• 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 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig Lindsey
    Oct 28, 2021 | 6:00 am
    halloween party costumes hip young
    Throw on those costumes and head to some fun Halloween events.
    Photo by Getty Images

    This weekend, the one costume we imagine most Houstonians will don is that of a Houston Astros jersey, as our boys in blue (and orange) head to Atlanta to take it back and bring home a World Series title.

    But it's also Halloween, meaning a ton events await to scare up some fun. Don those costumes and get out there (in-between Astros games, of course). Here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Thursday, October 28

    CityPlace presents Día De Los Muertos Black Dinner
    CityPlace will host a four-day Dia De Los Muertos celebration that will be kicked off with an exclusive Black Dinner, featuring Mexican chef and restaurateur Eduardo Palazuelos in collaboration with Houston’s own David Cordúa. A curated, four-course dinner paired with unique cocktails will be served. There will also be Catrina face painting, flower crowns, and an unveiling of a traditional altar to honor passed loved ones. Seats are limited to 50 guests. 6 pm.

    Tahirih Justice Center presents Journey to Justice – Hope & Healing
    This gala will be an evening of hope and healing where guests will virtually come together to honor the resiliency of immigrant survivors of gender-based violence on their journey to justice after an especially difficult year. The program highlights recent achievements and includes special messages from Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Entertainment will be provided by Houston poet laureate “Outspoken Bean,” local singer songwriter Kristine Mills, and world-renowned salsa performer Tito Puente, Jr. 7 pm.

    Czech Center Museum Houston presents Musical Tribute to Holocaust Survivor, Dr. Ervin Adam
    The Czech Center Museum Houston will honor 99-year-old Holocaust survivor, Dr. Ervin Adam, of Czech origin. This event will feature a musical tribute to Holocaust victims and survivors by Houston Symphony cellist Louis-Marie Fardet and pianist Sherry Cheng. The evening will further Houston’s commitment to celebrating its diverse cultural landscape. This in-person event will include Czech hors d’oeuvres and other refreshments. 7:30 pm.

    Friday, October 29

    Holocaust Museum Houston presents "Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare" opening day
    Holocaust Museum Houston will host this multi-sensory exhibition, highlighting issues of persecution, loss of civil liberties and the dangers of propaganda. The exhibition explores the intersection of politics, art, economics, and the social dynamics that impacted the American First Amendment rights of speech, religion, and assembly, during Hollywood’s Red Scare. On display through Sunday, February 20. 10 am.

    Project Row Houses present Howling on Dowling
    Celebrate the past, present, and future of the historic Eldorado Ballroom as Project Row Houses is set to revitalize the iconic building. There will be a gathering in the parking lot for a casually elegant night of music, drinks, and fun. Music curated to celebrate the golden era of Eldorado by DJ Elevated of Soul Control will be accompanied by cocktails, wine, and food courtesy of Lucille's 1913. 6:30 pm.

    The Roots and Wings Project and Houston Coalition Against Hate present Matriarch
    The Roots and Wings Project, in association with the Houston Coalition Against Hate, presents this two-day, transformative theatre experience that explores the roles women play in our patriarchal society and the urgent need to transform that dynamic. Following the performance, HCAH executive director Marjorie Joseph will host a panel discussion featuring performers and local domestic violence prevention advocates who are also Coalition members. 7 pm.

    Saturday, October 30

    8th Wonder Brewery presents Otaku Festival
    8th Wonder Brewery will host a vibrant, two-day celebration of Otaku culture and street food featuring a market with rows of food vendors, live music, a Kawaii Zombie costume contest, trick-or-treating for the kids, and more. Modeled after popular street food markets found across Asia, the Otaku Food Festival will offer a dizzying array of mouthwatering dishes, many of which are prepared before visitors' eyes. Noon.

    The Alta Arts presents David Hacker: "Inarticulate Paradise" opening day
    The Alta Arts presents the first major exhibition of all new works in over a decade by American abstract painter David Hacker, and his first showing in Texas. Hacker’s paintings are purely abstract, featuring bold color choices against natural tones, and heavy marks both in the form of brush strokes and scrapes. The organic blocks of color and meandering brushwork together create a psychedelic space that is also reminiscent of the deep forests in the Catskills around Hacker’s studio. On display through Saturday, December 18. Noon.

    Houston Arboretum presents Halloween Sip & Stroll
    The Houston Arboretum’s Sip & Stroll outdoor event is taking on a spooky spin this Halloween. Guests can walk along the Arboretum’s dimly lit trails where they may encounter creatures of the night. The final destination will lead attendees to outdoor music and mingling with charcuterie and dessert provided by Cotton Culinary and beverages from Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Costumes are encouraged for this fun event for ages 21 and older. 7 pm.

    Sunday, October 31

    Cigna Sunday in the Park
    Cigna Sunday in the Park, a slight twist on the block party concept of Cigna Sunday Streets, launches this weekend at Moody Park. Celebrate Halloween and/or Dia de los Muertos with bounce houses, a haunted house, a costume contest and something called “Trunk or Treat.” Cigna Sunday in the Park will relocate each month throughout the fall to neighborhood parks across the Houston area. Noon.

    Premier Productions presents Elevation Nights
    Elevation Nights is a new tour featuring Elevation Worship and Steven Furtick that brings the powerful worship experience of Elevation Church into arenas. The tour is more than a concert, but a full worship experience as Furtick preaches and Elevation Worship leads some of their hit songs including “Graves Into Gardens,” “Rattle!,” “Do It Again,” “The Blessing,” and others. 7 pm.

    PMT Pop Up: Halloween Cabaret
    As part of its Pop Up: Cabaret series, PMT Productions will present PMT Pop Up: Halloween Cabaret. There will be Halloween-inspired live performances from Houston-area vocalists, all accompanied live by The PMT Band. From Hocus Pocus to Rocky Horror to "Thriller," they are on theme for Halloween. Guests can go all out with their costume and compete to win the best costume of the evening. 8 pm.

    event-planner
    news/entertainment

    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

    most read posts

    Eclectic comfort food restaurant to shutter after 21 years in Houston

    Airbnb pledges over $1 million to improve Houston before World Cup

    Houston chef's hip new Italian restaurant now open in Heights hotel

    Loading...