I've waited 25 years, I can wait a little longer.

The first Nathan's Famous hot dog restaurant in Texas is coming to Memorial City Mall. The grand opening will take place in about three months.

This is the joint that holds the Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island. Last month, Joey Chestnut scarfed 69 Nathan's franks to set a record.

These hot dogs are delicious - and don't tell me about packaged Nathan's hot dogs in your supermarket. They're not the same. Nothing compares to eating a Nathan's hot dog right off the flat top grill with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard.

You want an authentic New York hot dog? This is the real deal.

But you know something? I like Nathan's french fries more than I like their dogs. Nathan's fries are thick-cut, with a nutty flavor, crispy on the outside and soft like a baked potato on the inside. Here's the secret: While 90 percent of french fries are made from starchy Russet potatoes, Nathan's uses Katahdins, a low-starch potato grown in Maine. Katahdin fries are dark, with sweet undertones, like George Clooney's performance in "Up in the Air."

Last year, for several weeks, there was a Katahdin shortage, and Nathan's had to use Russets. You would have thought that space aliens were coming ashore on Coney Island beach. When the Katahdins returned, the sigh of relief drowned out the screaming on the Cyclone roller coaster.

I will keep you posted on Nathan's arrival in Houston.

No Juicy Fruit?

While on the subject of Nathan's and hot dog contests, ShowBiz Cinemas in Kingwood has an eating challenge: Can you polish off a large popcorn bucket (and when movie theaters say large, they mean L-A-R-G-E) filled with a whole Halloween bag's worth of candy and goodies? If you can, you get a commemorative T-shirt and your photo on the theater's website.

And a drive home wondering, "Why did I do this?"

Here's the blueprint of the popcorn bucket: a layer of popcorn, a box of Milk Duds, more popcorn, a box of Buncha Crunch (I'm not familiar with this), more popcorn, and two bags of nachos and cheese. If you ask pretty please, they'll put chili on the nachos. Oh, and a large soda.

The bucket, which is big enough to have "OPEC" on its side, costs $20. The soda cup is ridiculous. No wonder everybody in the theater is always getting up and running to the lobby.

It's not free if you finish it, but there's that T-shirt. I've worked at radio stations. I've seen people do much stupider things for a T-shirt.

ShowBiz Cinemas has 14 screens. "We're the Millers" looks funny, and "Elysium" is getting decent reviews. "Lee Daniels' The Butler" and "Jobs" open Thursday.

No bull

Do me a favor. This event - thegreatbullrun.com - is coming to Houston. Tell me if you think it's a good idea. My first blush is - not good.

Selling is selling

Bruce Prichard, who played the outrageous, greedy, conniving Brother Love character in the World Wrestling Entertainment, has joined the sales team at Bayway Volvo, Interstate 45 near Fuqua.

Brother Love was a spoof on money-grubbing TV preachers with weatherman hair and toothy smiles, who sometimes get in hot water. Prichard wore a white suit and painted his face red. He would end every rant with an insincere "I looovvveee yooouuu!"

Prichard was hilarious and pure evil, one of the great talents in wrestling. I went to an Astros game with Prichard a few years ago. It was amazing how many fans recognized him.

This could be edgy, but I think he should do the Brother Love character at Bayway Volvo.