Rockets Could Get a Lot Closer to the Playoffs Tonight
It always shocks me that over the course of 82 games, teams could remain so close that it comes right down to the wire, yet virtually every season, that is the case. With Portland and Dallas essentially falling off the map, there are five teams left fighting for the final…
Ten Years Later, and How Iraq Can Change a Generation’s Trajectory
Every day after baseball practice, my Dad picked me up. Still clad in my dirt-stained pants, still too young to have a full appreciation for deodorant, I would toss my bookbags and gear in the back of our Volvo and jump in the front seat with him. He’d ask how…
Word to the Wise: Don’t Hire a Hit Man over the Phone Like Tab Denny Johnson Allegedly Did — Dude Might Turn Out to be the Sheriff.
Tab Denny Johnson of Burleson was already in jail for allegedly assaulting his wife when, authorities say, he figured he needed to finish the job. Problem was, of course, he was probably going to be behind bars for a while. So he figured he’d ask one of his peers to…
Puerto Rican Violence Affects Houston as Population Continues to Swell
Don Teo has lived in Houston since 1959. He still maintains a slight Puerto Rican accent, but his life — now in retirement, five years after selling the Tex-Chick restaurant he founded 33 years ago — is here in Texas. But even Teo, much like the employees still working at…
Reality Bites: Splash
There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time. With ABC’s Splash, the endgame to a sinister plot is in sight. Hollywood has finally found a way to kill off unwanted celebrities. For years, the movie and music and…
Last Night: Maroon 5 at Toyota Center
Maroon 5 Toyota Center March 19, 2013 So let’s get this strait, er, straight. I wouldn’t have covered Maroon 5, or Adam Levine and The Maroon Street Band on Tuesday night at the Toyota Center had it not been for my Adam Levine-loving girlfriend insisting we take leave of our…
How Much Pho Can You Eat in 30 Minutes?
Rather, how much crawfish-and-andouille-sausage pho with ghost peppers and other spicy additions can you eat in 30 minutes? That’s the challenge posed by LA Crawfish, the subject of this week’s cafe review and home of LA Crawfish Challenge. According to one of the managers I spoke with last week, no…
Tim Tebow Visiting Texas…to Speak in Corpus Christi
A few of you read that headline and thought, “Oh, dear God, no!” A few others of you read it and thought, “Oh, dear God, yes!” Either way, just like your thoughts, we’re pretty sure Tim Tebow’s visit to Corpus Christi will involve the big man upstairs. He will be…
Super Happy’s Festival Overflows SXSW Itself
Oh, Super Happy Fun Land. Can’t live without you; can’t get inside you… Despite becoming one of our favorite weeknight music haunts, Tuesday evening wasn’t the first time we’d found ourselves sitting in front of the darkened, locked doors of the venue, staring absent-mindedly into the East End and contemplating…
Out of the Dark: Shadow People Director Matthew Arnold Talks about His Debut Feature
First time feature director Matthew Arnold has a lofty goal: “I want to believe that my movie’s going to do for sleeping what Jaws did for swimming.” Currently being released on DVD, Arnold’s psychological thriller Shadow People just might do that. The film stars former Houstonian Dallas Roberts as Charlie…
This Week in Food Blogs: The Science of Baking Bread
CultureMap: I had a very nice cup of juice at Roots Juice several weeks back and always noticed a good crowd at the spot when I drove by, so it came as a bit of a surprise to read Whitney Radley’s report that Roots Juice has closed. The space itself…
Experts: Conservation the Key to Future Texas Water Needs
Since the summer of 2011, Texas has been faced with a drought that not only harmed wildlife but reduced our recreational opportunities and damaged our water supplies. By 2012 the drought conditions marginally improved, but the state’s population continues to grow, causing the demand for water to increase daily. At…
The Transforming Power of Houston-Grown Citrus
The first thing I noticed upon returning to Houston after 14 years away? Flipping citrus is everywhere. In December, when I arrived, a laden grapefruit tree was around every corner, satsumas fell and gathered beneath their bushes, bright lemons winked from boughs, and kumquats — those pellets of pure Vitamin…
Behind “Pancho and Lefty”: “That Son of a Bitch Is a Smash”
“Pancho and Lefty” long ago became more than just a song and something closer to a pop-culture touchstone, particularly in Texas and the Southwest. According to Urbanspoon, you can even dine at Pancho & Lefty’s Tex-Mex restaurant in St. George, Utah. Unforgivably, it charges separately for chips and salsa, but…
Tommy Tune Awards 2013 Nominees Announced; Let’s Talk About It
Theatre Under the Stars has just released its list of finalists for the Tommy Tune Awards and as in years past, there will be a best actor and best actress and a best play and other bests at the April 16 program designed to honor outstanding work in local high…
Beer Nuts: State Alcoholic Beverage Laws Front and Center with Lege This Week
No doubt some of you may want to know the many ways the Texas Legislature is going to improve your opportunities this session to drink alcoholic spirits. Toss the kids and forget Medicaid, there’s always one or two more ways to tinker with the state’s alcoholic beverage code each session…
Five Artists Who Have Grown Up Too Soon
Most child stars go through a ton of things being in the spotlight and hitting puberty in front of America. We’ve all seen it from Britney to Lindsay, they’re going from Disney to “Daaaamn” way too fast. Although I love it — and at 24, I grew up with some…
Happy 50th Birthday Kathy Ireland, The Kate Upton Of The ’80s
Was that headline a clever ploy to unite Generation X and Y in solidarity with millenials? You’re damned right. Everyone from the first two groups can agree on the bushy eyebrows and bikini-clad bod of Kathy Ireland, who turns 50 years old today, and was ubiquitous in Sports Illustrated’s best…
Burgers Off the Beaten Path: Watson’s House of Ales
“I am not a smart man.” Forrest Gump’s words echoed in my head as I stared at the Saint Patrick’s Day decorations hanging on the temporary plastic tents erected outside Watson’s House of Ales this past Sunday afternoon. In my haste to come and try what I’ve been told is…
The Real Reason We Hit Up RodeoHouston: All the Hotties
Sure, fried dough and mutton-bustin’ are entertaining. But there’s nothing at Rodeo Houston quite so appealing as the hotties that Houston does best. Read on for some of the finer specimens we discovered over the past few weeks — just so you know who really stole the show…
100 Creatives 2013: Nicola Parente, Abstract Painter and Photographer
“For me, the expansive visual sensibility shared is such an important part of being a creative,” says Italy-born painter and photographer Nicola Parente, a spiritual guy who is quite accomplished in the art world. Parente’s works have been shown all over the map, including Mexico and Ethiopia. He’s also created…
Cage-Free vs. Free-Range: The Truth Behind Eggs and Confusing Terminology
Whenever I go grocery shopping, I always buy cage-free or free-range eggs, mainly because when I see the labels “cage-free” or “free-range,” I imagine a bunch of chickens roaming freely in the fields and enjoying life. It makes me feel like a good person for purchasing eggs that come from…
Red, White, and Rehab: Country Music’s 10 Douchiest Moments
It might be hard to believe, but the same musicians responsible for singing lyrics about big green tractors and diggin’ up bones are also responsible for a lot of my Internet entertainment. You see, when famous people do douchey things, it makes me giggle. When those acts are committed by…
March Madness: Quantifying the Odds of a Perfect Bracket
The NCAA Tournament starts in full force on Thursday afternoon with first round action in four different cities. (NOTE: I know that there are four games that the NCAA calls “first round” games on Tuesday and Wednesday night. This is hogwash. These games are functional play-in games for access to…
So, Are Miniseries the New Thing Now?
A few weeks ago I wrote an article about television binge watching and attempted to counter the popular sentiment from television critics that this was a bad habit. One of the arguments against binge watching is that it if it becomes the viewing choice du jour, why make a long…
Where to Brunch on Easter Sunday 2013
From holiday classics like the Easter bunny and roast leg of lamb to Mexican-style brunch buffets and live bands, here’s where to eat this Easter:…
Viva La Dome! Check Out These Old Concert Tickets
The close of RodeoHouston’s season gives us all a respite from having to look at the adjacent Astrodome while we eat our third turkey leg and wait for our turn on the Ferris wheel. Truth be told, some of us can just stare at the Dome for hours without a…
