Rodeo Lineup Revealed

The superstar acts among the Houston Rodeo's 2015 concert lineup are . . .

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo picked the midnight hour to reveal its full 2015 concert lineup — and what a lineup it is.

The list, which was sent out to media at 12:05 this morning, includes an eclectic lineup, ranging from country stars Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson to pop star Ariana Grande, rock band Fall Out Boy and the return of bilingual rapper Pitbull.

Sixteen of the 21 entertainers during set to perform is this year's edition March 3 – 22 are returnees.

The list includes Eric Church (opening night March 3 in his first RodeoHouston appearance), John Legend (March 6 on Black Heritage Day), La Arrolladora Banda El Limón and La Maquinaria Norteña on Go Tejano Day (March 15), Florida Georgia Line (March 18), and Luke Bryan (on closing night March 22 as part of the RodeoHouston Super Shootout). In all, there will be 15 shows featuring country stars, one R&B, three shows featuring pop/rock stars and 1 show featuring noteno and banda groups.

Tickets will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m., through AXS Ticketing via rodeohouston.com. The Virtual Waiting Room opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, but fans can register any time at axs.com/rodeohouston_signup. The new AXS ticketing system is designed to handle the Rodeo's tremendous initial ticket sales demand, identify known scalpers and even detect "robot" activity of those brokers using computers to constantly hit the site.

AXS users will be directed to a virtual waiting room that allows customers to "arrive" an hour before ticket sales begin. Customers are shuffled and chosen at random to enter the next step, the virtual store, when tickets can be purchased in a three-step process and then even forwarded through the mobile app to a friend. As buyers complete their transactions, more customers in the waiting room can enter the store.

E-ticket buyers receive their tickets for free, while those using AXS will be charged $3.50 per ticket service fee, compared to the $4.25 that Ticketmaster charges. They can be purchased by phone, too (888-596-4201).

HLSR tickets may also be purchased without a service fee at BBVA Compass Stadium on Jan. 17 and at the SMG box office at NRG Stadium starting on Jan. 19.

The full Rodeo 2015 lineup:

Tuesday, March 3 ............................................................................................................................................................. Eric Church
Wednesday, March 4* – Armed Forces Appreciation Day sponsored by BHP Billiton ........................................ Hunter Hayes
Thursday, March 5 ................................................................................................................................................. Miranda Lambert
Friday, March 6 – Black Heritage Day, sponsored by Kroger ..................................................................................... John Legend
Saturday, March 7 .......................................................................................................................................................... Alan Jackson
Sunday, March 8 ............................................................................................................................................................. Fall Out Boy
Monday, March 9 ........................................................................................................................................................... Justin Moore
Tuesday, March 10 ........................................................................................................................................................ Tim McGraw
Wednesday, March 11* ............................................................................................................................................ Brantley Gilbert
Thursday, March 12 ................................................................................................................................................. Zac Brown Band
Friday, March 13 ....................................................................................................................................................................... Pitbull
Saturday, March 14 ................................................................................................................................................. Billy Currington
Sunday, March 15 – Go Tejano Day, sponsored by Diva Diamonds ......................................... La Arrolladora Banda El Limón/
La Maquinaria Norteña
Monday, March 16 ..................................................................................................................................................... Dierks Bentley
Tuesday, March 17 ......................................................................................................................................................Ariana Grande
Wednesday, March 18* .................................................................................................................................... Florida Georgia Line
Thursday, March 19 ..................................................................................................................................................... Blake Shelton
Friday, March 20 ....................................................................................................................................................... The Band Perry
Saturday, March 21 – RODEOHOUSTON BP Super Series Championship ................................................................ Brad Paisley
Sunday, March 22 – RODEOHOUSTON Super Shootout®, presented by Crown Royal ......... Luke Bryan, presented by Miller Lite

*Value Wednesdays include $10 upper level Rodeo tickets, plus values throughout NRG Park.

See the video announcing the lineup:

The official calendar.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo RodeoHouston entertainers January 2015 Star Calendar

Calendar courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The official calendar.

unspecified

Movie Review

George Clooney shines in Jay Kelly, a sharp and heartfelt look at fame

Photo by Peter Mountain/Netflix

George Clooney in Jay Kelly.

The life of a celebrity is paradoxical in that your life is lived in the public eye, yet who you really are is almost unknowable. Movie history is littered with films that try to dig into the private lives of real and fictional actors, with varying results. The latest film to try to unearth what it means to be famous is Jay Kelly.

In a perfect bit of casting, George Clooney stars in the title role as an actor who’s still world famous even if he’s edging toward the downside of his career. His coterie of helpers, including manager Ron (Adam Sandler) and publicist Liz (Laura Dern), make sure he is taken care of at every turn, often anticipating his needs before he realizes it.

A run-in with an old friend, Timothy (Billy Crudup), sends Jay spiraling, questioning not just the meaning of his 35-plus year career, but also his relationships with his two daughters, Jessica (Riley Keough) and Daisy (Grace Edwards). Jay’s attempt to manage the crisis pits his identity as a celebrity and as a father and friend against each other.

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, and co-written by Emily Mortimer (who has a small role), the film has to walk the tightrope of making the audience like Jay even as he does and says things that might make him unlikable. There’s a very thin line between the character of Jay Kelly and the real life George Clooney; each is seemingly infinitely charming when dealing with the public, but they lead very different private lives.

Baumbach takes a light approach to the story, occasionally dipping into more serious territory but never going too deep. For some, this may seem like a copout, as if he’s merely pretending to want to explore what celebrity truly is. But as you see Jay navigate his way between his work, his family, and being out among the public, little details emerge that make him increasingly complex.

A lot of the film’s pleasure comes from the strong actors cast in relatively minor roles. There are not enough words to express what it means to have actors like Jim Broadbent as Jay’s mentor, or Greta Gerwig as Ron’s wife, or Stacy Keach as Jay’s father, or Patrick Wilson as a fellow longtime actor. Each of them and more lend an instant air of excellence to the film that elevates the story beyond its simple premise.

Clooney may be playing a version of himself, but as the film notes on multiple occasions, playing yourself is more difficult than it seems. He is deserving of an Oscar nomination, as is Sandler, who doesn’t give off even a whiff of insincerity as a man who has given perhaps a bit too much of himself in aid of another man’s career.

Jay Kelly is not a world-changing film, and some may accuse it of being another navel-gazing Hollywood story. But the forcefulness of Clooney’s performance, the long line of strong supporting actors, and the subtly effective storytelling by Baumbach and Mortimer (making her feature screenwriting debut) help it become much more than might be expected.

---

Jay Kelly is now playing in select theaters. It debuts on Netflix on December 5.

movies film

Rodeo Lineup Revealed

The superstar acts among the Houston Rodeo's 2015 concert lineup are . . .

The official calendar.

Veteran Houston chefs fire up new pizzas at Rice Village cocktail bar

Houston-area ranch tied to Stephen F. Austin hits the market at $14.8M

Where to order Thanksgiving to-go in Houston and more popular stories

Movie Review

George Clooney shines in Jay Kelly, a sharp and heartfelt look at fame

Veteran Houston chefs fire up new pizzas at Rice Village cocktail bar

Houston-area ranch tied to Stephen F. Austin hits the market at $14.8M

Where to order Thanksgiving to-go in Houston and more popular stories