Pics: Space Shuttle Endeavour’s Visit to Houston
I am not one of those people who are good at estimating crowds, but if I had to guess, there were probably at least 10,000 people at Ellington Airport around 4 p.m. when I finally gave up on traffic, parked my car on Galveston Road and walked the mile or…
14,000 Pot Plants, 24 Arrests
Federal prosecutors are continuing to dole out indictments and arrests in connection with the seizure of 14,000 pot plants across three counties last month, with more information coming out this afternoon. The indictment returned today intensifies the charges defendants face. It: charges the defendants with conspiring to possess with intent…
Joseph Fox, 56, Bayou Body Count No. 162
A death initially thought to have been from natural causes is not being investigated as a possible homicide, Houston police say. Joseph Fox, 56, was found dead in his bed by his roommate in an apartment in the 1000 block of Henry 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday, HPD says. The location…
Nas & Ms. Lauryn Hill Playing Bayou Music Center October 31
Rapper Nas and Ms. Lauryn Hill today announced their tandem Life Is Good/Black Rage tour, with an October 31 Houston date inluded. The duo will be at the Bayou Music Center on Halloween Night. Nas just released a new disc, Life Is Good, this past July and Ms. Lauryn Hill…
RIP Larry Joe Miggins, Grand Irish Texan and Vintage Baseball Player
“It’s for the love of the game that we all play,” Larry Joe Miggins told me this past Cinco de Mayo. We were at a Pony League field out in Katy, where Miggins had just spent four or five hours under a sweltering sun playing first base for the Houston…
Those Concerns Over Fracking Haven’t Gone Away
A lot of people still hold onto fracking as the latest great hope for a clean, efficient, prosperity-producing bit of environmental manna from heaven. But doubts and concerns across the nation continue to grow, and the picture has become more clouded. Fluctuating markets don’t help clear things up, either. Village…
Is There Any Chance the New Thin Lizzy Album Won’t Suck?
This week, Rolling Stone and NME got wind of the fact that ’70s hard-rock heroes Thin Lizzy will hit the studio this fall to record their first new album since band founder/leader/icon Phil Lynott’s death 26 years ago. The news was actually broken by HotPress.com last week, but it took…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 7, Ceviche at La Fisheria
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Reality Bites: COPS
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. Wait, did you feel that? It’s the eerie calm before the storm of the autumnal wave of reality programming floods our precious airwaves like a tropical storm stalled out over…
Cindy Close & Marvin McMurrey III: Here’s One Weird-Ass Child Custody Case
When Cindy Close gave birth to twins last July, she thought she had finally achieved her lifelong dream of being a mother. The 47-year-old had gone about it in an unconventional way, she says, by using a friend’s sperm and anonymous donor’s eggs, with the ultimate goal of co-parenting the…
Top 5 Video-Game Characters Inspired by Slash
When I was a kid just discovering Guns N’ Roses, I always pretended to be Slash while reenacting the music videos I saw on MTV. Maybe a part of me could sense that one day Axl would swell with both girth and wackaloonitude, or maybe I just admired the pimp…
Torchy’s Tacos Brings Tepid Tacos (and a Cold Dining Room) to Town
There is a second location of Austin import Torchy’s Tacos opening soon, this one in the Heights. Along with another tenant, it will be one of two restaurants occupying the space at 19th Street at Ashland that used to house Houston clothing institution Harold’s. I can only hope that the…
What Wine for a [California] Veggie Sandwich?
The first time I had a [California] veggie sandwich (in California, they just call it a “veggie sandwich”), it was at the legendary Source on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. By the time I got there (an undergrad at UCLA in the late ’80s), founder Father Yod and the…
KACC: “Gulf Coast Rocker” Is Houston’s Last Great FM Hope
Like a wound that never truly heals, the sorry state of commercial rock radio around here continues to be a sore point for many Houstonians. Not a day goes by that several people search for 103.7 FM on the Houston Press Web site — almost two months after the station…
James Black Actor-Athlete Taking on the “Monster of a Role” as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman
You probably read it in English class in high school or college. Maybe you trudged through it or just read the SparkNotes version. Or maybe you were enraptured, caught up in the story of a salesman and his family so tied into knots by their version of the American dream,…
The Space Shuttle Flyover: The View From J.P. Morgan Chase Tower
The Endeavour has come to Houston for a frustratingly brief visit, on its way to L.A. for permanent museum residency. Jennifer Lambert snapped this picture from the J.P. Morgan Chase Tower, with shuttle, 747 and chase plane all in view. Check out our list of five things the Endeavour should…
Comment of the Day: Romney’s 47-Percent Gaffe
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…
10 Songs For Jesus Christ’s Wedding Reception
Was Jesus married? Ambiguous at best in the Bible, fully explored in fiction such as The Last Temptation of Christ, this ancient riddle is suddenly all over the headlines again after Karen King, a Christian-history expert at Harvard Divinity School, claimed to have found a 4th-century parchment that quotes the…
Game Day Snacks: Cheesy Pepperoni Puffs
Football — it’s finally here! I could not be more excited to throw on a jersey, stress over my fantasy team and get a nice buzz while watching the games every weekend. But equally as important — the food! With just a few simple ingredients, these Pepperoni Puffs are great…
Houston Grand Opera Launches Expansive Plans for Wagner’s Ring, Musicals & Holiday Operas (Gasp!)
High notes weren’t the only things soaring at this week’s gala for the Houston Grand Opera when HGO made its case for more donations aided by stirring performances throughout the evening. Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers is thinking bigger than ever and he wants all of Houston along for…
5 Things to Put in Your $630 Jil Sander Lunch Bag
I recently did a short piece over on Art Attack about the $630 Jil Sander leather lunch bag. The gist of the story was that German designer Jil Sander recently sent two designer lunch sacks down the runway with her men’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection: a $630 leather version, and an…
Are These the Most Anticipated Albums of 2013? Seriously?
A Web site (magazine?) called Loudwire posted their list of the most anticipated rock albums of 2013. The first question we have is “anticipated by whom?” Because if the answer is “people who love music,” then we’ve got some major problems here. 10. Motley Crue Really? The tenth most anticipated…
Judy and Scott Nyquist’s Eclectic Texas Collection
Judy Nyquist describes a show of her and her husband’s art collection up now at Art League Houston as “recognizable,” “accessible” and “nonthreatening.” Those words do so well to characterize the show — a lighthearted survey of the state’s modern art scene, as told through one couple’s aesthetic — that…
Abandoned Body Wrapped in Rug, Bayou Body Count No. 161
Police are looking for clues in the case of a corpse found wrapped in a rug at a Westheimer apartment complex. The body, whose identity and cause of death will have to be determined by autopsy, was discovered at a complex in the 6200 block of Westeheimer, near Hillcroft/Voss, Monday…
Some Sanity Coming to Houston’s Heavy Trash Pickup?
Solid waste, in terms of heavy trash pickup, is one of those essential but annoying city services you’d just as well like to take for granted. It’s essential because, obviously, you want your crap taken away when the city says it will take your crap away. It’s annoying because often…
Last Night: Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra at Fitzgerald’s
Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra Fitzgerald’s September 18, 2012 Rewind: Crowdsourcing or Exploitation? Amanda Palmer’s Search For Volunteer Musicians The Internet is at times simply a giant game of telephone. Something happens, someone comments on it, someone comments on the comment, and so on and so forth. Little…
Vietnamese, Ice Cream & Pizza: One Perfect Day in San Francisco
Recently, I spent two blissful days in Napa Valley, which I chronicled here and here. It was hard to leave places like Bouchon Bakery, Bottega and about a million wineries behind, but I had another sunshiney (slash really foggy) day in San Francisco to look forward to before we headed…
Kindle Classics on Audible.com, for Free
Everybody likes getting stuff for free. Getting good stuff for free is even better. As a Kindle owner, we’re faced with the possibility of shelling out as much as $600 for one of the new and improved devices being released in November, so getting quality Kindle content for free is…
5 Things the Shuttle Endeavour Needs to Do in Its Houston Layover
NASA is trying to make a big PR splash with the crosscountry trip of the retired shuttle Endeavour, including a nose-thumbing stopover of Houston, the city who didn’t get a shuttle despite being the home of NASA. See Also: – Retired Shuttles: Houston Even Finished Behind McMinnville, Oregon – Eight…
100 Creatives 2012 Oliver Halkowich, Dancer and Performer
At the young and tender age of two, Oliver Halkowich, a transplanted “Floridian,” began his dance training. Born in the Florida Keys, he studied with the Miami City Ballet School. At 14, he went to San Francisco and studied with the San Francisco Ballet School. After four years in San…
Why Is Cee Lo Green’s “Blitzkrieg Bop” Cover Not a National Emergency?
The United States has a lot on its plate these days. Things like the looming presidential election, whatever the hell is going on in the Middle East at the time of this writing, and just a general feeling of panic, paranoia and resigned fear. Rewind: Say No to Cee Lo:…
Russo’s New York Pizzeria Mostly Delivers with Dinner Delivery
My husband and I live in a food delivery no-man’s land — we always seem to be “just outside” of the delivery area for many restaurants. A couple of weeks ago — starving, and with a refrigerator full of pepperoncini and expired eggs — we hit the Internet, hoping to…
NFL Films President Steve Sabol (1942-2012): 5 Top Ways He Was An Innovator, Visionary, Storyteller
”Today of course those techniques are so common it’s hard to imagine just how radical they once were. Believe me, it wasn’t always easy getting people to accept them, but I think it was worth the effort.” — Steve Sabol in a 2011 interview with the Associated Press, discussing his…
10 Anchormen We Want to Make Out with
Tonight, the Alamo Drafthouse, the place you can drink a lot and watch a movie, is bringing its “Rolling Roadshow” to downtown Houston’s Market Square for a movie under the stars. The movie du jour of the evening will be the Will Ferrell vehicle Anchorman. If you’ve never seen Anchorman,…
This Week In Food Blogs: Delightfully Crappy Chinese Food and Angry, Angry Birds
Battlesong: Weapons Grade, one of our favorite local food blogs, has been given a new, more appropriate title: Battlesong. It’s fitting for the types of war cries that Justin Vann issues on his blog, including the latest about the prevalence of Angry Birds everywhere you look. He even confronted the…
Rocket Man: Elton John’s 5 Greatest Characters
Great songwriters create great characters. Elton John has a plethora in his songs some real like Princess Diana, and others purely fictional. The stories he tells in his songs are what makes him one of the greatest artists ever to come from Great Britain. His characterizations have even been celebrated…
Katy ISD Warns of Stranger Danger from “Very Dirty” Dude
Very dirty, and creepy.The Katy school district is warning parents that a “very dirty” man has approached at least one female student off-campus in a sexually threatening manner. The incident happened Monday about 7:20 a.m. near the campuses of Golbow Elementary & McDonald Jr. High, the Katy Independent School District…
Female Skeleton Found, Bayou Body Count No. 160
Talk about throwing a wrench into a possible real-estate sale: Potential buyers of an empty Third Ward apartment complex discovered a female skeleton. Sort of tough to explain away. The remains were found in the 6300 block of Cullen Boulevard about 11 a.m. Monday, Houston police say. They “will be…
Partially Anonymous Food Critic Alison Cook Speaks at a Public Event, Is Dismayed When Eater Runs a Photo
Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook appeared at a public event over the weekend, speaking in front of a large group at the Metropolitan Cooking Show in Reliant Center. Several audience members took photos of Cook, one of which was published on Eater Houston this morning under the headline: “Chronicle…
Manuel Ignacio Iracheta, 20, Stabbed in Roadside Fight, Bayou Body Count No. 159
A deadly assault has resulted in murder charges after a roadside stabbing shortly before midnight September 9, police say. Manuel Ignacio Iracheta, 20, was killed in the 8000 block of the North Freeway after an altercation grew violent, HPD says. Octavio Daniel Figueroa, 23, has been charged with murder in…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 8, Pho at Pho Binh
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Upcoming: Bonnie Raitt, P.O.S., REO Speedwagon, Richard Cheese, Wiz Khalifa, Etc.
2 Chainz: Wed., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., $25-$150. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston. Above & Beyond: Sat., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., $20-$50. Stereo Live, 6400 Richmond, Houston. Alien Ant Farm: Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m., $14/$18. Scout Bar Clear Lake, 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., Houston. Allen Stone, Sister Sparrow…
RIP Steve Sabol, NFL Films President Who Gave Us Super Slow Mo
Steve Sabol, NFL Films’ president and a huge part of the weekly life of every NFL fan in America, succumbed to brain cancer earlier today. He was 69. NFL Films was the brainchild of his father, Ed Sabol, who in 1962 made every football play, every defeat, win and tackle…
Do You Want To Be LMFAO’s Redfoo For Halloween?
I know a lot of you have barely gotten over your summer hangovers, so the mere thought of anything Halloween-related seems gross and premature, but the folks at Target don’t care, so they have already rolled out their Halloween gear. And some of their Christmas stuff too, in case you…
29-95 Releases Another Dive Bar-Free List of Dive Bars
Three years ago, the Houston Chronicle released a pretty much dive bar-free list of 20 dive bars, and now their scrappy little sibling 29-95 has inflicted a similarly hapless collection of ten of the same. On the 29-95 list: Rudyard’s, Boondocks, Warren’s, Poison Girl, Catbirds, the Continental Club, the Mink,…
Why the NFL Got Boring (for Me) and How to Get Over Your Football Addiction
Last Sunday, a strange thing happened. I woke up, did some reading, worked on a few stories, talked to some friends on the telephone for a while, went to the gym, made dinner and got back into bed, thinking, “Not a bad day.” And then I realized it: I hadn’t…
DVDs & Blu-rays: Bait3D, The Victim, The Cabin in the Woods, Magic of Belle Isle, Adventures in Plymptoons! and Hawaii Five-O
Bait stars Phoebe Tonkin, Xavier Samuel and Julian McMahon; Kimble Rendall directs. Bait, being released in DVD, Blu-ray and 3D this week, is a mash-up of genres. It’s a disaster flick — a tsunami hits the Australian coast. It’s a crime caper — the tsunami hits just as a supermarket…
Anyone See Halliburton’s Missing Radioactive Rod Lying Around?
Hair Balls has lost car keys, wallets, cats and once even a rare Monet, but we’d like to think that we’d never lose a “potentially lethal” radioactive rod. But that’s exactly what some Halliburton truck drivers did in the desert around Odessa last week, according to news reports. The “seven-inch…
Kraft-Crayola String Cheese Sticks
I don’t know why I can spend an inordinate amount of time examining nutrition labels but I can’t take 30 seconds to look more closely at a package of cheese. Ever susceptible to the lure of special-edition products, I noticed what appeared to be a package of string cheese sticks…
NBC’s Revolution: Nothing Revolutionary
With the amount of advertising dollars NBC has plunked down for its new postapocalyptic series Revolution, in addition to the high-quality names attached to the project — executive producer and Lost creator J.J. Abrams, Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke — there were some high hopes…
Why Romney’s Quote Won’t Matter in November (UPDATE)
If you haven’t been living under a rock the past 24 hours, you have no doubt read and reread and watched Mitt Romney’s secret fundraising video from earlier this year where he admitted to donors who his true base was. The Mother Jones-leaked clip was immediately thrust across the social…
Never Met a Rhône I Didn’t Like (Great Value $20 Red)
“I never met a Rhône I didn’t like,” says Cousin Marty (a Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law professor of constitutional law, leading civil rights advocate, and my favorite cousin). Marty’s always looking for great value in red wine, and Rhône is one of his go-tos. Of all…
Boom from Black Lab Theatre: A Blissful Evening of Humor and Big Ideas
The set-up: In Boom, a man and a woman are locked, not in an embrace, but in a bomb shelter, seeking to escape a meteor heading for earth. They are strangers to each other, newly met courtesy of a dating service. But this is no romantic pas de deux. Instead…
Reader’s Poll: The Bright Lights Tonight Is Your Favorite Dancing Spot
Houston has so many places to dance, probably hundreds, but what is your absolute favorite? Rocks Off has been wondering about this lately, so Monday we put the question to those of you who like us Facebook, which you should do. Surprisingly (to us), the clear favorite was not a…
Joseph Eugene Brooks, 60, Burned to Death, Bayou Body Count No. 158
Police arrested a man who went through with a plan to set fire to another man, killing him. HPD got a “man down” call about 2 a.m. September 6 concerning a body in an apartment complex in the 6200 block of North Wayside. When paramedics arrived, they found Joseph Eugene…
Top 10 Mark Romanek Videos
Today is the 53rd birthday of Mark Romanek. Though he’s a perfectly legit Hollywood director of great films like One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go, he is also responsible for some of the greatest music videos of all time. For 20 years he has worked with top-level performers,…
Great Documentaries On Netflix Instant For Your Viewing Pleasure
I’m not the first or the last person to find their evenings and weekends swallowed by the vast expanse of Netflix Instant. Aside from saving me money from not going out every night, it’s also helped me catch up with some great documentaries that I would normally not get a…
Where Are We Drinking?
Yes, that’s a Saint Arnold pint glass, but inside it is Brooklyn beer Sixpoint. And this tavern was one of the first in Houston to stock a Sixpoint selection, including my personal favorite: Sweet Action, a cream ale that might just make you forget about all other beers for at…
Red Drawings and White Cut-Outs: Intensity and Opacity Hang Side-by-Side at Moody Gallery
In the book Red Drawings and White Cut-Outs, James Drake’s text accompaniment to the exhibition currently showing at Moody Gallery, the juxtaposition of blood-red ink stained onto large sheets of paper and works sculpted into white paper is referred to by author and Whitney Museum of American Art curator Carter…
Fast Times Freezer Back-Up Plan: Kashi Steam Meals a Solid Solution
At my house we have this saying: Man plans, dog laughs. My 12-year-old, high-maintenance, Very Expensive Yellow Lab runs our lives — and that’s fine, most of the time. Sure, it’s cost us a fortune in special diets, vet fees, surgeries and airfare change fees, but what the hell –…
Moving Day: 5 Albums I Just Can’t Quit
Reconsidering a lifetime of musical choices is a funny business. My first musical purchase? The Maxi Single for Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now). First proper album purchase? Amy Grant’s 1991 classic, Heart In Motion. Before I lose any degree of credibility, let’s move on. For the past month…
Houston Nightclub Parking Lots: After-Hours Death Factories?
If Houston’s 2012 track record is any indication, the most dangerous places in the Bayou City seem to be our roadways and nightclub parking lots. Hardly a week goes by without an argument turning into some sort of drunken shootout or brawl leaving somebody or some bodies dead on the…
Also, P!nk Hits Toyota Center February 21
Well, it’s a big morning for pop divas coming to the Bayou City. Not two minutes after we published the announcement of Lady Gaga’s return in January, Live Nation also announced that P!nk will bring her “The Truth About Love” tour to Toyota Center on February 21. Tickets for this…
Billy Fred Wray Jr.: East Texas Joker / Satan Lookalike Pleads Guilty to Beating Ex-Fiancee
Unless you have a thing for ex-cons who look exactly like a combination of the Joker and Satan, it’s hard to understand why someone would want to tie the knot with Billy Fred Wray Jr. Especially when you read that this Henderson County Hellion has a history of associating with…
Lady Gaga Bringing “Born This Way Ball” to Houston In January
Pop empress Lady Gaga will make her first Houston stop in almost two years when her “Born This Way Ball” tour visits Toyota Center January 31, Live Nation announced this morning. A pre-sale for tickets is underway right now on LittleMonsters.com. Tomorrow, cardholders with the tour’s principal sponsor, Citi, will…
Pop Rocks: We Have Met The Biggest Boobs In The Kate Middleton “Scandal,” And They Are Us
How do we know shit just got real in the brou-ha-ha surrounding those topless pics of Kate Middleton? None other than vaunted lech The Donald has weighed in: Trump tweeted, “Kate Middleton is great-but she shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude-only herself to blame” and “Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture…
Enough with These Confounded Closures! Gavroche French Red Ale
I have no idea why Gavroche is sealed the way it is. A tiny, tiny cork is inserted in the bottle, with only a fraction of an inch protruding from its rounded lip. Then, as if that weren’t enough, it is pinched in place by a piece of hardware that…
Cringe-Worthy: The Five Worst TV Ads On NFL Games This Season (So Far)
It’s NFL season, which means some of us are getting back in front of the television set again after an extended break. It almost means a slew of new TV ads, and between those two aspects it means some football fans are being exposed to the latest and not-so-greatest in…
What’s Cooking on Pinterest? Caramel Apple Popcorn
The last 50 things I have pinned on Pinterest have been some sort of fall-themed dishes. I can’t resist pinning recipes with pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, spices, caramel or any other fall ingredient. This week, I came across a caramel apple popcorn recipe that reminded me of my mom’s candied popcorn…
Say No to Cee Lo: 5 Musicians Who Should Get Sitcoms Instead
This past week, it was announced that Cee Lo Green and NBC are working together to develop a new autobiographical sitcom based on and starring the soul singer. This is, of course, a terrible idea. Sure, Cee Lo is a great singer and he’s done some acting, but would his…
John Shango: 14 Quotes From A Certifiably Insane Dallas Cowboys Fanboy Video
Since the advent of the internet, more specifically YouTube and social media, as a means for virtually anyone with a laptop and a nearby wi-fi connection to convey his or her thoughts, it seems as though the best way to get noticed is to perform the following sequence: 1. Scream…
The Many Faces of “God” on Display at Whimsical Art Car Museum Exhibition
Leave it to the art car crowd to have a lot of irreverent fun with an open-call show titled God. While a few artists did what bordered on the obvious or banal (no, really, some woman took up valuable wall space with an old oval wall mirror with the words…
Crowdsourcing or Exploitation? Amanda Palmer’s Search For Volunteer Musicians
Warning: These videos aren’t exactly safe for work. View at your risk, preferably at home with the shades drawn. Amanda Palmer is learning that Biggie was right: More money does in fact equal more problems. A while back Palmer created a Kickstarter project for her new album and tour. Her…
The Battle Hymn of the Beer-public: There’s No Room for Snobs in Craft Beer
When Mongoose versus Cobra first opened, one of my favorite things to do was sit outside on a busy Friday night and watch as the following scene played itself out over and over like some version of Groundhog Day with a different pack of confused Midtowners each time: Group of…
Cedric Keith Jones Charged With Murder in Dwayne Mitchell’s Death
Forty-year-old Cedric Keith Jones has been charged with murder and aggravated assault, accused in the killing of Dwayne Mitchell, 26, and wounding of Gilbert Mitchell, 23, on August 31. The shooting occurred at 406 East 43rd Street in Houston at 8:20 p.m. that day…
Houston Police Officer Being Investigated For Firing His Weapon Outside a Restaurant
A Houston police office working off duty as a security guard at a restaurant in the 4500 block of Lomitas, investigated a disturbance and ended up firing his weapon after a fleeing vehicle. Houston police are investigating the early morning September 15 incident involving Officer J. Seay. Seay, who was…
Exposer of Fraudulent Texas Drug Protocol Named Whistleblower of the Year
The man who exposed a drug maker’s fraudulent marketing of an antipsychotic drug that is still given to Texas’s foster care children has won the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund’s Whistleblower of the Year Award. Allen Jones was forced out of his job at the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General’s…
GoDaddy Offers Apology to Customers for “Internal Network Events”
GoDaddy is the most popular domain name registrar on the web, thanks in large part to its annoyingly incessant teaser commercials featuring pseudo risque clothing options worn well known TV and sports personalities and the promise of more if you visit the website. These ads are particularly prominent during big…
Christian Educator Had Sex With Teen Girl, Now on the Run From Police (UPDATED)
New Braunfels police have an arrest warrant and are searching for Leon Eugene Sneed, the 44-year-old (former, we guess) basketball coach at New Braunfels Christian Academy, who is accused of an “Improper Relationship between Educator and Student — Sexual Contact.” (See update at end of item for his arrest.) Police…
Allegedly Penis-Devouring Piranha Relative Hauled Out of Texas River
A pair of west Texas fisherman hauled in an authentic Jeremy Wade-certified river monster. According to the San Angelo Standard-Times, two area men were casting for catfish in the Concho River late last week when instead of a mudcat, the men landed a 21-inch, 7.95 pound red-bellied pacu, a piranha-like…
Coog Radio Celebrates a Year On the Street With Free Mango’s Show Thursday
This Thursday night Coog Radio, the University of Houston’s first-ever student-run radio outpost, will be celebrating a year of existence with a free and very killer show at Mango’s. Last year our fall intern Charne Graham covered the station’s rise here on Rocks Off. This past June, the station won…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 9, Crawfish at The Hideaway on Dunvale
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Copper Endures “La Tempête”
Episode five of Copper was one of those evolving action episodes where nothing much happens, but in episode six all of the pieces will more than likely wind up fitting and someone will get hung, beaten, or have their throat slashed. I hope it is Uncle Marcus. The episode titled…
Houston Area Could Have Temps in the 50s This Week
A couple weeks ago, we told you hurricane season was over and cooler weather was on the way. This is one of those times we really don’t mind saying, “I told you so.” While the tropics are still quite active — we are in the heart of hurricane season, after…
Recipes from the Swanky Casa de Don Julio Event: a Salute to Mexican Independence Day
Slowly but surely, I am making my way around the world via Houston’s diverse restaurants and special events. Last week, I was taken on a trip to India by way of Kiran’s. A couple of days later, I had the pleasure of being transported to Mexico by way of Casa…
Beauty & Style Deals and Steals Around Town for September 17
Welcome to the Houston Press Voice Daily Deal: Style Edition. Today’s deal is good for 50 percent off ($20 for $40) on a shellac manicure by Doris, at Satori Salon in the Galleria. If your nightly manicure routine is making you want to scream, a shellac manicure is the solution…
Corb Lund’s Bad Case of Cabin Fever
Above: Corb Lund gettin’ down on the mountain. It only takes one listen to any Corb Lund album to know the guy is witty and whip-smart. The salty Albertan who studied jazz in Edmonton before joining metal band the Smalls, also has a good sense of history and a strong…
A Little Bit of Everything at the Houston Fine Art Fair
Buttons. Pipes. Slices of foam noodles typically used for swimming. Bottle caps. Glitter. Keyboard pieces. Plastic cords. Colored Light. Candy Wrappers. String. Paint Chips. Inflated Steel. Eyeglasses. Concrete. No, all of the above are not items found at a local junkyard – they were just some of the elements that…
Comment of the Day: Voting For Romney
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…
Doctor Who: The Atrocity of Mercy
I wouldn’t bet any money on it, but I have a feeling that Matt Smith is more than halfway done as the Doctor, and that a new Time Lord will debut either this season or after a series of specials following it like his predecessor. The evidence lies in his…
Where Are We Eating?
At this critically acclaimed restaurant, an Asian spin is given to an old Southern favorite: fried green tomatoes. Here, the tomatoes are battered and fried in crispy panko while accompanying shisito peppers get the tempura treatment, making for a sweet side to the tart tomatoes. And underneath it all, a…
Top 5 People Who Should Be Judging American Idol
Over the weekend American Idol, struggling to remain relevant in the face of the televised singing-competition series it spawned like The Voice and X Factor, announced its final judges’ panel for the upcoming 12th season that begins in January. According to Entertainment Weekly, joining the previously announced Mariah Carey and…
Early Morning Shootout At Bronco’s Nightclub Leaves One Dead, Three Hurt
A wild ending to the night at a northwest-side nightclub left a security guard firing his pistol, one person dead and three injured, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and media reports said. Bronco’s Nightclub in the 10000 block of Veteran’s Memorial was the scene of the incident about 6 a.m…
5 Aguas Frescas to Try in Houston
Although I’m usually all about adult fermented liquid refreshment, I do enjoy less mood-altering beverages during the daylight hours. I’ve become especially fond of aguas frescas, which I, um, had never heard of before I came to Texas. (Central Pennsylvania is not, as one might imagine, an epicenter of Hispanic…
Saturday Night: Swans at Fitzgerald’s
Swans Fitzgerald’s September 15, 2012 Swans will be the loudest show I will see this year, and the loudest show I will ever witness at Fitzgerald’s. It wasn’t until halfway through their set, sometime in the middle of the half-hour pummeling of “The Seer” that I realized I had a…
Getting Sara Married from Theatre Suburbia: A Sitcom Rerun, With Some Charm
The set-up: Sam Bobrick’s romantic comedy, Getting Sara Married, is so airy it floats away while we’re watching. This might be perfectly acceptable when such fluff is on TV (which, trust me, is where this whole enterprise gets its inspiration), but when stuck in a theater without other distractions, a…
Lil Keke Shows True Heart of a Hustla, Talks Z-Ro’s “Retirement”
Rewind: Lil Keke Springs First Free Mixtape, Da Leak As a legend and someone who’s done everything on his own terms, Lil Keke sees the current climate in Houston and must adapt. Hence him crafting his first ever free mixtape in Da Leak. Continuing on from our interview Friday, Keke…
The Holocaust Museum’s New Exhibit Tells a Beautiful Story
Last week the Holocaust Museum opened two exhibits that brought to life the painful memories shared by first and second-generation families of the Holocaust. The two collections, “Inheritance: Stories of Memory and Discovery” and “Blood Memory: a view from the second generation” are the works of women, both New England-based,…
How To: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
You can’t go wrong with a classic dessert like a pineapple upside-down cake. The sugary, buttery topping adorned with the vintage pineapple slices and maraschino cherries makes for not only a beautiful presentation, but a wonderful and delicious cake. There are a variety of ways you can make this cake;…
Texans 27, Jaguars 7: Power Game Makes Long-Awaited Return
A week ago, Texans coach Gary Kubiak said he’d have trouble sleeping after his team struggled in the run game on both sides of the ball – a concerning trend that began in the preseason. He should rest a lot easier this week. The Texans (2-0) physically demolished Jacksonville (0-2)…
Maybe The Cougars Should Just Forget About Playing Games In The Rose Bowl
The Houston Cougars last started a season 0-3 in 2001. They also failed to win any games in 2001. But one would think that with both UAB and Tulane still on this season’s schedule, the Cougars will at least win one game this season. But hoping and praying for wins…
What’s Cooking This Week? Seared Skirt Steak, Sweet Potato Skins & 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…
Friday Night: Train at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Train Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 14, 2012 Train’s music isn’t going to win an award for composition anytime soon; it’s far too generic for that. But the San Francisco band has found a number of other ways to be creative and prove their worth to even someone like me,…
In Honor of Being Duped: Our Ten Favorite E-Mail Hoaxes and Scams
Last week, we inadvertently got taken by a Facebook post stating a collection of DVDs at Texas Children’s Hospital had been stolen. Turns out, it never happened. Oops. Sometimes, even the best of us get suckered by hoaxes of all kinds. There is a reason Al Gore someone invented Snopes…
Boom. Roasted. — The Monday Morning College Football Roast
Through the first few weeks of the football season, I had been combining my foremost thoughts and remembrances of the weekend that was in football — Texans, college, and general NFL — into the ever popular “4 Winners, 4 Losers” post. However, now we’ve got three weeks of college football…
Where the Chefs Eat: Rebecca Masson, Philip Speer, Chris Leung
For this week’s Where the Chefs Eat, we check in with three pastry chefs who are making waves for their infinitely sweet treats: Rebecca Masson, Philip Speer and Chris Leung. A favorite among chefs in town, Rebecca Masson, aka the “Sugar Hooker,” is known not only for her spunky personality…
4:50 a.m.: The 15 Best Fishing Songs We Could Find
Rocks Off never thought we’d say this, but the country eye candy behind “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer,” Billy Currington, turned out to be pretty wise. He was smart enough to record the song “Bad Day of Fishin'” anyway, which contains the sage advice “a bad day of fishing beats…
I Fought Google’s “Bacon Search” and Google Won
Like every other person in the country, I was quite charmed with Google’s new “Bacon number” search tool. If you didn’t read the Internet this weekend, you may have missed the landslide of blog posts, news articles and the like raving over how much fun you can have finding the…
Houston Texans and NFL Sunday: 4 Winners, 4 Losers
It’s funny, the cockiness that begins to creep into a fan base when their team is all of a sudden good. This just in, the Texans are good. So good are they that apparently the style in which they were manhandling the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, slowly grinding them into…
Reviews for the Lazy Gamer: Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition
Game: Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition Platform: Wii Publisher/Developer: Nintendo/HAL Laboratories Genre: Side-scroller Describe This Game in Three Words: 20 adorable years! Plot Synopsis: Well, between six games there’s not a whole lot of difference in the plot. Kirby takes on King Dedede in an effort to save his friends…
First Look at Lucille’s
Chef Chris Williams may come from Southern food royalty — his great-grandmother was Lucille Bishop Smith, a culinary pioneer who owned U.S. Smith’s Famous BBQ in Fort Worth and helped establish one of the first college-level commercial foods departments in the nation at Prairie View A&M University — but that’s…
The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: Blondie/Devo, Uncle Lucius, etc.
Houston’s football, etc., who package the spidery and poignant guitar passages of ’90s bands like Mineral and Rainer Maria into a super-crunchy outer shell, went to the UK this summer and released a three-song split with Square Business in July. Monday, see if you can talk the trio out of…
Arian Foster Dominates; Texans 27, Jags 7: They Pay For This Crap In Florida?
Consider the plight of being an NFL fan in Jacksonville. Your team gets beat up regularly, you live in a crappy city, there’s a good chance the franchise will be moving. Still, you show up. And still, you watch as your team gets decimated. Today it was the Texans, doing…
Anti-Islam Film Director Alan Roberts and His Soft Core Porn Career Reviewed
Today Gawker has reported that the film that is setting the Middle East on fire — literally — Innocence of Muslims, was directed by sometime softcore director Alan Roberts. It makes The Room look like, well, The Room. Just the mere idea of a film blaspheming the name of Islam…
Chaz Kettner, Nick Munoz: Seven Years After Gas-Station Death, Killer Still On The Loose
Seven years ago today Nick Munoz and Chaz Kettner were parked at a gas station in the 2700 block of W. Sam Houston Parkway. Both were 20; in fact it was Kettner’s birthday. Cops say they were gunned down for no good reason about 10:30 that night. The unknown suspect…
Creepy Kitty Cadaver Suggests Montrose Cat-Killer at Large (W/Sick Photos)
Yesterday afternoon, along with his son, Paul Davis embarked on a Montrose-area bike ride / photo expedition. While they relaxed under the speading arms of a majestic live oak on Marshall Street just west of the spur, he noticed something peculiar sticking out of a hole partway up the trunk…
Saturday Night Live’s Jay Pharoah in As Obama, Taran Killam to Play Paul Ryan?
Love SNL as much as we do? We’ll be live-tweeting the season opener starring Seth MacFarlane and musical guest Frank Ocean tomorrow night. Follow along with us @ArtAttackHP. Venerable comedy institution Saturday Night Live returns this weekend for its 38th season, with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane hosting and summer…
This Week In Deliciousness: Fun Abroad, Bummer At Home
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating…Our Words, where fall is finally here and we can go outside again, except OH NO WAIT, everything’s made of mosquitoes and allergens. Right around the time the weather gets nice enough to roll down the window of your car, the pleasant…
Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day Concert Film Coming to Houston October 17
Rewind: Squeezing the Lemon: Led Zeppelin & the 10 Most Shocking Rock and Roll Reunions This week we all saw the trailer to Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day, the concert film shot at Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion show in honor of Atlantic Records impresario Ahmet Ertegun. The film will be playing…
Missing Houston Journalist, Austin Tice: Where Are You?
It’s now been 33 days since anyone’s heard from missing Houston journalist Austin Tice, lost somewhere in Syria, possibly in captivity, and even Twitter’s gone quiet about him. This is how these things work, unfortunately, when it comes to social media — everyone expresses outrage, panic, disappointment, whatever, but then…
Jil Sander’s $630 Lunch Bag: Andy Warhol-esque or Just Grotesque?
Last week I climbed into the car at an ungodly early hour to take my husband to the airport. The car radio, as always, was tuned to NPR. I was hardly paying attention, but at some point the words “fashion” and “runway” broke through my early-morning exhaustion, and I tuned…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 10, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza at Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Lil Keke Springs First Free Mixtape, Da Leak
To Houston rap fans, Lil Keke needs no introduction. Being the man who coined many slangs and phrases for Houston rap, The Don presses on with new material. His recently released mixtape Da Leak is the first actual freebie of his career and a prelude to another street opus, Heart…
Squeezing the Lemon: Led Zeppelin & the 10 Most Shocking Rock and Roll Reunions
Five years ago this week, Led Zeppelin fans young and old squeezed their pants full of lemon juice when the band’s three surviving golden gods — Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones – announced that they’d be reuniting for a one-off concert in London. John Bonham’s son Jason…
Week in Photos: Tolerance
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…
Street Foods of India at Kiran’s: The Perfect Launch for the Houston Metro Cooking Show and the Curry Digest Video Series
If you’re like most Houstonians, you haven’t, in the past week, been swept off your feet and transported to India and back in a matter of hours, experiencing the joy of Indian street foods, upbeat music, age-old traditions and exotic beverages in between. But to my own and a diverse…
Currently Unoccupied: 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…
UT Bomb Threat About Over, Classes May Resume (UPDATED, No Classes Today)
An unusual morning in Austin seems to be coming to a calm end. Students and staff received the above warning today after the University of Texas says it got several calls featuring “a middle eastern accent” warning of bombs on campus and connections to Al-Quaeda. Students mostly milled about the…
Twin Shadow On Taking Texas & Why You Should Always Wear a Helmet
Although the phrasing makes it sound like a military campaign, make no mistake about the Twin Shadow Takes Texas tour: This is a celebration of a state whose fans have been supportive of the music and played host to some of Twin Shadow’s best shows. Part of a larger national…
Junot Diaz: “The Half-life of Love Is Forever” & Chance to Win His Book
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz doesn’t think about the critics when he’s writing. “I’m still waiting to figure out how to write for a critic. That’s never going to happen, I don’t think,” he tells us laughing. “A book has no real, identifiable audience in the end. The only audience…
Climate Change, a Hard Fact for European Winemakers
My wife, daughter and I are on the last leg of a road trip that has taken us through ten of Italy’s 20 regions, from the far northeast to Mt. Vesuvius on the western coast of the south, to the tip of the heel of the boot in Lecce (Apulia…
7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Bang Bangz, Praia Urbana, Greezy Wheels, Etc.
First up: Damn. According to Space City Rock (via Pegstar), the upcoming Guided by Voices show next Monday (Sept. 24) at Warehouse Live has been canceled. That would have been cool. Anyhow, if you’re a fan of shimmery guitars and sad songs, get thee to Cactus Music this evening at…
What, Larry Dierker Wants To Come Back? Then What Are The Astros Waiting For?
You’ve probably checked out on the Astros already, at least you have judging by the attendance. But the Astros are busy making preparations for next season in hopes that they’ll be able to grab your attention and get you back out to the ballpark. They’ve fired most of the front…
Video Game Atlas: The Citadel
Once a week Art Attack will offer you a handy little travel guide to the fictional worlds of video games. Name: The Citadel, Mass Effect series Population: 13.2 million Government: Galactic cooperative Last week I splurged my dough in the massive entertainment complex of the Gold Saucer, the massive man-made…
Upcoming Events: Oktoberfest Contests, Beer-and-Burger Pairings and Free Food Truck Lunches for All
Celebrate 20 years of artist studios at Lawndale Art Center and five years of the Lawndale Artist Studio Program with Tasteful Art, a special tasting event featuring local contemporary artists and chefs at the historic and beautiful Hofheinz House (3900 Milam). Lawndale is bringing culinary artists onboard for this unique…
Paul McCartney Tickets On Sale Now, Minus $350 Service Fees
Rewind: Who Is Paul McCartney? Rocks Off Tells You 1965: Remembering Houston’s Summer of Beatlemania Tickets for Sir Paul McCartney’s November 14 concert at Minute Maid Park, the once and future Beatle’s first show in Houston since 2005, are now on sale at Ticketmaster. Right now. And just to make…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Finding Nemo 3D
Title: Finding Nemo 3D *Sigh* Another Disney Re-Release? Yeah, well, when your competition is the latest (and not screened for critics…grrr) Resident Evil movie, what have you got to lose? Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Four WWII naval mines out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Disturbed loner…
Happy Birthday to the Queen of Crime: The Agatha Christie Gift Guide
Agatha Christie was called the Queen of Crime, and rightly so; she wrote more than 80 mystery novels, dozens of short stories and plays. This Saturday is the 122nd anniversary of her birth on September 15, 1890. Mystery fans around the world will celebrate. In case you have an Agatha…
National Rice Month: Shrimp Biryani at Khyber Indian Restaurant
September is National Rice Month, and in honor of this glorious grain, I’ve decided to cook and sample a few rice dishes in and around Houston. I first tried biryani when I was traveling in Andhra Pradesh, whose capital Hyderabad is especially famous for a certain variant of the dish…
Donald Fagen Turns In Essay/Press Release For New Album
Rewind: Last Night: Dukes of September Rhythm Revue at The Woodlands The press release that went out in advance of Donald Fagen’s newest solo album, Sunken Condos, is the most exhaustive one I have ever seen in recent memory. I thought I knew the gist of Fagen’s career, from his…
Christian Londono, 28: Guy Who Walked To His Gas-Station Death ID’d; Suspect Arrested
Houston police have identified the man who was dumped out of a car and left for dead September 6, a man who then walked to a nearby gas station to call 911. Christian Londono, 28, was dumped from a gray Chrysler Pacifica near the 1500 block of State Highway 6…
Six Custom License Plates For UH’s Horrendous 2012 Start
The 2012 football season promised to be a tough one for the UH Cougars — their coach had moved on to greener pastures, their record-setting quarterback graduated to the NFL, a lot of adjustments had to be made — but we’re not sure anyone thought it would be this tough…
Frederica von Stade Will Solo and Sing a Duet at HGO Gala Monday Night
World-renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade will sing a solo and a duet at Monday night’s gala for Houston Grand Opera — offering a wonderful opportunity for opera lovers to hear a woman who has sung most of her roles with the New York Metropolitan Opera. But she has traveled as…
Last Night: Mission of Burma at Fitzgerald’s
Mission of Burma, The Gary, Black Congress Fitzgerald’s September 13, 2012 In a day and age when so many of the great groups from yesteryear seem to be reuniting solely for a paycheck, it’s refreshing to see a band treat its own reformation as a chance to make up for…
Chef Chat, Part 3: David Grossman of Branchwater Tavern and His New American Cuisine
Branch Water Tavern 510 Shepherd 713-863-7777 www.branchwatertavern.com This is Part 3 of the three-part Chef Chat series. Read Part 1 and Part 2 here. This week, we chatted with Chef David Grossman of Branch Water Tavern and found out how he got started in the industry, how he defines his…
Trailer Park: Lincoln Has a Trailer And It’s…Okay
On Thursday evening during a Google+ hangout with director Steven Spielberg and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the trailer for Lincoln was shown to the public for the first time. Earlier in the week a smaller teaser had been released, but last night the world got their first true glimpse at Daniel…
It Ain’t Racial, It’s Just That Almost 80 Percent Of White Texans Support Mitt Romney
There hasn’t been much presidential polling in Texas for good reason this cycle — with Rick Perry disastrously out of the race, why bother? But the good folks at WPA Opinion Research have filled the void with a new post-Dem-convention survey, and no one should be surprised that it shows…
Health Department Roundup: Vietnamese Edition, Plus Feast and Peeing Outside
Quite a few Vietnamese places in this week’s reports, from Midtown to the west side. And at the end of this post we address peeing outside, so stick around. Pho Saigon (2808 Milam) got hit with five violations last week: dirty non-food-contact surfaces; dirty floors; raw food and cooked food…
Keith Morris Talks OFF!, Politics & Touring In 2012
Next Thursday night, punk legend Keith Morris comes to Warehouse Live for his second Houston visit in a year with his group OFF!. The band is made up of Morris, Steven McDonald of Redd Kross, drummer Mario Rubalcaba, and guitarist Dimitri Coats, also front man of Burning Brides. OFF! was…
100 Creatives 2012: Lupe Mendez, Poet and Poem Pusher
Whoever said poetry was a dying art has never met Lupe Mendez. Mendez has found a way to weave this form of the written word into his every day. Whether it is his work as a teacher, his association with “Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say” or his own…
Football! This Weekend’s Best Bets, “Taking The Escalator” Edition (Also, Praise For UConn’s Jim Calhoun)
Sitting and watching Jim Calhoun’s retirement press conference as I type this post, and I got to thinking….it’s nice to build something. In 1986, Jim Calhoun inherited a UConn men’s basketball program that was 12-16 the year before and to that point had won just four NCAA tournament games in…
The League of Extraordinary Internet Trolls 2: Troll Harder
Previously, I brought Art Attack readers a selection of a new kind of performance artist in the form of dedicated political trolls that used screen caps of their attacks on right-wing Facebook pages as their gallery shows. Duke St. Rollins, Duchess St. Rollins, Chest Strongwell and Surly Thor all treat…
Openings & Closings: New Locations for Pappa Geno’s and the Great W’Kana
The restaurant that Eater Houston called the most anticipated opening of the year is here, so anticipate no more: The Pass & Provisions had its soft opening on Wednesday night and will be open for business this weekend. No surprise there, as the two-in-one restaurant from Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence…
Sunday: Niki & the Dove Bring Electric Instinct to Houston
Sweden produces some of the best electronic music in the world, as evidenced by the exhilarating Covenant show that hit Numbers two weeks ago. This time, Fitz’s gets to host some Scandinavian beep-and-boopery, and it doesn’t get any better than Niki & the Dove. I first got into the band…
Heads Up: Jekyll & Hyde Opening Night Delayed By a Day
Heads up theatergoers. Theatre Under the Stars has just announced that its season opener, Jekyll & Hyde, starring Houston favorite Constantine Maroulis, has been delayed by a day and will instead open Wednesday, October 10. TUTS learned just this morning that the tour wouldn’t be able to make it to…
Six HPD Officers To Be Honored By Governor For Above-And-Beyond Services Rendered
Governor Rick Perry will honor six Houston police officers tomorrow for the service they gave the public, service that left them wounded from gunshots or other actions. The officers will receive the Star of Texas Award, which “were created to honor and commemorate selected first responders who made profound commitments…
Laura Pendergest-Holt: Former Stanford Financial Head Gets Three Years In Prison
Laura Pendergest-Holt, 39, the former chief investment officer for the Ponzi-scheming Stanford Financial Group, got her prison sentence today: up to three years in a federal pen. She got her sentence, prosecutors say, for “obstructing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into Stanford International Bank (SIB), the Antiguan…
Comment of the Day: There’s Enough Jargon In This iPhone5 Comment For All Of Us
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…
Downtown Light Rail Closed This Weekend
If your weekend plans including tooling around downtown on the light rail, get ready to make some adjustments. Businesses and residences will be open as usual, but construction between the Downtown Transit Center and UH-Downtown stations will be suspended and buses will be used instead. The shuttle buses will operate…
The Tontons Premiere “Golden” Video, Announce Tour Dates
Today local indie-rockers The Tontons finally released their clip for “Golden” onto the world, with the clip written and directed by Tom Adams and the band’s own Tom Nguyen at War’Hous off Main. In addition to premiering the video, they also announced new tour dates into early November, including appearances…
100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 11, Camarones Henesy en Hamaca at Arturo Boada Cuisine
This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we’re counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston’s cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once…
Matt Farcher Plays the Villain Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
For the longest time, Matt Farcher was going to be a baseball player. That was the plan. He grew up in a tight-knit family and his father loved touring Major League Baseball parks. The dream was to see all of them. When it came time to pick a college, Farcher…
Save on Tex-Mex at Azteca, Sushi at Crave and Kata Robata, and American Diner Fare at 59 Diner
Today’s Houston Press Voice Daily Deal is good for 52 percent off ($12 for $25) of delicious Tex-Mex fare at Azteca’s Bar & Grill. Azteca’s — a Best of Houston® winner for Best Frozen Margarita — has an extensive Tex-Mex menu that will have you salivating. Enjoy favorites like fajitas…
Nightmares Come True In Mothlite’s “Seeing In the Dark”
Daniel O’Sullivan is a ridiculously talented, multiinstrumentalist that records under so many different monikers he’s damn near impossible to keep up with. You might save yourself some time by just assuming any new depressing song sung in an English accent is by him. His latest work in video form comes…
Duane Charles Parker, Johnny Pepper: Police Seek More Victims Of Alleged Online Solicitor/Masturbator
If you or your kid have had any online dealings with a dude who looks like this guy on the right, beware. Law-enforcement officials in Montgomery and Galveston counties say he is a sexual predator who has been stalking and contacting underage girls on the net, and they’re not sure…
UPDATED: Texas Children’s Hospital DVD Collection Stolen (Well, Not So Much)
UPDATE: Editor’s note: Turns out there was not a major theft of DVDs from Texas Children’s, as this just-released statement from the hospital makes clear. It still gives some other ways to help. Call us chagrined. Texas Children’s FaceBook Statement: Yesterday we received a number of calls about DVDs being…
Rock Arcade: 6 Musicians Featured In Video Games
Recently Green Day have been trying to promote their latest album by infiltrating all forms of mainstream media and somebody in the band must have realized that Angry Birds is a thing so why should it be left out? That is, presumably, how the world came to see Green Day…
The Land of Tomatoes and Honey: A Tour of the White House Kitchen Garden
Although it’s not officially fall yet, plump orange pumpkins are resting on mounds of hay and dirt in and around two plots that — along with dozens of others — make up the 1,100 square feet White House Kitchen Garden. It’s a warm day in early September and the garden…
Free for All: Houston Public Media Silent Film Concert Series, Third Coast Dance Film Festival, Museum District Day, and Traders Village 6th Annual Fiestas Patrias
The Houston Public Media Silent Film Concert Series continues on Friday with F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). Adapted from Hermann Sudermann’s short story “A Trip to Tilsit,” Sunrise tells the story of a simple country man (George O’Brien) involved with a devious mistress (Margaret Livingston). At…
Forever Donatto: Your Spooky, Rain-Soaked Baby-Shooting Video Of The Day
Investigators have released a surveillance video of the drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of 11-month-old Forever Donatto August 13. There’s not much in terms of information about the 3 a.m. shooting in the 8300 block of Ponnel in northwest Houston, but the overall vibe is creepy and sinister…
Chef Chat, Part 2: David Grossman of Branch Water Tavern on the Restaurant’s Name, Modern Cuisine and His Epic Last Meal
Branch Water Tavern 510 Shepherd 713-863-7777 www.branchwatertavern.com This is Part 2 of a three-part chef chat series. Read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space on Friday. Yesterday, we chatted with Chef David Grossman about the beginnings of his rise to chef-dom. Today, he explains the meaning…
RIP Johnny Perez: Sir Douglas Quintet Drummer Dies at 69
Johnny Perez, drummer for legendary ’60s Texas garage-rockers the Sir Douglas Quintet, has died. Perez passed away in a hospital near Los Angeles due to complications of cirrhosis of the liver, according to the San Antonio Express-News. He was 69. Perez was a Golden Gloves-level amateur boxer and attended San…
Trend Alert: Glossybox, Glymm, Birch Box Deliver High-End Samples to Your Door
Back in July I wrote about my deep and abiding love of trial-size, sample-size gifts-with-purchase from beauty and cosmetic counters. In fact, it is just this obsession with all things tiny that prompted me to heavily invest in some Bobbi Brown products during the Neiman Marcus beauty event (going on…
Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure: Not as Good as the Original, But Entertaining
The setup: Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, the original 1899 “comedy” featuring the world’s most famous detective, was written by actor William Gillette with assistance by creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Gillette, a Broadway star of immense magnitude, used the play as a vehicle for himself, as Holmes, that he…
William Duncan, East Texas Teacher, Busted Peddling Meth in Junior High Parking Lot, Police Say
First there was a real-life Walter White busted allegedly selling meth in Alabama…And now we have the case of William Duncan, 43-year-old junior high science teacher in Cass County, Texas. According to police in the town of Linden, Duncan sold meth to an undercover cop in the parking lot of…
My Trip to Napa Valley: Part II
I’m pretty sure I fell in love with Napa. It’s like an alcoholic’s wine lover’s Disneyland; a land with a picturesque landscape and fantastic crisp breeze, with some of the world’s best wine at your fingertips, just ripe for the taking. And the food scene: TDF. I was lucky enough…
The Clash In Houston, 1979: The Devil In Mick Jones
Rewind: The Clash In Houston, 1979: A Case of Legionaire’s Disease During The Clash’s October 1979 show at Cullen Theater, photographer Andy Abbott, situated in the front row with 35mm camera gear at the ready, began snapping pics of Jerry Anomie of headliners Legionaire’s Disease Band when, he says, “I…
Pop Rocks: A Pop Culture Nerd’s Guide to the NFL — The AFC
Welcome to the second installment in this hugely popular look at the National Football League, made more user-friendly for the sports-challenged among you by yours truly. Last Tuesday we took a gander at the NFC (or “National Football Conference”). Today it’s the AFC’s turn. The “A” stands for “American.” Like…
Canned Acoustica VI Set For Friday at Warehouse Live
The sixth Canned Acoustica concert is coming up on Friday night on the Warehouse Live Green Room stage, and the lineup features B L A C K I E, Craig Kinsey, Second Lovers, New York City Queens, and Featherface. If you have never been to one of these shows –…
Football Season Is Here: Game Day Food
I’m not going to lie … one of my favorite parts about football season is getting to cook and bake different foods to help my family and friends cheer on our team. Whether it is the Super Bowl or just a regular season game, there’s always something you can whip…
9 Ways To Get Astros Fans In The Seats
I admit that I have only seen two Houston Astros baseball games at Minute Maid Park this year. It’s not as if their losing and heartbreaking ways are keeping me away though. It’s always been an evening option for me, but I rarely take the ‘Stros up on the offer…
The Intestinal Pretzel at Feast
When one of my out-of-town friends mildly complained how the recent rise in vegetarianism among her social circle left her with nary a friend with whom to chow down on animal flesh, I promised to take her to Feast during her visit to Houston. She did not object. On a…
Houston Kickstarter Round-Up: September — Film & Art Projects
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. L4D RUN — Left 4 Dead Short Film Video Project DugFinn Shabranigdo and her friends…
Y2J Forever: Fozzy’s Chris Jericho Steps Out of the Ring and Onto the Charts
This weekend the last of the big touring festivals rolls into town in the form of the Uproar Festival. The 2012 edition of the tour brings some of the bigger names in hard rock’s past (Godsmack, Staind) and present (Shinedown, Adelita’s Way) to The Woodlands. Listed among the bands playing…
Galveston Cop Wins Humane Society Award for Busting Big Cockfighting Ring
Galveston Police Sgt. Joel Caldwell has won an award from the Humane Society of the United States for his role in organizing a December raid of a facility that had 350 roosters raised for cockfighting. Caldwell was the first officer in Texas to make an arrest under a 2011 law…
Roy de la Garza on The Broken Spoke Fire and What’s Next
Roy de la Garza was already having a bad month before a fire destroyed his restaurant: His partner at The Broken Spoke Cafe, Catherine Duwez, had left unexpectedly to start a rival Belgian restaurant a few months prior, and business was down. “Cathy kind of threw us for a loop…
TV Teens Who Could Use Some Safe-Sex Product Placement
Product placement is being taken to an entirely new level, and I’m not talking about the obvious shot of the updated VW Beetle in the new Bond trailer. Now, in addition to the plethora of product placement that the TV slams down our unsuspecting/suspecting throats, there is a recent move…
Top 5 Nearby Fall Festivals & County Fairs
As the recent weather has proved, there’s no better time to be outdoors in Texas than fall. In springtime, there’s always that lingering knowledge that summer is right around the corner, so this time of year there’s nothing else to look forward to but Santa Claus. It’s also harvest time,…
Texans Tailgate Thursdays: The Lone Spot Tailgaters on Guacamole and Beer for Breakfast
It’s well known that the Houston Texans have one of the greatest tailgating traditions in the country, a fact made more impressive by the team’s relative youth. On Thursdays during football season, we’re spotlighting groups that make Texans tailgating the pride of Houston. I was surprised that no one had…
Notre Dame (Kind Of) Joins The ACC — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
Times change, and in the constantly evolving (or if you’re the Big East, constantly imploding) landscape of college conference affiliation, they can change at the drop of a hat. We found that out once again on Wednesday. In the last two years, with conference realignment effecting virtually every FBS conference…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Dog Park,” “Emily Sloan: Enlight,” “Glass Graphica” “James Turrell: Holograms,” “Lillian Warren: Wait With Me,” “Michael Petry: Bad Restoration”
“Dog Park” G Gallery put out the open call earlier this summer for artists who use dogs as subject matter in their work. And the resulting show is indeed a winner. It has a range of mediums, from paintings to photography to sculpture, with submissions by some of the Houston…
Blackie Dammett, Don’t Poke the Bear
Blackie Dammett and Don’t Poke the Bear are two bands that need to be bigger on the Houston radar. This Continental Club gig — right after Beetle’s packed Liverpudlian throwdown — should do the heavy lifting. Anyone who has seen Don’t Poke the Bear live has been mystified by guitarist…
Jason Allen
Domesticity is at the heart of Jason Allen’s new CD, Lovin’ You, from boasting about being the “No. 1 diaper daddy” in “Bouncin’ Babies” to admiring a woman out on the town on radio-country rocker “She’s Going Out Tonight” and pining for the altar on the old-school two-step “Mudflap Girl.”…
No Raises, More BBQ
Highlights from Hair Balls SPACED CITY No Raises, More BBQ Hard times hit the Chron Richard Connelly The Houston Chronicle, like many if not all print-journalism outlets, is still trying to adjust to the ever-changing conditions that have been thrust on it. Fear not: The paper has undertaken a campaign…
Beats Antique
Get a slice of old-world exotica mixed with slinky new-school beats with Beats Antique, the only world-touring bellydance/electro/gypsy outfit roaming the land today. The West Coast collective — the Bay Area, to be exact — is touring behind Contraption Vol. 2, which hits shelves next week. A new video for…
Yum, Fried Bubble Gum
TEXAS TRAVELER Some go for the carnival-style attractions. Others go for the garden exhibition. Thousands go for the live musical entertainment. Many go for the shopping. But the truth of the matter is, all flock to the State Fair of Texas for the food. In its more than 125 years…
Capsule Stage Reviews: 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, Girls Only — the Secret Comedy of Women, Happily Ever at the Box, Leading Ladies, Life Could Be a Dream, Next Fall, Superior Donuts
2 Pianos, 4 Hands Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra, both talented Canadian pianists and actors trained for careers as classical musicians, have created a play with music that defies description. It uses humor, musical ability and insightful memories of childhood piano lessons to delineate a world of ambition, frustrations, hard…
Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra
Kickstarter is all the rage these days for independent artists looking to raise dough to make both their dreams and the dreams of their fans come true. Houston’s own Craig Kinsey and thelastplaceyoulook are currently running Kickstarter campaigns, and avant-garde popper Amanda Palmer ended up raising more than $1.2 million…
Santa Muerte: Patron Saint of the Drug War
Sunny Flea Market on Airline Drive is as full of raw life as any place in the state of Texas, especially on this hot Sunday afternoon in August. Fifty thousand weekly visitors stroll its long rows of covered market stalls, where more than 1,000 vendors offer a cradle-to-grave bonanza of…
Does Calling a Mexican “Hispanic” or “Latino” Say Something about Your Political Ideology?
Dear Mexican: Is it just me, or has what to call our friends from south of the border become a partisan issue? While taking in both political conventions over the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed that Republicans invariably use the word “Hispanics” while Democrats are far more likely to…
Santa Muerte: Know Your Narco Saints
Santa Muerte is not the only object of supernatural devotion in the drug trade. Far from it. In fact, she’s something of a Johnny-come-lately in Mexican folk religion, and for as long as there have been smugglers in the borderlands, people have prayed to a litany of saints, some authorized…
Nundini: Straight from the Old Country
Get a feel for Nundini’s “simpatico ambience” in our slideshow. As you enter Nundini Chef’s Table Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar on North Shepherd, just above the Katy Freeway, you are greeted by a wall of imported Italian pastas with wonderfully politically incorrect names like strozzapreti (priest stranglers) and anelli…
For Beach House, Everything Is Necessary
Baltimore dream-rockers Beach House have racked up some serious indie cred over the last few years, their hazy avant-pop tunes landing them steady slots at top music festivals like SXSW, Austin City Limits and Pitchfork. The trio’s smoky-voiced front woman, Victoria Legrand, certainly doesn’t hurt their cause. Her husky vocals…
Beautiful Butterfly
As his first full-length ballet, Madame Butterfly is Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch’s calling card. Taking its cue from the iconic Puccini opera, which in turn was inspired by the popular fictional narrative by John Luther Long, the ballet is a tragic tale of betrayal set in nineteenth-century Japan…
Blondie: The Best New Wave Band of All Time
When it comes to American bands of the ’70s still out there on tour, Blondie has aged the best, which is to say their music hasn’t aged much at all. Fronted by one of rock’s most iconic women, Debbie Harry, the New Yorkers mingled garage rock and Phil Spector pop…
Flogging Nemo
A re-release whose cash-grab intentions are as transparent as the crystal-clear Sydney ocean, Finding Nemo 3-D exists only to relieve parents of money for a movie they undoubtedly already own. Disney’s double-dip of Andrew Stanton’s beloved 2003 adventure features absolutely no new content — save for the boisterous prefacing short…
Mission of Burma
Boston’s Mission of Burma took the sneering aggression and art-spastic manner of Wire or Gang of Four and clamped it on the New England rock scene like a hammerlock. One of the most important U.S. post-punk bands, the quartet was also one of the first to include a sound engineer…
