Spotlight On: Deep Ginger Garlic Paste
We recently spotted Deep Ginger Garlic Paste at Fiesta for $3.50. Despite the fact that it was obviously geared toward Indian food, we still though this would be the perfect stir-fry seasoning base. Sometimes we crave a simple stir-fry but are just too lazy to chop garlic and peel ginger…
Houston Community College’s Police Department Is Under Fire
All is not well at the Houston Community College police department.Over the past six months, several officers have either been fired by Police Chief Gregory Cunningham or filed complaints with federal employment officials alleging unfair treatment, discrimination and retaliation. And other officers have written anonymous and signed letters to the…
Blogging from Bonnaroo: Meghan Hendley of Tyagaraja Checks In
Houston artist Tyagaraja recently won the Ford Fiesta Team Houston Battle of The Bands, the grand prize of which was a trip to perform at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee. Quite the opportunity for exposure, no? Meghan Hendley, keyboardist/vocalist for Tyagaraja, reports back to us with her tales of…
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. Food In Houston: Hold. The. Phone. Our favorite food blog in town…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Charles Clark of Ibiza
We visited with Chef Charles Clark of Ibiza to learn about his humble beginnings with food and the path that led to his Midtown Mediterranean menu. EOW: You got started in the culinary field at a very early age. How did you realize that food was the career path for…
Bill White In Drag: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
Bill White is embracing the bald.As part of a birthday celebration (and a way to get e-mail addresses), the campaign is urging people to send White a e-card wishing many happy returns of the day.Each time you do, a hair will be added to White’s picture, they say, or something…
Dance The Night Away: Passion Pit Ticket Giveaway
You know the phrase. While the cat’s away, the mice will play. Señor Rocks Off is taking a much needed vacation and in the meantime, the natives are going nuts around here. The above video is pretty much what it looks like in the Rocks Off offices right now as…
World Cup Recipe: Brigadeiro from Brazil
With a 2 – 1 victory over North Korea in the World Cup yesterday, Brazilians are partying until the next match against Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday. Celebrations in Brazil usually involve two things: caipirinhas and brigadeiro. Since we’ve already got the first one covered, we’ll leave you with a recipe…
Game Time: USC Sanctions — A Lesson in Media Logic (or Lack Thereof)
If you take Brian Cushing’s four-game suspension and Reggie Bush’s single handed takedown of his alma mater’s football program — two of the biggest football stories of the last two months — and go to connect them “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”-style, the easy avenue would seem to be “both…
Houston Needs a Brewpub
I’ve never believed in the “if-another-city-in-Texas-is-doing-it-why-doesn’t-Houston” train of thought. Even though Houston has lacked a distinct identity at times, we aren’t followers here. Like everyone else, I cringed when I read a recent national travel article that said Montrose has an Austin feel to it. The one exception is Houston’s…
Little Joe Washington Released From Hospital Into Rehab Facility
Rocks Off just received a brief but fortuitous update on the condition of diminutive bluesman Little Joe Washington from his friend Reg Burns. As expected, Washington has been released from Ben Taub Hospital and is now in Quentin Mease Community Hospital, a rehabilitation facility. Washington, who is 71, has had…
What Do YOU Want To Do With Your Life??: Bad Dads In Music Videos
This weekend is Father’s Day, a holiday in which fathers all over the Hallmark Empire receive cards and gifts ranging from power drills and bourbon to celebrate them sticking it out for the duration of your ragged existence on earth. Craig’s Hlist and his pops just started along again about…
Top 10 Restaurants In Chinatown
“Chinatown” seems like an awfully lopsided epithet for Houston’s enormous and vibrant pan-Asian community, straddling Beltway 8 on the southwest side like an entire city unto itself. There are Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, sure. But there are also Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, Laotian, Taiwanese, Filipino, Indonesian restaurants and just…
Where Not To Go In Texas If You Want Broadband Service
More than a quarter-million Texans have no access to broadband service, according to figures and a new map put out today by Texas Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples.Two questions: First, how do these people live without viral videos like “BP Execs Spill Coffee”? Second, the Agricultrual Commissioner is in charge of…
Cowboy Junkies’ Poetic Restraint at House Of Blues
Everybody knows that good news always sleeps til noon. — “Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning” There was a palpable tingle of anticipation in the joint as we waited for the curtain to go up on the Cowboy Junkies’ first gig in Houston in a coon’s age Tuesday at House…
Swanita Taylor: Yet Another Woman Suing KBR Over Rape And Other Mistreatment
Swanita Taylor, a former employee of KBR, was taking a break from her job doing laundry at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan when a man suddenly came up from behind her.He forced her face down into a table with one arm while he used the other to grab Taylor and penetrate…
Come See My Dead Person Gives Rocks Off A Spelling Lesson
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. There’s a scene in Peter Jackson’s King Kong–holy…
Top Five Calorific Houston Desserts
While calorie bombs laden with lard, salt, sugar and cream are traditionally staples of national chain restaurants that pride themselves on obscene portions (see: The Cheesecake Factory), a fair number of Houston establishments offer some equally cloying concoctions. So orgasmically rich are these mega-desserts that one or more servings would…
Sole Of Houston: And We Are Back, This Time On Two Wheels
David Beebe was back in town for a short time, so we put the band back together for an epic adventure in the streets of H-Town. We will have a full account here later in the week after Beebe uploads his pics to Flickr, but for now we’ll tease with…
Breaking Down HPMA’s Best Latin Hip-Hop Ballot
Nearly eight months ago Rocks Off began covering the hip-hop movement in Houston’s Latino community. Latino hip-hop artists in Houston have been putting out music since the early ’90s and have largely Latino followings. Some have a bit of crossover appeal, but for the most part, it lives within its…
Confessed Killer Nicholas-Michael Edwin Jean: Using A Cops Episode To Avoid The Death Penalty
Nicholas-Michael Edwin Jean has confessed to killing a woman in a carjacking (and to having a whole lot of first names); he’s currently in the process of trying to get a life sentence instead of the death penalty.Part of his plea to the jury: I was once on Cops as…
Houston’s Hottest Chefs: Meagan Silk
Every day this week we’ll be highlighting the female winners from our poll on Houston’s Hottest Chefs. On Friday we’ll reveal the hottest chef of all. When you walk into Feast, the first thing you’re likely to see is Meagan Silk, and lucky for you. The petite blond, who sports…
PETA Comes To Houston To Take On NASA
Commuters on the Gulf Freeway will get a new billboard to ponder sometime soon: “NASA: Takea Giant Leap for Mankind. Stop Torturing Monkeys,” it will say.It comes courtesy of animal-rights group PETA, who we guess should get points for avoiding the “Houston, We Have A Problem” route.PETA will be out…
Spineshank: Nu-Metal Group Saved By Texas’ Judicial System
You’re big fans of Spineshank, the California nu-metal group, right? Who isn’t?Well, us. But it’s only because we haven’t heard the albums Self-Destructive Pattern or Strictly Diesel, or the songs “Smothered” and “New Disease.” We’re sure we’d jump on the Spineshank bandwagon if we did.But Spineshank deserves love from our…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #21 Goat Buttermilk and Pecan Pie with San Leon Rum Ice Cream at Haven
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Here Come The Nice: British Boxsets Invade DVD Players
The new British Invasion collection are the latest DVDs from Reelin’ in the Years, featuring long-lost performances with bandmember interviews. Wisely eschewing the over-anthologized bigger-named performers, this initial series offers individual releases on The Small Faces, Herman’s Hermits, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and Dusty Springfield (the box set also features…
DJ Brandi Garcia Fired From The Box
The Trae vs. The Box saga continues. Late Monday night a source close to the situation sent word to Rocks Off that Brandi Garcia, DJ at The Box for the past decade, had been terminated. Victor Vital, Radio One’s defense attorney for the Trae lawsuit, confirmed the firing Tuesday afternoon…
Mack Rhoades Talks Up UH’s Ambitious Stadium/Arena Plan
The announcement UH students, alums, and sports fans have been awaiting came late last week when the plans for the school’s new football stadium and renovated basketball arena were leaked by Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle. The total expected costs are about $160 million and should bring the school’s…
Stirred and Shaken: Sugarcane’s Scarlet Letter
I took my friend Lee for a cocktail at Sugarcane (1919 Washington Avenue, 713-864-9463) to treat him special in honor of his imminent departure for a summer in Mexico. Normally that situation would call for a well drink and a “see you in September.” But he’s going to Monterrey to…
A Journey Through American Pop With Josie And The Pussycats
On any list of the great, animated bands, Josie and the Pussycats stands near the apex, possibly topped only by Dethklok and Jem and the Holograms. The trio of mystery-solving musicians started as an Archie comic in the ’60s before moving onto a successful animated run. Like all cartoons in…
Scott LoBaido: The Biggest Mother-Effin’ Flag In The World!! In Houston!!
You can judge a man’s character by the size of his flag, we’ve always believed.Used-car lots tend to have very big flags, at least here in Houston. True patriots wear very big, noticeable flag lapel pins, and conscientiously — for the sake of improving society — point out those who…
Strip Club Central: Clear Lake Gears Up To Fight T, A & Umlauts
A Houston City Councilman and a Clear Lake community association manager are up in arms over what they fear might be a strip club moving into their turf.Luks Cabaret (it’s fancy because it has an umlaut, or it would if we could figure out how to do it) has a…
Rick Perry Vs. Bill White: The Chicken Suit Has Been Unleashed
This year’s gubernatorial campaign has been missing some things.Debates, for one.A guy in a chicken suit, for another.Those two things intertwined yesterday when, for some reason, Rick Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner decided to hold a press conference at Bill White’s Austin headquarters.Because what could go wrong?…
A Cooler Coke: Ironbeer
Each Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at alternatives to cokes for the sticky Houston summer that lies ahead. I was prepared not to like Ironbeer from the start. I don’t like the packaging. It looks too reminiscent of Dr Pepper and, therefore,…
Battleship Texas Almost Sinks Again; Saved By Stuffing Rags In Holes
The Battleship Texas made it through World Wars I and II, but she almost lost it over the weekend.The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department said today that the ship sprung a leak, and only the stuffing of rags into holes — and furious pumping — kept the ship afloat.Sure, she…
The Shameless Chef: Cousin Sarah’s Chicken Pasta
Here’s a recipe I made up off the top of my head that isn’t complicated, isn’t too bad for you, and has a grand total of four ingredients (five if you count water, which you would only do if you were a dick). After running it through a focus group,…
Houston Local Musicians Film Video With Dallas Native, Head to Austin for Release
• Fat Tony, Tom Nguyen from The Ton Tons and Kyle Vento from Simple Success teamed up with director Tedric Huff to play the backing band for Dallas artist Angela Carter in the new video for her song “Love Anymore.” It looks like they had tons of fun. • Roky…
Game Time: College Football Realignment: FINAL PRS Ratings (Sort of)
As the day began on Monday and rumblings of a last-second, desperation effort to keep the Big 12 together were beginning to gain traction, if the various schools involved had Facebook pages, their relationship statuses would have looked like this: “University of Texas: In a relationship with the Big 12.”…
Diego’s Burritos in San Angelo
We recently stumbled into Diego’s Burritos in San Angelo (3033 Sherwood Way, San Angelo, 325-223-0737). It seemed like a local hotspot — the parking lot was packed, and the line went out the extended entryway door. We had breakfast tacos on the brain, and after a weekend of family wedding…
MTV Struggles to Remain Relevant By Naming A Twitter Jockey
This week MTV announced an online campaign looking for the network’s first-ever TJ, or Twitter Jockey. Unlike the video jockeys of the cable station’s past, these folks would instead live-tweet from MTV events for a year, earning a salary, and live in New York City. In addition to Twitter, the…
Young & Recessioned: “Dave” Discusses The Strip-Club Option For Jobless Females
Today’s installment of Young & Recessioned features Dave, a manager at the Gold Cup gentleman’s club, who says stripping is a great part-time gig when the economy gets tight. With the economy being down and men being laid off, a lot of women have had to pick up the slack…
Brew Blog: Pinkus Organic
We’ve always chuckled on seeing the offerings from Pinkus Organic on the shelf. We tend to think all German breweries have venerable, awesome names. And then we see Pinkus. And the world returns to balance. This time we chose Jubilate, a dark lager. After having pedants beat us about the…
Johnny Hollywood: Aryan Brotherhood Poster Boy
James Galloway, aka Johnny Hollywood, is a self-described “tat2 artist” who lives in Texas City and likes to decorate his MySpace page with pics of him glaring menacingly into his camera while brandishing a pistol in each hand. The 23-year-old also told police he spent “9 months in an Aryan Brotherhood training…
Recipe: The Florateani
Whenever summer hits, I find myself changing up the kind of drinks I’m imbibing. In the winter, I can tolerate heavier drinks like whiskey cokes and Cuba Libres, but in the summer, I enjoy things a little lighter and sweeter. I explained all of this to expert drink maker Brant…
Happy Father’s Day! Loser Kids of Rock Star Dads
We all aspire to honor our dads and hope that we’ve done right by them on Father’s Day. Here’s a list of offspring whose lives have served no useful purpose on earth other than churning out a never-ending source of disappointment for their rock star dads. Sean Lennon Yoko Ono…
T. Boone Pickens Uses The Oil Spill To Advance His Agenda
T. Boone Pickens and the Pickens Plan.Ring any bells?The billionaire oilman who briefly dominated the media-scape more than a year ago with his TV commercials has been quietly working to get America off of foreign oil and hooked on natural gas. And now he’s incorporating the Gulf oil spill into…
Ask A Rapper: The CD Hand-Out Hustle
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…
Houston’s Hottest Chefs: Jody Stevens
Every day this week we’ll be highlighting the female winners from our poll on Houston’s Hottest Chefs. On Friday we’ll reveal the hottest chef of all. Eating Our Words: Were you surprised to see that you were named one of Houston’s hottest female chefs? Jody Stevens: Definitely! I was so…
Tasered To Death: Traffic Stop Turns Fatal, Without Bullets (Updated)
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says its homicide unit will investigate the death of a man who was tasered by one of their deputies and died after hitting his head in a fall.HCSO says the man, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of his family, died this morning at…
Robb Walsh: The Hunter Will Become The Hunted
Max Bialystock, as portrayed in the show-biz documentary The Producers, had only two rules for doing his job:1. Never put your own money in the show.And 2: NEVER PUT YOUR OWN MONEY IN THE SHOW!!!Robb Walsh, the cuddly, lovable former Houston Press food critic, is not taking this advice. Walsh,…
Local Spotlight: Wood Duck Farm
WHAT: Gorgeously fresh local produce from a guy who’s had more careers than Liz Taylor’s had husbands. Yes, Van Weldon has had a rather unorthodox career path. He’s gone from tractor salesman to oil purveyor to stockbroker to energy trader to farmer. If that last one sounds odd, keep in…
Robb Walsh + Bryan Caswell + Bill Floyd = Reef Gone Tex-Mex?
By now, most people have heard the news that our own former food critic, Robb Walsh, is partnering with Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd — the team behind Reef, Stella Sola and Little Big’s — to open a Tex-Mex joint in Montrose. But not just anywhere in Montrose: in the…
Rogue Improv Asks Juggalos: How Do They Work?
Video By Nikki Mitchell & Lisa Friedrich For Saturday night’s Houston Juggalo Mini-Gathering, Rocks Off wasn’t the only one on the ground taking pictures and video, soaking in the Dark Carnival vibe. Members of Rogue Improv, a comedy troupe that performs on Thursday nights upstairs at AvantGarden, asked a group…
Richard Lee: Former Houstonian Leading California’s Legal-Weed Battle
Californians, those wacky folks, will be voting in November on a referendum to legalize recreational marijuana.Not medical marijuana, recreational marijuana.And they’ve got a Houstonian — and his 80-year-old mother, who still lives here — to thank.Richard Lee was a bit of a hemp activist during his years here but, according…
Hurricane Season: You Can Officially Assume The Worst
That weather disturbance out in the Atlantic is now considered unlikely to become Tropical Storm Alex. So we can all relax, right?No. The fact that we’re even talking about a tropical disturbance there, at this point in the season, is oh so ominous, according to the experts.Everyone’s predicting a heavy…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #22 The Roast Beef Poor Boy at Mama’s Cajun Cuisine
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Upcoming: Margaret Cho, Payper Boyz, Nikki Yanofsky, Guilty Simpson, Etc.
Autolux, Gold Panda: Tue., Sept. 7. Warehouse Live. Bane, Trapped Under Ice, Cruel Hand, Alpha & Omega: Wed., Sept. 1. Walter’s on Washington. Built By Snow, The Black & White Years: Sat., July 24. Walter’s on Washington. Daniel Tosh: Sat., Oct. 2. Verizon Wireless Theater. Dale Watson: Fri., July 23…
Margo Timmins On Bono And Her Torontonian Music Recommendations
Margo Timmins and Cowboy Junkies slide into town tonight for their first Houston gig in quite a while. It seems everyone Lonesome, Onry and Mean has talked to about them remembers their gig at Numbers back in the day. We recently had a wide-ranging, one-hour-plus interview with Timmins, most of…
Green Zone: Win A Free DVD, And Learn Why Matt Damon Is The Best Of The Ocean’s 11 Actors
Green Zone, by shaky-cam master Paul Greengrass, is the latest movie to try to buck the trend of box-office poison that is the Iraq War.Many have tried, but even the most celebrated of the Iraq War flicks, The Hurt Locker, wasn’t a blockbuster. (Maybe because plotwise it was a warmed-over…
Five Things In Sports More Annoying Than Those Vuvuzelas
Folks, it’s time to shut up about those stupid African trumpets already: The constant drone of cheap and tuneless plastic horns is killing the atmosphere at the World Cup. Where are loud choruses of “Oooohhhs” from enthralled crowds when a shot scorches just wide of the goalpost? And the sharp…
Where Are We Drinking?
We’re about to get our bottle service on…as soon as whomever left her panties on the fruit stand comes back to claim them. Can you tell which classy joint’s champagne room we’re frequenting this week? Think you know where we’re drinking? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
A Lover And A Fighter: It’s Sapp Time!
Everyone needs a hobby, an outlet, something to take the stress off. Meg White has taxidermy, David Arquette collects oversized left-shoes, and mixed martial arts big man Bob Sapp sings and dances. Sapp’s been a mainstay in MMA for about eight years, and is known for his imposing size (6’4″…
Big 12 Conference Madness: The Winners & Losers
So Texas has decided to stay put, and the Big 12, oops, Big 10, lives another day.Good for it, I guess.Let’s just say that it’s been an interesting couple of weeks that, despite what others think, is far from over. But let’s take a look at the Winners and Losers…
Texans Cheerleaders Take Asia: The Final Wrap-Up
The Texans cheerleaders are headed to Japan on an Armed Forces Entertainment tour, because our brave service members want to hear what Matt Schaub is really like.Or maybe they want to look at cheerleaders.Texans cheerleader Lindsay (as always, first names only to deter stalker creeps) will be blogging about the…
The Astrodome: The Plans Just Keep Getting More Ridiculous
Note: The following information about Harris County officials’ redevelopment plan for the Astrodome is not a joke. We’re serious. One option, costing $1.36 billion, really does call for a Starship Navigator and an Earth Orbit Command. The Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation released today a master plan for Reliant…
Putting The “Jug” in “Juggalo:” Video Of Friday Night’s Wet T-Shirt Contest (NSFW)
A picture is worth a thousand words, but video only has to be worth three. In this case, their initials are W, T, and F. You read Rocks Off’s earlier recap of Friday’s Juggalo gathering with equal parts horror and fascination. At the time, all you had were pictures. Now,…
Khun Kay’s Mango Curry
My favorite thing to get at Khun Kay Thai Café (1209 Montrose Blvd.) is the seasonal curry. I fell in love with the pumpkin curry from last fall, but am now equally smitten with the summery mango curry. I love tofu, so I always get the mango curry with tofu,…
Rep. Pete Olson, Standing Up Against Those Pesky Pollution Rules
Republican U.S. Congressman Pete Olson may not officially be the poster boy for the oil and gas industry, but one could argue that he’s really bucking for the job. Last week, Olson of Sugar Land announced that he and a few other politicians on Capitol Hill plan to file legislation…
Fancy Franks
I’ve always relished frankfurters (pun intended) and thought it rather annoying that ballpark vendors, street carts and fast food stands held monopolies on this product. Certainly, many cheaper varieties of hot dogs are rubbery, over-salted and laden with artificial dyes, but the more quality versions are amazingly satisfying, especially when…
Game Time: Vince Young — All He Does Is Win, Strip-Club Fistfight Edition
Okay, I give up. The topic of college football conference realignment has dominated the airwaves/Twitter/blog chatter the past two weeks, all the while the NBA Finals and now the 2010 World Cup whirring judiciously in the background.College football has taken a couple runs at realignment to try and knock it…
Brains for Dinner, Fat Tony, and B L A C K I E Continue The Summer(Fest) Love At Walter’s
At 8 o’clock sharp on Friday evening, Aftermath arrived at Walter’s on Washington for a show he had long been awaiting, but he didn’t get the memo: doors at 8:00; show at 9:30. Oh well… free Lone Star! What we thought would be a punk-ish type of concert was surprising,…
The Corn N’ Oil
For weeks, we have resisted the urge to write about the Corn N’ Oil. After all, this column should be a refuge from the daily stream of petroleum press about the Gulf becoming saturated with incompetence in addition to oil. But the barrage of Kevin Costner clips, BP CEO “Seriously…
True Blood, Season 3, Episode 1: Beck Is Thicker Than Water
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Episode 13.1: Bad Blood Welcome…
Times’ Big Afghanistan Mineral-Wealth Scoop: Old News At Ellington Field And NASA
All together now: NO BLOOD FOR NIOBIUM! When The New York Times reported in Monday’s lead story that Afghanistan was sitting on vast riches in completely untapped minerals just lying around waiting to be dug up, it was old news out at Ellington Field. There, a group of pilots and…
Houston’s Hottest Chefs: Monica Pope
Every day this week we’ll be highlighting the female winners from our poll on Houston’s Hottest Chefs. On Friday we’ll reveal the hottest chef of all. EOW: How does it feel to one of the hottest chefs in Houston? Monica Pope: *humbly chuckles* It’s nice to be one of the…
Joyce Cleveland, 78, Bayou Body Count No. 151
A 78-year-old woman was found dead on the living-room floor of her home near Bush Intercontinental Airport, the victim of lacerations and blunt trauma, police say. A neighbor of victim Joyce Cleveland was awakened by barking dogs and saw two unknown male suspects enter Cleveland’s home in the 7200 block…
The Burger Bar in Llano, Texas
A recent drive to a family wedding routed my car through Llano. Llano is on the (surprise!) Llano River, pretty much smack dab in the middle of Texas. Whenever I travel, I find the easiest way to find a good local spot is to look for a restaurant with a…
Alley Offers An Intriguing 2010-11 Season
The Alley Theatre is mounting some ambitious, big-name productions for the 2010-11 season, according to an announcement released today.Among the shows will be Amadeus, the popular Mozart play that hasn’t been done here in a long while; the Pulitzer-Prize winning August: Osage County and A Behanding in Spokane, the newest…
Why Would Anyone Ever Set Out To Be A Rapper?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (that isn’t a national holiday) Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Fat Tony, Yung Redd, Thurogood Wordsmith and Kyle Hubbard. Not Invited: KRS-One’s “Mine Is The Only Opinion That…
Annise Parker Touches Down In Oklahoma City For Astronaut Movie Premiere
Last weekend marked the 10th year for Oklahoma City’s deadCENTER Film Festival. Since its beginnings as a small, largely local fest in 2000, it has grown into one of the summer’s bigger festivals, drawing thousands of attendees each year and attracting filmmakers from across the world. The closing night premiere…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #23 Green Falafel Sandwich at Zabak’s
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Newsweek Picks Officially Troubled HISD High School As One Of Nation’s Best
Newsweek has come out with its latest ranking of the nation’s best high schools, and the Houston school district is crowing that a record number of HISD highs made it. The usual suspects are there — DeBakey, Carnegie, Bellaire and Lamar — but joining the list this year are 11…
Erykah Badu, Hotter Than July At Verizon
Erykah Badu is a vanishing specimen, a pop star who courts controversy – see the “Window Seat” video, coming soon to a Dallas courtroom near you – not out of some narcissistic need to be in the headlines, but because she is legitimately different. Sunday night at Verizon, she could…
Marvin Limon, 16, Bayou Body Count No. 150
An arranged fight over a girl turned into a brawl, resulting in one 16-year-old dead and another charged with murder. Police say a large group of teens gathered under a bridge at Tidwell and Parkhurst on Friday afternoon about 3:45 p.m. to watch two boys fight. It’s believed the fight…
Random Ingredient of the Week: Lychee
What is it? Lychee is a type of fruit grown in warm, humid climates – subtropical, to be exact, according to Wikipedia. Originating in China, with a cultivation that is supposedly older than Jesus, the lychee tree is now grown commercially around the world, even here in Texas. The white,…
World Cup 2010: Discovery Green Rocks To England’s Blunder
Even though the Americans didn’t win their opening match Saturday against England, they couldn’t have asked for a better start. The 1-1 tie between the two sides was just as good as a win for the US, as they go into their second game with as many points as they…
Iron Maiden Digs Back Somewhere In Time At the Woodlands
If you were just a casual Iron Maiden fan, Friday night’s gig out at the shed in the Woodlands would have confounded and maybe even angered you. If you own the band’s entire catalog on tape, vinyl, and disc, and maybe had their ghoulish mascot Eddie airbrushed on your wedding…
Minute Maid Park: The Old Folks’ Home
So reading around on the internets yesterday, I discovered that the Houston Astros do, indeed, have an organization philosophy when it comes to developing talent. According to an article on one of the team’s draft choices this year, Ed Wade said that “If anybody is wondering what the philosophy is…
Juggalos On Washington Avenue: What’s the Worst That Could…Oh, Right. (NSFW)
To say that a Juggalo Gathering would go smoothly or as planned is a massive understatement. Saturday night’s Juggalo Gathering at Walter’s showed everything that is right with the Insane Clown Posse apostles’ movement, and also everything that could possibly go wrong. The scene couldn’t have been more perfect. You…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Craig Mallinson of The Red Lion
Last week we started our chat with Craig Mallinson of the Red Lion. Today he shares with us his favorite dishes from the menu. EOW: So if it were someone’s first time to come to the Red Lion for a meal, what dishes would you recommend that they have to…
Has 50 Cent Jumped The Shark?
9:24 p.m.: While waiting at the box office to get our tickets a kid walks up and asks, “Excuse me, how much are tickets?” He looks absolutely crushed when he hears that they’re about $50. It’s super sad to see. I mean, he just wanted to see the show. He’s…
The Week In TV: Boardwalk Empire And Bravo, Two Ends Of A Spectrum
The Cup is upon us, the spring season is definitely behind us, and I’m warning you: Don’t tease the panther. This was the week in TV Land: • So, the World Cup started the other day. I was with friends at a Mexican restaurant when the USA-England game began, which…
2010 Music Awards Nominees, Part 2
Friday, Rocks Off announced the nominees for the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards in as many genres as we could think to put on the ballot this year. Here are the rest, covering recordings, individual achievement, personalities and peripheral categories (radio, retail, etc.). Voting begins July 15 online – stay…
Grown Ups: Win Free Preview Passes, And Revel In Adam Sandler’s Five Best Cameos
Grown Ups, as anyone who’s watched any of the NBA Finals can yell you, stars Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James and David Spade.That is all you need to know. You will either like this movie, perhaps love it, or you will not go to see it even if by…
Where Are We Eating?
It’s a big plate of beans and cheese, but we aren’t eating at a Tex-Mex restaurant. Does the comfort food below look familiar to you? Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
Sky Smith: Snorting The Line Between Win And Fail
As Father’s Day approaches, you might want to do a lot of things with your dad: fishing, a ball game, or maybe you’d like to doll yourselves up and record a video of yourselves in a heartbreakingly epic duet of Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight?” You might want to…
Kenneth Wayne Henderson: Passengers Shouldn’t Shoot Drivers While They’re On The Highway
The life of a backseat passenger can be frustrating — the driver is going too slow, he’s going too fast, he’s tailgating, he’s not doing anything right.Still, you probably shouldn’t shoot him. Especially when you are barreling down an interstate.Remember: You’re in the car too.It’s a lesson that Kenneth Wayne…
Vince Young: Five Reasons He’s Probably Guilty Of A Strip-Club Assault
Media reports say that Tennessee Titan QB Vince Young — local hero for his UT and Madison High exploits — is the prime suspect in an assault at a strip-club that resulted in bodily injury to someone.VY is not only innocent until proven guilty, of course, he hasn’t even been…
Terry Grier Vs. Melissa Noriega: What Happened?
Rumors are flying about some type of altercation between Houston school superintendent Terry Grier and city councilmember Melissa Noriega.One version of the tale making the rounds is that Noriega was driving in front of Grier as they were both exiting a parking garage; Grier allegedly was upset at her slow…
2010 Music Awards Nominees, Part 1
Rocks Off is sorry this took so long, but between sifting through dozens of categories with dozens of nominations apiece, and shuffling back and forth to the doctor’s office thanks to an unfortunate spill last night, we’ve been working as fast as we possibly can. Even so, we decided to…
The Week In Photos
Even as the days get hotter, Houston still blooms with color. And no one does a better job of capturing its summer beauty than the talented photographers in the Houston Press Flickr pool. As usual, simply click on a picture to find out more information about the photographer or subject…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we accidentally made a fancy dessert dish with our banana-scented sunscreen. We started the week out with some of the best places to eat around Galveston, so try one or two of them out after a long day…
Peach Tree Of Death In West U
You don’t mess with the fruit tree in this West U front yard, by God, or you will pay the price.The ever-delightful Swamplot blog posted this picture, sent in from a fan. It seems a little wimpy, since it involves high-tech cameras instead of “This tree protected by me, Smith,…
Upcoming Events
Despite the fact that it’s now officially hot enough outside to melt Joan River’s face, there is no end to the food events. We Houstonians are a hearty bunch, humidity be damned. Dine Out For The Gulf Coast is running through tomorrow night, part of a nationwide effort to gather…
FAIL: Enrique Iglesias, Outkast and Chris Brown…Always Chris Brown
Enrique Iglesias’ New Video, “Douche-O-Rama” Okay, so it’s actually called “I Like It”, but trust us, our title is by far the more accurate one. Not only does it star popular Latino heart-throb and alpha-douche Enrique Iglesias, but it features two of the most irritating things in popular culture right…
Cheap Breakfast: El Rey Taqueria
All the chatter from the Top 10 Places to Eat in Oak Forest (and Inwood Forest) list made me realize that I’d never tried the breakfast at El Rey. What blasphemy. Time to remedy that in the name of blogging (and hunger)…
Game Time: Texas A&M Trying To Break Off From Longhorn Entourage?
What started as a history lesson, in this space at least, on Monday is on the verge of becoming an historical shift in the world of collegiate sports. The college football gods dropped this mayhem in our laps, so let’s keep talking about it. (For the record, the last time…
Beaver’s Bloody Mary
I’ve been hearing how amazing the Bloody Mary at Beaver’s (2310 Decatur St.) is ever since running into Chef Jonathan Jones one night a few months back at Anvil. He raved about his bacon-infused vodka, which seemed interesting, but not particularly alluring to me. Nevertheless, I was curious and eventually…
Jeffrey Stern: Husband Of Wounded Victim In Bellaire Murder-For-Hire Plot Has Interesting Past
Houston attorney Jeffrey Stern has certainly led an action-packed life.While his recent arrest for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, which comes in the wake of three failed attempts on the life of his wife, is his first Harris County criminal bust, it is just the latest chapter in his life as a defendant.Over…
Health Dept. Roundup: Cold Treat Edition
A bit late for the arrival of hot weather but in plenty of time for several more months of it, we tour the city’s cool dairy confectioners this week on Health Department Roundup. At Dairy Land (310 Cavalcade), a June 3 routine inspection found an impressive 15 violations, and resulted…
Busted! 20 Musician Mugshots
Getting arrested and booked isn’t the end of the world, by any means. Well unless you just killed a shit-ton of people at a bowling alley or something, it really is. But if you are a rocker or a celebrity who committed a minor offense, it’s just a funny footnote…
Canadian Tar Sands: Environmentalists Claim Houston To Be End Point Of Worst Project In The World
Other than desperation, is there much to recommend Canadian tar sands as a fuel source?Not according to Matthew Tejada of Air Alliance Houston. During a talk at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church last night, he described the proposed Transcanada Keystone XL Pipeline Project in dire terms.And on hearing Tejada, we kept thinking…
Perry’s Foray Into the World of Mixology
Last night, in an event that would make any cocktail lover weep with joy, Perry’s Steakhouse (9827 Katy Freeway, 832-358-9000) near Memorial City Mall debuted its new line of specialty martinis. From the kitchen to the cocktail, the fresh ingredients used in the new, summery drinks will please everyone from…
Jim Carrey’s Gay Sex Scenes, Thanks To The Houston Press
Movieline, a great site for all your film needs, has been keeping track of the roller-coaster ride that is I Love You Phillip Morris, the Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor film that is based on the book by Steve McVicker, which is based on stories he did for the Houston Press. Now…
Juggalos Never Cease To Be Entertaining
Tomorrow night, Houston-area fans of Insane Clown Posse will descend on Walter’s on Washington for one of the periodic “Gathering of the Juggalos.” We’ll have a full report on the Faygo-doused events Monday, but Rocks Off figured it might be a good idea to let any first-timers know what they…
Michael Williams, 18, Bayou Body Count No. 149
An 18-year-old answered a knock on his front door and was shot dead on the far southwest side Thursday morning. Michael Williams was at his home in the 11500 block of Keegans Ridge when he answered the knock around 6:30 a.m. “After a brief discussion with an unknown male in…
Designer Meats: Butchering 101 with Chris Shepherd
If you’re lucky enough as a restaurant to get a whole hog, you’re well on your way to creating an entire array of charcuterie, from terrines to rilletes, from coppa to soppressata — and that’s after using most of the other meat for chops or tenderloin. But it requires a…
World Cup 2010: These Teams Will Make It Out Of The Group Stage. Guaranteed
The 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup is finally here. Thirty-two teams made it to the big dance to see just who is the best in the world. Realistically though, only a handful of teams have a shot of winning the cup. It’s all going to come down to…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Craig Mallinson of The Red Lion
Today we continue our chat with Craig Mallinson, owner of the Red Lion, about his menu. EOW: So let’s talk about the food some more, how did it all start and then how did it evolve? Mallinson: We started off with a basic menu. We had our sausage rolls, bangers…
Kinks DVD Shorts UK Celluloid Heroes
The story of this most quintessentially English (and sadly underrated) of the British Invasion bands makes for a fascinating tale: The music, the stylistic changes, the concept albums, and the battling Davies brothers. Unfortunately, that DVD tale remains to be told. For while this rock doc technically delivers on the…
DaLeon Williams, Two Months Old, Bayou Body Count No.148
Houston homicide police are investigating the death of a baby Wednesday afternoon on the far southwest side of town. DaLeon Williams, a boy, was found not breathing in his crib about 3:35 p.m. Wednesday while he was at home with his mother and other family members in the 11400 block…
Paula Webb, Young & Recessioned: College Grads Have A Reality Check Coming
Today’s installment of Young & Recessioned features Paula Webb, president of LPC Personnel, who has worked as a job recruiter in Houston since she moved here from Ireland 30 years ago. Back in the late `70s in Ireland, everybody was watching Dallas and thought this was the land of opportunity…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #24 Pasta with White Truffles at Da Marco
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
5 Songs About Being Eaten (Mostly By Sharks)
Rocks Off is a big fan of the movie Jaws, though in spite of our affection for arm wrestling and sweet, sweet mutton chops, we always find ourselves sympathizing more with Chief Brody than with Quint. Given our druthers, we’d just as soon stay the hell out of the water…
50 Cent: Polite, Soft-Spoken, Can F You Up
Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we’ll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. We’ll incorporate the number five in there somewhere. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. 50 Cent is one of the most successful rappers of the…
USC Trojans: They’re Different From 1980s SMU How, Exactly?
The Southern Methodist University football team was hit with NCAA sanctions on February 26, 1987 because of a slush-fund created to pay players. Seeing as how the Mustangs were a repeat offender — they were already on probation for recruiting violations — the NCAA leveled the ultimate punishment, the so-called…
World Cup: Today South Africa; Tomorrow Houston
The world’s biggest sporting event might be coming to a stadium near you, that is, if you want it here more than everyone else. A reception was held at City Hall Thursday to announce that Houston is holding the top spot in the bidding to host the FIFA World Cup…
Straight Outta Oregon: “My Titties Is Sick”
If you’re like Rocks Off, you completely ignored our good-hearted attempt to warn you about the effects of sleep deprivation and stayed up until 2 a.m. playing Oregon Trail. Ah, Oregon Trail! Those were the good days in computer lab, and yes, we still died of dysentery despite being an…
Pretzel M&M’s
I am generally not the biggest fan of standard packaged and/or processed foods, but I am nevertheless inexplicably drawn to specialty versions of such products. When affixed to a package of cookies, crackers or even creamed corn, the words “new,” “limited edition” and “seasonal flavor” mesmerize me, and I pick…
HISD Renews CEP, Few Questions Asked
Houston school board trustees voted 6-1Thursday to renew HISD’s contract with Community Education Partners. The roughly $14 million contract with the Nashville-based alternative schooling program for at-risk students had received harsh criticism from the League of United Latin American Citizens, whose members addressed the Board before the vote. The Board…
UH’s New Stadium/Arena Plan: Now Comes The Hard Part
UH has announced a bold plan to upgrade facilities, essentially building a new football stadium and massively renovating the basketball arena.The $160 million plan has the backing of UH president Renu Khator and the board of regents, so it’s going ahead.But by “going ahead,” we mean “trying to raise money…
Pee Your Pants at the Hobby Center
In an odd, yet somehow appropriate exhortation given the context, actress Megan Cavanagh, who stars as Earth Mother in Menopause the Musical coming to the Hobby Center next week, says audiences should see the show because: “It’ll make you laugh so hard you’ll pee your pants.”Cavanagh, whose most notable claim…
Secret of the Sea: Lolliguncula Brevis
The sparkling enope squid, which is found in the Western Pacific Ocean, is a seasonal delicacy that is found in sushi bars between the months of March and May. They’re also known as “firefly squid” (hotaru ika in Japanese) because each tentacle contains a photophore that flashes a luminescent blue…
Preacher Joseph Herrin: Gulf Oil Spill The Fault Of All Us Abortion-Loving Houstonians
BREAKING — A new, undeniably correct theory on why there’s a huge oil spill has just been announced. There’s a spill, it seems, because God hates how we Houstonians just love abortion. Oh, and Joel Osteen’s to blame, too.The theory is proposed by a preacher (and, we assume, climatological scientist…
Howlin’ Wolf Hits 100; Did He Ever Hit Houston?
Like Tom Petty – heard the new album yet? – once sang, it’s good to be king. While Rocks Off No. 2 is saddled with justifying his tendency to sing “Over the Rainbow” in the car when (he says) no one else is around, we’ve been looking into the local…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Craig Mallinson of The Red Lion
Eating Our Words recently caught up with Yorkshire native Craig Mallinson, owner of the Red Lion Pub. He talked about why he opened the Red Lion and gave us a brief history of pubs. EOW: So what made you want to open an English pub in Houston? Mallinson: Well, before…
BK Fire-Grilled Ribs
Ah, Burger King, known as much for gimmicks, rebranding and image-tinkering as much as the Whopper. Does anyone remember table service and BK TeeVee hosted by Dan Cortese? I’ll take the shrimp basket with a baked potato and some coleslaw with popcorn. Can you include stabbing stomach pains and regret…
TUTS At Ikea: It’s The Final Countdown, Whether You Want It Or Not
Ikea, some type of foreign store that tried to pollute Houston airwaves with porn, had its grand-renovation reopening yesterday.For a certain segment of the buying public, this was a very big deal.So big, that kids from TUTS’s Academy, part of the Humphreys School of Musical Theater, decided to jump on…
Organic Event: The Grand Opening of Sugarcane
When we posted out first piece on Sugarcane, the new organic bar at 1919 Washington, many of you had questions about what exactly an organic bar entails. Well, now is a perfect time for you to find out. Today from 6 to 9 p.m. the bar is hosting its grand…
Game Time: New Pac-10 ALREADY Making Southwest Conference Look Like The Ivy League (…and revised PRS rankings!)
The winds of change yesterday went from cool breeze to Hurricane Tom (as in Osborne, as in “adios”, as in “How’s that taste, Kansas?”), with Nebraska apparently accepting an invitation from the Big Ten to become its twelfth member.It remains to be seen if Nebraska is the twelfth and FINAL…
A Cooler Coke: HiT Lulo
Each Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at alternatives to cokes for the sticky Houston summer that lies ahead. And so here we are. A Cooler Coke has finally hit (pardon the pun) a roadblock in attempting to discover the origins of HiT…
5 Songs That Will Make Us Beat You Up
Today is the late Judy Garland’s birthday, and the embattled drug-addicted star of The Wizard Of Oz (plus a whole trove of movies we have never seen), would have been 88 years old. She was one of the first well-documented victims of drug abuse, at least in hushed tones. She…
William Gammon: Accused Child-Porn Lover Advised Homeowners Associations On Notifying Residents Of Sex Offenders
William George Gammon, arrested and being held without bond for possessing child pornography, is a leading attorney in the state for uber-aggressive homeowners’ associations.As such, he’s offered advice to the legislature and to potential clients. Like when he discussed on his blog whether homeowners’ associations should notify residents if there…
Happy Hour Scene: Mugsy’s
The Place: Mugsy’s 2239 Richmond Ave. 713-522-7118www.mugsyshouston.comThe Hours: Monday through Friday 4-8 p.m.The Deals: Domestic beers are $2.50, imports are $3.25, and drafts are $3.50. Well drinks and house wine is $3. All other drinks are $1 cheaper than normal. The Scene: Mugsy’s is a neighborhood bar. Located on Richmond,…
Remember ABN’s It Is What It Is?
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. Assholes By Nature It Is What It Is (Rap-A-Lot, 2008) A.B.N. is Z-Ro and Trae’s unduly short-lived rap super-team…
Ta Chyna Shuntrell Watson: Houston Woman Shows West U Cops How A Lady Leads A High-Speed Car Chase
High-speed chases in this town are a dime a dozen. High-speed chases led by women with as much panache and style as petite 22-year-old Ta Chyna Shuntrell Watson are another thing altogether.On the night of June 1, Watson was alleged by West University Police to have failed to use her…
“Summertime” From Beyond The Grave
Today marks the 44th anniversary of Janis Joplin’s first gig with Big Brother and the Holding Company. One of rock’s most staggering vocalists, Joplin became another star who left us too soon on October 4, 1970, when she overdosed on heroin while recording Pearl. George Gershwin’s “Summertime” was the closing…
Designer Meats: Making Your Own At Home
In this week’s feature, “Designer Meats”, we take a look at Houston chefs who are curing and hanging their own meat in-house. And while you may not have Chris Shepherd’s space to hang your own Virginia ham or Justin Bayse’s expertise to create your own soppressata, there are some charcuterie…
UH’s Achilles Heel: No One Goes To The Games
I was sitting next to one of my fellow reporters at a UH football game last fall. I think the opponent was SMU, though it might have been Southern Miss. The Coogs were highly ranked, and they were getting lots of national attention. Yet Robertson Stadium was nowhere close to…
Goodbye, Thai Nazi: Darawan Charoenrat of Kanomwan
You may not have even known the restaurant by its proper name, Kanomwan. And it’s even more likely that you did not know its proprietor’s real name, either– Darawan Charoenrat. For eaters “in the know” for the last decade or more, both have simply been called Thai Nazi, or the…
Buena Vista Social Club Screens At Domy Tonight
Greetings from Florida. By the time you read this, Hollywood Shuffle will be well entrenched in the Sunshine State on our annual pilgrimage to visit family, douse ourselves in cuba libres and eat our body weight in Cuban pulled-pork sandwiched and plantains. It’s long been a dream of HWS’s to…
License Plate Auction: The Bidding For World’s Dumbest Texan Will Open Soon
Ever since the state privatized its vanity license plate business a while back, the company that’s taken it over has gotten more and more creative.They greatly expanded the variety of plates you could grossly overpay for, and offered a groovy online app where you could try out different combinations.Now, My…
Top 5 Daniel Lanois Productions
This past Saturday in Los Angeles, legendary producer Daniel Lanois, known for his trademark echo-heavy sound and work with the likes of U2 and Bob Dylan, was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident. Lanois was slated to soon begin work on Brandon Flowers of the Killers’ solo debut and the…
Robb Walsh’s 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #25 Special Enchiladas-A-La-Taylor at Spanish Village
Over the course of the next few months, I’m counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments…
Lightnin’ Hopkins Historical Marker Text Approved
The Texas Historical Commission has approved the text that Eric Davis submitted for the historical marker honoring late Houston blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins, and will now send the text to a foundry so the marker can be cast. The commission approved Davis’ proposal for the marker, which will be located…
What? Tom Penders’ UH Team Had Trouble With Academics?
Here’s a surprise — the University of Houston men’s basketball program has been warned by the NCAA about poor academic performance, the Houston Chronicle reported. It’s not surprising because of the absolute jaw-dropping notion that UH athletes might not be racking up GPAs to make Stanford and Notre Dame jealous;…
Pop Rocks: The Time Is Now For A Friends Movie
It’s been a dark six years since we said goodbye to Central Perk and the Rembrandts dropped off the face of the earth. Now, in Year 6 AF, dawn looks like it’s finally breaking; we could be getting a Friends movie. Now, I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up…
Summer Sizzle: Sweet Tea Vodkas
It only makes sense that June, with its rising humidity, would be National Iced Tea Month. Whether you’re lazing on the beach, grabbing lunch with a buddy or relaxing at home, summer life just seems calmer when you’ve got a tall tumbler of iced tea, garnished with a sun-colored wedge…
Celine Dion To Return For Mermaid Titanic Sequel?
New York Craigslisters were abuzz, ABUZZ we tell you, when a posting went out for… Titanic 2: Mermaid Saviors. The ad reads as follows: Megamonolith Pictures is holding an open casting call for TITANIC 2: MERMAID SAVIORS, a sequel to the Academy Award-winning 1997 blockbuster TITANIC, on July 1st and…
Brent Burns: The Gulf Oil Spill Has Found Its Truth-Telling Troubador
The BP oil spill has found its Dylan. Its Phil Ochs. Its Weird Al Yankovic.Brent Burns has bequeathed upon a grateful nation is epic howl of protest, a trenchant, touching song called “If You Drill, Drill, Drill, Don’t Spill, Spill, Spill.” Lyrics not by Stephen Sondheim, as you might think…
ACLU Can’t Get Terry Grier To Listen To Its Complaints Against CEP
The Houston Independent School District’s board is expected to vote later today to renew its contract with a controversial company that handles students with disciplinary problems. The ACLU of Texas isn’t too happy about that.The ACLU wrote a letter to HISD superintendent Terry Grier in March outlining their concerns with…
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
You don’t have to miss a single G-O-O-O-A-L during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa — just find the nearest bar stool and you’re set. Dozens of bars around town are screening matches on oversize, high-def televisions so that fans can see every kick, foul, block and piece of…
“Luck of the Draw 9: The Musical!”
Fans of Glee! should attend “Luck of the Draw 9: The Musical!” for two reasons. First, DiverseWorks’ annual art auction will feature a real high-school choir from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Second, proceeds support hundreds of performances and educational programs, all of which foster engagement…
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa – USA on the Field
Get your red, white and blue face paint ready, its time for the USA appearances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The first match, which takes place in Rustenburg, features Yanks against the Brits and is set for 1:30 p.m. Next it’s the USA vs. Slovenia at 9…
One Was Nude and One Wore Tails
Though playwright Dario Fo once complained that “political theater has become a kind of byword for boring theater,” he certainly wasn’t talking about himself. Born in 1926, this master of farce spent his career harassed by the police, threatened by the right wing and blasted by the Vatican. No matter,…
Houston Ballet: La Fille mal gardée
Merry milkmaids, a maypole and a live pony: These are but a few of the family-friendly features of the romantic, lyrical ballet La Fille mal gardée, presented by the Houston Ballet. The company will perform a 1960 version by the legendary British choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton; his soft, romantic style…
Patrice O’Neal
Ladies, put down your Cosmo mags: Patrice O’Neal will tell you what men want. “We need filth,” the comedian says in one bit. In another, O’Neal gives women advice on the best noises to make in bed: “Make a sound between retarded and choking; that’s sexy to us.” You might…
Cuckoos
Hook-up sex can get you in trouble. Especially if you’re one of the characters in Giuseppe Manfridi’s play Cuckoos. “The story is sort of a combination of the way cuckoos lay an egg in another bird’s nest for the other bird to raise, and the Oedipus story,” says Jennifer Decker,…
Annie Cohen-Solal: Leo & His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli
When you’ve helped launch the careers of artists like Jasper Johns and James Rosenquist, it’s safe to say you’re pretty damn influential. Iconic New York City gallery owner Leo Castelli, the subject of Annie Cohen-Solal’s brand-new biography Leo & His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli, spent a career as…
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Feast
Today’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico Feast promises lots of action, lots of pretty people and lots of Mexican food. Antonio Banderas plays the hit man known only as El Mariachi, Salma Hayek plays his equally beautiful wife and Johnny Depp, who’s a bit of a beauty himself, plays…
Wine & Food Week 2010
It might seem the difference between a wine connoisseur and a wino is the amount said drinker will shell out for his vino. If that’s true, then lovers of Cháteau Mouton Rothschild and Two-Buck Chuck will have plenty to savor during Wine & Food Week 2010, which features quality libations…
Buena Vista Social Club
It’s the film that revived the long-inactive careers of Cuban master musicians – and renewed the debate about supporting the island’s arts and artists under the Castro regime. The Academy Award-winning documentary Buena Vista Social Club introduced Rubén Gonzáles, Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer, all of whom had been popular…
Jack and the Beanstalk
Get ready for a new and improved musical Jack and the Beanstalk. Dancing cows, magical beans, a giant that lives in a castle way up in the sky, flustered chickens and a goose that lays golden eggs all await the befuddled Jack. See if he can find his way at…
Karen Valby: Welcome to Utopia
It was 2006 when Karen Valby first visited Utopia, Texas. A senior writer for Entertainment Weekly, Valby wrote a feature on the small town, which was untouched by popular culture. Valby later returned to Utopia to further explore the reasons some people cling to small-town living, refusing to leave, and…
Tera Lynn Childs: Forgive My Fins
Young-adult author Tera Lynn Childs has another hit on her hands: Forgive My Fins. The author of Goddess Boot Camp has crafted a magical story with teenaged half-human/half-mermaid princess Lily Sanderson living on land. (As if high school weren’t hard enough already!) She’s got a crush on a boy from…
Peter Steiner: The Terrorist
Former CIA-operative Louis Morgan makes his third appearance in The Terrorist, the newest title by novelist Peter Steiner. When a young friend arrives in the United States to study, only to quickly disappear, Morgan races to find him before the boy becomes the latest victim in an international plot. The…
Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam
Several of the Islamic world’s most accomplished musicians are featured in the documentary Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam. The film shows internationally renowned writer and historian William Dalrymple as he travels through Turkey, Syria, Morocco and Pakistan searching for examples of the mystic music that is an integral…
2010 Summer Israeli Film Series: Lost Islands
The 2010 Summer Israeli Film Series starts things off today with Lost Islands. Director Reshef Levy’s family drama is the story of two young brothers living in a large, extended clan. The pair has been raised with two equally paramount values: loyalty to family and the importance of fulfilling personal…
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
There are two reasons you should attend today’s screening of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. First, it’s based on a colorful bit of Texas history. In the mid-1970s, news reporter Marvin Zindler uncovered the worst-kept secret in Texas, the Chicken Ranch, a brothel operating just outside La Grange, and…
Turkey Shoot
The usually demure Olivia Hussy, who first gained fame as one-half of the star-crossed pair of lovers in the film Romeo and Juliet, goes slumming in the raucous, low-rent slasher flick Turkey Shoot. As the title implies, shooting is a focus of the plot. But instead of turkeys or other…
Sake Sundays: Yojimbo
Today’s installment in the Sake Sundays film series is Yojimbo. The story begins in 19th-century Japan, when a samurai named Sanjuro wanders into a rural village. An innkeeper befriends the stranger, but Sanjuro soon finds himself marked for death by one of the ruthless gangsters who run the village. When…
The Strand Walking Tour
Discover the grand history of Galveston Island’s Strand District, which was once known as the Wall Street of the southwest, during today’s Strand Walking Tour. The one-hour expedition starts at the Le Clere building, which was built in 1875 by coal baron Isadore Le Clere. After his death, the shop…
The Wager
The Black Box Theatre Group mounts Mark Medoff’s comedy The Wager at the Ensemble Theatre for a weekend run. In the play, a pair of college students concocts a plan that’s seemingly bound for tragedy. Brainy Leeds prompts his jock roommate Ward to seduce the young, bored wife of a…
Miller Classic Movies: Swing Time
Hollywood was doing its best to cheer up Americans after the Depression, and the 1936 musical Swing Time was one of its best efforts. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, glamorous, chic and light on their feet, star as gambler Lucky and dance school instructor Penny. Lucky’s set to marry someone…
A Life in the Theatre and Tuesdays with Morrie
At first blush, the profanity-loving playwright David Mamet and the sweetly sentimental Mitch Albom don’t seem to have much in common, but Stuart Purdy, director of the Country Playhouse’s newest black box production, sees a connection. That’s why he chose to put Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre, about two…
Princess Kaiulani
The young actor Q’orianka Kilcher turns in a subtle, sensitive performance as Princess Kaiulani. A member of the Hawaiian royal family during the monarchy’s last days in 1888, the 17-year-old princess is sent to England when civil war breaks out. Overcoming culture shock (the British consider her more a novelty…
Kay Finch: Final Cut
Houston novelist Kay Finch began writing thrillers when she realized that some of the legal clients she worked with had only one real solution to their troubles: hire a hit man. “I could never say that, of course,” she laughs, “but I’ve certainly thought it.” Finch’s latest title is Final…
David V. Herlihy: The Lost Cyclist
In 1892, Frank Lenz quit his accounting job and set off on the adventure of a lifetime. Working as a correspondent for Outing magazine, he was going to bicycle around the world, a total of 20,000 miles over three continents. That’s an interesting enough story, but when Lenz went missing…
KUHF Silent Film Concert Series: The Unknown
Love costs Alonzo more than most men are willing to pay in The Unknown (1927), today’s installment in the KUHF Silent Film Concert Series. The legendary Lon Chaney stars as Alonzo, a convict on the run who finds the perfect hideout in a circus. He poses as an armless knife…
Second Sundays: Jane Weiner Knows Stuff!
Jane Weiner Knows Stuff! kicks off a new series for FrenetiCore’s Second Sundays. Weiner – a professional dancer/cancer activist/teacher who is currently the executive director of Hope Stone Dance – will be the first of many local celebrities who plan to speak about what they know, but the content is…
Tom Simmons
Comedian Tom Simmons looks harmless enough, just an ordinary guy. But don’t be fooled. This Everyman comes with zinging punch lines. Simmons on Obama getting elected: “Everybody says black people voted Obama in. That’s not true. There aren’t enough black people in the country to do that. Obama got elected…
Menopause, the Musical
A group of middle-aged women, including a housewife, a soap opera star, a business professional and an earth mother, sing and dance their way through the change of life in Menopause, the Musical. If hot flashes, cold sweats, forgetfulness, droopy boobs and – shudder – vaginal dryness don’t seem to…
Ant Sandwich
Ant Sandwich came to Joel Orr in a dream. “I was talked into giving someone a sandwich that was covered in ants,” Orr explains. “The person was like super, super thankful – nobody ever brought them a sandwich before. As I ran away, I could hear the person wailing when…
CIrque du Soleil: Alegría
Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil has dramatically evolved the circus art, replacing elephants, lions and bombastic ringmasters with performances more along the lines of Ingmar Bergman than the Ringling Brothers. Alegr’a is one of their most popular touring shows. According to director Franco Dragone, Alegr’a is “a baroque ode to…
Salt’s Tequila Twilight
It was a slow Tuesday at Salt (4218 Washington Ave., 713-868-5155), so I didn’t feel too guilty asking Sonali to invent a tequila drink for me. It took her a couple minutes to balance the equation, but the result was fine — a little like a Tequila Sunrise, though better…
Cowboy Down
Sue Krentz answered the phone about 6 p.m. It was March 27, a Saturday, and she was in Phoenix, tending to her aged parents as a sister attended a conference. Sue usually doesn’t stray from her family’s venerable cattle ranch in Cochise County for too long at a stretch. But…
Las Ventanas
It was a sad day for Houston when Las Alamedas closed its doors in January 2009 because of a dispute with the landlord. George Sneider and his son Alex had developed one of the city’s most beautiful restaurants, serving some of the city’s most elegant Mexican cuisine in one of…
Sage Francis
No one MC defines indie hip hop better than Sage Francis. The unlikeliest of natives from Providence, Rhode Island, he owns his own label (Strange Famous), his fans are mostly urban white kids and, most important, he walks the line lyrically between indie and mainstream, boasting about a conquest here…
Hot Off the Grille
It’s lunchtime at the original Perry & Sons Market & Grille, and patrons are expected to step up to the counter and order; the waitstaff is reserved for dinner service. A row of uniformly cut steaks stretches out behind the long glass case. Perfect medallions of filet mignon sit next…
Capsule art Reviews: “Daniel Heimbinder: Story”, “Hand+Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft”, “Maurizio Cattelan”
“Daniel Heimbinder: Story” Cheetos, pink monsters, crystal vases and bell-bottomed pants are the major characters in Houston artist Daniel Heimbinder’s “Story,” presented by cool Montrose house/gallery the Joannex. One marker-on-paper series depicts slews of plaid pants legs and boots slung over the edges of walls, into deep pits and piled…
Boucherie Reverie
The Louisiana Boucherie ($22) at Brennan’s (3300 Smith, 713-522-9711) is a meat lover’s dream that’s a pretty good representation of Louisiana meat products. There are slices of pork loin marinated in chicory coffee, which gives them a dark brown hue; a rich, hockey-puck-size piece of boudin; and an empanada stuffed…
Capsule Stage Reviews: The Complete History of America (Abridged), The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat, Panic
The Complete History of America (Abridged) If you like the idea of a balloon-headed Abraham Lincoln being popped dead in a lame parody that mocks the JFK killing, then this tasteless vaudeville, now dragging its lifeless body around Stages Repertory Theatre, will be absolute catnip. Written by the Ridiculous Shakespeare…
The Village People
Would you call the Village People the queer Kiss or the male proto-Spice Girls? Has anyone ever even thought that long and hard about the group’s musical relevance? Masterminded by producer Jacques Morali in 1977, the Villagers were initially helmed by Victor Willis, whom the world knew much better as…
Bitten by Bug
Tracy Letts’s manic Bug, now scurrying underfoot and burying itself under audiences’ skin at Theatre Southwest, is the company’s — in fact, the city’s — most exciting production in recent memory. This is grandiose, over-the-top theatricality, with electrifying staging and rhapsodic acting. The sublime insanity grabs you until you swear,…
Church for Thugs
50 Cent has avoided confrontation exactly never in his 12-year career. His 2003 debut full-length Get Rich or Die Tryin’, meanwhile, is universally hailed as a hip-hop classic. So he’s been a polarizing force for a long time. You could say that 50 took an artistic stumble on 2007’s Curtis,…
Erykah Badu
You’ll get over it, your initial disappointment that Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh, daffy title aside, is not nearly as mind-bogglingly deranged as you’d feared (hoped?) it would be. You had reasons to assume a certain level of insanity: such reasons as, oh, say, 2008’s…
Iron Maiden
One of the true titans of the original New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Iron Maiden is celebrating 35 years on the leading edge of all things metal. The band was formed in 1975 and went through two lead singers before tapping the punkish Paul Di’Anno for 1980’s monstrous self-titled…
The Pros of Khon’s
Scott Ritter has just walked back into the soft light and currently calm atmosphere of Khon’s Bar (2808 Milam). He picks up the cell phone he’s left at the bar, clicks the screen on, then shouts “OH YES, MOTHERFUCKER!” to nobody in particular. This is worth mentioning for two reasons…
To Live Is to Fly
Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies, known for their monumental cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” and the catchy 1996 single “A Common Disaster,” mark their 25th anniversary as a band this year and, as she nears 50, vocalist Margo Timmins doesn’t see any end in sight. “Surprisingly, 50 doesn’t feel so old,…
Special Summer Edicion
Dear Mexican, I worked a summer job during college in southern Arizona during the late 1960s, where most of my co-workers were Mexicans from the state of Sonora. Their favorite expression when something was broken was no vale verga, literally “Not worth dick,” but actually meaning “totally fucked up.” What…
Bomb That Mosque!
POLITICAL ANIMALS Bomb That Mosque!! KTRH host hopes for violence By Richard Connelly Michael Berry, the former city councilman who hosts a talk show on KTRH each afternoon, has had a federal complaint filed against him by CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. For some reason, they don’t like the…
Silence of the Lambs
Though the breathtaking vistas of Big Sky Country in Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor’s unforgettable sheep-herding documentary come close to heaven, it’s telling that AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” can be faintly heard over the sound of the electronic contraptions that hired hands yield to shear the docile creatures, one of…
Kung Fu Hustle
Like its predecessor, 2010’s Harald Zwart-directed The Karate Kid begins with an uprooting. Young Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) are introduced in the Detroit apartment that he grew up in, now packed into boxes. Ralph Macchio shipped off to the Valley; Dre is going to…
Mayalino’s Message
Mayalino’s Message Online readers comment on “Deporting All WetWacks,” by Rolando Rodriguez,May 27: Garbage: Way to mark Hispanics with an even bigger X for having nothing better to talk about than “street cred” or drugs. Pathetic. The day your “homey” pays your mortgage, feeds your kids or takes care of your…
Designer Meats
Catalan executive chef Chris Shepherd, the man other Houston chefs call The Godfather, grabs a handful of his very own homemade sausages and starts slicing them into gauzy ribbons. Red strips of coppa fall from the meat slicer like streamers, gracefully dappled with spots of slick white fat. He hands…
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Ordinarily, an album released in 2010 bearing the title Genuine Negro Jig might raise a couple of eyebrows, but the Carolina Chocolate Drops — who did that very thing back in February — are, well, chocolate. And genuine, for that matter. Although the Durham, North Carolina-based Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens…
