Facebook’s Big Announcement Could Mean Some Crazy Collaborations: Our Top 5 Predictions
There’s a steady rumbling across the Internet today in anticipation of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s gigantic announcement tomorrow about the next incarnation of Facebook. The announcement will be made during the F8 developer conference going on in San Francisco, and according to certain sources, it is likely to be “media changing.”…
NFL Tells Teams They Better Stop Diving (w/ VIDEO)
I never played professional (or college…or high school…) football, but as a fan of the game and as someone who covers it as my job, it would seem to me that faking an injury is about the most cowardly thing you can do. I bring this up because in the…
Glen Campbell’s 15 Greatest Hits – As A Guitarist
In a few hours, Rocks Off will be down at the Stafford Centre, watching the sold-out first Houston-area stop on Glen Campbell’s extended “Farewell Tour.” It might be the only one, but the tour is booked well into 2012, so we figure there’s got to be a Dosey Doe date…
Comment of the Day: Getting Serious about Tortillas
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…
HPD Kingwood Under Investigation for Alleged Overtime Abuses
An anonymous source has chronicled to Hair Balls a recent history of overtime funding abuses by the Houston Police Department Kingwood Division. The first, according to the source, occurred on May 22 during a private benefit for Sergeant Billy Ray Wilburn, otherwise known as the “Elvis Cop” due to his…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 7, Texas Shrimp Chaat at Pondicheri
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…
Joke’s (Probably) On You, Houston Renoir Thief!
A Renoir painting was stolen from what we assume is a ritzy westside home earlier this month. So it’s probably now hanging on the wall of a unfathomably rich mysterious Russian or Japanese financier, right? Nope. It’s probably sitting in the burglar’s garage, according to one of the foremost art-crime…
That Stolen Renoir Is Probably Sitting in a Garage Somewhere
A Renoir painting was stolen from what we assume is a ritzy westside home earlier this month. So it’s probably now hanging on the wall of an unfathomably rich mysterious Russian or Japanese financier, right? Nope. It’s probably sitting in the burglar’s garage, according to one of the foremost art-crime…
Ingredient of the Week: Tortillas
If you live in Texas, the tortilla is a staple in your pantry right next to the loaf of Texas toast. It’s such a regular part of our diet, we often don’t think twice about its history or endless possibilities. Stop a minute, and give the tortilla the attention it…
Drain You: The 10 Most Expensive Nirvana Items On eBay
Today officially marks 20 years, yes two decades, since Nirvana’s Nevermind hit stores and started a whole new movement in music, er, well at least brought one further above ground. The past month the music world has been awash in articles and blogs about Nevermind, with the three living architects,…
Countdown to BestFest: 2 Days Left, Plus Bonus Deals!
Our first ever BestFest block party is taking place this weekend in Midtown to celebrate our upcoming 23rd annual Best of Houston® issue, and you don’t want to miss out. In addition to big-name bands like Cake and the Toadies, plenty of Houston legends will be performing on our two…
Cinema Slap Fight: Sex And The City 2 Vs. Highlander II
The movie sequel, once an rare phenomenon, has now come to make up (along with its dread cousin the remake) the bulk of Hollywood box office receipts. Taking a quick look at the top 10 earners of 2011 so far, my groundbreaking statement is easily proven out: Harry Potter and…
Chef Chat, Part 1: Grant Gordon of Tony’s
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about young Executive Chef Grant Gordon of Tony’s. Last month, he collaborated on a hugely successful Les Sauvages pop-up dinner with Chefs Justin Basye and Peter Jahnke. Gordon was also among the youngest of the finalists who were nominated for Up-and-Coming Chef of…
Off-Broadway Hit I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change in Katy
The second longest-running off-Broadway musical ever, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is headed for community theater in Katy courtesy of the Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center and Encore Players. Sam Houston State senior Erin Eder, 21, is the co-director of this production which was selected, she told…
Bass Pro Shops Alleged Racism: The Five Worst Quotes from Managers
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed suit against the national Bass Pro Shop chain here in Houston, alleging it routinely discriminated against minorities in its hiring practices. The nine-page complaint offers these gems: 5. In 2006, the human resources manager in a Louisiana store asked the manager why a…
“Guns N’ Roses” Coming To Town In November
And R.E.M. breaks up on the same day. What did we do to deserve this? Anyhow, the tour, sponsored by Monster Energy, will feature Guns N’ Roses Axl Rose & friends playing “all their hits” for two and a half hours. Sorry, Chinese Democracy fans. No specific Houston date or…
From Drive to The Prisoner: Our 5 Favorite Nameless On-Screen Characters
There are thousands of unnamed movie roles, usually belonging to minor characters or extras — “Extremely Ugly Girl” (played by a multi-role-juggling Arsenio Hall in Coming to America), or, if we’re sticking with ’80s movies, “Mouse Wrangler” in Scrooged. Then, of course, there are the nameless main characters, the ones…
Cover Story: Did You Know the Fastest-Growing Gold- and Silver-Buying Company in Texas Is Run by a Three-time Felon?
Less than a month ago, Inc.com ranked Houston-based Gold and Silver Buyers, Inc. as the eighth-fastest growing company in America. Since 2008, the company has grown from one storefront in the Copperfield H-E-B to more than 70 outlets stretching from Longview to the Valley and west to San Antonio. Three-year…
El Real Tex-Mex Cafe & Shrine: Revival of the Fittest
Earlier this week, it was reported that Trader Joe’s will likely be moving into the old Alabama Theater on West Alabama at Shepherd, thereby saving the old theater from obscurity and possible demolition. It’s the latest in a string of good news for Houston’s old movie houses, which are as…
R.I.P. R.E.M.: Goodnight To The Men On The Moon
Sad news out of Athens, Ga. today: To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished…
The Overwhelming Simplicity of “Raimund Girke 1930 – 2002” at Gallery Sonja Roesch
Raimund Girke made deceptively simple paintings — the kind of art that people think their kids could do. With determined gesture and controlled expression, the late German artist dragged long, brushy strokes across his canvases. It’s pretty masterful work; the marks are forceful and unwavering, the paintings dominated by strokes…
Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs
Joe Dressner Tributes: There was a disturbance in the Force over the weekend when news broke, early Sunday morning, that iconoclast importer of “real” wines Joe Dressner (right) had succumbed to brain cancer at age 60. Dressner was “an importer whose advocacy of Old World wines made without chemicals or…
HPD Says: Please Help Us Find the Guys Who Stole Our Bait Car
The idea behind police bait cars is a sound one — rig up a car that’s just begging to be stolen, put it in a vulnerable spot and then wait for a thief to try his luck. It doesn’t always work, though. KHOU reports that HPD is asking for the…
New Orleans’ Ponderosa Stomp: A Photo Diary
Maybe it’s age or my ever-increasing tailspin of stagnating taste, but I just don’t find music festivals palatable in the slightest these days. Multi-day romps to summertime smorgasboards is for the birds. No matter if it takes place in Chicago or Austin, it’s always hotter than Hades, the sound tends…
5 Reasons to Attend BestFest This Weekend
With BestFest just around the corner, we thought we’d give those slackers in our audience who haven’t bought tickets yet a few good reasons to hang out with us this weekend. You know, beyond the incredible music, awesome arts events and the chance to spend some quality time outdoors now…
Facebook Complaints: A Crisis for Our Time
The universe has been rent to shreds, life as we know it has ended, and doom and despair ride the land. Or something like that. Facebook did some stuff today, and if there’s one thing about social media, it’s that nothing can be changed without a ton of people bitching…
Taro Puffs at Hong Kong Dim Sum
I love dim sum. I love the variety of dishes, the low prices, and the pleasant nap that inevitably follows my (over)consumption of fried dainties. Seems even endless cups of jasmine tea can’t keep me awake after multiple dumplings. The problem is that I can’t always afford to drift into…
Dear Writers: Your Readings Suck. Here’s How to Make Them Better
If you’ve had any kind of experience like I’ve had, you know that readings in this town can occasionally be subpar. I’m sure this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Houston, but I’ve experienced it enough here to realize that seeing a reclusive, awkward, alcoholic writer stand up in front of a…
30 Seconds With Blackguard’s Paul Ablaze
We sat down with Paul Ablaze of Blackguard to see what we could learn about the vocalist for one hell of a metal act out of Quebec in 30 seconds. Rocks Off: What is the worst song in the world? Paul Ablaze: Right now I would say that stupid peacock…
Houston Says: Make the Call on Suspicious Activities, Or Just Things You Think Are Suspicious
The city of Houston has put up a new Web page called “Make the Call.” Our federal, state and local governments are working hard to keep us safe, but we all play a role in securing our public spaces. You are the first line of defense in protecting our fellow…
Five Lemonades To Try in Houston
In triple-digit temperatures, a frosty glass of tangy lemonade can really hit the spot after walking across death valley (re: your office parking lot). And if it’s made with real lemons, lemonade is also a good source of Vitamin C and thus a great way to ward off those pesky…
Memphis the Musical: Racial Taboos and Secrets
Type the phrase “interracial dating” into a Google search and more than 4.7 million results show up. Most of the first screen is about how to achieve such a relationship. But back in the 1950s, it was a secret so taboo that no one wanted to talk about it, actress…
A Cooler Coke: Hata Original Ramune Soda
Back in middle school, a bunch of my peers got deeply, dorkily involved in Japanese pop culture. Cartoons, toys, various scholastic accessories; if it was Japanese, it was cool. I never really got the appeal, finding many of the cutesy icons unpalatably silly. Perhaps, had I paid more attention while…
Heights Vinyl Prepares To Plant Its Flag
Houston vinyl enthusiasts will soon have a new spot to score their drug of choice. Avid collectors may have come across notices advertising a “Big Pre-Opening 45 Sale” for a mysterious locale known as Heights Vinyl, set for this Saturday. The shop itself won’t be open until November, but the…
Comment of the Day: Por Favor, Nanny
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…
Six More Reasons to Go to the Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest
Yesterday we gave you the five best reasons to go to the Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest this Saturday and Sunday in Midtown. We are by no means backing off from them, but we never said the list was exhaustive. Here are six more reasons you need to be…
4 More Brilliant Authors Who Are Also Douchebags
Well, friends and enemies, you apparently loved our original look into the lives of masters of the written word who happened to be somewhat moral sinkholes so much we decided to bring you a second installment. Some of these come from reader suggestions, and some just got left off the…
Broke Down: A Playlist From The Middle Of Nowhere
There are eight spark plugs in the Eddie Bauer edition of Ford’s 2001 Expedition. Eight. And if one of them isn’t working properly – if it becomes loose or stripped or a gremlin sneaks under the hood and gobbles it up (a common problem in Fords) – the whole car…
Southern Baptists Might Change Their Name: Five Options
Our willingness to keep up with the inner workings of the Southern Baptist Convention is easily taxed, so we’re thankful Houston Chronicle religion writer Kate Shelnutt is there to pick up the banner. She points us to the Baptist News, whose subscription we really meant to renew, once we actually…
Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs
The Atlantic: In one of the most-discussed articles of the week, The Atlantic asks: “Who wants to be a career food critic anyway?” Citing mounting pressures to blog, Tweet, Facebook and perform a million other small tasks in addition to writing restaurant reviews, author Adam Martin questions if this workload…
The 10 Best Warplane Films, According to Real Aviation Buffs (No Top Gun, Thank You)
With the possible exceptions of horses and ships, no other non-speaking entity has starred in so many motion pictures as the airplane. And we love airplanes. We love them so much we’ve probably seen every last airplane movie worth watching, and even more that weren’t. Of course, true aviation geeks…
BestFest Single-Day Passes Now On Sale For $25
You asked for it, you got it. Like KISS. Now, right now, you can buy single-day passes for this weekend’s Best of Houston® BestFest on the festival’s Web site, bestfesthouston.com. If the virtual ticket window isn’t quite ready, give it a minute or to and head back. Go ahead, go…
Happy Birthday Gary Cole: His 5 Best Roles
Whenever I see Gary Cole in a movie, I breathe a sigh of relief because I at least know that someone in the production had some sort of common sense. Since first getting to know him as Mike Brady in the first two masterful, big-screen Brady Bunch films, he’s been…
Comment of the Day: The Loooong Ride Home
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…
7 HPD Officers Disciplined Over DWI Cop Case
Mistakes were made.The Houston Police Department has disciplined seven officers for their actions in the wake of a fellow cop’s drunk-driving accident, spokesman Victor Senties tells Hair Balls. Senties confirmed a Houston Chronicle report that the following actions were taken: Assistant Chief Dan Perales and Sgt. Paul Ogden were given…
Sweet On Cake & 20 Other Dessert-Centric Bands
One of the biggest headliners, and they are all headliners, of this weekend’s Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest is Cake, the quirky Sacramento pop-rock act responsible for radio favorites like “The Distance,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” and “Never There,” and a whole slew of really rad covers from their 20-year…
Texas Contemporary Art Fair Announces Initial List of Exhibitors and Programming
No sooner had we gotten the taste of $10 George R. Brown Texas toast sandwich out of our mouths from covering last weekend’s first-ever Houston Fine Art Fair than the Texas Contemporary Art Fair, also an inaugural event, announced its initial list of exhibitors, programming and partners for its October…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 8, Barbacoa at Hugo’s
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…
Scoremore: College Rap Promoters Bank On Diversity, Sharp Ears
Sascha Stone Guttfreund is a 22-year-old UT-Austin graduate who has already accomplished more than most concert promoters who have been in the game longer than Guttfreund has been in college. After organizing a few shows, in 2008 the Los Angeles native got his big chance at Austin’s Ace’s Lounge, now…
China Sends Cops to HPD, HPD Sends Them to Hospital
Two Houston police cars at the agency’s driving range had “a timing issue” with a maneuver this morning, and crashed. Among the passengers: Cops from Houston’s sister city in China, who were being shown just how great HPD drivers are. The Houston Chronicle reports “five Chinese law enforcement dignitaries” were…
Ham & Eggs Pizza at Coppa Ristorante Italiano
I visited the new Coppa Ristorante Italiano a couple of weeks ago, curious about the reincarnation of what is now the late Catalan. Hailed as an upscale Italian restaurant, Coppa had a surprisingly informal, somewhat abbreviated one-page menu made up primarily of starters, pizza, and pasta. The short menu certainly…
Today’s DVDs: Sophia Loren: Award Collection, Where the Road Meets the Sun and Savage
Sometimes, a particular mix of talent can add up to more than just the sum of its parts. This is especially true in the case of actors Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni and director Vittorio De Sica. The three made several films together, including the four that are featured in…
Houston: Believe It Or Not? Ripley’s Book Says Believe It
Like the Guinness Book of World Records people, the folks behind Ripley’s Believe It Or Not like to stretch their franchise. One way to do that is with the newest Strikingly True book, which offers “a mind-boggling array of incredible and bizarre facts, stories, interviews, lists, and features.” And more…
Is Commercial Radio Fading Into Oblivion?
How many times has this happened to you: You’re driving home from work. A song comes on. Drums. Guitar strums. A wimpy voice: “Say, oh, got this feeling that you can’t fight…” You’ve heard this same song three times in 30 minutes, and it bores you to tears. Unlike the…
An Economics Lesson at Boheme
“What you’re thinking is that we have an inelastic product here. But what we have here is an elastic product.” – Economist Russell Bell In general, products that create dependence – cigarettes, hard drugs, exotic Asian quasi-opiates ordered legally on the internet, somehow – are considered inelastic. With an inelastic…
In Case You Missed Them: 8 Must-Reads from the September Issues
Although October issues are hitting newsstands, we are still poring over the oversized September issues of Vogue, ELLE, InStyle and Vanity Fair. We spent so much time looking at the pretty, pretty pictures that it was a full two weeks until we got around to remembering there were also some…
Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest: Five Best (Get It?) Reasons to Go
The Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest is this weekend, and it promises to be great. Here are just five reasons, out of many, why you should be there: 5. To see what they’ve done to the “superblock” They — and by “they” we mean Metro and property owners anxious…
Rocks Off Giving Away Loads Of BestFest Passes
That’s a neat collage of some of the folks playing this weekend’s Best of Houston® BestFest, huh? We thought so. But we have a hunch some of you would rather see them in person. Well, you’re in luck. The rest of this week, Rocks Off is giving away what the…
Tuesday September 20, 2011 Deals of the Day
Today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press is good for 50 percent off ($10 for $20) at Houston Press Best of Houston winner (for Best Mussels) Farrago in Midtown. Enjoy inspired dishes in a variety of styles from the eclectic Farrago menu, which draws on cuisine from across the…
Countdown to BestFest: 3 Days Left
Our first ever BestFest block party is taking place this weekend in Midtown to celebrate our upcoming 23rd annual Best of Houston® issue, and you don’t want to miss out. In addition to big-name bands like Cake and the Toadies, plenty of Houston legends will be performing on our two…
Brown Trial: Not Guilty, Not Surprising
In a strictly legal sense, today’s not guilty verdict in Dr. Michael Brown’s assault trial was probably the right call. Although prosecutors Jane Waters and Nathan Hennigan probably did the best with what they had, they didn’t have much. Rachel Brown had no obvious signs of injury on August 13,…
BestFest Is More Than Music: Check Out These Vendors and Artists This Weekend
BestFest is upon us, and while a lot of us will be convening on the Midtown Superblock this weekend to hear some great local and national acts, we’ve got some great art adventures in store as well. You see, in order to truly make it a best fest, we decided…
Upcoming: My Morning Jacket, Joe Pug, Scratch Acid, Etc.
Balaclavas, //TENSE//, Hospital: Fri., Oct. 7. Mango’s. Boots Electric: Sun., Oct. 30. Fitzgerald’s. Greg Ginn & The Taylor Texas Corrugators: Sun., Nov. 6. Super Happy Fun Land. Joe Pug: Thu., Oct. 13. McGonigel’s Mucky Duck. Jonny Corndawg, Ancient Cat Society: Sun., Oct. 2. Big Star Bar. Kaiser Chiefs: Wed., March…
Mayor Parker: DA’s Office Says No Charges Against Jolanda Jones
We just got a statement from Mayor Annise Parker about the ethics charges against Jolanda Jones that her review panel punted to the District Attorney’s Office: The District Attorney’s review affirms my original opinion that the findings detailed in the Office of Inspector General’s report do not rise to the…
Fires That Saved the Day: 10 Movie Fires That Used Their Powers For Good
There is one word that has been on everyone in Houston’s collective lips (and Facebook postings) for the past three days – RAIN! The glorious pitter-patter of little drops is as beautiful as the hacked photos in Scarlett Johansson’s phone. However, the drip-drip-drops we got over the weekend wasn’t nearly…
Oktoberfest 2011: Where to Binge on Beer and Brats
If there’s one thing that we Americans enjoy doing, it’s co-opting other countries’ holidays and turning them into giant boozefests for no good reason other than marketing opportunities. Cases in point: St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo (which is not Mexican Independence Day, so stop) and now Oktoberfest. Hell, with…
Richard Julian: Norah Jones Mate Makes Midtown Stopover
Richard Julian, Norah Jones sideman and leader of Jones’ side project The Little Willies, plays Midtown’s Leon’s Lounge this evening. Julian’s 2010 Compass Records release Girls Need Attention made Lonesome, Onry and Mean’s list of last year’s best albums. Julian will be performing with songwriter Rosita Kess, with whom he has been touring extensively…
AG Sues to Preserve Galveston’s Fort Crockett
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed a suit on behalf of Texas’s state historical officer, asking a judge to order the owners of Fort Crockett to fix the buildings and not demolish them. The state is asking for a temporary restraining order against Max Bowen Enterprises and Juan Hijo…
Take 2: Art Attack at New York Fashion Week (Now with 100 Percent More Dr. Ruth)
If you couldn’t get enough of photographer Jay Marroquin’s pics from the runways and backstage at New York Fashion Week, we have bonus pics. And it includes world renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Be sure to check out our slideshow for new Perry Ellis designs, shots of Houston hairstylist…
Fast Times: Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich and Apple Parfait
Quality is Our Recipe®, or so claims Wendy’s website. I have been noticing the commercials for the New Caramel Apple Frosty™ Parfaits on television lately, and thought it would be a great way to revisit a childhood favorite. I zipped right through the drive-through, ordering a Monterey Ranch Crispy Chicken…
Tommie Ragsdale: Loneliness Compels East Texas Woman to Set Five Fires
Last week, Tommie Slaughter Ragsdale’s life was pretty gosh-darned exciting. The 46-year-old Trinity woman was working in a command center as firefighters in Trinity County battled a huge inferno in the drought-stricken area. Once that blaze was extinguished, it evidently left a smoldering void in Ragsdale’s soul. Her life went…
Newest Venture from the Eatsie Boys’ Crew: Beer
Food truck. Check. Ice cream truck. Check. Brewery. Coming soon. While many of us would be happy just to nosh on Eatsie Boys’ sweet and savory treats forever, the boys are not stopping with their food trucks. Eatsie Boys’ partners Ryan Soroka, Alex Vassilakidis and Chef Matt Marcus have joined…
Top 5 Musical Ed Sullivan Show Controversies
To the right-wing conservatives, religious groups, and self-proclaimed family organizations raising hell over Chaz Bono’s “assault on family values” as the first transgender contestant on Dancing With the Stars, Rocks Off asks the question: Would you rather expose your kids to Keith Richards? How about Jim Morrison? Because that’s who…
Nameless Sound Returns with an Experimental Music/Video Performance
Nameless Sound, after spending the summer chillin’-ish out, is getting back into experimental-programming mode by bringing “the godfather of electro-acoustic improvisation” and a master sculpture of the “flicker image” over from Europe for a rare performance. Keith Rowe — a United Kingdom-based tabletop guitarist who lays his ax flat, prepares…
Rebooted Two and a Half Men: About as Funny as a Funeral
There’s a choking bitterness to Two and a Half Men that has absolutely nothing to do with the recently departed Charlie Sheen. The season premiere, “Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt,” was the series’ attempt to reboot itself in the wake of Sheen’s abrupt exit after a series of public…
The Five Best Places to Break Up
With summer flings coming to an end, it’s time to put up or break up. And as we all know, breaking up is hard to do. Just ask Neil Sedaka. So, I’m about to make it easier with a list of Houston’s top spots to ditch your sweetheart-turned-slightly-creepy-stalker. These places…
Comment of the Day: Preachers Raping Children
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: How Does The Lion King Stand Up Against Other Recent Disney Flicks?
Box office analysts were a bit puzzled by the haul taken in by The Lion King 3D last weekend. The 1994 film was given the three-dimensional treatment and released to the tune of almost $30 million, beating both Contagion and fellow openers Drive ($11 million) and the Straw Dogs remake…
Pop Rocks: How Does The Lion King Stand Up Among Recent Disney Releases?
Box office analysts were a bit puzzled by the haul taken in by The Lion King 3D last weekend. The 1994 film was given the three-dimensional treatment and released to the tune of almost $30 million, beating both Contagion and fellow openers Drive ($11 million) and the Straw Dogs remake…
Cradle of Filth: Buckets Of Blood & Breasts (W/NSFW Video)
Cradle of Filth is a band that we absolutely hated when we first heard them, but have become a dedicated fan of in recent years. Part of it is because when interviewed Dani Filth a while back we discovered that he is one of the nicest, most personable people we’ve…
Green Berets’ 50th Birthday: Five Best Pop-Culture Moments
The Green Berets, at least the unit everyone thinks of when they think of the Green Berets, are 50 years old tomorrow. President Kennedy, on one of his romantic James Bond flights of fancy, approved activating the U.S. Army’s 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, and okayed their…
Where Are We Drinking?
The canned pineapple juice-based Blue Hawaiian is the Friday happy hour special at this diviest of dive bars. But the bar tries to keep things classy by serving it in a wine glass and using real blue Curaçao — and even including a cherry if you ask for one. Think…
100 Creatives: Dandee Danao
What he does: Dandee Danao grew up watching cartoons. The moving drawings stimulated his mind, and even before he was able to read or write, he was creating art. These days, he takes the images of many of those iconic cartoon characters and alters them to make them reflect his…
Por Favor, Nanny: Houston Moms Teach You How to Tell Your Nanny to Wash Her Hands
First World Problems, part XVII: Communicating with your nanny. A hassle! Luckily, three plucky Houston mothers have banded together to put out a new book called Por Favor Nanny, Please Make Dinner, which comes complete with a Por Favor Nanny Web site. We are three busy moms who are raising…
Brown Trial: Jury Still Out
The jury in Michael Brown’s assault trial will resume deliberations tomorrow, unable to reach a decision after three hours today. The deliberation followed fiery closing arguments by prosecutors Jane Waters and Nathan Hennigan, acting more alive than they have throughout the trial. Waters was especially animated, moving around, and stepping…
ACL: Arcade Fire, Big As The Great Outdoors
Check out all our ACL 2011 coverage, including our hottest crowd shots and slideshow from Sunday featuring Randy Newman, Arcade Fire and The Walkmen. Arcade Fire Bud Light Stage, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Zilker Park September 18, 2011 Sunday night in a serene Zilker Park, Arcade Fire made an…
Comments of the Day: Tortoise-Like Service?
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…
True Blood in Review: What We Missed
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series,True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Listen, Art Attack makes mistakes… mostly…
Imran Rana: I Bruised My Stepson’s Face, But the Slap Was Only a 5 on a Scale of 10
Imran Rana, 23, told police that he had hit his three-year-old stepson across the face, causing a bruise noticed by a daycare worker. But he had an excuse: The blow was only a “five” on a ten-point scale, and he was angry about a business deal gone sour. A daycare…
Weekend Art Crawl: Political Patchwork and Going Mental
Face Off At East End Studio Gallery Friday night, we mistakenly assumed that “The Many Faces of Nico Whittaker,” the artist’s first solo show, was a narcissistic grab for attention; to some, the mixed media exhibit based largely on his varied personalities might be. Instead, the work is a profound…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 9, Shrimp and Grits at Brennan’s
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…
Jerry Eversole Resigns: Death of a Fiefdom
County Commissioner Jerry Eversole, who has long battled accusations of corruption and cronyism, has resigned his seat effective the end of this month. He sent a letter to County Judge Ed Emmett this afternoon. “It has been my absolute pleasure to serve the voters of Harris County since 1991,” he…
DVD Giveaway: Scarface (for Everyone Not Going to See Al Pacino at Jones Hall Tonight)
Al Pacino is probably fascinating when talking about nothing but himself and all, but we, like a lot of Pacino fans, will not be making it to Jones Hall tonight to see him. Talk. About himself. Look, I’m sure he’s led an interesting life and everything, but if I’m going…
Trader Joe’s Has Its Eye on Alabama: Alabama Theater to Be Reborn as Grocery Store
The Chronicle’s real estate reporter Nancy Sarnoff got the scoop today that grocery chain Trader Joe’s — after much speculation — has its sights set on redeveloping the old Alabama Theater on West Alabama near Shepherd. The currently vacant building would be the first Trader Joe’s in Houston, and the…
Steven Christopher Willis: Goes to Help Girlfriend with Car, Somehow Gets Stabbed in Chest
Here’s a story that raises some questions: Houston police say Steven Christopher Willis, 23, got a call from his girlfriend Friday night saying her car had broken down. He went to the site in the 6400 block of West Airport about 9:30 p.m. After that, things get a little confusing…
True Blood: A Couple Of Things We Missed
Alan Ball was known for his masterful use of music in Six Feet Under. He’s lost none of his touch when it comes to his current HBO series,True Blood – which happens to be set in the Louisiana swamps, not terribly far from Houston. Listen, Gothtopia makes mistakes… mostly mistakes…
Comfort Food for Fall: Dad’s Greens and Beans
My comfort food kick culminated last week with a batch of greens and beans. I love this most simple soup, which is so easy to make because I almost always have the ingredients on hand. In the winter, everyone’s grandpa or dad had a pot of greens and beans simmering…
Ken Scripa: Massage Therapist Accused of Sexually Assaulting Client
A Washington Avenue massage therapist sexually assaulted one of his clients early last month, according to a probable cause affidavit. Police say a woman told them that 53-year-old Kenneth Scripa greeted her as she walked in the door of Scripa Wellness and Massage at 1708-A Washington, told her to disrobe…
DEFCON Dining: Feast
As we mounted the steps to the restaurant, my five-year-old began to have a meltdown. This was not good. We had been anticipating DEFCON 5, and had chosen a restaurant accordingly. She had left her hair-band behind, it seemed, and she was not going to be quiet about it. Sirens…
SafeAuto Insurance Offers Musicians $5K For Jingle
Rocks Off trolls Craiglist pretty regularly looking for interesting music projects to report on… or, barring that, complete lunatics to mock from up here on our high horse. Occasionally we crusade against scams that may take in trusting would-be rock stars looking for their big break, and that’s what we…
Houston Texans Game 2 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers (And A Jennifer Lopez Appearance)
I hope everyone had a good weekend of football. I was two plays away from going 6-0 on my picks, my alma mater finally won a game and the Texans are 2-0! On the flip side, college realignment struck a blow in my home part of the country, as the…
The Week in TV: Friday Night Lights Wins in Overtime (and Other Sports Metaphors)
The Emmys brought their cheeseball swagger to the airwaves, for better or worse. This was the week in TV Land: • The Emmys happened! As I’ve said before, awards like these need to be taken with boulders of salt. Yes, it’s always nice when great work is rewarded (and sad…
ACL Last Night: Randy Newman & A Steinway Is All We Needed
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Sunday featuring Randy Newman, Arcade Fire and The Walkmen. We still don’t know how a 67-year-old turned in our favorite set of this past weekend’s Austin City Limits Festival, but heck if…
The Best and Worst Celebrity Endorsements
A few weeks back, I saw a Tweet from my friend Melissa, who found herself alternately captivated and horrified by what she’d come across in her local Kroger. It was a sign advertising a line of Pinot Grigio from Ramona Singer (above), one of the many identical-looking reality stars from…
Michael Brown Gets the Taiwanese-Video Treatment
You might have thought the criminal trial of famed hand doctor/TV-ad star Michael Brown had everything: accusations that the supposedly doting family man assaulted his wife, cameos by superstar athletes, big-name lawyers. But it needs something else. It needs the famed Taiwanese-animation treatment. We hooked up with the folks at…
Back Porch Players’ In the Blood: Frighteningly Superb
The setup: Never known as a shrinking violet, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog, Venus, Fucking A) uses rich, provocative language to sear her social conscience into ours, forcing us to see contemporary life from new, vibrant angles. Her plays are definitely hot, if not radioactive. In the Blood (1999),…
Deadly Child Custody Dispute: Maurice Henderson, 23, Bayou Body Count No. 144
You know things are tense when the police say, in regards to your relationship with the biological father of your girlfriend’s kid, that “Due to past experiences between the parties, [you] armed himself with a semiautomatic pistol as he spoke with [him].” And that was just as he came by…
Kirby Mass Attack: The Most Adorable Riot Ever
Art Attack Editor: There’s an ice cream van outside that’s handing out press copies of the new Kirby game for Nintendo DS. You wouldn’t be interested in coming down and reviewing it, would you? Us: Did you grow up on an island with no men on it or something? And…
Egg Cream: “Y’all Talking to Me?”
Nothing could be more purely Brooklyn, New York than an egg cream, right? The drink, yes, but there’s something suspicious about the name of the required chocolate syrup, Fox’s U-bet. Who says that in New York? I wonder how long Robert De Niro’s career would’ve been delayed, had he stood…
An Apology from Netflix? Not Really
Like thousands of other Netflix subscribers, I received an e-mail this weekend from Reed Hastings, the co-founder and CEO of Netflix. It’s starts off with, “I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.” He goes on to say that feedback from members over the last few months made it clear…
What Is Jay-Z’s Best Album?
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: Bun B, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Chingo Bling, Chane, Pyrexx, Renzo, hasHBrown, Doughbeezy, Kyle Hubbard, KAB, more. Not Invited:…
Comment of the Day: NASA & Star Wars
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…
What’s Cooking This Week?
Last week’s date night went well and I think I’ve eaten enough quiche to feed an entire bridal shower. On to the next week. Although it’s still 90-something degrees, I want to believe it’s cooler – so next week’s menu plan is gearing me up for fall. Stuffed roast chicken…
Combat Baby: Palladium Boots Opens First U.S. Store in Houston
When your boots are born from airplane tires, they’re probably gonna be pretty tough. Palladium was founded in France almost a century ago as a manufacturer of aircraft tires. After World War II, they switched gears and began making rugged, hard-wearing boots for the French Foreign Legion. Palladium is building…
Friday Night: Deadmau5 At Verizon Wireless Theater
Check out more photos of Friday night’s Mauskateers. Deadmau5, Excision, Tommy Lee & DJ Aero, Grrl Parts Verizon Wireless Theater September 16th, 2011 The last few times you’ve heard from this member of Rocks Off, we’ve brought you reports from major electronic and dance music gigs happening in Houston. It’s…
Exotic, Authentic Anna in the Tropics Outdoes Playwright’s Work Itself
The setup: While the cigar-rollers toil in a small factory in ’20s Tampa, a new “lector” reads to them to pass the time and alleviate boredom. He chooses Tolstoy’s classic tale of adulterous passions, Anna Karenina, and their lives change forever. Tradition, morality and dreams dash against modernity, passion and…
Odd Pair: Top 5 Wines to Pair with Pizza
Above: “Pizza al Trancio” (Pizza by the Slice) in Rome, paired with Coca Cola. Here in the U.S., we don’t think of it as an “odd pair.” But in Italy, homeland of pizza and a country where wine is considered an essential element of healthy dining, pizza and wine are…
Clarence Leroy Teel: Cops Raid Hospital Room, Find Well-Stocked Illicit Pharmacy
According to court records, it all started on August 14 when a nurse at Methodist Willowbrook Hospital noticed that the patient in room 6412 was leaving a few syringes around. That struck her as odd, as the patient in that room, 52-year-old Clarence Leroy Teel, was neither a diabetic, nor…
Saturday Night: Foster The People At House Of Blues
Foster the People, Cults, Reptar House of Blues September 16, 2011 “When you’ve played something like 100 shows in a year, you learn to tell during the first song whether it’s going to be a good show,” said Foster the People vocalist Mark Foster from the stage during the intro…
Unidentified Male in Road-Rage Incident, Bayou Body Count No. 143
A man whose car was involved in a road-rage altercation was followed home and shot to death early Sunday morning, Houston police say. The man’s identity was not released, but he was shot to death about 3:30 Sunday morning in an apartment complex on the southeast side in the 7400…
Houstonian Jim Parsons Wins Second Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy
Hollywood’s favorite television nerd (and UH and Klein Oak High graduate) Jim Parsons won his second Emmy last night for his performance as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. Parsons accepted his Emmy from America’s favorite trainwreck, Charlie Sheen. “This is so odd for so many reasons,” he said,…
Cougars Pull Off the Huge Comeback Against Louisiana Tech, But Problems Linger
The Houston Cougars got the 35-34 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday night. They had to come from behind to do so, battling back from a 20-point third quarter deficit and scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter. And despite failing to play a complete game for the…
Where Are We Eating?
This plate of jerk chicken, cabbage and rice and beans is a lunchtime steal for only $7.95 at this popular Jamaican restaurant — just look at the size of that chicken! And although it’s messy to eat, the jerk seasoning isn’t too spicy here, meaning that you are free to…
Texans 23, Dolphins 13: Balanced Effort Exorcises Road Demons
The long-standing reputation for the Gary Kubiak-era Texans has been that they fold under pressure. When teams hit them, they rarely hit back. They don’t finish the job, especially on the road. In the season’s second week, the Texans took yet another step toward exorcising recent demons. The 23-13 victory…
ACL: Batman’s Bale At Bingham, Nick 13 is a 10 On Sunday Afternoon
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Sunday featuring Randy Newman, Arcade Fire and The Walkmen. The widget on our phone says it’s only 91 degrees here at Zilker Park but we don’t believe that voodoo. The humidity and…
ACL: The Sound (Or Lack Thereof) & The Fury
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Saturday with Stevie Wonder and Alison Krauss. When a bleary Rocks Off arrived at the media area this morning, there was some chatter about Stevie Wonder’s supposed sound troubles, and more online,…
ACL Last Night: My Morning Jacket, Loud And Extremely Amplified
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Saturday with Stevie Wonder and Alison Krauss. While one side of Zilker Park was vibing with godhead Stevie Wonder, the other was being bathed in volume and industrial melodies by My Morning…
ACL: The Rain Came Down, To The Delight Of Thousands
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Saturday with Stevie Wonder and Alison Krauss. Yesterday at about midday at Zilker, a front of dark clouds began drizzling on us during J. Roddy Walston & The Business’ set at the…
Houston Fine Art Fair: Local Thoughts
Saturday, we headed back to George R. Brown Convention Center to delve deeper into the selection (Friday’s overwhelming experience of Warhol! Lichtenstein! Close! caused us to do some heavy breathing exercises and sit in a corner most of the time). With one gallerist’s claim that her art was “too intellectual…
ACL Last Night: The One, The Only, Stevie Wonder
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Saturday with Stevie Wonder and Alison Krauss. Stevie Wonder Austin City Limits Music Festival Bud Light Stage, Zilker Park, Austin September 17, 2011 Stevie Wonder says we’re all part of the same…
ACL: Black Dub In The Hour Of Tranquility
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Saturday with Stevie Wonder and Alison Krauss. It’s been a low-key afternoon. It rained again. Still is. Rocks Off ate some fried chicken and sat in the Vista Equity tent while the…
ACL Find: The Cave Singers At The Vista Equity Tent
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Friday featuring Kanye West and Coldplay. We found ourselves in front the Cave Singers on Friday afternoon with a few hundred folks, escaping the Sun and the cheerfulness and pomp of the…
ACL: Smoking Ban Openly Flouted At Zilker Park, But Ah Hell What Did You Expect?
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Friday featuring Kanye West and Coldplay. For the most part this year’s drought and wildfire-related smoking ban at ACL is being followed, but during Friday’s festivities it wasn’t hard to find fans…
ACL: Molly’s Revenge & Other Encounters
Check out all of our coverage from ACL 2011, including our hottest crowd shots and our slideshow from Friday featuring Kanye West and Coldplay. At Zilker field. As Friday’s shadows lengthened, a young woman – tall, pale, boots – approached Rocks Off. “Are you going to Pretty Lights?” “I don’t…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 10, Ribs at Gatlin’s
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…
ACL Last Night: Kanye West At Zilker Park
By the end of the first night of this year’s Austin City Limits, Kanye West had gone over his allotted set time by 15 minutes, turning in one of the most un-rap, rap shows, injecting a Bjork and Talking Heads stage-commanding sensibility into a collection of champion singles. It was…
Music, Maracas and Lollipops: Hispanic Heritage Art Show at HCC
A young boxer sneers at the crowd of students and spectators milling about at the Houston Community College Northline Campus art gallery. His hands are up, one poised to strike, the other covering his heart in a protective stance. On his left, two other boxers are also frozen in permanent…
Football! The Weekend’s Best Bets (w/ Token Palin & Brown Hand Guy Videos)
In the quest to have my posts appear in the list of most viewed, certain weekly topics that I do have a ceiling. For example, this Friday post during football season where I give my best bets likely only appeals to a certain degenerate segment of society (despite how amazingly…
This Week in Deliciousness
Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we’ve decided to postpone our Eating Our Words George Bush Park Barbecue, Fireworks, and Oily Rags Extravaganza until further notice. We know, we were looking forward to the Roman candle fights, too, but such is life. We started…
Houston Fine Art Fair Day 1: OMG, They Have Warhols Here?
We’ll admit, up until now, we were only kinda excited for the Houston Fine Art Fair. Sure, it’s an important inaugural event in our city; yes, there are exhibitors from around the world who’ve set up shop; yes, Edward Albee, one of our city’s artistic doyens, was the subject of…
Comments of the Day: On Those Sensual Enchiladas
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…
ACL: Adele & Mumford & Sons – Not Here, But Here
3:30 p.m. Still they file in. Watching the crowds trudge along Barton Springs Road, their eyes fixed on the pavement about five yards in front of them (not their phones), always reminds Rocks Off of a pilgrimage. And each festival has its “saints,” musical altars where the performers gather to…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 11, Bone Marrow Service at Stella Sola
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…
10 Texas Answers to a High School Sex-Ed Test
Public schools in Washington D.C. are going to start administering a new standardized test to elementary, middle school and high school students. And this one’s all about sex. It’s the first of its kind in the U.S., but it probably won’t be the last. Should such a test ever make…
“Tatooine” Discovery: Five Other Times NASA Has Drafted Off Star Wars‘ Heat
NASA officials hyped a press conference yesterday about a new discovery via the way they know best: Trot out the Star Wars references. People connected with the movie and SFX gurus Industrial Light & Magic were on the panel to discuss how the Kepler space telescope had discovered a planet…
Recasting The Geto Boys From Houston’s Under-25 Ranks
So here’s how this happened: Thursday night, while prepping the next installment Houston Press Underground Rap Awards, which we were planning on featuring in this space at this exact moment, a side note for an award spiderwebbed into a way-too-long e-conversation with several people that was superfluous at best and…
Project Runway: Olivier Hates Boobs, Women Who Talk
This week on Project Runway: The designers get tricked with the old switcheroo, Joshua M. holds back on the bling and the combative attitude, and the Olivier gets frustrated with the realities of a woman’s body. Actress Malin Akerman (27 Dresses, The Proposal) is the guest judge. When episode 8…
4 Brilliant Authors and Why They’re Douchebags
Art Attack loves to curl up with a good book. Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, maybe Sabine Baring-Gould’s tome on werewolves, whatever’s around, really. The last time we moved, we did a little inventory and found that a full quarter of all the boxes that we had moved were filled with…
Upcoming Events: Foraging and Fires
If Nicholas Hall’s post on foraging, “Indigenous Bounties,” piqued your interest about scouring your own back yard (or front yard) for tasty treats, pay attention. Meriwether’s Foraging Texas will be teaching a class on foraging at the Houston Arboretum on October 15 and 16. Merriwether has been teaching at the…
Swoop, There It Is: Skydiving Championships of Canopy Piloting Hit Rosharon (w/ VIDEO)
Francisco MontesSkydive Spaceland in Rosharon is hosting this weekend the US Parachute Association’s National Skydiving Championships of Canopy Piloting, where jumpers “swoop” at speeds starting at 75 mph towards earth while navigating an obstacle course on the landing field, all while being judged on speed and accuracy. Among those participating…
The Five Worst Music Movies Ever*
* That aren’t actual musicals It would be easy to pick out a bunch of terrible musicals to make fun of. First off, most musicals seem stuck in the 1930s, when every song everywhere sounded like a show tune, and therefore stank. Second, we’re afraid of polarizing our audience. You…
ACL: Cults Semi-Wows To Start Our Day And Ha Ha Tonka Bassist Says To Hell With Smoking Ban
Smoking ban? What smoking ban? Ha Ha Tonka bassist Lucas Long don’t care about the smoking ban at Zilker Park. Good times, y’all…
Yippy Ki-Yay: 5 Things to Help You Make Your Work Day into an Action Movie
Every day in Art Attack’s life is a nonstop thrill ride of epic proportions. It’s fast cars, beautiful women, time travel, international intrigue, Subway sandwiches, zombies and partners who are getting too old for this shit. Or, you know, at least one of those. So maybe we don’t live every…
Friday September 16, 2011 Deals of the Day
Today’s VOICE Daily Deal from the Houston Press will help you start your morning off right. Save 50 percent ($6 for $12) on two dozen glazed donuts from any one of 16 Shipley Do-Nuts locations. Offer excludes kolaches and such, but you might as well pick up a few with…
Larry Gene Martin: Parents of Fat Old Preacher’s 12-Year-Old Rape Victim Arrested
Back in January, Bible-thumping Palestine, Texas was rocked by a shocking allegation against an elderly pastor who has been in the pulpit for over 50 years. Anderson County authorities claimed that from July to December in 2009, portly, 68-year-old preacher Larry Gene Martin had been systematically raping the 12-year-old daughter…
Mitch Burman: Rock-Star Club Owner Totes Up His Dues
Mitch Burman, owner of Jet Lounge and all-around rock star, has worked and played hard for the better part of two decades in Houston’s music scene. It’s all paying off now, but success didn’t come easy. Besides being a successful business owner, Burman is also a rock star. Seriously. On…
Openings & Closings: Sexy Tex-Mex
Remember when Houston was going to get its own version of Vivo, the popular Austin Tex-Mex restaurant, complete with “rock star chef” Paul Petersen? And remember when that whole plan went to hell after Petersen and his investors couldn’t get along? And remember when the investors announced that they were…
Comcast Customer Service Horror, in Your Words
Yesterday, Hair Balls coughed up a horror story involving a not-very-awesome customer service experience at the hands of Comcast. So did the readers in the comments section of the blog as well as on Houston Press’s Facebook page. The appearance of our post was timely for Delia Cruz…
Cool Neon, Hot Days: 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…
VH1 Gives Northside School $30K Music-Education Gift
VH1’s Save the Music Foundation and Energizer have teamed up to make a difference in Houston’s Theodore Roosevelt elementary school. Thursday morning, the two companies gave the Northside school a $30,000 check to help restore the students’ music programs. Roosevelt fifth-graders received an even bigger surprise when their music classroom…
Happy National Guacamole Day!
Friday, September 16, is National Guacamole Day, according to punchbowl.com. Naturally, we’re marking the occasion by stuffing heaps of chunky guac into our…guac-holes while listening to the Guacamole Song. It would be inappropriate to celebrate any other way. While I have absolutely nothing against the purist’s guacamole, I thought I…
Man Punches McDonald’s Sign: Fails to Assuage Road Rage, Succeeds in Getting Arrested
The customers at a Pasadena McDonald’s are sadly going unthanked as they exit the drive-through lane these days. The sign that so sincerely expressed gratification for their patronage has been punched out. Earlier this week, a man decided to take out his annoyance at an alleged road-rage incident by going…
Lita Ford & Five Other ’80s Hard-Rock Hotties
Best known for her stint all-girl proto-punkers The Runaways and her bitchin’ solo career, Lita Ford will take the stage tonight at Warehouse Live with locals Souls of Agony, Five Eyes Wide and Hounds of Jezebel as opening support. The blonde bombshell was one of the most visible women in…
Last Night: Twin Shadow At Fitzgerald’s
Twin Shadow Fitzgerald’s September 15, 2011 Earlier this year, an eager Rocks Off showed up to Fitzgerald’s early to catch scheduled Pains of Being Pure at Heart opener, Brooklyn-based New Wave revivalist Twin Shadow. As luck would have it, a handwritten sign adorned Fitz’s front door, regretfully informing us that…
Main Street Theatre’s Woof Has Bite
The setup: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Superstar NFL QB kills dog! The execution: Award-winning playwright Y York (who also wrote …and L.A. Is Burning — another Main Street Theater world premiere) adapts the story of former Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick and transforms his criminal act into an ultimately…
Cougars Looking to Cage the Bulldogs
The Houston Cougars don’t want to start off another game like they did last week. A start where the opposition, a clearly lesser school, jumps off to a lead. A start that finds the team struggling to find an offensive rhythm. A start finding the Cougars with only a 20-17…
Chef Chat, Part 3: Nicole Hudson of Conscious Cafe
We’re back today at Conscious Cafe (be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of our chef chat), but enough talking. Time to start eating…
Full Swag For Das Racist, No Swag For Astros & Paul Wall
Das Racist is Rocks Off’s favorite joke-rap group, ever. It annoys most people we know -including our boss, who is like, “All right, no more Das Racist for everyone’s sake, please.” That’s being nice – Ed. Earlier this year, we traveled to SXSW strictly to catch every show, and we’re…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Drive
Title: Drive They Finally Made A Movie Out Of That Cars Song? Don’t be an idiot. So Drive Is… The best movie Michael Mann never made. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Four-and-a-half straight razors out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: Taciturn wheelman comes to the aid of…
30 Seconds With Chromeo
Rocks Off sat down with Dave1 and P-Thugg of one of the best bands around, Chromeo, to see what we could learn from their royal smoothnesses in just 30 seconds. Note: They wished to be credited for their answers collectively, because My Little Pony is right and friendship really is…
Bartender Chat: Piran Esfahani of Zimm’s Martini & Wine Bar
Piran Esfahani came to Houston from Vienna, Austria to study business and graduated from St. Thomas University. Shortly thereafter, he left Houston for Roatan, Honduras (it’s not ugly…) to sell beachfront real estate. Now he’s back masterfully crafting martinis at Zimm’s Martini & Wine Bar in Montrose. It’s no Caribbean…
Comment of the Day: Feast of the Comcast Horror Stories
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…
Power Struggle: Brutal, Bare Republic Day at Obsidian Art Space
The setup: Playwright Tom Stell directs the world premiere of his own play about just how savage class warfare can really be, using cinematic techniques and a largely talented young cast to create vivid snapshots of unrestrained brutality. The execution: A bare stage is populated with simple props as needed,…
Week in Photos: Cool Stuff
Each week, we take a dip into the Houston Press Flickr pool and see what our talented photographers have been up to. Is summer over? We can only hope. Now that scorching days are over, we want to see your fall photos. Just drop them in our Flickr group right…
The Modern Age: 10 Facts You May Not Know About The Strokes
This week marks 12 years since the Strokes debuted as a live band, at NYC’s Spiral on September 14, 1999. The crowd, they recall, was five paying customers and assorted band girlfriends – humble beginnings for a band that would be both exalted and blamed for the state of indie-rock…
Five Reasons Autumn in Texas Will Suck This Year
In a typical year, autumn is a great time to live in Texas. The temperatures moderate, there’s plenty to do, it’s all good. Not this year. Events have conspired to insure that this fall in Texas will suck, compared to most years. Five reasons why: 5. Your trees are dying,…
100 Creatives: Susie Rosmarin
What she does: Susie Rosmarin makes colorful, eye-popping paintings that play with repeating patterns and variations of color. The works themselves are visually stunning, attaining many of the kinetic optical-illusion effects of op-art. To Rosmarin, though, the extraordinary visual effects are secondary to the fundamental, on-canvas changes of light and…
The Roughest Catch: Ike Jime on the Gulf Coast, Part 4 of 4
This is the final installment of our series on sashimi-grade Gulf fish. Read parts one, two and three for more on ike jime and the Gulf Coast. A tidy white boathouse is set back from the shore of Little Bay’s dark blue waters in Rockport. Seagulls cry overhead and brightly…
University of Minnesota Horrible Promo Video Allows Me to Dust Off a Few Others (w/ VIDEO)
YouTube. If you’re a blogger or a talk show host (or someone like myself who is attempting to be both), it is the gift that keeps on giving. If you’re trying to be a productive member of society or a contributor at your place of work, it’s the silent killer,…
Brown Trial: Please, for the Love of God, Make the Lameness Go Away
“I saw him chasing my mom,” Michael Brown’s 13-year-old stepdaughter told the jury in today’s excruciatingly dull and pointless edition of the ex-hand surgeon’s assault trial. Brown showed no emotion (just as he’s done throughout this ordeal) as the girl testified in a very soft voice that she saw him…
Comment of the Day: Out-Whataburgered?
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…
Homeowners Association: Seven Houston-Area Horror Tales
We wrote yesterday about a River Oaks-area homeowners association hassling a resident who had dared to park her car in the driveway while loading donations for wildfire victims. That’s pretty crass, but HOAs are famous for such behavior. New state laws went into effect this month that make homeowners slightly…
Five Can’t-Miss Acts At ACL Fest This Year
For weeks after we skipped last year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival to man the controls in Houston, Rocks Off found ourselves thinking, “Man, I wish I would have gone just to see Richard Thompson.” The truth is, as much as we grumble and gripe about the heat, the walking,…
100 Favorite Dishes: No. 12, Tamarind-Glazed Salmon at Samba Grille
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…
More News About Sundance Cinemas: They’re Bringing the Film Festival to Houston (Kinda)
Earlier this week, we learned that Sundance Cinemas had announced they would open their Houston location on November 23, to the delight of arthouse lovers across the city. Now, local indie film enthusiasts have another reason to fawn over the movie theater chain, as it brings part of the renowned…
Gilmore Cox: Lufkin Man Gets 35 Years and 20 Years on Separate Meth Charges
Gilmore Cox had a bad day in court on Wednesday. After he pled guilty last month to charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of transport chemicals with intent to manufacture, Angelina County district court judge Barry Bryan sentenced him to 35 years in prison. The case was…
Health Department Roundup
The selection of inspection reports was slim last week, but things have picked up over at the city’s website. In the past seven days, inspectors issued eight citations and temporarily closed five more places without issuing citations. The city’s gotta pay for the equipment to seed clouds and force rainfall…
Alamo Drafthouse to Screen Rare HBO Gem Cast a Deadly Spell
So you’re a pubescent boy alone at night in a house that has HBO back in the ’90s. You’re just waiting for the regular programming to end so episodes of Real Sex can begin. It would have to be a pretty powerful film to slow down your obsessive quest for…
Yoga Fuel: Kraftsmen Garden at Kraftsmen Bakery
Lately my life has been like a country song. My dog needed extensive, expensive surgery; I had to cancel a long-planned trip home to New York; my husband left me on our anniversary. (Don’t worry, he’s coming back — just a business trip.) Just as I was wrapping up a…
This Year’s Banned Books of Texas
The ACLU of Texas has released their annual report on books banned by the state’s school districts. Among the usual suspects this time around: R.L. Stine, a Gossip Girl novel and the ever-popular gay penguins tale And Tango Makes Three. Another highlight: An elementary in a San Antonio-area district put…
10 Things We’re Probably Doing At ACL This Year
This is the Rocks Off team’s (well, Craig Hlavaty and Chris Gray) fifth year covering the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The first year this smart guy wore black jeans and a black shirt to try to look cool, which made him chafe like an eighth-grader. The second year we…
8th Dimension Comic Shop, Once a Fantasy, Becomes 3-Dimensional
As soon as you enter 8th Dimension Comics & Games, the happiest person in the entire world greets you. That’s Jeremy Bulloch, the store’s president and co-owner, and why shouldn’t he be ecstatic? He is living his dream. After working in comic book shops for nearly a decade, Bulloch and…
Last Night: J. Cole At Warehouse Live
J. Cole Warehouse Live September 14, 2011 On his second Texas tour with college-based concert promoting company Scoremore, Roc Nation artist J. Cole sold out Warehouse Live’s ballroom Wednesday night, to an almost overwhelming all-ages crowd filled with diversity. The venue was so crammed there was barely enough room to…
How To: Freeze Fresh Herbs
I love fresh herbs. I love the fragrance of fresh herbs. I love the flavor of fresh herbs. I love the pop of color fresh herbs bring to a dish. I want to wear one of those “I ♥ NY” T- shirts, except I want it to say “I ♥…
Comcast Customer Service: A Horror Tale
A few weeks ago, Houston Press’s esteemed food critic Katharine Shilcutt and I were having lunch when I told her that I had had non-functioning Comcast cable installed at my pad two weeks previous. That’s right, non-functioning. “Haven’t you seen their commercials?” asked Katharine. “They tout that they have better…
It’s Coming! It’s Coming! First-Ever Houston Fine Art Fair Gets Ready to Roll
Click here to see more photos from the Houston Fine Art Fair load-in. This weekend, downtown Houston will swell with curators, critics and collectors from all over the world as the first-ever Houston Fine Art Fair takes over George R. Brown Convention Center. The fair could be a signal of…
Five ACL Acts We’re Totally Not Making Up
Aloha, Susan… Stevie Wonder Coldplay Arcade Fire Kanye Kanye Kanye blah blah blah yada yada yada. Rocks Off could write about this year’s ACL headliners until we’re blue in the face – and we probably will this weekend – but what’s the point? The real fun of the festival is…
CRAVE Cupcakes Team With MD Anderson to Fight Cancer
CRAVE Cupcakes does more for the Houston community than just give away its “morning cupcakes” as lagniappe at lunch. The cupcake company has partnered with MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospitals’s Art in Medicine program to raise awareness about childhood cancer. Pediatric cancer patients have designed a logo for the project,…
Unidentified Male in Wild Shootout, Bayou Body Count No. 142
A wild shootout in a southwest side apartment complex last night left one man dead and two injured. No names have been released, but Houston police say the gunfire began last night about 11 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Course. One man was shot in the head and…
Remember Killa Kyleon’s Candy Paint and Texas Plates 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. Killa Kyleon, who spent the formative part of his career caught in the empty air between Houston’s last landslide…
Up All Night: Gob Bluth and Kelly Bundy Bring Up Baby
Here’s the problem with movies and TV shows about parenthood: Every one of them makes the same jokes about diapers filled with green ooze or offers the shocking revelation that, hey, newborns don’t let you get a lot of sleep while assuming they’re all disclosing some previously unobtainable truth about…
Dublin Dr Pepper Asks Fans to Contribute to Its Legal Defense Fund
In late June, the 120-year-old Dr Pepper plant in Dublin, Texas announced that it was being sued by its parent company, Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS). The plant, which is the world’s oldest and smallest Dr Pepper bottler, found itself at odds with DPS after repeated warnings not to distribute their…
Taking Matters into Our Own Hands: Austin Texas Toast
Maybe I’m just unlucky, but it seems as though the more deluxe the breakfast I receive in a restaurant, the greater the chance that the toast is burnt. I’ll get bright white-and-yellow eggs, picturesque reddish-brown bacon, golden hash browns, and toast noir. I’m no longer bothered, as I rely on…
Alley’s Ether Dome Hangs a Little Heavy
The setup: The 19th-century “invention” of surgical anesthetic, demonstrated at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846 by dentist W.T.G. Morton, is the centerpiece of Elizabeth Egloff’s extremely earnest bio drama, an Alley Theatre world premiere. The execution: When dentist Horace Wells experiments with nitrous oxide as a potent anesthetic for dental…
The Anti-Football Television Diet: 10 TV Shows to Counteract Football Season’s Testosterone Levels
PHOTOS BY MARCO TORRES Football season is officially here and Sunday is no longer a day of rest: It is a day of Bud Light and Cheetos. For your average football fan, Sundays begin at 7:30 a.m. with the NFL Network’s Total Access, then on to ESPN for the 10:30…
Glen Rice Allegedly Slept with Sarah Palin (w/ VIDEO)
Okay, I’ll admit that might have been the most duplicitous headline of a post ever, not because Sarah Palin and Glen Rice didn’t sleep together (They apparently did, back in the late ’80’s. More on that in a minute) but because the “w/ VIDEO” would seem to imply that I’ve…
Chef Chat, Part 2: Nicole Hudson of Conscious Cafe on the Time a Customer Accused Her of Not Liking White People
Yesterday we chatted with Nicole Hudson, chef and co-owner of Conscious Cafe (see here for part 1.) Each of the dozen tables is equipped with a deck of cards, some with dominoes. It’s a prime neighborhood hangout, and the Muslim-owned restaurant it caters to everyone. EOW: During Ramadan, do you…
Jimi Hendrix’s Fire Burns Bright On New Legacy Releases
For a guy who died at 27, Jimi Hendrix left behind a massive body of work, from finished studio efforts and live recordings to experimental noodlings and jams. Since taking over the estate’s affairs, Janie Hendrix has overseen a number of projects to preserve and promote the music and legacy…
4 Haunted Houses with Unexpected Benefits
Halloween is just around the corner, hopefully with a shiv to stick right in the back of summer. With Samhain comes all of Art Attack’s resident goth’s favorite things: Spooky clothes, skeletal trees, long nights, horror flicks and macabre History Channel programming. We’ve been on a haunted house movie kick…
Brew Blog: Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo, With Bonus Peeing-in-a-Bottle Story
I believe I’ve mentioned my parents’ somewhat progressive stance on alcohol consumption. As I grew older, it actually became a bit of a bonding experience for me and my dad. He used to be, if not a connoisseur, certainly an adventurous beer drinker. I used to be his spotter, alerting…
Illegal Wiretaps: At Least Their Name Isn’t Pregnancy Farts
It’s a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we’re trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. Craig Hlavaty called us into his office, which is little more than a refrigerator box with Lady Gaga lyrics scrawled on the sides and…
Comment of the Day: Obnoxious Homeowners Associations
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: We Must Avenge Patrick Swayze
Assholes: Surf thriller “Point Break” will get a modern update by Alcon and Warner Bros., much to fans’ chagrin. According to Deadline.com, the new version will be set in the world of extreme sports. Kurt Wimmer (“Salt,” the upcoming “Total Recall” remake) has written the script for the new “Point…
Pop Rocks: Patrick Swayze Will Have His Revenge on Hollywood
Assholes: Surf thriller “Point Break” will get a modern update by Alcon and Warner Bros., much to fans’ chagrin. According to Deadline.com, the new version will be set in the world of extreme sports. Kurt Wimmer (“Salt,” the upcoming “Total Recall” remake) has written the script for the new “Point…
10 Rappers In The Guinness Book Of World Records*
*At one point or another The Guinness Book of World Records has always been a fascinating and somewhat random thing to be a part of. Some people strive to be in the book to get noticed, while others get in the book completely by accident for good and bad things…
The Roughest Catch: Ike Jime on the Gulf Coast, Part 3 of 4
Read the first and second parts of our four-part series on Gulf sashimi-grade fish, and stay tuned tomorrow for the final installment. “Watch ’em,” says Captain Barry Irwin as he approaches a charter fishing boat that’s anchored next to a towering oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. “They’re gonna…
Wildfire: What to Do If It Nears, Houstonians
Here in Houston, we generally think about wildfire danger as often as we do earthquakes, which is to say never at all. But the recent fire in George Bush Park shows that the historic drought has made a lot more people vulnerable to a wildfire. So what should you do?…
100 Creatives: Jonathan Jindra
What he does: Jindra is a man never at rest. Well, he might sleep, but thinking about that just ruins our image of him constantly working away on his multitude of projects, a mad scientist of sound and visuals, forever bringing new things to life. For starters, Jindra runs his…
The 95th Anniversary of the Tank: Nine Iconic Moments
Ninety-five years ago today, the tank made its debut at World War I’s Battle of the Somme. It played a role in bringing an end to that appallingly bloody and stupid battle, and tanks have since gone on to become vital symbols of military might. Here are nine iconic moments…
Second Annual Third Coast Dance Fest
Dancer Shanon Adams’s fluid movements are captured in Dressed, a short stop-motion film by director and choreographer Ashley Horn made up of thousands of still images. Telling the story of a frock found in a thrift shop, the film is just one of more than a dozen films set to…
Jack Ferver & Marc Swanson: Two Alike
Chalk up another world premiere for DiverseWorks with Jack Ferver & Marc Swanson: Two Alike. This time, the performing and visual arts powerhouse has partnered with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to commission a new work by choreographer/writer/performer Ferver and visual artist Swanson. In press materials, CAMH Director Bill Arning…
8th Annual Media Archeology Festival
Three artists, three nights and one great idea: push the envelope as far as it will go…and then push it some more. The 8th Annual Media Archeology Festival, a co-presentation by the Aurora Picture Show and the Mitchell Center for the Arts, is subtitled “Rewind – Play – Fast Forward”…
Houston Fine Art Fair
Photographer Luis Gonzalez-Palma captured a timeless image in Portrait. The photograph shows a young woman with almond eyes looking straight into the camera, a black shawl wrapped around her head. The beauty of the image is its simplicity. While the photograph could easily be from the 19th century, it is,…
My Small Pistola
Diana Howie says she wrote the musical My Small Pistola because she was interested in examining society’s self-centeredness. The original Houston musical is about six jurors called to serve for a case about a shooting — the prosecution says it’s premeditated, but the defense says it was an accident. While…
Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show
Nobody’s more down-home than cooking queen Paula Deen, with her bubbly personality, zest for good living and dedication to fantastic food. You can watch Deen as she demonstrates some of her favorite recipes at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show. Tara Wilson and Heloise (as in Hints from Heloise) are…
Tattoo & Body Art Expo
At the Tattoo and Body Art Expo, not only is it acceptable to be politically incorrect, it’s required. How else can you enter the Hot Babe and Hot Stud contests? And, there’s absolutely no way to be PC while watching the Hot Ass or Best Orgasm competition. Of course, with…
Inprint: Nicole Krauss and Francisco Goldman
Critics have called the characters in Nicole Krauss’s latest novel, Great House, fractured and broken, but Krauss disagrees. “We’re seeing these characters at a time when their lives appear to be broken,” she tells us. “But that doesn’t mean that as characters they are at all.” Great House chronicles the…
Beer & Brass
When you think of music that goes great with beer drinking, a French horn trio isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But in an interesting mash-up, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra and Saint Arnold Brewing Company are putting horns and hops together for Beer and Brass. The…
Cultural Feast — Oktoberfest
While the beer drinkers rarely need a historical reason to imbibe, they should all raise a glass to King Ludwig I of Bavaria. That’s because in 1810, to celebrate his upcoming marriage, he proclaimed 16 days of nonstop partying for his subjects. Houstonians can learn (and drink) a lot when…
Al Pacino: One Night Only
He’s been called one of the most talented actors working in America today, with starring roles in the Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface. He took home an Oscar for his performance in Scent of a Woman, and nabbed both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his…
Texas Romance
Ellsworth Schave’s Texas Romance is a tender tale about love that comes late in life. The story focuses on Daisy, a widow who lives in Wilson County, Texas, in 1928. Daisy’s no-good, two-timing husband was shot and killed by another lady friend. She’s not all that unhappy about his demise,…
“Valentin Gertsman — 30 Years in Art”
Russian-American photographer Dr. Valentin Gertsman has made a career of architectural photography. Born in Russia, Gertsman fought Fascists as a Red Army soldier during the Siege of Leningrad at the age of 17. After his time in the army, he started a family and trained to become a doctor and…
Steampunk Earring-Making Class
We’re sure it’s nothing personal against the planet’s largest country, but Sam VanBibber says, “I think people are sick and tired of Made in China.” VanBibber, the former owner of now-defunct vintage clothing store Wear it Again Sam, has made a career out of making something new out of something…
15th Annual Museum District Day
Take a whirlwind tour of the best arts, science and entertainment offerings at today’s 15th Annual Museum District Day. Seventeen museums, from the Children’s Museum of Houston to the Health Museum to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, are all throwing open their doors and dropping their admission fees for…
The Last Boy Scout
With a monumental career that spans more than 40 years with hundreds of recordings and scores, jazz giant Stanley Clarke doesn’t have many mountains left to climb at 60. But he is still looking for them. “Man, there’s still so much music to be played and that’s what I truly…
Dia de las Tequilas
When you walk inside El Gran Malo, the Heights’ brand-new tequila bar, you’ll immediately notice one thing and eventually notice another. Like with dating, the former is more fun (“Wow! He has six-pack abs!”), while the latter is more important (“Shit. He may be in love with his mother.”). You’ll…
Nick 13
Coming from confirmed California psychobilly heroes Tiger Army, lead singer and guitarist Nick 13 strikes a surprising pose as a country crooner, but with his self-titled debut this summer on Sugar Hill Records, the heavily tattooed artist proves that he’s no novice when it comes to the genre. His smart…
Chromeo
When he’s not busy getting his Ph.D. in French literature, David Macklovitch spends his time making music with Patrick Gemayel as Chromeo, where they assume the names Dave 1 and P-Thugg, respectively. After forming in 2001, the “electrofunk” band released its debut, She’s in Control, in 2004 and had an…
Ana Popovic
If there’s one place that loves the blues more than Houston (and, okay, Chicago), it’s Europe. Back when there was still a Yugoslavia, Belgrade native Ana Popovic became enchanted by the music, picking up the guitar in grammar school and playing festivals in Greece and Hungary by the time she…
The Horrors
When we first met The Horrors in 2006, they were a spooky-ooky post-goth, post-punk band of young Brits biting off the heads of The Birthday Party and Screamin’ Lord Sutch to make their own brand of hepped-up garage stomp. In their earliest promo stills for 2007 debut Strange House, they…
Isn’t Ballet Great?
Dance season is back, and Houston Ballet is renewing three grand works from our cultural past. Return of the Masters features rare jewels from a trio of the twentieth century’s greatest choreographers. Some of the pieces are plucked from times long past, yet all three resonate on the modern stage…
The Red-Light Camera Circus
Be sure to check out all our previous coverage of the red light camera battle. The city secretary adjusts her spectacles and looks down at her speakers list — number 17 is up next — and the crowd packed into the sweaty Houston City Hall chambers starts to shift to…
Houston and the Blues
Houston and the Blues Online readers comment on “Old School,” by William Michael Smith and Chris Gray, September 1: Tip your musicians: Viva the Houston blues scene, the Houston Blues Society, KPFT, the Press, local club owners and patrons who support the blues and live music in Houston. Essentially any…
Capsule Art Reviews: “Emily Halbardier: Deep Green,” “Hayden Fosdick: Paper Compounds,” Marc Swanson: The Second Story
“Emily Halbardier: Deep Green” At first glance, this show of mixed-media work by Emily Halbardier could come across as under-skilled or shallow in its processes and execution — but that’s only a surface judgment, and it would be grossly reductive. While Halbardier’s drawings of people are definitely simple representations rather…
Totally Rad
To see how Radical Eats makes those delicious fried avocado tacos, take a look through our slideshow. Sunday brunches at Radical Eats are a sensationally mad affair. It’s $12 for an all-you-can-eat buffet of vegan and gluten-free food — which is normally quite pricy in restaurants and stores — and…
Epic Meal Time
First, you notice the beats. The melodies pulsating in the air have a hypnotic quality, and their rhythms command your hips to move, your feet to shuffle and your arms to be thrown in the air. It’s such feel-good electronic dance music that fist-pumping is forgivable, but standing still is…
Capsule Stage Reviews: Damaged Divas of the Decades, Farragut North, Goodbye Charlie, Kissless the Musical, Once Upon a Mattress, A Triumph of Love
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…
Sacrifice Nothing
What I don’t know: why these movies keep getting made. I Don’t Know How She Does It is based on Allison Pearson’s 2002 diaristic, comic bestseller and directed by Douglas McGrath. But its real auteur is screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, scripter of wan workplace romantic comedies such as the limp…
Drive: No Talk, All Action
As stripped down and propulsive as its robotic title, Drive is the most “American” movie yet by Danish genre director Nicolas Winding Refn. The film, for which Refn was named best director last May in Cannes, is a sleek, tense piece of work that, as a vehicle for Ryan Gosling,…
ECHO Lounge 8th Anniversary
Jet Lounge, which officially becomes ECHO Lounge as of this weekend, is sort of the little engine that could of the local music scene. The tiny downtown club is too small for high-dollar roadshows and even for most of Houston’s more popular local bands, so instead it gets by on…
Protect Yourself
CRIME Sex Toys As Weapons Ten that clerks can use to defend themselves By Craig Malisow When we read about a robbery at ye olde Conroe sex shoppe, it occurred to us that these establishments get knocked over a lot. What is it about these places — besides the obvious…
Do Mexicans Hate Puerto Ricans?
Dear Mexican, I live in up-state New York (that’s any part of the state north of the city, for you West Coasters), and while we have a relatively small Mexican population, we have a large number of Puerto Ricans, especially in the community I live. Here’s my question: a number…
