Houston Girl Found Dead in Fridge, Say Reports
The body of a nine-year-old girl was kept in a refrigerator for six months, according to reports. Residents of the Happy Home Apartments in the 10100 block of Club Creek Drive were concerned about not having seen the girl in months, according to a Houston Police Department press release. A…
Five World Cup Players Fans Hate
Soccer is called the Beautiful Game. And it can be beautiful. But it’s also a game full of whiners and actors and cheaters. With the 2014 World Cup starting tomorrow, we decided to take a look at five players participating on soccer’s biggest stage, but who fans hate…
Cover Story: Houston’s Comics Convention Scene Is Back From the Dead
One day soon Houston may be mentioned in the same breath as San Diego and New York when it comes to go-to convention destinations for comics fans, Trekkies, Whovians, cosplayers and every other demographic that so openly celebrates its passions now that the nerds have won. The four-day Comicpalooza convention…
Reality Bites: The Real Housewives of Orange County
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. I last wrote about a Real Housewives franchise in 2011 (kill me). At the time, I was naive enough to think Bravo’s franchise series represented a low point in reality…
LSU Safety Jalen Mills Arrested for Allegedly Punching a Woman in the Mouth
There are two reasons I haven’t brought the Fantasy Crime League concept to the collegiate ranks yet: 1. The outstanding college football blog edsbs.com already gives out the Fulmer Cup each offseason for that exact purpose (to highlight frequent performance in the category of “crime”), and the last thing you…
5 Best Uses for Toasted Marshmallows (Besides in S’Mores)
What is it about the sweet charred carbon shell and gooey interior of a toasted marshmallow that is so intoxicating? Convention dictates that we should wedge it between a square of chocolate and graham crackers, but this burnt spongy cylinder has the ability to complement so many other dishes. Here…
Dad Deserves Brunch, Too; 5 Father’s Day Dishes w/ Bacon & Bourbon
Father’s Day is right around the corner (no really, it’s this Sunday). In case you forgot (again, you jerk), we’re sharing five swoon-worthy bacon and bourbon brunch dishes that would make any dad forget he has such shitty children. From bacon candy to a bacon-infused bourbon cocktail, here they are:…
Texas Ren Fest Brings Back Pocket Dragons Creator Real Musgrave for Its 40th Anniversary Poster
In order to specially commemorate its 40th anniversary, the Texas Renaissance Festival asked retired artist Real Musgrave, the creator of Pocket Dragons, to draw its poster this year. Longtime followers of Ren Fest may notice the poster’s similarities to the design used in 1982. A retired wizard and a princess…
Behind Culberson, Federal Funding for METRO Blocked (Updated)
Updated: This story was updated to include quotes and information provided by METRO Chairman Gilbert Garcia. A debate on Houston transit was settled Tuesday, mostly by people who don’t live here. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a transportation spending bill for fiscal 2015 Tuesday, 229-192, cutting off funding for…
Donald Sterling Revives His Lawsuit Against the NBA
One of these days, the Los Angeles Clippers will get sold. It may take an act of Congress, it may take an act of God, it may take a hit man to remove Donald Sterling as the annoying variable that he’s been for the last six weeks. But rest assured,…
Podcast: Should Adults Really Be Embarrassed to Read YA Novels?
The Fault in Our Stars made heaps of money at the box office, and film critics Alan Scherstuhl and Stephanie Zacharek wonder if a recent piece declaring that adults should feel ashamed to read young adult novels has any weight to it. They also talk about The Immigrant and film…
This Week in Food Blogs: Paella With Rice Krispies & Hot Dogs for Breakfast
Chewing and Reviewing: Eleven XI has a new summer menu and the folks of Chewing and Reviewing were the first diners to taste the offerings. They tried the Texas Turducken, quail stuffed with braised pork shank, pickled jalapeno and bacon, sitting on top of creamed corn. The couple capped it…
The Best Hidden Places in Texas for Road-Trippin’
Oh, there’s so much to see in Texas. From the white sands of the coastal shores to the deep canyons on down, our state has so much to offer. And while everyone knows about some of our more national attractions — Big Bend, South Padre Island and so on –…
Group Talks Multibillion Coastal Barrier We Hope We Don’t Need (but Probably Do)
Earlier this month the Bay Area Coastal Protection Alliance met to discuss a plan that would keep us (and our energy industry) from going underwater in the event of a catastrophic storm surge. Unfortunately, according to storm watchers, the Gulf Coast is likely to get hit by a major storm…
Dear Artisan Toast Craze: Please Don’t Come to Houston
Houston tends to be a little late to the game, food-trend-wise. The whole food truck-trend didn’t really take off here until 2011, long after the gourmet meal on wheels had become popular in places like Los Angeles and New York. We’re still going gaga over cupcakes, a trend that felt…
Failure’s Unlikely Reunion: “It’s Like a Whole New Audience”
For 17 years, the story of Failure was thought to be written; finished. The L.A. alternative-rock band produced three albums’ worth of carefully layered, atmospheric heaviness that was an uncomfortable fit for the grunge-dominated early ’90s. After scoring a minor alt-rock hit with “Stuck On You” and joining the final…
Beyond the Cape Codder: 5 Best Cranberry Cocktails
Not that I have anything against vodka and cranberry, for when paired these ingredients make a fine albeit one-dimensional cocktail. Tart and sweet cranberry is so much more versatile as a mixer. Here are five other mixed drinks that really showcase its flavor prowess: 5. Scarlet O’Hara. It’s been a…
Why We’re Sad that Joffrey’s Dead & Other Villains We Miss
Sometimes we need the bad guys. Even though we hate them… I have to wonder… do we secretly love them because they bring the drama to the show? Popular reality series like MTV’s The Challenge have become more like a regular TV series than a typical reality show and the…
Ratings Show Houston Devours World Cup Action (in 2 Languages)
It seems like almost yesterday we were right there coming down with soccer fever like the rest of the world. But then we remembered, that was four years ago. Man, time flies, doesn’t it? And now we’re back. The anticipation was killing us anyway. Check out: The Best Spots to…
Happy 90th Birthday, George Bush Sr.: A Rousing R&B Salute
A Celebration of Blues and Soul: The 1989 Presidential Inaugural Concert Directed by David Deutsch Shout! Factory, 120 min., $19.98 “Tonight is not a night for politics,” says a well-coiffed man at the microphone with an unmistakable Southern drawl at the beginning of this concert. “Tonight is the night for…
NASA Sends Angry Birds to an Asteroid
There are plenty of questions about whether or not NASA will ever send actual astronauts to an asteroid, but in the meantime, the agency has worked with Rovio Entertainment to give Angry Birds a little asteroid exposure. Yep, the duo that brought the world Angry Birds Space got together again…
Rest of the Best 2014: Houston’s 10 Best Chicken-Fried Steaks
Growing up, chicken-fried steak was my favorite meal. I always requested it on my birthday and when my family dined at Luther’s BBQ (may it rest in peace), there was no doubt in my mind I would order the CFS with crispy onion strings, corn and Texas toast. Ask any…
3 Horrible Truths Pro-Vaccination People Have to Admit
First off, let me be absolutely clear here. I am extremely pro-vaccination because they work and work well. Contrary to the links you’ll find in comments at the end of this story there is no scientific debate on that subject. Widespread vaccination is the best way to combat some of…
Austin Weirdos The Hard Pans Know From “Mount Bullshit”
The Hard Pans do just about what their quizzical name implies. To quote Mike Stinson, “they scratch and cuss and fight and moan,” hoping to get by in this crazy, confusing, mixed-up maze people call a business. In the eternal quest for gas money and beer, they’ll bring a new…
Georgia Rockers the Whigs Uphold Hometown’s Vibrant Legacy
There is one thing that rock trio the Whigs would like the general music public to know: the Athens, Ga.-based group has nothing to do with the ’80s/’90s (and since-reunited) alt-rock band of a similar name, albeit with the addition of a certain well-known central/south Asian country in the moniker…
The 10 Best Reasons Rick Ross Won’t Play Houston
Good ol’ Rick Ross didn’t bother to show up for a Houston concert — yet again. This time it was at Houston Beer Fest. Last time? Bayou Music Center. The time before? Hell, does it even matter? The bottom line is Ross must have some sort of reason he keeps…
Our Bats May Be Cleared of Killer Fungus
We like bats here in Houston. So it’s good news to us that researchers in Texas have given the ugly little guys the all-clear as far as the fatal white-nose syndrome goes. The disease was first found in New York about seven years ago and has been making a move…
Texans Player Diagnosed With Lymphoma
Sometimes, professional football players are so athletic to the point they seem superhuman. Sadly, that isn’t true. The Texans placed offensive tackle David Quessenberry on the NFL’s Non-Football Illness List Tuesday after Quessenberry was diagnosed with lymphoma…
Was June 1984 the Greatest Movie Month Ever?
1984 is often cited as one of the greatest years for movies. Not just because so many films released that year are considered genre classics, but because they’re also eminently rewatchable. It’s an important consideration. For while 1939 is usually singled out as The Greatest Year for Movies ever, how…
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch Is a Fantasy Crime League Near Miss in Club Brawl
As the inventor of the NFL Offseason Fantasy Crime League, I like to respect its integrity. In actual fantasy football, there are no reports or embedded highlight videos of the near scoring misses. Nobody has a stat line for the number of times a running back is snubbed at the…
First Look at Gelazzi: Gelato in the Heights
When I studied abroad in Italy three years ago, grabbing a daily scoop of gelato in the scorching hot summer afternoons was a necessity. Just about every single street had a stand selling the frozen Italian treats. Now that we are entering the hotter portion of the summer in Houston,…
The 5 Most Terrifying Things in The Last of Us (That Happen Off-Screen)
The first time you play through The Last of Us you spend every moment jumping at shadows and running terrified from crazed bandits and fungus-based murder mutants and did anyone else just realize this game is a gritty Super Mario Bros. remake! All joking aside, it’s probably going to be…
HISD Magnets Get One More Week to Plead Their Case, Teachers to Get a New Set of Evaluation Rules
Members of the Houston ISD community upset about proposed changes in funding for magnet programs throughout the district will have one more week to marshal their persuasive skills and move trustees away from the changes proposed by Superintendent Terry Grier. Board President Juliet Stipeche on Monday morning pulled the item…
H-Town StrEATs Launches a Kickstarter Campaign to Bring Doughnuts (and Hugs) to Houston
Back when the idea was first germinating, Houston wasn’t up on the whole gourmet doughnut thing. We had the old standbys like B&B Donuts, Shipley and Christie’s, and some forays into the wilder side of fried dough with River Oaks Donuts and Pena’s Donut Heaven (home of our local version…
Jim Nolan’s “Apropos of Nothing” Explores His Demon Imp Side
The name Art Palace may suggest royalty but its current exhibition is determinedly lowbrow, in fact, refreshingly so. Jim Nolan is enamored of the plastic flowers found in Dollar Stores, and makes good use of them in this, his second solo show at Art Palace. Nolan can paint beautifully when…
Taste-Testing Summer Beer Cocktails at Yard House
Yard House is known for having more than 125 beers on tap, but this summer you should consider ordering one of the new beer cocktails. Each location features six new alcoholic drinks made from a beer on tap plus a slew of liqueurs and bitters. The new beer cocktails include…
Game Show Follies: Family Feud Survey Responders Are a Bunch of Pervs
Certain game shows stand the test of time. The Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, they’ve all seen different hosts come and go (although each has its own iconic “Michael Jordan” level host associated historically with the show), and all continue to thrive and survive in either early morning…
Houston Ballet Dazzles With Stanton Welch’s Version of Swan Lake
The Setup: Few ballets are as well-known as Swan Lake the Russian ballet made famous by Marius Petipa’s and Lev Ivanov’s 1895 revival. Stanton Welch staged his version with Houston Ballet in 2006; inspired by John William Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shallott, his Swan Lake takes its aesthetic from the…
Pop Rocks: Why Am I Keeping Up With the Kardashians?
On Saturday morning, waiting for breakfast to be prepared inside a lovely beach house on South Padre Island, my friend Rudy and I sat in front of the TV, partly killing time, partly relaxing on a long weekend away from home. In a scene not dissimilar from Tommy Boy when…
The Rocks Off 200: Bowen Lyons, Keeper of the Trimms’ Groove
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Sometimes you…
Bartender Chat: Shafer Hall of Mongoose vs. Cobra on Shots and Beers and Redheads
If you’ve ever been to Mongoose vs. Cobra, the funky beer bar across from Leon’s in Midtown, you probably already know Shafer Hall. The affable redhead is there all the time, mixing cocktails, pouring beers and chatting with anyone with an interesting word to say. Hall is a partner in…
Houston Right-to-Life Group Sues Senator Over Radio Ads
State Senator Robert Deuell is being sued by Houston-based Texas Right to Life because according to court papers the Greenville senator had his lawyers try and stop radio ads the pro-life group was airing against him. First some background. Deuell, who is a doctor, had introduced SB 303, a bill…
100 Creatives 2014: Courtney Sandifer, Filmmaker, Actor, Writer
What She Does: It might actually be easier to list what Courtney Sandifer doesn’t do. The short answer is that she makes films, but the long answer is that she has been involved in damn near every aspect of filmmaking you could possibly imagine. Houston horror fans will probably know…
Get Ready to Welcome the 346
In some circles, area codes are those self-identifying numeric IDs that really let people know where you’re from. Anyone repping that 713? But seriously, when was the last time you actually met someone who gave you a 713 number? The Public Utility Commission said Houston would require a new area…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 90, Barbecued Salmon Salad at Brooks Family BBQ
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
Super Bowl Bid Document Shows How Much Houston Had to Promise to Get Super Bowl LI
“The Super Bowl is the NFL’s championship game and our most important opportunity to celebrate with our teams, fans, and business partners. For the host region, it is also an economic engine that can accelerate the development of local infrastructure improvements, enhance community pride, and generate hundreds of millions of…
Wait…When Did Houston Beer Fest Become a Music Festival?
Houston Beer Fest: It’s not just for beer-induced dehydration anymore. It seems that while people were busy side-eying the folks over at Houston Beer Fest for the antics that happened in years prior — overcrowding, oversold tickets, lack of beer, etc. — something kind of amazing happened: they started giving…
UPDATED: The Best Spots to Watch the World Cup (and Toast to Every Goal) in Houston
Update: After we posted this story on Tuesday, you (our lovely readers) and a number of local businesses reached out to us to tell us we neglected to mention several other bars and restaurants that are showing the World Cup. While we can’t guarantee we’re going to name every single…
The 10 Best Nerd-Themed Instructibles for Your Crafty Side
Hey, so are you obsessed with all things geek? Good. So are we. We love geek culture, from Avatar “A” to Zelda “Z.” In fact, we love nerdy nerd stuff so much that we wanted to know how to create our own nerd paraphernalia. Luckily, Instructables, the old school website…
In the Spirit of Giving, Houston Appreciation Weekend Kicks Off
Somewhere in Europe, Houston Appreciation Weekend was born. Drake’s tour manager, Jamil Davis, says the Toronto rapper was still traveling for his Would You Like A Tour? tour when he decided he wanted to have a special event in Houston, the city he holds close to his heart. (See: “November…
Upcoming: 10,000 Maniacs, Dokken, Kathy Valentine, Plies, Rx Bandits, Sheena Easton, etc.
10,000 Maniacs: With Emily Elbert., Sat., July 19, 7:30 p.m., $98 to $138. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N., Spring, 281-367-3774. 3 Peace: Sat., June 28, 8 p.m., Free. Baker Street Pub & Grill, 5510 Morningside, Houston, 713-942-9900. ’80s Party: Sat., June 28, 8 p.m., Free. Baker St. Pub & Grill…
Five Songs Much Darker Than You Remember
“Darkness” is a term that doesn’t always go over so well among mainstream audiences. For those of us into more experimental works of art or just inherently more extreme forms of music like metal, it comes with those genres’ very nature. But in pop literature, film and music? Darkness is…
Former NBA Player Joe Smith Raps Angry Reply to Justin Bieber
Stardom is weird. I’ve interviewed hundreds of athletes and dozens of entertainers, and roughly 91.2 percent of the time (estimated), it seems like athletes want to be actors/musicians and actors/musicians wish they were athletes. The moral of the story is twofold — 1) there are way too many entertainment millionaires…
Dominic Walsh Says Good-Bye to Houston…for Now
Houston’s arts community was stunned on Friday when CultureMap announced choreographer Dominic Walsh was suspending the 2014-2015 season for his company, the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater. Walsh later released a statement confirming that he would be taking a sabbatical, saying, “”This sabbatical will give me the chance to explore other…
The Maestro at Eatsie Boys Cafe
I am beginning to think the law of diminishing utility does not apply to cheesesteaks. Less than 24 hours after my very good experience with the Big Kahuna from Jersey Mike’s Subs I was already craving another cheesesteak. A positive comment from an EOW reader regarding the cheesesteak at Eatsie…
When Elephant Yoga Isn’t Enough
You know obesity is still a problem in America when it affects animals in our zoos. Elephant yoga just isn’t enough to help pregnant Tess, an Asian elephant over at the Houston Zoo, shave off the pounds. According to the Houston Chronicle, the pachyderm needs to shave some 500 pounds…
Game of Thrones: “Nothing Makes the Past a Sweeter Place to Visit than the Prospect of Imminent Death.”
Jeez, I take a week off and all this happens: fan fave Prince Oberyn took a night train to the Big Adios courtesy of the Mountain, the Hound tells everyone (well, the guards at the Eyrie) Arya is alive and well, Sansa announces her true identity to the nobles of…
No Rick Ross, But Houston Beer Fest Is a Go Anyway
Just before 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Houston Beer Fest announced that Rick Ross would be “unable to perform…due to a medical emergency” via Facebook and Twitter. The Mississippi-born William Leonard Roberts II, better known by his stage name, has made a habit of canceling shows in Houston, last abandoning two stops…
Gay “Reparative” Therapy: As Idiotic Now as It Was When We Wrote About It Ten Years Ago
In 2004, a southwest Houston man named Christopher told the Houston Press how he had cured his homosexuality with the help of a “reparative therapy” group called Exodus Ministries. The 37-year-old man had never slept with a woman — you know, because of all the gay sex — but he…
Dish of the Week: Baklava
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. See the complete list of recipes at the end of this post. This week, we’re looking indulging our sweet tooth with a Middle Eastern specialty: baklava. Baklava is a sweet pastry…
Saint Arnold Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary: Beef, Bands and Lots of Brews
It was a hot and steamy evening this past Saturday as crowds gathered to party at the Saint Arnold brewery and taste the new 20th Anniversary Ale, but the temperatures didn’t stop folks from dancing the night away in front of the festive loading dock. Of course, all the cold…
Little Dragon at Fitzgerald’s, 6/8/2014
Little Dragon Fitzgerald’s June 8, 2014 Fans packed Fitzgerald’s Sunday night as the sweltering venue hosted Little Dragon, supporting their fourth studio album, Nabuma Rubberband. The Swedish electro-pop group has been playing together for many years, which was easy to see in their cohesion and fluidity. Throughout the night, the…
The Intrepid Side of Psophonia Dance Company
The Setup: Intrepid, Psophonia Dance Company’s spring show performed this past weekend on June 6 and 7 at City Dance Studio, is an appropriate title for this endeavor. The company usually performs feature-length entirely choreographed by artistic director Sophia Torres, but for their latest concert, the dancers took on the…
Johnny Manziel Floating on an Inflatable Swan With a Champagne Bottle
I am an unabashed Johnny Manziel guy. You know this. I mean, it’s not secret. So when Jadeveon Clowney’s name was called with the first pick in the NFL Draft, I was disappointed. Not angry. I had prepared myself for that moment. I was just disappointed. But when Manziel began…
Checking Up on the Crumbling Mansions of Riverside Terrace
Remember the crumbling old mansions in Riverside Terrace? Well, good luck finding them. It seems that the folks in the area, which was once brimming with dilapidated old mansions, have been shining things up. There’s always been something just a bit more special about that old neighborhood known as Riverside…
Mixtape Monday: Another Album Teaser From Kirko Bangz, etc.
Saturday, for the first time to our knowledge since 2011, my best friends all found themselves occupying the same space and time as one another. I know it sounds sappy, but certain questions and answers don’t come up when in the company of friends. You leave work alone; you talk…
First Look at Regal Seafood: Watch This Chef Carve a Duck
If you’re looking for a new place to sample Cantonese cuisine, venture out of the loop to Stafford and visit the new Regal Seafood (12350 Southwest Fwy, Stafford, TX) restaurant. Owned by the same people who opened up E-Tao in the Galleria, Regal quietly opened a few months ago on…
For Houston Cougar Baseball, the Future Is Very Bright
Perhaps it was the rigged bidding process that allowed the Texas Longhorns to host the games despite a worse record than UH’s. Perhaps it was playing its last 17 games of the season on the road. Perhaps it was just the final result of playing one of the country’s toughest…
Alongside at Barbara Davis Gallery Offers Domestic and International Art
The Barbara Davis Gallery’s exhibition of Alongside, a group showing of nine artists, is international indeed, with some Houston artists joined by artists from New York, Sweden, Denmark, and an Israeli-born artist now residing in Providence, RI. Dominating the entrance room in the sleekly-modern gallery is a semi-rustic painting “Snowcanoes”…
Beyond Iced Tea: 5 Best Drinks Traditionally Served Hot Just As Good Cold
The sweaty season is upon us and when rehydrating I can’t stand anything warmer than room temperature (of your average apartment during winter in Siberia). Just because the weather calls for chilled drinks doesn’t mean certain beverages are off-limits; here are five beverages usually served hot that taste just as…
Hair Balls Viral Video Box Set, Early June Edition
Monday morning is a time for two things — assessing what you accomplished (or didn’t) over the weekend, and commencing time wasting by watching viral videos. Before we get to the latter, I decided to do a little bit of the former. I knew that I watched a LOT of…
The Most Underrated Breakfast in Houston…According to You
They say it’s the most important meal of the day. As someone who rarely takes the time to eat breakfast and is doing fairly well in life, I don’t think I buy that. It is, however, the most delicious meal of the day. French toast, omelets, pancakes, hash browns, bacon,…
Is Texas Too Red for Raising Daughters?
I write a fair amount of articles for the Houston Press that deal with having a progressive attitude when raising a daughter. Know what the comment I see the most often under those stories is… “Wow, hard to believe this guy is from Texas.” Some mean that as a compliment,…
Five Things You May Not Know About 45-Year-Old IAH
Time flies, doesn’t it? This weekend, George Bush Intercontinental Airport celebrated its 45th birthday. It’s an international hub for the Bayou City, bringing people from around the world to Houston (sometimes for things other than tourism, we imagine). In honor of the airport named after the 41st president, here are…
The 15 Best Songs We Heard in May
“Collard Greens,” Schoolboy Q If you enjoy beats that conjure images of huddled, bouncing basketball teams moments before tip-off, you’ll enjoy “Collard Greens.” If you also enjoy raps about having game, money and weed, you’ll return for a second helping. And, if you want to hear Schoolboy Q’s Black Hippy…
Kanye West Always Soars Highest, Even at the X Games
It’s not the fact that lots of people seem to hate Kanye West that’s interesting, it’s that they seem to hate him the most when he does what we all wish we could. I mean, if any of your friends spoke truth to power, called out the establishment on their…
The Five Best Concerts in Houston This Week: Rusty Shackle, Black Joe Lewis, Failure, etc.
DJ Sun The Flat, June 9 On last year’s One Hundred — amazingly, his first-ever full-length release — DJ Sun pours his 20-plus-year career as one of Houston’s most in-demand DJs into a seamless work that never lulls, never lags and maintains an unshakably mellow groove throughout. Its intricately laid-back…
Texas Patient Dies of Mad Cow Variant, but Officials Say Not to Worry
State and federal health officials have confirmed that a Texas patient has died of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare and fatal brain disorder “associated with beef consumption overseas.” “There are no Texas public health concerns or threats associated with this case,” the Texas Department of State Health Services posted on…
USS Texas Is a Reminder of D-Day Glory
If you want to thank a veteran on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, head to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. That’s where the USS Texas rests as a museum ship. The 573-foot-long battleship is one of only six remaining ships to have been a…
More MetroRail Work, Less Red Line This Weekend
It won’t be a good weekend for hopping on the MetroRail. The Red Line will shut down tonight starting at 8 p.m., with no service between the Downtown Transit Center and the Northline Transit Center, according to Metro. Options for getting around include the 700 rail shuttle bus, which will…
The Ultimate Hot Sauce Taste Test
There’s evidence that people in the Amazon basin were eating chili peppers as much as 6,100 years ago. Shortly thereafter, from what we can tell, native South Americans began domesticating the plant with the fiery hot fruit. They weren’t content to simply forage for it. They needed it at all…
What’s in Fashion: Rihanna Bares All, Coolest Lookbook Ever
Lots of breaking fashion news hits the interwebs and I don’t want you to miss one bit of it. So, I present some of the biggest headlines each week for your reading pleasure. Click and enjoy!…
What’s the Deal With Upper Kirby?
Nearly every evening I run up and down Kirby Drive, taking in the sights (elderly couples ambling into Carrabba’s; valets standing around bored in West Ave), the sounds (car horns honking as drivers make abrupt right turns into the Whole Foods parking lot) and the smells (garlic, fry oil, diesel…
Film Podcast: In Defense of Seth MacFarlane
Filmmaker Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West hit theaters recently and on this week’s Voice Film Club podcast, the Village Voice Voice’s Alan Scherstuhl and Stephanie Zacharek, with L.A. Weekly’s Amy Nicholson, talk about his generally offensive body of work. Also on this week’s pod: reviews…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Edge of Tomorrow
Title: Edge of Tomorrow This Is About Alien Invasion? Sounds Like a Soap Opera. Agreed, the original title (All You Need Is Kill) was much snappier. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: Four Punxsutawney Phils out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Advertising flack attempts to blackmail his way…
We Could All Use a Bit of Borgore in Our Lives, Even You Grown Folks
Borgore Stereo Live June 5, 2014 It was right about the time that Borgore dropped the modern brostep classic that is Skrillex’s remix of Nero’s “Promises” that I found myself on the second level of Stereo Live thinking about young-adult novels. I realize this is a weird thing to be…
Who Inspects the City’s Buildings? You Do.
After a garage collapse earlier this week near the Galleria area, a local report looked at Houston’s policy for building inspections. If you’re wondering what the policy is, well, you’re it. That’s right, according to Alvin Wright, a city public works spokesman, folks like us and building owners are responsible…
Food With Soul at Soul Cat Cuisine
“It’s the oldest food in Houston,” Robert Stokes told me, without any hint of sarcasm in his voice. I laughed anyway. “She thinks I’m kidding,” he said, seemingly flabbergasted. “This gumbo and red beans and rice got my people through slavery! You better believe me! It’s the real deal.” Stokes,…
Good People Weighs the Odds of Hard Work and Luck
Editor’s Note: SPOILER ALERT, some of the twists and turns of the play are revealed in this review so stop reading if you like surprises. The set-up: “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” asks Glinda, a very good witch. “Why, I’m not a witch at all,” answers…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Every Day Should Be National Doughnut Day
National Doughnut Day @ Dunkin’ Donuts Friday, all day All locations You may not know this, but National Doughnut Day is always celebrated on the first Friday in June, and that is today. Of course, any day is a good day to have a doughnut, but Dunkin’ Donuts wants to…
Houston Not a City For Young Creatives, Says New List
Last week PolicyMic, a website dedicated to the millennial generation, posted a list entitled “15 Cities for Creative 20-Somethings That Aren’t New York or Los Angeles.” The list includes some obvious choices, Ashville, NC, Portland, OR, and Nashville, TN, among others. A glaring omission from the list is our very…
One Person Died in Smuggling Operation Involving Houston Woman
A Houston woman who allegedly got into a car crash escaping the Border Patrol admitted this week to a federal judge that she was helping smuggle nine undocumented immigrants. One person died as a result of the crash. Karin Aguilar-Melgor, 22, was the driver of a pickup that carried the…
Upcoming Events: Barbecue & Bourbon Go Together Like Cookies & Milk
Get your tickets to this five-course barbecue dinner at Killen’s BBQ before they are all gone. Jim Beam and Ronnie Killen have teamed up to bring Barbecue & Bourbon, a cocktail-paired barbecue dinner. The event takes place on Wednesday, June 11, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. reception, followed by the…
100 Creatives 2014: Lloyd Gite, Gallery Owner
A trip to Africa in 1976 set Lloyd Gite on the road to owning an art gallery. At the time, Gite had just finished his undergrad studies in journalism and was about to start a grad program, so becoming an art gallery owner wasn’t part of Gite’s plan. “I went…
The Five Best Ways to See George Strait This Weekend
George Strait trivia time: do you know the second-to-last place King George will have ever played as a regular touring artist? If you had the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo Thursday night, you win, but sadly we still can’t help you get tickets to the grand finale tomorrow night in Arlington’s…
Houston Traffic Sucks But Isn’t the Worst, Study Finds
We reported earlier this week on the Greater Houston Partnership’s desire to make Houston seem cool. Marketing campaigns might be able to do a lot, but they can’t change the reality of Houston traffic: There’s tons of it. Navigation systems manufacturer Tomtom released its Americas Traffic Index June 4. According…
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Art by Moe Profane, Jazz on Film, the Last Production at the Alley (For Now) and More
Artist Moe Profane is a self-described recovering Catholic, cancer survivor and heart disease patient. Building on the idea that “nothing is sacred because nothing is absolute,” Profane’s art is filled with forthright candor. That’s plainly seen in his work in the exhibit “Moe Profane: Nihilism and Nanner Puddin,” which is…
Houston’s 10 Best Music Photographers
Remember when Rocks Off told you we were holding a contest to determine Houston’s best music photographer? It only seems like it was before photography itself was invented. (Here’s the link, in case you think we’re making it up.) Turns out quite a few of you think you fit that…
Adventures in Instagram: Arian Foster Misses Andre Johnson
Do we all miss Andre Johnson? Sure. Would life be much more pleasant if Andre Johnson were a part of it? Of course. Andre Johnson is one of those things that always make every wacky scenario they’re involved with better. Like pizza or midgets. But he’s not here. Well, he’s…
Openings & Closings: Upper Kirby is Getting a Face Lift
It’s been a sad past few weeks for the Upper Kirby restaurant scene. Brio Tuscan Grille (3029 Kirby) shuttered just after Cafe Express, Roak, Hendrick’s Pub and OTC Patio Bar, all in the same area, closed. Swamplot reports that a moving crew arrived on Sunday, June 1, to pack everything…
Why Can’t We Let Dead Musicians Be Dead?
Recently you may have seen Michael Jackson on television, despite the fact that Michael Jackson has been dead for five years now. Through the use of hologram technology, his corpse has essentially been dug up and plastered on our TV screens, with herky-jerky movements and backing music crafted posthumously from…
39 Annoying Things Local Bands Do: A Rebuttal
Some years back, a venue in St. Louis called the Creepy Crawl (um…OK) decided to post a list online of 39 annoying things local bands do. I’m not sure how they came to 39. Maybe they ran out before getting to 40. Maybe they were trying to be clever. Whatever…
The 10 Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Ume, Houston Beer Fest, Little Dragon, etc.
Ume Fitzgerald’s, June 6 Former Houstonians Ume have been threatening a national breakthrough for a few years now, advancing to the finals of a Rolling Stone “choose the cover” contest in 2011, but it’s just a matter of time, really. The now Austin-based trio excels at both aggressive riff-rockers and…
Jazz on Film
With the latest Jazz on Film series, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents three weekends of boppin’ documentaries, concerts, animated flicks and feature films, some rarely seen other than in grainy bootleg versions. “Like cinema, jazz has been an ever-evolving mix of different elements and influences,”- says series curator…
Orpheus in the Underworld
We all know the story of Orpheus, a husband who lost his wife and went to the underworld to find her. That’s Orpheus. Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld isn’t quite the same story. A comic opera, Orpheus in the Underworld satirizes the Greek drama, state censorship, the flimsiness of…
The Little Mermaid
Theatre Under The Stars will be producing the stage version of The Little Mermaid at the Hobby Center in June, and is whetting the audience’s appetite with a screening of the animated film that started it all, Disney’s 1989 The Little Mermaid. Disney has taken the powerful metaphor of the…
Big the Musical
The charming, critically acclaimed 1988 movie Big starring Tom Hanks was made into a Broadway musical in 1996, but failed to find an audience. Big the Musical was much revised for a national tour, and has since become a huge hit, with both critical and audience acclaim. As in the…
Swan Lake
Natalie Portman may have gone mad in her preparation for the part of Odette/Odile in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, but Swan Lake is actually one of the most loved ballets in the classic repertory. “I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to dance the lead in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake,”…
“Jim Seigler: My Life With The Circus”
Be transported to another time and place at the “Jim Seigler: My Life With The Circus” art exhibit. In the 1950s, Seigler was a designer for Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus and he kept his costume and set sketches and drawings from that time. About six years ago, Dennis…
Chrys Grummert’s “Linear Layers”
G Gallery presents an exhibition of work by artist Chrys Grummert, “Linear Layers.” This is Grummert’s second solo show with G Gallery, and the canvases are described by G Gallery as “delightfully colorful, optical, reductive and casual.” Grummert, who lives in Wimberley, Texas, layers colors one on top of the…
Summer Movies Don’t Have to Suck
The phrase “summer movies” will never not mean broad, action-driven crowd-pleasers to me: I counted the days until Batman (June 23, 1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (July 3, 1991), and Jurassic Park (June 11, 1993) were released. For every Dark Knight there are 10 Prometheuses — and that’s just among…
Good People
In its final production on the Neuhaus Stage, before everything is packed up and moved over to the University of Houston for a year while home base is being retrofitted, the Alley Theatre presents David Lindsay Abaire’s Good People, a bitingly funny and ultimately serious look at the class divide…
Again and Again, 22 Jump Street‘s Lord and Miller Turn Crap Ideas Into Movie Gold
When Phil Lord and Chris Miller pitched their idea for a 21 Jump Street movie, a film everyone thought was, at best, a moronic moneymaker, they had one bold proposal: “What if the twist is that we try to make it really good?” says Lord. “That’s basically a summary of…
Trust Me’s Clark Gregg: “There Is This Barbarism Inherent in the American Dream.”
Multi-hyphenate actor Clark Gregg understands that hard work and perseverance don’t necessarily pay off in Hollywood. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1992, the star of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has directed two feature films and scripted three, none of which are the work he’s best known for. Gregg knows…
22 Jump Street’s Funny Enough — Except for the Tired Gay Jokes
One of the biggest selling points of 21 Jump Street, the 2012 TV-remake comedy, turned out to be its seemingly unscripted lunacy, the way it put Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in police-shorts outfits and let them riff on their characters’ mutual ineptitude. Sometimes you need a little flapdoodle, and…
The Fault in Our Stars: A Grand YA Novel Doesn’t Soar Onscreen
Cancer, so costly in real life, can be thrown around pretty cheaply in fiction, which is why most cautious readers and moviegoers are wary of it as a plot element. Call it the Love Story syndrome. But the presence of mortal illness has always been a staple of romantic melodrama,…
Limited Reception
There’s still one kind of dread that today’s genre filmmakers can reliably stir up: that fear that everything we’ve been watching onscreen is going to be upended by some last-minute twist, that all the clues and portents we’ve puzzled over will be swept away in favor of some revelation so…
Dragon Ball
If you ever have days when you prefer animals to human beings, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is your kind of movie. In some ways the second entry in this animated franchise is inferior to the first, released in 2010: The plot is needlessly busy, and much of the…
Preservons La Creation (Let’s Preserve the Creation)
In Texas, vying for the title of biggest anything is a common pursuit, though it is likely to involve cattle, produce or the size of a draft beer rather than anything particularly artistic. That’s why UP Art Studio — under the direction of founder Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau — has…
Extremely Shorts Film Festival
Local filmmaker Stephanie Saint Sanchez once told us that one reason she liked the short film format was if the film was bad, you didn’t have to wait too long for it to be over, and if it was good, you could watch it again right away. If experience is…
Jodorowsky’s Last Wig-Out — The Dance of Reality — May Be His Best
The grand old dirty pope of midnight-movie voodoo and post-’60s turn-on, drop-out mythopoeia returns with a vengeance, in his autumnal phase and with, surprise, a personal look backward at his own childhood. The Dance of Reality may be Alejandro Jodorowsky’s best film, and certainly, in a filmography top-heavy with freak-show…
Where to Brunch in the Washington Corridor
Top Five In Houston, we’re pretty serious about our brunch. Whether it be migas and breakfast tacos or chicken and waffles and loaded Bloody Marys, we have no shortage of awesome spots to get our brunch on. Keeping later hours and killer cocktails in mind, we’ll be taking a look…
Pride Beats Hate as City Council Passes HERO Ordinance
Highlights from Hair Balls Spaced City They said no. They screamed it. Protesters yelled in front of City Hall last week, in opposition to legislation for a Houston equal rights ordinance. “We say no,” the protesters repeated. A few women, serving as reverb, chanted, “God says no.” “ERO” adorned their…
How Do Today’s Surf-and-Sand Hits Rank Against Yesterday’s?
Pop Life I’ve never been a fan of the beach. My family is about it, though, so sometime this summer I’ll be sitting someplace that smells worse than a Red Lobster Dumpster introducing new grains of sand to my ass crack. My parents were from Galveston, but they hated the…
Capsule Art Reviews: June 5, 2014
“Jim Seigler: My Life With the Circus” Jim Seigler began designing for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the early 1950s. He designed sets, floats and costumes, but there’s much more — Seigler is also an accomplished ceramicist and a sensitive portrait artist. Hyde Park Gallery presents…
Capsule Stage Reviews: June 5, 2014
BAT BOY: the Musical A made-up tabloid article about a boy who grew up living in a cave inspired this musical, about a mutant half-boy/half-bat. It has an embeddded element of high camp, and has gained a cult following, winning the Lucille Lortel award in 2001 as Best Off-Broadway musical…
Business and Fashion
Dear Mexican, I am a Mexican who owns a successful wholesale liquidation business, which happens to be an industry dominated by Jews and Asians and some gringos. So why does almost everyone, including mexicanos, who visits my warehouse think my business, or any successful business, for that matter, is always…
The Five Best New Food Trucks in Houston 2014
Even before it opens for the afternoon, the food truck starts to draw a crowd. Even on a Wednesday at 2 p.m. Even in the rain. Even in Montrose, where there’s a restaurant on nearly every block. The crowd is an odd mix of people. There are families with babies…
Pugon de Manila Is Authentic Filipino Food for Those Looking to Try New Things
Initially, the waitress refused to serve me. “This one?” she asked, pointing to a dark brown stew in a chafing dish behind the counter. “That one,” I said. We went back and forth like this for a while. Are you sure? Yes, I’m sure. Really? Really. You want this? I…
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Fills the Stage With Vivid Characters
Christopher Durang has been good to off-Broadway, providing it with a string of well-received comedic plays — and off-Broadway has responded with eager audiences and critical acceptance. Now fate has launched Durang into the heady, rarified and expensive atmosphere of Broadway. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike began at…
Edge of Tomorrow Is a Classic War Movie Crossbred With a Looney Tune
In 1986, peaceniks were mad at Tom Cruise. That year, the Navy thanked Top Gun for boosting enlistment another 20,000 recruits. Since then, he’s made more critiques of military than advertisements, most of which (Lions for Lambs, Born on the Fourth of July, The Last Samurai, Valkyrie) j’accuse bad leadership…
