WTF?: Blog of New Orleans, Gambit

Social media reaction to the Times-Picayune news

Kevin Allman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:41:00 -0500

In the spirit of Lauren LaBorde and her weekly Y@Speak column, I attempted to summarize some local and national reaction to the news that the NOLA Media Group, aka The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com, would soon be publishing a new street paper (but not a Picayune) on the days it doesn't print a Picayune.

Publisher RIcky Mathews clarified things for The Wall Street Journal this afternoon:

Ricky Mathews, president of NOLA, said TPStreet wasn't an attempt to backtrack on last year's cutback.…
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Times-Picayune to begin printing on days it doesn't print in order to provide "front-to-back newspaper reading experience"

Kevin Allman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:53:00 -0500

The digitally-focused NOLA Media Group, which cut back print publication of The Times-Picayune to three days a week last year, continued to innovate today by announcing a new plan to print on the days it doesn't produce a print product, bringing the company up to 7-day-a-week publication, according to an announcement by NOLA Media Group Vice President of Content Jim Amoss.

The report, which is not from The Onion, says the new product, to be called "TPStreet," will launch this summer in newsboxes around the city and cost 75 cents, just like the daily paper, which it will not be, because it is more innovative than that:

“Our success in delivering more news, sports and entertainment to our readers enables us to create this innovative publication, the latest milestone in our evolution as a multimedia news organization,” said President and Publisher Ricky Mathews.…
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w4m seeks Game of Thrones star lookalike

Alex Woodward — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:20:00 -0500

From the "casual encounters" listings on New Orleans' Craigslist: an "avid" fan of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and its HBO series has gained some fairly large viral love in her search for a personal song of fire and ice.

To accompany her recent acquisition of a potentially $30,000 replica throne, our heroine seeks a Robb Stark lookalike for a very specific evening:

In my fantasy, I am Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, and Rightful Heir to the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms.…
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Y@ Speak: April fools

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:19:00 -0500

Next up for OPP: Charter prisons? Recovery Prison District?
— Karl from Lafayette (@karlschott) April 3, 2013

It's April, and everyone is actin' a damn fool — particularly OPP inmates, on tape.…

Yelp reviews of Orleans Parish Prison

Kevin Allman — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:29:00 -0500

Oh, Yelp. Is there nothing you don't review?

Details under the jump!

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Le Diner en Blanc: The Great Doucheby

Kevin Allman — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:26:00 -0500

Hey New Orleans — here's a dinner deal for you!

First you pay $35, then you bring your own food, utensils and your own goddam table.

You don't know where you're going, but you must wear white from head to toe.…

More on the Sunday boil-water advisory, which expires Monday morning (at the earliest)

Kevin Allman — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:32:00 -0600

Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB) Director Marcia St. Martin and New Orleans health director Dr. Karen DeSalvo were among officials who held a press conference earlier today to discuss the New Orleans East Bank boil-water advisory, which will be in effect for 24 hours at a minimum (Monday morning at 9 a.m.).

In the meantime, New Orleanians — on the East Bank of the Mississippi River only — are advised to bring tap water to a full rolling boil for a minimum of one minute before using it for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth.…

Advance Publications wants to optimize customer experiences across platforms to strengthen our brands

Kevin Allman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:48:12 -0600

... not to mention Engage Employees in Transforming the Company to Meet Our Changing Digital and Print Future.

No, it's not the latest indignity ladled upon the heads of the long-suffering NOLA Media Group (unofficial slogan: We're Miserable — But What a View!™) — it's a new "Strategic Initiative" laid down at The Oregonian, the Newhouse/Advance paper in Portland, Ore.

Newsroom employees got this directive laid out on a laminated card this week, according to media reporter Jim Romenesko.…

NOLA.com asks: when is Super Bowl 2013?

Lauren LaBorde — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:06:04 -0600

As New Orleans prepares to host the event know as the "Super Bowl," there are many questions on locals' minds. Which major roads will be closed?…

Independent Monthly in Lafayette: Edwin and Trina Edwards expecting a child

Kevin Allman — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:50:00 -0600

We haven't confirmed this ourselves, but Walter Pierce of Lafayette's Independent Monthly is reporting that former Gov. Edwin Edwards and his wife Trina Scott Edwards (of soon-to-be reality show fame) are expecting a child. Or, as The Ind puts it: "Ermahgerd!…

Review: The Acro-Cats, with unwitting guest reviewer Champ Superstar

Kevin Allman — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:18:45 -0600

In the absence of theater writer Dalt Wonk, I was going to review the return of The Amazing Acro-Cats "Meowy Christmas" Show last night at the Shadowbox Theatre, but the sight of a groundhog in a Santa hat pushing a bowling ball left me temporarily mute.

Besides cats and the Santa groundhog, there were rats, an elderly dog in a tutu and a cymbal-playing chicken named Gregory Peck.

Champ Superstar's Twitter stream during the show said it better than I ever could.…

2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees not funky enough

Will Coviello — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:27:00 -0600

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2013 inductees today. The musicians entering the Hall include Heart, Albert King, Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush and Donna Summer.…

Despite his earlier claim, former "recovery czar" Ed Blakely not on official Hurricane Sandy commission, says co-chair

Kevin Allman — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:08:00 -0600

Brad Penuel, the co-chair of the New York Hurricane Sandy commission to which Dr. Ed Blakely claimed he had been appointed last week, told Gambit by phone today he wasn't familiar with Blakely — and in a subsequent email, added, "Just received confirmation that Ed Blakely will not be serving on the Commission."

Blakely — the Hurricane Katrina "recovery czar" who had been appointed under former Mayor Ray Nagin — made big waves last week when his new employer, the University of Sydney in Australia, issued a press release saying Blakely had been appointed to the Respond Commission. Blakely gave an interview on the subject to an Australian radio station, confirming the appointment.…

Happy Birthday, Y@ Speak!

Lauren LaBorde — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:18:00 -0600

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the beginning of Y@ Speak, in which we capture notable 140-character bon mots, newsworthy items, gaffes by Saints players and local politicians and whatever else pops up on the New Orleans Twittersphere. To celebrate this occasion, I've rounded up some of my favorite or most memorable tweets — like a multi-layered digital birthday cake of sorts — and divided them by categories: we got NFL players saying dumb stuff, #neworleansproblems, anguish over the Saints' challenging year, reactions to the Times-Picayune cutbacks, interesting celebrity encounters, deep thoughts from Ray Nagin and so much more.…

A "veggieducken" is a thing

Kevin Allman — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:34:00 -0600

If the wad o' meat known as a turducken would never cross your lips, but a Tofurky loaf lacks Thanksgiving sex appeal (and causes last-minute cancellations among your guests), may we introduce to you the Veggieducken?

What is a Veggieducken? A sweet potato instead a leek inside a banana squash with stuffing between each layer.

Somebody from the show Good to Know on Cooking Channel (aka the Food Network's dorky little brother) came up with it:

Good To Know is hosted by Laurie March and Dan Pashman; the Veggieducken itself is Pashman’s baby, and he will soon appear on Weekend Edition Sunday on NPR, where he used to work, to discuss his creation.

It certainly looks easier than the turducken ... plus you avoid that whole "turd-" prefix.

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A culture of hubris

Clancy DuBos — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:09:04 -0600

It’s often said that bad luck comes in threes; when two bad things happen, expect a third piece of bad news soon. If that old saw holds true, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten better brace himself, because federal target Fred Heebe appears far from finished with his campaign to discredit top prosecutors in Letten’s office.…

Ticketmaster charging fee of $12 per ticket for Hurricane Sandy benefit in New Orleans

Kevin Allman — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:02:00 -0600

Yesterday we told you about "NOLA: Pay It Forward," a city-sponsored concert to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. The event, which is still being put together, will be held at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre Nov. 20, and tickets are available at the box office and through Ticketmaster.…

Michael "Brownie" Brown: Obama responded to Hurricane Sandy too quickly

Kevin Allman — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:34:43 -0500

Sam Levin of Denver's Westword caught up with former FEMA head Michael "Brownie" Brown, who currently infests the airwaves of that fine city, to see what Brownie thought of the federal response to Hurricane Sandy.

Brownie's criticism?…

"Whac-A-Hipster" is a thing at the 2012 Voodoo Experience

Alex Woodward — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:30:00 -0500

"Ever felt the urge to ‘Whac-A-Hipster?’" asks multi-billion dollar international car company Toyota, which invites music fans at Voodoo to "live our their hipster-whacking fantasies" at the Prius Family Playground.

I don't know about you, but when I've rounded up the wife and kids and need a quick break from the daily grind, nothing cools me down like a refreshing round of bloody-knuckled fisticuffs with a fashionable teen.…

Will the Soul Rebels play with Metallica at Voodoo?

Will Coviello — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:23:00 -0500

Many New Orleanians have heard the Soul Rebels cover the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (are made of this)," but have you heard them cover Metallica's hit "Enter Sandman"? The clip above from one of Metallica's 30th anniversary concerts in San Francisco shows the Rebels can do a pretty good job with it.…

Y@ Speak: Binders full of tweets

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:56:00 -0500

I met Hugh Hefner this summer, and he has binders full of women apparently.Is that what Romney was trying to imply?
— Zack Kopplin (@ZackKopplin) October 17, 2012

You want tweets? I got binders full of 'em.…

Politifact runs Louisiana drive-thru daiquiri shops through its "Truth-O-Meter"

Kevin Allman — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:28:00 -0500

In Oregon, you can’t just walk into any supermarket for a bottle of Grey Goose or Pimm’s. Booze is overseen by the Oregon Liquor Control Board and sold only from state-run shops. Most of the stores close early — good luck picking up hooch after 8 p.m. — and many don’t even open on Sundays.…

CEOs for Cities: New Orleans is the least cultured city in America

Kevin Allman — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:54:48 -0500

All that music, art, theater and costuming for which New Orleans is famous around the world? It ain't worth squat, we found out today.

The group CEOs for Cities just issued a report ranking "City Vitals 2.0" of 51 metro regions across the country, and ranked New Orleans #51 — dead last — when it came to "cultured cities."…

Y@ Speak: Zoo Orleans

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:39:00 -0500

Getting ready for the ostrich and camel races. twitter.com/WWNO/status/23…
— WWNO 89.9 FM (@WWNO) August 18, 2012

"Lions, tigers, bears/ I'm an animal."…
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Did Mr. Ghetto have a premonition of the SWAT standoff?

Megan Braden-Perry — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:56:00 -0500

Ten months ago, Mr. Ghetto, infamous for his "Wal-Mart" music video, released his "Jailhouse Bounce" music video, a combination if-I-ever-go-to-jail manifesto and wishlist to his lover on the outside. Today, Mr. Ghetto is being held in Orleans Parish Prison on counts of resisting arrest, battery, failure to comply and extortion by threats following a six-hour standoff.

So how's jail treating Mr. Ghetto?…