Michael Brown to Plead Guilty in Flight Attendant-Choking Case
Ex-surgeon Michael “Suck My Dick” Brown is planning to plead guilty to a count of interfering with a flight crew in a Miami federal court July 16. Brown originally pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stemmed from his alleged assault in January of female flight attendants on a flight…
Trae Tha Truth’s Birthday Party at House of Blues, 7/2/2013
Trae Tha Truth’s Birthday Party House of Blues July 2, 2013 The last time Trae took the stage for his birthday at House of Blues, his special guests included Jadakiss, Waka Flocka, Yung Joc and Lupe Fiasco. And since Trae is good at making friends and convincing inviting them to…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Kris Jakob of Kris Bistro, on Growing Up in Texas’s German Country, and the Art of Curing Sausage
This is the first part of a three-part Chef Chat series. Check back with us for parts two and three, which will run in this same space Thursday and Friday. Kris Jakob is frowning in concentration, looking a bit intimidating. He’s concentrating ferociously on his plating, and I’m trying to…
Reality Bites: Big Brother
“But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” – George Orwell Before I watched an episode from this season of Big Brother, I wondered how I’d managed to go 15 seasons without ever seeing…
Five Reasons Following the Astros This Season Is Masochistic
Maybe you like to hurt yourself. Maybe that’s how you roll. If that is the case, besides perhaps seeking professional help, you might want to watch our Houston Astros this year because you would just about have to be a masochist to follow them. After a surprising run of wins…
Bruce Molzan Is Back with Corner Table: This Week’s Cafe Review
It was a sad day for many when the demolition machines hit Ruggles Grill on Westheimer this past October. The restaurant, a popular destination in the ’80s and ’90s, had been closed since February 2012, unable to recover after workers staged a walkout on the chef and owner, Bruce Molzan,…
Mayor Parker Honors Project Armageddon’s Alexis Hollada With a Day
Project Armageddon’s lead singer and bassist Alexis Hollada is having, for want of a less enthusiastic term, a pretty fucking great year. She’s the first transgendered woman to be nominated for a Houston Press Music Award in the Best Female Vocals category, and the band as a whole is up…
10 Minor League Baseball Mascots Where I Have No Goddamn Clue What They Mean
While its Major League parents continue to struggle to maintain their place on the big league sports landscape, trailing at least perceptually behind the NBA and way behind the NFL, minor league baseball continues to be a solid, growing (albeit slowly in some places, but growing nonetheless) business. There are…
Edible Jewelry in Need of a Sophisticated Makeover
The United States, they say, is a “first world” country. And yes, our nation is indeed in many ways a booming nexus of industrialized capitalism and advanced technology. With regards to the development of edible jewelry, however, we are primitive at best. And this very much concerns me. In my…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Despicable Me 2
Title: Despicable Me 2 Since When Do They Let Supervillains Adopt Children? I blame Madonna. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three nacho hats out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Former bad guy helps track down current bad guy; learns to love again. Tagline: “When the world needed…
Holiday Weather: Beautiful, Hot Fourth, But Possibly Wet Weekend
If you were sitting outside in your backyard or on your porch last night as I was, you might have wondered why it felt so…pleasant. In fact, yesterday afternoon when I walked outside in a shaded area, I thought for a second that it felt rather mild instead of the…
Game Demo of the Week: GT Academy 2013
Game: GT Academy 2013 (Gran Turismo 6 primer) Platform: PS3 Publisher/Developer: Sony/Polyphony Digital Genre: Racer Release Date: 2013 From now until sometime in August you get a nice little introduction to the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 in the form of GT Academy 2013. It’s a well-stocked demo, actually, with two…
Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger Almost-Not-Quite Pretzel-y, Bacon-y
I am really starting to become a sucker for promotional burgers. Lately, every time I go through the drive-thru with Good Salad Intentions I end up with whatever special burger promotion is going on. This time, it was Wendy’s–because who can resist a bacon cheddar burger, especially when it comes…
The Five Weirdest TV Show Tie-In Albums
It’s no secret that we’re being sold a product constantly. Even the TV shows we enjoy are nothing more than someone else’s attempt to make some money at their heart. They live and die by how much revenue they generate, not typically their artistic value. Like it or not, they’re…
Dwight Watch 2013: Twitter Keeps a Constant Vigil in the Pursuit of Free Agents
In years past, news came slowly, sometimes at a snail’s pace. Sports fans waiting for news on a trade or a free agent signing were relegated to the sports portion of the nightly news or, at worst, the morning paper. Press releases told of signings or trades and they made…
PASSION (2013 New York Cast Recording) is Stunningly Lavish and Ornately Elegant
Stephen Sondheim was inspired to write the musical PASSION while watching Ettore Scola’s Passione d’amore, a film adaptation of Iginio Ugo Tarchetti’s 19th-century novel Fosca. The musical originally opened in Broadway’s Plymouth Theatre on May 9, 1994 and closed on January 7, 1995. It ran for a brief 280 performances,…
This Week In Food Blogs: Cantaloupe Pie, Going Nuts for Nut Milk & More
H-Town Chow Down: After being asked when he started writing about food, Albert Nurick tells us about his journey into food writing and how it all started with a list of restaurants he liked the best. This 1994 restaurant list, which you can still find online today, turned into an…
Another Skate of Mind: The Jamail Skatepark Ignites Houston Music Culture
This article was written by David Ensminger. Downtown Houston’s Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark, like a plethora of other skate sites across the globe, is a gripping locale that merges edge-culture sports and underground music. It reflects an earlier era of Thrasher videos from the 1980s, when skate parks brimmed…
Houston Bucket List – 100 Things to Do in Houston Before You Die: The Introduction
Houston has been getting a lot of attention in recent months and from some rather unlikely places. Whether it is The New York Times or Forbes, Houston is, dare we say it, hip. For a town that has a serious case of poor-widdle-me-itis way too often, it is encouraging to…
Video Girl: Can Bun B Please Be In More Movies?
Saturday nights at the Caldwell residence usually revolve around people being asleep or watching TV until ungodly hours of the morning. It’s a routine, there’s levels to it, and if we’re not talking about watching SportsCenter past 1 a.m., we’re talking about watching whatever is on Netflix. Take this past…
Bill Cosby Sweater Poll; Best Use of Your Work Day
Right now we’ll assume you are sitting at your desk, counting down the seconds until your boss leaves and you and your coworkers can make a swift break for the holiday weekend. Face it, you are doing no work today; you have checked Facebook at least 85 times and because…
Your Annual Pancake Reminder: Go to Fountain View Cafe
I could tell I’d be back the second I stepped into Fountain View Cafe for the first time last Sunday. Sure, I hadn’t even eaten, or ordered for that matter, but one look at the chalkboard menu and the dining room packed with people of all ages was enough for…
Marijuana Legalization Could Come to Texas, and Law Students are Helping Figure How
Rehman Bhalesha was raised around marijuana. That’s not to say that he dealt, or that he pushed, or that he used. He didn’t have to. Weed, growing up, turned up wherever he went. “Living in South Texas, you really see the substance flood high school and college campuses and neighborhoods,…
D&T Drive Inn — An Old Dog with New Tricks
The grand opening of the “new” D&T Drive Inn has been a year and a half in the making. Down House co-owners Chris Cusack and Joey Treadway acquired the bar in early 2012 and have been working on transforming the once divey icehouse on Enid and Calvacade into a slicker…
100 Creatives: Blue 130, Pin-Up Explosion Art
What She Does: Blue 130 is a lot like another local artist, Julie Zarate. Her paintings and mixed media pieces focus on garishly colored female forms that dance between representational art and good pop explosions. She’s been drawing since she first learned how to pick up a pencil, and used…
ASMR: When Music Creates a “Brain Orgasm”
I was especially bad at science in school. I failed chemistry twice and third-time-charmed my way to finally passing with a C. So now, of course, I enjoy anything with a scientific bent and listen to excellent podcasts, like Radiolab and This American Life, that present the scientific world in…
BP Just Wants to Be Loved (and to Not Pay for the Gulf Oil Spill)
The folks over at British Petroleum want the world to know they feel real bad about that explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico back in 2010. Last week, the company even took out a nice-sized ad in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and…
Selling T-Shirts For Two Sweaty Rock Bands Is Exactly as Sexy as It Sounds
It’s barely 10 p.m. and, instead of watching thelastplaceyoulook perform, my head is inside of a Tupperware container. I’m sifting through T-shirts, looking for a woman’s small. The Houston-based five-piece is only halfway through their set at Stubb’s in Austin, and two twentysomethings have already approach the band’s merch table…
Jay Giroux’s Street Art Style and More at Devin Borden Gallery
Highbrow meets lowbrow. That can be a glib yet effective way of way of describing the work of Jay Giroux — an artist with a background in skate and street culture who holds an MFA in painting from the University of Houston. The Brooklyn artist’s first solo show at Devin…
Patriotic Cocktails, Part 3: The Americano
This Independence Day, set yourself free from garish red-white-and-blue cocktails by mixing up some patriotic drinks whose taste as well as appearance honors the spirit of the holiday. In this series, I will explore some off-the-beaten-path adult beverages for your July 4th party. Though invented in Milan at Garspare Campari’s…
[PHOTOS] Mayweather, Canelo Make Appearance at Minute Maid to Promote Fight
Boxing fans of Houston lined up all the way around Minute Maid Park on Monday, July 1, for a chance to see boxing superstars Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as they promoted the fight nicknamed “The One,” which will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyersin 6 Souls and a Zero Mostel Classic
In case you haven’t noticed, we love horror movies. We especially love smart, new-twist-on-the-bad-guy horror movies made by talented people. Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers are among the most talented working actors in Hollywood get these days, so we had high hopes for 6 Souls. Unfortunately, screenwriter Michael Cooney…
Today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal: Big Savings on Skin Care, Blue Jeans, Bespoke Alternations, and More
With a four-day weekend coming up you may not need any help relaxing, but just in case we’ve got a great Houston Press Voice Daily Deal for you today: over half-off facial services at Houston Holistic Healing. You can select from your choice of three facial treatments: • $35 for…
A Naughty Under-$20 Wine from the Rhône for July 4
“Don’t listen to the story. Listen to the wine.” This nugget of wisdom, imparted on me by one of the top wine professionals in Texas, has rung true as I’ve tasted through a mixed case of wine assembled for me by the legendary Bear Dalton, fine wine buyer at Spec’s…
Upcoming: Chvrches, Gary Clark Jr., Randy Travis, Misfits, Colt Ford, etc.
Cayucas and Brazos: Fri., July 12, 8 p.m., $5 to $15. Mango’s, 403 Westheimer, Houston, 713-522-8903. Chvrches: Sun., November 24, 8 p.m., $20. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston, 888-402-5837. Cocktails & Covers feat. Mysterious Ways: Fri., August 2, 8 p.m., $10 to $15. House of Blues — Bronze Peacock…
Kolache Factory Fights for Dwight Howard: A Lifetime Supply of Kolaches
While Dallas tries to win over Dwight Howard with chicken fingers from Raising Cane’s, Houston has upped the ante and offered him something he can’t get anywhere else, except from the city of Houston. Thanks to Sean Pendergast’s calling on the Houston community to give Howard a tasty counter offer,…
Mystery Surrounds Doink the Clown’s Untimely Death
Plano police are investigating the death of Matt Osborne, better known as Doink the Clown, one of the greatest of all evil-clown WWF characters. Police say the 55-year-old Osborne “was found in his Plano, TX, apartment on Friday by his girlfriend, who reported that he was unresponsive. He was transported…
Another Auction from MyPlates.com This Time Targets Aggies
You have to admire the folks at MyPlates.com. They are creative in getting people to buy vanity license plates and since the money goes to charity most of the time, it’s a win-win. The last time around, they auctioned off their most expensive vanity plate yet: HOUSTON. This time, it’s…
Art League’s “Bas:” Enjoyable With Some Cohesion Issues
This weekend, Art League Houston opened in its front gallery a collaborative exhibition that focuses on history, social and societal characteristics of ethnicity. Bās, which runs through August 2, is the fourth collaboration from artists Rabéa Ballin, Ann Johnson, Delita Martin and Lovie Olivia. The artists’ styles are night and…
Tony Vallone’s Sicilian Homestyle Cooking at Ciao Bello
“You don’t even need a knife,” the woman seated next to me, the wife of a prominent local judge, advised. I’d just picked up my knife and fork, ready to take a bite of a delicious-looking piece of Gaddina a ‘Muddicata, Sicilian for our second course of breaded baked chicken…
Two Star Symphony Crafts Gothic Music-Video Masterpiece
Two Star Symphony is one of Houston’s best musical treasures, offering classic music with an edge that makes it the equivalent of any hard-rock star. Now they’ve put together a music video directed and conceived by violinist Jerry Ochoa that is already in competition for video of the year, as…
Threatening Both Media and Church-State Separation, Lt. Gov. Race Blunders to Sloppy Start
Nobody pretended they were going to enjoy the race for the lieutenant governor’s chair. Sure, there would be moments of delightful schadenfreude — watching Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst squirm and crumble in the face of Wendy Davis’s supporters was one of the most rewarding of the entire month. But those…
Outlaw Book Takes Wild Ride with Waylon, Willie & the Boys
Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris and the Renegades of Nashville By Michael Streissguth It Books, 304 pp., $26. A recent Rolling Stone cover story on Johnny Depp was titled “An Outlaw Looks at 50.” To what extent that a multimillionaire movie actor who won the genetic lottery could be viewed as…
Cake Decorating 101: Fondant Designs
Now that we have covered baking the perfect cake, frosting and piping basics, as well as the basic recipes for frosting cakes, it’s time to add a little pizzazz to our cakes. Fondant is one of the best decorating items to use to add a clean finish to the outside…
Nunsense is a Silly Little Show, But Just Go With It
The set-up: When the creator of this super phenomenal hit calls his musical a “silly little show,” all bets are off. Dan Goggins’s Nunsense, thoroughly entertaining all at Texas Repertory Theatre, is a silly little show, absolutely mindless, pretty much totally forgettable once it’s over – oftentimes while you’re watching…
Weather Week: But It’s a Dry Heat
The past few days, Houston has had a dose of something we don’t often see in the summer: low humidity. If it has felt moderately pleasant the last couple nights and your air conditioner seemed to be colder than normal, that is the influence of dry air allowing evenings to…
My Block: Houston Rappers’ Five Best Neighborhood Shout-Outs
To hear others tell it, Houston is the fattest city in America. It’s the ugliest. It’s the most mosquito-ridden, hellishly hot metropolis in the country. All of these people who don’t live here and know nothing about us sure can’t keep our name out of their mouths. Where I come…
Deep-Dish Defined at Lou Malnati’s in Chicago
In the days leading up to my trip to Chicago, I spent a good amount of time fantasizing about deep-dish pizza and investigating Houston’s own alleged offerings, including the frozen Gino’s East version available at Central Market and H-E-B. Now that I’m back home from vacation, I’m even more motivated…
The Supremes Want to Hear About Cross-State Air Pollution (Texas Still Doesn’t)
The Supreme Court is all finished with the rulings for this session, but the high court is already looking ahead to the next session, and they’re about to take a look at air, as in air pollution. In July 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule,…
Between Cocktails and Cookies There’s Anisette
Summer, I think, is the best time to read Hemingway. I’m hot and perpetually dehydrated, so the fact that everyone is downing drinks like there’s no tomorrow is appealing if not more understandable. I also like to imagine the sweaty languor I experience after running errands in the hot sun…
The Secret Origins of 5 Famous Secret Codes
It seems this day that the concept of a cheat code is just plain dead. Once upon a time you lived for the day when you’d discover the secret combination of button presses that would gift you with more lives, infinite ammo, a super jump, whatever wish your heart desired…
The Rocks Off 100: Michelle Miears of BLSHS, Siren In the Machine
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, 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 the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. introducing: BLSHS from SpaceTiger on…
West Moves Forward (Sues) As Senate Tells EPA Just How Much They Screwed Up
It’s been more than two months since the explosion at the West, Texas, fertilizer factory left the little town looking like a nuclear bomb had been dropped on it. Since then, the hits have kept on coming. The townspeople have gone about trying to rebuild their home without the help…
Make a Patriotic Dessert This 4th of July: Easy Cherry Berry Crisp
Independence Day; a day to honor America, celebrate our freedom, and eat tons of Red, White, and Blue crap. This Cherry Berry Crisp is a super easy, colorful, and perfect for 4th of July. The dessert is packed with tart cherries, fresh sweet blueberries and raspberries, and some buttery brown…
Houston Independent Booksellers: In-Store Events for July 2013
I have a strange addiction: book signings. It is an odd thing to be hooked on, but since moving to Houston in 2010, I have been able to meet some of my favorite authors, and discover new writers, by attending the many book signing opportunities afforded by our city’s independent…
There Goes the Blues: Tributes Pour In For Texas Johnny Brown
Even for an 85-year-old bluesman who wrote his best-known song during the JFK administration, Monday night social media was full of love for Texas Johnny Brown, the soft-spoken, sharp-dressed guitarist who passed away earlier in the day after a relatively brief battle with liver cancer. “It is with great sadness…
Dwight Watch 2013: Kolache Factory Ups the Ante for Dwight Howard
The road back to relevance for the Rockets has not been easy. In today’s NBA, there are very few good answers to the question, “What do we need to do to put ourselves in position to win an NBA title?” Say what you will about Dwight Howard. He’s flawed, he’s…
Where to Eat on the Fourth of July 2013: Barbecues, Firework Shows & More
If you would rather swim at the pool, relax with friends and family, set off some fireworks (if permitted) and have someone else do the cooking this Fourth of July, then we have you covered. Celebrate our nation’s independence at one of these restaurants and festivals…
The 10 Cheesiest ’80s and ’90s CD Commercials
In the ever-changing landscape of modern music, it’s easy to forget that all those relics of our collective misspent past in the days that will henceforth be referred to as “pre-MP3” or some such thing. You know, back when you had to buy music and you couldn’t just check Pitchfork…
Paula Deen Needs To Donate Some Money; How 5 Other Celebrities Got Out of Jams
It just keeps getting worse and worse for Paula Deen. Over the weekend, the celebrity chef was dropped from her publisher Random House’s Ballantine Books. Deen and Ballantine were due to release Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Recipes: All Lightened Up in the fall, but the company is now yanking…
R.I.P. Texas Johnny Brown: Smoothest Houston Bluesman Dies at 85
Hearts are heavy in the Houston blues community tonight as word spreads that 85-year-old Texas Johnny Brown, one of the classiest acts on the scene and the author of Bobby Bland’s epic “Two Steps From the Blues,” has passed. Brown’s son Shawn had been handling his father’s care, and he…
Girlfriend: Houston Rapper Preemo Coming Around After Overnight Shooting
According to the mother of his 17-month-old son, Houston rapper Preemo is coming around and talking after suffering an abdominal gunshot wound sometime overnight Monday. Robin Aaron, Preemo’s girlfriend, told Rocks Off Monday that the rapper is stable and had undergone surgery for a bullet wound from about 6 to…
Sara Bareilles at House of Blues, 6/29/2013
Sara Bareilles House of Blues June 29, 2013 When I first arrived at House of Blues for Sara Bareilles, I wasn’t sure how to process the fact that the show was sold out. For one, it was the same night as Houston Pride, and by the looks of it, half…
Lesbian Lovers, Straight Allies and How Far Harris County Has to Go
A handful of weeks ago, before Carrie Thompson showed up with her partner, Jane, at the east entrance to last weekend’s Pride Parade, she sat before a Harris County Family Court judge. Jane couldn’t come, leaving Carrie alone in sending her best pitch to regain custody of her three children,…
Cyndi Lauper at House of Blues, 6/28/2013
Cyndi Lauper, Hunter Valentine House of Blues June 28, 2013 Seeing Cyndi Lauper live in concert on Pride Weekend is like seeing a unicorn in its natural habitat. It’s colorful and surreal and makes everyone feel extremely special. Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of her debut album She’s So Unusual, Lauper…
UH Fans Need to Step Up and Start Showing Up
Today is the official first day of the Houston Cougars as members of the American Athletic Conference. And while this isn’t quite the conference upgrade the Cougars were hoping for when they signed up several years ago, the former Big East is still better than Conference USA. Making the conference…
Fans Still Support Paula Deen, Bringing Her Cookbooks to No. 1 on Amazon.com
During the afternoon of Friday, June 28, Paula Deen’s upcoming cookbook, Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes All Lightened Up, to be available in October, was No. 1 on Amazon.com in the Best Sellers in Books section, followed by her previous cookbook, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, and her…
Houston’s Where’s Waldo? Scavenger Hunt: Let’s Track This Guy Down, Once and for All
He’s always hiding in plain sight, but in spite of his distinctive red-and-white striped shirt and thick-rimmed hipster glasses, he’s always tough to find. We’re talking about famous children’s book character–and master of disguise–Waldo, of Where’s Waldo? fame. During the month of July, Brazos Bookstore and fourteen other local businesses…
It’s Pie Time: Five Pies to Celebrate Independence Day
After all the hot dogs, hamburgers and barbecue chicken have been eaten on the Fourth of July, the best way to end the celebration is with a slice of pie, and a scoop of ice cream, of course. While you can keep it traditional and bake an apple pie for…
The Manichean at the Alley Theatre, 6/28/13
The Manichean Alley Theatre June 28, 2013 The Manichean doesn’t do half-assed. From their albums to their performance, everything is a piece to the part of a puzzle, as seen Friday night, when the Houston band performed their latest album, Lovers, at The Alley Theatre. Though it was their…
Falling Skies: “You Still Owe Me A Plane.”
One of the central tenets of the “road movie” has always been the growth and maturation of the participants, particularly if they’re seemingly disparate personalities thrown together by change (see also, The Sure Thing, Rain Man, uh, Smokey and the Bandit). Going by last week’s previews, we knew a similar…
Louie Gohmert Announces that Soviet Sex Education Taught Him to Bring King Crab to Welfare Recipients, or Something
I had no idea Louie Gohmert once lived in the Soviet Union. Apparently, during the 1970s, the man headed to the USSR on some form of exchange program — the details remain murky — and had a chance to experience all of the lag and stagnation brought through the Brezhnev…
Best Comics of June: Thanos’ Childhood and Hawkeye’s Dog
Once a month the amazing staff at 8th Dimension Comics selects a pile of the best new releases for us to peruse and judge. Superman Unchained #1: To me Superman remains iconic, but uninteresting. I can count the moments I’ve been riveted by a Superman story on a single hand,…
Big Time Rush at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 6/28/2013
Big Time Rush, Victoria Justice Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion June 28, 2013 If you think you heard a strange, high-pitched noise being emitted from the Cynthia Woods Pavilion this past Friday night, there’s no need to get your hearing checked. It was only the sound of a zillion teen girls…
Ambrosia: More Than Adequate But Less Than Economical
The opening of a restaurant within walking distance of my apartment always excites me, and I’m admittedly more primed to enjoy their food than that of other similar albeit less proximal places. In the case of Papa Mio, I was happy to find the restaurant met my expectations. Thus when…
Royce White (@Highway_30) Is Saying Weird Things On Twitter Again
“A lot of talk… ‘Cut Royce’, ‘Trade Royce’, only a few players with my skill set in the WHOLE league… everybody knows it. #RedNation” — Royce White, 6/30/13 on Twitter And just like that, Royce White sucked me back in. I was made aware of this tweet by my former…
Intronaut and Scale the Summit at Fitzgerald’s, 6/28/13
Intronaut, Scale the Summit, Mouth of the Architect, Omotai, Oceans of Slumber Fitzgerald’s June 28, 2013 For Houston’s hard-rock and metal fans, there was no better place to be on Friday night than Fitzgerald’s. Downstairs, the old club hosted rowdy hellraisers Valient Thorr and Gypsyhawk, whose heavy thump bled through…
Half-off General Admission Tickets to “Around the World in 80 Sips,” Last Concert Café, Kim Son, and More
We are kicking off the week with great savings with your Houston Press Voice Daily Deal! Today’s deal is good for half-off ($37 for $80) a General Admission ticket to “Around the World in 80 Sips” at Minute Maid Park on July 12, 2013. The general admission ticket includes wine…
From My Hometown Boasts Strong Performances With Good Music
The set-up: Three male performers meet by chance in Harlem, each on the way to callback auditions at the famed Apollo Theater. They spar competitively with each other, bond briefly, and suffer the inherent problems that accompany being short of the green stuff. In From My HometownAct One introduces them,…
Steven Mark Weinstein (The Guy Who Had a Body in His Trunk) Might Get a New Trial
Back in 2008, Steven Mark Weinstein was convicted for murder after a man was found dead and decomposing in the trunk of Weinstein’s car. Now Weinstein might be granted a new trial by the Court of Criminal Appeals, if the court decides a witness gave false testimony in the murder…
True Blood: Plastiscines Are In Fact Good
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series, True Blood — which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Even when a show is…
Top 10 Restaurants Near The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is a great place to hear a concert. But if you’d like to move to a higher level of experience as far as food is concerned, you might want to fuel up elsewhere. Fortunately there are plenty of good restaurants nearby, several within walking distance…
The Line Between Fetus and Child From an IVF Father
I have the ultimate baby picture on my fridge. You can see it above. That’s the Daughter With One F when she was just a zygote in an in vitro fertilization doctor’s Petri dish. You can actually count how many cells she was at that point. I’m thinking about getting…
On Repeat: Emily Joyce Plays with Continuity at Inman Gallery
Peace signs and Mount Analogue. These two things have little in common, but to Emily Joyce, they serve the same purpose — a seemingly endless source of inspiration. In “Some Tree Rings, a Vision, and the Third of May” now on view at Inman Gallery, the Los Angeles artist creates…
Rockets’ Sole Focus in Free Agency Is Landing Howard, Adding Pieces to Compliment Him
If free agent center Dwight Howard emerged from his late-night meal with the Rockets posse understanding one thing, it should be that there is no other target in the team’s pursuit of a championship this offseason more important. A group that included team owner Les Alexander, general manager Daryl Morey,…
What’s Cooking This Week? Blue Cheese Burgers & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredient’s I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Reviews for the Lazy Gamer: Spartacus Legends
Game: Spartacus Legends Platform: PSN/XBLA Publisher/Developer: Ubisoft/Kung Fu Factory Genre: Fighter Describe This Game in Three Words: Stabby Stabby Stabby Plot: You run a gladiator school (ludus) back in gladiator times. Now you buy slaves and train them into living weapons to fight in the arena for gold and fame…
Filibuster Superwoman: Musicians, DJs and Artists Who #standwithwendy
There are times when snarky blogs about the state of the music industry seem wildly out of touch. This would be one of those times. Another special session convenes today in Austin, with the Texas Legislature’s agenda scheduled to address Senate Bill 5, which would virtually eliminate access to abortion…
Florida Gator Crime: Walk-On Punter Gets DUI on a Scooter
Aaron Hernandez is now a former New England Patriot, former in every sense of the word, having been scrubbed clean from the team’s Web site and having his replica jersey the target of a “free exchange” campaign where Pats fans can swap out their “81 HERNANDEZ” joints for a comparable…
River Oaks Donuts: Stay Fancy, My Friends
Even though four new Dunkin’ Donuts locations are set to come to the Houston area this summer, some of us can’t wait for those locations to open. Two billionaires, Mindy and Jeff Hildebrand, decided to open River Oaks Donuts on Westheimer in the River Oaks neighborhood because there wasn’t a…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Trae Tha Truth, Geto Boys, Freedom Over Texas, etc.
John Egan The Big Easy, July 1 Earlier this year, John Egan competed at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where the Houston kinda-acoustic bluesman advanced to the semifinal round of 28 — so by that reckoning, Egan is one of the Top 30 solo acts of his kind in…
Bummer Summer: The Most Boring Time in Houston Sports Starts Now
My favorite day of the year is October 1. I carries with it both excitement and the promise of more. The first wisps of cool air will likely have breezed through our area teasing us for what is to come. Hurricane season, though not over for the entire Atlantic, is,…
Mac Miller At Warehouse Live, 6/27/13
Mac Miller Warehouse Live June 27, 2013 I must admit, the first time I saw Mac Miller live at SXSW two years ago, I was unimpressed. That performance at The Fader Fort was average at best, with lackluster energy, little to no interaction with the crowd, and practically no real…
Sadie Sink, Houston’s Hometown, TUTS-Trained Girl Headed For Broadway Stardom
Eleven-year-old Sadie Sink, formerly of Houston, has been named one of two young actresses who will share the title role in Annie on Broadway. Sink, originally from Houston, came through Theatre Under the Stars’ Humphreys School of Musical Theatre and was Annie in a production here. She and her family…
Patrick Plots Path to Lieutenant Governor, Bashing Dewhurst in Opening Announcement
In one of the worst-kept secrets in Texas, State Sen. Dan Patrick announced Thursday that he was throwing his hat in the ring for the 2014 election for Texas lieutenant governor. Patrick, the current Senate Education Chair, announced yesterday that he would be aiming for David Dewhurst’s current position, releasing…
A Rebuilt Giant Battle Monster Takes Aim for Japan
It’s the eleventh hour and you’ve got a Japanese tour on the horizon. It’s your first time taking your band out of the country and you’re pretty damn excited. Suddenly, everyone else in the band decides they don’t want to do it and quit. Now you’ve got all the dates…
The Last of Us Video Game Has a Real Phone Sex Number in It
Sometimes video games include real life phone numbers in their play, either as a joke or as a mistake. In the case of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, it’s the latter, and unfortunately the mistake has made for some rather hot water. Scattered throughout the ruined, zombie-infested world is…
NKOTB, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men at Toyota Center, 6/27/13
New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men Toyota Center June 27th, 2013 So I can now cross “touch a boy band member” off of my bucket list, thanks to last night’s ridiculously girly boy band mash-up known as The Package Tour — a triple threat concert consisting…
Indulge in Food & Wine This Summer with Landry’s Signature Chef Series
Ah, summer. Time for frolicking by the pool, drinking blue-colored Icees that’ll turn your tongue blue, working ferociously at the gym to get your body toned, and indulging in decadent chef-driven wine pairing dinners. Yes, a summer tradition, Landry’s Signature Chef Series is currently in full swing, with five upcoming…
From Vegas to the Moon to the Edge of the Earth: The Top 10 Photos of the Week
We here at the Houston Press have long believed that some of the best photographers in the world live right here in Houston. Between the slideshows and blogs we publish and the images you share with us in our Flickr Pool, we see tons of amazing photos every week, and…
Mike Terror Debuts First Video, “Snakes ‘N’ Fakes”
I got to know Mike Terror when we served as judges during the annual Gothic Beauty Pageant, which is always a grand, if often unintentionally hilarious, spectacle. Over the years we’ve bumped into each other as Houston goths do, but I’ve never really gotten into him as an artist. Then…
GIANT (Original Cast Recording) is Majestically Texan Through and Through
Edna Ferber has been proven to a wonderful source of inspiration for grandiose and sweeping musicals. 1927’s Show Boat was based on her 1926 novel Showboat. Recently, her novel Giant was put to music by Michael John LaChiusa (See What I Wanna See, First Lasy Suite, The Wild Party). The…
Portugal. The Man at House of Blues, 6/28/13
Ever since getting word of the opportunity of interviewing Portugal. The Man, my mind has been on nearly nothing but them. I’ve basically been living in Portugal for the past two weeks. Finally, with the show in the bag, I can move on to other countries, such as my own…
Two-Headed Turtle at the San Antonio Zoo: The End Times Are Upon Us
As if Sen. Wendy Davis’s filibustering wasn’t an awful enough affront to the Lord our God, the San Antonio Zoo has unleashed a monster upon the world that must surely be a harbinger of Armageddon: Behold Thelma and Louise, a two-headed turtle dispatched from the Gates of Hell — but…
Real Awards For Digital Things: A Social Media Look At The Houston Web Awards
If you were ever curious if the people that make you laugh so much online are equally hilarious in real life, we’ve got good news: they are. If there was any takeaway from last night’s 2013 Houston Web Awards, it’s that funny people are funny even when they’re not restricted…
Master Distiller Greg Davis Talks Maker’s 46.
Recently, Eating Our Words was fortunate enough to sit down with Makers Mark Master Distiller Greg Davis at Eleven XI to talk about Makers 46 and what exactly makes it so different than the original. Maker’s 46 is the bolder, grander version of the classic bourbon. At just three years…
Quiet Draft for Rockets Nets PG, Dream Shake and Twitter Controversy
When the most exciting thing you can say about your draft night is that the greatest player in franchise history was there to wish the commissioner well in his retirement and your current best player got embroiled in a VERY minor Twitter controversy, it must have been a slow night…
Five Things You Grown Folks Should Learn From Big Time Rush
The Rocks Off Lesson of the Day: You can learn a lot from a boy band-er, if you put your mind to it. If you’ve never taken life advice from the likes of a guy with a Gold album, a starring role in a sitcom, and a gaggle of Tween…
Patriotic Cocktails, Part 2: The Thomas Jefferson Collins
This Independence Day, set yourself free from garish red-white-and-blue cocktails by mixing up some patriotic drinks whose taste as well as appearance honors the spirit of the holiday. In this series, I will explore some off-the-beaten-path adult beverages for your July 4th party. In addition to composing that handy doc…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: White House Down
Title: White House Down How Many Times Have We Seen The White House Destroyed On Film? If you mean, the royal “we,” then seven: WHD, Superman 2, Mars Attacks!, Earth vs the Flying Saucers, 2012, Independence Day, and Olympus Has Fallen. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Two-and-a…
Adventures In YouTube: “Changed” Aaron Hernandez On The Day He Signed His Contract Extension In 2012
Last Tuesday, on the morning of June 18, less than 48 hours after the state of Massachusetts (and anyone with half a brain) contends that Aaron Hernandez murdered Odin Lloyd, Hernandez tweeted this: good morning— Aaron Hernandez (@AaronHernandez) June 18, 2013 I don’t know if Hernandez was being flippant, given…
Dance Music and DJ’s: Meet the Pride Festival Performers
It’s officially Pride Weekend in Houston, which means it’s time for some of the most fabulous parties, music, and dancing that will happen all year. It also means it’s time for the Pride Festival, which will only be better thanks to the awesome folks at the Supreme Court and the…
Upcoming Events: Peaches Galore, Wine Tastings & More
Normally happy hours consist of discounted drinks, small plates, appetizers, socializing and having a good time after work. But, Eleven XI has a little twist to the norm by incorporating fine art into the mix. On Tuesday, July 2, from 5-8 p.m., you can enjoy gazing at beautiful landscape portraits…
HGO Studio Alumna Jamie Barton Wins Prestigious Cardiff Award
Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, a Studio member at Houston Grand Opera for two seasons, has won the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in Wales. This is in addition to already winning Barton will be back in Houston in 2014 to sing the Fricka role in Das Rheingold https://www.houstongrandopera.org/Site/tickets/calendar/view.aspx?PerfId=2302 in…
New Voter ID, Unavailable in Seventy Counties in State, Opens With Wealth of Issues Remaining
Between Sen. Wendy Davis’s filibuster and the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, this week has been a strangely successful one for progressives in Texas. However, there was a ruling before either of these realities that girded conservatives and tea partiers in the state. On…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Food Truck Friday, Firefighter BBQ Benefit & More
All Day Happy Hour @ L’Olivier Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday, 5-11 p.m. 240 Westheimer Rd. In honor of Pride Houston 2013, L’Olivier is offering an all day happy hour Friday and Saturday. Chef Olivier Ciesielski has created $6 appetizers, including beef sliders with pomme frites and avocado pancakes with…
Summer TV Club: Game of Thrones : “The Rains of Castamere”
We’re gonna bring the room down a little on this week’s TV Club as we take a look at the infamous Game of Thrones episode, “The Rains of Castamere.” To this point, we’ve been focusing on classic and/or deliberately goofy TV series, but HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s “Song…
Scale the Summit Get Seismic, Cosmic On Epic Migration
Nobody who cares deeply about prog rock thinks it needs saving, but Houston’s own Scale the Summit has stepped up with a calibrated take on art rock for the rest of us. Their new album, The Migration (Prosthetic), is simply “shredtastic” (credit for that coinage: Brian Lion), bringing plenty of…
North Forest ISD at the End of the Line? Judge Rejects Ruling, HISD Moves Forward
If bookies are taking bets on whether North Forest ISD will get swallowed up by HISD on Monday, it looks like the smart money is on HISD. HISD officials seem pretty darn confident about it, considering they’ve already got plans for summer school classes for North Forest students. After years…
100 Creatives 2013: Nina Godiwalla, Author and TED Speaker
Houston author and speaker Nina Godiwalla had just finished her freshman year in college when she left her close-knit Zoroastrain community here to spend the summer as an intern at J. P. Morgan in New York City. She took four cheap suits and two pairs of cheap shoes with her;…
Tasty Tacos for Happy Hour at Pistolero’s
There’s something about Pistolero’s, the new taco and tequila bar that took over the Nabi space on Westheimer, that oozes cool. I’m talking the bad boy, Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men,” kind of cool that spoke to me immediately when I stepped through the doors. “You can hang…
Five Musicians Who Should Be In the New Star Wars Films
The last few weeks, Internet rumors about Florence Welch being cast in the newest Star Wars film have exploded like the Death Star. The film is in its earliest creative stages, and won’t have geeks lining up at theaters until 2015. Still, it’s natural to start getting itchier than Chewbacca’s…
Where Have You Gone Milo Hamilton? A Fanbase Turns Its Bleeding Ears to You
The Astros are soon to hit the halfway point of the season. And while the baseball team is playing somewhat better baseball, when it comes to the radio broadcast, they still come off as one of the laughingstocks of baseball. A review of the new booth tandem, Robert Ford and…
The Best Concerts in Houston this Weekend: Cyndi Lauper, Scale The Summit, and More
Cyndi Lauper House of Blues, June 28 When Cyndi Lauper first appeared 30 years ago, few would have guessed the orange-haired New Yorker with an accent bigger than the Triborough Bridge would have the career she’s had, one that now includes a Tony Award for Best Musical thanks to the…
Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: “Bās” at Art League Houston, From My Hometown at Ensemble and More
Our pick for Friday is the opening reception for the art exhibit “Bās” Rabe’a Ballin, Ann Johnson, Delita Martin and Lovie Olivia” at Art League Houston. “Bās” (pronounced “base”) is the third collaborative exhibit for the group. Experimental printmaker Ann Johnson’s work in the exhibit comes from a series she…
Openings & Closings: Bistro Des Artes, Iguana Joes & More
This week several big name chefs and restaurant owners spoke about their newly opened and to-come restaurants. Oh yeah and Iguana Joe’s apparently got a lot of people sick and is shut down temporarily. But enough of the gross news, let’s get back to some openings we are pretty excited…
We Don’t Get an Actual Shuttle, but We Get a Chance to Name a Fake One!
Houston has long maintained a kind of inferiority complex. Even now after publications from coast to coast have proclaimed our surprising hipness, we still get things stuck in our craw. Case in point, not getting a space shuttle for Space Center Houston. Plagued by the insipid overuse of “Houston, we…
The Palm Restaurant Reopens July 8 & Is Doing It In Style
The Palm Restaurant has been remodeled, redesigned and is set to reopen on July 8. After expanding into the adjacent cigar store, The Palm gained 1,800 square feet; now it totals at 8,800 square feet complete with a bigger front entrance, large bar seating approximately 23 customers, an intimate lounge,…
The Rocks Off 100: DJ Remix, Genre-Hopping Mix Maniac
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, 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 the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Last year, at the Houston…
For All Its Naivete, “Hey Bartender” Sure is Pretty
I’m going to buy “Hey Bartender” on Bluray when it comes out. The movie is a beautiful celebration of the service industry at its peak, with shots capturing some of America’s best bars crafting their art. To watch the world’s very best bartenders push a drink across the bar is…
NBA Draft is Tonight, But Rockets Real Draft Begins Monday
Hours before the start of the NBA Draft, one of the most anticipated nights for basketball fans, a large majority of those following the Rockets are yawning. At the moment, the Rockets do not have a pick in the first round of the draft — though that may change –…
Leon Russell at the House of Blues, 6/26/13
Leon Russell House of Blues June 26, 2013 So, Leon Russell played a show last night at the House of Blues, and being the terrific daughter that I am, I took my dad with me. He’s always loved ol’ Leon, and some of his best memories are of his old…
A T-Rex, an Investigation, and #SitDownWendy – Catching Up With the Filibuster Fallout
Forty-eight hours after Sen. Wendy Davis began the Great Texas Abortion Filibuster, the state has gathered its breath. Having spent nearly a full work day suffering through the largest Democratic victory Texas has known in years, Gov. Rick Perry promptly overrode Davis’s efforts — knowing the tea party, the man…
The Aspiring Me, Son Of Big Mello, Talks About Finding His Own Sound
Andrew Davis, also known by his rap alias The Aspiring Me, is a 24-year-old Missouri City native who is wise beyond his years. Being the son of Houston rap legend Big Mello, Davis has been exposed to the ways of the game and it helped him find what works for…
Best Poolside Wine? German Riesling, Baby!
As Americans’ perceptions of and relationship with fine wine continue to evolve, wine lovers in this country continue to expand the realm of fine wine and how they “apply” the increasing number of great labels that make it to their markets. Poolside, where “white Zin” and wine coolers once dominated…
Contemporary Works Take Over the Museum of Printing History
By name alone, the Museum of Printing History may seem like the last place you’d find contemporary work in the print field. But among the permanent displays that chronicle the history of printing can be found impressive works that experiment with the form and subject matter. So it is with…
Unpaid Traffic Fines Mean You Can’t Renew Your Car Registration in League City
There was a possibility that if you were caught speeding or blasting through that red light you could get away without paying the ticket you received. Sure, you would get a few phone calls, maybe an annoying letter or two and eventually a warrant, but that’s about the most the…
Doctor Who: 4 Modern Series Masterpieces Lifted From Classic Who
I’m filling my time waiting for the 50th Anniversary by doing a lot of reading and rewatching and relistening to the various Doctor Who adventures available to me. If you count the books, the Big Finish audio stories, and the episodes themselves there is approximately infinite Doctor Who to experience…
Top 10 Restaurants in Cypress
You’ve got to do some digging to find greatness in the ‘burbs, but I am tickled to say that there are some true gems in Cypress. Some are worth a significant drive, too. Two pairs of restaurants on the list are owned by the same people, so obviously they’re doing…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Picnic Spots
There are lots of great picnic spots around Houston. Before we give you a rundown of the top ten, we need to mention a few that didn’t make the list and why. The Arboretum, easily one of the nicest green spaces in the county, isn’t on the list because picnics…
Portugal. The Man Talk Texas, Danger Mouse, and What Their Name Means
Portugal. The Man are coming into town tonight, hot on the heels of their newest Danger-Mouse produced LP, Evil Friends. With positive reviews coming in from all over the interwebs, P.TM are enjoying bigger venues and larger crowds as a result. Just the other day, Rocks Off had the opportunity…
Weather Weekend: Could We Reach Triple Digits for the First Time This Year?
In case you had not left your home the last few days or have been in cryogenic freezing until just now — that’s weird — you probably noticed it has been hot outside. Like really hot. Yesterday, it was 98 degrees, like the boy band, but not quite as lame…
I Like Him But He’s Ugly. 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! IN LOVE WITH 2 WOMEN Dear Willie D: I’m coming to you because you’re like that…
Top 5 Trader Joe’s Desserts
Houston Trader Joe’s may be running low on Speculoos Cookie Butter, but there are plenty of other sweet treats available in abundance. Although desserts are one category of foods that I actually enjoy making myself from scratch, there are some too tempting to pass up at TJ’s. Here are my…
Half-off Savings at Last Concert Café, Kim Son, NAM: Noodles and More … and More!
Today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for half-off ($10 for $20) tasty Tex-Mex at Last Concert Café. Last Concert Café is Houston’s most historical Tex-Mex restaurant and live music venue, winning some pretty great awards over the years: “Best Hole in the Wall Restaurant” and “Place to Relive…
Who Wants to Adopt a Furry Friend for $17.76?
Courtesy of CAPThis dude deserves some independence! Here’s how you can make July Fourth’s fireworks even more spectacular: enjoy them with a new furry friend. And here’s how you can get said friend on the cheap: go to Citizens for Animal Protection July 1-7, and adopt a dog or cat…
Pop Rocks: Women Aren’t Watching Movies About Women
There has been quite a lot of grumbling lately about women’s role in film. The issue being that there are no women in film, as of late, and it’s pissing people off, although most of those people are women. Last week Linda Holmes, blogger for NPR and one of my…
Martina McBride Reflects on the Poetry of “Independence Day”
Like the heroine in her 1994 hit song “Independence Day,” Martina McBride has been also known to light up the sky. The country-pop star also known for “Wild Angels,” “A Broken Wing” and last year’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” admits she has a thing for fireworks. When she’s…
It’s Soft Shell Crab Season: Kata Robata Has The Hook Up
The only way I have ever enjoyed soft shell crab is plainly fried at a seafood restaurant, never at a sushi bar or Japanese restaurant. So finding out that Kata Robata Chef Manuba Horiuchi had created several dishes featuring soft shell crab instantly intrigued me. In advance of my visit,…
Debbie Riddle, Our Female Gohmert, Compares Pro-Choice Camp to Hitler
It’s no stretch to say Debbie Riddle is the female equivalent of Louie Gohmert. Both are the most notable proponents of the Terror Baby Theory, planting pregnant Hezbollah operatives just across the border. Both are aging Christianists with little interest in humility or discussion. Both are low-hanging fruit. There is…
A Look at the Music Side of the 2013 Houston Web Awards
Now that the winners of the 2013 Houston Web Awards are out of the bag, we’d like to take a minute to point out why we’re so darn enamored with our music-centric winners. From the Wild Moccasins and their retro-hip Facebook vibe to Shea Serrano’s utterly ridiculous Twitter feed, these…
The Future is Now at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Authorship. Originality. These are some, but of course not nearly all, of the things that usually come to mind when considering art — the conceit of the artist and that his or her unique vision gives meaning and value to the work. Now, get ready to turn all that on…
Like Pulled BBQ Chicken? Try This Sandwich
This is BRC Gastropub’s Pulled Backyard Barbecued Chicken Sandwich. And I can tell you it is one hell of a chicken sandwich, ya’ll. Seriously, I wish this is what went down in my backyard. It comes piled high with tender shredded meat that gets kick from a heavily-spiced but still…
2013 Crimesman Trophy: Aaron Hernandez Charged With Murder
College football fans of recent years will always remember October 15, 2005. It was an unbelievably scintillating afternoon of college football that included LSU knocking off Florida, an overtime thriller between West Virginia and Louisville, and the historic “Bush Push” game between USC and Notre Dame. It was a blizzard…
The Most Bizarre Tributes to Nicolas Cage Online
Nicolas Cage is… he’s sort of hard to define. I mean, if an alien landed on Earth and took my family hostage until I answered the question, “WHAT IS NICOLAS CAGE?” then, man, they would be so, so lasered. Nicolas Cage is like being on real world and bizarre world…
Z-Ro the Emo: His Most Passionate Songs, Part 2
In the second installment of Z-ro’s most emotional songs, we’ll take a glance back at some more of his woes with women, money and friends. Who else do we know that can sing so beautifully about feelings and give mean looks that can shake your soul? No one knows the…
The Heat Would Be More Likable If It Stopped Yelling Everything
If you’ve never seen Sandra Bullock blow a peanut shell out of her nose, and you’d like to, The Heat is your movie. That’s not meant sarcastically: It’s one of the highlights of this often dismal but occasionally inspired comedy from Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids, which pits Bullock’s hoity-toity…
Nautilus Live – Journey to the Ocean Floor
The odds are that most of us will never be rugged heroes of science who plumb the ocean depths looking for the answers to nature’s most well-hidden mysteries. Luckily, the Houston Museum of Natural Science brings us the next best thing with Nautilus Live — Journey to the Ocean Floor…
James Turrell: Master Of Illusion And The Light Inside
James Turrell has made light his stock in trade. He generates it, channels it and colors it to create stunning visual experiences that alter our perceptions in ways that range, depending on the viewer, from the hallucinatory to the spiritual. Fifty years ago, Turrell was cutting holes in the walls…
Houston’s Born Again Virgins Can’t Sit Still
James Red can’t stand still. The tall, bespectacled Born Again Virgins singer, whose hair matches his (assumed) last name, is pacing the upstairs landing of Rudyard’s back stairway, waiting to be the best Perry Farrell or Billy Idol he can be. Red’s eagerness to get down to the business of…
White House Down Is the Best Parody Since Team America
Surprising proof that Hollywood still can craft a memorable studio comedy, Roland Emmerich’s White House Down stands as a singular achievement in parody, its auteur’s intentions be damned. It’s not just a pitch-perfect attack on every risible plot point afflicting today’s all-exposition-and-explosions filmmaking, it’s also a mad liberal’s vision of…
Good Neighbors
ONLY IN HOUSTON House party or house show…which are you at? There’s a difference, just as there’s a difference between the Grand Canyon and a chuckhole. One inspires awe, creativity and a sense of oneness with humankind. The other is just a chuckhole. If Kid N’ Play is around, you’re…
Stay of Execution
SPACED CITY Going into the meeting of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation board last week, held in the glassy glory that is Reliant Stadium, there was a certain dread hanging in the air. (This is Houston, after all. The city where you so much as think something is…
Finally Discovering Down House
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT My first time at Down House was on a blind date. He lived in the Heights and I had never been, so it seemed perfect. Sometimes there’s just a connection, an instant attraction, a chemistry you can’t deny. And that’s how I felt…about Down House. Unfortunately, I can’t…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Call It Street Art, Call It Fine Art, Call It What You Know,” “Celestial,” “Late Surrealism,” “No Paint,” “Playback,” “Unwoven Light,” “Water’s Edge (Mizugiwa)”
“Call It Street Art, Call It Fine Art, Call It What You Know” In our time, there may be no art form more divisive than street art. For decades, the public has debated the merits of the genre — from the criminality of the act to the skill and creativity…
Capsule Stage Reviews: MBTV, Road Show
MBTV Under full disclosure, I must declare that there is no more talented musical theater quintet than this collective (Rebekah Dahl, Brad Scarborough, Cay Taylor, Kristina Sullivan and Luke Wrobel — veterans of the late, great Masquerade Theatre), and I would be happy as a clam just to sit and…
Neighborhood Pride and Ethnic Identity
Dear Mexican; I’m a U.S.-born Mexican that grew up part of my life in Tijuana. Why do Mexican-Americans from Santa Ana and South Gate always think they’re harder than the rest of us Mexicans, yet their neighborhoods are like a hundred times better than the colonia I grew up in? I…
The 2013 Houston Web Awards: The Best Of Online Houston
In 1996, a young reporter in Little Rock, Arkansas, ran into a problem with a grasshopper. The insect flew into the 27-year-old’s mouth, and all hell broke loose. The entire profanity-laced tirade was caught on camera, including an unintentionally hilarious change in his voice from deep baritone to what the…
Nobi Public House: A Very, Very, Very Fine House
‘You can get an egg on anything!” I told my seven-year-old daughter while perusing the menu at Nobi Public House. She’s a picky eater and altogether in favor of the current Portlandia-perfect food fetishization of the egg. She inquired, as she has been known to do, about egg-topped eggs with…
