Rodeo Lineup Revealed

The superstar acts among the Houston Rodeo's 2014 concert lineup are . . .

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo changed things up this year, waiting until 11:59 p.m. on a Sunday to reveal its full 2014 concert lineup rather than breaking it up into several releases.

Still, the midnight hour certainly hasn't turned the Rodeo into a pumpkin. Not with a lineup that includes Luke Bryan (March 17), Brad Paisley (opening night March 4), Blake Shelton (March 20), Usher (March 7), Reba (March 6), 2013 one-song sensation Robin Thicke (March 18), tween favorite Selena Gomez (March 9) and REO Speedwagon (March 11). Anticipation for these Rodeo lineups has grown so heated that the Rodeo site was temporarily overwhelmed by fans checking out the announcement, causing extremely slow load times.

Thicke and Usher are something of crossover coups for the Rodeo, while many of the major country acts are Houston Rodeo regulars. Keith Urban is coming back for the fifth time. For Luke Bryan, it's his third straight Rodeo. And Reba McEntire — whose show figures to be one of the most-sought-after tickets — is returning for the 19th time.

Just looking for eye candy? Adam Levine — People Magazine's reigning Sexiest Man Alive — and the rest of Maroon 5 will be hitting the Rodeo as well.

The full 2014 Rodeo concert lineup:

Tuesday, March 4....................................................................... Brad Paisley

Wednesday, March 5 – Armed Forces Appreciation Day....................................................... Eli Young Band

Thursday, March 6....................................................................................................................................... Reba

Friday, March 7 – Black Heritage Day, sponsored by Kroger ................................................................... Usher

Saturday, March 8........................................................................................................................... Chris Young

Sunday, March 9.......................................................................................................................... Selena Gomez

Monday, March 10................................................................................................................. REO Speedwagon

Tuesday, March 11........................................................................................................................ Jason Aldean

Wednesday, March 12...................................................................................................................... Jake Owen

Thursday, March 13.............................................................................................................................. Maroon 5

Friday, March 14.............................................................................................................................. Keith Urban

Saturday, March 15...................................................................................................................... Hunter Hayes

Sunday, March 16 – Go Tejano Day.................................................................................... Pesado, Banda MS

Monday, March 17..................................................................................... Luke Bryan, presented by Miller Lite

Tuesday, March 18......................................................................................................................... Robin Thicke

Wednesday, March 19*..................................................................................................... Florida Georgia Line

Thursday, March 20...................................................................................................................... Blake Shelton

Friday, March 21........................................................................................................................... Easton Corbin

Saturday, March 22 – RodeoHouston BP Super Series Championship................................. The Band Perry

Sunday, March 23 – RodeoHouston Super Shootout........................................................... Zac Brown Band

This year's lineup has a lot to live up to considering George Strait said his Rodeo goodbye in one of the most anticipated Houston concerts ever in 2013. And Mary J. Blige and Pitbull shook things up as well.

RodeoHouston is not afraid to embrace the future though. Houston's entertainment granddaddy became the 10th most checked in Facebook location in the United States in 2013, putting it up there with places like Walt Disney World and Fenway Park despite the fact that it's only a three-week-long event. With more than 300,000 Facebook fans and a record-shattering 2.5 million visitors, the Houston Rodeo is arguably more popular than ever in its 83rd year.

The 2014 Houston Rodeo runs from March 4 to March 23. Season tickets for all the Rodeo concerts are available here. Individual tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.

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Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

movies girl scout cookie film