var ever_com_entries = [{"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/02/08/rip_houston_bor.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_mary","displaydate":"Feb 08, 2007","excerpt":"FoxNews has confirmed that one of Houston's own, Anna Nicole Smith has passed away. Born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967 in Houston, Texas the \"Reality TV Star\" and former TrimSpa spokeswoman (who was just included in a class-action suit against the company) has passed away in Hollywood, Florida. She was found unresponsive in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel - where she had been photographed at a boxing match earlier...","date":"February 08, 2007  3:50 PM","author":"Mary Jane","comments":445,"title":"R.I.P.: Houston-born Anna Nicole Smith","id":93603,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/05/21/listista_wants.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_shannon","displaydate":"May 21, 2007","excerpt":" That's right, gents and ladies, we at Houstonist have a new feature for you to sink your teeth into, and it's called the Top 10ist. Since we're pretty sure Letterman doesn't have a trademark on top ten lists, we are going to start coming up with our own top ten lists - HOUSTON STYLE. Won't you help us? Read on. Here's the idea: every Monday, we present a question or prompt for the next...","date":"May 21, 2007  4:00 PM","author":"Shannon S.","comments":29,"title":"Yay for a new feature: Top 10ist!","id":107689,"votes":9}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/07/12/found_on_youtub_2.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_alexr","displaydate":"Jul 12, 2007","excerpt":" This video comes from a 1988 television appearance by current presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul. In 1988, Dr. Paul ran for president as a libertarian candidate and appeared on a talk show hosted by notorious nutcase Morton Downey, Jr. We're glad that Ron Paul seems to have chilled out a little since '88, and also that he's no longer inclined to insulting overweight kids. We're not saying we support Ron Paul (actually, we were...","date":"July 12, 2007  3:00 PM","author":"Alexandria Ragsdale","comments":25,"title":"Found on Youtube: Ron Paul v. youth obesity","id":115257,"votes":2}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/05/18/friday_afternoo_40.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_eric","displaydate":"May 18, 2007","excerpt":" In the old days, many music videos had story lines. Most of them were predictable and went with the lyrics of the song. Some, like Radiohead's \"Just\" from 1995 kept you scratching your head. It kept you watching until the very end to see the climax of the plot. However, this one let's you draw your own conclusion. We like that. Why do you think the man was lying down on the sidewalk? A...","date":"May 18, 2007  1:35 PM","author":"Eric Wilson","comments":22,"title":"Friday Afternoon Videos: <i>Just</i>","id":107630,"votes":4}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/03/26/dan_patrick_wan.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_alexr","displaydate":"Mar 26, 2007","excerpt":"No, we're not kidding. In what was meant to be an effort to reduce the incidence of abortion in Texas, the lovable State Sen. Dan Patrick has come up with a bill to pay $500 to mothers who give their babies up for adoption within sixty days of birth. But wait a minute, isn't that baby-selling (and really cheap baby-selling)? Don't worry - the bill states that \"Section 25.08, Penal Code, does not apply to...","date":"March 26, 2007  3:15 PM","author":"Alexandria Ragsdale","comments":21,"title":"Dan Patrick wants your babies","id":99919,"votes":8}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/04/05/patrick_imams_p.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Apr 05, 2007","excerpt":"State Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston) caused a bit of a stir at the Capitol yesterday when he walked out of the Senate chamber so he wouldn't have to be present as an Islamic spiritual leader delivered the opening prayer. Patrick said he didn't have a problem with Imam Yusuf Kavakci of Dallas giving the invocation, but that didn't mean that he had to stay in the room while it was going on: \"It is important...","date":"April 05, 2007  10:50 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":19,"title":"Patrick: Imam's prayer an 'extraordinary moment'","id":101348,"votes":4}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/08/09/urbanist_lower.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_groovehouse","displaydate":"Aug 09, 2007","excerpt":" Westheimer Road is a long, thriving, paved snake of potholed infrastructure. It guides you into town from the Grand Parkway through Beltway 8 and Loop 610 until it brings you all the way into a cozy, little enclave of town we lovingly refer to as The Montrose. Not really the heart of Houston, because that would probably be the Medical Center, but more like the liver or one of the kidneys of Houston as...","date":"August 09, 2007  3:30 PM","author":"Eric S.","comments":18,"title":"Urbanist: Lower Westheimer","id":117560,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/08/31/houstonist_vs_h.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Aug 31, 2007","excerpt":"Houstonist vs. Houstonist is a new feature in which two Houstonist contributors will face off to debate an issue that's relevant to life in the Bayou City. Want to join the debate? Hit the comments section at the end of the post. As we're sure you've heard, Houston's stricter smoking ban — which affects all but a handful of workplaces, including bars — goes into effect tomorrow. The push for the expanded smoking ban gained...","date":"August 31, 2007  4:35 PM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":18,"title":"Houstonist vs. Houstonist: The smoking ban","id":122247,"votes":4}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/02/06/astronaut_gone.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Feb 06, 2007","excerpt":"Sure, the space shuttle is going to be retired soon, but that doesn't mean NASA's astronauts won't keep us entertained — assuming, that is, that they keep giving us news like Lisa Marie Nowak. Nowak, you might know, is the Johnson Space Center-based astronaut who was arrested yesterday in Orlando, accused of attacking an Air Force captain in one of those bizarre love triangles we've heard about. Here's the skinny: Nowak apparently had a thing...","date":"February 06, 2007  09:05 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":17,"title":"Astronaut gone wild!","id":93185,"votes":8}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/06/05/houstonist_top.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_shannon","displaydate":"Jun 05, 2007","excerpt":"The people have grumbled. Here you are, The Top 10 Least Satisfying Driving Experiences in Houston: 1. I-10 between downtown and the westside 2. Meeting of 59 North and 288 3. 610 past the Galleria 4. 59 South 5. Westheimer past the Galleria 6. 45 through downtown 7. Shepherd Drive from I-10 to 59 8. Richmond west of the Galleria 9. Hwy. 6 between Bellaire and 529 10. 290 in and out of downtown *Interesting...","date":"June 05, 2007  2:25 PM","author":"Shannon S.","comments":17,"title":"Houstonist Top 10ist: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction","id":110024,"votes":2}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/17/houstonist_is_boiling.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Jun 17, 2008","excerpt":" Nothing says summer time like tying a piece of ham on to a string and trying to pull a crawfish out of the ditch in front of your grandma’s house. As you know, this can be a tedious and frustrating task – sometimes taking all day to catch two or three. Put down the string and step away from the ditch. Houstonist has a better solution. We are having a crawfish boil at Volcano!...","date":"June 17, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":17,"title":"Houstonist is Boiling","id":167001,"votes":10}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/03/09/citizen_lounge.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_amol","displaydate":"Mar 09, 2008","excerpt":" Don’t go to Citizen Lounge, Houston’s newest nightspot off of Washington. Don’t support Citizen Lounge by spending your hard earned money for overpriced drinks and cheesy environs (or so we hear). And most importantly, if you choose not to heed our advice, don’t give up your car keys to the valet in front of Citizen Lounge. That is, unless you want to take the chance of shattering your self image and self worth in...","date":"March 09, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Amol Gavankar","comments":16,"title":"Citizen Lounge: Just Say No","id":150999,"votes":16}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/07/28/river_oaks_thre_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_lauren","displaydate":"Jul 28, 2006","excerpt":" Houstonians are banding together in what seems like an unprecedented collaboration for historic preservation. In actuality, many of us have always cared, but this time we have some notice. A sketch from Hermes Architects shows clear plans to demolish the current location of Black-eyed Pea restaurant with an anchor (Barnes & Noble), and the implementation of a three-level parking garage that would run along the back side of the center. According to the Chronicle:...","date":"July 28, 2006  09:40 AM","author":"lauren","comments":15,"title":"River Oaks threat creates huge outcry and growing support","id":60644,"votes":13}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/06/20/angry_austin_cr.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_shannon","displaydate":"Jun 20, 2007","excerpt":"Here's a scary story: apparently a man was killed yesterday by a crowd in Austin. According to reports, a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people had gathered for the Juneteenth celebration in East Austin Tuesday night. Apparently the man killed was a passenger riding in a car that had struck a child. The child survived the incident, as did the driver. However, the passenger riding with the driver died at the scene. After the driver...","date":"June 20, 2007  12:45 AM","author":"Shannon S.","comments":15,"title":"Angry Austin Crowd Kills Man after Child is Struck","id":112296,"votes":0}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/08/14/dailyst_tuesday.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_monica","displaydate":"Aug 14, 2007","excerpt":"Art Institute of Houston Poetry Forum Kickoff Borders Books and The Art Institute of Houston offer a monthly Poetry Reading Series at Borders River Oaks, hosted by Ken Jones, instructor at The Art Institute of Houston. The readings are the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Borders River Oaks at 3025 Kirby Drive at the corner of West Alabama. These monthly poetry events are free, open to the public, and part of...","date":"August 14, 2007  12:40 AM","author":"Monica Danna","comments":15,"title":"Daily-ist: Tuesday","id":119814,"votes":2}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/10/06/pandamonium_avatars_come_to_houstonist.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Oct 06, 2007","excerpt":"Hey, registered Houstonist commenters: You now have avatars! If you have a profile (and if you don't yet, why not register?), just go to \"Edit Profile\" and upload a 100 x 100 pixel image. Then try commenting (on this post!) and bask in the glory of our ever-improving commenting system. For now, the default avatar for registered commenters across the Gothamist network is a baby panda — and no, it's not clear why, though we...","date":"October 06, 2007  12:45 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":15,"title":"Pandamonium: Avatars come to Houstonist","id":127380,"votes":6}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/10/30/more_opposition.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_lauren","displaydate":"Oct 30, 2007","excerpt":"The Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo publicly stated opposition to the proposed redevelopment of the Astrodome into a hotel and convention center. Giving the reason that it would have negative effects on the Texans and the HLSR, spokesfolks didn't actually release details yet to back it up. Since the Astros' abandonment of the Astrodome, it has been tough to try to agree and finance good uses for it year-round. The hotel and...","date":"October 30, 2007  11:00 AM","author":"lauren","comments":15,"title":"Official opposition to Hotel Astrodome","id":130977,"votes":3}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/10/22/houstonist_conv.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_hector","displaydate":"Oct 22, 2007","excerpt":"Today Houstonist brings you an imagined interview with Derek J. Mortimer, the owner, founder, and visionary behind Hotel Derek. We recently sat down with Mr. Mortimer in the lobby of his flagship hotel to speak with him about his career. Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Mr. Mortimer. Or do you prefer-- --You may address Derek as Derek. Okay, Derek. Could you talk a bit about what inspired you to go into the hotel business?...","date":"October 22, 2007  3:30 PM","author":"Hector Chavez","comments":14,"title":"Interview: Derek J. Mortimer, Hotelier","id":129649,"votes":10}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/12/12/reader_picture.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Dec 12, 2007","excerpt":" Reader Emily B. snapped this picture of a very soapy Mecom Fountain on her way to work this morning — kinda Christmasy, don't you think? (Sorry, but we're Houstonians, which means we have some bizarre, deep-seated belief that soap bubbles really do look like snow. Don't correct us.) Thanks, Emily! And to our other 10 readers: If you see anything around town you think we should know about, drop us a picture. In the...","date":"December 12, 2007  09:45 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":14,"title":"Reader picture: Soapy Mecom","id":137612,"votes":3}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/01/houstonist_vs_houstonist_joe_horn.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jul 01, 2008","excerpt":"Unless you've just returned from a sabbatical taken underneath a rock, you'll have heard the news that Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two men who were robbing his neighbor's house, was cleared of any crimes by a grand jury yesterday. The decision came after seven months of private deliberation and public debate over a case that could have serious repercussions and set legal precedents for years to come. The facts are...","date":"July 01, 2008  4:30 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":14,"title":"Houstonist vs. Houstonist: Joe Horn","id":169402,"votes":8}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/08/22/urbanist_washington_avenue.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Aug 22, 2008","excerpt":" Washington Avenue runs approximately three miles, a relatively small stretch of road in comparison to the hulking concrete freeways and endless ribbons of asphalt that flow through Houston. But those three miles, stretching parallel along I-10 and dead-ending into downtown, are potent ones. Washington Avenue is a microcosm of Houston's history and future, succinctly merging the two in ways that no other area of town does as successfully. But at its current rate of...","date":"August 22, 2008  4:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":14,"title":"Urbanist: Washington Avenue","id":176105,"votes":10}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/04/22/ask_a_dilettant_5.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_crystal","displaydate":"Apr 22, 2007","excerpt":"Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. This was a rough week for the gun lobby. Federal “safeguards” didn't stop a very disturbed young man in Virginia from being able to purchase guns that he later used to kill lots of people. Though there has been no official statement from the NRA, many pundits, talk radio callers and a guy sitting at a bar in Houston who was overheard by...","date":"April 22, 2007  12:30 AM","author":"Crystal Jackson","comments":13,"title":"Ask a Dilettante: Let Them Eat Lead","id":103643,"votes":5}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/05/29/top_10ist.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_shannon","displaydate":"May 29, 2007","excerpt":" Excellent work, gumshoes! Here's your first Top 10 list, made up of your suggestions and our opinions. If you didn't get a chance, be sure to go back and read the various comments made on the first Top 10ist, because there are a few gems. [Next step: contribute to next week's Top 10ist by commenting - below this post - in response to the new prompt, which you will find at the bottom.] Good...","date":"May 29, 2007  1:30 PM","author":"Shannon S.","comments":13,"title":"Houstonist Top 10ist!","id":108882,"votes":5}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/06/20/imho_westpark_t.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_shannon","displaydate":"Jun 20, 2007","excerpt":"Disclaimer: this is an opinion piece and not at all representative of Houstonist as a whole. ------ Here's my humble opinion: Steve Radack sucks. No, it's not eloquent, not even mature, but it is called for given the recent announcement that the cost of driving on the Westpark Tollway will jump to $2.50 during peak times come September. Seriously, this Houstonist contributor would better serve Houston than the man who's in charge of stuff like...","date":"June 20, 2007  7:45 PM","author":"Shannon S.","comments":13,"title":"IMHO: Westpark Tollway goes from Hot to Not","id":112352,"votes":3}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/07/13/smoking_ban_exe.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Jul 13, 2007","excerpt":"So here's something interesting about the city's full-on smoking ban, which is set to take effect in about a month and a half: According to KTRK, there's still no permitting process in place for cigar bars, one of a handful of types of businesses that are supposed to be exempt from the ban. Mike Shapiro, who owns a cigar bar downtown, is one of the people who's trying to figure out what's going on: \"I...","date":"July 13, 2007  09:40 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":13,"title":"Smoking ban exemptions remain hazy","id":115312,"votes":2}, ];
var ever_fav_entries=[{"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/08/04/houstonist_inte_3.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_karah","displaydate":"Aug 04, 2006","excerpt":" There's prime shopping to be done in Houston. Otherwise, millions of shoppers wouldn’t come to our fair city from out of town each year. Of course there are all of the regular stops in the Galleria. But what we hope tourists and Houstonians alike do is meander into one of the many local boutiques, like Flyte, a new-ish boutique opened by Houston native Brad Pritchett: What made you decide to open up your own...","date":"August 04, 2006  1:15 PM","author":"Karah Leigh","comments":0,"title":"Brad Pritchett, owner, Flyte","id":61481,"votes":44}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/05/22/interview_catch_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"May 22, 2008","excerpt":" You name it, Brad Lincoln won it. 2006 was a very special year for the University of Houston All-American. He became the first UH and C-USA player to win a national player of the year award. He led the Cougars in wins (12) with a 1.69 ERA and 152 strike outs. He also belted 14 home runs and led UH with 53 RBI. He was the fourth overall pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brad...","date":"May 22, 2008  1:30 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":0,"title":"Interview: Catching Up with Brad Lincoln","id":163004,"votes":31}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/07/22/river_oaks_shop.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_lauren","displaydate":"Jul 22, 2006","excerpt":"Many tenants of the River Oaks Shopping Center have been slowly let in on a growing probability: the demolition of initially two parts of the complex - first of which is the northeast corner of the center at Shepherd and West Gray, designed by Hugh Potter, and constructed beginning in 1937. The second is our favorite theater in Houston, the River Oaks (2009 West Gray), which was opened in 1939 and is run by Landmark...","date":"July 22, 2006  12:15 AM","author":"lauren","comments":8,"title":"River Oaks Shopping Center could be on Weingarten's *hit-list","id":59904,"votes":27}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/21/houstonist_legends_wilson_whitley.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jul 21, 2008","excerpt":" University of Houston legend Wilson Whitley was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this past Friday in South Bend, Indiana along with 12 other players which included stars such as Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie and Penn St. head coach Joe Paterno. Whitley was a wrecking machine while at UH from 1972-76. His senior season was the best of all and it still remains the standard for all UH defensive players....","date":"July 21, 2008  6:34 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":0,"title":"Houstonist Legends: Wilson Whitley","id":172633,"votes":27}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/12/11/a_conversation.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_judy","displaydate":"Dec 11, 2007","excerpt":"What would be the obvious career path for someone who went to Harvard for undergrad and Yale for law school? Well, write and publish restaurant guides, of course. Duh. Houstonist had the opportunity to sit with author/entrepreneur/foodie/publisher/world-traveller Robin Goldstein and his managing editor/foodie/marketer/public-relations-exec/S.O. Alexis Herschkowitsch. Robin has just released his Houston restaurant guide – Fearless Critic, Houston Restaurant Guide (one of the very first complete printed guides in Houston - and no, Zagat doesn't count)....","date":"December 11, 2007  2:30 PM","author":"Judy Le","comments":6,"title":"A Conversation with the Fearless Critic","id":137453,"votes":26}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/04/interview_uhs_t.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jan 04, 2008","excerpt":" CBSSports.com hand-picked 16 cheerleaders around the nation and decided to hold a College Cheerleader of the Week Playoff system with the winner being crowned College Cheerleader of the Year on January 21. UH's Taucha Hogue defeated what Southern Cal had to offer in the first round and now she's in the quarterfinals. Hogue took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Houstonist. First off, please give us some information about your high...","date":"January 04, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":0,"title":"Interview: UH's Taucha Hogue, College Cheerleader of the Year Candidate","id":140743,"votes":25}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/08/30/bobby_moral_fab.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_karah","displaydate":"Aug 30, 2006","excerpt":" Even though Bobby Wiggins called Dallas home for a long while, the native Houstonian is back in our city, and making good use of his time here. He's got a line of t-shirts that are pretty, rockin', sweet, whatever you want to call them -- they look good! And young Bobby is running the business on his own. He calls the positive-message-only t-shirt line Moral Fabric. Why did you start Moral Fabric? Moral Fabric...","date":"August 30, 2006  1:00 PM","author":"Karah Leigh","comments":0,"title":"Bobby Wiggins, Moral Fabric","id":64241,"votes":24}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/09/03/save_ferrissave_lives_an_80s_themed.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#drmiggy","displaydate":"Sep 03, 2008","excerpt":" Texas Girls For A Cure is throwing an 80's themed extravaganza benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Saturday, September 6 at the Caroline Collective. The party starts at 6:00 PM and will feature screenings of The Breakfast Club (8:00 PM) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (10:00 PM). Texas Girls For A Cure was officially formed in January 2008 by two best friends, Erin Nies and Carissa Hernandez, who met while training for endurance events...","date":"September 03, 2008  11:30 AM","author":"Michelle Calabretta","comments":1,"title":"Save Ferris...Save Lives! Film Festival Benefitting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society","id":179783,"votes":24}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/13/interview_jason_castro_astros_2008_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jun 13, 2008","excerpt":" On June 5, the Houston Astros selected Stanford's Jason Castro, a catcher, 10th overall in the first round of the MLB Amateur Draft. This year has been a dream season so far for the Stanford junior. Along with leading his team to the College World Series, Castro is one of the best catchers in the nation who is sporting a .372 AVG with 12 HR's, 16 doubles and 68 RBI. The durable Castro has...","date":"June 13, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":2,"title":"Interview: Jason Castro, Astros 2008 First Round Pick","id":166394,"votes":23}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/04/16/announcing_600.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Apr 16, 2007","excerpt":" Houstonist has known for a long time that there are a lot of talented professional photographers in this city. But what we didn't really realize — until we started the Houstonist flickr group about a year ago, that is — was how many incredible amateur/semi-pro photographers we have around here, too. We're constantly amazed by the images we see, both on- and offline, and a while back we started thinking to ourselves, \"Wouldn't it...","date":"April 16, 2007  11:30 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":0,"title":"Announcing '600 sq mi: Photos from Houston'","id":102807,"votes":20}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/05/07/cmon_get_happy.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"May 07, 2007","excerpt":" Our hangover from the pub crawl is finally gone. Time to make another one. Join us at Kay's Lounge on May 17th for some good old fashioned beer drinking and carousing. What's not to love about throwing back a cold beer while seated around the Texas table? The plan is to focus our efforts on only one joint this time around. However, we can't be held responsible if a pub crawl evolves since Volcano...","date":"May 07, 2007  2:32 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":6,"title":"C'mon Get Happy @ Kay's Lounge","id":105747,"votes":19}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/07/31/now_thats_a_tas.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_mary","displaydate":"Jul 31, 2006","excerpt":"Houstonist loves burgers — bacon cheeseburgers, to be specific (and please drag it through the garden, because we love all the typical burger accoutrements, too). Sure, there are larger chain-type burger joints that are perfectly yummy, but we give our props to the \"Mom & Pops\" that serve up not only better burgers, but also warm fuzzies from supporting local businesspeople. In that spirit, we're kicking off a series of burger reviews. Today, we're listing,...","date":"July 31, 2006  2:30 PM","author":"Mary Jane","comments":12,"title":"Now <i>that's</i> a tasty burger","id":60824,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/09/04/your_saturday_p.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Sep 04, 2007","excerpt":"What are you doing Saturday night? Whatever your plans are, do your best to swing by M2 Gallery in the Heights and check out 600 sq mi: Photos from Houston, Houstonist's first-ever photo show. It — and we say this completely objectively — is going to be incredible. In case you don't remember, here's the background on the show: Since we started Houstonist, we've gotten a lot more aware of the number of incredibly talented...","date":"September 04, 2007  10:15 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":5,"title":"Your Saturday plans: '600 sq mi' opening","id":122566,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/11/interview_uhs_taucha_hogue_advances_to_final_four.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jan 11, 2008","excerpt":" Houstonist interviewed the darling of the Bayou City last week, Taucha Hogue, as she was in the quarterfinals for the College Cheerleader of Year Award. Now, after a convincing win over Mississippi St., Taucha has advanced into the Final Four against Kansas. Houstonist will continue to follow Taucha as she looks to capture the coveted crown as Cheerleader of the Year. Congrats on moving on to the Final Four. Do you find yourself doing...","date":"January 11, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":2,"title":"Interview: UH's Taucha Hogue Advances to Final Four","id":141840,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/22/interview_uhs_t_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jan 22, 2008","excerpt":" She's back Houstonist! Taucha Hogue has advanced to the championship round for College Cheerleader of the Year and she needs your vote! Taucha squares of against Arkansas' Laura Cole and she currently trails 54% to 46% as of Monday night. Ok, Taucha, here we are in championship round. Are you starting to feel the pressure of being in the BIG game? There is pressure out there for the fact there are so many people...","date":"January 22, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":2,"title":"Interview: UH's Taucha Hogue Advances to Championship Round","id":143473,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/19/interview_crystal_maxim_hometown_ho.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jun 19, 2008","excerpt":" Not too far from Houston is the town of Lumberton. It's a small and friendly community where everyone knows each other. It's also the hometown of Crystal. Of all the thousands and thousands of beautiful women who entered Maxim's Hometown Hottie Contest, Crystal was one of the elite few who made it to the semi-finals. Houstonist had a chance to talk with this Texas beauty last week on her new found fame. Crystal, can...","date":"June 19, 2008  11:00 AM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":5,"title":"Interview: Crystal, Maxim Hometown Hottie Semi-Finalist","id":166742,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/09/15/interview_with.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jeff","displaydate":"Sep 15, 2006","excerpt":"Dr. Jeff Masters is widely considered one of the foremost experts on hurricanes. He is the co-founder of the popular weather website Wunderground.com, where you can find his informative blog posts about hurricanes and weather in general throughout the year. Dr. Masters graciously agreed to answer some questions for those of us who choose to put our homes, lives and families in the path of hurricanes along the Texas coast. Houstonist greatly appreciates Dr. Masters...","date":"September 15, 2006  11:15 AM","author":"Jeff","comments":4,"title":"Dr. Jeff Masters of Wunderground.com","id":66139,"votes":17}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/24/houstonist_crawfish_boil.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Jun 24, 2008","excerpt":" This season Houstonist quickly tired of eating over-priced, cayenne-coated crawfish that didn't quite meet our expectations. So, we decided to have our own little boil and share some with you readers while we're at it. We've got 500 pounds of mud bugs teed up for this Saturday at Volcano. You might be asking yourself, \"Where did Houstonist get 500 pounds of crawfish?\" To which we reply, \"Shhhh. Don't worry your pretty little head.\" The...","date":"June 24, 2008  5:00 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":5,"title":"Houstonist Crawfish Boil","id":168249,"votes":17}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/03/09/citizen_lounge.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_amol","displaydate":"Mar 09, 2008","excerpt":" Don’t go to Citizen Lounge, Houston’s newest nightspot off of Washington. Don’t support Citizen Lounge by spending your hard earned money for overpriced drinks and cheesy environs (or so we hear). And most importantly, if you choose not to heed our advice, don’t give up your car keys to the valet in front of Citizen Lounge. That is, unless you want to take the chance of shattering your self image and self worth in...","date":"March 09, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Amol Gavankar","comments":16,"title":"Citizen Lounge: Just Say No","id":150999,"votes":16}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/04/caroline_collec.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jun 04, 2008","excerpt":" It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here: The highly-anticipated grand opening of the Caroline Collective takes place this Saturday, June 7th beginning at 7:00 p.m. as Houston finally welcomes a coworking home of our own. The mission of the Caroline Collective is to provide a stimulating work environment for anyone who doesn't have a traditional office setting, but still wants to participate in a communal workspace and have a base of...","date":"June 04, 2008  10:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":0,"title":"Caroline Collective Cickoff","id":164818,"votes":16}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2006/10/20/garden_guy_in_t.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_lauren","displaydate":"Oct 20, 2006","excerpt":"Like us, you may have received the forwarded email about how local gardeners Todd and Sabrina Farber cannot \"perform service\" with a client because he's gay (the client, not Todd -- at least that hasn't surfaced, yet). If you haven't seen the email, you can read it on the Chronicle's site - written by Sabrina, it simply reads: \"I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad you contacted us. I need...","date":"October 20, 2006  12:30 AM","author":"lauren","comments":5,"title":"Garden Guy getting reamed about anti-gay policy","id":79387,"votes":15}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/02/27/at_last_pavilio.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_lauren","displaydate":"Feb 27, 2007","excerpt":"After about a year of date-pushing, today marks the groundbreaking ceremony for the Houston Pavilions project downtown, which was apparently only attended by about 75-100 people. Two more anchor tenants were announced - Books-A-Million and Forever21 - in addition to the already secured House of Blues and Lucky Strike Lanes. Restaurants supposedly set to be included are Lawry's, McCormick & Schmick's, Yao's, Antica Osteria, and Guadalajara del Centro (don't leave your American Express at home,...","date":"February 27, 2007  4:15 PM","author":"lauren","comments":0,"title":"At last - Pavilions project officially breaks ground","id":96132,"votes":15}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/08/01/houstonist_surv.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Aug 01, 2007","excerpt":"We know you're out there reading Houstonist — but what do we really know about you, aside from the fact that you obviously have impeccable taste in websites? Not much, as it turns out. So we've developed a quick survey to get some basic info on y'all that we will use to improve Houstonist — from developing new content areas to choosing promotional and advertising partners. The survey covers the basics: some info about you...","date":"August 01, 2007  11:30 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":0,"title":"Houstonist survey says ...","id":117978,"votes":15}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/02/11/dont_miss_that.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Feb 11, 2008","excerpt":" It's a leap year, people, so hop on the rail and enjoy some cocktails with us. That's right; it's baaaack. Last year's Light Rail Pub Crawl was such a success that we're doing it again. What's not to love about riding the rail with 60+ folks you've never met before and having them follow you around all night? Houstonist 2nd Annual Light Rail Pub Crawl Friday, February 29th @ 5:30 PM Rally Point: Flying...","date":"February 11, 2008  10:19 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":0,"title":"Don't Miss That Train: LRPC Rides Again!","id":146821,"votes":15}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/05/30/the_comeback_ki.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"May 30, 2008","excerpt":" It's official: Houston is the best place to live in America. At least according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which placed Houston at the top of their list of Best Cities to Live, Work and Play for 2008. The respected personal finance magazine named a number of reasons that Houston topped their list this year: our strong economy (in spite of any national trends), continued job growth, low cost of living, diverse cultures and vibrant...","date":"May 30, 2008  08:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":4,"title":"The Comeback Kid","id":164085,"votes":15}, ];
var year_com_entries = [{"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/17/houstonist_is_boiling.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Jun 17, 2008","excerpt":" Nothing says summer time like tying a piece of ham on to a string and trying to pull a crawfish out of the ditch in front of your grandma’s house. As you know, this can be a tedious and frustrating task – sometimes taking all day to catch two or three. Put down the string and step away from the ditch. Houstonist has a better solution. We are having a crawfish boil at Volcano!...","date":"June 17, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":17,"title":"Houstonist is Boiling","id":167001,"votes":10}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/03/09/citizen_lounge.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_amol","displaydate":"Mar 09, 2008","excerpt":" Don’t go to Citizen Lounge, Houston’s newest nightspot off of Washington. Don’t support Citizen Lounge by spending your hard earned money for overpriced drinks and cheesy environs (or so we hear). And most importantly, if you choose not to heed our advice, don’t give up your car keys to the valet in front of Citizen Lounge. That is, unless you want to take the chance of shattering your self image and self worth in...","date":"March 09, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Amol Gavankar","comments":16,"title":"Citizen Lounge: Just Say No","id":150999,"votes":16}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/01/houstonist_vs_houstonist_joe_horn.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jul 01, 2008","excerpt":"Unless you've just returned from a sabbatical taken underneath a rock, you'll have heard the news that Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two men who were robbing his neighbor's house, was cleared of any crimes by a grand jury yesterday. The decision came after seven months of private deliberation and public debate over a case that could have serious repercussions and set legal precedents for years to come. The facts are...","date":"July 01, 2008  4:30 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":14,"title":"Houstonist vs. Houstonist: Joe Horn","id":169402,"votes":8}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/08/22/urbanist_washington_avenue.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Aug 22, 2008","excerpt":" Washington Avenue runs approximately three miles, a relatively small stretch of road in comparison to the hulking concrete freeways and endless ribbons of asphalt that flow through Houston. But those three miles, stretching parallel along I-10 and dead-ending into downtown, are potent ones. Washington Avenue is a microcosm of Houston's history and future, succinctly merging the two in ways that no other area of town does as successfully. But at its current rate of...","date":"August 22, 2008  4:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":14,"title":"Urbanist: Washington Avenue","id":176105,"votes":10}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/05/01/sexy_attacks_ho.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_chester","displaydate":"May 01, 2008","excerpt":" If love isn't your thing, how about sexy? Specifically, a SexyAttack. Hilariously inspired by the music video (probably definitely NSFW) for Eric Prydz’s \"Call On Me,\" SexyAttack is the flash mob-esque venture somehow connected to the Performance Art Lab at UH. Actually, we're not sure where these people came from (an American Apparel ad, maybe?), but the hip thursts and gyrations have distracted us enough not to care. So far, they've SexyAttacked both the...","date":"May 01, 2008  3:00 PM","author":"Chester Soria","comments":13,"title":"Sexy attacks Houston","id":159641,"votes":14}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/11/restaurant_revi_23.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_rob","displaydate":"Jan 11, 2008","excerpt":"Upscale Barbecue. Sounds like an oxymoron, right? BBQ, the real sport that precedes major sporting events, the Five Elements (Brisket, Link, Beans, Tater Salad, Sauce), the food group that evolved out of the simple necessity of cattle drives: surely it can't be froofy without ceasing to be bbq. Monica Pope, proprietor and mastermind behind the beloved t'afia, decided to see if she could make the two words fit together in a converted icehouse in the...","date":"January 11, 2008  1:09 PM","author":"Rob Hays","comments":11,"title":"Restaurant Review: Beaver's","id":139272,"votes":9}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/02/11/houstons_best_m.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_amol","displaydate":"Feb 11, 2008","excerpt":"We don't know about you, but when we have out-of-state guests crash on our couch, two primary questions are always posed to us. Those being: \"Where do you store the extra toilet paper?\" and \"Where can I get the best margarita in Houston?\" Apparently folks visiting the Lone Star State not only associate our humble home with cowboys, oil fields, ranches, and the Bush family, but they also expect to get the best tasting margaritas...","date":"February 11, 2008  3:25 PM","author":"Amol Gavankar","comments":11,"title":"Houston's Best Margarita - Introduction","id":146779,"votes":7}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/03/barbetwo.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jun 03, 2008","excerpt":"Texas Monthly has released their annual list of the Top 50 BBQ Joints In Texas in the June issue that's just hit newsstands. For you Houston barbeque fans, we hope that you like the bitter taste of disppointment with your brisket: Only two Houston restaurants made the exclusive list. In a state known for its barbeque, making a list containing only 50 barbeque restaurants is no easy task. And since barbeque is perhaps best made...","date":"June 03, 2008  4:30 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":11,"title":"Bar-Be-Two","id":164791,"votes":5}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/08/10/astros_should_pursue_bonds.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Aug 10, 2008","excerpt":" On Saturday, the Astros offense took a major blow. Carlos Lee suffered a broken pinkie finger which will require season ending surgery. Today, the Astros pulled off a four game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds which puts them one game under .500 as they return to Texas for a seven game series against the San Francisco Giants (49-66) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (60-58). If the Astros have any thoughts at clinching a Wild Card...","date":"August 10, 2008  6:03 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":11,"title":"Astros Should Pursue Bonds","id":176026,"votes":6}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/09/16/power_to_the_people.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Sep 16, 2008","excerpt":" Wondering where your neighborhood or ZIP code stands in the unprecedented outage left behind by Ike? Look no further. Centerpoint has set up an informative website that is updated every twelve hours, showing areas with power and allowing to you to monitor their progress: Outage and Restoration Updates. You can browse the data through a general outage map or by checking out percentages by ZIP code. As of last night at 8:00 p.m., 1.56...","date":"September 16, 2008  11:29 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":11,"title":"Power to the People","id":182294,"votes":4}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/10/so_fresh_and_so_green.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jul 10, 2008","excerpt":"Hey, locavores! Find yourself wanting a more comprehensive listing of all the farmers markets in town? Wondering where else to hit after your weekly jaunt to the Midtown Farmers Market or Urban Harvest? Wishing that there were markets on days other than Saturday mornings? Houstonist has got your back, babies! Some of these markets may be familiar to you, some may be brand new, and all are worth a visit. So get out there this...","date":"July 10, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":9,"title":"So Fresh and So Green","id":168547,"votes":7}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/08/20/nfl_missing_out_on_texans_cowboys_r.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Aug 20, 2008","excerpt":" As Houstonist anticipates this Friday's pre-season match-up in Irving, Texas between the Texans and Cowboys, Houstonist was wondering why it isn't an annual regular season game? Since November 10, 1991, The Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers and Houston Texans have met for a total of four times in a regular season game. Yeah, Houstonist knows the crazy NFL scheduling that you play teams not in your division every four years and that the...","date":"August 20, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":9,"title":"NFL Missing Out on Texans, Cowboys Rivalry","id":177749,"votes":6}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/16/houstonist_bite_17.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_mary","displaydate":"Jan 16, 2008","excerpt":"Barbecue Inn, located on W. Crosstimbers at Yale has been serving up home cooked diner fare since 1946. Houstonist had to pay them a visit, as we were told that the fried chicken was \"to die\". We're not just taking anyone's word on it - we have to find out for our ownselves (it's a sacrifice, but, one we are willing to make). While waiting for our table, we chatted up the hostess, who let...","date":"January 16, 2008  1:30 PM","author":"Mary Jane","comments":8,"title":"Houstonist Bites: Barbecue Inn","id":142646,"votes":9}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/06/urbanist_upper.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jun 06, 2008","excerpt":" Memorial Drive begins its life in downtown Houston as Prairie Street, dipping gently out from town and into the lush greenery of Buffalo Bayou and the Allen Parkway area. As it flows out from the center of the city, it runs parallel to I-10 and Westheimer, making it an ideal egress for those on the west side of town on days when traffic is particularly hideous on the freeway. Through Memorial Park, under Loop...","date":"June 06, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":8,"title":"Urbanist: Upper Memorial","id":164288,"votes":12}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/25/morning_roundup_298.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Jun 25, 2008","excerpt":"Who spray painted racist and obscene slogans on New Territory homes and vehicles this weekend? That's what police are trying to figure out And, speaking of things police want to know, consider this: How did a handgun make it past security at the municipal courthouse? Medical examiner's preliminary report on the deaths of two Pasadena children: They died after an \"unknown violent episode\"; meanwhile, the kids' father claims drug dealers killed the children Looks like...","date":"June 25, 2008  08:30 AM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":8,"title":"Morning Roundup","id":168292,"votes":2}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/08/07/zai_jian_mings.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_groovehouse","displaydate":"Aug 07, 2008","excerpt":"After many years at their location on Montrose just off of Westheimer, Ming's Cafe has shut it's doors for greener pastures in Austin. Austinist, take note and indulge in your new Chinese food overlords! We found out about Ming's closing via three sources, a friend of Houstonist, the HAIF forum and the SheEats blog which wrote a well rounded blog post about Ming's. But of course, we couldn't believe it and had to drive down...","date":"August 07, 2008  4:20 PM","author":"Eric S.","comments":8,"title":"Zai Jian Ming's","id":175590,"votes":7}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/09/04/montrose_farmers_market_it_begins.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Sep 04, 2008","excerpt":"You weren't happy with your close proximity to downtown, the Medical Center and the Museum District; your tree-lined streets and quaint houses; your dining options that run the gamut from upscale (Hugo's, Indika, Feast, Da Marco) to down-home (Baba Yega, Cafe Montrose, Ziggy's, Lankford Grocery); your endless thrift stores and antique shops and clothing boutiques; your quirky coffee shops and bars. It just wasn't enough, was it, Montrose? Now you want your own farmer's market,...","date":"September 04, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":8,"title":"Montrose Farmer's Market: It Begins","id":180261,"votes":8}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/12/04/one_pho_the_money_two_pho_the_show.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Dec 04, 2008","excerpt":"Disclaimer: Houstonist knows that pho isn't pronounced \"fo,\" and so should you. Every year when Houston experiences its first \"cold snap\" of \"winter,\" Houstonist starts to get wild cravings for a hot, hearty, fragrant bowl of pho. In a multicultural city like Houston, pho ranks up there in the comfort food echelon alongside cheese enchiladas and chicken fried steak, no matter who you are or where you came from. A bowl of pho will cure...","date":"December 04, 2008  10:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":8,"title":"One Pho the Money, Two Pho the Show","id":195943,"votes":7}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/12/06/concert_review_duran_duran_at_veriz_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Dec 06, 2008","excerpt":" \"We couldn't get on a plane for San Antonio. We couldn't get on a plane for Dallas. But we got on a plane for fucking Houston!\" And as Simon Le Bon delivered that poignant shoutout to our fair city last night, it became instantly clear that Duran Duran hadn't lost an ounce of that swagger and endearing churlishness that defined the band throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The members of Duran Duran took...","date":"December 06, 2008  11:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":8,"title":"Concert Review: Duran Duran at Verizon Wireless","id":196577,"votes":9}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2007/12/30/best_of_2007_ph_7.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_groovehouse","displaydate":"Dec 30, 2007","excerpt":"All this week we will be featuring our favorites from another year of amazing photos from our Photo of the Day postings. We appreciate and enjoy all our submissions to our wonderful Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. Keep taking great photos and keep reading Houstonist. even the most vibrant bunnys can loose their happy Photographer: dirtyfeet Originally published to Houstonist on December 11, 2007...","date":"December 30, 2007  7:30 PM","author":"Eric S.","comments":7,"title":"Best of 2007 - Photo of the Day - even the most vibrant bunnys can loose their happy","id":139427,"votes":3}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/08/dont_ask_how_bu.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#coowen","displaydate":"Jan 08, 2008","excerpt":"Don't ask how, but somehow we'd gone our entire life without trying out dim sum. In fact, we hadn't even heard of dim sum before moving to Houston. It is a travesty, but don't worry—we've remedied that situation. This weekend, we lost our dim sum virginity at Kim Son. . .and in front of hundreds of people no less. Perhaps thousands. It was totally worth it. Dim sum is like a Chinese version of tapas....","date":"January 08, 2008  3:45 PM","author":"Cory Owen","comments":7,"title":"Kim Son Dim Sum is Yum Yum","id":141401,"votes":1}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/20/houstonist_phot_3.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_groovehouse","displaydate":"Jan 20, 2008","excerpt":"Houstonist Flickr photo contributor espngo got up early this morning to witness the implosion of the Montagu Hotel, formerly the Hotel Cotton, which was built in 1913. Cherry Demolition was contracted to implode the building to make room for a new 46-story building dubbed The Pipe Wrench. Here's a video of the implosion from LiveLeak....","date":"January 20, 2008  2:29 PM","author":"Eric S.","comments":7,"title":"Houstonist Photo Special Edition: The Montagu Implosion","id":143228,"votes":1}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/25/houstonist_bite_18.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_mary","displaydate":"Jan 25, 2008","excerpt":"Okay, okay, we know, you don't need to remind us (we are sensitive about our largesse), we're in shape - round, round is technically a shape. We cannot help ourselves at all, will power schmill power, who needs it? There is one perfect food, a luscious bundling of all of the food groups. The burger, the tasty, juicy cheesy with bacon and all of the veggies and a schmear of mustard and a double-schmear of...","date":"January 25, 2008  2:30 PM","author":"Mary Jane","comments":7,"title":"Houstonist Bites:  Bubba's Texas Burger Shack","id":143958,"votes":6}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/29/bennigans_erin_go_broke.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jul 29, 2008","excerpt":" News broke this morning that all 300 restaurants in the Texas-based Bennigan's chain had mysteriously and suddenly closed overnight, all across the nation. Confused staff reported showing up to work and being met by shuttered doors, while some managers spent their morning calling employees to inform them of the situation. Thousands of waitstaff, line cooks, bartenders and bussers across the country are simply stranded, waiting for any news from Bennigan's on whether or not...","date":"July 29, 2008  11:30 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":7,"title":"Bennigan's: Erin Go Broke","id":173945,"votes":4}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/11/12/htown_rock_reviews_fun_fun_fun_fest.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#adamnewton","displaydate":"Nov 12, 2008","excerpt":"It’s been a busy year of festival attending here at H-Town Rock. Not only did we have a great time at Houston’s own Westheimer Block Party back in October, we also trekked to Austin, TX to attend the orgies of live music that are South By Southwest in March and Austin City Limits Fest in September. Thus, while H-Town Rock has made it its mission to celebrate all that is good and worthy in the...","date":"November 12, 2008  3:00 PM","author":"Adam P. Newton","comments":7,"title":"H-Town Rock Reviews: Fun Fun Fun Fest","id":192312,"votes":2}, ];
var year_fav_entries=[{"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/05/22/interview_catch_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"May 22, 2008","excerpt":" You name it, Brad Lincoln won it. 2006 was a very special year for the University of Houston All-American. He became the first UH and C-USA player to win a national player of the year award. He led the Cougars in wins (12) with a 1.69 ERA and 152 strike outs. He also belted 14 home runs and led UH with 53 RBI. He was the fourth overall pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brad...","date":"May 22, 2008  1:30 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":0,"title":"Interview: Catching Up with Brad Lincoln","id":163004,"votes":31}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/21/houstonist_legends_wilson_whitley.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jul 21, 2008","excerpt":" University of Houston legend Wilson Whitley was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this past Friday in South Bend, Indiana along with 12 other players which included stars such as Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie and Penn St. head coach Joe Paterno. Whitley was a wrecking machine while at UH from 1972-76. His senior season was the best of all and it still remains the standard for all UH defensive players....","date":"July 21, 2008  6:34 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":0,"title":"Houstonist Legends: Wilson Whitley","id":172633,"votes":27}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/04/interview_uhs_t.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jan 04, 2008","excerpt":" CBSSports.com hand-picked 16 cheerleaders around the nation and decided to hold a College Cheerleader of the Week Playoff system with the winner being crowned College Cheerleader of the Year on January 21. UH's Taucha Hogue defeated what Southern Cal had to offer in the first round and now she's in the quarterfinals. Hogue took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Houstonist. First off, please give us some information about your high...","date":"January 04, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":0,"title":"Interview: UH's Taucha Hogue, College Cheerleader of the Year Candidate","id":140743,"votes":25}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/09/03/save_ferrissave_lives_an_80s_themed.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#drmiggy","displaydate":"Sep 03, 2008","excerpt":" Texas Girls For A Cure is throwing an 80's themed extravaganza benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Saturday, September 6 at the Caroline Collective. The party starts at 6:00 PM and will feature screenings of The Breakfast Club (8:00 PM) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (10:00 PM). Texas Girls For A Cure was officially formed in January 2008 by two best friends, Erin Nies and Carissa Hernandez, who met while training for endurance events...","date":"September 03, 2008  11:30 AM","author":"Michelle Calabretta","comments":1,"title":"Save Ferris...Save Lives! Film Festival Benefitting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society","id":179783,"votes":24}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/13/interview_jason_castro_astros_2008_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jun 13, 2008","excerpt":" On June 5, the Houston Astros selected Stanford's Jason Castro, a catcher, 10th overall in the first round of the MLB Amateur Draft. This year has been a dream season so far for the Stanford junior. Along with leading his team to the College World Series, Castro is one of the best catchers in the nation who is sporting a .372 AVG with 12 HR's, 16 doubles and 68 RBI. The durable Castro has...","date":"June 13, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":2,"title":"Interview: Jason Castro, Astros 2008 First Round Pick","id":166394,"votes":23}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/11/interview_uhs_taucha_hogue_advances_to_final_four.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jan 11, 2008","excerpt":" Houstonist interviewed the darling of the Bayou City last week, Taucha Hogue, as she was in the quarterfinals for the College Cheerleader of Year Award. Now, after a convincing win over Mississippi St., Taucha has advanced into the Final Four against Kansas. Houstonist will continue to follow Taucha as she looks to capture the coveted crown as Cheerleader of the Year. Congrats on moving on to the Final Four. Do you find yourself doing...","date":"January 11, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":2,"title":"Interview: UH's Taucha Hogue Advances to Final Four","id":141840,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/22/interview_uhs_t_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jan 22, 2008","excerpt":" She's back Houstonist! Taucha Hogue has advanced to the championship round for College Cheerleader of the Year and she needs your vote! Taucha squares of against Arkansas' Laura Cole and she currently trails 54% to 46% as of Monday night. Ok, Taucha, here we are in championship round. Are you starting to feel the pressure of being in the BIG game? There is pressure out there for the fact there are so many people...","date":"January 22, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":2,"title":"Interview: UH's Taucha Hogue Advances to Championship Round","id":143473,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/19/interview_crystal_maxim_hometown_ho.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_ignacio","displaydate":"Jun 19, 2008","excerpt":" Not too far from Houston is the town of Lumberton. It's a small and friendly community where everyone knows each other. It's also the hometown of Crystal. Of all the thousands and thousands of beautiful women who entered Maxim's Hometown Hottie Contest, Crystal was one of the elite few who made it to the semi-finals. Houstonist had a chance to talk with this Texas beauty last week on her new found fame. Crystal, can...","date":"June 19, 2008  11:00 AM","author":"Ignacio Salazar","comments":5,"title":"Interview: Crystal, Maxim Hometown Hottie Semi-Finalist","id":166742,"votes":18}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/24/houstonist_crawfish_boil.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Jun 24, 2008","excerpt":" This season Houstonist quickly tired of eating over-priced, cayenne-coated crawfish that didn't quite meet our expectations. So, we decided to have our own little boil and share some with you readers while we're at it. We've got 500 pounds of mud bugs teed up for this Saturday at Volcano. You might be asking yourself, \"Where did Houstonist get 500 pounds of crawfish?\" To which we reply, \"Shhhh. Don't worry your pretty little head.\" The...","date":"June 24, 2008  5:00 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":5,"title":"Houstonist Crawfish Boil","id":168249,"votes":17}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/03/09/citizen_lounge.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_amol","displaydate":"Mar 09, 2008","excerpt":" Don’t go to Citizen Lounge, Houston’s newest nightspot off of Washington. Don’t support Citizen Lounge by spending your hard earned money for overpriced drinks and cheesy environs (or so we hear). And most importantly, if you choose not to heed our advice, don’t give up your car keys to the valet in front of Citizen Lounge. That is, unless you want to take the chance of shattering your self image and self worth in...","date":"March 09, 2008  2:00 PM","author":"Amol Gavankar","comments":16,"title":"Citizen Lounge: Just Say No","id":150999,"votes":16}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/04/caroline_collec.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jun 04, 2008","excerpt":" It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here: The highly-anticipated grand opening of the Caroline Collective takes place this Saturday, June 7th beginning at 7:00 p.m. as Houston finally welcomes a coworking home of our own. The mission of the Caroline Collective is to provide a stimulating work environment for anyone who doesn't have a traditional office setting, but still wants to participate in a communal workspace and have a base of...","date":"June 04, 2008  10:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":0,"title":"Caroline Collective Cickoff","id":164818,"votes":16}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/02/11/dont_miss_that.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Feb 11, 2008","excerpt":" It's a leap year, people, so hop on the rail and enjoy some cocktails with us. That's right; it's baaaack. Last year's Light Rail Pub Crawl was such a success that we're doing it again. What's not to love about riding the rail with 60+ folks you've never met before and having them follow you around all night? Houstonist 2nd Annual Light Rail Pub Crawl Friday, February 29th @ 5:30 PM Rally Point: Flying...","date":"February 11, 2008  10:19 PM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":0,"title":"Don't Miss That Train: LRPC Rides Again!","id":146821,"votes":15}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/05/30/the_comeback_ki.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"May 30, 2008","excerpt":" It's official: Houston is the best place to live in America. At least according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which placed Houston at the top of their list of Best Cities to Live, Work and Play for 2008. The respected personal finance magazine named a number of reasons that Houston topped their list this year: our strong economy (in spite of any national trends), continued job growth, low cost of living, diverse cultures and vibrant...","date":"May 30, 2008  08:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":4,"title":"The Comeback Kid","id":164085,"votes":15}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/05/01/sexy_attacks_ho.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_chester","displaydate":"May 01, 2008","excerpt":" If love isn't your thing, how about sexy? Specifically, a SexyAttack. Hilariously inspired by the music video (probably definitely NSFW) for Eric Prydz’s \"Call On Me,\" SexyAttack is the flash mob-esque venture somehow connected to the Performance Art Lab at UH. Actually, we're not sure where these people came from (an American Apparel ad, maybe?), but the hip thursts and gyrations have distracted us enough not to care. So far, they've SexyAttacked both the...","date":"May 01, 2008  3:00 PM","author":"Chester Soria","comments":13,"title":"Sexy attacks Houston","id":159641,"votes":14}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/09/12/ikes_legacy_hunkering_down.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jim","displaydate":"Sep 12, 2008","excerpt":"Fortunately, the media has embraced a new buzzword to replace — or at least temporarily displace — \"hockey mom\". Unfortunately, that buzzword (buzz phrase?) is none other than hunker down. Houstonist had used \"hunker down\" in conversation about Hurricane Ike over the past week, but the first official reference to hunkering that we noticed came yesterday, when Harris County Judge Ed Emmett instructed Houston-area residents to hunker: \"We are still saying: Please shelter in place,...","date":"September 12, 2008  9:17 PM","author":"Jim Parsons","comments":2,"title":"Ike's legacy: Hunkering down?","id":181824,"votes":13}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/08/interview_big_d_1.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_adrienne","displaydate":"Jan 08, 2008","excerpt":"He can make you burn, make you rock, or teach you about triangles. Houstonist recently caught up with Trevi \"Big Daddy\" Biles, local hot sauce maker/ Whorehound band member/ geometry teacher. Here's what Big Daddy Trevi had to say about Big Daddy's Ass Burn \"Hell Goin' In Hell Goin' Out\" Hot Sauce: What made you want to create a hot sauce? Was the stuff in the stores not hot enough? Actually the whole thing started...","date":"January 08, 2008  3:00 PM","author":"houston_adrienne","comments":3,"title":"Interview: Trevi Biles, Big Daddy's Ass Burn Hot Sauce","id":141389,"votes":12}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/06/urbanist_upper.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jun 06, 2008","excerpt":" Memorial Drive begins its life in downtown Houston as Prairie Street, dipping gently out from town and into the lush greenery of Buffalo Bayou and the Allen Parkway area. As it flows out from the center of the city, it runs parallel to I-10 and Westheimer, making it an ideal egress for those on the west side of town on days when traffic is particularly hideous on the freeway. Through Memorial Park, under Loop...","date":"June 06, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":8,"title":"Urbanist: Upper Memorial","id":164288,"votes":12}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/29/artstorm_fosters_the_young_fresh_an.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#drmiggy","displaydate":"Jul 29, 2008","excerpt":" Eli Sebastian Brumbaugh, 23, is the youngest board member of ArtStorm, but not by much. The average age of the eight board members hovers around 30, and everyone but Brumbaugh attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts here in Houston. After leaving to attend college in other well known art cities like San Francisco and New York, founder Melissa Juvan returned to Houston to develop the art community here. In ArtStorm,...","date":"July 29, 2008  11:00 AM","author":"Michelle Calabretta","comments":3,"title":"ArtStorm Supports the Up-And-Coming Art Scene in Houston","id":173023,"votes":12}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/08/22/nearly_allnight_sushicoming_soon.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Aug 22, 2008","excerpt":"Soon, there will be one more reason to be jealous of your friends who live in Midtown (aside from easy light rail access and The Big Top): Crave Sushi. Word from HAIF is that a new sushi restaurant is being built on Travis at Tuam, to fill the void in the underserved sushi market in Midtown. Crave Sushi is scheduled to open in December of this year, just in time for the weather to be...","date":"August 22, 2008  10:00 AM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":3,"title":"Nearly All-Night Sushi","id":178158,"votes":12}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/07/restaurant_revi_24.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_judy","displaydate":"Jan 07, 2008","excerpt":"Pack your bags, grab your passport, check your visa. We're taking you outside the loop for a taste of Japan, folks. Houstonist, on the wise recommendation of the Fearless Critic, recently made the trek out to Westheimer and Fondren to dine at Sasaki. The restaurant is incognito in a dumpy strip center, nestled right next to your typical shady cell phone store, an insurance office and a hair salon (with 100% real human hair extensions!)....","date":"January 07, 2008  1:30 PM","author":"Judy Le","comments":1,"title":"Restaurant Review: Sasaki Sushi","id":140895,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/06/30/a_note_from_the_editors_crawfish_bo.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_jason","displaydate":"Jun 30, 2008","excerpt":" In case you missed it, Houstonist had a crawfish boil this weekend. Over the course of three hours, we boiled and served 496 pounds of crawfish with Volcano holding the last five pounds for their own culinary delight. Thanks to everyone who made this event a success. Thanks to our 11 readers and your 109 friends for showing up to get your dine on. Thanks to Volcano Pete and his staff, particularly Andrea and...","date":"June 30, 2008  11:00 AM","author":"Jason Bargas","comments":4,"title":"A Note From the Editors: Crawfish Boil Wrap-up","id":169100,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/14/v_is_for_viral_antiscientology_prot.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jul 14, 2008","excerpt":"This weekend marked yet another protest on Westheimer by a nationwide anti-Scientology group. Once again, the group, who call themselves Anonymous, gathered outside the Houston branch of the Church of Scientology (which happens to be the oldest Scientology mission in the United States), located at Fondren and Westheimer, on the evening of July 12th to protest against what they perceive as a \"dangerous cult\" with a non-legitimate tax exempt status. Wearing their traditional Guy Fawkes...","date":"July 14, 2008  1:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":0,"title":"V is for Viral Anti-Scientology Protests","id":171349,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/07/28/tripping_the_light_balsamic.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Jul 28, 2008","excerpt":" Houstonist had the great fortune of attending Houston's first-ever \"flavor tripping\" party this past Friday, July 25th, hosted by the Houston Chowhounds. If you're anything like our friends, family and coworkers, your first question is probably, \"Flavor tripping?\" Which is inevitably followed quickly by, \"Is that legal?\" Easy answer first: yes, it's legal. And to answer the first question, flavor tripping is the newest culinary fad being embraced by curious foodies everywhere. Flavor tripping...","date":"July 28, 2008  4:00 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":3,"title":"Tripping the Light Balsamic","id":173453,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/09/30/tripping_the_night_away.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#kshilcutt","displaydate":"Sep 30, 2008","excerpt":"When Houstonist told our 11 readers about the first-ever flavor-tripping party (a.k.a. Miracle berry party) to be held in Houston, we received several comments and emails from readers lamenting the fact that they'd missed the sold-out event. Never fear! Houstonist is here for you, babies. Flavor-tripping is back, and it's back in a big way. The next flavor-tripping party to be held in Houston will be even bigger and better than the event held a...","date":"September 30, 2008  3:30 PM","author":"Katharine Shilcutt Gleave","comments":1,"title":"Tripping the Night Away","id":184597,"votes":11}, {"link":"http://houstonist.com/2008/01/22/there_have_been.php","authorlink":"/staff.php#houston_eric","displaydate":"Jan 22, 2008","excerpt":"The Foo Fighters are one of the few rock bands out that you can always count on to bring you solid albums (along with funny videos -- check out their latest, \"Long Road to Ruin\"). They released their sixth studio album last year and are enjoying as much popularity and acclaim as they received when their debut album came out 13 years ago. We talked to Chris Shiflett, guitarist for the Foo Fighters, as he...","date":"January 22, 2008  11:00 AM","author":"Eric Wilson","comments":0,"title":"Interview: Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters","id":143257,"votes":10}, ];