The Rocket of the Future
When in the world will Roger Clemens finally retire? We’d like to think by the year 2057 but some witty folks seem to think otherwise. We don’t know if the guys who made this video are Astros fans or not. But we do know all Astros fans should appreciate it…
Free Waffle Fries
Yep. And plenty more, so long as you’re one of the first 100 people in line at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow for the grand opening of the new Chick-fil-A at 8609 Westheimer. “A one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A® Combo Meals (52 coupons) will be awarded to each of the first 100…
Free Waffle Fries
Yep. And plenty more, so long as you’re one of the first 100 people in line at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow for the grand opening of the new Chick-fil-A at 8609 Westheimer. “A one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A® Combo Meals (52 coupons) will be awarded to each of the first 100…
Touch and Go
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the NFL in allowing “consensual” pat-down searches of fans before admitting them into the stadium for a football game. Now, I’ve got to check my legal dictionary again, because I don’t think that consensual means what they say it…
Radio, Radio
In our cover story this week I take a look at the odd world of sports-talk radio in Houston. We’re not much of a sports-talk town compared to cities like Dallas, but soon there will be four stations scrambling to grab a piece of that not-very-big pie. (As for the…
Radio, Radio
In our cover story this week I take a look at the odd world of sports-talk radio in Houston. We’re not much of a sports-talk town compared to cities like Dallas, but soon there will be four stations scrambling to grab a piece of that not-very-big pie. (As for the…
Tom DeLay Wins the Day (Well, Pretty Much)
Tom DeLay, the super Republican and former U.S. representative from Sugar Land, is home free of the criminal conspiracy charges filed against him. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals today agreed with a lower court finding for a very special reason. To wit: That the crime he was accused of…
Screw You
As a wise bumper sticker once said, “Practice safe sex. Go screw yourself.” Uncomfortable questions such a sticker may elicit from eight-year-olds aside (hi, niece!), it has a point. Solo sex is certainly safer. But sex with another human is much more fun, hence that nagging worry about that random…
Drying Up
All entries for this month’s photo contest for Houston-area high school students must be received before Monday, July 2. The theme for June is water. Fresh water, salt water, bath water, fish water – anything that’s wet, really. Send all entries to studentphotos@houstonpress.com. Click here and here for more information…
H-town, Represent, Represent
So here’s a shocker: a group called Corporate Accountability International has inducted Halliburton into its annual Hall of Shame competition. According to the press release, “The membership organization, which wages winning campaigns against irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions, opened online voting in May with five other potential inductees: Coke, Ford,…
The Astros Limbo (No, Not Purgatory. We’re Talking About That Game with the Pole.)
It’s time for the Astros update. But words seem to be escaping me. So here are some numbers: Final score: Brewers 11, Astros 5. Number of Craig Biggio hits: 1. Number of Craig Biggio hits to 3,000: 3…
Free Format Download
The Format is going to be busy this summer: They have a 50-city headlining tour and their latest CD Dog Problems is going online for free! For free, the entire album, for two weeks starting today. Here’s the note we got: The band is doing this because NOBODY has the…
Too Bad A&M Doesn’t Have a Law School
You know you live in College Station when your purpose in life stems from your hate for Longhorns. In December 2006 the University of Texas sued Aggieland Outfitters for violating the Longhorn symbol with its “Saw ‘em Off” merchandise. The lawsuit was settled yesterday after an agreement to change the…
Oh, Well. Whatever.
Hey, check out this photo. Yep, that’s right. The Nevermind baby is now 17 years old. And you’re one old bastard. – Keith Plocek…
Live Shots: DJ Eleven
It should be common knowledge by now that a Rub party means nothing less than genre-bending and blending DJ sets that demand tremendous amounts of sustained ass-shaking. I danced my arse off when The Rub brought a little bit of Brooklyn to SXSW 2007. And I waved my rear end…
This week in Café: La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
After a day of errands and chores, our group was sweaty and hungry. We were clad in dirty shorts, flip-flops and the like, and we had an unruly infant in tow. Our destination was a Mexican restaurant called Cantina Laredo at Wilcrest and Westheimer. While we were looking for a…
This week in Café: La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
After a day of errands and chores, our group was sweaty and hungry. We were clad in dirty shorts, flip-flops and the like, and we had an unruly infant in tow. Our destination was a Mexican restaurant called Cantina Laredo at Wilcrest and Westheimer. While we were looking for a…
Woodwind Lakes, Revisited
With thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon, you may want to avail yourselves of the free indoor theatrical entertainment unfolding in Harris County 113th District Court. Sure, there’s no popcorn and the seats don’t recline, but the opening statements and testimony in this long-awaited trial promise to be as gripping as…
Live Shots: Polyphonic Spree
Photographs by Dana Donovan…
One Mother of a Show
Kuumba House Dance Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and on Saturday, it’s pulling out all the stops with a huge 2007 Juneteenth / Harambee African Heritage Arts Festival: “Moves & Music of the Motherland.” Special guests include the Jabali Acrobats from Mombasa, Kenya, who will perform the Congo Snake…
An Iconic Voice Goes Silent
It’s never easy to write about the death of a person that you’ve known. But today I find myself having do that. J. Fred Duckett, the former Public Address Announcer for the Houston Astros, died last night in a Houston hospital. I had the pleasure of working with J. Fred…
It’s Never a Good Sign When the Announcers Are the Highlight
Before I get too far along with the Astros update, I’ve just got to say that, if anyone out there has wondered about whatever became of Corey Hart, I found him. He’s playing right field for the Milwaukee Brewers. But he did not wear his sunglasses last night. Now, on…
The Killing Joke
We were really excited when condemned killer Patrick Knight announced his campaign to find a great joke to tell before he gets the needle tonight. And we were equally bummed when he rejected the list we sent in, which was chock-full of knee-slappin’ knock-knocks, puns, and a classic about a…
Backing It In, Backing It In
That’s Peterson on the left and Foley on the right. Not that it matters in radio. Houston radio listeners got some very good news today: they only have to endure one more season of Gene Peterson and Jim Foley doing broadcasts of Houston Rocket games. After three decades, the pair…
Oh, Yeah? Well, If We’re So Slow, Why Didn’t You Tell Us Via Telegram?
Man, we sure love rankings. Fat. Sweat. Carbon emissions. High schools. Colleges. Parties. And, of course, download speeds. From the Communications Workers of America comes the revelation that Texas ranks 37 in terms of megabits per second. The first-ever state-by-state report on Internet connection speed released today ranks the nation’s…
Rain and the Parade, But Not Necessarily Both at the Same Time
Dusti Rhodes had a busy weekend. Here’s her second of two reviews. Those who kept the Gay Pride going through Sunday and headed down to True Colors Tour were no doubt happy the storms didn’t, well, rain on the parade. Actually, the clouds did provide a nice cover from the…
Bong Hits 4 Jesus
Not only did a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court not find Joseph Frederick’s banner of “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” funny, now they’ve made it tougher for other public school students to exercise their First Amendment rights in a decision announced this morning. Frederick argued that when he unfurled a…
Choosing Her Battles
Dusti Rhodes had a busy weekend. Here’s her first of two reviews. If you were able to pull yourself away from the Pride Parade on Saturday and make your way downstream to Numbers, you were greeted with a few instrumental surprises. Admittedly, it wasn’t easy to leave the festivities along…
Endless CFS
My e-mail box is filling up fast. “Robb, have you tried the CFS at the Old West in Denton? It is probably the best one I have ever eaten,” wrote David Luna. Burleigh Nevills wrote, “Beef N bun restaurant on West Fuqua wasn’t on your list….hmmm.” And Walter Hammock thoughtfully…
Endless CFS
My e-mail box is filling up fast. “Robb, have you tried the CFS at the Old West in Denton? It is probably the best one I have ever eaten,” wrote David Luna. Burleigh Nevills wrote, “Beef N bun restaurant on West Fuqua wasn’t on your list….hmmm.” And Walter Hammock thoughtfully…
What a Weekend
Bummer. I hate to disappoint everybody, but this is news you all have to know. The Astros did not win the Silver Boot this season. The hated Texas Rangers have once again won this vaunted symbol of baseball superiority in the state of Texas…
We Heart CFS
Chicken fried steak lovers, this must be your week. And it isn’t just because the current Press features 25 choice locations for CFS. Daniel Kramer Nope, as an added bonus, we learn from the New York Times today that Houston’s own Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital boasts one of the nation’s…
We Heart CFS
Chicken fried steak lovers, this must be your week. And it isn’t just because the current Press features 25 choice locations for CFS. Daniel Kramer Nope, as an added bonus, we learn from the New York Times today that Houston’s own Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital boasts one of the nation’s…
Totally Gay
Keep those rainbow flags waving high on Sunday and parade up to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion for the True Colors Tour, benefiting the Human Rights Campaign. You’d think the gay community would be worn out after Saturday’s Pride Parade, but something tells us they’ll muster up the energy for…
Teach Our Children Well
Well, I didn’t realize Craig Biggio was coaching college baseball during his off-time. It seems that during the College World Series, batters have started employing one of Biggio’s biggest offensive weapons: turning a shoulder into the ball and getting hit. It appears some people are upset about this little maneuver…
Perhaps An End to Bus Stops As We Know Them
Every school day, the Houston Independent School District sends out 800 school buses to transport about 35,000 students, picking them up from 2,100 school bus stops along the way. And as anyone who hasn’t been home schooled knows, time spent waiting at a school bus stop can sometimes be likened…
Not to Mention Marvin and Dorothy
Well, dang, what exactly does this say about Jeb and Neil? Okay, everyone already knew about Neil, but Jeb? — Keith Plocek…
Drop Anchored
According to Anchored in Love, “When the story of John and June Carter Cash has been told in brief, this is the happy ending: they had a son, and they all lived happily ever after. That seems to be the unspoken message of the film Walk the Line.” The story…
Live Shots: Red Bull Big Tune Beat Battle
All photos by Valerie Alberto I am in need of a lozenge this morning thanks to the Red Bull Big Tune Beat Battle last night at Venue (719 Main). Audience response determined the winner of a single-elimination battle among 12 of Houston’s best and brightest producers. The top two producers…
Re: Hunt and Gather
Stop the presses: We’ve just learned the whereabouts of the Tony’s tile. The finders are named Frank and Chris, and they’ve opted to be keepers. (We really don’t blame them. Free bandanas are so 2006 anyway.) Frank called and let us know he and his buddy were outside the GRAB…
Re: Hunt and Gather
Well, that pretty much ended as we suspected… The Tony’s tile is gone. Where, we don’t know. But we can say with certainty that it’s no longer on a telephone pole just south of the Lone Star Saloon. We’d left a message on the back, letting the finder know how…
I Want My MP3
If you haven’t noticed, all hell is breaking loose right now in online digital music sales. On the main stage: Last month Amazon announced its intention to enter the fray at the end of the year, challenging iTunes’ hegemony in the market. Two weeks ago, after much hand-wringing anticipation, Apple…
Re: Hunt and Gather
The search continues for the hidden Tony’s tile. This next clue should be pretty obvious to local drunks. — Keith Plocek…
That Hunter Pence Sure Is Dreamy. Too Bad the Game Was a Nightmare.
Well, what can I say, the Astros lose again, this time by a score of 8-4. The Astros actually led in all three games against the Angels, only to have the bullpen blow the lead in two of them. The bottom of the seventh inning was a thing of beauty…
You’d Look So Much Better If You Looked a Little Less Like You
The following message comes from our promotions department, which helps explain why it has so many exclamation points: The Houston Press is giving some of our lucky readers the chance to receive fabulous hair and make-up makeovers at top salons in the Houston area! Want to be a contestant? Are…
Art Capsule Reviews
“Black, White, a Little Yellow” This group show keeps the volume low and the personality high with a mix of small drawings and paintings. Exquisitely detailed drawings by Rabe’a Ballin depict intricate women’s hairstyles. Jeff Yerger references animal, mechanical and wooden structures woven together in light graphite. B. Moss gives…
“Red Velvet”
“I was looking for anything with a sinister undercurrent,” says Volker Eisele, curator of “Red Velvet.” The title of the exhibit is a take on Blue Velvet, David Lynch’s 1986 film depicting drugs and depravity lurking beneath a small-town façade. While the group show doesn’t offer anything as disturbing as…
I Love CFS
The crust on Granny’s chicken-fried steak was so thick, it looked like the meat was coated with cornflakes. The varying shades of gold and brown were accented here and there with flecks of black pepper. You could cut the tenderized round steak with a fork, but it was still chewy…
Mexican-American Culture
Dear Readers, Contrary to what some of ustedes think, racist gabachos or self-hating Mexicans aren’t my only fans. Many of our friendly neighbors to the Great White Norte also love the Mexican. In honor of my hometown Anaheim Ducks pounding on pussy Canadians to win the NHL Stanley Cup, I…
Mak Chin
The chocolate green tea cheesecake ($4) at Mak Chin (1511 Shepherd, 713-861-9888) has a decadent, dark, Oreo cookie base. The dense, pastel-green filling, a cross between the color of pistachio and, well, green tea, is interspersed with chocolate chips, which add additional flavor and texture. The whole slice is covered…
Battles
The largest, most prominent cymbal on Battles drummer John Stanier’s kit stands about seven feet high, towering over everything and everyone: Stanier, the rest of the drums, the rest of the band and the rest of the people staring at it; i.e., the crowd. One cannot strike this cymbal nonchalantly…
Maybe too Hard
Die Hard Collection (Fox) You don’t need to watch the included preview of Live Free or Die Hard to know it’s going to blow; as this set proves, only odd-numbered Die Hards are any good. The first one, of course, is the perfect popcorn flick, and the bonus-disc extras here…
Hot Sounds, Summer in the City
Oh shit, summer’s here. And you thought the highs were going to stay in the ’80s? Hah. Welcome to the jungle, baby. Now you’re gonna die. Anyway, being a born procrastinator, I didn’t get around to a spring cleaning until what passes for spring down here in the subtropics was…
Shadowrun
Publisher: Microsoft
Platform: Xbox 360
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M (for Mature)
Score: 8 (out of 10)
Devin the Dude, Ludacris, Murs
Legions of folks claim inside information when it comes to my taste in hip-hop. Numerous writers — even venerable Houston Press scribe John Nova Lomax — have proclaimed hometown hero Devin the Dude “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.” Los Angeles emcee Murs sells T-shirts and bumper stickers boasting that “Murs…
Radio Birdman
Like their U.S. counterparts in Rocket From the Tombs, Australian quintet Radio Birdman took the über-garage of 1970s Detroit in a vital new direction that very few noticed at the time. By marrying the wild joy of the MC5 and the borderline insanity of the Stooges to traditional rock songwriting,…
Crawdaddy! Is Back
Current readers of Pitchfork take the hyperbole that accompanies positive reviews with a pound of salt. But rock criticism has always harbored such fervor. Take this example: “There’s a group you have to hear. They’re called the Doors, and they’re the best new band I’ve heard this year.” That proclamation…
1408
Mike Enslin, the travel writer played by John Cusack in 1408, could use a better travel agent. Every hotel room in which he finds himself booked is said to be occupied by the ghost of some suicidal creep or a murderous goon who left behind a pile of bodies in…
Benefit for DJ Comp 1
Admittedly, it is a tad early for a Nightfly. It is 9 o’clock on a Friday night, and of all places, I am pulling into the parking lot of a church, Fellowship Christian Church, to be exact. I’m here to attend a benefit for DJ Comp 1, a.k.a. Joey Hernandez,…
Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty, the follow-up to Bruce Almighty, is the work of an angry God. At 89 minutes that last a lifetime, it’s a sanctimonious sitcom dolled up as the most expensive comedy ever made — $175 mil, so they say, no doubt choking — and marks an unfortunate low point…
B.B. King
Living legend is an overused phrase, but not in the case of Mr. Riley B. King. Not just one but two generations of blues and rock players have considered Mr. King nothing less than the end-all and be-all of guitar. Eric Clapton and Michael Bloomfield went to elementary school on…
La Vie En Rose
plifted beyond its merits by a stunning performance from Marion Cotillard, the humdrum biopic of Edith Piaf, La Vie En Rose, jogs obligingly along with Piaf the legend rather than the woman. It’s not hard to do, given the fuzzy borders between Piaf’s undeniably scarred life and her relentless gift…
Mark Farina
You have to hand it to Mark Farina: Whether you’re on a crowded, pulsating dance floor or in the confines of your very own home, the Bay Area-based Chicagoan creates house mixes that oh-so-rarely leave you in an obtuse, sullen mood. He recently said, “I know it’s dance music, but…
Mail Call
Online readers respond to “Ooh, Baby, Baby,” by Craig Malisow, June 7. Sound of applause: Thank you so very much for revealing all on this most Sybil-like person, now known as Jennalee Ryan. The author of this article deserves a great round of applause for excellent journalistic investigative legwork. My…
Jerry’s Kids
It seems like every American city in the 1980s had a band like Jerry’s Kids from Boston — essentially a local punk rock band that got a little bit bigger than anyone expected. That sounds like a slam, but it’s equally true of MDC from Austin or Really Red from…
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Owen Ashworth, the one-man-band known as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, is a man who knows the meaning of morose. Musically, at least, it seems Ashworth is very, very glum. With his newest release, Etiquette, he wants to share with you — and anyone else who will listen — his…
I Love CFS: 25 Lovable Chicken-Fried Steaks
SOUTHERN-STYLE CFS “Chicken-fried steak is considered a Southern staple,” according to the Tulsa World. Food historians who argue that the CFS is a Southern invention point to the fried-chicken connection and the fact that recipes for steaks dipped in batter can be found in Southern cookbooks going back to the…
Polyphonic Spree
Tim DeLaughter’s ever-sprawling Dallas collective doesn’t really traverse any new terrain on their forthcoming Fragile Army, but for those who have become enchanted with their big-band pop arrangements, their live shows are where the magic happens. Even the most miserable of folks will walk away feeling at least a tiny…
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Marvelously melodramatic, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the darkest gothic tales about the dangers of the unconscious mind to crawl out of the 19th century. It’s so eerie, its creepiness can slither through even the weakest theatrical adaptation — like…
A Mighty Heart
A skilled actor vanishes into a role; a movie star appropriates it. As presence trumps character, the star personifies Brecht’s alienation effect, and whatever its ostensible subject, the movie becomes a vehicle — the latest installment in an ongoing career or, in the case of a great star, a public…
Houston Public Library, energy policy, Houston Chronicle, blogging
The Morris Frank branch of the Houston Public Library sits near the intersection of West Bellfort and Fondren, an area that’s been ground zero for Katrina evacuees and ensuing problems with violence. It’s a tough environment for a kid — or anyone who likes reading, we guess — to grow…
Paprika
Dreams and the Internet, according to the psychotherapist superheroine of Satoshi Kon’s loopy Paprika, are “areas where the repressed conscious mind vents.” Is this not the ideal definition of movies as well? Kon’s head-tripping anime universe, which also includes Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue, is about as obsessive and personal…
Blake’s BBQ and Burgers
The third hamburger I got at Blake’s BBQ and Burgers on Jeanetta was just about perfect. When I bit into it, the juicy meat, melted American cheese and white bread of the bun all melded together in my mouth in a delightfully sticky mass. It was sort of like a…
Stage Capsule Reviews
Fiddler on the Roof In 1964, Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and Joseph Stein (book) created this brilliant Broadway show starring the irrepressible Zero Mostel as poor milkman Tevye, who’s struggling to hold his family together with “tradition” in the face of inevitable change. But it was director/choreographer Jerome…
KOBAIN
Hanging out at Cecil’s with a friend, I talk her into accompanying me to Kobain (3720 Raymond St., 713-862-9911) — a yuppie bar named after a junkie — for some laughs. In the mostly empty bar, the overly cheerful bartender, Dawn, takes our order. I tell her to give us…
“Black Light/White Noise: Sound and Light in Contemporary Art.”
The new installation-oriented show at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston has a catchy title — “Black Light/White Noise: Sound and Light in Contemporary Art.” It has a Velvet Underground-ish ring to it. Many of the works on display have a “pop” element, too. The artists are African-American, hence the “Black…
“Natural Abstractions”
“I view things in terms of powerful form and beautiful light,” reads Brett Weston’s statement on the wall at “Natural Abstractions,” the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s exhibition of about 50 of his black-and-white photographs. The shots depict a range of scenery, from adobe villages to New York City to…