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Photo by Jonathan Bachman

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In an effort to give Hornets fans the best look at their favorite team, I’ll be showing a series of video interviews with various New Orleans Hornets players in Gambit’s “Best of” theme. Some will be short and sweet while others will be a bit longer and still sweet. With the Washington Wizards in town to play the Hornets tonight, I thought, ‘what better time to get to know the player the Hornets traded Mikes James to Washington for?’ There isn’t a better time. So hit the jump for the “Best of Antonio Daniels.” Music is courtesy of Sampson and the Folkadelics. 

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(P.S. I apologize in advance for some of the poor quality on this one, but either YouTube or my editing software is being stupid … maybe neither.)

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There’s more going on in the Mid-City neighborhood tomorrow night for New Year’s Eve than the suddenly high-profile bonfire.
Finn McCool’s Irish Pub, the seat of the city’s soccer-and-rugby-loving  expat community, will host its annual “Irish New Year’s” with a countdown to 6 p.m., when the New Year is marked in Ireland’s time zone. This is a pretty good option for those who want to get revved up early, do a big countdown, sing Auld Lang Syne with a brogue chorus and be home and abed before the amateurs have even downed their first Jager bomb.
Or it could simply be the first heat for a long night leading up to and beyond the stroke of New Year’s in our central time zone.
For those up late and feeling the need for a little more fuel, as Bukowski might say, the Ruby Slipper Café will open for wee-hour dining. The café is normally open for breakfast and lunch only, but will transform itself into a late-night diner on Jan. 1, serving its breakfast menu from 12:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. for hungry revelers.
Their migas, pictured below, will go a long way to chasing off that dog that wants to bite you. Should its jaws connect, however, the café reopens at 9 a.m. that morning for normal breakfast service with “hair of the dog” drink specials.
– Ian McNulty

The Department of Parks & Parkways issued the permit for the annual New Year’s Eve bonfire in the neutral ground of 4200 block of Orleans Avenue, putting in place the final piece of the puzzle that will allow the Mid-City neighborhood to continue the decades-old tradition. (For the backstory, see this week’s lead news story, “Burning, Man”).

Virginia Blanque, vice-president of the Mid-City Neighborhood Association, sent along this list of guidelines agreed upon by the neighborhood committee and city officials:

The Mid-City Bonfire Committee Guidelines

• No Fireworks In or around bonfire (City Ordinance No. 123-45.a)

The N.O.F.D. will extinguish the fire immediately if fireworks are tossed into the fire. If you want to see this tradition continued, no fireworks.

• Do Not Throw Items in Fire

Only fire personnel only can place items in fire. If you bring a tree place it in the designated area.

• No Glass Containers

Respect the barricades, volunteer marshals & the NOPD & NOFD

• Be Nice Or Leave

This is a family-friendly neighborhood event. Please behave accordingly.

• Do Not Litter

Please take your trash with you when leaving to dispose of properly.

The citizens who worked frantically around the Christmas holiday to work out a compromise wish to thank the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department and the Parks and Parkways Commission for their willingness to find a compromise. Also thank you to New Orleans Roofing and Metal for volunteering to build a metal fire pit, John Cummings for your support in obtaining the necessary insurance and to the Friends of St. Patrick Park organization which agreed to request the necessary permits.

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The University of Utah conducted their first practice that was open to the media today. Not sure what I was expecting but it pretty much went the same way most practices do. The team scrimmaged 11-on-11 for most of the time the media was available and used loudspeakers to simulate crowd noise for a portion. The players and coaches were focused but seemed loose and genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves. Hit the jump for a video report (which would’ve included coach Kyle Whittingham if the wind had not made him completely inaudible — though I don’t think he’ll mind).

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Because a couple of you asked…here’s the image from this week’s Gambit cover story, Greased: The Year in Review, with Prom Queen and King Stacy Head and Sidney Torres standing in for John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John: