Sharpstown Principal’s Lawyer, Rusty Hardin, Says Rob Gasparello Did Report Sexual Abuse
Last week, Sharpstown Principal Rob Gasparello and two assistant principals, Silvio Leiva and Jason Thomson, were arrested and charged with counts of failure to report sexual abuse of students. Now, the lawyer representing Gasparello is saying he did everything right. Gasparello was charged in relation to two reported incidents, one…
Zapruder Analysis of LSU Head Coach Les Miles Fantasizing About Thanksgiving Dinner
I wasn’t around for the invention of Thanksgiving, but I’m fairly certain that, at its forefront, it had a purpose that paid homage to our forefathers who paved the way for us as Americans to have a better life. I think that was the original reason for the holiday. Pretty…
Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker Sees New Sugar Plum Fairy
The Nutcracker isn’t just a holiday spectacle; for many children, it’s their introduction to ballet. For a few, it is the start of a lifelong love affair with all things dance. It’s a Christmas story, but one that has lasting appeal beyond the holiday season. The Yuletide setting is really…
Sneak Peek: Vallone’s, a New Addition to the Tony Vallone Empire, Sets December 1 Opening
“Imagine how many proposals are going to happen here,” a friend said to me as we surveyed the crowd filling the freshly painted and carpeted dining room at Vallone’s. “And how many anniversaries and promotion celebrations and birthday parties and first dates. That’s what’s so exciting about a new restaurant…
The Road House Remake Is A Thing That Is Happening
Early yesterday we received the grim news that a remake of one of the storied entries in America’s classic catalog of Movies To Watch While Hungover had gotten a director: MGM has tapped Rob Cohen to direct its upcoming remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie “Road House,” TheWrap has…
Rockets Beginning to Roll With Come-From-Behind Win in Memphis
Down 14 late and facing a tough division opponent on the road without your best player and with your second best not exactly lighting up the arena, it would not seem the odds would be in the Rockets’ favor to close out with a win, but that is exactly what…
City of Houston Launches Newsroom Web Site
If we have learned anything from the rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s website, it is that these things need to be tested heavily before they launch. The failure of the Obamacare website underscored the lessons I’ve personally learned in 15 years of building websites for customers, primarily that you…
Save the Date: Houston Gets a Postcard From One Direction
Amid the promotional blitz surrounding their new album Midnight Memories, Britain’s One Direction — currently the biggest band on the planet, boy or otherwise — announced a summer 2014 stadium tour that includes an August 22 show at Reliant Stadium. The group’s biggest tour to date, “Where We Are 2014″…
A New Way to Look at Dr. Seuss at the Children’s Museum
It is impossible to overstate the impact that Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, has had on the world of literature and art. Something like one in four American children have their first reading experience with one of his books, and they’ve sold more than 600 million copies…
High on Fire & Kvelertak at House of Blues, 11/25/2013
High on Fire, Kvelertak, Pack of Wolves House of Blues November 25, 2013 As rain drizzled and temperatures plunged on Monday night (by Houston standards, anyway), the brave few of us who ventured out into the cold found comfort by clustering around the fire. High on Fire, to be exact…
Weather Week: Beautiful Turkey Day on Tap as Temperatures Slowly Warm Up
If you think Christmas shopping just doesn’t feel right unless the weather outside is rather nippy, well, you’re in luck as Black Friday approaches. For the past few days, Houston and the surrounding area have seen some extremely cold weather for November. Days with highs in the 40s have pushed…
Soft Surroundings Opens in Town & Country Village
If you merely glanced through the Soft Surroundings window as you walked by, you might quickly dismiss it as a little too Chico’s, or Coldwater Creek, or even Newport News, but if you walked inside, it wouldn’t take you long to notice that among the slightly generic, woman-of-an-indeterminate-age items (turtlenecks,…
Thanksgiving Vino, Part 2: Sommeliers Sean Beck and Vanessa Treviño-Boyd Guide You
It can be complicated and difficult to properly pair wines with the Thanksgiving dinner. You have so many different types of dishes — spicy, sweet, savory — and with so many different types of wines to choose from, which ones should make it to the Thanksgiving table? We spoke with…
Sous Chef Ryan Lachaine, Chris Shepherd’s Right-Hand Man, Exits Underbelly
Early Sunday morning, news spread that Underbelly sous chef Ryan Lachaine was no longer with the celebrated Houston restaurant. Lachaine had been chef Chris Shepherd’s right-hand man since Underbelly opened, in 2012. We contacted restaurant group Clumsy Butcher, which represents a number of local bars and restaurants, including Underbelly, Anvil,…
How Much Would a 9-Game Parlay Betting Against the Texans Pay?
There’s no denying it. Any way you slice it, it’s been a horrible season of football here in the city of Houston. The Texans have lost nine in a row, falling to 2-9, and they’ve scored as many touchdowns in the second half of games during these nine games as…
Winging It: Houston Gets Its First Pluckers
If you love wings, TVs and cheap drinks, you’ll be happy to learn that Pluckers Wing Bar has landed in Houston. While it’s the concept’s first location in the Bayou City, the company has 14 other spots scattered throughout the Austin area, where it began, and in Dallas and Baton…
The Rocks Off 200: Dylan Bryson Sings the Blues (Rock)
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Dylan Bryson…
Hottie Hunters: Chicks With Guns Causing Controversy, Killing Big Game
When I was about 12 years old, I shot a robin with my BB gun in the front yard of our suburban Houston home. I was aiming, but I never honestly thought I’d kill something if I hit it. Hell, I had shot myself more than once by accident and…
Latest From the Right-Wing Fever Swamp: Census Bureau Faked 2012 Jobs Report
There are certain political news-consumers who choose their media diet fastidiously: if it’s not right wing, it’s not on the menu. These media “swamps” are the places where the Birthers lurk, Benghazi is a massive cover-up, and — despite the fact that the Dow Jones closed over 16,000 for the…
Todd Waite Becomes Crumpet in The Santaland Diaries Once More
This was going to be the first year in a while that the Alley Theatre did not present its one-man show The Santaland Diaries starring company member Todd Waite. That was right up until ticket buyers started calling in, complaining that they couldn’t find the David Sedaris play about a…
Toasting the Turkey: Seven Top Wines for a Perfect Thanksgiving 2013
Hopping around the city last week as I did my Thanksgiving wine shopping, I couldn’t help but be reminded what a great time it is to be a wine lover in Houston. These days, as the city continues to become one of the top destinations in the U.S. for fine…
Kevin Sumlin and the Texans: Buyer Beware
Is Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin the right choice to lead the Texans?Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin may one day be a great NFL coach. He’s a strong leader with an innovative offense, glowing personality and enormous local buzz — all at only 49 years old. It’s easy to see where the…
Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Rewrites the Show’s Future Forever
It’s likely that nothing could totally live up to the expectations of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and “The Name of the Doctor” in no way made everyone happy. What made it brilliant though is not what it showed, but what it promised us. Initially, I came away from…
Time Magazine’s ‘Gods of Food’ Feature Ignores Scores of Great (Female) Chefs
Time magazine recently published a feature on the 13 most influential people in the food world. The list actually included 15 people and a company, but it wasn’t the fact that Time editors seemingly can’t count that had readers, chefs, restaurateurs and just about everybody else in the food industry…
Five Metal Bands Who Should Break up Immediately
We’ve talked before about bands who we thought should break up here at Rocks Off, but frankly, I think metal deserves its own little corner of this argument. How come? Because there are just so damn many metal bands who reached their expiration date a long time ago but keep…
Lady Gaga Hates Being Lady Gaga and Isn’t Hiding It
Two weeks ago Lady Gaga released her third record here in the States, Artpop. While sonically it feels very familiar, thematically it feels worlds away. While The Fame is a mostly forgettable dance record that just happens to have three perfect songs on it and Born This Way is a…
We Listened to Eight Solid Hours of Holiday Music…Why?
Most of the year Houston’s Sunny 99.1 FM is a ratings powerhouse that plays pop music familar enough that it keeps you more awake than actively tuned in. Sunny calls itself “Houston’s at-work station,” but it’s good for just about any activity short of having sex or attending a concert:…
College Football Recap: Elimination Saturday Zaps Baylor
College football is great. We all love college football. (At least, I’m assuming you do if you clicked on this story.) The tradition, the pageantry — college football is the best. The only bad thing about college football is how subjective and arbitrary the process of crowning a champion is…
5 Things We Learned as Dynamo Bow Out of MLS Cup Eastern Finals
The third time was apparently the charm for Sporting Kansas City, who finally got over the Houston Dynamo en route to the franchise’s second MLS Cup appearance. And all it took was inspired play by former National teamer Benny Feilhaber and 22-degree weather to keep the Dynamo from reaching their…
Local Artist Bryson Owen Turns Christmas Upside Down at Brazos Bookstore
The story behind the Christmas tree with the Seuss-ian angles that is currently (and quite literally) hanging from the rafters at Brazos Bookstore is one of serendipity–and good customer service. “One day I saw a shopper, and approached him to see if he needed any help,” explained Brazos Bookstore manager…
Djembe Offers an Abundance of Performance Charm in an Overstuffed Plot
The set-up: If there hadn’t been a little show on Broadway called The Lion King, this world premiere musical fairy tale from Carlton Leake (book, music, lyrics), scrumptiously realized on stage by director and choreographer Patdro Harris, would probably seem a lot better than it is. Comparisons, however unfair, are…
Potted Potter Crams the Harry Potter Series Into 70 Minutes Onstage
I’m a muggle, to be sure. The Harry Potter series, whether in book or film incarnation, never really grabbed me, despite its nearly universal appeal to young and old alike. Sure, I saw Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, the first movie entry, in 2001. I had one of those…
BARC and Rescued Pets Movement Giving Animals a Rocky Mountain High
Some homeless Houston cats and dogs will be finding new homes in Colorado, thanks to the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care and the Rescued Pets Movement. “There is a high demand for pets in Colorado, and Houston has the supply,” according to a BARC press release. “RPM has set…
What’s Cooking This Week? The Gobbler Sandwich and More
I love cooking for my fiancé and planning meals for us, but cooking for two often proves to be difficult. If I don’t make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I’ve bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter…
Cougars Lose Third Straight Under Awful Field Conditions
John RoyalWelcome to Lake BBVA Compass Stadium.The field conditions at BBVA Compass Stadium were atrocious on Saturday. Huge portions of the field were flooded before the game started, with puddles of water evident at the start of the game. By the time Cincinnati had finished defeating UH 24-17, the middle…
Houston Photographer Daniel Kramer’s Rodeo Photographs Selected for Prestigious Exhibit in Atlanta
In 2013, more than 2.5 million people attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. One of them was Daniel Kramer a freelancer photographer and teacher who has been making a study of the Houston rodeo since 2003. “My ancestors, Bud and Bobby Kramer, provided stock to the rodeo from the…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 66, Enchiladas de Mole at La Guadalupana
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
Chvrches at House of Blues, 11/24/13
Chvrches, Basecamp House of Blues November 24, 2k13 Chvrches are a group that play with your expectations. It starts with the name; the moment you the swapped “v” instead of a “u” you assume they’ll either be a Norwegian death-metal band or a witch-house DJ. Then you press the play…
SFW: Analytics Are Improving the Way We Hire and Fire People
Moneyball transformed baseball. Now the same data-driven analytics and statistical models are coming to a human resources department near you. And they might just effect whether you get hired, fired or promoted. The big boys — Google, Intel, etc. — have already adopted this approach, and now smaller companies are…
Inversion Coffee House: Your One-Stop Shop for Inventive Caffeinated Holiday Drinks
Recently, I wrote about the pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks and McDonald’s, and a few of you wanted to know about seasonal beverages available at local coffee shops. While some places are serving their versions of pumpkin spice lattes, such as Dirk’s Coffee and Bite Macarons, others have seasonal syrups,…
Rusko at House of Blues, 11/22/2013
Rusko House of Blues November 22, 2013 In the 1990s, rave culture abounded. During this time, great DJs became well known and electronic dance music (now known simply as EDM) became a legitimate and respected form of music. Trance, Drum and Bass, House, and Jungle infused countless speakers. Of course,…
Marie and Bruce Present a Day in Marriage Hell Without an Intermission
The set-up: It might be cold and blustery outside Catastrophic Theatre, but the weather can’t match the frigid, numb-to-the-bone atmosphere inside the bedroom of Marie and Bruce. In Wallace Shawn’s icy, day-in-the-life dissection of marriage (1978), wedded bliss is a phantom, as bleak as any shade this side of Dante…
With the Texans at Rock Bottom, It’s Time to Clean House, Bob.
“We suck.” — Andre Johnson, Texans wide receiver And with those two words, Andre Johnson proved himself to be the most lucid and honest voice that matters inside the entire Texans football operations hierarchy. We suck. Indeed. You thought four straight games with a pick six from your starting quarterback…
Films for Foodies: The Silence of the Lambs
Movie studios scramble to have big-name stars headline their films, but in many of my favorite movies food is the star. Few things are better than pairing a foodie film with a great meal so we can enjoy ourselves just as much as the folks onscreen are enjoying their own…
Chance the Rapper at Warehouse Live, 11/23/2013
Chance the Rapper Warehouse Live November 23, 2013 Every time I walk inside of Warehouse Live, something about the east downtown venue seems more and more youthful. Maybe because I’m getting used to watching kids wear little to nothing at shows, but rap fans have a proclivity to seem tougher…
Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time Is Unearthly Good
Is David Bradley’s portrayal of William Hartnell as tragic and award-worthy as, say Martin Landau’s performance as Bela Lugosi in Tom Burton’s Ed Wood? No, but it is a damn close second. An Adventure in Space and Time, Mark Gatiss’ biopic on the earliest days of producing Doctor Who is…
Trafficking in Flesh: New Report on Human Trafficking in Houston and the United States
Remember when Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, said he was just a banker doing “God’s work”? That statement was both false and borderline blasphemous. Some folks who are actually doing the lord’s work are the people at Polaris Project, an NGO, which started The National Human Trafficking Resource Center…
Feast Your Eyes on Tiger Den Yakitori
In Japan, you’ll find yakitori-ya spots — places that specialize in yakitori, or skewers of chargrilled meat — everywhere. The places are usually casual and fun, somewhat rowdy and raucus, a venue for friends to gather for an easy meal while drinking beer. This is exactly what you’ll find at…
No Clue What to Buy for Your Guy this Holiday Season? Go Vintage.
In one week’s time, the holiday season will officially be upon us. The only thing that heralds ye olde ChrismaHanuKwanza is my eating my weight in fried turkey and pecan pie, then people watching on Black Friday as complete strangers tackle each other for megasized TVs. Fun times. Once the…
Jags 13, Texans 6: The Chase for No. 1 Begins
As the clock ran out on the ninth loss in a row, perhaps the most embarrassing loss in franchise history and the clear metaphorical (if not actual) end to a miserable season for the Texans, one thing became crystal clear: it’s time for the Texans to pack it in. What…
Built to Spill at Fitzgerald’s, 11/22/2013
Built to Spill Fitzgerald’s November 22, 2013 As Friday’s temperatures plunged into the low 40s, Fitzgerald’s provided some welcome warmth. Thanks to a packed-in sold-out crowd awaiting beloved Boise rockers Built to Spill, the room grew steamy in no time. Before the band began playing, front man Doug Martsch approached…
Does Anyone Dress Nicely on Thanksgiving Anymore? Are We All Slobs?
When I was a little kid, we used to spend Thanksgiving at a cousin’s of somebody’s cousin. It was a large affair replete with generations of family members, lots of food, and, knowing the Koenig clan, it probably ended in some sort of sing-along. One of the things I remember…
These Limited-Edition Holiday Treats Are Pretty Weird…But We Still Want to Try Them
Ahh, the holidays. Time for roasted turkey and jingle bells and homemade pies and sriracha candy canes and…wait, what? We’re pretty horrified about some of the limited-edition holiday products that have hit the shelves (remember Jones Soda’s 2004 Turkey & Gravy Soda, anyone?). But do you know what’s even more…
10 More Houston Acts You Should Be Listening To
Back in September Rocks Off brought you our choices for “10 Houston Acts You Should Be Listening To.” But this is an action town. DEEP CUTS Texas bands have been mingling rock and Tex-Mex sounds for a couple of generations now with some pretty spiffy results, if the names Sir…
Boy Did We Piss Off This One Directioner
Note: In his column Serrano Time, Houston’s award-winning scribe and all-around goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times. One DirectionLast week, I wrote about why One Direction’s “This Is My Story” sucks. Usually, whenever one of these pieces goes up (and they go up often), I get a…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Gary Clark Jr., Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, etc.
High on Fire House of Blues, November 25 Wrenching Motorhead’s classic speed-thrash into new dimensions of brutality and doom, High on Fire also packs its songs with nasty imagery like pestilence, plague, vermin and “Bastard Samurai” to go with the spectacular album art. Across five albums, the Oakland trio founded…
Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Prohibition’s Repeal With These Prohibition-Era Cocktails
November 24, 1933, was a really good day. After 13 years of being unable to sell, produce, import or transport alcohol, thanks to the Anti-Saloon League and the passage of the 18th Amendment, Texas approved ratification of the 21st Amendment, ending Prohibition. Even though few drinkers had ceased to imbibe…
This Weekend’s Best Bets: Brooke Hogan’s Engagement to Dallas Cowboy Crumbles
If there has been one subtle development in the world of wagering that has been a true godsend (because God doesn’t have enough on his plate, He must send things to degenerate gamblers), it’s been the addition of non-sports wagers to the various betting windows (actual and online) around the…
Dear Fans, Please Don’t Boo the Texans Because They’re Sensitive Little Children
Ben Tate and Owen Daniels are upset the fans booed the Texans on Sunday. The offensive players didn’t like that they had to go to a silent count on offense because of crowd anger. The fans should always be quiet and supportive, others say. Some of the thinking is that…
Weekend Weather: The Cold and Rain Are Back, Ice and Snow if You Are in North Texas
Mugginess is something we are familiar with in Houston. It’s uncomfortable, but not unexpected given our proximity to the warm Gulf of Mexico. This past week, while it had its moments, has been a pretty muggy experience as temperatures gradually climbed into the mid 70s and humidity levels climbed with…
Looking for New York-Style Pizza in Houston? Just Follow the Yankees and Knicks Caps
If you want great New York-style pizza, just look at what the customers are wearing.
JFK: A Few of Our Favorite Batshit Crazy Conspiracy Theories
One of the greatest disservices Jack Ruby did when he killed Lee Harvey Oswald was to unleash a never-ending stream of conspiracy theories ranging from insane to slightly-less-insane. Most of these are benign, and in their own way entertaining; some, like deranged Orleans Parish District Attorney Jim Garrison’s belief that…
Gabby’s BBQ Gives You a Great Opportunity to Give Thanks Before Thanksgiving Day Arrives
What’s the best way to get into the Thanksgiving spirit? Well, yes, giving thanks for life’s blessings is a good start. A tastier option is to pregame for The Big Meal at Gabby’s BBQ, which is offering turkey and all the trimmings as part of its menu options. Okay, O’Leary,…
UPDATED: Sharpstown Administrators Accused of Failing to Report Abuse
UPDATE: A warrant has been issued for the Sharpstown High School teacher who was charged with having sexual contact with at least three students, Jeff McShan, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office spokesman, said. Ysidoro Rosales-Motola, 55, has been charged with one felony count of indecency with a child and…
Zapruder Analysis of a Drunk Chick Wearing Just a Shaq Jersey
Today is the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous dates in American history, the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The quintessential date where anyone alive at that time “remembers where they were,” the nation was indelibly changed that day, and in an eerie way a star-crossed (at times,…
Has “Nut Country” (Dallas) Been Rehabilitated Since the JFK Assassination?
“We’re heading into nut country today,” President John F. Kennedy said to Jackie on the morning of November 22, 1963 — 50 years ago today. Nut country was Dallas, Texas. The city had gained a reputation as “nut country” because of incidents like: In the years and months before Kennedy…
Get Crushed by Kvelertak’s Unclassifiable Heaviness
It’s been a hell of a year for the Scandinavian hard-rock heroes in Kvelertak. To capitalize on the deafening buzz surrounding the sextet’s fresh take on extreme-metal tropes, the band spent 2013 peddling their blackened epics to audiences around the globe on an endless tour, and managed to release a…
Pi Pizza Truck Offers Free Pizza for Life, But You’ll Have to Get a New Tattoo This Weekend
“In my head, pizza and tattoos kind of go together.” Looking at Anthony Calleo, the owner and chef at Pi Pizza Truck, it’s clear he’s not kidding. He has colorful tattoo sleeves on both arms, and lord knows where else he has been inked. And he also loves pizza. He…
New Standards: My Houston Must-See Jazz Acts
The first jazz band I ever heard live was Robert “Doc” Morgan’s small jazz ensemble at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. I was a sophomore at HSPVA and a friend invited me to a show at the old Holman campus. We had some jazz records at…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Title: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Are The Odds Ever In Your Favor? Not the last few times I’ve been to Vegas, no. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three Arnold Schwarzeneggers in The Running Man out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: The [un]true story of [24] strangers…
BATTLE-DRINK, Week 12: Rock Bottom, Jaguars vs Texans
Back in my younger years, I was quite the pro wrestling aficionado (as opposed to now, when I am…well, still quite the pro wrestling aficionado), and while my favorite wrestling organization was the WWF (and still is WWE), I would watch the weekly shows on cable for a handful of…
Spatchcocked Turkey and Fresh Wassail: Houston Chefs Have Some Great Cooking Planned for Their Thanksgiving Gatherings
Earlier this week, we spoke with some Houston chefs about their Thanksgiving preparation and cooking advice. Today, the chefs share with us what they are making for Thanksgiving this year, whether they’re planning to spend the holiday at home or in the kitchens of their restaurants…
Slim Thug Takes That #BossLife to His People
Slim Thug is riding around the city in a $100K cream-colored Bentley. In the trunk, he has multiple boxes full of “that work.” Earlier in the week, Slim released his newest mixtape, Boss Life, and a week before that, he introduced the designs from his new clothing line. So “that…
If You Have to Buy a Gift Set, Make It a Good One
Giving someone a skin care or cosmetics “gift set” as a Christmas present can be awesome, or not so awesome, depending entirely on the quality of the gifts within the set. While these handy, pre-packaged sets make life easier for the giver, things get a little trickier for the recipient,…
UPDATED: Jim Crane Accuses Drayton McLane and Comcast of Fraud in a New Lawsuit
Editor’s Update: Comcast and its parent company have released a statement in response to Jim Crane’s lawsuit, calling it “a desperate act,” referring to Crane’s team as his “sophisticated advisors” and calling it an “extreme case of buyer’s remorse.” I guess someone at NBC legal was feeling sassy this morning…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Food Fundraisers, Wine Tastings & a Pop-Up
FM 903 Pop Up Bakery @ Triniti Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 2815 S. Shepherd Yes, this pop-up bakery has occurred every Saturday since November 2, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best things to do this weekend. Spend the morning or afternoon in the lounge at the…
10 Adult Toys that Aren’t Full of Banned Toxic Compounds (sNSFW)
Hey, so you know those adult toys you’ve got stashed away in your sock drawer? They might be full of toxic compounds that are banned for use in most items in the United States. Fo’ real. It’s time to start side-eying that vibrator. You see, earlier this week, the U.S…
Five of the Most Interesting Videos on the JFK Assasination
Everyone and their dog is talking about the day President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, 50 years ago today. There are countless videos, documentaries and newspaper inches spilling out as we lead up to the actual anniversary. In case you want a refresher course on some of the…
Upcoming Events: Foolproof Thanksgiving Cooking Class, an Award-Winning Risotto, and Gingerbread Doghouse Benefit
It’s not too late to learn how to make a great Thanksgiving meal. Sur la Table will host several Thanksgiving cooking classes centered around recipes from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. On Sunday, November 24, the Houston River Oaks location will host a class from 2:30-5:30 p.m. for $95 per…
100 Creatives 2013: Lee Wright, From Demon to Exceptional Artist
What He Does: Next time you see a homeless person on the side of the road and think he’s just a drunk that will never amount to anything, I want you to remember the name Lee Wright. By the age of 19 he was homeless, succumbing to alcoholism on the…
James Harden, Rockets Must Compete Defensively to Contend for a Title
In the second quarter of the Rockets game against Dallas on Wednesday night, James Harden was “guarding” Vince Carter on the perimeter, if by “guarding” you mean “watching him as he goes sailing by before reaching out a hand and halfheartedly swatting at the ball from behind.” Venerable Rockets TV…
Openings & Closings: Houston, We Have Wings and a Cajun-Inspired Brunch Spot in Montrose
As it’s the week before Thanksgiving, it’s no surprise there hasn’t been much action with restaurant openings and closings. B4-U-Eat’s weekly newsletter reports on two closings this week: Trophy Room Sports Bar & Grille in Katy and Two Saints on Memorial Drive. Neither the websites nor the phone numbers work…
The Top 5 Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: “See Food,” Kathy Griffin and More
Three years ago, Natalie Zelt, then curatorial assistant for photography for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, noticed an increase of food-related images in the portfolios she was viewing. “A lot of photographers and visual artists were engaging in food issues in a visual realm,” Zelt tells us. “There’s been…
Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry: “We Have a ‘No Complaining’ Policy on Tour”
“The past year has been quite a change for us,” says Chvrches front woman Lauren Mayberry, during a recent phone interview. In the past year alone, the Glasgow-based trio have become key players on the electro-pop scene. They’ve toured with Depeche Mode, sold out headlining tours across the world, and…
UH Design Students Show Off Their Unique “Guitarchetecture”
Shop class was never like this in high school. This past semester, 12 students in Prof. Mark Kimbrough’s industrial-design class in UH’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture have been working on a pretty hip class project: creating their own custom electric guitar to rock, blues or jazz specifications, with…
Houston’s Top 10 Family-Friendly Bars
As our sister blog Eating…Our Words does, from time to time Rocks Off will be giving your our picks for the top taverns in various Houston-area neighborhoods. Of course, the lines can be porous, but here anything with a TABC license that cannot reasonably be considered either a restaurant, coffeehouse…
The Best Concerts in Houston This Weekend: Built to Spill, A$AP Ferg, Chvrches, etc.
Built to Spill Fitzgerald’s, November 22 After years of staying away, Built to Spill seems to have decided that it likes playing Houston after all. We’ve lost count, but Friday will be at least the third time Doug Martsch’s laid-back guitar army will have been here since their most recent…
Filling a Space: Wherein We Sample the Pumpkin Doughnut Holes at River Oaks Donuts
In response to my rant against the so-called pumpkin spice donut, one commenter suggested that I try the pumpkin spice doughnut holes at River Oaks Donuts. Never one to turn down an excuse to eat deep-fried sugary bread, I stopped by Houston’s newest haute doughnut shoppe (ironically, en route to…
Houston Traffic Hot Spots: US 59 at The Spur
I’ve lived in a variety of spots around Houston and the traffic, let’s be honest, is pretty awful just about everywhere. But there is one spot I’ve lived and driven that rivals them all. When I lived off 59 and Weslayan, I would frequently use 59 going north to get…
American Horror Story: Coven: Boys on the Side
I can honestly say that this week was the first time I have ever been bored while watching American Horror Story. Like, looking at cat pictures and considering fast-forwarding through parts bored. Let’s be clear… a lot of the series across all three seasons is very much about empowered womanhood…
East Texas Lawyer’s Anti-Semitic Jokes Cost Cisco $60 Million
Otis Carroll of Ireland, Carroll & Kelley is an attorney in Tyler, Texas, where the vaunted rocket-docket patent litigation district court sits (a/k/a as the “Eastern District of Texas,” at least one of its “divisions”). Carroll was retained as “local counsel” by Cisco in a piece of patent litigation when…
Take-Out From Vieng Thai: Is It as Good as I Think It Is, and Better Than That Place in Fairbanks? Why Don’t You Let Us Know
You know how when you move to a new neighborhood, you have to do all kinds of things “all over again, for the first time”? Like finding the closest store for grabbing a gallon of milk, or signing up at a new gym, and — most important of all –…
Burnt at the Steak Centers on a Larger-Than-Life Personality in a One-Woman Show
The set-up: Carolann Valentino brings her one-woman extravaganza, Burnt at the Steak, to Houston, courtesy of Gerald LaBita’s Theatre LaB Houston, after garnering “best-of-show” awards at a number of Fringe festivals. Valentino uses her experience in managing a Manhattan upscale steakhouse as a framework for delivering anecdotes, impersonations, some songs…
Liberals: Stop Worrying About Concealed Carry Laws
Painting with broad brush strokes, liberals tend to favor stricter regulation of guns (although I do think conservatives tend to go out of their way to demonize anyone who dares “tread” on the newly found constitutional right to bear arms). At all events, concealed carry laws (i.e., you can walk…
Top 8 Best Limited-Edition Holiday Treats Appearing on Grocery Store Shelves NOW
Fall has always been my favorite time of year, partially because I long for the first cold front and the changing of the leaves, and partially because fall and winter foods are my absolute favorites. As a child, I’d look forward every year to when chocolate oranges would reappear on…
Doctor Who: A Breakdown on the Odds of Each Doctor Returning for the 50th
It’s practically here! The long awaited 50th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who, “The Day of the Doctor”, is just hours away, and geeks all across the globe are holding their breaths as we await to see exactly how you mark the half-century mark on a show like Doctor Who. One…
Pearland Makes List of Most Affordable Suburbs in America
Houston has been and continues to be one of the most affordable cities in which to hang your hat long-term. Though housing prices inside the Loop have been escalating rapidly over the past five years, housing can still be had on the relative cheap as compared to other cities around…
The Hunger Games’ Alan Ritchson and Stephanie Leigh Schlund on Catching Fire and Fans
Images courtesy Lionsgate.Ritchman and Schlund in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, opening this Friday, Alan Ritchson and Stephanie Leigh Schlund play two of the story’s fiercest bad guys. But tucked away in a hotel room on the 17th floor of the Mandarin Oriental in Miami’s…
Volcano Rice Wows The Crowd: Laudable New South American Dishes at Latin Bites
The volcano rice arrived at our table to a chorus of wows: three hot stone bowls sizzling, crackling and steaming hot, with a colorful assortment of vegetables and meats arranged around a perfectly round yellow egg yolk. A Peruvian version of the Korean dolsot bibimbap, it was chef Roberto Castre’s…
The Surprising Links Between Your Commute and Political Apathy
The commute. No matter where you live, but especially if you live in a large metropolitan area, the commute is dreaded. The reasons are obvious and universal; there is no point in expounding upon them here. Beyond the fact that commuting is, in general, one of least pleasurable aspects of…
The Ultimate Thanksgiving Prep Guide 2013
If you have ever made the entire Thanksgiving Day feast at home, you know how much preparation is required. The turkey must be bought on a certain day so it can thaw in time for you to stuff it and put it in the oven; your ingredients must be purchased…
Pop Rocks: Good-bye, SOAPnet. You Will Be Missed.
On December 31, 2013 the world will lose a hero. The Walt Disney Co. announced that after 13 years, it will finally pull the plug on SOAPnet. I am heartbroken. SOAPnet, which was created in 2000, was an effort on Disney’s part to extend the air times of its daytime…
The Rocks Off 200: DJ Damon Allen, R.O.C.O. Fellow
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. One of the…
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Denies Duane Buck a New Sentencing Hearing
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has denied Duane Buck’s appeal for a new sentencing, meaning an execution date can be set if the Harris County District Attorney’s Office chooses to seek an execution date. Buck was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1997 for the murders of his…
The Pros and Cons of the PS4
The PS4 is literally the first launch day system that I have bought since the original Playstation, and certainly the first that I picked up on opening day. I spent all weekend with Sony’s bright new hope for the gaming world, and here’s the Playstation Pluses and Minus Worlds I’ve…
Movable Feasts: Food Truck Fridays Coming to the Houston Press, So Get Yourself to Midtown
In case you hadn’t heard, we recently moved from the building downtown at the corner of Pease and Milam, where we’d been living for the past 15 years, to a new spot, in Midtown. And in doing so, we’ve discovered there aren’t a lot of lunch options within walking distance…
Texans Fans Rejoice! CBS’s Dan Dierdorf to Retire at Season’s End
Rare is the Texans home game that I am not in attendance in person at Reliant Stadium. In seven seasons of covering the team, I can count on one hand how many games I’ve missed and had to watch on television instead, and I believe the most recent one was…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Graffiti Artists
It was a cool, sunny November afternoon back in 2006 as I was driving down Harrisburg Boulevard on the east side of Houston, when a series of colorful patterns flashed through my rear-view mirror. I circled around to an abandoned shell of a building that consisted of three walls and…
100 Favorite Dishes 2013: No. 67, Bad-Ass Hambur-Torta at Pistolero’s
This year, leading up to our annual Menu of Menus issue, Kaitlin Steinberg counts down her 100 favorite dishes as she eats her way through Houston. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most awesome, most creative and, of course, most delicious in town. It’s a…
Should We Love Music Made by Awful People?
Recently I was walking through the grocery store, wearing headphones that blasted music, and I saw something that disturbed me. It was a young male, who couldn’t have been any older than I am, wearing long hair and jeans like any good metalhead should. But what I saw across his…
New Doc Tunes Into “The Greatest Ears in Town”
What do Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Norah Jones, the Rascals, Willie Nelson, Phil Collins, Dr. John, Barbra Streisand, Chaka Khan, the Average White Band, and Hall & Oates have in common? Not much, musically. But they all made records, and some of their most memorable, in the studio with…
Kathy Griffin
It wasn’t until the success of her Emmy Award-winning Bravo TV reality show My Life on the D-List propelled her from that lowly status to the top of the VIP list that Kathy Griffin became comedy royalty. Captivated by her hyper-enthusiastic love of show business and those who make it…
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Ah, we’ve been waiting for this: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, produced here by the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance. Barbara Robinson’s stage play shows Christmas the way it should be, with sarcasm, irreverence and a few “shazaaammmms!” thrown in for good measure. The six Herdman kids…
Houston Via Colori®
When we look at Houston sidewalks, we see bricks and concrete. The folks behind Houston Via Colori® see an empty canvas. For this year’s art festival, some 200 artists will create sidewalk masterpieces. Nationally invited artists are depicting images from iconic Houston industries such as energy, buildings and architecture, the…
Movies Houstonians Love: Bill Arning Presents Lola Montès
She was the muse and lover of the first true rock star, Franz Liszt, and the companion to kings like Ludwig I of Bavaria. She was a dancer, a circus performer and one of the most interesting women ever. In 1955 acclaimed director Max Ophüls brought her life to the…
Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: The Day of the Doctor
In 1963, the BBC premiered a strange science fiction television show called Doctor Who. William Hartnell, then best known for portraying thugs and soldiers, played the title role. Now the longest-running science fiction show of all time and with fans around the world, the series celebrates its 50th anniversary with…
Wordsmyth 2012-2013 Reading Series: Staged Reading of St. Augustine by David Loewy
David Loewy’s play St. Augustine is getting a staged reading thanks to Wordsmyth Theatre Company. Based in New York, where he works as an actor/playwright/director and arts administrator, the former Houstonian set his comedy/drama locally. “An [elderly] millionaire gathers his family together and announces that he’s achieved enlightenment and relinquishing…
Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience — A Parody by Dan and Jeff
Televangelist Pat Robertson once warned his followers about the dangers of reading the blockbuster book series Harry Potter. “The lady who wrote Harry Potter, I understand, was deeply involved in some of the occult things,” he said in 2011 on his 700 Club program. “You don’t need to involve yourself…
Marie and Bruce
Catastrophic Theatre Director Jason Nodler used to think Wallace Shawn’s Marie and Bruce was, as another writer once put it, “about a terrible marriage that would probably last forever.” That was in 1999, when Nodler and Infernal Bridegroom Productions first put on the play with actors Tamarie Cooper and Charlie…
“See Food: Contemporary Photography and the Ways We Eat”
Three years ago, Natalie Zelt, then curatorial assistant for photography for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, noticed an increase of food-related images in the portfolios she was viewing. “A lot of photographers and visual artists were engaging in food issues in a visual realm,” Zelt tells us. “There’s been…
“The Texas Watercolor Tradition”
Watercolors can be sparkling little jewels or giants exploding with panache and energy; they can be subtle or bold or blunt; and as a medium, watercolor is demanding and unforgiving — one false stroke and all is lost. But watercolors often “don’t get no respect,” as even avid art lovers…
“The Wartime Escape: Marget and H.A. Rey’s Journey from France”
Millions of kids grew up with Curious George, an inquisitive brown monkey who’s at the center of the children’s books series The Adventures of Curious George. Few of those young readers knew about the story of George’s creators, Hans and Margret Rey. Their experiences fleeing the Nazis during World War…
Red Bull’s Urban Rhythm
BMX, an officially recognized Olympic sport, has come a long way from the days when it was just a few kids doing tricks on dirt paths on Schwinn Sting-Rays in the 1970s. Houstonians will get to watch one of the most exciting forms of bike racing out there with a…
I Traded Sex for a Passing Grade. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! I LOST MY INDEPENDENCE PUTTING HIM FIRST Dear Willie D, Your column is awesome! I love…
Infinite Shapes of Creatures
Sophia Torres, artistic director of the Psophonia Dance Company, routinely asks a lot of her dancers. For Infinite Shapes of Creatures, an abstract work exploring sustainable food practices, she also asked a lot of her collaborators, flautist Adrienne Inglis and harpist Shana Norton, both from Austin. Torres started by asking…
Fall Spectrum Dance Production
Crash pads, pointe shoes, the sounds of moving trains and interactive projections come together for the Fall Spectrum Dance Production. Eight choreographers have set new work on the students of Sam Houston State University’s acclaimed dance department, and the crash pads are seen in Andy Noble’s work. “I think it’s…
The 10 Worst Album Covers to Get as Tattoos (NSFW)
We like you guys. We like seeing you out at shows, and we like writing for you, even when we don’t agree on the semantics of one blog or another. We’re tight like that. You can hate on our lists, and we’ll still think you’re pretty cool. But you know…
Welcome to the Visceral Neighborhood That Is Barrio Berni
Walking into “Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is like turning into an unfamiliar Buenos Aires barrio a world away from the glitz and glamour of Recoleta and Palermo. This is a neighborhood — shall we call it Barrio Berni? — of grit and…
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Is as Much Setup as Treat
It says something that two of the biggest sensations in young-adult literature over the past ten years have featured heroines who keep more than one guy on the line at a time. No longer do the genre’s bright young women sit around waiting for one Mr. Right to notice them…
Vince Vaughn Births More of the Same in Delivery Man
Imagine an alternate history for Vince Vaughn. What if, 18 years ago, instead of rehearsing Swingers during the day and sampling Los Angeles’s starlets at night, he had channeled his sexual energy into masturbating for cash at a sperm bank? He could have become Delivery Man’s David Wozniak, father of…
Started From the Bottom
Live Shots ‘I been waiting for this motherfucker the entire tour!” a more than jovial Drake announced to a near-capacity Toyota Center crowd last Wednesday night. “Everybody knows Drizzy Drake was born here in Houston.” He doesn’t attempt to keep his distance from fans. Instead, he does that childlike rap…
Well-Spotted Minds
Michel Gondry likes video stores. He is, after all, the director of the ultimate VHS sonnet, Be Kind Rewind, in which Jack Black and Mos Def re-create classics like Ghostbusters from plastic bags and tinsel. (Sad about the death of Blockbuster? Give it a watch.) One night, Gondry was browsing…
Sam Claflin and Jena Malone on Keeping The Hunger Games: Catching Fire PG-13
Through the soaring windows of the Mandarin Oriental Miami, it’s hard not to notice the blue skies and matching azure water. Most people find Miami’s beachy, serene views relaxing. But for fans of The Hunger Games, the vacation vista could just as easily conjure images of blister-forming nerve gas, vicious…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Avenue Q, Carnival ‘Round the Central Figure, Don Pasquale
Avenue Q Take Sesame Street and give it a college coming-of-age story and an R rating and you’ve got the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, now being presented by Music Box Musicals. The musical, which stars puppets, monster puppets and humans, is being mounted by Music Box in its intimate theater…
The Creep Report
Highlights from Hair Balls Education Last week, students at Richardson High School near Dallas were treated to an assembly featuring Justin Lookadoo, a porcupine-looking religious “motivational” speaker. Lookadoo is the man behind the Web site R U Dateable and related books, in which he presumes to tell 16-year-olds how to…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of Jose Guadalupe Posada,” “Funnel Tunnel,” “Nice. Luc Tuymans,” “São Paulo 2013,” “SPRAWL,” “Wols: Retrospective”
“Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of Jose Guadalupe Posada” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, commemorates the 100th anniversary of Posada’s death with an exhibition titled “Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of Jose Guadalupe Posada.” The exhibit decorates the white walls between the lower-level staircase of MFAH’s Caroline…
Top 10 French Fries
Best of Houston Our 2013 Best of Houston® winners have been announced, but in many cases, picking the best item in any category was no easy task. In order to show off all the culinary greatness Houston has to offer, we’ll be rounding up the “rest of the best” in some of…
Mexican Achievement
Dear Mexican, Longtime reader, first-time writer about this noble Aztlán. I watched the brown pride marches of the early 1970s and heard the shouts of La Raza and how it was going to be different now that the “Chicano” had arrived. The Mexicans were going to change things for the greater good…
In Honor of Night of the Comet, a Cult Time Capsule of ’80s America
“This movie has been written about in books — go figure — and there’s discussion about whether or not it’s actually a zombie movie. And I can tell you it’s not; it’s not a zombie movie.” So says director Thom Eberhardt about 20 minutes into the commentary for his low-budget…
Chris Lilley Transforms Himself into Australia’s Worst Import for Ja’mie: Private School Girl
Few men wear a dress as meaningfully as comedian Chris Lilley. Since 2005, he has sported the pinstriped schoolgirl uniforms of his native Australia to play Ja’mie King, a perfect little monster created by an ungodly mix of wealth, vapidity, and cheerful cruelty. Ja’mie returns to HBO on November 24…
Even Though He Doesn’t Smoke It Anymore, Marijuana Is at the Core of Kinky Friedman’s Run for Public Office
Kinky Friedman hasn’t smoked pot in more than 20 years, but that’s not keeping him from running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner with legalizing cannabis as his main platform plank. So far, Democratic power brokers seem more willing to French-kiss a horned toad with bad breath than embrace Friedman’s candidacy. The…
Étoile Serves the Simple, Hearty French Food You Fell in Love With
Get a closer took at Étoile by checking out our slideshow. There’s a fine line between tradition and stagnation that becomes ever finer when you encounter a cuisine revered for its classic flavors and style. Julia Child breathed new life into French food (at least in America) in the 1960s,…
