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NFL stars to be grand marshals of Art Car Parade: Bulls On Parade (really) &Parker in a giant banana

It's all about No. 99, new Houston Texans star J.J. Watt and . . .
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Connor Barwin at the Art Car Parade.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Dan Aykroyd and Mayor Annise Parker filled the spot in 2010. This year, Parkerwill be crowned "Top Banana."
Photo by Allen Roberson
Lynn Wyatt was the parade's grand dame last year.
Photo by Chinh Phan

Drum roll please . . . your 25th Annual Art Car Parade Grand Marshal is . . .

Make that marshals. CultureMap has learned that Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt — one of the NFL's emerging stars — and linebacker Connor Barwin are getting the honor in this 25th anniversary year, showing just how crazy Houston is about its Texans right now.

Watt won't ride a horse in this event as he did in the Downtown Rodeo Parade. He'll be using one of those kooky art-on-wheels vehicles to strut down Allen Parkway Saturday.

For a defensive end who's "obsessed with getting his hands up," Watt has had plenty of practice waving and making crowds roar, whether that's by stealing a football out of the air in the playoff game or with his all-American, corn-fed good looks. He'll need that when greeting the 300,000 spectators expected to line the city streets Saturday.

Unlike Lynn Wyatt's solo show last year and funny man Dan Aykroyd the year before, Watt will share in the glory with teammate Connor Barwin, one of the funniest players in the NFL (and a force in Wade Phillips' defense). This Bulls on Parade Texan loves the spotlight, and we presume that Barwin surely will have a thing or two to say over Twitter.

As she's done in previous years, Mayor Annise Parker will also join in the motorized fashion fete.

Though out of all the possible fruits the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art could have chosen to flaunt the Bayou City's top dog, that she'll be riding on a giant banana (obvious phallus reference) is a testament that Parker has a cheeky sense of humor.

Parade officials are crowning her, "Top Banana."

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”