Weiner Dogged
homestead.com Who wants some Savage love, baby? Hot dang, I can’t wait to tune in to Michael Savage on Houston affiliate Talk Radio 950 AM today at 5 p.m. I admit that I occasionally listen to the sometimes juvenile, always hostile archconservative talkmeister, namely because his vitriolic rants against minorities,…
Blame Canada
Daniel Kramer Attention hosers: These guys are on to you. As a native Canadian, I’m well aware that my countrymen have been suckling America’s teat for years at the expense of other hardworking immigrants. William Shatner , Shania Twain, Martin Short, that hot girl from Lost and countless Bobs and…
He Does Have a Nice Glow to Him…
Monica Fuentes Sure, it looks fine now. But just wait till it grows a head… It’s not going to make any sense, so let me just say it: I jumped in the Houston Ship Channel. Yes, the same Houston Ship Channel that we all know runs from the East End…
14:58, 14:57, 14:56…
The much more attractive host of today’s bus tour I’d like to thank the folks (both of you) who e-mailed me that I noted the wrong time of the KRIV morning show spot we did today. I showed up for the ridiculously early 6:30 a.m. slot, not 5:30 a.m. We…
These Guys Are on Fire
Nuthin’ says “Welcome to Houston” like this. And this week’s winner of Worst Place for a Press Conference goes to: the sinisterly titled Grassfire.org. This “grass roots” organization (get it? Uncontrolled burning? Casualties and property damage? Get it?) rents billboards across the country to proclaim their strong illegal immigration sentiments…
Attention: Gold Diggers
Dontcha’ wish all Houston millionaires walked around like this? KHOU has an interesting report today regarding millionaires in Houston. Seems that there are a total of 56,000 of them, and 96,000 county-wide. That means we have the sixth highest number of seven-figure earners in the nation. So yes, the guy…
Friends Are Good
Courtesy of Friendship So what does this say about Ritter? There are many reasons why I attended Sunday night’s Friendship reunion show at The Proletariat. Admittedly, I’m friends with all four Friendship members (Proof: they named their first song “Travis P. Ritter.”) I worked at Amy’s Ice Cream for a…
It’s a Limo! It’s a Plane!
This just has to save money on airfare… Shameless plug: If you’re downtown between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. tomorrow, stop by Market Square and you can enter a drawing to win 500 plane tickets from MasterCard. It won’t be hard to find — just look for the giant limo/plane…
We’re Number 3! We’re Number 3!
“Told ya we were the best. Can I come back now?” Money Magazine has announced its annual list of 10 Great American Towns today, and hot dang, Sugar Land has come in third. The survey reports what commuters on 59 have known for years: Sugar Land is home to value…
Watch for the Signs
We rarely dip our toes into the murky pool of traffic reporting, considering we’re not nearly as adept as these folks, or even this guy. But as a public service, we should announce that if your travels take you through Greenway Plaza between 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. today, you…
The Real Crab Man Speaks
Daniel Kramer We got Zinski to shell out info on ‘cued crabs While researching the BBQ crab story, we came across a website called the Blue Crab Archives. There we learned how to identify crabs, how to fish for them and tons of other stuff including the bizarre history of…
Whoa, Is Lara Croft Coming?
Daniel Kramer Tonight’s God of War number will be a religious experience for gamers Downtown hipsters and scenesters beware: Your stomping grounds are gonna be invaded by a throng of geeks gamers tonight. This evening’s Video Games Live show is to the gaming crowd what South By Southwest is to…
Just in: Our Paris Photos
After days of begging, we’ve finally got ’em. Extra special thanks to Norma for securing these exclusive images. Click here for our Paris…Hilton pics…
Where My Pirates At?
Lloyd Lively “Yar, let’s find us a movie critic!” I think it’s a beauty that media outlets, both local and national, have jumped on the whole pirate bandwagon, what with the juggernaut that is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. The Today Show had a segment that showed viewers…
Robb Grows His Own
My tomato plants all turned brown and the leaves dropped off. The horticulturalist at Teas Nursery on Bellaire said to pull up the plants and rake out all the roots, then cover the soil with black plastic for four weeks. The heat of the sun will kill all the diseases…
Robb Grows His Own
My tomato plants all turned brown and the leaves dropped off. The horticulturalist at Teas Nursery on Bellaire said to pull up the plants and rake out all the roots, then cover the soil with black plastic for four weeks. The heat of the sun will kill all the diseases…
This Is It: A Yacht Rock Party How-To
“We love Pi�a Coladas and getting caught in the rain!” Maybe one of these days some club in Houston will get it together and host a yacht rock night. Until then, you’ll just have to host a party of your own. I asked J.D. Ryznar what ingredients were needed for…
This Is It: A Yacht Rock Party How-To
“We love Pi�a Coladas and getting caught in the rain!” Maybe one of these days some club in Houston will get it together and host a yacht rock night. Until then, you’ll just have to host a party of your own. I asked J.D. Ryznar what ingredients were needed for…
Let’s Yacht Rock, Chum
Courtesy of Channel101.com Fear not, fans: Hunter Stair and Ryznar will set sail again soon We tried to contact J.D. Ryznar, the Yacht Rock co-writer/co-producer who plays Michael McDonald on the series, in time for our story in this week’s edition, but he didn’t check in until now. But thanks…
Maybe It’s Just a 60-day Lunch?
Word is that Jordy Tollett, a.k.a. president/CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, is taking some time off of work. This, of course, comes on the heels of KPRC’s undercover report, which found him doing more than just passing out business cards at some Houston bars during his…
In Ken’s Name We Pray
“Yes, it’s true that I got most of my ideas from Mr. Lay…” In his speech at the Ken Lay memorial service, the Rev. William Lawson compared the former Enron honcho to Jesus, the lynched James Byrd and Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ve found the notes Lawson used in preparing…
“Does This Bowtie Match My Grill?”
KPRC Warning: This soundbyte may rhyme Pop quiz: Which of these historic black leaders said: “You know I thug em, fuck em, love em, leave ’em/ ’cause I don’t fuckin need ’em,/take ’em out the hood, keep ’em lookin’ good/but I don’t fuckin’ feed ’em”? A) Martin Luther King, Jr…
India.Arie
India.Arie has always sounded a little too much like the musical equivalent of Oprah. The singer-songwriter’s music (best exemplified by her debut, Acoustic Soul) has always centered on overly positive, Afrocentric songs that embrace love, life and the challenges of womanhood. Her first two albums were innovative experiments with a…
Grand Prix
Grand Prix (Warner Bros.) John Frankenheimer, as underrated as he was brilliant, made a racing picture in 1966 that’s yet to be topped 40 years later. James Garner suffered through the director’s churlish demands (which Frankenheimer reveals and owns up to, in archival footage on one of the documentaries here)…
Pretty in Pink
Suzanne Westenhoefer may be a lesbian and a comedian, but she prefers not to have the two intertwined. “People don’t call Chris Rock a black comedian, so I would like the same respect,” Westenhoefer says. It’s hard to separate one from the other, however, when Westenhoefer releases albums with brazen…
Cosmopolitan
The bar at Truluck’s (5350 Westheimer, 713-783-7270) is the place to go for a Casablanca-esque sort of experience. It’s smoky, laid-back and filled with old money and jazz. On a recent visit, I happened to sit down next to a couple who appeared to be on their first date. The…
Camera Obscura
After three albums, it’s now apparent that Camera Obscura is unfortuitously fated to revolve as a satellite in the Belle & Sebastian orbit. Like B&S, the six-piece outfit hails from Glasgow, and the band’s lyrics — courtesy of lead Obscurean Tracyanne Campbell — are, like those of head Belle Stuart…
Our top DVD picks for the week of July 11
Basic Instinct 2 (Sony) Bill Maher: New Rules (HBO) Bridezillas: The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons (Weinstein) Care Bears: Hearts at Sea (Family Home Ent.) Dennis Miller: All In (HBO) Dolla Morte (Grimoire) The Dudesons Movie (Rhino) The Ellen Show: The Complete Series (Sony) ER: The Complete Fifth Season (Warner…
Midnight Club
We love midnight movies, but we have to point out the irony of showing Fight Club, this week’s pick in the River Oaks Theatre’s late-night screening series, in one of Houston’s most exclusive neighborhoods. Don’t the apartment complexes in River Oaks resemble the “filing cabinet for widows and young professionals”…
Thom Yorke
The man who once sang “Anyone can play guitar” often chooses not to on his solo debut. Instead, Thom Yorke and producer Nigel Godrich build The Eraser on the same surround-sound circuitry that bolstered the last few Radiohead albums. The solo project is hardly a sign that the singer will…
Tasty Tacos
The Maui tacos ($8.25) at Kona Grill (16535 Southwest Freeway, 281-242-7000) come two to a plate. Each taco is rolled tightly in a flour tortilla, then cut diagonally for easy sharing — that is, if you’re dumb enough to share these beauties. To make this superb dish, the folks at…
Albino Riddim
Most legendary Jamaican musicians — see Bob Marley and Peter Tosh — have been dark-skinned, dreadlocked Rastafarians. But Yellowman, Jamaica’s first dancehall superstar, doesn’t fit that mold. He’s an un-dreaded, not-so-spiritually-astute albino. And while his name could apply to his epidermis, it actually refers to the bright yellow suits he…
Peaches
Whatever your politics, you have to admit that the title of Impeach My Bush, the third album by Berlin-based raunch-rap mistress Peaches, is a joke whose time has come. (Titles might be Peaches’ true talent — see also 2003’s Fatherfucker.) Whether or not you think Impeach offers more than exemplary…
She Will Survive
At this point, Melissa Etheridge is probably known more as a celebrity than a musician. Even if you don’t know a single Etheridge song, not even “Come to My Window,” you probably know that a) she had cancer, b) she’s a lesbian and c) she and her previous partner made…
Message in a Bottle
Sixty years after the Holocaust, virtually no artistic medium remains unmarked by it in some way. And this is especially true now that maritime miniaturist Burton D. Reckles has created an exhibit of dioramas for Holocaust Museum Houston. Reckles’s eight-piece collection “Antisemitism: Exodus to the Holocaust” recreates Jewish history, from…
The Court & Spark, with Brothers and Sisters
Because a pedal steel guitar is featured prominently in their sound, The Court & Spark often get pegged as an alt-country band, but nothing could be further from the truth. The steel guitar is just part of a multilayered sound that can include cello, hammered dulcimer, Mellotron, and the percussive…
Super Mario Symphony
“People have been waiting 20 years for a show like this,” says Tommy Tallarico, co-creator of Video Games Live. Given the 11,000-person audience at the show’s Los Angeles debut and its frequent sold-out status on its first tour, he could be right. Video Games Live travels to cities across the…
Guest Checks In
Now entering its second decade as a local favorite for Southern-fried, jam-band-ish rock, Moses Guest shows no sign of slowing down. While the band temporarily blew its proverbial wad with a double disc in 2002, it recently recovered its strength and recorded tracks for an upcoming album. They’ll hopefully be…
Porterdavis
Over the past year, a quiet, below-the-radar folk scene has developed at Mojo Risin’, a tiny Shepherd coffee shop. Owners Jack and Teresa Mullen seem to have weeded through the usual self-anointed leading lights in the local folk scene and are now succeeding by booking some interesting “no-name” acts like…
Bordering on Delirium
Today at Helios will be your last chance to say “I saw that before it was projected on the side of skyscrapers,” as Spacetaker.org presents a sneak preview for Transistor, choreographer/dancer Aileen Mapes’s multimedia performance, which will be presented in downtown Houston this fall and projected onto buildings in Market…
Well-known Unknown
Unknown Hinson has made a name for himself by dressing up western rockabilly in B-movie clothing for some of the most horrified honky-tonk the graveyard has ever seen. His zany stylings have earned him nods from the likes of Matt Groening and Billy Bob Thornton. But Hinson isn’t all theatrics;…
Dashboard Confessional
Contrary to popular belief, Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba is one of the ballsiest men in popular music. That statement might seem absurd, considering that…well, he’s Chris Carrabba, for chrissake. But during the early part of the decade, when critics and other musicians were busy distancing themselves from emo’s fallout,…
These Are the Breaks
Movies such as Beat Street and Breakin’ put breakdancing in the spotlight in the ’80s. But the art has evolved in the last 20 years, and dancers need more than a polyester track suit, a piece of cardboard, and some upper-body strength — they need cojones grandes to achieve the…
A Tale of Two Brooklyns
The meanest, dirtiest streets of Brooklyn seem like an unlikely setting for a happy ending. Yet Brooklyn: The Musical, playing at Miller Outdoor Theatre, proves that anything is possible. Brooklyn is actually about two different Brooklyns — the NYC ‘hood and a Parisian orphan, played by American Idol finalist Diana…
Chris Knight
It would be easy to say Chris Knight seems to be standing still. From album to album, his style doesn’t vary much, nor does his subject matter stray far from the themes of his first album: the hardships of country living, the desperate tenuous brutality of relationships, the dangers of…
Simply Fabulous
Great news: the era of the itsy, bitsy, teeny, weenie bikini is so over. It’s finally time to don some duds that display your full (and fabulous, of course) figure in a more sensible way. The folks behind the Simply Couture Fashion Extravaganza can show you how. This runway show…
Why do Mexicans swim with their clothes on?
Dear Mexican, Why do Mexicans swim with their clothes on? I mean, denim?! Vicente Fox’s Mustache I know this might be a seasonal question, but why do Mexicans like swimming in their clothes? Is it a Catholic thing? I remember as a child growing up in the San Fernando Valley…
Crab Man
A cute waitress dropped off a plate of six barbecued crabs, hot out of the deep fryer. I picked one up and juggled it, trying not to burn my fingers. All that stood between me and a whole lot of luscious crabmeat was a little bit of hot shell. And…
Truly, Madly, Darkly
Slipped into the summer movie season like acid in your Happy Meal, Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly is a blockbuster of counterprogramming. No matter that the dude from The Matrix is its star — or would be, if he weren’t half-hidden under a thick swath of digital paint. Linklater’s return…
Going Batty
Thanks to Dracula, rabies and the crappier of the Batman movies, bats have gotten a bad rap. Consider this awesome factoid, though: These winged wonders can eat their weight in insects. And preventing the spread of the infectious diseases that such edible bugs carry is only one perk of sharing…
Yet Another John Evans
When Houstonians hear “John Evans is performing,” they probably think of the local rockabilly favorite. Well, the John Evans performing today at the Laff Stop is not that John Evans. He’s the Los Angeles comedian John Evans — and such misidentification is apparently a problem for him. On his Web…
Letters to the Editor
A Matter of Principal A student speaks: I attended Hightower High School under Debbie Dunlap and Patricia Paquin, and I have to say that the school was run way better by Dunlap [“Cut Short,” by Todd Spivak, June 29]. I was a freshman and sophomore under Dunlap, and school was…
All-Day Suckers
Perhaps no one can pinpoint the exact moment vaudeville died, but there’s a moment early in Strangers With Candy where you’d swear you had just witnessed the death of visual comedy. En route to her first day of high school, a tarty middle-aged jailbird — this is not a Disney…
No Pie Here
Instead of the world-weary, bombs-and-bullets-filled documentary you might expect from this week’s “Israeli Film Series,” today’s installment in the Jewish Community Center’s summer series is a coming-of-age dramedy. Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (2004), directed by Shemi Zarhin, is about a sensitive 17-year-old who becomes the caretaker of his dysfunctional family, complicating…
From the Crafters
It’s time to see what creative minds from across Texas have forged from wood, metal, fiber, wax, cloth, glass, clay and anything else they can clutch in their precise little hands. Metalsmith Magazine editor Suzanne Ramljak has assembled handiworks from throughout the Lone Star State for CraftHouston 2006, an exhibit…
Image of the Week
It’s one of those rare moments when not having a unibrow and a mustache can work against a gal. Despite looking as artistically gloomy as possible, Henna Haroon Shah could only manage third place in the Frida Kahlo look-alike contest at the Preston Warehouse Art Studios…
Bjrk to the Future
There’s a fine line between artistic genius and pretentious wankery, and most cinastes will tell you that the films of Matthew Barney exist right around that line. Those who like his work usually admit that it’s almost too insufferably pretentious to bear; those with no patience for it generally acknowledge…
What a Circus!
After 135 years in the business of inspiring awe, The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus knows a thing or two about keeping a crowd entertained. Special effects be damned — this spectacle defies death live! From the quadruple aerial somersault (never before seen) to the old woman-in-a-cannon trick (seen…
Rev It Up
While you may think one way to protect kids from sexual predators would be to keep them away from bikers and rock musicians, the organizers of today’s Rock Safe beg to differ. The aim of the event, which includes both riding and rocking, is to help teach teens and pre-teens…
Ever Since the Turn
The piano greets me before I even reach the main entrance to the Dallas apartment where I’m meeting the pAper chAse. I wait for the playing to pause before knocking…it’s just polite. The greeting is appropriate — that very instrument symbolizes the thread of transformation, and even maturation, that the…
Freeloader
Owen Wilson has moved up in the world: He’s gone from crashing weddings to crashing entire marriages. In the listless farce You, Me and Dupree, his eponymous ne’er-do-well shows up on the doorstep of his childhood friend Carl (Matt Dillon), having lost his job and been evicted from his apartment…
One-Act Rumble
Minus a huge financial reward, the premise of the Silver House Theatre Playwright Contest sounds like a mercilessly addictive reality show: Five award-winning playwrights from across the nation, allowed only one act each, compete for first place. Our contestants: J. Boyer (Suicide Gal, Won’t You Come Out Tonight), Jay Hanagan…
A Discovery Channel
If an hour-long didgeridoo solo sounds pleasing to you, get ready for another Extemporama, the monthly music event that’s becoming a haven for improvised jazzing and jamming. Extemporama is put on by Jam Houston, whose Web site describes it as an opportunity for “exploration and spontaneity, experimentation and discovery” (and…
Strange Trip
Blue Cheer bassist/singer Dickie Peterson’s content, energetic growl is a natural match for his appearance. His mane of golden-gray locks makes him look positively leonine — dignified, quietly dangerous, ready to match up with younger lions bite for bite — and he makes no bones about his 60 years. “My…
Long Life
In Bert Long’s painting Ride the Tiger (2002), the artist depicts himself astride a tiger, naked save for a massive pair of eyeglasses. His long hair and beard flow behind him like a mane as the fiery tiger leaps through a vividly streaked sky. Instead of a hand, Long clings…
The New Next Rushdie
The fact that Bombay-born Siddharth Shanghvi has drawn comparisons to Salman Rushdie isn’t special. For lack of a better point of reference, the author of every weepy-titled Indian novel that reaches our shores seems to be called the next Rushdie. But Shanghvi’s success in his homeland is truly noteworthy. The…
Cow Becomes Dietary Nazi
We can’t figure out that Chick-fil-A cow. He’s obviously in favor of the wholesale slaughter of chickens to save his own sorry ass. But given his appearance at the Brighton Church’s sneak preview of the Veggie Tales DVD Larry Boy and the Bad Apple, he also seems to support the…
The Raw Power of Really Smooth Music
For the entire run of its just-ended, one-year voyage, the Internet comedy series Yacht Rock charted a Chardonnay-soaked course through American song’s silkiest, most velvety waters. Those would be the late-’70s, early-’80s light rock scene in L.A. that, as host “Hollywood” Steve Huey put it, “docked a remarkable fleet of…
Capsule Reviews
“Bringing Shadows to Light: Contemporary Argentine Photography” Addressing subjects as diverse as war, the tango and the country’s current economic crisis, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents a good small survey of contemporary Argentine photography. There are pictures of a man’s crude drawings recording the torture he witnessed during…
What’s on God’s iPod?
No one knows contemporary Christian rock and pop better than KSBJ 89.3 FM. And you can get your fill of godly tunes at today’s KSBJ 24th Anniversary Concert. Things kick off at 10 a.m. when Christian singers Ana Laura and Josh Bates and Backstreet-Boy-gone-solo Brian Littrell hold an autograph session…
New ‘Do
Hair can be a political statement, or so documentary filmmaker Michelle Farris-Lewis is setting out to prove with New Growth: The Natural Progression. From chemical treatment as a means of assimilation to afros, twists or dreadlocks as a point of pride, the film-in-progress details follicular trends of African-Americans through the…
Little Bit Louder Now …
Taking Back Sunday helped to turn melodic, hard-driven rock into a marketable commodity. But along the way, the band has had to contend with lineup changes and the erratic, often self-destructive behavior of frontman Adam Lazzara (booze, drugs, dramatic mood swings, falling onstage, and so on). While bassist Matt Rubano…
Capsule Reviews
The Lion King The Elton John/Tim Rice international mega-hit returns to Houston, with all its glaring faults and scenic wonders intact. For its transfer to the stage in 1997, the Disney cartoon was given a novel update by avant-garde theater director Julie Taymor, who was given free rein in her…
The Beat Goes On
Everywhere in the world besides the U.S., ska-revivalists The English Beat are referred to as simply The Beat. The Birmingham, England sextet reached moderate success stateside with their classic 1982 album Special Beat Service before parting ways the following year. Guitarist/vocalist Dave Wakeling and jive-talking Ranking Roger went on to…
Of Books and Bookworms
What does a man who has written and voiced more than 2,100 episodes of his nationally syndicated public radio program The Engines of Our Ingenuity do in his spare time? Well, when he’s not lecturing at colleges, writing textbooks, developing his Web site or researching thermal sciences and cultural history,…
Johnny Cash
The latest installment of Johnny Cash’s epic American series, American V: A Hundred Highways, is the most poignant, cohesive album in the collection to date. Released two and a half years after the singer’s death, the introspective American V centers on spirituality and mortality. The opening cover of Larry Gatlin’s…
Turning Japanese
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Platform: PlayStation 2
Price: $39.99
ESRB Rating: T (for Teen)
Score: 8 (out of 10)
Whale of a Tale
Long noted for her experimental music, Björk is becoming an experimental film star as well. Six years after starring in Dancer in the Dark, the enigmatic Icelandic songstress collaborated with visual artist boyfriend Matthew Barney in Drawing Restraint 9. But don’t expect to see her as the next Bond girl…
Bird with a Buzz
Katy Zang, the stylish Chinese woman who owns Szechuan Garden restaurant on Westheimer, came over to our table to help. Our waiter wasn’t getting it — I had asked for kung pao chicken off the Anglo menu, but with whole Szechuan peppercorns added. The owner had to explain our special…