After four seasons on Miami's famed South Beach, one of my favorite primetime tv shows, Nip/Tuck returns Tuesday, October 23rd newly transformed into Nip/Tuck Hollywood. Dr's Christian Troy & Sean McNamara relocate McNamara/Troy, their uber-successful plastic surgeon practice from the city of shallow souls to the city of the angelically self-conscious. With Hollywood mavens like Madonna & Nicole Kidman set to make appearances, it should make for a fantastically cutting fifth season.

For more show info, visit FX Networks at   http://fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/niptuck/

- WanderinNomad

Now in its 11th year, the Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival has morphed into QFest, a showcase of some of the hottest gay, lesbian, bisexual, & transgendered films around Houston. Showing from September 20th - 24th at Angelika Film Center (510 Texas) will be seven features, six documentaries, three late-night flicks, two to open & close, & one international fete.

Two I'm looking forward to checking out: The DL Chronicles, which shows how some black men are living down low lifestyles, which means they're married to &/or dating women however sleeping with men. And Pick up the Mic is an energetic documentary chronicling the vibrancy of homohiphop, a serious contradication to its mainstream counterpart.

To see a complete listing of films, tickets & times, visit QFest at http://q-fest.org/films.php

- WanderinNomad

I consider myself a fairly health conscious individual. I've maintained a mostly vegetarian diet on & off for a number of years, so I'm used to trying healthy food alternatives. I've eaten soy cheese, soy burgers, soy franks, soy chicken, sipped a glass or two of soy milk, rice milk & almond milk. I have even acquired a healthy addiction to soy ice cream. However, after last night, I may have a new addiction in the form of goat milk ice cream.  

To my taste bud's surprise, LaLoo's Rumplemint Goat Milk Ice Cream is a delectably smooth blend of mint chocolate chips, dark Swiss chocolate & organic garden mint. Mmmm...

Okay, guilty as charged...I ate the entire pint by myself. But it's okay, LaLoo's is lactose-free, so it's not full of all the cholesterol of cow's milk ice cream. Actually, new studies show that's it's more beneficial to health than cow milk.  For more info, do read on at LaLoo's Goat Milk website at http://www.goatmilkicecream.com/blog/ 

Wondering where you can purchase LaLoo's Goat Milk Ice Cream, wonder no more--Whole Foods Market has a small selection of flavors. 

 - WanderinNomad

September is National Passport Month. Lonely Planet, the official guidebooks to independent travel, started promoting the idea a few years back as a way to promote international travel, & of course the first thing 'to do' before traveling internationally is to obtain a valid passport. So throughout the month of September, Lonely Planet is hosting a series of travel & passport-themed events to inspire a journey (or several). Also you can check out their book Don't Let the World Pass You By! 52 Reasons to Have a Passport by Sam Benson (Lonely Planet Publications, September 2005).

Even though I've had a passport for nearly 10 years now, I still read 52 Reasons as a way to simply reconnect, re-energize my wanderlust, my love of the unknown in traveling. I mean to really want to know a certain city, locale, international destination, island, wherever, u have to get to know its people, the culture, stretch out of your comfort zone & eat that food which gives u mad indigestion, & sleep in that hostel with the two-inch gap underneath the door because that's where you'll have your best memories. 

When I lived in Haiti I met a 15-year old boy who spoke English, Spanish, French, & Italian, fluently; I also ate purple potato salad while there. In Japan I had what appeared to be a burger, but tasted completely different. In Hawaii I had poi, it had very little taste, actually it had no taste. My next destination is a toss-up between Costa Rica, Ghana or Thailand.

If u want--for now, arm-chair it, read 52 Reasons, & before long you'll have your very own reasons & memories for getting that passport. For more information on obtaining a valid passport, please visit the U.S. Department of State at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html & do check out Lonely Planet at http://www.lonelyplanet.tv/

- WanderinNomad

Even though this exhibition has been on view since July 20th, yesterday my schedule  finally allotted me time to check it out. If you're like me--a fan of urban music & vinyl records (the exhibit has over 1,000), you must check out Perspectives 157: Xaviera Simmons on view at The Contemporary Arts Museum's Zilka Gallery (5216 Montrose) until Sunday, September 16th. Admission to the museum is always FREE.

The exhibit walls are covered in a who's who world of R&B artists, hip hop emcees, jazz prodigy's, reggae legends, poetry innovators, comedy legends, a neverending line of musicians from Prince & Stevie Wonder, to Diana Ross, Cameo, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Naughty by Nature, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Winton Marsalis, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Yellowman, Steel Pulse, Gil-Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley, & the wall goes on & on. I fell in love at first sight.

In viewing these album sleeves, man, it took me waaayyy back...back to being a curious 11-year old watching Purple Rain for the first time; & being that 17-year old rocking to Naughty by Nature's O.P.P. at her first homecoming dance. 

It's no guess, the artist Xaviera Simmons is a DJ as well. Like many great DJs, Simmons knows exactly the right song to exhibit exactly the right mood. While you're viewing these classics, archival footage of jazz, R&B, & hip hop concerts are permeating the speakers.

To find out more information about the artist & exhibit, please visit Perspectives 157: Xaviera Simmons at http://www.camh.org/exhib_MAIN.html

- WanderinNomad

DogFest 2007, a dog camp for our canine friends, connects dog owners with services, businesses and organizations made especially for dogs. The event sponsor, Pet Tutor, trains pets by educating the owners with agility demos, doggie massages, vaccinations, micro chipping on the cheap, raffles, and much more.

To bone up (pun intended) on the event, visit DogFest 2007 website at http://www.dog-fest.com/ or http://www.artshound.com/index.php?app=eventDetail&id=7817

- WanderinNomad

Come and listen to the heart-pounding, energetic sounds of Kaminari Taiko at the 11th Annual Houston Grand Taiko Festival, September 28th and 29th at 7:30 p.m. at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. No tickets required, free parking, and free admission.

Two-and-half hours of the centuries-old Japanese tradition of taiko drumming, which is a combination of high energy movements and heavy percussions, is a wonderful sight to behold. I witnessed Kaminari Taiko perform in April at the Japan Fest and the energy, the incoherent rants of its members made me want to immediately grab some drumsticks and sign up for a class. Nonetheless, if you want to find out more information about Kaminari Taiko, please visit their website at http://www.ilovetaiko.org/default.htm

Also, to see them live in action, visit me at myspace.com/acdjzfnd and watch my personal video footage from Japan Fest. 

- WanderinNomad  

Think you have what it takes to make a crowd laugh? Prove it! Monday's is Open Mic Night at Laff Stop Comedy Club (new location, 526 Waugh Dr). Said to be one of the best open mics in the country, & with NBC, MTV, Comedy Central, HBO & the Montreal Comedy Festival all scheduling their yearly talent searches here, I'd beg for anyone to differ. 

I've been to a couple of shows, & there is a handful of talented comics (alongside the comically-challenged) nonetheless, the show starts at 7:30 p.m. however, those with moxie should arrive by 6:45 p.m.

Laff Stop

http://www.laffstop.com/thisweek.htm

- WanderinNomad

Come September 13th thru 15th, Spec's Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods (2410 Smith St, downtown) will host their Fourth Annual Wine & Cheese Festival. Spec's is the place for anything wine, beer, liquor, or cheese.  

They'll be samplings, wine pairings, & free tastings.

The event is FREE. It'll go on from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days.

Visit Spec's online at http://www.specsonline.com/index.html

- WanderinNomad