Krewe of Pontchartrain "Can You Complete The Saying
or Jingle"
1:00pm
Uptown
14 floats
Throws: Frisbees, Black Cups, Plush
Grouper Fish and more.
Mystic Krewe of Shangri-La "The Renaissance of New Orleans"
2:00pm
Uptown
19 floats
Throws: Black imprinted plush dragons,
Lantern Beads, Dragon Head Chinese Parasols
and more.
Knights of Sparta "By the Gods"
6:00pm
Uptown
16 floats
Throws: Glass beads, special officers
doubloons, lighted medallion beads and
more.
Krewe of Caesar "Caesar's Movie Madness"
6:00pm
Metairie
30 floats
Throws: lighted medallion beads, cups,
footballs, plush crawfish and more.
Krewe of Pegasus "Mirror of Time"
6:45pm
Uptown
17 floats
50th Anniversary
Throws: stuffed Pegasus Horses, gold
doubloons, frisbees, medallion beads
and more.
OTHER
PARADES INCLUDE
Push Mow - Abita
Springs 11:00 a.m.
Olympia - Covington
6:00 p.m.
Tee Caillou -
Chauvin 12:00 p.m.
Aquarius - Houma
6:30 p.m.
12:30 –
2:00 Lunch – Omni Royal
Orleans Rib Room (Limited Seating
– Reservations Required)
2:00 p.m.
Stroll Line up Touches Bar –
Royal Street
Stroll begins at Touches accompanied
by the Rebirth Brass Jazz Band.
We meander down Royal to Bourbon
Street via Bienville, stopping at
the New Orleans Musical Legends
Park for Southern Comfort mango
daiquiris, and to celebrate Chris
Owens’ 2006 induction and
view the life size bronze statue
in her honor. The Stroll continues
down Bourbon to St. Ann for a champagne
toast at Pere Antoine’s –
hosted by proprietor Tricia Smith.
We continue down St. Ann to Rue
Chartres onto Decatur Street past
the St. Louis Cathedral turning
right on St. Peters strolling past
the Pontalba Apts to Royal St. for
refreshments at Touches Bar. We
then second line down St. Louis
to the Chris Owens Club for a private
wine and cheese party.
Chris Owens
invites everyone as her guest to
stay for the 8:30 show – gratis
to all strollers and their friends
or spouses. Cash bar only.
Cost: Lunch - $32.00 per person
Stroll - $68.00 per person* *Cost
includes a Shangri-La Stroll bag,
6 dozen beads, sweatshirt and 25
Krewe cups.
For reservations call Pat Sugar
504-261-5043 For Press & media
information or complimentary tickets
please call Kitsy Adams, Chris Owens
publicist, 504-495-8383
A peek
inside the Den for the 2007 Krewe
du Vieux Parade
Given that the whole damn city
is foaming at the mouth mad …
given that the inmates are obviously
running the asylum (and the mayor
obviously is not) … given
that we gotta get our kicks before
the whole nuthouse goes up in
flames or sinks forever into the
swamps … the only possible
theme for the 2007 Krewe du Vieux
parade is “Habitat for Insanity”.
Acclaimed chronicler of our tribulations,
the highly medicated Chris Rose,
will serve as king and chief warden.
The 2007 parade will roll on February
3 unless the entire Krewe has
been previously committed.
Member
of Krewe du Vieux put the
finishing touches on their
float for the 2007 parade
The Krewe du Vieux
is a non-profit organization dedicated
to the historical and traditional
concept of a Mardi Gras parade
as a venue for individual creative
expression and satiricalcomment.
It is unique among all Mardi Gras
parades because it alone carries
on the old Carnival traditions,
by using decorated, hand or mule-drawn
floats with satirical themes,
accompanied by costumed revelers
dancing to the sounds of jazzy
street musicians. We believe in
exposing the world to the true
nature of Mardi Gras -- and in
exposing ourselves to the world
THEMES (so far):
CRUDE
– CRUDE Flew into the
Cuckoo’s Nest
SEEDS
– Follow the Yellow
Brick Road Home
CRAPS
– HOME, HOME AND DERANGED
PAN
– Edwards, Now More
than Ever
SPERMES
– SPERMES Gets Its Head
Examined
INANE
– Mystic INANE Asylum
COMATOSE
– Habitat for Hispanics
MONDU
– Chockfull of Nuts
LEWD
– Post Traumatic Sex
Disorder
MISHIGAS
– Rebuilds the Tower
of Babel
KSAL
– Load to Recovery –
A Cuming Event
DRIPS
– D & D Gets Hammered
and Nailed
UNDERWEAR
- Alice in Underland
TOKIN
- High Anxiety
MAMA ROUX
– The Beauticians’
Village
BOURBON
– Always Time for Levee-Tea
All
Hail! Chris Rose as King and Chief
Warden
This Year's Parade Date: February
3, 2007
Habitat
for Insanity t-shirts are
available for sale at Up In
Smoke, 4507 Magazine Street.
The History of
the Krewe
The Krewe du Vieux was founded
in 1987 from the ashes of the
storied Krewe of Clones. This
wild, satirical Carnival parade,
which first marched in 1978, was
based out of New Orleans' Contemporary
Arts Center.
Unfortunately,
in 1986, infighting among the
Krewe/CAC leadership, combined
with pressures from the City due
to the parade occurring the night
before the Super Bowl was to be
played in New Orleans, caused
the untimely demise of the Krewe
of Clones. Not wishing to be denied
a good time or any excuse for
wild excess, two Clones sub-krewes
-- the Krewe of Underwear and
the Krewe of Mama Roux -- held
a "Clone Funeral". An
anatomically correct (and erect)
clone was created and placed on
a funeral cart, and a short march
to a party site was planned.
Member
of Krewe du Vieux Sub-Krewe
"Mama Roux"
helps prepare float for
the parade
At the last minute,
the individual most responsible
for the entire problem got word
of the plans, and called the police
on the unauthorized march. Informed
by New Orleans' finest that they
could not march in the street,
since that would block traffic,
the costumed mourners marched
on the sidewalk, while eleven
police cars rolled along next
to them, blocking the street far
more effectively than the marchers
ever could have.
Member
of Krewe du Vieux Sub-Krewe
"Mama Roux"
helps prepare float for
the parade
That same year,
two other Clones sub-krewes, the
Seeds of Decline and the Krewe
of C.R.U.D.E., held their own
informal march on Mardi Gras itself,
in the French Quarter, with the
theme of "The Stupor Bowl".
After Carnival was over that year,
the two groups got together, established
an official parade date (three
Saturdays before Mardi Gras, the
old Clones date), and received
permission to march in the French
Quarter. Thus was born the Krewe
du Vieux Carre (the old, French
name for the Quarter), now shortened
to Krewe du Vieux. The first Captain
of Krewe du Vieux was Underwear's
own Craig "Spoons" Johnson.
The following
year, Susan Gibeault assisted
Spoons as Co-Captain. In 1989,
the third year of the parade,
Ray "Plaine" Kern debuted
as Captain, a post he would hold
for ten years. Under Ray's watch
the Krewe grew from about 150
drunks stumbling through the French
Quarter in search of a bar, to
become a relatively well-organized
group of about 600 (most of them
still drunk), with an actual parade
route. Traditions such as the
hand-made, hand- or mule-drawn
floats and showcasing of the city's
incredible brass bands became
firmly established. The crowds
watching the spectacle grew larger
than Clones had experienced even
in its heyday, and the annual
Krewe du Vieux Doo, the ball after
the parade, became one of the
more storied parties of the year.
Membesr
of Krewe du Vieux Sub-Krewe
"Mama Roux"
theme isThe Beauticians’
Village
For
the 1999 parade, the Captain's
mantle fell on Keith Twitchell,
who formed a committee of volunteers,
known as the official Krewe du
Vieux CABAL (or in some people's
minds, the dirty dozen). Having
burned out Captain "Plaine",
we decided to make him King that
year! And, in 2002, Katherine
Cargo took on the leadership role
as Captain Inertia. Membership
capped out at 900 in 2003, the
Krewe's 17th year; but the crowds
continue to grow, and care is
taken to make sure that Krewe
du Vieux remains faithful to its
satirical, outrageous and inebriated
roots.
The
Krewe of Orpheus has amazed the parade
goers since 1993, Parading on Lundi
Gras, the night before Mardi Gras, and
has exploded as the largest new Krewe
in the past 30 years. Since that first
ride, Orpheus has been the most eagerly
anticipated Mardi Gras parade of the
season. Past monarchs for Orpheus include
Harry Connick Jr., Whoopi Goldberg,
Glenn Close, Stevie Wonder, Toby Keith,
Laurence Fishburn, Dan Ackroyd, Little
Richard, Delta Burke, Travis Tritt and
James Brown.
New Orleans Saints Head
Coach Sean Payton will join actress
Patricia Clarkson as a 2007 celebrity
monarch for the Krewe of Orpheus. This
year, Orpheus organizers said they wanted
to select specific monarchs who have
been instrumental in the city's hurricane
Katrina recovery. Few have done more
to lift the cities spirits than Saints
Head coach Sean Payton and the 2006
New Orleans Saints, said Sonny Borey,
the Orpheus Krewe captain. The entertainment
for the 2007 Orpheuscapade will be IVY,
The Top Cats, and Tony Hall and the
Heros featuring Mahogany Blue.
Payton Born Dec. 29,
1963 in San Mateo, Calif., and raised
in Naperville, Ill., Payton and his
wife, Beth, have a daughter, Meghan
and a son, Connor Thomas.Sean Payton
was hired as the 14th head coach in
Saints history on Jan. 18, 2006 after
being a member of the Dallas Cowboys
staff since 2003.
PLAYING CAREER: Eastern
Illinois, 1982-86; Chicago Bruisers
(Arena Football League), 1987; Ottawa
Rough Riders (CFL), 1987; Chicago Bears,
1987.
COACHING CAREER: San
Diego State, 1988-89; Indiana State,
1990-91; San Diego State, 1992-93; Miami
(Ohio), 1994-95; Illinois, 1996; Philadelphia
Eagles, 1997-98; New York Giants, 1999-2002;
Dallas Cowboys, 2003-05; New Orleans
Saints (head coach), 2006-.
Though the Saints
2006 season ended with a 39-14 loss
against Chicago in the NFC championship
game on Sunday, the season was far from
a loss.
Patricia
Clarkson, also born 29 December, 1959.
Was born and raised in New Orleans,
the deep-voiced actress studied drama
at Yale. She stayed on the East coast
working in theater productions before
her feature film debut in The Untouchables
(1987) as the wife of Elliot Ness. Continuing
to work in film, she gained attention
for her role as the drug-addicted Greta
in the independent film High Art. Also
working in TV, she had reoccuring roles
on Wonderland and Fraser, and even won
an Emmy award for her role as Sarah
on the HBO drama Six Feet Under. She
gave memorable performances in her smaller
film roles, such as the bedridden wife
in The Green Mile. Her career really
picked up in 2002 with appearances in
such films as the Russo brothers' Welcome
to Collinwood, Todd Haynes' Far From
Heaven, and Lars von Trier's Dogville.
In 2003, Clarkson appeared in several
films at the Sundance Film Festival,
where she won the Outstanding Performance
award for her work in All the Real Girls,
The Station Agent, and Pieces of April.
~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide.
Harry Connick Jr. is
also expected to ride, said Ardley Hanemann,
a krewe spokesman. Orpheus has dedicated
its artistic talents to present the
blending of classical, floral, design
of the original and turn of the century
Mardi Gras floats, with the size and
grandeur of today's modern Mardi Gras.With
Signature Floats, Smokey Mary, Trojan
Horse and it's one-of-a-kind fiber-optic,
and the fantastic139 foot creation the
Leviathan float.
If you would like to
attend this legendary New Orleans spectacle,
please contact us to order tickets.
Festivities start at 7pm and last until
2:30am. Formal attire is required. Tables
are round, seat 10 people and are assigned
on a first come basis. You may bring
your own liquor, and set-ups are provided
at the table: soft drinks, tonic, soda,
cups and ice. Food service begins after
the parade has completely entered the
convention center.
The Orpheuscapade is
like nothing you have ever encountered,
and you can only experience it in New
Orleans with the Krewe of Orpheus!
posted January
5, 2007 A few things to
keep you busy this Twelfth Night....
The
Heralds of Carnival !!!!!
The Phunny Phorty Phellows
Phunny
Phorty Phellows To Take
Different Streetcar Route to Announce
Start of 2007 Carnival Season
The Heralds of Carnival !!!!!
With Endymion having
been once again been assigned to the
St. Charles Avenue route, the Phunny
Phorty Phellows will provide the only
organized Carnival activity along the
traditional Canal Street route this
year.
Because the Phellows’ traditional
St. Charles streetcar path is still
undergoing repair, the group will break
precedent this Saturday Night January
6 and begin their ride on N. Carrollton
near City Park.
The costumed and masked
krewe will assemble on the neutral ground
in front of City Park (at North Carrollton
next to Beaureguard Circle) at 6:30pm
and will board the streetcar at 7pm
sharp.
“We are
so pleased to be riding through Historic
Mid-City.” states the Captain
of the Phellows. “ We'll proceed
down Carrollton, turn left on Canal
Street, arrive at the Mississippi Riverfront
terminus and retrace the route, ending
back at City Park. Mid-City is a neighborhood
that is working very hard to bounce
back from Katrina and we applaud the
progress its residents are making. We
also appreciate the cooperation of the
Regional Transit Authority in this endeavor.
Many folks may not realize that the
RTA headquarters is located in Mid-City.”
The Phellows will be accompanied by
the Storyville Stompers Brass Band.
The Phellows
are an historic Mardi Gras organization
that first took to the streets 1878
through 1898. They were known for their
satirical parades and today¹s krewe
members’ costumes often reflect
topical themes. The group was revived
in 1981.
One Carnival historian has referred
to the organization as the “Dessert
of Carnival.”
The Krewe
of Zeus was actually established in
1957. In 1958 they presented the first
night time parade ever held in a suburb
outside of New Orleans on Metairie Road.
Today they are considered the oldest
parading organization in Jefferson Parish.The
club became the first such krewe to
own its den and the first to provide
reviewing stands for special children.
Mythical Zeus, the youngest
son of Cronus and Rhea, he was the supreme
ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon
of gods who resided there. Being the
supreme ruler he upheld law, justice
and morals, and this made him the spiritual
leader of both gods and men. Zeus was
a celestial god, and originally worshiped
as a weather god by the Greek tribes.
As his main attribute is the thunderbolt,
he controlled thunder, lightning and
rain. Theocritus wrote circa 265 BCE:
"sometimes Zeus is clear, sometimes
he rains". He is also known to
have caused thunderstorms. In Homer's
epic poem the Iliad he sent thunderstorms
against his enemies. The name Zeus is
related to the Greek word dios, meaning
"bright". His other attributes
as well as lightning were the scepter,
the eagle and his aegis (this was the
goat-skin of Amaltheia).
The Zeus organization
staged more than two dozen bal masques
at the New Orleans municipal Auditorium,
before changing formats in 1986.
Krewe of Zeus usual
Lundi Gras Night spectacular is the
Jefferson Paraish Mardi Gras highlight
of the year. Fashioned as a contemporary-styled
parade, the traditional feel of carnival
is preserved in the mule-drawn king's
float and calliope. Though this year
they will parade on January 6th, 2007
(7pm) on the traditional St. Patricks
Day Parade old Metairie Road route with
a few grand marked changes.
The 2007 Parade will
begin at 41st Street and Severn (Rummel
High School) turn right on Metairie
Road, Then take a left on Bonnabel to
Hesoid Street turning back on Bonnabel
to Metairie Road, ending at Focis Street.
One should note here
that Hesoid a greek Poet, who lived
around 700 BC serves as a major source
for knowledge of the Greek gods and
their mythology, farming techniques,
archaic Greek astronomy and ancient
time-keeping.
Zeus was the highest
deity on Mount Olympus and served as
the ruler of all the gods of ancient
Greece. Before the abolition of monarchies,
Zeus was protector of the king and his
family. Once the age of Greek kings
faded into democracy he became chief
judge and peacemaker, but most importantly
civic god. He brought peace in place
of violence and Hesiod (circa 700 BCE)
describes Zeus as "the lord of
justice". Zeus was also known as
"Kosmetas" (orderer), "Soter"
(savior), "Polieos" (overseer
of the polis, city) and "Eleutherios"
(guarantor of political freedoms). His
duties in this role were to maintain
the laws, protect suppliants, to summon
festivals and to give prophecies (his
oldest and most famous oracle was at
Dodona, in Epirus, northwestern Greece).
As the supreme deity Zeus oversaw the
conduct of civilized life. But the "father
of gods and men" as Homer calls
him, has many mythological tales.
Krewe of Zeus (the king
of the gods), continues the ancient
tradition by calling its doubloons,
drachmas, and by employing the Greek
motif throughout its parade and ball.
Alla
celebrates 75 years with mini-Parade
The Krewe
of Alla will be celebrating 75 years
of parading by staging a mini parade
from 3pm-5pm in Gretna and Algiers.
WWOZ
3rd Annual 12th Night Party
Featuring
Little Freddy King, Al "Carnival
Time" Johnson, Egg Yolk Jubilee,
Sunpie & The Louisiana Sunspot,
and a King Cake & Costume Contest.
price : $13.00
date : Sat, January 06
door : 8:00pm
show : 9:00pm
House of Blues New Orleans
225 Decatur St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.310.4999
posted January
4, 2007 The Krewe of Orpheus
(New Orleans) has announced their Monarch
for Mardi Gras 2007 as Patricia Clarkson.
New Orleans Native and daughter of prominent
local politician Jackie Clarkson garnered
critical acclaim for her work in The
Station Agent (2003).
For over
a decade, the Krewe of Orpheus has mesmerized
the crowds who jam the streets of New
Orleans awaiting its arrival. From its
founding in 1993, Orpheus has consistently
stunned the revelers on Lundi Gras,
the night before Mardi Gras, and has
exploded as the largest new Krewe in
the past 30 years. Since that first
ride, Orpheus has been the most eagerly
anticipated Mardi Gras parade of the
season.
Past Monarchs for the Krewe of Orpheus
include Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close,
Camryn Manheim, Sandra Bullock, Debbie
Allen, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones,
Steven Seagal, Toby Keith, Forest Whitaker,
Laurence Fishburn, Tommy Tune, Vanessa
Williams, Dan Ackroyd, Branford Marsalis,
James Brown, Jay Thomas, Little Richard,
David Copperfield, Delta Burke, Gerald
McRainey, Josh Hartnett, Josh Gracin,
Anne Rice, Dominic Monaghan, Christian
LeBlanc, Nicole Miller, Brad Paisley,
Travis Tritt and Sawyer Brown.
Patricia
Clarkson, born and raised in New Orleans,
the daughter of Jackie Clarkson (a prominent
local New Orleans politician) and Buzz
Clarkson, was acting in school plays
in her early teens.
After studying speech
at Louisiana State University for two
years, she transferred to Fordham University
in New York, where she graduated summa
cum laude with a degree in theatre arts.
She earned her M.F.A. at the prestigious
Yale School of Drama, where she appeared
in Electra, Pacific Overtures, Pericles,
La Ronde, The Lower Depths and The Misanthrope
at the Yale Theatre.
She made her professional
acting debut on the New York stage,
where she has appeared in Eastern Standard
both on and off Broadway; Nicky Silver's
Raised in Captivity and The Maiden's
Prayer, for which she received Outer
Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award
nominations; and the Manhattan Theatre
Club's presentations of Wolfman, Oliver,
Oliver and Richard Greenberg's acclaimed
Three Days of Rain.
Her regional credits
include stagings at the Williamstown
Theatre Festival, the South Coast Repertory
and the Yale Repertory. She also co-starred
in John Guare's Tony-winning House of
Blue Leaves at Lincoln Center, and had
to leave her role of the deaf movie
star in that play to make her movie
debut as Eliot Ness' wife in Brian DePalma's
highly-praised 1987 gangster epic, The
Untouchables.
While maintaining a
busy career on the stage, she continued
with movie roles in such projects as
Simply Irresistible, Pharaoh's Army,
Jumanji, Rocket Gibraltar, Everybody's
All-American, The Dead Pool and Tune
in Tomorrow.
She won raves for her
role of Greta in the critically acclaimed
independent drama High Art.
The awards began
pouring in during 2002, when Clarkson
won an Emmy for "Outstanding Guest
Actress in a Drama Series" for
the TV series Six Feet Under, a "Best
Female Performance" award from
the Deauville Film Festival for her
role in The Safety of Objects (2001)
and a New York Film Critics Circle "Best
Supporting Actress" award for her
supporting role in the feature film
Far From Heaven (2002). The awards kept
piling up the following year when she
won a National Society of Film Critics
Award for her role in Far From Heaven
(2002) and a Special Jury Prize at the
Sundance Film Festival for her role
in The Station Agent (2003). In 2004,
she received her highest actor honor
to date -- an Academy Award nomination
for her role as a dying mother in Pieces
of April?
posted
December 19, 2006
Though Endymion has been ordered to
parade uptown in 2007. That doesn't
mean the Parade or Extravaganza for
2007 Mardi Gras will lose any of it's
Mystical Mid City Mardi Gras luster.
Endymion Krewe Captain Ed Muniz said
that NOPD has stated that Krewe of Endymion
has been ordered back to the Uptown
route because other parades scheduled
for that day will be parading Uptown
and trying to cover two routes in separate
parts of the city would stretch the
force too thin, due to a shortage of
New Orleans police officers
Muniz
has also announced that this year Legendary
singer Reverend
Al Green. Known the world over
for his extraordinary singing voice,
and unmistakable sound and his legendary
hits. With Everything’s OK, his
new release for Blue Note Records, Al
Green comes to an exciting new chapter
in his artistry. Strong in voice and
in spirit, the Rock & Roll Hall
of Famer sings a dozen songs that reveal
his renewed passion for the kind of
music that made him a household name
some 30 years ago.
Also appearing
will be and the bands Styx,
an American arena rock band that saw
great success in the 1970s and 1980s,
penning such hits as "Come Sail
Away," "Babe," and "Mr.
Roboto." They were the first musical
act ever to have four consecutive multi-platinum
albums.
The group originally formed in the Chicago,
Illinois, area in 1961 as "The
Tradewinds" and played local bars
while attending Chicago State University.
This earliest line-up of the group included
brothers Chuck and John Panozzo on guitar
and drums, respectively; and vocalist,
pianist, keyboardist, and accordion
player Dennis DeYoung. Changing their
name briefly to "TW4", Chuck
switched to bass guitar and the band
added guitarists/vocalists James "J.Y."
Young and John Curulewski.
Also appearing will
be Journey.
Founded in 1973 in San Francisco around
former Santana members Neal Schon and
Gregg Rolie, with the assistance of
Ross Valory, George Tickner and Prairie
Prince, Journey’s legacy has spanned
over 30 years with 18 U.S. releases
and over 75,000,000 in album sales.
Their music is artful, intense, melodic
rock played with passion and superb
musicianship.
Journey’s initial
style was progressive jazz-rock, complete
with extended and improvised solo spots,
a style much in evidence on their first
three albums for Columbia Records. In
April 1975 Tickner bowed out of music
to attend Stanford Medical School. He
was eventually replaced by ex-Alien
Project vocalist, Steve Perry (following
a brief tenure by Robert Fleischman).
The switch to their
signature highly sophisticated rock
occurred with the recording of their
hugely successful album, Infinity. Journey’s
drummer, Aynsley Dunbar, was unhappy
with this new style and left for Jefferson
Starship, to be replaced by legendary
drummer Steve Smith. The band’s
next release, Evolution followed and
brought the band their first US Top
20 hit, "Lovin’, Touchin’,
Squeezin".
All three will perform
at the krewe’s giant post-parade
party, known as the Extravaganza, at
the Louisiana Superdome February 17th
2007.
posted
December 12, 2006
The Krewe of Bacchus has announced their
ruler for Mardi Gras 2007 as James Gandolfini.
Best known for his role as mob boss
Tony Soprano, he began his acting career
in the New York Theater. His Broadway
debut was in the 1992 revival of "A
Street Car Named Desire" with Jessica
Lange and Alec Baldwin. James' breakthrough
role was his portayal of Virgil the
hitman in Tony Scott's True Romance
(1993).
The
son of Italian-Americans James Gandolfini
(1935-2005) and Santa Gandolfini (1937-1992),
he was exposed to acting while a young
man living in New York City when he
accompanied a friend to an acting class.
Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New
Jersey, grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey,
graduated from Park Ridge High School,
and currently lives in New York City.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Communications from Rutgers University.
Among some of his more
well-known film roles include playing
Virgil in 1993 romantic thriller True
Romance where he plays a brutal woman-beating
mob enforcer. 1994 saw Gandolfini play
Ben Pinkwater in Terminal Velocity as
nice guy turned Russian mafia leader.
The next two years were busy for Gandolfini
as he appeared in three blockbusting
movies. First was Crimson Tide where
he appeared along side Gene Hackman
and Denzel Washington, which he would
go on to work with both men later on
in his career, Washington in 1998 thriller
Fallen and Hackman in 2001 comedy The
Mexican. In the same year looking a
lot different from Crimson Tide Gandolfini
returns to play tender bodyguard Bear
in Get Shorty.
In 8mm (1999), he played Eddie Poole
(based loosely on playboy studio director
Darryl F. Zanuck) beaten to death by
Nicholas Cage in an abandoned house
for being part of a snuff movie in which
a young girl was murdered. Other characters
he played are the charismatic but ill-fated
salesman in The Man Who Wasn't There,
an enemy of Robert Redford in The Last
Castle, and a homosexual hitman in The
Mexican.
Although he acted on Broadway and in
various films in the 1990s, Gandolfini's
most acclaimed role is that of Tony
Soprano, the Mafia boss and family man
in the multi-award-winning HBO series
The Sopranos, which debuted in 1999.
He has won three Emmys for Best Actor
in a Drama for his work on the show.
Recently Gandolfini has spent time in
Louisiana and New Orleans to film the
movie "All The Kings Men"
(a movie about a politician based loosley
on Huey Long starring Sean Penn, Jude
Law, Anthony Hopkins and Kate Winslet)
Currently he is living in Greenwich
Village in New York City.
The Krewe of Bacchus rolls on Feb 18,
2007 at 5:00 p.m. on the uptown route
Theme: "Through the Eyes of a Child"
visit their website at www.kreweofbacchus.org
Although Mardi Gras is celebrated around
the world, no one does it quite like New
Orleans own Phunny Phorty Phellows.
The
Boss and Queens Toast arrival of
Carnival Season
New Orleans Mardi Gras is music, parades,
King Cakes, floats, beads, and Phunny
Phorty Phellows Streetcar Parade . Each
year on the evening of January 6 th, the
Phunny Phorty Phellows (PPP), a group
of about 50 costumed men and women, Herard
the official opening of the Carnival season
by riding a decorated streetcar. Mardi
Gras 2007 will mark the 26th year that
the Phellows have kept up this unique
Mardi Gras tradition. Despite the tragedy
of Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005,
New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras 2006
... it was a meaningful and memorable
holiday for everyone who attended in 2006.
Fabulous weather, amazing costumes, and
the chance for family and friends to reunite
and enjoy a day away from their current
daily reality of restoring or rebuilding
their homes.
Riders
toss beads to awaiting Crowds
Tossing Mardi Gras Beads from their traditional
electric streetcar dressed in satirical
costumes Phunny Phorty Phellows takes
to the streets each year despite their
personal continuing hardships. You may
ask, because of Katrina have the traditions
changed? Well... 2007 marks the Krewes
first ride starting in Mid City rather
then the usual Traditional route. The
actual Streetcar ride will begin in Mid
City, Rather then Uptown on Willow Street.
The
Phunny Phorty Phellows prepar for
their ride
The Phunny Phorty Phellows used to make
their launch of Carnival with a streetcar
ride along St. Charles Avenue, but that
route still has no power. There usually
are about 12 days of parades leading into
Mardi Gras, this year 10. When Hurricane
Katrina breached the levees in New Orleans
on August 29, 2005, it devastated the
city's streetcar lines along with a large
percentage of the city. The historic St.
Charles line stayed mostly above water
but the storm's winds knocked over trees
damaging trolley wire and tracks, meaning
the line will be out of service for an
extended period. But, despite great obstacles
this year again the Phunny Phorty Phellows
will continue their traditional ride.
The Riverfront and Canal lines saw less
track and wire damage, but the power rectifiers
and cars were severely flooded at the
Randolph SIS, meaning substantial overhaul
will be required. Partial service was
restored just before Christmas using undamaged
historic Perley-Thomas cars from the St.
Charles line. The service was restored
to the rest of Canal in April 2006 using
Perley-Thomas cars and a portable power
substation borrowed from Boston.
Riders
on the Streetcar
Phunny Phorty
Phellows Mardi Gras is New Orleans' signature
party celebrating life and having a good
time!
Accompanied by The Storyville Stompers
a lively New Orleans Dixieland band, the
group feasts on king cake Drink Champagne
and tosses throws to the delighted onlookers.
But as 2006 marked several post Hurricane
Katrina Mardi Gras changes City wide,
the same applies for this year as well.
2007 marks the Krewes first ride starting
in Mid City rather then the usual traditional
Uptown route. The St. Charles Avenue Streetcar
travels from the Central Business District
past the Arts and Warehouse District,
down the avenue along the edge of the
Garden District and the fabled mansions
of the American Sector. Continuing on,
past Tulane and Loyola Universities and
Audubon Park, Riverbend into the old city
of Carrollton.
There are three streetcar lines in New
Orleans. All are accessible from the French
Quarter and downtown. The most historic
and well-known is the St. Charles Avenue
line which runs from Canal Street, through
the American Sector, to the old city of
Carrollton. The cars on this line are
green. Sadly Hurricane Katrina's effect
on the line has it still in disrepair.
The second is the Riverfront
line. It runs along the Mississippi
River from Esplanade Avenue, at the
far end of the French Quarter, to the
Convention Center. The cars on this
line are red.
The third is the Canal
Street line. It runs from the foot of
Canal Street at the Mississippi River,
along Canal Street, to Carrollton Avenue.
An extension of this line runs to New
Orleans City Park for access to the
New Orleans Museum of Art.
There
will be a Parade for Mid City Mardi
Gras 2007
2007
Phunny Phorty Phellows Route
"We are very happy
to be traveling through Mid-City this
year." Says the Phunny Phorty Phellows
Krewe Captain. "This is a neighborhood
that's recovering at an encouraging
pace and we're happy to be celebrating
Mardi Gras and Mid-City's ability to
bounce back after Katrina devastated
it so." Though Endymion will be
parading uptown again this year to the
dismay of many Mid City residence. The
City of New Orleans reversed itself
and announced that no parades will be
allowed to roll through Mid-City in
2007, meaning Endymion will parade uptown
for one more year. The NOPD cited safety
concerns and a lack of manpower and
resources for the reasons they cannot
patrol the uptown and Mid City routes
at the same time on Saturday February
17, 2007.
In 2002 Endymion rolled uptown because
of construction of the Canal Streetcar
line. In 2006 in the aftermath of Katrina,
the 2,200 member club voluntarily paraded
from Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas. Though
it has granted the smaller Phunny Phorty
Phellows' Streetcar Parade the rights
to do so in January 2007.
This Krewe of costumed
men and women, founded in 1981, celebrates
the official opening of the Carnival
season by riding a decorated streetcar
along St. Charles Avenue. Known as the
Heralds of Mardi Gras, the group munches
on King Cakes and sips champagne while
tossing throws to the spectators, who
are also serenaded by a jazz band called
the Storyville Stompers. Associated
with the Krewe of Clones and later,
the Krewe de Vieux, the origin of Phunny
Phorty Phellows' name came from a Nineteenth
Century Krewe which first appeared in
1878 and were known for their hi-jinxs
and mockery.
The
Phunny Phorty Phellows will once
again take to the rails on Twelfth
Night, January 6 2007. They will
gather at the corner of City Park
Ave and Carrollton Street (THE ONLY
PARADE IN MID CITY THIS YEAR) at
6:30.
Members from the Krewe of Oak will
be on hand to toast the Phellows.
At 7pm there will be a Carnival
Countdown and cutting of the ribbon
and the Phellows, all masked and
costumed, will board the Mardi Gras
Decorated streetcar. They will ride
the Canal Street Streetcar Route
to the Mississippi River and return
to City Park.
They will conclude the 2007 ride
at City Park and will then attend
their Mardi Gras Coronation Ball.
The Storyville Stompers will accompany
them during their ride.
Today the City of New Orleans and the
New Orleans Police Department have announced
the 2007 Mardi Gras Parade Schedule.
It is as follows.
(Routes & Dates on this website
to be updated ASAP)
10 days of
Mardi Gras, 31 parades, more Floats
with Krewes having a minimum of 14 floats.
Schedule is 90% final. NOPD expects
larger crowds this year.
Changes:
Muses
on Thursday instead of Wednesday.
Druids Wednesday instead of normal Tuesday
Day
Morphes
moved to Friday instead of normal Tuesday
Day .
NOMTOC
will roll (same route) move up start
time 45 minutes to move police protection
from Westbank to uptown for Endymion.
Saturn, Bards of Bohemia and Aladdin
will not parade.
Zulu will start on Claiborne and Jackson
and disband at Claiborne and Basin (1.5
miles reduced on route).
Pontchartrain and Shangri-LA move start
time back 1 hour.
All East Bank Orleans Parish Parades
will parade on the Uptown route.
THOTH will be on original route. (Yes
it will go down Magazine)
Endymion Uptown.
ALL OTHER PARADES ON ORIGINAL ROUTES
WITH ORIGINAL TIMES ON ORIGINAL DAYS
- (2005 Season as Reference).
MONDAY and TUESDAY will be dark days
(no Parades).
