Midtown Power Outage? (Updated)
We’re getting reports that the lights are out in at least part of Midtown, and that includes traffic lights that could affect drivers heading to the Southwest Freeway. Centerpoint’s outage-tracker map does show some customers without power in the area. We have a call in to them; we’ll let you…
Gimme Some Truth: What Happens When Rabid Fans & Bands Meet
We have all been there. You may have had a few drinks, you are at your favorite band’s show, and you come to find yourself in the vicinity of one of your heroes. Word vomit. Torrential word vomit. But you mean well. “I really think youse guys is great and…
Comment of the Day: Memories of Mai’s
Here on Eating Our Words, the commenters absolutely make the blog, and our Comment of the Day honors the best of the bunch. Every day, we read you guys and pick the commenter, or commenters, who made us laugh, cry, salivate over something delicious, or think about things in a…
James Page & Son Handcuffed, Hit by Cops After Car Crashes into His House, Lawsuit Says
You’re having a bad day when a car crashes into the front of your house. You’re having a worse day when school-district cops handcuff you and your 11-year-old son, giving him a swollen lip and breaking your collarbone. That’s what James page says happened in a lawsuit filed against the…
You In Color: The Black Angels’ Christian Bland Talks Film Scores
Tomorrow night the Black Angels hit Houston for the third time in about a year, with a gig over at Fitzgerald’s with fellow retro-doomers Dead Meadow and Spindrift. The last time the Angels were in Houston it was early June and they played under the sweltering sun at Free Press…
Meatloaf Tacos at Good 2 Go Taco in Dallas
This year, Good 2 Go Taco won a Best of Dallas® award from our sister paper, the Dallas Observer, for best menu expansion. Until very recently, the women behind Good 2 Go — Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare — were selling their tacos out of a gas station, albeit the…
Toni Jo Silvey: Stalks Ex with 1,001 Phone Calls, 700 E-Mails in 90 Days, Eggings, and Crashing into His Car
Dudes, you don’t want to break up with Toni Jo Silvey, 49, if court documents are any indication. Silvey has been charged with stalking her former boyfriend, a “leather artist” named Peter Main. Among the tactics: 1,001 phone calls and 700 e-mails in the space of three months; egging his…
Cinema Slap Fight: Gandalf Vs. Dumbledore
Our combatants this week hail from wildly divergent backgrounds. One was created by an Oxford professor from a combination of Norse and Christian myth, the other is the product of a single mother living on the dole in Edinburgh, Scotland. But thanks to the magic of Hollywood, both Gandalf the…
Professor Bun B Visits The OccupyHouston Protesters: “There’s Strength In Numbers”
If Occupy Wall Street was a song, it’s sounding like a global hit right now. The movement continues to proliferate, with factions popping up in over 70 cities, including Boston, Chicago, and London. Houston has also joined the fight against corporate politics. On Tuesday, a small group of protesters gathered…
Best Thing I Ever Ate: Sandwiches
I’ve been looking into the best things I ever ate around town, kicking the list off lightly with Houston’s best vegetables before diving head first into a vat full of grease with the best fried bites. Now I’ll move on to a classic – the sandwich. Having moved to Houston…
Rick Perry’s Unique American Revolution Analysis: Best Twitter Responses, and Our Dumb-Quotes Random Generator Is Updated
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyRick Perry last night did what most presidential candidates do after sucking again in a debate — he went to a frat house. In explaining to the Beta Theta Pi boys his views of governance, Perry said that the…
Free for All: Art Without a Price Tag
Just because the economy is in the toilet doesn’t mean you should miss out on all of the performing and visual arts happenings in town. Even the most expensive productions have some cheap seats, right? Trouble with cheap seats is you generally get a really lousy view. How about getting…
Last Night: Dolly Parton At Verizon Wireless Theater
Dolly Parton Verizon Wireless Theater October 11, 2011 Dolly Parton seems like the kind of person so determined to make sure her audience has a good time, she’s not above putting them to the thumbscrews to make sure that happens. Luckily, it didn’t come to that Tuesday at a near…
Getting Lucky: 10 Steps to Happy Clams
I know you’re probably wondering what getting lucky has to do with clams and mussels. A lot, actually. You have to pick the right ones and take the time to draw out their quirks, both delicate and vital processes. There are few foods that are guilt-free while remaining tasty. Luckily,…
Unidentified Male in Murder-Suicide, Bayou Body Count No. 154
Two men were dead after a murder-suicide on the west side last night, Houston police say. Their names have not been released pending notification of family members, but they were discovered about 10:40 p.m. in the 6300 block of Deerwood Road, near the Houston Country Club. “HPD patrol officers responded…
Pulpwood Queen: Kathy Patrick’s Literary Clout Extends Well Beyond the Piney Woods
It’s a long trip to Kathy Patrick’s little hair salon/bookstore, Beauty in the Book, nestled just outside the main street of historic Jefferson, Texas, deep in the Piney Woods. But plenty of people make the pilgrimage each year. From up-and-coming authors to members of Patrick’s 515-chapter international book club The…
Turn It Down: Houston City Council Passes Stricter Noise Ordinance
As we mentioned yesterday, City Council discussed a new, restrictive noise ordinance Tuesday and didn’t even tag it, which will let cops hand out tickets even if they don’t have sound meters. The changes passed easily, with only council member Mike Sullivan voting against it. Mayor Annise Parker said the…
10 Lessons Learned from My High School Reunion
This past weekend was my ten-year high school reunion. In the weeks leading up to the events — the high school football game, the mixer, the family picnic and the actual reunion event — I started asking people around me what to expect. All I knew about these things was…
Nostalgia Is a Two-Way Street at Mai’s
Last week, we visited C&D Burger Shoppe for a heady dose of nostalgia along with our burgers and Frito pies. And although I didn’t grow up eating C&D’s mini burgers, the wood-paneled restaurant possessed such a striking sense of place that it was easy co-opt other people’s nostalgia as my…
Kathy Patrick Runs Literary Empire From Tiny Shop in Jefferson
It’s a long trip to Kathy Patrick’s little hair salon/bookstore, Beauty in the Book, nestled just outside the main street of historic Jefferson, Texas, deep in the Piney Woods. But plenty of people make the pilgrimage each year. From up-and-coming authors to members of Patrick’s 515-chapter international book club The…
Stricter Noise Ordinance Passes Council
The City Council didn’t even tag the proposed new noise ordinance, which will let cops hand out tickets even if they don’t have sound meters. The changes passed easily, with only council member Mike Sullivan voting against it. Mayor Annise Parker said the city receives 60,000 noise complaints a year,…
5 Things That Will Make the Texas Contemporary Art Fair Successful
By now you may have heard that another arts fair is about to hit our city. Next week, the Texas Contemporary Arts Fair happens, and like the fair that preceded it a few weeks before, also at the George R. Brown, all eyes will be on the Houston arts scene…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Blue State Carpetbagger’s Red State Wine Blog: When Tom “Bighouse” Casagrande’s brother comes to town for a visit, the Houston-based wine blogger pulls out all the stops. But that doesn’t mean that good value wasn’t on his mind. Tom opened some good stuff for his bro, including a 2007 Storybook…
Chung T. Luu: Metro Worker Killed When He Sticks His Head Out of Rail Car
A Metro worker was killed last night when he stuck his head out of a railcar and it hit a support beam in a repair shed. Chung T. Luu, 45, who had been with the transit agency for 11 years, was working in the Rail Operations Center about 6 p.m…
Music’s Top 5 Dubious “Dr. Feelgoods”
To say that Dr. Conrad Murray had a bad day in court yesterday is probably something of an understatement. In addition to veiwing graphic pictures of Michael Jackson’s autopsy, jurors in the involuntary manslaughter trial of the King of Pop’s former physician heard damaging testimony from L.A. County Medical Examiner…
Garden Fresh: Cultivating Cauliflower
If Trader Joe’s wasn’t coming to Houston, I wouldn’t bother with growing cauliflower, but TJ’s Creamy Cilantro Dressing turns this meh veg into a dish. Like broccoli, it’s a crop that thrives in cooler temperatures, so it’s joining the fall crop rotation. Cauliflower can be grown from seed, but small…
Rick Perry, The Movie: Our Fantasy Cast
Having just completed his service as a captain in the United States Air Force, Rick Perry was just weeks away from becoming a commercial pilot for Southwest Airlines when it rained. It was that rain that ended the drought in Haskell County and brought him back to work on his…
Last Night: Insane Clown Posse At Warehouse Live
Check out our greasepaint-heavy slideshow. Forty minutes or so into the Insane Clown Posse’s show Tuesday night at Warehouse Live, Aftermath relapsed. Not with drugs or drinking, mind you, but with our love of the Posse, which we had all but forgotten. As one song transitioned into another, we heard…
Astros to AL with Jim Crane As Owner, Peter Gammons Says
Peter Gammons probably has the best sources in Major League Baseball, and he’s got news: The Astros sale to Jim Crane will be approved in mid-November, and the team will switch to the American League. Gammons tweets the sale “is expected to go through,” so there’s some wriggle room there,…
Top 5 Comfort Foods for When We’re Stressed
I want to be clear. This is a list of comfort foods that make me feel warm and fuzzy instead of stressed and anxious. This is not a health expert’s list of top foods you are supposed to eat to help fight stress. In fact, some web perusing confirmed my…
Aaron Parazette’s Surfer-Dude-Slang Paintings at Dallas Contemporary
Somehow, Aaron Parazette has made paintings that depict the words “groovy,” “bomb” and “juice” worth spending some time with. Represented by McClain Galley, Parazette is a Houston-based artist who is currently showcasing a series of older works as well as a titanic wall piece at Dallas Contemporary. Art Attack was…
Dig This Vol. V: With Hollywood Floss & Born Again Virgins
The current volume of local music is staggering. New Houston bands are born daily, and all too often pass away just as quickly. Rocks Off wants to help you (and ourselves) keep up. Dig This is back with another handful of local acts for your perusal. On the table today…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Susan Molzan and Liz Walsh of Petite Sweets
Susan Molzan stirs a bowl of thick chocolate cooking over low heat in the back of Petite Sweets, a new bakery in Upper Kirby. Co-chef Liz Walsh sorts a tray of red velvet macarons. Like everything else at this miniature-minded bakery, which opened at the end of August, the kitchen…
The George R. Brown Will Transform into a Giant Gallery for Texas Contemporary Art Fair
Next weekend the walls of the George R. Brown will transform into one of the largest contemporary art galleries in the Lone Star State. The Texas Contemporary Art Fair is coming to town and with it are collections from more than 50 galleries across the country, including familiar local exhibitors…
Comment of the Day: Learning English in a Texas POW Camp
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, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Samuel McCord Sullivan: Takes Computer Filled with Child Porn in to Be Repaired
Few things can be more aggravating than computer troubles. You just want to get that sucker fixed. Samuel McCord Sullivan wanted it so bad that he didn’t seem to realize he was handing over evidence of his child-porn collection when he took it into a repair shop, Sugar Land police…
Fashion Houston 2011 Day 2: Bright Lights and Dandy Men
The heat is on for Fashion Houston 2011. That seems to be the theme, with a voice-over giving us a countdown to when the runway will be “on fire.” For the second night of Fashion Houston, there was a younger set out and about. You still had plenty of fabulous…
30 Seconds With Retox
We let the members of Retox scream at us as we huddled in a quivering ball for 30 seconds, and here’s what we learned… Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Retox: “When the Boat Comes In” by Skrewdriver. No explanation needed. RO: What is the best…
Playboy Comes A-Courting to Houston for a Casting Call
Be sure to check out our slideshow Girl Next Door: Behind The Scenes at Playboy’s Casting Call (sNSFW) here. The first day of Playboy’s two-day Houston casting call lured women from as far as Cleveland, Ohio, and New Boston, Texas — it’s to the left of Texarkana — to meet…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
San Antonio Express-News: The big stink of the week still has to do with Top Chef: Texas, which — so far — is shaking out to be one of the worst decisions that Bravo has ever made with its successful franchise. The stinging insult of Houston being left off the…
Playboy’s Scouts Comes A-Courting to Houston for a Casting Call
Be sure to check out our slideshow Girl Next Door: Behind The Scenes at Playboy’s Casting Call (sNSFW) here. Women from as far as Cleveland, Ohio, and New Boston, Texas — it’s to the left of Texarkana — showed up to Tuesday’s Playboy casting call at a west Houston hotel…
The 6 Worst Air-Show Disasters: A Video Collection, Just in Time for Wings Over Houston
Next time you go to an air show, take a look at the fine print on the ticket. Besides the usual stuff about acts of God and “Promoter not responsible if the frontman doesn’t show due to injecting Drano into his balls,” there’s something else. It says they’re really, really…
Comment of the Day: In Defense of Jujubes
Here on Eating Our Words, the commenters absolutely make the blog, and our Comment of the Day honors the best of the bunch. Every day, we read you guys and pick the commenter, or commenters, who made us laugh, cry, salivate over something delicious, or think about things in a…
Steve Spurrier Ostracizes a Reporter (w/ 5 Great Press Conference Rant Videos)
I’m always amazed at how most college football coaches are able to compartmentalize the criticism they get from the media when they sit down with media members in person. I mean, no one likes to be told about the things they suck at, much less be reminded of it and…
Keith Morris Sounds OFF! About His Dark Punk Party
Rocks Off: You desire a gig in Mississippi or Alabama. Why? I can barely remember the last time any of my other bands played in either of those states. Now, the excuse I keep getting is that they are very depressed states and maybe they are not doing very well…
Cop Warmth: Out For Beer And Blood
Each Wednesday (almost), Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group “Artist of the Week,” bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn’t awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. It has gotten dark. The shadows are…
City of Houston May Change Parking Requirements for Restaurants, Bars and More
In front of a crowded room at the West End Multi-Service Center last night, Marlene Gafrick — director of the City of Houston’s Planning & Development department — reviewed a long list of proposed changes to the City’s 47-chapter-long Off-Street Parking Ordinance. The ordinance, which was first written in 1989,…
New Parking Regulations: Bars & Restaurants Face Big Changes
As a crowd listened at the West End Multi-Service Center last night, Marlene Gafrick — director of the City of Houston’s Planning & Development department — reviewed a long list of proposed changes to the city’s 47-chapter-long Off-Street Parking Ordinance. The ordinance, which was first written in 1989, has seen…
Today’s DVDs: The Bad Seed and Other Scary Girls
The Bad Seed stars Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack and Eileen Heckart; Mervyn LeRoy directs. The Setup: A psychological thriller, the 1956 classic The Bad Seed is the story a little girl, Rhoda (Patty McCormack), who seems to be perfect but as her mother (Nancy Kelly) finds out, she’s actually the…
Paula Harris, HISD Strangely Accuse Reporter of Unethical Behavior
The Houston school district and its board president, Paula Harris, have accused Texas Watchdog reporter Michael Cronin of “unethical behavior” because, among other things, he taped a conversation with her. HISD spokesman Jason Spencer, a former Houston Chronicle reporter and editor, sent TW a letter saying of an attempt by…
Hallie Foote in Her Late Father’s Work: Dividing the Estate
Actress Hallie Foote may have been born in New York City, but with her father’s roots “so deeply Southern,” she says, “I feel that’s part of me as well.” On Wednesday’s opening-night production of Dividing the Estate at the Alley Theatre, she’ll once again be appearing in one of the…
How To: Bake Lattice Cookies for Fall
I came across this tutorial the other day on NotMartha.org and had to give it a shot. It’s the easiest recipe because…well…you don’t actually cook anything. The dough for the cookies is just ready-made pie crust, and I love warm, flaky pie crust topped with butter, cinnamon and sugar. It’s…
Lori Ann Pittman: Arrests Made in Murder of Pregnant Woman Whose Family Still Cannot Be Found
Back in July, Houston police reported finding a dead body in the 3300 block of Calumet. They had no information on the victim’s identity then; she has since been identified as Lori Ann Pittman, 30, and HPD says she was pregnant at the time of her death. Arrests were made…
South Park Mexican’s Dope House Records: Help Wanted
The other day Rocks Off was unpacking a bunch of old boxes from our recent move and found Disc 2 of South Park Mexican’s Power Moves, the one that starts off with a phone conversation between South Park Mexican (SPM) and DJ Screw. It even had DJ Screw’s mug on…
Five Staples of the Old Fogie Cabinet
And, yes, I do mean “old fogie” and not “senior citizen.” I consider “senior citizen” a neutral term for someone who happens to be advanced in years. She may not “act her age” like this gal. An “Old Fogie,” however, is someone who has the traits of a stereotypical old…
Houston Gets a Little More Fierce: Christian Siriano Coming to Payless November 3
What could possibly be better than Christian Siriano releasing a new line of shoes and accessories for Payless? How about an in-store event at the Houston Galleria on November 3! The “Strike a Pose” event will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and gives fans the opportunity to…
The Coogs Go 13-0. Does Anyone Notice?
After their impressive win over East Carolina this weekend, talk in Cougar Town is that the team is set to run the table and go undefeated. Such talk has occurred before, of course, like in 2009 when it beat Oklahoma State and a strong Texas Tech team early in the…
The 12 Best Songs in ’80s Movies
For many of us Generation X and Y-ers, much of our adolescence can be directly linked back to ’80s cinema. Thanks to writers and directors like John Hughes, ’80s teen movies were accurate depictions of suburban (non) happenings. Furthermore, the ’80s were a special time in film history thanks to…
Get Your Gore On! A Guide to This Month’s Horror Movie Lineup
Just about this time every year, we crack open our trunk full of DVDs and VHS (Of course we still watch VHS) and dust off our horror movie collection. No matter how many times we’ve seen The Exorcist, the head-turning scene still freaks us out. With the spooky season upon…
Tuesday October 11, 2011 Deals of the Day
Get a taste of Italy for half off with today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press! Your Voice Daily Deal is good for 50 percent off ($20 for $40) at Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel. An ingredient-driven menu inspired by Chef Maurizio Ferrarese’s native Italy includes favorites like…
Ask A Rapper: Renzo
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place — lots of times, you’re even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good — so once a week we’re going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to…
Endeavour Crew Stabs Houston in Back (Sorta) Over Getting a Retired Shuttle
Houston, still smarting over missing out on a retired space shuttle, now gets to hear NASA astronauts going on and on about how the decision was a great one. Members of the Endeavour crew were in Los Angeles recently to take part in the California Science Center’s formal acceptance of…
The Most — and Least — Useful Items in “Beyond Useful” at the Center for Contemporary Craft
Domestic craft has long been admired for its aesthetic qualities — quilts, ceramic plates and baskets are objects of both function and beauty, inspiring exhibitions, museums and even a movement. William Morris led the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century, famously saying, “Have nothing in your house…
Ick or Treat: The 5 Worst Halloween Candies
Kids (and some adults) look forward to Halloween all year. And why not? You get to dress up like a lunatic and extort food from people at their very own front door, without any fear of repercussion. Every other night of the year, you get arrested for that shit. So…
Deal of the Day Alert: DWDT’s Fall Mixed Rep Tickets for $10
Use the Houston Press Deal of the Day and get a 75 percent discount on tickets for the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater’s Fall Mixed Rep. Instead of the regular $40 ticket price, you pay just $10. The program includes some of the most exciting pieces in the DWDT repertoire including…
What’s Cooking This Week?
Last week I enjoyed my meals with a nice touch of both summer and fall. But this week, I’ve been truly inspired. Ever since my love affair with baklava as a child, I’ve been lurvin’ Greek food. And since last weekend’s Greek Festival has gotten me all excited, I’ve added…
The Aggies Are Full of S*#!% About Tech Fans
Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne was highly upset with Texas Tech fans this weekend: The horrendous and extensive vandalism took place outside what is no doubt Lubbock’s finest hotel as the Aggies visited to play Texas Tech. Terrible. Except Tech has done its own investigation, and discovered a few…
Last Night: Death Cab for Cutie at Verizon Wireless Theater
Walking up to Verizon Wireless Theater last night, we ran into a crowd of cigarette-puffing couples and soccer moms with tattoos waiting in line to see Death Cab For Cutie. The crowd proceeded to form lines to grab $10 beers and pile into the balcony and general admission standing area…
The Gifted Susan O. Koozin Displays Her Versatility in Stages Repertory Theatre’s The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead
The setup: This theater curiosity running at Stages Repertory Theatre is a hybrid — part point-of-view drama, part acting exercise — recording the aftermath of a husband walking out, with seven characters played by a single actor. The setup: Rhonda has been married for almost two decades, apparently a conventional…
Houston Fashion Week: The Wortham, Champagne and Sky High Heels
For more photos, see our slideshow. The Wortham Center glowed last night with Houston’s fashion crowd. In the Audi Pavilion tent, we took a quick inventory of what Houstonians are wearing as we transition into our supposed autumn weather. There were plenty of bare legs in the crowd, warranted by…
Carlos Cancina: Police Looking for Alleged, and Very Short, Child Rapist
DA investigators and Crime Stoppers are looking for Carlos Daniel Cancino, an 18-year-old wanted on charges of sexual assault of a child. Officials say that in June “a twelve year old victim was in a residence with Cancino whom she calls ‘Carlos.’ The victim stated that Cancino jumped on her,…
Grocery Guide: Japanese Mayo
I loathed mayonnaise for an entire childhood, but was mistaken. Miracle Whip was the vile family culprit. No great loss, as there’s not a lot of kid food that requires mayonnaise anyway. As an adult, I was still wary of any jar of white stuff with Kraft on the label,…
“Leigh Anne Lester: Beautiful Freaks/Nature’s Bastards” Showcases Botanical Drawings, With a Twist
Leigh Anne Lester, winner of the $50,000 2011 Hunting Art Prize, presents her botanically bizarre work in “Beautiful Freaks/Nature’s Bastards.” At first glance, Lester’s drawings look like some sort of 18th-century botanical drawings, the kind oft-reproduced for traditional home decor. But Lester’s delicate work lures you in with its fragile…
Duff: A Failed Arson Attempt & Soundgarden Show In Seattle
Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is now, among other things, a columnist for Rocks Off’s sister music blog in Seattle, Reverb. This month Touchstone Books will publish Duff’s memoir, It’s So Easy: And Other Lies, and he agreed to publish an excerpt on Reverb. In turn, Reverb agreed…
Upcoming: Drake, Kreayshawn, Corey Taylor, The Queers, Etc.
Andre Williams: Sat., Nov. 5. Continental Club. Corey Taylor: Thu., Nov. 17. The Bronze Peacock Room @ House Of Blues. Demi Lovato: Fri., Nov. 25. Verizon Wireless Theater. Drake: Sat., Oct. 29. Reliant Arena. The Knux, Jordy Towers: Mon., Nov. 14. Fitzgerald’s. Korn: Sat., Nov. 19. Verizon Wireless Theater…
Meme of the Week: The Misunderstood House Spider
This week’s meme centers on the misunderstood and tragic lives of those tiny roommates in all of our dwellings that make sure we aren’t overrun with even worse pests: the household spider. Scourge to squeamish women and unmanly men, the spider does more work for us humans than we want…
The Houston Rap Football Team’s Defensive Starters
Just about a month ago, we wrote about how some of the plays in the playbook of the under-15 football team we coach were disguised with names of Houston rappers and/or songs. Shortly after it posted, mail that was electronic started showing up suggesting that there be more football-related posts…
Spooky Booze: 5 Creepy Cocktails To Get You In The Halloween Spirit
Ahh, October: the time of year when we head to Frankel’s/ Party Boy/ Stripper Depot to find our Halloween costumes, fat orange gourds sit outside at Kroger baking in the Houston sun, and every awful (by awful, I mean awesome) ’80s horror movie is on AMC. I love everything about…
Comment of the Day: Rush Limbaugh Violates the Constitution
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, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Pop Rocks: Don’t Worry Longhorns, There Have Been Worse Beatdowns
It was ugly, brutal and painful to watch. As a movie fan of some 40 years, I could be describing any number of lopsided fight scenes. But as a UT fan, I’m of course referring to the horrific pounding Oklahoma put on my Longhorns last Saturday. The Sooners dominated every…
Rice Researchers: Lack of Copy Protection Decreases Music Piracy
A joint study between marketing professors from Rice University and Duke University has revealed that music industry efforts to reduce piracy through placing copy restrictions — referred to as Digital Rights Management or DRM — may actually serve to increase the very theft they wish to prevent. Since the advent…
Pop Rocks: For the Longhorns, Five Gratuitous Movie Beatdowns
It was ugly, brutal and painful to watch. As a movie fan of some 40 years, I could be describing any number of lopsided fight scenes. But as a UT fan, I’m of course referring to the horrific pounding Oklahoma put on my Longhorns last Saturday. The Sooners dominated every…
Fugitive Kimberly Lee: If You See Her, Definitely Don’t Step in Front of the Car
Police are searching for a 32-year-old woman named Kimberly Lee, who they say had a unique way of expressing her displeasure at the small amount of money her boyfriend gave her: She ran him over with her car. Back in May, police say, Lee called her boyfriend, who was out…
Where Are We Drinking?
At this new restaurant, Sundays are for sangrias…frozen sangria, that is. You can get the wine-based frozen drink solo, or mixed in with a margarita, as seen here. Think you know where we’re drinking? Leave your best guess in the comments section below…
100 Creatives: Tim Thomson
Hot Pixel Action from HotPixelAction! on Vimeo.What he does: When Tim Thomson was eight years old, he picked up his parents’ Super 8 camera and started making monster movies. Today he is the director of Hot Pixel Action!, a video production collaborative that was founded as a separately branded department…
Nazi POWs in Texas: Five Facts, Including the Most Inept Escapes Ever
Texas used to be dotted with prisoner-of-war camps in World War II, a temporary home to thousands of Germans and Italians. Texas had far more prisoners than any other state, mainly because the first batch came from the North Africa campaign, and the Geneva Convention said prisoners should be housed…
Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution: Proposed Houston Noise Ordinance Would Ticket Venues Without The Use Of Sound Meters
If you like your music loud — legally loud — you might think about heading to City Council this week. The council will be considering revisions to the city’s noise ordinance, the most controversial of which is a provision that says police can hand out tickets even if they don’t…
Comment of the Day: Sweet, Sweet Manischewitz
Here on Eating Our Words, the commenters absolutely make the blog, and our Comment of the Day honors the best of the bunch. Every day, we read you guys and pick the commenter, or commenters, who made us laugh, cry, salivate over something delicious, or think about things in a…
Get Lit: Had Me a Real Good Time – Faces: Before, During & After
Had Me a Real Good Time – Faces: Before, During & After By Andy Neill 456 pp., $29.95, Omnibus Press A band that was actually more popular in the U.S. than their English homeland — based on their incendiary live shows if not album sales — Faces (or, to most,…
Emma Cardona: The Heartbreaking Last Moments of the 2-Year-Old Daughter She’s Charged with Endangering
Houston police have identified the toddler who died at St. Joseph Hospital last week as Alessay Andrade, and they have charged her mother, Emma Cardona, with endangering a child. Court documents paint a heartbreaking picture of the child’s last conscious moments. They say that the child had been sick, and…
Muppet Justin Bieber = World Gonna End
Mason Lankford said, “There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened,” but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we’re totally right this time! Thankfully we’ve been able to wean the Kid With…
100 Favorite Dishes, Gathered Up and Google Mapped
View 100 Favorite Dishes: The 2011 Edition in a larger map Now that it’s been a little over a week since we wrapped up this year’s list of our 100 Favorite Dishes, you’ve hopefully had a chance to digest some of the dishes on the map — and I mean…
Robert Flores: Former Montrose Resident Busted for 2000 Rape
DNA evidence and a photo array have cracked a horrific 11-year-old rape case, police say. In the wee hours of March 21, 2000, a local woman had just returned home from visiting her brother in the hospital. After putting her kids to bed and hanging up some clothes, she noticed…
NO2GMO: Art, Film and Food Fight Back
“NO2GMO: Organic Revival” took place on Saturday at photography studio JoMar Visions, located in the back of Hardy and Nance Street Studios. The art, film and food event was held to raise awareness about GMO (genetically modified) foods — how they were started, why they can be dangerous, their possible…
A Traditional Vietnamese Family Meal at Thuan Kieu Com Tam
One of the first times my parents came to visit Houston, their friends invited them to eat at Thuan Kieu Com Tam (10792 Bellaire Blvd; 281-988-8865), which at the time was a rather shabby hole-in-the-wall place. To hear my dad describe it, it was practically slum-like. “When I pulled up,…
Eat ‘Em And Smile: Our Favorite Pictures Of David Lee Roth
Lemmy, Josh Homme, Keith Richards, Marc Bolan, GG Allin, and Billy Fucking Gibbons – that’s just a sampling of the rock stars that Rocks Off wishes he could be. The list goes on and on. Today though is the birthday of a one of the most special rockers to ever…
Noise Ordinance: Who Needs Sound Meters to Hand Out Tickets?
If you like your music loud — legally loud — you might think about heading to City Council this week. The council will be considering revisions to the city’s noise ordinance, the most controversial of which is a provision that says police can hand out tickets even if they don’t…
4 Mysteries That Can Only Be Explained by Fiction
The world is full of deep pockets of weirdness. Some of the great mysteries have really mundane explanations. The chupacabra is just a coyote with mange, that skeleton they found on that Pacific island in 1940 was Amelia Earhart’s, Nickelback’s success is maintained by sacrificing a child to Asmodeus once…
Netflix Blinked — Qwikster Is Dead
Art Attack just received a message from Netflix announcing the company’s plans to separate its DVD and streaming services have been canceled. We were almost tempted into doing a little happy dance in our seat, but decided against it. Netflix spent the summer, it seems, finding new ways to piss…
Montrose Classic: Monday Night at Cecil’s
It was a Monday night, and I was on the patio of Cecil’s with a couple of friends. I looked toward the open part of the porch and saw two young men embrace. At first I thought the white guy with the shaved head was trying to express his affection…
Susan Young: Dies Using Heights Boulevard Jogging Trail
The jogging path along the median on Heights Boulevard is a great asset — a nice trail, nice neighborhood, nice vibe. But you’re crossing side streets every so often, and people — you have to pay attention. A 38-year-old woman died this weekend after being hit by a car at…
Rap Round Table: Which Houston Rapper Needs His Own Television Show?
Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn’t a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week’s Panel: Pyrexx, Preemo, Chane, Z-Ro, Slim Thug’s grunt, D-Risha, Medicine Girl, Renzo, Kyle Hubbard, Delo, Herney, Kiotti, more Not…
The Week in TV: The Simpsons Are Unstoppable
• As reported earlier, Fox has been looking at ending The Simpsons because they’ve grown tired of paying the show’s voice cast and would much rather just sell off the whole series into syndication (bringing in $750 million in the process) and then start their own spinoff network where they…
Hot Women at Ren Fest
The finest in chain mail/bikini combos and other minimalist fashion were on full display Saturday at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville. While vendors were busy pushing fox tails and plague rats, along with all that food and drink, many of the festival goers, buoyed by a feeling of euphoria…
The Texas State Fair: Specializing in Fried Crap, 125 Years and Counting
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Texas State Fair, held every fall in Dallas at the wonderfully art deco Fair Park. I honestly had no idea until I went to the fair late last week, however. You’d think there’d be some more momentous foodstuffs to mark the occasion…
Craig Fischer: Weird Doctor Who Sued Ex-Fiancee Says “Sorry,” Drops Suit
Craig Fischer, the doctor who sued his ex-fiancée for allegedly refusing to return a $73,000 engagement ring, among other high crimes, has apologized and dropped the lawsuit. In a statement provided by the ex-fiancée’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, Fischer writes: “I apologize for filing a lawsuit against Nichole Johnson. It was…
Romeo and Juliet from UpStage Theatre Ambitious But Flawed
The setup: To open its 12th season, UpStage Theatre makes its first foray into the thicket of Shakespeare, with an ambitious production of Romeo and Juliet. The execution: Anna Yost as Juliet looks beautiful and virginal, and her looks, and poses, are sufficient to evoke some sympathy for the heroine’s…
Troubled Fantasy: Creepy Wax Figures Of John Lennon
It’s a big week for Beatles fans, which is like saying it’s a big week for people who like air and water. Yesterday was John Lennon’s 71st birthday, and tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of “Imagine.” The Martin Scorsese-directed doc on George Harrison’s life, the beyond stellar George Harrison: Living…
Vice-President Spiro Agnew, Who Made Nixon Look Good: 5 Facts, from Sex to Bribes
On this day in 1973, the Vice-President of the United States resigned from office after pleading no contest to accepting bribes. Pretty big deal, right? But Spiro Agnew has been largely lost to history, remembered mostly for his odd name. Richard Nixon picked the obscure Maryland governor as his running…
Expedition Egg Salad: DaCapo’s Pastry Cafe
Expedition Egg Salad has taken me to Nielsen’s, Barnaby’s, and Brown Bag Deli, all of which offered satisfying, albeit ultimately unremarkable, takes on the egg salad sandwich. At the urging of Jelmore4 and Early Cuyler, I visited DaCapo’s Pastry Cafe last weekend to try their much touted egg salad sandwich…
“Seth Mittag: We’re Still Here…” Tragic, Compelling
Seth Mittag got his MFA from the University of Houston in 2003. He just returned to Houston after three years in New York doing Claymation for the likes of Michael Eisner, Moveon.org and Nickelodeon. Now Mittag is channeling those skills into his art. His installation behind the glass wall of…
Wine of the Week: Brunello di Montalcino
This week finds me on my annual pilgrimage to Montalcino (in the province of Siena, Tuscany), land of one of the world’s most famous and highly prized wines, Brunello di Montalcino. That’s the ancient and now extinct volcano Mount Amiata in the photo (taken on Saturday morning at daybreak in…
Friday Night: B.B. King at the House of Blues
The blues is a funny ol’ gal. By definition, the musical genre is a projection of the sadness and melancholy caused by a broken heart, or the lament of a “just can’t catch a break” life. Yet the sold out crowd at the House of Blues on Friday night exhibited…
Houston Texans Game 5 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers (This Doesn’t Go Well For Jacoby Jones)
Be sure to check out the rest of our pics from Sunday’s game. As we were driving slowly down Murworth to park in the Teal Lot before the Texans game on Sunday, my girlfriend Amy and I noticed a father with two boys (presumably his sons) around the ages of…
Duff: Hitchhiking Toward Seattle And Hydroponic Pot
Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is now, among other things, a columnist for Rocks Off’s sister music blog in Seattle, Reverb. This month Touchstone Books will publish Duff’s memoir, It’s So Easy: And Other Lies, and he agreed to publish an excerpt on Reverb. In turn, Reverb agreed…
Wait Until Dark Delivers the Chills
The setup: In Frederick Knott’s classic 1966 thriller, blind housewife Susy pits her wits against the sighted thugs out to get their murderous hands on a doll filled with heroin. The execution: As a follow-up to his ultra-successful suspense story Dial M For Murder (filmed in 3-D by Hitchcock in…
DEFCON Dining: Frenchie’s Italian Restaurant
Eight hours spent touring the Johnson Space Center with a bunch of semi-bored/semi-spastic Brownies makes for a long day. By the time I hauled my three charges (my kids, plus a tag-along neighbor) from the sprawling indoor playground that reigned as exhibit of choice, I was starving and semi-delirious, thinking…
Fast Times: My First Whataburger
After a couple of rounds of “Fast Times” at Whataburger for chicken sandwiches and limited-time-only shakes, I finally decided to head back for the titular sandwich. I have had several Houstonians recommend the Whataburger cheeseburger — in comments here on EOW, and “IRL” — and this week I decided it…
Comment of the Day: Trust Trader Joe’s
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, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
10 Hottest Furry Characters (With NSFW Pictures to Prove It!)
We’re not going to lie, most aspects of the furry culture give us an uncomfortable fullness of the bladder and a complete apathy about keeping our pants dry. Still, there are characters within the culture even we can admit are nine kinds of hot. Since you all seemed to enjoy…
Forced to Listen to Rush Limbaugh: Five Reasons This Woman Should Be Thankful
As first reported in the Houston Chronicle, Bridgett Nickerson Boyd is suing Harris County and a county sheriff’s deputy for, among other things, forcing her to listen to Rush Limbaugh after an arrest. Now, among the “other things” is that she was arrested for driving on the shoulder of the…
5 Horror Movies That Bombed at the Box Office
Thrillers and horror movies are usually a safe bet to bring in decent earnings at the box office. Fan favorites end up spawning countless prequels, sequels and remakes (think Halloween, Friday the 13th and Saw.) But there are, of course, the not-so-great horror movies — so bad the main horror…
Happy World Mental Health Day! 5 Crazy Songs
Delirium is the youngest of the endless. She smells of sweat, sour wines, late nights, old leather. Her realm is close, and can be visited; however, human minds were not made to comprehend her domain, and those few who have made the journey have been incapable of reporting back more…
Cougars Near Perfection While Owls Stumble to Victory
The Rice Owls hosted the Memphis Tigers on Saturday afternoon. The Houston Cougars hosted the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday night. It was a doubleheader of football action that saw the Houston Cougars play perhaps their best all-around football game since the Jack Pardee era while the Owls got a…
Where Are We Eating?
Earlier this week, I mentioned that it was difficult to justify $3.50 for two macarons, except when they’re as good as the ones at this little bakery. I was quickly inundated with responses along the lines of, “$3.50 for two macarons is a bargain!” And indeed it is. Except that…
Carol Channing Still Going Strong at 90, Fights Cutbacks in the Arts
Best known for her long-running Broadway version of Hello Dolly, actress/singer Carol Channing says that even in the depth of the Depression, her San Francisco public middle school had the arts. So she really doesn’t understand why so many public schools these days, claiming the need for cutbacks because of…
Raiders 25, Texans 20: One Step Forward, One Step Back
Be sure to check out the rest of our pics from Sunday’s game. When one step forward is immediately followed by one step back, perpetual mediocrity is the usual result. It has defined the Gary Kubiak era of Houston Texans football, and it reared its ugly head again on Sunday…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, wherefdkosa[GNOWri’r Excuse me. “Where ragweed season is now in full effect,” I was about to say. We started the week off right with a look at some of the best moments in TV food. A solid list, although somewhat…
Texans-Raiders: Five Things To Watch
This Sunday, the Raiders come to town to take on the Texans in the first game of the “Andre Johnson Hamstring Injury” mini-era. In a way, this is like the beginning of the final season of The Sopranos when Tony got shot and was in the hospital in a dream…
All Eyez On Me: Rating The Best/Worst Rock & Rap Sex Tapes (NSFW)
This week, we found out that a sex tape featuring Tupac Shakur exists, made in 1991 just five years before his fatal shooting in Las Vegas. Shakur’s estate is the only entity that can release an item with the late rapper’s likeness involved, and his mother Afeni Shakur is unlikely…
The X Factor: Mentoring, Mentoring & More Mentoring
Last night I was officially annoyed with The X Factor. To be fair, the show suffered from my having to wait until the Yankees lost, and my husband was done swearing and stomping around the living room, so I had to stay up really late (for me) to watch. And…
Alabama Theater: Preserving The Little, Charming Details
Most people seem to be happy Trader Joe’s might be moving into the old Alabama Theater? Seems so. We’re not foodies, so we have no idea how hip/edgy/status symbol a Trader Joe’s is. But the folks at the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance are worried that renovating the old space into…
The Cake Boss, Part Two: Buddy Valastro on Why He’s Damn Proud to Be an American
Buddy Valastro, better known as The Cake Boss from TLC’s hit show of the same name, will be in Houston on November 11 as part of his second international tour. He’ll be speaking at Jones Hall through the Society for the Performing Arts. Yesterday, we talked to Valastro about the…
UH: Big 12, Big East, Some Newly Created Conference Or Oblivion?
TCU has deservedly gotten the bid to join the Big 12 that the University of Houston was so desperately hoping for. So what’s next for the Coogs? Four scenarios: 4. The Big 12 Some supporters, like State Rep Bill Callegari of Katy, are still holding out hope for entry into…
Duff: Speed Freaks Make The Best Chauffeurs
Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is now, among other things, a columnist for Rocks Off’s sister music blog in Seattle, Reverb. This month Touchstone Books will publish Duff’s memoir, It’s So Easy: And Other Lies, and he agreed to publish an excerpt on Reverb. In turn, Reverb agreed…
Death, the Musical Brings Sketchy Sketches
The set-up: If, by any chance, the title of this world-premiere revue doesn’t give away this show’s theme, perhaps the white coffin propped up stage left or pianist/musical director Steven Jones dressed in iconic medieval cowl should give you a hint. And just in time for Halloween. The execution: In…
Sourdough Bread: A Starter (Part Three)
I probably scared a few of you off last week. It’s okay. I get it; food that smells bad and is known to harbor a host of bacteria can be slightly off-putting. The weak-stomached or hypochondria-prone among you will be glad to know that my starter no longer smells. Well,…
Person Of Interest: Man On A “Mission Creep”
After last week’s episode, I feared we might be peeling back the layers a little too quickly. Quite a bit of Finch’s post-9/11 history was divulged, though whatever caused his ultimate split with the government wasn’t divulged. Reese’s back story remains a little better shrouded. To date, we know he…
Eight Shows MTV, VH1 & BET Should Bring Back
We live in a time where crappy reality television has taken over three of the networks that were once originally dedicated to music videos, artist interviews and delivering current events from the younger generation’s perspective. With all the flack that MTV (Music Television) gets about not really having a single…
Unidentified Female Infant, Bayou Body Count No. 153
A two-year-old female found bruised and unresponsive in a southeast-side home Tuesday has died, and police are waiting for autopsy reports. The child was found unresponsive in a home in the 7500 block of Plum Creek about 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, police say, and was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital downtown,…
Project Runway: Nevermore!
This week on Project Runway: Everyone has the warm fuzzies for Bert all of a sudden; Anya gets cutthroat while Kimberly has a breakdown; the designers have to draw inspiration from feathery, dead-eyed creatures–no, they didn’t bring Olivier back. The prize is a L’Oreal advertorial in Marie Claire, and the…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Soren Pedersen of Sorrel Urban Bistro – The Tasting
The last two days we’ve been chatting with Chef Soren Pedersen of Sorrel Urban Bistro about his background, the things that inspire him, and his general philosophy about cooking with fresh ingredients. You can read about it here and here. Today we’ll taste some of his food. I’ve actually visited…
Dancing with Ataxia: Erica Lehrer’s Poetry Book Launch at McMurtrey Gallery
Art Attack arrived early to McMurtrey Gallery for the launch of Erica Lehrer’s book of poems, Dancing with Ataxia, on Thursday. The gallery was empty, except for Lehrer, whose smiling face lit up the room. For a few precious moments, it was just us, and Lehrer graciously talked at length…
In The Flesh: 10 Semi-Obscure Facts About Pink Floyd
(Cue heartbeat sound effect) This week we turn our fact-finding spotlight on of the most successful cosmic rock bands of all time, Pink Floyd. The band is going through another period of rediscovery by fans young and old with a new set of remastered reissues, along with last year’s extremely…
Longhorn Invisibility Cloak: Voyeurs Rejoice (With Video) (Not of Voyeurs Rejoicing)
The hard-working researchers at the University of Texas-Dallas say they’ve come up with a working prototype of the invisibility cloak made semi-famous in a series of cult books and movies about some kid with glasses. There’s a whole lot of science lingo in the link above, but essentially it seems…
Fifth Ward Jam: The Week in 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…
Upcoming Events: Tequila at TQLA and Multi-Course Mystery Dinners
If you’ve been looking for the right opportunity to try TQLA — which just won our rather specific, yet no less applicable, award for Best Revival of a Genre — here’s the opportunity you’ve been looking for: TQLA is hosting a tequila dinner with Don Julio on Wednesday, October 19,…
Wild Moccasins: What They Can’t Live Without On Tour
Still younger than springtime, the Wild Moccasins are getting to be old hands at this touring thing. (If you missed their set at BestFest – it was way early – you missed something special.) Lately it seems like the sunny Houston five-piece is either just getting off the road or…
Manischewitz, a Kiddush Cup Full of Memories
It had been years since I’d tasted Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine: Last week, at my cousins’s Rosh Hashanah celebration, we passed around a kiddush cup of Manischewitz and said the traditional blessing as we welcomed the Jewish New Year. When we sat down for our luncheon of Russian-style braised brisket…
Dio Disciples Keep Ronnie James’ Metal Flame Alive
When Ronnie James Dio succumbed to stomach cancer in May 2010 (some reports say it occurred here at M.D. Anderson), heavy metal lost its arguably greatest voice. And with a career spanning decades in bands like Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell, and his own Dio, he left a lot…
Lloyd Wayne Byrd: East Texan Arrested After Mooning SPCA During Raid
Lloyd Wayne Byrd had 27 dogs on his ramshackle property in rural Rains County. He says he kept the dogs for the express purpose of annoying his neighbors. “That ain’t fair to the dogs,” neighbor Sam Ridenhour tells KLTV. “You know, to have something just to aggravate somebody else…That ain’t…
The X Factor: How Does This Work Again?
Last night I was officially annoyed with The X Factor. To be fair, the show suffered from my having to wait until the Yankees lost, and my husband was done swearing and stomping around the living room, so I had to stay up really late (for me) to watch. And…
They Might Be Giants, But Terrance Zdunich Is The Bad Ass Russian
We got to hang out with Terrance Zdunich, the creator of Repo: The Genetic Opera and the man who played Graverobber in the film, while he was down in Houston at Comicpalooza promoting his excellent comic The Molting. Either we clicked like true homies, or he’s just really, really patient…
Aeros Plan to Take Care of Unfinished Business
John RoyalAeros watch as Binghamton celebrates last season’s Calder Cup winFour months ago the Houston Aeros stood on the Toyota Center ice stunned. Stunned that they’d lost to the Binghamton Senators. Stunned that the AHL Calder Cup, which has been in their grasp, was gone. Stunned that the Senators were…
Bartender Chat: Jack of Brewery Tap
Last week, filmmaker Ken Burns was a guest on The Colbert Report promoting his new three-part documentary Prohibition, part one of which aired this past Sunday, October 2, on Houston PBS affiliate KUHT. The series examines our country’s infamous failed social experiment, also known as the Eighteenth Amendment. If you…
Community: Mean Girls (and Guys)
Dan Harmon is a big believer in the wheel. It’s an eight-point breakdown of a basic narrative arc, and he uses it for every episode. For those too lazy to click out, it goes: 1. A character is in a zone of comfort 2. But they want something 3. They…
Anything Box: “A Change in My Destiny” For ’90s Synth Stars
Last year DJ Rob Ehlinger brought a surprise hit to Houston when he convinced Claude Strilio to bring Anything Box of “Living in Oblivion” fame to Numbers for a performance. The show ended up as a packed, breathless success that can be held up as an example that Houston may…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Real Steel
Title: Real Steel Seriously? This Is A Real Movie? I know what you mean. Until actually sitting down to watch it last night, I was convinced my memories of previews were the result of bad dreams brought on by one too many late night Stouffer’s French Bread Pizzas. Rating Using…
Postcards From Houston, a Walk Down Houston’s Memory Lane
Art is truly everywhere you turn in the Houston metro and it comes in the form of buildings, homes and industrial factories. The facades and relics of art deco architecture dating back to the 1920s pepper the streets, being passed by so often their historic past is lost amongst the…
B L A C K I E’s True Spirit Can’t Be Faded On New LP
Earlier this week, B L A C K I E gave away his LP, True Spirit and Not Giving a Fuck for free online. Soon after the announcement, the “definitive underground music blog” thefader.com got a hold of the album and put it on the site, giving B L A…
How To: Make Handmade Ravioli
There’s nothing like fresh pasta. I’m always seeking out restaurants that make their stuff from scratch, so I decided to give it a try at home. This easy-to-follow recipe for handmade ravioli took a bit of work, but for me, it was fun. I foresee a pasta-making party with my…
Comment of the Day: Bank of America’s Debit-Card Fees
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, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Week in Photos: Jade
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…
Baby Face: The People Behind Iconic Images of Tots
Recently Art Attack did an article of how people had turned the iconography of McDonald’s into modern art. Through a thought process that you should really thank us for not mapping out for you this got us thinking about babies. Specifically, we’ve been seeing images of famous toddlers for years…
Oh Jesus! Rock’s Top 5 Religious Conversions
Rocks Off understands the need for a good detox now and then, as most of our evening antics often leave us feeling less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come morning. We also imagine the damage inflicted by lifetime of hard partying and endless touring in the company of morally compromised music-industry…
Football! This Weekend’s Best Bets
When Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, I was in Target. I learned of his death on my iPhone while standing in the technology section behind the iPad showcase and in front of a rack of DVD’s that included several Pixar features. It’s about as poignant a moment as you can…
Openings & Closings: September 2011
Mezzanotte owner Gerry Sarmiento released the above video on his website late last month to give diners a preview of his new restaurant, Piqueo, which is scheduled to open in the middle of next month. Like Mezzanotte, Piqueo will also be in Cypress — right next door, in fact. “It’s…
100 Creatives: Dawn Dippel
What she does: When Dawn Dippel was 7 years old, her mother was advised to enroll her in dance class to help remedy a condition with her feet. The moment Dippel started tap dancing she was hooked. These days Dippel is an instructor at North Harris Performing Arts Dance Company…
The Noble Land Yacht: 6 Classic TV Ads For Impossibly Huge Cars
Back in the day, cars were cars. Huge, hilariously oversized, impractically massive, cars. The land yachts of yore — the Caddys, the Mercurys, etc. — made no bones about “fuel efficiency” or “miles per gallon” or “ability to park.” They were giant movable land masses, and you were a god…
Energy Execs Get Nervous: Feds To Reopen Investigation Into Enron Manipulating Electricity Prices
There are some (a lot?) of former Enron traders and execs in town who might have thought they had safely weathered the investigation into whether that company manipulated electricity prices in California in 2000, causing a crisis. They may have to think again. FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) has…
Comment of the Day: Upscale Vegan
Here on Eating Our Words, the commenters absolutely make the blog, and our Comment of the Day honors the best of the bunch. Every day, we read you guys and pick the commenter, or commenters, who made us laugh, cry, salivate over something delicious, or think about things in a…
Best/Worst College Football QB Transfers: A List Inspired by Former Texas Main Man Garrett Gilbert
Obviously, Garrett Gilbert is no Colt McCoy. Or Case McCoy. Or David Ash. Earlier today, the Texas Longhorns announced that Gilbert — who filled in admirably for the injured Colt McCoy during the Longhorns’ loss in the 2010 BCS Championship game…and that’s about it — is leaving the program. Gilbert…
So You’ve Decided to Go Vegan: Tips from Radical Eats’s Staci Davis
This week has been (partially) devoted to a topic we don’t often discuss here at EOW, otherwise known as the Omnivore’s Emporium. (I call it that in my head.) And that topic is going vegan. It’s a controversial word, and one that often calls to mind PETA protests and the…
Up All Night: Tell Them What They’ve Won, Johnny: A “New Car!”
People always talk about the changes resulting from having children. And to be sure, there are a ton: an end to normal healthy sleep, the death of your social life, a disturbing tendency to cry during long distance commercials, but this is just the tip of the parental iceberg. For…
Grosse Pointe ?: An Incomplete High School Reunion Playlist
This weekend, I am heading back to Pearland for my 10-year high school reunion. It’s funny, I say “going back” like I wasn’t there on Sunday sitting on my parents’ couch watching cable and letting them feed me mashed potatoes and slip me gas money. This trip is different, though,…
Joshua Bienko’s Louboutin Shoes Take a Walk Through Houston
Joshua Bienko’s Christian Louboutin shoes create tension. The nine pairs, their bottoms painted with recreations of works by Warhol, Duchamp, Murakami and Koons, are glorious to behold. The brightly and conspicuously painted “Campbells” soup can emblazoned across the Warhol shoe is enough to make any socialite drool. The Murakami shoe…
Benito Apolinar: Like His Sad Facebook Updates, Or Else
It’s been a sad few weeks for Benito Apolinar. First, he and his wife Dolores separated after 15 years of marriage, and she took the kids from their home in Pecos, Texas, and moved them across the state line to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Benito, 36, had moved in with her…
Duff McKagan Remembers Guns N’ Roses’ First Tour
Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan is now, among other things, a columnist for Rocks Off’s sister music blog in Seattle, Reverb. This month Touchstone Books will publish Duff’s memoir, It’s So Easy: And Other Lies, and he agreed to publish an excerpt on Reverb. In turn, Reverb agreed…
Brew Blog: New Belgium Lips of Faith Super Cru
I thought I was writing about this beer a while back. Sort of. Though I can’t find what I did with it, I really did have a paragraph or two written about New Belgium. If I remember correctly, it waxed nostalgic about the first party I went to that featured…
Dennis Harper’s Artsy Aquarium Opens at 110 Milam
Tilman Fertitta has some downtown competition. Last night, the latest Window Into Houston installation, “Dennis Harper: Born in the Bayou,” opened at the private residence of Jim Petersen. Blaffer Art Museum’s collaboration with the Petersen household, located at 110 Milam, is the third exhibit of its kind realized by Blaffer…
Dana Holgorsen (Basically) Tells His Fan Base They Suck (And They Do)
To me the greatest balancing act and exposure to potential hypocrisy as a media member is judging someone for being too honest. In a line of business whose foundation is compelling content, there’s nothing worse than plain vanilla guests who spew generic answers with little or no thought nor insight…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Soren Pedersen of Sorrel Urban Bistro, On His Role as Executive Chef
Yesterday, we talked with Chef Soren Pedersen of Sorrel Urban Bistro about his training in Denmark and how he came to be in Houston. You can read about it here. Today, we’ll talk to him about his role as Executive Chef and get to know a bit more about his…
The X Factor: Boot Camp, Minus Sgt. Hartman
The pace of the audition rounds was so fast, I didn’t realize the judges put through 162 people in the first two weeks of The X Factor. When the field arrives in Los Angeles for “boot camp,” they are informed that they will be shaved down to a field of…
Cinema Slap Fight: Ewoks Vs. Oompa Loompas
In which we answer the question: which creepy diminutive race freaks us out more? Here at Cinema Slap Fight I’ve mostly concentrated on pitting individuals against each other, but tough times (and writer’s block) call for tough measures. As I strive for more and more ridiculous match-ups, it will no…
Rosalio Pena, 48, Bayou Body Count No. 152
A robbery attempt turned into murder on the northside last week, Houston police say, and a man was arrested yesterday and charged in the incident. Rosalio Pena, 48, was shot in his driveway in the 4300 block of Edison about 8 p.m. on September 28, HPD says, after neighbors heard…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Vintage Texas: Budget cuts by the Texas legislature have slashed funding for the promotion of Texas wines, reports Houston-based blogger and wine writer Russ Kane, author of the top Texas wine and winery blog, Vintage Texas. In an email sent to “partners” of the “Texas Wine Marketing Program” (and reposted…
Pure Rubbish Reunites For Dad’s Farewell Show
One of Houston’s more accomplished homegrown acts, Pure Rubbish rode an eight-year wave that commenced in 1995 and came to an end in 2003. Even then, the group’s two founding members, Derek and Evan Dunivan, had yet to reach the age of 20. Yes, you read that right. The Dunivan…
Three Ways Steve Jobs Made Technology Cool, Stylish and Accessible
This morning I was scheduled for a conference call with one of my clients and I knew I was running a few minutes late. My laptop was not with me and I didn’t know the client’s email address by heart. Fortunately, I had my iPhone. I opened it up, found…
Occupy Wall Street: 99 Percent Protesters March to City Hall for Occupy Houston
See lots more pics of the protest in our slideshow. Joining a movement of protests across the country, several hundred Houstonians gathered at Market Square Park this morning to march to Hermann Square in front of City Hall, which they plan to occupy indefinitely in solidarity with the Occupy Wall…
Wingtoberfest: Put Your Judging Pants On
Today is German-American Day, which falls conveniently in the middle of Oktoberfest season. And we thought that German-American Day was coincidentally the perfect day to announce our own upcoming Oktoberfest party: Wingtoberfest! Wingtoberfest will take place on Thursday, October 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Xuco Xicana, whose own…
UGK Ties Cost Atlanta School-Board Candidate Union Endorsement
Circulating the hip-hop rags is a thought-provoking story about how Byron Amos, former vice-president of UGK Records, lost the Atlanta Federation of Teachers’ support in his bid to sit on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education because of his affiliation with the label. “Hip-hop is unfairly held to a…
The X Factor: There’s A Reason We Call it Boot Camp
The pace of the audition rounds was so fast, I didn’t realize the judges put through 162 people in the first two weeks of The X Factor. When the field arrives in Los Angeles for “boot camp” they are informed that they will be shaved down to a field of…
Ozzy Osbourne Headed To Conroe For Book Signing
Conroe is a sleepy little East Texas town on the northern fringes of the greater Houston area. And now it’s about to get a jumbo-size shot of wake-up juice from the Prince of Darkness himself. No shit: Ozzy Osbourne will sign copies of his new book, Trust Me, I’m Dr…
Are You Ready For Some (Gay) Football? Gay Bowl XI In Town This Weekend
Gay Bowl XI, the 11th annual round-robin tournament to crown the best gay flag-football team, is coming to Houston this weekend. Cullen Park out on the far west side will host the event, which features 26 teams from the U.S. and Canada. The New York and the L.A. teams are…
Health Department Roundup
We’re not planning on occupying any financial districts. But as a certified member of the 99 percent (not by choice, because who is), we thought we’d take a shot at bursting the bubble of our wealthy overlords. The Houston Country Club (1 Potomac Drive) had every well-heeled section of its…
Ashton & Demi: Breaking Up (Over the Internet) Is Hard To Do
What’s more immature than airing your domestic, dirty laundry over Twitter? Airing that laundry when you are Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, and you have a combined Twitter following of almost 12 million people. Within the realms of 140 characters, the breadth of a marital squabble is very limiting. You…
Comment of the Day: A Wham-O Toy That Aided Self-Defense
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, from the previous day’s work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula…
Last Night: Thrice At House Of Blues
Thrice House of Blues October 5, 2011 You don’t have to dress or act a certain way to like Thrice. In fact, in case you didn’t already know, you don’t have to dress or act a certain way to like any kind of music. But don’t take our word for…
Houston Chamber Choir Unearths a Classic Classic
Modern-day audiences are about to hear the premiere of a work…that’s 317 years old. Later this month, the Houston Chamber Choir, which has uncovered a composition by forgotten Italian master Giovanni Paolo Colonna, will debut the first contemporary performance of Psalmi ad Vesperas (1694). According to HCC founder and artistic…
Cuban Tacos: There’s an App for That…Almost
Many of us find ourselves rushing between work and home on weekday evenings with little time for determining take-out options, let alone actually cooking, which is why I was so stoked to see the flyer taped to the El Rey drive-thru window announcing the launch of an El Rey iPhone…
5 Ways Apple Revolutionized the Music Industry
No other company has changed the music industry as much as Apple. For the better part of the last decade, the late Steve Jobs and his co-conspirators have empowered music consumers in ways no one would have ever imagined. The monstrous iTunes store made it possible for anybody to buy…
Octopus Carpaccio at Coppa Ristorante Italiano
Catalan was one of my favorite restaurants, and when it was announced that it would be closing to reinvent itself as Coppa Ristorante Italiano I was a little wary. True, Italian is not exactly my favorite food but after readingMai Pham’s entry on the Ham & Eggs pizza at Coppa…
“Homescholers For Perry”: NOT Photoshopped, In Case You Were Wondering
Every week or so, since Rick Perry entered the GOP presidential primary, we’ve gotten an e-mail from someone wanting to know whether our semi-famous “Homescholers for Perry” picture was photoshopped. Usually, it’s because they are trying to refudiate a claim from some Perry supporter that the image has obviously been…
Awesomely Lame Halloween Costumes You Can Make At Home
If there is one holiday that we love here at the Houston Press, it’s Halloween. Not just because it gives us a chance to vent our latent cross-dressing tendencies or release our inner, um, tarts. We also have the opportunity to help out our fellow man decide what to be…
Pop Rocks: The Simpsons Last Stand?
“Who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable?” – Troy McClure A salary dispute is threatening to end one of television’s most beloved comedies. The actors who provide the voices for the long-running cartoon hit “The Simpsons” are at odds over a new…
Pop Rocks: So Long, Simpsons?
“Who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable?” – Troy McClure A salary dispute is threatening to end one of television’s most beloved comedies. The actors who provide the voices for the long-running cartoon hit “The Simpsons” are at odds over a new…
Remember Marcus Manchild’s Preseason 2?
Houston’s history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We’ll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. There are probably more than a few people who might argue that Marcus Manchild is the best rapper in…
The Bank of America Five Dollar Fee Firestorm Reminds Us Timing is Everything
Last week, Bank of America announced it would begin charging $5 monthly fees to any customer who wanted to use a debit card at retail establishments, setting off a wave of angry online protests by customers and people already infuriated by government bailouts and escalating bank charges. Since then, the…
The Cake Boss: Buddy Valastro on Experience Over Education and the Importance of Small Businesses in America
Buddy Valastro is better known as The Cake Boss, and his eponymous show on TLC — Cake Boss — has become one of the network’s biggest hits. The show, which averaged 2.3 million viewers during its first season, follows Valastro and his family as they run Carlo’s Bakery, the family…
100 Creatives: Ryan Booth
What he does: “On my site I call what I do ‘multimedia storytelling,'” Ryan Booth informs us. “I think I was just being cutesy when I wrote that several years ago, though it’s turned out to be pretty fitting,” he adds. The description is quite apt, as he has translated…
Marcus Camby: Weed Charges Against NBA Player Dropped
Marcus Camby, the NBA player who was charged with marijuana possession in Pearland last month, has had those charges dropped. Randall Novak, his attorney, tells Hair Balls Camby’s second cousin, Kendall Johnson, entered a guilty plea to the possession and paid a $1,500 fine. Johnson was visiting from Connecticut, which…
Tex Kerschen: Tidal Economics
We want to warn you that Tidal Economics is not, in fact, the latest government stimulus plan. So if you’re looking for answers to why your paycheck is so small, you won’t find them here. You will, however, find out all about death, crashing cars (on purpose and not), worshiping…
Fashion Houston 2011
Couldn’t make it to New York’s fashion week? No worries — Fashion Houston 2011 has brought the latest in cutting-edge clothing design to you. For four days, models, designers and lovers of all things beautiful will take over the Wortham Theater Center for runway events and performances. See shows by…
Human Centipede II: Full Sequence
Yes, there’s a serious yuck factor to Human Centipede II: Full Sequence, but gosh, it’s great fun. Great, gross “I just vomited a little bit in my mouth/OMG! I’m sure that’s illegal” fun, but fun nonetheless. The film starts with loner/low-life Martin (Laurence R. Harvey) watching the ending of the…
The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead
Despite the title The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead, actress Susan O. Koozin actually plays seven, not three, different characters in her one-woman show about to start up at Stages Repertory Theatre. She also transforms from one character to another right in front of the audience – including…
ScreamWorld
It’s that spine-chilling time of year again. ScreamWorld is back for it’s 23rd year and ready to scare the living hell out of Houston. A nationally known attraction, the award-winning ScreamWorld has more than four acres of fear-inducing features including the Maze of Maniacs, a heart-stopping outdoor maze, and the…
Dividing the Estate
Famed actress Elizabeth Ashley, known as much for her candor as her longevity and hoarse voice, is back in Houston, starring in Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate at the Alley Theatre. Ashley admits that part of the appeal of performing in the family drama is her being able to work…
Hotel Galvez Dinner with the Ghosts Tour
Enjoy a delicious three-course meal then head off for a tour of the Hotel Galvez, said to be home to numerous ghosts – and maybe a few goblins – during your Dinner with the Ghosts Tour. You can even opt to spend the night after your tour – if you…
Phobia Haunted Houses
Phobia Haunted Houses has been an annual favorite since 1996. It houses eight attractions sprawled out on 30 acres of land. The returning haunts are Darke Institute-Psychiatrics, Mind Control Asylum, 3D Clown Phobia, ClaustroPhobia and Dawn of the Machine. Exile is Phobia’s newest attraction. It contains three full-length haunts, chained…
Deaf Jam TEST
FOR A PREVIEW CLICK HERE. Deaf Jam Trailer from DeafJamdoc on Vimeo. Sat., Oct. 8, 2011…
Compañia Flamenca José Porcel: Gypsy Fire
The drama and fury of flamenco come to life in Compañia Flamenca José Porcel’s Gypsy Fire. Born in the Andalucia region in the south of Spain, Porcel embraced flamenco enthusiastically. Considered Spain’s most gifted flamenco dancer and choreographer, Porcel is a purist, committed to the most authentic form of flamenco…
The Original Greek Festival
While it’s consistently been one of the most popular ethnic festivals in Houston, The Original Greek Festival is also known as one of the most populous, with elbow room in short supply. But with expanded grounds, seating and mingling areas this year, the place where everyone is Zorba-for-a-Day should have…
40th Annual Capital One Bank Bayou City Art Festival Downtown
Here are three hints to the event that turns downtown Houston into an outdoor art gallery: It’s among the best 48-hour periods in the Houston arts season. It has a really long name. And it’s a fundraiser in disguise. Aw, you guessed already, it’s the 40th Annual Capital One Bank…
Michael Ondaatje
In his newest work, The Cat’s Table, Michael Ondaatje has written a novel that critics call his “most intimate yet.” The story, told in flashback, of three young boys making the journey from Ceylon to London on an ocean liner bears more than a passing resemblance to the author’s own…
PR Headline of the Day
Political Animals Parker Afraid of Dick: Press Release Headline of the Day By Jeff Balke The battle over campaign signs has raged since the dawn of time, when cavemen running for chief of their tribes would roll boulders covered in chalk-drawn scribblings about how the humps of their opponents were…
SPECIAL GOOD GABACHO/EVIL ALABAMA EDITION
Dear Mexican, I learned Spanish in school as a teen. Then, it seems, because I was young, everybody was an usted. I would like to practice speaking it, but am now an adult and don’t know who gets to be a tú? I’m scared of getting it wrong and unwittingly…
Hey, Baby, Que Pasó
With more than 50 years in the music business, 71-year-old Augie Meyers has stories. Lots of stories. An original member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, Meyers had a kidney transplant last year but has bounced back as energetic, irreverent and hilarious as ever. “I just got back from a once-a-month…
Dust in the Wind
The building at 606 Old Galveston Road, or Highway 3, in South Houston has existed since before there was anything in the area but pasture and railroad. It’s two stories tall and worn to nubs at its edges. There is nothing on the second floor, which most recently was a…
Professors, Poetry and Public Sex
When Troy Schulze’s character Bernard ambles onto the tiny stage of Catastrophic Theatre’s “micro-theater” to open There Is a Happiness That Morning Is, he looks like a refugee from a modern-dress version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has the relaxed, tweedy vibe of the liberal arts professor that he…
Buckethead
The artist known as Buckethead is an unusual variant on “guitar hero.” He knows six-string constructs like a salamander knows wet leaves, but few know the face, or identity, of Buckethead (due to his ever-present bucket-shaped hood). Buckethead’s style is forged from the metallic assaults of Slayer and Steve Vai,…
Balaclavas
The last time we visited Balaclavas on wax was for 2010’s Roman Holiday, a terse and robotic LP populated by bombed-out guitars, dubby electronics and a dash of trance. On the upcoming Snake People, the band front-loaded everything we loved about Holiday and their two previous releases, Inferno and a…
Lindsey Buckingham
Fleetwood Mac’s Buckingham began his solo career with 1981’s Law and Order, led by the gorgeous single “Trouble” and full of the sort of candied eccentricity that marked his rococo triumphs on the Mac’s Tusk. Another highlight is 1992’s Out Of the Cradle, whose prodigious melodies and harmonies largely overcome…
Insane Clown Posse
Tuesday, Detroit’s Insane Clown Posse invades Houston for the third time in as many years for another night of Faygo and Juggalo family fun at Warehouse Live. The past two years have been some of the most visible in Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope’s nearly two-decade career. Back in…
Robyn Hitchcock & Joe Boyd
Gracefully eccentric British singer Robyn Hitchcock plays eager interlocutor to Zelig-like producer Joe Boyd at an event they’ve dubbed “Chinese White Bicycles,” beaming “live from 1967.” “White Bicycles” references the title of Boyd’s terrific 2006 memoir, while “Chinese White” foreshadows the Incredible String Band number Hitchcock will perform along with…
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton once said, “I’m not offended by all the dumb-blond jokes because I know I’m not dumb…and I also know that I’m not blond.” There’s only one problem with that statement: Anyone who makes a dumb-blond joke about Dolly Parton (regardless of her real hair color) just isn’t paying…
C&D & Nostalgia
Take a trip back in time with C&D Burger Shoppe in our slideshow. Two cheeseburgers arrive at our table, each half-wrapped in white butcher paper and positioned above an avalanche of hot fries on a plastic, picnic-style plate. Behind me, the low rumble of Fox News murmurs from the small…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Asis/Esmeraldo/Espinosa/Lizárraga,” “Book Report,” “Hayden Fosdick: Paper Compounds,” “Helen Altman: Half-Life,” “Insperity Golf Experience,” Marc Swanson: The Second Story, “Mary McCleary: A Survey 1996-2011,” “Raimund Girk
“Asis/Esmeraldo/Espinosa/Lizárraga” Work by 79-year-old Argentine artist Antonio Asis is a standout in Sicardi Gallery’s thoughtful works-on-paper show. The gallery is showing Asis’s geometric work from the 1960s — small, page-size acrylic works on paper. Carefully rendered on graph paper, Asis’s designs reveal their handmade origins in minute and endearing ways…
Minnesota Vikings
In the middle of a winter Thursday afternoon, Tapes ‘n Tapes are practicing at Minneapolis nightclub 7th St. Entry, the smaller sibling/anteroom to the famous First Avenue. All the house lights are up, leaving the tapestry of posters and black foam that line the walls in plain view. The familiar…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Damaged Divas of the Decades, Debbie Does Dallas, the Musical, Galveston! the Musical!, Guys and Dolls
Damaged Divas of the Decades A particularly high style of cabaret is in performance through November at Music Box Theater. This second production from the newly minted troupe is called Damaged Divas of the Decades, and if that title alone doesn’t propel you to Colquitt and Kirby, what kind of…
Miracle Faker
Check out our Dumb Things Rick Perry Says Randomizer here. In his quest for the presidency, Texas Governor Rick Perry says three things: His state’s economy is better than America’s. Low taxes and small government are the reasons. He gets the credit. Almost none of that is true. The Texas…
The Ides of March
A procedural on the political manipulation of medium and message, George Clooney’s fourth directorial effort is bookended with scenes of media-op prepping. In the first, Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), a 30-year-old campaign adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney), fills in for his boss at the sound check for…
Real Steel
Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a two-bit trainer traveling the state fair circuit in a not-too-distant future. His line is robot fighting, a sport that has absorbed the audience for boxing, MMA and, apparently, demolition derby. After a tough match leaves Charlie ‘bot-less, he gets news that his ex-girlfriend, with…
