My family is from Louisiana for generations on both sides but my path home was winding. After living in Maryland, Washington D.C., Japan, Alabama, New York and Los Angeles, I finally moved to New Orleans in late 2009. And I’ve never been happier. When I got here, the Saints were on their way to winning the Superbowl and the city was vibrating with optimism. Most of the people who would come home after the Storm were back. Katrina money was being spent on street repairs and schools were getting instruments from places like Tipitina’s Foundation. Buildings, homes, t-shirts and more exclaimed, “Believe” and “Renew, Rebuild, Rebirth.” It was intoxicating. Continue reading
Category Archives: Mardi Gras 2012
Favorite Things in NOLA 2012
I must confess that I didn’t get out as much in 2012 because Hollywood South is booming and I worked a lot. Even so, here are my 2012 favorites in a nutshell followed by my Favorite Things in NOLA 2011 and Favorite Things in NOLA 2010. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2011 is marked with an Asterix*.
I have divided the list into categories this year including: Food & Beverage, Music & Entertainment, Culture, Shopping and Giving & More. Continue reading
Krewe of Orpheus 2012
Krewe of Orpheus, which celebrates music, is another of the city’s favorite parades owing to its many bands and celebrity guests. Rolling on Lundi Gras night (Monday before Fat Tuesday), it would be my last parade of the season. As with last year, floats overflowed with celebs including Bret Michaels, Harry Connick Jr., Mariska Hargitay, Cyndi Lauper, Hilary Swank and Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland. Continue reading
Mardi Gras Day 2012
Mardi Gras Day means many things to many people, but in the French Quarter, it means costumes, costumes and more costumes. Uptown and on Canal, Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French) means parades all day starting at 7:30 am with Zulu. On Bourbon Street, the day means beads thrown from balconies, rebel yells and partying ’til you puke. But for the many who choose to meander the streets of the Quarter and the Marigny, it’s a spectacle of creativity set to a soundtrack of wandering bands and rolling boomboxes. Continue reading
Krewe of Bacchus 2012
This year’s Krewe of Bacchus parade was another fun-fest, led this time by Will Ferrell. To read more of the traditions and history of the Krewe and it’s founding family, the Brennens, read last year’s post. The theme was the Louisiana Bicentennial and featured a near-non-stop procession of amazing marching bands including Continue reading
L.A. Celebrity Sitings
This week, I traveled back to Los Angeles to attend to some things for my upcoming part in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Though I was thrilled beyond compare to be embarking on that journey, it was bittersweet to be leaving NOLA in the middle of Mardi Gras. Continue reading
Krewe of Oshun kicks off Mardi Gras
Krewe of Oshun rolled St. Charles as the first official Uptown parade of the season. No time to write so if you want more information about the parade, check out last year’s post. This year’s theme was “Child’s Play” with 19 floats based on nursery rhymes. Deborah Singleton Rogers was this year’s Queen Oshun and Ronald Joseph Lewis Jr. served as King Shango. Grand Marshal was former City Councilman and Treme guest star (playing himself), Oliver Thomas. Continue reading
Krewe de Vieux and Krewedelusion 2012
It’s Carnival time!!! Kids on Christmas Eve have got nothing on New Orleanians anticipating Mardi Gras so when I heard a brass band passing through the French Quarter Saturday afternoon, I ran to find The Roots of Music marching through the the streets, rehearsing for their 6 upcoming parades, and squealed with delight. Enjoy the short video of the casually dressed but very skilled kids who’ve dedicated themselves to training after school with this wonderful non-profit group. They certainly got me in the mood for Krewe du Vieux and Krewedelusion’s parades later that evening. Continue reading