weekend event planner

Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

Head to Uptown on Thanksgiving Day for the Uptown Lighting.

Photo courtesy of Uptown Houston

Thanksgiving weekend is here, Houston. Whether that means time with family and friends or time alone, look for plenty of events to burn off that pumpkin pie and dressing.

Have a safe, happy, Thanksgiving. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Griff's Thanksgiving Feast
If you don't have family and/or friends to hang with this Thanksgiving, Griff's has got you covered. The pub will have turkey and ham and all the fixings, including Layne's World Famous Broccoli Cheese Casserole.

The best part of all — other than being with your Griff's family — is that it's all free. It's starts on time and ends when the food is gone. So come celebrate with the folk at Griff's and have a great holiday. 12:30 pm.

33rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting
Here's another holiday light show that's happening. It will begin with the illumination of Uptown’s 300 custom, 20-foot holiday trees along Post Oak Boulevard, from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue.

The family event will feature festive holiday shopping and treats, unique street entertainment, and the sights and sounds of the holiday season, along with a special appearance from Santa.

Following the ceremonial lighting of Uptown’s holiday trees, the evening will culminate with a fireworks display, followed by a light show. 4 pm.

The Riot Comedy Show presents Live LAUGH Love Thanksgiving Special
It appears this monthly tradition will have a Thanksgiving theme this time around.

The evening will feature stand-up comedy from some of Houston's funniest comedians share their takes on holiday dating and relationships.

Relationship questions will be answered by comics during the comics' panel. If you're looking to break away from the family for a hot minute, these comics are here to get some of that tension outta you. 8 pm.

Friday, November 26

TFTI - Houston Selfie Museum
This interactive selfie experience will catch the eye of Houston holiday shoppers with a limited-time experience opening at The Galleria. The novel, fun-filled activation will offer over 15 themed, picturesque studios designed specifically with Instagram feeds in mind.

The exhibit features a range of out-of-the-box rooms such as the seasonal Upside-Down X-Mas Tree Room, Pillow Fight Room, Infinity Mirror Room, DJ Confetti Room, Space Room and more. Through Wednesday, January 1. 10 am (11 am Sunday).

Downtown District presents Thing-A-Ma-Jingle
The Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) is shutting down Main Street on Friday for the return of this night of festive fun. The giant block party will feature a night market, carol-oke, photo ops with hipster Santa, lighting projections, and more.

Event goers will enjoy food and drink specials and live music at area bars and restaurants. This event is recommended for ages 21 years old and above. 5 pm.

The Grand Ol' Christmas Show
Will Hearn’s Grand Ol’ Christmas Show is a raucous, rollicking, one-of-a-kind musical comedy featuring Americana standout Blue Water Highway. The retro radio show brings sketch comedy antics and Christmas classics to a traditional Christmas Eve broadcast, led by Nick Brown’s Radio Orchestra and Gospel Singers.

Made for music and comedy lovers, this tribute to American Christmas traditions cleverly and progressively blurs the lines between heartfelt nostalgia and contemporary pop-culture satire. 7:30 pm.

Saturday, November 27

Trill Burgers Pop-Up
Bun B's Trill Burgers will be hosting a pop-up at Sticky's Chicken this weekend. The pop-up will include Trill Burgers' new vegan smash burger — a 100 percent, plant-based Beleaf burger made with Impossible meat — plus the “OG Classic” burger and Grilled Onion Smashburger.

Burgers will be available to first-come, first-served at the restaurant until supplies last. Vegan burgers are expected to sell out quickly. 2 pm.

Waterparks in concert
Off the back of their highly anticipated album Greatest Hits, pop-punk trio Waterparks is bringing their infectious energy on the road and they are ready to rock out in Houston, where it all started.

This band excitedly blends genre lines — jiving between fits of rock, alternative, and electronic with pop ambition and hip-hop’s bold and blatant disregard for the rules. They have garnered a massive cult following and amassed over 195 million streams and over 175,000 US album sales to date. 6 pm.

No Limit Reunion Tour
No Limit Records was an American record label founded by Master P. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X, C-Murder, Romeo Miller, and more.

The label is often credited as forebearers furthering the rise of southern hip-hop and laying the blueprint for independent ownership in rap music. And, now, they're back on tour, featuring Master P, Mystikal, Slikk The Shocker, Mia X, Fiend, Mercedes, and Mr Serv-On. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, November 28

Hanukkah Film Festival
The Hanukkah Film Festival will celebrate the Hanukkah season with eight nights of exclusive, award-winning new films.

The Austin Jewish Film Festival is joining with film festivals, synagogues, and Jewish organizations across the U.S. and Canada in partnership with Menemsha Films in this new, virtual holiday celebration.

Opening night will feature the world premiere of the animated Hanukkah short The Broken Candle. Through Sunday, December 5. 9 am.

Parkway Market Days at Regent Square
In partnership with The Art Cellar of Houston, the popular, outdoor local artisan market series is set to stock you with gifts for the holidays.

Grab a bite from one of the onsite food trucks and a cocktail from Jo’s Mini Mobil Bar, as you listen to the sounds of Keith Vivens Due and peruse curated vendors selling specialty jewelry and accessories, artwork, candles, culinary treats and more.

It's free to attend, and the first 25 attendees will have the opportunity to decorate a kite to fly at adjacent Buffalo Bayou Park. 2 pm.

Youth Soul Love presents Sounds of the City
This show is presented by the Art of Soul and Wear Models and hosted by Houston hip-hop artist/fashion influencer Youth Soul Love.

Expect a dynamic cultural experience reanimates the urban music scenes of the cities that birthed today's music culture and highlights music influence on the fashion and art created in the respective periods of time.

Fashion designer Nicholas Phat Nguyen's Mysterious line will be honored, while Love, Julian Caesar, and other artists will perform. 6 pm.

event-planner

Movie review

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd chase their dreams in music-heavy Power Ballad

Photo by David Cleary for Lionsgate

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd in Power Ballad.

Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.

After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.

Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.

Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.

Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.

While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.

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Power Ballad is now playing in theaters.

movies music film