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    We the people watchers

    Inauguration Day truths: Beyoncé, Michelle Obama's new bangs & awkward Republicans rule

    Tyler Rudick
    Jan 21, 2013 | 2:12 pm

    For all its pomp and circumstance, Inauguration Day is usually a bit of a snooze fest. There are the oaths and the military bands and the invocations . . . all topped off with a typically bland address from the president, who proceeds to spend 15 to 20 minutes discussing what may or may not happen in the next four years.

    The 2009 Inauguration was one of the great exceptions, of course, as Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the nation's first African-American president. Remember Aretha Franklin? Remember Yo-Yo Ma?

    While Monday's ceremony could never match the excitement of its predecessor, there were still some notable moments. Here's the rundown.

    The Address

    Obama's 19-minute speech marked a slight return to his progressive roots, as he threw his public support behind gay marriage rights and climate change initiatives. Interestingly, while he mentioned the recent Newtown shootings, the President said the phrase "gun control" exactly zero times, according to the Washington Post's by-the-numbers look at the address.

    The Hair

    While watching politicos take their seats is torturous for live broadcasters, it did offer an opportunity for announcers to discuss one of the week's biggest developments — Michelle Obama's bangs.

    The Tweets

    According to the Huffington Post's live blog of the event, Twitter logged more than a million Inaugural-tagged tweets during the ceremony. Here are two faves.

    From NBC correspondent Peter Alexander: Mitt & Ann Romney in La Jolla, CA today. Asked if he'll be watching #Inaug2013, fmr aide tells me: 'Doubtful.'

    From Huff Post blogger Robert Egger: Newt & Callista next to Jay-Z & Beyonce. I love Inauguration Day!! [twitpic]

    The Music

    James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson gave us two of the sleepiest patriotic songs ever performed with lullaby-like renditions of "America, the Beautiful" and "My Country, Tis' of Thee."

    But thanks to Houston's own Beyoncé Knowles, America got an absolutely show-stopping rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Watch below:

    It's official: Barack Obama's second term kicks off this week.

    Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, inauguration, January 2013
    Photo by © Alex Wong Getty Images
    It's official: Barack Obama's second term kicks off this week.
    unspecified
    news/city-life

    SUDDEN SHUTTERS

    GameStop to close 11 Houston-area stores amid nationwide cuts

    Brandon Watson
    Jan 26, 2026 | 4:30 pm
    GameStop
    GameStop/ Facebook
    Long lines for video game releases are a rarity these days.

    For GameStop, it’s a blood bath right out of Mortal Kombat. The Grapevine-based video game chain is expected to shed 470 locations nationwide, including 11 in the greater Houston area.

    The closures were revealed in the company's newest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that said it would close "a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025" ending on January 31. In its last fiscal year, GameStop shuttered 590 locations.

    In addition to braving the overall “retail apocalypse,” the retailer faces the same conditions that largely decimated CD and video stores. Video games are now available for digital download in seconds and no longer require a trip to a physical store.

    “As a part of our profitability initiative, we are reducing our global store base, which includes closing stores that are not meeting performance standards or stores at the end of their lease terms with the intent of transferring sales to other nearby locations,” the company wrote in its annual report. “ If we are unsuccessful in marketing to customers of the stores that we plan to close or in transferring sales to nearby stores, our results of operations could be negatively impacted.”

    The current digital squeeze isn’t the first time GameStop has been thrown for a loop by contemporary internet culture. In 2021, the retailer famously became a meme stock, buoyed by users of Reddit's r/wallstreetbets. The skyrocketing increase in its stock price, followed by short selling, caused major financial consequences for hedge funds and other investors.

    Since then, the stock price has been more stable but has decreased approximately 21 percent over the last year. After CEO Ryan Cohen bought 500,000 shares in the company on January 21, the price has slightly rebounded.

    GameStop has not issued a formal list of the closures, and a request for more information was not returned at press time. But Ohio’s WKYC Studios put together a list of all the U.S. stores that are on the chopping block, verified through GameStop’s online store locator. The Texas closings are as follows:

    • Allen – The Village at Allen, 170 E. Stacy Rd
    • Arlington – Little School Road Shops, 1245 N. Little School Rd
    • Austin – Ben White Payload Center, 500 E. Ben White Blvd
    • Balch Springs – Lake June Plaza, 12209 Lake June Rd
    • Boerne – Menger Crossing, 1375 S. Main St
    • Cedar Park – Lakeline Plaza, 11066 Pecan Park Blvd
    • Conroe – Conroe Center, 1231 N. Loop 336 W
    • Corpus Christi – Padre Island Drive, 1805 S. Padre Island Dr
    • Corsicana – Corsicana Marketplace, 3811 W. Highway 31
    • Dallas – Glen Oaks Crossing, 4787 Vista Wood Blvd
    • El Paso – Alameda Town Center, 9411 Alameda Ave
    • El Paso – Fountains at Farah, 8889 Gateway West Blvd
    • Fort Worth – Clifford Retail, 301 Clifford Center Dr
    • Garland – Ridgewood Village, 2930 S. First St
    • Houston – Beechnut Street Houston, 10100 Beechnut St
    • Houston – Bellaire Gessner Center, 8880 Bellaire Blvd
    • Houston – Market at Uvalde, 13706 East Fwy
    • Houston – Market Square, 13341 Westheimer Rd
    • Houston – Oxford Plaza, 10407 North Fwy
    • Houston – Royal Oaks, 11807 Westheimer Rd
    • Houston – Wayside Shopping Center, 900 S. Wayside Dr
    • Huntsville – Ravenwood Village, 245 Interstate 45 N
    • Irving – MacArthur Park, 7601 N. MacArthur Blvd
    • Lake Jackson – Lake Jackson Shopping Center, 121 Highway 332 W
    • La Marque – LaMarque Crossing, 6408 Interstate 45
    • Laredo – Laredo Crossing Shopping Center, 4415 S. Zapata Hwy
    • Leon Valley – 5601 Bandera Rd
    • Lubbock – 7th St Lubbock, 1803 Seventh St
    • Magnolia – Westwood Village, 33020 FM 2978 Rd
    • Mansfield – Mansfield Crossing, 1301 E. Debbie Ln
    • Marble Falls – Highland Lakes, 2400 US Highway 281
    • McKinney – Lake Forest Crossing, 4100 S. Lake Forest Dr
    • Mesquite – Town East Mall, 2050 Town East Mall
    • Mission – Shary Plaza, 808 S. Shary Rd
    • Palmhurst – Palmhurst Shopping Center, 4416 N. Conway Ave
    • Paris – Paris Corners, 3842 Lamar Ave
    • Saginaw – Cross Pointe Shopping Center, 1453 N. Saginaw Blvd
    • San Antonio – Alamo Quarry Market, E. 255 Basse Rd
    • San Antonio – Blanco Road, 7117 Blanco Rd
    • San Antonio – Huebner Oaks Center, 11745 W. I-10
    • San Antonio – Northwoods Phase III, 1742 N. Loop 1604 E
    • San Antonio – Walzem Plaza, 5366 Walzem Rd
    • Stephenville – Stephenville Shopping Center, 2811 W. Washington St
    • Sulphur Springs – Sulphur Springs Corners, 1707 S. Broadway St
    • Terrell – Terrell Corner, 1888 W. Moore Ave
    • Tyler – State Highway 64 Tyler, 3842 State Highway 64 W
    • Watauga – Watauga Town Crossing, 8004 Denton Hwy
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