Pick Five (Plus)

Your weekly guide to Houston: Guerilla gardening, Julydoscope, rock starpartying and a Berry kids benefit

Scorpio Rising
I couldn't resist the opportunity to get all Rambo and pretty up Houston's urbanlandscape.
It's time to let your hair down and party into oblivion. While doing so, why nothelp Planned Parenthood?
Beat the summer heat by eating light, fresh and healthy. Whole Foods MarketMontrose has the class just to help you do that.
Photo by Steven Thomson
I W Marks Jewelers is hosting a silent auction to benefit the Berry children,who tragically lost their parent in a car accident.
Photo via Joshua and Robin Berry Children’s Trust/Facebook
Scorpio Rising

Had a good week? I'd say I did last week. Throw in naughty stories, a tribal bacchanal and some local vocal talent and you have the blueprint for a fab week courtesy of Houston happenings.

Don't you just love a good story? BooTown's Grown-up Storytime "The Return" was a reminder that one is never too old to be entertained by the simple (and hilarious) act of storytelling. With tales filled with sex, booze, embarrassing moments and senseless thoughts, the monthly happening rocked — in part due to the grungy ambiance and good beer, not to mention the zany corps of actors/comedians enacting audience stories.

That's right. You submit your writing and they perform it.

At Idol of the Heights, Houstonians showed up with ridiculous talent. A bit of country, some rock and roll, plenty of sass and good tunes filled the air at Taps on Washington, where 20 hopefuls exercised their vocal chords before an eager panel of judges — myself included. Judging wasn't easy, and it came down to just one point between the 10 contestants moving on to the next round.

How could I pass up an opportunity to go all Rambo and happy-bomb unfortunate, ignored lots?

There is much to love about every one of the singers. If you are curious to catch the finals — where I will judge again — make plans to be at the Grand Finale at the 2011 Heights Community Expo Wednesday night. I guarantee a good time.

Fashionistas showed their spirit at Hotel Sorella's Fashiontini. CultureMap's first young professionals happy hour featured Women of Wardrobe (the YP arm of Dress for Success) at Hotel ZaZa. And Workshop Houston's Ice Bike Baby social raised money to continue to help Houston's youth.

Next week, we turn to events that help ourselves, our friends and our city.

Silent Auction Benefiting the Family of Robin and Joshua Berry at I W Marks Jewelers

After the tragic loss of their parents, Robin and Joshua Berry's kids — 9-year-old Peter, 8-year-old Aaron and 6-year-old Willa — continue their recovery. The Houston community has responded with overwhelming support and love, offering a helping hand whenever an opportunity emerges.

And here is one: I W Marks is hosting a silent auction where all donations and proceeds will benefit the Berry Family Fund. Monies raised will offset the children's medical costs and care. To donate auction items or make a monetary donation, please contact Tracey Cleckler at 713-880-3387. Thursday at 6 p.m.

Cooking Class: Vegan Dishes for the Summer at Whole Foods Market Montrose

Summer is all about eating light, fresh foods with lots of sass and flavor, words that can easily describe vegan cuisine — if you know what you are doing. For those that need a little help getting started, Whole Foods Montrose has just the class for you. Plus, mom always told you to eat your veggies.

For $15, pupils will learn how to craft fruit salad with cashew cream sauce, collard green veggie wraps, traditional kale salad and sundried tomato and basil hummus. My mouth is watering already. Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

One Green Street's Mission Possible I: Guerilla Gardening at t'afia

How could I pass up an opportunity to go all Rambo and happy-bomb unfortunate, ignored lots? I couldn't. One Green Street, in collaboration with t'afia, REV Eco-Shuttle and Greenaid, is putting together one bad-ass, not-so-secret green resistance army in an effort to beautify abandoned and neglected parcels of land.

Hop on the REV, grab your seedbomb grenades to attack and "destroy" enemy territory — and afterwards enjoy nibbles courtesy of t'afia. At $25 a pop, it's an eco-conscious way to wine, dine and contribute. Friday at 7 p.m. Camo attire.

Julydoscope at Discovery Green

What better way to wave adieu to July than with an art fete filled with Houston's favorite bands and performing art troupes. Think of Julydoscope as a colorful evening, a cornucopia of local talent where favorites like Tyagaraja, Musiqa, Suchu Dance and Stages Repertory Theatre combine their talents into an evening of free summer fun.

When groups like Houston Cinema Arts Society, QFest, Fresh Arts Coalition, Spacetaker, Theater Under the Stars and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston all come together, you know it's going to be a fab affair. Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.

If you are the shopping type, grab some goodies at the art walk. Following the live performances, catch the screening of Xanadu, starring the timeless Olivia Newton-John, at 8:20 p.m.

"Party Like a Rock Star" Planned Parenthood Benefit at House of Dereon Media Center

In the mood to get dolled up in rock star attire and party into oblivion? Well, this event is for you, and it'll make you feel good about letting your hair down. Chaired by Planned Parenthood Young Leaders and co-chairs Jenn Char and Erin and Adrian Patterson, the party will include drinks and nibbles by Melange Catering, Oh My! Pocket Pies, 42 Below Vodka, Bacardi, Bud Light, Silver Eagle and Patrick Bertolino.

For VIP guests, the Breakfast Klub, Pondicheri, Antidote, Dacapo's and Canopy will up the fun. Individual tickets begin at $50; VIP admission starts at $150. Saturday at 8 p.m.

Find my colleagues at these Houston happenings:

Assistant editor and nightlife expert Caroline Gallay's pick: Harvest at Messina Hof Winery & Resort

Caroline says: "I was lucky enough to make the trip (in a party bus, don't feel too bad for me) for last Friday's Moonlit Harvest, and had (almost) too much fun picking grapes on my hunt for a Big Kahuna cluster, stamping grapes and of course, guzzling wine. The Friday night event includes a three-course meal in the cellar room. Yum!"

Arts Contributor and Dancehunter Nancy Wozny's pick: QFest

Nancy says: "It's QFest time, people, as in The Houston GLBTQ International Film Festival, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary celebration with 'Queerceañera.' We are talking 14 film screenings, Thursday through Monday, at the MFAH Brown Auditorium Theater, Rice Media Center and Discovery Green.

"The big highlights include a 20th anniversary revival of Poison, the 1991 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner by acclaimed director Todd Haynes; two shorts programs in collaboration with Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; and a two-film tribute to the late, great Elizabeth Taylor. For a complete schedule, click here."

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Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

movies girl scout cookie film