Silver Balls
In the golden age of Hollywood, no less than Frank Capra owned Christmas on the big screen. But if you want Proof Number 496 of how far things have fallen, consider that in the ’90s, holiday cinema is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chris Columbus — hired gun of John…
Dogmeat
In the post-Babe era, can you make a live-action movie about animals and not have them talk to one another? For me, this is the deep philosophical question raised by Disney’s new 101 Dalmatians, a live-action remake of the studio’s 1961 animated feature — in which, by the way, the…
,,, And Don’t Talk to Barkley
Fame exacts a price, and in show business, that price is often a fleshy one. Heidi Jones, a rookie dancer for the Houston Rockets Power Dancers, was discovering just that a month ago under the fluorescent lights of the Westside Tennis Center’s gym. She grimaced as she exposed her waistline,…
Six Degrees of Dolcefino
For years, we misinterpreted Wayne Dolcefino.mmmmm We watched with amusement as the overamped reporter practically vibrated while revealing the scandal du jour (HISD cafeteria employees steal milk!). We laughed about his reputation as a lady’s man. And for weeks, we watched his libel trial on Court-TV — more riveting even…
Midtown Jamboree
Next month, the cash-strapped Houston Independent School District — which lately can’t seem to generate much sympathy for its own plight — is expected to give a huge financial boost to the single largest redevelopment project in city history. Trustees will consider forfeiting nearly $100 million in future HISD property-tax…
The Insider
Stockman’s Stapp Infection When it comes to providing constituent services for campaign contributors under fire from federal agencies on pollution and sexual harassment allegations, Congressman Steve Stockman is a real blue-collar kind of guy. Take the convoluted case of Stapp Towing, a Dickinson-based tugboat and barge operation accused by federal…
Letters
Coercive Calvina The accusatory demeanor and coercive tactics of Calvina Fay, executive director of Houston’s Drug-Free Business Initiative, are reminiscent of Joseph McCarthy [“Just Say No (to Open Debate),” by Bob Burtman, November 7]. Ironically, her efforts to intimidate those participating in free and open debate are frighteningly similar to…
Press Picks
thursday november 28 Thanksgiving Superfeast You could go around telling everyone that you intended, oh with all your heart and soul, to volunteer for this charitable event, but just got too busy and then it was too late. You could do that, but you’d look like a boob because everyone…
Taking a Shine to Joe’s
It wasn’t too long ago that a nutritional study revealed that, in spite of poverty and limited access to wide-spectrum food markets, African-Americans living in the rural South of the early ’60s enjoyed a remarkably nutritious diet, one based largely on homegrown produce. So call Joe’s Shine Parlor, a venerable…
Wild Things
Whenever rock gets old, fat and full of itself, something inevitably comes along to steer it back to the loud-and-fast honesty that’s always been the music’s soul. Now that heavy metal, punk and new wave have had their turn behind the wheel, maybe it’s time for them to slide over…
Messing Up in Public
In its September 11, 1964 issue, the British pop magazine New Musical Express featured an article on the Kinks underneath the headline “This week’s chart-toppers.” Each member of the band, which had just stepped into the limelight on the strength of its third single, “You Really Got Me,” was asked,…
Sound Check
Reviewing Christmas music isn’t easy. Where do you start, for instance? Of the umpteen Christmas releases churned out annually for years on end, which should be considered? Neil Diamond’s? (Too predictable.) Brave Combo’s? (Already an established classic.) If we review only new Christmas CDs, have we bowed to a corporate…
Static
Two in one… As far as I can see, there are two Jinkies: the band that cares, and the band that could not care less. Identifying traits of the caring Jinkies include an inclination toward craftsmanship, a penchant for contagious hooks and a conscientious effort to not only mimic their…
A Willy Good Time
Those who love Shakespearean drama generally do so because of the writer’s mastery of language and his fine understanding of stagecraft — from dovetailed entrances and exits to unexpected moments of physical humor and witty wordplay. New Heights Theatre’s production of The Compleat Works of Wllm Shakespeare will please the…
Matter of Importance
I haven’t made a sweeping pronouncement in weeks, so I’m going to enjoy this: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is the most important rock band working today. That’s different than saying they’re the best rock band working today (though to my ear they’re in the running for that as well),…
Playing to Type
At the turn of the century, German photographer August Sander began work on a project ambitiously titled “Man of the Twentieth Century.” His 400-plus subjects were divided into categories such as “young socialists,” “society women” or “persecuted Jews.” These categories were not preplanned, but developed as Sander’s project proceeded, exploring…
Scorsese Gets Personal
In 1955, the British Film Institute commissioned 18 TV documentaries from 18 different nations and regions to commemorate “The Century of Cinema.” The series includes a range of works running from banal clip-and-interview episodes (Stig Bjorkman’s Scandinavian segment) to such idiosyncratic works as one by Nelson Perira, in which the…