Po-Boy Fest, Saints and Treme

What a day to live in New Orleans. Sunday was the 6th annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. About 50,000 people pack into a few blocks lined with po-boy vendors and try as many different po-boys as they can, washing it down with plenty of Abita Beer. I’m not really into sandwiches and yet I really look forward to this fest every year. Like the Got Gumbo? event at the Royal Sonesta, over 30 vendors bring at least one po-boy offering so the level of creativity can be outstanding and you never know what flavor combinations you might find.

HBO’s Treme and Treme Bicentennial

As I recently remarked to someone, New Orleans is definitely a “you had to be there” kinda thing. HBO’s Treme helps illuminate some of why that’s so. There are actually 2 Tremes, the show and the neighborhood in which it’s primarily set. The actual Treme is the oldest black suburb in the United States, the home of Armstrong Park and Congo Square where jazz (and most American music) was born. This weekend, New Orleans celebrated the neighborhood’s 200th year with a bicentennial festival complete with concerts, food and second line parades.

Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Parade

After my first full Mardi Gras season here in 2010, I had my first ever St. Patrick’s season here. Much to my surprise in this mostly non-Irish city, the celebrations went on for days with block parties, house parties and a multitude of parades. My favorite moment quickly became the Irish Channel Parade. This, my 3rd Irish Channel Parade, brought my life in L.A. and my life in NOLA together. Preparing for my upcoming part in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, I’ve been spending time with several of my fellow castmates. Though I invited people from many different parts of my life, I spent St. Patrick’s surrounded by Django-ites.

Treme – Life Imitating Art Imitating Life

Last week, HBO’s Treme once again killed off a beloved character. I’d been enjoying the episode, continuously intrigued by Councilman Oliver Thomas’ portrayal of himself and the choices he made that led to his downfall and incarceration. We got to see Corey Henry play with Kermit Ruffins as well as a scene at the romantic Columns Hotel on St. Charles. Though they talked about the Irish Channel St. Patrick’s parade and the throwing of cabbage and other food items, there was no footage from the parades. If you feel you missed out, check out my video from this year’s parade. But, the whole episode was leading to the shock of the senseless murder of a valued musician and I’ll admit it left me with some rare trouble sleeping.