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Thursday, November 30, 2006
If there were still any doubts that Bobby Jindal will run for governor ... The Republican Party of Louisiana cordially invites you to a historic evening as we salute Louisiana's Republican Governors The Honorable Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. The Honorable Charles E. "Buddy" Roemer, III The Honorable David C. Treen at The Republican Governors Gala With Special Guests United States Representative Bobby Jindal Master of Ceremonies St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis Host Committee Chairman Beau Chene Country Club 602 North Beau Chene Drive Mandeville, Louisiana Saturday, January 27, 2007 at seven o'clock in the evening Gold Sponsor - $5,000 Silver Sponsor - $2,500 Bronze Sponsor - $1,000 Individual Tickets - $100 each Complimentary admission for Republican Trust & Foundation members Smelling the Roses  LSU is heading to the Rose Bowl for the first time in history, according to several news reports over the past couple of days. Stories that Rose Bowl officials were committed to taking LSU, regardless of what happens in the final games of the regular season this Saturday began yesterday when the Boston Globe cited anonymous sources with the Rose Bowl confirming that LSU was in and would be matched up against either Michigan or USC (if USC suffers a shocking defeat to UCLA this Saturday). Baton Rouge TV station WAFB also cited an unnamed Rose Bowl source in a story about LSU playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day. Sports Illustrated, the L.A. Times, MSNBC and Fox Sports have all been echoing the news today. With the word out, LSU fans have already requested 32, 000 tickets to the game, 4,000 more commitments than the Rose Bowl hopes to get from each school. I think it's safe to say that, at this point, if LSU by chance doesn't make it into the Rose Bowl, there may be a few upset Tiger fans.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Maestro's new CD  Mariusz Smolij, musical director and maestro of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, has released his first CD — Panufnik: Homage to Polish Music. The Polish native recorded the CD with the Polish Chamber Orchestra in 2005. The classical music selections originate from Polish musical libraries — originally written between the 14th and 18th centuries — that were rescued and rearranged by the Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik after World War II.Panufnik wrote of these works: My compulsion to restore some of the early Polish music was engendered as I witnessed the superb reconstruction of beautiful 16th and 17th century houses in the old part of Warsaw. … My intention was to bring alive the spirit of Poland at that time, and to make use of these precious fragments which otherwise would have remained lifeless on the bookshelves of libraries. Mariusz Smolij breathes new life into the ancient songs in Panufnik: Homage to Polish Music. Smolij will conduct the ASO in the American premiere of "Old Polish Suite," the first selection on the CD, in March and will soon record with the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra. Copies of Panufnik: Homage to Polish Music can be purchased locally at Barnes & Noble. Autographed copies can be purchased on ASO's Web site, and $5 per copy will be donated to the symphony. Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. and Kris Kristofferson  PHI has been in the news for the bitter strike showdown between PHI management and its pilots, but this morning's Times-Picayune story on legendary songwriter Kris Kristofferson details a brighter, little-known chapter in PHI history:During a stop in Louisiana this month for a performance at the Paragon Casino in Marksville, he reflected on a musical career that produced the likes of "Me and Bobby McGee," "Why Me" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and how it was influenced by his time in the Louisiana oil fields before he caught his first break. Kristofferson turned down an instructor's post at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to try and break into the music business in the 1960s. Unable to get any closer than a janitor's job at the Columbia Records studio in Nashville, Tenn., he came to Louisiana and took a job with Petroleum Helicopters Inc. of Lafayette, flying between the Louisiana marshes and offshore petroleum facilities. "That was about the last three years before I started performing, before people started cutting my songs," he recalled. "I would work a week down here for PHI, sitting on an oil platform and flying helicopters. Then I'd go back to Nashville at the end of the week and spend a week up there trying to pitch the songs, then come back down and write songs for another week." … "I can remember 'Help Me Make It Through The Night' I wrote sitting on top of an oil platform. I wrote 'Bobby McGee' down here, and a lot of them." (photo courtesy of www.kriskristofferson.com)
Monday, November 27, 2006
A new James Lee Burke movie  According to Production Weekly, part-time New Iberia resident and bestselling crime novelist James Lee Burke's 1993 novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead will be adapted into a movie, with pre-production in Louisiana beginning within the month.The film centers on Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux, previously played by Alec Baldwin in "Heaven's Prisoners." French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, is slated to begin production in March. The French director and writer has directed 32 movies and written scripts for 28 films, most notably the 1986 film 'Round Midnight. Burke's In The Electric Mist with Confederate Dead is his third novel to be adapted for the screen. The 1998 TV version of Two for Texas was produced by TNT and starred Kris Kristofferson and Tom Skerrit; and the 1996 Heaven's Prisoners starred Baldwin, Terri Hatcher, Kelly Lynch, Eric Roberts and Mary Stewart Masterson.
For more information about James Lee Burke, read The Independent's August 2 cover story. Friday Night Lights After blowing out Northside 56-8, STM plays undefeated Shaw on the road in Class 4A semifinals. In Class 5A, Acadiana crushed St. Paul 40-7 and is preparing to host Catholic High of Baton Rouge, while Sulphur travels to play Rummel. Notre Dame hosts Lutcher in Class 3A after its decisive 39-14 victory over rival Teurlings Catholic. It's very likely the Acadiana area will be well-represented in New Orleans, where lasting high school memories will once again be created for scores of young students. Farewell, ZydE-Zine  Gary Hayman is officially pulling the plug on his online newsletter for Cajun and zydeco enthusiasts – ZydeE-Zine – although the last issue was published on Sept. 8. In an e-mail sent to his subscribers on Friday, Hayman says some portions of his larger ZydeE-Magic Web site will continue.What started out, way back in 1993, as just a local Cajun/Zydeco schedule listing for the Washington D.C. area … quickly mushroomed into a separate WEB site of my own with almost 600 individual WEB pages and a popular large FREE e-magazine [ The ZydE-Zine ] with international appeal. I have taken on these projects as a volunteer and public service effort throughout these many years … I am moving on now to some other interesting objectives. I will also be spending more time with volunteer public service with other local, national and international endeavors and will be involved in another national WEB site project of high interest - but of a different theme. Thankfully, The Patsy Report, an online directory of Cajun and zydeco events throughout greater Lafayette, will continue. (Photo courtesy of Gary Hayman)
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving Now I'm off to break out the frying pot and start injecting a 13-lb. turkey with spices. Fried turkey is one of my favorite meals on the planet.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Aren't they starting a little early? The eight contestants in the competition had 12 minutes to eat as much of a 12-pound turkey as they could manage. ... My favorite section: And their handling of the birds wouldn't have won them any etiquette medals. The defending turkey-eating champion, Sonya Thomas, known as the "Black Widow," got her mouth too full of turkey to swallow as the contest moved into the homestretch. She was disqualified. How many eating contests must one win to earn a nickname like "Black Widow"? Chevalier Ancelet  On Tuesday, Nov. 28, Barry Jean Ancelet will join ranks with William Faulkner, David Bowie, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackson Pollock and Memphis Slim.The notable French professor and Cajun folklorist will be knighted with the title of Chevalier into Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French ambassador to the United States. The honor recognizes individuals who have made contributions to the enrichment of the French culture's arts and literature. Ancelet is the author of several books on Cajun and Creole culture, a professor of modern languages, the head of UL Lafayette's folklore studies department, co-founder of the 1974 Tribute to Cajun Music (which later became the annual Festivals Acadiens festival), a Cajun French poet, and the host of the weekly live radio broadcast Rendez-vous des Cajuns from The Liberty Theater in Eunice. Ancelet says he's touched and honored to receive the distinction. "I feel like this is an honor I share with all of the storytellers and singers and all of the other people I've worked with over the years," he says. "I find that there's a little bit of irony in knighting someone who has spent a whole lifetime trying to honor the culture of supposedly ordinary people. That's a delicious irony." 9 museums for $9 Tickets can be purchased at the Lafayette Visitor's Center on the Evangeline Thruway or at any of the participating museums except the Acadian Cultural Center. Call LCVC for more info at 232-3737.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A big reason to be thankful in Louisiana on Thanksgiving this year
Monday, November 20, 2006
Ducks and dogs  Persistence has paid off for Lafayette artist Tony Bernard. After entering the Louisiana Duck Stamp Competition five years in a row and placing third and second several times, Bernard's picture of a chocolate Labrador retriever against a stormy blue sky with mallards banking into the headwinds has won first place. Prints of the Bernard painting are available from the artist. The 19th anniversary 2007-08 stamp, featuring Bernard's work, is expected to go on sale June 1, 2007.The Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp program was established in 1988 to generate revenue for conservation and enhancement of state wetlands that benefit Louisiana's ducks and geese. This program has generated over $9 million for wetland conservation in Louisiana since 1989, with over $500,000 from last year's competition alone. Money from this fund helps repair levees and perform other wetland management practices on the state's Wildlife Management Areas.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Rebuilding Gulf Coast libraries After the summit, public libraries will be eligible for grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's three-year iniative to rebuild libraries damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana and Mississippi. Thirty-one public libraries were destroyed by last year's hurricanes. Bravo Nouveau  The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived, et, c'est bon! This year is one of the best presses of the new wine I have tasted in a long long time. The wine is fresh and delicious, as close to just-pressed grape juice as wine gets, as Beaujolais Nouveau should be.Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the first pressing of gamay grapes in France's Beaujolais region. The grapes were on the vine 30 days ago, picked by hand, and are made into wine in a speedy process called carbonic maceration, also called whole berry fermentation, which preserves the fresh, fruity quality of the wine, without extracting bitter tannins from the grape skins. On the third Thursday in November every year, the new wine is rushed to market. Glasses were lifted all over the world last night in a traditional celebration of the new wine. Often, that first glass is the last glass, Beaujolais Nouveau tends to be uneven, so it is especially delightful when the new wine is so good. Drink Beaujolais Nouveau between now and Christmas. It's a terrific Thanksgiving wine as well, the fruity, light nature of the wine allows it to pair well with turkey and all the trimmings. And at about $10 a bottle, you can afford to drink it the way it is meant to be drunk, in gulps rather than sips. Santé. Former St. Thomas More wide receiver Javon Walker and Sports Illustrated  Lafayette's Javon Walker is spotlighted on Sports lllustrated's Web site this week, in NFL writer Michael Silver's "Rollin' With" column. The Denver Broncos wide receiver talks about his controversial exodus from the Green Bay Packers and his resurgence with Denver after coming off a knee injury. In the interview, Walker also spotlights the local invention of Lafayette's Lance Strother that's catching on with some college and NFL players:Silver: You're involved with a device, Great Catch (http://www.greatcatch.org), that's being used by other receivers in the NFL and college football to help them learn to catch the ball with their fingers. Tell us about it. Walker: Back when I was in high school (at St. Thomas More in Lafayette, La.) our offensive coordinator, Leland Padgett, used to say to us, "You don't really have great hands, you have great fingers." Well, one of my high school teammates, Lance Strother, decided to build on that idea, and we came up with a device that prevents the palm from catching the ball. It's this band that goes across each hand and attaches the equivalent of a golf ball to each palm, which means you have to catch with your fingertips. I use it on my days off or on the field during pregame warmups. In other Louisiana sports/Sports Illustated news, this week's SI college basketball preview ranks LSU as No. 4 in the nation in its preseason rankings. If you'd like to know more about the man behind the comic strip, here's a profile of Greg I wrote for the Independent a few years back that also ran in New Orleans' Gambit Weekly, after Greg was selected for inclusion in the book Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists. Inadequate? Try inexcusable This morning's Advocate story notes that Gov. Blanco used part of her press conference yesterday (primarily scheduled to tout a plant expansion) to say that the pace of the Road Home program was inadequate. "We're going to talk about what's causing the roadblocks. I need to know because I will not tolerate any slow action," she said. Well, it's been tolerated so far. And there's no telling how many applicants simply decided to throw in the towel and move out of state because of the infuriating bureaucracy bogging down the Road Home program. Make no mistake: the Road Home program is Blanco's program. And she needs to fix it fast, because it's becoming a maddening embarrassment in the recovery efforts.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Who does Rev. Raymond Brown represent? Rev. Brown, who says he represents the New Black Panther Party, is making a name for himself in New Iberia, inciting violence in an already racially tense situation following the Sugar Cane festival that responsible citizens and lawmakers are attempting to solve in a non-violent manner.
A month ago he insulted the governor and ripped local clergy who have worked with the city and Sheriff's Department, calling them "Uncle Toms, bootlicking and tap-dancing, scratch-where-it-don't itch preachers."
Thursday, November 09, 2006
"Smokin dat weed" CROWLEY– The Crowley Fire Department responded to a call Monday afternoon at 812 Hargrave Street, but when they arrived at the scene they discovered that the smoke was being produced by a couple of occupants getting high. Allegedly two males had smoked enough weed in order to alarm neighbors. Note: The Crowley-Post Signal has removed the above news item from its Web site. (Nov. 12, 2006) Reel it in One of several "fishing trips" ends today, but I will continue to cast a wide net to land good paying jobs and new investments. On my way back to Louisiana, I am stopping in Kuwait with my tackle box and lures as we explore another major opportunity. Please, somebody tell her to reel it in before she gets hung up. Uh ... what? Durel admitted there isn't much he can do different in working with state officials. "I might buy thicker knee pads for when I go to Baton Rouge," he said. University of Louisiana at Qatar This course to be taught in both universities, University of Louisiana and Qatar University, will help students to access and understand each other's culture. The partnership also includes a plan to send students from Qatar University to University of Louisiana for classes in digital journalism, advanced reporting and online journalism. At the same time, students from University of Louisiana will come to Qatar University to join the Arabic for Non - native speakers program in order to study Arabic and encounter the culture.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Preservation soiree To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the inception of the Mills Addition, Sonya and Henry Boudreaux are opening the doors of their restored 19th century historic home, the "William Brant House," at 614 Madison St., for an evening of fine dining and jazz. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Preservation Alliance of Lafayette's education programs, designed to help save and restore the architectural heritage of the city. Cost is $50 per person and seating in limited. For more info, call 291-8431.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Courthouse Considerations One part of the plan I recently came across that I don't think has been reported at all is that demolition plans call for the old arts council building at the corner of Main and Polk St., that Acadiana Open Channel currently operates out of, to be leveled for a 15,000 square foot parking lot for courthouse employees. City-Parish CAO Dee Stanley emphatically stated that "this does not mean the end of A.O.C." and that, if the tax passes, there will be plenty of time to plan a move for A.O.C., since the demolition and construction won't likely begin until 2008. Stanley also added that the building A.O.C. is in now is not in great shape. This may all be true but it seems to me like it certainly wouldn't hurt for proponents of the new courthouse and property tax to have some idea in mind now for where to move a community institution like A.O.C. before asking voters to fund its demolition. This plan will definitely change the face of downtown and it would be nice if there were some architectural sketches or something that would clearly illustrate what's being proposed. I hope everyone will study the courthouse plan as much as possible before voting tomorrow. You can read about all the reasons why Lafayette needs a new courthouse here. The courthouse property tax has been endorsed by Downtown Development Authority, the chamber of commerce, Mayor Durel, and just this weekend, The Daily Advertiser. The Independent's editorial on the taxes on tomorrow's ballot is here.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Stunning displays of editorial logic Just across the way, past the letters to the editor, is the incredibly interesting column of David Prejean, who suggests you stay away from the polls Tuesday. "Don't listen to the cacophony of voices demanding that you go vote," he urges. "Ignorance is bliss, and the blissful can stay home on November 7th and contribute to democracy in their own way." What way? We don't know; the column ends at that point. David, whom we respect and who is one of those exceptional writers we chose as volunteer guest columnists, uses the word "ignorant" twice, so we assume - although it is not completely clear - that he is urging the uninformed to stay away from the polls. So the Advertiser praises Prejean as an exceptional writer and says his column today is "incredibly interesting," but admits they have no idea what he is trying to say. Read Prejean's editorial for a full dose of his scattershot logic. The following passage is an indication of what you're in for: The [Daily Advertiser] quoted a local party leader as saying that the founding fathers did not want a few people making decisions for the many. In fact, that is exactly what the founding fathers wanted. When this country was founded, white men with property were the only people allowed to vote. Now, I'm not saying that we've gone downhill as a result of women, minorities and non-property holders voting, but ... My point is that quantity does not necessarily mean quality.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Ann Savoy on Amazon  Watch Bill Maher jokingly call Ann Savoy a "traitor" for singing in French, on a segment of Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher. Savoy performs on this 13-minute segment with Linda Ronstadt as the Zozo Sisters.Keep an eye out also for Savoy's son, Joel Savoy, on fiddle and Lafayette songwriter Sam Broussard on guitar. For more on Savoy and Ronstadt's "Adieu False Heart," read Joshua Clegg Caffery's "Songbird Sisters." |
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