Man Arrested at Bush Airport Was on His Way to Jihad, Authorities Say
A man who reports say was born in Houston was arrested Tuesday by the Central Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force for providing material support to terrorists, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Michael Todd Wolfe, known as Faruq, 23, and living in Austin, was arrested at George W. Bush Houston…
Main Street Theater Gets a New Temporary Home From Talento Bilingue
Just one day after announcing that it had been unceremoniously booted from its Chelsea Street location which it was counting on even more than usual to help it through its year of transition as it renovates its Rive Village location, Main Street Theater got some good news. The theater has…
Greg Abbott’s Spanish Campaign Ad Kicks Off General Election Campaign Ad Season
Perhaps it was just a big coincidence that Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott then turned around and premiered his first campaign commercial on Tuesday and it was all in Spanish and set to first air during the Mexico-Brazil match of the World Cup. Maybe. It’s a popular technique these days…
Washington Redskins Lose Trademark (Forever, Hopefully)
Imagine if someone wanted to name their professional sports franchise the Washington White Guys. Or the Washington Black Men. People might take offense to that. The U.S. Patent Office would; it made that clear in its Wednesday ruling on the NFL’s Washington Redskins’ name. The office said the team’s name…
Surge in Undocumented Kids Linked to Cartel Activity, Says Texas Congressman
By now you’ve heard about those hundreds and thousands of kids who are flowing over the border and causing what the president terms a humanitarian crisis. Some are blaming the Obama administration for leaving a loophole in its immigration policy that allows minors some time to find family and stick…
Local Versus Global: In the Battle of Where Your Food Comes From, Who’s Winning?
This week’s cafe review takes a look at Dish Society, a cute new restaurant concept brought to Houston by an Austinite disappointed by the lack of healthy fast-casual restaurants with a sustainable focus. As part of Dish Society’s mission, a large portion of the ingredients they use and the drinks…
Raucous Crowd, Latino Stars Enliven El Tri Watch Party
“A que venimos? A TRIUNFAR!!!” — Piolín Piolín’s Jugada Musical feat. Gabriel Iglesias and Intocable House of Blues June 17, 2014 When you interview someone who talks for a living, keeping him or her on topic is about as easy as winning the World Cup. In other words, it can…
Five Ways to Cook Green Tomatoes (Other Than Frying Them)
Whenever you buy green tomatoes, you’re most likely going to fry them. Am I right? And that’s definitely not a bad thing, but you can do so much more with the beautiful under-ripe fruits. Green tomatoes are certainly available in grocery stores and farmers markets, even at the beginning of…
Want to Chip in to Help Some Abandoned Pups?
If you woke up this morning wondering what good deed you could do for the day — or even if you didn’t — we got the hook-up: You can donate to help treat three emaciated pit bull pups that some a-hole discarded like trash off U.S. 290 near the Harris-Waller…
June Kickstarter Round-Up: Transyltown and Postcards From WW1
Once a month we’ll be bringing you a look at some of the best local Kickstarter campaigns in order to let you know what’s getting ready to be unleashed through the help of small investors. Transyltown Volume 1: Moon Glow Tempo: There are very, very few reasons why authors should…
This Week in Food Blogs: Have a Hot Dog This Summer
Urban Swank: Paulie’s may be known for its incredible spaghetti and sugar cookies, as noted by Joanna O’Leary, but this Houston family-owned restaurant serves up many more tasty dishes you need to try. O’Leary suggests everyone begins their meal with the simple bucatini amatraciana, or an indulgent canestri alla funghi,…
This Killer Bee Story Kind of Made Us Nervous
It’s bee season, no, make that so-called Africanized bee season. On Friday a swarm of bees attacked and killed three dogs in Katy, causing Texas A&M experts to weigh in on the situation in a Houston Chronicle article. They are saying that these high-temper bees are pretty much you standard…
The Top…Um…4 (?) NBC Sitcoms of the 1970s
It’s hard to imagine it now, with the relentless success and excellence consistently delivered from the National Broadcasting Network when it comes to sitcoms — from The Cosby Show to Seinfeld to The Office, but there was a time when NBC’s comedic television offerings were as unbelievably piss poor as…
Where Are Houston’s Female Sommeliers?
Quick, name all of the female sommeliers in Houston. OK, if you can’t name all of them, name at least ten. Trick question. Here in Houston, we have only a handful: Vanessa Trevino-Boyd (60 Degrees Mastercrafted), Samantha Porter (freelancing), Annette Amaya (Cru Wine Bar), Angie Chang (Sonoma Wine Bar) and…
Handguns Are the Weapon of Choice for Gangs, Says Study of Houston Arms
For whatever reason, researchers in Geneva, Switzerland paired Houston with Los Angeles in a list of guns linked to gang activities or seized from gang members. While L.A. is the bigger city, where do you think they confiscated the most guns? If you said H-Town, then you’re not mistaken. The…
100 Creatives 2014: Denise O’Neal, Producer, Director, Playwright
The ten plays chosen for this year’s Fade to Black festival cover a lot of ground. A showcase of new works by African American playwrights, the festival includes A Kiss is Just a Kiss by James Earl Hardy of New York City (the story of a man about to end…
Make S’mores With the Marshmallows From Petite Sweets
Petite Sweets is known for bite-size cupcakes, creamy custards, beautiful macarons and other delightful treats. But, you probably didn’t know this West Alabama dessert shop sells a variety of marshmallows. Arrayed in glass jars on the counter, there was a green one decorated in crushed pistachios, a few white ones…
Fat Kid Rumbles for 93-Yard Touchdown in Irish Football League (Video)
In the area of mainstream sports, the rest of the world has done a decent job in closing the gap between on the United States in sports where we either lead or are among the leaders. In baseball, our continued efforts to serve the sport up to the rest of…
Is the Word Faggot Still Offensive?
The word “faggot” keeps popping up in the news, and each time it’s taken just as poorly as the time before. Alec Baldwin used it derogatorily towards a photographer last year. John Lacy who was playing Big Daddy in a California production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was…
Ryan Fitzpatrick Named Texans’ Starting Quarterback as T.J. Yates Is Released
All along, it’s been a race where naming a “winner” was going to feel like a bit of a misnomer. When the Texans began mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, the open race to see who would be the Houston Texans’ starting quarterback consisted of four men — Ryan Fitzpatrick, rookie Tom…
Rest of the Best 2014: Houston’s Ten Best Bloody Marys
Our 2013 Best of Houston® winners were announced a while back, but in many cases, picking the best item in any category was no easy task. In order to show off all the culinary greatness Houston has to offer, we’re continuing to round up the “rest of the best” in…
Let’s Hear It for the Ladies of Houston Punk
Though often under-recognized by society at large, with its overweening narrative of punk rock being a bastion of disenchanted white males, women of all stripes have been intimate and ingrained members of Houston’s local scene scene since its very genesis. Yet, few books have extolled the efforts of any punk…
Shellee Coley’s Fiery Faith Burns Through Bridges
To tell you why I loved Shellee Coley’s latest album, Songs Without Bridges, first I need to tell you about James Caronna. Both artists are people I discovered after getting to know Jeffery Armstreet at Red Tree Recording Studio, and both produce a similar type of Americana-flavored acoustic pop that…
The Best & Worst Bonus Tracks on the New Led Zeppelin Reissues
In case you have been living with your headphones plugged into your turntable for some time and are unaware of recent developments in the classic-rock landscape, this month Led Zeppelin have reissued their first three titles with new remasters done by none other than Jimmy Page himself. I used to…
Nine Bands Named After Songs by Other Bands
We here at Rocks Off spend a lot of time thinking about band names. It’s one of the most important things about a band, because it’s the face of your brand. After all, a metal band is not going to get off the ground if it’s named after a My…
UPDATED: Federal Case Against Cop Who Shot Robbie Tolan Headed Back to Court
A federal appeals court has sent a civil rights claim against a white Bellaire police officer who shot an unarmed black man in his parents’ driveway back to trial court. Issued today by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the ruling revives a…
Main Street Theater Gets a Shock — Booted From Chelsea Market Location
This just in from Main Street Theater: Just weeks from beginning production on its 2014-2015 Season, Main Street Theater (MST) has learned that it must vacate its Chelsea Market facility on Montrose Boulevard by the end of the summer. MST has continued to rent the Chelsea Market location, in use…
HFD Union Members Not Feeling City’s Latest Contract as Deadline Looms
Tuesday afternoon the firefighters union rejected the latest contract offer from the city, with a deadline looming at the end of the month. According to media reports 2,709 firefighters voted against the plan, which sought to reel-in vacation time, among other things. Just 207 members of the Houston Professional Fire…
Gang Injunction Becomes Permanent in Harris County District’s Safety Zone
Harris County Attorney’s OfficeThe Bounty Hunter Bloods are among the groups authorities say operate in the east Aldine DistrictAs a rule, nearly 50 gang members are personae non gratae in an area now known as the East Aldine Safety Zone in north Harris County. Most gang members might bristle at…
Manhattan Melodrama – Natalie Arneson in Concert Here in Houston Before She Takes it to NYC
For about a year, Natalie Arneson and her husband met at a New York City train station and tossed their baby back and forth to each other. “My husband and I were each working very very low-paying jobs. I was making $9 an hour at Starbucks and he was making…
The Sleeping Girl Mixes Comedy, Magic and Pathos
Last night, the Stark Naked Theatre Company presented a staged reading of The Sleeping Girl, a new comedic drama by Suzanne Bradbeer that mixes realistic comedy with poignant drama. Playwright Bradbeer has a keen sense of stagecraft, and one character, Cece Pearce (Jessica Janes) enters being carried in the arms…
Five Predictions About the New Star Wars Movie
That new J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Wars movie is off to an ignoble start: Harrison Ford was injured last week on set of “Star Wars: Episode VII,” and it looks like he may be sidelined from filming for a while. The Mirror reports the 71-year-old actor has sustained a broken ankle…
Fo’ Shizzle, Texas AG Sues Over Pizzle (i.e., Bull Penis)
Hair Balls has always believed there are two kinds of people in the world: those who like to gnaw on a delicious slab of bull-cock (aka “pizzle”), and those who believe bull penis only belongs in dog treats. The Texas Attorney General is suing an Austin supermarket, alleging that the…
Goro & Gun’s Summer Menu Goes Far Beyond Ramen
It had been almost a year since my last meal at Goro & Gun when I received an invite to taste items from their new summer menu. Given my enthusiasm for their cocktails (delicious) and chicken wings (properly crispy), I was curious to look beyond the ramen dishes for which…
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress Sit Around Talkin’ in a Somewhat Predictable Play
The set-up: If you need validation of how far we’ve come – in society and on stage – I direct your gaze to Alan Ball’s Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, now playing on autopilot at Studio 101 at Spring Street Studios courtesy of Mildred’s Umbrella. It’s not the company’s…
Our Little Car Chase Is All Grown Up: Five Observations About O.J. Simpson Chase Turning 20
The beginning of the Age of Twitter is generally believed to have begun sometime around mid-2009. Yes, some early adopters have been on Twitter longer than that, but as an accoutrement to our sports watching and as our first feed for breaking news, 2009 seems to feel about right. So…
Blacksmith’s New Summer Menu Features More Than Just Coffee
It’s no secret that Blacksmith Coffee offers excellent food options to go along with its beverages. While the Vietnamese steak and eggs, or a biscuit with crème fraiche and apricot marmalade are awesome staple menu items, this summer, Blacksmith offers an additional lineup of bites and treats created by chef…
Lorena Morales: The Space Within Offers Art Accompanied by Gerald Cedillo’s Poems
The intimate Galeria Regina has an unusual exhibition, The Space Within, consisting of the visual art of Venezuelan born artist Lorena Morales, with each work accompanied by a poem by Houston’s own Gerald Cedillo. Morales uses vivid colors on Plexiglas, often in geometric patterns, to create interest and tension. Her…
Andre Johnson Is Not Walking Through That Door
If I had to put together a power ranking of my favorite uncles, many of the usual suspects would be on the list. Uncle Leo of Seinfeld fame was a cordial fellow (“HEELLOOOOOO!!”). Uncle Junior Soprano, while he increased Tony’s general stress level, was always a guy who made things…
NASA Is Working on a Warp Drive: Five Other Sci-Fi Things They Should Make Real
NASA physicist Harold White is boldly going where no one has gone before with his work on a warp drive. White has been working on the project since 2010 and it’s so Star Trek-inspired that the designs are modeled on the Star Trek warp drive. Who knows if an actual…
Four Cocktails to Make With Guajiro Honey Rum From the Canary Islands
Several years ago, Debbie Doherty and Barbara Snider and their husbands traveled to the Canary Islands, autonomous colonies of Spain off the coast of west Africa. There, they fell in love with both the islands and their signature drink: Rum. Rum is most often associated with the Caribbean, but sugarcane,…
The Rocks Off 200: Southerland Nights, an Army of Accolades
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? If you…
Pop Rocks: Eight New Summer TV Series to Avoid Like the Plague
I watch plenty of TV, but even I have my limits. We all should. Every fall, lots of new shows tank badly. Some die a slow, painful death. Many are kept on longer than they should. But, that’s the fall when networks put real work into finding the next big…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 88, Pulled Pork Nachos at Way Good Food Truck
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
Summer Of Johnny II: Johnny Manziel Spotted In Houston On The “Money Phone”!
It’s hard to really ascertain anything from OTA’s. Players aren’t wearing pads, depth charts for some of the scrubbier teams are still being formulated, players rehabbing from injuries aren’t even taking part. So the whole structure is not really conducive to enlightenment. In Cleveland, Mike Pettine has been about as…
Adios, Casey Kasem: Keep Reaching for the Stars
“Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” It’s good advice that was delivered weekly for dozens of years by Casey Kasem. The radio personality, whose American Top 40 countdown was a pop-culture fixture for more than 40 years, passed away on Father’s Day at the…
Best Social Media for Poking Fun at Ridiculous Fashion
Most people who work in fashion take it very seriously. Being that it is a multi-billion dollar industry employing hundred of thousands of people, they should be to work on time, but let us not get too crazy. I myself am a faithful cog in the well oiled machine, but…
How Houston Cooks: Kraftsmen Baking Keeps H-Town Fed Day and Night
Every other week, we’ll be bringing you videos that take a behind-the-scenes look at restaurants, breweries, marketplaces, bars and any other spots that define Houston food and drink. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. There are always great smells coming out of the old Oriental Textile Mill, an historic…
5 Bullshit Arguments People Make About Switching a Character’s Gender/Race
A little while back I wrote an article about why I felt the next Doctor on Doctor Who needed to be female. Not why I wanted a female Doctor, but why things I had noticed in the show and in fandom demanded that a woman be given a chance in…
Top 10 Ways to Identify a Native Houstonian
Houston is home to a booming economy. Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States. Houston is cool. Houston is a lot of things, home to a lot different people and cultures. And while no string of facts and qualities can quite stitch together a complete story…
Upcoming: The 1975, Bastille, Dangerous Toys, Keyshia Cole, Matisyahu, Polyphonic Spree, etc.
The 1975: Wed., Nov. 26, 7 p.m., $35. Bayou Music Center, 520 Texas, Houston, 713-225-8551. Afton Live: With WellWell, Brenna Haffey & Guests., Sun., July 20, 5:30 p.m., $11 to $13. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston, 713-862-3838. Allison Fisher: Sat., June 28, 10 p.m., Free. Big Top Lounge, 3714 Main,…
New Houston Rap: Summer Blockbuster Edition
There’s a bit of evil in the world. You know, the kind that sideswipes your car and doesn’t even leave a note. Or when somebody refuses to hear you out when you’re trying to tell them something. This is one of those evil moments. If you manage to spend a…
Pogues Accordionist Squeezes Out Anarchic Band’s Story
Here Comes Everybody: The Story of the Pogues By James Fearnley Chicago Review Press, 416 pp., $18.95. It’s interesting to note that, despite their status as one of the contemporary groups most identified with traditional Irish music, none of the members of the Pogues are actually Irish. Nevertheless, their insertion…
Video: What Would Drake Fans Do to Meet the Man Himself?
By now you’ve heard all about the craziness that was Houston Appreciation Weekend, four days so over the top that we’ve already had to bust some myths on the subject. And sure, while the movie premiere and the pool party and the Astros game were all cool, it was the…
Woman Commits Suicide by Jumping from 25th Floor of Galleria Hotel
Double Tree Hilton on Google PlusWitnesses said a woman committed suicide at the Double Tree.A woman this afternoon leapt to her death from the 25th floor of the Double Tree Suites hotel on Westheimer, according to the Houston Police Dept. No further information was available on the incident. According to…
Bruce Molzan Leaves Corner Table While Restaurant Faces Partial Closure
CultureMap first reported Monday morning that controversial chef Bruce Molzan has left Corner Table, the restaurant he’s helmed since it opened in December of 2012. We called Corner Table for comment and received pretty much the same recited statement as CultureMap: “Corner Table and chef Molzan have amicably parted ways…
Houston Still Loves Hoes
Houston still loves LJ Hoes. Or at least Houston loves the Astro outfielder’s last name. Even after Hoes got optioned down to the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City in late May, baseball themed shirts reading, “Houston Loves Hoes” are still selling. “I haven’t been promoting it a lot,” said…
The “Big Philly” Cheesesteak at Subway: Worth It?
My next scheduled stop on my cheesesteak tour of Houston was Koagie Hots. However, the discovery of a coupon in my weekly circular made me take a slight detour to Subway. I know over the years Subway has significantly expanded its menu (with some locations now even offering this pizza…
Disney’s The Little Mermaid Offers Show-Stopping Songs and an Adventure for All Ages
Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid was a critical and commercial success, and almost two decades later was made into a Broadway musical, beginning previews in November, 2007, after a tryout in Denver. It closed on August 30, 2009, and two years were spent reworking it, to ready it…
Houston’s Net Domestic Migration Data Show a Lot of High School Dropouts
Among the big cities that grew the most in Texas, it seems like Houston’s still safe for the people who aren’t really into college. The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area had a total net domestic migration of 19,178 in 2012, according to a demographic analysis of Census data done in conjunction with…
Vibrant Food and Atmosphere at D’Amico’s
The second conclusion I came to after dinner at D’Amico’s Italian Market Cafe is that “bustling” and “relaxing” aren’t mutually exclusive descriptors for a restaurant environment. The first conclusion was that D’Amico’s provides its patrons with painstakingly crafted Italian food and fastidious service at shockingly reasonable prices. But I knew…
Proposed Go Texan Wine Labeling Changes Don’t Go Far Enough
On Thursday of last week, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) released the text of a proposed amendment to its Go Texan licensing rules for Texas wines. Go Texan is a TDA marking program that helps to promote awareness of Texan agricultural products (including wine). It allows approved growers and…
Corner Table Must Reduce Space to Meet City Code
River Oaks eatery Corner Table must close off 3,308 square feet of space in 30 days or else face fines and possible loss of its occupancy permit. The restaurant, located at 2736 Virginia St., has been operating in violation of the city’s parking code for years and has been a…
Well-Designed Steamrolled IV: Balance Catches You Off Guard
Art gatherings can take many forms, but few are as dramatic as the annual creation of oversized woodcut prints, this year done at Saint Arnolds Brewery on April 27, 9 to 5, as a two-ton steamroller did the final inking for Steamrolled IV: Balance. The event has been captured on…
Say Anything & the So So Glos at Warehouse Live, 6/15/14
Say Anything, You Blew It!, the So So Glos, The Front Bottoms Warehouse Live June 15, 2014 Sunday night my DeLorean took me straight back to 2006, and drove 88 miles per hour to Warehouse Live’s four-band showcase starring Say Anything. Despite never having been a particularly rabid fan of…
Game of Thrones: “I Am Your Son. I Have Always Been Your Son.”
“The Children” is the title of Game of Thrones’ 4th season finale. Though we can probably figure out who they were actually talking about (more on that later), the title could also refer to: a) the Lannister children, all of whom end up … disappointing father Tywin in various ways…
A Reminder That Midtown Is Still Revitalizing
Been to Bagby Street lately, in the area from St. Joseph Parkway to Tuam Street? For the past year it’s held the title as the first “Green Road” in Texas. Impressed? Well, some people surely are, billed as part of a big-idea Midtown revitalization project for pedestrians and the those…
The 10 Best Local Foodies to Follow on Instagram
It’s not yet officially in the dictionary along with selfie, crowdfunding and turducken, but food porn is definitely a real thing. I need only to pull up Instagram on my phone to start drooling over my friends’ photos of fresh, local produce; croissants at Common Bond; and burgers galore. While…
Facts & Fiction About a Wild Houston Appreciation Weekend
Someday, when I’m old and pretty much still a sarcastic short man, I’ll explain to my kids why Drake, a guy from Toronto who at every single walking turn gives out praise and love for Houston — got a day named in his honor. How he came to Houston, threw…
Hands on a Hardbody at TUTS Underground Tells the Story of the Have-Nots in a Musical
The set-up: “American dream, Japanese car,” snips J.D. Drew (Kevin Cooney, feisty and loveable), the oldest of the ten contestants vying for a chance at happiness on the merciless macadam of the Floyd King Nissan dealership in Longview, Texas. In Hands on a Hardbody, an offbeat but surprisingly affecting musical…
Dish of the Week: Steak au Poivre
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. See the complete list of recipes at the end of this post. This week, we’re covering the modern French beef dish, steak au poivre. Literally meaning “pepper steak,” this steak is…
Which World Cup Teams Might Houstonians Root For? [Map]
The U.S. plays its first game of the 2014 World Cup today against Ghana. Of course, Houston is in the good old US of A, and the Americans will have Houstonians rooting for them. But this is one of the most diverse cities in the country (maybe even the world)…
A Men’s Rights Activists Glossary
I spend a lot of time talking about Men’s Right’s Activists because when they were handing out beats at the Houston Press staff meeting earlier this year I was in the hall shaking a vending machine to try and get a stupid bag of Funyuns to fall. That’s today’s lesson,…
Bud Selig Did More Than Screw the Astros, He Screwed All of MLB
The light’s went out in Oakland’s O.com Coliseum Saturday night. The A’s were hosting the Yankees and the action was delayed over 30 minutes while the lights in left field were returned to life. Problems with Oakland’s park are nothing new. Locker rooms fill with sewage when there’s a hard…
The Worst Restaurant Names in Houston
With Pho King, Pho Kim and Crapitto’s closed, what restaurants are there left in Houston to ridicule? Plenty, it turns out. The conversation at a recent media dinner turned to bad restaurant names when we started discussing the current contender for worst moniker: TABLE. Only a few of us had…
James Taylor at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 6/14/2014
James Taylor and His All-Star Band June 14, 2014 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion The cougars were on the prowl at the Woodlands on Saturday night, where James Taylor and his All-Star Band played to an almost sold-out crowd. JT did not let them down. His resume highlights include being inducted…
Ben Folds & the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall, 6/14/2014
Ben Folds feat. the Houston Symphony Jones Hall June 14, 2014 Ben Folds grew up playing in symphony orchestras. Specifically, and perhaps surprisingly given his prowess on the piano, his background was that of a percussionist. Saturday night, he returned to his roots with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, blending together…
Hair Balls Viral Video Box Set, Father’s Day Weekend Edition
I hope all of you fathers out there had a great Father’s Day. I hope you got everything that you expected, which I know for many of you was a few peaceful hours on the couch to fall asleep to the U.S. Open (and this year’s Open was quite conducive…
Beyond the Sour: 5 Best Whiskey Cocktails for Summer
With its leggy texture and dark, intense tasting notes, whiskey often seems best savored neat, in front of an open fire in the middle of raging snowstorm. Well, if I waited for such a scenario in Houston, I would never imbibe this delightful spirit. Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy…
10 Best Buddy Cop Duos (Including One Trio) to Date
It’s always the same story… two very different cops… are forced to be partners and despite their differences–they wind up friends and take down the big bad guy. Like so many movie formulas this is a common one, but in spite of its predictability most of these buddy cop films…
Giant Asteroid Slid by for NASA Photo-op
Lots of asteroids zoom by the planet over the course of the year (that’s why NASA actually tracks and counts all the ones it can find) but one of those asteroids zipped by Earth recently, and this time NASA scientists were ready. Yep, 2014 HQ124 was more ready for its…
We’ve Narrowed Down the Most Underrated Breakfast…Vote Now!
You people are surprisingly passionate about breakfast. While I usually either sleep through or skip the most important meal of the day, you’re all over it, and it seems you each have specific places that you frequent for specific dishes. We got a lot of taqueria suggestions in the comments,…
5 Things I Miss About AstroWorld
In October it will be ten years since Six Flags AstroWorld packed up and left Houston without an amusement park. Next year will also be the year that the highly anticipated Grand Texas Theme Park will open up, promising to be even bigger and better than our dearly departed old…
MxPx at Fitzgerald’s, 6/14/14
MxPx, Allister, Measure for Measure Fitzgerald’s June 14th, 2014 “Welcome to the punk rock show. It’s going to be hot, it’s going to be sweaty, we’re gonna have a good time.” So spoke MxPx singer/bassist/occasional guitarist Mike Herrera near the start of Saturday night’s hot, sweaty punk-rock show at Fitz…
The Eight Best Musical Moments of the New Arsenio Hall Show
In case you didn’t notice, 2014 is essentially exactly the same as 1994. Nirvana is in the news constantly and The Arsenio Hall Show just got canceled again. That’s a shame, because we here at Rocks Off are pretty big fans of Arsenio. Apparently the coveted 18-34 audience didn’t have…
20 Truths That You Realize at the Vans Warped Tour
The little Summer music festival that refuses to call it quits kicked off year 20 with a warm day in Houston. This city and Warped have a special relationship at this point: the tour either starts or ends here, which means for a lot of folks Summer starts or ends…
The Five Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Tamar Braxton, Debonair Lounge, Juneteenth, etc.
Tamar Braxton House of Blues, June 16 Tamar Braxton is a thoroughly diversified modern R&B diva. Besides music, her portfolio includes a clothing line, book (last year’s Love and War, which she co-wrote with husband Vince Herbert), two reality shows (Braxton Family Values and Tamar and Vince) and a daytime…
Somehow We Got Into Drake’s Warehouse Live Show Last Night
What is love? Love is creating an exact replica of the face of the famed Screwed Up Records & Tapes. Love is letting your appreciation show by opener Lil Keke hitting all his cues on “Pimpin Tha Pen.” Love is letting Yungstar follow him, then ESG, then Trae performing H.A.W.K’s…
Appellate Court Reverses “Crush” Video Decision
A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court’s decision that a law banning the production and sale of animal “crush” videos is unconstitutional, allowing prosecutors to refile charges against a Houston duo accused of recording the torturing of dogs and cats. The decision revives the federal case against Ashley…
Rosenberg Cops Singing on YouTube? Now That’s Police Work
Rosenberg might be considered one of the most boring places in Texas, but its police department sure knows how to make a name on these here Internets. See also: If Fast Pace of Houston City Life Gets to Be Too Much, Here Are the Most Boring Places Nearby While it’s…
What’s in Fashion: Jewelry Made of Hair, Shoes Made of Swords
Lots of breaking fashion news hits the interwebs and I don’t want you to miss one bit of it. So, I present some of the biggest headlines each week for your reading pleasure. Click and enjoy!…
Taste-Testing Squash Blossoms at Hugo’s
One of the best ways to celebrate the summer season is by cooking beautiful fruit and vegetables, especially squash blossoms. Often found at local farmer’s markets, squash blossoms are the edible flowers from zucchini and summer squash, and they are only available for a short period of time during the…
You Looking for @HiddenCash in Houston?
We told you last week about a copycat of the Twitter account @HiddenCash showing up in San Antonio. Now Texas is getting the real thing. More important, Houston is getting the real thing. @HiddenCash, a social media account, is, according to its Twitter bio, “an anonymous social experience for good.”…
Parents and Students Ask Houston ISD to Leave Their Magnet Schools Alone
In the penultimate episode before the upcoming June 19 school board decision on changing the Houston ISD magnet school funding formula, a number of parents and students turned out last night to ask the question: If these programs are working so well, why does HISD want to destroy them? “I…
Lily Koppel, Author of The Astronaut Wives Club, at Brazos Bookstore Monday, June 16
If your favorite parts of the film Apollo 13 are not the scenes from space, but the brief insights we get into the lives of the astronauts’ families, you’ll probably want to pick up a copy of Lily Koppel’s compelling The Astronaut Wives Club, currently the shelves at Brazos Bookstore…
Taco Bell’s New Quesarito Makes Me Reconsider Fast-Food Loyalties
I have distinct loyalties where fast food is concerned. I grew up in Corpus Christi, birthplace of Whataburger. The first Texas-based fast food chain opened on Ayers Street in 1950 and quickly spread like an orange and white wildfire across the city. When I was in high school, I’d walk…
The Whigs & Buxton at Fitzgerald’s, 6/12/2014
The Whigs, Buxton Fitzgerald’s June 12, 2014 It’s not every day that you get a pure rock and roll show. It seems as if bands are doing everything but rocking out to their full potential, but the Whigs do not fit in that category. Thursday night at Fitz, the Athens…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Title: How to Train Your Dragon 2 Have The Vikings Discovered North America Yet? Hard to say. If so, pre-Christian Canada looked a lot like Naboo via Xanadu. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three-and-a-half Captain Terrells from Wrath of Khan out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Young…
5 Best Food Moments With Miley Cyrus
So, it’s not like I regularly listen to Miley Cyrus or anything, but I happened to stumble upon a few of her videos on the interwebs. Turns out her weirdness artistic quirkiness manifests itself in food as well as fashion and choreography. Here are my five favorite food moments with…
Want to See Richard Linklater’s Boyhood for Free? Here’s How.
The Houston Film Critics Society (of which yours truly is Vice President) and the Alamo Drafthouse have teamed up to offer a free screening of Boyhood, Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater’s latest movie, this Monday at the Drafthouse’s Vintage Park location. What is Boyhood? Funny you should ask: In the summer…
County Attorney vs. Prominent Houstonians: Righteous Cause or Shakedown?
In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a war going on in River Oaks over a subject we’re sure every human being finds endlessly fascinating: chemicals from dry cleaners leaching into groundwater. On one side are the heirs to the Melcher family fortune, who own the property at 4202 San Felipe…
Vacation Porn: The 10 Remote Beaches We Want to Spend Our Summer On
Stuck in the office, dreaming of the dog days of summer? Well, how about a little vacation porn to tide you over. Don’t worry, it’s safe for work. It just may not be safe for your wallet, should you get dragged too far into those beach fantasies. So hold on…
Working Toward a VA Hotline (and Not Just Another Committee)
Just what veterans in Texas caught up in the records falsification scandal have been waiting for: a hotline. Senator Leticia Van de Putte, chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee, this week proposed a recommendation to create a special hotline to help veterans dealing with long wait…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Kolaches Return to Revival Market
Pub Night @ Saint Arnold Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. 2000 Lyons It’s that time again, folks: Pub Night at Saint Arnold. Starting at 5 p.m., the brewery will operate like a bar, so come as you are, mix and mingle with friends, and sip on several Saint Arnold…
20 Bands to Check Out at the 20th Vans Warped Tour
In the last 20 years we’ve seen a lot of summer tours come and go. What was once a semi-thriving industry that saw a tour for every type of music fan under the sun is now a handful of radio-rock festivals where the band names change but the music sounds…
Samuel L. Jackson Reading Go the F**K to Sleep Free Download for Father’s Day
Oh, you completely forgot to get your dad/husband/uncle/grandpa/creepy brother-in-law something for Father’s Day and you have little to no time to do so? Worry not grasshopper. Audible, the books-on-tape for the digital generation, is offering a free download of the now infamous children’s book, Go the F**K To Sleep being…
100 Creatives 2014: Jason Poland, Cartoonist Behind Robbie and Bobby
What He Does: if you asked me to pick the best comic strip in the city I would definitely put Jason Poland’s Robbie and Bobby right at the top of the list. His work is lighthearted and imaginative, but it’s also extremely daring the way Poland allows himself to use…
Upcoming Events: Celebrate Summer & Anniversaries With Beer & Pigs
Keep celebrating Saint Arnold’s 20th anniversary at BRC Gastropub on Wednesday, June 18, with a Pig Dinner. For $50, each person will get to feast on a menu of pork dishes paired with Saint Arnold brews. Savor BBQ pulled pork-stuffed piquillo peppers, paired with Saint Arnold Summer Pils. Wash down…
The 15 Most Messed-Up O.J. Simpson Lyrics
This week America is celebrating — although that might not be precise terminology for such a dubious occasion — the 20th anniversary of the Nicole Brown Simpson murders, in which the ex-wife of NFL Hall of Famer/actor O.J. Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were stabbed to death in the…
Even Dallas Agrees We’re Boomin’
How far back does the Dallas vs. Houston rivalry go? Is it even a legitimate rivalry anymore? A column in The Dallas Morning News this week seems to question this, but then points to how much stronger growth seems on the Houston front. And while we cheer about Toyota Motors…
InfoWars Thinks Katy Perry & Kesha Are Illuminati Witches
Look, I’m not a fan of Kesha and Katy Perry. Aside from possibly the greatest Bob Dylan cover ever the former is a musical cardboard cutout that collects fans’ teeth to make jewelry, and the latter is one of the reason no one likes white people. When Snoop Dogg looks…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Joseph Reinholtz’s Homage to Yves Klein, “SUGA,” Ben Folds and More
Houston-based painter Joseph Reinholtz is a longtime admirer of the works of the artist Yves Klein, and he’ll honor that now-deceased artist by re-creating Klein’s most famous painting in Joseph Reinholtz: Homage to Yves Klein’s FC 1 in front of a live audience on Friday. (Klein’s painting, titled Fire-Color Painting…
Five Reasons to Watch Atlanta Falcons on Hard Knocks
HBO’s annual episodic, award-winning series Hard Knocks is one of the staples of the NFL preseason. Finding out which team will be the subject of the upcoming season is one of the more underrated NFL moments each June. Honestly, with as many things as the NFL is televising and monetizing…
Openings & Closings: Juice & Crepes Come to Washington Avenue
The State Bar & Lounge inside the Rice Hotel closed last week, but Swamplot reports a new tenant will be taking over the space soon, Lawless Kitchen and Spirits. This new bar will offer cocktails alongside a “chef-driven” menu; it will also be designed to reflect the history of the…
Goooooooal!! A Mostly Musical Guide to Enjoying the World Cup
When did World Cup soccer start mattering to U.S. fans? I know many of us have doled out orange slices and cursed at volunteer officials at youth league games, but interest in the pro soccer pitch is apparently now at fever pitch. The global football tournament begins this afternoon and…
Los Skarnales Hit 20 Years as Houston’s Favorite Vatos Rudos
If a band ever personified the “Houston Sound,” Los Skarnales would certainly need to be on that list. Last year group was inducted into the Houston Music Hall of Fame, after being Houston Press Music Award nominees and winners countless times. With shows that are always sweaty, soulful and a…
The 10 Best Shows in Houston This Weekend: Uncle Kracker, MxPx, James Taylor, etc.
Uncle Kracker Firehouse Saloon, June 13 For an artist who started his career as Kid Rock’s DJ, Uncle Kracker has managed to find his country niche. That got going with the laid-back “Drift Away,” the Dobie Gray tune Kracker turned into a throwback hit as a duet with the original…
So How Corrupt Is Texas?
According to a new study, Texas is among the second-least corrupt states in the country. Of course, that might be hard to believe, given recent news about Rep. Steve Stockman. The study, published by the Public Administration Review, is based on work by the City University of Hong Kong and…
Korean Al-Bap: A Party in a Hot Stone Bowl
A few years ago I spent some time in Korea, and I absolutely fell in love with the food. Things I thought I wouldn’t enjoy–kimchi with fish for breakfast, noodles made of mung bean jelly, fried squid on a skewer–are dishes I now crave when I’m feeling nostalgic for my…
FIFA Fashion: World Cup Teams Ranked by Uniform Style & You Are Welcome
The FIFA World Cup starts today amidst controversies and society upheavals. Though the kickoff of one of the worlds largest sports championships has been mired in some serious issues as of late, it seems fans are still hyped and ready to watch their teams win or lose on the world…
Pico’s Mex-Mex Is Poised to Stay Put
Recently, we posed the question: What’s up with Upper Kirby? The recent rash of closings makes it clear that restaurants and bars come and go in this fickle business and there was no better example than the parade of restaurants that came and went on the busy corner of Richmond…
This Guy Stole the Show in Game 3 of the NBA Finals (w/ VIDEO)
One thing I hear a lot about my job from people who punch the clock and hate going to work every day — “Man, you’re so lucky! You get to go to the games for FREE anytime you want! I’m JEALOUS!!” It’s true. Going to sporting events for free (and…
Judging by the Trailer, Dumb and Dumber To Is Even Dumber than We Thought
Before we get to how particularly not good the trailer for Dumb and Dumber To looks, here’s a fun question to ponder: who do you think has the most to gain from this project? Is it the Farrelly brothers, who have spent the last decade making movies that have done…
Rick Perry and His Move to Suggest Being Gay Is Like Drinking Too Much
Is Gov. Rick Perry deliberately trying to embarrass Texas? That’s what we began pondering after we saw the news this morning. Last night, Perry continued his tour of California with a stop in San Francisco — yup that would be the city of Harvey Milk and everything — where he…
Barbecue and Bourbon: A Match Made in Meat-Lover’s Heaven at Killen’s Barbecue
And I thought Killen’s Barbecue couldn’t get any better. Last night, Ronnie Killen invited the community to come out for a special dinner service (remember, Killen’s closes when they run out of barbecue, always before dinner time) that paired the now-famous meat with Jim Beam bourbon. But saying simply “meat…
Failure at House of Blues, 6/11/2014
Failure House of Blues June 11, 2014 It’s only been a few months since L.A.’s Failure last appeared in Houston, but it feels like much longer. For dedicated fans, the band’s set opening for Tool at Toyota Center was little more than a tease: most of the crowd was still…
NASA Helps to Make Face Cream, and Don’t Act Like You Don’t Want to Try It
In terms of product placement what’s next for NASA? We’ve told you about them using a smartphone game to educate us about asteroids, now we find out they’re teaming up with a company that sells expensive face cream. Is our space program that much of joke that now #Spaceface is…
Terminal City Author Linda Fairstein Likes Getting Justice in Court and on the Page
New York City’s Grand Central Station is the setting for author Linda Fairstein’s new thriller, Terminal City. The latest installment in the best-selling Alex Cooper series, Terminal City features Assistant DA Cooper tracking down a serial killer who carves cryptic symbols on his female victims. The chase leads Cooper to…
Chilean Winemaker Delivers Surprising, Refreshing Food-Friendliness
“When I was younger,” said Chilean winemaker Felipe Tosso last night at an intimate tasting of his wines at Churrascos, “I made big and bold, intense, tannic wines. But now that I’m older [in his early 40s] and now that I’m a father and more mellow, I make more food-friendly…
Doctor Who: A Series 8 Rumor Round-Up
Yes, it’s a fan trailer. I don’t care. It’s brilliant! In addition to being my favorite show of all time, Doctor Who has re-introduced me to something I’d forgotten I loved since back in the day when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on the air. Namely, rumors. I love trolling…
The 5 Best Brunch Spots in River Oaks
In Houston, we’re pretty serious about our brunch. Whether it be migas and breakfast tacos or chicken and waffles and loaded Bloody Marys, we have no shortage of awesome spots to get our brunch on. Keeping later hours and killer cocktails in mind, we’ll be taking a look at some…
Man Shot Making Amateur Video in Harris County
The bonus for today’s wannabe music stars or video directors is that the equipment is so accessible. Sure, that means there’s more flotsam, and you have to look hard for the quality, but it gives kids a chance to experiment. Just leave the guns alone. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office…
The Rocks Off 200: Stacy Hartoon, Rudz’s Punk-Rock Heir Apparent
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. We’ve wanted Stacy…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 89, Garden Sammie at Local Foods
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
Re-evaluating the Astros Tenure of Ed Wade
The Houston Chronicle’s Jesus Ortiz made a bit of a noise last week when he reported that former Astros GM Ed Wade ripped off the Philadelphia Phillies in the Hunter Pence trade. Not only was new stud Jon Singleton part of the trade, but so were starting pitcher Jarred Cosart…
Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Is Toe-Tapping, Jazzy Fun
Fabulously entertaining fans eight times a week, Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical, based on the 1994 Woody Allen film of the same name, racked up six Tony Nominations this year. The musical comedy also recently released its Original Broadway Cast Recording, featuring a score of music from the 1920s adapted…
Potential Houston Rockets Acquisitions Take a Hit
While, for the Houston Rockets, landing Dwight Howard was most certainly not easy, for fans, following the pursuit of Dwight Howard was pretty simple. Last summer, Howard was an unrestricted free agent, requiring of a maximum salary deal (or as close to it as possible), and the teams that were…
The 5 Best Hidden Restaurant Gems in Katy
When I mentioned to a few friends that I was spending a lot of time recently exploring good ol’ Katy, Texas, I got the same response over and over: “Katy? Oh. I’m sorry.” Initially I was sorry too. The rush hour drive in a car without air conditioning in June…
MC Chris Is in Town; Maybe He’ll Come Over
Rapper MC Chris has a significant and sometimes intensely personal relationship with his fans. How personal? He’s been known to crash fans’ house parties or just stop by to play video games. He includes them in T-shirt design and remix competitions on his Web site. He reaches out to them…
Rest of the Best 2014: Houston’s Top 10 Authors
This year’s list of Houston’s Top 10 Authors includes a few firsts. For the first time we have a husband and wife who each made the list separately (Robert Boswell and Antonya Nelson). For the first time, we also have multiple authors with four or more releases in the last…
Drake Appreciation Post: Drizzy’s 20 Best Songs
“Best I Ever Had” Every dude wants to be the best his girl has ever had, and this So Far Gone track solidifies Drizzy’s over-the-top confidence one hashtag-rap line at a time. It also perfectly samples the amazing Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds song “Falling In Love.” MARCO TORRES “Don’t…
How to Train Your Dragon 2: Toothless Soars Again in This Follow-Up
If you ever have days when you prefer animals to human beings, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is your kind of movie. In some ways the second entry in this animated franchise is inferior to the first, released in 2010: The plot is needlessly busy, and much of the…
Linda Fairstein: Terminal City
New York City’s Grand Central Station is the setting for author Linda Fairstein’s new thriller, Terminal City. The latest installment in the best-selling Alex Cooper series, Terminal City features Assistant DA Cooper tracking down a serial killer who carves cryptic symbols on his female victims. The chase leads Cooper to…
The 16 Hard-to-Spell Words Everyone From Houston Knows
Highlights from Hair Balls Houston 101 Words are tricky. Not everything is spelled phonetically. Unique spellings just add special character to a place. In a way, these are our words. Sometimes, the only way to learn how to spell words is by seeing them often enough. We decided to think…
Negativeland Live
Enthusiasts of wrecked music groups such as Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra, The Residents, and Mr. Bungle might take issue with the “weirdest band in the world” moniker that has been bestowed upon Negativland by bloggers, music critics and left-of‑field sonic screwballs. Calm down, avant-garde heads. No need to…
Saying Farewell to State Bar, Downtown’s Opulent and Historic Martini Lounge
‘Martinis…remember when there were martinis and gorgeous people all over this place?” Gazing across the long expanse of the second-story lounge, it’s hard to picture the scene as anything but tame. Only a handful of people are at the bar, while most of them are relaxing in the small sitting…
“Summer of Epic Adventure: The Sequel”
With superheroes of all sorts, shapes, colors and cuts of cape crowding movie theaters this summer, it’s not surprising that champions of a more scientific kind will make their debut during the Children’s Museum of Houston’s “Summer of Epic Adventure: The Sequel.” Over the course of the season, during 11…
Bring It Undead
You could call it Bring It On meets The Craft and stop right there with considerable accuracy. But why would you, when All Cheerleaders Die actually delivers as much trashy, gory fun as a movie with such a title suggests? Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson’s teen horror romp benefits from…
mc chris Presents How To Train Your Dragon 2
Nerdcore rapper and Aqua Teen Hunger Force voice actor mc chris hosts a sneak peek at How to Train Your Dragon 2. Haven’t heard of nerdcore? Well, it’s rap but instead of being about gangstas, guns and money, the songs are about topics like Star Wars, computers and anything by…
Ted Johnson’s Choice to Speak Out on NFL Concussions Turned Him Into a Pariah, Until It Turned Out He Was Right
Amid the sunshine and rainbows of a $9 billion annual revenue stream, the clouds of litigation hover somewhat menacingly over the NFL. On a judge’s desk in Pennsylvania sits the lawsuit filed on behalf of nearly 5,000 former NFL players who suffered concussions while playing and who continue to suffer…
Forgotten Flick Ravenous Is the Best-Ever Manifest Destiny Cannibal Comedy
Ravenous is a film-shaped UFO: It’s so delightfully weird that its very existence defies logic. Imagine a film that makes A Modest Proposal–style satire out of Dracula’s gothic horror tropes in the spaghetti western milieu of The Great Silence. It’s a pitch-black comedy about Manifest Destiny and cannibal frontiersmen. Set…
Summer Bummers: Four Outdoor Texas Festivals That Went South
Texas Me Free Press Summer Fest dodged a pretty serious bullet this year. When festival officials announced that the grounds around Eleanor Tinsley Park needed to be evacuated around 2 p.m. on May 31, some of us who were there had visions of pandemonium at the exits and the kind…
Joseph Reinholtz: Homage to Yves Klein’s FC 1
Painter Joseph Reinholtz is a longtime admirer of the works of the artist Yves Klein, and he’ll honor that now-deceased artist by re-creating Klein’s most famous painting in Joseph Reinholtz: Homage to Yves Klein’s FC 1 in front of a live audience. (The painting, titled Fire-Color Painting FC 1, sold…
Everyone’s Trying to Get Somewhere in Good People
Editor’s Note: SPOILER ALERT — some of the twists and turns of the play are revealed in this review, so stop reading if you like surprises. _____________________ “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” asks Glinda, a very good witch. “Why, I’m not a witch at all,” answers…
The Composers of Space City
Three new works will premiere at the Composers of Space City concert by Sound Hive, a local contemporary music ensemble. The program is built around the newly commissioned work Lost Signals from Moonbase 14 by Josh Vinci. With a background in film scoring, Vinci has created a piece about a…
Guys Always Go for Average-Looking Girls. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! BUMPING HEADS WITH STRICT PARENTS Dear Willie D: I’m a 14-year-old boy going to high school…
22 Jump Street Would Have Been Fine Without the Gay Jokes
One of the biggest selling points of 21 Jump Street, the 2012 TV-remake comedy, turned out to be its seemingly unscripted lunacy, the way it put Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in police-shorts outfits and let them riff on their characters’ mutual ineptitude. Sometimes you need a little flapdoodle, and…
The Ben Folds Orchestral Experience
The television viewing public knows rocker Ben Folds as a judge on NBC’s The Sing-Off. Longstanding fans know him as a singer/songwriter/pianist — both with the Ben Folds Five and as a solo artist. For The Ben Folds Orchestral Experience, the boyish, bespectacled maestro kicks it up a notch, performing…
Limited Reception
There’s still one kind of dread that today’s genre filmmakers can reliably stir up: that fear that everything we’ve been watching onscreen is going to be upended by some last-minute twist, that all the clues and portents we’ve puzzled over will be swept away in favor of some revelation so…
Downtown’s Evolving Skyline Architecture Walk
Hear the stories behind Houston’s sky-scrapers on the Downtown’s Evolving Skyline Architecture Walk, including the scoop on the construction of the Gulf Building (now JPMorgan Chase & Co.). Jim Parsons, director of special projects for Preservation Houston, says it was in the late 1920s and the steel frame for the 14-floor…
Tall, Handsome and Dark
Dear Mexican, If dark-skinned people are so “undesirable,” unwelcome and put down by you gringos, how come you bake in the sun like zopilotes to get dark? Summer is fantasy time for all of you, when you can actually get some color in that white skin of yours. Maybe the…
The Sleeping Girl
In Suzanne Bradbeer’s The Sleeping Girl, Susan Draper plays Rita Faye Pruitte, who’s relocated from Florida to New York City under mysterious circumstances. Draper tells us, “Her story is she is longing for something to happen that she’s worked to happen for a long time. She was a mermaid long…
Capsule Art Reviews: June 12, 2014
“Alongside” The Barbara Davis Gallery’s exhibition of “Alongside,” a group showing of nine artists, is international indeed, with some Houston contributors joined by artists from New York, Sweden and Denmark and one who was born in Israel and now resides in Providence, Rhode Island. Dominating the entrance is Snowcanoes by…
Murder at the Maner
The setting is England, 1927. Preparations are under way for the wedding of the decade…but the groom is dead. Was it suicide? Was it murder? Was it his brother? His fiancée? The maid? Everyone has a motive in the classic whodunit farce Murder at the Maner. Murphy’s Law — that…
Hughie’s Offers Inconsistent Food and Long Waits, but the Crowds Keep Coming
It’s a bad sign when the server greets you with an apology. He apologized for not coming out to take our drink orders sooner; we’d been there about ten minutes when he finally asked. He was sorry that the restaurant was so busy, though there were plenty of empty tables…
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress
Alan Ball’s Five Women Wearing the Same Dress is the next installment in Mildred’s Umbrella’s Women’s Project. The dark comedy follows five bridesmaids, all wearing identical dresses, who take refuge in a spare bedroom during the wedding reception. All five have reason to avoid the bride and all five have…
Houston’s Top 10 Italian Restaurants
Best of Houston Rest of the Best 2014 “The trouble with Italian food is that five or six days later, you’re hungry again.” — Comedian George Miller Ah, Italian food: one of the most recognizable cuisines in America, encompassing pasta and pizza, arguably two of the best culinary inventions ever…
Hands on a Hardbody
A group of people stand around a truck. They’re in Longview, Texas, and the summer sun is burning. There are rules. “You can’t lean on the truck. You have to keep one hand on it at all times. Each person in the competition has to wear a glove on their…
Capsule Stage Reviews: June 12, 2014
Middletown There’s the miracle of birth, there’s the mystery of death and then there’s everything else in between. No contemporary playwright writes with more passion, theatricality and comedy about the “in between” than Will Eno (Thom Pain (based on nothing), The Flu Season, The Realistic Joneses). In a thoroughly illuminating…
The Little Mermaid
Fresh from the technical wonders of War Horse, Houston theater audiences will have another chance to marvel at a world being created onstage with the musical Disney’s The Little Mermaid. “The flying [swimming] is very intricate, very beautiful. I think it looks very real and natural — not like you’re…
Comicpalooza: How Houston’s Comics Convention Came Back From the Dead to Become One of the Best in the Country
James Bedward is roaming the halls of the George R. Brown Convention Center dressed as Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow, complete with his action hero’s signature hood and bow. It’s a new look for Bedward, a 28-year-old Houstonian who has been going to conventions since the age of eight. At…
Doctor Who + Wings 3D
One Doctor Who + Wings 3D ticket gets you in for two back-to-back nights of screenings featuring David Tennant, a.k.a. the Tenth Doctor. First up, Doctor Who fans will have a rare opportunity to see two episodes on the big screen. “Rise of the Cybermen” and “The Age of Steel”…
Dolly Parton’s 10 Best Songs of All Time
We really couldn’t adore Dolly more. As a songwriter, performer and even an actor, she’s proven herself worthy time and again. She holds a number of career milestones — 25 gold, platinum, and multiplatinum awards, 41 career Top 10 country albums, and eight Grammys, just to name a few –…
