Countdown to the Oscars

Pick Oscar's Best Actor and earn a chance to win a year's film pass at Sundance Cinemas

Just about everyone has an opinion on who should — and will — win the top prizes at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Now you have a chance to turn your picks into something special — a year's pass to Sundance Cinemas.

CultureMap has teamed with Sundance for our Second Annual Pick the Oscar Winners contest.

From now until the Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24, we'll ask you to pick the winners in the six top categories (Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director and Picture).

To enter, check out our CulturePoll on the CultureMap home page and pick the winner in the featured category.

Every correct entry will be entered into a drawing, where the randomly selected Grand Prize champ will receive the year-long pass, along with 10 runners-up, who will each receive a pass to a movie at the cinema complex at Bayou Place in downtown Houston.

To enter, check out our CulturePoll on the CultureMap home page and pick the winner in the featured category. The Best Actor poll kicks off today and the category will change roughly every four days.

For Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis is the odds-on favorite for his uncanny portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln, but we really admired Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook. We heard Denzel Washington was terrific in Flight while Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master drew raves for their performances.

There will be chances to vote in other major categories as well:

Best Actress — Feb. 7 - 11

Best Supporting Actor — Feb. 11 - 14

Best Supporting Actress — Feb. 14 - 18

Best Picture — Feb. 18 - 21

Best Director — Feb. 21 - 24

Contest winners will be announced Feb. 25, the day after the Oscar telecast on ABC/Channel 13.

Denzel Washington in Flight

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Denzel Washington in Flight

unspecified

that's slick

Affordable indoor amusement park slides into The Woodlands this spring

The indoor park at Slick City The Woodlands

Render courtesy of Slick City Action Park

Slick City offers all the fun of a park without the heat.

Any parent in Houston knows the four sweetest words in the English language are "affordable, indoor, air-conditioned playspace." Slick City, a brand-new dry slide indoor playground, is slated to open in The Woodlands next month to the delight of all sunburn and heat stroke-adverse families in north Houston.

“The Woodlands is a community built around families, and Slick City creates the kind of experiences that bring people together,” said Mandy Bush, co-owner of the Slick City The Woodlands franchise. “We were drawn to the innovation behind the park and the opportunity to create a space where kids, parents and friends can unplug, be active and make lasting memories together.”

Slick City Action park is a relatively new player in the indoor playspace industry. Founded in Denver, Colorado in 2021 by CEO Bron Launsby and Gary Schmit, the playgrounds focus on their patent-pending big slide designs rather than the trampolines and virtual reality games that seem to make up most other major indoor parks. The company has been rapidly expanding into the Texas market, including opening a Denton location last August, as well as parks in Willowbrook, Webster, and Katy.

The Woodlands' location at 3905 FM 1488, Suite 100, will have 35,800 square feet of playspace, with 14 large-scale slides using the company's latest designs. This is also the first Slick City to include a soccer air court, perfect for kids afflicted with FIFA Fever ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Attractions include Riptide, Mega Launch, Cowabunga, Avalanche (V2) and Turbo Twin, as well as a near-vertical thrill slide that rivals theme park coasters in intensity. Admission prices range from $25 to $34 for 90–120 minute sessions, with mandatory $3–$5 CitySocks required

With Houston's hot summers, families sometimes struggle to find places for kids to play away from the unrelenting heat. Playground architects have been steadily adapting their designs for newer parks to account for heat, but nothing beats the power of air-conditioning. Getting to watch the kids fly through the air off of massive slide ramps is a bonus.

Render courtesy of Slick City Action Park

Slick City offers all the fun of a park without the heat.

amusement parks family friendly