Queen Bey news

Beyoncé wins first Emmy for Texans halftime show in hometown Houston

Beyoncé performs in her Western-themed halftime show on Netflix’s Christmas NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.

Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beyoncé has an Emmy to go with her 35 Grammys.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, her legal name, was listed as one of a half dozen people on a team that won outstanding costumes for a variety, nonfiction, or reality show for "Beyoncé Bowl,” her Western-themed halftime show on Netflix’s Christmas NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.

The show in her hometown of Houston brought the live debut of songs from her Cowboy Carter album.

The special Emmy is Beyoncé's first. She has been nominated for 10 others without a victory. And it takes her halfway to an EGOT with her 35 Grammys. She still needs a Tony and an Oscar to complete the quartet.

The award was among a handful of so-called juried Emmys announced Tuesday, August 12 that are determined outside the regular voting process and given out by committees, with no official nominees. They are usually highly technical — several involve individual elements of the animation process — and rarely go to famous names. They are announced in advance and handed out at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony next month.

Beyoncé is also nominated for best variety special as a producer of “Beyoncé Bowl" and for best direction of a variety special. Her husband, Jay-Z, is competing against her as an executive producer of Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show.

Tailgate with CultureMap
Beyoncé and the Texans both had winning seasons last year. Even without Queen Bey present to cheer them on, Texans fans can fire up for the next season at CultureMap's big fall sports bash, The Tailgate. Taking place at 8th Wonder on Thursday, September 11 (aka the weekend before the Texans take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), the party will include tailgate-inspired cuisine from local restaurants like Loro, The Waffle Bus, Little Rey, and La Calle Tacos; premium cocktails; activations and appearances from your favorite Houston teams, including the Texans, Astros, and Dynamo and Dash football clubs; a silent auction of sports memorabilia, and more.

Early-bird tickets are already on sale for just $25. Read more about The Tailgate here and nab discounted tickets here. With sponsors like FLIGHT by Yuengling, Puttshack, Mizzen+Main, Sysco To Go, Antone's Famous Po' Boys, and more, this party will score big with everyone. You don't want to stay on the bench.

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In the spotlight

Houston reels in new rank among 10 best cities for filmmakers in 2026

Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

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Houston has just snapped up new recognition as the No. 10 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America, according to MovieMaker Magazine's annual report, "The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026."

The Bayou City has made improvements after ranking 12th in the magazine's 2025 list.

The annual list ranks the best cities in the U.S. and Canada for individuals to live while working in the film industry, based on production spending, tax incentives, cost of living, the prevalence of "local film scenes," and additional factors. The list is divided into two categories: 25 big cities and 10 smaller cities or towns.

The spotlighted cities are the places where the publication believes filmmakers "have the best chance of both succeeding in the famously difficult entertainment industry, and making [their] own art."

For up-and-coming filmmakers that want to live in Texas, MovieMaker says doing it in Houston is "more sustainable than ever" thanks to incentives like the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which increased its production grant rebate from 22.5 percent to up to 31 percent for qualified in-state spending. The report also said Houston has an "arms-wide-open" approach for filmmakers.

"As the biggest city in Texas, and fourth biggest city in America, Houston has nearly every type of location, from cityscapes to piney woods to rolling hills to nearby farmland," the report said. "It’s close to Galveston Island and the Gulf of Mexico, and car commercials love the absence of billboard advertising."

MovieMaker also highlighted Houston's diversity, its low cost of living compared to the national average, and its local festivals like the Houston Cinema Arts Festival and Houston Latino Film Festival.

"The city has enough film crew for two to three sizable features, and recent shoots have included the thrillers Eleven Days, with Taylor Kitsch, and A Love, from director Courtney Glaude, Tyler Perry Studios’ executive creator of Scripted and Unscripted," the report said. "Houston is also notable for a strong contingent of films with budgets under $1 million."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin ranked as the No. 5 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America. Dallas ranked seventh, while neighboring Fort Worth ranked 12th. San Antonio appeared as No. 14, and El Paso landed 25th on the list.

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