Houston's top 10 entertainment stories of 2024 spotlight Ren Faire and Rodeo

Amid scandals covered by multiple documentaries, the nation's largest Renaissance festival opens for its golden season.

Ren Faire, the HBO docuseries about the Texas Renaissance Festival, led this year's most read entertainment articles.

Photo courtesy of the Texas Renaissance Festival

Editor's note: Houston had a lyrical year in 2024, with RodeoHouston concert reviews dominating CultureMap Houston’s most-clicked entertainment articles. Readers soaked up the details of performances by Bun B, Nickelback, 50 Cent, and other famous artists, including record-breaking crowds. The Texas Renaissance Festival landed in the national spotlight through HBO’s docuseries, with Houstonians closely following how their local ren faire was portrayed.

Here are the 10 most popular entertainment stories of the year:

1. Texas Renaissance Festival distances itself from viral HBO docuseries. Ren Faire, HBO’s three-part docuseries, brought the story of festival founder “King” George Coulam to the small screen where viewers watched as he ruminated on retirement and attempted to woo younger women. The local organization issued a somewhat confusing statement distancing itself from its staff’s eccentric portrayal.

2. Bun B, Drake, and hip hop all-stars cowboy up at historic RodeoHouston performance. Houston cultural ambassador and entrepreneur Bun B reclaimed his title as the most-attended male rap performer in RodeoHouston history with 75,005 paying attendees. Drake, Nelly, Rick Ross, Eve, and DMC of Run-DMC were among the international stars that took the stage with Bun B for a 33-song, 90-minute set that had Houstonians dancing in the stands.

3. Legendary WWII warplane unearthed from 268 feet of ice lands at Houston museum. Houstonians glimpsed history when the Glacier Girl, a World War II plane uncovered from 268 feet of ice in Greenland, made a stopover at the Lone Star Flight Museum. The plane was the only one from its squadron recovered in 1992, nearly 50 years after its crash.

4. Nickelback burns Houston to the ground with sold out RodeoHouston debut. The much-maligned Canadian rock band Nickelback made its debut at RodeoHouston to a sold-out crowd of 75,036, second only to Los Tigres Del Norte. Though often mocked, their energetic performance proved why Nickelback has sold more than 50 million albums.

5. 50 Cent and special guests take Houston to Da Club in packed Rodeo debut. Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson took the stage for his inaugural Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo performance on March 1, providing fans with an uncensored, lively production. The audience sang along with the Houston resident who has become an HSLR regular, selling his own wine at record prices.

6. Affluent Houston suburbs top list of biggest holiday spenders in U.S.U.S. Everyone wanted to befriend residents of The Woodlands after WalletHub’s survey ranked the Houston-area city at No. 13 in its annual report on U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets in 2024. Shoppers in The Woodlands are expected to spend $3,395 on Christmas gifts. Sugar Land earned the No. 14 spot, while Houston proper landed at No. 241.

7. Dramatic new docuseries on the Texas Renaissance Festival could be the next Tiger King. Ren Faire, the HBO docuseries, premiered to a packed house at South by Southwest (SXSW). Journalist Brianna Caleri likened it to Netflix’s Tiger King, as both explore charismatic leaders in niche, dedicated organizations.

8. Massive new entertainment complex lights up Houston suburb. The announcement of Lumos, a 45,000-square-foot entertainment hub opening in 2025, made waves with readers in September. The family-friendly venue in New Caney will feature cutting-edge technology, such as virtual reality experiences and 40-foot LED screens, along with familiar favorites of bowling, karaoke, and laser tag.

9. College Football Championship weekend kicks off in Houston with free concerts, events, and more. Houston hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship game at NRG Stadium on January 8. Thanks to family-friendly free events, including performances by Megan Moroney and 2 Chainz, locals could enjoy the festivities even without a ticket to the big game.

10. Yellowstone star Lainey Wilson enthralls at sold-out RodeoHouston debut. Lainey Wilson, the ‘Hillbilly Hippie’ queen of modern country-rock, made headlines for her sold-out matinee at HLSR. The musician and actress made a dramatic exit by riding a horse around the stage before galloping out of NRG stadium.

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Movie Review

Clichéd rom-com You, Me & Tuscany can't get by on Italian charm alone

Photo by Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures

Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page in You, Me & Tuscany.

The romantic comedy has become an endangered species in movie theaters, as most of those that are released these days go to streamers like Netflix. While there have been a few recent successful rom-coms in theaters, they are few and far between. All of which is to say that a movie like the new You, Me & Tuscany faces an uphill battle before it’s even released.

Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid) stars as Anna, a former culinary school student who’s struggling in the wake of her mother's death. When she has a chance meeting with an Italian man named Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) in New York, her dream of going to the Italian region of Tuscany is reignited. Using her last $500 and a plane ticket her mom bought her, she makes her way to Italy looking for an adventure.

With nowhere to stay and knowing Matteo’s villa is unoccupied, she finds a key and makes herself at home. When she finds an engagement ring soon before she’s discovered by Matteo’s family, she decides to pretend to be his fiancée. The more time she spends with them, the bigger the lie becomes, especially when she starts falling for Matteo’s adopted brother, Michael (Regé-Jean Page).

Directed by Kat Coiro and written by husband-and-wife team Ryan and Kristin Engle, the film at times feels like it’s not even trying to be good. While the set-up of the premise is okay, the story quickly turns into an eye-rolling mess when Anna shows up in Italy. Not one bit of the character’s story is believable, and even though Michael catches her in an early lie, every member of the family accepts her at face value despite the abundant red flags.

Of course, many rom-coms are not based in reality, and the filmmakers lean into the genre’s tropes, almost as if they were saying, “We know this makes no sense - just roll with it!” Surprisingly, the gambit works for the most part, as the odd pairing of an American woman, an English-Italian man, and his fully Italian family is enjoyable despite the many groan-worthy moments they produce. The sweet way in which the family brings in a woman still going through grief almost balances out the shoddy way in which the story is told.

Naturally, there are precisely zero surprises about where the plot is heading, as Anna and Michael grow closer despite knowing they should resist the other. Strangely, though, the filmmakers don’t go all-in on the budding relationship, choosing to slow-roll things save for one notable sexy scene in a vineyard. Coiro and the Engles play up the family aspect as much as the romance aspect, and that choice allows the film to survive for longer than it should have.

Bailey, a singer-turned-actor, has not yet found her stride on the acting side of things. Her line deliveries are often stilted and her timing is off in key moments. This doesn’t help her chemistry with older Page, who seems to be getting by on vibes and looks alone. The most enjoyable actors in the film are all Italian, including Marco Calvani, Isabella Ferrari, and Paolo Sassanelli.

There are glimpses of a fully successful film in You, Me & Tuscany, enough to keep it watchable for its entire 104-minute running time. But then they have the Italian grandmother say a gobsmacking line like “If you wanna tap-a that ass, you should tap-a that ass,” and you remember exactly what type of film you’re watching.

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You, Me & Tuscany opens in theaters on April 10.

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Top 10 Entertainment Stories

Houston's top 10 entertainment stories of 2024 spotlight Ren Faire and Rodeo

Movie Review

Clichéd rom-com You, Me & Tuscany can't get by on Italian charm alone