by Alejandro de los Rios

The Hornets had fan appreciation night yesterday, and while the folks over at Hornets Hype have their own incredible fan story for your reading pleasure, I’d like to introduce you to the lady in the above video. Her name is Elisa Cossey and she is likely the loudest Hornets fan in the world. Her trademark free throw yell has garnered her much attention from the team and even the local media. She was even honored last night as the “Season Ticket Holder of the Game.” Much deserved, considering Cossey, an Oklahoma City native, travels 1,400 miles round trip to get to attend games. Read the rest of this entry »

by Alejandro de los Rios

As promised, here’s a picture of Sean Payton sitting courtside at last night’s Hornets game. The girl dressed in blue is actually Meghan, Payton’s daughter. This is the third game Payton has attended, all of them with one member of his family (his first game he attended was with his son, Connor, and the second was with his wife, Beth). What’s more significant, though, is that Payton decided to buy season tickets for next year.

“I’m fired up for this team,” he said.

He added that, this being the quiet portion of the NFL season — the time between the Super Bowl and the draft — he has been able to take in a more games of late. Not too long ago, Payton was featured on the Hornets’ Arena jumbotron and received a raucous ovation from the crowd. Last night was not the case and Payton said he liked it more that way.

“I like to keep it more low key,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

For one night only, the annual performance art festival, DramaRama! runs at the Contemporary Art Center. Saturday, April 19 6pm to midnight. For only $12, you can sample from the smorgasborg of area talents in theatre, dance, and performance art. Every usable space at the CAC is a stage. Select from a menu of 5 or 6 simultaneous performances, scheduled in 15-minute increments. Didn’t like the last thing? Cross the hallway.

FYI, look for my name on the schedule again this year. My cast of voice actors performs an excerpt from my radio play–the climactic 15 minutes of ORIGIN! You can see me making live sound effects by walking on boards in high heel shoes, running in kitty little to simulate gravel. My carpenter friend, Brian Tarney, created a cool creaking door effect.

Hope I see ya in the audience. If so, say howdy afterwards.

by Frederick Mead

I’ll admit a certain level of fascination with the variation on the buffet concept at work at Carnaval Bar & Grill, a Brazilian restaurant I reviewed this week.

Unlike the more familiar, higher-end churrascaria service style of unlimited portions and theatrical, table-side delivery of the various meats (as seen locally at Fire of Brazil), Carnaval offers a more modest, self-directed experience. You take as much as you like, the cashier weighs your loaded plate and your check is tabulated by the pound (as pictured above, with a friend going through the drill).

This was the same style employed by Brazil Latino Restaurant in Gretna, which closed recently after one of its owners, the former New Orleans Hornets forward Marcus Vinicius Vieira de Souza, was traded to the Houston Rockets. That left Carnaval in the dominant position of bargain lunchroom and de facto clubhouse for the area’s Brazilian population, which certainly seems to have swelled since Katrina. Read the rest of this entry »