By: Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune December 10, 2012 at 1:03 PM The Third Street Film Festival returns to Baton Rouge four times bigger than before, and it's only in its second year. The festival, which features only films produced in Louisiana, received more than 100 submissions in its sophomore year. The 2012 festival will run for two days at the Manship Theatre with four blocks, each with three to seven short films, a 30 minute break and a feature length movie. The four separate film blocks will also be peppered with panels featuring filmmakers, government officials and other industry-specific speakers. TSFF is the brainchild of 23-year-old James Hebert who first wanted to produce a film contest early last year, but the solicit for films on Facebook quickly turned from contest into festival. "Somehow, just through Facebook, we got 70 films last year," Hebert said. Hebert immediately saw the potential and secured a night at the Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center downtown for the festival. "It was two weeks before the festival and we had like 10 tickets sold. That's just like my immediate family," Hebert said of the inaugural event. "Then two days before, we had 100 sold, and then we sold out ... We had pretty overwhelming success." With more than 100 submissions this year, Hebert and a group of friends are having a difficult time choosing what films to fill the available time slots. "We have a lot of good films and so little time. I still have 18 more hours of film to watch," Hebert said.
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Terence Blanchard with Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Jazz Band By Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune December 13, 2012 at 8:52 PM New Orleans’ Latin Jazz Festival will heat up the holidays on December 21 (7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.) with a string of free performances at Casa Borrega, 1719 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. I’m stoked about the festival’s strong local lineup, which includes guitar wizard Steve Masakowski with Mas Mamones, the Alexey Marti Quintet, and a rare, all-Latin set by the Iguanas. Besides, my appetite for all-things-Latin also was whetted by some recent performances in New Orleans. First, there was a visit by Cuban keyboard titan Chucho Valdes --- a show that opened with a blazing performance by Marti, a young Cuban percussionist who now lives in New Orleans. Then came Ballet Hispanico, the electrifying New York troupe that rocked local dance fans with help from the Grammy-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. (Snug Harbor offered a lagniappe from Orchestra leader Arturo O’Farrill, who brought a trio to the venerable Frenchmen Street club). If those shows put you in a mood to dance, the Latin Jazz Fest at Casa Borrega should satisfy. The Iguanas, for example, plan to connect the dots between the music of Mexico and the group’s familiar Louisiana repertoire. Joe Cabral, the Iguanas’ saxophone player, described the link in press material from festival organizers: “Some of the genres we play, such as the polka (in its traditional Northern Mexico form), are easily compared to the sounds of Louisiana because they are similar in structure, content and cadence to zydeco and other variations of Cajun. Instruments like the accordion make the relationship even more obvious.” For details about the Fest, visit the Casa Borrega facebook page or call 504.292.3705 By: Michael Farrar Special contributor to theadvocate.com December 13, 2012 Santa as an athlete is a hard sell, but the Running of the Santas Festival and Pub Crawl on Dec. 15 in New Orleans is shaping up to be a good time whether you’re into physical fitness or not. While it’s not promoted as a race, organizer Bob Dauterive finds it funny that some folks think it’s a hard-core competition. “I’ve had people contact me to ask, ‘How should I train for this?’ I said, ‘Train? We only go three blocks!’ The goal is to finish, not your run time,” Dauterive said, “You’re not only having fun, but you’re helping a worthwhile cause at the same time, especially at the Christmas season.” The cause for the New Orleans Running of the Santas event is to benefit the That Others May Live Foundation, which is a group that Dauterive said helps provide educational scholarships and other assistance to families of U.S. Air Force search and rescue personnel who are killed on duty. “I know there are a lot of worthwhile causes in New Orleans, but this particular charity is close to me because my son-in-law was an Air Force search and rescue pilot. So it’s important because I hope they never have to raise money for my family,” he said. Although it raises funds for a serious purpose, Dauterive thinks this second New Orleans Running of the Santas will be twice as much fun as the first year, which had an impressive turnout of party goers. “Last year, we had approximately 900 people participate in the event as the first year in New Orleans, and this year we’re looking at doubling that number, somewhere between 1,800 to 2,000 people,” Dautrieve said. Dautrieve knew that NOLA crowds would love it when he saw Philadelphia’s Running of the Santas three years ago. The festivities officially kick off at the South Pole, which is Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar, at 3 p.m., building up to the 6 p.m. three block race to Generations Hall for a North Pole party and costume contest.
“We had reindeer, we had a couple dressed as Christmas trees, we had elves – you name it,” Dautrieve said. “You know the variety of costumes is wide open, but the more folks in costumes, the more fun it is.” Besides costumes, the North Pole party at Generations has live music by the Category 6 band, which never disappoints anyone wanting to get wild as they keep the generous spirit of the holidays alive. Nintendo Wii U console By: BBC World News Strong sales of the latest Call of Duty and Halo sequels were not enough to prevent a drop in annual US video game sales, according to research firm NPD. It suggests sales of hardware and software sold by retailers were down 11% on the year in November. Nintendo's Wii U also launched that month and Assassin's Creed 3 had just gone on sale. The figure does not include digital downloads. NPD linked the drop to weaker sales of titles outside the top five. "Despite an overall retail video game decline of 11%, November had the smallest year-over-year decrease we have seen for dollar and unit sales so far this year," it said in a statement. Figures may also have been depressed by the fact there were fewer releases this November than a year earlier when Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Lego Harry Potter 5-7 and Modern Warfare 3 were among titles that went on sale.
Blockbuster sales Activision, Microsoft and Nintendo have all been touting the success of their new products over recent days. Black Ops 2 - the first in the Call of Duty series to be part-set in the future - topped $1bn (£624m; 773m euros) worth of global sales in its first 15 days of release, said Activision Publishing. It said it had achieved the milestone a day quicker than the movie Avatar did in 2009 - albeit with fewer individual units sold. Microsoft has not provided a comparable figure for its Xbox-exclusive Halo 4, but has said that more than 50 million games in the franchise had now been sold. Based on the firm's earlier announcements, that suggests about four million copies of Halo 4 were sold worldwide over its first 30 days. Meanwhile, Nintendo has revealed that it sold 400,000 Wii Us and its bundled touchscreen controller during their first week of release in the US. That compares to 600,000 units of the original Wii console during its first eight days on the market in North America. The Japanese company has a target of 5.5 million Wii U sales worldwide by the end of its financial year in March. By: Chris Waddington, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune December 08, 2012 at 12:04 PM Christmas Eve bonfires have guided Papa Noel through the Louisiana night for generations. Those bonfires also signal that 1,300 pyre-building friends and neighbors have rolled out the red carpet for anyone who wanders from blaze to blaze, seeking holiday cheer on the levees of St. James Parish. Can’t make it on Christmas Eve? The organizers also sponsor the annual Festival of the Bonfires, which opens Dec. 14 and runs through Dec. 16. My colleague, Angel Thompson, has posted all the Festival details on nola.com. The Festival, which takes place at the Lutcher Recreation Park on La. 3193, includes most of the fun things you expect from this kind of Louisiana gathering: a gumbo competition that draws about 50 participants, live music, pageants, car shows, a 5K run, and much more. Of course, the Festival of the Bonfires has something you don’t get anywhere else: a preview of Christmas Eve on the levee. On Saturday (Dec. 15) the party moves from the Park to the levee where a single bonfire will be lit at 7 p.m. (Free shuttles are provided).
Those towering bonfires, tall as some houses, make a pretty impressive site from any angle, though the best view was probably from the now-defunct Vacherie Ferry. The crossing took visitors from the cane fields and calm of the Mississippi’s west bank to the heart of the miles-long party. As the fires were lit (always at 7 p.m.), boat horns let loose, smoke drifted over the water, and all those blazes were reflected on the river.
To approach by car from the east bank take a bit more planning. Lee recommends getting to the area by 5 p.m. at the latest. (There are scattered bonfires in neighboring Ascension and St. John Parishes, but Lutcher and Gramercy are ground zero). “I think everybody in town has a big, open-door house party that night,” Lee said. “I’ve had to miss it a few times, but that was like Christmas without presents, a tree, or Santa Claus. It’s not the same at all.” Looks like fun? Read more for the where and when? Big Freedia & Katy Red By: Alison Fensterstock, NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune December 06, 2012 at 9:36 PM Son of Rogues’ Gallery, the sequel to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" inspired collection of swashbuckling songs released on the Anti Records label in 2006, features 36 traditional sea shanties and various other oceangoing songs, recorded by artists including Iggy Pop, Courtney Love, Nick Cave, Patti Smith and many others. This week, Anti announced that the album, most of which was recorded in 2010, has finally been scheduled for release.Producer Hal Willner told Rolling Stone that the second collection, which comes out in February, is “not as much about torture, sodomy and death” as the first. By: Scott Collins - LA Times December 4, 2012 Those zombies in "The Walking Dead" have already terrorized the good people of Atlanta. Now they're gobbling down the ratings record books too. The zombie smash has become the first cable series to win the fall TV ratings in the key demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, according to Nielsen. That includes established network series such as "Modern Family," "The Voice" and "The Big Bang Theory," as well as the new fall shows like "Elementary" and "Revolution." What kind of power does "Dead" have? Well, Sunday's "mid-season finale" -- the show will return in February -- drew 10.5 million viewers. Throw in a couple of encores, and the total rose to 15.2 million.
A couple moves into a haunted house needing salvation from a demonic baby. By Mike Scott, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on December 03, 2012 at 9:00 AM Precious few Louisiana films might have made the cut for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival's recently announced in-competition lineup, but that doesn't mean they're being ignored entirely. The January festival's reliably edgy Midnight Movies lineup was announced late last week, and lo and behold there's a New Orleans-shot film front and center. The horror-comedy "Hell Baby," which shot in town earlier this year -- and which marks the directoral debut of "Reno 911" actor Thomas Lennon
By: Laura McKnight, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on December 03, 2012 at 5:08 AM Their off-screen personalities shone this afternoon as three stars of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fielded questions from a room full of fans at Comic Con in New Orleans. The Sunday, Dec. 2, question-and-answer session featured actors Brent Spiner as a fun and gentle soul, Marina Sirtis as a spirited source of sharp retorts, and LeVar Burton as a laid-back, book-loving guy. The three entertained a Comic Con crowd with varied opinions, the occasional bit of song, and memories gleaned from years working on one of television’s most adored and obsessed-over shows. The session started with an unusual introduction – a plea for help in finding a diamond wedding ring lost by Sirtis in a second-floor bathroom of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Sirtis said she removed the ring to wash her hands, grew distracted chatting with a fan and lost the jewelry. The trio then began accepting questions from the audience, who seemed curious about the actors’ favorite “Star Trek” episodes, movies and scenes.
The actors mentioned “Star Trek: First Contact” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” but the discussion soon turned to their shared disdain for “Star Trek: Insurrection.” “Boring,” said Sirtis, who played Counselor Deanna Troi in the television series and films. “It’s like we go to this Renaissance Fair that they call a planet,” said Spiner, who starred as Lt. Commander Data. By: Doug MacCash, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on November 30, 2012 at 10:20 PM The Wizard World Comic-Con is a three day festival dedicated to science fiction, fantasy and horror has begun at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. One of this year’s big draws is the assembly of six stars from the iconic “Star Trek: The Second Generation” television show – only Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) was unavailable. For devoted fans the 25th anniversary appearance is like an intergalactic Beatles reunion. The stars may be a bit grayer than in their cosmic exploration days, but it’s an undeniable thrill to see their smiling faces in person, as they chat with enchanted fans at the celebrity autograph booths. As I wandered through the rows of nostalgic collectibles sales kiosks, I asked superheroes, steam punks, anime characters and other costumed attendees (and willing celebrities) an ice-breaking question: Which of the Star Trek: TNG crew would you like to like to be stranded on a desert asteroid with? Admittedly, the grammar is awkward, but the results were a hoot. By the end of my absurd survey, each of the former Enterprise officers: Commander William T. Riker played by Jonathan Frakes, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge played by LeVar Burton, Lieutenant Worf played by Michael Dorn, Counselor Deanna Troi played by Marina Sirtis, Lt. Commander Data played by Brent Spiner, and Dr. Beverly Crusher played by Gates McFadden had gotten votes for various reasons. Actor Kevin Sorbo, who played the lead in “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,” said he’d pick Counselor Troi – he didn’t see the need to explain. Michael Madsen, who played Mr. Blonde in the hair-raising movie “Reservoir Dogs” never quite formulated an answer, though he laughed heartily at the ridiculous premise. Professional women wrestlers Nicole Garcia and Brianna Garcia (The Bella Twins) chose Geordi and Data – though I can’t recall which chose which. Drum roll please …
Data, the straight-faced, greenish-skinned automaton played by Brent Spiner, was chosen for mostly practical reasons. He’s smart, he doesn’t eat, sleep or need oxygen, after all. Armed with that knowledge, I stood in Brent Spiner’s autograph line until I was able to make him aware of his stranded-on-an-asteroid popularity. Attempting to explain the outcome of the vote, he said “Well, there’s a little bit of Data in every man and since I’m Data, there’s a little more in me.” I’m not sure I follow the logic Lieutenant Commander, but that sense of humor would certainly come in handy on a desert asteroid. |
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