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    weekend event planner

    These are the 14 best things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Jan 22, 2025 | 6:30 pm

    So, Jack Frost showed up this week and gave Houston a snowy winter wonderland.

    Now that things are warming up, Houstonians who like outdoor activities have lots of choices, including Lunar New Year celebrations, performances by visiting comedian, two benefit gala dinners, and — wait for it — the Brazos Home & Garden Show!

    Thursday, January 23

    Drew Lynch: The Faking It Tour
    Comedian and actor Drew Lynch has had some ups and downs in his life. Lynch has a stutter, developed after a softball accident that damaged his vocal cords and gave him a traumatic brain injury. But that didn’t stop him from getting the Golden Buzzer during season 10 of America’s Got Talent. He comes to Houston as part of his The Faking It Tour. Audiences can expect an evening filled with Lynch’s signature humor, wit, and insightful commentary. 7:30 pm.

    Ensemble Theatre presents Camp Logan
    Inspired by actual events, Camp Logan is an award-winning World War I military drama about the devastating explosion of racial tensions that resulted in a 1917 riot involving an all-black Army regiment in Houston and the all-white Houston Police Department. Through Sunday, February 23. 7:30 pm (2 and 7:30 pm Friday; 3 pm Sunday).

    Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center presents & Juliet
    & Juliet flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks: what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Juliet ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love — her way. Her new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including “Since U Been Gone‚” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time,” “Larger Than Life‚” “That’s The Way It Is,“ and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” 7:30 pm (2 and 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 and 7 pm Sunday).

    Friday, January 24

    Brazos Home & Garden Show
    The second annual Brazos Home & Garden Show brings together the best in home improvement, gardening, and outdoor living. Visitors can enjoy exclusive show-only discounts, connect with industry experts, and experience fun-filled activities for the whole family – all under one roof. The show features make-and-take crafts like birdhouses and spring-themed projects; The Big Bloom Plant Sale, featuring a wide selection of herbs, veggies, trees, flowers, and more; seminars on topics tailored to Texas living; and more. 2 pm (10 am Saturday; 11 am Sunday.).

    Wild Kratts Live! 2.0: Active Creature Power!
    Wild Kratts Live! is a theatrical stage show based on the hit animated television series, Wild Kratts. Stars Martin and Chris Kratt, will engage the audience in a classic Wild Kratts story, keeping the audience entertained as they activate some fan-favorite, Creature Power Suits and go “Off to the Creature Rescue!” With the help of the Wild Kratts team — and their audience members — the Kratt Brothers confront a comic villain and help bring the creatures of the animal world to safety once again. 6:30 pm.

    Open Dance Project presents The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
    Open Dance Project will present The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a family audiences production that follows Dorothy as she is swept up in a tornado and transported to the magical land of Oz, where she joins a Scarecrow, a Tinman, and a Lion on an adventure that teaches her about the power of thinking, loving, and daring to be different. The performance features aerial silks, acrobatics, and clever choreography. Through Sunday, February 2. 7 pm (4 and 7 pm Saturday).

    Houston Symphony presents "Beethoven’s Violin Concerto & Tchaikovsky"
    Filled with irresistible melodies and staggering virtuoso demands, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is one of the best-known and best-loved concertos of all time, and it will be performed by Yoonshin Song, the Houston Symphony’s concertmaster. Known for beautiful melodies and a haunting ending that fades into silence, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 channels an entire world of emotion. Rounding out the concert will be Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s Metacosmos. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

    Saturday, January 25

    Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts presents Spring Exhibitions opening day
    The Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts is delighted to present two new exhibitions this spring. The Main Gallery will feature “The Art of Ezra Tucker.” Tucker is an acclaimed wildlife artist who recently focused on the historic Black experience in the American West. In the Cole Gallery will be “HEARD” by Houston native Tramaine Townsend. A versatile visual artist, Townsend’s recent works capture the history and legacy of Black cowboys. “The Art of Ezra Tucker” will be on display through Sunday, March 22, while “HEARD,” runs through Sunday, May 10. 10 am.

    Krewe de Camp For All Gala
    The Krewe de Camp For All Gala aims to help in transforming the world for children and adults with challenging illnesses, disabilities, or special needs. Camp For All intentionally delivers unique, truly barrier-free experiences throughout the year by collaborating with more than 65 nonprofit organizations to enable thousands of campers and their families to discover life. The Gala will honor Karen and Mike Odegard and The Hamill Foundation, who have made an indelible impact on thousands of campers and their families. 6 pm.

    DACAMERA presents Lakecia Benjamin
    After her DACAMERA debut at Miller Outdoor Theatre, Lakecia Benjamin – the 2024 JJA Jazz Awards Alto Saxophonist of the Year – will make her first jazz series appearance. The dynamic performer fuses traditional conceptions of jazz, hip hop, and soul. With three Grammy nominations for her most recent recording, Phoenix — for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Jazz Performance — Benjamin is taking the jazz world by storm. 8 pm.

    Sunday, January 26

    POST Houston presents Lunar New Year Celebration
    There are myriad ways Houstonians can celebrate Lunar New Year this weekend, from sampling Lunar New Year Entremet at Common Bond Bakery to a free live concert at Memorial Park’s Live Oak Court. POST Houston welcomes the Year of the Snake with a Lunar New Year celebration featuring lion dances, cultural performances, an Asian pop-up market, and more traditional activities. The celebration will be hosted by Washington Ho, from the max reality show House of Ho. 11 am.

    Josh Johnson: The Flowers Tour
    Josh Johnson is an Emmy-nominated writer, stand-up, actor, and NAACP award-winner from Louisiana by way of Chicago. He is currently a writer and performer on The Daily Show, and is a former writer and performer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he made his late-night debut in 2017. Johnson’s most recent stand-up special, Josh Johnson: Up Here Killing Myself, premiered on Peacock. 1, 3 and 7 pm.

    Art Factory presents Ninth Anniversary Celebration
    Founded in the autumn of 2016, Art Factory exists to broaden the experience of the Houston arts community by offering multifaceted programming, developing new and original works and exploring uncharted artistic perspectives of established plays and musicals. At Art Factory's Ninth Anniversary Celebration, guests can enjoy Prosecco and signature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres from Blazian Bites, performances from Art Factory's 2024 season, the announcement of their 2025 season, exclusive ticket offers, and a look behind the scenes. 5 pm.

    Feed the Soul Foundation presents Heart & Soul Scholarship Dinner
    Feed the Soul Foundation will host its inaugural Heart and Soul Scholarship Dinner. The event features Houston area chefs like Mark Holley (Davis Street), Chris Williams (Lucille’s), Emmanual Chavez (Tatemó), Patti Delgado (Ninfa’s), Shannen Tune (Craft Burger), and Dayanny DeLa Cruz, the first female chef to lead the food service team for Super Bowl LIV. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit Feed the Soul Foundation’s mission to provide a pathway of growth and sustainability to marginalized culinary businesses and students, through business development, education, grants, and scholarships. 5:30 pm.

    Lunar New Year Celebration at POST
    Photo courtesy of POST

    POST Houston presents Lunar New Year Celebration.

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    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.

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