“Charlie Hardwick: What I See”
Artist Charlie Hardwick, more commonly known as Uncle Charlie, is visually impaired, which often prompts fans to ask him, “Exactly how blind are you?” Hardwick says he never finds the words to adequately answer that question. To better explain what he sees, he’s painted a series of new images for…
Brent Green: Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then
Brent Green’s feature film Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then is a 70-minute film based on the life of the eccentric figure Leonard Wood. “When his wife was diagnosed with cancer, he decided that he could make their house into this healing machine that would cure her,” Green tells us. “It…
“Richard Martinez: NEW”
One of the joys of being a gallery owner, says Linda Darke, is the opportunity to introduce new artists to Houston. San Antonio-based Richard Martinez isn’t exactly a new artist – he’s already had shows in other cities – but he is new to Houston, and Darke is happy to…
Madeline’s Christmas
Main Street Theater is offering an especially magical show for children with Madeline’s Christmas. The story is adapted from Ludwig Bemelmans’s wonderful series of children’s books about a plucky student at an all-girls’ school. Madeline learns about compassion when “all the girls get sick and a genie appears to help…
I Can Move Small Objects with My Mind
Suchu Dance is adding two new works to its repertoire this season and you can be among the first to see them at rep program I Can Move Small Objects with My Mind. The new pieces are Huldy Humongous and Bump, both of which were premiered at dance festivals earlier…
CEP Doubles Down on Critic Robert Kimball, Sues For $9 Million
Civic activist and former Sharpstown High vice principal Robert Kimball is responsible for Houston ISD reducing the amount it pays Community Education Partners, the private company that operates two alternative schools in Houston, and therefore should be liable for another $4.7 million, CEP contends in court documents. In a just-discovered…
Sweet Potatoes Versus Yams: The Real Story
Sweet potato season is upon us. And though most Southerners, such as ourselves, correctly refer to the orange root vegetable by its rightful name “sweet potato,” some people (i.e. Yankees) insist on calling them yams. Intrigued by the various appellations, I set out to discover once and for all if…
Aggies Try Again To Fight In-State Tuition For Children Of Illegal Aliens
They’ve had the vote delayed by a bout of common sense, they’ve had the bill vetoed, but they’re not giving up — members of the Texas A&M student senate are poised to vote again on denying in-state tuition to the children of illegal aliens. Proponents of the bill are looking…
First Look at TQLA
If there are two things that serve to immediately dissuade me from trying a restaurant these days, the phrases “167 tequila offerings” and “Washington Avenue” would be those two. I have nothing personally against either tequila or Washington Avenue, mind you. I just prefer not to fight crowds and traffic…
The Beatles: Eight Ways To Spruce Up Their iTunes Catalog
In what was undoubtedly momentous news to the hundreds of music fans out there who haven’t already a) copied their CDs of Rubber Soul and Revolver onto their hard drives, or b) illegally downloaded their entire collection, Apple made the entire Beatles catalog available on iTunes yesterday. Frankly, we’re a…
@TigerWoods — Welcome to Twitter, Tiger!
Celebrities are, by and large, very uninteresting people. Peel back whatever it is they are famous for — sports, movies, television, being famous (the Kardashian/Hilton Corollary) — and typically there’s not much there. Unless you’re interested in how much shit they own (Cribs Corollary), who they’re banging (People Magazine Corollary),…
Growing Up Rennie: Return To Plantersville
As promised, some friends and I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival last weekend, including my soon-to-say-sayonara BF. The good news: I didn’t pee myself. The bad news: I’m not six years old anymore (but good because there’s a much smaller likelihood I’ll pee myself in general). What’s bad is…
Guerilla Barfare: Star Pizza at Liberty Station
We were hanging out at Liberty Station on the East End of Washington Ave. when the hunger bug bit us square in the ass. Hub Cap Grill was parked out front but completely abandoned. But Star Pizza was just down the street, so we put two and two together and…
News Flash: It’s Not All About The Music
Music writers are bombarded with deadwood clichés, which usually arrive in gloriously overdone press releases as we go about our day-to-day rat-killing. But out in public or in the comments sections below our blog posts, we often get blandishments like “they’re the greatest band ever out of Houston” about some…
Eva Longoria’s First Warning Sign: Tony Parker PLAYS IN THE NBA, For Crying Out Loud
The entertainment and sports worlds entire planet, and the International Space Station, has been rocked to its core by word that Eva Longoria and San Antonio Spur Tony Parker are divorcing. So unthinkable was this event that the pair’s publicist spent all yesterday denying it and confirming it and denying…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Federico Cavatore and Chef Raul Garcia of Cavatore’s
If you’re reading this, most likely you’re interested in all things digestible. You are not only aware of the difference between organic and biodynamic, but you have the solstices etched out on your calendar. You know where all the latest and greatest places are that serve pork belly mousse, candied…
Heights Walmart: That Mysterious 380 Agreement Continues Being Mysterious
It’s been about three weeks since we last wrote about the Heights Walmart and a possibility of a missing 380 application from developer Michael Ainbinder. We still haven’t gotten any clarification from the city about whereabouts of that application, if it does exist, or if the developer was even required…
Weird On Etsy: Celebrity Saints
I’m a huge fan of kitsch and other general absurdity. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that one of my favorite sites is Etsy.com, providing both in ample supply. This week’s fun find: celebrity worship (literally). Artist Vicki Berndt incorporates her favorite rock gods and pop-culture icons into traditional…
Songs For Our Brother’s 21st Birthday
Today is the 21st birthday of one of Craig’s Hlist’s biggest musical influences: Not the Pixies’ Doolittle, Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine, or even Operation Ivy’s Energy LP. It’s an actual person, our little brother Jake. The kid came of legal drinking age last night at midnight, another Hlavaty…
Coming Back to Jax Grill
You know how it is with old favorites. All too often, they get shoved to the back of the line as newer, sexier restaurants beckon like pork-belly laden sirens. Soon enough, you realize it’s been half a decade since you visited that laidback, reliable, good-but-not-great little place that once featured…
Texas Pathetic In Fighting Kids Smoking, Report Says
Texas is set to get $1.8 billion this year from the huge tobacco-litigation settlement of a decade ago, but it will spend just 0.6 percent of that on preventing kids from smoking, a report from a coalition of health groups said today. The state spends $11.4 million a year on…
An Ethiopian Breakfast at Sheba Cafe
Whether you’ve grown tired of typical breakfast and brunch places, whether you’re on the hunt for something exotic and new or whether you are simply interested in seeing traditional breakfast foods in a far different setting, breakfast at Sheba Cafe will suit you to a T. Sheba Cafe, the subject…
Dancing With The Stars: Ready… Aim… Fire!
As someone who is both left-handed and left-footed, and has carried a bizarre taffeta-related phobia with us since childhood, Rocks Off generally goes out of our way to avoid Dancing With the Stars at all costs. Occasionally this can be somewhat problematic, because the regulars at our after-work watering hole…
Your Meme of the Week: Jumping Rob Pattinson
Just in time for the December 4th release of Twilight: Eclipse on DVD comes your newest meme, Jumping Rob Pattinson. He’s lean, he’s mean, he’s wearing black boxer briefs, and he’s here to steal the thunder from Prancing Cera and Struttin’ Leo. We’ve never seen any of the Twilight movies,…
Top 5 Houston Food Signs
There are so many Houston eating establishments, and thus, so many signs. But these are the best. 5. Antonio’s Flying Pizza (2920 Hillcroft) There’s nothing not to like about this sign. It has all the characteristics you look for–big, bright, eye-catching lights, and a classic look. I’ve never eaten at…
Terry Collins: Former Astros Manager Might Be Back From The Dead
It’s been more than 10 years since former Astros manager Terry Collins has headed up a team, but rumors are building that he may be getting a new gig, on a big stage. ESPN reports that Collins is a favorite to fill the New York Mets’ coaching vacancy. Collins, currently…
JayyJust: More Than Your Ordinary Mandarin-Rapping Femcee
Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Judgmental as it might seem, when we received…
Update on the “Fake” Luling City Market
Weekend family visitors requested some “real” Texas barbecue, so upon a recommendation from a friend, we headed to the “fake” Luling City Market for some smoked protein. Its strip mall location didn’t much bother, nor did the brash gentleman at the bar who repeatedly hurled loud, slurred insults at the…
Man Steals Car, Finds Baby Inside And Goes Back To Chastise Driver: A Morality Tale
A man’s got to have a code, as Omar Little says. Stealing a car? Permissible, if circumstances warrant. Leaving a baby in one? No way. The Galveston County Daily News reports on this stirring morality tale, which took place early Tuesday morning. A Houston woman and a boyfriend intended to…
Strictly Dancing: Janette Manrara in Burn the Floor at the Hobby Center
It’s the stuff of Hollywood legend. Janette Manrara was working at a bank when her dance teacher pushed her to try out for So You Think You Can Dance. Manrara had grown up salsa dancing with relatives in her Cuban family in Miami, but didn’t undertake formal dance lessons until…
George W. Bush’s River Oaks Book Signing: In The Belly Of The Beast
By 5 a.m., more than 100 people were already camped outside the Barnes & Noble in River Oaks for a chance to spend a few brief seconds with “The Decider,” former President George W. Bush. Bush is touring bookstores around the country to sign copies of his new memoir, Decision…
Top Five Musician Religious Conversions
The opposites of life attract us, we’ve always believed. Time and time again, that philosophy proves itself right. It’s why in high school, the Catholic school girls were the biggest freaks. No, that’s not a myth. They were suffocated with religion or “right” and yearned for something opposite, and we…
Glee: “Substitute”: Me For [Her]
Being a substitute teacher probably sucks. I have no firsthand knowledge of this, but I do know the unadulterated hell we unleashed upon those unfortunate enough to take the place of our usual instructors (all except for “Ms. K,” who was a six foot tall — most of it leg…
No Corkscrew Needed: Tap into Wine at Ruggles Green at CityCentre
You might have never thought to describe what’s inside a keg as displaying “well-balanced tannins,” “stewed raspberries” or a “grassy nose.” Think again; kegs are not just for beer swillers anymore, you can now find vino on tap. Eateries across the nation have begun pouring wine from 5 or 15.5…
Airport Pat-Downs: The Latest Stupid Non-Issue
Hey, everyone: November 24 is National Opt-Out Day!! “It’s the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights [and] stand up for liberty,” organizers say. Opting out of paying taxes until Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed? Standing up against the government’s ability to wiretap you whenever the hell they…
Last Night: Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience At Verizon
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience Verizon Wireless Theater November 16, 2010 Some family businesses involve cleaning out septic tanks, others have you pulling teeth and filling cavities all day. Some have you selling used cars, while others mean slaving in a bakery all day making bread for a healthy contingent…
Edwin Jabroskey Simpson: Four Loko-Knockoff Theft Could Equal Decades In Prison
Edwin Jabroskey Simpson of Lufkin was thirsty, and in his view, overly sober. And nothing — not abject poverty nor an angry cop — was gonna stop the hulking 22-year-old from getting hold of an ice-cold 24-ounce can of Tilt Premium Malt Beverage. According to a police report, Simpson strode…
Epic Cleavage Girl Needs…Uh…We Forgot
Back in September, Winter Pierzina, also known as “Epic Cleavage Girl” online, was texting while driving, ticketed, and is now facing jail time if she doesn’t pay her $2,500 fine in her home state of California. She was made famous a few years back after a set of nude and…
Paul Ruiz: Faceplants Three Times In Running From Cops
Say what you will about Paul Ruiz…that he’s not that bright, that he’s a convicted sex offender, a ne’er do well spotted prowling around people’s cars in the wee hours clad all in black clothes…But you can’t say he doesn’t take a lickin’ and keep on tickin.’ Here’s a snip…
YouTube Shuts Down Ally ASL For Copyright Infringement
Allyson Townsend, who built herself a fervent fanbase by translating modern pop songs by Miley Cyrus, Kesha, and others into American Sign Language, has been shut down by YouTube in the name of copyright infringement. Her former account, allyballybabe, has been suspended, and she is no longer allowed any other…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. New York Times: It’s not often we lead off the weekly Sampler…
Turkey Of The Year Runner-Up: Bill White
It’s a week or so away from the 2010 Turkeys of the Year issue, where we honor what is best in Turkeydom for the past year. This will be our eighth edition of the awards, and as always competition is stiff. Building up to the grand announcement of the winners,…
Walter Netschi: Convicted On $80 Million Ponzi Scheme, He Got His Start Right Here In Houston
Walter Netschi sneers at ATMs that actually existA former Houstonian is headed to prison for running an $80 million Ponzi scheme that involved selling stakes in non-existent ATMs. Part of his downfall: An investor apparently so impressed he owned an ATM that he went to see it in person.The investor…
Road Trip: Kountry Bakery
The American interstate highway system was designed for many purposes: to link metropolitan areas as directly as possible; to aid in military transport in case of war; and to connect to major border crossings with Canada and Mexico (just to name a few). Nothing could be finer if your sole…
Why No Latino Rappers At The Box’s Los Magnificos Car Show?
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask…
Holiday Nibbles from Tres Market
Tres Market, a local Houston catering/ food-to-go enterprise hosted an open house recently featuring a sampling of their new holiday menu items. Tres Market (12699 Memorial Drive, 713-365-0722) is a good place to pick up your holiday party foods whether you are hosting the event or just need to bring…
Red Light Cameras: How Will HPD Make Up The $10 Million Loss?
Possible new guildelines for HPDMayor Annise Parker has turned off the red light cameras, but she has also said that the move will cost the Houston Police Department $10 million a year. In a time of tight budgets, with talk of furloughs and cutbacks, it’s a tough hit to take…
New on DVD: The Extra Man, Avatar The Kids Are All Right, Lottery Ticket, Cats & Dogs 2, The Last Airbender
(Capsule reviews by Melissa Anderson, J. Hoberman, Dan Kois, Michelle Orange and Robert Wilonsky) The Extra Man Delicate, gangly Louis Ives (Paul Dano) yearns to be both a Gatsby-era gentleman and a pretty young lady. Caught fondling a lacy brassiere, he’s dismissed from his teaching post at a Princeton prep…
Prince William: Who’s Playing The Royal Wedding?
Sorry, ladies. Prince William is (almost!) officially off the market. When the future King of England officially announced his engagement to girlfriend Kate Middleton earlier today, Rocks Off instantly envisioned potential entertainers for the couple’s 2011 wedding. As usual, our minds mostly gravitated toward the preposterous, but we think this…
Health Inspector Tells Natachee’s Beloved Horse to “Giddy Up”
Jerry Don Luco, co-owner of Natachee’s Supper & Punch, is a cowboy. He’s got the hat, the boots, an endless supply of quirky Southern idioms, and like any good cowboy, Jerry has a horse. Her name is Lacy, and she’s quickly become the media darling of Main St. — charming…
First Look at Kraftsmen Cafe
From the board games in one corner to the giant, brightly hued chalk mural that decorates one wall to the “Effin’ Good Sandwich” listed on the menu, the old Textile space at 611 West 22nd in the Heights is now nearly unrecognizable in its new, entirely laid-back incarnation as the…
Four Loko Soon Banned In Texas?
It’s funny how certain things become your beat. Some guys get latched onto animal rights, some find their niche working for homeless people, while other find themselves covering a can of liquid death, in my case, Four Loko. I was the one who drank three cans of Four Loko a…
Texans-Jags Hail Mary (and 5 other plays) In TECMO BOWL Form! (W/ Video)
In 2010, by my calculations, there are really four legitimate ways for your legacy to be commemorated. They are as follows: 1. Bobblehead doll 2. Being spoofed on South Park 3. Being spoofed in West Coast porn (My character’s name would be Stone Pendergasm, not that I’ve thought this through.)…
Still Waiting for HGO’s Mariachi Opera
The Setup: In present-day Houston, addled old Laurentino (Octavio Moreno) surprises his American-born son Mark (Brian Shircliffe) by calling out the name of his Mexican-born son Rafael (David Guzman). Granddaughter Diana (Brittany Wheeler) wants to find mysterious Rafael and reunite him with Dad before Laurentino dies. We learn that after…
The Beatles: Are They Too Late For iTunes?
This morning the Beatles and Apple announced, rather quietly, that the band was officially on the iTunes roster of artists, joining millions of others with their thirteen albums. In a statement to the press this morning, Apple chief Steve Jobs said, “We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled…
Redneck Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving Cranberry Salad and Barbecued Green Beans
For those pressed for time, looking to do some ironic cooking or just plain angry at their arteries, we present the second in a series of recipes to help you enjoy a Redneck Thanksgiving. For previous posts in this series — mined from my family’s eastern Ohio church cookbook –…
Michael Joseph Snowden: Sexually Assaults 6-Year-Old Boy In Library Bathroom, Cops Say
Here’s one to make every parent shudder — a six-year-old boy went into a bathroom stall at the Freed-Montrose Library to change clothes; while he was in there a convicted sex offender went in and sexually assaulted him. Michael Joseph Snowden, 21, is a registered sex offender after his 2005…
Ingredient of the Week: Tejocote
What is it? This little sweet and sour fruit is also known as a Hawthorn apple, and until recently, was the most smuggled fruit on the Mexican border. A crab apple with a yellow-orange skin, it is similar in flavor to a kumquat, but with the texture of a mealy…
Five Great Moments In Indecent Exposure
Recently, Florida’s lame-duck governor Charlie Crist has said he’s considering pardoning Jim Morrison for his 1969 indecent exposure charge, stemming from The Doors’ notorious Miami concert in which a drunken Lizard King swore numerous times and proceeded to whip it out onstage. Of course, Morrison died in 1971, so the…
Top Five: Worst Movie Families with Whom to Spend Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving can be the most difficult holiday to get through. It’s a time for family to come together and experience all of the old resentments and hidden issues that drove them apart in the first place, but without the catharsis of a gift-giving session. If you’re lucky, you belong to…
Royal Wedding: The Five Hottest Royal Brides In History
Hair Balls was positively ecstatic to learn that Prince William is getting hitched to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. Although the wedding isn’t planned until 2011, we’re already worrying over what to wear, and what to get the happy couple (we’re pretty sure they’ll register at Target). But in the meantime,…
The Strange Saga of The Muffin Man
Above: Jason “Muffin Man” Perry speaks, um, passionately at a Houston City Council meeting on September 28, 2010. Sitting at home one August day in the Montrose, I watched as a young man walked up and down my street, rolling up flyers and sticking them into gates and doors up…
Stuff You Should Know About: Maddox Brothers And Rose
“America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band” Lonesome, Onry and Mean was watching a YouTube of Merle Haggard’s “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)” recently and, as he introduced the song, Merle commented that the inspiration for the song was the Maddox Brothers and Rose. According to Hag, “No one remembers the Maddox…
NASA’s Latest High-Resolution Photo: Has Google Maps Robbed Us Of Our Sense Of Wonder?
You’re looking at one of the highest-resolution photos ever taken from the International Space Station, posted this week by NASA. NASA says it has a resolution of two to three meters per pixel, due to (WARNING: geek talk incoming) using lens “doublers” to increase the optical magnification of camera lenses…
Thirteen and Sporting A Sleeve–Too Young to Tattoo?
This past weekend a picture was loaded onto loltatz.com showing a 13 year-old Russian boy with a full tattoo sleeve, given to him by his father, a tattoo artist. This pisses me off because I had to wait until I was almost 24 years old myself to have a full…
Kombucha Comeback
For those experiencing withdrawal over the last six months from the kombucha crisis of 2010, you can now rest easy in knowing that it’s back. The fermented probiotic beverage was abruptly pulled from supermarket shelves across the country last June after Lindsay Lohan’s SCRAM ankle bracelet, which detects alcohol levels…
Louie Gohmert: “Anchor Baby” Congressman Whines To Texas College For Making Him Look Bad
Talking Points Memo has an update on its continuing coverage of East Texas Congressman Louie “Anchor Baby” Gohmert’s involvement with the firing of a Stephen F. Austin employee, and it’s a funny one. Gohmert, TPM reports today via open-records requests, is highly annoyed that SFA is making him look bad…
Which Rockers Are Best Suited For Autumn?
What season are you? It’s a question that doesn’t get asked often enough in the world of rock and roll, but if the half dozen fashion and beauty Web sites Rocks Off consulted while writing this are any indication, seasonal color analysis is big. The phenomenon took off in the…
The Little Dog Laughed Is Salty, Adult Fun
The Setup: This madcap fairy tale about Hollywood, its hypocrisy and its fleeting visions of fame and fortune, revolves around a quartet of lost, lonely and unscrupulous characters all out for a buck. So what if there’s “a little deception” involved, a lie here, a broken heart there? They’re out…
Health Dept. Roundup
Tighten the plumbing, put soap by the sink and get out the Scotch-Brite pads — it’s this week’s Health Department Roundup: A November 10 inspection at Taqueria Puro Jalisco (1019 Edgebrook) found 10 violations, including a new, fairly awful-sounding one: the ventilation system was spewing something that was a public…
Anthony Ray Ferrell, The Good Samaritan Killer: Third Escapee From His Halfway House In 20 Months
Photo courtesy HPD Victim Sam Irick and his alleged killer Anthony Ray FerrellThe man charged with killing a Good Samaritan during a purse-snatching is the third person to escape the same state-contracted halfway house in the last 20 months.Anthony Ray Ferrell had fled a “halfway house in the 10900 block…
Revamped 9 to 5 Works With Help From Dolly
The Setup: Dolly Parton’s musical adaptation of Patricia Resnick’s hit movie (1980) received such a drubbing from the New York press when the show opened on Broadway in 2009 — and closed five months later — that I went to Theatre Under the Stars’ touring production with, what might charitably…
Keyboardist Seeks Arabic Players To Explore Local Scene
Rocks Off combs through Craigslist’s postings hoping to find the genesis of some great musical endeavor. So when we saw a posting looking for Arabic singers, we were intrigued. After all, this is a time of mosque burnings and our upstairs neighbors passing anti-Sharia laws. It must take a hefty…
Phi Slama Dickey Kicks Off The Season
The Houston Cougars officially opened up the basketball season this weekend, and though it wasn’t always pretty, especially on Friday night, the team came away with two victories. And while head coach James Dickey and his players weren’t always happy with the way they played, or with some of the…
There But For The Grace Of Michael Lohan Go I
If you’re a parent, one day you’ll inevitably come to the sobering realization that your child’s ultimate happiness is out of your hands. Naturally you’re going to avoid feeding them Red Bull and Cheetos for lunch (that’s a man’s meal) or letting them juggle steak knives, but beyond common sense…
Lindsay Lohan & Demi Lovato: Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Pop Stars
If you’re a parent, one day you’ll inevitably come to the sobering realization that your child’s ultimate happiness is out of your hands. Naturally you’re going to avoid feeding them Red Bull and Cheetos for lunch (that’s a man’s meal) or letting them juggle steak knives, but beyond common sense…
Upcoming: 30 Seconds To Mars, Kesha, Linkin Park, Etc.
30 Seconds To Mars: Wed., Jan. 26. Verizon Wireless Theater. 12 Stones, Taproot: Fri., Jan. 21. Scout Bar Clear Lake. Acid Mother’s Temple, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers: Wed., April 20. Fitzgerald’s. Adema: Wed., Jan. 12. Meridian. Agent Orange: Sun., Jan. 9. Fitzgerald’s. Better Than Ezra, Big Sam’s Funky…
Where Are We Drinking?
I agree with today’s photographer, Erika Ray, that all ice served in soft drinks should be crushed. And that should be a valuable key to figuring out where we’re enjoying the Coke you see below. Does the setting (and the ice) look familiar to you? Leave your best guess for…
Slideshow: Art On The Avenue
Last Saturday, Winter Street Studios hosted “Art On the Avenue,” an event raising funds for Avenue CDC, an organization dedicated to improving Washington Avenue and the Near Northside community by developing affordable housing and increasing economic opportunities. Guests browsed the work of more than 200 Texas artists in a silent…
Joffrey Lionel Jeffery, 36, Bayou Body Count No. 274
A Midtown man was found shot to death in his apartment, and police suspect he was killed during a home invasion. The victim, whose name has not been released, was found in his apartment in the 1300 block of Bayou Oaks Vista Drive, near the West Gray split, about 10…
10 Freaky Fetish Fair Items, Repurposed Away From Perversion
The Sheraton Brookhollow was the scene this weekend for the Fetish Fleamarket, a large gathering of BDSM types seeking products, tips, partners, all kinds of things. We sent a photographer out to do a slideshow, and we have to admit a lot of this stuff looks like it would be….underused,…
Bluefinger: Rock & Roll Tragedy, One Comic Moment At A Time
Plenty of rock stars have shown that there’s a fine line between fuck-up and folk hero. Herman Brood, the central figure of Catastrophic Theatre’s Bluefinger, doesn’t bother with that line – or any other kind of line besides the ones you can snort. As played by former Sprawl and Middlefinger…
Nuts and Berries at Burlap Barrel Pub
I was finishing dinner with my friend when she said, “I want a Nuts and Berries.” I asked her what that was, and she said it’s a cocktail made with Razzmatazz, Bailey’s and half & half. Unless you don’t have a gag reflex, that probably sounds pretty gross to you…
George W. Bush’s Fifth Ward River Oaks Book-Signing Sold Out
Currently unemployed former Houstonian George W. Bush will be in town this week to sign copies of his book, offering customers a rare chance to pay full price for Decision Points before it hits the cutout bins. He’s appearing in an obscure, out-of-the-way part of town called “River Oaks,” we…
Weekly Time-Waster: Spawn of Space Invaders
When Chaos Invaders came up on some video game blogs last week, we started to wonder how many different takes on the Space Invaders model we’d seen since it originally appeared in arcades in 1978. Just like with countless other classic games, designers and developers have been consistently going back…
Cooking Through Alton: Cranberry Granita
The dish Let us all give thanks, because Alton’s Cranberry Granita is an absolute hit. Think sorbet with just the right balance of tart and sweet. The cranberry and lime zest blend together in absolute harmony and burst with flavor. The difficulty Alton does it again with a super-easy recipe…
Deborah Armstrong, 59, Bayou Body Count No. 273
Houston police are investigating what they call “an apparent murder-suicide” on the west side Friday morning. Deborah Armstrong, 59, was found in her home in the 14500 block of Chadbourne Drive with “gunshot wounds in her back” and was pronounced dead at the scene, HPD says. The suspect in the…
Houston Firefighter Calendar 2011 Is Here! Go Have Some Private Time!
The latest version of the always popular Houston Firefighters Calendar, featuring men holding things while not wearing any shirts, is out. Saturday night was the release party, and the Facebook reviews are in…
Five Questions for Geri Druckman and This Year’s Wine Conference
Last September marked the inaugural year for The Wine Conference, an annual event pairing more than just food and wine. The Wine Conference seeks to pair people with knowledge, whether those people are wine experts, oenophiles or simply folks seeking to learn a little more about the differences between red…
Museum Of The Gulf Coast’s Musical Treasure Trove
Rocks Off visited the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur this past Friday while on the the way to Louisiana for a quick vacation. The downstairs area is full of artifacts pertaining to the founding of the land around Port A, like military and animal exhibits. The best…
10 Pumpkin Dishes to Try in Houston: #3: Pumpkin Cupcake at Crave Cupcakes
I adore pumpkin. It’s orange (my favorite color), healthful (fiber! Vitamin A!), and associated with two lovely, food-centric holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving). Starting around October, I always find myself on the hunt for pumpkin-flavored foods, and this autumn is no exception. So, between now and Turkey Day, I will be…
Vid Picks of the Week: TeenTube
One of the best things about YouTube is the ability to culture browse. Pre-YouTube, the only person watching Asian pop videos was Sofia Coppola. How times have changed! Today we can document the cultural zeitgeist. This week, we focus our video picks on the vastly different lives of teenagers from…
Christopher George Gonzalez: Guard Agreed To Smuggle Four Pounds Of Coke Into Prison, Two Ounces At A Time
Christopher George Gonzalez, 29, is a guard at a privatized federal detention center in the Valley. Or at least he used to be, before the feds nabbed him in a sting operation. The U.S. Attorney’s office here in Houston says Gonzalez has been charged with agreeing to smuggle cocaine into…
Big Little Fudge: A Lot of Taste in a Little Package
Kevin Graham and Robin Strickland might not be the two people you’d think would join forces to create a fudge company that sends out squares of chocolate packaged in punchy tins with sayings like “A little piece offering” or “What’s your fudge factor?” tied to their bright packaging. Both Graham…
Friday Night: Tim & Eric At Fitzgerald’s
Tim & Eric, Neil Hamburger FItzgerald’s November 12, 2010 It took Aftermath a while to “get” Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s Awesome Show (Great Job). We were a fan of their original Adult Swim offering, Tom Goes to the Mayor, but at first unfairly lumped in their more live-action-oriented Awesome…
Houston Texans — R.I.P. 2010
In her 1969 book Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross describes in detail the five stages of dealing with grief and tragedy. Simply put, the human progression is to exhibit feelings of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (likely in that order). Now, before you go thinking that I am some…
Friendsgiving at Monarch
For good food and good cocktails, come by Monarch Urban Lounge & Bistro this Thursday, November 18, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and indulge for a good cause. They are suggesting a $10 donation at the door, with all proceeds going to the Star of Hope Houston’s Thanksgiving Dinner Program…
Top Five: Holiday Horror
This Friday, as part of its ongoing movie series, Domy Books will be hosting a screening of Thankskilling by Jorden Downey. Watch a crazed, murderous turkey take down college kids over the Thanksgiving break. In honor of hell-bent turkeys this holiday season, resist the urge to watch It’s a Wonderful…
Darrell Craig Vogel: Beaumont Prosecutor Picked Up Twice In 24 Hours For DWI
Darrell Craig Vogel, 50, is an assistant prosecutor for the city of Beaumont, meaning he deals with municipal court stuff. The pressures of holding in your hands the Sophie’s Choice of whether or not to prosecute that 41-in-a-35 mph-zone case may have been too much for him, though. He managed…
Recap: Episode 7 of The Next Iron Chef
I gotta admit, I’m still stewing over the results of The Next Iron Chef. At the beginning of the episode, we were promised that two would be banished, but instead they just kicked off Bryan Caswell and then wimped out of picking another to boot. There are rules, people. In…
Reduxion Returns Next Wednesday With Tax The Wolf
We’re baaaaaaack! After a couple of months off – hey, things happen – Reduxion, Rocks Off’s monthly series of local bands covering their biggest influences, returns just in time to get you nice and hung over for Thanksgiving dinner. (Kidding… we think.) This month we’re proud to welcome the reigning…
Galveston Of The `60s, As Seen By A Glen Campbell Music Video
When was the last time former Galveston County Commissioner Jimmie Vacek got a shout-out in a music video? The answer, we’re guessing, is whenever this video came out. A friend of Hair Balls discovered it and passed it on to us. It’s Glen Campbell singing “Galveston” to scenes of a…
UK Concept-Concert Hits Houston: Songs From A Room
Walking up stone carved stairs to a private, secluded house in one of the richest neighborhoods in Houston isn’t a typical Saturday night for most people. But this past Saturday was an exception for the lucky few that experienced Houston’s foray into Songs From A Room. The concept started in…
Rice Owls: Making The Worst Offenses Look Competent
The Rice Owls had no business being in the position to defeat the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday afternoon. The Owls had given up 512 yards to one of the worst offenses in Conference USA. They had given up 48 points to a team struggling to score points. Yet Taylor…
Wine of the Week: Intipalka Sauvignon Blanc 2009
This is the only time I’ve ever tried a wine from Peru, a country not revered for its winemaking (at least here in America). It’s refreshing to taste a little-known wine that is well representative of the Sauvignon Blanc varietal…
Lightnin’ Hopkins Dedication Draws Overflow Crowd
Lightnin’ Hopkins is official. Saturday morning, a crowd that overflowed the tent erected due to the inclement weather (though it never actually rained) showed up to witness the dedication of a state historical marker honoring Sam “Lightnin'” Hopkins, the legendary bluesman who lived in Third Ward from the late 1940s…
Red Light Cameras Are Off! Victory For The People!
The red light cameras that have vexed Houston drivers are now out of commission, Mayor Annise Parker says. The city council officially canvassed this morning the November 2 election results, making official the vote to remove the cameras. Now the city has to negotiate with the owner of the cameras,…
DJ Screw: Remembering Him 10 Years After His Death
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Chris Ward, Chuckway, Kyle Hubbard, Brad Gilmore, Simple Success Not Invited: Nobody. Everybody was invited. This Week’s Prompt: This week is the anniversary…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Adam West of Monarch
Houston has a new chef in town. Adam West is new to the area, and he’s enjoying cooking up some amazing dishes for us natives over at the Hotel ZaZa. He’s trying to turn Monarch into a destination restaurant, instead of just being part of the hotel. As such, he…
The Week In TV: Enough Already, Gene
Why don’t the people on The Walking Dead just call the zombies zombies? We all know what they are. Anyway, this was the week in TV Land: • Another week, another disappointing episode of The Office. Despite a few bright moments earlier this year, last week’s episode returned to the…
Beverly Hurts, 54, Bayou Body Count No. 272
Beverly Hurts, 54, who had told others of years of physical abuse at the hands of her husband, was beaten to death with a baseball bat by that husband Saturday, police say. Isaiah Hurts, 55, has been charged with murder. Media reports say he beat his wife to death while…
Saturday Night: Dr. Dog At Warehouse Live
Dr. Dog Warehouse Live November 13, 2010 Fans packed into Warehouse Live Saturday as Houston’s temperatures dropped from balmy to brisk in what seemed like minutes. But the crowd had clearly braced themselves for such conditions, breaking out their seldom-used winter accessories to face the cold (we even spotted fleece!)…
Houston Cougars: Still Knocking On The Bowl-Game Door
The much-maligned Houston Cougar defense held the high-octane offense of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to only 28 points on Saturday night. But that wasn’t enough because the high-octane Houston Cougar offense misfired throughout the game and the Cougars, playing their final home game of the season, went down to defeat…
Where Are We Eating?
If the plate in the photo below doesn’t look familiar to you, the bun might give this burger away. Think you know where we’re eating this week? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
The Lyrical Crimes Of Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger
Today is Chad Kroeger of Nickleback’s birthday. Huzzah. For years, Nickelback has been like those Nigerian bank scams; Dangerous, annoying and, frankly, not something anyone can do just a whole lot about. However, anti-Nickelback activist Tubby Chubcakes recently whipped us out of our complacency, and Rocks Off decided to see…
Boardwalk Empire: The Evolving Regime
Ep. 9 – Preview Splitsider recently published a cute but accurate article in which 30 Rock and Dollar Sign Hashtag Asterisk Exclamation Point My Dad Says were compared in a vaguely scientific manner to determine which was funnier. (Not-really-a-spoiler alert: 30 Rock crushed it.) One part of the methodology they…
The 10 Most Awesome Vintage Texas Fruit Labels
You know, people used to care about packaging back in the day. Not like now. And by “care,” we mean throw any odd — the odder the better, it seems — label on your farm’s fruit and vegetable boxes. Texas, of course, had a big agricultural economy when all this…
Jaguars 31, Texans 24: Were You Even Surprised?
Until eight days ago, it still felt different. Sure, the Texans were 4-3 and coming off a rough loss to the Colts. But until then, when the Texans had been beaten, they were clearly the lesser team — losing by at least 13 points to physically superior opponents on those…
City Hall Employee Files Complaint with the City of Houston Over City Hall Farmers Market’s Lack of “Racial Diversity”
When Urban Harvest’s newest farmers’ market opened in front of City Hall in mid-October, that first Wednesday was an enormous success by anyone’s standards: More than 2,000 people came out to peruse the offerings from 25 vendors, a mix of both prepared-food-product vendors and growers selling their own farm-fresh produce…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where procrastination is (note to self: think of some clever definition and insert it here later). We started the week off with one of our favorite things: a recounting of time spent judging a chili cook-off. We don’t know…
Say Hello To Your Newest Houston Texan
Sometimes we initiate change, and sometimes change is thrust upon us. I’ll let you guess which category your Houston Texans fall into, just know that for better or worse, they went out yesterday and found a new body to plug into the secondary. Of course, it took safety Dominique Barber…
Top 10: Remembering Dino De Laurentiis (1919 – 2010)
Legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis passed away Wednesday at his Beverly Hills, California, home. He was 91. Italian-born De Laurentiis was a risk-taking producer, known for boundary-pushing, high-art films as well as big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. He was behind groundbreaking films like Federico Fellini’s La Strada and The Nights of…
Top Five Musician/Journalist Feuds
“Like, what is your problem?” Hell hath no fury like a spurned musician, but a critic’s vengeance doesn’t lag far behind. This week in the Houston Press, you can read an interview Noah Bailey at our sister paper the Dallas Observer did with Dr. Dog’s Scott McMicken, who says he…
Chinese Tallow Trees Continue East Texas Takeover
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says the invasive Chinese Tallow tree is getting more and more of a grip in East Texas. The tree, which can hinder plant diversity, has seen its numbers grow 174 percent in a 15-year period ending in 2007, TPWD says. They cite a report…
10 Food-related Gifts Under $25 to Make Your Friends Salivate
We all have at least one – that friend who is obsessed with everything food. Luckily, shopping for him doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are ten options, all under $25. Gift that Keeps on Giving One of the best gifts we’ve ever received, magazine subscriptions keep on giving…
Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Six Best Songs, By Mr. Blues In Hi-Fi
Tomorrow, Rocks Off – and, we hope, a lot of our readers – will drag our raggedy asses out of bed and over to Project Row Houses in Third Ward at 10 a.m. to witness something incredible: The dedication of a Texas State Historical Marker to the greatest bluesman to…
Red Light Cameras To Go Dark After Vote Canvassed November 15 (Updated)
There’s been a lot of confusion about just when and how the city of Houston will respond to the success of the referendum banning red light cameras, but maybe it’s beginning to clear up. KTRK is reporting that the cameras will “go dark” at 10 a.m. November 15. That’s just…
5 Ways To Make Twitter Really, Really Awkward For Your Friends
Twitter is a fun thing. We can keep up with our wittier friends, pry into the lives of our favorite celebrities, and know instantly when our favorite websites put up new content. People love to shit on Twitter, but how else would you see pictures of Piccadilly Circus at sunrise…
Cinema Arts Festival Houston – Day 3
See a full schedule of today’s events and screenings here, but we recommend the following: Levantine Cinema Arts Award Presentation: An Evening with Isabella Rossellini Isabella Rossellini is simply one of the classiest actresses ever. Indelibly sexy, charming and intelligent, she’s swung from damaged and menacing (Blue Velvet, Wild at…
Bartender Chat: Anthony Montz
You know all of those deliciously refreshing cocktails you imbibe by the bucketful at Hearsay Gastro Lounge downtown? Well you can thank Anthony Montz for those, and you can also be happy for that fact that several days a week, he is now flexing his mixology muscles over at Double…
Waiting For Nicki Minaj: Rap Existentialism At Hush
8:15 p.m.: The premise is simple: Nicki Minaj, perhaps the most buzzy, interesting, interestingly buzzy female rapper of the last decade, will be at Hush tonight as part of her album release celebration. It will be a proper good time, we imagine. The event is listed as happening from 9…
Sir Lewis, Pimp: 34 Years For Working Underage Girls
Having a stable of 16-year-olds forced to be hookers, making one turn a trick just after you’ve broken her nose — “Sir Lewis” sounds like a guy who deserves the almost 34-year federal sentence he got hit with today. His actual, less-regal name is Barry Lernard Davis; the 34-year-old had…
John Fullbright: Woody Guthrie Sells A Lot Of Hamburgers
John Fullbright, playing a writers-in-the-round with Jess Klein tonight at Anderson Fair, looks like the kid at the grocery store sacking groceries or gathering carts from the parking lot. The innocent look masks an old-soul singer-songwriter and one of the hottest youngsters in the folk/roots/Americana musical nation. A regular one-man…
Odd Pair: Sweet Potatoes & Chardonnay
If you’re like me, then you’ve been “practicing” your Thanksgiving recipes a little early this year. At least that’s the reason you give when people ask why you’re making stuffing and sweet potatoes in the beginning of November. The upside (besides getting to eat decadent food all month) is that…
Hermann Park’s New Bike Bridge Under Way
Construction has begun on the futuristic-looking hike/bike bridge that will link the Brays Bayou paths with Hermann Park. Eliza Wright of the Hermann Park Conserrvancy tells Hair Balls the bridge, one of four being built for a total of $7.5 million in federal funds, will open in early 2012. It…
The Week In Art Photos
Each week, we scour the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool and every Friday we’ll post the most eye-popping shots. (Be sure to enable the HTML…
Top Five Rapper Deadbeat Dads
Admit it, when you hear the term “deadbeat dad,” you immediately think of a black rapper rocking Gucci stunna shades in a perfectly dimmed room, pants drooping to his ankles. Truth be told, hip-hop dads would be wise to step up and heed Ed OG’s words: “Be a Father to…
Openings & Closings
The biggest news of the week seems to be the revolving doors at some of Houston’s more popular restaurants: BRC Gastropub, Caffe Bello and the Inn at Dos Brisas (which, okay, is up the road in Independence, but we still claim it as our own). There have been serious chef…
Rocks Off Threw Wrench Into U of H & Rice’s Secrecy Plan
This morning the Texas Watchdog published a follow-up to yesterday’s story, which released several emails from the consulting firm the University of Houston hired to negotiate its purchase of KTRU. These emails encouraged U of H to concoct a “cover story” to mask its intentions to purchase the largely student-run…
Rice, UH Officials Made Embargo Agreement With Chronicle On KTRU Story So They Could Have “A Quiet Weekend”
As we noted back in August, the Houston Chronicle’s initial reporting on Rice’s controversial sale of KTRU to UH was glowingly positive, at least in part because of a deal where the paper agreed to hold the information until the schools wanted it released. Texas Watchdog has released a second…
Top 10 Fallen Fast Food Items
Much has been made in the past few weeks about the McRib, McDonald’s exalted ground pork and barbecue sauce wonder. You may remember it first hitting America’s mouths in the early ’80s, not selling extremely well, and only coming back every now and then. It returned briefly in 1994 as…
Bob Cavnar: Five Questions With A Deepwater Horizon Expert
Bob Cavnar is an oil-industry insider who quickly became an expert-in-demand for reporters covering the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the resulting Gulf oil spill. He’s written a book on the event, Disaster on the Horizon, and will be at Brazos Bookstore to discuss it and sign copies from 3 to…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Unstoppable
Title: Unstoppable Starring: Malcolm X, Captain Kirk, and Mrs. Alexander the Great. Does Rosario Dawson Get Naked In This? What kind of stupid question is that? It’s one of those “inspired by true events movies” where her character spends 95% of the movie in a railroad command center. Grow up…
Jan Lim, 59, Bayou Body Count No. 271
A man killed his estranged wife and then committed suicide on the southwest side Monday night, police say. HPD was called to the couple’s home at the intersection of Dairy Ashford and Huntington Venture by the man’s brother, who had found their bodies. Police determined the woman, Jan Lim, 51,…
Happy Hour Scene: Dog House Tavern
The Place: Dog House Tavern2517 Bagby St. 713-520-1118The Hours: Monday through Friday, 3-7 p.m. The Deals: Domestic drafts and bottles are $2.50. Import drafts are $3, and wells are $3.50. Lone Star and Mickey’s are $2. The Scene: “This is my religion!” a young man said as he stood at…
Springsteen Web Site: ’78 Summit Show Best Video Ever
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, “Fire,” live at the Summit 12/8/78 Since one of the extra goodies is a complete video of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band’s December 1978 concert at the Summit, Rocks Off is sure Houston’s Boss fans don’t need much more reason to…
Top Eight Worst Musician Vanity Film Projects
Rocks Off won’t speak for everyone, but if we ever found ourselves a platinum-selling artist, we kinda doubt we’d press our luck by veering off into the world of acting. We mean, it hardly ever works from the opposite direction (right, Don Johnson?), so what good can possibly come from…
Red Carpet: Opening Night of Cinema Arts Festival Houston
Socialites and celebs walked the red carpet Wednesday night for the opening of the second Cinema Arts Festival Houston at the Museum of Fine Arts. Special guest John Turturro presented his film Passione, a musical tribute to the city of Naples, Italy. The festival continues through Sunday, November 14. Click…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Adam West of Monarch
Yesterday we spoke with Adam West, the new chef at Hotel Zaza’s restaurant Monarch, about his culinary background and the changes he’s made to the menu. Today we continue our chat. Eating Our Words: We know this is a tough question, but can you categorize your cuisine? Adam West: It’s…
Cougars Focus On The Cougars
The Houston Cougars don’t focus on the big picture. They’re not looking at having three games left in the season, or two games left in conference. They’re not focusing on bowl eligibility. All that matters is Saturday night and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-3) for the Cougars concern themselves with…
Talk Dirty to Me: Ten Filthy-Sounding Sports Terms
In few places are slang terms as popular as in sports. There is virtually an entire language dedicated to describing play on the field, court, course or pitch. These terms create sort of an insiders club of those who know them and follow along and those who don’t and think…
Upcoming Events
Have you ever wanted to play chef for a day in the vast kitchen at Brennan’s? Your chance to man the stoves (seen above) is coming up, as Alex Brennan Martin has now revived the Creole restaurant’s beloved “Chef For A Day” program. Available only to one person per day…
Castle Lights’ Paint the Stars Outshines The Sky
Almost the first story that Rocks Off did here was music that had its inception at Red Tree Recording Studio. Since then, the studio has sent us solid gold album after solid gold album, and their latest release is no exception. Meet Castle Lights, formerly Light Parade. Jeremiah Wood began…
Community: The Bottle Episode
“Cooperative Calligraphy” is destined to rank with the best episodes of Community’s entire run, as well as one of the funniest half-hours of television this year. It was just that good. The jokes came even faster than expected as the gang spent the episode walled off in the library, forcing…
Warning Labels: Six More That Are Desperately Needed
Not just cigarettesSo the U.S. Federal Drug Administration does nothing to monitor the financial conflicts of interest of researchers who run clinical trials on human test subjects; can’t adequately inspect foreign manufacturing plants; and has allowed eggs and peanuts to become lethal fricking weapons. But if you thought the FDA’s greatest…
HISD Board Approves Apollo 20 Funding, All-Girls School
A lengthy school board meeting ended Thursday night with approval for the Apollo 20 bonuses and an all-girls school for grades 6-12. Trustees also approved an anti-bullying resolution — as opposed to coming out in favor of bullying, we guess — and agreed to close the H.P. Carter Center. Students…
Euland Laster, 65, Bayou Body Count No. 270
A man was shot to death as his car was being stolen last night on the northeast side, Houston police say. The victim, whose name was not released, Euland Laster, 65, was confronted in the 6200 block of Sayers about 9 p.m. by an unknown assailant. The victim was shot,…
Craving Creminelli
One of the items from Liz Thorpe’s cheese-tasting class that I didn’t mention earlier this week was the soppressata that some of you may have noticed sitting in the background. That soppressata was from Creminelli Fine Meats, an artisan meat producer based in Utah, where a third-generation Italian named Cristiano…
NFL & College Football: Weekend’s Best Bets (Nepotism Edition)
Okay, last week’s Best Bets were centered around a random string of stories from around the internet, good enough for a 3-3 record, which means it’s still yielding better results than 2009, but still not good enough for me. And damn sure not good enough for you. So let’s see…
10 Pumpkin Dishes to Try in Houston: #4: Pumpkin Goat Cheese Croquettes at Pizzeria Dolce Vita Enoteca
I adore pumpkin. It’s orange (my favorite color), healthful (fiber! Vitamin A!), and associated with two lovely, food-centric holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving). Starting around October, I always find myself on the hunt for pumpkin-flavored foods, and this autumn is no exception. So, between now and Turkey Day, I will be…
E-Mails May Reignite Court Fight Over KTRU Sale
KTRU supporters still battling onLawyers for the group Friends of KTRU are reviewing potentially damaging e-mails, which were obtained and first reported on by Texas Watchdog, and are weighing whether to file an action against the University of Houston for possible open meetings act violations, says the station’s manager, Joey…
Vinyl Junkie Joins Houston’s Indie Record-Store Ranks
Considering the music junkies we are, Rocks Off couldn’t wait to check out Houston’s newest independent record store, the aptly titled Vinyl Junkie, which opened its doors November 1. Located at 4202 E. Canal in Houston’s East End, customers might need to circle the block once before spotting the unassuming,…
HISD’s Apollo 20 Bonuses: Parents’ Group Claims “Incredible Win”
As we reported yesterday, a group called HISD Parent Visionaries was asking people to lobby school board members to insure that principal bonuses in Superintendent Terry Grier’s showcase Apollo 20 program would not be paid out of general funds that should go to other schools. Today, they’re claiming “an incredible…
Shiftwork Bites: Matzoh Brei
I’m interested in how similar seemingly disparate food cultures can be. Dishes get repeated over and over throughout history, and across what appear to be canyon-esque cultural divides. Sure, the manifestations differ slightly, but is an empanada really all that far removed from a samosa? Lord knows the Chinese and…
Your Meme of the Week: Tai Chi Keanu
Keanu Reeves officially knows that he is a walking meme, so now he spends his days baiting us trolls on the Internets by posing himself in ridiculous positions. Your meme of the week is Tai Chi Keanu…
Recipe: Maw Maw’s Hog Head Cheese
A few weeks ago I was dining on a patio and enjoying a Lone Star longneck when a friend of mine started rambling about an art project involving a hog head. I could see her lips moving, but the sound of the words faded into a childhood memory of eating…
Aggies’ Alexander Kemos: Well, No, I’m Not A Tufts Grad. Or A Navy SEAL, For That Matter
When it comes to resume padding, there are two options. You can go small, like George O’Leary when he applied for the head football coaching job at Notre Dame and falsely claimed to have a master’s from “NYU-Stony Brook University” and to have lettered in football at the University of…
Taylor Swift’s Top Nine Future Feuds
Still the No. 1 album in the country, Taylor Swift’s Speak Now is awash in lyrics bashing her former flames, friends, lovers and Kanye West. The pop-country singer knows how to turn a bitter phrase, and we can only hope that she keeps getting better and better at it. She’s…
MFAH Continues Kurosawa Fest with Influential Samurai Flick Yojimbo
After the Cinema Arts Festival Houston finishes its second run, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston will continue its current festival of Akira Kurosawa films, “Akira Kurosawa @ 100.” On November 19, the MFAH will screen the famed Japanese director’s 1961 film Yojimbo, which was influenced by American westerns and…
Houston Rockets: Seven Games In, Yao’s Foot And Hope For The Season Are Failing
The season is still very young for the Houston Rockets. And Luis Scola has been reliable. And that’s about where the positive thinking stops.Houston desperately needs a winning pro sports team. We’re a mostly accepting and supportive bunch, tending to lay false hope on teams that really don’t fit the…
Samuel K. Iric, 24, Bayou Body Count No. 269
Photo courtesy HPDSuspect in the killingA man who tried to interrupt a Meyerland purse-snatching ended up dead early this morning, police say. The victim, whose name has not been released, was shot when he attempted to stop a man from stealing a woman’s purse at a gas station at Beechnut…
First Look at Toyama
You may have noticed that the shuttered Chicken ‘N Egg Roll that haunted 2802 S. Shepherd is no more, a sleek and modern building in its place. It’s Toyama, the newest Japanese restaurant from the same family that owns Osaka, further down on Westheimer. Open for only a few weeks,…
Top 10 Recent TV-Show Soundtracks
A few choice adjectives come to mind when musing on bawdy Eastbound & Down character Kenny Powers. “Inspiring” is not one of them. However, as Rocks Off watched this week’s season finale of the side-splitting HBO series, we were pleasantly surprised as we heard indie troubadour Kurt Vile’s arresting -…
PSA: Board Games And Loaded Guns Don’t Mix
By now everybody’s heard of the Keep Austin Weird campaign, and most of us are probably also aware of the copycat campaigns in other Texas cities, like Keep Dallas Pretentious and Keep Houston Crunk, or Trill, or Ugly, or whatever. (We can’t seem to agree on what it is we…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Adam West of Monarch
Eating Our Words recently sat down with Adam West, the newly appointed chef of the Monarch at Hotel ZaZa, on a gorgeous afternoon to talk about his culinary background and how it feels to cook for sitcom stars. Eating Our Words: Hi Adam. We hear that you have only been…
Cinema Arts Festival Houston – Day 2: Thunder Soul & Isabella Rossellini
UPDATE (from Cinema Arts Festival Houston): The free-to-the-public screening of Thunder Soul at Discovery Green scheduled for tonight has been MOVED to Saturday due to inclement weather. Cinema Arts Festival Houston apologizes for any inconvenience, but has made this decision in the best interest of festival goers. The screening will…
Hewlett-Packard Pays $16.25 Million To Settle HISD Bribe Case
Hewlett Packard has agreed to pay a $16.25 million fine to settle a case that involved improprer gift-giving to school-district employees in Houston and Dallas, the Associated Press is reporting. The allegations came in connection with the federal government’s E-Rate program, and outside investigations showed that key district officials received…
DJ Premier: A Pillar Of Hip-Hop History
Maybe it’s leaving behind our twenties and embracing our thirties, but we’ve been so concerned with the past lately… history, that is. We’ve been talking to our grandmother in the last few months about her life as a young child growing up on the Texas border. You truly don’t know…
Lori Darling David Sent Nude Photos To Teen Son’s Pal, Cops Say
Katy is Cougar Town, and we don’t mean they’re big UH supporters. A 37-year-old Katy mom by the name of Lori Darling David has been arrested for sending nude photos of herself to the friend of her 16-year-old son, who now is possibly the most embarrassed kid in Texas. Thanks,…
Fiona Dawson: Pitching An Anti-Prejudice Reality Show
Fiona Dawson, fighting prejudice through reality TVHair Balls is a very finicky TV watcher, opting mostly for shark-based shows, or dramas featuring the Amish getting out of tricky situations using only their earthy wiles, but we’d definitely watch the series that Houston activist Fiona Dawson is trying to get off…
15 Things You Should Know About Thanksgiving
Think you know everything there is to know about that most American of holidays, Thanksgiving? There’s more to Turkey Day than just school plays with buckle-shoed and buckle-hatted kids, pilgrim. Check out our list of 15 things that everyone should know about Thanksgiving (but don’t try to serve your family…
Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel’s 11 Loudest Quotes
Today, 11/11/10, we honor a man willing to lay down his life for rock and roll, master of the saddest of all keys, Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel. (It seems like today is also some sort of other holiday/observance. Right?) Much more than just a six-string genius, Tufnel is…
Texas Watchdog: U Of H Covered Up KTRU Purchase Plans
UPDATE (4:07 p.m.) KTRU staff and the Friends of KTRU released a statement Thursday afternoon condemning both universities’ actions in the station’s sale. See it after the jump. The investigative Web site Texas Watchdog says it has obtained emails that show the nonprofit agency hired by the University of Houston…
Four Lessons Bob McNair Can Learn From Jerry Jones
The week started with my begging Texans owner Bob McNair. It continued with my criticizing him. But I hate being that guy. You know the guy I’m talking about — the guy who is constantly pointing out the flaws in others and the shortcomings in one’s plan without proposing a…
Food Fight: Battle Black and White Cookie
There are only a handful of places in Houston that even sell this classic cookie. I figured a little food fighting between one of the only New York-style delis in town and what is arguably the city’s best bakery was fitting. Katz’s Deli (616 Westheimer) After just one bite, I…
Growing Up Rennie: Journey to the Port-O-Pottie
When I was a kid, my parents both worked at ye olde Texas Renaissance Festival. I basically grew up there. It wasn’t till I came of age that I realized this kind of upbringing isn’t normal. I left it behind me and tried to talk about it as little as…
UPDATED: Epic Fail: We Miss Out on Stone Vertical Epic
Looks like Stone Brewing Co.’s coveted Vertical Epic won’t be sold in Houston this year thanks to a little mix up on the label.Stone created a buzz for the stuff in 2002 by announcing it would release a different Vertical Epic every year for 11 years. Each batch is designed…
Vertical Epic: Thanks, TABC, For Keeping A Coveted Beer Out Of Texas
In the latest episode of the Fun Police, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has kept one of the most coveted beers of the year from being sold in Texas. Stone Brewing Company’s Vertical Epic, which has a once-a-year release and is part of a very important beer plan, was sitting…
Nicki Minaj: To Hate Or Not To Hate?
Nicki Minaj will be in Houston tonight promoting her forthcoming debut album at Hush, a choice of venue that seems especially appropriate. This is good news for a lot of people. As these things tend to go, that means it’s also bad news for a lot of people too. Our…
Won’t You Let Me Take You On A/Sea Cruise
If I was ever planning on taking a cruise again (and I’m not), I’d have serious doubts about buying tickets on any Carnival ship: Thousands of passengers on a towed cruise ship will disembark in San Diego, California, Thursday with their own tales from a three-day ordeal that left them…
Carnival…Of Sorts
If I was ever planning on taking a cruise again (and I’m not), I’d have serious doubts about buying tickets on any Carnival ship: Thousands of passengers on a towed cruise ship will disembark in San Diego, California, Thursday with their own tales from a three-day ordeal that left them…
Brew Blog: Twisted Pine Brewery’s Espresso Stout
All right, so remember that over-eager brewery that sent us samples after a tepid review? We’ve tried not to stack up the reviews and seem like a marketing machine, but it was a perfect night this week for a stout, and they happened to have sent one to us. If…
A Survivor’s Guide To Death By Vomit
Your humble narrator went to our day job on Saturday like we always do. We stopped at Sonic on the way and got a bacon sandwich like we always do. Then we spent the rest of the weekend praying to every Non-Jewish, Non Muslim God we could think of to…
Two Blocks From Minute Maid Park’s Centerfield…In 1943
This is what 1900 Franklin looked like in 1943. Which, to be sure, seems a lot like what 1900 Franklin would have looked like in 1870 or so. A horse-drawn carriage in 1943? Weren’t people driving boxy Ford trucks by that time?…
In The (Green) Zone: Trying Out A Local Company’s Fun Little Folding Bike
Who says Houston is a completely car-dominated city? Scratch that. If anyone tells you it isn’t, they’re a liar. And yet Houston is home to companies like Green Zone Bikes, manufacturers and purveyors of nifty little folding bikes like the one they recently loaned us for a trial. Made of…
The 10 Most Annoying People You Meet At The Gym
Holidays coming up, gotta keep off the pounds, yadda, yadda, yadda. If you’re headed to the gym, be prepared to deal with these very highly annoying people. 10. The Grunter He’s lifting weights. Big, heavy, manly weights. In case you aren’t studying him closely enough, he will grunt like he’s…
Los Skarnales
Like a good hand grenade, when the pin is pulled on a Los Skarnales gig, there’s usually an explosion. Felipe Galvan, “El Tiburon” and the other cool cats lay down frantic old-school ska with a Latin punk twist that usually feels like a riot about to happen. When these guys lay the pachuco boogie down, the…
Cirque du Soleil: Alegría
Cirque du Soleil sweeps through Houston this weekend with Alegría. The show has thrilled millions around the world with its exciting acts, including the Russian Bars, where acrobats leap through the air, performing somersaults and other tricks while in flight, then landing on thin bars that catchers are holding on…
Kathryn Casey: The Killing Storm
Writing novels about brutal crimes and evil murderers doesn’t bother Houston author Kathryn Casey, who spent 20 years writing true crime books. “It’s talking to the real-life families of real victims that bothers me. This, the fiction, is easy. I know it isn’t real and I know nobody gets hurt,”…
Kathy Reichs: Virals
Any fan of Bones, the TV whodunit featuring the smart and beautiful forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, will be thrilled to learn that Brennan’s creator is in town. The New York Times best-selling novelist Kathy Reichs will be at Murder by the Book, where she will discuss and sign copies of…
Ahn Trio
Being exceptionally good-looking certainly doesn’t help you play an instrument any better, but the three sisters who make up the Ahn Trio (cellist Maria, pianist Lucia and violinist Angella) have certainly captivated audiences as much with their stunning looks as with their prodigious musical skills. But the popular musicians also…
Gulf Coast Reading Series
Nicole Walker, one of three writers reading at today’s installment of the Gulf Coast Reading Series, looks like a bright, cheerful young grad student. And she is all of those things. But she’s also a poet who tackles dark and difficult subjects, often writing about mental health issues. Walker understands…
Buika
The term “world music” usually means any music that’s not American. But the music of soulful singer Buika truly defines “world”: Her family comes from Equatorial Guinea, and she was one of a few people of African descent in the village she grew up in on the Spanish island of…
Isabella Rossellini
If you feel the earth move this week, it’s just the planet reacting to Isabella Rossellini’s white-hot star power. The actor/filmmaker/environmentalist is in town for the 2010 Cinema Arts Festival, and today she’ll take part in the 40th-anniversary tribute to Rice Media Center. Her father, director Roberto Rossellini, worked with…
Geeks Who Drink
Screw Your Quiz, I’m Going Home, a South Park-themed pub quiz presented by Geeks Who Drink, is landing in Houston. Every week, GWD hosts almost 100 quizzes across the country. At each quiz, teams of up to six players answer eight rounds of questions (with eight questions in each round)…
I Love You Phillip Morris
It had to happen sooner or later. Someone from the Houston Press has made it to Hollywood – as a writer. Former staffer Steve McVicker wrote a nonfiction work, I Love You Phillip Morris (2003), based on his Press articles (“King of Con”) about unrepentant swindler Steven Russell, his Houdini-like…
Eye Opener Tour: Galveston Restored
The Orange Show Eyeopener Tour: Galveston Restored is an island-wide ride highlighting artists who are anything but watered down. “We’ll be talking about the community itself and how it survived during [Hurricane Ike],” says organizer Beverly Frannea, whose home is one of the many stops on the tour. Frannea’s townhouse…
To Cross the Face of the Moon/Cruzar la Cara de la Luna
Mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte had been working for five years as a chorus member for Houston Grand Opera when, last summer, without any warning, she was called to play the role of Renata in the new work To Cross the Face of the Moon/Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. This is…
An Evening with Isabella Rossellini
Enjoy “An Evening with Isabella Rossellini,” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she’ll receive the festival’s first Levantine Cinema Arts Award and there will be screenings of Green Porno, Seduce Me and Isabella Rossellini – My Wild Life. MFAH, 1001 Bissonnet. $15. For a full schedule, visit www.cinemartsociety.com…
Noises Off!
You know you’re in for some old-time farce when the girls are stripped to their knickers and the old men are dropping their pants. That’s what happens in Nothing On, the inane play within the real play Noises Off! currently at Rice University. Michael Frayn’s wacky homage to the shenanigans…
Deep Down
In the documentary Deep Down, Beverly May says, “You figure that every landowner has a price for which they’ll allow their homeplace to be destroyed, but you’re wrong.” Coal mining is to Southeastern Kentucky what oil is to Texas. And when a mining company sets its mountaintop-removal sights on Maytown,…
Loco for Loko
Loco for Loko Online readers comment on “Four Loko: We Investigate Just How Bad It Is (UPDATED With Morning-After Reflections)”, Hair Balls blog, by Richard Connelly and Craig Hlavaty, October 28: Dumb: Well, when you drink them like that you would be sick. I love these drinks. Three Lokos in…
Your Heinous Co-Workers
WHATEVER Your Heinous Co-Workers Their ten most annoying habits By Richard Connelly The sniffling-and-coughing season is upon us, so that means it’s time to get highly, highly annoyed by the idiots in the nearby cubicles at your office. Not our office, you understand. We have terrific, totally un-annoying co-workers. You…
Bluefinger: The Bald Truth
Since I am both a member of the Houston arts media and an actor, my name has found its way to the editorial/PR crossroads on several occasions over the last 15 years. In a given issue of the Houston Press, for example, you might find me listed in the masthead…
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience
In the wake of the surviving Led Zeppelin members’ reuniting in late 2007 for a one-off performance to honor the late Atlantic Records head Ahmet Ertegun, many believed that a full-scale reunion was imminent. Drummer Jason Bonham, son of late Zep skinsman John Bonham, played behind his dad’s old crew…
Cajun Made
There’s no problem finding a good sweet potato pie in Houston — just go to almost any soul food restaurant, and you’ll generally find a great homemade version. But we’d never come across a sweet potato bar until we spotted the version ($2.19) at Cajun Made Cafe (7590 W. Bellfort,…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Danny Rolph: Multiverse,” “The New Black: Contemporary Concepts in Color and Abstraction,” “Quantumdada Phase 2”
“Danny Rolph: Multiverse” Danny Rolph’s painted abstraction looks like a cross between a Kurt Schwitters collage and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album cover. Rolph creates his work on triplewall polycarbonate panels — the stuff touted as a replacement for plywood hurricane panels. (You can shoot a 2×4…
Puri Bliss
Go behind the scenes at Sweet n Namkin to see how they make their sublime dahi puri and more in our slideshow. I rarely order the same dish twice when reviewing restaurants. But I’ve recently found myself utterly enraptured by the dahi puri at Sweet n Namkin, to the point…
Pineapple-infused Tuaca at 360 Sports Lounge
“I tell people I vote, but I never do,” my friend tells me. “I think you should vote, but I don’t do it.” We’re at 360 Sports Lounge watching Election Day returns on a big screen in the corner and sipping on one of the bar’s specialties, Tuaca infused with…
Casablanca Couscous & Grill
“My family in Dallas has two Moroccan restaurants, Kasbah Grill and Tangiers, which have been open for eight years,” says Outmane Yanouri, owner of the new Casablanca Couscous & Grill (5506 Richmond, 832-754-8749). “I always had a dream to have a restaurant, and I’m lucky to have in the kitchen…
Bluefinger: The Music
Somewhat atypically for a rock opera, as opposed to regular opera, the musical cast of Bluefinger is almost as large as its dramatis personae. Two complete rock bands (totaling 11 musicians between them) will be performing the 20-plus songs in the Bluefinger score — some Brood originals, others from the…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Die Fledermaus, Vanities
Die Fledermaus (The Bat) Chocolate and champagne make a delicious combo, and Johann Strauss Jr.’s operetta is a musical bonbon with bubbly chaser. Ever since its premiere in 1874, this effervescent work has delineated the raffish charms of fin-de-siècle Vienna: insouciant romance, wayward husbands and equally wayward wives, fun for…
Why the Tears?
Dear Mexican, I’ve been hired to find out why some clothes are not being returned to patients at a nursing home in Newport Beach, California, even though these clothes are marked. I went down to the lavadero as a place to start my investigation and watched some señoras jóvenes selecting…
Bluefinger
If the scene onstage accurately portrays Herman Brood’s life, you could understand how the Dutch rock and roller might be a little burned out and frayed toward the end. The tableau — a rehearsal for Catastrophic Theatre’s new play Bluefinger: The Fall and Rise of Herman Brood — is downright debaucherous…
No Shame
After four straight kicks in the nuts from the notoriously fickle reviewers at Pitchfork.com, Dr. Dog’s Scott McMicken has learned to roll with the punches. “From our very first record and everything we’ve put out since, they’ve pretty much just ripped us a new one on all those reviews,” the…
Working Girl
In the climax of Morning Glory, Rachel McAdams is dressed in a flesh-colored, diaphanous cocktail dress, its halter top and tight bodice giving way to spilling tulle. This is the kind of dress a screen heroine wears when a slow-building love plot is coming to a head; it is the…
Homecoming
Hip-hop, like life, is like an onion. Peel back the layers and you might weep. So it goes with legendary hip-hop duo Gang Starr. On the surface, Gang Starr was an East Coast duo that pushed musical boundaries in the ’90s by beautifully bringing together jazz and hip-hop. Peel back…
America, Back on Track
Though based on actual 2001 events in Ohio that caused an unmanned freight train, laden with toxic waste, to go haywire, Unstoppable could just as well be set in the shining sun of Reagan’s 1980s. As the driverless locomotive begins gathering speed across rural Pennsylvania, bedecked with autumn leaves, it…
Queen Bee
Oil broker Bill Gulsby, 55, has felt compelled to visit Upper Kirby’s newbie gastropub Queen Vic Pub & Kitchen (2712 Richmond) more than once in the last seven days. His reason for this might surprise you. “You could eat off of the floor of the bathroom,” jokes the beyond-outgoing Gulsby…
New Nose, Same You
Comely, independent, willful young lass returns to collect family inheritance in rural England, drives the local men wild, makes several misalliances and inadvertently precipitates a catastrophe before nature finally takes its course. Adapted from Posy Simmonds’s excellent graphic novel, Tamara Drewe knowingly updates Thomas Hardy’s gloomy pastoral Far from the…
Future Islands
North Carolina trio Future Islands calls its sound “post-wave,” and it’s a striking description: Crystalline synths and rusty drum-machine beats drift within the group’s New Order-influenced compositions. Scene-stealing front man Sam Herring possesses a gruff growl, and he rumbles faux-English-accented, singsong vocals over Future Islands’ synth-pop flow. After falling in…
All About Eve
Eve Ensler is many things: successful playwright (The Vagina Monologues), radical feminist, actress, outspoken crusader to stop violence toward women — her worldwide organization V-Day, started in 1998, has funded community safe houses and raised awareness from Kenya to Iraq — and, most recently, cancer survivor. Most of all, though,…
Lightnin’ Hopkins Historical Marker Dedication
For everyone who thinks the wheels of government only turn three speeds — slow, slower and slowest — we respectfully submit the case of one R. Eric Davis. One year ago, Davis was an average Houstonian who, like many others before him, was appalled that the only public memorial to…
Christopher Cross
What was with all the flamingo imagery on Christopher Cross’s albums, and just what the hell was between the moon and New York City that made us want to fall in love? The San Antonio native (and tight bro with Michael McDonald) was one of the ’80s’ greatest soft-rock success…
The Black Angels
The Black Angels have always resembled the stoners who other stoners fear, and maybe that’s the truth. Their riffs sound like heavy metal being played through an impenetrable waterfall of boiling toxic waste, but on their new Phosphene Dream, the Black Angels have honed what was previously unrelenting sludginess into…
