Saul Gutierrez: Arrest Made in Fatal Texans-Packers Stabbing
Police have arrested a suspect who they say stabbed a person to death in a brawl that might be related to the Texans-Green Bay Packers game Sunday. Saul Gutierrez, 17, was arrested without incident yesterday and has been charged with murder. The fatal incident occurred about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in…
Comment of the Day: Cheers for the Mom Who Went into Full Chris Hansen Mode
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Binders of Women and Wine
We here at Eating Our Words love political humor as much as the next food blog. And so do the good folks at Underbelly, as seen above. After last night’s presidential debate in which Republican candidate claimed to have “binders of women” that he looked through in order to find…
The Bible Bandwagon’s Getting Crowded: Rick Perry, Greg Abbott Grab a Piece of the Kountze Limelight (UPDATE: God Wins, for Now)
Don’t worry, Jesus: You will not be fighting Your epic battle against Satan on the battlefields of Kountze High School alone. By Your side will be Governor Rick Perry and state Attorney General Greg Abbott, both of whom have somehow decided to intervene in a red-meat, hot-button issue sure to…
Inside That $14 Million Summer Fest Economic Study
Earlier this month, the producers of Free Press Summer Fest released the results of an economic impact analysis they had commissioned from the University of Houston about the 2012 festival, which took place this past June 2 and 3 in Eleanor Tinsley Park. The figure they arrived at is certainly…
Celebrate Oktoberfest Like the Germans Do at King’s Biergarten — With Beer
When it comes to German beer on draft, there are two places to beat in Houston — even if one of them is technically in Pearland. Closer to the heart of the city, Midtown’s Bar Munich has an impressive array of taps that includes all six varieties of Hofbräu München…
Cover Story: What the Houston Chronicle Got Wrong About Lloyd Oliver (They Forgot to Laugh)
The Houston Chronicle gets a lot of things right. Their investigations are often dogged, and their prose is usually limpid and easy to navigate. Everyone knows — including us — they do most of the journalistic heavy lifting in this town, evidenced by a comment a fellow reporter recently made:…
The Winner of Wingtoberfest 2012 Was…
The dark horse of last night’s Wingtoberfest 2012 competition was certainly Taps House of Beer. Up against three of the best wing spots in the city — The Breakfast Klub, Little Bitty Burger Barn and Soma Sushi — Taps brought its A game with dry-rubbed chicken wings grilled until just…
Richard Cano: HISD Cop Ran Tow-Truck Scam, Prosecutors Say (UPDATED)
Photo by HISDRichard Cano, burnishing the image of cops & tow-truck drivers.A Houston school-district cop has been charged with fraud after federal prosecutors say he worked with tow-truck companies to improperly impound vehicles and then split the fee drivers paid to get the vehicles back. Richard Cano, 46, faces charges…
Reality Bites: Big Rich Texas
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. I’ve always been fascinated by the collapse of societies. Whether you’re talking about decline due to environmental factors (the Olmecs), internal strife and external threats (the Hittites), or catastrophically inadequate…
UPDATED: Shannon Marc McClure: Cops Say He Slammed Tot Head-First on Tiles
Editor’s Update, June 30, 2014: This case was not prosecuted and Shannon Marc McClure was granted an expungement order for this arrest from the Harris County District Court. Harris County sheriff’s deputies say a Spring-area man intentionally dropped his common-law wife’s three-year-old son on a tile floor. Shannon Marc McClure,…
Hard Knock Life: Jay-Z Then and Now
This week marks the beginning of a legacy. On October 17, 1998, Jay-Z’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first of Jay-Z’s many albums to do so and the start of a streak that continues today. Every Jay-Z album since has hit…
The Continuum of Gimmick Beer: Ska Mole Stout
I think I may have come full circle with the idea of mole beer. First, I was hesitant, thinking it was nothing but a flight of fancy, doomed to fall short. Then, I tried New Belgium’s Cocoa Mole Ale. I really, really enjoyed it. It’s been a blessing and a…
Obama, Romney & “Binders Full of Women”: Our Take on the Debate
Is it hackneyed to whine about presidential debates’ failure to make candidates actually answer questions and to be held to the truth? Probably, but we’ll do it anyway, if only for a moment. For most of Tuesday night’s dick-measuring contest, we dreamed of a world where Hair Balls moderated debates,…
Last Night: RZA at Warehouse Live
RZA Warehouse Live October 16, 2012 At three separate intervals of Tuesday night, Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA took to a table, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and declared, “Tonight isn’t about me rapping — it’s about a celebration.” Indeed it was. The Clan head and master of Shaolin had been…
National Cookie Month: Make a “Pizookie”
October is National Cookie Month, so what better way to celebrate than with an at-home pizookie? Thank you, BJ’s Brewhouse, for introducing me to one of the best cookies in a skillet with ice cream dessert. When BJ’s came to Waco a few months ago, we all jumped for joy…
Three Reasons to Visit the Recently Renovated Morton’s the Steakhouse
On a recent visit to the downtown location of Morton’s The Steakhouse for a media event, I found three great reasons — all in food form — to suggest that you pay the restaurant a little visit. I’ll make this short so as to assure that, should you so desire,…
Story Time Slap Fight: The Doctor vs. Riff Raff
This may sound harsh, but it is the God’s honest truth. If you don’t read to your children, you don’t really love them. Sorry, but there is simply no getting around that. The act of sharing a book with your child, in addition to being one of the most magical…
The Devil You Know: The Real Meanings Behind Demonic Band Names
I’m here to do two things, talk about band names and further the cause of Satan. And I’m all out of… Oh, wait, no. I’ve got plenty of both. Awesome! Let’s get started. Lots of bands, mostly metallic but not always, decide that they’re going to up the edge factor…
Treasures Customer Says He Was Ripped Off, Assaulted by Staff (UPDATED)
Update: American Express will refund Michael Vernon’s money, according to a settlement agreement. In return, Amex will be dropped from the suit. The refund appears to bolster Vernon’s claims that Treasures staff made unauthorized charges to his card, and may have also forged receipts. Vernon told us in an e-mail…
Jeffie Melder: Threesome with Wife, 8-Year-Old Boy Sends Him to Prison for a Long, Long Time
Jeffie Dennis Melder may well be one of the most disgusting men ever to appear on this blog. Earlier this week, a courtroom heard that the Groveton tugboat operator coerced his wife, 31-year-old Shelly Renee Melder, into having a threesome with an eight-year-old boy. When she confided to a friend…
CBS Cancels First Show of the New Season. What’s Next?
The ax has come out once again, and the networks’ Fall programming line up, with its pipe dreams and million dollar budgets, is starting to get wacked. It happens like clockwork this time of year. Mid-September brings overbearing advertising campaigns and media blitzes, and mid-October brings broken dreams and plot…
Who’s Ripping Off the ’80s This Year?: The 5 Biggest Offenders
In case you hadn’t noticed, the ’80s are back. They have been for a few years, but it seems like with each passing year we get more and more new bands wearing their influences on their sleeve. That’s putting it mildly. The influence is, in fact, so pervasive as to…
Trader Joe’s Fast Times Experiment
I’m no stranger to grocery stores with cult status — I’ve been a devotee of Wegmans for many years. I will admit to finding the excitement over Trader Joe’s amusing, but not in a snarky way; if Wegmans came to Houston, I would probably get a job there just so…
Five Awesome Yuri Gagarin Paintings the City of Houston Should Have Received
This week Mayor Annise Parker accepted on behalf of the city some artwork commemorating the 50th anniversary of the flights of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and the USA’s John Glenn. (Gagarin, of course, was the first human in space, Glenn the first American.) The donations will be displayed in the…
Top 10 Great Guests for Beyonce’s Super Bowl Halftime Show
Beyonce, the queen of all showbiz, is expected to officially be named the halftime headliner at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans sometime today after MTV broke the news Tuesday afternoon. The choice seems fairly sensible. There are precious few pop stars of her magnitude out there right now, although…
Where the Chefs Eat: Amalia Pferd, Sean Carroll, John Peterson
Owning a food truck/mobile cart is hard work, but at the end of the day, you still gotta eat. For this week’s Where the Chefs Eat series, we’re checking in to see where some of Houston’s on-the-go chef-proprietors get their grub on. Let’s see where Amelia Pferd of Good Dog…
100 Creatives 2012: Lauren Luna, Painter and Shoe Designer
Lauren Luna is a classically trained painter who moved to Houston a year ago to pursue her second artistic career as a shoe designer. Though she’s lived in many different U.S. cities, from San Francisco to New York, she decided to move to Houston because of its welcoming and diverse…
The Mack Brown Deathwatch: It’s Time for Our Highly Scientific Graphic Tracking the Longhorn Coach’s Chances of Survival
For many, many, many of us, it is highly enjoyable to see a Longhorn skulk out of the Cotton Bowl after another amazingly embarrassing defeat at the cackling hands of hated archrival Oklahoma. It’s something the Longhorns have been getting used to, seeing as how it seems to happen with…
This Week in Food Blogs: Where Does a Cameroonian Fish Restaurant Hide in Houston?
Cookmundo: Former EOW contributor John Kiely has a blog of his own, Cookmundo, and it’s our featured food blog this week. I love the tagline: “Simple awesome food for the new cook,” which also means you know what to expect out of Kiely’s posts. Amateur cooks, let Kiely be your…
Houston Kickstarter Round-Up: October Complete With Cancer Comedy, a Zombie Game & More
Once a month we’ll be bringing you a look at some of the best local Kickstarter campaigns in order to let you know what’s getting ready to be unleashed through the help of small investors. Baldgirl goes to New York City For five years, Lisa Hamilton has been working on…
Let It Be: How Many Beatles Books Are Enough?
From where I am sitting, I spy at least three Beatles books that were released in the past year alone: A gigantic LIFE job on the Fab Four, a nine-pounder on John Lennon, and another just on the boys’ post-Fab solo career work and best singles. All three are great…
State Senator Mario Gallegos Hospitalized In “Grave Condition” (UPDATED: He’s Died)
State Senator Mario Gallegos, a member of the legislature for two decades and a thorn in the side of the Houston school district for much of that time, is gravely ill, a spokesperson says. Gallegos, 62, is hospitalized in Houston. “Senator Gallegos’ family is at his side during this difficult…
Judge Sharon Keller Loses Houston’s Judicial Preference Poll; Maybe She Filed Too Late?
Sharon Keller, the controversial head of the state’s highest criminal court, has been outpolled by her opponent in this year’s Houston Bar Association judicial-preference poll released today. So that means the Dallas-area judge, who garnered worldwide scorn for dismissing a death-row appeal because it was filed minutes late, is in…
Obama Mural Defaced Once Again, But You Cannot Kill It
Uh-oh, did we just put “Obama” and “kill” in the same line? We’ll expect our Secret Service call any day now. The Breakfast Klub’s eye-catching Obama mural by Reginald Adams, which has been attracting attention at Alabama and Travis since 2008, has been defaced yet again. It should be used…
Hollywood Is Resurrecting Ernest P. Worrell: Knowhutimean?
Jim Varney’s Ernest P. Worrell was one of the best and weirdest parts of growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s. From commercials, films and TV shows, Varney’s grinning idiot was ubiquitous, whether he was going to camp, going to jail, joining the Army, riding again, being scared…
MTV: Beyonce Headlining Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show
Beyonce, native Houstonian, role model, Tumblr-keeper, wife of Jay-Z, friend and favorite of President Obama, supposedly has yet another feather to add to her headdress come February: Super Bowl Halftime headliner. According to MTV.com, the 31-year-old HSPVA alumna will be the featured entertainment at Super Bowl XLVII, scheduled for February…
Mom Goes Undercover to Take Down Choir Teacher / Would-Be Facebook Child Predator
A Rio Grande Valley middle school choir teacher was arrested after a mom caught him trying to arrange a sexual encounter with her 12-year-old daughter via Facebook. According to Valleycentral.com, the mom had allowed her daughter to have a Facebook page on the condition that she have total access to…
Half-Price on Pizza at Flakey’s, Charivari, Crave and More
This week’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for 50 percent off ($8 for $16) hand-tossed pizza at Flakey’s Pizza. The perfect spot for those of you with the late-night munchies, Flakey’s is conveniently open until 3 a.m. every night of the week — add on an order of…
Upcoming: Wisin Y Yandel, Rakim, Face To Face, Underoath, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Etc.
Axiom 25th Anniversary Reunion Show with Painteens, Hickoids, Poor Dumb Bastards, Toho Ehio, Bark Hard, Bliss Blood, Kruller, Insecticide, Basilisk, Bad Samaritans, Academy, Black Spunk: Fri., Nov. 23, 8 p.m., $10/$12. Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, Houston. Axiom 25th Anniversary Reunion Show with Verbal Abuse, Dresden 45, Sik Mentality, Anarchitex, The…
More Zombie Makeup Video Tips: (Part II) “Stick It to Me”
This video was shot and edited by Norma Vasquez. It’s the second of three we’ll be posting on consecutive Tuesdays. Check out the first part in our series. In our second installment of our series on zombie makeup, we’re going to help you learn how to create scars, gashes and…
DVDs & Blu-rays: Brave New World, Lemon, Everybody’s Fine, Rites of Passage, Airborne and Female Vampire
Stephen Hawking explains the universe in the 2011 documentary Brave New World. Okay, he doesn’t explain the whole, entire universe, but he gets a good start. The five-episode doc covers technology (brain-controlled wheelchairs) and the environment (the power of atoms), machines (self-driving cars) and biology (cancer-eating bacteria). According to Hawking,…
More Medical Trouble for Urban Cowboy-era Star Fiddlin’ Frenchie Burke
Above: Frenchie Burke in a showbiz moment. Fiddlin’ Frenchie Burke, one of the icons of Houston’s “Urban Cowboy” craze of the late ’70s, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain aneurysm yesterday in San Antonio, according to information on fellow fiddler Jody Nix’s Facebook page. Known for his hugely popular 1974…
How to Send Back a Bottle of Wine You Don’t Like
Yesterday we addressed the delicate subject of how to send back a bottle of flawed wine in a restaurant. If you are served a “corked” or otherwise defective bottle (perhaps “cooked” due to heat exposure or “oxidized” due to a clean but nonetheless faulty cork, for example), you have every…
Wesley Bernard Gordon: New Evidence Says He Raped Elderly Woman in 2003
Newly tested DNA evidence has resulted in a fugitive chase for a man accused of raping a 77-year-old woman back in 2003. Wesley Bernard Gordon has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of an elderly victim and is on the run. HPD says he hid in the victim’s apartment in…
Forget Butter & Jam: Five Other Ways to Use an English Muffin
English muffins are a constant in my household. I love the texture of the spongy dough filled with its all-famous nooks and crannies. Crisp up those little guys, and anything goes. The only rule, in my opinion, is no knife. Using a fork to split them open keeps the integrity…
Tony Feher Works His Magic at Hiram Butler Gallery
Tony Feher is having a bit of a moment right now in Houston. The New York sculptor just opened a 20-year survey of his work at the Blaffer Art Museum. It’s the first attempt at a comprehensive study of his career and comes with a fully illustrated monograph. To top…
Where Are They Now?: Emo’s 10-Year High School Reunion
Mainstream emo in the early 2000s was a harsh mistress to keep. For those of us into the true underground form of it, it was an offensive burden to deal with, but at least some good bands were getting some mainstream success. Others? Well, we’d just have to deal with…
Two Unidentified DWI Victims of Bizarre Accident, Bayou Body Count Nos. 180-181
Two men involved in a fender-bender called the cops, but as they were waiting for officers, they were struck and killed by a second vehicle driven by a drunk driver Saturday morning, HPD says. The names of the two male victims — one 64, one 45 — were not released…
Almost There: My Digital ACL Festival Experience
Knowing what’s happening at a major music festival is easier than ever. Bloggers post daily recaps, people tweet updates round the clock, and Instagram provides a world of images for those that can’t afford to make the trip. Rewind: ACL 2013: What’s Next For Texas’ Other Big Music Festival? Rocks…
Copper: “A Day to Give Thanks” for Confusion and Bad Wives
Last week on Copper, we found out that Corcoran’s wife Ellen has been alive this whole time that he has been living like a bachelor, dating a madame, housing a former child prostitute, bedding a wealthy widow and beating dudes up in the Five Points with anything he could find…
Where Are We Drinking? Clue: Hotel Hotness
At this hotel bar, the menu is about to get completely revamped by new chef Jonathan Jones. The drinks, however, are still flowing until then. And with the nicer weather in the air, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a glass of wine on the hotel’s notably beautiful patio. Think…
Yakov Smirnoff: “What Kills Laughter in People’s Lives?”
At first, comedian Yakov Smirnoff’s premise for his 90-minute show now on its way to Houston’s Hobby Center doesn’t sound, well, funny. The man known as the father of the reversal joke — “In America you can always find the party. In Russia, the party always finds you” — sounds…
The TABC Responds to Our Article on Over-Serving at Restaurants
Last week’s blog post on the dangers of over-serving at restaurants was a broad topic to touch on in a single article — perhaps too broad, as Carolyn Beck, director of communications for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, contacted us to clear up a few items about the TABC’s role…
Last Night: Metric at House of Blues
Metric, Half Moon Run House of Blues October 15, 2012 Did you feel that cool front come through? If you didn’t, you should get out more. Canadians have been rolling deep through H-town as of late, and they seem to be bringing some welcome weather patterns with them from the…
App of the Week: Camera Awesome, the Most…Um…Awesome Photo App Ever
App: Camera Awesome Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: Awesomize.com Cost: Free I’ve reviewed a number of camera/photography apps in this space. It comes with being a photographer who appreciates technology. I wanted a digital SLR camera as soon as one hit the market, and I enjoy shooting photos with my phone…
HPD’s New Uniforms: We Help Them With Some Ideas (You’re Welcome)
The seasons change, we spirit away our summer digs for some fall threads and the Houston police are also mulling a change of dress. It’s time for a uniform change. But they’re as tight-lipped on the matter as Gucci planning its spring wear. This reticence may be related to the…
Pop Rocks: In Anticipation of Alex Cross, Here Are Some More Terrible Action Stars
You can be forgiven if you weren’t aware of the upcoming reboot of James Patterson’s Alex Cross” series, conveniently titled Alex Cross. It’s a reboot in the sense that the previous two adaptations — Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider — starred Morgan Freeman in the role. Freeman,…
The Rocks Off 100: Festival Chicano’s Daniel Bustamante
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, 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. Who? Two weekends ago, Rocks Off attended the 33rd annual Festival Chicano at Miller…
The Eating Our Words 100: Benjy Mason of Down House
Eating Our Words has embarked on a project to profile 100 Houston culinarians of all fields, practices, careers and backgrounds. This isn’t a Best of Houston list, it’s not a 100 Favorites list and it’s not in any particular order. Instead, the Eating Our Words 100 is a way to…
Four Ways to Get Over the Texans Loss (Without Bloodshed)
You’ve had a terrible beginning to the week. It’s okay. We all did. Sunday night, things went badly for Houston. The Green Bay Packers made the vaunted Texan defense look like a bunch of chumps, ending the team’s undefeated streak, eliciting all sorts of troubling questions, and the city does…
Missionary Position: A Swiftly Paced Search for Identity
The setup: Theater LaB brings playwright/actor Steven Fales to Houston in his one-man show, Missionary Position, the second in his trilogy of autobiographical plays, after the sold-out success of the first installment, Confessions of a Mormon Boy, earlier this year. The execution: Theater LaB is perfect for the intimacy of…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Baked Pumpkin French Toast
What’s better than a seasonal breakfast? A seasonal breakfast that’s super-easy to make. Pinterest always has a wonderful selection of recipes you can prepare ahead of time to ease the stress of getting things cooked on time. I came across this recipe last week and just loved the ingredients the…
Sign o’ the Apocalypse: “Gangnam Style” Hits No. 1 on the Rap Chart
Unless you decided to paint the town in Austin with Iggy Pop and the Chilli Peppers then you know Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has pretty much swept the country up by storm much like the “Macarena” in terms of catchiness (and infuriation). Over the weekend, the popular EDM-fueled single did something…
Centers for Disease Control Confirms Fungal Meningitis in Texas
Between the flu, West Nile and potentially toxic oysters, we already planned on hunkering down in our bomb shelter for the next ten or so years, but now we’ve got one more pathogen to worry about: The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed the first case of fungal meningitis in…
ACL 2013: What’s Next For Texas’ Other Big Music Festival?
As we close the books on ACL’s 2012 festivities, full of mud — but not too much mud, Iggy Pop’s elastic skin, Neil Young’s reverb, and light shows aplenty, we look forward to the 2013 edition of the Austin megafest. Rewind: ACL Festival Expanding to 2 Weekends in 2013 Rocks…
Reviews for the Lazy Gamer: Spy Hunter
Game: Spy Hunter Platform: 3DS Publisher/Developer: TT Fusion/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Genre: Racer Describe This Game in Three Words: Worse than Moonraker Plot Synopsis: The United States government has developed an amazing new car/weapon and you get to test it out. Uh oh, bad guys that also used exclusively car-based…
Top 10 Restaurants in Rice Village
We’re tackling the city’s neighborhoods one by one now that the Best of Houston issue is out. First was Montrose, then the Heights and now Rice Village, an area that’s absolutely saturated with great restaurants. One of the best things about the saturation in Rice Village is how easy it…
Unidentified Male & Female Victims of DWI, Bayou Body Count Nos. 178-79
A man said to be high on drugs veered off the Southwest Freeway service road and slammed into a car at a gas station, killing the two people inside it, Houston police say. Theodore Adolphus Hargrove, 33, faces two charges of intoxication manslaughter in connection with the incident in the…
Clifford French’s Alleged Idea for a Taser Shield: His One-Year-Old Son
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and if what Houston police allege is true, Clifford French was one one desperate guy. Court documents say French, 50, was approached by police Thursday afternoon while he was in an argument with his common-law wife. Things didn’t simmer down in the 2200 block…
There Be Pirates Here: UH Ranks Third on List of University Students Using BitTorrent
According to a survey of Internet usage by TorrentFreak and ScanEye, the University of Houston ranks third on its list of universities that most utilize BitTorrent technology. For the non-nerd, BitTorrent is a technology that allows incremental downloading of very large files that can include pirated movie, music and software…
Saturday Night: Two Door Cinema Club at House of Blues
Two Door Cinema Club, Friends House of Blues October 13, 2012 With the Austin City Limits Music Festival going on a scant 162 miles to the west, it would have been understandable if, as sometimes happens, the young indie-rock crowd were somewhat diminished on Saturday night. That, however, was not…
Unidentified Male Stabbed to Death in Texans-Packers Argument Between Neighbors, Bayou Body Count No. 177
A large-scale argument on the north side of town led to the stabbing death of one unidentified male Sunday night, Houston police say. “Two groups of neighbors” broke out into a big argument in the 4700 block of Mcewen about 9:30 p.m. last night, HPD says. (Reportedly the fight concerned…
Arbitrary Product Review: Haggis and Black Pepper Crisps from Mackie’s of Scotland
Apparently, haggis-flavored crisps (or chips, as I’m going to call them for the remainder of this article because ‘MERICA) from Mackie’s of Scotland made quite the splash when they first entered the American market in December 2010. I somehow completely missed this news, despite my ongoing obsession with obscurely flavored…
Friday Night: The Weeknd at Bayou Music Center
Note: Due to computer difficulties, the photos from Friday were lost. Also, After Friday night’s show, The Weeknd canceled his scheduled performance Sunday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, issuing this statement on his Web site: I’m really disappointed and embarrassed that I can’t make it to ACL this…
John Martinez, 45, Bayou Body Count No. 176
A man was shot and killed in his southeast-side driveway Saturday night, Houston police say. John Martinez, 45, was walking from his car to his front door in the 7000 block of Ashburn about 10 p.m. when he was approached by suspected robbers who shot the father of four. Martinez…
Friday Night: Stars at Fitzgerald’s
Stars, Diamond Rings, California Wives Fitzgerald’s October 12, 2012 When I spoke to the fine folks at Fitzgerald’s a couple of weeks ago to commemorate the club’s first two successful years under new ownership, I wanted to hear about the highlights. Of the hundreds of acts that have graced both…
The Best Fashions at Austin City Limits 2012
Unlike the big festivals on the West Coast, Austin City Limits is a bit of a laid-back affar, fashionwise. And with good reason. It may be fall, but temps are still in the high 80s, which means cutoffs and bikini tops are pretty much de rigueur. If there was a…
My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (with M&M’s!)
Walking by a cookie place in the mall gets me every single time. Just last week, the aroma of freshly baked sweets at a Nestle Cafe lured me in like a bad habit. Drawing closer to the shop, I was immediately transported back to my childhood; a young, extraordinarily beautiful…
Mexico Struggle (Yes, Struggle) in 5-0 Rout of Guyana
In today’s FIFA/ Coca-Cola World Rankings of soccer, Mexico is 19th in the world. Guyana, Mexico’s opponent this past Friday night, was ranked 122nd. By all accounts, Mexico should have had a convincing 3-0 victory that night at BBVA Compass Stadium. Instead, El Tri struggled to win 5-0. And it’s…
ACL 2012: Sunday’s 10 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker
The rains came early on Sunday morning, but by the time the ACL opened up for business before noon, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, making for an extremely warm and muddy day. The biggest acts of the day — Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy & the Stooges,…
Where Are We Eating? Clue: Pizza, Pasta and More
This new hot spot just recently opened for lunch, serving pizzas, sandwiches and smaller portions of its housemade pasta. Below is one of those pizzas — which recently snagged a spot on our Top 10 Pizzas list — with potato, roasted garlic and taleggio. Think you know where we’re eating…
Packers 42, Texans 24: Troubling Trends Continue in First Loss; The 5 Biggest Holes to Fill
It may be only one loss, but the trend lines are concerning. For a second straight week, the Texans (5-1) were outplayed in a handful of key areas, most notably within the once-vaunted line play as well as individual battles of receivers vs. cornerbacks. But unlike this past Monday, when…
Flying Saucer Sugar Land Announces Beer Feast Event
I will be the first to admit, I never expected to like much Sugar Land’s Town Square had to offer, much less the package as a whole. Between the distance, the generally unappealing Town Center shopping format or the fact most other concepts of this nature dotting Houston’s landscape tend…
Texans-Packers: The 10 Unhappiest Rapper Tweets From Sunday’s Loss
Houston has a professional football team. They are called the Houston Texans. A lot of people like them. Some of those people are rappers. The Internet has several forms of social media. One is called Twitter. A lot of people use it. Some of those people are rappers. Rocks Off…
666 Park Avenue : Oh Great, Now the Walls Are Bleeding
Here’s something you should know about ABC’s eerie new horror/drama 666 Park Avenue — if you ever happen to find yourself in a private conversation with the owner of the ritzy Drake building, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn), do not, I repeat, do not tell him that “you would give anything…
10 Oyster Dishes to Try in Houston: No. 8, Oyster Stew at Danton’s Seafood Kitchen
You know what I love about SeptembeR, OctobeR, NovembeR and DecembeR? It’s oyster season! During these months, oysters are at their peak. For the next few weeks, I’ll be sampling the most memorable and tasty oyster dishes in Houston. No. 8, Oyster Stew at Danton’s Seafood Kitchen “Hurrah,” I shouted,…
Northern Allure at Moody Gallery: Ice and Snow in Watercolors
In 1897, the Swedish explorer Salomon August Andrée and two companions attempted to travel over the North Pole by hot air balloon. They never made it. In fact, two days after taking off from Norway, they crashed onto Arctic ice, where they faced inevitable death. Their hot air balloon, and…
UPDATED: ACL Last Night: Iggy & the Stooges at Zilker Park
UPDATED (11:40 a.m.) to correct “instrument” with “instrumental” Iggy & the Stooges Bud Light Stage Austin City Limits Music Festival, Zilker Park October 14, 2012 Rewind: SLIDESHOWS: The Girls of Austin City Limits Chili Peppers, Stooges, Die Antwoord: ACL 2012 Sunday The Fans: ACL 2012 Sunday Iggy & the Stooges…
Unidentified Woman, Pushed or Jumped from Moving Car on Freeway, Bayou Body Count No. 175 (UPDATED)
An argument among three people in a van barreling down the Katy Freeway Thursday night resulted in two women exiting the moving car, one with fatal injuries and one in critical condition, Houston police say. The identity of the woman who was killed — she’s believed to be in her…
Just Another Record-Breaking Day As UH Defeats UAB
The thing about this current Houston Cougars football squad is that you never know who the hero’s going to be. One week it’s running back Charles Sims, putting up awe-inducing numbers and jaw-dropping runs. Then it’s David Piland continuing the UH QB tradition with big passing numbers. The Houston Cougars…
Friday Night: Andrew Bird at House of Blues
Andrew Bird House of Blues October 12, 2012 Once in a while, I think it’s healthy for critics to step outside of their comfort zone and challenge themselves by tackling an assignment that is foreign to them, to test their powers of observation and analysis in a neutral environment. It’s…
What’s Cooking This Week? Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps & More
I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two 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…
4 Real-Life Dictators Who Were Also Gamers
Look, holding a populace in thrall and the world in the icy grip of fear is a really hard job. I mean, it’s a lot easier when you’re a raving psychotic bastard because insanity is like Red Bull when it comes to mustering the energy to bomb things and imprison…
Jack Logan, Registered Sex Offender, Violates Protective Order AND Leaves Kiddy Porn-Filled Laptop at Estranged Wife’s Home
After he’d been convicted of assaulting his wife twice, Jack Edward Logan thought it would be a good idea to just go ahead and violate the protective order she’d taken out against him. That was bad idea number one, and it netted him a felony charge. Bad ideas numbers two…
How to Send Back a Bottle of Wine at a Restaurant
A few months ago, when I was dining with family in a Houston restaurant (that shall remain unnamed), I ordered a bottle of Dolcetto, one of the classic food-friendly grapes of Piedmont, in northwestern Italy. The server disappeared and swiftly returned with the bottle I had asked for. And presumably…
Would You Pay to Promote Your Facebook Status?
You may have noticed lately that after posting your über-important hourly Facebook status update, a little box pops up asking if you would like to promote said status. Promoting your Facebook status? That’s about as logical as that guy who tells everyone on Facebook he has gas. Since the social…
First Look: Rice University’s Brand-New Swishahouse Archive
A bejeweled pimp cup. A young Chamillionaire in do-rags. Slim Thug before the ubiquitous singles. Mike Jones clutching a cellphone on the cover of Murder Dog. These are only a handful of the Swishahouse images and memorabilia archived into the Special Collections at Rice University’s Fondren Library. Rewind: UPDATED: Swishahouse…
Shawn Butler Fires Back at Sheriff, Says There Was No Trespassing and His Facebook Party Plans Were Righteous
Shawn and Dashawn Butler, the 19-year-old entrepreneurs arrested recently for criminal trespassing with no little fanfare for what Harris County deputies say was an unsanctioned attempt to put on a party on someone else’s property in Huffman, say the allegations against them are bogus. In a story so bizarre that…
The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: October 15-18
Metric House of Blues, October 15 Along with future members of Stars and Broken Social Scene, Metric front woman Emily Haines went to an arts high school in Toronto, and started the group with guitarist James Shaw after returning from college in Montreal and Vancouver. Metric has found it difficult…
The 5 Best Discount Kitchen Items to Buy at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls
I love Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table as much as the next person, but I don’t always love their prices. Wandering around the two stores and gawking at the beautiful displays can easily occupy my entire afternoon. But as soon as I’m through, I head to T.J. Maxx or Marshalls…
Deborah Colker Shows the Stronger Side of Dance in Mix
Check out our interview with Deborah Colker. The setup: On October 12, the Society for the Performing Arts presented Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker’s Mix, a dance concert that was first performed in 1996 and has since traveled the globe. Accolades include the 2001 Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Achievement…
Reality Lands at Reliant As Aaron Rodgers & Packers Roll over Texans 42-24
It was, to put it lightly, an inauspicious beginning to the often-talked-about Tough Stretch of the Texans’ 2012 schedule. While the team was sparking Super Bowl champion talk as they beat up on the likes of the Jets, Jags and Titans, looming ahead was this stretch — which includes Green…
ACL Last Night: Jack White at Zilker Park
Jack White AMD Stage Austin City Limits Festival, Zilker Park October 13, 2012 Rewind: SLIDESHOW: Neil Young, Jack White, The Roots: ACL 2012 Saturday Bands SLIDESHOW: Rainy Saturday at ACL 2012: Crowd Shots ACL 2012: Saturday’s 9 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker ACL Last Night: Neil Young & Crazy…
ACL 2012: Saturday’s 9 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker
The return of terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad rain made Saturday a muddy but fun mess. Thankfully, the downpours didn’t dampen the spirits of the crowd on day two of ACL, but it did seem to thin out the herds. Aside from remembering how to walk in inches-deep goop like…
ACL Last Night: Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Zilker Park
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Bud Light Stage Austin City Limits Music Festival, Zilker Park October 13, 2012 Rewind: SLIDESHOW: Neil Young, Jack White, The Roots: ACL 2012 Saturday Bands SLIDESHOW: Rainy Saturday at ACL 2012: Crowd Shots ACL 2012: Friday’s 12 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker With all…
ACL 2012: Friday’s 12 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker
Check out our slideshow of the crowds at Day 1 of Austin City Limits. In the interest of being tidy and not boring you with minute details of the three-day exercise in sweaty and human endurance underway in Zilker Park this weekend, Rocks Off is giving you a break. Our…
ACL Last Night: Avicii at Zilker Park
See Avicii, Afghan Whigs, Florence + the Machine, M83, Esperanza Spalding and more in our slideshow of Friday’s ACL performers Avicii AMD Stage Austin City Limits Music Festival, Zilker Park October 12, 2012 While the rest of the Rocks Off staff has fully immersed itself in EDM, I sorta took…
Here Are Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Terrence Malick at ACL 2012
Check out more photos from Day 1 of Austin City Limits in our slideshow. Here’s a photo of enfant terrible film director Terrence Malick talking to actor Ryan Gosling during A-Trak’s late afternoon set at Austin City Limits on Friday. And here’s a photo of Prometheus actor Michael Fassbender, also…
Comment of the Day: Support For Food Trucks Like Oh My Gogi
We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it’s time we paid some damn attention to them. So we’ll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning or afternoon from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous…
Quietly, For a Dance Club, Rich’s Reopens Under New Ownership
Rich’s, the popular but troubled Midtown dance club, has quietly reopened under a new ownership group after the landlord evicted previous tenants in May. The venue at 2401 San Jacinto is now operated by a group of investors calling itself Rich’s Sacred Ground Inc. According to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission…
Kingwood Mom Shauna Michelle Richardson Racks Up Second Felony DWI Charge in Three Weeks
Less than three weeks ago, Shauna Michelle Richardson was charged with DWI after she reportedly passed out repeatedly while attempting to order and pay for a meal at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Since she had two prior convictions, Richardson, 35, was charged with a felony. She also had her four-year-old child…
Last Night’s Veep Debate: Raaawrrr Biden Angry! Biden Smash!
Put that grin away, Joe Biden. Thing’s loaded. Last night at the vice presidential debate, Biden, ebullient and smirking, did everything Democrats wanted him to do. He was a jerk. He was aggressive. And he wouldn’t let Paul Ryan get away with anything. Also, he said the peculiar word “marlarky”…
This Week in Deliciousness: We Offer Complimentary Trebuchet Rides Home to the Over-Served
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating…Our Words, where we’re already replacing bags of Halloween candy we bought then tried to hide from ourselves with no success. Damn you, fun-size candy bars. You snack like popcorn. We started the week off right with a call for aid in…
Week in Photos: The Salute
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. We’re looking for pictures that represent the best of Houston, from food to art to events, to secret hidden spots of beauty. Just drop them in our Flickr…
Eight Must-Read Articles: Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle
It’s Friday, so let’s not pretend you’re actually doing work — unless you count “looking for something else to do” work. (Which we do.) What did people do at their desks on Friday before the Internet? Our guesses: origami, paperclip art, cuticle maintenance. We’ve done your homework for you and…
Stars’ Chris Seligman: “We’re Fascinated By Being Alive”
Canadian indie rockers Stars headline Fitzgerald’s tonight, on tour in support of their sixth full-length studio album, The North. “We’re feeling pretty good about things,” says Chris Seligman, the band’s keyboardist and co-founder. “The energy in the band is good. And from what I can tell, some of the reviews…
Yes, the Rice Owls Will Play Basketball This Season
John RoyalBen Braun must look back before going forward.Ben Braun’s tone is weary. His expression is resigned. His body language is tired. He’s aware of the questions that he’s about to face in the long day ahead of him, and he knows that if he’s ever going to get a…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Bobby Matos of Ciao Bello and His Crave-Worthy Italian Classics
Bobby Matos Ciao Bello 5161 San Felipe 713-960-0333 ciaobellohouston.com This is the third and final part of a three-part chef chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This week, Chef Bobby Matos of Ciao Bello chatted with us about the foods his Italian grandmother used…
5 New Rules For Your Party Playlist
The keg is on ice, and the snacks are in the party bowls slowly going stale. The streamers are hung and the party hats are sitting on the kitchen table, perhaps ironically, perhaps not. The neighbors have been bribed with invitations or money, and the local police are on full…
Hostal: The Week in Art Photos
It’s time again to check out the Houston Press Flickr Pool and see what kinds of art shots our talented photographers have added. We love street art, unique perspectives and beautiful photos of Houston’s creative community. If you think you’ve got a good eye, drop your pictures in the pool…
Death of a Salesman at the Alley: Powerful, Epic Theater
The setup: After the Alley Theatre’s recent backstage drama surrounding the sudden illness of actor James Black, who was forced to withdraw as Willy Loman — a major career disappointment for him and his loyal Alley following — you might think that Arthur Miller’s monumental drama of Everyman would be…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Argo
Title: Argo Guess That Affleck Guy Can Direct, Huh? Yeah, I guess so. I wasn’t all-in on The Town, but with Gone Baby Gone and now this, I’m prepared to say Ben Affleck has serious chops. Hell, maybe I’ll even forgive him for Daredevil. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To…
R.I.P. Astro, the Houston Zoo’s Favorite Sea Lion
Astro, the sea lion who’s been a Houston Zoo favorite ever since he arrived here off the injured-reserve list in 2009, has died, officials say. The four-year-old had been suffering from a severe case of gastroenteritis, but it will be weeks before tests determine the cause of death. “The Zoo’s…
Openings & Closings: Cafe Adobe Closing and Downtown Blind Items
It looks like EaDo is getting more gentrified by the day, as one of our readers sent in pictures of TABC notices for Walker Street Gastropub, set to take over the old Cafe Shoppe place at 2016 Walker. A banh mi shop replaced by a gastropub? The old Chinatown has…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Rock Venues
10. Concert Pub North It’s probably safe to say that Concert Pub North is the only venue in the area attached to a seafood restaurant/bar, known as the “Concert Pub Yacht.” Like its cover-band-oriented Galleria-area counterpart, CPN programs plenty of “party bands” like the Velcro Pygmies, Electric Circus and the…
Unarmed Man, Kenneth Brian Releford, Fatally Shot After Charging Police, HPD Says
Police fatally shot an unarmed man, Kenneth Brian Releford, early Thursday morning near downtown, following a confrontation when he approached officers with a hand tucked behind his back, police said. This was the second time in three weeks that police gunned down a person who had a suspected mental illness,…
Justin Cronin’s The Twelve: The Sequel to The Passage Brings Back the Vampires
October is the perfect month for all things spooky…so it is only appropriate that in just a few days, fans of Justin Cronin’s popular postapocalyptic vampire novel, The Passage, will be able to grab their copy of The Twelve, the second book in the popular vampire saga. The first book,…
Modern Video Vixen Molly Kerr Gives Philco Fiction Wings
Earlier this year I discovered Steve Hogarth & Richard Barbieri’s song “Naked,” and that was a boon because it is an incredible tune that you should not hesitate to add to your iPod. More than that, I discovered a hauntingly beautiful music video starring a young Australian actress named Molly…
Spending Sunday at Sorrel Urban Bistro
Everyone knows that during football season, my Sundays are reserved for all-day game watching. I’m in two fantasy football leagues, and I’m a diehard Texans fan (they’re undefeated, for those of you who are living under a rock). I typically watch the games at my local sports bar with other…
5 Bands That Thankfully Still Aren’t Getting Back Together
With all the bands reuniting these days, it’s hard to say anything is forever in the world of music. Bands are even getting smart and putting themselves on “indefinite hiatus” rather than actually “breaking up.” See, they’re just going away for a while. A “break up” would be too much…
Katie Van Kooten: Mimi in La boheme Gives Her the Chance to Make “Pretty Sounds” Before She Dies
Katie Van Kooten loves opera and Puccini and her role as Mimi in Houston Grand Opera’s production of La bohème. Saying it is some of the most beautiful music ever, she readily acknowledges that her death scene is challenging both for her as a singer and for the audience. “I…
Hops and Reconciliation: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
This was the worst beer I’d ever tasted. I’d heard it talked about in such hushed, almost reverential, terms that I barely hesitated to shell out nearly a buck per fluid ounce of the stuff at Spec’s Downtown. Later, as I poured about $7 worth of the beer down the…
Football! This Weekend’s Best Bets, “Satan Hates Auburn” Edition
I was saddened on Thursday to hear of the passing of legendary college football historian and journalist Beano Cook, who passed away in his sleep at the age of 81. Back in the ’80’s and early ’90’s, before the television landscape was cluttered with literally dozens of studio shows all…
Lawsuit: Boss Shows Nude Pics of Temp’s Fiancee, Tells Office, “It’s a Good Thing She Shaves”
It’s bad enough when the entire office is treated to nude pictures of your fiancee, we’re sure; things get worse when the display includes a critique of her grooming habits. A Harris County man says he experienced the latter and has filed a suit against the company where he says…
Health Department Roundup: Cali, Tiny Boxwood’s and a Short Film
Terry McCoy’s blog on HPD apparently targeting Oh My Gogi (Terry really loves saying “Oh My Gogi”) has raised questions about the city’s motivations for going after food trucks, as well as law enforcement’s role in health inspections. Meanwhile, regular old health inspectors are still doing the job they were…
6 More ACL Acts to Look Out For This Weekend
I’m what you can call a late bloomer when it comes to music festivals. Before coming to work for Rocks Off, my festival expertise was regulated to the Houston International Festival and that one SXSW that I spent bar hopping on Red River then somehow managing to sneak into Stubbs…
The Hess Truck’s Back!
The Hess Truck’s back and it’s better than ever…Christmas is here, the Hess Truck’s back! It is way too early to be thinking about the holiday season (sorry, Houston Ballet Nutcracker commercials), but something recently stumbled across my e-mail that catapulted my brain into the holiday season, but the holiday…
Nine Awful, Terrible, “What Were They Thinking?” Political Halloween Masks
You’re deep into your Halloween plans, possibly distracted by the presidential race. Or possibly not. Should you combine the two and do your trick-and-treating dressed as one of the leading pols of the day? You might want to think twice about your answer. A survey of Halloween Web sites shows…
UPDATED: Swishahouse Makes History With New Rice Library Archive
UPDATED to correct the library name (11:25 a.m.) Swishahouse’s influence on Houston hip-hop is infinite and unquantifiable. Today, the label moved a step closer to cementing its legacy by becoming the first hip-hop imprint archived at Rice University’s Fondren Library of Congress. The pivotal North Houston label, co-founded by Michael…
How To: Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin
I love using pumpkins throughout the fall season. It’s a quintessential ingredient that can be used in multiple ways. You can roast the seeds and enjoy as a snack or on top of a salad; you can slice the pumpkin into wedges and cook for a side dish or in…
100 Creatives 2012: Sarah Cortez, Writer
What she does: Houston writer Sarah Cortez has spent almost 30 years building her career… and says she’s done it all without earning any degrees in creative writing. Early in her life she had earned her BA in Psychology and Religious Studies at Rice University and stayed for a while…
Texans-Packers: ALL NEW BATTLE-DRINK Bingo Drinking Card
The Texans come back this Sunday night to play the Green Bay Packers on the dreaded “short work week,” having just played the New York Jets on Monday night. Much like the players having to summon all of their recuperative powers to be near the top of their game on…
5 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: October 12-14
Stars Fitzgerald’s, October 12 Even if they hadn’t released an album called North, which they did this year on Dave Matthews-founded ATO Records, Stars would be difficult to mistake for as anything but Canadian. There’s something both distant and friendly in their appealing blend of indie-rock and synth-pop, fronted by…
5 Scariest Operas
Horror opera is probably not a term you’re overly familiar with, unless you’re one of those people that flocked to watch Paris Hilton’s face fall off in Repo. You should be, by the way, because that was awesome. Repo started out as a ten-minute operetta called the Necromerchant’s Debt that…
Upcoming Events: Wingtoberfest 2012 and Brews Cruises Down the Bayou
More than 100 of our readers came out to last year’s inaugural Wingtoberfest and enjoyed free wings plus beer samples from some of the city’s best chicken wing purveyors. This year, Wingtoberfest is back with a bigger location and all-new competitors. Join us at Taps House of Beer next Tuesday,…
Unidentified Male, 19, Fernando Figueroa, 19, Stabbed By Uncle, Bayou Body Count No. 174
Photo by HPDAlejandro Figueroa wanted in fatal stabbingHouston police are searching for the man who they say stabbed his nephew to death on the northwest side of town Wednesday night. The name of the victim has not been released pending notification to family members. HPD has ID’d the victim as…
Smoke on the Freeway, No Fire in the Sky
A lot of smoke, and a little fire, slowed things to a crawl on the Southwest Freeway this afternoon. It could have been a lot worse if it had all happened an hour or two from now, given Houston drivers’ penchant to rubberneck any little distraction that spices up their…
Robert Emerson Robinson, Juvie Jailer, Accused of Trading Candy for Inmate Sex
A jailer at the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center has confessed to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old inmate at the Congress Street facility this May. A juvenile sex crimes investigator stated that 28-year-old Robert Emerson Robinson coerced the girl by trading her “candy and treats.” As one Facebook wit sardonically put…
Kaskade Added to Something Wicked Festival
DJ and producer Kaskade has been added to the Something Wicked EDM festival October 27 at Sam Houston Race Park, promoters Disco Donnie and Nightculture announced on the festival’s Web site Thursday afternoon. He replaces Tiesto, who canceled two weeks ago after injuring his back. Having just returned from the…
Last Night: The Shins at House of Blues
The Shins House of Blues October 10, 2012 People give the Shins a hard time. Hard to say if it’s because they’re so closely associated with Garden State – which, all these years later, was a pretty smug, annoying little movie – of if their gentle brand of psychedelic popcraft…
Free for All: “Tony Feher,” A Night at Market Square Park, and Lois Lowry
Some 60 key works by American sculptor Tony Feher are seen in his first comprehensive retrospective at ”Tony Feher,” which opens Friday. The 20-year survey is presented by Blaffer Art Museum. The exhibit includes. His art, marked by a playful, even cheerful attitude, is made up of objects and materials…
Which Joe Biden Will Show Tonight? Hopefully The One From The Onion
“Sensual, powerful, Biden.” So says The Onion. Vice President Joe Biden has been quite possibly the most-parodied man over the last four years. Gregarious, toothy, and with that “Hey-just-call-me-Joe” air about him, he’s been the exact opposite of Obama, who’s brains and little fire. Biden, meanwhile, is all emotion. Last…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Bobby Matos of Ciao Bello, on Learning on the Fly in the Kitchen
Bobby Matos Ciao Bello 5161 San Felipe 713-960-0333 ciaobellohouston.com This is the second part of a three-part chef chat series. Read Part 1 here and look for Part 3 in this same space Friday. Yesterday we chatted with Chef Bobby Matos about why he became a chef and why he…
Pop Broadway Gets Star Treatment in TUTS’s Jekyll & Hyde
Check out our interview with Teal Wicks. The setup: The “Jekyll-heads” were out in force at the Hobby Center last night for Theatre Under the Stars’ premiere of the latest pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll & Hyde, the undying Frank Wildhorn (music)/Leslie Bricusse (book and lyrics) musical. They had much…
Town Monster Releases Horrifying Short Film to Promote New Album
You remember Town Monster, right? I brought them up a while to celebrate the legacy of Bela Lugosi in song, then ended up doing a feature on one of the most brilliant independently produced music videos I’ve ever seen. It made No. 8 on our Best Music Videos list last…
Laura Lee Day, Wicked Stepmother, Charged in Connection with Drowning of 6-Year-Old Stepson
At first, the death of six-year-old Taylor Syring seemed like just another example of a tragedy that is all too common on Texas beaches: a young child gets a little too far out in the surf, a parent gets distracted and the child drowns. But almost right from the start,…
Silk-Screened Scarves the Star of the Show at Hermès Festival des Métiers
Just behind the Hermès boutique at BLVD Place on Post Oak Road sits a parking lot, and at the very back of this lot is where you will find the exhibit for Festival des Métiers. A large white building — unassuming from the outside, except for the distinctive signage indicating…
5 Songs That Could Be “Song of the Fall”
If you spent any amount of time this past summer listening to the radio you’re well aware of just how popular Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” was. According to the folks over at Billboard it was the “Song of the Summer” and thus the answer to the question blogs…
Farmers’ Market Spotlight of the Week: Ruby Queen Corn
Cooler temperatures mean that the City Hall Farmers Market is open once again and that more Houstonians will be heading out to enjoy the many other excellent farmers’ markets across the city. Each week, we’ll be spotlighting a produce pick from the Urban Harvest network of farmers’ markets by showing…
HPD Releases Sketch, Video of Two Rape Suspects
Houston police are looking for two Hispanic males who they say raped a woman who accepted their offer of a ride to a bus stop. The assault occurred September 23 in the 2100 block of Harrington, HPD says. The woman was walking to a bus stop when a dark-colored vehicle…
Cavalino Tequila Tasting Dinner at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen
Several weeks ago Sylvia Casares kicked off the first of several planned tasting dinners with her terrific “comida con vino” featuring the wines of Morande USA. The second dinner (in what I hope continues to be a diverse and exciting series at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen) paired Cavalino tequilas with more…
Notes on Nashville: Drama and Deceit In TV’s Music City
I barely watch episodic TV, let alone write about it, but ABC’s Nashville made the idea irresistible. A 9 p.m. network drama set in the glamorous and backstabbing world of country music, amid the landmarks and tourist traps of the modern-day “Athens of the South,” it offers sudsy tension and…
Hooray! There’s a New Website That Lets You Track Your Relationship Failings Online
If you are familiar with the classic Cameron Crowe film Say Anything, you may recall the scene in which Lloyd Dobler “crowdsources” some breakup advice from a group of dudes who hang out outside a convenience store. Advice the heartbroken Lloyd receives is as stellar as “find a girl who…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Candy Corn Cookie Crunch
I will admit it. I am addicted to candy corn. Stick a bowl of candy corn in front of me and I won’t stop eating it. So, naturally, I decided to celebrate this wonderful fall weather and Halloween season by making a candy corn cookie crunch bark dessert. It’s simple…
Where Have All Our Heroes Gone?: The Four Saddest Fallen Idols of Our Generation
When we’re kids, we’ll look anywhere for idols and role models. Most often, we look to pop culture and we find our heroes there by way of idolizing whoever’s work we enjoy the most. We copy them in the worst ways. We adopt their style of dress, their opinions on…
15 Years of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights: My Ten Favorite Things
Fifteen years ago this week, my second favorite Paul Thomas Anderson movie, Boogie Nights, hit theaters. The ’70s porn chronicle/family drama/comedy/crime caper remains a gem in the PTA catalog, and it’s infinitely re-watchable. (My favorite is There Will Be Blood, which turns five this season, too.) Perhaps the biggest news…
Trailer Park: Anthony Hopkins As Alfred Hitchcock in, uh, Hitchcock
That other big biopic of the fall, Hitchcock, debuted its trailer this week, showing actor Anthony Hopkins ably taking on the role of director Alfred Hitchcock as he struggles to make 1960’s Psycho. Hopkins surely inhabits the rotund body of Hitch, but his voice is pure Anthony. I was hoping…
The Rocks Off 100: Cliff Dotterer of Black Dog Records
Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, 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. Who? Cliff Dotterer is the co-owner and operating manager of Black Dog Records, which…
Pop Rocks: CBS Misses Its Chance With Elementary
When news came out that CBS was planning a show based on Sherlock Holmes, in the wake of the BBC’s Sherlock specifically, it wasn’t much of a surprise. The BBC had a huge hit on their hands, and we Americans are nothing if not consistent in ripping off our British…
What’s the Best Bread/Cheese Combination for a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
If 4chan is the Wild West of the Internet, Reddit is the PG-13 version: a cleaned-up mining town grown rich on silver that mostly keeps the riff-raff out, Tombstone-style (or at least confined to subreddits such as r/gonewild and r/spacedicks). It’s where the local residents gather to discuss important topics…
What If Winemakers Listed Ingredients on Every Bottle?
“Ingredients,” reports the back label on a bottle of Randall Grahm’s Bonny Doon wines from California, “Syrah grapes, tartaric acid, and sulfur dioxide. In the winemaking process, the following were utilized: indigenous yeast, yeast nutrients, and French oak barrels. At time of bottling, this product contained 65 ppm total SO2…
The Bizarre Ride of Kickback Sundays, Pt. 4
Last in a series — ed. Keke still commands attention. Rewind: The Bizarre Ride of Kickback Sundays, Part 1 On the final Kickback Sunday, a balmy September night at Numbers, the crowd has now swelled to unimagined heights. People are here, and MTV will be running a spotlight on the…
UPDATED: As Presidential Campaigns Rage and Famous Mayors Stump, Where’s Annise Parker?
Updated: Though we spoke with Mayor Annise Parker’s staff before running this story, her communications director, Janice Evans, called back and wanted to voice some displeasure with our assessment that Parker doesn’t elicit much national attention. (No surprise there.) She referenced Parker’s recent appearance on The Colbert Report, as well…
Get Ready for Barkitecture, Pup Squad’s Biggest Doghouse Fund-raiser Yet
Pup Squad Animal Rescue’s biggest fund-raiser is bigger than ever. This year, during the two-day canine lovefest that is Barkitecture Houston, there will be more doghouses than ever to ogle, take pictures of your dog in and potentially buy, as the auction will include more than 20 submissions ranging from…
The Rest of the Best: Houston’s Top 10 Sushi
For the next 20 weeks, we’ll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2012 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year’s winner is no easy task. We’ll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants. It…
The 20 Greatest Goth Albums: The Complete List
BY JEF WITH ONE F AND CHRIS GRAY 20. Marilyn Manson Antichrist Superstar (Interscope, 1996) So squalid and deeply unpleasant it’s mesmerizing, Antichrist Superstar is such an intricate dissection of how to become a “rock star” it could have come from a biology lab. Then 24 or 25, Manson gets…
6 Thoughts on Tracy McGrady’s Exporting Himself to China for the 2012-13 Season
No one wants to spend their twilight years alone. It’s often said that when the years are winding down, people want to be around their loved ones, around people who appreciate them and would do anything for them. If that is indeed true, then Tracy McGrady’s signing a one-year contract…
The Rise of Found-Footage Horror
This week’s Paranormal Activity 4 continues the story of an extended American family whose members own a lot of surveillance cameras, camcorders, smart phones, baby monitors, Web cams, Talkboys, and other consumer electronic devices with which they record the haunting of their nice suburban tract homes by a terrifying demonic…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Miss Julie, Getting Sara Married, The Glass Menagerie, Life Could Be a Dream, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure
Miss Julie August Strindberg’s ground-breaking psychological drama, originally set in Sweden in 1874, is transferred to New Orleans in the ’20s, as the valet engaged to the cook beds the lady of the house, leading to complications most dire. The setting is the large kitchen to a mansion, and the…
Metric
Along with future members of Stars (see above) and Broken Social Scene, Metric front woman Emily Haines went to an arts high school in Toronto and started the group with guitarist James Shaw after returning from college in Montreal and Vancouver. Metric has found it difficult to stay in one…
The Rest of the Best
Best of Houston Earlier this year, we asked: “Is Great Pizza in Houston Finally on the Rise?” The answer, six months later, appears to be a resounding yes. Not even a year ago, our Top 10 Pizzas list (compiled to go along with our 2011 Best of Houston® issue) didn’t…
Millionaires Clash Over Shadyside Mansion
See pictures of 8 Remington Lane and 10 Remington Lane in our slideshow. It was just after 6 on a still Friday evening in December when a man Rahul Nath had never seen before approached his beige-brick two-story mansion tucked behind the iron gates among the oak trees. The doorbell…
Father John Misty
Former Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tillman returns to Houston for the second time this year with Father John Misty, which came forth with its debut LP Fear Fun this past spring. Along with Har Mar Superstar, FJM sassed the night away back in May at Fitzgerald’s, and to say this…
Rouxpour: Gumbo and Bros
See more photos from the New Orleans-style interior of The Rouxpour and its busy kitchen in our slideshow. Lunch at The Rouxpour is a relaxing affair, even surrounded by the office buildings and traffic of Sugar Land’s busy Town Square development. The windows of the New Orleans-style restaurant are thrown…
RZA
In the early ’90s, RZA stitched together scratchy old soul records, dialogue from ’70s kung-fu movies, Staten Island slang and floor-rumbling beats to build an intimidating platform for the Wu-Tang Clan’s ninja raps. That makes him one of the few men who can say he truly invented his own style…
Bayou City Boo!
Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, which means most of your partying will have to happen in advance. Don’t worry, though, there’s still plenty of spooky fun to be had, and with this summer’s superhero movies and celeb gossip fresh in mind, you should have no trouble finding something…
Texans-Titans: The Best Rapper Tweets
TWITTER TICKER Houston has a professional football team. They are called the Houston Texans. A lot of people like them. Some of those people are rappers. The Internet has several forms of social media. One of them is called Twitter. A lot of people use it. Some of those people…
The Nacirema Society
It’s so rare when a new play makes an impression that when it does, you feel like you’re walking on air. Pearl Cleage’s romantic comedy, The Nacirema Society, in its regional debut in a scrumptiously detailed production from Ensemble Theatre, makes you giddy. It’s a singular pleasure. There’s no doubt…
Bed Moves
Bed Moves — a local three-piece made up of //TENSE// founder Robert Lane, sIngs mastermind Brett Taylor and former Balaclavas front man Tyler Morris — brings all the elements from all three members’ previous projects to make dark, disturbing dance music with a heavy pop fetish. “The three of us…
The Ten Most Corrupt Tax Loopholes
A year ago Citizens for Tax Justice, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit, studied the tax returns of 280 corporations. What it found was a Beltway version of a Mafia protection scheme. From 2008 to 2010, at least 30 Fortune 500 companies — including PepsiCo, Verizon, Wells Fargo and DuPont — paid…
Special Best Of Best Of Edition
Dear Readers, The Mexican must take the week off because his home paper is publishing its annual Best Of issue — if the devil ever condemns you to visit Orange County, pick up the OC Weely! To honor our Best Of, here’s a doozy from 2006 — if you’ve ever…
No, This Is How It’s Done
Perhaps you’ve lost faith in movies about amusingly digressive criminals. Maybe you believe it’s no longer possible to be pleasurably jolted by inventive swearing, from-no-place head shots, and post-everything structural flourishes. Certainly you have no reason to expect blood-splattered poetry or throat-clearing laughter from yet another movie in which Los…
Rufus Wainwright
Wainwright’s seventh studio album, Out of the Game, comes complete with lush throwback production from Mark Ronson, evoking Lou Reed and David Bowie’s more grandiose bedroom albums. It seems that in Ronson, Wainwright has finally found a suitable foil behind the boards able to surround his vintage pipes. The crooner…
T for Textbooks
The Revisionaries director Scott Thurman didn’t set out to make a movie about the Texas State Board of Education’s attempts to roll back scientific thought and rewrite the historical narrative of the United States. In the beginning, he was simply planning a short film about a local biology teacher, but…
Hearts and Minds
Perhaps more than any other male American star of his generation, Ben Affleck understands the narrative advantage of having Hollywood on your side. The Good Will Hunting co-screenwriter and co-star won an Oscar at age 25 in large part because he and collaborator Matt Damon, as struggling actors who created…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Dieter Balzer: Objects,” “Endless Disharmony and Telltale Ashes,” “Flyaway: New Work by Aaron Parazette,” “Glass Graphica,” “Hilary Harnischfeger and Tommy White,” “Hillevi Baar: Ambrosia” and “J. Hill: New Sculpture with Implied
“Dieter Balzer: Objects” While looking at Dieter Balzer’s meticulous overlapping stripes and bold checkers, I couldn’t help but think of the on-trend fashion equivalent — the mix-matched patterns and loud color blocking that have been everywhere this past summer. And now, so it seems, they’ve found their way to the…
Trampled by Turtles
When the improbable success of Mumford & Sons put the spotlight on scruffy youngsters toting banjos and mandolins, this Duluth, Minnesota, crew was one of the bands peeking back out from the shadows. Trampled by Turtles started in 2004 out of pure necessity: After his previous band’s equipment was stolen,…
Stars
Even if they hadn’t released an album called North, which they did this year on Dave Matthews-founded ATO Records, Stars would be difficult to mistake for as anything but Canadian. There’s something both distant and friendly in their appealing blend of indie-rock and synth-pop, fronted by Amy Millan and Torquil…
Teen Wanted To Shoot Up Katy School
Highlights from Hair Balls CRIME Patrick Hudson: Teen Wanted To Shoot Up Katy School, Leave Some Students Alive To Suffer With The Memories By Richard Connelly A 19-year-old man who allegedly planned to shoot up a Katy school before committing suicide has been arrested after cops were tipped off about…
Mono
Instrumental post-rockers (is there any other kind?) Mono have made a name for themselves all over the Earth as titanic mood-shifters, across six albums of emotionally charged swells and crashes. As the band has grown over the past decade, they have slowly set aside loud, headphone-ready blasts for elegiac, string-laden…
