An oily deal

Biggest celebrity wins! Did Kevin Costner's higher profile guarantee he'd squashStephen Baldwin?

Kevin Coster sucessfully defended himself against Stephen Baldwin's claim thatthe Dances with Wolves star duped him out of millions.
There it is . . . the anthropomorphic device that started it all.
Inhabitat.com

After having his name dragged through the Mississippi mud for two weeks, Kevin Costner walked out of a New Orleans courtroom with his held high as a federal jury rejected Stephen Baldwin's claim that the Academy Award-winning actor duped him out of $17 million in a business deal involving a oil-cleaning device created on the set of Waterworld.

"My name means more to me than money and that's why we didn't settle," Costner — who has gone by the name Dances with Wolves on at least one occasion — told the Associated Press at the conclusion of a lawsuit he's battled since December 2010.

"My name means more to me than money," said Costner, who has gone by the name Dances with Wolves on at least one occasion.

Eight jurors took less than two hours to decide in Costner's favor, effectively ending all hope of Baldwin reclaiming money he reportedly lost in a business venture brokered with Costner after the devastating BP oil spill. Classy, guys . . . very classy.

"We thought we proved rather convincingly that these two guys [Costner and business partner Patrick Smith] defrauded us," said Baldwin's disappointed attorney James Cobb, who added that he respected the jury's decision, but felt it was ultimately dictated by the reality that one of the two actors is a "bigger celebrity."

"The facts in the case remain true and the opportunity to rectify the unjust activities of those involved is a right and freedom," Baldwin said in a statement.

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howling for you

Houston's interdimensional art exhibit books 4 local acts for summer concerts

The four members of Swimwear Department hugging

Photo provided by Meow Wolf

Swimwear Department is heading to Meow Wolf

Things are heating up this summer at Meow Wolf as they host their first ever summer concert series. Four hometown bands will take the stage at the immersive art complex for a series of shows in June and July.

“Houston’s music scene has always been bold, genre-defying, and deeply original, so it felt natural to bring that same energy into our Radio Tave world,” said Aaron Johnson, general manager of Meow Wolf Houston. “This concert series is about celebrating the artists who define Texas' sound and give guests a new reason to experience Meow Wolf in a whole new way.”

Ever since Meow Wolf first opened during Halloween last year in Fifth Ward, the collection of artistic spaces has wowed, delighted, and sometimes confused audiences. Cowboix Hevvven, the venue's "dive bar" with possible links to extraterrestrials, was designed by fifth generation Texan Cole Wilson and features a jukebox of 30 original songs Wilson created in collaboration with other Texas artists. Radio Tave, Meow Wolf's name for the exhibit as a whole, has been a huge critical and popular hit for Meow Wolf, winning two Webby Awards last month.

It's also the perfect place to show off some of the more esoteric bands that make up the Houston sound. The odd four-piece rock band Swimwear Department burst onto the scene in 2023, winning over audiences with their songs about pools and malls as well as a series of stellar music videos shot around the city. Their potent mix of quirk and early-alternative music has made them one of the best novelty acts in Houston.

Meanwhile, The Mighty Orq and Mango Punch have been mainstays for more than a decade. Orq is swamp blues royalty, and always adds a sense of the strange to his concerts thanks to his near-mystical aura. Mango Punch is almost custom built for Meow Wolf thanks to a hectic swirl of Top 40, disco and cumbia.

The schedule for the concerts is below with links to tickets.

Though Houston has never hurt for places weird bands can play, wedding the popular immersive art space at Meow Wolf with concerts is an opportunity to reframe music as performance art rather than just something to listen to while having a drink (though you can still do that at Meow Wolf). Should the summer concert series prove a success, it could quickly become one of the prime venues in the city, at least for groups looking to be a little out there.

meow wolf concerts