Canal Street, in its heyday, was once the showplace and marketplace of New Orleans. Those with long memories can recall dignified women and their daughters in fashionable apparel (including elbo

Comic books have come a long way from the drug store spinner rack of the early 20th century. Having inspired so many people to enjoy literature

Retro versus hip, conservative versus progressive, traditional versus contemporary—these dichotomies exist in various facets of society at large today.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary on Aug. 13, Dirty Linen Night started small in 2001, only taking place in the 100, 800 and 900 blocks, of Royal Street.

Bringing together a rich history and eclectic culture, New Orleans has long been a mecca for free-thinking art, drawing the best-ofthe-best for hundreds of years... and this year is no different. Whether you’ve lived here your entire life or are new to the city, Jammin on Julia is a must-do for the art connoisseur, critic, or just the curious.

Even the most experienced practitioner would not be able to avoid the coverage of the horrific events that befell Japan on March 11. As the country struggles to contain the aftermath of the natural devastation its immediate future, as well as the eventual rebuilding process, remain unknown.

 I hope everyone had an amazing Mardi Gras. Some days were cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop lots of crowds from having fun at parties like the Chewbaccalyspse at the Howlin’ Wolf. And a

Wizard World Comic Con was such a blast! It was incredibly packed with fans of comics and pop culture. The highlight of my experience was the Boondock Saints Reunite Q &A. It got a little wild wit

Wizard World Comic Con was such a blast! It was incredibly packed with fans of comics and pop culture. The highlight of my experience was the Boondock Saints Reunite Q &A. It got a little wild w

 This week is going to be packed with fun events. Even if you don’t care for classical music, I recommend you check out the “Becoming American: The Musical Journey” concert at the St. Lou

 Although the Saints lost last Saturday, it didn’t deter people from nearly packing the Good Children Gallery to see the Hard Art 1979 photo exhibit and The Front to see a Prospect 2 gallery

 This weekend was incredibly fun. After watching a wonderful Saints game at Rock N’ Bowl, where I had delicious Louisiana grass-fed beef chili served in a bag of Zapp’s Chips, I had an even b

 This weekend was incredibly fun. After watching a wonderful Saints game at Rock N’ Bowl, where I had delicious Louisiana grass-fed beef chili served in a bag of Zapp’s Chips, I had an even

 Now that it’s officially the New Year, and the winter holidays are done, things are beginning to heat up around town while the temperatures are dropping.   The increasingly popula

 I would firstly like to give kudos to the Joy Theater which is opening this weekend. Canal Street  will look great with the neon sign lighting up after many years of being dark. On Wedne

I was so happy to see lots of people shopping on Magazine Street for Christmas last weekend. Many of the stores I visited were pretty packed. I got great gifts at Vom Fass, Blue Frog Chocolates, and other cool stores.

 My Life as a dogBy Cynthia and Mike ArsuagaSecret Cravings Publishing180 pagesReview by Dionne CharletWhat makes a fantasy novel work?  Is it how seamlessly the introduction of shape shifte

Higher Groundby James Nolan271 pagesPublished by University of New OrleansReview by Fritz EskerFive months after Hurricane Katrina, a New Orleans man is killed in a mysterious drive-by shooting. 

Baronne Streetby Kent Westmoreland258 pagesPublished by Create Space Self PublishingReview by Dionne CharletKent Westmoreland’s “Baronne Street” is a bold first effort. Wit and spunk prevail. De

I read Ray Nagin’s June 22 release not wanting to pre-judge the book by the man’s coverage. If nothing else, I believed getting a glimpse into the events transpiring before, during and post-Katrina to be worthy of review.

Like all collections of stories/ essays, Yat Wit is hit or miss. Some of the stories are funny, others miss the mark.

 Dracula In Loveby Karren Essex384 pagesPublished by DoubledayReview by Dionne Charlet    World-traveled New Orleans native Karen Essex is an award-winning essayist. She’s writte

 She leaned across the bar and said: “Tell me a story; tell me a love story.” So I did.Once upon a time there was a chef; a hard working, hard drinking, philanderer of a chef. He worked in a

Okay cats and Hats, listen up: for the New Year I thought that I would give you a copy of something that I sent to the President of The United States. Feel free to copy it and send it to your favorite elected officials. Mr. Obama, by the way, did respond.

 Goldonna (Goldie) Baudelaire Henderson Litchfield Boudreaux entered into eternal rest in the middle of December; she stepped out of time and into eternity and was the cause of this year’s Chri

Robert Duprey didn’t pay his rent that month; instead he separated himself from his family in Tacoma, Washington in July of 1995 and took a Greyhound Bus to Livingston, Montana. He spent his forty

 One way that you know that it’s summer in New Orleans is when your eyeballs sweat, or when you look at your watch and it resembles a terrarium, complete with moss growing on the northern side.

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 We interrupt this Jazz Fest edition to bring you a special updated astrological bulletin report: Forget whatever you were told about your ‘sign’; forget it and throw it out the window. Liste

Petey Pappas told me that he never used his real name because he didn’t know what his real name was. He was raised in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans by mute parents and a mean spirited older si

As a novice, self taught, short story writer, I’ve had my share of trials and tribs; let’s face it, at a certain age; going to school or classes is naught but an interruption from the basic needs for supplying oneself with food clothing and shelter.

 Al.co.hol (al`ke hol’), n. 1. A colorless, volatile, flammable liquid produced by fermentation of certain carbohydrates or obtained synthetically; used chiefly as a solvent, in beverages, medi

The problem is that I enjoy the hunt. It all began quite innocently.  We were visiting our friends Vera and David.  Their little cottage was a dream.  The old fashion kind, as if untouched by time (if you don’t count fifty

I’ll be home for Christmas—my first Christmas. You see, I am barely a year old, at least that’s what the guy at the animal shelter said as my siblings and I were fostered out. We all went t

I am sitting here trying to capture words and thoughts for the weeks sandwiched in between Halloween and Thanksgiving.  For starters, it seems that nearly everyone, Dad and myself included, has a

Amazing how an old mattress and box spring wedged into a U-Haul can bring on a moment, a memory, so strong you find yourself on the verge of tears. I was walking my constipated little dog on a Sunday morning as I watched my young neighbor packing to move.

 They are amazing. They fly, crawl, burrow, leap tall buildings, eat tall buildings, and ultimately segue into our conversations at otherwise classy moments. Some invade our picnics while others

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Back in the day, Boyfriend worked at New York’s Village Gate.  And there, Miles Davis performed within a few feet of him.  Man oh man, to see the Man.  And there I was in Mobile havin

The spunky tabby sat at the window staring out. Zack would make two this april 1st; 2 years old and still treated like some wet behind the ears kitten. Everyday, dogs got to go out their front doors and face the world head on. He’d watch for hours on end as the neighbor dogs walked their leashed people, rain or shine.

Walking along Bourbon Street at any given point during the day, anyone can witness tourists, and sometimes locals alike, in a stand-off competition with revelers from second-story balconies to be 

 The colorful and chaotic holiday celebrating justice, faith and power is what so many people think of when New Orleans comes to mind. And it can mean different things to people. Family fun going

 While Mardi Gras may be something different to everyone, for many, the gas that this engine of chaos runs on, is the booze. And though the police are highly touted for their ability to control c

 Throw me something, missus! Does that sound a bit funny? Probably because floats full of men have traditionally dominated Mardi Gras parades. But then female krewes, such as Muses and Iris,

 They’ve walked the streets of New Orleans for hundreds of years. With their heads held high and their sights held steady, the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans have reveled in the Louisiana su

 New Orleans Comic Con will be held on the weekend of January 28 – 29, 2012. This will be the second year Wizard World has chosen the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Organizers

 New Orleans has always been a hotbed for creativity and innovation in the arts of every genre. With that artistic territory comes the less traditional forms of art; those that can’t be hung on

Nothing in a woman’s imagination quite comes close to the idea of her perfect wedding. In years past, a wedding was something dreamt of by a little girl, planned by her mother, and paid for by her f

If you were to tell my kid self I’d be spending an entire summer in Costa Rica, working half the time guiding high school students, and the next month or so traipsing through the country with next-t

The stately three-story home on 1140 Royal Street in the French Quarter has been a fixture since the mid 1800s. It currently sits empty and quiet with just a sign hanging outside and crumpled permit p

 Higher GroundBy James Nolan271 pagesPublished by University of New OrleansReview by Fritz EskerFive months after Hurricane Katrina, a New Orleans man is killed in a mysterious drive-by shooting.

A Dangerous Method3 starsBy David Vicari A Dangerous Method is directed by David Cronenberg, and while there are no exploding heads perpetrated by Scanners, Keira Knightley does, however, get spa

  Director Roman Polanski’s latest film, Carnage (adapted from the stage play God of Carnage), is a partially successful film that runs out of gas in its final act. The movie takes place almost entirely in the

In the wintery months of January and February, New Orleans gets the last of the previous year’s Oscar contenders. We also get something else...something darker. You see, January/February is generall

 Girl With The Dragon Tattoo3 and 1/2 starsBy David VicariI haven’t read the book by the late Stieg Larsson, but I have seen the 2009 Swedish film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, wh

Descendants by David Vicari3 1/2 starsThe premise of The Descendants, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, may sound like a schmaltzy made-for-Lifetime-TV-Movie, but it is far from it. This is Al

Buried Halloween Horror FlicksBY DAVID VICARIIt’s always fun to turn out the lights and watch a horror movie marathon, especially on Halloween night. Staples for Halloween viewing consist of John Ca

The 22nd Annual New Orleans Film Festival will be held from October 14th to the 20. This film lovers event will take place at various venues across the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, including The Theatres at Canal Place (333 Canal St.), Prytania Theatre (5339 Prytania St.

This version begins not with Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) but with his friend Ed (no longer “Evil” Ed this time around, and played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse of McLovin fame) convinced that Charley’s new neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell), is a vampire.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to serve his country, which is in the midst of World War II, but he’s a sickly, 90-pound weakling. After being rejected for military service a handful of times, Rogers is approached by German scientist, Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), to participate in a top secret experiment.

 Pilar Burson, a 36-year-old teacher and assistant volleyball and girls track coach at Teurlings Catholic High School in Lafayette, La., can’t wait to run in the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans m

 New to the four-year Bowl Championship Series rotation, a bowl tradition and a young bowl that always presents interesting games, New Orleans is the capital of the college football universe and

If there ever was a blueprint for teams as to how to prepare for a season after a lockout the New Orleans Hornets smashed it.

 Life has been all about overcoming transitions for New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham.Graham was left by his family and placed in foster care in North Carolina at the age of 14 only to be

Since I grew up near Lake Pontchartrain, I often took my evening jogs along Lakeshore Drive and watched fleets of sailboats gracefully float along the water. After years of wondering what it was like to be on one of those majestic boats, I finally found out on a hot Sunday back in July.

Taking the field as a starting quarterback in the Southeastern Conference can teach a man quite a bit about himself.

After a dismal 4-8 finish to the 2010 season, Tulane Head Football Coach Bob Toledo can’t wait any longer for the 2011

Following the New Orleans Saints’ mystical run to a Super Bowl Championship in 2010, many card-carrying members

Soccer frenzy swept the world last summer, as the sports finest athletes competed on the grandest of stages; the 2010 FIFA World Cup, held in Africa. Soccer fans across New Orleans took to bars and re

Kicking Cancer to the Wind: 3rd Annual New Orleans Kiteboarder Crossing By Tyler C. Lott For over 50 years, Americans and people around the world have been calling, racing, and walking for a cure. The rally to bring an end to these diseases is larger and louder than ever, but we're still...