Hefty New Book Lets Fleetwood Mac Tell Their Own Story
Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters Edited by Sean Egan Chicago Review Press, 448 pp., $28.99. To casual rock-book readers, works that compile previously-written pieces on bands and musicians into one volume have strong pros and cons. They do provide a fascinating time capsule of the artists at very different points…
Is beIN Sports the Future of Televised Sports?
The new broadcast partner for Conference USA is known as beIN Sports. It’s original owner, Al Jazeera, launched the sports network in 2012. It’s supposedly claims 45 million subscribers in the United States, yet to receive the network one must subscribe to a premium sports package. It primarily airs soccer,…
MFAH Show Explores Time’s Relationship With Photography and With Time
The theme of a new photography exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, came out of a conversation that’s been happening for decades, if not all the way back to when Nicéphore Niépce captured “View from Window at La Gras” in 1826. “When talking about the medium, people and…
Gaslamp Owner Gets Involved With a Forthcoming Restaurant While Facing Lawsuits and a TABC Violation
Discrimination, deception, douchebaggery – the allegations and drama surrounding the former Gaslamp nightclub just keep comin’. The Midtown bro mecca, which caused a furor last year over complaints of an allegedly racist door policy, has been rebranded “360 Midtown” (the building entrance is also apparently being moved, causing an address…
Even Great Bands Only Get About 10 Good Years
“Ain’t no way to keep a band together,” says fictional jazz legend Del Paxton in the Tom Hanks passion project That Thing You Do. “Bands come and go. You got to keep playing, no matter with who.” So even though drummer protagonist Guy Patterson is understandably upset at the premature…
Alligator Records: 45 Years of “Genuine Houserockin’ Music”
In 1971, Chicago resident and blues fanatic Bruce Iglauer really liked this hot band that played south and westside clubs, Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers. I mean, really liked them. So much that, when he couldn’t convince his boss at Delmark Records to record their vibrant and unique material,…
Oh Weezer, Where Did It All Go So Wrong?
Stockholm Syndrome is a traumatic bonding experience of sorts, one in which a kidnapping victim begins to feel sympathy for his or her captor. Weezer fans identify with this phenomenon all too well. Among the most faithful, adoring fans in rock – slightly above Dave Matthews defenders, slightly below Tool…
The New Conjuring Can’t Measure Up to the Old Conjuring
Back in 2013, James Wan’s The Conjuring represented the high point of a wave of mainstream horror that showed there was still value in old-school scares — that there was life beyond torture porn and slick slasher reboots. It was a ghost story-turned-possession thriller that mined terror out of the…
Yes, Warcraft Is a Dreary Eyesore, but Here Are Three Things in It That Don’t Suck
In 2001 a friend, a grown-up, saw The Fellowship of the Ring more than a dozen time in the theater. Sometimes she’d leave with a half hour left. “I just needed to get to Galadriel and Lothlorien,” she told me. She didn’t need all the climactic fighting. In 2012 I…
A Veteran’s Story Woven With Shakespeare Comes to Houston With Cry Havoc at Spring Street
Members of the military receive all training possible to prepare them for war. But as countless books and movies have demonstrated (American Sniper for one) our country doesn’t do such a good job getting them ready to return to life at home. Stephan Wolfert, part of the Bedlam Theater company…
Jae Ko’s Room-Size, Recycled-Paper Sculpture Models the Melting of Planet Earth
Much like a singer who uses his range, artist Jae Ko employs recycled paper to make a point, evoke emotion and blow minds. “For me, [Ko’s artworks] operate on various levels,” says Valerie Cassel Oliver, senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. “It beautifully marries something aesthetically pleasing with…
Grand Funk’s Mark Farner Tries the Acoustic Life
Mark Farner is on the phone from his northwestern Michigan home, the day after Memorial Day. It is also two days after a U.S. Army veteran, possibly suffering from PTSD and depression, went on a shooting spree in west Houston that killed one, wounded others, and resulted in his own…
Residents Against Flooding Launch Donation Campaign to Pay for Lawsuit Against City
Residents Against Flooding board member Cynthia Neeley had already heard a dozen similar stories when her neighbor told her that her home had flooded for the third time in recent years. The woman and her husband had been using money from their retirement savings to pay for the repairs on…
Why I Skipped FPSF This Year
I missed Free Press Summer Fest this year, and all rainbows aside, I’m glad that I did. Things have drifted downhill for the festival since it sold out general-admission tickets in 2013. The past three years have been plagued by weather woes: FPSF 2014 suffered a rain evacuation, and FPSF…
County Drops Gang Injunction That Would’ve Barred 46 Black Men From Community
The gang injunction that would have blocked 46 black men from even stepping foot or talking to their grandmas inside a “safety zone” surrounding southeast Houston’s Southlawn apartments has been dropped, the Harris County Attorney’s Office and District Attorney’s Office announced Monday night. County Attorney Vince Ryan had argued for…
Exactly How Famous Are J.J. Watt and James Harden?
As a society, we’ve never had more tools at our disposal to measure things statistically. The analytics movement is not just a sports thing. Numbers speak to everyone, and in some ways clarify, or, at the very least, give us some basis for our subjective opinions either having validity or…
Looking for Nerd Love in the Bayou City
Geeks are hot. They’re smart, out-of-the-box thinkers who – after surviving social marginalization by the jocks, cheerleaders and prepsters – emerge from the fringes to become fashion designers (Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion), billionaire inventors (Peggy Sue Got Married) and MILF baggers (American Pie 2). Which begs the question…
Trump Is Coming to Town (and He Probably Wants Money)
Donald Trump is taking one last swing through Texas before becoming the full-anointed, acknowledged and confirmed Republican presidential nominee next month, and it looks like Houston will be a stop on the tour. And the reason behind this sudden jaunt to Houston and two other major Texas cities is as…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Midtown’s New Barbecue Joint Opens
This week, our favorite food blog posts addressed a new gourmet burger joint in Houston, a post-workout meal you can feel good about and a few sugary-sweet recipes. After hitting up the new Soul Cycle in River Oaks, Anastasia of “It’s Not Hou It’s Me” rewarded herself with a filling,…
Bedlam Theater Company Presents an Unforgettable Saint Joan at Spring Street
It’s a rare and happy occurrence in the theater when an actor literally glows on stage, but if you’re anywhere near Stark Naked Theatre Company’s home on Spring Street, the iridescence from actress Samantha Steinmetz as Joan of Arc in George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan (1923) is unmistakable. She’s as…
Suspended HISD Auditor Richard Patton Accuses HISD of Retaliation, Asks for Job Back
It’s becoming a bit clearer why Richard Patton was questionably suspended from his post as the Houston Independent School District’s chief audit executive in March, just months after HISD officials blasted him when he released the results of an internal audit that was unfavorable to HISD. And strangely enough, a…
Negroni Week 2016: Lighten Up or Chow Down With Four More Delightfully Bitter Options
The Negroni can be an intense experience. First time Campari drinkers are even known to display “Campari Face” on their first sip, their features distorting as their palate shock takes physical form. Not everybody loves bitter flavors right off the bat. While the Negroni’s additions of bracing botanical gin and…
Uyghur Bistro Has Great Spicy Food, but Its Servers Work in the Slow Lane
There are three types of diners who will adore Uyghur Bistro: those who enjoy full-flavored, spicy food, especially the tongue-numbing tingle of Szechuan peppercorn; bargain-hunters who treasure Chinatown for incredible dining values; and food nerds who love delving into the cultural origins of cuisines. Here’s who won’t love Uyghur Bistro:…
When Seeking Basic Medical Care, Transgender People Face Discrimination in Houston
Shortly before she was set to start college, Rose tried to kill herself. When she decided to check herself into Houston Methodist Hospital on Fannin for psychiatric treatment, she says, the doctor in charge of her care didn’t want to let her leave. Not because she was a danger to…
4 Things to Take Away From the Tragic Shooting of Harambe the Gorilla
As nearly anyone with a television or Internet connection knows, over the weekend a young boy visiting a zoo in Cincinnati somehow managed to get into the enclosure of an endangered gorilla named Harambe, ending with the ape being shot by a zookeeper to protect the boy. It’s a tragedy…
Upcoming: Action Beat, Dale Watson, James Blake, Juicy J, King Khan, Prophets of Rage, The Toasters, etc.
Note: Events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 3G Percussion Concert: Fri., July 1, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Sat., July 2, 7:30-9:30 p.m., $8 to $10. Gray Contemporary, 3508 Lake, Houston, 713-862-4425. Action Beat with GW Sok: With Opening Bell, Rusted Shut, Rough Sleepers. Mon., July 11, 8 p.m., $10. Notsuoh, 314…
The Best Things Overheard at FPSF 2016
*** Who had the best time ever at the festival? Probably LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who was seen hitting the Quan at the Mercury Stage during Tory Lanez and A$AP Ferg’s set, as well as during Trae Tha Truth’s set. The Houston native was all smiles as he stood…
Long and Winding Bio Could Be the Last Word on Sir Paul
Paul McCartney: The Life By Philip Norman Little, Brown, 864 pp., $32 In 1981, British newspaperman and music journo Philip Norman published the Beatles book Shout! It was one of the first serious biographies of a rock band, required reading for any fan, and also told a truer (and then-shocking) version of…
The 10 Best Random Moments of FPSF 2016
SO. MANY. THROWBACKS. Look man, I respect the NBA greats of the past as much as the next guy, but goddamn, these hipsters have taken the throwback uniform thing too far. I got nothing but respect for the likes of Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Penny Hardaway and Tracy McGrady, but…
Even With the Flooding, the EPA Is Already Totally Checking on the San Jacinto Waste Pits
When floods swept through Houston last year, it’s unclear if anybody at the federal Environmental Protection Agency really thought to check on the cap placed on the toxic enchilada that is the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site located on the edge of the San Jacinto River for any…
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) in Pop Culture, Celebrities React to Death of a Legend (w/ VIDEO)
It’s been a couple days now since we learned of the passing of Muhammed Ali, so the internet has been deluged with thoughtful pieces, millions of tweets and Instagram posts, pictures, videos, and so forth — basically your standard outpouring of emotion in 2016. This post will not be your…
Dish of the Week: Cowboy Caviar
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a Lone Star state favorite: Cowboy Caviar. Despite what one may think, Cowboy Caviar – also known as Texas Caviar…
Houston Ballet Premieres Stanton Welch’s New Choreography for the Timeless Giselle
She is a peasant girl with a weak heart who is deceived by a nobleman pretending to be a commoner who is already betrothed to another woman. Once his secret is revealed, she dies of a broken heart but is called from her grave by a group of supernatural women…
Six Glasses of Wine Stood Between David Keck and His Master Sommelier Title
It’s 11 a.m. on a chilly Wednesday morning in May and 63 Master Sommelier candidates fill the lobby of the storied Little Nell hotel in Aspen, Colorado. Each of them is “suited up” in her or his finest business attire, as if they were about to perform their duties on…
Mike D’Antoni Just Might Be the Savior of the Rockets
To say the hiring of Mike D’Antoni as head coach of the Houston Rockets was not met with enthusiasm from the fanbase is a bit of an understatement. To many it was an illogical move, seeing as how D’Antoni’s preferred style of play is an extremely uptempo, high-scoring offense whereas…
This Week in Houston Food Events: National Negroni Week (UPDATED)
All Week Long Wine & Food Week The theme for the 12th annual Wine & Food week is, “A New York State of Mind,” but Houston-area restauranteur Tony Vallone is this year’s honoree. There are events all week long to celebrate food and drink, but the big three are the…
Donald and Melania: Welcome to the Bling House
With Donald Trump clinching the GOP nod, it’s time to stop the ostrich-ing and face up to the fact that Melania Trump might be First Lady and the man who inspired 100 descriptions of his hair, The Donald himself, could become POTUS. Politics and foreign relations aside, it sounds like…
The Worst Acts of FPSF 2016
MODEST MOUSE Referring to the crowd as “essentially a FEMA camp,” Modest Mouse began its set off-color. Now, I’m not one to hold stage banter against an artist (unless they mistake our fair city for Dallas), but vocalist Isaac Brock’s faux pas only served to emphasize the band’s disappointing showing…
Deaf Woman Sues Apartment Management for Repeatedly Sending Pest Control Unannounced
The blue sign plastered outside 73-year-old Florence Danios’s apartment door, addressed to pest control, was pretty loud and clear: “HIGH RISK! ASTHMA, DEAF TENANT. DO NOT TREAT OR ENTER.” She put it up after the first time that a pest control guy entered her apartment while she was undressing, getting…
The Best Acts of FPSF 2016
deadmau5 deadmau5’s set started more than 20 minutes earlier than what was originally posted on the reworked schedule after Sunday’s weather delay. People charged over from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes once they heard his heavy bass beats, and his lights and production were in stark contrast from the…
Negroni Week 2016: Kick Off the Festivities with Jell-O Shots and Frozen Awesomeness at Grand Prize Bar
Depending on the day, I just might tell you that the Negroni is my favorite drink. A whole lot of folks in the bar world agree with me on this. So much so that, for the fourth year in a row, bars around Houston (and around the country) are hosting…
Lawyers To Fifth Circuit: Stop Texas Judge From Obtaining 50,000 Immigrants’ Addresses
On Friday, national immigration lawyers asked the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop Brownsville U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen from ordering the feds to hand over private information belonging to more than 50,000 young undocumented immigrants. For no legally justifiable reason, attorneys said. Those 50,000 immigrants live in…
Barnstorm Dance Fest Says Hey! to the “Macarena” (Ay!)
Barnstorm Dance Fest brings the down-home spirit of a hoedown to contemporary dance. The two week showcase-style dance festival from Dance Source Houston includes three programs and spans 21 contemporary dance artists and companies. Dance Source Houston artist in residence Laura Gutierrez performs Locomote, a solo work of her own…
The 20 Most Romantic Restaurants in Houston for 2016
Last year’s list of the 20 Most Romantic Restaurants In Houston ended up being such a popular, year-round resource that we decided to brush it up and put a fresh coat of paint on it for 2016. This year’s compilation integrates both new restaurants that have opened in Houston over…
Baylor Fans Support Ousted President Kenneth Starr With Appalling Full Page Ad
Across the sports spectrum, every sport has its maniacal fans. Face painters, bleacher brawlers, message board bullies, yeah, there are some real beauties out there for any of the major sports. But on the extreme margins of fandom, where on-field worship bleeds into some seriously tone deaf quasi-sociopathy, there sit…
5 Signs a Comic Convention Is Going to Be a Disaster
I’ve been covering comic conventions in Houston for years, and just got done investigating the complete and utter break down of Space City Comic Con this past weekend. Sometimes things go terribly wrong, and that sucks for fans because these events are not cheap. Believe me, if I couldn’t score…
Sauce Walka Writes a New Chapter in the Sauce Bible
If you want to compare holiday-release periods for rap, Memorial Day may rank up there with July 4th and Christmas releases. People aren’t as outright drunk, its a day where music is as essential as knowing who cooked exactly what and how much alcohol is still available. If you’re a…
Shows of the Week: Rock’s Most Erratic Band Isn’t Quite Done Making Magic
WEEZER Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, June 10 Most bands either crash hard or fall into long, slow declines. As much as it pains us as fans, even some of the most gifted songwriters of all time eventually start churning out subpar material. Perhaps that’s what makes Weezer a particularly frustrating…
Houston’s 10 Best Bars for Guys’ Night Out
Dude’s night out doesn’t always have to devolve into The Hangover (the first one, the good one) or even that one Chappelle’s Show skit where everything hilariously devolves. Sometimes a group of guys want to get together, have a few drinks and maybe watch a game or something while enjoying…
Free Press Summer Fest Briefly Evacuated Because of Severe Weather [Updated]
According to Houston Press photographer/reporter Marco Torres, who was on-site, Free Press Summer Fest has been evacuated after a severe thunderstorm struck around 6:30 p.m. Some reports say the festival reopened shortly thereafter. As per the previously announced protocol, festivalgoers were ushered into NRG Center, although Torres says many took…
Josue Flores’s Suspected Killer Has Been Arrested and Charged
On Saturday Houston police announced that the man suspected of fatally stabbing 11-year-old Josue Flores has been arrested and charged. Police arrested Andre Timothy Jackson Jr., 27, on Friday afternoon at the Salvation Army Men’s Center, less than a ten-minute walk from the site where Flores was killed at Fulton…
TDCJ Evacuates Another Prison Unit in Rosharon As Brazos River Rises
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice began evacuating roughly 1,700 prisoners from the Ramsey Unit in Rosharon on Friday morning amid record level flooding along the Brazos River. The river is expected to crest at nearly 53 feet in Rosharon, which is 10 above flood stage, and stay that way…
Houston’s 10 Most Hated Current NFL Players
Recently, I was asked to contribute to a yet-to-be-posted article for the CBS Sports website as a representative of the sporting community of the city of Houston. The contribution was a simple one — answer the question “Who is the most hated current NFL player in your city?” It seems…
On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Families Recount the Aftermath and Push for Change
At 12:30 a.m. on a November night in 2013, a policeman knocked on Jacquelyn Burke’s door to tell her that her son was dead. He was found fatally shot in a park, 20 years old. Burke says the young men charged with killing him were his best friends from high…
Texas Rep. Lamar Smith Gets Told Off by Washington State AG Over Exxon and Climate Change
Once again Rep. Lamar Smith has gotten soundly, publicly schooled for using the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology to push his anti-climate change views. This time Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson told the Texas congressman off for poking at his state’s possible investigation into whether ExxonMobil, one…
#SoundsOfTheCity: The Suffers & Others Play With the Idea of Love
How R&B moves in Houston compared to rap is similar to watching a 100-meter dash compared to a marathon. Rappers ultimately live for and in the moment, feed the constantly diluting microwavable listening consciousness until they hear otherwise. With singers, it’s different; fans are a bit more patient in regards…
Sheriff Hickman to Legislature: Time to Do Something About the Lack of Mental Health Funding
On Thursday, Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman headed to the Legislature to call on lawmakers to address the state’s shortcomings when it comes to mental healthcare funding, which Hickman said is taking a toll on his jail and county taxpayers alike. On any given day, roughly one quarter of inmates…
Cypress Trails Horses, Stranded in April Flood, Were Evacuated Early This Time
The flood waters once again breached the banks of Cypress Creek and rolled over Cypress Trails this week. But this time Darolyn Butler, owner of the horse farm located in Humble, moved all of her horses off the place well before the flood started. “When I saw the storm cells…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Turn Up the Heat at Houston’s First Fajita Fest
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: The Perfect Pairing @ Your Pie Friday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. 1625 Main, Suite B The downtown pizzeria has teamed up with Ballast Point to bring you the Perfect Pairing. $20 gets you a 10-inch pie with…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows
Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Groundskeeper Willie: “If I don’t save the wee turtles, who will?” “Aah! Save me from the wee turtles! They were too quick for me!” Rating Using Random Object Relevant To The Film: Two Master Blasters out of…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Special Sweet Treat at iPic
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these fun culinary events: During the month of June, iPic Theaters nationwide—including the Houston location at 4444 Westheimer— will feature Fluff Bake Bar Chef Rebecca Masson’s “Unicorn Party” dessert. It’s a spin on Masson’s famous vanilla confetti cupcake that includes raspberry sorbet, whipped…
Smither Collection at The Menil Brings Outsider and Visionary Art Indoors
If you love Smither Park – and what’s not to love about East End’s whimsical and colorful, ever-evolving public space decorated with found and repurposed objects – you’re going to appreciate the new exhibit at The Menil Collection. “As Essential As Dreams: Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Stephanie and…
Concerning Soundalikes, Lookalikes and Certain Unlikable People
HOT TRASH: Soundalikes At a dinner party for a friend’s birthday recently, we frittered away the latter part of the night listening to a playlist of New Order soundalikes, the same tracks they’ve been playing at local nightclubs these past 30 years. Perhaps it’s from a lifetime of buying off-brands…
Greg Abbott’s Office Chased Trump University Out of Texas, Emails Show
The Texas Attorney General’s Office ran Trump University out of the state in 2010, according to emails that surfaced as part of USA Today story on the controversial get-rich-quick seminars. The emails were dug up by Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, and show that then-AG Greg Abbott’s office…
If the Texas Rangers Get a New Ballpark, Can the Astros or Texans Be Far Behind?
The Texas Rangers opened up Globe Life Park in Arlington in 1994. Built at a cost of 191 million dollars, the ballpark copied the retro trend of the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians with lots of brick and lots of nooks and crannies. It’s a cute ballpark with no originality…
The Houston Press Mixtape: FPSF 2016 Edition
Free Press Summer Fest is upon us, and all of Texas’s drunk children will soon be pounding the pavement at NRG Park for what could possibly be the wettest year in festival history. (Rain or shine, though.) To help get you ready for everyone’s favorite hyper-masculine bacchanal, we’ve lovingly crafted…
Openings & Closings in Houston: Killen’s Burgers and Étoile’s Expansion [UPDATED]
This week, Étoile Cuisine et Bar announced a sister restaurant called Brasserie du Parc, which will open this fall at Discovery Green’s One Park Place, 1400 McKinney. In addition to the sit-down restaurant and a square bar and lounge, Brasserie du Parc will also house a crêperie complete with a…
Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Saint Joan and Spontaneity
Dude. We were so pumped about this weekend’s Sandcastle Competition (30th annual), and everything still might be all good. Send up the weather balloon and, if the skies are clear, head out to Galveston for some creative fun in the sun. There are a few other great outdoor events in the…
Robbie Fulks Likes Country and Jazz, Not “Americana”
Thirty years and a dozen albums on since he shocked polite society with his album South Mouth, ace picker and bare-knuckled lyricist Robbie Fulks soldiers on in the music business as a man with few illusions about stardom, fame, or wealth. “Will Robbie Fulks ever be a star? No,” says…
Soggy, Flooded Houston Watches Its River Banks
Well as predicted, more rains came and so did the flooding. Intrepid freelance photographer Gilbert Bernal made his way over by the San Jacinto River and came up with an amazing slide show. Clearly if you live anywhere near this area, you aren’t going much of anywhere. While we’d like…
The 10 Best Moments of El Paso’s Neon Desert Festival
The sixth annual edition of El Paso’s Neon Desert Music Festival went down over this past Memorial Day Weekend. With the continued promise to provide an energetic and eclectic mix of music, food and art, the festival showed major growth this year. Along with the three main stages and the…
Friday Free For All: James McMurtry, Jazz 4 Dat Azz, Blues On the Back Porch, etc.
The Friday Free For All relays albums, artists, videos and vibes the Houston Press Music staff has been grooving to over the past week. JAMES MCMURTRY Caught up in the obsession that music should always mean something, many critics prefer James McMurtry’s overtly political songs like “We Can’t Make It…
TMNT: Out of the Shadows and Out of Ideas
There’s something satisfying about hearing Tyler Perry, as mad scientist Baxter Stockman, say the words “Eliminate those turtles,” but it’s not quite novel enough to bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows up to street level and out of the sewers. Early on, giant squid-like brain Krang (Brad…
Recognize This Guy? Police Release Surveillance of Person of Interest in Josue Flores’s Murder
Police have released video footage of a man running north from the site of Josue Flores’s murder and are asking the public to take a good look at the photo and call them if they know who he is. They would not say where the video was taken, except that…
Houston Rockets Introduce Mike D’Antoni As New Head Coach
Mike D’Antoni wasn’t the first choice of Houston Rockets fans to be the franchise’s 13th head coach. Hell, if you believe this poll on ClutchFans.net, in which D’Antoni received roughly a 13 percent approval rating, he probably wasn’t the 50th choice. But he was the choice of owner Leslie Alexander…
Silence of the Lambs Musical Turns Shivers Into Chuckles at Standing Room Only Productions
Chris Patton of Standing Room Only Productions thinks that we may be in an era where Broadway-style composers and producers will turn just about any film they can get their hands on into a musical. From that perspective it’s easy to see why, in 2005, Jon and Al Kaplan turned…
Fifth Circuit Sided With Environmentalists on Air Pollution But Exxon’s Baytown Refinery Could Still Come Out on Top
Well, this almost never happens. Years after the Sierra Club and Environment Texas filed a lawsuit against emissions purportedly coming from ExxonMobil’s massive Baytown refinery, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has turned around and sided with the environmentalists about Exxon’s alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act. …
Stirred and Shaken: Brixology WILL Share Its Ginger Buzz [UPDATED]
I’m underdressed and there’s bling in my table. Those were, in order, the first two thoughts I had at Brixology, the cocktail bar at 110 Vintage Park with the pun-ny name in far northwest Houston. (Brix? Mixology? Get it? Hurr hurr hurr.) It’s a spinoff of Brix Wine Cellars next…
El Salvadorian Family Finds That There Is No “Right” Way to Immigrate to the United States
Jose Sorto tried to do it the right way. The married father of two left his family in El Salvador and moved to Washington D.C. in 1998 and earned legal status working as a cook five years later, hoping to one day bring his wife, his daughter Jocelyn and his…
Report: Big XII Tables Expansion and Conference TV Network
If you are an alum or a fan of schools like the University of Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, UConn, or BYU, this was the week you had circled on your calendar to keep at least one eye on Irving, Texas, as the power brokers of the Big XII — school presidents…
Leisurely Meals at Lunch Is a Luxury Most of Us Don’t Have
Before I was a full-time food writer, I was an IT consultant who specialized in the oil and gas industry. After a long morning of beating software into submission, going out to lunch was a treasured part of the day—when I was able to do so, that is. When I…
ICE: Undocumented Immigrants Who Have Info on Josue Flores’s Killer Will Receive Visas
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee brought together what seemed like every law enforcement agency under the sun to further urge the public to bring forward any relevant information they may have that will lead to the arrest of the person who killed Josue Flores two weeks ago. The…
Check Out the Brand-New Whole Foods Market in Houston’s Westchase District
Early yesterday morning, a line of people stretched to the end of the Westchase shopping center that houses the newest Whole Foods market at 11145 Westheimer. The store opened at 7 a.m. and shoppers arrived early to take advantage of the grand opening specials and get a look at the…
Space City Comic Con Official Says Charlie Hunnam “Strong-armed” Them [UPDATED]
Houston’s Space City Comic Con made national news this past weekend as stories spread on social media that Charlie Hunnam of the show Sons of Anarchy had been stiffed by the convention over non-payment of either his hotel or his appearance. When we got in touch with con-founder George Comits…
Musicians Whose Personal Problems Haven’t Stalled Their Career
R. Kelly’s personal travails are well-documented. Hell, the protests alone for his appearance at last year’s Free Press Summer Fest drew local and national media coverage. Kelly, who returns to Houston tonight at Toyota Center, has a well-documented history with allegations involving improper relations with underage girls. Not that those…
Abbott Declares Disaster for 31 Texas Counties – But Wait, There’s More: Storms All Day
Yesterday, Texas rang in the first day of Atlantic hurricane season with a disaster declaration from Gov. Greg Abbott in a whopping 31 counties, including Fort Bend, Brazos, Brazoria, and Montgomery, among others—and today it only gets worse. In preparation for today’s line of storms, hundreds in Fort Bend County…
I’ve Been Dating My Friend’s Dad for Months. Help!
I’VE BEEN DATING MY FRIEND’ S DAD FOR MONTHS Dear Willie D: Every time I visit my friend’s house I have an uncontrollable urge to throw myself on her dad and let him have his way with me. I have been seeing him behind her back for over a year…
Mr. Iggy Azalea Charged With Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, Not Charged With Trying to Make a Terrible Film
When we last Houston rapper Hefe Wine, he was claiming to be Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea’s husband and facing a charge for allegedly choking his girlfriend. Now the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has charged him and another girlfriend with allegedly obtaining fraudulent financing to buy a Porsche, a 2005…
Beautiful: Great Songs and Predictable Plot = Standard Jukebox Musical
The set-up: It wasn’t the 19½-minute traffic jam leaving the labyrinthian Hobby Center parking garage that soured me so on Beautiful, the jukebox musical based loosely on the life and times of Carole King, one of America’s premiere songwriters and performers, it was the show itself. The execution: If you…
Brenham and Other Houston-Area Towns Hunker Down for Round II of the Rain That Will Not End
Brenham, which up to now, has been mostly known as the ice cream capital of the universe – in good times and bad – may be ready for a new name: Deluge Queen. Thanks to the recent rains, an expert analysis by Braniff Davis of Eric Berger’s spacecityweather.com shows the…
Houston Chef and Prospective Restaurant Owner Emerges Victorious on Chopped
On last night’s episode of Food Network’s “Chopped,” Erin Smith, former executive chef of Main Kitchen at the J.W. Marriott and Plonk! Bistro, was the only Houstonian in a group of four competitors. Even when confronted with some extremely unusual ingredients, like rattlesnake and a “shark” carved out of a…
Dan Patrick Unleashes Double-Decker Threat in Transgender Friendly Bathroom Battle
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced yesterday that he is requesting an opinion from his anti-transgender ally Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding Fort Worth ISD’s non-discriminatory bathroom policy, and also gave a strong hint that if the district doesn’t remove its policy, the legislature would do it for it. Ever since…
Upcoming: Andrew W.K., Chris Isaak, Dinosaur Jr., DVSN, Genesis Blu, Hobbs Angel of Death, Kermit Ruffins, etc.
Note: Events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. 2 Brothers Productions Presents Love & Laughter Concert: Fri., July 8, 7:30 p.m., $23-$28. Julie Rogers Theatre, 765 Pearl, Beaumont. 30footFALL: Thu., June 9, 7 p.m., Free. The Nightingale Room, 308 Main, Houston, 713-555-1111. 4 Minute Warning: With The Ballistics. Fri., September…
Police, Neighbors Recount the Deadly Memorial Day Weekend Shooting
Tammie and her family were just walking out the door to head to the movie theater when they heard the buzzing sound of helicopters overhead. It struck her husband as odd, and so he told the kids to wait a second as he checked it out. And then the second…
Houston Texans Place OL David Quessenberry on Waivers
At J.J. Watt’s charity softball game a couple weeks ago, while the focus was primarily on raising money and crushing softballs, there were a small handful of health-related takeaways that a logically thinking Houston Texans fan could take into the preseason. Jadeveon Clowney, who has endured far more unhealthy days…
Robert Ellis Is On His Own and Ready to Come Home
Robert Ellis has a novel strategy to get fans to buy his new album — a free show. So tomorrow night, the singer and songwriter will take the stage at Discovery Green on the eve of the album’s release. Perfect timing, and a cagey way to actually shift some units…
At Its Best, Lonely Island’s Popstar Blows Up Our Pop Moment
It’s a feat to out-idiot TMZ culture. In achieving that, the fake-doc white-rapper satire Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a breakthrough for studio comedies, which here at last catch up to the metabolism and meaninglessness of the internet age. In its generous, frenetic first hour, Popstar’s jokes and parodies…
