• 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
  • Houston First
  • 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

    weekend event planner

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

    Craig Lindsey
    Aug 24, 2022 | 8:55 pm
    The Wheel Workers band
    Austin indie mainstays ditch their hometown and host a new album party here this weekend.
    Photo courtesy of Sinkhole Records

    This weekend seems a bit cooler (or are we imagining it?), which means a perfect time to get out to some hot events. Look for some engaging discussions, art events, and an emo take on Hot Girl Summer at The Rustic (seriously).

    Some cool music acts hit town, as does a hysterical comedy tour, and speaking of comedy: a gloriously silly British film favorite makes a royal run. A beloved Houston restaurant with a penchant for giving back celebrates a big anniversary, and our beloved Top Chef star hosts a culinary showcase.

    See? Pretty cool, right? Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Thursday, August 25

    Holocaust Museum Houston presents Book Talk: By Any Means Necessary by Henriette Mutegwaraba
    Holocaust Museum Houston will host a special presentation by Rwandan genocide survivor Henriette Mutegwaraba, who’ll be reading from her memoir, By Any Means Necessary — Healing and Forgiveness After Genocide. A book for government leaders, peace and human rights activists, young people, and anyone else who has ever felt “different” because of how God created them, By Any Means Necessary follows Henriette on her harrowing journey to escape a violent death, help rebuild a broken people, and ultimately, learn to forgive those who killed everyone she loved. 6 pm.

    PDC Works presents Take Root
    Dance ensemble PDC Works, in collaboration with UH faculty member Rob Smith, presents a view underneath the forest floor through live music and dance. The program features choreography by PDC Works director Sophia Torres, music by Rob Smith, performances by local musicians and dancers, and a root sculpture by set designer Keith Epperson that will hang above the performance space, the main lobby of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. The audience is encouraged take advantage of this unique venue by walking around the lobby during the performance to experience the program from a variety of vantage points. 6:30 pm (7:30 pm Saturday).

    Sad Girl Summer at the Rustic
    Forget hot girl summer: Dust off the skinny jeans, slap on the eyeliner, and bring those swooped side bangs, as Sad Girl Summer hits The Rustic. Pop punk band Cartel will headline the free show, as part of their Hello Gone Days tour. The famous restaurant and live music venue is inviting guests to unleash their inner emo selves in an interactive experience with classic music video clips, fun photo ops, best-dressed prizes – and a DJ playing everyone’s favorite emo hits. 8 pm.

    Friday, August 26

    Clutch City Cluckers Montrose Grand Opening
    Clutch City Cluckers will celebrate the grand opening of its fourth H-Town location. On Saturday and Sunday, the first 100 people in line will get free meals, everyone can get 50 percent off the entire menu all day, and guests will have a chance to win a PS5 and iPhone 13 Pro in a raffle. On Sunday, guests can get 50 percent off the entire menu all day and enter a raffle for a PS5 and iPhone 13 Pro. 10 am.

    Creative Movement Practices presents Gideon and the Blundersnorp
    Gideon is a stableboy who yearns to be a Royal Cavalier. Alanna is a young viscountess who wants to be free. Thrown together by chance, the two must contend with bandits, a treacherous forest, and a giant monster that just wants to eat everyone. This family-friendly musical combines witty characters, pulse-pounding excitement, and a rousing cinematic/medieval-folk score. Underlying the fun is a positive message: aspiration is fueled by personal character, not social class. Through Saturday, September 10. 7 and 9 pm (1:30, 3:30, 7 and 9 pm Saturday; 2 and 4:30 pm Sunday).

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, satirical search for the Holy Grail, encountering many silly obstacles along the way (not to mention, shrubbery). The comedic quest played out in this beyond-insane 1975 comedy has kept audiences around the world laughing for almost 50 years. The original Python sextet of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin star. Catch it glorious 35mm — the way the troupe intended. 7 pm (5 pm Sunday).

    Dallas Burrow at the Continental Club
    A Texas-born Americana artist rooted in the tradition of his home state's songwriting heroes, Dallas Burrow built a career on both sides of the Atlantic with his 2019 debut, Southern Wind. His second album, 2021's Dallas Burrow, marks both a symbolic and literal homecoming for the songwriter, who recorded the new material with modern-day legend Bruce Robison in the rural Texas countryside. It's a record about embracing maturity and the responsibilities of family life, sung by Burrow in a voice that bears both the road-worn weariness of a lifelong highwayman and the fierce fire of a man reborn. 9 pm.

    The Wheel Workers album release show at White Oak Music Hall
    Longtime Texas underground indie collaborative (they've boasted some 15 members) The Wheel Workers are dropping a new album, Harbor. Rather than drop it in their originating town of Austin, the purveyors of catchy indie rock have chosen Heights-area venue White Oak Music Hall for the release party. Opening acts include A Sundae Drive and Houston's Accordion Super Stars. Doors open at 7 pm; headliners The Wheel Workers take the stage at 10 pm.

    Saturday, August 27

    D’USSE Day Party at Sekai Houston
    D’USSÉ Cognac is hosting its fourth VIP day party experience at Sekai Houston. The party (hosted by former 106 & Park host Terrance J) will be providing guests with a day filled with games, live entertainment, specialty cocktails/popsicles, merch, and more. If you’re the type of person who likes to get twisted off some yak, this party has your name all over it. Entry is limited to a 100-person capacity and for guests aged 21 and older. Note: RSVP does not guarantee entry. 3 pm.

    Houston Center for Contemporary Craft presents "In Residence: 15th Edition" tour
    Houston Center for Contemporary Craft curatorial fellow Cydney Pickens will host this tour, along with current and former resident artists. The tour will provide an in-depth look at the artists in the exhibition and how their practices were shaped by the Artist Residency Program here at HCCC. The Artist Residency Program has supported artists working in the field of craft for more than two decades by providing artists with resources and studio spaces for a period of three-to-twelve months. 3 pm.

    Lucille’s Anniversary Celebration
    Chef Chris Williams and the Lucille's team will celebrate 10 years in business with an anniversary bash equipped with food, cocktails, and live entertainment. Lucille’s will celebrate the past decade with a patio party that includes a buffet of classics, alongside a fleet of cocktail specials and live entertainment via a DJ and band. The ticket is $19.13 — all of which will benefit the restaurant’s non-profit organization, Lucille’s 1913 — and includes access to all featured food, live entertainment, and a celebratory champagne toast led by Chef Chris at 8 pm. 6 pm.

    Asia Society Texas presents Homegrown Houston: A Tasting Tour With Chefs Evelyn García and Henry Lu
    Evelyn García and Henry Lu of KIN HTX have curated a selection of stand-out, innovative chefs who are each presenting a dish that showcases their stories as chefs and, in turn, reflects the diversity and ingenuity of the Houston food scene. In addition to the tasting tour of Houston - featuring Thai food, West African dishes, Filipino-inspired desserts, and more — the evening also features performances and access to the project Artists on Site Series 3. 7 pm.

    Sunday, August 28

    Frasier Sterling @ LoveShackFancy River Oaks
    Sunday is the last day to check out the Frasier Sterling Jewelry pop-up, happening this weekend at LoveShackFancy's River Oaks location. Visitors can shop a selection of Sterling's best-selling custom pieces — from freshwater pearl chains to playful charm hoops and huggies. The celebrity-loved brand (Hailey Bieber is a big fan!) will offer on-site customizations in a floral-filled experience you won't want to miss. Noon.

    Beyond the Barrel Dinner Series: Feges BBQ x Treaty Oak
    Join Feges BBQ for a family-style five-course dinner paired with cocktails from our friends at Treaty Oak Distilling. The dinner will feature a whiskey tasting with Treaty Oak's chief operating officer Robert Jacob Lerma, and every guest will receive a bottle of Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon to take home. Among some of the dishes: grilled peach & feta panzanella salad with summer herbs; charred seasonal vegetables with chimichurri sauce; and crispy skin hog terrine with roasted fennel, sunchoke, and hogfat cornbread crumble. $130 per person. 5 pm.

    The Legendary Tour with Earthquake
    Comedian/actor/voice artist Earthquake made his way into the households and hearts of his loyal fanbase in the 90’s at the height of television programming (Def Comedy Jam, ComicView, etc.) for the urban comedian. And, now, he’s coming to H-Town to perform some side-splitting stand-up. He’ll be joined by Donnell Rawlings, best known for his appearances on Chappelle’s Show and The Breakfast Club. Expect both these comics to act a dang fool onstage. 7 pm.

    event-planner
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Beyoncé-loved Houston brunch spot sweetens Sugar Land with new location

    Restaurant known for 'new Houston cuisine' now open in Cypress

    Houston Mediterranean restaurant makes NY Times' best desserts list

    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.

    moviesfilm
    news/entertainment
    Loading...