• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Trendysomething in somo

    Literary lead-on: David Sedaris wants what he can't have

    Steven Devadanam
    Apr 29, 2010 | 2:34 pm
    • Is David Sedaris blowing smoke or trying to pick up young writers?
    • Some people are seduced by NPR studs; not me though.
    • Was David taking a cue from Monica Lewinsky in his chosen atelier?

    They say that my generation is one without heroes. I don't know who other people my age look up to: maybe Barack Obama, or Shakira, but probably just Ashton Kutcher and Snookie.

    Personally, I always found inspiration in writer David Sedaris. In high school, I'd cut class to read his books on the upper level at Agora, sipping cheap Greek wine, coughing through packs of Lucky Strikes and taking careful mental notes.

    I never wanted to emulate him. He hadn't graduated from college, had a history of drug addiction and crossed a line of self-satisfaction that I once tried so hard not to breach.

    But in the spring of 2006, I jumped on the opportunity to see him in person at the Wortham Center. After his reading, I spent almost an hour rambling around the underground Theater District parking lot before reemerging to the Wortham lobby to find a still-standing book signing line. I'm not one to be easily star-struck, so I casually picked up one of the for-sale copies of Me Talk Pretty One Day and began reading a favorite chapter.

    Before I knew it, the desk of books for sale had been packed up, the registers disappeared, and I had effectively shoplifted Sedaris' hit volume.

    Already at a total loss as to where my car might be, I decided to wait out the confusion and attach myself to the end of the book signing line. Perhaps because I was very last in line, David seemed to pay special attention to me, asking if I'd attended the lecture alone, and then encouraged me to touch the lining of his sport coat.

    "I got it today on sale at the Gap," he boasted, "but you'd never guess it."

    When he asked what my plans were for that night (it was already well past 11 p.m.), his agent, the only other person in the lobby besides the two of us, interrupted with, "David, that's enough."

    I never had an actual crush on Sedaris — he's much too old — but I was flattered.

    Condom Man

    Yesterday (and four years later), I made a night-of impulse buy of tickets to see Sedaris' engagement at Jones Hall. Remembering my parking lot panic, I hitched the light rail downtown, only to find myself escorted off the train within 10 minutes by a police raid checking tickets. I had, in fact, bought a ticket, but only a credit card receipt printed from the machine.

    After the embarrassing dismissal from the rail car, I explained my innocence and got off the hook, yet was made tardy by the need to wait for the next train.

    Arriving at Main Street Square, I bolted for the Theater District, which led to another close-call with a moving violation citation for jaywalking. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable performance, but I spent a fair amount of the time in my nosebleed seat wondering what I would say when it was my turn at the book signing. After describing the way he'd hit on me when I was just 20-years-old, friends and colleagues had convinced me that I needed to reignite his flirtations.

    I knew I was in trouble earlier that evening when I found myself sitting naked in front my closet thinking, "What underwear would David want me to wear?"

    I'm being facetious (although he holds covetable connections in publishing). Yet somehow, I had high expectations of linking the 2006 missed connection.

    The post-reading book signing line was monumental. I had a nice position in the center, but when I tried to take a picture of the scene with my phone, I got a slap on the limp wrist from a security guard and was escorted to the back of the line as punishment.

    "At least I'll have my one-on-one," I surmised to myself.

    After a two and a half hour wait (and a marathon reading of The Daily Beast that drained my phone battery), I finally was face to face with the lit celebrity. (Of course, this was after I'd caught him giving me "the eyes" countless times.)

    I can't recount our conversation word-for-word, but I'm sure I communicated some amount of charm since he said, "London needs more guys like you," with an uncanny twinkle. (He recently relocated from France to the UK capitol.) He then reached into his National Public Radio tote, retrieved a roll of Trojan condoms, and handed one to me.

    I couldn't tell if this was an invitation or just a subtle way of saying, "You're so handsome, you have no other option than to be incredibly promiscuous!"

    I began to walk away, feeling mildly violated, but mainly just confused. As I turned, he whispered in my direction, "Psst! Do you like my blazer?"

    Had David remembered me and our touch-the-jacket "moment" from so many years ago? I had no way of knowing whether he was referencing our casual encounter or if he simply had a very small repertoire of lines for young fans. He then raised his hand to his forehead and saluted me.

    No, "See you later," "Call me," or "I'm in Room 300 at the Lancaster." Just a salute. And really, I didn't want any more. He had proven himself as fairly unstable, and if there's going to be an unstable person in any relationship of mine — it's going to be me.

    Back at the rail station, it took about 20 minutes to register that Metro was closed for the night. With my dead phone, I walked to Hearsay to have somebody call me a cab.

    "Aren't you the guy ... who was the life of the party at your holiday office dinner?" the bartender asked as he closed shop.

    I may not be an internationally renown self-referential writer, but it's nice to know that in select Houston circles, I have a reputation for fun times. I held my head high as I ducked into the minivan taxi waiting outside the bar. As Elgin faded into Westheimer, we passed the once-beloved Agora, and I thought of a naïve teenaged Steven, enraptured by a strange writer's words.

    Almost instinctively, I raised my hand to my forehead, and with a crooked grin, saluted my former self.

    unspecified
    news/entertainment

    Movie Review

    New movie Friendship pairs Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in a bizarre bromance

    Alex Bentley
    May 16, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

    Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

    Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

    He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin — a weatherman at a local TV channel — even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

    Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

    The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

    Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, many things in the story go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

    Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

    There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

    ---

    Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

    moviesfilm
    news/entertainment
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Houston intel delivered daily.
    Loading...