weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

Urban South brews up some fun this weekend.

Film fans can expect a horde of film-related things popping off this weekend.

The first Houston Horror Film Fest will be happening at Houston Marriott South. Pride 2021, Houston Cinema Arts Society and Goethe Pop Up Houston will present a backyard screening of the 1989 German film Coming Out. At 14 Pews, there will be Bunny Lady's Crash Film Series on Friday and the Houston Underwater Film Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

And remember when we hollered at one of the filmmakers of the movie Drunk Bus last month? They will be having a Sunday-night screening of the movie at Moonstruck Drive-In, followed by a Q & A.

Non-cinephiles can enjoy these fun, weekend offerings.

Thursday, June 24

Ars Lyrica presents A Bach Keyboard Extravaganza
Ars Lyrica Houston’s harpsichordist and conductor Matthew Dirst will collaborate with The Baroque Music Festival, Corona del Mar, and the San Francisco Early Music Society to offer an immersive concert experience to an international audience through an online program. The performances and commentary were captured in May at Rienzi, the MFAH House Museum for European Decorative Arts and at St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston, where Dirst serves as organist. 7 pm.

Shenandoah and Collin Raye in concert
Fueled by Marty Raybon’s distinctive vocals and the band’s skilled musicianship, Shenandoah became well known for delivering such hits as “Two Dozen Roses,” “Church on Cumberland Road,” and the Grammy-winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart” duet with Alison Krauss. For this show, they'll be joined by '90s hitmaker Collin Raye, who continues to crank out soulful, heartfelt material with the honesty and richness that is signature to his vocals alone. 8:30 pm.

Friday, June 25

Regent Square presents Market Days
Kick off the last weekend of Pride month at this pop-up evening art market, in partnership with The Art Center of Houston. There will be food trucks and beer from 8th Wonder Brewery as guests peruse local artisans selling jewelry and accessories, artwork, candles, apothecary, and culinary treats. The first 50 attendees will receive complimentary, tie-dye T-shirt art kits. Additional tie-dye art kits will be available for purchase for the remainder of the evening. 5 pm.

Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts presents Texas Music Festival: Jazz Institute Concert
The Texas Music Festival presents an all-star high school jazz orchestra, directed by Noe Marmolejo. This event will be presented live and in person. Live events will be performed without intermission and seating will be assigned by ushers upon arrival to ensure proper social distancing between parties during the performance. The performance will also be livestreamed for patrons and supporters who prefer to enjoy the concert from the comfort and safety of their homes. 7 pm.

Improv Houston presents Christopher Titus
Christopher Titus is a prolific stand-up comedian, writer, actor, producer and podcaster. He is currently performing his ninth, 90-minute special Stories I Shouldn't Tell, while his most recent hit special Amerigeddon, is available on Amazon. Most recently, Chris wrote, produced, directed and starred in the feature Special Unit, about a team of special-needs people who form an undercover police unit. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Saturday, June 26

"Jagdeep Raina: Bonds" at Blaffer Art Museum
Jagdeep Raina illustrates and reimagines stories and scenes from across the Kashmiri and Punjabi Sikh diasporas. Through drawings, writings, paintings, weavings and videos, Raina examines diverse histories of transnational migration and mobility and their effects on contemporary life. The exhibition marks Raina’s first solo museum presentation in the United States, featuring a selection of artworks made over the last six years. Through Sunday, October 24. Noon.

Urban South HTX presents Boom Shaka Lager Fest
Urban South HTX will present a new beer festival showcasing lager beers from more than 15 different craft breweries. The event will feature unique lagers from Texas breweries, including Urban South HTX, Great Heights Brewing Co., Celestial Beerworks, Holler Brewing Co., Ingenious Brewing Co. and oh-so-much-more. Tickets are priced at $25 each, come with a commemorative seven-ounce Urban South tasting glass and include five pours during the event. 2 pm.

Hennything HTX at Bayou Event Center
Are you a fan of all things Hennessy? Well, check out this celebration of the world's most popular cognac, along with food, culture and entertainment. Come thirsty with friends and the fam to a Henny function for the books. Enjoy live entertainment including local bands, DJ's, vendors and interactive games. They will be pouring beer, spirits and, of course, all your favorite Henny concoctions. And let's not forget about the twerk contest! 3 pm.

Sunday, June 27

Mr. Magoo's Sunday Sunday at Bayou Event Center
Get ready for an afternoon of fun, food and drinks, to raise money for the four-legged critters at Citizens for Animal Protection. We're talking a live and silent auction, vendor booths, a snow cone truck, a face painter and a caricature artist for the kiddos and, of course, mimosas, beer, and wine for the adults — along with some great food too. There will also be the announcement of the celebrity pet of the year candidates for this year's November gala. 2 pm.

Beer-Jam at Karbach Brewing Company
One of Houston's most popular breweries is hosting a country music jam starring Jason Allen, Sarah Hobbs, Clay Hollis, and Andrew Millsaps — plus some potential surprise guests. The free show also offers a VIP experience ($55) with heavy hors d'oeuvres, a meet & greet with featured talent, an exclusive beer-tasting experience with a special release, a private pre-show performance, swag bag, VIP seating, and club access that includes a private tent with covered seating for the main stage performance. Free; VIP is $55. 2 pm.

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HOWDY, DOCTORS

Grey's Anatomy spins off new medical drama led by Houston-born showrunner

Photo via Meg Marinis/Instagram

Showrunner Meg Marinis poses with actor Kevin McKidd, who recently exited Grey's Anatomy after more than a decade playing Dr. Owen Hunt.

ABC is bringing the Grey's Anatomy universe to Texas with a new one-hour rural medical drama co-created by longtime showrunner Meg Marinis. Marinis was born in Houston and is an alum of both the Kinkaid School and the University of Texas at Austin.

According to an exclusive report from Deadline, which production company Shondaland shared on social media, the untitled series has received a straight-to-series order from ABC and will follow a team at a rural West Texas medical center described as “the last chance for care before miles of nowhere.”

The series marks the first Grey’s Anatomy franchise show set outside the West Coast, and it's the first that's not centered around an existing main character from the original series.

The new drama will be co-created by Shonda Rhimes and Marinis, who has spent nearly two decades working on Grey’s Anatomy. She joined the series during its third season as a production assistant before rising through the ranks to become a researcher, writer, executive producer, and now showrunner.

"This opportunity will bring new characters and stories to life that will embody the same heart, emotion, and connection audiences have loved from Grey’s for more than two decades, all set in my home state of Texas,” Marinis said in a statement announcing the series. "I am so grateful to Shonda Rhimes for creating this dynamic world and feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of it.”

Marinis’ path to running one of television’s biggest franchises started in Austin. In an interview with Shondaland last year, she recounted moving to Los Angeles during her final semester at UT through the university’s UTLA entertainment program, which allows students to complete coursework while interning in the industry. While finishing school, she interned at Universal before landing a production assistant role on Grey’s Anatomy in 2006.

Marinis has also woven Texas experiences into the flagship series itself in recent years. According to Deadline, she personally knew families affected by the Camp Mystic tragedy and rewrote part of a recent Grey’s Anatomy episode after becoming emotional while working on the script.

The West Texas setting is particularly timely, as rural healthcare access remains a growing issue across the state. According to the Texas Hospital Association, more than 20 rural Texas hospitals have closed since 2010, while roughly a quarter of the state’s remaining rural hospitals are considered at risk of closure.

By centering the new series on what ABC describes as “the last chance for care before miles of nowhere,” the franchise could bring national attention to healthcare access challenges facing communities across West Texas and other rural parts of the state.

The new series joins a long lineage of Texas-set television dramas, though not all were actually filmed in the state. Grey’s Anatomy itself is famously set in Seattle while primarily filmed in the Los Angeles area. Friday Night Lights became closely associated with Austin through extensive local filming, while series like Dallas often recreated Texas from California sound stages, with exteriors of Southfork Ranch serving as the Ewings' fictitious home. Walker, Texas Ranger, meanwhile, became one of the best-known examples of a network drama heavily filmed across Texas itself.

Even after more than 20 years on the air, Grey’s Anatomy remains one of television’s most durable franchises. According to ABC, the drama is now the longest-running primetime medical drama in television history and continues to rank among the network’s strongest scripted performers.

Ellen Pompeo, who stars as Dr. Meredith Grey in the original series, is attached as an executive producer, and the new drama is expected to premiere in 2027.

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