specials at Haven
I was recently willing to brave the nightmare of construction at Kirby and 59 because I was told that Haven has daily lunch specials that are truly amazing. I was already fond of Haven’s inventive salads, free-range deviled eggs, and insanely good desserts (hello, chocolate icebox pie), so I decided…
It’s Time To Let Go Of The ’90s
No one knows when the pandemic first struck. But at some point, every hip-hop head caught the Nineties Adoration Syndrome (N.A.S.). N.A.S. is characterized by intense feelings of nostalgia, hostility toward modern music, and an affinity for chest-high acid-washed jeans. In severe cases, N.A.S. has been known to cause the…
Mick Karn: Fretless Sculptor
Bassist John Taylor of Duran Duran describes fretless bassist Mick Karn as “one of the great visual and sound stylists of the late-70s/early-80s.” It’s safe to say that without the British band Japan, featuring David Sylvian on vocals, Steve Jansen on drums, Richard Barbieri on keyboards, and Mick Karn on…
Top 5 Stinkers
Maybe you’re one of those people known for having offensive breath. Along with coffee, garlic, onions and tuna fish, these five foods may just be the culprits. 5. Chili Cheese Fritos How’s a breath that smells like the armpits of a thousand construction workers sound? I curse the day this…
BCS Title Game — God Is Apparently an Auburn Fan
“It’s just a God thing. You know I thank God every single day. I’m just his instrument and he’s using me on a consistent basis daily. You know he’s using me to extend his word. And I’m a prime example of how God can turn something bad into something very…
Video: Casey Spooner’s Erotic “Spanish Teenager” (NSFW)
Fischerspooner fans have been eagerly awaiting the debut video for Casey Spooner’s single “Spanish Teenager” off his solo album Adult Contemporary. The video is directed by photographer Luke Gilford, whose work at the MoMA inspired the band to create this ethereal video. It debuted yesterday! Check out the NSFW video…
Director Wilson Milam on God of Carnage, a Story With Teeth
Art Attack e-mailed a list of questions the other day to Wilson Milam, the very busy director of God of Carnage. Apparently he chose to discard one section – questions asking about whether he’d been in any fights himself as a child – or they fell off the cart along…
Comment of the Day: The Chron And HISD in Bed
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
30 Seconds With The 71s’ Keeton Coffman
Rocks Off sat down with Keeton Coffman, lead singer of The 71s, to see what we good learn about the man we once called “God’s punk-ass kid” in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Keeton Coffman: Not sure – I just hope it’s not…
The Ten Worst Houston Neighborhoods for Aggravated Assault
Aggravated assault is no fun to endure; it’s bad enough being assaulted and all, and then you throw in the aggravating part. If you wish to avoid it, you might consider staying away from these 10 neghborhoods, the ones with the most agg assaults in November, the most recent stats…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. The Mighty Rib: As we mentioned on Monday, the Food Network visited…
Houston Rabbi’s STD iPhone App Sure to Liven Up Seders
A bunch of Jewish chicks from Houston don’t want you to get an STD.Houston rabbi Amy Weiss, along with her Initiative for Jewish Women, has created the LoveSmarts iPhone app, which might be the only app with a Space Invaders-style game where you zap the clap. (You also use a…
Cue The Outrage: Eighth-Grader Suspended for Wearing Rosary
Is there no place left in Obama’s America for a Christian to practice his or her religion?!?! KHOU has the story of a Fort Bend ISD eighth-grader who has been suspended because she wore a rosary to school. A, ummm, rosary to honor her late, great Catholic grandmother. Awkward, FBISD!!!…
CEP and Robert Kimball Settle Lawsuit
We’ll never know if Community Education Partners would have been able to prove its contention in court that its chief critic, civic activist Robert Kimball, really was responsible for damaging its business in the Houston ISD and elsewhere in the state. That’s because after years of wrangling, the two sides…
Comment of the Day: Slap the Bag
In the comments section for Amber Ambrose’s Wine of the Week entry, Wine-o pointed out a possible use for the boxed wine called Seven: Looks like I’ve got another contender for a good game of slap the bag… Don’t know this game? Neither did we. But Urban Dictionary does: Slap…
H.L. Patton, Candidate Spurned
A great electoral miscarriage has been brought to light by the tireless digging of the Montgomery County Police Reporter. That Web site has dug through newspaper archives and found the campaign ad of one H.L. Patton, a man who likes his drink, seeking the position of constable in Precinct 4…
Ingredient of the Week: Rolled Wheat Flakes
What is it? I’m a whole grain freak. There’s almost always a loaf of whole wheat bread sitting on my counter, a package of rolled oats in the pantry and whole wheat pasta just around the corner. So when I came across some rolled wheat flakes, naturally, I had to…
A Mirror-Ball-and-Chain: Top 10 Dancing with the Stars Rap Sheets
Since its first season in the summer of 2005, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars has been an arena for troubled celebrities to ass-clown themselves back into America’s heart. And not just the troubled–also the shamed (David Hasselhoff), the forgotten (Jennifer Grey), the absurd (Bristol Palin) and the elderly (Buzz Aldrin)…
Houston’s Black Tea Party: The Tidal Wave Begins
Crispus Attucks, the namesakeIt took a while, but the spirit of Crispus Attucks — the first casualty of the Boston Massacre, who happened to be black — has finally worked its way into the Tea Party: Founded by über-conservative pundit and apparent uppercase “C” fan, Anita MonCrief, Houston’s Crispus Attucks Tea…
Jackfruit and Blood Stew: Breakfast of Champions
I knew I was going to like this place when I walked inside the H-E-B at Bellaire and Highway 6 and saw a cardboard cut-out of Miss Piggy advertising fresh chicharrones outside Wok n Roll (14498 Bellaire), the Filipino breakfast joint just inside the grocery store’s main entrance. Meeting my…
We Hold Britney Spears Against Us For Four Minutes
Bellamy Bros. may hold new single against her a good deal longer… Britney Spears’ new single, “Hold It Against Me,” leaked yesterday and was officially released earlier today. As of this moment, it’s blowing up the charts at iTunes and radio. The song sounds as if she walked out of…
sIngs, LIMB Seeking Stolen Gear, Anonymous Tipster
Rocks Off has been experimenting with ways of getting songs to load automatically whenever someone clicks on our page for some time now. We’re still a ways off, but right now would be a good time to cue up the theme from The Twilight Zone. Monday, Rocks Off got an…
Hard Freeze Tonight: The Only Tips You Will Ever Need (As Long As It Stays Warm)
There are hard-freeze warnings for tonight in the Houston area. That means Houston must brace itself for an overwhelming barrage of tips on how to deal with temperatures in the 20s, or maybe the very low 30s. There are tips like the first one on KHOU’s list, which says in…
Austin’s Hilah Cooking!
Isn’t it funny what you can discover when you’re dicking around on YouTube? For example, we came across a clip of a blond-haired, Lisa Kudrow-looking woman ranting about how her roommate has been stealing her ketchup from their refrigerator. This is particularly hilarious not only because it appears this woman…
Suck It Up Ladies! What Women on The Bachelor Should Know About Tears and Testosterone
At the beginning of last night’s installment of The Bachelor (season 15, episode 2), host Chris Harrison warns the 20 remaining contestants to, “use your time wisely,” a message obviously lost on Melissa (waitress, 32) and Raichel (manscaper ew!, 29), who spent most of their time bitching, fighting, drinking, and…
Carlos Lee, Team Leader? Well, the Astros Have Had 25 Worse Ideas
Believe it or not, this guy’s not actually running the Houston AstrosAstros Manager Brad Mills traveled to Panama last week to meet with his left fielder/first baseman/slacker Carlos Lee. The trip was billed as a bonding mission. And while there’s nothing wrong with a manager and player making better efforts…
What Do Rappers Have Against Facebook?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (or thereabouts) that isn’t a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Z-Ro, Slim Thug, hasHBrown, Kirko Bangz, Jack Freeman, Killa Kyleon, Cory Mo, C-Stone, Chuckway, Kyle Hubbard…
What a Crock: No Beans About It Chili
After reading this piece from Nicholas L. Hall and taking a gander at the comments section, I quickly realized what a volatile subject chili is for some people. Take, for example, the comment from Fatty FatBastard: “If you think beans add anything but texture and filler, you’re an idiot.” I…
Defending Nicolas Cage
The above clip looks awful, and we thought that before we even read Pete Vonder Haar’s blog on it. But it also made us sad to watch. I’m a Nicolas Cage fan from way back, through thick and thin. The goofy voices in Valley Girl and Peggy Sue Got Married,…
First “Coke Strapped to the Thighs” Bust of the Year!!
Cigars wrapped on the thighs of Cuban virgins are the stuff of legend, but cocaine warmed by the nervous sweat of female Hispanic smugglers is oh so real. But at least one load of it is not making its way to your neighborhood. The Customs and Border Protection agency has…
Happy Birthday, Where’s the Beef?
Yesterday marked the 27th anniversary of a pivotal event in American culinary history: the first airing of the Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” commercial (above). I know what you’re thinking. “Has it really been 27 years?” If you’re like me, you can remember exactly what you were doing when the ad…
Two Timing: The 11 Best Rock Duos
Wednesday night, noisy indie duo No Age (above) pulls into Fitzgerald’s. The two-piece of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen Spunt, starting making waves in 2007 with their debut Weirdo Rippers. 2008’s Nouns brought them even more acclaim, and along the way they gained former Husker Du frontman Bob…
The Hidden Beauty of Petrochemicals
Sunset Refinery Excerpt from david sullivan on Vimeo. David Sullivan’s Fugitive Emissions on view at Lawndale Art Center through Friday explores the hidden life of petrochemical production. Through his animated paintings, he addresses the issues of our dependence on oil…
Rudy Soliz, Sex-Bribed Border Patrol Officer: We Hope It Was Worth Two and a Half Years in Prison
Oh, former Customs and Border Protection agent Rudy Soliz III, we can only hope — for your sake — that she was unbelievable in bed. But unless you were Matt Dillon in the middle of the Neve Campbell/Denise Richards Wild Things sandwich, we’re guessing the answer is no, it wasn’t…
An Oyster Feast at Danton’s
Last week, Amber Ambrose pointed out — quite accurately — that the fuss over The Oceanaire’s $1 East Coast oysters was somewhat mystifying when you can get fresh, fat Gulf oysters at any number of Houston restaurants for far less money. Danton’s (4611 Montrose, 713-807-8889) is one of those restaurants…
Three Rappers To Watch In 2011
A friend told us a joke the other day that made us chuckle, and we don’t chuckle. We either laugh hard, or we don’t, so you know it was special. Our friend asked us, “What’s the one thing your girlfriend could tell you that would make you happy and cry…
HISD Trustees Wrestle With Their Magnet Report
In a three-hour session Monday devoted to a review of a just-released report on what should be done about magnet schools in the Houston ISD, trustees discussed changing how kids are picked for magnet schools by next fall (Superintendent Terry Grier wants a lottery across the board), how to restore…
The Quick and Dirty Juice-a-rita
The varieties of margaritas are infinite, particularly with people applying the name to any drink containing tequila and some sort of fruit product — in much the same manner that jackasses add “tini” to any drink served in a cocktail glass (that’s the real name for a martini glass, kids)…
Clyde Brewer, Western Swing Star, Passes Away At 80
Versatile musician Clyde Brewer, one of the founders of the popular Houston-area Western swing band River Road Boys, passed away Jan. 8 at his home near Magnolia. He was 80. Originally from Luling and later Beaumont, Brewer was a noted session player as early as the 1950s when he and…
Comment of the Day: Mr. Blonde Is Definitely a Butt Man
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
A Whataburger Taquito with Chorizo
As Lennie Ambrose mentioned the other day, we here at Eating Our Words occasionally consume meals of which we are less than proud. We know it’s hard to believe, but even we who breathe the rarified air of the food blog occasionally fill our breathing holes with unadulterated crap. In…
Upcoming: Dwight Yoakam, En Vogue, Kylie, OMD, Etc.
Anders Osbourne: Fri., March 11. Last Concert Cafe. Anthony David: Sun., March 6. Numbers. Axwell: Fri., Feb. 4. Stereo Live. Bobby Long: Sun., April 10. Fitzgerald’s. Civil Twlight, Mother/Father: Fri., Feb. 25. Warehouse Live. cEvin Key: Sat., April 16. Numbers. Chrisette Michele: Thu., Feb. 24. House of Blues. Christopher Cross:…
New On DVD: The Social Network, Piranha, Heartbreaker
(Capsule reviews by Melissa Anderson, J. Hoberman and Chuck Wilson.) As directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg is a character far more compelling than his story. We meet the ungainly Harvard sophomore (Jesse Eisenberg) as he yammers away at his date about his…
Wine of the Week: Octavin Home Wine Bar – Seven
Other than sharing its name with a movie that has one of the most disturbing endings in cinema history, this three-liter (equal to four regular bottles of wine) octagonal container contains – you guessed it, seven varietals. The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Grenache and Graciano…
The Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp From Hell
Rocks Off recently got invited to cover something known as Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, which works a lot like baseball fantasy camp, except none of the participants can field a line-drive grounder. Among the idols rock campers will meet include 3 Doors Down, Mark Farner, the drummer from the…
Tequila Coleman: Loves Fancy SUVs, Hates Paying For Them
Apparently, Tequila Antwannette Coleman really, really, really digs luxury SUVs. They are the salt and lime in her life; without them, she is just not complete. The trouble is, she seems to have trouble paying for them, and now the 31-year-old Houston woman is in hot water for acquiring her…
“Come On Buick, Light My Fire.”
Like most of Western society, I’d figured I was pretty much numb to the use of popular songs in commercials. I don’t know how far back the practice dates, exactly, but I remember the anecdote from No One Here Gets Out Alive about Jim Morrison shooting down the suggested Buick…
Laurens Hammond, True Synth-Pop Sire, Would Be 115 Today
Today we celebrate the birthday of one Laurens Hammond, who basically invented everything that Edison and Tesla didn’t. For instance, he designed an automatic transmission at age 14 in 1909, but French carmaker Renault rejected it. No matter; he went on to develop the basis for guided missile controls, infrared…
Actors Overpower Simon Script at Theatre Southwest
The Setup: Neil Simon’s slight, and slightly funny, comedy from 1968 works best when, as in the Broadway original, all parts are played by the same actors. Set in the same suite in NYC’s famous Plaza Hotel, each act brings us a new couple, and a different style of comedy…
“Don’t Mess With Texas” Ads & Athletes: Mixed Success, in Five Examples
You may have noticed that TxDOT has been re-running classic ads from their 25-year-old “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign. It’s part of a contest to pick the best. The ads tend to work best with musicians; Stevie Ray Vaughan is the classic, of course, but Willie Nelson and George Strait…
The Only Living [5-Star Safety Rated Sedan] In New York
Like most of Western society, I’d figured I was pretty much numb to the use of popular songs in commercials. I don’t know how far back the practice dates, exactly, but I remember the anecdote from No One Here Gets Out Alive about Jim Morrison shooting down the suggested Buick…
Where Are We Drinking?
This bottle of Malbec brings along with it a compellingly rich, mouth-filling flavor — especially for the low price. Does this setup look familiar? This bottle of wine? Think you know where we’re drinking this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Frustrated NASA Fan Takes Job Into His Own Commercial-Making Hands
Check out the gorgeous NASA video promo above. Gives you warm, fuzzy feelings about the space program, doesn’t it? The only problem? The video isn’t actually from NASA. It was created by YouTube user damewse, who expressed frustration with the space exploration agency’s lack of media savvy, especially when it…
Comment of the Day: Those Crazy Brits
The things you can learn from reading the comments section on EOW. Joanna O’Leary wrote about five fascinating nursery rhyme foods, and commenter Trisch chimed in with the weirdest tidbit we’ve seen all day: On a recent transpacific flight, I watched a show where blackbird pie was on the menu…
Houston’s Elusive Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Update: Tiny Boxwood’s
I finally made it to Tiny Boxwood’s to try their chocolate chip cookies, so emphatically recommended by readers Michele, Meghan and Tom. At 4:17 p.m. on Wednesday, the patio was empty save for a few diners lingering over a late lunch, and I was initially worried that at this point…
NFL Postseason — Celebrating Week 1, Texans-Fan Style
There apparently was a pretty good first weekend of NFL playoffs this weekend. From what I heard, the 7-9 Seahawks pulled off a huge upset of the defending champion New Orleans Saints. I guess that the Jets managed to pull off a road win over the Colts when someone in…
In The Jailhouse Now: Tom DeLay’s Prison Soundtrack
Tom DeLay is, in Lonesome, Onry and Mean’s opinion, one of the lowest, vilest, most divisive, scum-sucking snake oil salesmen ever to enter politics. Now DeLay is heading to the pokey to serve time for his money laundering activities (pending his appeal, of course). We don’t recall another House member…
Patrick Ita: The Genius Who Combined Medicare and Katrina Fraud
In the Southern District of Texas, U.S. Attorneys often deal with two kinds of fraud: scams involving a) Medicare, or b) Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. It takes a special genius to combine the two, and apparently Patrick Ita is that man. Prosecutors unsealed indictments today alleging Ita, 55, scammed the…
Pulp Breakfast: Dot Hits the Spot
Dot Coffee Shop is so authentic-looking I half expected to see Ringo attempting to rob Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega when I walked in the door. Now, I say authentic-looking, because soon after arriving I was tipped off by a dining companion that it is actually owned by the Marsellus…
HISD Makes a Deal With the Chron (KTRU’s Ghost Walks the Halls) (UPDATED)
At 4 p.m. today, the Houston ISD board will meet to review an independent audit of its magnet schools done by Magnet Schools of America. As Richard Connelly detailed in our report last week, there’s a lot to be concerned about what with the report (still to be endorsed by…
Animal Heroism Memorialized at Lawndale
Rachelle Vasquez’s lovely exhibition of animal drawings closes this weekend at Lawndale Art Center. Some may have seen Vasquez’s work before, she crochets witty animal scarves for Hello Lucky; they look like a dead fox or rabbit is wrapped around your neck – but in a silly rather than a…
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm… What Does It Mean?
Happy Birthday to Brad Roberts, lead singer of Canadian folk-pop group Crash Test Dummies, who turns 47 years old today. If you were alive in late 1993 and early 1994, you no doubt remember humming along to the Dummies’ hit “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” from second album, God Shuffled His…
On the Menu: The Club at Cedar Creek Cafe
I stopped by Cedar Creek Café, part of The Creek Group’s four-headed monster, for a friend’s Sunday birthday brunch/lunch. After some good conversation, I was extremely hungry, so I hurried over to the bar and ordered the old stand-by–The Club. This was my first visit to Cedar Creek, but I’ve…
“Plenitude” Is a Well-Chosen Grab Bag at Barbara Davis Gallery
“Plentitude” is a big group show of “emerging and established artists,” and as such, it’s a well-chosen grab bag of nice work. Among the standouts is Hoary Squeezy Conversation (2010) by Annie Lapin. The artist uses paint in a way that’s engaging and modern — it looks alternately brushed and…
Tom DeLay Gets Jail Time
Tom DeLay’s sentence has been handed out, and it’s not a slap on the wrist: He’s going to prison for three years with no probation on the conspiracy charges. DeLay was also sentenced by judge Pat Priest to 10 years’ probation on a money-laundering charge, according to tweets from reporters…
Gabrielle Giffords: NASA’s Moment of Silence, and a Message From the Space Station
NASA held a moment of silence for the victims of the Tucson shooting today, victims who of course included Representative Gabrielle Giffords, wife of an astronaut. The congresswoman’s brother-in-law, Scott Kelly, spoke from the International Space Station as part of the event and criticized harsh political rhetoric…
Trae, Z-Ro Turn Video Shoot Into ABN Reunion
Recently, rumors about an impending reunion between Trae and Z-Ro began to populate the atmosphere. It seemed mostly like hogwash; though neither of them ever officially acknowledged a rift between the two, everyone pretty much understood that something had pushed the two founding members of Assholes By Nature towards opposite…
Meat Zelko Bistro: Food Network Filming in Houston for Meat & Potatoes
There’s a Food Network show called Meat & Potatoes? Apparently so, and I do feel better knowing I’m not the first one to ask that question. (Admittedly, not having cable does put a dent in my pop culture knowledge bank.) It’s a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives-style show that visits meat…
Dreams Get Trampled in a Glum Catered Affair
The Setup: Based on the earnest 1955 teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky about a struggling, loveless family in the Bronx, which was adapted by Gore Vidal into an earnest 1956 movie starring Bette Davis, this gray little show was turned into another earnest kitchen-sink drama in 2008 when given music and…
Chihuahua Airlift: The Last, Forlorn, Rejected Doggie Left
We told you last week about the chihuahua airlift, a dangerous importation of cuteness into Houston from LA. Chihuahuas go fast here, so the Houston SPCA brought in 29 of them, and other little dogs, from the West Coast to be rescued. All have found a home except this guy,…
What to Do with Leftover Risotto
Anyone who has made risotto more than a handful of times has certainly realized the down side (apart from the endless stirring necessary in the traditional method) of this otherwise delightful dish. Risotto makes terrible leftovers. The interplay of creamy sauce and tender rice with a firm interior is simply…
Slideshow: Red Bull Illume at Discovery Green
Friday night at Discovery Green, pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler and a crowd of hundreds gathered for Red Bull Illume, billed as the “World’s Best Action Sports Photography Exhibit.” Large-scale, back-lit photographs were on display and will remain on view through January 17. Afterwards, local rapper Bun B. appeared at a…
Last Night: Agent Orange At Fitzgerald’s
Agent Orange Fitzgerald’s January 9, 2010 In the 1987 21 Jump Street episode “Mean Streets and Pastel Houses,” fresh-faced Johnny Depp goes undercover as a punk to root out vicious gangland teenage thugs lurking in the inner city. He ends up at a rowdy punk concert roiling with slam-dancers crashing…
Most Well-Read Cities: Houston, You’re Probably Not Reading This
The newest edition of an annual ranking of the nation’s most well-read city has found (once again) Houston is not really big on the whole reading thing. Of the 75 cities ranked, we come in 60th and we’re fading: in 2005 we were 53rd. Central Connecticut State University does the…
Make Robb Walsh’s 100 List Your New Year’s Resolution
With the New Year, you may have made some new resolutions to go along with it. But if you haven’t yet made any, please allow us to suggest an attempt to work your way through Robb Walsh’s list of his 100 Favorite Dishes. Whether you’re familiar with the city and…
Le Rich Couture Fashion Show at M2 Gallery
For more photos from the Le Rich Couture show, check out our slideshow. On Saturday night at the M2 Gallery in the Heights, Le S. Richardson, the founder and CEO of Le Rich Couture, held a fashion show to showcase her new collection, as well as find the new face…
Racism And Houston Clubs: The Nightfly’s Story
Is there racism within Houston’s nightlife community? Of course there is. It’s certainly not early 20th-century racism, but it’s still very much there. In three-plus years of writing the Nightfly column for the Houston Press, I’ve only ever had one club owner or manager go on record as saying he…
Texas Budget Gap: The Estimate Comes In, and It’s Huge
Let’s harken back to the blissful days of autumn 2010, when Governor Rick Perry was able to deflect any talk of a looming budget gap by blithely noting no official estimate for it had been made. Democrats’ talk that it might be as high as $25 billion was silly, he…
Four Ways the Ninja Kitchen Products Are Unlike Real Ninjas
I take ninjas seriously, so when someone tells me they have a product that is like a ninja, I’m going to pay close attention. In this case, an entire line of kitchen appliances has adopted the name and believes the stealth and skill of its machines rivals that of skilled…
New Zoo Baby Sports One Heck of a Nose
Nature has blessed the Houston Zoo with a new duiker, and nature has blessed that baby duiker with one hell of a nose. Komet was born December 12, but he’s just making his public web debut now, partly because duikers don’t really care for publicity…
KISS, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson Head 2011 Rodeo Lineup
KISS, Janet Jackson and Kid Rock head the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s 2011 concert schedule, which the rodeo announced earlier Monday morning. Among the other 13 entertainers rounding out this year’s lineup are recent rodeo stalwarts Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum. KISS, Ms. Jackson and…
Aeros Hockey: Welcome to the Spotlight, Matt Hackett
Matt Hackett asked just one thing of his coach yesterday afternoon. That one thing was for Mike Yeo to let him play in the game against San Antonio, just hours away. This was a rather brave move for the Aeros’ rookie net minder as just the night before, he’d been…
Alessi Spaccarelli Split Pea Soup
I know, I know – the picture that accompanies this post doesn’t exactly look appetizing. But c’mon, what split pea soup looks as delicious as it tastes? I got a package of Alessi Spaccarelli Split Pea Soup in my stocking this Christmas (and no, that is not the food equivalent…
Weekly Time Waster: Society
Society is a game that measures success by the amount of “culture” accrued. And what accrues culture? Going to a museum? Reading a book? Nah. No such actions exist in the game. Actually, almost every single action in the game will give you culture, from clearing trees and collecting diamonds…
Friday Night: Danny Barnes At Last Concert Cafe
Danny Barnes Last Concert Cafe January 7, 2010 Danny Barnes is a big ole boy. In jeans and white concert T-shirt, he doesn’t exactly overdress for success and comes across very much the common man. As his set began Friday night at Last Concert Café, Barnes moved around the stage…
Five Fascinating Nursery Rhyme Foods
In the course of playing with several of my pint-size relatives this holiday season, it came to my attention how many children’s nursery rhymes center around unusual, antiquated, or just plain bizarre foods. Here are my Top Five Fascinating Nursery Rhyme Foods. 5. Christmas Pie. I love the idea of…
Comment Of The Day: We Finally Learn What Our Jobs Are
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Tyagaraja, Elephant Aid Cancer Patient’s “Obstacle” Removal
Earlier this year, we covered a video by Deborah Thomas showing the music therapy program at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Thomas was kind enough to pass along her latest video; a simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking work called “All Obstacles Removed.” The subject of “Obstacles” is a 10-year-old brain cancer…
The Week In TV: We Like To Watch
And we’re back! It’s been a slow couple weeks in TV Land, but with new and returning series on the move, it’s time to get back to talking about what matters, like Jersey Shore and the gluttonous viewing habits of most Americans. Let’s do this. • Seriously: according to Nielsen,…
Cougar Basketball: Happy Birthday, Mr. Nixon
Have you ever had one of those moments? A flash that this is your day, your time, and that nothing can change that? Houston Cougar point guard Zamal Nixon had one of those moments on Saturday. And when he had that flash, he just knew that nothing was going to…
Justin Lipkins, 21, Bayou Body Count No. 4
A fight on the southwest side led to a shooting death Friday night, police say. Houston police say Justin Lipkins, 21, “had been involved in a physical altercation” about 11 p.m. Friday and was then shot as he was nearing his apartment in the 9000 block of South Braeswood. Police…
Where Are We Eating?
At this restaurant, “pork sliders” are a clever combination of Chinese, Japanese and American influences. Hoisin-marinated pork loin is portioned into small, fluffy, bao-like pancakes — the same pancakes used to eat Peking duck — then topped with scallions and cucumbers. Does this dish look familiar to you? Think you…
The 10 Sexiest Texans of Our Lifetime
Texas is loaded with natural resources, among them beautiful women. The state has provided many, many gorgeous, sexy and smart women. To be sure, not all of them combine all of those qualities — there are tradeoffs to be made — but still, there’s been no shortage in our lifetimes…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where sometimes we like to go out to the fishin’ hole, throw in a couple dozen lit cans of Sterno, and have ourselves a big ol’ boiled fish party. No, that’s not a nutria dipped in pubic hair, it’s…
The Jim Harbaugh Situation — It’s Over (3 Winners, 3 Losers)
I’ll go ahead and say it — what’s the big deal about Jim Harbaugh? Sure, I understand that he took Stanford to never before seen (by Stanford) heights of winning 12 games including a BCS bowl. I understand that he transformed the identity of the team in the process, turning…
Comment of the Day: A Fatal Flaw
Lennie Ambrose clued us into Food Insurance, a company that sells food that lasts at least 25 years, so customers can enjoy it while everyone else perishes due to end times. Something seemed a bit off about this concept, but we couldn’t figure out what, until commenter CMN wrote in:…
Texas Gay Divorce: Court Rules Against Abbott, But on Technical Terms
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott intervened as fast as he could in a lesbian divorce case in Austin, but it wasn’t fast enough, an appeals court has ruled. Abbott wanted to intervene in the suit because God knows if he didn’t it would have led inexorably to GAY MARRIAGE right…
Getting Naked with Clifford Owens at the CAMH
Thursday night at the Contemporary Arts Museum, visitors were invited to a performance and photo shoot by Clifford Owens before an opening reception for his first one-person show. About 50 of us fit into the tiny room, where we were seated chockablock on the floor, leaving just a narrow, open…
“Brinner”: The Best Way to End The Day
When I lived in the Northeast I was very familiar with “brunch,” but it wasn’t until I moved to Texas that I heard of the term “brinner” (i.e., breakfast for dinner), although I was certainly acquainted with the concept. As a kid, my mom would serve us ham and scrambled…
SexBeerandMoney.com — The Ten Most Expensive Domain Names
There was a time when a million bucks was a lot of money for a domain name. That’s exactly what Cool.com went for back in 2000. Today, that’s chump change when you are talking about the most expensive domain names on the Web. Keep in mind that these purchases are…
Agent Orange Continues Carpet-Bombing Surf-Punk
Rocks Off recently had the opportunity to speak with Agent Orange’s Mike Palm, who founded the Southern California surf-punks in the late ’70s and has remained in the trenches ever since. Agent Orange plays Fitzgerald’s Sunday evening. Rocks Off: What brought about the affinity between surf and punk cultures? Mike…
Upcoming Events
Up in Cypress, Chef John Ly is hosting a wine tasting at Strata (122 Vintage Park Boulevard, Suite A, 281-379-2889) this Saturday, January 8, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. If you have shopping to do at Vintage Park, what better way to unwind afterward (and trust me, wine is the…
Elvis Ink: Tattoo Tributes to the King
Tomorrow is the 76th birthday of the King, Elvis Presley. The man will have been gone, or just in hiding, for 34 years come this August. He’s obviously left a big hole in music and pop culture. Who knows what he would have done in the ’80s? Imagine all the…
Harris County Jail Takes First Tentative Step Towards Ankle Monitors
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is seeking to take a first “baby step” towards using ankle monitors and home confinement to fight jail overcrowding, a spokesman says. HCSO is asking Commissioners Court for permission to use the monitors on jail inmates who are released on work crews as a way…
Top Six Artist Vs. Record Label Feuds
Pink Floyd has finally settled its lengthy dispute with their longtime record label EMI. The band, which signed to the label over 40 years ago, first took EMI to court last spring in an effort to clarify their existing contract. Floyd sought to prevent EMI from “unbundling” their albums by…
Bartender Chat: Ben Sills of Barcadia
Why is Ben Sills of Barcadia nicknamed Ben the Menace? “Kassidy, my girlfriend, calls me that because I’m always creating trouble,” he said. “I’m the kid with the slingshot in his back pocket.” Considering his sweet, boyish charm and nonconformist attitude, I would have to say that’s a pretty apt…
Experience the “Nowness” of the Moment at Peel Gallery
“Nowness,” a show opening at Peel Gallery tonight, brings together work from artists Cory Ryman and Diana Al-Hadid, two artists attracting attention at the moment for works in multiple materials and media, which also strongly engage natural and built environments–especially architecture. It’s a show we can’t wait to see…
When Governors Tweetfight (It’s Very Boring)
Texas A&M plays LSU in the Cotton Bowl tonight, and governors Rick Perry and Bobby Jindal can barely contain their dorky excitement. Usually this results in some godawful BBQ vs. crawfish bet, but these guys are so hip-it-hurts that they’ve taken the taunting to Twitter. And boy, is it….lame. Perry…
Future Elvis: What If The King Had Lived?
Do you realize that Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, the dude who was in the Darth Vader suit, and Ron Paul are all the same age as Elvis Presley would be on Saturday? Look at Woody Allen next time you see him on TMZ and just think, he’s as old as…
More Than Margaritas at TQLA
As the name would suggest, TQLA is serious about, well, tequila. Bottles of every shape and size glow seductively along red backlit shelving covering much of the rear wall. One-hundred-and-sixty-seven varieties, to be exact, with eight selections on tap, hyper-cooled to five degrees Fahrenheit. “Tequila doesn’t freeze,” general manager and…
HISD Magnet Study Recommends Taking Away Half of Them
“Change is imperative” in the Houston school district’s magnet program, a long-awaited outside consultant’s report said today. Among the proposed changes: Taking away the magnet designation from nearly half the 113 programs that have it, including most elementaries and the Vanguard schools for gifted and talented students. The district’s current…
Buxton, Wild Moccasins Join New West Records
Here at Rocks Off, we try our best to cover all the local music news, both large and small. Where else are you going to read that you can play Slim Thug on Words With Friends? It is reasons such as these that we trudge the war zones of RSS…
Openings & Closings
Earlier this week on Twitter, the Chron’s Alison Cook noted disapprovingly that Rico’s Luchadores had experienced a makeunder: “There goes the neighborhood: Rico’s Luchadores has ditched the wrestling theme for more tasteful ‘Frida’ motif. Say it ain’t so.” Indeed, Rico’s has been transformed into La Casa de Frida (4002 Main,…
Confused Wade Phillips Is Confused
Something occurred to me the other day as I was reading the sports ticker announcing that our own Houston Texans were hiring Wade Phillips as the new defensive coordinator and, in fact, keeping Gary Kubiak as head coach, in the face of a wave of anti-Kubiak gnashing of teeth. Have…
Plus-Size Songs For Those Post-Holiday Pounds
One of the reasons Lonesome Onry and Mean’s local waterhole is our local waterhole is its excellent, eclectic, even exotic jukebox. There’s truly something for everyone. For the novices and/or narrow-minded, there are easy defaults like Willie Nelson & Family’s Live, the Stones’ Exile on Main Street or Tom Jones…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Season of the Witch
Title:Season of the Witch Didn’t Nicolas Cage Used To Act Once? Yes, I seem to remember that, too. So This Is A Lost Cause, Then? You’d think that, wouldn’t you? Surprisingly, SotW is not the atomic trainwreck you might expect. Far from it, actually. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Tony Mandola
After we spoke withTony Mandola for this week’s chef chat, he brought out a bowl of Mama’s famous gumbo. The roux was deeply brown and aromatic, with tons of Gulf Coast seafood and fresh vegetables. The accompanying rice was fluffy and made an excellent base for the delicious, savory gumbo…
Female Teachers Sexing Students: The Seven Types Of Internet Commenters
Heather Dawn Merritt, a biology teacher in Paris, Texas, has been sentenced to three years for having sex with an underaged student. It’s not exactly news these days, but such stories seem irresistible to the Web. And although the Paris story has yet to fully attract the typical range of…
NFL & College Football Best Bets — It’s Crime Time
To some of you this may sound obvious, to some it may sound weird, and to some it may sound deplorable — I wish I had time to watch more television. With the advent of episodic television on cable channels like HBO and Showtime, the ante has been upped and…
Cheap Oysters, Cold Beer and a Boat
Like many other Houstonians, I love a good oyster. Most of the time I prefer them cold, slimy, raw – topped with a bit of cocktail sauce and a squeeze of lemon – slurped directly from the shell. Luckily for me, Houston is a prime place to go oyster slurping,…
Chalie Boy Is Here… All Year Long
Last year, Chalie Boy enacted a promo campaign called “52 Weeks of Chalie Boy,” wherein he released one flow a week for the entire year. It was an auspicious bit of market saturation. This year, he’s upped the stakes a bit and adapted the premise into “12 Months of Chalie…
Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World
When The White Stripes were first blowing up and getting national attention, Jack White cited Alan Lomax’s book The Land Where The Blues Began as being crucial to his musical development and suggested other young rock-and-roll musicians give it a read. The life and work of Texas born musicologist, author,…
Billy Gibbons And Tequila A Winning Combination
ZZ Top’s recording date with Rick Rubin inching closer, he says… Thursday afternoon, Rocks Off got an invite to a launch party for a new tequila on the scene, Pura Vida Tequila. Where else would this party be at but at the newest tequila joint on Washington Avenue, TQLA Houston…
Odd Pair: Gummy Bears and 4 Whites
Somehow after all the Christmas gifts were exchanged and the giant mess of paper and tissue was removed and recycled, I found myself staring at a bag of Gummy Bears. It was a lovely assortment of pale pink, ruby red, sky blue, and luscious green bears, and I suddenly found…
Comment of the Day: Animal Experiments Aren’t All Bad
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
East Side Informality, “Piece By Piece”
Wednesday night marked the beginning of the 2011 art season with a free art and music show at El Rincón Social, a cooperative arts space on the East Side. A new street-art network called 901 Gallery (for its storefront at 901 Richmond), under the direction of Angel (last names were…
January 1-7: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. This week: to everything, turn turn turn. Be sure to post your pics to our photo group. You never know which images we might choose. As always, for…
What To Do When The Crowd Yells “Free Bird!”
Sooooooo…. Thursday, the U.S. Constitution was read aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives, an act that Rocks Off views as the government equivalent of doing your homework on the morning bus, but whatever. Just as Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. was reading the bit about the eligibility to…
Katy Man Will Run Houston Marathon “With” His Wife, Who’s Serving in Afghanistan
Craig Childs of Katy is running in the half-marathon that’s part of the Chevron Houston Marathon. He’ll be running with his wife. Even though Lt. Laura Childs will be in Afghanistan that day. As they did in 2007, marathon officials are coordinating races here and in a spot where an…
The Best Food Apps for Your iPhone
I recently commented to a friend that reviewing restaurants is so much easier with a smart phone, taking notes on the fly and being able to instantly look up directions if you get lost on the way. In my case, I have an iPhone, and — sad as I know…
Social Security Tax Cut: How You Should Spend It
You’re getting a tax cut!!! You may even notice it. A cut in Social Security taxes in 2011 means you should be seeing more in your paycheck. Since it involves taxes, however, it is all incredibly complicated and makes our heads hurt. The “Making Work Pay” tax credit is inspiring,…
Comment of the Day: That Chicken
Here at Eating Our Words, we know that when something disturbs the hell out of you, it’s best to talk about it. We can thank John Seaborn Gray for the most recent image we’d like scrubbed from our brains – a terrifying, whole chicken covered in gelatinous goo slipping from…
Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh — What ISN’T Wrong With This Picture?
As quarterback/head coach combinations go at the collegiate level, few have ever been as logical a fit and maximized that synergy like Houston’s own Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford in 2011. The head coach who on pure guts nearly willed the Colts to the Super Bowl in 1995…
“I’m Sorry,” But Koppo Is Not To Be Brown-Boxed
“I apologize I’m here/ It’s my fault for trying to live/ My word is all I have to give/ So I’m sorry/ Now I know I was born into a world that I ain’t my home/ Maybe they’ll love me when I’m gone/ Til then, I’m sorry” – Koppo Perhaps…
Jarred Corn Smut: It’s What’s for Dinner
I’m sure a lot of you, upon hearing the term “jarred corn smut,” might assume that this post would be better off as an addendum to John Seaborn Gray’s elegant treatise on whole chicken in a can and other packaged delights. I suppose that’s why most choose to call the…
Bianca A. Perez, 21, Bayou Body Count No. 3
Something fatal happened with a gun at 5 a.m. today at a southeast side apartment, but police aren’t entirely sure what. Bianca A. Perez, 21, is dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Police responded to a call of a shooting in the 3900 block of Arlington Square and…
Flying V Hall Of Fame: Saluting One Rockin’ Guitar
Today is the 53rd birthday of the Gibson Flying V, which since its debut has become synonymous with metal and hard rock of all stripes. The image of that V-shape is as iconic as the power chords it generates. Rocks Off has seen reverse V’s and even bass V’s in…
Bye-Bye Barney’s CO-OP (Entire Store On Sale!)
ArtAttack swears, as Marc Jacobs is our witness, that we wound up in Neiman Marcus on the first day of Last Call by accident. We had to go to the Apple store to pick up a laptop, and we favor the Neiman’s parking lot, okay? Is that so wrong? For…
College Pasta Redux
The Holiday 15 hit you like a ton of bricks thanks to endless array of bitchy relatives insisting you try everything, right? If you’re in resolution mode (e.g. getting slim enough to fit back in your Spanx), then you’ll need to get back to basics with simple recipes. The fewer…
That Four Loko You Didn’t Get to Drink: Now Being Turned into Ethanol
We consider ourselves to be something along the lines of Four Loko specialists here at Hair Balls; we have drunk it and kept the nation informed on its brief, energy-and-vomit-filled life. So now, as it heads to its demise as a rancid-tasting non-caffeinated drink, we are happy to tell you…
For When the End Comes: Food Insurance
If I am not mistaken, it is Revelation 24:8 that says, “The ground opened and the great devil Beelzebub’s thorny legs were cloaked in Pajama Jeans.” With Billy Blanks Jr. now going even where his father dared not — see the Hawaii Chair (click the video, it is so worth…
Pierre Jalbert Wants You to Forget Everything You’ve Learned and Just Listen
After spending a year studying in Italy, Pierre Jalbert had a tough time ridding himself of all that ringing in his head. “Rome has over 900 churches,” says the associate professor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He wrote the first two movements of Visual Abstract based on Roman…
“Careless Stripper” Introduces Phootlong To The World
Rocks Off just found the video for the debut single by Houston duo Phootlong, for their song “Careless Stripper,” directed by Maurice Edward, the pseudonym of rapper Cornbreadd. We just got off the phone with the director and did a sort of play-by-play of the video over the line, like…
Jonathan Robert McMinn: Dude, Don’t Go to Police HQ to Pick Up the Items You Stole
Sometimes a man can take too much pride in his work. He feels he’s earned his just rewards and he’s going to get them. When the man in question has a common-sense quotient of a sugared-up tween, however, trouble may ensue. Jonathan Robert McMinn, 25, was arrested by Friendswood police…
Celebrate Elvis’ 76th Birthday with a Feast Fit for the King
I’ll never forget my first trip to Graceland. Memphis is a magical city in and of itself — Civil War sites, steamboats, Beale Street, the Smithsonian Museum of Rock & Soul, amazing meals at the Inn at Hunt Phelan — but there’s something about the great, haunting magnetism of Graceland,…
Saudi Diplomats Sue Continental for Kicking Them Off Plane
Two Saudi Arabian diplomats have filed suit here against Continental Airlines, saying they were tossed off a flight to Houston simply because they were speaking a foreign language. The action “unnecessarily subjected [them] to humiliation, degradation and embarrassment despite having previously shown themselves to be persons of proven honor,” the…
Food Fight: Battle Chips and Salsa
For Battle Chips and Salsa, I decided to pit one of my local favorites, Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe on Airline, against mega-chain Pappasito’s. In a city filled with great chips and salsa, let’s see how these two stacked up. Teotihuacan Mexican Café From here on out, I’ll be referring to this…
Does Elvis Still Matter?
As part of our ongoing celebration of Elvis’ birthday week, Rocks Off asked our writers the simple question in the headline. Chris Gray: Absolutely he still matters. When I was compiling that list of quotes and lyrics about Elvis earlier this week, I wasn’t that surprised to see that even…
Vid Picks of the Week: Two Views of Immigration
With the DREAM Act not passing recently in Congress, the struggle for immigrants into the U.S. will continue to be invisible. In these moving films, Gael Garcia Bernal (of Y Tu Mama Tambien and dating-Natalie-Portman fame), gives a face to those who have none. As Bernal says, “At the start…
Ella Fitzgerald, Jailed in Houston for Shooting Dice: Photo of the Day
Is this a great picture or what? It’s the inestimable Ella Fitzgerald sitting forlornly in a Houston jail, arrested for shooting dice in her Music Hall dressing room with — get this lineup — Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet and Norman Granz. It comes from the Houston Chronicle’s always terrific Bayou…
Music Sales Down 2.5 Percent In 2010
Nielsen SoundScan released its annual report on music sales Monday, and the results were less than surprising. Physical sales continued to decline, digital sales continued to rise, and crap pop continues to reign supreme both at the cash register and on the airwaves. During the period of Jan. 4, 2010…
A Proper American-English Tea at Te House of Tea
I was first turned on to Branston Pickle by my lovely ex-mother-in-law, who spread the stuff on nearly everything she ate. Although they were all British, her sons didn’t share her affinity for Pickle; I, on the other hand, was keen on it as soon as I tried it. You…
Shiftwork Bites: Corned Beef and Cabbage
A while back, I mentioned that a lot of my Shiftwork Bites menus have been drifting toward comforting, one-pot concoctions during what passes for winter in Houston. For the most part, that’s held true. Every once in a while, though, I can’t leave well enough alone. Take the corned beef…
Mario Montalban-Ramirez: Houston Murderer, Deported to Mexico, Found Passed Out Near Minnesota Bus Stop
If a dude was convicted of murder — in hardboiled, law-and-order Texas, then deported to Mexico, you probably would think you’ve seen the last of him. Not when the dude in question is the hard-partying Mario Montalban-Ramirez, however. Convicted of murder in Houston in 1984, he received an eight-year sentence…
Gallery Scene: Opening This Week
Kick off 2011 comfortably with three centrally-located Montrose shows this week. Perspectives 173: Clifford Owens Works by New York-based photographer and performance artist Clifford Owens encourage audience participation. Often incorporating the camera in his performance works as a documentation of the event, Owens turns the document into photographic artwork born…
Last Ike Victim: Who Is the Web-Footed Woman?
After more than two years, Galveston County officials are saying they have no further leads on identifying the last victim of Hurricane Ike. They know she’s a five-foot-tall middle-aged woman who wore a 34C bra, had a surgery scar above the pubic region, and oh, she also had a webbed…
Comment of the Day: Suspecting Jeff Bagwell
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Remember Dante Higgins’ School Boy Music?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Dante Higgins School Boy Music (Self-released, 2010) Dante Higgins is a baby-faced college kid with grown-man ambitions, yet another…
Meals We’re Not So Proud Of
I’m sure all of you out in EOW Readershipland think we bloggers dine with kings on a daily basis. In fact, former blogger Ruthie Johnson said as much this past summer. Sure, there have to be some people who have a standing reservation at REEF and seek out truly authentic…
West Side Story Con Un Poco Español
When the legendary Arthur Laurents decided it was time to tinker with the words in the latest revival of West Side Story coming to the Hobby Center on January 12 – it was done with care and several adjustments, according to associate producer David Saint. Despite all the precautions, it…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Tony Mandola
Yesterday, we spoke with Tony Mandola about his new restaurant opening in the spring, appropriately named Tony Mandola’s (1212 Waugh). Today as we ask him about his recent award and how it really feels to be a Mandola. Eating Our Words: Your wife, Phyllis, of course, is part of a…
Rice Owls Overwhelmed by a Barrage of Three-Pointers
Rice Owls head coach Ben Braun was worried about the Tulane Green Wave last week. Even as the Owls were defeating LSU and TCU for some impressive out-of-conference wins, Braun was worried about a Tulane team he thought might be the most improved team in C-USA. And on a night…
Graphic: Which Indie-Rock Band Should You Join?
So you’ve been playing shows around town, you’ve got a decent following, and the local buzz about your talents is strong. Your 7″ singles have been getting good reviews in the local press, and you’re considering a national tour. The only problem: It’s a lot for just one person to…
The Ten Worst Movies of 2011…In Advance
2011 is barely out of the oven and I’m already filled with dread. Could it be the fact I’ve spent the entire year so far coughing up chunks of green lung tissue? That I’ve finally despaired of ever finding a writing gig that doesn’t involve “Lady Gaga sex tape” Google…
Local Musicians Choose Their Favorite Super Powers
It wasn’t that long ago that a few brave filmmakers realized that it was in fact possible to make a superhero movie that didn’t suck IQ points from an audience and might even, surprise surprise, be somewhat faithful to their comic-book origin. Heath Ledger winning a posthumous Best Supporting Actor…
What Will Be The Worst Movies Of 2011?
2011 is barely out of the oven and I’m already filled with dread. Could it be the fact I’ve spent the entire year so far coughing up chunks of green lung tissue? That I’ve finally despaired of every finding a writing gig that doesn’t involve “Lady Gaga sex tape” Google…
The Five Weirdest Baby Names from the Most Popular Names of 2010
The list of the top 100 baby names of 2010 is out and it is filled with many names you would expect. There are Biblical names like John and Luke and James. There are pop culture names like Bella and Zachary. There are even names that help you to rhyme…
Food Meme of the Week: Women Being Suggestive with Burgers
By now, you may have seen the original Women Laughing Alone with Salads meme. Or perhaps its spinoff meme: Men Laughing Alone with Salads. No? Then please take a moment to acquaint yourself with these, my most favorite food-related memes in a while. Ads are absurd enough as it is…
Wade Phillips: Selling the Excitement
To: Houston Texans PR & Marketing From: Bob McNair Re: Selling The Excitement that is Wade Phillips All: Big days don’t come much bigger than today, when we formally welcome the beginning of the Wade Phillips Era at Reliant Stadium. While you may be thinking you have easy jobs this…
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
Remember the Peanuts gang? Sweet Linus? Crazy Lucy? Goofy Charlie Brown? Now imagine the whole group has finally grown up into a wicked bunch of teens full of adolescent angst. That’s the premise of Bert V. Royal’s irreverent Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, based on Charles Schultz’s…
Music of Frank Sinatra with Matt Dusk
Canadian singer Matt Dusk joins the Houston Symphony for Music of Frank Sinatra. Celebrating the now-classic tunes of Ol’ Blue eyes, Dusk will perform “That’s Life” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” as well as Sinatra’s signature “My Way.” The audience can also expect to hear “The Lady Is…
When to Come Up for Air
In her boundary-pushing explorations of modern dance, Erin Reck has been known to examine everything from complex math equations to basic questions of human existence, sometimes in a single performance. When to Come Up for Air, Reck’s Hopewerks presentation at Hope Stone Inc., takes on the ways a disaster can affect…
“Aasha Deep”
Five patients from a mental rehabilitation center in Nepal photographed scenes from their daily lives for “Aasha Deep.” The images, of ordinary events, show the sameness of the way people behave, regardless of their state of mental health. Ostracized by society in their remote rural country, the patients/photographers capture a…
Deadman
When most rootsy bands from Austin get the wooly-era Bob Dylan or The Band tag attached to their sound by overzealous critics, we usually make a dismissive wanking motion, turn up our copy of Cahoots and push our shades down over our eyes. But the six-piece Deadman actually delivers on…
John Lescroat: Damage
Houston-born author John Lescroart returns to his home town with another one of his popular thrillers. This time it’s Damage, a tale of revenge, the price of justice and the ever-elusive truth. When the son of a wealthy California family is found guilty of rape and murder, those who helped…
LA Phil LIVE — Dudamel Conducts Beethoven
Music fans who haven’t been able to see a live performance of Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel conducting an orchestra can experience the next best thing at today’s big-screen broadcast of LA Phil LIVE — Dudamel Conducts Beethoven. The Venezuelan-born Dudamel became the youngest maestro of a major…
3rd Annual Ice Sculpting Competition
Many sculptors use blowtorches and chainsaws to create their work, whether they’re working in metal or stone. The seven participants in the 3rd Annual Ice Sculpting Competition work in a different medium — frozen water. Among the artists who will be working in front of the Discovery Green crowd will…
Erik the Viking
His land under perpetual darkness, one heroic Viking (played by Tim Robbins) decides to ask the gods for some sunlight in the satirical comedy Erik the Viking. As is typical in these tales, the gods live in a place that’s far away and hard to get to. Erik has a…
Rubber Duckie Celebration
Generations of kids have grown up with Sesame Street and its beloved cast of characters. There’s Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and Ernie’s favorite bath toy, Rubber Duckie. This week, the Children’s Museum of Houston is throwing the squeak toy a birthday bash, the Rubber Duckie Celebration. (Duckie will…
Amahl and the Night Visitors
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra joins forces with St. John the Divine to present Amahl and the Night Visitors. Three kings are on their way to visit the newborn Christ child, and along the way, they stop at the home of a crippled shepherd boy and his mother. Seen completely…
The University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band
For years, young musicians have gotten instant street cred simply by mentioning that they’re an alum of the Grammy award-winning University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band. Known as the tightest, slickest jazz band among Texas universities, the One O’clock Lab Band will be in performance at Conroe’s Crighton…
“Red Bull Illume”
Fifty oversize photographs of extreme adventure sports will dot Discovery Green during the “Red Bull Illume” exhibit. Each of the images is impressive, but several stand out. There’s a close-up by Ricky Adam of cyclist Alex Kennedy’s bruised and callused hands during a six-day ride in Berlin. Tattooed across his…
The Nach Project Launch Party
In an age of social media, all it takes is a YouTube account to become a star. The Nach Project is trying to make that a little easier — if you can follow dance instructions and own a video camera, you’re in! You can participate in the project, and yours…
Tiny Furniture
Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture is a comedy of youthful confusion that gets its kick not only for evoking a world of unromantic hookups, casual BJs and iPhone porn, but for satirizing New York’s bourgeois bohemia. Newly graduated from an artsy Midwestern college, Aura arrives at mother Siri’s immaculate white-on-white Tribeca…
Faux Go Go Go
Some casual observers on the streets of Houston may mistakenly believe that there are now more bike messengers than ever out and about. There aren’t. Well, who then are all those people on fixed-gear bikes, wearing grungy messenger-looking clothes, with bike bags slung over their shoulders? In a word, hipsters…
Sweet Liberty
The idea can only be brilliant and wonderful or simply horrible. There is no middle ground. Every Tuesday, a group of people go on a three-to-four-hour bike ride beginning at Liberty Station (2101 Washington), easily the most enjoyable Washington Avenue bar to open in the past six months. They travel…
Don’t Kill the Messengers
Back in the good old days for bike messengers, every weekday at four o’clock, the front steps of the Harris County Civil Courthouse were the gathering spot for a happy hour for that pierced, tattooed, hedonistic horde. Those days are as gone now as earnest talk of Monica Lewinsky’s stained…
Outed at School
COURTS, EDUCATION Lesbian Teen Sues Over Outing Says coach told her mother By Paul Knight If two high school coaches lead a girl into an empty locker room and lock the door behind them, something bad can happen, and at Kilgore High School, according to a new lawsuit filed by…
The Devil in DMX
Looking at rapper DMX’s life is like watching someone punch himself in the face repeatedly. One can easily picture a cherubic white angel sitting atop one of the big black guy’s shoulders, telling him not to snort that line of coke or skip that appointment with his probation officer. But…
Deadman
When most rootsy bands from Austin get the woolly-era Bob Dylan or The Band tag attached to their sound by overzealous critics, we usually make a dismissive wanking motion, turn up our copy of Cahoots and push our shades down over our eyes. But the six-piece Deadman actually delivers on…
The Radiators
In 1978, five New Orleans musicians got together for a jam session and, as has been known to happen in that city, have been jamming ever since. But not for much longer, as Radiators lead vocalist and principal songwriter Zeke Volker has decided he’s had enough touring and is hanging…
Hell City Kings, White Rhino
We can’t think of two more balls-out hard-rock bands in this quadrant of Texas than our own Hell City Kings and Austin’s White Rhino, and both bands have plenty on their plates in 2011 to prove it. This show celebrates the release of their first split single together, which comes…
Agent Orange
Still limber and forceful after three decades of pummeling and partying, Agent Orange is the über-surf-punk trio, bar none. “Bloodstains” might have single-handedly been the calling card of disaffected youth in 1980 — and is still a fave of skateboard legend Tony Hawk — but it was the band’s smokin’…
War and Remembrance
Vija Celmins’s contemporary work is filled with black-and-white paintings and drawings of the natural world — swatches of sea, fields of rocks, spiderwebs, night skies — executed with an exacting technique that in other hands would be coldly clinical. The results are a strange but compelling combination of dispassion and…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Dynasty and Divinity,” “James Drake: A Thousand Tongues Burn and Sing,” “Tony Smith: Drawings”
“Dynasty and Divinity” When you walk into this exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, it feels like you are walking into a crowd of people. It’s filled with the faces of distinct but long dead individuals, depicted in striking works of stone, terracotta and metal from the ninth…
Young and Homeless
Young and Homeless Online readers comment on “Children of God,” by Margaret Downing, December 22: The power of teachers: This story brought tears to my eyes. I went to ten different schools and had a single mother who worked three jobs to take care of me and my siblings. I…
The Top Ten New Restaurants of 2010
Houston has been fertile ground for innovative and passionate restaurateurs this year, making the selection of only ten restaurants out of the many that have opened in the past 12 months a truly difficult task. All ten restaurants were chosen for this list because of how well they reflect Houston’s…
Capsule Stage Reviews: A Fertle Holiday, Panto Pinocchio
A Fertle Holiday In the mood for a big wedge of Mildred’s butter pie? A Fertle Holiday is Radio Music Theatre’s penultimate show before its final farewell begins in January. If you’ve never tasted this talented trio of inspired lunatics, it’s time. Holiday never stales. It’s the epitome of Christmas…
Bravo, Bravo!
Check out some palate-prepping behind-the-scenes shots of the chicken, ceviche and causa rellena in our slideshow. At some point, I stopped perpetually thinking, This is an odd place to find such-and-such cuisine, about little Houston hole-in-the-wall restaurants. After 30 years of constantly being surprised by wonderful restaurants in out-of-the-way or…
Everything in Between
The most confusing way to describe L.A.’s No Age is as a punk band people listen to for the production. This means their fans aren’t necessarily punks, though the two-person band whose singer is the drummer would be anomalous anyway. No Age isn’t punk in the same way that Nirvana…
A Desert of Trash
Dear Mexican, I was today alerted to the problem of trash dumped on the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and am trying to track down more articles about the issue. That is how I found you. There are lots and lots of piles of trash — looks like clothes — in a…
Delivery Man
“My baby she’s workin’ for the TSA / Her hair in a bun / Her hand on her gun / We make love with the radio on” – Danny Barnes, “TSA” Danny Barnes is a study in contrasts, a banjo player who’s as comfortable at a punk-rock show or…
