Toto’s Steve Lukather Holds the Line, But Not His Tongue
‘Tis the season of summer, which also means it’s the time of the year for the increasingly popular Classic Rock Package Tour. It really is a win-win for both sides. Fans get to see two or three like-minded acts from the same era on the same bill, bands get to play…
The Twisted Tale of a Dog-Flipper and the Sheriff’s Office’s So-Called Investigation
Hopefully, most pet owners will never know the sinking feeling of coming home to find out their furry friend has gone missing. And hopefully most of those folks won’t know the weird feeling of finding some d-bag selling your missing dog on Craigslist. But that’s what happened to Cypress resident…
Houston Texans Training Camp Top 5 Story Lines: 1. Hoyer or Mallett
Over the course of their 13 season history, the Texans have employed and started almost every version of NFL quarterback available in the “quarterback aisle” at the NFL Walmart (assuming there were an actual NFL Walmart where teams shop for players). Young, hopeful franchise phenom? Check (David Carr). Mentally shaken,…
Support a Somm: Drink for Education at Camerata
It’s almost unheard of for a small business to completely shut down a few days so that the entire staff can continue their education, but that’s exactly what Camerata is doing for the TEXSOM conference. They’ve come up with a fun and clever way to finance it, too: they’re throwing…
The Bar Has Been Set With This Creative Whale of a Tale
The set up: We’ve read about the whale, listened to adaptations of him on the radio and even ate popcorn and watched as the giant fishy mammal came to filmic life. But now, thanks to Phillip Hays and Horse Head Theatre, we get closer to the story than most could…
Houston’s Best Free Concerts In August
*Events in italics are free to $5+ due to possible age restrictions/club membership SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 Annika Chambers Band: Shakespeare Pub DJ Fredster: Fitzgerald’s Flash Gordon Parks presents This Thing We Do screening: Cactus Music Say Girl Say: Cactus Music This is Our Band: Sambuca *Black 13: BFE Rock Club …
Houston Texans Training Camp Top 5 Storylines: 2. Cushing’s Last Stand
When you rattle off the list of prominent Houston Texans over the last five years or so — J.J. Watt, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Duane Brown, to name a few — people have no problem putting Brian Cushing’s name in there with those multi-time Pro Bowlers. Maybe it’s the perception…
Houston Texans Training Camp Top 5 Storylines: 3. Life After Andre Johnson
Thinking back on Texans training camps of seasons past, there have been noticeable voids before when prominent players have moved onto new pastures (some greener than others). When training camp began in 2012 with no Mario Williams or DeMeco Ryans for the first time in six seasons, that felt weird…
Houston Texans Training Camp Top 5 Story Lines: 4. Lights, Camera, Hard Knocks!
If you got it, flaunt it, and when it comes to having a team that he feels should be showcased front and center as a shining example of what “good” can look like on and off the field, Texans owner Bob McNair believes he’s got it. HBO’s award winning Hard…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 77: Beef Fajitas at Original Ninfa’s On Navigation vs El Real Tex-Mex
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
51 Places to Wine About: Wine Spectator’s Houston-Area Winners
The Wine Spectator awards for 2015 are out and 51 of the Houston-area restaurants that entered the competition were deemed to have some of the best wine lists in the world. Restaurants from over 75 countries and territories entered for consideration. Of those, ten Houston landed second-tier awards given to…
Project UROK Wants Kids To Know They’re Not Alone
If you have a problem, chances are someone else has already struggled with the same thing and has found a way to overcome it. Communicating that to young people through video is one of the primary aims of Project UROK. (It’s pronounced “You are okay,” but the name can also…
Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift & Pop Music’s Oldest Bait and Switch
When it comes to the whole unnecessary brouhaha between Nicki Minaj, Katy “FKA Twigs hairstyle” Perry, Taylor “Tay-Tay” Swift and ginger king Ed Sheeran over last week’s VMA nominations, Nicki indisputably won the crown. No question about it. Part of the reason I concur with the comments Minaj made about…
The Last Unwanted Caress: On Getting Groped at Danzig
Glenn Danzig is a front man like no other who has single-handedly crafted not only a devoted cult following but also an entire music subculture. A man absorbed by his mission, he is the driving force behind the horror- fueled dark spectacle of all projects attached to his name: The…
It’s Weird How People Correct Me When They Think I’m a Woman
Last week I broke the internet again with a piece called No It’s Not Your Opinion. You’re Just Wrong. It spread virally to millions and by and large the response to it was very positive. I’m still in shock Amy Freakin’ Tan was a fan of it! On the other…
Houston Texans Training Camp Top 5 Story Lines: 5. The Class of 2014
When you improve from 2-14 to 9-7 in one season, and do it by playing four different quarterbacks, many of the glaring deficiencies (if not complete football malpractice) get swept under the rug of “feel good.” Hey, a seven game improvement! Sure, there are things that need to be fixed,…
UPDATED Suspended Lawyer Craig Washington — a Bold/Weird Choice for the Sandra Bland Review Committee
We were surprised to read this morning that former U.S. Representative Craig Washington, whose law license is suspended, is part of the committee of non-suspended attorneys comprising the Waller County Sheriff’s review committee in the death of Sandra Bland. Why are we surprised? Well, for one thing, we just wondered…
Montgomery County Formed a Committee to Keep the Bullet Train Out
Even though Montgomery County is now out of the path of the proposed bullet train line, county officials are intent on making sure the proposed Dallas-to-Houston bullet train doesn’t get anywhere near them. The project, proposed by Texas Central Partners, will run a bullet train line from Dallas to Houston…
Neil Armstrong’s Spacesuit is Being Preserved Through Kickstarter. Seriously.
It’s common knowledge that NASA is perpetually scrambling for funds, but it’s kind of surreal to realize that the government organization that keeps some of the most famous NASA artifacts has also had trouble coming up with the cash to keep up with NASA history. That’s right. After finding that…
Texans Place Jadeveon Clowney On Preseason Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) List
If you’re a casual Texans fan, not completely versed in the different designations a team can use in order to maintain roster flexibility with injured players, then you probably read the headline of this post and flipped the hell out. I mean, any title that includes the words “Physically Unable…
Quiznos Debuts New Cuban Sandwich
Though at one time considered a regional sandwich prevalent primarily in Florida, the Cubano or Cuban sandwich is now finding its way into national dining outlets due to increasing popular interest in Cuban culture following the relaxation of travel restrictions to that country. For evidence of this fact look no…
Four Deaths in HPD Custody in Eight Days
In just eight days, four people have died while in custody of the Houston Police Department. Two of the four died before they even reached a jail cell, according to HPD. On average, 17 people die in HPD custody every year, according to a tally by the Texas Attorney General’s…
The New Oporto Fooding House Offers Authentic, Tasty Food in a Stylish Setting
Pão com tomate (bread with tomatoes) is a simple starter dish all over Spain and Portugal. Usually it’s served on a plain white plate at the beginning of the meal. When you order it at Oporto Fooding House & Wine, however, it’s served with a panache normally reserved for feature…
Affecting Presence: The Menil Whips Up a Delicious Exhibition With What’s Available
Caught. That was my first response when I walked into the exhibition “Affecting Presence and the Pursuit of Delicious Experiences,” which opened last week at The Menil Collection. Why hadn’t I done my homework? I knew I should have. I even had the time, but I frittered it away. Those…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: A Houston Restaurant Weeks Preview
This week, we’ve got some interesting barbecue features, plus reviews of a Peruvian cafe and a Japanese grill. Dalida of Brunch & Conversation got a preview of the Houston Restaurants Weeks menu at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, 12637 Westheimer, and seems quite pleased with the results. She especially enjoyed the flavorful…
Families Go to Battle in Probate Court, Only to Leave Without Anything
In October 2007, Willie Jo Mills of Houston suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of her body. A widow with two daughters and a son, the 80-year-old woman was prescribed a variety of pain medications, but doctors couldn’t find the right cocktail. Six months later, Mills’s son Larry…
Festival of Originals Falls a Bit Flat
The set-up: Some thoughts you may have while watching Theatre Southwest’s 18th Annual Festival of Originals. (1) Some year’s submissions are better than others. (2) The selection committee should be a bit more selective. (3) Contemporary playwrights who write short plays are sadly unoriginal. (4) Perceptive acting can disguise a…
Getting to Good: With the Astros on the Upswing, so Are Attendance and TV Viewing
On the surface, it was just a garden variety strikeout to end your normal, mid-July Major League Baseball game. Astros reliever Josh Fields set down Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval to close out a cookie cutter 8-3 Astros win last Tuesday night, keeping these spunky, young Astros firmly in…
Upcoming: Anamalis, Dwight Yoakam, Front 242, George Ezra, K. Michelle, Peaches, Taylor Swift (Changed), etc.
9th Annual DIMEFEST: With WARBEAST, Slaterica, EPIC, Powderburn, Hold On Hollywood, Knocturnal Maddness, Rabid Flesh Eaters, Kill for Mother, Apothica, The Black 13, Twisted Karma, Metallize. Sat., August 22, 5 p.m., $5. BFE Rock Club, 11528 Jones, Houston, 281-894-1811. Aaron Lee Tasjan: Thu., September 10, 9:30 p.m., $20 to $22…
Bob Dylan’s Electrical Storm Still Resonates 50 Years Later
Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties By Elijah Wald Dey Street, 368 pp., $26.99 It is one of the most storied, steeped, controversial, mythologized, and, some believe, epochal events in rock and roll history. On the night of July 25, 1965, as part of the…
Faith No More is Back…Could Mr. Bungle Be Next?
Tonight at Bayou Music Center, Faith No More will play in Houston for the first time in almost 20 years. Their first Texas date was on Sunday night in Austin, and I was there. It was absolutely incredible. Anyone going tonight is in for something truly special for the dedicated…
List of Great Texas Music Documentaries Adds One More
It’s coming down to the wire for Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove, the documentary about the incredible life and most groovy times of the late Doug Sahm, directed by longtime Texas music journalist Joe Nick Patoski. The film premiered at SXSW earlier this year to much applause,…
Big Comic Con vs. Little Comic Con
Every year I cover Comicpalooza, Houston’s massive celebration of all things geek that now spans four days and takes over the entire George R. Brown Convention Center. It’s an exhausting ordeal that leaves me drained and sore, so when the various incarnations of Space City Con happen a little later…
“Review Committee” Will Look at Evidence in Sandra Bland Case
At a press conference outside the Waller County Sheriff’s Office Monday, Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said his office as formed a “review committee” made up of outside attorneys to help his office investigate the Sandra Bland case. Mathis brought with him two members of the committee—two attorneys, presumably—but…
Ted Cruz Gets Public Political Spanking
It finally happened. Since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, Sen. Ted Cruz has done everything short of burning President Barack Obama in effigy on the Senate floor to make a name for himself. He achieved political fame and became a Tea Party darling by railing against everything…
Former Saints LB Junior Galette Trashes His Former Teammates On Twitter
There will come a time down the road when the NFL owners and players will square off for a collective bargaining session once again, just as they did during the lockout of 2011. Among the items that the players will attempt to get the owners to bend on, I would…
Attorney General Says Texas A&M Doesn’t Need to Tell You What You’re Paying Them to Do to Dogs and Cats
We’re a little perplexed by a Texas Attorney General’s opinion stating that Texas A&M doesn’t have to release records related to testing done on cats and dogs. The opinion was spurred by activists’ requests for daily care logs and health logs, in a story originally reported by the San Antonio…
Miguel’s Rock-Star Charisma Heats Up Warehouse Live
Miguel w/ Dorothy Warehouse Live July 26, 2015 That’s it. I can no longer compare Miguel to Prince and neither should you. Sunday night, as part of the third jaunt from his Wildheart tour, the Los Angeles-based singer looked more like Jim Morrison from the Doors than Prince. Shirtless. Abs…
A First Look at the Stunning New MF Sushi in the Museum District
There was a point last year when Houston could have lost Chris Kinjo. His brother had begun work on another project in Atlanta, and, with all the bad luck he’d had since moving to Houston — an unfortunate kitchen fire that forced him to close his restaurant for many months,…
UPDATED: Check Out The 40+ New Restaurants Participating In Houston Restaurant Weeks
Houston’s ever-growing restaurant scene has had a cool side effect. This year, there are over 40 restaurants participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks that have never done so before. Houston Restaurant Weeks event chair Cleverley Stone kindly provided a list of all the new places. The only challenge for diners this…
Music Is Great, But Heat and Traffic Dampen Bayou City Bonanza
A music festival is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there. The organizers of last Saturday’s Bayou City Bonanza are the residents in this scenario. They’re good people, who put a lot of hard work into the event. Last week, we spoke with Adam Kayode O…
Closing Time: Restaurants Can Make It Or Break It In The Last Hour
My husband and I wandered into a reliable neighborhood bistro around 8 p.m. I was expecting to find a candidate for my Favorite 100 Houston Dishes list there, while he was just tired, hungry and looking for an after-work dinner. The restaurant closed at 9 p.m. and there was…
Is There A College Football Student Attendance Problem?
It’s been years since I sat in the stands at a college football game — probably dating back to the days when Art Briles was head coach at UH. And it’s been an even longer time since I sat in the stands as a college student — that was probably…
Dish of the Week: Chocolate Mousse
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a recipe for chocolate mousse. French for “foam”, mousse is a light and airy mixture made with whipped egg whites…
Craig Biggio Goes Into The Baseball Hall Of Fame (w/ Speech VIDEO)
Leading off the festivities at the 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies, Craig Biggio was exactly what he was leading off for the Houston Astros for the two decades he played — dignified, respectful, perfect for the spot he was in. Of the four inductees on Sunday, Biggio’s candidacy was the…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Restaurant Weeks Are Upon Us
All Week Sunday Brunch Everyday at Cadillac Bar You can head over to Cadillac Bar for a special offering of their Sunday brunch buffet Monday through Friday of this week. If you take some photos of your visit and tag them with #ILikeBigBrunch, you’ll be entered to win a Bruch Bunch…
8 Fundamental Ways Driverless Cars Might Change Our Society
Until relatively recently, the idea of society abandoning cars that people have to control themselves in favor of driverless vehicles seemed like something out of a science fiction movie. Sure, we’ve been promised Jetson-style flying cars since at least the 1950s, and that hasn’t happened yet, but the idea of…
Onstage, Fall Out Boy Reconnect With Their Punk-Rock Roots
Fall Out Boy, Wiz Khalifa Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 24, 2015 Let me start off by saying that in 2015, Fall Out Boy is, for all intents and purposes, a studio band. Listening to either of their two post-reunion records, Save Rock and Roll or American Beauty/American Psycho, you…
Faith No More Enjoy Writing Their Own Rules Nowadays
Faith No More, the alternative band of musical anarchists who helped introduce a healthy dose of the bizarre and unexpected into the hard rock scene of the ‘80s and ‘90s, has already been reunited for more than six years now. Living here in their home country of the United States,…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: KMFDM, Faith No More, Black Kite, etc.
KMFDM Scout Bar, July 27 It’s close, but KMDFM has done as much as Ministry to shape the sound and image of so-called industrial music, often further augmenting their attack with sharp wit and pointed political commentary. Founded by Sascha Konietzko mid-‘80s Hamburg, KMFDM has long since outpaced their Cold…
Why Does it Matter if Sandra Bland Smoked Marijuana?
During a press conference held yesterday afternoon to release the results of Sandra Bland’s autopsy, one of the first things Waller County prosecutor Warren Diepraam did was confirm an earlier report that Bland had marijuana in her system at the time of her death. While Diepraam didn’t say outright that…
Man Found Hanging In HPD Jail Identified
The man found dead in a Houston Police Department jail yesterday afternoon has been identified as 38-year-old Hung Do, according to an HFD press release. According to Harris County court records, Do was arrested early Wednesday morning and charged with possession of a controlled substance. At around 1:30 p.m. the…
NASA Found an Earth-Like Planet
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has spotted something pretty nifty: “Earth’s bigger, older cousin.” The Earth-size planet, Kepler-452b, was found circling a sun-like star in an orbit that takes 385 days. The planet is located solidly in the star’s “habitalbe zone,” the distance from the star that means the planet has a chance…
Court of Appeals Tosses One of Perry’s Indictments
Things are looking up for former-Gov. Rick Perry. Sure his presidential campaign is on life support and fellow presidential wishful-thinker Donald Trump is making fun of all things Perry like it’s going out of style. But Friday brought up a bit of good news: Perry is now only facing one…
NBA Changes the TV Game, Makes Individual Games Available for $6.99
When I was a young teenager, like 13 or 14, growing up in rural Connecticut, my family didn’t have cable television until I was in ninth grade (which incidentally is my “I walked to school uphill, both ways, bare foot” token that I fire back in my kids’ faces when…
Texas Supreme Court Suspends HERO Ordinance
Good news for homophobes: The Texas Supreme Court has suspended Houston’s controversial equal rights ordinance and ordered City Council to either repeal it by August 24 or put it on the November ballot. Issued Friday, the opinion states that City Council ignored its duty under the city’s charter by not…
Houston City Dance Reprises Successful Junebug
For more dance companies, spring shows come and go, but when you’re audience demands a second viewing, it’s a rare pleasure to be able to oblige a repeat performance. Houston City Dance finds itself in that enviable position; tomorrow night the company presents Junebug: A Ballet after an enthusiastically received…
Houston Whatever Fest 2015 Adds a Little Bit of Everything
Besides moving from August to November, Houston Whatever Fest plans to expand its footprint around Warehouse Live to an area about five times larger than last year’s and add attractions ranging from live wrestling matches to a giant television that will show both football and many sets by its musical…
Hot R&B Crooner Miguel Knows What He Stands For Now
For any devout follower of Miguel, tracing the Los Angeles-based singer’s career is akin to looking back at failed and promising romances. Spiked with the right amount of innuendo, his almost-perfect love songs have been splattered across Top 40 and urban stations ever since “Adorn,” his 2012 single that became…
Astros Trade Two Prospects to the A’s for Scott Kazmir
This is a fun time to be a Houston sports fan. Football preseason is less than two weeks away, with the Texans hoping to build off of last season’s 9-7 finish. (Admittedly, a quarterback would help, but stay with me.) The Rockets just made a trade for what they hope…
Beaumont Badasses Purple Still Hope to Crack Houston Open
There’s something about happening upon a band, one you hadn’t heard of before but are immediately enthralled by, that is one of the great joys of being a music fan. It’s truly like finding a diamond embedded in the rough earth. Once you find it, you examine it, appraise it…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: It’s Christmas…in July!
National Tequila Day Friday, all day! Viva Tequila! It’s National Tequila Day, y’all. Check out our roundup – which includes places like Añejo Tex-Mex, Arnaldo Richards’ Picos, and Pistolero’s – to see the best Tequila Day deals in town. Bar Olympics @ Revelry on Richmond Saturday, 1 p.m. 1613 Richmond Relive…
Houston Passes Up Expansion Hockey
Sorry, Houston. That whole NHL expansion team to Houston thing, it just ain’t happening. Not at this moment, at least. Expansion bids had to be submitted to the NHL earlier this week. And no one claiming to represent Houston submitted a bid. In fact, in kind of a surprising development,…
Pack Your Food and Drinks; The Houston Shakespeare Festival is a Week Away
If it’s the heighth of summer then it must be time for the annual Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre produced by the University of Houston’s School of Theatre & Dance. This year’s offerings – Macbeth (tragedy) and The Merchant of Venice (technically a comedy) – will be presented…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Summer Beer & Cheese Pairing
On Wednesday, July 29 at 7 p.m., stamp your vegetarian passport with Sommelier Sean Beck at a Vegetarian Dinner at Backstreet Cafe, 1103 S. Shepherd. For $92 per person (plus tax and gratuity), enjoy a wine reception featuring appetizers and the wines of Portugal’s Vinho Verde, followed by five stellar…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Brenner’s Is Back, Alright!
There’s some fantastic news from Brenner’s on the Bayou, 1 Birdsall— they’ve reopened! Cue the Backstreet Boys parody songs. The massive floods of late May forced the restaurant to close for repairs, but the Facebook page says that they are ready to prepare some succulent, wet-aged, USDA Prime steak for…
The 5 Best Things to do in Houston This Weekend: The Whale
“We really wanted to…have an immersive environment,” says Jacey Little, Horse Head Theatre Company’s producer, who’s helming what can only be called an original take on Melville’s magnum opus The Whale; or, Moby-Dick, which is one of our picks for Friday. The story of Captain Ahab and his quest for…
Houston’s 10 Best Bars to Bring Your Dog
About a year and a half ago, we presented this article about the 10 best bars in Houston where your dog will be welcome too. Since that time, Boneyard Drinkery, which was essentially a dog park and bar all in one, has unfortunately closed down. The good news is that a…
Biz Vicious Creates a New Blueprint for Success
It happens too rarely in any art form. Once or twice in a generation, a person sits at a piano onstage in front of an audience and never plays it, only to challenge the audience’s definition of music. A cornet player from one of the poorest neighborhoods on the planet…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Rock Baby Rock It, Jealous Creatures, Miguel, etc.
Rock Baby Rock It Continental Club, July 24-25 Rock Baby Rock It 2015 comes just a week after the Continental’s 15th anniversary party, and predates its present home by about two years; it actually started at the long-gone Fabulous Satellite Lounge. Today it is arguably the centerpiece of the club’s…
Sandra Bland Autopsy Results Released
Sandra Bland’s autopsy showed no evidence she was murdered, Waller County officials said at a press conference this afternoon. The Waller County District Attorney’s Office released the results of Bland’s autopsy conducted by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, and according to Waller County prosecutor Warren Diepraam, the results showed…
Blue Bell Starts Production at the Alabama Plant
Blue Bell is chock full of good news lately. A little over a week after the company announced that Fort Worth oil billionaire Sid Bass was bailing the company out to the tune of $125 million, the Brenham-based company has started making ice cream again at its factory in Sylacauga, Alabama…
Zapruder Analysis of the Gronkowskis on Family Feud (w/ VIDEO)
The “Summer of Gronk” is winding down. I’ll be honest, I’m going to be sad to see it go. It’s had all of the raucousness and alcohol-fueled rambunctiousness of both “Summers of Johnny” (2013, 2014…and that would be Johnny MANZIEL, in case you’d forgotten him), but without the dark cloud…
Trae Day 2015: Camel Rides and Everything Else
Trae Day 2015 Sam Houston Race Park July 22, 2015 Another year, another Trae Day in the City of Houston. The annual family festival took place on a scorching Wednesday afternoon at a new location, and was filled with the usual distribution of school supplies, free medical screenings, rides and…
Kid Rock’s Party Might Have Interrupted Air Traffic Last Night
Kid Rock, Foreigner Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 22, 2015 He is name is Kid, Kid Rock. Some call him Cowboy, he calls himself an American Badass, but the man known to his parents as Bob Ritchie strolled into the Woodlands Pavilion Wednesday night and simply tore it down. Whatever…
5 Worst Texas Responses to the SCOTUS Gay Marriage Decision
This weekend it will be a month since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision on Obergefell v. Hodges, making it legal across the country for same-sex couples to tie the knot. That was a very good day for a lot of people, joy across the land and couples…
Jason Liao Signs on as Sushi Chef at Aka Sushi House
Jason Liao has had a whirlwind couple of years. The young sushi chef, who made a name for himself at Nanami in Austin, moved back to Houston (where he grew up) with big dreams. In May 2014, he opened his first restaurant, the highly praised Preview Modern Seafood in Sugar…
Horse Head Theatre Co’s Moby Dick is a Whale of Tale
If you’re like most people, your association with Moby Dick is limited to some high school or college lit class, and it brings to mind an epic, obsessive quest to hunt down a whale. You might have some serious flashbacks of wrestling with hundreds and hundreds of pages as Captain Ahab…
Here Are J.J. Watt’s New Reliant Commercials (w/ VIDEO)
It’s been a few days since we’ve had anything J.J. Watt-related to talk about . The Texans’ other worldly defensive end has been laying low the last few days since attending the ESPYs, eating dinner at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s, posting Instagram pics with Jennifer Aniston and Britney Spears, informing a future…
No, It’s Not Your Opinion. You’re Just Wrong [UPDATED]
I have had so many conversations or email exchanges with students in the last few years wherein I anger them by indicating that simply saying, “This is my opinion” does not preclude a connected statement from being dead wrong. It still baffles me that some feel those four words somehow…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes #78: Chicken Tikka Masala At The Tandoori Nite truck
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
In the Flesh: A Brief Field Guide to Pink Floyd Tribute Bands
At this point Pink Floyd fandom has been bred into generations of classic-rock listeners and recreational-drug users, so demand for the band’s music isn’t exactly in short supply. In fact, Dark Side of the Moon is among the ten top-selling vinyl LPs of 2015; it was released in 1973. And…
My Friend Smells Really Bad. Help!
HOW CAN I LOSE WEIGHT TO CATCH A SEXY GIRL? Dear Willie D: I’m a fairly attractive mid-twentysomething man who keeps striking out with the ladies. Every time I meet one I like, they say they like me, but only as a friend. To them I’m the nice fat guy…
A Bayou City Bonanza to Help One Special Little Girl
Ask anyone who’s met someone special and they’ll tell you there was a single moment when they knew that person was incredible in that life-changing kind of way. It’s a moment Adam Kayode O. Gamble-Uguru easily recalled when discussing Honor Tinsley, the three-year-old who is the beneficiary of Saturday’s Bayou…
Jailers Knew Sandra Bland Had Recently Attempted Suicide
Sandra Bland attempted suicide earlier this year and the Waller County Jail knew about it, according to a booking sheet recently released by the Waller County District Attorney’s office. When Bland was booked following her arrest on July 10, she answered a question on the form by saying she had…
Someone Pretending to Be the Houston Press Is Going After Chris Bell
This afternoon we got a call from Patrick Devney, who’s managing Chris Bell’s campaign for mayor of Houston. Devney calmly and politely asked if we’ve been quietly promoting a bullshit story (our words, not his) about the former city council member and congressman. Huh? Devney kindly forwarded us an email…
DPS Says Sandra Bland Arrest Video Was Not Edited
Amid allegations that the recently released Sandra Bland dash cam video was edited, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in an email that the video’s irregularities were not due to editing but rather technical issues. Last night, shortly after the dash cam video was released by DPS, an independent…
Texas Central Gets New CEO, $75 Million for Dallas-to-Houston Bullet Train
There’s been a bit of a shake-up at Texas Central Partners, the company working to turn the idea of a Dallas-to-Houston bullet train into a reality. On Wednesday morning Texas Central’s board of directors announced they’d appointed Dallas real estate executive Tim Keith as the new CEO of the company…
“I Will Light You Up!”: A Lesson in Police Escalation
Is it reasonable for a cop to pull a weapon on someone accused of nothing more than verbally disagreeing with or questioning the officer? How you answer that question will likely determine what you think of the dash-cam video authorities released yesterday of the July 10 traffic stop that ended…
Your Semi-Regular Hollywood Reboot Update: The Rebootening
Where would Hollywood be without recycled properties? Probably okay, as it turns out. The box office is ruled by sequels, and while we can indulge in semantic arguments about what truly constitutes a remake/reboot vs a sequel, the fact remains the top grossing (worldwide) movies of 2015 to date are…
Sublime With Rome Tries, But Nothing Can Top the Real Thing
Sublime With Rome Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 21, 2015 When you pull up a set list for Sublime With Rome, their songs — or the ones played and recorded with the late Bradley Nowell, anyway — are listed as Sublime covers. It’s strange to see each song listed listed that…
On Trae Day No. 8, a Rapper at the Center of His Community
“My burden is to describe things as precisely as I see them.” – Ta-Nehisi Coates Trae Tha Truth is all smiles inside Wire Road Studios. The 35-year-old rapper is busy walking around, shaking hands and offering embraces to anyone who would ask. He wears gold on his hands and around…
Scientology Tracker Tony Ortega in Houston to Discuss His Book, Retaliation and the Church
Tony Ortega, a former editor of the Village Voice who became equally well known for his relentless pursuit of the Church of Scientology and its inner workings is in Houston today to talk about his research and to promote his book The Unbreakable Miss Lovely about Paulette Cooper, a critic…
Kid Rock, the Rebel Flag and Southern Rock’s Summer of Reckoning
How radioactive is the Confederate flag nowadays? A museum now showing a bunch of Kid Rock’s stuff recently took some heat about it, except the museum in question never even possessed the controversial banner. That was the gist of the flap earlier this month, when the Michigan chapter of the…
Motown, the Musical Has So Many Songs, There’s Little Room for Plot
The set-up: The good news about Motown, the Musical (2013), now rocking the Hobby Center through July 26: too many songs. The bad news: too many songs. The execution: Adapted from Barry Gordy’s autobiographic memoirs of founding the most significant black independent record company, a.k.a. Detroit’s Motown Records, this jukebox…
Should The Ashley Madison Hack Have Houstonians Worried?
If you live in one of Houston’s nicer neighborhoods and you’ve noticed that one member of that seemingly happily-married couple next door has been acting a little nervous lately, there’s a survey that might offer an explanation why (though we really wouldn’t recommend confronting said neighbor or their spouse— especially…
The Ten Best Movies of 2015 (So Far)
We run down the ten best movies of 2015 (so far) on this week’s episode of the Voice Film Club. Alan Scherstuhl and Stephanie Zacharek of the Village Voice, joined by Amy Nicholson at LA Weekly, each share a few of their favorites on this mid-year (well for Hollywood, anyway)…
UPDATED Bud & Burgers Winner’s Party at Bernie’s Burger Bus
Everyone is welcome at Bernie’s Burger Bus for its Bud & Burgers Winner’s Party this Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Bernie’s was recently named the winner of our Houston Press sponsored online contest. The winning burger, The Detention, is a monster of a burger featuring two crispy bacon…
Sandra Bland Dash Cam Video Released
Newly released dash cam footage shows Sandra Bland being forced out of her car during the traffic stop that led to her arrest and incarceration at the Waller County Jail, where authorities say Bland’s body was discovered hanging in her cell on the morning of July 13. At around the…
Willie D’s Open Letter: Trump Is a ‘Trick,’ ‘Ungrateful Bastard’
Tuesday afternoon, Geto Boy and Houston Press advice columnist Willie D forwarded us his open letter to billionaire and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, which Willie has also posted on his Facebook fan page. The rhetoric is a similar to Houston rapper Chingo Bling’s recent message to the former Celebrity…
New Report on Deadly 2013 Fire Calls for More HFD Changes
On Wednesday, the Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a 106-page report on the Houston Fire Department’s response to a deadly 2013 fire at a hotel along the Southwest Freeway, revealing poor radio communications, melting breathing apparatuses, and a lack of preparedness for…
Southpaw Is a Predictable, Exhausting Brutalist Melodrama
The opening of Antoine Fuqua’s Southpaw, shot in gritty, grayed-out tones, is a grim harbinger: A fighter getting ready for the ring holds up his meaty paws for the ritualistic wrapping of gauze and tape. His gloves are slipped over the wrappings, and then they’re taped on, too — but…
iPhone Feature Tangerine Is an Exuberant, Piercing Comedy
There’s probably only one humanist film that opens with the words, “Merry Christmas Eve, bitch!” accompanied by the proffering of a single, sprinkle-dusted doughnut. In Sean Baker’s Tangerine, best friends, transgender women and prostitutes Sin-Dee and Alexandra (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor) catch up at a doughnut joint on…
