Panto Pinocchio
Panto is back, and Stages has got it. This distinctively English performance art (lovingly called panto) is a holiday tradition that uses fairy tales, men in drag, women as boys, songs and dances and stage effects, mixing them all up to leave us helpless with laughter. Each of Stages’ holiday…
“Grandalism: Pilot (FX)”
GONZO247 started things off, but now it’s Pilot (FX)’s turn to show off his latest large-scale works in “Grandalism.” (If you’re wondering about the title, it was coined by GONZO247’s girlfriend when she said his graffiti wasn’t vandalism, it was grandalism.) Pilot (FX) says his style has very clean lines…
The Heidi Chronicles
Wendy Wasserstein’s comedy The Heidi Chronicles reveals the political landscape that liberated women had to negotiate as they sought social and political equality from the early 1960s to the 1980s. The show, getting a new production from Main Street Theater, follows an adult Heidi, an art historian who lectures on…
The Little Dog Laughed
Rising young movie star Mitchell has a problem in The Little Dog Laughed. As his agent, the deadly Diane, who has the instincts of a barracuda, tells us, he “suffers from a slight…recurring case of homosexuality.” If Mitchell stays in the closet, fame and fortune will be his. Unfortunately, he’s…
Festival of Lights
It’s become a family tradition for many Gulf Coast residents – a trek down to Moody Gardens for the Festival of Lights. The festival is the largest holiday event of its kind in the area, with more than a million lights decorating animated displays along a mile-long trail. This year…
The Santaland Diaries
Satirist David Sedaris recounts his true-life experiences working as a Christmas elf in Macy’s in the irreverent one-man show The Santaland Diaries. Produced here by the Alley Theatre for the third year in a row, the comedy features company member Todd Waite as the Sedaris character, Crumpet the Elf. The…
A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas
Americans might be in a gloom-and-doom mood about the economy, but Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas comes just in time to remind us of the value of loving family and friends. The yearly production at the Alley Theatre is an especially charming rendition of…
The Drowsy Chaperone
What started as a stag party gag – in Canada, of all places! – morphed into the most charming and effervescent musical in decades, The Drowsy Chaperone. Writers Bob Martin and Don McKellar, with composers Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, would spoof old musicals for friends, and before they knew…
Flying Fur: PETA Members to Protest on Black Friday
When you are out picking up some toys for the tikes at the Galleria this Friday, you might see something besides chubby Santas and frustrated holiday shoppers. You might catch anti-fur protesters. A group of animal rights activists is planning a protest in front of the Galleria Neiman Marcus store…
Shop ‘Til You Drop: People Already Lined Up for Black Friday
If you’re wondering if it’s too early to get in Black-Friday mode, no, it’s not. Customers are already lining up in front of Best Buys, Targets and other popular stores for those early Friday morning openings. (Target stores will be opening at 4 a.m.) Milagros Lockward and her family have…
Black Friday Starts Now
You’re already late if you’re planning on getting a jump start on Black Friday. Houstonians are already lining up in front of the most popular stores with their tents, coolers and ATM cards. Mild weather and the chance for significant savings means lines will likely be especially long at Best…
DeLay Guilty of Money Laundering
For five years, the case against Tom DeLay for money laundering through his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC has been seemingly trapped in the Texas courts facing pre-trial appeals. On November 1, it finally made it to trial and today the verdict is in: guilty on both money laundering…
What The Hell is That? Thanksgiving Edition
New York artist Danielle Spencer (a.k.a. Mrs. Russell Crowe) crafted her first faux Thanksgiving spread in 2005 using a Cornish game hen form, peach Jell-O, and evaporated milk. That initial flesh-colored mass (atop a bed of pomegranate seeds) would inspire the Turkey-shaped Jell-O Mold Competition, an annual event showcasing various…
(UPDATE) Councilman Al Hoang On Public Art Funding: Here We Go Again
Update, Wednesday, November 24: Houston Arts Alliance communications director Ryland Holmes weighs in. Her statements after the jump. Update, Tuesday, November 23: Councilmember Ed Gonzales (Heights, Near North Side) talked with us. See his statements after the jump. Yet again the debate over public art funding is back. Last Thursday,…
Is Bob McNair Houston’s Worst Sports Franchise Owner
No matter how beloved the owner of a sports franchise may be, there will always be plenty of reasons for fans to hate him. In a city like Houston, with three major sports franchises, there are bound to be times when owners take a beating, particularly when the teams are…
Freddie Mercury’s Musical Stepchildren, Darlings
Today marks 19 years that the world has been without Queen front man Freddie Mercury, who was taken from us on November 24, 1991. He died of AIDS complications, a disease he kept hidden from the world until just a day or so before his death. He was the first…
Sweet, Savory and Spirits: Ryan Hildebrand to Open Triniti Next Year
“It’s a name that I’ve been kicking around ever since I wanted to do my own place: sweet, savory and spirits, having all three elements,” said Ryan Hildebrand over the phone yesterday afternoon, shortly after announcing his plans to open a restaurant of his own — Triniti — next summer…
Worse Week? The Texans Or This Dude Who Got THREE DWI’s
As part of my radio job, I speak for a handful of sponsors. When identifying products or services for me to endorse, the sales staff at our station starts with the question “Is this something Sean would use?” Naturally, my suite of endorsees is heavy in sports bars — food,…
Ten Songs Worse Than A TSA Pat-Down
Today is the biggest travel day in the United States, according to the airlines. That means many of you will be experiencing for the first time the intrusive X-rays or demeaning pat-downs handed out by TSA as part of their new “You Assholes Don’t Have to Fly, You Know” business…
UPDATED: Video of Awful Conditions at Government-Funded Apartments
UPDATED: We heard back from Dick Lamar, president of Creative Property Management, the company that owns Crescent Park. Lamar gave us his side of the story; details follow our original story. Basically, he says, “This isn’t our fault. We want to take care of problems and we do. We are…
Free Show At Walter’s On Washington Tonight
Also, Posies tickets half-price all day… Just thought we’d remind you one more time. Doors open at 8. See another special offer from your friends at the Houston Press and Rocks Off after the jump…
CityCentre Shows Off Aggie-Longhorn Gridiron
When the University of Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies get together each year, there is a feeling of true holiday spirit that fills the air. Sure, that spirit is hatred, but it definitely fills the air. This season, the folks at CityCentre decided to do their own spin on…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Nick Banaszak of Hearsay Gastro Lounge
Eating Our Words visited Hearsay Gastro Lounge (218 Travis St.) to speak with Chef Nick Banaszak, a recent graduate of the Art Institute of Houston, to find out where he came from and where he might be going next. Eating Our Words: Hello Nick. We are big fans of Hearsay…
Our Pick for Thanksgiving Cinema: Heiran
On a week dominated by Harry Potter and Thanksgiving, in a city that’s been sulking about its dwindling access to independent cinema, one of the freshest and most rewarding films we have seen this year is quietly making its run at the AMC 30 out west of town. Heiran is…
Music We’re Thankful For This Year
After the turkey comas subside and Black Friday opens the holiday retail floodgates, this year in music will be all but over. Yes, there’s another month until the calendar flips over, but from here until early January, the only “new” music coming out will be the tide of reissues, box…
Denny’s Grand Slams $2.99 on Black Friday
There’s nothing getting an early start running errands or getting some exercise followed by a good, hearty breakfast. It’s the perfect start to a great day. This Friday will likely not be one of those days. Instead of errands or exercise, there will be sleep deprivation and panicked shopping and…
$2.99 Grand Slams at Denny’s on Black Friday
Let’s say for the moment you plan on being out early on Black Friday. Let’s also say your four hours of sitting in line followed by the frenzied trampling of other humans to buy the hundred-dollar laptop and three-hundred-dollar flat screen television you are going to sell on Ebay has…
Top 5 Flying Saucer Pies
The pies at Flying Saucer are creeping up in price, and dare I say a little overrated in the taste department. But tradition is tradition. What’s a Thanksgiving without waiting in line for one of their tasty treats? Here are the top five worth waiting for…and no, I’m not including…
Your Meme of the Week: The Lying Down Game (Houston Press Edition)
Just in time for your inevitable food comas tomorrow, Art Attack brings you the Lying Down Game. By late afternoon on Thanksgiving, we’ll all be playing this game whether we like it or not, granted Mom doesn’t burn the turkey again. Seriously, you’re supposed to thaw the bird first. The…
Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage Through Ted Bundy and NAMBLA
With a closet Muslim in the White House and gay teachers recruiting our innocent children, it’s no wonder that American values have crumbled to the point where four out of ten people say marriage is obselete. We can thank Time and the Pew Research Center for this bombshell, which tells us…
The Guanciale Burger at Plonk: The Ultimate “Bacon” Cheeseburger
In this week’s cafe review, we take a trip to Plonk, a hidden spot in Oak Forest that features a slightly rougher crowd and far better food than you’d expect to find at a wine bar. It’s that study in total contrasts that makes Plonk instantly charming to me. Where…
Roosh Williams: No College Rapper, Just Wicked Smart
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. All hail That Purple Bastard Cole. In September,…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Burlesque
Title: Burlesque That Christina Aguilera Movie? Is She Any Good In It? As an actor, she’s a hell of a singer. Written And Directed By: Steve Antin, who played Rick in The Last American Virgin (the guy who abandoned poor Karen after getting her pregnant). Even worse: she got back…
Montgomery County Cops Take Down Motel Meth Lab In New Caney
Acting on a tip, Montgomery County Constables took down a “shake and bake” meth lab in a New Caney motel in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Arrested were 34-year-old Kerry Lee Datray, of Cleveland, and 38-year-old Wayne Paul Walters of Lufkin. Each was charged manufacture or delivery of a…
Lunch at Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro
I don’t think I have ever actually paid for a meal at Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro. This isn’t because I have some sort of mind control powers over the cashier, but because I have a father-in-law that really likes to eat there when he is in town and is very…
Nitzer Ebb: “We Push Quite Hard”
Nitzer Ebb’s influence on electronic music can’t be overstated, and when the band broke up in the mid-90s, their enormous back catalog became staples for DJs all across the world. When they reunited in the next decade, the band did what few reunited bands seem to do: They sat down…
Glee: “Appalachian Murder Ballads”
Thank the ghost of Harvey Korman for Carol Burnett, for it was her still spunky at 77-year-old presence on last night’s episode that prevented the thing from weighing overwhelmingly on the more sober side of “comedy-drama.” It couldn’t be helped, I suppose. We’ve been building up to a climax in…
Boom Town: Trying Out Boom Boom
In the wake of the Four Loko odyssey weeks back, I started getting weird offers through e-mail and Twitter for other energy drinks and novelty products. Once you let out the dirty secret that you will try anything for journalistic voyeurism, it’s bound to happen. Still waiting on the Fleshlight…
Top 5 Hot Chocolates to Warm You Up This Winter
Cold weather is on the way – perfect for grabbing a Snuggie, a good book, and a steaming mug of delicious hot cocoa. Here our picks for the best options in town. 5. Nestle Abuelita Authentic Mexican Chocolate Mix (various supermarkets) This stuff would win for convenience and price alone,…
OPI Texas Collection: Houston, We Have A Purple
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, OPI, the nail-care company known for its punny polish names and rabid cult following, is sending out advance samples of its Spring 2011 line, inspired by the great state of Texas. Art Attack isn’t clear on exactly what aspect of Texas inspired…
Kubiak Death Watch: The Bell Tolls for Thee
Our Gary Kubiak death-o-meter is seriously running hot this week after a horrible loss to the New York Jets. Much like the rest of the season, the team rallied, then collapsed and the defense sucked like a turbo charged Dyson. The Texans are on pace to be one of the…
Brew Blog: Santa’s Private Reserve Ale from Rogue
Generally it’s annoying to see inappropriately early Christmas décor, but we’re happy to see good holiday beers whenever they show up (as long as it’s at least a little nippy outside). We spotted Santa’s Private Reserve Ale from Rogue at Fiesta the other day and decided to nab it. Though…
Last Night: Usher At Toyota Center
“He has to be wearing control underwear” Usher Toyota Center November 23, 2010 Usher sweats performance. The man doesn’t know how to put on a half-ass show, and he packs each one of those shows dangerously full like a munitions specialist loading C4 into a bomb. There’s fireworks, male and…
Wrap It Up: Houstonian a Finalist in Wrapping Contest
When we at Hairballs were just wee tots, we had relatives who liked to do everything early for the holidays. They would have all their Christmas cards mailed before Thanksgiving and their gifts wrapped the day after Black Friday. We were less efficient preferring to wait for Christmas Eve to…
“Straight Outta Hogwarts”: The Birth Of Wizard Rap
The beginning of the end is here, as Rocks Off and approximately 1.21 gazillion fans flock to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 to see the end of the saga. Many things have sprung up in the wake of the awesome cultural phenomenon. Great things like Potter Puppet…
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. Great Food Houston: Support Houston-based businesses and avoid Black Friday altogether with…
East Texas Murdered Girl’s Brother Suspected of Crime
The story seems made for a Dateline special:Nate Anderson, 15, was home on a Wednesday evening in September with his 19-year-old sister — parents were at work — and decided to go for a quick jog around the family’s quiet neighborhood in New Chapel Hill, about ten miles east of…
Relax: FBI Looking for Impatient Bank Robber
In October, we wondered what other manners infractions the FBI might levy against future bank robbers having already accused them of sloppy dress, chubbiness and simply being rude. We have our answer: impatience. According to the FBI, the suspect (seen in the photo looking kinda bored) “threatened to harm a…
Sad Yao Ming Is Sad
Like manna from the Meme Gods, we give you Sad Yao. This picture, taken during last night’s fourth-straight Rockets loss, conveys all the sadness of a Sylvia Plath poem and those Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercials combined. The injured center has been out the past few weeks with a bum foot,…
Dining Out on Thanksgiving? Here’s What’s Open
Not everyone in the city celebrates Thanksgiving, and that should come as no surprise given our increasingly diverse tapestry of residents (something for which Eating Our Words is thankful). And not everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving does so with a big family dinner at home. Still others aren’t up to all…
Tax The Wolf Agrees: Velvet Underground > The Strokes
For the night before Thanksgiving, there is a lot going on in Houston tomorrow. But with all due respect to Robert Ellis & the Boys at Fitzgerald’s and the LAX/Young Girls show at Groundhall – not to mention, on an entirely different scale, both Bruno Mars and Devin the Dude…
Shot Down: Lethal Injection Drug Shortage May Require Change to Execution Protocol
The Austin American-Statesman reports that there’s a national shortage of drugs for lethal injection. The shortage apparently began when the country’s sole dealer of sodium thiopental, Hospira, decided earlier this year not to deal in it anymore, and since then, at least two states have been prevented by the shortage…
Top 5 Ways to Fight Onion Tears
Call me a wimp (my wife does), but onions make me cry. You know what I’m talking about, right? About 10 seconds after you slice into one of those gorgeous, all-important alliums, you get a bit verklempt. Instead of turning away to discuss how the Cold War was neither cold…
Stefan Karl: What a Son of a Grinch
Staying in character throughout his interview with Art Attack, Stefan Karl, the actor playing the lead in Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, cleared his throat with a belch, popped a fake fart and announced “Hello Houston” as our tape started rolling. “I’m here in this town…
Jurors in DeLay Case Ask for Documents During Deliberation
The jury in the money laundering trial of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay requested documents including phone, e-mail and financial records as they continued their deliberations today, one day after requesting clarification on the criminal charges against DeLay. The trial, which began November 1 after five years of…
Houston Texans – Kubiak Believes In Bush (and #Kubiakbelievesinyou)
“I believe in him (defensive coordinator Frank Bush). I think we played much better defense. I think if we finished the game, we’d be talking about how much better we were. There were a lot of good things that went on. I believe in the guy. That’s why he’s here…
Issues with “Extra” – Show Spirals But Doesn’t Spin
In old newsreels, newspapers would dramatically spin into the frame, their headlines announcing a dramatic event in 144-point type. This convention inspired the work in Eduardo Gil’s show “Extra” at Sicardi Gallery. Mounted high along the walls in the gallery are a series of flat-mounted newspapers with headlines proclaiming war…
Odd Pair: Corn Dogs & Pinot Blanc
There’s something inherently fun about eating foods that come on a stick; corndogs, especially, since they evoke memories of fairs and carnivals and rodeos. They simply exude nostalgic childhood charm. What better way to enjoy them now that you’re all grown up then to pair them with a lovely glass…
Houston Gets Over-The-Air Country-Music Channel
Believe it or not, some of us get by just fine without cable or satellite TV. When Rocks Off goes home at night – the odd evenings we stay home, that is – not only do we enjoy the finest network television has to offer, but the cornucopia of choices…
Health Dept. Roundup
Grills, delis, café and taco trucks — health violations ran the full gamut last week, and we bring them to you now on Health Department Roundup. At Ruchi’s Grill (6410 Westheimer), inspectors found 10 violations in a November 17 visit, including that some equipment and utensils were not clean to…
Pimpin’ Duchamp: Anthony Thompson Shumate Gets ‘Cocky’
When you’re an artist, people offer you all kinds of comments on and advice about your work, something they would never think of doing to, say, an accountant. Anthony Thompson Shumate decided to use those remarks as fodder for his show “Cocky” at Barbara Davis Gallery…
Pizza for Breakfast
A recent Tuesday found us on the patio of Luigi’s Pizzeria for our daughter’s bimonthly Brownies meeting. The girls were there to tour the restaurant and make their own pies. The troop traipsed through the kitchen and added sauce and cheese to the pies Luigi threw in his wood-burning oven…
Usher: The Dude Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name
It was probably when we got kicked out of Usher’s show at House Of Blues in late 2008 that Rocks Off realized we were bigger fans of the R&B singer than we imagined. The show and tour was billed as “Ladies Only,” and after we were done taking pictures of…
Smokey Joe’s Cafe First Offering By New ‘Baby on the Block’
He was a singing tap dancer. He did the Great Caruso dinner theater (before it burned down). Switching gears, he went silent for a while as a mime at Sea World in San Antonio. He took on duties as a choreographer and worked for eight years in a musical theater…
You’ve Got Mail: Letter Carrier Pleads Guilty to Stealing
Ever mail something to a friend or family member, like some birthday cash, or perhaps a kidney, only to have it go missing? Things like that kept happening along the route of Houston letter carrier Johnnie Harden Jr. (except substitute “$50 Target gift card” for “kidney”), who has pleaded guilty to mail…
Your Handy Thanksgiving Flow Chart, Plus Bonus Recipe for Creamy White Deliciousness
If you have to attend a Thanksgiving meal, then you have to make a Creamy White Deliciousness Pie – at least according to this handy flow chart, which we’ve assembled to help you navigate the holiday. Fill your quota of Kickass Points (Cool Points are so 1980s) with a recipe…
Top 10 Beatles Parodies And Mashups To Date
The Beatles’ entire catalogue is finally on iTunes and racking up the sales, and we’re sure everyone involved at Apple, both the software company and the record label, are happy with the results. The Beatles are cracking the Top 40 again in the United States, and “Hey Jude” is currently…
New on DVD: I’m Still Here, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Eat Pray Love, The Expendables, Flipped, The Winning Season
(Capsule reviews by Melissa Anderson, Ernest Hardy, Eric Hynes, Karina Longworth and Nick Pinkerton.) I’m Still Here Directed by Casey Affleck, I’m Still Here purports to document Joaquin Phoenix’s high-profile “retirement” from acting, his alleged attempt to transition into a hip-hop career, and his much-publicized meltdown. At the outset of…
Top Five Black Friday Fight Videos
When you are in a battle for your life, you often resort to scratching and clawing, screaming and yelling. When you are in a fight for a plasma television on Black Friday, well, you’ll probably do the same thing. Welcome to Black Friday, America’s celebration of pushing and shoving for…
5 Houston Alternatives to a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner
Sometimes you don’t want to eat a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes you destroy the turkey and all of your side dishes turn out to taste like broiled roadkill. And sometimes you just want to start a new tradition out of being non-traditional. Here are five suggestions for anyone who wants…
Upcoming: NKOTB/BSB, No Age, Robyn, Willie Nelson, Etc.
Eluveitie, 3 Inches of Blood, Holy Grail, Subdivide: Tue., Feb. 22. Warehouse Live. Alpha Rev: Wed., Jan. 12. The Bronze Peacock Room @ House Of Blues. Alter Bridge, Taddy Porter, Like A Storm: Sat., Jan. 8. Warehouse Live. Andy Dick: Thu., Dec. 16. Fitzgerald’s. Back In Black (AD/DC Tribute), Rock…
Vote Quimby Bristol
Is it really almost over? Why, it seems like only yesterday we were bidding farewell to “The Hoff” and Michael Bolton was taking offense at Judge Bruno’s harsh comments about his “jive” dancing (while remaining curiously unaffected by similar criticisms of his music). But it’s true: tonight season 11 of…
We’re With You, Bristol
Believe it or not, tonight wraps up season 11 of Dancing with the Stars. It seems like only yesterday we were bidding farewell to “The Hoff” and Michael Bolton was taking offense at Judge Bruno’s harsh comments about his “jive” dancing (while remaining curiously unaffected by similar criticisms of his…
Steal of a Deal at Café Moustache
The recent transformation of SoVino into Café Moustache (507 Westheimer, 713-524-1000) over the summer left the now-French restaurant with a bit of an identity crisis and the lack of a regular lunch crowd. With downtown crammed with easy, cheap lunch options and the Galleria equally as fulfilled in the food…
Will Lean: Screwed Up Click Alive And Well; He And Flip “Cool”
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…
Jacob Thompson: Cops Drop Illegal Doctoring Charge Against East Texas Tattoo Artist
Last month, we brought you the tale of James “Jacob” Thompson, the 23-year-old East Texas tattoo artist accused of accepting a $20 fee for both illegally tattooing and surgically removing a birth control implant from the arm of a 16-year-old girl at a party. We also hinted that more details…
Ingredient of the Week: Turkey Giblets
What is it? All the fun stuff inside the cavity of that turkey you or someone you know is cooking this week. It contains the heart, liver, gizzards and neck of the bird. Don’t be afraid to reach down in there and scoop them out for use in several different…
Slideshow: Via Colori (Update with Video)
(Check out the slideshow.) Both professional and novice artists ground chalk to pavement in downtown Houston last weekend during the annual Via Colori street festival. Our favorite images included three dimensional-works that tricked the eye, a work-in-progress Jack Nicholson from The Shining and an imagined portrait of Jimi Hendrix and…
Lamar High’s Library Ousts Books, Re-Opens as Coffee Shop
Just adding a coffee shop to a neighborhood library so people can feel like they’re in Starbucks and ultra hip was apparently too passe a trend for Principal James McSwain of Lamar High School. Finishing up a week ago, McSwain has thrown out nearly all the books and filled the…
Dancing With the Stars ‘ Dream Rock-Star Cast
Fluff reality show Dancing With the Stars is (shockingly) in its 11th season, which wraps up with tonight’s finale. While browsing this season’s “celebrity” dancers – Bristol Palin, Kurt Warner, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, etc. – we couldn’t help but fantasize about out ideal musical version of the show. It’s…
Runner-Up Turkey Of The Year: Rick Perry
It’s just one day 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, we’ll take…
How Gangrene Led To The Conductors’ Baton
Conductors and wizards have a lot in common. Both are usually older men, are greatly respected and feared and, most importantly, both use wands to work their magic. But just as the wands of the Harry Potter world have supplemented the staves of J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle Earth-style wizards, so did…
Where Are We Drinking?
If the gigantic relief map of the world isn’t a dead giveaway to where we’re drinking this week, I don’t know what is. Regardless, sometimes we grab a drink here just to stare at it and watch the always colorful crowds pass through at this bar. Think you know where…
Ricardo Hidalgo Jr., Bayou Body Count No. 277
Ricardo Hidalgo Jr., 26, was shot multiple times inside a motel room early Saturday morning, but he wasn’t alone. According to Houston Police, four women and three men were present at the time of the shooting. The motel was in the 12000 block of Nimitz near Interstate 10 and Normandy…
Last Night: Roger Waters’ The Wall at the Toyota Center
Note: A review of Waters’ May 2012 show at Toyota Center is here. Roger Waters Toyota Center November 20, 2010 Ed. note: The sold-out Roger Waters show was so highly anticipated, we sent two reviewers. Tune in Monday morning to read our second write-up and to see even more photos…
Todd Waite Returns As Crumpet the Elf at the Alley
“There’s people who talk back or say things. When I’m changing into my elf costume there’s a lot of boys from Montrose and actually also some wives from The Woodlands too; they definitely hoot and holler.” — Todd Waite, Alley actor, musing on his life as Crumpet the Elf For…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve already rounded up all of our Thanksgiving turkeys and are just waiting to hear from their families about the ransom. We started the week off by welcoming back kombucha, which is wonderful. Nobody we know likes the…
These Men Want to Save You a Taco (Truck)
Jay Rascoe, J.R. Cohen and Dan Joyce are all familiar faces in Houston’s social media community. Rascoe, best known for his food blog, Guns and Tacos, is even a bit of a food celebrity. And these three men are hoping to pool their brainpower and cash in on their cache…
Drayton McLane Officially Puts Astros On The Block (World Series Championship Not Included)
Astros owner Drayton McLane officially announced this afternoon, in very Texas-y fashion, that he’s ready to sell the team. He held up his hand like a pistol and said: “We’re firing the pistol today.” Beyond that, the only additional information is that there is no additional information. McLane said there…
Top 10 Double Albums That Should Have Stayed Single
Not all double albums should have been double albums, just as some albums had to be double albums in order for their point to be made. Each case is different with each band or artist. The Who’s Tommy and Quadrophenia had to be double albums to tell their stories of…
Chock Full O’ Chalk: Via Colori
This weekend the annual Via Colori street-painting festival turns downtown streets into a pavement gallery and then washes it all away as if nothing happened. The 2009 festival’s featured artist, Melanie Stimmell Van Latum, will contribute a record-breaking 1,800 square-foot street mural, the largest ever produced in the U.S. Called…
Load Up On The Four Loko For This Texans Drinking Game (You Won’t Need It)
The Texans head into New York this weekend to take on the Jets, and fans are cringing. Last week’s disaster against Jacksonville lingers on, and the Jets, while not quite world-beaters, do have a 7-2 record. How to get through the upcoming carnage? Drink heavily. We’re here to help…
Five Tips on Thanksgiving Wine Pairing for the Wine Idiot
The first thing we learned Thursday night was the downtown Spec’s has a second floor, and wandering around looking for the secret door that leads to the elevators made us feel like an idiot. We already felt vulnerable heading to a wine class, because, at least in this small corner…
State Rep Leo Berman: A “Birther” Bill And Oh, So Much More
Texas, we have our birther bill!! Thanks to Rep. Leo Berman of the Panhandle Tyler, the Texas legislature will take up a bill saying no one can be on the ballot in Texas for president (or vice-president! All bases covered!!) unless they present their “original birth certificate indicating that the…
Exes On Tour: White Stripes, ABBA, Lindsey & Stevie…
We’re all familiar with the credo against intra-office dating, often crudely expressed as “Don’t shit where you eat.” Most of us subscribe to it, knowing the potential drama it could ensue. “How will this affect my work,” we wonder. “What happens if we break up?” But all’s fair in love…
Electric Cars In Houston: There Will Be A Charging Station At Spec’s!!
Houston will be home to the nation’s first electric vehicle charging ecosystem. Just what is an electric vehicle charging ecosystem? It’s a network of charging stations for electric vehicles strategically setup across the Houston area. These charging stations will be installed along major freeways, shopping centers, business districts, and some…
Odd Pair: LuLu & White Cheddar Cheez-its
I know what you’re all thinking: What the *#@! is a LuLu? Well, apparently in Oklahoma, they like to give their wines cute names and cute bottles. Next question: Did she say Oklahoma? Yes, yes I did. A friend of mine visited the Stone Bluff Cellars winery just outside of…
Chances Closing This Saturday; To Become “High-End Restaurant” With a “Superstar Chef”
Eating Our Words is always happy to welcome new restaurants to town — especially in our own neighborhood — but at the expense of the city’s few live music venues (see: Numbers) and now its only lesbian bar? Montrose nightlife staple Chances is shutting down this weekend, according to owner…
NFL & College Football — Weekend’s Best Bets (with Tales of Deceit, Adultery and Ron Artest)
Drayton McLane apparently has plans to sell the Astros. This comes as no surprise, those rumors have been swirling for some time. Now I don’t know if he’ll get his $800 million asking price, but I did call Drayton and make an offer and we now know that $912, a…
Butch Hancock, Flatlanders Still Chasing The Horizon
Pound for pound, Rocks Off’s choice for greatest living Texas songwriter is Butch Hancock, who happens to play in the same band as his closest competition for that title – old Lubbock buddies and fellow Flatlanders Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. At McGonigel’s Mucky Duck over Labor Day weekend,…
American Grocers: Houston Company Sold $36 Million Worth Of Outdated Food To U.S. Troops
The Department of Justice announced today that Houston’s American Grocers, Inc., has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit that charged the company with shipping expired food to U.S. troops in the Middle East. The suit, which turned into one of the government’s largest whistleblower cases out of…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Federico Cavatore and Chef Raul Garcia of Cavatore’s
This week we have been chatting with Federico Cavatore and Chef Raul Garcia of Cavatore’s about Sofia Loren and lasagna. Today we finish the conversation and try Cavatore’s famous Caesar salad. EOW: What can we find here, that we can’t find at other Italian restaurants? Raul Garcia: Besides a nightly…
Galveston May Try Major Downtown Renovation
Former Galveston Mayor Barbara Crews is spearheading a proposal to spend $20 million in Ike-recovery funds to renovate the downtown area, a project which would eventually cost $70 million. The plan would turn parking lots into green spaces and use “the very good bones” of the historic buildings downtown in…
Vicki Myers: Hey, Don’t Blame Texas For That Masturbating, Gun-Toting Woman
The netz were all a-giggle yesterday with the story of Vicki K. Myers, who was discovered by police outside a Naperville, Illinois motel, in a van, topless, with a loaded gun, “pleasuring herself” with a variety of sex toys. Just another Friday in Naperville? Apparently not. Myers initially told police…
Your Belly Is Full; What About Your Neighbor’s?
The coming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are a time when we all enjoy thinking about the massive spreads of food we’ll eat with our families, how we’ll abandon all pretense of formality and wear stretch pants to the dinner table and how we’ll enjoy leftovers while watching endless football games…
Top Five: Suggestions for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons
Tryptophan isn’t the only substance abundant in ridiculously mass quantities on Thanksgiving. Thanks to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, soaring amounts of helium are injected into crowd-pleasing floats. Each year, five new floats, balloonicle or falloon, are introduced. 2010’s most heralded are: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (empowering) Kung Fu…
Chances Bar Closing After Saturday Night
“Thanks for the mammaries” Montrose nightlife staple Chances is shutting down this weekend, according to owner Nick Vastakis. Vatakis’ family has owned the space since it was Charlie’s Coffee Shop in the ’70s, but his family is moving out of bar management and into property development, he told Rocks Off…
Jashona Franklin: Wailing Away On Teen Daughter’s Classmate
Screen cap via KPRCJashona Franklin, bringing the painFinally, a nice twist on school violence: Instead of kids attacking each other, or an unbalanced teacher going nuts on a pupil, KPRC brings us the story of a high school mom allegedly assaulting her daughter’s classmate in the parking lot of Coldspring-Oakhurst…
Feeling Comfortable at Baker St. Pub & Grill
The folks at Baker St. invited me out to sample some of their comfort food items. I occasionally go to the Baker St. out in Willowbrook to watch a little football on Sundays. It had been years since my last visit to the Rice Village location, but I had fond…
Jason Waldrup, 22, Bayou Body Count No. 275
A man was shot in the head and left for dead on the northeast side Sunday, police say. Jason Waldrup, 22 was shot in the head and found lying in the 4600 vlock of Blaffer about 8:30 a.m., HPD says. He was last seen getting into a gray 2006 Mitsubishi…
New Tracks From Roosh Williams, Jack Freeman, Roderickvonn, Etc.
Five Spot receives a fair amount of email each day. It’s not a gross amount or obscene amount, just a fair amount. And scattered in between offers from Nigerian princes and penis-enhancement companies are links, MP3s and heads-ups from and/or about Houston rappers/musicians. Now, were this an ideal world, we’d…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 “Part 1?” Yes, baby. The freaking paperback was almost 800 pages, hence the split. Part 2 comes out next summer. We All Know Who’s In It, Any New Cast Members? Rhy Ifans plays Xenophilius Lovegood (Luna’s father), and David O’Hara -…
McLane Appears Serious About Trying To Sell Astros
The Houston Astros have set a 2:30 p.m. press conference for owner Drayton McLane to discuss his plans to try to sell the team. Fox 26 and the Houston Chronicle reported that McLane had hired an investment bank to help in any sale, and now it looks like things are…
Upcoming Events
If you aren’t in the mood to bake this Thanksgiving on top of all the cooking you’ll be doing, why not help out some needy pups while you purchase those pies? Pastry chef Rebecca Masson is selling her fabulous pecan pies (with a shortbread crust!) for $25 each, $5 of…
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…
Roger Waters’ Best Songs About His Late Father
Wednesday was Rocks Off’s dad’s birthday. We’re fortunate to have had him in our lives as we were growing up, and also to be around now when we’re older (and a parent) as well and can appreciate the kind of crap he put up with raising us and our brother…
Pasadena’s Fightin’ High Schoolers Make It Easy For The Cops
Ever since YouTube has been around, high school kids have been posting videos of fights. And ever since law enforcement figured that out, they’ve been using the videos to make arrests since, you know, the evidence is pretty much staring them in the face. Latest example, via KHOU: Dobie High…
Readers, We Implore You: Help Us Make Chocolate Milk, The Good Stuff
When reading this next sentence please employ your best Jerry Seinfeld impression in your head: What’s the deal with chocolate milk? Frankly, I love the stuff. Tell me what is better than a super-ice-cold, store-bought bottle of sweetened liquid cocoa. Why did I put in, “store-bought,” you ask? Ah ha,…
Community: The Conspiracy Episode
If Community did nothing but offer pop culture parodies free of context or characterization, it would get old awfully fast. (This is what scientists refer to as “The Family Guy Effect.”) But the brilliant thing about the series is how artfully it’s able to work these loose satires into its…
Harry Potter: Wizard Rock’s Greatest Hits
For the past few years, a genre centered around J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter universe has been growing on the Internet and elsewhere. We don’t think anyone involved in it is older than 25, but that’s okay. Sometimes sheer youthful enthusiasm can make up for the songwriting being a little green…
Cougars Prepare To Battle The Golden Eagles
It’s been a tough season for the 5-5 Houston Cougars. They lost their starting quarterback, Case Keenum, to an ACL injury in the season’s third game, a loss to UCLA. They lost his back-up, Cotton Turner, for the season to injury in that same game. Key defensive players have been…
The Alphabet Song: Not Enough Swearing
Fatawesome is a band of incredible bastards who know how to make you laugh and bang your head at the same time. Last time we checked in with them, they had laid down a rap tribute to the Oregon Trail that had us telling people “My Titties is sick,” for…
Technology Trumps Talent
The votes were tallied. Bristol Palin would be one of three finalists in the finale of the most watched season of Dancing With the Stars. Derek Hough’s jaw was on the floor, Bruno Tonioli was on his feet, and a man in Wisconsin took a shotgun to his TV. Although…
Happy Hour Scene: Saint Dane’s
The Place: Saint Dane’s Bar & Grille502 Elgin St. 713-807-7040www.saintdanes.comThe Hours: Monday through Friday, 3-7 p.m.The Deals: Domestic pints are $2, wells are $3. Also daily specials on food and drinks, like half-price wraps on Wednesdays and 25 cent wings on Thursdays. The Scene: Saint Dane’s happy hour might be…
Nov. 12 through 19: The Week in Photos
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. From holiday festivities to concerts to sporting events, be sure to add your images to our photo group — if it’s Houston-related, we want to see it. They…
Runner-Up Turkey of the Year: Michael Brown
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,…
District Judges Susan & Marc Brown: Two Big King Street Patriot Fans
Reports recently surfaced about a police chief and police officer in East Texas being fired for an affiliation with their local Tea Party group, and the whole thing has caused quite the uproar in the tiny town. “Our phone has certainly been ringing off the hook,” Cloy Richards, a city…
Hurt: Concert Injuries In And Out Of The Line Of Duty
About ten days ago, my parents and brother came into Houston for Sunday dinner, and I noticed my brother – whom we’ll call “John,” because that’s his name – was limping something awful. It turns out John decided to take a spin in the mosh pit at the end of…
The Gary Kubiak Deathwatch Begins
Let’s face it, it’s time. Time for a Gary Kubiak Deathwatch. Not on his corporal being, of course, but on his job as Houston Texans head coach. Things are getting grim. Five years is long enough to get your people in there, your systems, whatever it is you think a…
Chef Chat Part 2: Raul Garcia and Federico Cavatore of Cavatore’s
In this week’s Chef Chat series, we’re catching up with Raul Garcia and Federico Cavatore of Cavatore’s Italian Restaurant in the Heights. Yesterday we had a lesson in the restaurant’s 27-year-old-history, and today we’ll discuss what’s new on the menu, a few of their signature dishes, and the notion of…
It’s Officially Film-Festival Season
It’s been a week since the Cinema Arts Festival Houston. After such a heavy (lovely) dose of film, your body must be going through withdrawals. Relax–your next dose is right around the corner. The 2nd annual Houston Comedy Film Festival arrives at the Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks on Dec 1st…
Greg Oden — My Plea On Behalf Of Medicine
Greg Oden likes to party. Greg Oden has been a blogger, and a pretty funny one at that. Greg Oden likes to dance…Soulja Boy…gettin’ freaky…whatever. Greg Oden, back before he turned 70, was a pretty good basketball player, too. And did I mention Greg Oden likes to party? In short…
Red Light Camera Fallout: HPD Will Take Cops From Neighborhood Patrol For Traffic Duty
HPD: Break out the radar gunsIt’s hardly a shocker, but today HPD Chief Charles A. McClelland said he is saddened that voters struck down the red light camera program earlier this month, and that the decision will strain his budget and possibly put public safety at risk.”I guess I can…
First Look at Piola
Between a dead car battery and an inhaler emergency (thanks for nothing, Walgreen’s) last night, I didn’t make it to Piola (3201 Louisiana, 713-524-8222) either on time or in my typical calm, composed state. My dining companion was patiently waiting for me at the bar, a huge smile on her…
Estela Aguilar-Lopez, Two Others Indicted For Smuggling Aliens & Forcing Them To Sell Bootlegs
Three Houstonians have been indicted for smuggling illegal aliens into the country and then forcing them to pay off their fees by selling bootleg DVDs and CDs. Estela Aguilar-Lopez, 47, Blanca Estela Lopez-Aguilar, 37, and Francisco Ivan Rodriguez-Garcia, 29, were indicted on charges of harboring illegal aliens and “conspiracy to…
Food Fight: Battle Gummi Bear
Not all gummi bears are created equal. Some people – including certain unnamed members of my family – do not seem to be aware of this, and blithely purchase generic gummi bears from supermarket bulk bins. While it’s hard to get angry at someone who buys you candy, off-brand gummis…
Four Loko On The Run; It’s Time For Substitutes
The makers of Four Loko, Phusion Projects, said in a statement this week that they will be pulling the stimulants and caffeine from it’s blends of alcohol and liquid death in the coming of weeks to side-step a proposed government ban on the drinks. Phusion literally had no other option…
Social Distortion: Story Of Their Life
Friday night Houston will see its first Social Distortion concert since Warehouse Live in late 2006. Lead singer Mike Ness played a solo date at the Meridian in mid-2008, doing select Social D hits and his own country-tinged stuff. Houston’s punk-rock and rockabilly contingent sold this show out in just…
Why British TV Ads Are Better Than Ours
Here it is folks. The British have us beat when it comes to television advertising. While American ads rely more on addictive but mindless jingles and phrases, our neighbors across the Atlantic are elevating their spots to cinema status. It’s become quite common for a British television commercial to compete…
HISD Prepares For Biggest Battle Since WWII
For the first time since World War II – the big one – the state of Texas is looking at actual reductions in public education funding, Houston ISD board attorney David Thompson told trustees today. “Uncharted ground” is how Thompson termed what HISD and other districts are about to step…
Gravy: A Love Letter
The best laid plans of bird and yams often go astray. Despite the onslaught of tips and tricks that surround the Thanksgiving feast, there will inevitably be dry turkeys, bland dressing, and questionable side dishes. Luckily, these are all treatable afflictions, and the remedy is gravy…
Harris County’s Jail-Population Growth Third In Nation, Study Finds
Harris County Jail’s having a population boomIn an era when locking fewer people up and spending less on jails seems to make sense and is rapidly becoming en vogue, Harris County was increasing its spending and putting more folks behind bars than nearly any other populous county in the country,…
Lupe Fiasco: Four Ways He Will Write A Song About You
Balls-deep in that miry slough of disappointment that seems to befall every major artist who wants to change the world, Lupe Fiasco has been in a controlled rage lately. That can only mean one thing: His next album will boast songs about anyone who so much as snickers at him…
Chevron Phillips Settles Suit Over Pollution At Baytown Plant, No Thanks To TCEQ
Chevron-Phillips: The TCEQ wouldn’t step in, so local groups didAfter years of illegally emitting carcinogens and other toxic pollutants into the air, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company has agreed to a settle a lawsuit against it and clean up its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown.”We can all breathe easier,” says Luke…
Umeshu: Japanese Wine for People Who Hate Wine
I once read somewhere that umeshu, wine made from the ume (pronounced “woo-may”) fruit, was “wine for people who hate wine.” I can’t personally fathom anyone who hates wine — perish the thought! — but the sweet Japanese wine might indeed tempt the palates of those who find some red…
What Are Our Crazy Old Relatives Bringing to Thanksgiving? A Handy Chart
We’ve already shown you what your lazier relatives are going to bring to the family Thanksgiving table, but what about the family’s “senior eccentrics”? Don’t be shy, now, we’ve all got ’em: the family members who, through the ravages of age, have largely taken leave of their senses. Senility itself…
Kanye’s Best My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Lyrics
It doesn’t hit the streets, legally, until Monday, but Kanye West’s long-gestating My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy leaked a few weeks back. Since then, Rocks Off has been spinning our preview copy quite a bit at the office. It’s not the completely finished version about to hit stores and digital…
Phyllis Frye: Annise Parker Appoints Houston’s First Transgender Judge (That We Know Of)
Lawyer Phyllis Frye, the transgender champion of Houston, has been appointed by Mayor Annise Parker to be a municipal judge. She would be the first transgendered judge in Houston, or Harris County, or maybe Texas, unless someone’s been hiding secrets underneath their judicial robes. The announcement came at yesterday’s council…
High Falutin’: A Conversation With Cheech & Chong
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong will descend like a cloud on the Verizon Wireless Theater this Friday night for the Houston leg of their comedy tour, “Get It Legal.” On their second reunion tour in three years, or what they remember of it, these men (who could be the last…
Cup of Coffee, on the King
Free coffee! That should get your attention. Burger King is offering a free, 12-ounce Seattle’s Best Coffee during breakfast hours on every Friday in November. You’ve got two more left. And there’s no purchase necessary. BK is stepping up breakfast efforts to compete with the McDonald’s of the world…
Now Rick Perry Wants To Invade Mexico
Talk about an election win going to your head: Now Rick Perry wants U.S. troops to invade Mexico. Speaking with Chuck Todd on MSNBC this morning, Perry said “He’d be open” to sending U.S. troops into Mexico to control border violence, the Dallas Morning News reports. “Obviously, Mexico has to…
Top Five Musician Twitter Feuds So Far
The times they are a-changin’. Gone are the days of musicians airing bad blood toward one another behind a lyrical veil a la Neil Young vs. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dandy Warhols vs. Brian Jonestown Massacre, Ice Cube vs. N.W.A. In our brave new world, Rocks Off has succumbed to the instant-gratification…
Ticket Giveaway: 127 Hours
Danny Boyle has come full circle (in a sense). Not since his first film, the terrific Shallow Grave, has dismemberment featured so largely in one of his movies. 127 Hours is of course the true story of Aron Ralston (played by James Franco), the mountain climber that was trapped alone…
Beyonce Nip Slips: Five Of The Net’s Best
Houston’s Beyonce is — ha ha!! — catching some heat in Britain over a TV ad for her new fragance Heat. The ad, allegedly, shows a nip slip. It’s not surprising that the web has gone nuts over this; it turns out the net is full of people obsessed with…
Mai’s Set for a Spring Awakening
In February 2010, Mai’s — the popular Midtown Vietnamese restaurant that had served hungry patrons until the wee hours of the morning for more than 30 years — burned nearly to the ground. “It was a very humbling experience for us,” said Anna Pham on a sunny, blue-skied Wednesday afternoon…
Remember Slim Thug’s Boss of all Bosses?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Slim Thug Boss of All Bosses (Koch, 2009) Boss of all Bosses is Slim Thug’s official sophomore album. It…
Rice Owls: Beware The Plundering Pirates
The Rice Owls are hosting the East Carolina Pirates this weekend, and if the Owls had any bounty left, then the Pirates would be plundering it. But this season being this season, the Owls have already had their treasure looted by just about every opponent they’ve faced, including last week…
The Royal Scam
And I was still suffering residual boredom from the last one. I have to give our media credit; unemployment still hovering around 10%, cholera spreading to the Dominican Republic from Haiti, and terror threats abroad, and every morning news show has devoted a good 20 minutes of programming each of…
Peking Duck at Fung’s Kitchen
Several drinks have a way of making me want to venture outside the Loop for some really good food, which is possible with a comparatively sober companion diner/driver. Still salivating over the memory of a terrific meal at Fung’s Kitchen, we decided to return in the hopes of replicating our…
Tony Parker Caught Cheating With Wife of Spurs Teammate
Yesterday, in news of the inevitable and unsurprising, Tony Parker and Eva Longoria confirmed the rumors that they have filed for divorce. When we take the facts into account–1) Eva Longoria is a Hollywood actress, 2) Tony Parker is a professional athlete, and 3) Tony Parker plays in the NBA–It…
Last Night: The Black Angels And Black Mountain At Warehouse Live
The Black Angels, Black Mountain Warehouse Live November 17, 2010 Some music is so evocative and overwhelming it can cause you to flash back to before you were even born. Not all of it – when a Mozart symphony comes on the radio, you’re not suddenly rubbing shoulders with Emperor…
Aggies Again OK In-State Tuition For Illegals
The Texas A&M Student Senate refused last night to override the veto of a bill that would have barred in-state tuition to illegal aliens. The Bryan-College Station Eagle reported that a vigorous, at times loud debate took place before the vote. The impact of the ban would have been unclear…
The Dog in Grinch Learns How to Move His Tush
After 30 years in show business, Bob Lauder had to learn how to play a dog, specifically how to play Old Max the Dog in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. And most specifically of all: he had to learn how to control that tail. It wasn’t…
A Royal Pain In The Ass
And I was still suffering residual boredom from the last one. I have to give our media credit; unemployment still hovering around 10%, cholera spreading to the Dominican Republic from Haiti, and terror threats abroad, and every morning news show has devoted a good 20 minutes of programming each of…
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: Puppet Wing
Ladies and gentlemen, Rocks Off is pleased as rum punch to announce that The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has (not) added an official puppet wing to that fine institution. What’s even better, they have (not) given us the opportunity to nominate some of the finest felt fender fingerers…
Shiftwork Bites: Simple Braised Sausage and Sauerkraut
There’s been a trend emerging in my Shiftwork Bites cooking, as of late. As the weather turns colder, I turn to heartier, simpler, more soul-satisfying meals. I’m sure you are all doing the same. For Shiftwork Bites, this is a good thing. Typically, it means meat and potatoes, frequently cooked…
Runner-Up Turkey of the Year: Gary Kubiak
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,…
Meth Fires Galore In Lufkin
Man, Lufkin’s got the crystal methamphetamine blues bad. Just as one high-profile meth lab fire case comes to a close, another one opens… We begin with the adventures of Gilbert Sanders and Charles Euper… Okay, imagine you own a motel on Texas 59 in the Piney Woods just north of…
Voyage of the Damned
On May 13, 1939, the captain of the S/S St. Louis wrote in his ship’s log, “Everyone seems convinced they will never see Germany again…but beautiful weather, pure sea air, good food, and attentive service will soon provide the usual worry-free atmosphere of long sea voyages.” That didn’t happen. The…
Shall We Dance?
The romantic comedy Shall We Dance? is filled with megawatt stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, who play a dance teacher, a lonely lawyer and his wife, respectively. The supporting roles are brilliantly played by Bobby Cannavale, Omar Miller and Stanley Tucci. When the bored lawyer decides…
Louis C.K.: Word
Comedian Louis C.K. is recently divorced, but he’s not exactly looking forward to the single life. “I know too much about life to have any optimism,” explains the star of the television sitcom Louie on FX. “You’ll meet the perfect person and then you’ll get old together and then she’s…
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
In Australia it’s called The Worst Kids in the World, but we Yanks know it as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Based on a 1972 book by Barbara Robinson, the comedy is the story of the Herdmans, a family of delinquents. The narrator describes them as “the worst kids in…
Yojimbo
After the Cinema Arts Festival Houston finishes its second run, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will continue its current film series 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 became an influence…
Cheech and Chong: Get It Legal Tour
There’s too much money on the table for Baby Boomer comedy duo Cheech and Chong not to reunite. Television and movie roles are scarce for the pair, Cheech’s hobby of collecting world-class Latino art takes big bucks to maintain and Chong’s business ventures haven’t worked out well, so it made…
Where’s the Rock?
Where’s the Rock? Online readers comment on “106.9 FM Gets in the Zone, Misses the Point?” Rocks Off blog, by Chris Gray, November 8: Go deep: I hadn’t tuned in to The Point in quite some time, so I’m not sure how alternative they had been leaning recently, but it…
Capsule Stage Reviews: 9 to 5, The Good Body, The Little Dog Laughed, To Cross the Face of the Moon
9 to 5 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…
Born Liars
This week not only brings endless cold-turkey sandwiches, family strife, copious escapist drinking, but also a new Born Liars record. The band’s latest, Fast Songs Is All We Know, gets its unveiling this Wednesday night. The price of admission to the show scores you a copy of Fast Songs on…
The End Is Near
A teenage witch stands trembling behind her unsuspecting mother and father, wand raised. Obliviate, she whispers, and her parents’ eyes go glassy, their memories erased. On the mantel, the girl’s image disappears from the family’s photos. Blinking back tears, she walks into the street, the link between herself and her…
At the Peak
It might seem strange to find one of the best crèmes brûlées in the city at Himalaya Restaurant (6652 Southwest Fwy., 713-532-2837), which serves Pakistani cuisine. It’s not easy to find, either, since it’s listed on the menu as Almond Custard ($4.69). The small, perfect dessert is bright-yellow in the…
Blinded by the Light
Preparing to record a debut album, Lucas Gorham and his band Grandfather Child seem to be on the cusp of catching fire. Anyone who saw the ensemble — Gorham, guitarist Geoffrey Muller, bassist Robert Ellis and drummer Ryan Chavez — at the Houston Press Music Awards ceremony in August couldn’t…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Alex Rubio: A New Journey,” “The New Black: Contemporary Concepts in Color and Abstraction,” “Quantumdada Phase 2,” “William Betts: New Mirror Paintings”
“Alex Rubio: A New Journey” San Antonio artist Alex Rubio fills G Gallery with vividly colored work with radiating lines that channel psychedelia and surrealism. Rubio started out as a street artist. In the triptych La Vela, the cylindrical forms of a bottle in a paper bag, a sacred heart…
Dru Hill
Baltimore’s Dru Hill swept the late-’90s teen-beat era (the era also culpable for Dawson’s Creek, Jennifer Love Hewitt and all the “ohmigods” in between) with winking, raspy harmonies and a frantic obsession with dragons. And, of course, after three albums featuring “How Deep Is Your Love” and its various permutations,…
Toyama Japanese Restaurant
Dan Vuong, the general manager of the gorgeous new Toyama Japanese Restaurant (2802 S. Shepherd, 713-528-8528), is from Hong Kong by way of Los Angeles. “I’ve been here four months now,” he says. “Toyama is owned by Shirley Li. She is also the owner of Osaka Japanese Restaurant. Toyama is…
Robbie Fulks
Back in the ’90s, when the gathering forces of insurgent country went after pop-happy Nashville with all the passion and potency their punk ancestors had set on the bloated corporate-rock beast a generation earlier, nobody was more insurgent than Robbie Fulks. Blessed with the righteous populist indignation of Woody Guthrie,…
Reduxion
We’re baaaaaaack! After a couple of months off, our Rocks Off music blog’s monthly series of local bands covering their biggest influences returns just in time to get you nice and hungover for Thanksgiving dinner. (Kidding…we think.) This month we’re proud to welcome the reigning Houston Press Music Award winners…
Stars
Canadian indie-poppers Stars were looking to challenge themselves, so earlier this year the Free Press Summer Fest alumni played new album The Five Ghosts (their fifth) start-to-finish on tour — before it was even released. According to some accounts, they met that challenge. No surprise there, as Ghost’s songs are…
Rock, Hard Place
Other people besides James Franco appear in 127 Hours, but as they’re unimportant, they will not be mentioned in this review. Danny Boyle’s film — based on the story of Aron Ralston, who in 2003 cut off his own arm after being stuck for five days under a rock in a…
“Exotic” Ethiopian
See how breakfast is made in Sheba Cafe’s kitchen in our slideshow. If there were any justice in this world, more people would be enjoying Ethiopian food for breakfast. Of course, that would require more than one Houston restaurant to be serving the stuff. That one restaurant is Sheba Cafe,…
Usher
It’s Ursher, baby, and he’s hitting up the Toyota Center this week with his panty-dropping brand of R&B and soul-lite. Thirty-two-year old Dallas native Usher Raymond is now seven albums deep into a mega-successful career full of hit singles, sex jams and radio standbys. He’s not only responsible for bringing…
Next to Nothing
“What if we choose to exist solely in a reality of our own making?” asks Pittsburgh community-college lit professor John Brennan (Russell Crowe) rhetorically during a discussion of Don Quixote in The Next Three Days, Paul Haggis’s fourth effort as director. Like his lumpy protagonist, Haggis, who also scripted this…
The Usual Suspect
Spend enough time in upscale bars, and someone will eventually mention Beau Theriot’s name. Just about every time you hear it, it will be said with a certain amount of reverence. It’s a little weird, really. Theriot is like River Oaks’s version of Keyser Söze, except instead of building and…
Latin Roots and Superiority Games
Dear Mexican, I’m thinking of moving to Mexico. I’m a first-generation mexicano. Speaking with my parents about moving, they’re absolutely against it, insisting that it’s violent and that I should be proud of being an American. I’m not looking to lose my American-ness, but just want to add some more…
Over and Out
Initially I resisted Sarah Oppenheimer’s D-17 at the Rice University Art Gallery. I found the installation — a white-and-silver-edged, aluminum-and-wood structure that spans the gallery space, then moves through its glass walls, over the foyer and out over the entrance — slightly cryptic and a bit too cool. But once…
Sam’s Place
Lightnin’ Hopkins is official. This past Saturday, 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…
Cougar on Prowl in Katy
CRIME Cougar on Prowl in Katy By Richard Connelly 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…
Shock the Junkie
Ron Price needs his milk shake. It’s ten o’clock on a Monday morning and the baldheaded, barrel-chested former bodybuilder is shuffling around the kitchen of a posh rehab clinic in Tijuana, wearing slippers and a blue Gold’s Gym T-shirt. Price had been employed as a stockbroker in New Mexico until…
