Gambit - New Orleans News and Entertainment, Gambit

Gambit TV: Giving back after tragedy, and The 19 Fund

Gambit TV — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:39:00 -0500

In his commentary tonight on WWL-TV, Gambit political editor Clancy DuBos discussed the New Orleans Mother's Day shootings and Thursday night's benefit for "The 19 Fund," which will benefit the victims. Donald Harrison, Jr. and The Congo Square Nation, Hot 8 Brass Band, Bonerama, Stooges Brass Band and others will perform.…

Beard and mustache championships come to New Orleans

Will Coviello — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:56:00 -0500

New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl, Final Fours, championship boxing bouts, presidents, a pope, the Dali Lama and coming in September: The 2013 National Beard and Moustache Championships(Sept. 6-7), the Westminster show of male facial hair. There are 18 categories to medal in, and anything goes except artificial hair.…

Review: Next To Normal

Dalt Wonk — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:07:00 -0500

Just when pompous period melodramas like The Phantom of the Opera seemed to have cornered the market on serious musical theater, Next To Normal ran off with a Pulitzer Prize, among many other honors. This inventive oddity, deftly produced by Southern Rep, might be characterized as the revenge of the middle class.…

Stephanie Grace, Laura Maggi join The Advocate

Kevin Allman — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:25:00 -0500

Longtime New Orleans political columnist Stephanie Grace and Times-Picayune reporter Laura Maggi are the latest names to join the New Orleans edition of The Advocate.

Grace, who declined a job offer from The TImes-Picayune last year following the paper's restructuring, will return to print three times weekly with a column that will appear Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.…

Brewsday Tuesday: Reviewing American Craft Beer Week in New Orleans

Nora McGunnigle — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500

Welcome to Gambit’s new weekly beer column, “Brewsday Tuesday.” It’s an opportunity to highlight and celebrate an aspect of local craft beer culture, be it profiling a brewery, reporting on upcoming breweries opening or distributing beer here, or spotlighting a bar or restaurant that has a special dedication to craft beer.

Last week (May 13-19), the New Orleans craft beer community celebrated American Craft Beer Week. Bars, restaurants, breweries, and distributors created dozens of events around the city and on the Northshore (and Baton Rouge and beyond) attended by hundreds of local beer enthusiasts.…

The Green Project's Free Week starts today

Megan Braden-Perry — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:53:00 -0500

The Green Project is giving away light fixtures, cabinets, cabinet doors and a huge selection of other locally reclaimed building materials starting today in its fifth annual Free Week. In addition to free building materials, the store is also giving away free refreshments from local eateries and holding a contest in which one winner will get a year's worth of The Green Project's merchandise.…

Coal-fired pizzeria Amici headed to Magazine Street

Ian McNulty — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:45:00 -0500

A New Orleans company better known for daiquiris and pizza slices in the French Quarter plans to open a much different concept on Magazine Street.

Renovations are now underway for a pizzeria called Amici, which will serve pizzas prepared in a coal-fired oven. The restaurant is expected to open around mid-June at 3218 Magazine St., which had been the home of Byblos before that Middle Eastern restaurant moved a block up the street last year.…

!!! at Tipitina's

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Fri. May 24 | The unpronounceable punky dance-funk outfit — most commonly dubbed "Chk Chk Chk" — explodes past its gimmicky namesake with its eccentric discotheque, most recently on April's THR!!!LER (Warp).…

2011 Jackhammer Pinot Noir

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Central Coast, California $14-$15 Retail Pinot noir is one of the most difficult grapes for vintners to ripen properly, but many California winemakers faced added difficulties in 2011.…

Uptown Veterinary Hospital

Martha Pitts — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

by Martha Pitts At Uptown Veterinary Hospital (731 Nashville Ave., 504-897-4973; www.uptownvetnola.-com), it's not uncommon for dogs to come to their appointments wearing tutus and other frilly frocks, even when it's not Carnival season. Dr. Jessica Miller, a veterinarian and owner of the clinic, wouldn't have it any other way.…

Retro Active Vintage is Moving

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Retro Active Vintage (5924 Magazine St., 504-895-5054; www.retroactivevintage.com) is holding a moving sale through May 31. Clothes, accessories and houseware items are discounted.…

Higher ed, lower funding

Jeremy Alford — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

by Jeremy Alford With less than three weeks remaining in the legislative session, Gov. Bobby Jindal continues to drain money from higher education. Few probably realize exactly how much higher ed has lost under Jindal.…

What are some good alternatives to Champagne?

Brenda Maitland — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Brenda Maitland on Bubbling Over... by Brenda Maitland Almost everyone loves Champagne and the excitement of popping a cork. But Champagne can be costly.…

Preview: Saints & Sinners Literary Festival

Will Coviello — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Will Coviello on the 10th anniversary of New Orleans' LGBT literary gathering by Will Coviello The 10th anniversary Saints and Sinners literary festival features Dorothy Allison (pictured; Bastard Out of Carolina, Cavedweller), Bernard Cooper (The Bill From My Father: A Memoir), Justin Torres (We the Animals), Ayana Mathis (The Twelve Tribes of Hattie), Summer Wood (Raising Wrecker), Andrew Holleran (Grief: A Novel) and many others. The festival was founded by members of the LGBT community to encourage writers to address issues related to HIV/AIDS, and it has grown into an all-encompassing literary conference.…

Review: Endless Line and Self-Portrait

D. Eric Bookhardt — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

D. Eric Bookhardt on a site-specific installation at Newcomb Art Gallery by Pat Steir by D. Eric Bookhardt Big time celebrities in cities like New York sometimes get big heads. It is a common human trait to try to find meaning in fame and fortune, but wisdom is a very different experience.…

Cocina Mizado to open in late September

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

A new cross-cultural Latin restaurant concept from the founders of the Zea Rotisserie & Grill and Semolina restaurant chains is taking shape at a prominent address on Metairie Road. Construction is underway for Cocina Mizado (5080 Pontchartrain Blvd., phone n.a.), which will occupy the same site that was a Semolina location for many years.…

Ola Podrida at Circle Bar

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Fri. May 24 | David Wingo is best known for his evocative film scores for David Gordon Green and Jeff Nichols (most recently Mud), but his band Ola Podrida is cinematic in its own way.…

Tips for pairing wine and food from local chefs

Brenda Maitland — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

by Brenda Maitland Chef Ian Schnoebelen and wife Laurie Casebonne own Iris in the French Quarter and Mariza in Bywater. He presides over the kitchens and she serves as general manager, wine buyer and sommelier for both restaurants.…

The Mother's Day shootings

Alex Woodward — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Alex Woodward on the week following a bloody Sunday in New Orleans by Alex Woodward A figure in a white T-shirt lifts a gun from his hip and steps from a sidewalk into the street. He raises the gun and fires into a crowd of 200 people.…

Hair of the Dog Grand Opening

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Hair of the Dog (1029 Ninth St., 504-228-6477), a dog grooming salon, celebrates its grand opening from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 25.…

Bringing the 'good good'

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

When a shooter in a foreign land targets patrons of a cafe, or a car bomb goes off at an American marathon, we call it terrorism. When a young man shoots indiscriminately into a crowd of people for no political or religious purpose, we just call that life in New Orleans.…

2013 Summer Wine Reviews

Brenda Maitland — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Cool white wines and roses for summer by Brenda Maitland 2012 Echo Bay Sauvignon BlancMarlborough, New Zealand$13 Retail The Marlborough region on the tip of New Zealand's south island possesses ideal conditions for sauvignon blanc.…

Ginny Zissis

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Greek Festival New Orleans chairwoman The Greek Festival New Orleans (May 24-26; www.greekfestnola.com) marks its 40th anniversary (dubbed "the big 4-Opa") at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd.) on Bayou St. John. Around the grounds attendees can find gyros, souvlaki, goat burgers and spit-roasted lamb, and there's an indoor Greek food market stocking everything from tubs of tzatziki to a sprawling array of handmade pastries.…

Preview: The 19 Fund benefit

Will Coviello — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Will Coviello on the May 23 benefit at Tipitina's for the victims of the Mother's Day shooting by Will Coviello In response to the shooting at the Mothers' Day second line, Gambit's Foundation for Entertainment, Development and Education, the Tipitina's Foundation, United Way of Southeast Louisiana and Silence is Violence formed the 19 Fund to assist the victims. Deborah "Big Red" Cotton, who covers second lines and brass bands for Gambit, was among those injured.…

Review: Gypsy

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Lauren LaBorde says Rivertown Theaters' production of the classic is a faithful rendition by Lauren LaBorde Gypsy is based on the memoirs of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, but the show is centered on Rose — her fiercely stubborn stage mother who's been portrayed by powerhouses including Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone in film and stage versions. Unfortunately Lisa Picone, the Rose in Theater 13's production of the musical at Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts, was battling a sinus infection during opening weekend's Sunday matinee (as evidenced by coughs between lines and coming from backstage), and it hindered her performance.…