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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
FUN & CALENDARS
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Thanksgiving weekend movie crowds gobbled up the Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn holiday comedy "Four Christmases," which debuted at No. 1 with $31.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. release, featuring Witherspoon and Vaughn as a couple suffering through four separate family holiday gatherings, raised its total to $46.7 million since opening Wednesday to get a head start on the long weekend.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- It was a bittersweet moment for Brad Pitt, walking through the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood where families were preparing to spend their first holidays since Hurricane Katrina. Those families are moving into the first six houses built through Pitt's Make It Right foundation. One home was already strewn with green garland, lights, wreaths and red bows. Guitarist Nathan Connolly joined Snow Patrol, the pop-rock band from Northern Ireland and Scotland whose international hits include “Chasing Cars” and “Run,” in the spring of 2002, three years before the group’s great success arrived. Before Death Cab For Cutie’s major-label debut, Plans, sold a million copies and got a Grammy nomination; before the band’s new CD, Narrow Stairs, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart; before the now-famous Death Cab For Cutie made it, the band took the Spanish Moon stage in Baton Rouge eight years ago to play for a grand total of three people. Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2008 Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2008 Downtown Baton Rouge will usher in the holiday season on Friday, Dec. 5, at the River Center Plaza with its annual Downtown Festival of Lights. Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2008 The Rural Life Museum will usher in the season with A Rural Life Christmas, a 19th century Louisiana Christmas celebration, on Sunday, Dec. 7. Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2008 Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2008 A year after the release of Full Circle, Drowning Pool’s third CD, the multi-platinum Dallas rock band issued a third single from the album by popular demand. Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2008 Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern at the Mall of Louisiana is designed to resemble an Irish pub, but the menu is much more diverse. Diners will find everything from American fare (club sandwiches and burgers) to quesadillas and Cajun chicken and shrimp pasta. Determined is the perfect word to describe NBA great and former Southern University star Avery Johnson. Standing at only 5 feet 11 inches tall, the odds of Johnson making it in the NBA seemed unlikely. However, “The Little General,” which is a name Johnson earned while playing, not only made it, but thrived. LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With timing made for the movies, the Hollywood writers union now claims studios are stiffing them for work used on the Internet — just as the Screen Actors Guild plans to ask its members for a vote to strike over Internet payments. LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Audiences found the vampire romance "Twilight" infectious in its opening weekend, pushing the movie to a take of $70.6 million. Catherine Hardwicke's film also enjoyed the biggest opening ever for a female director, blowing away the previous standard of $41.1 million set by Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" in 1998. The Bounty is back. And those who saw it before may not recognize it. The replica ship HMS Bounty, which was built for the famous 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty, will be at the City Dock adjacent to the USS Kidd from Monday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Dec. 7. It will be available for tours every day except Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and Monday, Dec. 1. Upcoming meetings, cruises, shows and special events. The second annual North RampArt Festival in New Orleans will showcase more than 20 artists and musicians tomorrow, Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors taking in the lively urban block party will find that North Rampart access to Toulouse and St. Peter streets will be closed during the event. Baton Rouge-based Nerjyzed Game Studios will debut the console edition of the Black College Football Experience (BCFx) video game from 9 p.m. to midnight on Nov. 28 at the Superdome during the 35th Annual Bayou Classic festivities. It’s rare that a rock or pop group carries on successfully after the loss of an identity-defining lead singer and lyricist. The 1980 suicide of Joy Division’s 23-year-old front man, Ian Curtis, left three shell-shocked musicians behind. Everyone in the Duke Spirit lives in London, but the British rock band’s epic touring means the stage may be more home to the group’s members than any particular street address. Following the 2006 release of Cuts Across The Land in the United States, the van-traveling Duke Spirit played an amazing 285 North American gigs. Acme Oyster House is the kind of restaurant that makes you want to shout. Sometimes, it’s to praise the meal. More often, it’s merely to be heard. We’re not sure if Acme was aiming — as some restaurants do — to create an energized atmosphere through acoustics that allow sound to build. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are in negotiations to pen Marvel Studios' "First Avenger: Captain America." The talks occur about a week after Joe Johnston boarded the project as director. SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- It was hot and dusty during filming in one of the world's most remote locations. But Nicole Kidman says the prospect of a smooch with Hugh Jackman eased the troubles of working on the Outback romance, "Australia." "Obviously we're in character when we kiss, but it was good to go to work," a laughing Kidman told a news conference Tuesday ahead of the worldwide premiere of the film, in which Kidman's prim British aristocrat character falls in love with Jackman's rugged cattleman in World War II-era Australia. The Laurel Street Lollapalooza is the best street party in town that celebrates the arts. For decades the Distefano family recipes were found at popular Baton Rouge restaurant The Village on Airline Hwy., and later on O’Neal Lane. Fans of their food have followed again to 453 Lafayette St., where The Little Village now serves classic Italian dishes. Following the resounding praise that greeted her previous four CDs, singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier’s 2007 disc, Between Daylight And Dark, inspired a new round of acclaim from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and many other publications. Her breathtakingly honest songs earn comparisons to Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and John Prine. Where else will you experience droning bagpipes, thundering drums, athletic games, Scottish dancing and music, Scottish food … and of course, men in plaid skirts? The Highland Games, that’s where. Upcoming meetings, cruises, shows and special events. If talent and paid-up dues mean anything, Lady Gaga is going places. A veteran of New York City clubs at just 22, Lady Gaga’s The Fame is a masterful dance-pop debut reminiscent of the early work of another singer-songwriter-performance artist who used New York as a launching pad, Madonna. LongHorn Steakhouse has been “packin’ ‘em in,” as they say, since it opened in Denham Springs this summer. Last Saturday night was no exception, with a 40-minute wait for a table. Tea is thought to be one of the most popular drinks around the globe, making it a 'celebrity' in the beverage world. However, the documentary "The Meaning of Tea" shows that there is more to tea than simply those staggering levels of consumption and fame. Even though Joe Jackson won a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music, the versatile singer-pianist-composer earned his first international success with his album debut, Look Sharp!, and a new wave-era hit, “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” I’m The Man, Jackson’s follow-up to Look Sharp!, produced another British hit, “It’s Different For Girls.” The Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are always boom times for movie-going, but holiday themes are mostly missing in Hollywood’s upcoming offerings. Other than the Vince Vaughn- and Reese Witherspoon-starring Four Christmases (opening Nov. 26), end-of-the-year releases resemble a typical non-holiday-season mix of action, comedy, computer-animation, serious drama and a few sci-fi and horror entries. This information is from (225) 342-FILM, the official hotline of the Louisiana Entertainment. Here’s what’s happening in November. After Ides of March released its 1970 hit, “Vehicle,” Jim Peterik, singer-guitarist in Ides of March and, later, Survivor, could have lived anywhere. He did tour the nation and make albums in America’s show business capital, Los Angeles, but Hollywood’s glamour didn’t lure him from the Chicago area he still calls home. Upcoming meetings, cruises, shows and special events. A Scottish pop-rock band that made a big impact in the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late ’90s and got much notice in the United States, too, Travis just released its second CD in two years. If you enjoy diving into buffets, then Nagoya Restaurant on Sherwood Forest is a good place to satisfy anyone looking for a Pacific Rim dining experience. Los Angeles-based Raleigh Studios has expanded the scope of its operations at Celtic Studios off Airline Highway, touting and arrangement with First Bank & Trust and Blueroom Post that it says can help productions maximize their spending in Louisiana and help them qualify for the state’s tax credits. Norman Francis, who led Louisiana Recovery Authority for three years since hurricanes Katrina and Rita until June, will be honored in a big way Nov. 21 for his 40th year as president of Xavier University, the longest current tenure of any U.S. college. |
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