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Two worthy films that lovingly illuminate the early history of Hollywood scored big this morning when this year's Oscar nominations were announced. Martin Scorsese's Hugo earned 11 nominations, and Michel Hazanavicius's The Artist was nominated for 10 Oscars.…
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Maurepas Foods opens tonight in the Bywater, bringing an interesting new dining option to its neighborhood.
Chef/owner Michael Doyle was previously sous chef at the well-regarded Dante’s Kitchen in the Riverbend for years.…
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Even though the Saints and the LSU Tigers fell short of winning championships this year, New Orleans will continue to be sort of an American sports mecca for the next year or so as the host of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and next year's Super Bowl. If you're looking for someone to thank for all these big-name events coming into town, look no further than the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.…
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It's been four months since the city's Office of Inspector General (OIG) first requested a controversial change to the city's civil service rules that would allow OIG immediate access to city employee personnel records now considered confidential. And today, for the fourth straight monthly Civil Service Commission meeting, the change has yet to see a vote.…
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Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will headline the second week of the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Thursday, May 3. Vedder's last New Orleans appearance, bottle of wine in hand, was Pearl Jam's 2010 Jazz Fest set.…
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Last week totally sucked, but it looks like the city has gotten somewhat back to normal after a week of murders and sad sports things. While crime seems to be on the rise in the treacherous parking lots of organic grocers, things have been relatively peaceful as compared to the beginning of the month.…
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At the moment, Louisiana is run by Republicans: we have a Republican governor (a terrible one, IMHO) and the party holds a majority in both the House and the Senate. As elsewhere, many of these GOP legislators are first-timers, and they’re pissing off the elders with their arrogance, their Tea Party-naivete, and their frequent ineptitude*. [...]
Four storms in the Atlantic? When did this happen? Ack. Also: for those keeping track at home, we’re just four weeks away from the peak of the North Atlantic hurricane season, which is generally considered to be September 10. Fingers crossed, bags packed….
In case you haven’t heard, tonight is the Louisiana SPCA’s “Pause 4 Dinner” dine-around. If you’ve never taken part in an event like this, never fear: it’s simple and straightforward. Just head to dinner at one of the many participating restaurants. There’s a range of spots on the list — from the very affordable to [...]
In honor of the start of the 2011 North Atlantic Hurricane Season, here is a list of names that will (probably) never make it onto the World Meteorological Organization’s annual list: Airfoundia High school classmate. Wallflower type. Barely heard from before graduation, never heard from after. Boadicea Although it would be funny. Cicciolina Which would [...]
A year and a half ago, I had a handful of sidewalk conversations with one of the most interesting women the Marigny has to offer: Eva Schneider. In halting English — weirdly broken for someone who’s lived in the U.S. for most of her life — she told me about the years she spent working [...]
Many of us bitch and moan about the commenters on NOLA.com. To the site’s credit, it’s doing a better job of moderating these days, but it’s still pretty easy to find racist, homophobic, inflammatory remarks lurking below the fold. I mean, I’m not asking anyone to curtail her right to free speech — if you [...]
Six years after the fact, you’d think that most of us in New Orleans would be tired of talking about Hurricane Katrina. We are. That’s not to say that everything’s as it was. That’s not to say that everyone has come home. And that’s certainly not to say that people, communities, and the city we [...]
Since New Orleans isn’t directly in the path of Hurricane Irene, I haven’t heard as much discussion about the storm and all that she threatens to disrupt as I normally would. But of course, Irene is likely to cause a lot of damage, and at the very least, she’ll put a serious damper on people’s [...]
Two years ago — nearly two years ago to the day — a certain cueball-headed mayor of New Orleans announced that Jazzland/Six Flags was coming back. The theme park where so many of my friends had worked before the storm, performing to crowds of dozens (on a good day), has done nothing but gather mold [...]
Being elected as lieutenant governor of Louisiana is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and not because of the reasons that may come to your mind. It’s because of the job that I get to do every day for the next four years. A job that comes easy to me: promoting the state of Louisiana, a place I consider to be the best place on Earth.
In my inaugural address I chose to talk about the happiest place on earth and my lifetime home, Louisiana. I talked about the rich cultural history, the world-renowned music and the joie de vivre that makes Louisiana unique.
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I know I tend to talk about food often on this blog but I just can't resist. It's one of our best assets. Anyone who has visited Louisiana can attest to wanting to come back and taste it all over again. Southern Living is an expert on the South’s best offerings and they are right on, nominating not one, but two of Louisiana’s cities in its South’s Tastiest Town Awards.
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Each year the American Bus Association produces a guide of Top 100 Events in North America. Three Louisiana events made the 2012 list: The French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, April 12–15; Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette, April 25–29; and Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, Morgan City, Aug. 30–Sept.
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Yesterday I was in Jennings to participate in a press conference about the Grand Reveil Acadien which is happening across south Louisiana Oct. 7 – Oct. 16. While I was there I took the opportunity to talk about a neat project our office just completed. In conjunction with Louisiana’s 200th birthday we produced 200 Free Things to Do When You Visit Louisiana. The list features fun activities throughout the state. And the best part is it’s all free.
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This week, Travel + Leisure magazine announced America's best cities for foodies and gave New Orleans the top spot. While we are not surprised by this designation, we are honored and appreciate being recognized for our one-of-a-kind cuisine.
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A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of representing Louisiana on a mission to Quebec City. I met with several officials including the Ministers of Culture and Tourism. During our meetings we discussed the mutual benefits Québec and Louisiana could derive from fostering tourism between us.
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What a week I had last week!
I spent some time away from the capital city enjoying other parts of this great state.
Wednesday I headed up to Chatham in Jackson Parish to visit Jimmie Davis State Park. It is truly a beautiful park, and I wish I would have had more time to enjoy the fantastic sandy beach on Caney Lake. It’s also a great place for birding and cycling.
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The road that follows the Mighty Mississippi in south Louisiana is home to some of the state's most historic plantation homes. Throughout the past couple of weeks I have had the privilege to visit five of Louisiana’s historic antebellum homes. These homes, dotted along the river, can be found after a short drive from either New Orleans or Baton Rouge. They allow you to get lost in the mystique of the antebellum period. Each River Road plantation tells its story in a unique way and, though no two are the same, all are interesting and beautiful.
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Our motto at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is “Conserve. Protect. Replenish.” Everything we do relates to these three words. On Feb. 16, 2011, LDWF put that motto into action by participating in a historical event that reintroduced an animal species not seen in Louisiana’s wild since 1950 – the whooping crane. [...]