New Orleans Is a Lot More Than Just Jazz These Days
The first live music we heard on a recent trip to New Orleans was a brass band honking out some nasty grooves for a small but gathering crowd on Frenchman and Chartres. The last live music we heard before heading home was a solo trumpeter, doing his best angel Gabriel,…
Can Any Band Merch Top a Motörhead Dildo?
Bands have to make money, don’t they? Yes they do. And while there’s really no money to be made on music, merchandise must be well, creative. While most band websites cater to the expected fare of T-Shirts, CD Bundles and posters there are others that have taken music brand marketing…
The Hit Men Are Some Good Old Jersey Boys
As one of the of the biggest hits of their career, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons had every right to be stoked about the success of their single “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” The uptempo, compellingly danceable tune hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in March 1976, becoming…
A-KAZA: Anatomy of a Houston Battle Rapper
Having cut his teeth with the dons of Rap-a-Lot Records. namely Scarface, A-KAZA’s music is now independently his. As his brother, Stanka, puts it, “A-KAZA has chosen not to be a puppet in the industry. There is no-one who can control his sound. When it’s time to release a single…
The New TV Season’s Here! The New TV Season’s Here!
It brings me no great pleasure to tell you the “new” 2015 TV season is well underway. Obviously, I’m referring to the Big Four networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) here, because cable providers like AMC, HBO, and Showtime and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have been releasing content…
5 Places in Texas That May Be Haunted by Ghosts
Halloween is around the corner, and for many people it’s the one time of year that they’re interested in spooky activities – Watching classic horror films, getting ready to dish out candy to trick or treaters, or perhaps picking out a dubiously “sexy” Halloween costume (Suggestion: Sexy Big Bird!) to…
The Drafted Spew a ‘Chemical Alley Discharge’ From Outside the Beltway
Led by limber-fingered Craig Stanley for more than a decade, Baytown’s the Drafted roil with modern hardcore brimming with an agile dollop of jazz that would make Dillinger Escape Plan and the Refused take notice. Politically infused but not militantly strident, their tirades against rednecks and multinationals alike are caustic…
WR Jaelen Strong on Pace to Continue Texans’ 3rd Round Draft Pick Curse
NFL rosters are generally filled out with players secured under contract in one of three ways — high priced free agents, low level street free agent and undrafted guys, and your own draft choices (on rookie deals or subsequent extensions). The easiest way I can think of to translate the…
Are You a Bully Online? 10 Signs You Might Be
Lately I’ve wondering a lot if certain online behaviors aren’t comparable to alcoholism or a gambling addiction. Specifically bullying and targeted harassment campaigns, because for the most part I have a very hard time believing that someone can calmly or rationally express himself in the manner so many seem to…
The Many Moods of Willie Nelson’s “Night Life”
Down at the waterhole recently, a killer cover of Willie Nelson’s “Night Life” came up in the random mix. This one was by X front man John Doe backed by Canadian twangers the Sadies, and it turns out Doe’s dusky baritone is a perfect vehicle for Nelson’s tune about the…
ICE Awards Contract to Private Prison Company That Was Just Slammed in Federal Report
Last Thursday, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a report admonishing government officials over the treatment of immigrants held at private prisons that contract with federal immigration authorities. Detailed in the report were a litany of alleged abuses at those detention centers, many of which are in Texas, from…
Colts Fans Basically Think Andre Johnson Is a Giant Piece of Crap (w/ Tweets)
Forty catches. That’s allegedly the amount of productivity that Texans head coach Bill O’Brien envisioned out of Andre Johnson had Johnson remained a Houston Texan in 2015. That’s according to Johnson and his camp. The possible future Hall of Famer also claimed that he was told he would have a…
Defense Claims Rare Undiagnosed Disease, Not Child Abuse, Made Woman’s Daughter Sick
Dawn Ripstra’s granddaughter was three years old when she started taking her to the hospital. Doctors had instructed Dawn’s daughter, Katie Ripstra, to bring the toddler to the emergency room if the girl had a fever over 101. The girl had been getting nutrition through an IV because whenever she would…
J.J. Watt and Kevin Durant Star in Touching New Commercial (w/ VIDEO)
After sitting through the bitterness of nearly four hours of Ryan Mallett and Cam Newton incompletions on Sunday, I needed something to restore my optimism that there is indeed a god. (Yes, sadly, I predicate way too much of my believe in a higher being on the aesthetics of my…
This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Unconventional Noodles and Unconventional PB&J
Bev of Bev Cooks had some fun with an Inspiralizer this week, which she used to turn broccoli stems into noodles for this lemon garlic broccoli with bacon recipe. The tool makes vegetable noodles easy and turns the less-interesting stems into a nice compliment to the florets. With the lemon,…
“Mark Rothko: A Retrospective” Isn’t Officially Called a Chapel, but It Might as Well Be
I like Rothko a lot. That would be the American artist Mark Rothko (1903-1970), and it’s his paintings I’m talking about, since I never met him (though I know Houstonians who did; more about that later). I might as well admit my fondness up front, even though it pretty much precludes…
At Peli Peli, Showmanship Sometimes Overwhelms Essentials Like Service
On South African restaurant Peli Peli’s website, there’s a diner testimonial for the Portuguese skewered-beef dish called espetada: “OMG. If you don’t have anything else on the menu, you have at least got to have this. Words fail me.” We agree with the sentiment and can offer some help with…
NASA’s Orbital Report Underscores that Spaceflight Is Tricky
Orbital Sciences has been claiming that it will launch rockets again by March 2016, but a scathing NASA report argues that isn’t a particularly smart plan. In fact, the flight plan issued by one of the companies contracted to do commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station is completely…
Sounds Like Nature
Approaching the last gallery space in the “Drawn from Nature” exhibit at Asia Society Texas Center, works by kinetic sculptor Mineko Grimmer are heard before they are seen. The Japanese artist, who references the passing of time and Zen Buddhist philosophy in her sculptures, has two pieces titled The Dialogue…
100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 57: Cured Plate at Revival Market
Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It’s a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It’s a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern…
Flood City, Part 1: Meyerland Homeowners Are Still Recovering From the Memorial Day Storm
The first punch in the gut for Donna Harvey and Keith Copeland started around midnight Tuesday, May 26, when 18 inches of rancid water forced its way into their Meyerland home during the Memorial Day flood. The storm that led Texas Governor Greg Abbott to declare disasters in 37 Texas…
Upcoming: Aterciopelados, Booker T, Kinky Friedman, Liza Minnelli, Madonna, Rusted Root, Trapt, Wild Child, etc.
2015 Trill Comedy Festival: Thu., October 8, 7 p.m.; Fri., October 9, 7 p.m.; Sat., October 10, 7 p.m.; Sun., October 11, 7 p.m., $10 to $60. Station Theater, 1230 Houston, Houston. 3rd Annual White Trash Bash with Steve Helms Band: Sat., October 31, 8:30 p.m., Free to $10. Redneck…
Doctor Who: An Overload of Awesome
I was, to put it mildly, highly critical of the last season of Doctor Who. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Peter Capaldi as The Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara, but with rare exceptions the writing simply wasn’t there. Michelle Gomez was wonderful as The Master, but…
Beyond 1989: Five More Albums for Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams’ song-by-song remake of Taylor Swift’s 1989 dominated the Internet Monday, a rare and encouraging example of something that could have been a mere publicity stunt instead becoming an illuminating companion that can both stand on its own merits and may well prompt many Swift skeptics who dismissed her…
Rockabilly Great and Human Jukebox Sleepy LaBeef Knew Everybody
Born July 20, 1935, Sleepy Labeef grew up on a melon farm across the Arkansas state line, but headed for Texas as soon as he turned 18 in 1953. “I’d heard a lot of good things about Texas, and I just wanted to see something different,” says the 80-year old,…
Devin The Dude Beams Through the Haze of Moon Tower’s Five-Year Party
Devin The Dude, Hevin Spacy, DJ Dayta The Almighty Moon Tower Inn September 19, 2015 In light of the recent uproar about a certain unwelcoming Midtown locale, we find ourselves asking: where can we go to just chill, hang out, drink, and maybe eat a bite or two? Sure there…
Chelsea Wolfe Casts a Wicked Spell Over Rudyard’s
Chelsea Wolfe, Wovenhand Rudyard’s British Pub September 18, 2015 Halloween is still more than a month away, but the first, haunting chills of the season invaded Montrose on Friday night. Chelsea Wolfe, the blackened L.A. folk-rocker, swooped into town to cast her witchy spell over Rudyard’s, and while nobody was…
Front 242 Takes Command at Numbers
Front 242, The Hunger, JG and the Robots Numbers September 19, 2015 Twenty-two years is a long time for fans of a band to wait for a concert, and judging by the huge crowd that showed up for Saturday night’s Front 242 show at Numbers, the legendary EBM group still…
Astros Do Right by Milo Hamilton. They Should Honor Gene Elston, Too
Milo Hamilton died last week. Within a matter of days, the Astros announced that the Minute Maid Park press box would be named for Hamilton, and that the team would wear a Milo Hamilton patch on its uniform for the rest of the season. Hamilton was the radio voice of…
Yes, Indeed! 2015 Tightens Up an Eclectic, Exuberant Festival
Yes, Indeed! Festival Continental Club/Big Top Lounge/Alley Kat/Pachinko Hut September 19, 2015 Someone once posited “familiarity breeds contempt.” but that person was not a Houstonian. Here, we never lose the taste for our favorite tacos. We watched Marvin Zindler talk about rat droppings while wearing the same white suit for…
Weights + Measures and Black Hill Meats Big Winners of “Go Pig Or Go Home!” 2015
After days of blissfully temperate weather, Houston punked the crowd at Go Pig Or Go Home with temperatures in the 90s. Fortunately, there was plenty of beer to go around at host location 8th Wonder Brewery and as far as the food, no one should have went home hungry. Judges…
We Want You to Write About Pot
When it comes to pot, we’re at a pretty interesting time in this country. As the consequences of the drug war become more and more apparent, some states have made fundamental changes in how they handle a substance that, according to researchers, is less harmful than alcohol. Some states have moved…
NFL Week 2: Panthers 24, Texans 17 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
In a game that was, to quote my good friend Jim Ross, “bowling shoe ugly,” the Texans lost to the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday by a score of 24-17. This, unto itself, was not surprising, both the outcome of the Carolina and the Texans’ 0-2 start. In fact,…
Majority of Pot Offenders Still Being Jailed, Charged Despite Leniency Program
In October 2014, District Attorney Devon Anderson launched the First Chance Intervention Program to give first-time marijuana offenders a break. Instead of spending time in jail and picking up a drug charge, they could do community service or take an eight-hour class. At the time, Anderson said the new initiative…
FanFair Hands Comicpalooza Its First Less Than Stellar Success
This past weekend’s FanFair, presented by Comicpalooza, was supposed to be the first in a new series of smaller geek events aimed at drawing a more casual crowd but by all accounts it ended up being a disappointment. Guests cancelled left and right, including Doctor Who’s Michelle Gomez who left…
First Look at Tarakaan
Tarakaan, which officially opened last week, exudes more than a little bit of Asian club vibe. Owner Piran Esfahani, took his inspiration from famous Asian restaurant and lounge concepts like Buddha-Bar in Paris, Buddakan in Manhattan and TAO in Las Vegas. In the entryway, one Buddha languishes atop a high…
Former Employees Claim Home Builder Never Paid Them
Derek Queen was headed to work in a hurricane. He was a sales consultant at KB Home—a residential home builder—in Cypress. To get there from his home near the Medical Center, he took three different routes because his usual roads were all flooded from the rain carried by Hurricane Ike…
I Pagliacci Soars in the Last 20 Minutes at Opera in the Heights
The set-up: In a snit with his music publisher Ricordi, who was pushing young Puccini, Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, who thought his first opera had languished because of indifference, signed up with rival publisher Sonzogno. He had an opera ready to go, a heady melodrama about infidelity within a traveling…
Dish of the Week: Dan Dan Noodles
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re turning far east for Dan Dan Noodles. Dan dan (also written dandan or dandanmian) is a Sichuan-style Chinese noodle dish consisting…
College Football, Week 3 — 4 Winners, 4 Losers
It took a little while, three weeks to be exact, but we finally got some of those rankings-shuffling, intrigue-generating upsets that make this new college football world we live in (four team playoff, yo!) so much better than the old one. Stanford over USC, Ole Miss over Alabama, both on…
The 10 Saltiest Texans-Panthers Rapper Tweets
The Houston Texans’ 2015 season began with HBO’s Hard Knocks introducing the team to America at large. It took a month of filming and some fancy editing to present to the nation our sometimes thrilling and frequently frustrating NFL franchise. Home Box Office could have saved all that time and…
The 10 Best Places to Shop for Halloween in Houston
It’s almost here! Halloween, that blessed time where we wave bye-bye to long days full of wretched sunlight and embrace the coming darkness of autumn and fall. Already tombstones and jack-‘o-lanterns are showing up in the stores. The pagan revelries are nigh (Ed. Note: please go outside more often. You’re…
This Week in Houston Food Events: A Canned Chef’s Challenge (UPDATED)
All Week Long Garlic Fest at Central Market There’s another festival at Central Market, 3815 Westheimer, and this one’s all about garlic. The First Annual Garlic Fest will feature special garlic varieties, foods, recipes and tidbits spread throughout the store. Maybe you’ve wanted to try French pink garlic? Check. How…
Ariana Grande has the Voice and the Moves, but Where’s the Personality?
G1: We’re less than five minutes in to the show and already there are fireworks going off. A1: I wish Ariana Grande were more interesting. I wish she were more like Miley Cyrus. G2: At least the fireworks were thematically appropriate, given that The Honeymoon Tour kicks off with “Bang…
The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Rick Springfield, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Dale Watson, Ratatat, etc.
Rick Springfield, Loverboy, the Romantics Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, September 22 This tour might not be such a big deal if it were at House of Blues — where one of today’s bigger solo male pop stars, Nick Jonas, happens to be playing the same night — but it’s at…
Get Ready to Park Your Butts in Brand-New Seats at the Alley Theatre
For more than ten years, Ten Eyck Swackhamer, the general manager at the Alley Theatre has been waiting to present a redo of the theater working with an existing space on Texas Avenue in downtown Houston that allowed them to go up (they added four floors on top) but not…
Another Hiccup in the Ken Paxton Case
In the latest development in the trials and tribulations of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, it appears one of his business associates lied to investigators. It turns out that the former-CEO of Servergy, the company at the heart of the case against Paxton, told investigators two different versions of what…
Sauce Walka Vs. Drake Blows Up With ‘Wack to Wack’
Some time late Wednesday night, the entire tone of our regular rap column shifted. Originally, it was going to lead off with Killa Kyleon singlehandedly turning into a Actavis-branded version of John Rambo by creating 30 music videos to 30 freestyles. About how he pretty much have forgone the traditional…
Gaslamp Lawyer Makes Greatest Video Statement Ever
Tim Sutherland, the lawyer for midtown nightclub Gaslamp, which has been hit with allegations of a racist door policy, has released one of the most astonishing damage control statements we’ve ever seen. Practically dripping with douchebaggery, the video careens from a steadfast denial of racism and embrace of elitism to…
Bells Are Ringing Pays Attention to a Show That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
The set-up: Composer Jule Styne was a squat little tough, always with a cigar, and always in debt from constant gambling. But he always dressed impeccably. Natty was the word. His music is like this, too; brassy (the classic Gypsy, for one), New York wise (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), a bit…
Texans Will Ditch “Pallet System” Turf for Remainder of Season
For years professional football players, their attorneys, and even their fans have argued the patchwork “pallet system” turf at NRG Stadium, which has composed the playing surface for the Houston Texans since the team’s inception in 2002, is dangerously flawed. In 2012 former Texans punter Brett Hartmann sued the entities…
Hope You Could Hear the Indigo Girls Over the Crowd
Indigo Girls House of Blues September 17, 2015 Houston, you have a problem. It’s one we’ve written about time and time and time again, one that used to surface in concert reviews quite a bit until I suspect most Press reviewers just gave up and stopped mentioning it. [True — ed.]…
Lenny Kravitz Rock and Rolls All Over The Woodlands
Lenny Kravitz Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 17, 2015 “Free At Last.” Those words are tattooed on Lenny Kravitz’s right forearm. Whatever was holding the 50-year-old rocker (what?!) prisoner seems to be long gone. On a breezy and pleasant late summer night in The Woodlands, Kravitz used his music as…
RIP Milo Hamilton, Astros Hall of Fame Broadcaster
There are few things more relaxing than listening to spring training baseball on the radio. The booths in those small stadiums are close to the seats so, during pauses in the action, it is easy to pick out beer vendors and random fans in the crowd. Good announcers know how…
NXT Gives Houston a Closer Look at the Future of the WWE
There’s a simple truth that wrestling fans know deep in their heart: the business of professional wrestling is cyclical. There are high times and lean times, great shows and awful shows, golden eras and eras best left forgotten. Like much of the entertainment industry, professional wrestling also has to fight…
Oak Forest Man Says His Dog Was Stolen and Euthanized, But Leaves Out a Few Facts
KPRC ran a story Thursday about an Oak Forest man who claimed that his 15-year-old dog was stolen from his home and euthanized; the perpetrators left a typewritten note on a car windshield explaining what happened, and the man’s fervent pleas lit up the Oak Forest Homeowners Association Facebook page. …
Houston Cougars Take the Next Big Step
It’s been a long time coming, but the Houston Cougars have finally decided to stop playing FCS schools when it comes to football. The Cougars are vowing to play at least two power conference teams a season to go along with two non-power conference teams to go along with the…
Reviews For The Easily Distracted: Black Mass
Title: Black Mass Describe This Movie In One Simpsons Quote: “All this drinking, violence, destruction of property…are these the things we think of when we think of the Irish?” Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three Anton LaVeys out of five. Brief Plot Synopsis: FBI gets in bed with Irish mob, end…
Doctor Testifies That Only Salt Poisoning Explains Toddler’s Illness
On the first day the 4-year-old girl ate regular food by mouth in over two years, doctors found out she liked french fries. The girl had been fed only through feeding tubes and IVs since she was a year-and-a-half old because her mother, Katie Ripstra, consistently told doctors her daughter…
Texans-Panthers, Week 2 — Four Things to Watch For
As frustrating as the last couple years (…ok, five or six years…ok, forever) have been for Houston Texan fans, believe it or not, this is the first time they’ve been 0-1 after Week 1 since a 24-7 loss to the New York Jets in the 2009 opener. To give you…
Houston’s 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: It’s Time to Pig Out
National Cheeseburger Day Friday From Jonathan’s the Rub’s frankenburger that sandwiches a bacon cheeseburger between a sweet, sticky, cinnamon bun to a social media contest where you can win free Bernie’s Burger Bus FOR LIFE, check out our roundup of where to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day in Houston. High West…
Erroll Garner’s Seaside Show Gets Complete Package
Carmel, California (officially “Carmel-by-the-Sea”) on the Golden State’s Monterey Peninsula is best known by some for its beautiful scenery, others for its literary legacy, and still more as the tony town where Clint Eastwood served as mayor for two years in the 1980s. But for jazz fans, it’s the setting…
Upcoming Houston Food Events: How You Can Supersize Oktoberfest
In honor of Oktoberfest, The Hay Merchant, 1100 Westheimer, will be offering 25-ounce Hay Merchant Oktoberfest mugs for $25 each. Get one starting Saturday, September 19 through Sunday, October 4 and the brew bar will fill the mug with any Oktoberfest beer on tap for only $4. Note: you can…
To the Surprise of No One, Ted Cruz Trashes John Roberts
It wasn’t exactly a shock that Sen. Ted Cruz was running for president. From the moment the always-controversial junior senator from Texas hit the U.S. Senate floor, he did everything to hint that he wanted to be president next short of waving an actual flag with “Cruz 2016” emblazoned on…
College and NFL Football: This Weekend’s Best Bets
Back on track last week, baby! That’s right, after a flat 3-3 in the first week of Gambling Season, we got into the green in Week 2 going 4-2, in part thanks to a back door cover from the Rice Owls against the Texas Longhorns. What a glorious cover by…
Fall Festivals Worth Your Time and Money (Maybe)
Festivals are said to be one of the last remaining areas of the music business that make any real money anymore. It makes sense — people continue to forsake buying records in favor of streaming, and single-concert ticket prices continue to strain many pocketbooks, but festivals remain attractive by offering…
Openings and Closings in Houston: We Say Goodbye to Lillo & Ella, and Hello to Saigon House
The biggest news of the week, although not entirely surprising given owner Kevin Naderi’s earlier comments to the Houston Press, was the abrupt announcement that Lillo & Ella was closed on September 16. Naderi had said the restaurant struggled to find its audience despite generally good reviews from food critics, adding,…
Houston’s 10 Best Bars and Clubs in Upper Kirby
Continuing our tour of the best bars in Houston neighborhoods, this week we focus on the best places to grab some drinks in Upper Kirby, yet another area of town that seems to be ever-growing with an influx of new residents and businesses, along with economic development and redevelopment. (Note:…
The 10 Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Ariana Grande, Yes Indeed! Fest, Titus Andronicus, Front 242, etc.
Ariana Grande Toyota Center, September 18 For a star the metaphorical size of Ariana Grande, there really isn’t much in the way of anything new to report on her since she stopped in town earlier this year to play RodeoHouston. A look a recent setlists shows that she’s pretty much…
Brownout Brings Out Black Sabbath’s Funky Side
This Saturday’s Yes, Indeed! festival on Mid-Main runs two or three dozen deep with Houston acts either just now getting off the ground or who have been that way for quite some time. But to cap off the evening, organizers reached out to Brownout, the long-running offshoot of Grammy-winning Austin…
Possibly Drunk James Harden Pledges “Adidas Is Gonna Be Amazing!” (w/ VIDEO)
Rockets superstar guard James Harden is one of the more underrated funny spokespeople in sports. The combination of his distinctive trademark beard, his subtle sense of humor, and his ability as one of the five best basketball players on the planet have made for a very lucrative combination for him…
More Allegations Surface About Gaslamp And Its Owner
When Jose Valdes, of Boerne, walked up to the Gaslamp on September 5 to visit a friend tending bar inside the Midtown club, the bouncer asked for a $20 cover. Valdes had just seen a group of white men ahead of him enter for free. He explained that he was…
Defense In Child Abuse Case Says 4-Year-Old Somehow Recovered From Incurable Disease
It was after the unexplained spikes in sodium levels that Dr. Eric Chiou contacted the medical child abuse team at Texas Children’s Hospital. He was already confounded by the unexplained drops in his 3-year-old patient’s blood levels, the incessant vomiting and diarrhea that the girl’s mother consistently described, and even…
More Acts Should Put on Shows Like Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Xylouris White Warehouse Live September 16, 2k15 It happens like this: On television, a group of people are arguing with each other. They’re not fighting over our future, but over who should be at least partially in control of what our future will be. We’re missing…
Dear Facebook Friends: Stop Asking Me to Prove Myself
Facebook can be a complicated place. There are relatives who may not like your choice of posts, friends from high school whose political ideologies are diametrically opposed to your own, incessant invitations to events you don’t want to attend and, of course, on overdose of TMI. Hell, I used to…
Ryan Mallett Reportedly Set To Become Texans Starting QB
“More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.” — Tony Soprano Bill O’Brien is a lot things. Indecisive is most certainly not one of them. This was reinforced on Wednesday afternoon, when a fairly uneventful day was turned upside down with news that Ryan Mallett is preparing to be the…
NASA Delays Crewed Orion Tests
NASA has pushed back its first crewed flight of the Orion capsule and, as usual, money is a factor. Originally, NASA was set to launch Orion in a test flight — the fancy kind with astronauts traveling near the moon — in August 2021. Alas, we’re going to have to…
Waller County’s District Judge Complains About New Grand Jury Selection Process
In late July, District Judge Albert McCaig and Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis announced they would follow Texas’ new selection rules to pick the grand jury that would likely decide whether to file criminal charges against Brian Encinia, the state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland. Through a state bill that…
Meet the Shapie: 3D Makery Has the Coolest Tiny Tribute to Yourself
Everyone should own a 9 inch statue of themselves. I know that sounds silly at best and egomaniacal at worst, and had you told me that sentence a few weeks ago it’s very likely I would have agreed with you. After all, like many of you, I have my own…
How to Have a Swingin’ Rat Pack Night in Houston
My pal Mike just turned 50. Thirty some-odd years ago, he was the friend who meticulously planned our nights out. He’d sit in the back of whichever crappy car we took, barking out addresses and directions as we willingly drove wherever he instructed — our high school’s darkened parking lot…
“Go Pig Or Go Home!” Is This Sunday at a New Venue
Houston’s popular suckling pig chef competition returns this Sunday. The throwdown is scheduled for Sunday, September 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $88 and include admission, unlimited food samples and beer from 8th Wonder. There are some still available at the Go Pig Or…
Attorney Resigns After Complaints About Impersonating a Cop and Ripping off Clients
In what’s only the second-most embarrassing news to come out of Irving this week, immigration lawyer Sherin Thawer has resigned, after “racking up 21 complaints from clients whom allege she took $222,435 from them for little or no legal service,” Texas Lawyer reports. We’ve heard of barristers behaving badly, but…
Explaining Grownup Music to Kids: ’50s and ’60s Pop
Adam P. Newton recently became a father for the first time, so he has decided to explain the entirety of post-WWII Western pop music to his new daughter, “Fig”…one genre at a time. Onward through the fog, Fig! And by “fog,” I mean how deliciously clustered much of the music…
My Guest Has Overstayed Her Welcome. Help!
HE WOULDN’T MARRY ME, SO I LEFT HIM Dear Willie D: I was with my ex-fiancé for six years before I decided to move on with my life. He has his own business, so I was respectful of his obligations when he told me that he wanted to wait until…
Lillo & Ella Calls It Quits Today
A press release from Lillo & Ella’s public relations company says that, effective today, the restaurant is closed. Owner Kevin Naderi had purchased the property that used to house El Gran Malo. After that restaurant moved out, Naderi started Lillo & Ella in the same building in May 2014. The…
Robbie Tolan’s Police Brutality Case Might Be Precedent-Setting — But So What?
When the U.S. Supreme Court revived Robbie Tolan’s lawsuit against the Bellaire Police officer who shot him on December 31, 2008, many legal observers were stunned. The High Court had unexpectedly decided to weigh in on whether lower courts had rightly thrown out Tolan’s lawsuit against Bellaire Police Sgt. Jeffrey…
A Brief History of Dubious Celebrity Presidential Endorsements
It’s September, and after long months waiting through the barren summer months, it’s time to welcome back America’s favorite pastime: Dancing with the Stars! I understand some sport or another also “kicked off” this last weekend. That’s super. Truth be told, I probably would’ve completely missed the show’s premiere if…
In Court, Doctor Accuses Nurse of Intentionally Making Her Daughter Sick
Dr. Bruno Chumpitazi’s 3-year-old patient had been to the hospital 26 times in 19 months, and still he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. The gastrointestinal specialist had been seeing the young girl since she was a year-and-a-half. Another pediatrician had referred her to him because she, too, couldn’t figure…
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross Brings His One-Man Show to Houston
There is money in nostalgia, and there probably isn’t a sports nor entertainment genre whose fans are more vested in its history than professional wrestling fans. Longtime fans can recite title belt lineages (at least until titles started changing hands every week around 1999), “smart” fans know the real names…
New Mental Health Screening Forms Could Be Coming to Texas Jails
Four months after Sandra Bland’s body was found hanging in her cell at Waller County Jail, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards says new intake forms could be coming soon to Texas jails to improve mental health screening for inmates, the Associated Press reports. According to the AP, Texas lawmakers…
The Get Up Kids Celebrate 20 Years by Going Back to the ’90s
The Get Up Kids, The Hotelier, The Josh Berwanger Band Walters Downtown September 15, 2015 Personal Bias: I want you to really think about this for a moment: what does your favorite album mean to you? I ask because I have to admit up front that The Get Up Kids’…
Texans Midweek Update: Arian Foster Wants to Finish His Career in Houston
Among the numerous takeaways from Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium, one fairly obvious one is that the Texans’ offense desperately needs running back Arian Foster to return from a groin tear that has sidelined him since early in training camp. I mean, like, REALLY…
Houston ISD Board Still Trying to Figure Out Who’ll Be in Charge For the Short Haul
A divided Houston ISD school board, distracted in part as word started coming in about the tragic school bus accident that morning that left two teenage passengers dead, stopped its closed-door proceedings Tuesday and called it a day on the question of appointing an interim superintendent, saying they would resume…
Father and Son’s Photos Remind Us of Houston’s Beloved AstroWorld
Across the freeway from NRG Park with its gleaming stadium and crumbling Astrodome lies a field of dirt. From almost 40 years, that empty lot made children’s dreams come true, gave teens a chance to see concerts and saddled adults with hot, crying toddlers. That place was called Astroworld. For…
Here’s Where to Celebrate National Cheeseburger Day (Friday) in Houston
Great news, burger lovers! Friday, September 18 is National Cheeseburger Day. From a burger contest where you can win free burgers for life to special deals on fat, greasy beef bombs, here’s where to celebrate America’s favorite beefcake in Houston: Bernie’s Burger Bus 5407 Bellaire, 713-349-9400 Say CHEESE burger! BBB is…
You Are Racist and You Always Will Be
I used to say there were no true ethnic slurs for white people. Sure, there are “cracker” and “honky” and my personal favorite “Wonder bread”, but I’m willing to bet the number of white people who have been called those names and ended up with a dark night of the…
Protest Planned at Memorial Hermann Over Woman Arrested at OB-GYN’s Office
One week before Thanksgiving 2014, President Barack Obama announced his plan to temporarily protect millions of undocumented immigrants from being deported. In a highly-anticipated televised speech, Obama said he’d finally chosen to act unilaterally (as other presidents have done on immigration over the past 50 years), in light of a…
Six Ugly Guitars Famous Musicians Played
The electric guitar is one of the world’s most enduring symbols of rock and roll, with classic designs like the fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul remaining as musical icons . Many of the musicians drawn to play rock seem to eventually decide that traditional looking guitars didn’t cut it…
Iron Sommelier Competition Draws Top Name Wine Talent to Houston October 1
Now in its sixth year, the annual Iron Sommelier competition has become a major event on the city’s fine wine calendar. Not only does it give guests an opportunity to taste a wide array of classic and unusual wines with the city’s leading sommeliers, it also draws some of the…
Billy Gibbons’ BFGs Treat UH’s Cullen Hall Right On December 3
Billy Gibbons is 65 years old, and has been a member of ZZ Top for some 45 of them. But that’s never stopped the deacon of down-and-dirty Texas boogie-rock from indulging his more exotic musical meanderings, in this case of the Afro-Cuban variety. In other words, Gibbons has a new…
Here Are All the Reasons Why Nobody Went to See The Transporter Refueled
Disappointing action reboot The Transporter Refueled is so thoroughly misconceived that it took us a couple of extra days to pinpoint all the ways it leaves audiences disappointed — and possibly pining for the relatively sturdy drive-in/grindhouse-ready exploitation films of yesteryear. 0x000A0x000ARefueled, a reboot of the adequate 2002 Jason Statham…
Black Mass Is Strong, but Johnny Depp’s Not Back to Us Yet
James “Whitey” Bulger was more like a character from a seventeenth-century folktale than a late-twentieth-century criminal, the sort of figure who’d murder innocents on wooded roadways and then, with a shrug, toss their bloody bones to hungry wild dogs. In Eighties and early-Nineties Boston, he headed a criminal syndicate known…
The Twist? The Visit Is the Third First-Rate Shyamalan Film
Who saw this coming? The Visit, M. Night Shyamalan’s witty, crowd-jolting spook-house of an eleventh feature, is its writer-director’s best movie since the tail-end of the last Clinton era. And it’s the best studio horror flick in recent years, combining the but-what’s-in-those-shadows? immersion of The Conjuring, James Wan’s basement-wandering simulator,…
Learning to Drive Only Gets Moving Just as It Ends
There’s a knot of tough, tender, persuasive scenes near the end of Isabel Coixet’s life-advice drama Learning to Drive. These are muscular enough that, had they come earlier, they might have powered the movie — the filmmakers’ hearts might be in the right place, but the film’s doesn’t kick in…
