ready for some football

College Football Championship weekend kicks off in Houston with free concerts, events, and more

America's eyes will be on Houston on Monday, January 8, as the city hosts the College Football Playoff National Championship game at NRG Stadium, broadcast live on ESPN. Houston, notably, scores the championship game as the College Football Playoffs toast 10 years.

The game sees No. 1-ranked Michigan Wolverines — who bested Alabama in the Rose Bowl — face off with the No. 2-ranked Washington Huskies, who just broke UT fans' hearts after beating the Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl.

While swarms of Wolverines and Huskies will hit H-Town for Monday's championship game, locals won't need a championship ticket to get in on the action, thanks to a jam-packed weekend of events — almost all of which are free.

Downtown has been dubbed Championship Campus for the big weekend activities: Playoff Fan Central, AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!, the Trophy Trot 5K and 10K, Taste of the Championship, and the Allstate Championship Tailgate.

We've got the playbook for all the fun starting Friday, January 5. But first, an insider tip:

CultureMap readers who use luxury rideshare service Alto can score $10 off two rides through Monday night. To help pregame, beloved Houston brewery Karbach is getting the first round for Alto users with free beers in the car during championship weekend rides through Monday (for riders 21 and older — sorry, high schoolers). Be sure to use code CHAMPIONSHIP when booking an Alto trip online.

Now, game on.

Playoff Fan Central: Friday-Sunday, January 5-7 at the George R. Brown Convention Center

The free, three-day, family-friendly activities kick off at noon on Friday. Expect games, serious athletic drills, autograph signings, cool activations, youth sports clinics, pep rallies, photo opps, and special exhibits celebrating all things college football.

Arrive early (9 am) on Saturday for Media Day. Fans get free access as Michigan and Washington coaches and players are interviewed; fans can listen in with mini radios supplied at the program.

College Football Playoff National Championship 2024 Houston drills Work those agility drills at Fan Fest.Photo courtesy of College Football Playoffs

It's not just the football teams facing off: The Michigan and Washington bands will perform on Sunday at 2 pm and 3 pm, respectively, for what promises to be a super sonic showdown.

AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!: Friday-Sunday, January 5-7 at Shell Energy Stadium

Kudos to event organizers and sponsors for securing musical talent that demands top-dollar tickets — for free. These AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! free concerts get the energy pumping, starting with Kidz Bop on Friday.

Country stat Megan Moroney takes the stage Sunday along with Jon Pardi and Jake Owen.Photo by David McClister

Rap and hip-hop fans should be ready to line up for rap stars Jack Harlow, the pride of Kentucky rap who's making waves with his new VR concert experience. Two-time Grammy nominee Latto, many remember her as the star of The Rap Game reality show, also takes the stage on Saturday. They'll be joined by towering (he's 6'5) Georgia rapper 2 Chainz, a former college athlete himself, who hooped for Alabama State University.

Sunday gets country with Grand Ole Opry member/crooner Jon Pardi, who just revealed he's sober and is a refreshing country throwback. Handsome star singer-songwriter (and passionate golfer) Jake Owen is also on the bill, as is and multi-platinum country artist-songwriter Megan Moroney, a rising, charismatic star.

Fans must register for concert tickets online in advance, show the QR code via the CFBPlayoff mobile app at the convention center, and secure a wristband for entry to all shows except Kidz Bop on Friday.

Trophy Trot: Sunday, January 7 downtown

Get that pre-game cardio in with a family-friendly run/walk starting at 9 am. New this year, participants can compete in both 5K and 10K distances. Each Trophy Trot participant receives a T-shirt and medal, with numerous chances to win tickets to the CFP National Championship game the next day. Registration is open now.

All proceeds benefit Extra Yard for Teachers, the College Football Playoff Foundation's nonprofit that inspires and empowers quality teachers.

Taste of the Championship: Sunday, January 7 at Union Station in Minute Maid Park

As we reported, this premium dining experience and fundraising event boasts a veritable gourmet feast from an all-star roster of chefs and more than 30 restaurants. James Beard Award-winning chef, media personality, and CultureMap Wine Guy Chris Shepherd will host, backed up by Louisiana-based party band The Phunky Monkeys. All proceeds benefit the CFP Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers platform. Find tickets here.

Southern Smoke Festival 2023 Houston food all stars Aaron Bludorn and Chris Shepherd headline Taste of the Championship. Photo by Emily Jaschke

Allstate Championship Tailgate: Monday, January 8 at NRG Stadium

What's a big-time football game without a tailgate? Fans with a ticket to Monday's showdown should head to Blue Lots 16, 17, and 18 starting at 11 am. This tailgate features interactive games, activations, concessions, award-winning musical acts, live performances by each team’s marching band, and a chance to watch the live ESPN broadcasts.

Again: Fans must present a national championship game ticket for entry to the Allstate Championship Tailgate.

Stay on top of all the action and updates at Championship Campus online and follow @CFBPlayoff on social media.

College Football Playoff National Championship 2024 Houston trophy

Photo courtesy of College Football Playoff National Championship

Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship game will kick off with a weekend of free events.

Movie Review

Masters of the Universe reboot mistakes nostalgia for good filmmaking

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Nicholas Galitzine in Masters of the Universe.

Most children who grew up in the '80s were either a fan of or knew about Masters of the Universe. The property, based on a line of toys from Mattel, spawned a popular-if-short-lived animated TV series, comic books, a comic strip, magazines, and a 1987 live action film starring Dolph Lundgren. It is now the latest IP to get a nostalgic reboot in the form of a new blockbuster film.

Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Adam of the planet Eternia, who as a child is exiled to Earth to protect the Sword of Power from invaders led by the evil Skeletor (voiced by Jared Leto). Years later, Adam is now working in the human resources department of a generic company, well-versed in corporate speak but disconnected from his heritage other than a never-ending desire to find the sword he lost when he crash-landed on Earth.

Spoiler alert, he recovers the sword and is soon thereafter rescued from Earth by childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes). Adam’s return to Eternia is less-than-stellar, as the citizens have difficulty believing he’s the long-lost prince, especially because he initially can’t harness the power of the sword. Naturally, he figures it out eventually, leading to a number of face-offs between him and Skeletor’s minions.

Directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee) and written by a four-person writing team, the film is yet another cynical attempt at exploiting a certain group’s nostalgia without putting any effort into actually making a good movie. The very first scene of the film is a CGI-filled battle between characters that have barely been introduced, much less explained to the audience. For longtime fans, this will be no issue. For everyone else, though, it immediately signals that the filmmakers don’t care about making them care about anyone or anything in the story.

Instead, they substitute actual character development with a campy and self-deprecating vibe that’s in line with the original series. That’s all well and good if the intended audience was solely 50-year-olds, but for a movie that presumably wants to bring in younger audiences, it’s a choice that never fully comes through. Some characters try to be funnier than others, and most of the “jokes” land with a thud since the tone hasn’t been properly established.

Worst of all, there are never any meaningful stakes in the film. Adam is impervious to damage, something that would have been truly funny if commented upon, but instead is just treated as fact for no good reason. Skeletor is not intended to be a fearsome villain, as he often bumbles through scenes or line deliveries, but the lack of a truly terrible enemy keeps the story stuck in neutral. Combined with bloodless PG-13 fight scenes with no sense of realness to them, there is rarely anything about which to get excited.

Galitzine has turned heads as both a gay (Red, White & Royal Blue) and straight (The Idea of You) romantic interest, but he can never find his footing as the leading man here. The film never allows him to develop into a true action hero, so instead he comes across as a pretender most of the time. Mendes is okay, but she, too, isn’t given the opportunity to become much more than a sidekick. Idris Elba is entirely wasted as Teela’s father Duncan. Leto lets loose, which works because he’s the only character without a recognizable face.

There may be a world in which rebooting Masters of the Universe makes sense, but it does not exist when the film that is offered doesn’t even try to appeal to anyone who doesn’t have a deeply ingrained knowledge of the decades-old property. By relying on nostalgia instead of good filmmaking, the film may get good box office returns on opening weekend, but it’s difficult to imagine that it will endure.

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Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5.

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