Craig Ackerman, Radio Voice of Rockets, Loses Both Parents in Sugar Land Crash
Sad day in Rocketland: The parents of the team’s radio voice, Craig Ackerman, were killed in a one-car crash in Sugar Land yesterday afternoon. Gerald and Bonnie Ackerman, both 66, died when Gerald lost control of the vehicle at the intersection of Austin Parkway and Williams Trace Boulevard, police say…
State Rep. Harold Dutton Makes a Powerful, But (of Course) Ineffective, Speech to His Colleagues on Educating Black Males (VIDEO)
State Rep. Harold Dutton, the bomb thrower of the Texas House, made the most compelling argument for not passing the state’s new graduation and accountability bill last night: It doesn’t fix the problem. No Child Left Behind, and its precursor Texas system, were created to make sure that, well, no…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Trong Nguyen of Crawfish and Noodles, on Leaving a Successful Career to Become Chef at His Restaurant
This is the first part of a three-part chef chat series. Come back to read parts two and three, which will run in this same space on Thursday and Friday. It’s taken me years to find Crawfish and Noodles. I’ve seen it, driven by it, heard about it, read about…
Trailer Park: The Wolverine? More Like The Coolverine, Amirite?
No? Not funny? Okay, never mind then. Today the domestic trailer for The Wolverine hit the Internet, with the film clawing its way into theaters on July 26. That’s like eons away. Months even. Did we ask for another Wolverine picture? I liked 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine just fine, but…
Reality Bites: Wicked Single
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Like a lot of people, I used to feel a certain amount of affection for the city of Boston. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Massachusetts, including one…
Houston Astros 2013: Season Win Total Prediction (And Four Other MLB Season Win Total Predictions)
Maybe it’s because football keeps our attention year round (what up, Ed Reed?), maybe it’s because we’re right in the middle of March Madness, or maybe it’s just because as a city we’ve been beaten down by a half a decade of mediocre to bad baseball, but goddamn, this baseball…
The Eatsie Boys Cafe: As Colorful As the Characters Who Run It
Every once in a while, I’ll visit a place that’s too colorful to simply paint with words. The Eatsie Boys Cafe — the new brick-and-mortar outgrowth of the original Eatsie Boys food truck — is one such spot. It’s also the subject of this week’s cafe review, which means that…
UPDATED: Kirko Bangz Hits Cover of XXL’s “Freshman 10” Issue
UPDATE (5:15 p.m.): Turns out Travi$ Scott is from Houston too. See this piece Shea Serrano wrote for Rocks Off in January 2012. Congrats to him too. Congratulations to Houston rapper Kirko Bangz for making the cover of XXL magazine’s annual “Freshman 10” issue this month, only a couple of…
RIP, Johnny Manziel & Twitter: Johnny Football’s Five Most Underrated Tweets
Shocking news from the college football world today: Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel is “stepping away” from Twitter. Financial analysts are divided as to whether Twitter will be able to withstand this defection and still somehow stay alive. College football fans are in a panic knowing they won’t get the chance…
Easter Potluck Recipe: Greek Spinach & Cheese Pies
This weekend, I’ll be attending the 3rd Annual Friendster. While it may sound like the name of a defunct social network, it’s actually an Easter potluck with my degenerate group of friends. Last year’s bounty was quite interesting — from my homemade spinach bread and raspberry French macarons to a…
How Deftones Survived and Evolved Past Their Nu-Metal Brethren
While other bands at the time may have had more fans, sold more albums, or spent more time on television, time has proven what many of us suspected at the time: Deftones were the best band to come out of the nu-metal scene of the late ’90s. They may not…
Happy Birthday, Quentin Tarantino — The Top 5 Music Scenes from His Movies
On Wednesday, March 27, the one and only Mr. Quentin indie-filmmaker-turned-Oscar-winner Tarantino turns the big 5-0. It’s funny to think that Tarantino has been making films for more than 21 years! He has had quite a prolific career in that time, making some of the most violent, thought-provoking, overly wordy,…
Riddle: How Is Dubstep Like Picasso?
Although dozens of EDM subgenres are brain candy to me, I haven’t personally given in to the auditory assault that is dubstep (mostly… maybe). However, I’m here to say that there is actual science to appreciate behind the work of Skrillex and many others. If you think about it, many…
Absurdist Filmmaker Quentin Dupieux Likes Doing Things the Wrong Way
On its surface, Quentin Dupieux’s new film Wrong seems to be about a man who’s looking for his lost dog. In fact, it’s actually about … well, we don’t quite know what it’s actually about, and that’s just the way Dupieux likes it. “I’m not interested in steering people’s minds,”…
Pre-Show Dining and Transcendent Tortellini at Birraporetti’s
Birraporetti’s is not the best Italian restaurant in Houston, nor is it the second or even the third. But it’s a stone’s throw away from the theater district, offers fast, friendly service, and serves transcendent cheese tortellini. Let me elaborate. On a recent Thursday night, my husband and I and…
Dance Salad 2013 Transforms Houston into the Center of the Dance Universe
The world of dance comes to Houston with the 18th annual Dance Salad Festival, bringing with it a slew of premieres. Nancy Henderek, the festival’s artistic director, travels around the globe in search of new and exciting work to bring to the event every year. Asked to estimate the number…
This Week in Food Blogs: The Gastronaut Has Landed
Houstonia: With the unveiling of his first review for the newly launched Houstonia magazine, it’s officially time to stop referring to Robb Walsh as “former Houston Press food critic Robb Walsh” and instead as “Houstonia food editor Robb Walsh.” Read his first review of Tony’s and help Walsh decide which…
Last Night: Scott Weiland at House of Blues
Scott Weiland House of Blues March 26, 2013 Just before 10 o’clock Tuesday night, the stage curtains at House of Blues were finally pulled to the sides. Clad in a suit, tie and sunglasses, Scott Weiland lazily strutted out onto the stage, as his band performed a bluesy, grungy jam…
Mr. Big: Hard Work Sends Greg Smith from D-League to Rotation Player on Playoff-Bound Rockets
After a recent practice, Rockets players Greg Smith, Thomas Robinson, Dontas Montejunas and James Harden spent a few rare minutes working on their post up games with coach Kevin McHale. While Harden was there just to give the young players a hard time and get in some extra reps, Smith…
Jose Rodriguez-Treto: Baby Seat Tipped Off Cops That He Wasn’t a Cop
There’s no bigger thrill, if you’re one of these people who like to imitate cops, than to blast on the party lights and blow by some dweebs who have to pull over. (Well, we suppose a bigger thrill for these idiots would be pulling over a drunk, credulous woman with…
Is Danger Mouse Ruining Rock?
Okay, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. That headline is hyperbole. I don’t think one man could possibly ruin the entirety of rock and roll. That takes the combined effort of a movement, such as hair metal in the ’80s or nu-metal in the late…
Houston’s Summer Is Coming; Bundle Up!
Hey Houston — spring is here! You can tell because the air conditioning is not yet set to “Arctic.” You can also tell because all of the fashion mags are in the throes of ecstasy that accompany a change of season. Did you know you need new clothes? And new…
The Eating…Our Words 100: Philippe Verpiand, Owner and Chef at Etoile Cuisine et Bar
What he does: When I ask him what he does, Chef Philippe Verpiand answers with a single word: “Cook.” It’s what he’s been doing since he was 16 (he is now 43). Philippe was born in France, where he was introduced to the culinary world by his parents, who, like…
From Air Bud to Jesus: The 5 Inspirations for George W. Bush’s Latest Batch of Paintings
The pseudointellectual parsings of Dubya’s most recent batch of hacked paintings are dumb. The screengrabs, the half-finished backings, the skewed perspectives — all of these paintings’ realities illustrate that Bush remains a novice, whose talent, while extant, still needs progress before he can convey whatever’s truly happening in his Iraq-addled…
For Musicians, Little Sucks Worse Than Stolen Gear
In 2010, Johnny Marr of The Smiths recovered his $45,000 ’64 Gibson SG, after it had been stolen at a gig ten years earlier. Unfortunately, most musicians who have lost their gear to theft haven’t been so lucky. The local musicians I talked to recently reported suffering similar losses. Occasionally…
100 Creatives 2013: Piyali Sen Dasgupta, Mixed Media Artist and Nature Lover
What She Does Piyali Sen Dasgupta is a mixed-media visual artist who uses everything from egg tempura, stamps and silk to paper, crayon, charcoal and more in her paintings, wood blocks and scarves. She got her start in lithography printmaking and silk-screening before moving to painting with egg tempura on…
Italian Easter Pie: Wherefore Art Thou in Houston?
For me there are two unfortunate realities of being an “adult” and spending Easter away from my extended family. First, if I want an Easter basket, I have to make my own. (Which I have done and will do this year because I have no shame.) Second, I will not…
Why The Rockets’ 22-Winning Game Streak Is Better Than Miami’s Current Streak
In Houston, one of the nice byproducts of the Miami Heat’s amazing winning streak (after a win over Orlando, 27 straight and counting) has been the brief poof of renewed relevance that it gave to the Rockets’ amazing winning streak back in 2008. Aside from the two NBA titles in…
ACL 2013 Predictions & Rumors: Is This Jimmy Buffett’s Year?
2013 marks the first year that the Austin City Limits Music Festival — Texas’ other large outdoor music festival, never to be confused with Houston’s own Free Press Summer Fest — expands to two consecutive weekends with identical lineups. At this point the lineup for the festival, scheduled for October…
Six Must-See, Edgy Indie Films with Sex, Lies, Feeling Good and Did We Mention Sex?
Magic Mike What makes a good indie film? A good cast. A unique, edgy plot. Good character development…and sex appeal. Well, here are six little indies that have all of those things… and if you haven’t already seen them, you should…
Healthy Fast-Food Menu Items Can Lure and Deceive Consumers
If you’re on a diet or are at least trying to eat healthier, you probably don’t frequent fast-food restaurants throughout the day. A typical fast-food menu isn’t full of healthy and nutritious items. However, a few fast-food chains recently began to add lighter options to menus, due in part to…
Clumsy Butcher: Bobby Heugel and Company Announce New Restaurant Group and New Downtown Tequila Bar
It was bound to happen. After opening so many concepts in only four years — and taking over operations of two other longtime Houston institutions — Bobby Heugel, Kevin Floyd and Michael Burnett have announced the creation of restaurant group Clumsy Butcher to hem everything into one tidy package. Admit…
George Jarkesy: Conservative Talking Head, Host to Radio Show in Investments, Gets Slammed by SEC
A local radio host who splits his time between spouting right-wing dogma and offering investment advice has been hit with a cease-and-desist order from the Securities and Exchange Commission. George R. Jaresky, Jr. hosts a show on KTEK-AM 1100 (Official motto: “Yes, We Exist”) and is semi-syndicated in a handful…
UPDATED:Kathanna Culp: Spring Branch Teacher Charged With Having Sex With Student
Correction: Kathanna Culp was never a court-appointed child advocate, and was never an employee of Child Advocates, Inc., the organization’s spokeswoman tells us. Although Culp went through the volunteer training, she never took a case, and her file was closed in May 2012, meaning she wouldn’t have been eligible to…
Canned Acoustica Compiles Cornucopia of Local Clips
Canned Acoustica, the popular “unplugged”-style local concerts that over six installations have raised both money and food for a variety of charities, has put the final touches (for now) on its YouTube channel, offering local music fans an easy place to browse through intimate and sometimes unconventional performances by many…
Cool Ranch Locos Taco: The Latest Doritos/Taco Bell Mashup
One year ago, on March 26, 2012, I reviewed the Taco Bell Doritos Locos Taco. In that review I wrote: “Can you imagine a Cool Ranch Dorito taco? Yikes.” We no longer need to imagine, friends — the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco is here. And the other day after…
Miley Cyrus Wants You to Think She Is Crazy, Which Means She Is Not
Remember a decade ago, when if young starlets wanted to lose it they went to clubs in Las Vegas, got wasted and flashed their panties (or lack thereof). Britney, Paris, Lindsay and other young ladies whose names are forgotten tried to hide from cameras in their most wasted or drug-fueled…
Weather Week: What Did That Groundhog Say Again?
When old Punxsutawney Phil called for an early spring this year, many across the northern part of the country were thrilled. Then the reality set in that taking advice on, well, anything from a groundhog might not be the best approach. As it turns out, it has been pretty damn…
Delicious Deals: Rioja, Union Kitchen, Mark’s and More
We are just going to go ahead and say “You’re welcome” right now for today’s Houston Press: half-off ($20 for $40) at Rioja Tapas Restaurant to help you celebrate National Paella Day. Rioja — which placed first at the Houston International Paella Festival, and is a Houston Press Best of…
Top 10 Bars, Clubs & Ice Houses in Greater Heights
As our sister blog Eating…Our Words does, from time to time Rocks Off will be giving your our picks for the top taverns in various Houston-area neighborhoods. Of course, the lines can be porous, but here anything with a TABC license that cannot reasonably be considered either a restaurant or…
MasterMind Award Winner Opera in the Heights Announces its 2013-2014 Season
Opera in the Heights (Oh!) brings four of the most popular operas ever to its stage. Winners of a MasterMind 2013 Award, Oh! is led by Artistic Director Enrique Carreón-Robledo. Verdi’s La Traviata, a passionate story of love and sacrifice, opens the season in October. The last installment in the…
Photo-Mashing Old & Modern Houston, Volume 6: Astrodome Edition
For our sixth installment of vintage photos mashed with their present-day locations, we entered the doomed Reliant Astrodome with photos from a 1968 Astrodome tour guide. It highlighted numerous events the dome accommodated It opened in 1965 as the Harris County Domed Stadium. From being the home of the Houston…
Gatlin’s BBQ, Eatsie Boys, Latin Bites and More Restaurants on Board for 2013 Menu of Menus
More of your favorite Houston restaurants are coming on board for Menu of Menus every day — and maybe even some that will be your new favorites after you sample their grub at our grand tasting event on Tuesday, April 9. Since we’re carefully curating the selection of restaurants this…
Upcoming: Har Mar Superstar, Rodriguez, Andy Bell, The Dwarves, Todd Rundgren, etc.
Ace Hood & Twista: Sun., April 7, 6 p.m., $45-$100. Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond, Houston. Air Supply: Thu., May 9, 8:30 p.m., $158-$218. Dosey Doe, 25911 I-45 N., Spring. All the Dead Pilots: With Fault, A Traitor at Heart., $10. Scout Bar, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. Allah-Las: With Infinite…
Top Five Houston Sports Figures Who Should Champion Our Music Scene
Linebacker Connor Barwin, late of the Houston Texans, recently traded a solid music scene for a better cheesesteak by defecting to the NFC’s Philadelphia Eagles. He began his professional football career in Houston and parlayed nearly 15 sacks over the last two seasons into a six-year, $36 million contract with…
UH’s Glaundor Wins National Improv Title
The University of Houston can claim another national title now that Glaundor (no, don’t check your Scottish history books, they made it up) has won the National College Improv Tournament in Chicago. It’s the first time a group from the Southwest won and the second outside Illinois to win. To…
Kimchi Ramen and a Flaming Hot Cheeto Roll at Miso Yummy: Ramen Purists Beware
While half the city was gorging themselves on ramen at Goro & Gun this weekend, I lucked upon a less crowded spot to slurp noodles: the front patio of Inversion Coffee House, where brand-new food truck Miso Yummy was parked only a few feet away. (Full disclosure: I ended up…
Bank Robbery Breakdown: Fresh, CT, Mikey Poo, Little Kevin, Crybaby & Nine Others Headed To Prison
How many people does it take to rob a series of Houston-area banks? More than 14, apparently, because 14 couldn’t get the job in 2010 without getting caught. Yesterday the last two defendants of that ring, who had rejected plea-bargain offers in order to go to trial, got their sentences,…
Pop Rocks: Which Upcoming Summer Blockbusters Have the Biggest Suck Potential?
Memorial Day used to be the traditional start of the summer blockbuster season. However, like a Victoria’s Secret model’s breasts, that date is getting pushed up every year. For 2013, the first quote-unquote summer entry is May 3’s Iron Man 3, while no fewer than six movies will open on…
Patrick Mies Is Obsessed with the Spartan Death Race. Is That a Bad Thing?
Patrick Mies II is a very intense individual, the kind who will barely let you get a word in edgewise in a conversation. I have called him to talk about his participation in something called the Spartan Death Race, and I have just inadvertently become a part of his first…
The Eating…Our Words 100: Tyler Horne, Market Manager at Urban Harvest Farmers Market
If you told Tyler Horne five years ago that he’d one day be managing a farmers’ market, he’d call you crazy. Fast forward to today and that’s just what he’s doing. Who he is: Horne is a Houston-raised nice guy with a passion for motorcycles, fishing and all things outdoors…
The Rocks Off 100: OG Ron C, Chopstar King of the Purple Dome
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. As co-founder of Swishahouse, OG…
HISD Offers Free Dinners to Anyone Under 18, Whether Documented or Not
There are days when students in Houston Independent School District eat lunch at 11 a.m. Burgers, burritos, salads — school lunches, worth eating for free, worth trading with friends if you want. And once lunch ends, the school day winds on, with classes and breaks and bells intermingling. The school…
Five Reasons We Must Keep BangWithFriends.com Alive
It seems we’ve dodged a momentary bullet, readers. After Jeff Balke’s recent and scathing take-down, certain of us remain concerned that BangWithFriends.com has generated enough ill-will that it may yet be taken down. We’re awaiting word whether or not the site’s backers were actually persuaded by Hair Balls’s logic –…
10 More GIFs of Ultra Ravers Shaking It
All photos by Jacob KatelWelcome to Twerklandia.Getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha freak on! We all know that there are lots of ways to become immortalized at a massive outdoor music gathering like Ultra Music Festival. Say, humping a tree. Or dancing naked while getting arrested. But yo’ momma would probably…
Today’s DVDs & Blu-rays: Steamy A Royal Affair, Epic The Day of the Falcon and Sassy Miss Fisher’s Mysteries
A young queen, a mentally ill king and an idealistic physician form an unlikely love triangle in A Royal Affair, nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe as Best Foreign Language Film. Alicia Vikander stars as Queen Caroline Mathilde, wife of the insane Danish King Christian VII and…
5 Easy Easter Lamb Recipes
Easter is less than a week away, so if you haven’t planned your Easter dinner yet, now is the time to do so. Rather than having the typical honey-baked ham or a smorgasbord of deviled eggs, many homes will celebrate with a delicate, tender and elegant piece of meat such…
Blue Bell Hooks Up Girlfriend of Selfish Ice Cream Hog with Year’s Supply of Ice Cream
In the world we live in today, with social media and YouTube collaborating to make stars of practically anybody, fifteen minutes of fame can come in a variety of ways. Quirky athletic endeavors (every trick shot video shot in the last three years), aspiring lounge acts (every takeoff of “Call…
Poems from Jailed Youth Set to Music in a Performance at the Hobby Center
Houston composer Mary Carol Warwick has a skill unique within the world of classical music: She’s worked out how to compose music to accompany the word nigga. Warwick has set the words of 17 poems by incarcerated youth to a song cycle with classical, gospel and Latin influences. In a…
Here, Eat This: A Beginner’s Guide to Korean Cuisine
To say that Koreans like beef is an understatement. To say that Koreans love their beef as much as Texans do is getting closer. South Koreans eat about 20 pounds of beef per person year, and although that number is much lower than the average U.S. consumption of 60 pounds…
So We’re Twerking In Unicorn Suits Now, Are We?
I suppose if you’re going to post a twerking video taken while you’re wearing your footy pajamas, they should be of the unicorn variety. It makes the whole thing more magical. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or have a job that requires you to do more than…
UPDATED: Michael Brown Says He Got E. Coli in Jail, So He Needs Out — Now!
Update: Judge Sheri Dean didn’t spring Michael Brown from jail today after hearing from Rachel Brown’s attorneys, as well as another attorney Dean personally assigned as an administrative judge, that Brown hasn’t paid attorneys’ fees as ordered. However, he has another jail review hearing April 4. If Brown can show…
Mumford & Sons Strum Into Woodlands Pavilion June 12
This afternoon Live Nation announced that Mumford & Sons, the UK acoustic-rock quartet that has already, um, borrowed more than one page from U2’s playbook — the anthemic songs, Old Testament imagery, missionary zeal and sometimes overwhelming earnestness — will make its Houston-area debut somewhere U2 has never played: Wednesday,…
Gay Aggie Group Fighting Bill That Would Let Students “Opt Out” of Funding Them
Those brave, lonesome souls who make up the GLBT Aggies have got another crisis on their hands. A bill introduced into the student senate would allow Aggies to “opt out” of having their student fees going to support the gay-rights group. Supporters of the bill say it’s based on religious…
Ryan Gosling Temporarily Retires from Acting Under Weight of His Own Sexiness
Last week, while we were all worried about whatever the fuck (North Korea, Macklemore & Lewis, the Astrodome), it was revealed that actor Ryan Gosling was taking a break from acting — semi-retirement — to spend some time away from “himself.” Some intrepid Brits have created a hotline, “The Gosline,”…
TEA Head: Final Decision on Charter Providers for Troubled North Forest ISD Rests with HISD
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams made it clear in his confirmation hearing this morning that the future of North Forest Independent School District would lie with Houston Independent School District if his decision for closure is upheld. The Texas Senate has to confirm Williams, an appointee of Gov. Rick…
People Are Sure Excited About That New Daft Punk Album, Huh?
Daft Punk, the mysterious French EDM duo that doesn’t tour, dresses like robots, has not performed live since 2007 and is more influential on pop music than at any point in its 20-year history, is currently schooling everyone on what a state-of-the-art contemporary music-marketing campaign looks like — a campaign…
Dynamo Go Undefeated for 33rd Game in a Row at BBVA Against Vancouver, Go for MLS Record
Another home game for the Houston Dynamo means another win. It’s starting to become cliché as the Orange upped their undefeated home streak to 33 matches in all competitions, just one shy of Real Salt Lake’s 34-game record back in 2009-2011. This 2-1 victory over the previously unbeaten Vancouver Whitecaps…
Spotify Launches Traditional Television Ad Campaign This Week
Spotify is launching its first-ever advertising campaign this week, with an ad debuting tonight during NBC’s premiere of its new season of The Voice, hoping to capitalize on music fans who haven’t yet made the leap to streaming music services. The three initial ads are heavy on emotion and slow-motion…
Top 5 Special Edition Easter Candies
Like candy? Easter should be your second favorite day of the year (after Halloween) given the plethora of special and/or limited-edition confections that emerge in celebration of the holiday. Last October I scoured the shelves for the best varieties for All Hallow’s Eve; I’ve done the same this March. Here…
Rockets Make Winning Plays Late, Beat Spurs 96-95 on Harden’s Late Jumper
It’s been a while since Rockets fans have experienced something like this. For those of us who have followed the Rockets for 20 or 30 years, we can remember plenty of times they rose up to make big shots against the rival San Antonio Spurs…and quite a few that went…
Filmmaker Andrew Weiner on The Frankenstein Theory
Filmmaker Andrew Weiner’s latest film, The Frankenstein Theory, has a simple premise: what if Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein were based on a true story? And what if the monster was still alive and living in isolation in the arctic? Using a found footage documentary style, Weiner constructs a contemporary horror…
MFAH Offers Rare Screenings of Infamous Stones Doc This Week
It is the most infamous rock documentary of all time that the fewest people have actually seen in its entirety — and even then mostly through third-generation VHS dubs or grainy DVDs. And its legend has only grown over the ensuing decades, as has its subjects, the Rolling Stones. The…
Where the Chefs Eat: Greg Lowry, Matthew Lovelace, Dax McAnear
Inside the gorgeous dining room at Triniti, which is currently a James Beard Foundation finalist in the Outstanding Restaurant Design category, you can always spy the chefs hard at work in the open kitchen creating food that is both delicious and beautifully plated. But it makes you wonder: If these…
Guys Driving in Car Flag Down Ambulance, Drop Off a Near-Dead Body & Hit the Road
A Galveston-based ambulance was driving along the South Loop about 4:30 yesterday afternoon when a small black SUV pulled up alongside. As the vehicles continued along, the driver and the passenger of the SUV managed to convey the message that they needed the ambulance to pull over ASAP, which it…
Inaugural Houston Barbecue Festival a Smoking Success
Trent Brooks, a second-generation pitmaster, packed up his entire barbecue operation — smoker and all inside a trailer the size of an Airstream — and headed south from Cypress. Ronnie Killen stayed awake for 19 hours straight, tending to 1,000 pounds of meat smoking in his pits overnight. José Luis…
The Many Faces of Maxim Wakultschik
Maxim Wakultschik has a one-track mind — he likes faces. They cover every piece of artwork in his fourth solo show up at Anya Tish Gallery, and have been mostly dominant in the shows preceding it. To the German-based artist, “nothing is as interesting as faces.” And whether you agree…
Saturday Night: Bang Bangz, A Sea Es and The Suffers at Fitzgerald’s
Bang Bangz, A Sea Es, the Suffers Fitzgerald’s March 23, 2013 There’s nothing like a little sensory overload to liven up a Saturday night, eh, kids? Houston trio Bang Bangz held their release party for new album Red City Saturday at Fitzgerald’s, and I was blown away by the sheer…
Burgers Off the Beaten Path: The Hideaway
I keep finding new reasons to love The Hideaway on Dunvale and therefore new reasons to drive west on Richmond until I hit Dunvale — a corner of the city that is actually rife with terrific reasons to head west. In the strip center across Richmond from The Hideaway, you’ll…
Ultra Music Festival’s 10 Best Inflatable Animals, Blow-Up Dolls and Other Party Props
Ed. Note: This post comes to us from our friends at Crossfade, the music blog at sister weekly Miami New Times. Photo by Victor Gonzalez Miami’s Ultra Music Festival is a zoo. From land sharks to killer whales, pink flamingos to African zebras, UMF 2013 is starting to feel a…
Thornwood’s March Madness! Standard Beauty
Saturday night the Thornwood Gallery pulled out all the stops with a new collection of more than 25 artists on display. The March Madness! Group Show features a wide variety of different mediums ranging from budding artists to old standbys. The entire gallery was a buzz with excitement over this…
The Texas Longhorn Guide to Winning Friends and Influencing Enemies, Rick Barnes Edition
The Houston Cougars play George Mason tonight in the second round of the CBI Tournament. The CBI is a third-rate tournament that takes the schools that aren’t even good enough for the NIT. And the Cougars are, at this moment, one of those schools. But mock the CBI all you…
KPRC Weatherman Frank Billingsley to Speak at Marriage Equality Rally Monday Night
Frank Billingsley is used to answering tough questions. He predicts the weather for a living. The longtime weatherman for KPRC channel 2 is one of the most capable and well liked meteorologists in the city. But when he came out as openly gay and even married his partner in a…
Seven Spring Music Festivals In Texas That Beat Staying Home
SXSW is officially over, thank the sweet baby Jesus. Now music fans have already begun to fan out to the four winds, seeking sunshine, swimsuits, alcohol, easy hookups and all the tunes they can handle until it gets ridiculously hot. Texans: you have about three hours. It’s already begun over…
Batman loves Barbie? Holy Marketing Strategy!
Mattel is making the most of its product rights to the 1966 Batman television series and introducing the caped crusader to its superstar cash cow, Barbie. In June, Mattel will release a Barbie and Ken version of Julie Neumar as Catwoman and Adam West as Batman. (The dolls will cost…
What’s Cooking This Week? Fish Tacos, Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa and 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…
Oops: UTMB Misplaces a Vial of Deadly Virus
The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston is proud to be the home of many highly infectious, very deadly viruses and other potential weapons of biological mass destruction. And that’s just in the break-room fridge!!! (Ha! Kidding.) Part of the job of keeping such things around the premises, of…
Bow Down, Chickens: Beyoncé Reps Frenchy’s in New Songs
Houston’s favorite son — you didn’t know Beyoncé is also known as King B? — has been getting plenty of attention recently for her new songs, “Bow Down” and “I Been On.” Some of the attention is positive: The Root praised the anthem for Beyoncé’s “turn as a rapper,” and…
Waiting for Godot Provides Another Successful Outing for The Catastrophic Theatre UPDATED W/ Extended Run
Update: Catastrophic Theatre has announced a one-week extension through April 20. The setup: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is a mid-20th century masterpiece, hailed by critics and audience alike, but one that requires consummate acting. This challenge has been a magnet for many brilliant actors – some succeeded, some…
10 Fun Facts Only Floyd Freaks Know About Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd’s rock and roll masterpiece, The Dark Side of the Moon, turned 40 years old this weekend. If you don’t already own a copy or three, consider checking it out. It’s the best album by one of history’s best bands, and you can find as easily in any record…
March Madness: Further Evidence the 2013 NBA Draft Is Going to Be Terrible
When it comes to rebuilding a professional sports team, the ultimate sign of the desperate fan is to take one possible outcome that has worked for a few teams before, apply it as gospel and then shout from the rooftops that “[fill in name of favorite team here] needs to…
Hey Feminists! Can’t We All Just Get Along?
There has been a lot of hubbub on the feminism front as of late. While it is wonderful that the ladies are getting their voices out there, there seems to be some disagreement on what those voices should be saying. Exactly 50 years after Betty Frieden’s famous The Feminine Mystique…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Free Radicals, Scott Weiland, Elton John, etc.
Free Radicals AvantGarden, March 25 Free Radicals is both Nick Cooper’s revolving-door ensemble that at any given moment could be playing free jazz or Latin funk, and also Cooper’s ongoing testimonial to how much he digs being a member of the Houston music community. He has so much experience at…
Pie with Your Brews: The 5 Best Bar Pizzas
Responsible drinking is important. It’s imperative to always have a designated driver, know when you’ve had a few too many and make sure you’re at a bar that bakes a good pizza to soak up that premium booze. Fortunately, crave-worthy post-drink pies abound in this city. And although the line…
Cruzar la Cara de la Luna Is a Lovely Chamber Piece with the Great Mariachi Vargas, But Is It an Opera? Well…
Check out our interview with baritone Octavio Moreno. The setup: Houston Grand Opera can call Jose Martinez (music/lyrics) and Leonard Foglia’s (book/co-lyricist) pleasant little musical an “opera” if they desire, but they might as well call my Aunt Mary the Queen of Romania. Saying it often and loud does not…
Top Five Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Waiting for Godot, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, Bayou City Arts Festival and More
Samuel Beckett’s most famous work, Waiting for Godot, opens in The Catastrophic Theatre’s new space on Friday and tickets are going fast. The show is directed by Jason Nodler, artistic director of the Catastrophic, who tells us, “Waiting for Godot was the first and remains the best play to express…
One Last SXSW 2013 Flashback: Justin Timberlake
SXSW is rapidly fading in the rearview mirror, but this was too good to pass up. Emerald McLaughlin, daughter of Houston Press Publisher Stuart Folb, happened to be down front at Justin Timberlake’s not-so-secret appearance last Sunday night at Austin’s Coppertank Events Center, which was merely a humble brewpub when…
Roadside Breakdown in Sam Houston Parkway Reveals 16 Undocumented Aliens in Truck
via WikipediaTrust me, there is nothing else in the back! I swear!When using a U-Haul sized truck, most of the time you’re transporting big and heavy things, like luggage, furniture, plants or people. Wait, people? For one dude, yes, people. On Thursday night, a truck was found on the Sam…
Don’t Call Blackberry Smoke Outlaws, But They’ll Get Out of Hand
If you haven’t smelled Blackberry Smoke in a while, they might have been at sea. The Atlanta Southern rock/outlaw country (whatever) band has been on so many cruises it’s a little surprising the quintet’s long hair isn’t braided and beaded. When Rocks Off caught up with lead singer/guitarist Charlie Starr…
Author Harlan Coben Is a Social Media Anomaly
Best-selling author Harlan Coben defies the current marketing logic and says Twitter and Facebook don’t really affect his ability to sell books. He uses both both social media platforms (you can find him on Twitter and Facebook), but claims he hasn’t seen much change in sales or even in his…
Ted Johnson: Houston Radio Host Schooled After Calling NFL Star Vince Wilfork’s Wife Ugly
If you are going to call the wife of an NFL defensive lineman “ugly,” it’s perhaps best if you yourself have ten years experience in the league as a linebacker. Still, what in the hell would you be thinking? Ted Johnson, who hosts a show part-time on KILT-AM 610 and…
(UPDATED) War Is Hell But Main Street’s Production of Henry V Is Great
Update: The run of Henry V has been extended through April 28. Check out our interviews with actor/director Guy Roberts and Main Street Theater’s artistic director, Rebecca Greene Udden. The setup: While we are thrillingly led “once more unto the breach, dear friends” with Main Street Theater’s sterling production of…
Last Night: Merle Haggard at Stafford Centre
Merle Haggard Stafford Centre March 21, 2013 Thursday night at the Stafford Centre, I watched Merle Haggard play some of the greatest songs from arguably country music’s greatest period while sitting next to Dr. Frank Mann, a retired veterinarian from Wharton . The elderly country pet doctor told me stories…
Littlest Things: The Week in Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Deandre Davis-Williams: The Gruesome, Horrifying Details on How He Raped 11-Year-Old Daily Until She Got Pregnant (Semi-NSFW)
Rape is terrible. Raping an 11-year-old girl, almost daily, until she becomes pregnant — and then playing with her already-rocked 11-year-old mind by saying you’ll commit suicide because of her — that takes a special kind of monster. And that’s what court documents allege against Deandre Davis-Williams, 31, who is…
Oh, God: John Mayer Playing Woodlands Pavilion July 12
Lock up your “Daughters”: John Mayer, the soft-rock singer-songwriter and self-styled bluesman, has reportedly split with squeeze Katy Perry, and now — surely not by coincidence — he’ll be on tour this summer. This morning Live Nation announced that Mr. Room for Squares will stop by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell…
Community: Pop Pop!
I asked for more Greendale-based Community episodes and my wish was granted. Last night’s episode took its time to get to the funny, though; it started with a slow rolling boil and found its way to a “gym montage/song about gym” sequence that was no less than brilliant. Despite its…
Morning Wood: An Aged Bordeaux for Under $25
Real estate is the name of the game of when it comes to finding extreme value in Bordeaux. Because the astronomical prices commanded by the top classified “growths” (i.e., vineyards) keep the wines out of reach for the ninety-nine percenters like me (and presumably you), value-conscious Bordeaux lovers seek out…
Puppy Overload at BARC! Cuteness Levels Spiking!!
The dude (dudette?) above looks like he just got a look in the mirror and discovered that someone’s slapped a green scarf on him. St. Patrick’s Day is cool and all, but running with the guys while sporting fashion from Le Chez de Charles Nelson Reilly isn’t going to win…
Upcoming Events: Bitches Love Food
A familiar face is back in town: L.J. Wiley, the prodigal chef behind Yelapa Playa Mexicana, has returned to Houston. Although Yelapa has been closed since October 2011 and its various staff have moved on, the modern Mexican restaurant dazzled during its brief run — the Houston Press gave it…
Dollhouse: Figuring the Odds While Trying to Hold onto a Life
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House shocked audiences in the late 1800s with its ending. (Spoiler Alert for all the people who fell asleep in high school English.) Nora, the wife and mother, walks out, slamming the door behind her. This went against all of society’s norms at the time about…
The Five Greatest Daniel Lanois Productions
Late to the party as ever, I recently caught up with the new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album, Push the Sky Away, in light of the hype over their SXSW showcase last week. The album is fantastic, of course, but one thing that immediately jumped out at me…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Olympus Has Fallen
Title: Olympus Has Fallen Does It Have Any Redeeming Qualities Whatsoever? Let’s just say I now have more respect for Ashley Judd than ever before. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant to the Film: One Dennis Rodman out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Terrorists occupy White House, are systematically wiped out…
Broke-ology Makes Its Way to a Predictable Ending, But Actors Joe “Joe P” Palmore and L.D. Green Shine as Brothers
The setup: In Broke-ology, a father, a widower, has medical problems, and his two sons attempt to cope with his increasing need for care while pursuing their own lives and interests. Playwright Nathan Louis Jackson has created a family drama and filled it with humor and humanity, so that what…
Last Night: Riff Raff at Fitzgerald’s
Riff Raff, Fat Tony, D-Risha etc. Fitzgerald’s March 21, 2013 Thursday night at Fitzgerald’s was Riff Raff’s homecoming show. Sort of. Sure, he’s originally from Houston. The story goes that he got his start hawking his CDs at area malls. It’s more accurate to say, though, that Riff Raff has…
Health Department Roundup: Calliope #2, 99 Ranch Market, Whole Foods and More
The nice thing about skipping a week of Health Department Roundup is there’s plenty of material to sift through when you return. This week we’ll focus mainly on restaurants that got stuck with citations — there were quite a few. And, as always, if you ever want to look a…
Who Needs the Astros When You Have the Cougars and Owls?
Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is tired of fan complaints about the crappiness of the Houston Astros. Give him $10 million and he’ll gladly listen, but otherwise, just pay the team’s highly inflated prices for Opening Day and shut up. It’s not a very fan-friendly approach to take, especially when…
Houstonians, You Sorta Do Okay with Your Budgeting & Saving, But You’re No Boston
You either get some OCD-like kick out of keeping your home finances in line, smiling as you balance your checkbook and budget for the upcoming month, or you run screaming from the mere idea of doing anything involving dollars and math. But it is important to not be heroically stupid…
CORE Performance Company Fits in with the Dan Flavin Installation Just Fine
Dan Flavin, the minimalist artist best known for his work with fluorescent light, is quoted with saying that “light” is “as plain and open and direct an art as you will ever find.” In many ways dance is also as plain and direct an art as you can find. Whatever…
Bang Bangz: More Ghostly Wails and Synths On Red City
Bang Bangz remains one of the best things about the Houston music scene. The trio of Mario Rodriguez, Elizabeth Salazar, and Vik Montemayor specializes in an ambient, repetitious, synth-driven kind of indie music that is really quite spellbinding. In particular, Salazar and Rodriguez’s vocals cut through the binary wall of…
The Top 5 Things to Eat, Drink or Celebrate This Weekend: Revival Market, Anvil, Sonoma Brunch, Hotel Derek’s Early Easter & Ninfa’s Crawfish
In case your weekend doesn’t revolve around the parking lot full of food trucks at Haute Wheels or all-you-can-eat brisket at the Houston Barbecue Festival, here are five other great things to eat, drink or do this weekend. Revival Market’s two-year anniversary party Saturday, 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. 550…
Chavez High Students Ready to Tear Up the Texas Mile with Their 561-HP GTO
High school kids with a car that can bomb away at 180 or so mph? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Instead it’s a learning experience that’s turning out to be a fun ride with no end in sight. This weekend, the 10th annual Texas Mile competition will play host…
Top 10 Soul-Destroying No. 1 Hits
I don’t like these songs. I feel it’s ridiculous that hundreds of thousands of people actually paid out money and drove them to the top of the Billboard charts. While they might not necessarily be the absolute worst examples of the lowest common denominator’s purchasing power, they quickly came to…
100 Creatives 2013: Dean James, New York Times Bestselling Mystery Novelist
Readers have a complaint about Miranda James’s popular Cat in the Stacks series of cozy mysteries — they have to wait too long between installments. Dean James, the male writer behind the Miranda James pseudonym, laughs at the often-heard grievance. “I’m writing one a year; I can’t write much faster!”…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Tacos
Picking the ten best tacos in Houston is something akin to picking the most beautiful women in Texas. There are far too many options to do any justice by limiting the list to just ten. Instead of trying to pack the list with an arbitrary top ten, I spent the…
Another Visit Inside the Abandoned Astrodome, and Still No One Knows What to Do with It
It’s been a common theme every year around RodeoHouston season: Houstonians start asking again about the plight of the Reliant Astrodome and arguing among themselves about what is to be done with the dilapidated Eighth Wonder. It’s a giant elephant sitting in the middle of Houston’s biggest annual event, and…
Openings & Closings: Saint Arnold for Lunch, Goro & Gun for Dinner
A happy Friday morning comes with some happy news from around the city. First is the announcement that Goro & Gun — the hotly awaited downtown ramen shop on Main Street — will officially be open for business today at 4 p.m. Goro & Gun is only serving dinner for…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Mydolls, Bang Bangz, Ferry Corsten, etc.
Mydolls, Vacation Eyes, Hearts of Animals Walters, March 22 Although they lost guitarist Kathy Johnston to leukemia in 2011 — an illness that prompted the band to record the song “Don’t Fucking Die” — there’s always reason to smile when the Mydolls book a gig. The band started by Trish…
The Etiquette of Tagging on Facebook
I actually do a fair amount of my work through Facebook as far as picking up pop culture news, crowdsourcing ideas, and connecting with bands and artists. Of course, I also do a lot of not-my-work on Facebook because it sucks in your soul like some kind of reverse Ark…
Steve Stockman: The 5 Best Responses to His Tweet About Poking Holes in Earth to Get Oil & Gas
Congressman Steve Stockman has been a crackpot for so long it’s sometimes easy to forget his nuttiness. Luckily, every so often he tries to out-nutjob Louie Gohmert, and we remember once again why he’s such a horrifying enjoyable freak show. Like the tweet above, from what is labeled his “Official…
Chronicle Takes Two Big Hits As Loren Steffy, Terri Langford Leave
It’s been awhile since any widespread layoffs at the Houston Chronicle, partly because there aren’t enough people left to stock a widespread layoff. The empty desks at 800 Texas just got a little emptier, as two of the paper’s mainstays — business columnist Loren Steffy and investigative reporter Terri Langford…
The Spoof Evil in Justiceberg Tests the Limits of Superhero Spandex
There may be funnier spoofs than Evil in Justiceberg, but I doubt if there have ever been more form-fitting costumes. They seem to be made of a gold fabric, probably spandex, that fits like a second skin. One is worn by the hero, Captain Justice (Tom Stell), with a dark…
Craft Beer and Charity: More Details on Next Week’s Ash Bash Events
The craft beer community is still dealing with the as-yet-unsolved murder of Duff Beer Distribution founder Ashley “Ash” Rowell. The murder came at the tail end of Duff’s existence, as the brand was in the process of being integrated into Favorite Brands following Rowell’s sale of Duff to the much…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Downtown Buildings (the Skyscraper Edition)
Houston’s downtown area is filled with spectacular skyscrapers and several of the tallest buildings in Texas are in the city’s skyline. There’s a real diversity to the architectural style used, from the gray box known as Texas Commerce Tower in United Energy Plaza to the ornate neo-1920s skyscraper originally known…
Jordan Rethmeier: That’s One Helluva Big Catfish, Dude
Catfish for dinner!! For the next month and a half. That’s what would have been on the menu at the Jordan Rethmeier home after he reeled in a massive ol’ blue catfish at Lake Zebco this weekend, except he released the fish back to the (relative) deep. Lake Zebco, in…
Stick to Rhymin’: Five Awesomely Terrible Acting Performances by Rappers
In today’s recording industry, it is essential to be multifaceted. How can you knock a person spiting ill bars over their own beat in the video they directed? Indeed, most rappers are exploring many different avenues and mediums these days. Some are actually finding additional success; while others are wasting…
Top 5 Homemade Easter Basket Treats
It’s hard to believe that Easter will be here in less than two weeks. With the holiday arriving a lot sooner than it did last year, there seems to be quite a rush to find the perfect treats to place in your children’s (or spouse’s) Easter baskets. Choices range from…
Jersey Boys at the Hobby Borders on Genius
Check out our interview with Colby Foytik who plays Tommy DeVito. The setup: If you’re ever asked, What’s the best “jukebox musical” ever, here’s a sure tip for all you theater junkies — Jersey Boys. Might this also be the best musical of the last ten years? Could be, but…
Room Service? Yes, One B.R.A.T. Platter, Please
Last week, I was supposed to visit Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill, but much to my chagrin found myself under the weather. A bit of bad beef? A blot of mottled mustard? Probably actually some milk that was past its prime. (Annoying; I was so craving a burger!). Regardless, I was not…
The Americans: “You Don’t Usually Like Things Too Spicy, Stan.”
People sure have a lot more sex than I remember in 1981. Of course, I was in middle school at the time, so my recollections may not be relevant. Sex in The Americans serves two purposes. First, it demonstrates the conundrum faced by Phillip and Elizabeth as they try to…
Jailhouse Rock: 10 Artists Who Did Hard Time In The Slammer
Nothing earns an musician instant street cred quite like a night or two in the pokey. It’s basically a rite of passage — a guarantee that if you sign up for the public eye, you will, indeed, screw it up at least once in order to delight us with your…
Playoff Chase: Rockets Beat Utah, Warriors Lose to Spurs
Last night, as I mentioned yesterday, was a big night for the Rockets. In their hunt for a playoff spot — they missed the last two seasons — they faced Utah at Toyota Center and while the Jazz have not exactly played like world beaters recently, their formidable front line…
Haute Wheels Houston Rolls Out This Weekend
The 3rd annual Haute Wheels food truck festival is hitting the streets this weekend. The two-day event will cover the entire parking lot at HCC Southwest’s campus, with more than 30 different trucks to cater to every possible craving you could have. You know all of those fantastic food trucks…
The Complete SXSW Overflow Festival 2013 Guide: Week 2, Part 2
We’ve rounded the bend to the last few days of Super Happy Fun Land’s SXSW Overflow Festival 2013. There are only a few acts left, so get down there! THURSDAY, MARCH 21 Stanley and the Search: “I would describe our sound as half punk and half indie with a sprinkle…
Leah Purcell: Is the Alleged Animal Cruelty Queen Back in Business?
Clarification: The 2012 agreed order between Montgomery County and Leah Purcell, in which Purcell surrendered 287 dogs that a judge found were “cruelly treated,” bars Purcell from operating an animal shelter, refuge or rescue in Montgomery County. It does not prohibit her from boarding animals. For more explanation, see the…
Top Five Things to Do in Houston Sports This Weekend: Color Runs, Roller Derby and March Madness
It’s almost the weekend and time for the inaugural edition of what to do this weekend in Houston: sports edition. Each week, we’ll be giving you color commentary on events in and around the area you might want to choose for some weekend relaxation, all for sports fans. It’s the…
March Kickstarter Round-Up: New SNES Games and Heinlein Comics
Once a month we’ll be bringing you a look at some of the local Kickstarter campaigns in order to let you know what’s getting ready to be unleashed through the help of small investors. Robert A. Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy Graphic Novel The estate of the late science fiction…
RIP Marfreless: Requiem For Houston’s Favorite Make-Out Bar
Rising property taxes in its expensive River Oaks surroundings have forced Marfreless, the most famous Houston bar without a sign, to close at the end of the month. The bar’s owners announced the news on the Marfreless Web site Wednesday evening: Dearest friends, patrons, charities, and fellow establishments of the…
Easter Sweets: Where to Find the Best Carrot Cakes This Holiday
Carrots and cream cheese. No, that combo is not the cravings of a crazed woman in her ninth month of pregnancy; it’s what brings carrot cake its magic. From the classic three-layer cake to miniature cupcakes and a cream-cheese-iced cookie, we’ve put together a list of where to pick up…
Pop Rocks: I’m Pretty Sure George R.R. Martin Is Never Going to Finish Game of Thrones
The third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones premieres in ten days. In addition to the requisite direwolves, dragons and bears (oh my), we’ll be seeing another new face: Among the many gray-bearded men on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” this upcoming season will be the one true wizard of Westeros…
March Madness 2013: My Predictions in the Form of Prop Bets
The play-in game appetizers are done, and Thursday morning the main course of 63 games involving 64 teams over the next two weeks begins. For the first time since I got into radio in 2007, I will be able to actually settle in and watch the games for the entire…
The Eating…Our Words 100: Stephanie Earthman Baird, Bringing Wine to Cowboys
Making a transition from the oil and gas industry to the wine industry is a huge career change. Stephanie Earthman Baird made the decision to move into the wine industry after working in her previous field for 16 years. After volunteering with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for six…
The Rocks Off 100: Football, etc., Giving Emo Back Its Good Name
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. Who? When modern indie-rock was…
Former Texas Governor Mark White Joins Others Calling for a Proper Sentence for Duane Buck, Since the Last One Was a Tad Bit Racist
During Duane Buck’s 1997 hearing for shooting and killing his girlfriend, a psychologist claimed that Buck was more of a danger because he was a black man. He was spared from lethal injection in 2011, because of that claim. Enter former Texas Governor Mark White, who thinks that the racist…
UH’s Moores Opera Center Tackles “Lust, Love and a Fateful Curse” in Rigoletto
Never let it be said that Buck Ross and the University of Houston’s Moores Opera Center hesitate to think big. Not when they’re getting ready to roll out their production of Giuseppe Verdi ‘s Rigoletto, a tragic tale like so many in opera that gives its singers a real opportunity…
Burger Bracket 2013: The Elite 8
Our teams of judges have spoken. Eight burgers advance into the next round and we say goodbye to eight more, all of which were worthy competitors. The biggest upset during the Sweet 16 round is likely to be The Refinery edging out Little Bitty Burger Barn in the Readers’ Choice…
The Five Worst Musical Guests In Simpsons History
24 seasons and over 500 episodes in, the Simpsons has established itself in the domain of pop culture for good, regardless of where and when you believe the show began a downward trend in quality. One thing that has kept it alive this long is that in lieu of writing…
Ed Reed Is a Texan! Raven Fans Sound Off
“@TwentyER -hope the rumors are true! Would love working with U. #hurricanepower.” — Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) on Twitter Wednesday night Last Thursday began with tweets from the Houston Texans team account touting that owner Bob McNair’s private jet had just gone “wheels up!” to go retrieve free agent safety Ed…
MTV’s The Real World Season One Re-airs; No Hot Tubs Necessary
For reasons that can only be chalked up to complete lack of any other programming or a weird dare, MTV will be airing three old seasons of its hit reality show The Real World. Beginning March 22, the original first season of the show will air at 8 p.m., followed…
Top 10 Restaurants Near Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport
I’m not gonna lie: Finding good eats around Intercontinental Airport (or, if you must, Bush Intercontinental Airport — true Houstonians still say “the Summit,” “Transco Tower” and “Intercontinental Airport”) is tough. This isn’t like eating around Hobby Airport, where you’re smack in the middle of the city and interesting dining…
Houston’s Recent Onslaught of Sold-Out Shows: What’s Up With That?
Regular concertgoers in Houston have probably noticed more sold-out shows in the area over the past year. Just a few years ago, sellouts were generally reserved for the biggest marquee acts at Toyota Center, Bayou Music Center, and Reliant Stadium’s RodeoHouston shows. These days, though, it seems every giant hip-hop…
Here Are Five Awesome/Crazy Theories About The Shining from Room 237
Like the blood that gushes forth from the elevators of the Overlook Hotel, brilliant/ridiculous theories of what Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is really about have for years surged madly and memorably — especially online, where the Internet’s dead-ends, blind links and back-where-you-started arguments just might be another part of the…
Not Just Vinyl
Only in Houston 5. Heights Vinyl (3122 White Oak, www.heightsvinyl.com) Houston’s newest record store opened in late 2011 and has quickly climbed the ranks, winning “Best Vinyl Shop” in the 2012 Houston Press Best of Houston® awards and establishing itself as a serious pickers’ destination. Owner Craig Brown is meticulous…
Surprise Package at LA Crawfish
See the perpetually packed dining room and crowded kitchen at LA Crawfish in this week’s slideshow. LA Crawfish is everything I love about Houston in one untidy package. Tucked into the middle of the food court inside Chinese grocery store 99 Ranch Market (which was first built as a Fiesta),…
Guy Roberts: Into the Breech
Anyone lucky enough to catch Guy Roberts at Houston’s Main Street Theater last year, knows of his chameleon-like properties. In the Tom Stoppard epic The Coast of Utopia trilogy he played Michael Bakunin, the spoiled, self-absorbed and frequently unintentionally hilarious revolutionary son of a prosperous Russian family to critical acclaim…
Admission
An actress in her thirties — a woman, that is, still playing characters of babymaking age — may have it even tougher than actresses in their forties and fifties. Unless she is exceedingly glamorous, à la Charlize Theron, she can all too easily get stranded in the land of mom…
Gimme the Loot: NYCDIY
A big winner at last year’s SXSW, Gimme the Loot is a pocket-size Bronx indie with the wispiest of narrative ideas: A couple of teen graffiti bombers decide to gain fame by tagging the Mets’ Home Run Apple. Malcolm (Ty Hickson) and Sofia (Tashiana Washington) are mates only in spraying,…
Heaven’s Gate Revisited
“This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” So goes the adage from John Ford’s 1962 classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and so it has gone for Heaven’s Gate, the class-war Western written and directed by one of Ford’s truest disciples among contemporary…
Harmony Korine Explains the “Beauty in Horror” of Spring Break
To most of the world, spring break seems like a lot of fun, but people who live in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or South Padre Island understand the dark side. Damn college kids pass through for a week to drink liquor, trash the streets and wear T-shirts announcing, “I survived spring…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Bert L. Long Jr: An Odyssey,” “Cruz Ortiz: I Speak Lightning,” “Janice Jakielski: Constructing Solitude,” “John Cage: Prints, Drawings, and a Music Box,” “Toby Kamps: 99 Cent Dreams”
“Bert L. Long Jr: An Odyssey” If you can look on the bright side, this was some fortunate timing. The UAC Contemporary Art Gallery at Houston Baptist University was putting together a small show of Bert Long’s work late last year when the Fifth Ward artist was diagnosed with pancreatic…
Pope Francis Who?
Highlights from Hair Balls Texas Religion Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio surprised a lot of people when he chose the name he’d be using as leader of the Catholic Church: Pope Francis. He’s the first ever to use Francis, and there have been a hell of a lot of popes before…
So Delicious, a Caveman Could Eat It
Top 10 Although I don’t adhere to the paleo diet, many of my good friends do. Here’s an explanation in a nutshell of the nutritional regimen, for the uninitiated: The paleo (short for “paleolithic”) diet encourages the consumption of foods that advocates claim were abundant in the diets of paleolithic-era…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Company, Broadway at the Box, Man of Destiny and Dark Lady of the Sonnets
Company Bracing and potent as a vodka stinger, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s mordant, multiple Tony Award-winning “musical comedy” on marriage, commitment and New York City is the ultimate That ’70s Show. The musical (1970), dry and abrasive as sandpaper, ushered in the decade and ushered in Sondheim as possible…
Bronx Bombers: Gimme the Loot
For a movie as much in love with New York’s outer-borough street life as Adam Leon’s Gimme the Loot, it will not do just to talk about the film. That’s what Leon insists, and so I find myself heading north with Leon on FDR Drive on an overcast Friday afternoon,…
What’s in a Word?
Dear Mexican, I’m living in Mexico part of the year. I’m learning Spanish but can’t say I understand or speak it well. I read several books about the history of Mexico and think I’m reasonably well-informed. I’m curious about a phrase on a T-shirt in an expensive shop in Puerto…
Bloody Tide: How Puerto Rico Affects the U.S.
Julio Ramos Oliver died over a spilled drink. It was just after midnight January 20, and Old San Juan shook with the fiesta de San Sebastián. Under the golden glow of street lamps, more than 100,000 Puerto Ricans packed onto the narrow cobblestone calles for the year’s biggest party. Dressed…
Spring Breakers: Girls Gone Godard
“All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun” goes Jean-Luc Godard’s quip. Add to that a few more girls and their bikinis and you have the rough formula for Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, which looks like the most expensive Girls Gone Wild video ever made…
