The Year in Culture

Lost, Longhorns, Lois & Obama: 2010 was a year of major disappointments

There was a lot to get excited about in 2010 — starting with the New Orleans Saints victory in the Super Bowl and ending with a holiday sales season that was livelier than retailers expected — but the year held some big-time disappointments. Here's what topped my list:

1. The final episode of Lost

For xx seasons, Lost was the best show on television. And since the ending season was planned far in advance, it seemed that creators would plan out everything for a fitting climax. But the last season fell into a silly tug-of-war between Jacob and xxxx. And, after heatedly denying that those on the island were trapped in purgatory, that's exactly what the last episode indicated.

2. Corpse flower Lois

The best marketing plan of the year was aided by the mysterious Tweeter (our own Steven Thomson). Crowds waited in line past midnight to catch a glimpse of the exotic hothouse flower. Whether it was overhyped or overheated from all the crowds, Lois never really had a swan song, but instead was carted away

3. The Texas Longhorns football season

After a stellar season with a close run to a national championship, the Longhorns fell apart. Signs appeared early when they didn't run over an inferior Rice University team, but each week got worse: A blowout loss to a mediocre UCLA team and losses to Iowa State and Baylor, ending with a loss to archrival Texas A&M.

4. President Obama's leadership

He promised more hope than anyone could deliver, but President Obama disappointed fans by offering tepid leadership — he seemed more like a professor than a president — and at times even seeming to thumb his nose at those who put him in office. Not even a few victories late in the year could mask the feeling about Democrats that HIllary Clinton would have been a better choice.

5. Houston Texans' season

Even though they got off to a fast start early in the season, with a 4-1 record, we should have known better. But it was the way the Texans lost many games that that could have just as easily won that broke our hearts.

Runnersup: John McCain, who proved to be a curmedgon, John Edwards, Charlie Rangel, and executives with the BP oil spill.

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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.”

The Year in Culture

Lost, Longhorns, Lois & Obama: 2010 was a year of major disappointments

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Thanks, Queen Bey

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

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
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