21 Best Things to Do in Houston This Week: Shark Week and Pampered Pooches
Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, The World Series of Dog Shows and Colombian Fest International are just a few more exciting events.
Black Hair: The Natural Look Shows Off Cultural Unity and Pride
Many African-American women, from various age groups and backgrounds, are using their hair to express their freedom and pride in their heritage.
Soothe Your Entertainment Conscience With Our Celebrity Offensiveness Index
The question of how hard we should work to separate art from the artist has seldom been so urgent as it is now.
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Viva El Tequila
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: Viva El Tequila Fest at Cadillac Bar Friday, 7 to 10 p.m. 1802 Shepherd The second annual Viva El Tequila Fest will feature face-painting and dancing; tequila, house cocktail and beer samples; and tacos from Cadillac Bar’s food truck, Taco Me…
Sell Your Body Show‘s Latest Menu Offers Comedy, Chocolate and Nudity
Rec Room Arts puts on a show all dessert lovers can get behind.
Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Hot Happy Hour and One Last Steak
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings: Pax Americana, 4319 Montrose, is now offering happy hour every day that it is open (Tuesday-Sunday) from 5 to 7 p.m. Get customer favorites like the PAX Pickle Variety with garlic aioli and harissa for $5, Korean…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: The Big Sick
Funny how real life occasionally turns out more amusing than whatever AI program produces most of these movies.
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Donkey Kong and The Last Wife
History is the same every time you open up a book, maybe educational, but a bit redundant so how about we jazz it up a bit. Kate Henning does just that with her own take on a tale of the past in The Last Wife.
Openings and Closings: The Halal Guys Land in Westchase
Houston’s beloved Mexican panderia El Bolillo Bakery, which originally opened in the Heights, is opening its third location on 517 West Southmore in Pasadena within the next couple of weeks. El Bolillo Bakery is known for its variety of everyday pastries, tres leches cakes, and fresh bolillos — a popular Mexican…
Netflix’s To the Bone Offers a Uniquely Honest Look at Eating Disorders
To the Bone premieres July 14 on Netflix About 10 minutes into Marti Noxon’s eating-disorder drama, To the Bone, Ellen (Lily Collins) sneaks away from her overbearing stepmom, Susan (Carrie Preston), to chug warm water from a public-bathroom faucet (a trick to fool the body into thinking it’s full so…
Netflix’s Gorgeous, Despairing Chasing Coral Bears Witness to the Planet’s End
Chasing Coral premieres July 14 on Netflix. In February of 1995 Charlton Heston called Rush Limbaugh’s radio program to read from Jurassic Park – the book, not the movie. In his best Old Testament boom, Heston declaimed a speech about man’s hubris that Michael Crichton had written for Dr. Ian…
Journey Keep It Simple and Glorious at Smart Financial Centre
The venerable classic rockers have hits — and guitar solos — for days.
Five Burning Questions for the Second Half of the Astros Season
As we enter the functional second half of the Major League Baseball season, coming off Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, it is abundantly clear that the Houston Astros’ star power in the MLB galaxy matches their on-field prowess, where their 60-29 record is the second best in all of baseball and…
HBO’s The Defiant Ones Introduces Music’s Oddest Couple
For four slick, riveting hours, artists and executives look back on the path that made Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre billionaires.
The Long Rise and Fast Fall of the Ambitious One-Bin Recycling Program
It’s hard to tell whether George Gitschel, CEO of EcoHub Houston, loves or hates garbage. He’s spent 25 years trying to find a way to get rid of it. But he also talks about trash the way a rosy-eyed antique collector or junkyard operator talks about the value they find…
A New App Aims to Turn All Houston Restaurants Into Drive-Thrus
A Houston restaurateur named John Carlew, who has reportedly opened some 200 Chick-fil-a, Quiznos and Cicis locations all over the nation, and his partner/entrepreneur Chris Spradlin, are hoping to make a drive-thru our of every restaurant in the city. The duo have created the mobile app, DRIVE-THRU On Demand, which…
Looking Back, The Rocky Horror Picture Show Hasn’t Aged That Well
Looking back, a lot of things in the cult surrounding the movie were not ideal.
10 Houston Bars With the Best Background Music
Spend a night or two drinking here and your ears will be thanking you long after it’s over.
Ten Things to Do in Houston for $10 or Less (Eight Free), July 13-19
Check out the Houston Press calendar for even more things to do.
Will Doctor’s Child Porn Plea Deal Mean No Accountability for the Karolyis?
USA Gymnastics backed out of buying Karolyi Ranch a while back, as we noted. Now, it is possible that may be the extent of the consequences the famed OIympic gymnastics coaches carry for the part they played in creating an environment where a sexual predator could go after young, vulnerable…
Meet Mystic Stylez, Who Throws the Best Parties in H-Town
The mysterious promoter now puts on lineups unlike anything else that comes to Houston.
The 10 Best Summer Salads to Try in Houston
“I’ve been craving something green and delicious,” wrote my friend in a message requesting salad recommendations. Despite my general penchant for green and delicious things, I found myself stumped after recommending my beloved standby, Local Foods (the vegan Caesar is life-changing; the market vegetable salad is less novel but no…
I Want to Get Rid of My Possessive Ex. Help!
What’s on your mind? What isn’t? Ask Willie D!
Rep. Al Green Joins Bid to Impeach Trump
Democratic Rep. Al Green became the first member of Congress to formally call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and now he’s once again plunged forward into the breach by actually filing articles of impeachment against the president. On Wednesday Green and California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman introduced articles…
Public Works Director Implicated in Bribery Scheme Placed on Leave
After being named as a player in a federal bribery and extortion case, Houston’s director of the Public Works and Engineering Department has been temporarily placed on leave, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday. A federal indictment unsealed Friday revealed that Director Karun Sreerama allegedly made illegal payments to Houston Community…
Lawsuit Claims Houston Officer Beat Up Man Suspected of Marijuana Possession
Houston Police Officer Kevin Hubenak didn’t say anything about beating Larry Moore to a pulp in the charging complaint against him for possession of marijuana. He didn’t accuse Moore of trying to run, of resisting arrest or of trying to assault him. But according to a lawsuit now filed against…
Houstonians May Just Be the Biggest Tippers on Food Delivery in Texas
Good job, Houstonians. According to the Austin-based delivery service Favor, which has just announced a major expansion in Texas via a press release this week, its Houston customers are the highest tippers in the state, tipping on average 20 percent more on delivery than in any other market. And if…
10 Best Offseason Transactions by Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey
The NBA has the best offseason of any of the major sports, and it’s even better when you live in a city where you KNOW that your team will be doing SOMETHING every year. That’s what Daryl Morey (and really, Les Alexander, insomuch as he provides the resources) has gotten…
The Houston Symphony Heads for Hogwarts
The producer of next weekend’s Harry Potter program talks changing film scores and John Williams’ enduring genius.
A Look Inside The Hidden Cellar: A Neighborhood Wine Bar in North Cypress
A couple of weeks ago, we went in search of good wine bars north of Houston. Now, no list is ever complete and sometimes readers mention favorites that they feel weren’t represented. Such was the case with The Hidden Cellar. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, my husband and I to make…
Lamar Smith Claims Russians Are Backing Environmental Groups Attacking Fracking
It was only a matter of time before Representative Lamar Smith found a new hobby. After all, a person can only spend so much time as the chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology attacking anything that even hints at confirming climate change or looking for yet another…
Satellite Bar Backs Off on Live Music to Draw in More Fans
At heart, the popular East End venue is a bar, and the owners plan to begin running it more like one.
If You Don’t Want Politics In Music, Just Stay Home
It’s not cool to pay money to see someone and then complain that they were themselves onstage.
Houston’s Drive-Thru “Trash” Tacos, Ranked
Ah, the drive-thru taco. Is there anything more satisfying when you have a craving for salty, high caloric trashy filler for your insatiable and very shameful fast food desires? Okay, maybe just an entire pool filled with queso, but we aren’t wealthy enough to get all Scrooge McDuck with liquid cheese…
Fort Bend Deputies Need Help Identifying Lottery Ticket Bandits
Some people will do anything to even the odds when it comes to the lottery — like use the same “lucky” Powerball numbers month in and month out; spend their paycheck on scratch-offs like “Did I Win?” (the answer is “No”); or, in the case of some enterprising dudes in…
The 10 Best Series to Binge-Watch This Summer
Summer was once a time for reruns. No longer.
Kendrick Lamar Is the Most Important Rapper In the World Now
Walking where Ice Cube did 25 years ago — a fine line between political vitriol and superstardom.
The 2017 Houston Astros Are on Pace to Shatter a Ton of Team Records
I think, for the most part, the Houston Astros fan base was optimistic heading into this season. The team made some logical offseason moves (Brian McCann, Josh Roddick, Carlos Beltran), they had their core nucleus intact, and they were getting a healthy Dallas Keuchel. Even the odds-making community was bullish…
Pamela Yates’ Guatemalan Trilogy Concludes 500 Years and a Triumph for Good
Justice prevails at last in 500 Years, the third documentary in Pamela Yates’ Guatemalan trilogy, a work hitting screens 34 years after the first installment, 1983’s When the Mountains Tremble. That courageous film revealed, in horrific combat footage, the little-reported genocide that a U.S.-backed Guatemalan government waged against indigenous Mayans…
NASA’s Juno Has Probed Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
NASA’s Juno probe is the gift that keeps on giving. Just over a year after the probe finished its five-year trek to reach Jupiter, giving us some of the clearest images of the massive gas giant ever captured, Juno is still going strong and showing us new information as it…
Democrat Files Bill to Repeal SB 4 During the Special Session
After Senate Bill 4, the “anti-sanctuary cities” bill passed, Democrats and immigrant-rights activists pledged a “summer of resistance” to fight it—and so far that resistance has been relentless. The latest move: Representative Ramon Romero (D-Fort Worth) filed a bill yesterday to repeal SB 4 during the special session. “My hope…
Weed, Ecstasy and Prostitutes: The Allegations Against a Houston Judge
Popping pills, smoking marijuana, hiring prostitutes and sexting from the bench: The allegations against Houston Judge Hilary Green are juicy — but it just so happens that the Texas Supreme Court found that there’s enough evidence to support these claims to justify suspending her without pay. The high court handed…
From Teacher Raises to Lax Protection for Trees: Abbott Officially Kicks Off Special Session
It’s official: The Texas Legislature’s July special session, the equivalent of much-despised summer school for lawmakers, is now on the books. Governor Greg Abbott issued the first proclamation Monday, allowing legislators to start filing bills and authorizing them to specifically pass legislation that would extend lifelines for five state agencies:…
Houston Police Find 12 Undocumented People Trapped and Sweltering Inside Truck
After spotting an oddly placed truck parked in a strip mall in the Woodlake-Briar Meadow neighborhood of Houston on Sunday afternoon, Houston police officers discovered 12 undocumented people, including one 16-year-old girl, trapped in the sweltering cargo bay of a box truck. Three individuals have since been tagged with felony…
Six Houston Chefs Are Competing for a $10,000 RenFest Food Prize
The Texas Renaissance Festival put out a call earlier this year for its first ever Royal Chef Showdown, in which chefs compete to make the best new RenFest food. The winner will take home a King’s Beard award and a cool $10,000 cash prize— which is actually akin to the…
Upcoming: Bone Thugs N Harmony, Japanese Breakfast, Jay-Z, John Evans, Libby Koch, SZA, Willie Nelson, etc.
A constantly updated guide to upcoming concerts in the Greater Houston area.
With I-45 Reroute, What Is to Become of the Pierce Elevated?
Completed in 1967, the elevated stretch of Interstate 45 running along the southern and western perimeter of downtown, known as the Pierce Elevated, has been a particularly difficult nut to crack when it comes to traffic. Thanks to development literally within feet of the structure, widening it has become a…
Killen’s STQ Over-Delivers in a Blissful Marriage of Steak and Barbecue
At most restaurants, the daily specials spiel given by the server is something to be endured. Half the time the server delivers a forced, expressionless series of semi-memorized words, often stumbling or referring to a written cheat sheet. Richard, our server at Killen’s STQ, knew his specials by heart, and…
The Slinky History of Catwoman, Comics’ Favorite Feline
Undoubtedly one of the longest-lasting comic-book characters of either gender.
23 New Happy Hours Every Houstonian Should Check Out
Oh, happy hour. That post work bliss that entails cheap drinks, cheap bar snacks and some down time, preferably with strangers, exasperated co-workers or even better: good friends. These days, it’s near impossible to keep up with new restaurant and bar happy hours, so look to this list to guide…
Juiced Rides: A Summertime Lowrider Playlist
OG Sniper lays down the perfect songs for lowriding.
As I-45 Reroute Looms, EaDo Business Owners Watch Warily
At 11:30 on a warm summer morning along St. Emanuel Street just east of downtown, it is remarkably busy. Lunch spots are already beginning to fill up with customers, and the first trickle of Astros fans are rolling into parking lots for the businessman’s special against the Oakland A’s. There’s…
Ray Wylie Hubbard’s 10 Most Biblical Tunes
He didn’t use the cocaine to get high, he just liked the way it smelled.
Lady Macbeth Finds a Corseted Woman Thrillingly, Murderously Unleashed
A “feminist” film need not portray all its female characters in a positive light. Women aren’t a monolith of benevolence. Still, a film with multiple female characters who are equal parts sympathetic and sadistic, who face off against one another in a battle of wits and will, exposing some harsh…
Jodorowsky’s Endless Poetry Continues a Phantasmagorical Coming of Age
At 88 years young, the rebel-shaman filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky has led an eclectic life and enjoyed a provocative career not easily encapsulated. His 1970 acid western, El Topo, crowned him godfather of the midnight-movie craze. His phantasmagoric 1973 masterpiece, The Holy Mountain, was ripped off by Kanye West for the…
War for the Planet of the Apes Is the Most Vital Blockbuster in Years
Somehow, while we were worrying about superheroes and star destroyers and hot rods and whether Captain America could beat up Superman or whatever, the goddamned Planet of the Apes movies became the most vital and resonant big-budget film series in the contemporary movie firmament. And they did it with the…
Is a Movie Enough? Chasing Coral’s Jeff Orlowski on Trying to Film Our Dying Planet
Jeff Orlowski grew up wanting to be a nature photographer. But like so many in that field, his work now focuses less on capturing Earth’s natural wonders than it does on cataloguing their steady demise. “This is an entire field of professionals who are witnessing firsthand the falling apart of…
Houston Community College Trustee Convicted of Bribery
A Houston Community College trustee has been convicted of bribery and now faces up to ten years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday morning. Chris Oliver, who has been on the Board of Trustees since 1995, pleaded guilty to the federal bribery charges in May, but a judge…
Metallica Just Came to Houston, So Obviously Megadeth Had to Come
Megadeth still takes a backseat to no one in the talent department—not Metallica, nor their own tourmates.
Will Ted Cruz Be Key to Repealing Obamacare, or Will He Be Vintage Cruz?
Well, he’s done it. After months of painstaking work, Senator Ted Cruz has situated himself as a key player, the potential decider, in the Republican quest to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. So how did this happen? The Republican health care bill introduced last month has struggled to…
Neil Gaiman: A Night of Incredible Stories
Despite the rain, it was clear that the audience would have stayed there listening to Gaiman forever if he’d obliged.
James Harden Signs Biggest Extension in NBA History
From shedding Dwight Howard last summer to adding Chris Paul this summer, virtually every significant move the Houston Rockets have made over the last year have either involved James Harden or had his fingerprints on them somewhere. The Rockets are Harden’s team, and if you need any further proof of…
Meatless Mondays: How to Make (and Shop For) Hiyashi Chuka, or Chilled Ramen Noodles
Houston is a mosaic of cultures, and its cuisine reflects that. With that in mind (and in honor of Meatless Monday), each week we’ll explore a new globally-inspired vegetarian or vegan dish, and take a look at where to find its ingredients in Houston; Discover other Meatless Mondays here. This…
In Last Game Before All Star-Break, Astros Pummel Blue Jays 19-1
The Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 19-1 on Sunday. No, that is not a typo. The Astros scored 19 runs and if manager A.J. Hinch didn’t start pulling his starters, the Astros could have scored even more. The team has won seven of its last 10 games, has…
Road Trips: Louisiana’s Best Boudin And Cracklin’ Stops Along I-10
Say you’re driving east. Maybe you’re heading all the way to the coast, or just to Baton Rouge or New Orleans. There are a few vital stops you’re going to need to make, besides just gas and rest areas, if you find yourself barreling through Lousiana on I-10— for meat,…
Theatre Southwest Celebrates 20 Years of Originals With Five More New Plays
The Houston-based company celebrates 20 years of original one-act plays from across the world.
West Oaks Mall Bans Animal Exhibits After PETA Complaint
West Oaks Mall will no longer parade majestic animals around a parking lot in staggering heat for the enjoyment of mouth-breathing parents and their unfortunate brood, after PETA complained about a March visit at the mall by a circus with a history of animal welfare violations. The animal-welfare group had…
At Homeowners Luncheon, Harris County Attorney Fudges Facts on Bail Reform
Standing before before a room full of interested Houston homeowners at Lambo Chinese Buffet for their weekly luncheon on Friday, the president of the Houston Property Rights Association had clearly done his research on bail reform. That man, Barry Klein, referenced statutes and news articles, input from a Texas Supreme…
Houston Music’s 2017 All-Star Team
Baseball’s summer break is also a time to look back at Houston’s musical MVPs of 2017.
Houston Restaurant Weeks Menus and Reservations Go Live on July 15
Houston Restaurant Weeks, the single largest fundraiser in the United States benefiting the Houston Food Band, the single largest food bank in America, returns August 1 through September 4. Last year the event raised a whopping $2,015,157.77 for the Houston Food Bank with 274 restaurants participating for a great cause…
Here’s Why Patrick Swayze Is the GOAT of Houston Actors
The Swayze was a badass and heartthrob, and no one could do it like he did.
Shows of the Week: Journey’s Wheel In the Sky Turns Into Sugar Land
The livest live music in the Bayou City for the second week of July 2017.
How to Day Drink in Houston
It’s the weekend and that means it’s time once again to round up some of our top-performing coverage of recent history, rolled up into one sleek package of epic dining and boozing intel. This weekend we turn our attention to one of Houston’s favorite Saturday recreational activities: day drinking. Ah…
Like its Characters, Tech Comedy Loaded Is a Little Too Listless for Greatness
The new tech comedy Loaded (AMC) opens seconds before the finalization of the sale of a game app called Cat Factory for £300 million. Confirmation from his bank that his account balance has gone from several hundred quid in the red to David Cameron’s tax bracket propels lead designer Josh…
East End Hardware Isn’t for Tools, It’s for Boozy Sno-ball Fans
A new Houston bar, East End Hardware, has just opened up in a former hardware shop that was also called, yeah, East End Hardware, as Swamplot first reported this week. But this isn’t just another watering hole, this spot has the potential to be one of the best neighborhood bars in…
With New Boss, Justice Department Now Supports Texas Voter ID Law
The Department of Justice this week said that Texas’s new voter ID law is not discriminatory like the harsher 2011 version of the law that federal courts declared unconstitutional five times — and asked federal judges to spare the new law the same fate. “As amended by (Senate Bill 5),…
Roger Waters Pulls No Punches at Triumphant Toyota Center Stop
This review could be written three times over and still not really scratch the surface of it all.
Astros Hot Bats Rival Yankees’ Storied Murderers’ Row
Root Sports aired a graphic during Wednesday’s Astros game about which teams had scored the most runs per game over the entirety of the season in major league history. The New York Yankees filled four spots on the list. That’s not too surprising seeing as three of those involved seasons…
Houston Artist Henry Art Smith Applies a Social Message to His T-shirts
The Houston artist and clothing designer breaks down CHIDI, the fashion line he calls “not just a brand, but a movement.”
Houston Fire Chief Explains How He’ll Fix Backlog in Building Inspections
When the city controller released an audit of the Houston Fire Department’s Life Safety Bureau, the results were a damning indictment of the bureau’s inspection process and its sloppy, or, at times, “nonexistent” record-keeping system, as the auditors described it. Of the more than 5,000 Houston apartment buildings, only 526…
Family Sues Texas City Officer for Allegedly Stealing Christmas Money From Dying Dad
Michael Mabe and his mom, Linda, first met former Texas City police officer Linnard R. Crouch at the emergency room the night their father and husband, James, died of heart failure. He had something for them, a little clear plastic baggie full of James’s belongings that Crouch found at the…
Z-Ro Is Done With Rap; We’re Not Better Off For It
Retirements in rap last only for so long.
