Good morning, Houston. Who said Barbie never did anything for anybody? She's helped make 4-year-old Phoebe Swann famous, at least for a little while: Swann recently caught a 50-pound Black Drum with a Barbie fishing rod. It happened during a family trip to Rockport; Swann was using the Barbie rod with a red plastic worm as bait when she reeled in the big fish. In case you're wondering, Swann and her dad threw the......

As the Texans 2007 campaign draws to a close on Sunday against the Jaguars, putting a bow on top of the most improved season in franchise history, we can look back at the highlights and lowlights. Pros: Mario Williams, the rock solid consistency of healthy Andre Johnson, Mario Williams, rookies Fred Bennet and Abomi Okoye, Mario Williams, possible tradebait Sage Rosenfels, Mario Williams, the revived Ron Dayne, Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans' appearance on the national......

Yes, we know that this column usually runs on Mondays. But on Monday, we were dodging the crowds in search of a couple of final presents, and were still reeling from the woodshed beating the Texans received at the hands of the Colts. We saw beleaguered soccer moms parking their Suburbans at the mall with better timing and depth perception than some of Sage Rosenfels' passes on Sunday. Anyway, on to the links: - Chuck......

So Colbie Caillat is scheduled to sing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show this week. We mention this mainly because the lyrics to her hit song, "Bubbly," make us chuckle. Monday -CBS, 10:35pm: The Late Show with David Letterman, Travis -NBC, 10:35pm: Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Alan Jackson Tuesday -NBC, 12pm: Ellen DeGeneres, Colbie Caillat Wednesday -NBC, 8am: Today Show, Patti LaBelle -CBS, 10:35pm: The Late Show with David Letterman, Bonnie Raitt -NBC, 10:35pm: Tonight......

Football on a Thursday? Does this mean we have to skip 30 Rock? Damn, this is a hard decision. Gary Kubiak vs. Jack Donaghy. Sage Rosenfels vs. Judah Freidlander. Texans Cheerleaders vs. our completely defensible crush on Tina Fey. Tracy Jordan vs. Travis Henry's illegitmate children. Mike Shannahan's hair vs. the Sheinhart Wig Company. Who are we kidding? You can watch 30 Rock any time on NBC's website. It's like Tivo for poor people! The......

The pumpkin is underestimated. It is underestimated and under-utilized like a trophy wife and a kept man. There is so much more that can be done than just gutting, carving and displaying (the pumpkin, that is). There's nothing that rings in the holidays better than the pumpkin. Since Thanksgiving is Houstonist's favorite holiday (all's to do is eat, drink, watch football and take naps...what's not to love?), we wanted to share with you all the......

Looking to grab some last-minute groceries for the crowd you're entertaining this Thanksgiving? Consider ditching the bored-looking security guards at the supermarkets this week and going local at a farmer's market: Houston Farmer's Market has all the leafy greens you'll need to complement your turkey, as well as okra, shelled peas, and much more. They'll also have fresh chicken, beef, and lamb for less traditionalist cooks. Planning on being on the receiving end of......

A rumble in the medical center If you live in the Southgate area, you were either violently awoken by the sound of exploding dynamite around 7:10 this morning, or you were standing on Travis St. witnessing the destruction of the Crowne Plaza Hotel by Cherry Demoliton (just like its near neighbor in June 2006). The building was recently appraised at a high value and was only about 34 years old, which is one of the......

Goat cheese is another one of those ingredients that people either love or hate. On the one hand, we think goat cheese is a delectable, multi-talented piece of dairy. On the other hand, one hater told us he thought it tasted like 'farm'. Hmmm. Hopefully this article will inspire a second taste, perhaps even transforming 'farm' to 'farmtastic? Goat cheese, also known as chevre cheese, has a slightly tart taste due to the higher content......

Last week the AIA hosted their annual home tour, and tomorrow the Downtown Houston Alliance is giving folks a chance to see residences in some of Houston's most historic and moneyed buildings. The Live Downtown Home Tour is from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, November 3rd. Stops on the tour include Commerce Towers, The Beaconsfield (not the Savoy across the street!), the Four Seasons, Hogg Palace (no, not this place), and several other loft properties.......

Ok, so it’s been like eight years since American Pie came out. Can you believe it? We know, we’re so old. It was a totally different decade then. A forgotten, distant time in our culture. An innocent age when we’d not yet seen Tara Reid’s, well, pretty much everything. A time when most of us had never heard the term MILF. A time when Eugene Levy had not yet sold his once funny soul to......

::Dominc Walsh presnts Sleeping Beauty:: Something about the end of a tough week that makes keen on the idea of watching undulating bodies float across a stage in a modern interpretation of this classic story. Ahhh, we are getting all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it. That could be also be the tequila shot soaking in. Hey, it's Friday. After the success of his "Romeo & Juliet," Dominic Walsh will once again take......

The Texans travel to Jacksonville this weekend to face the resurgent Jaguars in a battle to see who will stand out as the more improved AFC team. The Texans got the season off to a hot start, but injuries and tough opponents bring them to this weekend with a 3-2 record. However, with the immenent return of Ahman Green and Jacoby Jones, the sporadically brilliant offense will get a much-needed upgradein the offensive options department.......

Kickers are lame. When kids play pickup football games, no one gets chosen first because they can split the uprights with a perfect field goal. Plus, they're only on the field about ten plays a game, if that. But tonight, Kris Brown is the toast of the town after leading the Texans to a nail-biter win over the Miami Dolphins at Reliant Stadium today. After suffering a heel injury on his non-kicking foot on the......

Calling all crafters, inventors, gearheads and crazy creatives - the ever-amusing Maker Faire wants YOU to show off your best projects, inventions and designs at Sunday's Maker Faire audition at the Houston Children's Museum (1500 Binz St). Confused? Maker Faire is: A two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful folks who like to tinker and love to make things. We call them......

Jacoby Jones is still running. The Texans 3rd round draft pick out of of Division 2 Lane College continues to be the highlight maker for the team this preseason. On Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix, Jones ran back a punt return 80 yards and showed off some ankle-shattering moves in the process. Could Jones be this year's Devin Hester? Too soon to tell, but he could be a Sportscenter staple at this rate.......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

Houston, it's time for the annual "Big Show" at the O'Quinn Gallery of Lawndale Art Center. Tonight and tomorrow night, beginning at 7:00 p.m. - and totally free to the public (the second best four-letter "F" bomb - FREE! We are partial to "Fart", too) the Big Slide Show is taking place. Now, what in the wide world of art-y and cultural-like stuff is this? Well, let us do some 'splaining to you, care of......

Looks like Priscilla Slade's trial may be held in Houston after all: On Monday, state District Judge Brock Thomas denied her lawyers' request for a change of venue, though he could still change his mind after screening the jury pool. Slade's attorneys asked Thomas to move the trial to Travis County last month, claiming that heavy media coverage of the former Texas Southern University president's alleged spending spree with $2 million in public funds meant......

Houston's pro sports teams have spawned a number of great blogs that offer coverage and commentary with a degree of freedom that the mainstream media only wishes it had. (Sorry, Richard Justice). Each week, we'll give you a run-down on what these blogs are talking about. -Craig Biggio's quest for 3,000 hits is complete, but the drive to be hit by a pitch for the 288th time continues. The fantastically detailed Plunk Biggio has been......

This video is very fitting considering the past month(s) of rain we have been enduring*. It is also fitting because Travis is in town tonight playing at the Verizon Wireless Theater with John Paul White. Why Does It Always Rain on Me? is off of Travis’ second album, The Man Who (produced by Nigel Godrich), and led to the Band’s surge in popularity in the late 90’s and paved the way for other British......

This week is a musical Smorgasbord of live acts in town. Early in the week some good regional musicians (Carol Fran or The Troubadours for example) play around town. If you like Bob Schneider, you have two opportunities to catch him live (Friday and Saturday). Also, later in the week the once brit-pop giants Travis will be performing at the Verizon Wireless Theater along with Alabama’s John Paul White. Or if you feel like......

Here's a tip: If you ever fall into a life of crime, make sure you don't fall into a bayou when the cops catch up with you. It's a lesson one man probably should have learned before he jumped into White Oak Bayou downtown during a chase Wednesday. According to Harris County sheriff's deputies, the man was posing as a parking attendant in a parking lot on Travis Street near Franklin, collecting $5 from......

Former Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade is set to stand trial Aug. 10 on charges of misspending millions of dollars in public funds — but the trial's location could be up in the air. According to the AP, Slazde'a attorneys are asking for her trial to be moved to Travis County, saying heavy media coverage in Houston has "created a climate within this community where (Slade) can no longer obtain an unbiased jury of......

Rice swept Texas A&M in two games over the weekend to win themselves a trip to Omaha's College World Series: their sixth trip in history and fourth in the last six years. (Last year, the Owls were eliminated at the very end by Oregon State). In the first game of the Super-Regional, a sellout crowd watched freshman All-American Ryan Berry pitch into the eight inning, striking out ten, and went home happy as the Owls......

Good morning, Houston. Remember when our fair city was trying to land the summer Olympics? Well, maybe we should be happy we didn't get them, given London's problems with its 2012 Olympics logo. The logo — a brightly colored, highly abstracted version of the numerals "2012" that cost $796,000 to design — drew fire at first for its look, and now there's word that the animated version of the logo is apparently causing epileptic......

Fourteen people were injured in a bizarre chain-reaction accident in the Third Ward yesterday involving a Trans Am, a Metro bus, an RV and a brake shop. It happened just after 5 p.m. as the bus was headed south on Dowling Street; while it was crossing the intersection at Pierce, a Trans Am headed east on Pierce ran a red light and slammed into the bus. The crash sent the bus careening off into the......

The Chronicle has a little more today on the woman who a police officer shot early Sunday when she lunged at him with a knife in the lobby of HPD headquarters: The day before she showed up at 1200 Travis, Marnell Villarreal left a rambling, cryptic voice mail message with an attorney who had represented her about 14 years ago. Attorney Clyde Miller said the message was mostly unintelligible, but he could make out Villarreal......

An odd story from HPD headquarters: Early Sunday morning, officers shot and killed a woman who lunged at them inside the building's lobby. It happened just after 2 a.m., when 42-year-old Marnell Villarreal showed up at the HPD building at 1200 Travis wanting to talk to an investigator. According to KTRK, officers sent her away because she had brought a weapon into the building before. She paced outside for a while, then came back into......

High Fashion Home Hosts Organica Lounge + Guest Environmental Speakers It may not easy being green, but High Fashion Home is making it more bearable. Tonight, the swanky Midtown furniture and fabric retailer introduces their Environment Furniture Gallery, a line of environmental-friendly furniture and decor. To help launch the collection, the evening will include guest speakers Rebecca Foster, Green Education Consultant for Healthy Child Healthy World, on organization who works to expand awareness and......