How The Dark Horse‘s Cliff Curtis Went From Villains to Jesus to Chess King
New Zealand’s Cliff Curtis has been stealing scenes for years now, so it’s nice to see him playing a bona-fide lead in the new chess drama The Dark Horse. Based on the life of Genesis Potini, a bipolar Maori chess champion, the film follows a coach and a group of…
10 Best Veggie Burgers in Houston
Veggie burgers can get a bad rap for being mushy, tasteless and a poor substitute for their meaty counterparts but these offerings from various establishments around Houston are changing the game. From beet-laden to quinoa-filled, these plant-based creations will make you forget that you’re not eating meat. 10. Lankford Grocery:…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Too Late
Title: Too Late Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Homer: “It’s too late for me, Marge! Sell the jeans and live like a queen!” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three Barbara Stanwycks out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Jaded P.I.s and the scantily clad ladies who tolerate them. Tagline: “A movie about…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Cosplay, Comedy & Creativity
With the I.R.S. extending the deadline for submitting personal tax returns until Monday, let’s all procrastinate just a little bit longer and embrace Houston’s creative spirit this weekend. There’s the fan support for Houston Dynamo (you don’t have to sing well, just sing loudly), and the elaborate cosplay competition at Japan…
Supergirl Proves Comic-Book Adaptations Can Soar Rather Than Punish
Here’s a question faced by the creators of almost every superhero adaptation: How do do you pull this off without copying Frank Miller’s Batman? Too many modern superhero dramas — including the Dark Knight films, Arrow, Daredevil and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — either ape the dour realism…
Local Record-Store Owners Discuss How They Caught the Bug
Jazz blares throughout the store. The smell of incense fills the air. And two employees debate the merits of Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, pre- and post-sobriety. This is a record store. “That’s the atmosphere in our store, almost like the Seattle Fish Market,” says Chuck Roast, owner of Vinal…
Texas Attorneys Look Beyond Law Books to Launch Successful Writing Careers
In parallel universes, two female Texas attorneys looked beyond the law books and briefcases to launch writing careers and – several successes later – their separate paths align as they each are signing copies of their newest releases this month in Houston. The book events for both Pamela Fagan Hutchins…
German Violin > Italian Violin at Ars Lyrica Concert
Italy, in no way, has a monopoly over pretty, sweeping, technically perfect and perfect-sounding violin music. “Typically, people associate violin virtuosity with Italian music, and names such as Vivaldi, Tartini, Corelli, etc. are well known. This is not so much the case with German violin music of that period, but…
In The Jungle Book, Disney Builds a Better Blockbuster
Here’s about as convincing an argument as I can imagine for the existence of the modern Hollywood blockbuster. Disney and Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book reinvigorates an oft-told tale with star power, technology and calculated charm. It’s been billed as a live-action remake (it’s too good to be called a…
Short on Meaning, Remote Houston is One Dandy City Tour
The set up: It’s 4 pm on an overcast but warm Tuesday afternoon. I’m standing in East Houston’s Evergreen Cemetery, a place full of crypts laden with pinwheels, neon hued silk flowers, stuffed animals and all sorts of other personal tchotchkes/memory paraphernalia. It’s the most wondrously distinctive cemetery I’ve ever…
J.J. Watt Spotted On A Date With Kate Hudson (w/ VIDEO)
So last week, I posted a list here that went back and summarized some new nuggets that we learned about J.J. Watt after a trilogy of interviews, totaling about 60 minutes, on SportsRadio 610 (including one on my show, “The Triple Threat,” which can be heard from 2:00-7:00 p.m. weekdays,…
Everything is Better With Steamroller: Print Matters’ Annual DIY Printmaking Fair
Magic happens when ink and paper are smushed underneath a steamroller. Typically, a printing press can deal with a carved block that’s measured in inches. Once a block or board approaches a foot or feet, forget about traditional printmaking means. “The steamroller acts as a make-shift printing press, as most…
How Even a 6’3″ Actor Needed Help to Be Tall Enough to Play a Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Sam Hartley is 6’3″ but even that wasn’t tall enough for the role he has to fill. So, thanks to quite a bit of Disney costume design magic Hartley grows four inches to 6’7” on stage so that he can better portray the character of the Beast, in Disney’s Beauty…
Eat the Best Glazed and Specialty Doughnuts in Houston
Like searching for the best chocolate chip cookie in Houston, finding the best doughnut in Houston proved a tricky, highly subjective task. Personal preferences between airiness and the squish factor, chewiness vs. cakiness and the glaze-to-dough ratio all played a huge role in determining the ultimate doughnut. Though the majority…
Sean Patrick Flanery Plays Another Tune as Author in Jane Two
From scrambling naked across the floor as an Irish vigilante in The Boondock Saints to zapping machines and reading minds as a telekinetic albino in Powder, actor-producer-director Sean Patrick Flanery tends to go for the more interesting roles. He’s also has Texas roots: he was raised in Sugar Land, graduated…
H-Town Metal Vets Helstar Are Out For Blood Again
Like an undead ghoul that refuses to stay buried, Houston heavy-metal stalwarts Helstar always seem to rise again for another bite. The undying power-thrash act has weathered a multitude of lineup and label changes in the three-plus decades since its Combat Records debut, Burning Star. One thing, though, has never…
Nostalgia Tours Let Us Revisit What We’ll Never Get Back
The summer concert calendar for 2016 is a facsimile of a different time. Indeed, it’s a facsimile of a time when we actually knew and used the word facsimile. If we dug through the Houston Press archives from the 1990s, tucked between the yellowed Zima advertisements and winning Rockets scores,…
10 Songs Every Houston Transplant Should Know
While you’re learning the complex intricacy of navigating the most diverse city in the country, these songs will need to be on your playlist. Whether you’re stuck on 290 (don’t do it to yourself) or just basically sitting in whatever dumpster fire traffic you happen to find yourself in, it…
On Equal Pay Day, New Study Reminds Everyone Just How Big The Gender Pay Gap Is
Just in time for Equal Pay Day, here’s a quick, sobering reminder from the National Partnership For Women And Families: Texas women collectively lose nearly $37 billion every year thanks to the gender wage gap. To celebrate today’s occasion, the organization released a new national study that found, unsurprisingly, that…
Former Texas Ranger Appointed to Head of Foster Care System
A former Texas Ranger has been named as the new commissioner of the troubled Department of Family and Protective Services. Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor announced his pick of Henry “Hank” Whitman Monday, stating in a press release that he “can’t think of anyone better than a…
Orfeo at Opera in the Heights a Great Way to Finish the Season
The set-up:In the bizarre and fascinating history of opera, composers unexpectedly appear who completely change the course of the art. It doesn’t happens overnight, and the musical trailblazer may not even know what he’s doing or where he’s going, but Christoph Willibald Gluck changed opera forever. He started a revolution…
Rockets Trounce Timberwolves 129-105, Control Playoff Destiny
After 80 games, a few teases of sound basketball against good teams, and a whole lot more exasperating blown leads, the Rockets’ 2015-16 season heading into Monday night boiled down to five games, two of which involved them. The NBA’s Western Conference standings heading into Monday night looked like this:…
Does Mayor Turner Have a Transparency Problem?
Not long after his swearing in earlier this year, Mayor Sylvester Turner assembled a “transition team” comprised of more than 250 local academics, business leaders, politicians and everyday citizens to study nearly every corner of city government and report back their policy recommendations. The mayor called the effort “unprecedented” in…
Dated Plotline in Miss Teen at Stages Hampers a Good Cast
The set-up: Yes, the new play by Michele Riml, presented at Stages Repertory Theatre, might be a world premiere, but my question is, Exactly in what century was it written? Miss Teen has got to be the most old-fashioned melodrama imaginable since the Cotton Blossom plied the Mississippi. The execution:…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Tiki, Tacos and Treats
This week, we’ve got a recipe that will help your veggies go down smoothly, a review of a themed bar with an outstanding burger and how to cook your own gaucho-style meat. While we may not be fans of being anywhere except in bed at 6 a.m., Culture Hunt thinks…
Poptimism: A Brighter Way to Talk About Music
“Rock is dead” is the prevailing sentiment these days for everyone from Gene Simmons to Tenacious D. Although such sweeping statements are annoying at best, there may be some truth to it in terms of music criticism. Rock-centric criticism, or rockism, has been our foremost paradigm almost as long as…
Upcoming: Broncho, Chubby Checker, Disclosure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa, Vince Staples, etc.
Note: Events in bold reflect highly recommended shows. Adam Bricks CD release: With Buxton, Tapajenga. Fri., April 29, 9:30 p.m., $10. Continental Club, 3700 Main, Houston, 713-529-9899. Aeg Live presents Bobby Bones & the Raging Idiots: Sat., August 13, 8 p.m., $25. Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin, Beaumont, 409-838-3435. The Allen…
10 Places to Take Your Kids (When You Know They’re Going to Act Terribly)
In my experience, there are two kinds of outings with your children. The first is an actual fun event, planned or unplanned, where the goal is to enjoy the day and the magic of childhood and blah blah blah. The second is, “Dear God, where can I take this demon…
Where to Dine in Houston This Mother’s Day 2016
Show your love and appreciation by treating the mothers in your life to a special meal. From elegant prix fixe feasts to family-friendly brunch buffets, here’s where to dine in Houston this Mother’s Day: Artisans Restaurant 3201 Louisiana, 713-529-9111 This elegant French restaurant will be serving a six-course meal…
Remains Found In Brazoria County Belong To Woman Who Disappeared 19 Years Ago
Nineteen years ago, a young graduate student studying criminology at the University of North Texas disappeared just after her class toured the Denton Police Department. The student, Kelli Cox, had locked her keys in her car and called her boyfriend to come pick her up. When he arrived, she was…
Republic Diner + Sojubang is a Rustic, Down-to-Earth Gem
There hasn’t been much buzz about Republic Diner + Sojubang since it emerged in the space that once housed Witchcraft Tavern & Provisions. Witchcraft Tavern closed in October, and Republic Tavern opened after a short transition phase under the same owners, Delicious Concepts. It’s the same company that’s behind Pink’s…
Why Did the U.S. Government Give Bahram Mechanic a Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card?
Bahram Mechanic sat in downtown Houston’s federal detention center, suffering from myriad ailments his attorneys felt were inadequately addressed by generic jail drugs: bladder cancer, Type II diabetes and a weak, frail heart. The 69-year old Iranian-American had been incarcerated while awaiting trial for nearly nine months. Over the course…
White Oak Music Hall Debuts to Mostly Rave Reviews [UPDATED]
Ongoing construction and everything, the outdoor-venue portion of White Oak Music Hall opened over the weekend to a capacity crowd for French electronica artists M83 and widespread positive feedback about Houston’s newest open-air concert venue. After scanning social media Monday, about the only remotely negative sentiment came from a few…
SEC Files Charges Against AG Ken Paxton
Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing a new set of federal charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission related to his involvement with Dallas-based technology company Servergy, the Houston Chronicle’s Brian Rosenthal first reported earlier today. This morning, the SEC filed a civil lawsuit in federal court alleging Paxton…
Two People, One Transgender, Fatally Beaten And Shot In Midtown Last Night
Two people were fatally shot in Midtown late Sunday night, according to the Houston Police Department, and witnesses are telling police that they were severely beaten first, possibly with a crow bar or tire iron. The victims have been identified as Willie Sims and Shante Thompson; they were found at…
HGO’s Carousel Offers a “Grounded Reality” and Beautiful Music
When Australian Alexander Lewis began singing as an adult, he was a baritone, usually performing in music theater. The son of two opera singers he grew up around the Sydney Opera House, but went a slightly different way in his own singing career. As it turns out, his previous training…
Johnny Manziel and Von Miller Express Mutual Love For One Another (w/ VIDEO)
When we last left our hero, Jonathan “Football” Manziel, he was drinking and clubbing his way through the streets of Hollywood. We pick up the story….well…. in Hollywood… where our hero is…. well… drinking and clubbing his way through the streets of Hollywood. Yeah, not much has changed day to…
This Week in Houston Food Events: Japanese, Wine and Crawfish Festivals
Monday, April 11 T.V. Dinner Mondays Today, The Hay Merchant at 1100 Westheimer kicks off its new remedy for the Monday blues: T.V. dinner Mondays, featuring old-school shows on the big screens and classic T.V. dinner meals like salisbury steak with broccoli rice casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, glazed carrots…
The TUTS Production of Oliver! Engages and Delights
The set-up: Lionel Bart’s one-and-only hit musical (1960) started the Broadway British invasion when Oliver! opened in New York two years after its phenomenal London premiere. Producers mined the English stage for decades afterward, bringing us Tommy Steele, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Anthony Newley, hoping for the next great blockbuster. This…
The Birds in All its Zany Glory at Houston’s ClassicalTheatre
The set-up: The Greeks certainly had a word for it – originality. There’s not much to be found in theater they didn’t invent. It was an alien stage world to be sure, with its masks, all-male audience, all-knowing chorus, clowns with gigantic leather phalluses, protagonists in platform shoes, but their…
The Revolving Door Between Jail and Mental Health Care in Harris County
Before the schizophrenia set in, Tyrone Dolphin was on a full-ride football scholarship at Western New Mexico University, studying to become an aeronautical engineer. He was a three-sport athlete in high school, and he graduated cum laude with big dreams, his mother, Liz Willis says. But once psychiatrists put him…
Dish of the Week: The West Virginia Slaw Dog
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re firing up hot dogs with a regional take: West Virginia’s Slaw Dog. Made with a grilled dog stuffed into a bun…
Houston, Prepare for an Invasion: It’s the Rise of the Bunnies
When Great Britain loaded up 11 ships in 1787 – including six convict transports – they delivered to Australia something much more dangerous than thieves, perjurers, swindlers, robbers and assailants. The First Fleet also transported rats and parasites (bedbugs, lice, cockroaches and fleas) but – as it turns out –…
Top 10 Online Hate Reads
There are plenty of hate reads out there for folks who seek out annoyster-penned blogs, online news sites, and social-media pages to feel some sort of warped sense of inner peace. Problem is, there’s so much to hate hate hate online. No worries. We sifted through the dreck so that…
Houston’s Most Underrated Restaurants
There are times when a food writer should rely on a personal base of experience to declare a restaurant or a dish “best in class—or, sometimes, explain why it isn’t. Other times, a food writer might be confronted with such a wealth of knowledge from the readership that it would…
Should Daryl Morey Be In The Hot Seat?
Sam Hinkie resigned from the Philadelphia 76ers last week. Hinkie was a mediocre GM who somehow convinced many people he was a certifiable genius despite turning the 76ers, already one of the NBA’s more historically mediocre franchises, into such a laughable product that even the Astros squads of 2013 and…
In Houston, Vinyl Craze Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
Star Wars is at the forefront of the American consciousness. There’s legitimate hope with the local baseball team. And we may very well be on the cusp of a Clinton in the White House. Old is indeed new again. That may not be more evident than in the music-retail landscape…
How Decade-Old Felonies Keep People From Finding A Home
Dearie Ruth thought that Crestmont Village was the worst her living situation could get. There were bed bugs and rats. There was no hot water for four months at one point. At another, there was no electricity either, because management didn’t pay the bill, leaving all the residents in the…
If M83 Is Any Indication, White Oak Music Hall Has a Bright Future
M83, Yacht The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall April 9, 2016 Perhaps it was the temporary stage that looked very much like its name. Maybe it was the green underfoot instead of wood or concrete. Look up and you could see the Texas sky, look out and you could…
Shows of the Week: Hayes Carll Returns Home, Heart In Hand
HAYES CARLL Cullen Theater (Wortham Center), April 14 Nearly all of the great songwriters have a “divorce album,” a memoir of a failed relationship that in many cases is also an artistic masterpiece: Dylan’s Blood On the Tracks, Willie Nelson’s Phases and Stages and Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love, to name…
Justin Bieber Is in Full Command of His Pop-Star Powers at Toyota Center
Justin Bieber Toyota Center April 9, 2016 Just after 9 p.m. Saturday, Justin Bieber emerged from underneath the stage that had been fashioned for his Houston performance. Shrill screams filled the Toyota Center, all but drowning out the singer-songwriter’s breathy crooning. Enclosed in a glass box, he was raised a…
East Houston Chemical Plant Catches Fire
A huge blaze at a chemical plant in East Houston this morning forced a shelter in place for nearby residents, KHOU first reported. Houston Fire Department officials said they responded to a fire at the LyondellBassell plant on North Allen-Genoa Road and Lawndale at 10:06 a.m., and issued a shelter-in-place…
The Mystery of Three Aggie Bros and a Dead, Body-Fluid-Covered Dog
Three Texas A&M Corps of Cadet students have been charged with illegal dumping after they admitted to slapping a baseball cap on the bloodied carcass of a dog, and propping it up on firewood on the university band’s drill field in early March. Sterling Hampe, Garrett Kale, and Atticus Johnson,…
Brazos County Will Honor Confederate Soldiers for Whole Month of April
Confederate Memorial Day has been celebrated in Brazos County for more than 100 years every April 26. But apparently that has not been enough celebration. Because this week, Brazos County commissioners signed a proclamation to celebrate Confederate history for the entire month of April, now known as “Confederate History and…
Wayne Graham, More Than Just a Baseball Coach
Wayne Graham turned 80-years-old on Wednesday. The night before, his Rice Owls defeated the Texas Aggies 4-3. The win improved the Rice record to 18-10 for the season with the Owls having now won 15 of the last 20 games. There are plenty of ways to talk about Graham. There’s…
Into It. Over It. Lead Indie-Rock’s Most Stacked Spring Tour Through Houston
Into It. Over It., The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am Not Afraid to Die, The Sidekicks, Pinegrove Warehouse Live April 7, 2016 Emo is in a peculiar state in 2016. Most bands that would typically fit the designation often disavow it or accept it begrudgingly. As trends…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Time to UnWINEd
Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings: The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival @ The Woodlands Town Center Friday – Sunday, Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2099 Lake Robbins This three-day outdoor festival is a celebration…
State Denies Compensation for Former Death Row Inmate
A man freed from death row was denied compensation from the state in a case that tests one of Texas’s most lauded criminal justice reforms. In 2005, Alfred Dewayne Brown was convicted of capital murder after he allegedly shot and killed Houston Police Officer Charles Clarke, “execution style,” during a…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Hardcore Henry
Title: Hardcore Henry Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: Milhouse: “This is great…and all I’ve done is enter my name: ‘Thrillhouse!'” On screen: WELCOME THRILLHO Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three copies of Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Feature-length version of Smack My…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Burger Pop-Up & TV Dinner Mondays
Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary events: In anticipation of Killen’s Burgers, opening soon in the original Killen’s Steakhouse location, Chef Ronnie Killen will be revving up weekend burger pop-ups at Killen’s Barbecue, 3613 E. Broadway, starting this Friday from 11 from a.m. to…
A Chevron Houston Layoff Plays Out on Reddit
Since the end of last year, Chevron has announced that the company intended to lay off about 4,000 employees over the course of 2016. Still, it was sobering to realize the layoffs were hitting Chevron’s Houston workforce on Thursday with more than 600 jobs from the Houston area on the…
Four Reasons to Be Excited About Pro Wrestling, Again
To call the modern age of a professional wrestling a “golden age” might be a stretch, but 2016 is a pretty great time to be a wrestling fan. There are four promotions with TV on a national level in the United States and it’s easier than ever to find the…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Outrageousness on Wheels
It’s shaping up to be another great weekend in Houston and Galveston with a celebration of all things Frida in the East End, outrageousness on wheels in the Art Car Parade (moved downtown this year) and an alien invasion when comedy meets wrestling at Market Square Park. Sunday looks like…
100-Year Flood? Shoot, Houston Is in Trouble During a 10-Year Storm
The Houston Press has acquired a map depicting Harris County’s 10-year flood zones, and the document shows that Brays Bayou, despite multi-million dollar improvements, can’t even protect against a relatively ho-hum downpour. Much like what occurred during the Memorial Day floods, the map shows flooding immediately to the north and…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Helen’s Baby Brother, Arthur
Helen Greek Food & Wine was undoubtedly one of the best new restaurants of last year; it was even a semifinalist in the James Beard Awards’ Best New Restaurant category. Hot on the heels of that opening, the same team is already planning a new restaurant called Arthur Ave Italian…
HISD Audit Chief’s Alleged Misdeeds Kept Under Tight Wrap
Did Richard Patton do such a good job investigating in-house corruption as chief auditor for the Houston ISD that members of his own board (made uneasy by his unrelenting queries) turned against him, as was suggested in a Houston Chronicle story Thursday? Or was Patton leading some kind of double…
Dirty & Nasty Graze the Art Car Ball, and Other Revenge Fantasies
It’s a slow week for techno, there’s not much funk on the street, my e-reader has cast its lot for oblivion, and I’ve got some gardening to do, so let’s hasten toward the end. Dirty & Nasty, Gio Chamba, YE Torres Art Car Ball, Friday April 8, One and Two…
10 New Things We Learned From the J.J. Watt 610 Interview Trilogy
When we last left the Houston Texans, they were collectively limping off the NRG Stadium field back in January, embarrassed and beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-0, in an AFC Wildcard Round playoff game. Symbolically, the visual that best captured the ending of the 2015 campaign was a battered…
Make This a Metalcore Weekend
If you’re looking for something to do in Houston this weekend, why not step into a time machine? What’s that, you say? Time machines don’t exist? Lies. Two, in fact, have pulled up to Houston’s beloved music venues Scout Bar and Walters, and are operating exclusively tonight and Sunday night…
25 Years Later, Poor Dumb Bastards Are Still Getting Away With It
Who knows how it works in other cities, but something would be terribly wrong with Houston’s music scene without Poor Dumb Bastards. Founded in 1991 by Scarborough high-school buddies Byron Dean and Mike Porterfield, the unabashedly rude local rockers gleefully explore the depths of vulgarity and depravity like crazed manchildren…
You Literally Gotta Fight for a Parking Spot at the Houston Zoo on Free-Admission Tuesdays
Parking at the Houston Zoo on free admission Tuesdays is apparently so high-stress that people throw punches over it. That’s what happened this week after a woman ran over to the sole open parking space and stood in it to try saving it, while several impatient cars were circling the…
Blue Collar Comics Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy Houston Bound
Jeff Foxworthy has been friends with Larry the Cable Guy longer than there’s even been a Larry the Cable Guy. “We met in 1986 [at] a little comedy club called The Comedy Corner,” recalls Foxworthy. “And the house emcee was this guy named Dan Whitney, [who later became] Larry the Cable Guy. And…
Texans Re-sign LB John Simon, Allow DE Jared Crick to Leave for Denver
We can now pretty much close the book on the Houston Texans’ list of 2016 free agents, as nearly every single player whose contract was up at the end of last season has now found a home, with several remaining with the team and a number of somewhat significant ones…
How Artistically Inclined Do You Have to Be to Use a 3-D Pen?
There will come a time, down the line, when 3D printing will be something that everyone is familiar with, if not fluent in. I don’t know what that society looks like, but a decade ago we didn’t know what a society with smartphones would look like, and here we are…
Anti-Vaccination Doc Vaxxed, Booted From Tribeca, Is a Tragic Fraud
Vaxxed, the new “documentary” about the alleged connection between vaccines and autism, is directed by Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced doctor responsible for duping untold thousands of parents into believing vaccinations could give their children autism. This may not be news to anyone who’s followed the controversy surrounding the film’s abrupt…
Houston’s a Damn Cool Place for a “Hellhole”
“Houston is a cruel, crazy town on a filthy river in east Texas with no zoning laws and a culture of sex, money and violence. It’s a shabby, sprawling metropolis ruled by brazen women, crooked cops and super-rich pansexual cowboys who live by the code of the west—which can mean…
This Week’s Favorite Houston Dishes
Being the lead freelance food writer and restaurant critic for the Houston Press means I usually end up visiting several different restaurants every week. Sometimes I encounter truly great dishes that may or may not fit into a story I’m working on. Regardless, I think Houston diners should know about them…
Why the Feds Couldn’t Stomach the Halliburton/Baker Hughes Merger
U.S. Department of Justice antitrust regulators have been fairly unenthusiastic about the proposed merger between Halliburton and Baker Hughes, the second and third largest oil field service companies in the United States. Now, thanks to the lawsuit the DOJ filed Wednesday, we have a much clearer picture of exactly why…
Losing an Original Like Merle Haggard Makes Us All a Little Poorer
Monday, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood told The Guardian the band had been back in the studio, mostly recording old blues and R&B tunes by artists like Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf, but some new stuff too. They could have a new album out by the end of the year,…
“The People v. O.J. Simpson” — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Throughout the ten episode viewing cycle of The People v. O.J. Simpson, the reenactment of the trial that gripped America for 15 months back in the mid-90s and the first season of the new FX series called American Crime Story, there were a number of things I learned about the…
The 8 Best Places to Hang Out Near the Ballpark on Opening Day
We’re days away from the Astros’ home opener, and it’s time to make some plans. In what is one of the most anticipated seasons in a decade, fans need to be prepared to get their season started on the right foot. Whether you intend to be at Minute Maid Park…
Not Everyone Is Looking Forward to White Oak Music Hall’s Opening on Saturday
White Oak Music Hall, the brand-new live music venue in Houston’s Near Northside neighborhood, hosts its first concert this Satuday: a sold-out show by French electronica group M83 on the complex’s 3,000-capacity outdoor Lawn at White Oak. For the city’s live-music aficionados, the landmark opening will be just about the…
I Drunk-Cheated on My Boyfriend. Help!
I DRUNK-CHEATED ON MY BOYFRIEND Dear Willie D: I went to a party a few weeks ago and drunk-cheated on my boyfriend. I took six tequila shots and had two beers with a group of friends. One of the friends and I have been friends for three years. We didn’t…
Country Music Loses an Icon: Merle Haggard Passes Away at 79
According to numerous reports, country-music icon Merle Haggard has passed away after a battle with double pneumonia. His manager confirmed Haggard’s death to Britain’s The Independent; today was also his 79th birthday. Haggard’s loss is inestimable; he was often called the greatest songwriter in country-music history, with 38 of his…
