New Orleans Film Festival 2015

The 26th annual New Orleans Film Festival began last week and continues through Thursday night. The festival opened with the premiere of Louisiana-shot Born to Be Blue at the newly restored and beautifully ornate Orpheum Theatre. A mural for the festival, painted on a stretch of St. Charles near Lee Circle, features the faces of people watching different genres of movies. I was beyond honored to be included as one of the faces reimagined by the super-talented and prolific street artist Brandan “B-mike” Odums best known for his sophisticated and grand “graffiti” work at an abandoned apartment complex set for redevelopment. So imagine how fun it was to find that every screen in the festival has the mural on it as people take their seats and every movie at the festival opens with a time-lapse short film of the artist at work on the faces.

Kermit Ruffins’ Mother in Law Lounge

The Mother in Law Lounge is back thanks to NOLA favorite Kermit Ruffins. In 1961, New Orleans native Ernie K-Doe had a hit with his song, “Mother In Law.” He and wife, Antoinette, opened the Ernie K-Doe Mother in Law Lounge in 1994. Ernie K-Doe, the “Emperor of the Universe,” was known and loved throughout the community, but especially by his wife, who, upon his death in 2001, had a mannequin of him made and took it with her everywhere she went. She reportedly even took “him” to the lavish and historic Commander’s Palace for supper. Since her passing, the likeness sat in Carnival regalia inside the photo-bedecked lounge, surrounded by jukebox music and memorabilia.