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    weekend event planner

    Here are the top 15 things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig Lindsey
    Mar 24, 2022 | 6:00 am
    Bun B
    Houston's rap legend Bun B takes the stage for a much smaller show this Sunday.
    Courtesy RodeoHouston

    This weekend will see sunny skies and warm weather — perfect for a kite festival at Hermann Park and the outdoor, Bayou City Art Festival at Memorial Park. Some choices theater comes our way from Away, and a comedy competition will keep you laughing.

    Chow down at a couple of outdoor food fests — including a beloved turkey leg spot — and enjoy an intimate show with Houston's hip-hop legend.

    Here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Thursday, March 24

    Sabine Street Studios presents "Moving Forward" opening reception
    The artists at Sabine Street Studios will host the reception of this group tenant exhibition, featuring a diverse collection of artists and works. The opening reception will feature live music by the Latin American fusion band SerSur, accompanied by a mini-Uruguayan drum parade. SerSur is a newly formed yet experienced group of multi-instrumental musicians from different regions of South America. 6 pm.

    Theatre Under The Stars presents Come From Away
    Come From Away is a musical that takes people into the heart of the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers on 9/11, and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Through Sunday, April 3. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday; 2 & 8 pm Saturday and 2 & 7:30 pm Sunday.)

    The Riot Comedy Show presents The Super Bowl of New Jokes VIII
    This competition gives comedians a chance to compete in a neutral, competitive atmosphere. Comics start with a fresh slate of ideas and are only permitted to use material they developed within the four weeks leading up to the competition. Competitors are judged by a mix of crowd participation votes and four judges scoring. The winner will receive a full cash payout, a trophy, automatic entry into next year's competition, and the rights to call themselves one of the best writers in town. 9:30 pm.

    Friday, March 25

    Art Colony Association, Inc. presents Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park
    Daryl Thetford, a mixed media artist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, will be the featured artist at Houston's beloved art festival. Thetford, along with 300 artists from around the country representing 19 different disciplines, will showcase their art. The three-day fest features two entertainment stages, a food truck park, a craft beer and wine garden, additional live entertainment and beverage stations throughout the festival, an Active Imagination Zone, a VIP Hospitality Lounge and much more. 10 am.

    City of Bay City presents 3rd Annual Riverside Smoke Off
    Pits and grills will be fired up for some friendly competition at the third annual, two-day event. Staying true to the native cuisine of Texas, participants will prepare a wide range of BBQ staples – brisket, pork ribs, chicken, sauce, beans, chef’s choice and Dutch Oven – Sweet. Kids ages 5 – 17 years old are not left out in this competition – they can participate in ribeye steak and pork ribs. 5 pm (noon Saturday).

    Beats & Eats at Midtown Park
    Happy hour just got a little more festive. Start your last Friday of the month with a live musical performance by Latin pop band Mango Punch!, while noshing on delicious food from H-Town street food operation Homies. This is an adult-friendly event. You must be 21 years of age or older to drink any alcoholic beverage. And even though people have been acting like COVID isn't around anymore, masks are recommended for those unvaccinated. 6:30 pm.

    New Edition in concert with Jodeci
    Who's ready to get some new-jack swing in their system? Two back-in-the-day, R&B groups will be in town this weekend, hitting folks with some throwback jams. In their first tour in more than five years, all six members of veteran boy band New Edition — Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill — will be performing live. They'll be joined by special guest Jodeci, who'll be ready to come and talk to the ladies! 7 pm.

    Saturday, March 26

    Crawfish Boil at Caracol
    Join chef Hugo Ortega and his team at upscale, coastal Mexican eatery Caracol for a special pop-up crawfish boil during Saturday brunch. The crawfish will be prepared on the patio, and guests can enjoy the mudbugs on the patio or indoors. Cost is $18 plus tax for two pounds of crawfish; $4 additional for potatoes, corn and homemade sausage. There will be plenty of cold beer and cocktails available, too! 11 am.

    Foto Relevance presents Nancy Newberry: "Smoke Bombs and Border Crossings" opening day
    Foto Relevance presents this debut solo exhibition of works by Nancy Newberry. Influenced by her Italian heritage and her Texan roots, the photographs in the show function as a contemporary Spaghetti Western, investigating the spectacle at the core of the Wild West. With meticulous attention to costume and uniform, the director artfully stages scenes of archetypal characters - American cowboys, Mexican charros, and soldiers costumed in marching band uniforms. Through Saturday, May 7. 11 am.

    Lil' Danny Speedo's Five Year Anniversary Party
    The mouthful that is Lil' Danny Speedo's Go Fly A Kite Lounge will be celebrating five years of business with music, food, a pop-up market, flash tattoos and all-new merch. Smilynn Art, Insomnia Gallery, East End Plant Swap and Janglin' Jack Lounge will be some of the "slangers" (read: vendors), while Alien Eyelid will provide live music and Billy Chocolate & A Fistful of Soul's Stewart Anderson will be a couple of the revolving beat junkies doing DJ sets. 4 pm.

    Sharmane's Cosplay Goodbye Party at GCC Comics
    Sharmane Fury, co-owner and COO of Gulf Coast Cosmos Comicbook Co., will be leaving her position at the end of March. But she won't be leaving without throwing a big shindig. Being the big fan of cosplay that she is, she'll be dressing up and assuming the role of some comic book/sci-fi superstar -- and she would like you to do the same! Folks are also welcome to come by and hang out in full cosplay gear. You don't have to get all dolled up to say goodbye, but it would be fun if you did. 6:30 pm.

    Sunday, March 27

    The Annual TLH Festival & Block Party
    After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Turkey Leg Hut's annual block party is back and promises to be bigger and better than ever. This free, family-friendly event will have a fun Third Ward/Cajun vibe with food trucks, Zydeco music from Houston-based Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws, a crawfish broil, kid’s activities, and 100 vendors with food, drinks, and plenty of amazing goods and wears to explore. 11 am.

    Ars Lyrica presents An Uncommon Chevalier
    Ars Lyrica presents a program that will transport the audience to a lively Parisian concert hall in the mid 1780s, just before the Revolution changed everything. An accomplished composer, violinist, conductor, fencer, and dancer, Joseph de Bologne acquired the title Chevalier de Saint-Georges thanks to Louis XV, and eventually became a favorite of Marie Antoinette. The program features a tuneful violin concerto from Saint-Georges, and a symphony commissioned by the Chevalier. 2:30 pm.

    Houston Chamber Choir presents This Magic Moment Gala
    The Houston Chamber Choir presents its 2022 gala to honor the remarkable accomplishments of Robert Simpson (HCC founder/artistic director) and Marianna Parnas-Simpson, for their service to the Houston arts community. Party-goers will enjoy a magic-themed evening including card tricks, illusion and mind-reading games, in addition to music provided by the professional musicians of the Houston Chamber Choir. 6 pm.

    Bun B hosts Rock the Bells' Road Less Traveled
    Fresh off his historic H-Town Takeover at RodeoHouston, hip-hop icon Bun B takes the stage for an intimate, private concert hosted by Rock The Bells, the global lifestyle brand and preeminent voice for classic and timeless hip-hop founded by LL COOL J. The show goes down at the Rise Rooftop. Guests must pre-register here and show proof of vaccination. Space is extremely limited so register early.

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    Movie Review

    Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 12, 2025 | 2:30 pm
    Emma Mackey in Ella McCay
    Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
    Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

    The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

    The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

    Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

    Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

    Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

    What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

    Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

    Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

    ---

    Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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